If Kinsey Gomez could run 200 miles a week without suffering an injury, she would do it.
At least that what Idaho assistant cross country coach Travis Floeck said.
Gomez, of Coeur d’Alene, transferred to Idaho from Oregon State in spring 2015.
“I was looking for a program where I loved the coaches, and Idaho is a phenomenal university,” Gomez said. “I love coach Travis and (Tim) Cawley. They create an environment that is easy to excel in.”
During her seven semesters at Oregon State, Gomez broke the school’s 6k record in 2013 and the 10k outdoor record in 2014. She qualified to compete at the NCAA Cross Country West Regionals from 2011-2013 and competed at the NCAA Track and Field West Preliminary Championships in 2013 and 2014.
Along with those accomplishments during her time at Oregon State, Gomez also suffered a stress fracture in her hip. The injury occurred one year ago when she was redshirting at Oregon State.
“She was running a lot, 100 miles per week, and the injury was an accumulation of overtraining over time,” Floeck said.
Gomez took a year off to get her health back.
“I took a lot of time off and it made me appreciate my health when I came back,” she said. “I don’t take anything for granted and I’m thankful to have my health and to be able to train at a level I haven’t been able to before.”
Gomez said Floeck knows how to train runners to prevent injuries.
“We are super fortunate to have Travis and he’s knowledgeable about injury prevention,” Gomez said. “It’s his specialty to train people individually from getting injured. I have full faith in the training he provides for me.”
Floeck said Gomez always shows incredible positivity and brings lots of energy to practices and meets.
“She’s the most dedicated athlete I’ve ever worked with,” Floeck said. “She’ll do everything possible to be as good as she can be. She is one of the fastest runners in the Big Sky Conference and I believe she can make it to nationals and be an All-American … She’s been close but now she really wants to get there and achieve that All-American status, and those are achievable goals.”
“People make fun of how positive I can be,” Gomez said. “I’ll say things like, ‘It’s a great day for a 5K.’ I’m always thankful for the opportunity. For me, it’s not pushing through the pain … Coming back from the injury made me realize racing is such an awesome thing and I’m so thankful to be here and give it all I’ve got. There’s always more inside of you than what you think is possible.”
Gomez already has two individual wins this season. She bagged a first place finish at the Washington State Invitational Sept. 1 in Colfax, Washington, with a time of 13:40.33.
At the Montana Invitational Saturday in Missoula, Gomez completed the women’s 5k with a time of 17:11.62, taking first place with the second finisher 48 seconds behind.
“Kinsey ran incredibly strong and that was a dominant performance,” Floeck said. “I was hoping she would be tested today, but that will come in two weeks in Santa Clara … Kinsey is running at a very high level at the moment. Her races have been impressive.”
Some athletes from the Idaho men’s and women’s cross country teams will race at the Inland Empire Championships Oct. 17 in Lewiston. Athletes from both teams will also compete at the Santa Clara Invitational the same day in Santa Clara, California.
Faith Evans can be reached at [email protected]