Senior picks up the pace
By Greg Seubert
It was gut-check time for Jada Beacom.
There were plenty of runners ahead of the Iola-Scandinavia senior at the WIAA State Cross Country Championships.
One by one, however, Beacom started to pass them and she ended up turning in a time of 19:20.4 to place fourth in the girls’ Division 3 race Oct. 27 at The Ridges Golf Course.
It was the best finish at state for Beacom, who also placed 27th two years ago as a sophomore.
“This whole week, I’ve been recognizing how strong I am,” Beacom said. “I’ve been through so much in my running career. Every letdown and every victory just built my character a little more.
“I had some gut-check moments on the course, but I just had to think to myself, ‘I’m strong, I’ve worked extremely hard for this, I’ve trained, I’ve given everything I possibly have, so I’m not giving up anytime soon,’” she said. “I went through the finish line with every last bit I had. It’s not the finish I was hoping for, but I’m proud of myself for just pushing through.”
A knee injury ended Beacom’s season last year. She made it to state after finishing second to defending Division 3 champion Marissa Ellenbecker of Edgar at the Amherst Sectional. Ellenbecker went on to repeat as state champion and finished 14 seconds ahead of Beacom.
“I’ve been at the bottom of the ranks for a lot of my running career,” Beacom said. “I’m not a naturally gifted athletic person, but when I see people ahead of me, I look to them for inspiration to work hard.”
Beacom said she entered her final high school race with plenty of confidence.
“At the beginning of the race, I was thinking, ‘I’m 100-percent sure of myself and there’s nothing I would do different because I did everything I could to get to this point,’” she said. “Honestly, it was kind of a blur. In my head, I was thinking, ‘Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving, forward, forward, forward.’
“I never gave up on myself,” she added. “That was the biggest thing.”