Lauren Sara eyes top prize

Written by Bill Bloxsom, Sports Editor
Thursday, 05 November 2009 11:27

Lauren Sara raced around the Bunnell High track on Monday afternoon.

Three days removed from winning the Class L girls cross country championship on Oct. 31, Sara and Bruce Berkeley, a senior classmate and a member of the Bulldogs’ boys team, were prepping for practice.

It has been that kind of extra duty that makes Sara one of the contenders for this week’s State Open title, admittedly a dream finish since the season began for the dedicated runner.

“My goal for the course is 18:30,” Sara said about what drives her mentally entering the competition against the best harriers in the state.

“Wickham Park is hilly, including one right after the start and another called the Green Monster about 1.5 miles in,” said Sara of the 5,000-meter challenge that awaits the field of top teams and best individual runners.

“Over the years, I’ve looked to gain my best time on each course I’ve run, but going for a State Open title I’ll take a win no matter what time I come in at.”

Sara set course records in winning the South-West Conference title at Bethel and also holds the mark at her home Roosevelt Forest course.

It took Sara 23 seconds longer to win the state title than it took her to earlier earn the Wickham Invitational crown.

“The start was a little too fast and at states and I needed to conserve more energy for the rest of the race,” said Sara, who ran past a fading Meg Ryan of Fairfield Warde, who stumbled twice the final 200 meters.

“By the time we got to that first hill, me and Rosa [Moriello of Naugatuck] were together when Meg eased her way past us and took off.

“We kept her in range through the Green Monster and then had to step it up.

“It was real muggy and the course was muddy and Meg wasn’t the only runner that felt dehydrated down the stetch.

“I was more tired after running 19:04 at states than when I ran 18:41 at the Invitational.”

Sara won with her time of 19:04, followed by Ryan at 19:15 and Moriello at 19:43.

She is still coming to grips with winning her first state title.

“I slowed a little at the end because I saw Meg struggling,” Sara said.

“Part of me wanted to stop and help her because she had run such a good race.

“But I knew that if I did, we’d both be disqualified. It was confusing.

“She was out front and had won the race until that point. When we got to 200 meters out I saw her fall. It wasn’t the way I wanted it to end.”