LEXINGTON — Maybe it was the competition, or the mild conditions. Or maybe, Dominique Clairmonte just wanted to make up for lost time.
Whatever the reason, Lexington’s super sophomore served notice to the rest of the state at the Lexington Relays.
The Richland Source Athlete of the Week, Clairmonte turned in Ohio’s fastest 1,600 meter time this season when she broke the tape in 5 minutes, 3.65 seconds on an unusually warm — albeit breezy — Saturday afternoon. Granville’s Micaela DeGenero, who finished 10th at the Division II state meet last spring, was second in 5:04.36.
Clairmonte shattered the Lexington Invitational record and established a new personal record and she did it before the calendar flipped to May. To put the accomplishment into perspective, her winning time Saturday would have been good for third place at last year’s Division II state meet.
“I was not expecting to run 5:03,” said Clairmonte, who finished third in the 1,600 at the indoor state meet in a school-record 5:09.36. “We started training differently and my body wasn’t used to it. I felt sore.
“It kind of surprised me.”
Not Denise Benson. Lexington’s distance coach and the head coach of the boys and girls cross country programs could see this coming — just not so early in the outdoor season.
“I can’t say it surprised me because I know how intense and driven Dominique is,” said Benson, who guided Lady Lex to a fourth-place finish at the Division II cross country state meet last fall. “She is so focused and that is what got us into the situation last fall.”
Clairmonte was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right foot last September. She missed most of the cross country season.
“I knew she had been training hard in the summer with (former Lexington standout) Ellen Isaac and … I saw the warning signs,” Benson said. “We’ve never had (an athlete with) a stress fracture in September.
“It was devastating for her and the whole cross country team.”
Neither Benson nor Clairmonte allow themselves to wonder what might have been had Clairmonte been available at last fall’s state cross country meet. Lady Lex finished with 143 points, just two points out of third place — and that was after a tough start to the race.
“We were two points out of third and that was after we got boxed in at the beginning of the race,” Benson said.
Added Clairmonte, “they did pretty well without me.”
Still, missing the season was hard on Clairmonte.
“She was so disappointed. She thought her career was over,” Benson said. “She didn’t think she would ever be fast again.”
Coach and athlete took a more cautious approach when Clairmonte was ready to resume training.
“We introduced some cross training workouts,” Benson said. “She started the indoor season fitter than she has ever been.”
Benson has been extra vigilant in monitoring Clairmonte’s workouts.
“I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” Benson said. “Stress fractures are common, but they are preventable. We want to be careful and make sure she doesn’t overdo it.
“I obsess about her workouts now.”
The post-injury Clairmonte is more in tune with her body.
“We have cut back on mileage and I ride the stationary bike once a week,” Clairmonte said. “I definitely listen to my body more now than I did before. I ignored the pain before I knew I had the stress fracture, but now I pay more attention to how I’m feeling.”
For Clairmonte, it’s a fine line.
“I try not to dwell on the injury, but now every time I feel a little pain I start thinking about what could be wrong,” she said. “It’s hard not to think about it and worry a little bit.”
Benson said the sky is the limit for Clairmonte.
“If she doesn’t break five minutes, there’s something wrong with me as her coach,” Benson said. “Dominique is a perfect example of what is possible with perseverance.
“What happened to her last fall was tough on everyone, but I think it can also be a valuable lesson.
“She has a pure fire to go out and compete and she is still so young. I’m looking forward to seeing what she is capable of doing these next few years.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
“I was not expecting to run 5:03,” said Clairmonte, who finished third in the 1,600 at the indoor state meet in a school-record 5:09.36. “We started training differently and my body wasn’t used to it. I felt sore. It kind of surprised me.”
