I have to admit, talking to Erica was a lot of fun. In addition to being such a talented runner and often setting the pace for her Green Hope teammates, she is energetic, funny, and a bit mischievous. You can tell she keeps her teammates on their toes by keeping them laughing and entertained, and that also probably serves to keep them more relaxed before races. Erica also seems to see things in a bit...different way than most everybody else (and really, that's a good thing). For example, she asked me before the interview if she could show off her legs on camera. She had worked hard to add muscle, and was very proud of them. I wasn't sure how well that would play on the video (the last thing I want to do is seem creepy, after all), so I spliced in some race video from the state meet, and you can decide whether to check out her legs or not. But I think that moment sort of encapsulates the spirit of Erica, and of course there are good messages in that conversation: runners of both genders need to eat well (and eat enough) along with training hard, and female runners CAN have muscle and still run really fast. Finally, in all the enjoyment of her personality, let's not forget that she has been a critical part of the best girls' team in state history, and that she has been an absolute monster on the course this fall, running #1 or #2 for the Falcons in pretty much every race and cracking the 18-minute mark. Erica and her team will be in action Saturday at WakeMed for the chance to return to Nike Cross Nationals.
Erica Amatori's Athlete Profile