University of Redlands senior Chloe Bullock broke the Women’s Cross Country 5K record when she crossed the finish line at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Bullock finished third out of 280 runners with a time of 17:45.4, beating the previous school record of 17:48.7 set by Maria Ramirez in 2018. Bullock, who has attended Redlands all four years, said she had never imagined beating the school record and prefers not to obsess over other racers’ times.
“I really try to detach myself from it because I find that it adds more pressure,” she said. “If it’s fast, you’ve got a fast time. If it’s not, you have race experience.”
Bullock already has the title of the first (and only) NCAA All-American for Redlands Women’s Cross Country, which she obtained her sophomore year. It was while she was cheering on the men’s team after her own race that Redlands Cross Country and Track and Field coach Mike Scmidt shared the news.
“I didn’t even know what the school record was,” she said, “so I was really excited!”
When asked how she managed this performance, Bullock credited her training and mental approach. She explained that she used to be scared of racing, worrying she might run out of gas if she tried to catch the packs ahead of her. But this year, Bullock said she feels more confident in her racing abilities.
“I think we’re doing a lot more endurance training this year, so the paces I was running felt easier,” she said. “I was happy with decisions I made in the middle of the race.”
Something Bullock says she wants to work on is transitioning to faster speeds.
“I’m looking forward to doing more speed work because I think that’s where I was lacking a bit,” she said.
Ringing a cowbell along the sidelines was her mother, Wendy Bullock, who flew all the way down from her hometown of Hood River, Oregon, to watch her daughter race. Bullock was thankful to have her mother there to support her and witness such an accomplishment.
“I love when my parents come, they’re super loud,” she said. “When I was little, I hated it. I would make them stand, like, six feet behind where everyone else was standing because it would really stress me out. Then I realized that they’re just really excited for me. I’m lucky to have that.”
Photo credit: T Pelton
This was the last 5K race of the season for the Lady Bulldogs, as the rest will be 6Ks. Maria Ramirez also holds this record, and again, Bullock is not far behind. In fact, her personal record from last season is a mere 10 seconds away. Although another record is definitely within reach, Bullock doesn’t want to add unnecessary pressure or get distracted from racing.
“I would really like to beat it, but I’m trying not to make that a goal,” she said. “This season I’m really working on racing people around me because you can run fast, but when you’re in a race, making those decisions I think are the things that can get you a faster time.”
Bullock also added that she is focusing on their team goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, which is held on Nov. 23 in Indianapolis. To do this, they will need to place 1st or get an overall pick at the NCAA West Regional Championships the week before (also in Indianapolis). With current team placements of first, second and fourth, it appears the Lady Bulldogs are on the right path.
“I’m so excited about how our team is doing,” Bullock said.
The next time the Bulldogs lace up their racing shoes will be for the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
McKenzie Rose is a freshman at Redlands with interests in Environmental Studies and Journalism. She worked for the last three years as a freelance journalist with the Hermiston Herald, a newspaper near her hometown of Echo, Oregon. She is looking forward to covering the interesting, the exciting, and the intriguing happenings at the university for the Redlands Bulldog!
