All-American Ferrell dominates world of distance running

Practice every weekday at 4 p.m. for two and a half hours. Tempo runs, interval training, hill workouts. Fifty-five miles a week from the time she steps on campus to the time she leaves with only Thanksgiving and spring break to rest.

Such a brutal schedule could only be that of a cross country runner — in particular, it belongs to none other than junior Cack Ferrell, Princeton's star women's distance runner.

Ferrell, though, enjoys what might appear to others to be an incredibly taxing training schedule.

"It's kind of a nice constant — [practice] everyday at four until dinner," Ferrell said. "You're not thinking about work, about anything, you're just with the same people every day."

Those "same people" comprise a talented women's cross country team that has been impressive this season, defeating Ivy League rivals Harvard and Yale and also placing highly in several invitationals. Ferrell feels a strong connection, in particular, to teammate and friend senior Marian Bihrle, who hosted Ferrell on her recruiting trip to Princeton.

"Everything came together on my recruiting trip — I liked the school. I liked the team. I liked the coach," Ferrell said.

Interestingly, while Ferrell was recruited to run for the Tigers, cross country was not her main sport in high school; in fact, she didn't even run high school cross country.

"Soccer was my main sport [in high school]," she said.

Ferrell ran middle distance and distance events in track, where she found her strength. She didn't even know if she would stick with cross country at Princeton.

Fortunately for Princeton, she did.

Ferrell has been incredibly successful as a Tiger, winning All-America status in both the 3000-meter race in indoor track and in cross country last year.

At last year's NCAA National Championship meet, which capped off her first All-America season, Ferrell had the most memorable moment of her career.

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In the first 500 meters of the race, another competitor fell and Ferrell went down with her. But she kept going, and finished as well, if not better, than she had hoped.

Her injury required stitches, but it did not make a difference.

"Huge drama," Ferrell recalled. "It was rewarding to have fallen and still have finished how I wanted."

Women's cross country head coach Peter Farrell has spent plenty of time observing his star.

"She's focused in her competitive mode," Farrell said. "But what is remarkable about Cack is her ability to maximize her training in her racing. She has this uncanny ability to perform well above her fitness level."

Running has dominated much of Ferrell's time at Princeton, and she says she sometimes wishes she could go to college twice, once as a runner and once as a more typical student.

"It's not so much the time [running] takes, it's the lifestyle it demands," Ferrell said.

Running, however, is far from Ferrell's singular interest. A history major, Ferrell has also spread out her studies into the fields of art history and computer science.

As in her running, Ferrell's day-today life is meticulously well organized so she can stay on top of everything Princeton requires.

"I'm a pretty type-A person," she says with a laugh. "I'm famous for my to-do lists."

Off the course, Ferrell enjoys spending time at the relaxed, friendly atmosphere of Tiger Inn, where she is a member.

Senior men's cross country runner Austin Smith has his own theory about how Ferrell thrives in so many venues.

"What's really great about Cack is that off the course she's very much able to turn off the intense competitiveness that makes her an awesome runner. She's laid-back, and she's good with people. She's definitely an asset to Princeton," Smith said.

Ferrell looks forward to the future. She says she'd consider running professionally for a few years and possibly giving the Olympics a shot, but is also interested in a career in finance.

Between her 55-mile-a-week work ethic and the strong people skills to which her teammates attest, Ferrell is sure to go far in whatever course she may take.