Bethanie Brown - Waterville HS
What were your most memorable races?
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The New England Outdoor Track Championship race my sophomore year was a very memorable race. I wasn’t seeded to place, but I ended up getting sixth place. It was rainy, and I just gave it my all. My mile PR before that race was 5:06, so I hadn’t expected to be near the front. When I was running along and I only saw three girls ahead of me, I seriously wondered if something was wrong. I wondered, “Why aren’t there more girls ahead of me?” Realizing I had placed that year was an unreal feeling. I really couldn’t believe it, even when people told me. It seems silly, but it was only my second meet out of state, and I was actually shocked to have gotten sixth place. Other memorable races for me are New Balance Indoor Nationals my junior year, when I got a PR in the 800 of 2:15 and then two days later got 4th in the two mile with a 19-second PR of 10:29. I’ll also always remember the Edward Little meet when I got to run with the boys and ran 10:13. I have high expectations for myself, but I truly surprised myself with that time. I knew it would be good running with the boys, but I had already done an 800 that day and didn’t expect to PR that much. I think my 5k at Outdoor Nationals this year will be on the list of memorable races, because it was a fun race where I got to go up against a lot of talented girls, and managed to get third in 16:41. Looking back on the race I think I could have gone faster, but I guess I’ll have to wait until college!
Out of all your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
I think what stands out the most to me is that leaving high school as a senior, I have 10 Maine all time records in my name. I know that records are made to be broken. They are just the memory of a race and are kept to inspire others to go above and beyond them. But I feel like it’s a great accomplishment to have obtained 10 of them during my high school career. When I started high school, I didn’t know that people ran in shoes called spikes; I’d only run in training shoes in junior high, and I wasn’t really aware of records. I thought it was really cool when I saw my name in the top 10 or 20 in the state for an event. As I continued to run track, I became aware of athletes who were running really fast and setting records, like Abby Mace and Abbey Leonardi, and they were simply a source of inspiration for me, but I never imagined I’d be able to run that fast. When I first broke 5 minutes in the mile and broke 11 minutes in the two mile, I started to think about those records in a “haha wouldn’t that be amazing” sort of way, half serious-half joking about running times that fast. Before I knew it, I was running those times, and faster. So leaving high school with those records is the accomplishment that stands out the most, because it shows how hard I’ve worked, and how far I’ve come. And like I said before, records are made to be broken. I looked at the records before mine, and was inspired by them. I hope that the times I’ve run will inspire girls across Maine to break my records, and to remember that if you work hard, the sky is the limit.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your running career in high school?
If I could have started even just freshman year knowing what I know now about training and running, I would have done things a little differently. I got a pretty late start compared to most people. The summer before freshman year and through the fall, my weekly mileage had increased from I’m not sure what to 9 miles per week. That was three days a week, three miles per day because I was planning to do soccer and that was what Coach Wilson had recommended to incoming freshman. I felt pretty impressed with myself because he had recommended two miles three days a week for beginners, but I knew I was good at running so I decided to do the “varsity” program. There are other things I would have improved too—for example, I didn’t run between seasons until halfway through sophomore year. I just took the in-between time as a break. But I can’t really complain because I have had a successful high school career, and so maybe the gradual route I took was a good one. Who knows!
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
When you are successful, most people are supportive, but there are always a few people who will try to bring you down. You just have to believe in yourself, keep a positive attitude, and be able to let things go.
What will you miss the most?
I will really miss running in Maine. The Maine running community has been so supportive. I’ll miss having Maine people come up to me and start conversations at meets, or congratulate me on my races. I’ve enjoyed being able to meet and talk with so many different people. And I’ll also miss being a part of Waterville Track. It’s been really fun to be able to have larger team goals, and to win team championships as well as individual events. I’ll miss the support of all the loyal Waterville fans, and I’ll miss being purple and white, but I think the UConn colors will grow on me. I really like their new husky logo.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
My advice would be to not let yourself, or people around you, set limits for you. Dream big, because if you work hard, you will improve. Take risks in races, because that’s the only way you will discover what you are truly capable of; and take advantage of competitive race
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Coach Wilson has been an inspiration to me in my track career. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. He has high expectations for his athletes and the team as a whole. He is very intelligent, and definitely a learner of the sport. He is incredibly motivating and supportive. He always put school first, and if I needed a day off from track to run at home during the more stressful, homework filled times in high school, he would let me do that. So I have to thank him for my academic success too. He has always made it clear that grades are important, because people who are successful in the classroom are successful in other places too. I will definitely miss his motivational spiels at track, (I’ll have to get Lauren to retell them to me next year), and other inspirational Waterville Track traditions that he has created. Coach Wilson has been a great coach to work with.
What are your college plans?
I’m going to the University of Connecticut where I will run XC, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track. I think it is going to be really fun. I’m enrolled in the Pre-pharmacy program at UConn, but I’m really not sure what I want to major in so I’m going to look into other things too.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
There are so many people that I’d like to say thank you to. I’d like to thank Coach Wilson for being an inspiring and motivating coach. I’d also like to thank everyone at Waterville High School: the assistant track coaches, my teachers who put up with numerous college visits this fall, and my friends and other Waterville staff members who went out of their way to encourage me. I’d also like to thank the administration—Mr. Reiter the principal, Mr. Laramee the assistant principal, Mrs. Bernier the AD, and the athletic staff, Lolita Day and Mrs. Duvall, for supporting me, organizing the UConn signing day, and making it easier for me to be a student-athlete. The support that I’ve received from the Waterville community has been awesome. Dr. Zarfos and his wife, Beth, have watched me at races and watched me run at Nationals on video, and have really been supportive. I’d like to especially thank my neighbors, the Hale family, because they have been so encouraging and helpful throughout my running career. Greg Hale is a great runner himself, and he has given me a lot of good advice. Doug and Angela Frame have also been very helpful. Doug Frame was the AD before Heidi Bernier, and Angela is a former UConn track athlete. I’d also like to thank Joanie Samuelson for running with me last summer and giving me some good advice about organizing my college search and what to look for in a team and coaches. I have to thank Mike and Kate for keeping me healthy throughout the track and Cross Country seasons; they are awesome. And I’d like to thank Derek Veilleux for doing a great job with milesplit. The site is always updated with information from recent meets, and I think that helps inspire runners to improve. Also, my family has been wonderful. My aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins have come to watch me at races. My aunt Hoa even took me to North Carolina for Nationals last year! And I am extremely thankful to my parents and sister who have really made it possible for me to be successful. They have accompanied me to numerous meets, gone to bed early in hotel rooms, and put up with me through the ups and downs of training and racing, and really gone completely out of their way to support me. Most importantly, they have encouraged me to always think big, and always think positive, which I think has been the key to achieving what I’ve achieved in high school, both on and off the track.
Personal Bests
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1,000 Meter Run 2:53.88
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1,600 Meter Run 4:50.39
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Two Mile Run 10:24.44
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3,000 Meter Run 9:49.98
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3,200 Meter Run 10:13.90
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Three Mile Run 17:41.60
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400 Meter Dash 1:03.96
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5,000 Meter Run 16:41.84
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800 Meter Run 2:15.44
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One Mile Run 4:51.54
