State of the Action: What a battle out front. Two athletes who had lost a season to injury, another who had made a significant jump since transfering to a new school, a Dream Miler, an 8th Grader, a World Youth qualifier, and more stories than you can hang your hat on. When the NXN-Northeast Champion Olivia Sargeant takes 8th overall, in a very quality time, you know the field was fast.

At first, it was a battle of the blondes. Jessica Lawson, Kaitlyn Neal, Rachel McArthur and Kaitlin Tuohy led the charge to the opening bridge. Each of them with national level training and experience. For Lawson, it seems she can't escape competitive races this season. After pushing hard at McQuaid through 2.5 miles, the pace had taken it's toll, and Lawson had to watch her course record go from 40m back. One week later, and it was time to make sure that didn't happen again. Kaitlyn Neal has had more of a quiet opening to her season, if you can call breaking Nicole Blood's course record at Bville quiet competition. And in third, was Rachel McArthur, who was opening her season at Manhattan, gauging her fitness after some off-distance races back home in Virginia. At the top of the back hills, the pack was still tight. And then Lawson took off. Utilizing her stride that garnered her the fastest time out of the letter races the year before, she attack the second half of the field. Neal responded, keeping the competitor within sight. Briana Gess, another athlete who threw down a top time in the Letter Races prior, save the moved and responded.

Onto the finishing stretch, still 600m to go, Lawson powered away. Neal gave chase, closing the gap that had been increasing since Lawson had hit the bridge. But Lawson wasn't ready to be caught like McQuaid. Known for her kick on the track Lawson powered towards the crowd. With the clock in sight, many were counting down the seconds to the record, sub-13 almost a guarantee. Lawson gave one final push through the line, as the clock read off her time. A week after losing her McQuaid Course record, she inherited one with arguably even more prestige. Lawson had not only become the 4th girl ever to break 14mins (joining a pack that also includes Nicole Blood and Aisling Cuffe), Lawson took down Carley Seymour's course record at Van Cortlandt, that had stood since 2007.

Behind her, there was still a fight for positioning. Kaitlyn Neal put down a time that would win many other years. Briana Gess and Rachel McArthur came across stride for stride. Alex Harris led her 8th grade teammate Kaitlin Tuohy across next. The 1-2 punch reminded many, there was still a team race to be won...

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  Girls Easterns - Jessica Lawson - Course Record