In 1997, Dana Coons walked on to the Virginia cross country team. Five years later, while serving as an assistant coach for distance and cross country runners, Coons, a 2001 University graduate, was selected to represent the United States in the April 7 Seoul Women's Ekiden race in Seoul, South Korea.
Coons ran the third fastest six kilometer leg of the Seoul Ekiden, helping the United States finish seventh while the Russian and Japanese teams took first and second place, respectively.
"My trip to Seoul was a wonderful and memorable experience," Coons said. "I was honored to be able to represent the U.S. I got to go to the other side of the world and experience a different culture, something that I probably would not have done if it weren't for running."
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Coons admits that when she came to Virginia, she did not yet have the right mindset to compete at a higher level.
"When I got to U.Va., our cross-country team really didn't think much about competing on the national level, and I certainly didn't think about that as an individual," Coons said. "We concentrated on the ACC mostly, and national qualifying times seemed ridiculously difficult to reach."
Coons attributes much of her success to cross country coach Jason Dunn, who came to Virginia during Coons' senior year.
"I worked hard and improved each year, but now I realize that in order for a team or individual to get to that next level, there has to be a change in mind-set," Coons said. "I have found that you can work as hard as possible, but without the confidence and belief that you can compete with the best, you will not make the jump. My 'jump' came when I caught a glimpse of the running world outside of the ACC - this happened when Jason Dunn came to coach at U.Va. from Arizona State."
At Arizona State, Dunn expected national level competition from team members.
"When he began at U.Va. he expected nothing less from us," Coons said.
Under Dunn's coaching, the cross country team has improved dramatically, finishing ninth in the nation this past season, its best finish since 1982.
Now Coons offers Dunn another reason to take pride in his coaching.
Competing in the Seoul Ekiden "is a great opportunity for [Coons] to be able to represent the U.S. and in her role as a coach," Dunn said.
Coons used her extra year of training after graduation to propel her to the Seoul Ekiden.
"After college, I felt like my improvement curve was far from its peak," Coons said. "I decided to see what I could do with another year of training. My goal for this year is to qualify for the U.S.A. track and field nationals in the 10,000 meters."
In addition to coaching the cross country team this fall, Coons competed as an unattached runner. Her own development as a runner serves as a powerful example to the athletes she coaches.
"I see first and second year distance runners getting frustrated and down about running times that I used to be thrilled about running in my first couple years at U.Va.," Coons said. "This shows how much the program is coming along. I hope I can be an example to them and encourage them to keep at it, because persistence and patience has really paid off for me."
She also stresses the lessons she learned from international runners she encountered at the Seoul Ekiden.
"It is really good to know that I am competitive with all of these women from around the world," Coons said. "It was also good to see the Japanese and Russian women run because it gives me more of a perspective on what is happening around the world in distance running. Just like when I started seeing what was going on around the country my fourth year, now I am seeing what is happening around the world"
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