ORONO, Maine — Tia Tardy has a hard time explaining how much she loves to run.
“Unless you’re a runner and you’re really dedicated and you have that same passion, it’s hard to understand,” she said.
“You have those days where you just feel like you could go forever.”
Tardy has coupled her enthusiasm for running with considerable God-given talent and a relentless work ethic during a successful track and field/cross-country career.
The Lincoln native, who transferred to Orono last fall from Mattanawcook Academy, continues to set the pace among the state’s female distance runners. She looks to help the Red Riots claim a fifth straight Class C outdoor state championship while reaching some personal goals.
Going into Saturday’s Penobscot Valley Conference Small School championship meet at Dover-Foxcroft, Tardy owns the state’s best times, regardless of class, in the 800 meters (2 minutes, 13.10 seconds), the 1,600 (5:02.45) and the 3,200 (11:04.87).
“She is certainly in the conversation of the greatest female distance runner in the state,” Orono head coach Chris Libby, who now works with Tardy after coaching against her, said.
He explained it is her versatility that helps her stand out.
“She hasn’t run the fastest times in state history, but she’s better rounded than some of those [all-time great] girls were,” Libby said.
Two weeks ago, Tardy was the top-seeded athlete in Maine Class C track in five events, including the 200 and 400 meters. Teammate Lauren Stoops has since overtaken her in the 200 (26.51).
“She’s a phenomenal athlete. She’s strong and she’s flexible and she’s explosive,” Libby said.
Tardy, who has been bothered by some soreness in her right leg, is gearing up for the stretch run by focusing her efforts on the 800 and the 1,600.
The sound of music
Tardy’s decision to transfer had nothing to do with her athletic interests.
“I heard that they had a really great music program. They offered show choir, which is something that I’ve kind of always dreamed about doing,” she said.
Tardy plays the flute and the ukulele and is teaching herself guitar and piano.
“Music is just as important as running is to me,” she said. “It’s good for me to have that balance.”
The move meant leaving her friends in Lincoln, adapting to a different school and meshing with new classmates and teammates.
“I was a little nervous about fitting in and stuff, but once I got here everyone was really welcoming,” Tardy said.
She spends a lot of time on the road, but the 45-minute trip from Lincoln to Orono gives her a chance to think, mostly about running.
“I take a look at some of my upcoming goals, what I want to do at meets,” Tardy said.
Big fish in a bigger pond
Tardy was far and away the most outstanding runner at Mattanawcook, which fielded a small squad and has a gravel track.
At Orono, she is on a much larger team, one that motivates her further. She grew up with Cassidy Dill and had competed against classmates Becky Lopez Anido and Hannah Steelman.
“It’s a wonderful group of people. Everyone’s very like team and like family,” Tardy said. “It’s good to be able to come here and like kind of feel like I’m a part of something big.”
Orono’s talented, deep roster enables the athletes to chase personal goals while contributing to the team’s goals. Tardy won the 800, the mile and the 2-mile in February to help Orono capture the Class B indoor state title.
“We listen to Tia and find out what her goals are and what she would like to attain by the end of the season,” Libby said, “and we have the team dynamic where we’re trying to experience success.”
Tardy said the competition with her Orono teammates has been beneficial.
“They always gave me a run for my money. Now to be able to call them teammates is really something special,” she said.
A better, structured plan
Tardy has been blessed with good coaches during her young career. She credited middle school Dave Cox with having an early impact on her career.
Most recently, she has benefited from the help of her cousin, David Nantkes, who was a standout runner at Mattanawcook in the early 1980s. He was an assistant cross-country coach at MA in 2014.
The two have since trained extensively together.
“I was kind of a little discouraged with what I had been getting [for times] and didn’t really know what to do,” Tardy said. “He came in and was trying to push me and motivate me and show me a path.”
Tardy began to focus more on the 800 and the mile and more refined training including the philosophy from nationally renowned coach Jack Daniels’ philosophy that uses set distances, times and paces for runs.
“I kind of helped get her on a training plan that made sense. We found something that really clicked for her,” Nantkes said.
Nantkes said Tardy also benefited from working with Portland personal trainer Adam Hanrahan.
Building toward the future
Tardy already has won 11 individual state titles in track and cross-country during her first three years of high school. She is hungry for bigger and better things, in the short term and down the road.
Tardy plans to compete in college, where some coaches already have suggested she become a “multi” athlete so she can pursue the pentathlon and the heptathlon. It is more likely she will wind up running the 800 and/or the 1,600.
She has some lofty long-term goals.
“I would like to see myself at least qualify for the [U.S. Olympic] Trials. I think that I’m very capable of it,” Tardy said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, clearly, but I’m really dedicated and it’s something that I’ve always dreamed of.”
Tardy hopes to follow in the footsteps of two former Maine high school stars, Carsyn Koch of Washburn and Casco’s Kate Hall, both of whom have qualified for the Trials. Koch did so in the 800 (2:02.39) and Hall qualified in the long jump (21 feet, 5½ inches).
“It’s cool to know them and be like, this could be me, hopefully,” Tardy said.
Nantkes, who has run more than 1,000 miles alongside Tardy, said mastering the mental part of racing is key for her. Participating in the New England Championships and the New Balance Indoor Nationals, where she won the Emerging Elite mile in March, helped build confidence.
“Tia has come out of nowhere in the matter of a year and a half,” Nantkes said.
“She’s always believed in herself, but there’s different levels,” he added. “As you get better, the competition gets better.”
Libby’s aim is to keep Tardy and all of his athletes focused on short-term pursuits, but he praised her overall makeup as she moves forward.
“She certainly holds herself to super high standards,” he said. “As coaches, there are times that some of our efforts are spent trying to bring her down to earth a little bit so she doesn’t expect too much all at once. We just have to keep her eyes on the goal she has set with herself and provide her the workouts that are going to help get her there.”