In April, Sarah Higgens traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and won her age group at the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon with a time of 2:43.54.
Submitted photo
Once Sarah Higgens laces up her running shoes each morning, donning headphones isn’t part of the plan.
The 32-year-old doesn’t want music, news bits or any other sort of distraction interrupting her thoughts as she goes about jogging the 14 miles she’s determined to complete in a time worthy of her standards.
Among them are memories of the countless good times shared with her father Greg, who lost his nearly three-year battle with Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in June at the age of 65.
It was Greg, after all, who introduced running to his daughter, a 2009 Center Grove graduate who as a senior finished first at the 2008 girls state cross country meet at the LaVern Gibson championship course in Terre Haute.
Their journey began a few states away.
“It was right before middle school. Our family was on a vacation in Myrtle Beach, and my dad got up really early one day and went for a run,” Higgens said. “He came back and told us about all the neat things he saw on the shore.
“At that point, I was like, I want to run.”
And so Higgens did, gradually improving to the point where she remains the only runner from Johnson County, male or female, to cross the finish line first at state (former Greenwood runner David Dalton is tops among the boys, taking second as a senior in the 2014 meet).
Higgens’ state meet time of 18 minutes, 14.04 seconds bested North Central senior Emily Mossler by a little more than 10 seconds. She only realized it while soaking up the applause of spectators during those final meters.
“I was so nervous at the beginning of the race. I think I just felt a lot more pressure as a senior,” said Higgens, who was 11th in the same meet a year earlier. “I remember thinking at the end that I’m going to get in the top three, and then realized I had won after I crossed the finish line.
“It was so cool. It was like a dream.”
Mossler had actually beaten Higgens a week earlier in the Franklin Central Semistate at Southeastway Park, winning with a time of 18:13. Higgens, who started her postseason with firsts at the sectional (18:05.10) and regional (18:29.13) meets at Edinburgh, placed third at semistate in 18:18.62.
Her legacy lives on. Longtime Center Grove girls cross country and track coach Wes Dodson laughs remembering a particular practice run.
At one point, he told Higgens he had to stop to tie his shoe when he actually just needed a breather.
“We would go on an 8-mile practice run, and she would just sprint the whole way,” Dodson said. “Sarah was fiercely determined.
“I would meet with all the girls before the season about their goals. I don’t think Sarah ever said it, but we both knew she wanted to win state.”
Higgens went on to attend the University of New Mexico, running for the Lobos’ women’s cross country and track teams for two seasons before electing to transfer to Azusa Pacific University in California.
A business major in college, Higgens has worked the past four years as a senior consultant for Kalypso Consulting Firm in Indianapolis.
Higgens remains serious about running. She won her age group at the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon in Nashville, Tennessee in April and hopes to compete in another marathon at some point in the fall — likely either the Quad Cities Marathon (Moline, Illinois) in September or the Indianapolis Monumental in October.
Either way, now like before, it’s also a way of remaining close to her late father.
Said Higgens: “I do feel like since he’s passed, knowing my dad is with God now, running is just a very special time.”
