She walks the walk
The significance was not lost on Emily Mastropiero, or the rest of her teammates on the Bishop Guertin girls' cross-country team in Nashua.
Less than two weeks ago, a group of Guertin girls huddled around a television near midnight to view Olympic coverage of the 20-kilometer racewalk from Beijing, their interest piqued by the lone American entrant in the event, Granite State native Joanne Dow.
Last week, Dow, a proud 2008 Summer Olympian and enthusiastic new coach of the Bishop Guertin girls' cross-country team, greeted her squad for their first practice of the fall season.
"It's so surreal," said Mastropiero, "because it's like, 'There she is on TV and then there she is in practice. . . . She came back and we were all asking her to teach us to racewalk."
The first step is dedication.
Vickie Kalil has trained with Dow for the past 10 years. The pair hook up at an area track, usually around 5 a.m., to begin their daily workout, with Kalil positioned to the left of Dow. Keeping the same, consistent cadence, Kalil works hard to keep pace with Dow.
"I'm running to keep up with her walk," said Kalil. "When we first met, she joined the same running club I was in. I'll never forget it: We were training for a marathon and she racewalked the entire 90 minutes while we were all running hard up the hills to keep pace with her. To see where she took things is amazing."
Her talents as a racewalker took her to the world stage, where the 44-year-old Dow placed 31st overall in Beijing with her third-fastest career time (1 hour, 34.15 minutes), cheered on by her husband, Tim, her mother, Fran Hakenson, and her children, Timmy and Hannah.
"It was a memorable experience, especially after I missed out in 1996" because of a hamstring injury, she said. "Being there as a member of Team USA, and knowing I was the only one in my distance was something I've never done before. It was a very proud feeling while I was there."
Dow had dominated the competition at the Olympic Trials in July, earning the only 20K-racewalk spot on the US roster.
"I had to win because there was only one slot available in each distance," said Dow. "When I first got into walking, I knew it existed as a serious sport, but I didn't know it was an Olympic event. Because I'm a competitor at heart, I was very interested in that side of it."
In 1993, Dow met a group of racewalkers while teaching a fitness class. Dow was a natural, easily learning how to racewalk and following its form: one foot on the ground at all times and the knee must be straight when the heel hits the ground. The following year, she traveled to Boston to walk in a noncompetitive race and came away wanting to take competitive racewalking much more seriously.
Four years later, she won her first national title.
Since 1998, Dow has collected eight national racewalking championships, competed in 10 international races, and won three racewalking medals for Team USA.
Dow plans on using her training and experience as an endurance and distance athlete to motivate her runners.
Growing up, Dow was a competitive swimmer, hitting the pools since age 9, before she joined the track team as a sprinter when she was a freshman at Trinity High, in Manchester.
She advanced to the NCAA Division 2 nationals twice as a swimmer at the University of New Hampshire. These days, she returns to the Durham campus to train with the Wildcats' cross-country team each week.
She walks. They run their hardest to keep up.
"I walk every day. It's similar to a marathon runner," said Dow. "Sometimes I'll go 14 days and then take a day off. Because I'm a distance athlete, cross-country is a natural combo of my own experience as an athlete and that of a coach. I've coached boys and girls, so it's nice to go back to girls. I'll try to take their natural abilities and make them stronger through their mental approach. The mental is so important; sometimes I'm out there training for two hours and I'm alone."
Dow trains outdoors almost every day, welcoming the New England weather as a challenge. In winter, she and Kalil hit hilly golf courses in snow shoes. In the spring, she dons a raincoat and walks through downpours.
Averaging a 7:30 mile pace heading into the Olympics, Dow's headstrong training regimen gave her an edge in Beijing.
"The day of her race, it was pouring rain and she just shook it all off," said Kalil. "I e-mailed her and told her it was because she never gave up. The rain and snow never stopped her. She always trained in them and was so determined and focused. She did this solely on hard training. I think athletes can see that in her and they take to her philosophy really well."
Mastropiero is a believer.
"She gave us workouts all summer," said the Pelham resident. "Plus, she's an Olympian, so we know if we follow her advice, it'll be nothing but success." 