Athlete: Claire Howlett
Year: Senior
School: Running in the Cold
Location: Stamford, CT
1600m PR: 4:53.97
3,000m PR: 9:43.37
3200m PR: 10:20.03
5,000m PR: 16:45.56
Four years ago, Claire Howlett of Connecticut failed her middle school physical fitness test when she was too slow in the mile. This week, after winning the Yale Invitational 3,000m on Jan. 18 with the nation’s fastest time, she meets her heralded state rival, Hannah DeBalsi. Howlett, a senior at Westhill High, ran 9:43.37 at Yale to defeat national headliners Caroline Alcorta of Virginia and Maddy Berkson of Rhode Island.
Indoor Start: Howlett opened her indoor campaign with a 2-mile victory in 10:48.16 at the Bishop Loughlin Games in December. Then she used a developmental meet in Connecticut for a workout by running tempo pace in a 3:07.29 1,000m and 11:06.13 3200m. A senior headed for Stanford, Howlett added a 51.74 300m to sharpen her speed. She felt that the triple “was a good sign” for Yale.
Big 3,000m: At Yale, Howlett outkicked Alcorta, a senior from West Springfield High in Virginia who’d placed third at the Foot Locker cross country nationals in December, and Berkson, a senior from Classical High in Providence, who’d previously won the Hispanic Games 3,000m at the Armory and will be Howlett’s future college teammate at Stanford. Howlett said she found an extra gear late in the race. “The last half mile felt like we were not even pushing,” she said.
State Rivalry: Last fall, Howlett had an excellent cross country season, but facing DeBalsi, a Staples sophomore, week after week, she wound up second in the major events, including the state open and New England championships. “It was intimidating to go up against her,” said Howlett. “My strength is more on the track. I used the season to build a strong base and try and get a cross country PR, which I did.”
County Champs: Last Saturday, in the Fairfield County West division meet hosted by Staples, Howlett faced DeBalsi, the Foot Locker national runner-up, for the first time this winter, in the 3200m. But Howlett used the race for training after winning the 1,000m in 2:59.32, a Westhill school record. In this Wednesday’s County finals showdown in New Haven, Howlett and DeBalsi should meet in both the 1600m and 3200m. Howlett will have her hands full. Last spring, DeBalsi ran a 10:10.26 3200m, the second-fastest ever by a freshman.
Busy Season: The all-star pair will continue meeting as the season moves along through the state class, state open and New England events. Howlett plans to return to indoor nationals at the Armory in March, in the 5,000m. Last year, she placed ninth in 17:22.10, then made a dramatic improvement at the outdoor nationals in Greensboro, N.C., in June, placing fifth in 16:45.56.
State Titles: Howlett vaulted onto the national landscape late last spring when she won both the 1600m and 3200m on the same day at the Connecticut state meet. She achieved PRs in both events with times of 4:53.97 and 10:20.03. “Running a 1600 earlier in the day always relaxes me for the 3200,” she said.
Training Ground: Howlett worked up to 55 miles a week over the summer and into last fall. She finds that her most productive training is a tempo run, about 4 miles at 5:40 pace. Despite the snow and zero wind chills in the northeast, Howlett and her Westhill squad have had to make do this winter on neighborhood roads. They have no indoor facility and the outdoor track is not available because the infield football turf is being refurbished.
First Strides: As a youth, Howlett considered herself un-athletic. “I couldn’t catch a ball,” she said. Howlett failed the middle school P.E. fitness test, running the mile in 12 minutes. She went out for high school cross country because there were no cuts and once on the team, she cleaved to the idea that “if you worked hard, you would see tangible results.”
The Prancer: At first Howlett did not impress Westhill coach Edward Lane. “Initially I did not see her potential,” he said. “I used to call her ‘The Prancer’ because her high knee lift reminded me of the Lipizanner horses.” Lane was won over once Howlett’s commitment became evident. Now he praises Howlett’s tactical cunning in competition, big-meet toughness and her desire to do extra work like core exercises and a squat routine after every practice.
Role Model: Howlett is partial to Lauren Fleshman, a top pro who bares her soul in a popular blog. “She’s maintained her love for the sport despite a lot of highs and lows,” said Howlett. “And she has a lot to say about being a healthy, all-around person.”
Many Talents: Howlett is a straight-A student who serves as editor of the online edition of her school newspaper and is president of the school’s chapter of BuildOn, a non-profit organization that helps build schools in developing nations. In the summer of 2012, Howlett went with a student group to the African nation of Malawi. For two weeks, she worked on school construction while living in primitive conditions with a host family.
Update: In the Fairfield County meet on Wednesday, Howlett defeated DeBalsi in the 1600m and 3200m, running indoor PRs of 4:54.15 and 10:28.56.
Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.
