The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
SUNDAY STROLL
Monteleone, a senior, has been battling vocal chord dysfunction
Runners head out from the starting line at the ninth annual Ritenauer’s Run at the Journal Jog on Aug. 5 at Black River Landing. The race provides fun and a little competition while also raising funds for several local causes.
Antonia Monteleone didn’t know if she could finish a race mere months ago let alone take the women’s first-overall medal.
Monteleone, 17, was diagnosed with vocal chord dysfunction which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is the abnormal closing of the vocal chords when you breathe in or out and can be triggered by exercise, among other things.
The diagnosis was concerning and the results painful for the Amherst senior as she was sidelined during a time she’d normally be preparing for the high school cross country season.
“I’ve just been struggling with that a lot the last couple months, and it’s made running not the most enjoyable thing,” Monteleone said.
On Aug. 5, Monteleone finished in first place among the women in the ninth annual Journal Jog 5K with a time of 21:12.28.
The goal was to finish around 24 minutes and to exceed that by nearly three minutes was encouraging for Monteleone who, at this point, is still unsure of her physical endurance on a day-to-day basis.
“I thought I could get under (24 minutes) but a lot depends on the day,” she said. “I’ve been having a lot of, some days I’m exactly where I was a year ago and then some days I’m way, way slower. I thought there would be a pretty big range but I definitely didn’t think I would go that fast.
“I guess I just wanted to see what it was like when I did something that was not as intense and there were lower stakes.”
Monteleone ran the race with her father, John, who placed first-overall in the men’s 40-44 age group. The pair hadn’t run a race together in nearly four years but used the Journal Jog as a way to gauge Antonia’s health while getting in some father-daughter bonding time.
“We’ve gone on runs here and there but being able to compete next to him was a really good bonding experience.”
— Antonia Monteleone, on running with her father
“We used to a lot when I was younger. Once I started competing in high school though, not as much,” Monteleone said. “We’ve gone on runs here and there but being able to compete next to him was a really good bonding experience.
“We encourage each other.”
The high school cross country season officially begins Aug. 20, and Monteleone is now more encouraged than ever she’ll be able to not only finish
races but be competitive as the season presses on, something previously thought impossible less than a year ago.
“I feel a lot more confident going in (to the high school season) because I was worried when the first race rolled around I wouldn’t be able to finish
because of everything that’s been going on,” she said. “I feel a lot more prepared now that I have one race under my belt.
“I think just pushing myself towards the end is something I’ve always struggled with so that’s something I definitely want to work on.”