In her first ever steeplechase race, UNM junior long distance runner Imogen Ainsworth snagged second place and set the fifth fastest time in UNM history.
The seven-lap race includes 28 jumping barriers and seven water jumps, and Ainsworth battled elevation, exhaustion and inexperience to finish second at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational. Her 10:51.72 finish put her in the record books.
“I was actually really happy with how that went,” Ainsworth said. “I didn’t know what to expect, seeing as I hadn’t done it before.”
Head coach Joe Franklin said that after a couple practice sessions and some training, the British native found herself competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday. It turns out she’s a natural.
“We thought, ‘let’s have her do it at the home meet because it’s pretty low-key’,” Franklin said. “She ended running one of the top times in the country.”
Ainsworth said she didn’t realize the steeplechase was such a difficult race. She said the final two laps were grueling.
“She was in a lot of pain,” Franklin said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, I hope she doesn’t fall over.’ But she kept on trucking along and did a good job.”
Ainsworth is one the three female athletes Franklin said could have a breakthrough outdoor track and field season. He said Margo Tucker and Shirley Pitts are the other two.
After struggling with the 5k run early in the season, Ainsworth said that after Saturday’s performance the steeplechase might be the race to help her get to the next level.
“Maybe this is the event where I can do it,” Ainsworth said. “And it’s exciting because it’s a much bigger thing out here than it is at home.”
Ainsworth was born in London, England. At age 13, she said she started running and never stopped.
At the European Cross Country Championships, she met Lobo runners Sarah Waldron and Natalie Gray, and said she called coach Franklin about joining the squad.
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After almost a full year living in New Mexico, Ainsworth said other than the altitude and surviving Albuquerque without a car, she’s grown fond of the state.
“I really love it,” Ainsworth said. “It took me maybe a couple of weeks to get used to it because it’s just so different from everything back home, but I really love it now. It’s going to be hard to leave.”
Ainsworth earns her master’s degree in geography next spring and plans to move back home.
Her two performances this weekend, in the steeplechase and the 800-meter, contributed to the team’s 29 top-10 finishes over the weekend.
Franklin said he hopes to have Ainsworth ready to run in a couple weeks in California, where he said racing at sea level could help her cut her time significantly.
Teammate Ruth Senior, who made the national championships in the steeplechase a couple years ago, won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the Sun Angel Classic over the weekend in Tempe, Ariz. with a time of 10:43.60.
Emma Reed finished fourth place, behind Ainsworth on Saturday. Reed, Senior and Ainsworth could be key players for the Lobos in the conference championships next month.
“We could have a very good 1-2-3 group of women,” Franklin said.
Franklin said as soon as he saw Ainsworth practice for the steeplechase, he knew he had found something special.
“Some people are just natural hurdlers, and Imogen is one of those,” Franklin said. “I think she can be one of the better steeplers in the country.”
