Oregon distant runner Maggie Schmaedick entered the 5,000 meter race at the IAAF World Junior Championships without much of a strategy. Instead, Schmaedick had a personal approach to the race, focusing on herself rather than keeping pace with the pack.

“My coach told me don’t even worry about pace because there are four, or five girls that are completely untouchable’ and I was completely okay with that,” Schmaedick said with a smile after the race. ” I just wanted to go in there and give a good solid competitive effort.”

Schmaedick finished the 5,000 meter race in 12th place with a time of 16.19.01. Beating her personal best time of 16.18.24 was a goal of hers heading into the race, Schmaedick values the experience of racing against some of the best women distant runners on the planet.

“I’m a little bit bummed not to get the (personal record), but I’m really glad I had the opportunity to run this race because it’s against really excellent competition,” Schmaedick said. “I feel really blessed that I got to run here.”

Running here — at Hayward Field — is something Schmaedick appreciates every time she steps foot on the track. With three more years left in her career at Oregon Schmaedick, a Eugene, Oregon native, will have plenty more opportunities to relish running in the town she grew up in.

“It never gets old and it never loses its specialness,” Schmaedick said.  ‘I love running here and I’ll always love running here.”

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @jhoyt42