On her way to claiming the title as the overall female winner for Saturday's News and Sentinel Half and Marathon Two-Mile race, Hines followed a fellow runner who set an ideal pace.
She didn't know the person, but recalls vividly the individual wearing orange shorts.
"I paced myself with a random guy," Hines said. "The guy with the orange shorts, I just tried to stay behind him the entire time. When I saw the finish line, I knew I had to go.
Article Photos
Ellie Hines celebrates as she crosses the finish line at Saturday’s Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon. Hines placed first in the women’s division with a time of 13:00. Photo by Jay W. Bennett
"I was super tired and super hot. I didn't now who was behind me, so I went as fast as I could."
Hines posted a time of 13 minutes on the dot, which was 38 seconds faster than the runner-up. Kim Poling, who happens to be the assistant coach for the same PHS cross country team that Hines is a member, finished second among all females and first in the Female Master (ages 40-49) division.
The last Big Red to finish as the overall female champion was Madison Trippett in 2018. Trippett serves as a role model for Hines.
"I really wanted to get first female because Madison Trippett did it, and ever since she did it I wanted to do that and break the banner," Hines said. "I saw the banner go up and I started smiling. I was like, "I did it! I did it!'
"I started out pretty strong and kept the same pace the entire time. I definitely went down the home stretch super fast because there were a bunch of people there watching."
Hines' second year of high school cross country has the makings of an improved showing from her freshman year when she qualified for the Class AAA state cross country meet and placed 30th. She missed several meets during the regular season because of a sprained arch.
As Hines made her final strides down Market Street toward the finish line, her expression showed nothing but smiles.
Perhaps an indication of good things to come for the upcoming fall running season.
"I'm really proud about today's win," Hines said. "I really think this will really help me in the future."
A total of seven females broke the 14-minute barrier. The top six featured local runners, including 13-year-old Ashlee Pate (13:49) from Warren Middle School placing fourth and first for her age 10-14 age group. PHS cross country runner Aubrey Lantz (13:42) took third.
Cate Edgell (13:49) from Marietta and Jaylyn Eddy (13:57) from Parkersburg placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
Category winners on the women's side included Angela Nedeff (17:19) from Dayton, Ohio, as the Grand Master (ages 50-59) champion; Pamela Addis (18:10) from Mineral Wells as the fastest Senior Grand Master (60-over) entry; and 8-year-old Hannah Nunley (18:14) from Salem, Va., winning the 9-under division.
The youngest females in the field were a pair of 6-year-olds Paige Cole (23:22) from Vincent and Olivia Nguyen (32:31) from Vienna.
At 83-years-old, Dea Zugby (35:39) from Greenbelt, Md., was the oldest female entrant.
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com