Elaina Pierce is an incredibly busy 11th grader at Charlottesville High School. When you meet someone like her, you can’t help but wonder, “How does she do it all?” Elaina is a lovely person on and off the field, court, or track, lighting up every room she walks into. As a fellow runner, I’ve seen her cheer on all her teammates in races, include everyone on every run, and wear a smile through it all (even when the workouts are tough).
Elaina’s accomplishments are unmatched as an athlete at CHS. At CHS, she holds records for the Cross County 5K, the Indoor 1000m, 1600m, and 3200m, and the Outdoor 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. Recently, Elaina was named Milestat’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, beating all high school Virginia runners for the award. Recently, Elaina was the only runner from Virginia to qualify for the Nike NXN Cross Nationals, held Saturday, December 7 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, OR. Despite difficult conditions, Elaina finished the 5K in 47th place with a time of 18:22.
Elaina’s journey to greatness began at a young age, thanks to her mom, who inspired her by sharing her love of running. In Elaina’s words, “I got into running because my mom was a runner.” Elaina’s mom, Dr. Pierce, who teaches English 9 at CHS, would take her and her sister to community track meets and 5Ks. Running has always been a part of Elaina’s life ever since she was little and her passion has only grown stronger over the years. As most CHS students know, Elaina isn’t just a star in the Cross Country and Track world – she also plays basketball with the same determination and dedication. It turns out that her endurance, which comes from running, helps her “run up and down the court and tire out the defense,” an asset to her team in fast-paced games. The cross-training in between these sports has given her an advantage.
In November, Elaina won States, an achievement that solidified her status as one of the top runners in Virginia. Although she had won many District and Regional races before, this was her first Cross Country State Title, a moment she had been waiting and working for.
After winning states, she moved on to Nationals, which was held in Oregon last week. This was a huge moment for her because the race was broadcast across the country and she was racing the best runners from each state. Elaina was the only runner to qualify for the meet from Virginia, so she made friends with a bunch of other runners, creating connections that made the experience even more fun.
When recalling the race itself, she said, “It was such a cool experience.” She added that while running “it was never quiet – there were always people cheering and that really helped me.” Competing at this huge meet was super exciting for her, but also challenging. The day of the race, it was pouring and the ground was super muddy, creating conditions that tested every runner. “I fell twice,” Elaina admitted “but I stayed positive. At that point, it was all about having fun.” Her ability to keep going even when things didn’t go as planned is admirable. Although conditions might have been less than ideal, Elaina had a blast soaking in every moment.
I asked Elaina if she had any advice for younger athletes, knowing her perspective is going to inspire others. What she said was straight out of a motivational textbook: “Running is a really hard sport and you have to stay in it mentally.ven if something doesn’t go your way, you have to keep working hard and it’s eventually going to pay off.” This applies to every aspect of life, not just running.
With this outlook, it’s clear that Elaina is on the right track to go the distance in both sports and life.
