By Rachel Muir
Eight hundred meters into the championship race in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 23, senior Megan Hogan was tripped and passed by 45 runners. But Ms. Hogan, the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year, wasn’t out for the count. After 3.7 miles, Ms. Hogan crossed the finish line 27th overall, beating out 228 of the nation’s top female runners to earn All-American status — and slashed her last year’s time by 36 seconds at 20:34.
The finish was a “happy” one for Ms. Hogan, the first GW women’s runner to achieve All-American status and the first Colonial to win the Atlantic 10 championships.
“I felt really strong running at nationals,” says Ms. Hogan. “I got a little bit scared when someone tripped me, I lost position and my entire left arm went numb. But I came back and I am really happy with my performance.”
“I think I probably would have finished a little bit better if I hadn't tripped, but it happens and I really can't complain,” she adds. “Overall, I am happy with this cross country season and I am really looking forward to track this winter and spring!”
A former high school and college basketball star, Ms. Hogan only started running cross country two years ago at the suggestion of a friend. She won her first three races handily, quit basketball and transferred to GW.
“Cross country is the perfect balance between a team sport and an individual sport,” says Ms. Hogan, a native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “You are out there all alone in a race, but your team is still there with you. I love racing and the toughness of cross country. There is no collegiate sport like it.”
Cross country races are run on open courses—golf courses or large fields—frequently over rough terrain that includes hills, streams and other obstacles. There can be as many as 400 competitors in a cross country race. At the college level, distances for women runners are typically five and six kilometers (about 3.1 and 3.7 miles). Ms. Hogan holds GW records in both distances; her best cross country time in the six kilometers is 20:05—an astounding 5:20 per mile.
“Training is tough,” says Ms. Hogan, who estimates she runs 70 miles a week. The team does both speed training at shorter distances, like 400 meters, and long runs of eight or more miles. She runs every day during the cross country season, which begins in early September and lasts until late October.
She says the hardest part about running cross country is knowing when to stop. “I hate backing off, because I feel like I am losing fitness, but in reality if my body feels like it needs to rest, I am only going to make it worse if I don’t. It’s something a lot of runners struggle with.”
Ms. Hogan, who also runs track in the winter and spring, is majoring in interior design with a minor in art history. She is considering pursuing an M.B.A. at GW next year, which would enable her to exercise her additional year of eligibility and run a third season of cross country at the University.
“Mostly, I think remembering that running should be fun is important. If you are not having fun, then there is no point,” Ms. Hogan says.