Reigning USATF U20 cross country champion and Nike Indoor Nationals 2-mile winner looks forward to challenge of competing over longer distance with annual road race in Northport showcasing several impressive American athletes

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Following a freshman year when she won the women’s 6-kilometer title at the USATF U20 Cross Country Championships, after earning All-America honors at the Eastbay National Championships, the ambitions of William Floyd High sophomore and New York prep standout Zariel Macchia are only increasing this season.

For Macchia, it appears the longer the race and the higher level of experience among the field of competitors, the more she enjoys the opportunity, and Saturday will provide another significant showcase in her young career racing against elite professional athletes in the USATF 10km Road Championships Presented by Toyota, as part of the annual Great Cow Harbor 10km Run held in nearby Northport, N.Y.

“We wanted to give her an opportunity to run with a fast group as she has fewer competitors that can push her pace or help her hold a solid pace for an extended period of time,” said Pete Macchia, Zariel’s father.

“We were thinking of traveling to get to a race with a fast pack, so once we realized we had a USA Championship 10K on our Island, it made sense to register for the event.”

Macchia, 16, prevailed against several college freshmen in January in San Diego when she won the 6-kilometer cross country title in 22:50 at Mission Bay Park in San Diego. She was also the highest-placing ninth-grader among the three freshman female athletes that qualified for the Eastbay Championships, placing 12th overall in 17:43.3 on the 5-kilometer layout in December at Balboa Park’s Morley Field, also in San Diego.

So the opportunity for Macchia to challenge herself over the 10-kilometer distance appears to be an ideal next step in the progression for the reigning Nike Indoor Nationals 2-mile champion.

“I have been adding some more distance runs to my training as my coaches think my base is strong from a few years of consistent low-intensity training,” Zariel Macchia said. “I feel that the longer I race, the stronger I get, so the 10k would be a lot of fun to race the whole way.”

A trio of athletes who competed in the women’s 10-kilometer race at the USATF Cross Country Championships will also be participating Saturday in New York, with Stephanie Bruce, Carrie Verdon and Amy Davis all placing in the top 15 in January.

Nell Rojas, Dakotah Lindwurm and Annie Frisbie are all athletes currently ranked in the top 10 in the USATF Running Circuit standings who are scheduled to compete.

Erika Kemp, the reigning champion at the Great Cow Harbor Run who produced a 10-kilometer course record 32:18 last year, is also expected to race.

“My coaches think that it is not a smart choice to race the entire race as an all-out effort, so we have decided that I will get out with the leaders for two miles and then take it from there,” Zariel Macchia said. “Most of my training is based on feel and they have picked spots for me to take some recovery stretches and then run on feel with efforts that keep a good pace, but do not push me to my limits.”

Macchia is using the 10-kilometer competition Saturday as part of her preparation to race Oct. 8 against her high school peers at the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park, looking to improve on her runner-up performance last year of 14:33.6 in the Eastern States Championship on the 2.5-mile layout in The Bronx.

“I usually want to do more than my coaches plan for me, but I have been very healthy and successful, so I have learned to make that a priority over letting my competitiveness lead to pushing too hard too often,” Zariel Macchia said. “Manhattan College will be an almost all-out effort if all goes well, so that will be more fun for racing, while this USATF Championship should be a great experience. Hopefully I’ll be able to get to one of these championships ready to go from start to finish with the leaders in the near future.”