By Christopher Hunt
Cornwall senior Aisling Cuffe isn’t the typical teenager. Besides the fact that she’s the top-ranked cross country runner in the country, it’s even more amazing that she’s never really been attached to her cell phone.
It was awhile before she even remembered her own number or gave it out because somehow she managed to avoid getting swept into the world’s cellular addiction.
But she uses her phone now. Especially since she’s hardly home.
“I haven’t been home on a weekend since the first week of school,” said Cuffe, rated No. 1 nationally in the Milesplit XC Super 50.
It started in August when she attended the Nike Elite Cross Country camp in Oregon and the Aim High camp upstate in Brantingham.
Two weeks ago, there was the drive to Lancaster, Pa., for the PTXC 2 Invitational, where Cuffe crushed the course record in 17:17. The next weekend she took her first official recruiting visit to Duke. Then last Saturday she blitzed the course at Bowdoin Park in 17:54.29, a time that she was mildly disappointed by despite that fact that it’s the fourth-fastest performance ever at Bowdoin.
Once she packed up there, she took a road trip to her next recruiting visit: Villanova, where her good friend and former rival Emily Lipari is into her freshman season. Cuffe finally reached home Monday night. She’ll continue taking her show on the road this weekend at the Great American Festival in Cary, N.C. Plus, she still has three official visits she’s allowed to take before she makes her college choice. Along with Duke and Villanova, Cuffe is considering Georgetown, Stanford, Oregon, Providence and Washington.
“It’s been crazy,” Cuffe said. “You meet so many people. You can’t even remember all their names. It’s hard having on my Hi-my-name-is-Aisling-Cuffe face all the time. I wish I had a name tag.”
This season will be quite different for Cuffe. She started as a freshman race-walker turned phenom sophomore cross country rising star. Last year she made a name for her torturing style of running. Cuffe is always pushing the pace, hoping to snatch the finishing kick from opponents. She finished 12th at Foot Locker Nationals as a sophomore and fourth last year. Now she’s considered one of the favorites. Or the runner to beat.
“It’s a newer perspective,” Cuffe said. “My parents are always telling me, ‘Now you have a target on your back.’ It’s kind of nice having a target on your back though. It’s nice to know that everyone else is looking at you. It’s pressure but it’s good. I look at it in a good way. I’m not allowed to lose anymore.”
Cornwall coach Dave Feuer said, more than anything, he’s most worried about Cuffe’s schedule. The long drives, flights and overnight trips cause for constant adjustments in her training schedule but both Feuer and Cuffe agree that she’s poised for a career season, even if there isn’t much to improve on. She won the Class A state title, the federation championship and Foot Locker Northeast last year plus her top-5 at Foot Locker Nationals.
“Last year was amazing,” Feuer said. “It’s hard to top amazing.”
There will be only one change in Cuffe’s training program from last year. Feuer said that he plans to keep Cuffe in her base training phase even longer this season, knowing she’ll want to do her best racing in December at Foot Locker in San Diego, Calif. But Cuffe said herself that she hasn’t made this season about collecting course records or championships. Those things are just part of the package.
“No matter what happens, if I make it back to Foot Locker or if I win – of course I want to win – but I just want to look back on it and know that I had fun doing it,” Cuffe said. “I’ll never get to do any of this again. There’s no Millroses or Foot Lockers in college. There are some quiet meets here and there and then nationals. I want to enjoy this while I can.”
Cuffe Links: Aisling’s younger sister, Dara, has been the top runner on the junior varsity team this season. The eighth-grader lead the team in seventh Saturday at the Bowdoin XC Classic, finishing in 23:49.38. …. Aisling one of a number of runners writing a Milesplit XC Journal, chronicling her senior season. Find it here.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
