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Title cures Panther's ills

After two disappointing finishes at the state meet, a healthy Mallory Giordano finally puts it all together.

By SCOTT PURKS
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 14, 2001

TAMPA -- The trouble for Mallory Giordano wasn't talent. She has always had plenty of that.

The trouble was getting her mind and body to cooperate.

When she was a freshman, Plant cross country coach Roy Harrison said Giordano had the strength and speed of a state champion, or at least that of a top five finisher. But for whatever reason, she ended up placing 12th at state.

As a sophomore, Harrison had higher expectations, but nagging injuries held Giordano down, and in the end, she struggled to another 12th-place state finish.

"But there's some good that came out of that," Giordano said. "Having those injuries taught me to never take anything for granted. Last season got me motivated and made me want to come back and dominate."

Success started by following every detail of Harrison's training regimen, which sometimes meant pacing more early in races and taking it easier throughout others.

That translated to losing some early-season matchups to East Bay's Lindsey Moffenbier and King's Laura Bowerman, but it also meant being at her best at the Class 3A state meet, which she won in 19 minutes at Ed Radice Sports Complex.

Moffenbier and Bowerman, by the way, ended up placing third and fourth, respectively, in the same race.

"I felt prepared," Giordano said. "And I ran pretty smart. Smarter than I had run in earlier races. Because I paced it better, I ended up having a lot more left at the end. That was a great, great feeling."

For Giordano, who has run or exercised every day since winning the state championship, running has become more than a means to gain victories. It has become a way of life.

"There's no doubt that I would run whether I was No. 1 on the team or just trying to make the varsity," she said. "I like being part of the team because we're all close and have become really good friends.

"But running has also taught me that hard work brings you rewards, and so running ends up rubbing off on every aspect of your life."

So now, no matter what, Giordano makes a point to set aside at least an hour every day to run.

"If I don't do it," she said, "I feel like I've missed out on something."

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