Bernier places fifth at national track meet

By Kalle Oakes , Staff Writer
Monday, June 23, 2008

Christie Bernier completed the first lap of her 10,000-meter racewalk at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Columbus, Ohio, battling stride-for-stride with another competitor.

For last place.

Her coach, Tom Menendez, was concerned. Well, at least for the split second it took him to process the unusual sight and then look down at his stopwatch.

"Then I said, 'Oh, perfect pace. She'll be fine.' That was the plan, really," Menendez said. "If somebody wants to go out stupid and wear themselves out, she'll usually catch them."

Bernier, who recently completed her sophomore year at Edward Little High School, caught - and passed - enough of the top youth competitors in the country to finish fifth Sunday and secure All-America honors.

The performance also earned Bernier a spot on the USA Track and Field National Junior Racewalk team. She'll walk at the USA vs. Canada event slated for Vancouver, British Columbia, in August.

"Team USA! That's all I've got to say," Bernier proclaimed.

Maine's close-knit racewalking delegation also celebrated a national championship on Sunday.

Matt Forgues of Boothbay won the boys' title with a time of 49 minutes, 1.41 seconds, fewer than five seconds ahead of runner-up and recently crowned Nike Outdoor one-mile champion Tyler Sorensen.

"(Forgues) led that race from the first step," said Menendez.

The top two finishers in each race were eligible for a trip to the World Junior Championships in Poland if they met the qualifying standard. Forgues fell just shy of that mark, according to his coach.

Competing in her first 10,000-meter event since April, Bernier battled more than the telltale stopwatch.

Compared to the changing scenery and elevations of a road course, walking on a never-changing, quarter-mile loop can be the equivalent of trudging on a treadmill.

"I definitely like a road course better," Bernier said. "It's not as boring."

Dehydration was a more likely foe than disinterest, though.

"It was hot. So hot. Probably 85 degrees," she said. "I started out second-to-last of 13 girls in the race. By about the 10th lap, I worked my way up to sixth or seventh. Then the last five laps I started to push it."

Bernier easily cleared the one-hour hurdle. Her time of 57:47.06 was less than four minutes off Miranda Melville's winning pace.

"I would say she ran one of the smartest races out there, as did Matt," said Menendez.

While the trip to Canada is reward enough, Bernier will reap a more immediate benefit of her winning weekend: Seven days off.

Not that anything can keep Bernier away from the track. While she won't engage in any of the thrice-weekly workouts with her coach or rigorous, individualized trips to the gym, Bernier will occupy her time instructing elementary school athletes at Menendez's summer track camp.

"It will be fun for her to be the coacher instead of the coachee," Menendez said. "And the kids love working with her."

Slow and steady paid dividends in Ohio, but Bernier's goals for next autumn and beyond include whittling more seconds off her time in shorter races.

"I want to bring my mile time down. I didn't bring it down too, too much this year," she said. "I'd like to get it under 7:50. We'll see how it goes."

Maine's high school racewalk history now boasts 149 All-American awards from 51 walkers representing 27 high schools.