Running with Routhier, the athlete that won't stop chasing greatness
By Bud Denega
ADA — Madeleine Routhier remembers her first race. Routhier's father described it to her as a, "fun run," and that she'd traverse a relatively tame one quarter of a mile.
Upon prepping for the race, Madeleine Routhier, a sixth-grader at the time, didn't receive the notification about the relocation of the start line. The gun fired, Routhier wasn't there and, therefore, wasn't able to compete.
She was beside herself. Her first run, a fun run, was anything but fun. All Routhier felt now was disappointment.
"I just started crying," Routhier said. "The people there said that I could run the 5k if I wanted."
Routhier didn't hesitate. The day started as a day where she'd run her first race, and she wasn't going home until she did — even if that meant completing a much longer course.
Routhier crossed the finish line, with her father by her side, in 27 minutes, 34 seconds, sporting a big smile. That smile returns each and every time she crosses a finish line in this her senior year at Ohio Northern.
Routhier moved to West Unity, Ohio, when she was 10 years old. Her family relocated from a crowded and hot Arizona lifestyle to a more simple one in northwest Ohio.
It was also quite the change in climate.
"I remember my first snow," Routhier said. "I had to walk to school in it, and it was probably up to my waist."
But the walk didn't bother her. Routhier enjoyed being outside and being active on her two feet.
That's precisely what Routhier's grandparents remember about her.
"My grandparents would always tell me stories of how they'd let me out in the yard, and I wouldn't stop running," Routhier said. "They called me the energizer bunny because I just kept running around in the yard."
Cross-country gave Routhier an arena to utilize that energy and running ability.
Routhier competed in cross-country all four years at Hilltop and was almost certain she'd attend Findlay University to continue her academic and athletic endeavors. But upon speaking with a pharmacists at a local hospital, Routhier learned about Ohio Northern.
"I thought, 'Where's Ohio Northern? I've never heard of that,'" Routhier said.
Routhier reached out to ONU head coach Jason Maus, took an official visit and was captivated by Maus' program and his enthusiasm for the sport.
"Coach Maus just seemed to love the running part, and he made me want to run," Routhier said. "He made me excited to run in college, and that was awesome."
Maus also saw something in Routhier that day. He saw a runner who could attack the learning curve from high school to college and embrace the challenges of being a collegiate athlete.
"She's a hard-nosed competitor, for sure," Maus said. "… As a coach, you're looking for kids that aren't afraid to back down from competition — those hard-nosed kids in distance running that are willing to grind through things and push through things."
Routhier burst onto the scene as a freshman and made an immediate impact. She posted four top-seven finishes and a logged a season-best time of 24:34 in the 6k.
Routhier struggled to stay healthy during her sophomore and junior campaigns, but so far as a senior, she has experienced great improvement. She registered a new career-best time of 23:52 at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational in September and then set a new career-best time of 23:41 just one month later at the Oberlin Rumble.
Cross-country has meant a great deal to Routhier. While the career has had its speed bumps, it has taught her lessons every step of the way.
"Cross-country has showed me that even on my rough days, I can still have a good day," Routhier said. I've used running as a stress reliever, to distract me from the regular school life. If I have a rough day at work, just go out and run. It clears my mind."
And that's precisely why Routhier doesn't plan to hang up the running shoes any time soon. While her collegiate career is nearing an end, running will always play a large role in Routhier's life.