Sept. 23, 2014
Throughout the fall, GamecocksOnline will catch up with members of the women’s cross country team for a feature called The 6K. This edition features freshman Emily Harding of Sarasota, Fla.
When did you start running competitively?
It wasn’t until the summer going into my senior year. My dad runs marathons so it was family related. That summer I just started running with him just as a way to stay in shape for volleyball and basketball. The cross country coach at my high school, who I knew since I ran track, had told me that I could come work out with them. Progressively throughout the summer I just started to enjoy it more and more. The more I focused on it, the more I enjoyed it. Ultimately, I decided to run my senior year.
How was the transition from playing volleyball and basketball to suddenly running cross country?
It was different. The training is tough on your body. My body is still adjusting to more distance running. It takes a toll, but I love it and I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t. Also, mentally, coming from those other sports it was an advantage from the competitive side.
What do you enjoy most about running cross country and distance events?
Self-satisfaction, pride and fulfillment when you finish the longer distance races. You feel a sense of accomplishment. You know at the end of it if you gave everything you had. That’s the best feeling when you did give it everything you have. You might not come out on top, but just knowing that you put everything out there is the best feeling, but winning one of those races, it’s the best feeling. I’ve told people that it’s better than winning a basketball game because you have complete control over it.
What has been your favorite memory as an athlete?
At our state track meet, which was only a few months ago, winning the 1600 meters and then going back out about 30 minutes later and winning the 800 meters. Nothing else can really compare to that. I had no idea that was even possible. I didn’t believe that it could be done until about a month beforehand. Looking back at how far I have come and what I was able to accomplish, it provides a lot of motivation for what else I can do.
Why did you choose to compete for South Carolina and Coach Allden?
Last fall, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do because I had just picked up cross country. I really didn’t know if I wanted to run in college. During my junior year, I was talking to schools about playing basketball. One of my high school coaches contacted Coach Allden, just to give him a brief description of me. Then, I applied here and when I talked to Coach Allden, he was very positive and optimistic. He told me that he thought I had great potential just from my multi-sport background. There have been a lot of success with athletes like that now and he was very positive.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
I’m really excited for track season. I do love cross country, but they’re different. I’m excited for being able to travel and compete at different places. When you get into track and you get into your specific events, you get really close with your teammates who run those same events, especially when we start doing relays. The older girls have told us about how exciting it is and how close you get.
The Gamecocks next competition will be on Sept. 26 as they travel to Charlotte, N.C., to compete in the Charlotte Invitational at 6 p.m., at McAlpine Creek Park.
