#7 - Lindsey Butler Runs Away From The Field At States
The number 7 Moment was a full year in the making. In 2018, Lindsey Butler (Corning) found out the hard way, that winning the race at States didn't always mean winning the Title. In an admittedly tactical race, Butler had outkicked the 800m field at CNS to win the seeded heat in 2:10.17, but the mark wasn't fast enough to best the pace set by eventual State Champ Haley Riorden (Rush-Henrietta) two heats prior. Only a Junior at the time, it was a mistake Butler was to make sure she wouldn't repeat the following year.
Two major developments would come before Butler would get another shot at the 800m Title. First, she would give up Soccer her Senior Year, to focus solely on Track. Running Cross Country for the first time ever gave her an extra layer of strength to bely her middle distance speed. That addition came in handy for another milestone, as Butler would defeat the reigning State Champ Vanessa Watson (Spencerport) at the Indoor State 600m at NY #7 All-Time in the Event. Having gotten her State Title already in Winter, what was there to lose Outdoors?
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Despite her speed Indoors, a repeat performance in the 800m was far from guaranteed. She dropped a 2:10.37 in early May, indicating she was a contender, but there were at least five girls within less than a second of Butler, some of which with State Titles of their own. On the starting line, the tension was high. Once again, Riorden had dropped a fast time in the slower heat, a 2:10.31, just off Butler's mark from the year prior, and faster than her Season Best. She would need a PR, in addition to being the first across the line.
The gun goes off.
Butler jumps to the front of the pack, and makes it to the break line 2-meters ahead of the field. They slowly close the gap, and upon the homestretch of the first lap, it's three wide. The field splits 61-seconds, very fast for the amount of athletes still in contention. The field sticks tightly together. 1:36 through the 600m mark, and still, Butler leads, with Maxana Grubb (Amherst) right on her should, and plenty more who could swing by in the final 100m. Deanna Martin (VSS) and Sarah Trainor (FDR) make their move as well, but Butler holds her line, and begins to pull away, 50m to go. A quick look at the finish line, then a quick glance at the time, Butler throws her arms in the air, snatching a certified victory.
The 2:06.88 would be a lifetime best for the Corning Senior, and our Moment #7 of the Year. Butler would have an outstanding rest of the weekend, too, as she would split 2:05.77 in the 4x800m to aide her team to a medal. One week later, she would one-up even that, anchoring her SMR to a National Title with an 800m split of 2:05.19. But it was the Redemption run at Middletown that made the whole story come full circle.
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