Editor’s Note: The Daily Illini sports desk sits down on Sunday nights and decides which Illinois athlete or coach is our Illini of the Week. Student-athletes and coaches are evaluated by individual performance and contribution to team success.
Angela Bizzarri hopped off a plane about 400 miles from LAX after being crowned the 2009 NCAA national women’s cross country champion last Monday.
But Bizzarri didn’t travel to California over the Thanksgiving break to claim her stardom. Instead, the senior visited family in San Francisco and participated in another running event that she called a “refreshing change.”
“I did (run) a ‘Turkey Trot,’” Bizzarri said. “My dad ran, so I said I would run with him.”
For Bizzarri, running with her dad or supporting her family at any local racing event is one way she can give back the support they’ve given her. So when she spent time with her extended family after winning the national title, the least she felt she could do was share the experience with them.
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“I get excited and a big realization of what a big accomplishment it is, but I enjoy seeing the people around me that supported me,” Bizzarri said. “I feel like I’ve made sacrifices, and I’ve trained hard, but they’ve done the same. My parents have gone to a lot of my meets and have made sacrifices to see me.”
Bizzarri has a big appreciation for the sacrifices and commitment others have made on her behalf that she doesn’t bask in her own accomplishments.
She repeatedly denies taking credit for her accolade without mentioning those who work behind the scenes in her training.
One who has helped Bizzarri is cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen, who Bizzarri said has trained her “very well” to run her best races when she needs to, especially at nationals.
But if any coach were to look for a secret behind Rasmussen’s training, he would advise to just “know your athlete.”
Some may wonder why Bizzarri runs only 50 miles a week, which is small number in a distance world where most athletes run closer to 70-90 miles a week, Rasmussen said.
“Angela doesn’t do that type of stuff because we know that she doesn’t need that to be very successful,” Rasmussen said. “People would say that maybe she’s undertrained. But I say that she’s trained for who she is.”
Because much of Bizzarri’s time is spent in the training room to stay healthy, she specifically recognizes the team’s athletic trainer, Randy Ballard, for keeping her healthy to race at every single major meet in her four years at Illinois.
“You found about me because she’s a very appreciative person,” Ballard said. “So when you have a kid that’s happy and positive as well as very appreciative of the people around her, it makes for a great working relationship.
And when someone is very appreciative of something like what I do or any other profession, it makes for a much more rewarding and satisfying experience.”
While Ballard’s contribution may go unnoticed to many, Bizzarri feels that sharing the glory of her accomplishments is the best way to show her appreciation to others who have been there.
“Yeah, I train and I do part of the work, but there’s a lot of people that get me to that level,” Bizzarri said. “I feel like a lot of people (recognize) the highs, like winning the national championship, but the people you’re around every day that recognize the little things you do to get there and see both the good days and the bad days are what I really appreciate.”
Bizzarri’s name floods the Illini record books. Her win last Monday marked the first time an Illini women’s cross country runner won a national title.
She is also an eight-time All-American and was named the 2009 National Cross Country Athlete of the Year, one of many awards.
Of all her accolades, claiming the national title was just enough for even her coach to share the emotions.
“A good friend of mine said (he) hadn’t seen me smile for that long in a long time,’” Rasmussen said. “I’m an emotional person, but I kind of keep it inside of me … Seeing that I was really excited for (Angela) and to be able to accomplish that feat of being a national champion … part of it was just knowing that ‘Wow, you helped someone become the best runner.’”
