Head track and cross-country coach Denis Villeneuve and Jillian Jaccard, Lord’s close friend and fellow distance runner, share some of their most memorable moments with Sarah Lord from her years of running for Redmond High School.

Denis Villeneuve: “My favorite Sarah Lord story took place in her sophomore year at the state track meet in Pasco. Sarah was entered in the 3,200 meters and was one of the favorites to win. On the backstretch of lap two, Sarah was tripped and fell. One girl kicked her as she stepped over and another fell on top of her. This happened right in front of where I was standing. My heart fell, but I yelled to Sarah to get up and race, telling her she could still get on the podium (top 8). Sarah got up and resumed her race, but she was far behind the top 12 runners. For five laps she ran by herself, slowly gaining on the pack. She started passing runners at the end of lap six and on lap eight (by the end of the race) she worked herself up to sixth place. Her time was nearly a personal best, and I was so proud of her tenacity and overcoming a terrible situation to still get on the podium. It could be the finest performance I have witnessed in my long coaching career.”

Jillian Jaccard: ”One of the things I love most about Sarah is her spontaneity because it makes every run an adventure. My favorite run together was through Discovery Park in Seattle this spring. We got lost on our way to the park, finally got there and as soon as possible we veered off the path and ended up tumbling and repelling down a rock/sand bluff down to the water. We ran along the beach for a mile, tried to break into the lighthouse, ran back along the beach, and using much effort climbed back up the bluff. And when I say climbed up, I mean that we literally boosted each other up and dug foot and hand holds…all while laughing hysterically and tumbling down after multiple failed attempts.

But the best thing about running with Sarah is the silent communication we have developed. Although we spend many runs poring through every detail of our lives, we do have runs where we don’t say a word. We don’t have to say anything, but we know what each other is thinking…it’s strange and hard to explain. I can tell when she wants to turn off the path or when to speed up or slow down or pass a slower runner ahead of us.

We have run through Golden Gate Park, the sand dunes on the Coast of Oregon, the streets of Seattle, the Redwood Forest, our hometown Hartman Park, Whidbey Island, up a mountain at White Pass, at midnight on New Year’s Eve, so early in the morning that it is still dark outside, on our birthdays, and on graduation day. I can’t imagine what the last three years of my life would have been like without her.”