Track & Field News Runner Of The Month
Francena McCorory
by Steve Bailey
 A superlative run at the Nike Indoor Nationals made Francena McCorory (Bethel, Hampton, Virginia) the clear choice for Track & Field News's High School Runner Of The Month for March. The race came at a time when her coach was aiming a bit higher--the T&FN Indoor Athlete Of The Year--by way of claiming the High School Indoor Record in the 400. She blazed a 51.93 to eclipse Sanya Richards' 52.10 from '02 and indeed become the AOY over rival Bianca Knight.
En route to that mark she was unofficially the next fastest 300m time- her 36.96 national record set in January. In addition, she nearly captured a third NR in the 500 (1:11.97, #3 All-time) and ran the 2nd fastest indoor 55 of the year. Both of these came amidst a series of 55/300/500 triples culminating with the first-ever such Triple Crown in Virginia-boys or girls.
Last year she No. 3 performer in the outdoor 200 (23.22) and No. 16 in the 100 (11.68), but did not appear among the top 25 in her record-breaking final event.
As a young lady with such an astonishing resume, she seemed just as impressed that her accomplishments would place her on the open world lists as we were with the fact that she ran so fast to begin with. But as her coach, Eddie Williams told us, "She lets all of us on the outside worry about and muse over those things."
We caught up with McCorory just after her record and again just as the outdoor season was getting under way.
T&FN: The Nike Indoor National Championships was the only 400 you ran indoors?
FM: Yes. In Virginia we don't do the 400 or the 200, we do the 500 and the 300.
T&FN: What did you race at indoor nationals last year?
FM: The 60 and the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400. I got 2nd in the 60.
T&FN: Did getting 2nd last year make you want to come back and run the 60 again this year?
FM: No, not really, because we had different goals from last year to this year.
T&FN: Your focus was on the state triple this year?
FM: Yes.
T&FN: Your coach, Eddie Williams, said he shifted the emphasis of your training toward the sprint distances. Were you surprised with your time in the 55?
FM: I was very surprised. I think I just got better on my block work. I'm real tall [5-7], so it's real hard for me to get down in the blocks and sprint out. You know: you see all those fast sprinters are real short and with me being tall I couldn't believe I was running that fast.
T&FN: Coach Williams also told me--about three days before NIN--that he wasn't afraid to say that you were going to go after the record. Did you know you were going to go after the record?
FM: Yes I knew but I was kind of nervous and shaky about it though.
T&FN: Was it the fact that you were trying to get it that made you most nervous or that it was a national meet and there were other people in the race?
FM: It was the fact that I was just trying to get it. If you think about it too much you just get nervous-and things like that-and I didn't want that to happen.
T&FN: What exactly did your coach say to you right before the 400 record?
FM: He said, "I want this record, so you've got to get it for me." I was pumped up and ready to go after that. I just wanted to get it. I wasn't really confident, but I was ready.
T&FN: Did you realize that your time was going to be that far ahead of 2nd-place?
FM: No, I didn't. I thought it was going to be a battle to the end and I didn't want it to be a battle.
T&FN: Well how did it progress from the gun?
FM: We started off and it was ok and then I got to the 200 mark and I just told myself to go because I didn't want it to be a battle at the end of the race because I hate those types of things. When it's a battle at the end it depends on who is staying more focused and who is not panicking and I didn't want it to come to that. I was like, "If you're going to work, you've got to go."
T&FN: Were you leading at the 200?
FM: I think we were about tied into the 200 and that was when I started to lead. You come around two curves and then you break at the straightaway.
T&FN: So you beat her to the break? That was your intent?
FM: Yeah.
T&FN: Did you hear your splits coming through the 300?
FM: I didn't know I went through the 300 in 37.2, but I knew I came through the 200 in 23Ð24.
T&FN: What did that make you think of?
FM: I was like, "oh my gosh, we're going too fast," but I told myself, " Just keep on with the pace."
T&FN: But you felt fine at the same time?
FM: Yes, it was comfortable.
T&FN: What would you have thought if you heard the 37 split at the 300.
FM: I would have thought, "Oh my gosh, I am going really, really fast."
T&FN: Which would have been the record had you not set it earlier in the year.
FM: Yes.
T&FN: At what point did you know you were going to get it? At any point did you think, "This is mine"?
