As a first year student last year at Wartburg College in Waverly Alana Enabnit started her collegiate career hampered by injuries early in the cross country season. She came on strong in what was only her second season of cross country ever and finished 10th at the NCAA Division 3 National Championships held at UW-Oshkosh. But it was this past track season where Enabnit really made her mark by winning both the 5k and 10k national championships on the track and helping the Knights to a dominating 77 point victory [results]. Her performance in the distance double there opened some eyes and is drawing inevitable comparisons to another former Wartburg star, Missy Buttry, who won 14 NCAA titles and twice represented the U.S. at the World Cross Country Championships. Following her victorious races at D3 nationals Enabnit went on to place 3rd in the 5k at USA Junior National Championships. Enabnit, who graduated high school from Clear Lake High School, won the state championship in both the 3k and 1500m on the track her senior year but had spent much of her time prior to that focusing much more on figure skating. She definitely has a very bright future ahead of her and fans of Iowa runners should keep their eyes on her over the next few years!
PRs
1500m - 4:38
3000m (indoor) - 9:58 (but covered 3000m during a 5k in 9:46)
5000m - 16:25
6000m (Cross Country) - 21:13
10,000m - 35:03
Can you briefly describe your high school running career and how you got into running in HS (or before)?
I ran track in middle school, but I did not do cross country till my senior year. I started track in 7th grade just because that was the only sport that my rigorous figure skating schedule could fit in. I did it more as an extra hobby till HS. By the time I was a senior, my passions changed, and my love for running really blossomed. Much of the transition from skating to running came from the fact that I felt like God really was calling me to use my running career as a testimony and reflection of my faith.
What made you choose Wartburg? Did you have opportunities to run at Division 1 schools?
I did receive offers from Division I programs but nothing extremely serious. I was probably overlooked by many because I didn’t really enter the “serious group of runners” until my senior year. I was introduced to Coach Johnson by my high school coach, and from there I fell in love with the Wartburg program. Wartburg has an amazing reputation on the academic level, but what really drew me in is the passion the school has for improvement, relationships, and lifelong development.
Wartburg has had some incredible runners over the years... To what do you attribute that? Coaching? Recruiting? A culture of success? Something else?
I think the recipe for success at Wartburg is a result of many simple things combined under one program.
-A passion for running
-A passion for family (team) success
-A dedication to hard work
-Individualized training
-Amazing athletic trainers
-Personally invested coaches who care about EVERY runner on the team no matter their position
-Encouragement and faith in each other
Good high school runners don't always find success right away in college, but you did pretty well, placing 10th at Nationals in cross and winning the 5/10k double outdoors. How was the transition from high school to college life and collegiate running for you?
My transition was actually pretty rough. I had a stress fracture and IT band syndrome to start out my cross season last year. I was only able to run the last three races of the year. I learned that I needed to trust my coach with my training. I started my summer training with a “more is better” mentality. That led to overtraining and injuries. After those experiences, I began to understand that training development is a slow process, and I needed to trust the knowledge of my coach. Once I learned those lessons, my training and racing fell into a much better place.
Your success as a freshman is going to draw inevitable comparisons to Missy Buttry. Do you feel any pressure to achieve the same sorts of success that she did at Wartburg?
Whenever I am compared to Missy, I feel extremely honored. If I do feel any pressure to achieve the same sorts of success that she did, I have put that pressure on myself. She was an amazing athlete and person, and I want to hold myself to those standards. However, we are completely different athletes with different strengths. I pray that I can make the impact that she did on Division III athletics but in my own way.
What are your goals for this year? For your final 3 years as a Knight? Beyond that?
For cross, I really want to help our team bring home a National Team trophy . I would love to bring home an individual title as well. Winnings are not the most important thing on my goal sheet. I really just want to keep improving on my racing and training from last year, and I want to see how tough I can compete. However, my number one goal is to make sure that I praise God with every stride I take, because He gave me the gift to run, and I want to let people know what He has done for me.
For track, I would love to run under 16:10 this year in the 5k and under 34:10 in the 10k. I do not like to get to ahead of myself with future goals. I have big dreams, but a lot can happen in three years. You never know what life will throw your way, and that is why I enjoy every moment. I have the tendency to let myself get into the “I want it all, and I want it now!” mentality, but I am taking life, training, and racing a season at a time.
What's your favorite running experience so far?
My favorite moment has to be going 1-2 with my teammate Laura Sigmund in both the 5k and 10k at Outdoor Nationals. Sharing the experience with one of my best friends was incredible.
What's your favorite workout? Favorite race distance?
My favorite workout is our River Road tempo. It is a two lap loop that we do that equals out to be about 5.4 miles. I try to run so that my average pace is about the same as my 6k. It is the most mentally tough and rewarding workout we do, and doing it with our guys makes me push myself that much harder. In track I have a love hate relationship with 800 repeats. I feel my sharpest when I complete some quality 800 repeats. My favorite race distance is currently the 5k on the track. I haven’t raced the 10k enough to make an honest comparison, but I have a feeling it will soon be my favorite.
Thanks so much for your time, Alana, and best of luck to you and your teammates at Wartburg this year!
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