COVID ruined a lot of athletic careers.
It actually helped Gwen Hamilton.
While everyone else was binging Netflix and eating till the cows come home, Hamilton was doing her best to take the next step at being a great runner.
She had the desire.
She had the work ethic.
And she had the mentors. Her two older brothers, Sean and Nick, paved the way for their little sister to follow their lead as elite runners.
During COVID, she found a club that turned her into the runner she is now.
“I’ve been running since kindergarten because my brothers both ran and they inspired me to join track,” said Hamilton, a Pine Valley native who is a senior at Penn Charter High School. “I’ve been running forever, and my brothers were very good, they ran in college.
“I feel like in seventh grade when COVID hit, and my grade school track team, I didn’t have one to work out with. I was emailing club coaches.
“One responded. So I joined their team. He was the best coach, and I felt myself getting better right away. I feel like that’s when I started taking it a lot more seriously. Then I went to Junior Olympics and started really training.
“My mom helped me, we wanted to run somewhere. My mom asked around and asked other parents and they recommended club coaches. It was definitely hard. I definitely wanted to do it, it was so much fun, I love running and it pushed me to become better.”
She did more than just make the call.
She answered the call every day.
Hamilton puts in a lot of training, and it’s why she’s one of the top middle distance runners in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
She wrapped up a successful cross country season in the fall, but her primary sports are track and indoor track, where she specializes in running the 800-meter and the mile races.
Last year, her first at Penn Charter after transferring from Archbishop Wood, she won the 800-meter at the Pennsylvania indoor state championship, finishing with a personal best of 2:07.38. The time was No. 2 in the state and No. 6 in the nation.
She also won the 400-meter race at the East Coast Championships in June, finishing that race in 56.92, another personal record.
Those times are impressive, but they’re also the result of a lot of work. In fact, Hamilton works hard every day to make sure she’s moving in the right direction. And, more importantly, moving in the right direction at a speedy pace.
On Monday, she goes easy, doing a 30-minute easy run. Tuesday she does a strength-based workout that involves hitting the gym and working on her core. Wednesday, she does a midweek 40-minute run. Thursday, she does speed-based workouts and does more workouts to strengthen her core. Friday is another easy run before wrapping up her work on Saturday with a run that goes for just under an hour. Sunday is her off day.
Cross country is just to keep her in shape, but she sees great value in her fall sport.
“I think running helps with everything,” Hamilton said. “It’s very challenging, especially those long races. It’s been tough, but I feel like it gives me the strength to do it and a good base for track. It helps keep you in shape.”
But now that cross country is over, Hamilton is working hard to finish up her Penn Charter career on a high note.
She is eyeing a state championship and to continue dropping times for as long as she runs for the Quakers.
Next year, she’ll continue her running career at Penn State, where she will run for the Nittany Lions. She’s unsure what she’ll study, but as a strong student in the classroom, she has plenty of options.
“I feel like when I visited there, the team and the coaches were so nice and they have such a strong program,” Hamilton said. “They had all-time performances in the 800, they’re strong in the 800. I’m very excited because I’ll have the best training and the best team to train with. It was just perfect for me.
“I have no idea what I’m going to study, there are so many options. It’s a great school, it’s a beautiful campus, the school has great culture. It had everything I could want.”
She is now working through a tough senior year to get back to where she belongs when it comes to running.
Not only has she had to deal with the flu this winter, she’s struggling with freezing temperatures and ice on the roads. It hasn’t stopped her.
“It’s been really cold, I have done some treadmill days, but I do run most of the time outside,” Hamilton said. “I was sick and it took me a little longer to get better, so it’s been a tough winter.”
Luckily, she’s had plenty of support.
It starts with her siblings, but she credits her entire family with helping her achieve her goals.
“I feel like I have a lot of people who have helped me,” said Hamilton, who works as a lifeguard at the Philadelphia Cricket Club during the summer. “My family, my brothers, they are so great with advice and just helping me. They ran, I always looked up to them, and they’ve helped me so much.
“And my parents have always been there for me. They are my biggest supporters and have helped me so much. My coaches and my teammates, too. We always push each other and working for each other. We’re dedicated to our training. And my coaches are the best. I feel like all those people have helped me so much. They’re all a reason for where I am.”
