Drazba's fight to the top once again an inspiration

Drazba finished in a blazing 18:25.4, breaking the old record of 18:29.

"I just hit the track and tried to keep going, and I saw that I was going to end up breaking it, so I was really excited at that point," she said. "I was surprised, but I was really excited that I accomplished that because it's a big goal just to win the race, and then this is kind of a smaller goal I started thinking about in the days leading up to it. But then once I did it, it was just a relief. It was awesome."

Besides winning the state championship, she led her team to a second place finish with 80 points behind Phillip Barbour (67).

"It was overall a good team effort," she said. "We had some girl step up at the state meet, and we came in second, so I was pretty proud."

Nothing could have made her happier, knowing that she achieved all of her goals and led her team to such a strong performance. Standing on the podium with a first place medal around her neck was a journey that she had undertaken last year just after the state meet. Last winter, she started putting in higher intensity training with a local running club. Throughout the winter and into the summer she trained with this group, knowing what she wanted out of her running. Third place was not enough for this hard changing runner, a runner who has always had tremendous potential, according to St. Marys coach Glenda Cottrill.

"An exceptional runner, Maggie is a goal setter that set goals while running during her middle school years," Cottrill said. "She has always known exactly what she wanted and needed to do in her running career and let nothing stand in the way of getting there."

Even more impressive was her maturity as a young and blooming distance runner. In middle school, Drazba showed a glimpse of what kind of runner she could become one day. That rare talent translated over even more her freshman year, as she remained undefeated and posted a 20:08.50 first place showing at the state meet. Track season was more of the same. Drazba claimed a triple crown in the 800-1600-3200 at the West Virginia State Track meet. Posting these kind of times and performances as a young gun set the tone for the rest of her high school career. There was no limit to her potential, and she knew that. However, she didn't take it for granted. If anything, it only encouraged her to keep pushing forward at 150 percent effort.

"That (the running club) definitely helped out a lot because I improved quite a bit by running more serious, I guess you could say," she said. "I think I basically tripled my mileage. I wasn't running very much my sophomore year, but now I've built up to a higher mileage, so that definitely helped."

Higher mileage has only molded Drazba into even more of a threat on a cross country course. What used to be a struggle is now more natural for her.

"I definitely feel a lot stronger and a lot fitter. I used to feel more tired and it was hard to get through the three miles, but now it feels good. It made it a lot easier to get through the three miles."

Even though she has attained more than most runners in the state as only a junior, she is still not ready to close out her season just yet. Later this month Drazba is planning on running in the seeded race at the Foot Locker South Regional meet.

With at least one more race left, she is thrilled. But for now, the memory of the greatest performance of her life is enough.

"It's really great. I'm glad it's all paid off, and I'm really excited that I was able to break the record and win it again. I was really, really happy about it."

After a disappointing third place finish at the state meet last season, she wanted the victory more than ever.

Then at the two mile mark, after pushing past Charleston Catholic junior Sami Harris, shouts from the crowds of spectators caught her attention.

"I heard the crowds shouting about the record," Drazba said. "I was like, well, maybe I have a chance at it. I just kept going."
As she came out of the ball fields, she still wasn't sure it was feasible. On such a muddy course it seemed impossible.

Just like she has done throughout her career, she just kept on treading along.

"I was just thinking about winning," she said. "Because of the conditions of the course, I didn't think it would be a top priority."

The more she ran, the more evident it became that this record set by former Elkins High School standout runner Letitia Propst in 2008 was in jeopardy. Along with the crowd, the PA announcer discussed it on the loudspeakers. That was just enough to propel Drazba to what she once thought was just a slight possibility.