If you took a look at these two girls, you’d think they’ve known each other forever. You’d be right! The two girls have been acquaintances since the second grade. Since then, they have been competing against each other in almost everything. Clark and Halliday grew up playing softball together, where competition between the two was common, much like an average school day. The two both attended Buddy Taylor Middle School, and now attend Flagler Palm Coast High School. Despite virtually being around each other all the time and doing much of the same things, Halliday and Clark began their running careers very differently.

Two Beginnings

 

With Darien Halliday, running was a given. She has running all around her. She has it in her blood, and she grew up with the sport. Considering that her father is the head coach at Flagler Palm Coast, as well as recent hall of famer, Dave Halliday, (who ran as well, running for the University of Florida) running is almost second nature to her.

 

With running having been so prevalent throughout her childhood, it was only a matter of time before she got into it herself. In the fall of her eighth grade year, she tried out her first official race, where she ran 28 minutes flat in the 5000 meters. She ran track later in the spring. After that, it was no surprise when she came in freshman year with her cross country spikes laced up. She was ready to run. She opened up freshman year with a 24:45.18. Very solid for a freshman. 

Halliday continued to push as she worked her way up through the ranks, eventually earning a spot on varsity. She ended her fall running season with a 22:39.10, making it to the region meet.

 

With a successful cross country season, Halliday was eager to get on the track. She ran the distance events and tried the pole vault, which resulted in her messing up her ankle at the district meet, ending her season. Before her injury, she ran 6:09.14 in the 1600 meters, and 2:47.86 in the 800 meters. “She was a very quiet worker. Very timid,” said coach Halliday. “It was hard being Dad and coach, but it was a joy coaching her.”

Clark ran track in the spring. Coming out of softball, she believed that she was a sprinter. Clark ran the longer sprints throughout the season, running 29.76 in the 200 meters, and 1:09.21 in the 400 meters. As coach Halliday continued to watch Clark run, he noticed two things ─ that she was not a sprinter like she thought, and despite not being a sprinter, she was very strong.

After track season ended, Clark had nothing to do. Summer was approaching and Clark was probably thinking about the beach and relaxing for two months. That’s when coach Halliday decided to recruit Clark, and get her to come and run cross country. After some deliberation, Clark agreed to run in the fall.  

“She was very shy and unsure of herself and her abilities,” coach Halliday recalls.

 

                                          

 

 

Two Unlikely Allies

 

With both of them coming into sophomore year, Halliday and Clark became more familiar with each other, and ultimately became best friends.

“We were kind of iffy about each other.” said both girls.

 

With Halliday being a runner at heart, and Clark the new girl, certain thoughts emerged and questions were raised. “It was just the mindset,” said Halliday. “She was new and I thought that I knew everything.”

 

 

Though she was new to the game, Clark made up for lost time. For what she lacked in experience, she compensated for in strength.  “I just came out and saw how good I could be at it and just went from there,” said Clark.

At their first official race of the season, the two ran at their home course at the 2012 Spikes and Spurs Classic. Clark went after it and ran a 22:26.10, in comparison to Halliday’s 22:44.50. The next week, the two went head-to-head again, with Clark once again emerging as the victor, running 23:24.62. Halliday ran 24:06.63.

The two continued to go at it, swapping off every week or so. As a joke, the coaches looked at the rivalry as a game, where each week one of the girls received a point for her victory over her counterpart.

 

As fate had it, the girls viewed themselves more as teammates and equals, rather than rivals as they had for so long. Running races, performing workouts and going on long runs together ceased to be a competition and became a system for success.

 

 

 

The Dynamic Duo

“The two of them compliment each other,” said coach Halliday. “They are friends, teammates, and rivals.”

 

Over the past three years, Clark and Halliday haven’t changed since their softball days. The head-to-head action has not stopped, and probably won’t anytime soon. But over time, they’ve not only gotten stronger in running, but in their relationship even more.

 

“We’ve really grown into great leaders for our team. We have the same goals in mind,” said Halliday. “We work well together. I mean, we see each other every day. We’re like sisters.”

Sisters are always there for each other, and will do whatever they can to make sure that the other is doing well. With the cooperation of Clark and Halliday, they have improved tremendously over the course of time.

