Built for speed

From her mental toughness to her strong stride, all make Lakewood senior Ali Crabb one of the county's top cross country runners, from her head to her toes.

By JOE SMITH
Published October 12, 2006

MIGHTY MITES:

Lakewood senior Ali Crabb is one of several county runners shorter than 5 feet who are shining this season. Here are a few:

- Seminole freshman Katie Homme. The 4-11 freshman has come up huge for the Warhawks, who are competing without Times runner of the year Heather Nicolosi. Homme finished second to Crabb at last week's Viking Invite (19:55).

- Shorecrest twins Lindsey and Sarah Evans. Still just eighth-graders, the short but swift sisters have times in the low-to-mid 20s that rank them in the county's top 10.

CHECK IT OUT:

ST. PETERSBURG CITY MEET

WHERE: at Crescent Lake today

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. (varsity girls), 6 p.m. (varsity boys)

SKINNY: Meet for city bragging rights and a tuneup for next week's PCAC meet at Taylor Park.

Lakewood senior Ali Crabb, at 4-foot-11, may not be striking in stature. But Crabb stands above the rest of the county's runners with a time of 19 minutes, 1 second. She'll try to break 19 for the first time today in the St. Petersburg City Meet at Crescent Lake.

"Ali proves that old cliche," Boca Ciega senior Lindsey Brooks said. "Big things come in small packages."

TWINKLE TOES: Crabb's first athletic breakthrough came in ballet. From age 3 until her freshman year at Lakewood, Crabb participated in classes and played big roles (including Clara in the Nutcracker in the Park). But after catching the running bug her freshman year, Crabb traded her point shoes in for spikes. She has been light on her feet since.

LEGS: What Crabb's legs lack in length, they make up for in power. The senior built up her strength this summer, training with the Forerunners Track Club. She would match stride-for-stride with some elite runners and get training tips from director Joe Burgasser, who has broken three hours in a marathon 86 times.

Crabb's finest feat may have come on the group's Saturday bike rides. On the tough, 20-mile loop beginning at Northshore, Crabb raced in the 22-mph club. Add 4 more mph and she would break the speed limit in residential zones.

Said Burgasser: "We called her our little warrior."

MENTAL MAKEUP: Crabb's senior season took a near-nasty turn in mid-September when she got in a car accident on the way to practice. Her mother, Kelli, said Ali's pearl-colored Mazda Millenia looked "totalled," but her daughter didn't miss a beat. A few days later, Crabb shrugged off a sore neck and ran at the USF Invitational.

"(The accident) shook me up a little bit," Crabb said. "I was really, really lucky to get out of it okay."

GUTS: Lakewood coach Royston Dillon lauds Crabb for her toughness and improvements. But he added that for Crabb to take the next step, she has to learn she can set the pace and take the lead. Dillon said Crabb often "spends time trying to feel out her competition."

But Crabb showed no fear in last week's Viking Invite at Crescent Lake, surging out on an unusually fast 5:43 first mile to stay with Seminole star freshman Katie Homme. Crabb started her kick early, pulling away after the 2-mile mark.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable," Crabb said. "Last year I was iffy about going out too fast, but I know what I can do now."

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 01:42:56]