Sarasota native, Lauren Godwin, won the women's race in a 20 second lead over Lynn Bellmore of Fort Collins, Colorado during Saturday's foot race.
Coach Godwin, who started the Women's Cross Country program four years ago at the College of Central Florida, said that she loves inspiring her team of collegiate runners. She continues to strive toward making the team a top competitor in the NJCAA. Lauren is always on the recruiting trail looking for girls who like to run.
Godwin covered the NASCAR stadium, streets of Daytona, and picturesque oceanfront views of the 13.1 mile run in 1:28:17 equating to 6:44 average mile pace. She clocked a 19:15 5k and a 39:55 10k en route. The Daytona Beach Half Marathon is a part of Clash Endurance's race weekend which also features a 5k. Godwin won last year's 5k here and looked to add the half marathon win to her accolades.
She explained the differences between 5k and half marathon racing stating that both distances help feed into the other. "You need the base of a long-distance endurance racer to also be successful at the shorter distances and vice versa. When you cut back on your distance after a build you have more in the tank to fuel shorter more explosive runs. We use many NASCAR analogies in running. To experience this win today in an environment that helps portray this is so surreal. I am always telling my runners how important daily efforts are in the long run. It was a bucket-list goal of mine in high school to someday win a half marathon. At that time, I never knew that it would be at the Speedway or that one could even run on the speedway. This is a really special day."
Godwin was asked what her favorite learning experience was on today's course and if there was anything unique to this race in particular. Godwin joked of endurance racing, similar to in life, that a lot of things can be going on at once.
"Today the half marathon course involved outlapping the 5k runners for the second mile of the race. (The event had a 5k race and a relay race going on simultaneously). Then, at miles 3 and 8 there were relay runners ready to jump in to relieve a current racer. This can easily throw off pace but as a runner you have to be focused on your own race and ignore distractions that can enter your mind. As I get close to 19 years of racing experience, it is really rewarding to help coach athletes on how they can be most efficiently dialed in. I'm excited to see our incoming team champion this during the upcoming season."
