ROCKINGHAM — When Maylyn Wallace started running cross country for Richmond Senior High School as a sophomore two years ago, she wanted it to help her stay conditioned for softball season.
But in that time, the now senior runner has emerged as the Lady Raiders’ top performer and her focus has shifted to wanting to run at the college level.
Her love for the sport has blossomed, which has seen Wallace challenge herself to become a more competitive runner.
“I started running to stay in shape for softball, but in December of my junior year, I decided I wanted to start running more,” Wallace explained. “And that’s what I did.
“Running gives me a feeling of accomplishing something,” she added. “It can be difficult, but that makes me feel stronger every time I run.”
This month, Wallace has competed in two invitational races outside of Richmond’s regular-season schedule to help bolster her resume.
On Sept. 10, she ran in the Friday Night Lights XC Festival held at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, and followed that with the Hare & Hounds XC Invitational at McAlpine Park in Charlotte this past weekend.
Running in a field of 230 runners at the FNL XC Festival, Wallace set a new personal record time of 22:19.90 and finished near the middle of the pack.
A week later, she bettered her time for another new PR, and took 38th overall in a field of 244 runners at McAlpine Park on Saturday.
Wallace finished the 5-kilometer race with a mark of 22:08.50 and an average mile time of 7:07.20.
Maylyn Wallace at the Friday Night Lights XC Festival in Kernersville on Sept. 10. (Contributed photo)
Wallace said an adjustment she had to make was learning how to run amongst a much larger field, noting that the start of races was the biggest difference.
“I had always heard about the bigger races and didn’t understand what they were like until I got there,” Wallace explained. “I was used to running against maybe 40 other girls to running against over 200 girls in a race. It was really crazy, but I was really excited to get the chance to run.
“It was a big difference because there are a lot of faster girls, but that made me push more and be more competitive,” she continued. “In the first race, I wanted to get out there and see what I could do. The second race I competed a little bit more, and if I was comfortable with a certain pack, I tried to move up to the next one.”
Of the new experiences, Wallace said one of biggest rewards has been setting new PRs and “seeing my hard work pay off.” She also said meeting new people and perfecting her craft have also been an enjoyable part of the races.
This past summer, Wallace attended a cross country camp at Liberty University. Calling it “one of the best camps” she’s ever been to, she explained it was a stepping stone to a hopeful career as a college runner.
She added that there are “some strong prospects” looking at recruiting her, but her focus right now is continuing to get better and help the Lady Raiders during her final high school season.
“Since I do want to run in college, these invitationals have taught me more of what to expect and how to be better prepared,” Wallace closed. “I want to continue dropping my times and help my team the best that I can.”
Wallace and the Lady Raider cross country team will compete in their third Sandhills Athletic Conference meet this season on Wednesday. The race, hosted by Lee County, will start at 5 p.m.
