April 19, 2024

Coen wins Bix 7 High School Challenge; NHS receives $1,000 for her victory

By Jocelyn Sheets

Newton High junior Grace Coen (right) and NHS Athletic Director Scott Garvis are all smiles. Coen ran the Quad-City Times Bix 7 for the first time in July, winning the high school girls’ division. By doing so, Coen earned $1,000 donation to the NHS athletic department. (Jocelyn Sheets)

Working hills and always challenging herself, Newton High’s Grace Coen has had two stellar years on cross country courses and tracks. Coen opened her junior cross country season with a strong race two weeks ago.

But Coen did something new in July. It was a challenge for her — running a seven-mile road race.

“I was told about the Bix 7 by my friend, Stephanie Jenks (of Linn-Mar). She won it last year,” Coen said of the 2014 Quad-City Times Bix 7, a seven-mile race which attracts some of the top distance runners in the world, including professional runners.

Coen was the first high school girl to finish the July 26 race in Davenport. She competed against high school girls from Iowa and Illionis in the Bix 7 High School Challenge. For her victory, Coen earned Newton High School’s athletic department $1,000.

“I hadn’t expected to win it. When I crossed the finish line, two people came up to me and started leading me to the area where all the professional runners were going after the race. They finally told me I had won, so I borrowed a phone and called my mom.”

Coen ran the seven miles in 46 minutes, 37 seconds. She said her goal was to run under seven-minute miles, which she achieved.

Coen said she always does a lot of hill repeats to strengthen her legs. “I just threw in a couple more in preparing for it. About halfway through the race, I realized I had already run four miles and I wasn’t done. It was tough to push through that.”

Coen holds the Newton High distance race records in cross country and track. She has qualified for Class 4A state competition in both running sports for two straight years.

Coen runs against Jenks in those long distance races. Jenks is a junior at Linn-Mar and ran in the International Assocation of Athletics Frederation World Junior Championships in Oregon at the same time as the Bix 7 this summer.

“We were going to run it together, but she had to run in the Worlds,” Coen said. “It was a great experience. We got to start with the professionals, so it was cool starting the race along side of men who won the Boston Marathon.

“Winning was unexpected and a great feeling to know I could do it. Also, being able to give back (with the $1,000) to my school and community was tremendous. I was really happy to do that.”

Coen leads the NHS Cardinal girls into the Grinnell Invitational cross country meet Tuesday.

Contact Sports Editor Jocelyn Sheets at (641) 792-3121 Ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com.