By EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
With wind gusts reaching as high as 65 miles per hour hitting right in the face of the women running the Liberal leg of the International Pancake Race, Hannah McCarter was able to maintain a pace ahead of the pack and earn the Liberal title.
While this was the 77th running of the International Pancake Race, a friendly competition between the women of Olney, England and Liberal, the real number of the day was three.
In England, Eloise Kramer won her third race with a time of 65.3 seconds.
Liberal was trying to win three races in a row when McCarter finished with a time of 63.8 seconds, giving Liberal it’s third straight win.
Liberal leads the overall series with 43 wins to 31 for Olney and two draws. One race was called a draw in the 1980s when a BBC truck blocked the finish line, and another race was called a draw when the timing mechanism didn’t work properly in Olney.
Both towns opted not to run the 2021 race because of the worldwide COVID pandemic, but the race has continued since 1950 between the two towns, although Olney has been running the race in England since 1445.
McCarter turned down Lincoln Avenue with the headwind ripping down the street from the south with dried leaves and dirt blowing down the street, and she maintained her lead for the final two blocks to earn the crown.
But when it was all said and done, she was more concerned about her college class.
“As soon as the Shriving service is over, I have to get on Zoom,” she said. “I’m missing my class right now.”
McCarter is no stranger to athletics. She was a track athlete and also played basketball for Liberal High School. But she thought that was over after graduation.
“I don’t think I trained enough,” McCarter said. “I didn’t think I would run a 400 ever again after high school. But here I am.”
When she made the turn onto Lincoln, she more than just a wall of wind.
“I hit a wall myself, not necessarily the wind,” she said. “I didn’t think I could finish. I heard my dad screaming at me, so I just gave it all I had.”
Now she can add another accomplishment after growing up watching other women run the race.
“I think it’s kind of crazy,” she said. “I think it feels good because I grew up here. I am proud of myself. I just wanted to do something outside of Liberal High School.
McCarter expected the rest of the pack to overtake her at some point, but it never did, and she paced the field to the win. She finished ahead of second-place Sofia Martinez and third-place Kristen Woods and the rest of the pack.
“I thought they would catch up to me,” she said. “ didn’t think I was going to win, so I just kept running.”
To prepare, McCarter didn’t get out on the street and run.
“I ran on the treadmill,” she said. “That’s all. I didn’t practice my speed.”
And whether she turned in a better time than her British counterpart or not, she was content with taking the Liberal title. After crossing the finish line, three other runners collapsed from the effort, which indicated just how competitive it is to win the American leg of the race.
“I’m just glad I won here,” she said. “If someone from England beats me, they probably deserve it.”
But McCarter’s time was good enough for the international victory, Liberal’s third straight.