FM: When I was coming down the last straightaway I was more happy that I was going to finish the race because I didn't like the 400. I looked up at the clock and said, "Oh I did it," because I was at 42 seconds and I only had a little to go, so I just poured it on.
T&FN: Of course your time is the new record. Had you known much about Sanya [Richards] before your run?
FM: I knew she was good--an outstanding athlete. We had confidence that we could do it on a flat track, but when I saw it [the finishing time I was like, "Uh, I did it."
[At this point there was a distraction by the interviewer's toddler and waking baby. It never quite stopped.]
T&FN: Sorry, my kids are waking up too early. Thank you for bearing with me.
FM: It's OK because my Mom had 8 kids and my dad has 22.
T&FN: Wow. All of your eight belong to your Dad?
FM: Yeah, so I know what you're going through with the kids.
T&FN: Wow. What are the ages and where do you fit along the line?
FM: My oldest brother (27), my older sister (23), then an older brother (22) and then me [17] and most of us are 11 months apart.
T&FN: Do you do a lot of cooking?
FM: No.
T&FN: Who does all the cooking?
FM: My mom. She makes big hardy meals with rice that really fills you up and so everybody eats it and then they're full.
T&FN: Are the rest of your father's kids all older?
FM: They're all older. We're the last of his kids.
T&FN: Did he have two wives before your Mom?
FM: Actually, I think he had a lot of wives. He has 15 girls and 7 boys. We have the majority of the kids.
T&FN: Have you ever had big get-togethers with everyone?
FM: Actually, we don't know them.
T&FN: I bet they all know you though?
FM: They'll know me when I'm rich and famous [Laughs]. I mean, we know of each other. I've met a couple of them, but I haven't met all of them. We're all planning a big, big family reunion this summer.
T&FN: Well, talk about rich and famous. That doesn't seem too far away now does it?
FM: No.
T&FN: Well, let's get some perspective. You're 2 seconds faster than the next fastest high schooler this year-nearly 3 for others on a flat track that you set your record on. Your time would have won the NCAA Championships, which was run on a banked track.
FM: Yeah, everyone's telling me that.
T&FN: Ok then, do you know that your time is the 18th-fastest in the world indoors this year?
FM: Really?
T&FN: Yeah. You're the second-fastest US runner this year.
FM: Really?
T&FN: Sanya, of course is leading, but she's No. 14 in the world this indoors and do you know who is right ahead of you at number 17?
FM: No.
T&FN: Do you know of Tonique, umÉ
FM: Williams-Darling, uh-huh.
T&FN: Tonique Williams-Darling, the Olympic Gold medalist is No. 17 on the list and you're No. 18.
FM: Wow!
T&FN: So you're in pretty good company.
FM: Yeah, I mean that's pretty good considering I'm only 17.
T&FN: She was around 54 or 55 when she was your age and progressed pretty steadily.
FM: Wow!
T&FN: Some people have said that your race was the best race they'd ever seen. How does that make you feel when you hear that?
FM: It makes me feel great because there have been a lot of great races and great athletes and for me to be classified with one of the great races makes me feel good.
T&FN: Now that you have the record do you like the 400 any better?
FM: No.
T&FN: You know that you're going to have to run it forever now.
FM: I know.
T&FN: You'll have to run more 500s.
FM: That definitely helps because when I drop down it seems shorter, I guess.
T&FN: So wouldn't the 500 be your least favorite event?
FM: No, the 400 is my least favorite. The 500 is long, but I would rather do it before the 400. I just hate the 400. I guess because it is an all-out sprint and I don't really like sprinting until the end of a race.
T&FN: So in the 500 you get to wait?
FM: Yeah, the 500 feels kind of like a jog to me.
T&FN: Your coach said that in your list-leading 500 you took it easy at the end because you thought you were running only about 1:16.
FM: Yes, I really thought I was at 1:16 pace and then I looked up and saw 1:11. I was like, "Whoa!"
T&FN: Would you have gone faster?
FM: Yes, I would have.
T&FN: Did you feel you were going to be as fast as you were when you ran the 300 at Virginia Tech?
FM: I felt I was going to run fast in the 37-low or 37-mid range.
T&FN: And then planning to run that and keep going for another 100m! Psychologically, did that play on you at all?
FM: Sort of. But I thought because I have the National Record in the 300, the 400 should be easy. That kind of helped me a lot. Because I don't like the 400, I was thinking of it as a 300 and just don't worry about the last part.
