Picking on runners her own age is something that Alisa Harvey just hasn’t learned how to do.
After sweeping the 400-meter, 800-meter and mile runs in the women’s 40-and-older division at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships several weekends ago, she nearly won the 800-meter race at the University of Maryland’s Invitational the following weekend.
“I was hoping to get more of a challenge from the college girls,” said Harvey, who was profiled in Personal Best on March 29. “It was a good, strong race.”
The weather was pretty lousy, and Harvey initially thought the race was actually going to be canceled. The race was moved up 40 minutes, which she didn’t realize — until it was nearly too late.
Despite just 15 minutes of warm-up, Harvey led much of the way before being caught by Kelly Pry of the University of Maryland — 22 years her junior — and finishing second by less than seven-tenths of a second. Harvey beat out 36 other college runners, including eight Terps.
Harvey did say that the Masters competition was a harder race because of the turns associated with the 200-meter, rubber track.
The Manassas runner will compete this weekend in the elite 800-meter invitational run at the Mountain San Antonio Club relays, an invitation-only race.