By Kyle LoJacono
Lauren Garris doesn’t thrive on comfortable surroundings with zero challenges.
For the Steinbrenner No. 1 distance runner, her best performances come when she is being tested — the more daunting the trial the better.
The senior ran her personal record (PR) in a 5-kilometer race during the Class 2A state cross country meet as a sophomore, when she completed the course at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City in 19 minutes 28 seconds.
“That was my favorite course,” said Garris, who finished 20th overall that year. “I love that everyone can see you the whole way, so you don’t want to slow down. Other courses you go through the woods and no one can see you, so you can take a break a little bit. There you can’t hide from anyone.”
If Garris is truly driven by obstacles and competition, then she should be completely fueled for her final high school season.
She was unable to qualify for states during cross country regionals last year after making it as an individual as a freshman and with her team the next year. What stung Garris even deeper was how close she was to advancing individually.
Garris crossed the finish line 16th (20:17.94). Only individuals in the top 15 earn a state spot.
“I really want to get back to states this year,” Garris said. “I just can’t even believe I missed last year by one place.”
Garris was also disappointed in her times, which were nearly a minute slower than the season before.
She had always considered herself someone who ran to get in shape for soccer, which is a winter sport following cross country, and admitted she didn’t put in the miles necessary to be at top form last year.
She has learned from her disappointment and rededicated herself to training this summer with the hopes of cutting her time to less than 19.
“I went to running camp, which I didn’t do last summer,” Garris said. “My freshman going into sophomore year summer I went to running camp, and my sophomore year was also my best cross country season. I didn’t do that camp last summer, and we all saw my times get worse. Hopefully going to camp this summer helps.”
Garris was thrown another hurdle 12 days before Steinbrenner’s opening season race.
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She had an appendectomy on Aug. 28, the first surgery of her life.
“I was at school all day, and my stomach starting hurting in third period,” Garris said. “I went to coach (Ladd) Baldwin and said my stomach was hurting. After school I went home and it got worse. I told my dad I wanted to go to the emergency room. I was there until like 1 o’clock, they did a CAT scan and I had to go to the hospital downtown.”
Senior Caroline Murray said the news rocked the team.
“When we heard she was in the hospital it was like this isn’t real,” Murray said. “We had just been running together the day before.”
Garris was worried the extra work put in during the summer would be for nothing.
“Before I had the surgery my dad asked, ‘What if you can’t run?’” Garris said. “He was just joking about it, but then I started getting really upset. … I started to cry, and it was not good.”
Her stitches were removed on Sept. 11 and Garris started training with her team the next day.
“I’m just hoping I didn’t get any worse,” Garris said. “I want to be able to keep up with anyone. … I want to be good and go to states and be the top runner. I don’t want my school records taken.”
Those records include her 5:22 in the 1,600-meter (one mile), 12:02 in the 3,200 (two miles) and 2:25 in the 800 (half mile) along with her PR in the 5K. Garris knew the records from memory, which illustrates how far her thinking about running had changed.
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Garris has no intentions of ever joining the cross country team. She was 100 percent a soccer player, a sport she picked up at age 10.
“When I was younger I’d see the Sickles team running on the streets and stuff, and I would say, ‘I’m never going to run cross country,’” Garris said. She added, “I don’t know why I decided to give it a try. I played soccer, so I knew the running would help.”
Baldwin, who has coached the girls cross country and track teams since Steinbrenner opened in 2009, saw Garris when her twin sister, Salina, was being dropped off for practice.
“She and her friends were planning on running,” Garris said. “I went out there, and I wasn’t going to go. I only had flip-flops, but coach (Baldwin) said to come out the next day and run.”
The next day Baldwin tapped into Garris’ competitive nature.
“She was running by me and we were behind four girls,” Baldwin said. “I told her that one of those girls was going to be the school record holder. She asked me, ‘Why does it have to be one of them,’ and my answer was that they were running up front. We kept going for awhile and she said she was going to run up with them. Ever since then, she’s been our best runner.”
Garris remembers that conversation vividly.
“I’m really competitive, so I really like being the best,” Garris said. “When he said it was going to be one of them, I wanted to go catch them.”
It has taken three seasons, but Garris no longer thinks of herself as a soccer player running to stay in shape.
“I’m a runner,” Garris said. “I’m a runner first.”
She quit club soccer last year for a number of reasons, but does plan on trying out for Steinbrenner’s team in early October.
Baldwin said Garris was in the best shape to start a season before her appendectomy.
“She always runs her best at the end of the season, which is what you want as a coach,” Baldwin said. “She ran a PR by one minute at the state meet as a freshman. She just seems to always peak at the right time.”
Baldwin gave no bold predictions on what his top runner will do this year, but now he’s dealing with a fully motivated Garris.
“It’s taken more than three years, but we finally convinced her that she’s a runner,” Baldwin said. “She has tremendous drive, and when she sets her mind to something she’s the kind of person who goes and gets it.”
