Courtesy of Brian Beard

The Bowdoin women’s cross country team put on an impressive performance at the recent Keene State Invitational on October 3, finishing as runner-up. Leading the Polar Bears, and individually placing second in a field of 244 with a time of 22:01.9, was Gwen Purnell ’29.

Many collegiate athletes discover their unwavering passion for their sport at a very young age and follow it through high school and into college. However, Purnell’s story is different.

“I never thought that [cross country] would become a passion of mine until I got to high school. I started to do track to stay in shape for soccer, and then during my senior year, I realized that soccer was no longer a passion of mine, so I ended up doing cross country and instantly fell in love with it,” Purnell said.

As a walk-on dealing with an injury during her first year at Bowdoin, Purnell recalled how hard it was to feel like she was truly contributing to the team. Now a sophomore, she reflected on her experiences from the previous year and noted that some served as learning opportunities.

“Sophomore year, it’s definitely been about taking the experiences of freshman year, even when I was injured, and really having that fuel me to want to be the best runner I could be,” Purnell said.

This fuel proved effective for Purnell’s performance during the Keene State Invitational. Purnell recounted her progress throughout the race, mentioning that this was not how she expected to finish.

“I was running with my teammates for most of the race, and we were pretty high up in the pack, and in the last 2k of the race, I saw a girl from another team and I knew that I wanted to beat them,” Purnell said. “And so that last [kilometer], I just kinda went all out, and it’s really fun because you’re able to just give it your all.”

It’s every runner’s dream to have a first-place finish, and that is no different for Purnell. Even so, she was extremely satisfied with her silver-medal finish. She also commented on the importance of surrounding yourself with challenges, or nothing would push you to excel further.

“I would love to come in first place, but it was kinda nice to have people in front of me because I know that I can continue to grow…. I think a part of just being an athlete, but also being a person, is knowing that there are people better than you, and you just need to keep putting in the consistency and putting in the work to be better because you want to be around people who are better than you,” Purnell said.

Beyond her personal pursuit of success, other parts of Purnell’s experience as a runner continue to push her to be her best. One of her most important supporters is her father, an ultramarathon runner Purnell considers an inspiration.

“He has always supported me, but always pushed me, knowing that I can continually improve,” Purnell said.  “Over the summer, my dad and I go on runs together, and I always hear him yelling, ‘get gritty and be aggressive, be competitive,’ because he … believes in me.”

Purnell notes the support of her team as well, describing the cross country community as supportive, and one she looks forward to practicing with every day.

“We have such a strong, caring team. When one person asks you how your day is going, they’re not interested in just ‘good.’ Everyone’s going to say exactly what happened in their day because we are a team that really does care, and are interested in the successes of each other and in our lives,” Purnell said.

This love for her team and its sense of community also contributes to her race performance. Even when she is running by herself, she never forgets that her teammates are always around her.

“I think that [sometimes when] you are racing by yourself … you are racing for your teammates … we are constantly putting in the effort not just to improve ourselves, but to win as a team,” Purnell said.

Purnell looks forward to what the future will bring. With the NESCAC championship on the horizon, Purnell can’t wait to make the most of her season.

“I’m excited to see how far we can go as a team, how far I can push myself as an individual, and at the end of the day, it’s really about having a whole bunch of fun,” Purnell said.