Name: Molly Passmore
Hobbies: Running, reading, guitar, ukulele
Academic interest: English and Journalism
Personal bests: 800 - 2:41, 1600- 5:46, 3200- 12:36, 5K- 19:43
Being on the Shrine Bowl Run team has been a goal of mine from my very first year doing XC, so it's a huge honor for me. My appreciation is only made greater by the knowledge that this benefits Shriners Hospital because the work done there is so important and so special.
What did you hear about the Shrine Bowl Run before this year?
I heard it was lots of fun and a very exciting experience. I knew that it was a relay to carry a football to the Shrine Bowl football game.
I hope to get to know some other runners and talk with them about our shared passion for running.
I am very uncoordinated, so I am mostly resorting to praying very hard that I will not drop it. However, one of my coaches is lending me a football to practice running with during practice this next week.
I would give my senior season a 10/10. I had a great time with my awesome teammates, and it was great to see all of them succeed and improve, as well as to impart my own experiences and wisdom to them. In addition, I PRed for the first time in two years, ending out my last season with a massive 41 second PR that I never would have thought possible, and it was fantastic to end on such a great note. Overall, I could not have asked for a better last season.
In terms of running, I want to continue running XC and track for as long as I can. Aside from running, I aim to get my bachelor's degree in English from Harding University in Arkansas and eventually work for a publishing house, while also coaching a local high school Cross Country team to share my love of running.
I am fairly certain I will be running for Harding. I know that I never want to stop running, and a large part of my love for the activity comes from my love of racing. Because of this, I want to continue competing, and Harding has a team that I know I could contribute to and learn from.
When I was in 7th grade, my older brother started cross country. At this point, I still thought running was pointless. When my mom dragged me to Coaches Classic to watch him run, I immediately fell in love. The rows of tents and crowds of people and camaraderie between every runner astonished me. From the moment they shot the gun and I felt the ground shake under my feet as the runners raced by, I was enamored, and I knew that running was what I wanted to do.
A close childhood friend of my brother's was treated for leukemia at Shriners.
How have you seen the sport change in the state? Please explain.
I have seen an increase in respect for the sport as well as an increase in participation as more people realize that XC is something everyone can do and enjoy. I have also seen more and more people change from viewing the sport as a competition to viewing it as a community, not just among our own teams, but between our own teams as well.
More than anything, I wanted to go out with a bang, having the biggest season I could possibly have. This was a huge motivator for me because of the finality of it all. Aside from that, I was motivated by the fact that I owed it to my teammates to give them the best race possible, every time.
I would write a novel reflecting my experiences and struggles with not just running, but also the various trials that I have undergone throughout my life. As someone who has wrestled with times of self-doubt and dejectedness in both my running and my relationships with others, I feel that other girls my age could benefit from seeing another work through the same things they struggle with.
