YAKIMA — Double knotting was mandatory for Madison Ingram.
It was 365 days ago that the Rainier High School distance runner lost one of her spikes in the middle of the Class 2B 1,600-meter run. She was seeded in the top-eight and crossed the line in 12th place.
“I put so much work in to be at a different spot and I embraced that,” Ingram stated. “How much improvement I’ve made and it really pushed me to be a better person and it made me really excited.”
Both spikes didn’t depart on Thursday.
Ingram earned her first state medal of the weekend in the 1,600 on day one of the 1B/2B/1A state track and field championships at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, snaring fourth place in a new lifetime best of 5 minutes, 23.54 seconds.
It’s the first time in her two years as a Mountaineer she leaves with hardware in the second-longest distance race of the meet.
“I tied them way too tight,” Ingram said of her spikes. “My feet were a little suffocated but that’s OK.”
Freshman Komaire Robles placed eighth in 5:24.91, a near five-second PR to snare her first career state track medal. Teammate Alexis Myers was ninth, also in a new best of 5:28.22. Myers just missed the podium in her state meet debut.
The emotions took over with Ingram and Robles being by her side walking off the field in the same way the trio walked towards the track for the start of the race.
They’ve been a three-headed pack from the moment the season started two months ago.
“I love running with her and she’s such an amazing person,” Robles said. “Where she is right now is incredible. There’s more coming.”
In both the C2BL and District 4 meets, they went 1-2-3. Robles and Myers, before Thursday, established PRs in Chehalis at districts. It was never the plan to run as a pack, but after the success from a team state title in cross country with those three, it naturally worked out.
Ingram was the leader of the three for the majority of the race. Robles was on her heels and Myers was within striking distance.
With little competition from the rest of the league and district, they have to rely on pushing each other.
“I love running with this group,” Robles said.
The Mountaineers placed fourth as a team last year and qualified in double digit events once again. Injuries have bit them, but Ingram and Robles have confidence they could contend for another trophy.
“Let’s individually do good and see where that places us,” Ingram said.
The 1,600 was the lone final for the girls on the day. In the prelims of the 100-meter dash, Victoria Sancho (Winlock), Acacia Murphy (Rainier) and Merecedies Dupont (Rochester) all made Saturday’s finals.
