Efraimson fell, but 'gave it everything' at Stanford
By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor
The final 400 meters of last year's Nike Cross Nationals was one of the most memorable moments of Alexa Efraimson's running career so far, with an impressive burst of speed to kick past Sarah Baxter and Elise Cranny to capture the national title.
The last 400 meters of the women's college/open race Saturday at the 41st Stanford Invitational was notable for Efraimson for a much different reason.
The former prep standout from Camas High (Wash.) who recently decided to forgo her senior season to turn professional, Efraimson -- representing Nike -- led late in the 6-kilometer race on the Stanford Golf Course, before she ran out of steam and was eventually run down by Washington State's Abby Regan.
Efraimson's legs begin to look heavy and her stride slowed considerably before she stumbled and dropped to her knees with less than 200 meters remaining.
Although Efraimson managed to regroup enough to get back to her feet and scramble to fall across the finish line in third place in 20 minutes, 45.3 seconds, Regan (20:30.7) and UC Riverside's Raquel Hefflin (20:38.7) had passed her to secure the top two spots.
"I sold out and gave it everything I have," Efraimson said. "As soon as I went down, I tried to recover as fast as I could and somehow get to the finish.
"I had never run a 6K before. I'm a 1,500 runner. It's a different challenge and a different type of race."
Efraimson was tended to by her parents after the race and didn't require any medical attention. She said fatigue began to set in the final kilometer, which resulted in her relinquishing the lead.
"She's an amazing runner, regardless of what happened in the race. She has so much talent to be able to run at this level," Regan said. "I could see her legs start to wobble and she was really struggling, it was hard to watch. I wanted to help her up, but I also never expected to be up there in a position to win, so I had to go for it. I'm really impressed that she finished. It says a lot about her."
Efraimson said she didn't know what to expect entering the race, not only because she was running against college and post-collegiate athletes who are more accustomed to the longer distance, but also because it was so early in the season in terms of her training after an extended track schedule because of the IAAF World Junior Championships in July in Oregon.
"You have to challenge yourself in order to get better. I thrive off the competition, so that's why I decided to do this because I knew I would be pushed," Efraimson said. "I learned a lot from this race, especially in that last kilometer. I felt smooth and controlled and I was able to get into a good rhythm early on, but unfortunately in the last 400, things just fell apart."
