Former Cape Henlopen track champion Friend-Uhl still running into the record books
LEWES, Del. (BVM) — Though it has been a while since former Cape Henlopen track runner Sonja Friend-Uhl has taken the high school tracks of Delaware, that hasn’t stopped her from making a name for herself in the running community. Friend-Uhl, who now lives in Boca Raton with her family, ran the 1,500 meters in a college-level meet at the University of Miami on March 27 and finished the race in fourth place with a time of 4:41.21. Not bad for a 50-year-old going up against college athletes.
“There will come a time where it would not be appropriate for me to get in those races, but for now it’s still viable, it’s still helpful and I can contribute in those races at a collegiate level,” Friend-Uhl said. “I always want to contribute and I always want to make a positive difference in the race meaning my presence there is valid. My biggest concern is I don’t ever want to be in a race where I didn’t contribute anything to the pace, to the race itself, I was just an also-ran. I fear that day.”
The thing that makes the feat that much more impressive is the time is a new American record for women 50 years of age or older, pending review. Though there were many challenges during the meet — including a heat index on the track in the 90’s, and gusting wind forced the race to be adjusted numerous times before it began — Friend-Uhl was able to push through for what may be her best performance to date.
“I was not feeling it that day,” Friend-Uhl admitted. “I was super hot. We’d been out in the heat all day. [I was] Hot, humid, had mom issues at home, just normal life, family life stuff so my mind was on that. Then the gun went off and I was like ‘Screw it I’m going.’ It worked out really well because I got out of my own way mentally. It’s good for me. It’s good to face your fears and push through.”
Racing against college runners, @ATLtcElite masters runner @SonjaFriendUhl set a pending W50 U.S. all-time best in the 1500m with her time of 4:41.21 pic.twitter.com/FrP9h9guCh
— Atlanta Track Club (@ATLtrackclub) March 27, 2021
Friend-Uhl has never really let running leave her life. Beginning her track career in the AAU while growing up in the state of Washington, Friend-Uhl was able to make such an impact that at just age 10, she would run a AAU national meet in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1984. By the time she was of high school age, her family moved to Delaware where she enrolled at Cape Henlopen. While at Cape, Friend-Uhl won the state championship in the 800 meter before taking her talents to the collegiate level at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
“I had a great coach [at Henlopen] under Coach George Pepper,” Friend-Uhl said. “[He] made it fun, didn’t work me too hard and cared about me more as a person first and athlete second. That led to more notoriety and more experience which is how I got picked up by William & Mary.”
Over her four years with the Tribe from 1989-1993, Friend-Uhl would set six school records in the 800-meter indoor, 1,000-meter indoor, 4×800-meter indoor, 800-meter outdoor and 4×1,500-meter outdoor which she helped break twice. Each of her records stood for at least six years after her time with the Tribe with her 800m record being held for 15 years after her departure. Though proud of her records, Friend-Uhl feels what she got most out of her experience can’t be contained in a record book.
“I was definitely one of their best athletes and had some records coming out of there, but my mindset [wasn’t on that],” Friend-Uhl said. “What running provided me most in college was that network of people. That was my go-to as far as the team and the coach. … It was like a family away from home type of thing so I think that’s one of the most valuable things. … Those friendships I formed at that time I still have today and that’s invaluable.”
Her strong performances led to Friend-Uhl earning a spot in the William & Mary Hall of Fame in 2019, further cementing her legacy as an elite track runner.
“It was a great honor and it wasn’t something I expected so I was very honored,” Friend-Uhl said. “There were many athletes before me and great athletes who had received that in all sports from the college so it meant a lot to me. It was a culmination or a topping off of that whole experience and now I can certainly be a part of that group forever.”
However, when her collegiate career was over, Friend-Uhl was far from finished.
Once done at William & Mary, Friend-Uhl would qualify for the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 1,500 meter. While she would not make the Olympic team, Friend-Uhl would continue to participate in races.
“I never stopped competing except when I had the pregnancies,” Friend-Uhl said. “I always trained. I always raced. I raced as an open athlete far after the Olympic Trials. … I made several world teams and in 2007 made a USA track world team for the half marathon in Hungary.”
At age 40, Friend-Uhl would be categorized into the Masters running competitions based on her age and in 2012, she set the world Masters record for the indoor mile in the W40-45 age groups, running it in 4:44.81. That wouldn’t be her only record as over her time as a Masters race competitor, Friend-Uhl would set numerous American records including in the W40-44 indoor 3,000m, outdoor 1,500m, and outdoor mile, as well as the W45-49 indoor mile, 1,500m, 3,000m, and the outdoor 1,500m. In 2018, she also became the oldest American woman to ever break five minutes in the mile.
“Masters running opened up this whole new world where I could continue to race at a high level nationally and globally and still feel like I belong because all of my peers are doing it too,” Friend-Uhl said. “It’s been a great ride ever since. It’s definitely been positive and continues to be a positive in my life.”
This is to say that the recent record-breaking day is nothing new for Friend-Uhl, but to be able to keep such a high level of success well after her collegiate career is nothing short of inspiring. Currently a member of the Atlanta Track Club’s Elite team, Friend-Uhl will continue to try to set records as she enters unfamiliar territory for the W50. In the meantime, she will continue her work as a volunteer coach for the Florida Atlantic University track and field teams, something she hopes to maintain in the future once her running career is over.
“Running has certainly been a blessing and a gift in my life,” Friend-Uhl said. “It’s been a huge blessing and companion along my entire life almost. I see myself always being involved in the sport. Whether it’s still competing or coaching, I don’t see myself ever not being involved or contributing to the sport of running. … As long as my body is still able to do it and I’m still having fun and there’s still a venue, yes I will still be competing.”
While it may be a new category and experience, Friend-Uhl has not been deterred by that before and the runner from Delaware will continue to make an impact on both a national and international scale.
