LMTS Finisher Feature: Marina
July 1, 2019
Running through college
Written by Danielle Ledgerwood
We take pride in the fact that our Liberty Mountain Trail Series provides a way for new runners from the community to learn and gain a sense of familiarity with the sport of trail running. But we also love that the series gives Liberty students an outlet to use their competitive high school running careers in college.
At only 18 years old, Marina Iodice was our youngest LMTS finisher this past year. In her first year as a residential student at Liberty studying American Sign Language Interpretation, she ran all five races in our trail series in addition to Harvest After Dark, our short distance, Halloween-themed fun-run.
Her results in each of the 5 LMTS races were as follows:
Deep Hollow 5K: 4th in Female age group 14-19
Valley View 5 Miler: 3rd in Female age group 14-19
Reindeer Run: 3rd in Female age group 14-19
Arctic 5K: 4th in Female in age group 14-19
King of the Mountain: 5th Female in age group 14-19
Marina has been running for most of her life, and she started seriously competing around 5 years ago, when she ran track and field and cross country in high school. “I personally think running is fun,” she said. “What motivates me to run is the feeling of accomplishment after I finish a workout or race. I never found the time in college to be consistent with it, but the races gave me an opportunity to do that.”
She enjoys both the tough competition at LMTS races and the less competitive, casual events, like the Turkey Trot in her hometown on Thanksgiving Day. “This race helps raise funds for cancer research and also allows people to make room for Thanksgiving dinner.”
Her advice for anyone just getting into running would be to find their own pace and start slow. “Many professional runners have been training for years, so you shouldn’t compare yourself to other runners,” she encouraged. “Don’t focus on the number aspect of your time. Just be aware of that number and try to improve it slowly each time you practice.”
For more experienced athletes, she offered some advice for when your workout routine feels like it’s stuck in a rut: “Try to expand their drills and techniques. Maybe add more distance than usual, or try shorter distances at a faster pace. The internet is full of running videos with new ideas to try. Don’t be afraid to push yourself because you can always do more than you think.”