JACKSONVILLE – Doctors and nurses around the world are seeing their endurance tested while working countless hours and shifts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, one such nurse answering the call every day is JSU's former track standout Ericka Mason.
 
Even with a successful running career, the former Ericka Stam laughingly admits that her favorite memory while at JSU has to be "bumping into" her now husband, Michael Mason, who was a pitcher on the Gamecock baseball team.
 
A former star distance runner for JSU's track and field team, the 2014 graduate recently raced in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials race in Atlanta on February 29. A race only the top U.S. runners can qualify for to earn a shot at racing their way to the U.S. Olympic Team.
 
While much has changed since that time just three months ago, it's been everything that led up to that moment that helps Mason thrive in her current role on the frontlines of the healthcare battle.
 
Essentially a traveling nurse with her job, Mason works throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area in hospitals that need extra assistance. Most recently, she's been part of a COVID-designated unit in an Arlington hospital where her stamina, both mental and physical which runners are known for, has been vital.
 
"It's been an interesting change to our every day-to-day nursing," said Mason. "It's hard to see people that you're helping them get better and you think, 'oh, they're probably discharge-ready,' and the next day you come back and you're transferring them to ICU because they just had this wave of decline again. It's been a little tough to see."
 
Mason says she is blessed that her lifestyle is one where she remains activity fit, and feels better prepared for the endurance that comes with the current work flow including 12-hour shifts, always wearing a face mask, and having to gown-up from every room to room she visits. 
 
Perhaps not entirely, but a lot of the credit for that lifestyle comes from her time at JSU, and specifically head coach Steve Ray at that time. Originally from Wisconsin, Mason moved to Texas where she would grow up and eventually be recruited by Ray. After a visit, she was sold on Jax State.
 
"You really appreciate what you have when you go to JSU, just the friends, the small-town feel. I grew up in a big city, so it was nice to have that small, little-town feel."
 
Looking back she jokingly refers that Coach Ray was like a second dad to her.
 
"He gave me life lessons that I maybe didn't understand in the moment, but I definitely appreciate now. He pushed me harder than I thought I could handle and I'm thankful for that."
 
While Coach Ray didn't allow her to run any marathons while she was in college - to preserve her strength – he did allow a handful of half-marathons, and a passion was born.
 
"I fell in love with the longer distances. I always competed in the 5K and 10(K)."
 
Simply compete is a little of an understatement. Mason currently holds the school record for the indoor 5K (the longest indoor event) at just under 18 minutes. Meanwhile, she still holds the school marks in both the 5 and 10K for the outdoor season.
 
Her first marathon after college was around three hours and eight minutes, which Mason says quickly sparked a goal of seeing if she could get it under three hours.
 
"And I wasn't very successful, I got faster, but I wasn't very successful in breaking three hours," she recalled. It wasn't until Mason got a coach, and had someone holding her accountable for her full workouts, that she says she eventually broke through that early goal. From there, it was to reach the Olympic Trial qualifying standard of two hours and forty-five minutes. 
 
"I had original plans to qualify in May of last year, because I had such a great fall race in New York in 2018."
 
In that 2018 NYC Marathon, Mason finished 605 of more than 52,000 runners, turning in the 34th fastest time of more than 22,000 female runners at 2:52.22, yet still seven minutes shy of the mark.
 
So, turn around the following May she attempted to reach the qualifying standard required in Fargo, North Dakota. Despite coming down with strep throat the week of, she was determined to give the race a shot if she felt any better by the weekend. She did, but a rainy and 40-degree day wasn't the best idea Mason jokes while looking back. Still, however, she managed to trim four minutes off turning in a two-hour and forty-eight minute result.
 
The idea was to reach her 2:45.00 standard in Fargo and take the rest of the summer off so she could head to Chicago in September without the pressure to qualify. But the Fargo situation made her decide to turn around and race again six weeks later, which left her feeling fatigued – and still no successful qualifying time. Eventually, it was down to Chicago.
 
"To be honest when I went into my race in Chicago, about two weeks before I didn't even think I was going to get it," said Mason. "I thought, I've really beat myself down trying to run at this level all year. But I managed to get it."
 
And by "it", she refers to the 2:43.55 qualifying finish for the 41st spot among female competitors in the largest Chicago Marathon field in event history with nearly 46,000 participants. Although she felt good about her training the next few months leading up to the Olympic Trials in February, race day did not prove to be her best. Only the top three finishers in an extremely competitive field would make the U.S. Marathon team.
 
Even with the Summer Olympics moving back a year to 2021, the marathon trial results will stand from February's race. Asked about the next future steps, Mason contemplated looking into the 10K track event, but knows one thing for sure.
 
"I would definitely try for 2024 again, in marathon."
 
Traveling across the country for marathons, Mason has raced from small towns to the most iconic events such as NYC, Chicago and Boston.
 
"My favorite marathon would have to be New York, and it's just because it is an environment unlike any other marathon I've ever ran before. The whole city, like the five boroughs, come out and cheer for you, and it's just an exciting race."
 
Her second favorite, a complete opposite in little ole Fargo. With rarely any large crowds like in major cities, she relies on that mental stamina that drives her each day in the hospitals right now battling coronavirus. In fact, the virus is what's keeping her from that very Fargo Marathon this weekend since the event's been pushed back to August.
 
With a positive attitude she says it's actually a blessing that race has been moved, because a working nurse right now is not exactly in the condition to go run 26.2 miles.