Maggie Graham (pictured right by Scott Rigler) makes running seem fun, rather than a tiring chore. So when the Marion senior crossed the finish line as the Abingdon Invitational’s overall girls’ victor, the five to six cool-down strides that followed her three-mile trek were normal indeed.
But while most individual champs are more concerned with personal-best times and the post-run chats with friends, Graham was quickly hustling in the opposite direction to watch the remaining runners.
Make that the next runner. Teammate Melanie Rice was just 33 seconds behind Graham’s winning time of 19:17 during unusually mild temperatures Thursday at Sugar Hollow Park.