Laura Hollander stared straight at motivation during the brief instance she lay face down on the track.

On the first lap of the 3,200-meter final at the 2011 CIF State High School Track and Field Championships, she took a hard tumble to the ground.

After pacing the field early on in the eight-lap race, Hollander’s feet got tangled with several other runners’ and she fell violently to the synthetic rubber. She lost her rhythm and momentum, but never her motivation.