 

 

As Clark got used to running miles instead of meters, her and Halliday had a very successful sophomore year. Not only did the girls team at Flagler win their conference title, Clark and Halliday had a 7-8 finish, with both of them running a person-record for the season. Clark ran 21:17.59 and Halliday ran 21:23.63. Both of them made it the region meet with the team.

As the pair got used to having the other’s company, they took it to the track. The last time Clark was on the track, she was ─ so she thought ─ a

   

sprinter. Now she returned as a distance runner, with her partner in crime by her side.

 

Clark’s then best times included 5:46.66 in the 1600 meters, 12:45.55 in the 3200 meters, and a 2:34.85 in the 800 meters.

Halliday ran equally good, running her top times of 5:59.18 in the 1600 meters, 13:00.02 in the 3200 meters, a 2:39.07 800 meter, and a 1:07.45 400 meter ─ better than the ones Clark ran.

 

Junior year brought out the best in the two. In the fall, Clark was the first out of the two to break the 21 minute barrier; but it wasn’t long before Halliday was right by her side.

 

“Something that really stood out is when Darien and I qualified out of districts together into the hardest region in 4A,” said Clark. “We did it together.” For the girls, it was a wake up call.

At the district meet, the Flagler Palm Coast girls team fell a bit short, and the team didn’t qualify to the region meet. Clark and Halliday ─ who both ran their personal-records (Clark ran 20:34.72. Halliday ran 20:46.14) ─ were the only two representing Flagler. Though they were upset about the team not going, Flagler’s two once again became one as they ran through the Region Of Death. Clark ended her season with a 21:16.20, with Halliday taking the lead with a 20:59.50.

 

As they trained together during the off-season, Clark and Halliday continued to ring true as Flagler’s dynamic duo. The girls came into the track season fired up. Clarks best times included 5:34.59 in the 1600 meters, 12:15.68 in the 3200 meters, and 2:27.76 in the 800 meters. Halliday’s personal-best times were 5:49.41 in the 1600 meters, 12:30.51 in the 3200 meters, and 2:34.16 in the 800 meters. The girls made it the region meet, and ended their season on a high note. Both of them ran on the 4x800 meter relay team, which finished sixth. The girls together pushed through and finished with a 9:55.33, just 11 seconds off of the school record.

“It was a great experience together,” said Halliday.

“Just seeing that we almost had the school record and seeing how close we were to making it to states was really an eye-opening experience. It makes us want to work harder.”

 

Coach Halliday is more than pleased with these girls and the progress that they’ve made. He admires the impact that they’ve made on the team as well. “Together they are the core of this team. Together they lead by example and vocally.”

Last Time For Everything

With the two girls now seniors, they expect nothing but success. After training over the summer, they get to take a look to see what kind of shape they’re in.

 

Recently, the girls ran at the Early Bird Pre-season Classic at Bartram Trail High School, with both of them finishing in the top 10. Clark finished third, with a 20:55.37. Halliday finished ninth, running 21:56.26.

 

“We just want to make it to states,” said Clark. “Of course we want to make it with our team, but it would definitely be nice to go as individuals.”

 

The last time FPC’s girls cross country team made it to

the state meet was in 2009, which was also the last year that both the girls and boys teams at Flagler ran at the state meet. Dave Halliday has high expectations for the girls as well. He’s not only expecting them to make it to the state meet, but he wants the girls vying Seabreeze’s top runners, as well as running under 20 minutes.

 

Though the girls are up for the challenge, they have a bigger goal in mind.

 

Both of the girls aspire to run in college. Both are haven’t decided where they really want to go yet, but as Darien Halliday put it, “That’s the dream.” Both of the girls have the grades to make attend college, but now it’s more of them getting their times down.

 

This morning, the girls ran together at home once again at the 2014 Spikes and Spurs Classic. Clark came within seconds to her personal-record, running 20:38.75, placing 20th. Halliday made a 50 second jump from last week’s performance, running 21:06.18, placing 30th.

 

Clark and Halliday are not only starting the season off on a high note ─ but they’re starting together. No matter what happens, Flagler’s Dynamic Duo is determined to train together, race together, and above all else ─ stay together. These two are the perfect example of not only great teamwork, but true friendship as well.