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10/15/2024 11:54 AMSadie Iselin is an athlete who never stops challenging herself to see what new avenue or endeavor she can dominate. She additionally loves the adrenaline rush of a runner’s high after a great accomplishment–leading to her chasing down miles and opposing racers on the cross country trails.
The Valley junior has been a gymnast her entire life, and she is still one for the Warriors’ high school squad during the winter season. She helped the Warriors complete a repeat as Shoreline Conference champions last February in the gym. Yet upon entering high school, Sadie decided to apply her athleticism towards gaining speed, and she became involved with cross country last fall, along with track and field. In her second season, she has become a mainstay and consistent performer for the Valley girls’ cross country squad this fall in only her second campaign.
“I find a certain peace with running, and I just find a successful feeling after a run. I know I can push myself to do better each day with running,” says Sadie. “I also like how with running, it is just you against you out there. I have also learned a lot of discipline from the sport. I also find a rewarding feeling from running at the end of each day. My teammates and coaches always put a smile on my face, and I love them. It is a demanding sport, but we all push through it together. They are all so positive, and we know we are all in this together.”
Sadie knows it will not be all pleasure when she steps out onto the course behind the starting line. But she knows that if she stays steady both with her pacing and her pensive thoughts, she can come through in the clutch with top-notch speed in the home stretch.
“When I run a 5K, I know that if I really think about it, then it is just under 25 minutes of pain,”Sadie says. “When it comes to a race, I try to sprint out and get out in front to start. I try to stay at that pace before slowing down a little bit in the middle of the race. Then, for that third mile, I try to kick and just push it to the finish. When looking at other runners, I try to pick them up in small increments, and then later pass them. I also keep my mile time in my head, and I know if I can go faster in my head, then I can make my body go faster.”
The inner competition with so many athletics is honestly in the brain, and for Sadie, the gym and the running lanes are no exceptions to that rule. Still, through the pain comes great gain in the form of mental and physical fortitude that helps her showcase endurance in both sports.
“Gymnastics has always been a mental sport to me, but so is cross country,” says Sadie. “Cross country helped me get better as a gymnast because you are putting your body through so much pain. It then helps with conditioning and skills for gymnastics. I also feel stronger physically, and then mentally, it is just me and my thoughts during each of these sports.”
There are moments where Sadie is churning and burning to the point where it seems she may like to relent. But she never for a second considers it because she has a tremendous track record of past successes that fuel her future triumphs.
“When a run is tough for me, I just tell myself that I have done it before, and so I can keep going and do it,” Sadie says. “I know it is something that is hard, but I know I can do it. I just block out any negative thoughts, and let my body take over.”
Valley cross country Head Coach Brian Drinkard explains that Sadie’s pedigree has guided her in this strong direction in the realm of competitive running. Yet it is her hard work and persistence as an individual that has made her truly stand out.
“Sadie joined the cross country program last year and quickly became a top runner. It was not surprising because she comes from a family of accomplished runners. She trains really hard and pushes herself to succeed in our meets,” says Drinkard. “Her leadership skills put her in position to be a captain of the team next year. This season, she has really worked hard on her pacing, and it’s paying off with race results.”
Sadie does not stop pushing herself to her limits, as she takes on only the toughest honor level courses as a student. She details that as she tries to maintain it all, she strives to only give her absolute all each day, and she lets fate take her the remainder of the way from there.
“As a junior in high school now, I am taking very challenging classes academically and trying to balance it all with my sports,” says Sadie. “The balance is very hard work, but I know I will try my hardest. I do not have any immediate goals athletically, but I am just going with the flow right now and seeing where it takes me.”