Year-round teammates Paige Clancy and Hannah Haring lead the way for Chesterton at the Larry James Invitational at Sunset Hill Farm

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Having a pair of distance runners pushing each other during workouts is ideal, especially if they are of similar abilities.
Chesterton sophomore distance runners Paige Clancy and Hannah Haring fit that formula remarkably well. Rounded to a second, they had identical times in the 800 meters (2:24) and 1600 meters (5:25) last spring as freshmen.
Haring played soccer, basketball and ran track as a freshman. She gave up soccer to run cross country, meaning that not only do the girls run identical times, they play the same three sports. They’ll compete against each other and root for one another every day except Sundays.
“It’s so much fun,” Haring said of running cross country. “I love it. I look forward to it every day. I hae so much fun.”
Haring also looks forward to the day she beats Clancy in a 5,000-meter race. That day was not Saturday at the Larry James Invitational. The girls ran much of the terrain side-by-side, but Clancy pulled away late and was Chesterton’s top finisher, clocked in 20:18.67, good for 15th place. Haring checked in at 17th with a 20:29.68.
Can Haring pass and stay ahead of her running partner at some point this season?
“We’ll have to find out and see,” she said. “Maybe.”
If not, it won’t be for lack of trying.
“We definitely push each other,” Haring said. “It’s really nice to have someone so close to you (in ability) pushing.”
Both have plenty of ability and it’s easy to project their times dropping as head cross country coach Lindsay Moskalick works with them on the best way to attack a 5,000-meter race, just as she worked with them last spring on how to negotiate two laps around the track. They did so well there that they joined golfer/fellow basketball player Taylor Kisic and graduated Veronica Wilgocki on the Trojans 4x800 team that made it to state.
Unlike some distance runners who have a clear preference for either running on grass and in corn fields or running around a track, both girls like both sports and consider them to be “so different,” words they both expressed.
“I like that you feel faster on the track, but the hills are nice because you’re not staying on a track the whole time when you’re running,” Haring said.
Clancy likes running the 800 meters, but she also pointed to one area where track can’t measure up to cross country.
“I like the energy more because there are so many more people and a lot more competitors,” Clancy said.
She left Haring behind her with about a half mile remaining in Saturday’s race.
“I just felt really good that last part, so I thought I would kick it in,” Clancy said. “Coach M has been telling us how important the last kick is, so I went for it.”
Senior Allison Van Kley, on the mend from an injury that wiped out her track season, came through with a strong effort on the road to recovery with a 20:36.68 and 20th-place finish. Senior Lauren Kroft was 26th with a 20:52.29 and sophomore Natalie Williams was the Trojans’ fifth and final scorer, taking 30th with a 21:08.73. Freshman Evie Fortney was four places behind her and finished in 21:20.11. Sophomore Natalie White was 41st and ran a 21:44.64. Junior Natascha Lepinasse ran a 21:56.76 and senior Lexi Jaworski was timed in 22:05.30.
Lake Central’s Macey Thompson won the race with an 18:07.11.
The team standings: 1. Lake Central 48; 2. Morgan Township 79; 3. Warsaw 80; 4. Valparaiso 107; 5. Chesterton 108; 6. Portage 113; 7. Northridge 145; 8. Hobart 268; 9. Andrean 294; 10. Bishop Noll 324; 9. Knox 382.