Erin Finn’s lucky pink racing socks are still out on the cross-country course in E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
At the two-kilometer mark of the women’s NCAA cross-country championships on Saturday, Finn was in fourth place with a lot of athletes packed tightly together. Shortly thereafter, going around a turn, she felt her feet get clipped from behind.
“One stride, the girl behind me got one shoe and then her next stride, she got my other shoe,” Finn said.
Finn’s socks and spikes folded beneath her heels. Within 15 meters, they had fallen off completely, leaving Finn in shock—and with four kilometers (a little less than two and a half miles) still to run.
“At that moment I was like, ‘What is happening?’” Finn said 48 hours after the race. “You only hear about this from other runners, or your coach tells you about how ‘back in the day this happened,’ but it never actually happens to you.”
Finn, who had triple-knotted her shoes, had no choice but to keep running. This proved to be a challenge with several long sections of gravel still to traverse.
“The one change I would have made is I would’ve pulled my socks on,” Finn said, “because I think that would’ve made running over the gravel a bit less painful.”
Foot Locker XC Resultsth in the field of 254 in 20:10. Finn was Michigan’s top finisher, and she earned All-American honors.
But when she finished, she was overcome by frustration. “I usually cry about everything, but I don’t think I cried this time,” she said. “I was just so mad right after the race. But my parents, they’re both physicians, so they were both worried and like, ‘Sit down, let us see your feet.’ They wanted to check them out and make sure everything was okay.”
Words of praise from her coach, Mike McGuire, eased the sting somewhat. McGuire, who has coached at Michigan for 24 years, told Finn her performance is one of the toughest things he’s seen in a long time. “He isn’t one to dole out the compliments, so that really meant a lot,” Finn said.
After the race, she did get her Adidas size 7s back, and now she’s got an added dose of motivation heading into her indoor season.
“I wanted to have been up there with those top ladies,” Finn said. “I think that I am; I can be up there with them. So now I just really want to prove it.”
Nutrition - Weight Loss is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Chappell Roan: I Love Running. But Not Anymore, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