T&FN: I was told once that the way to run the 400 is to sprint the first 100, coast the second 100, sprint the third and then just hang on the for the last 100. Is that how you approach the race?
FM: I just go by how I feel so it's really hard for me to explain. I just felt like I was running to finish.
T&FN: At any point did it feel that you were coasting a little bit or just kind of lying back a little?
FM: I was very relaxed and that's what it felt like.
T&FN: Did it feel like you picked it up the last 100m of your 400?
FM: Yeah, it did.
T&FN: So what is your favorite race then and why?
FM: I like the 200 because it's short. I like the 100 too, but the 200 is not too long and not too short. You have more time and more ground to make up in the 200. The hundred moves quick. You have to do everything right. If you mess up in the 200 you have time to fix it.
T&FN: So this goes back to the height in the blocks?
FM: Yeah.
T&FN: Have you started doing a lot more block work for outdoors?
FM: Yeah.
T&FN: What races are you looking forward to outdoors?
FM: The 100 and the 200. I know they're going to push me towards the 400 so I might as well just say the 400, but mostly the 100 and 200.
T&FN: You were 16th in 100 for US high school last year with a 11. What did you run in the 400 last year?
FM: I didn't really [train for] the 400, but I think I ran maybe one 400.
T&FN: The 25th time on the list was 54.37
FM: I think I ran like 54.54.
 T&FN: Any particular meets that you're excited about racing?
FM: I can't wait to run the 100 and 200 at our outdoor state meet. If I win them this year that means I won them all four years since my freshman year. I'll be the first girl in Virginia to do it. I was the first girl in Virginia to win the 300 all four years.
T&FN: Did you run the 55-
FM: I started running the 55 my sophomore year.
T&FN: Have you raced outdoors yet?
FM: A relay meet, but nothing open.
T&FN: What's your first real race going to be?
FM: This weekend for the Taco Bell. The 100 and 200.
T&FN: Any predictions?
FM: No, not right now.
T&FN: How about your first 400-when is that planned?
FM: I have no idea.
T&FN: Do you have an 800 planned?
FM: I ran one in the relay last weekend.
T&FN: What did you run?
FM: 2:19.
T&FN: How do you run the 800 compared to the 500?
FM: It's much longer so I was kind of just running off feel too.
T&FN: Just for fun?
FM: Yeah.
T&FN: Did it hurt at the end?
FM: No, not really. It was just like a slower pace.
T&FN: Sounds like you just hang back a lot at the beginning.
FM: Something like that.
T&FN: Did you have a lot of sprint at the very end?
FM: Kind of the middle.
T&FN: So there was something left. Did you win the race?
FM: It was the SMR and I just had the end of it.
T&FN: Were you ahead when you took the baton?
FM: Yes.
T&FN: Did you let her catch up?
FM: Yes.
T&FN: Did she pass you?
FM: She passed me and then I had to come back strong at the last 200.
T&FN: Are you going to run any more 800s?
FM: I hope not.
T&FN: Have you gotten the chance to travel much for meets throughout the country?
FM: Indoors we didn't really, but I'm sure we will outdoors.
T&FN: What about outside the country?
FM: No, not yet.
T&FN: Are there any countries you're looking forward to seeing this summer?
FM: I don't have a particular one, but I'm just excited that I can go.
T&FN: How about Beijing, China?
FM: Yes, that would be nice!
T&FN: You've already signed for college. Where are you going?
FM: I'm Going to Hampton University.
T&FN: How did you choose them?
FM: I just decided I wanted to stay close to home because I love the support system I have here. I figured if I went to a local school I'd have the same support that I had in high school.
T&FN: And did you take all your recruiting trips?
FM: I took two trips. I went to UCLA--I'm from California originally--and then to Hampton University and then that's when I decided I wanted to go to Hampton University.
T&FN: At what point did you start getting recruited by the colleges heavily?
FM: The beginning of my senior year.
T&FN: Do you know what you want to study in college?
FM: I want to be a mortician.
T&FN: How come?
FM: Well, somebody's got to do it and you'll never be out of a job.
T&FN: Have you ever been to a mortuary?
FM: Yes, I went last summer. I went because I was real interested. It was cool.
T&FN: Have you been watching Six Feet Under?
