Sept. 30, 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 junior Christine Kent of San Diego, Calif.
Why did you choose to leave the West Coast and come to South Carolina?
The nursing program and top-tier running were the top two aspects, but I also wanted to change it up because you can’t get much better than San Diego. The South had a charming factor about it, which helped, but also being in the SEC was cool so probably all of those factors combined.
Where is your favorite place to go for a run?
Back home at Mission Bay in San Diego. I can run an entire loop of about 13 miles without retracing my steps. It’s all along the water and you can see the San Diego skyline so it’s really pretty.
Why did you start running competitively?
I started as a way to train for soccer. I had been playing soccer for around 10 years so it was more of a training thing rather than treating it as a sport and once I started running, I fell in love with it and stopped playing soccer.
What do you enjoy most about running cross country and distance events?
I think I like it because it’s pushing yourself to your limits. It’s about the most that you can put your body through. Playing soccer in the past, it’s a completely different aspect. There’s a team aspect to it, but it’s so much more about what you can do. The amount of work you put in is what you get back. It’s a great feeling when that happens so that’s probably why I love it.
What has been your favorite memory as an athlete?
My junior year in high school I had just PR’d at Mt. SAC and it was probably one of the hilliest courses that I had ever seen and raced on. It’s basically running on a mountain, but you get three of them so it’s a crazy course. To be able to finish in the top 10 was the best feeling.
What has been the most challenging thing about being a student athlete?
Being a nursing student, especially since I’m in the upper division of it now. It’s helped a lot to have a senior nursing student on the team in Kayla Lampe. It’s very time consuming, especially with being an athlete on top of it, which is like having a job as well so it’s tough being pulled in two different directions. Just trying to find that balance is probably the hardest thing. Kayla has shown me that it’s possible so that helps.
The Gamecocks’ next competition will be on Oct. 4 as they travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete in the Paul Short Run beginning at 10 a.m., at the Lehigh Cross Country Country.
