Krissy's Big Weekend

More than a year ago Krissy Gear's running career was at a cross roads.  Out of high school, the Fort Myers grad had taken a scholarship to run for Furman, a second tier distance power in South Carolina.  Her decision led to a couple a spot on the U.S. junior national team her freshman year after winning junior nationals in the steeple.  She ran in two NCAA outdoor championships and despite an injury plagued junior year ran on Furman's NCAA championship qualifying cross country team in the fall of 2019.

The follow is my opinion.  I don't know what was going on at Furman with her coach but I thought that Gear's career was being mishandled.  Gear had shown great promise in the 800 and mile indoors.  Yet every outdoor season she was forced to focus on the steeple.  I was disappointed that she was never given any serious consideration to try her hand in the 1500.

Gear is a marvelous athlete.  She was a state caliber pole vaulter in high school.  I suspect Furman's coaches believed that her athleticism made her the perfect candidate to steeple.  I could be wrong in interpreting the situation but even Colorado steeple sensation Jenny Barringer was given the opportunity by the coach's at Colorado gave her opportunities to run flat races.  Barringer has gone on to the greatest middle distance runner in American history.

I'm not saying Krissy is Jenny Barringer.  But I suspect Krissy was frustrated at Furman's reluctance to let her run more outdoor 800 and 1500 races.  That and other personal reasons led Gear to transfer to Arkansas at the end of the 2019 cross country season.

You could immediately see the change in atmosphere was just what Krissy Gear needed.  She was poised to run her first indoor NCAA championship last winter when Covid brought her season to an end.  The wait was on.

The wait paid off this weekend Fayetteville where a very busy Gear helped her Razorback team win a national title.  Krissy ran three races.  Her weekend start with the mile Friday night where Gear ran a masterful 4:40.92 to win her heat and move into Saturday's final.  ESPN showcased Gear cheering on her teammates who ran the next prelim trying to join her in the finals.  Her love and passion for her teammates was brimming over.

 About an hour later she was back on the track for the finals of the Distance Medley Relay.  Gear with a race in her legs was given the baton for the final leg neck and neck with Brigham Young's Courtney Wayment who was running on fresh legs.  A half mile out, Wayment made a major surge gapping Gear by 15 meters.  You could tell Gear was gaging her effort making sure that the group of team trailing her in third didn't cut into her sizeable margin over that pack.

With a lap to go it Wayment had stretched her lead to 40 meters while Gear held her form and keeping her position and nailing down a second place finish for the Razorbacks.  Gear could now call herself an All American.  Wayment would follow up Friday's run by winning the 3000 Saturday night.

Saturday night also brought Gear back to the world class facilities in Fayetteville where she would face Colorado's Sage Hurta. The Buffalo senior had not run in the Distance Medley so she had one less race in her legs.  By the half it was clear the race would be between Gear and Hurta with the Colorado ace slowly pulling away over the last three laps to a personal best in 4:30.58 to win and Gear taking second in her second best time ever in the mile clocking 4:32.37.

The Razorbacks wrapped up the national title by scoring a boat load of points in the 3000 and Gear was track side to celebrate with her teammates.  You could tell the team championship meant more to Krissy than anything.  Plus, Krissy is now a two-time All American at a national distance, track and field power.  Not bad for an overlooked and under recruited track legend from Fort Myers High.