Thomann races through injury

Highland High School has a fierce competitor in Madison Thomann.

Thoman, who is a sophomore at Highland, punched her ticket to the state cross-country meet Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge when she placed fourth at the Class 1A state-qualifying meet the previous Thursday with a time of 21 minutes, 36 seconds.

'Madison really enjoyed the experience of being part of such an important race,” Highland coach Angela Strobel said.

Thomann finished the five-kilometer race in 99th place with a time of 22:50.4. It wasn't the pressure that contributed to the slower time, it was an injury.

'Unfortunately, she twisted her ankle halfway through the race,” Strobel said. 'In the end, she was not happy with her time or placing, but she and I were both proud that she battled through tough circumstances to finish the race.”

It takes a determined competitor to keep running for over a mile or more with pain knocking on every other step.

'She's got grit and she showed that in the way she dealt with a setback during the race,” Strobel said. 'She put on her game face and finished the best she could.”

Highland's cross-country and track and field coach now knows she has a seasoned veteran to run for the Huskies in the future.

'I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do this track season and, of course, Madison will be looking for redemption at next year's state meet.”