“Determination. Makes you run, never stop. Got to win, got to run until you drop. Keep the pace, hold the race. Your mind is getting clearer. You’re over half way there. But the miles they never seem to end.”
— From the song “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” by Iron Maiden
The accomplishments of Amanda Cope speak for themselves.
The Winder-Barrow High School cross country and track standout has already established a lasting legacy and she’s not done yet. Cope, who recently earned two more medals at the Class AAAA state track meet in Albany, draws multitudes of praise from her coaches and those who see her compete first-hand.
“She is an amazing student-athlete,” said Jennifer Blevins, who helps coach Cope in track. “ Amanda is one of the most hard-working, no-excuses, smart, trusting and humble young women I have ever met. She is truly amazing.”
Her most recent record-setting performance occured in Albany. Cope was sixth in the 1,600-meter run setting a personal and school record with a time of 5:17.22. Her coaches had a unique strategy for this race which paid off in the end.
“After the region meet we focused mainly on pace,” said WBHS coach Michael Lofton. “I wanted her to run her race and not the race of the other competitors. This year I knew that the Class AAAA 1,600 and 3,200 races had a few very fast competitors and they were going to go out fast and stay fast.
I also felt that most of the other competitors were going to follow their lead, but would wear themselves out. I didn’t want Amanda to fall into that that. Once Amanda established her goal time, we practiced running that pace.”
At first, the junior was not sure about the strategy. She feared falling behind in the 1,600-meter and then not being able to keep up.
“I was worried that her competitive spirit would force her to run faster so I stressed to her to keep to her pace and run according to our strategy,” Lofton said. “Our plan was to run the first two laps on pace and during the third she would kick the back straight away focusing on passing runners one at a time for the fourth lap.”
Once the race began, the lead runners had established their pace and the rest of the group was quick to follow.
After the first 150 meters, Cope was next to last. When she finished the first lap the lead runners were way out in front and Cope was still next to last.
However, Lofton said that was exactly where she was supposed to be.
By the end of the second lap, Cope remained next to last but the lead pack had broken up and many runners were showing signs of slowing down. When Cope reached the far straight away during the third lap, her competitive nature took over and she passed five runners.
“At the end of the third lap, she was still right where we wanted her pace-wise,” Lofton said. “She needed to pick off a few more runners to place in the top eight, however."
Cope’s focus and determination allowed her to do just that.
Continuing to pass other competitors, Cope would move her way to sixth place with a time of 5:17.22. Her goal going in was 5:20.
“This race made me extremely proud of Amanda for a few reasons,” Lofton said. “First, it showed how coachable she can be. She hated running so far behind the lead pack, but she kept telling herself to stick to the plan and it paid off. Secondly, I love it when an athlete is goal oriented and works very hard to achieve those goals.”
The 3,200-meter run allowed for a similar strategy for the WBHS junior.
“Amanda was executing our strategy and she was on track for another personal record and perhaps another school record,” Lofton said.
Then the bottom fell out. Literally.
A South Georgia thunderstorm began. During Cope’s seventh lap it was raining so hard her coaches could barely see her on the other side of the track. The wind picked up to the point that a chair was blown out of the stands and onto the track.
“She had to stop, go around the chair and start racing again,” Lofton said. “This messed up our strategy and goal time, but Amanda kept fighting and passed the eighth place runner 10 meters before the finish line to earn a place on the podium.”
While Cope did not meet her goal in the 3,200-event (she was visibly upset by her peformance), her coaches are quick to point out the circumstances involving that race were out of her control.
“She ran a great race and showed how much drive and spirit she has,” Lofton said. “I am really encouraged by her success and can’t wait to see what she can achieve next year in cross country and track.”
More records and more medals may very well be in Cope’s future.
