A smile is not the normal expression worn on the faces of those running a 5000 meter race, especially when there's less than a mile to go and the view of the course is dominated by a steep, heartbreaking hill. Yet a genuine smile was what filled the face of Trinity senior, Barbara Strehler, as she charged up the hill of the USATF Virginia Association Championships at Pole Green Park this past Saturday.
Shortly after that hill, Strehler would go on to pass Hiruni Wijayaratne to claim the championship title, with an agreeable time of 19:19.89 for the less than agreeable, windy weather. Earlier this season, Barbara came in as runner-up at the VISAA State Championship meet behind Anneka Wilson and her current PR stands at an impressive time of 17:39.
With that being said, it may seem hard to believe that Strehler prefers indoor track to cross country, but even harder to believe that before her sophomore year, she preferred avoiding running entirely.
"I used to hate running," s...