FM: I do watch that show sometimes-bits and pieces of it.
T&FN: Does Hampton have a mortuary program?
FM: No, but one of the other [local] colleges does. What I'll probably have to do is go to graduate school or get a major in business because I want to own my own funeral home.
T&FN: What subjects do you like in high school?
FM: English: I like doing book reports. In my English class right now we're studying Macbeth. We're more than halfway through Act IV-they're getting ready to kill Macbeth.
T&FN: What's been the most exciting part of the book so far?
FM: I liked the part where they were at the dinner. They had killed Banquo and then envisioned him at the party and he was a ghost.
T&FN: Ah, I was in that play in junior high just as I started to run. When and how did you get started?
FM: In 6th grade. It was my Social Studies teacher. Mr. Earl Holmes. He said, "You're a runner, go to practice." H e made me go every day, so it's kind of his fault.
T&FN: So you were pretty fast then, did you run the Junior Olympics or anything like that?
FM: Just local races. My time in the 400 was 60 seconds. I guess that was good for 6th grade. When they saw me run that, they were like, "Oh gee, that's what you've got to run."
T&FN: Did you run all year round before high school?
FM: No we just ran a couple meets indoors and a couple meets outdoors.
T&FN: How often did you train?
FM: We trained Monday-Wednesday-Fridays.
T&FN: When did you finally meet up with Coach Williams?
FM: My 9th-grade year.
T&FN: Does he teach there?
FM: No, he's just the coach there.
T&FN: When you got to high school did you run cross country in the fall?
FM: No.
T&FN: Was there any other sport you did in the fall then?
FM: No, I just ran track.
T&FN: There's a fall track-conditioning program?
FM: Yeah. It starts in August. I do like to play tennis.
T&FN: How often do you get to play?
FM: Not very often, but in PE, usually when we have activity days I get to play.
T&FN: Are there any professional athletes that you like to watch play?
FM: The Williams sisters.
T&FN: What has your training been like this year?
FM: I was doing 600s and 500s mostly.
T&FN: What would a typical week be toward the end of racing season?
FM: We do all of our base training at the beginning of the season. So when it comes down to races like [nationals] we're already ready because we know we have our base training in. So we just do the little stuff like the block work and reaction drills to the gun and things like that.
T&FN: What's the base training then?
FM: In the base training we do 300s, 500s, 600s and things like that.
T&FN: I want to say 300s on Monday and 400s on Wednesday-the hard days are usually Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Weights Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays, like a 600s.
T&FN: When your coach gives you a workout do you just do it or do you get to complain much?
FM: If you complain, you still have to do it, so we don't complain much.
T&FN: What kind of workouts do you enjoy the most? Do you like the distance runs?
FM: No I hate the distance runs. We have to go on 15-minute jogs and I hate that.
T&FN: Coach Williams said he ended every workout with an all-out 300. When did that start?
FM: This year at the beginning of the indoor.
T&FN: What do you usually hit on those?
FM: Between 39 and 42.
T&FN: Wow.
FM: It helps me with the end of my race.
T&FN: There are a lot of elite athletes that train near you.
FM: Yeah, Tonique Williams. She trains on the same track that I train on. It's 20 minutes away from where I live.
T&FN: Do you ever watch her work out?
FM: Sometimes, especially when it gets warm outside. I'll be in the bleachers sitting and watching.
T&FN: Who else do you watch workout at there?
FM: Well, she's pretty much the only one I watch out there.
T&FN: What's goes through your mind when you're watching her workout?
FM: I just want to get to where she is.
T&FN: And now that you find out you're pretty close?
FM: It's exciting.
T&FN: Now you're in line to become one of the 400200 runners--in the mold of Michael Johnson--on the women's side.
FM: I guess that's kind of cool.
T&FN: Does that type of comparison inspire you or are you inspired more by the day-to-day aspects of training and competing?
FM: I'm inspired more day to day. But more day-by-day, I start to wonder what if I did this or what if I did that, but [thinking about my running] day-to-day is kind of easier.
T&FN: There's probably a good chance that you might be recruited professionally, possibly even before you get to college. Have you had a lot of people talking to you about that?
FM: Well, they have. They've been telling me what to expect. They just let me know that people might be coming to talk to me. They didn't really give me deep, deep advice like "go get an agent" and stuff. They just told me to get prepared for it.
###
|
