Finishing Strong

Last night, at the Ben Brown Invitational, my teammate Candice Chavez ran her last race as a UCI track athlete. Like me she is a 5th year but unlike me she never red-shirted track and has used up all her eligibility. With the "indoor season" officially over this weekend this was Candice's last time wearing the UCI jersey and man did she go out with style!

I talked with Candice before the race a bit and she mentioned that she wasn't sure what to expect as it was her first 5k of the season, although she did say she was hoping to beat her PR (which was around 16:50). Candice ran a great race and kept up in the lead pack. With a lap to go she was in 5th place (I think) and then she just let loose! It was one of the most exciting finishes to a race I have seen. She left it all out there on the track taking the lead the last lap and coming down the home stretch neck-to-neck with a girl from Cal State LA.

Unfortunately, Candice got second place at the line (by .12 seconds). However, she had a big PR running 16:39.87! I have known Candice for 5 years now and she has been a great friend and teammate and am so proud of her. Congrats Candice on an outstanding college career and way to finish strong!