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07/12/2018 12:00 AMThe sport of track challenges runners to push through the pain as they try to reach the finish line. Elissa Strand embraced that challenge as a member of the Guilford track program, while proving that she had plenty of fuel to keep her motor going.
Elissa started running by doing cross country at Adams Middle School, where she was coached by Jon Rivera, who is now head coach of the girls' outdoor track squad at the high school. Elissa dabbled in the jumping events with the Indians, but ultimately settled into the 800 and the 4x800 relay for her junior and senior years.
Last spring, Elissa qualified for the State Open in the 800 and was also part of a 4x800 quartet that reached the New England Championship. This year, Elissa capped off her high-school career by putting together an excellent season in which she finished second for the 800 at the SCC East Sectional Championship and then placed fifth in the 800 and fourth for the 4x8 at the Class L State Championship, qualifying for the State Open in both events.
"I've grown an appreciation of the sport. I've learned that the pain is temporary, but the results are permanent," says Elissa. "You have to give it your all in track, and only you can determine if you do. I like to have that good feeling after a race that I did do that. There's no subjectivity in track. The clock doesn't lie."
Elissa found a way to pace herself for the long haul while competing for the Indians. She would come out of the gate strong, but Elissa also made sure that she had enough left in the tank to strike for the gold in the home stretch.
"When you get on the starting line, you have to make the decision if you're going to give it your all," Elissa says. "A one- or two-minute race is the culmination of all your training, so you have to decide how hard you want to push yourself. The last stretch makes you race, and that push makes or breaks your race."
Elissa's signature individual event is the 800, which is also her favorite event to run. For Elissa, the 800 is a tale of two laps, and she believes her strategy allows her to gain some major ground in the second leg.
"I feel the 800 is an interesting race," Elissa says. "It's two laps. In the first one, you just try to stay close to everybody, and then the second lap is when the race really starts. In that second lap, you try to pass people and break souls."
Elissa says that participating in CrossFit has played a key role in developing both her stamina and intensity as a runner. She feels that CrossFit has taught her a lot about the determination that's needed to endure grueling physical tasks.
"I do CrossFit, and it really helps me with track, and track helps me with CrossFit," she says, "CrossFit has also helped me grow as a person and gives me the mentality to just push through anything."
Having worked with Elissa for several years, Coach Rivera notes that she always took initiative by learning the intricacies of her events as she prepared for meets.
"Elissa was a hard worker for four years, and she really came into her own her junior and senior years," says Rivera. "I had the pleasure of coaching Elissa in 7th grade when she ran Adams Middle School cross country and knew she was a special talent then. She was a pleasure to coach and will definitely be missed next year. She was very involved in her training and always wanted to know why we were doing something."
Elissa formed an in-depth network of friends both at Guilford and with athletes on opposing teams throughout her time as a track athlete. Speaking about her hometown, Elissa says that the Guilford High School track program is truly a family.
"The track community in Connecticut is great. After races, my opponents and I will always take and give each other high-fives," says Elissa. "I've made a lot of friends through track, and it's made me appreciate being active. I've made a lot of great high-school memories through track, and I wouldn't take it back. Our team became a family."