Mills College WeeklyThis season, senior Claire Abe beat her personal record during
the Regional Cross-Country Championships at Fresno, but her most
memorable events have nothing to do with running.
For the first month of the season Abe, a psychology major, was
ineligible to run in races because of transcript problems due to
spending last semester abroad.
After a race in San Francisco, there was a lunch for the teams,
which Abe said she could not go to because of her ineligible
status.
The team got together and paid for her lunch. Abe said, “At that
moment I realized how much the team meant to me. I was bawling.
They were there for me.”
Abe said that her favorite part of cross-country is the team.
“They are like family, you are with them everyday and form bonds
that last a lifetime,” she said.
“What you really take from the season are the memories. I am
really sad that the season is over. I miss seeing my teammates
everyday,” said Abe.
Abe has been on the cross-country team at Mills for three years.
Her first year, she played for the soccer team, but she switched
her second year because of the persistence of the cross-country
coach, Sharon Chiong.
“[I joined because of] Sharon. When I first met her she, was
really encouraging to join,” said Abe. “I told her I ran for a year
in high school and she hunted me down.”
One of the best things about Abe as a runner is her consistent
performance, said Chiong, “She ran 17 races for Mills [over three
seasons] and finished number one for Mills every time.”
At the Cal Pac Championships, Abe came in fourth place, which
aided Mills in being third overall.
Although Abe is scared to graduate because of the uncertainties
in the future, she does plan to keep on running.
“It is important to me to keep running. With Sharon’s
inspiration I will continue,” she said.
Abe said that she thinks of cross-country as a lifestyle and a
way of living to be healthy and happy.
Before joining the cross-country team, Abe had played soccer for
ten years, but she said that now she considers herself to be a
runner.
