One has to wonder whether Maribel Sanchez '96 would be the runner that she is today if her parents had not decided to move to Hastings, N.Y.
Fate would have it that a young and eager Sanchez would move next door to an avid runner of the same age. Fate would have it that Sanchez, eager to make friends in her new surroundings, would take up running at the Edgewood Track Club just to meet people. Fate would have it that, as a sophomore at college, Sanchez would win the United States Cross Country Championships and represent her country at the World Cross Country Championships in Hungary.
This saga is not your typical rags to riches, dirt to glory story about a dominant athlete. It is the humble scenario that Sanchez has followed in her ascent to the top of her sport.
"I started running around age seven or eight at the track club in the next town over," Sanchez explained. "I always liked to run, but the track club really piqued my interest."
Competitive running started at age 11, with trips to national competitions. It is these trips, Sanchez said, that spawned a pride and confidence that she has yet to shake.
"I quit running for one year, just because I thought I was burnt out," Sanchez said. "I really missed running and that year made me realize how important it was in my life - I haven't stopped since."
She ran her way through high school, lettering for Yorktown High School, in New York, for five consecutive years. Her accomplishments drew the attention of the College of the Holy Cross, Lehigh University, Boston College and Dartmouth. Two recruiting trips to Dartmouth left Sanchez intrigued, but uncommitted. Her parents were attracted to Dartmouth because of the College's reputation; she thought it was a nice place to run.
"The person that pushed me over the edge and made me want to come to Hanover was Mike Brown," Sanchez said. A former assistant track coach, Brown's enthusiasm for Dartmouth attracted Sanchez, the first national cross country champion in the history of the College.
Sanchez faces an interesting dilemma in preparing for her run at the World Championship. In the midst of tapering her training for the Heptagonal Championships to be held at Harvard University on Feb. 26 and 27, Sanchez must also train for Hungary.
"I am not exactly sure what to do," Sanchez said. "I might taper until the Heps, then keep the intensity right to the Worlds. I really am pretty undecided. I am sure that coach [Ellen O'Neill] will figure it out."
Sanchez also faces some uncertainty as to what event she will run at the Heptagonal Championships. She can run both the 3,000-meter and the mile events, depending on where her greatest chances lie.
"I am going to try and run the mile in 4:50," Sanchez said. "There is only one other runner [from Princeton] at the meet that can do that. If I run a 4:50 mile, then I will run the mile at the Heps."
As for training personally and with the team, at her peak, Sanchez logs 60-mile weeks. On the very few days Sanchez has to herself, she might head out and run seven or eight miles. But her grueling program, including three days a week of lifting and seven days of both speed and endurance training, limits her free time.
"I can barely keep up with work and classes, let alone running," Sanchez said. She plans to graduate in four years, as a Spanish major with a minor in education, but has not yet declared.
While her teammates head to Arizona during spring break, Sanchez will board a plane for Budapest, Hungary. As a member of the United States Cross Country Team, all of her expenses, including air fare and hotel, will be paid for by the team.
Sanchez will join six other runners in her event, all of whom qualified at the U.S. Championships in Memphis, Tenn., as well as six runners from each event in both the junior and senior divisions.
The team will provide her with her own personal coach, who will be responsible for her training upon arrival in Hungary.
As she looks forward to both the end of her indoor season and her trip to the World Championships, Sanchez said she isn't nervous and she doesn't think she will be.
"I don't expect to win the World Championship," she said. "I am very excited and pretty overwhelmed. I have never been in a competition with hundreds of runners from all over the world. It is a little bit overwhelming. I guess the biggest feeling that I have is pure excitement."
