GRAFTON – Three daunting seasons of running, one unwavering athlete – Alena Duval.
In the fall, Duval is on the cross-country team. She participates in indoor track over the winter, and come springtime, she’s outside once again competing for the Grafton Gators outdoor track team.
Whatever the season, Duval is likely on the run.
“I just tried [running], and I fell in love from there. I just love trying to beat different people every race, trying to be a higher spot on my team every race, and beating my time from the previous one… I knew it was something I wanted to continue doing in high school,” Duval told the Community Advocate.
The senior — who is currently applying to universities throughout the U.S. — first started cross country as an eighth-grade student. She always loved the “running around part of soccer,” she said, and she decided to embrace “running around” as her sport. After sophomore year, Duval made a similar decision, leaving basketball for the indoor track team. In two years, she ascended to become team captain.
Duval describes herself as a “distance runner,” running the 5K (3.1-mile) cross-country course and also participating in the 1000-meter, one-mile, and two-mile races during track season. Two-mile races can be grueling, she said, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Everyone asks, ‘Why do you run distance? Why do you do that to yourself?’ I just love it so much. I love the feeling of being in shape, and then, with track, there’s such a team part of it, too. You’re pushing yourself to run a faster time and maybe beat a girl you didn’t beat this week,” she said.
The long-distance races aren’t without challenges. In particular, Duval pointed to the difficult “mental aspect” of racing.
“You can’t have a good race or good workout every day of the week. That’s really hard to come to terms with, especially when you feel in shape one day, but the next day you’re like, ‘My legs won’t even move off the ground.’ I think having a strong support system around you—it pushes you to be better,” she said.
Duval frequently mentioned her teammates when speaking about her love for running. This year, as captain, Duval has been leading the team during workouts, supporting teammates emotionally and setting an example for younger runners.
“They’ve been so awesome… Honestly, the coaches and teammates have been one of the biggest parts of why I love all three of these sports so much,” Duval said.
Duval’s coaches reciprocate these feelings.
“[She’s] made a huge impact as not only a captain but a point scorer in indoor track. With her commitment to physical therapy, preventative exercise, and hard work at practice, Alena can run any event well from the 600-meter and up. Being a leader, and also being a solid competitor, has made a big impact for the girls team,” Coach Sarah Supino said.
Duval said she has a “race IQ,” and has learned how to “smartly execute a race.”
She will often sit back, see what pace the group is interested in running, and when the group starts fading or pushing, she’ll cover that move. In the last lap, Duval said, you “just sprint, and give it everything you’ve got.” This strategy led Duval to a strong sophomore-year South Worcester County League performance; Grafton eventually won the league that year, and Duval said that the feeling afterward was “pretty awesome.”
Over the course of her high school career, Duval has learned a lot about both running and herself. Duval said that over the course of repeatedly running miles-long races, she has developed “mental toughness” and learned how to continue moving forward.
“I learned a lot about pushing myself. Sometimes you’re going to feel like you have nothing in you after the race… and I think it’s made me an even harder worker than I was before I started [athletics],” she said.
Duval — who participates in Student Council outside of athletics — is enjoying running for now, but acknowledges her time at Grafton High School will soon come to an end.
“It’s very bittersweet. Just going into everything it feels like every single meet has this ‘last’ on it… I don’t feel like anyone warned me about that going into senior year. A lot of times I’m okay going into the meet and I’m okay going home, and I get home and I’m like, ‘Wow, that just ended,’” she said.
