No Shortcuts to Excellence

Distance running was nowhere on her radar.

 

Before long, though, she found her way to the cross country program at St. Bridget Catholic School, which she attended through the 8th grade.        

 

Because of her natural ability and the conditioning resulting from distance freestyle swimming (with NOVA) and rigorous competitive dancing, she showed promise in her newfound endeavor, ultimately became her team’s No. 1 runner, and improved to the point that she could hold her own in (and often win) races around the Richmond area.

 

As she was discovering her talent, she was also developing an affinity for and finding meaning in a sport that allowed her to test her limits and become the best version of herself she could be.

 

“As I am in a lot of aspects of my life,” she said, “if I’m going to compete, I’m competing to win.”

 

Truth, for sure.

 

Her freshman and sophomore years, Blaszak ran both cross country and track at Mills Godwin High School.

 

“The first [cross country] practice, in August, was 90 degrees, but I had a feeling I’d never had for sports practices,” she said. “It was something I really, really enjoyed.”

 

She ran with the Eagles’ top group her two years at Godwin, then transferred to Collegiate as a junior. Anticipating the move, she researched the Cougars’ distance program. She knew it was championship caliber. She knew the core group was young, talented, and well-established. She looked forward with excitement to joining the team coached by Matthew Richardson and his staff and sharing the experience with her new teammates.

 

“You could see the times and know they’d won their state [cross country] meet twice in a row and they’d also won their league meet,” she said. “I knew it was a fast program, but I also learned that it’s a great program that develops not only great athletes but also great people.”

 

She quickly made her mark.

 

She played a significant role in the Cougars’ 2023 and 2024 League of Independent Schools and VISAA cross country championships. As a junior, she placed 4th in the league and 7th in the state. As a senior, she placed 3rd in the league and 4th in the state. Her personal best time over 5K is 18:15, which she ran this past October in the Virginia Cross Country Showcase at Pole Green Park in Eastern Hanover County.  She, along with teammates Virginia Harris and Rosie Ferrell, were named to the 2024 Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro team.

 

On the track, she’s broken longstanding school records in the indoor and outdoor 3200. Last winter in the state meet, she covered the distance in 11:28.08 to eclipse Madeline Sisk’s 11:43.7 record from 2005. In the spring, she ran 11:13.04 in the state meet to surpass the mark (11:24.3) set by Annie Hamlin in 1995. This past Dec. 4, she lowered her indoor record with a 11:04.49 performance in the Lampert Timing Indoor Meet at the Boo Williams Sports Complex in Hampton. Her 2024-2025 season 3200 time currently ranks first in the VISAA and third in Virginia among all high school girls. She’s also recorded personal bests of 2:33.75 in the 800 and 5:18.51 in the 1600.

 

“Honestly, I didn’t know I’d broken the indoor and outdoor records [last year] until after the fact,” she said. “I go into every race, depending on where we are in the season, with [the attitude that] I want to beat me from last week. Once you get into the championship season, it’s more about getting that next jersey and scoring team points. In invitationals, I just want to beat me. That’s something I really appreciate about the sport.”

 

Blaszak thrives on the grind of training and approaches each workout either with her teammates or on her own with enthusiasm and vigor, for she knows full well that there are no shortcuts to excellence.

 

“I take great satisfaction in knowing that I’ve put in a good day’s work,” she said. “When you’re running a hard workout and the lactic acid builds up, it’s not the most fun thing in the world, but when you cross that line and take that deep breath, that is one of the best feelings in the world.”

 

As is the case with many practitioners of distance events, training and racing provide her both therapeutic and cardio-vascular benefits as well as the opportunity to indulge her competitive instincts.

 

“When I go for a run, I don’t have to think about anything except my run,” she said. “I can think about the road or track in front of me or how many laps I have left. It's a great mind-clearing tool. Running is a stress reliever. Sometimes, it’s a stress producer, but it’s a healthy stress. There’s always a next goal like winning another championship in cross country, another PR, or another barrier that you’re looking forward to breaking. That’s why I’m putting my nose to the grindstone. That’s what the hard work is for.”

 

Blaszak plans to continue her running career at the college level. As always, she’s done her due diligence. Her decision is forthcoming. In the meantime, she’s enjoying her senior season and quality time spent with teammates and coaches.

 

“I’m so grateful for every part of this program,” she said. “We have something really special here: a team community that will be the gold standard that I’ll compare to any team I’m on in the future. I feel so blessed to be part of it.”

~Weldon Bradshaw