BLOGS

Kea Paton has loved to run ever since she was a little girl. The Cashmere High School sophomore can thank her father for that.

Scott Paton is a competitive runner himself (he was teammates with Bulldogs cross country coach John Durheim in high school) and the owner of Arlberg Sports in Wenatchee. Durheim says that one of Kea's best attributes as a runner is her fierce desire to succeed and competitive nature. Kea can thank her father for that also.

"I've always looked up to my dad," she said. "That's part of what motivates me. Ever since I was little, I've been a motivated person, and I've always tried to do my best, and I wanted to be just like my dad. He's been the working force behind my running, and he's always been there to support me. That's not to say that my mom doesn't support me as well, but I've always had a better connection with my dad when it comes to sports."

Paton's determination to get the most out of her abilities has been rewarded in her short prep running career. Last year she was the second freshman to cross the finish line at the state 1A cross country meet in Pasco. She placed seventh in a time of 20 minutes, 9 seconds in the 5,000-meter run.

That's a high standard to eclipse, to be sure. But Paton thinks she can do even better this year.

"Last year at state, I didn't know what to expect," she said. "I was just a freshman, and I wasn't going in with any expectations. I just didn't want to get last," she said. "This year I want to get under 18 minutes, 30 seconds for my time, and then I'd like to be in the top three at state."

Can she get there? She has a good chance because she appears to be totally healthy, and she's making changes in her running style to prevent injuries.

Last spring Paton struggled with a hamstring injury that limited her during the track and field season. Over the summer, she worked with Jason Jablonski, a longtime competitive cyclist and triathlete and the owner of Specific Endurance Training Coaching, to improve her technique. Jablonski helped Paton to run with a more upright style; she had a tendency to fall forward slightly while running, which caused her hamstrings to pull.

"Since I was little, I've had a long stride, and I've just worked on quickening my stride," Paton said. "It's still long, but I'm working on a faster turnover. It was hard at first, but working with Jason on a lot of drills helped a lot. It's been a change that's come naturally. Last year and the year before, I would pull my hamstrings, but they were strengthened going into this season. I usually felt them tighten up halfway through a practice, but they've felt really good lately."

She started the season on Sept. 11 placing fourth at the Ellensburg Invite with at time of 15 minutes, 30 seconds(2.35 miles). A week later she won the Apple Ridge Run Challenge in Cowiche with a time of 19 minutes, 28 seconds (three miles). At the Eric Anderson/Runners Soul Invitational in Spokane on Sept. 25, Paton finished 19th, finishing 5,000 meters in 22 minutes, 9.9 seconds. At last weekend's Sunfair Invitational in Yakima, she finished three miles in 20 minutes, 35.8 seconds.

"I think the first race I wasn't quite ready for. It was OK, but I wanted to place a little higher than that," she said. "I had a nice race at Highland. I was happy with how I did there. (The Spokane race) wasn't good because my foot hurt, and it wasn't my best effort. My foot is better now, though. The arches just swelled up a little bit."

Durheim said he knew Paton would be a high-level runner after watching her run when she was in junior high school.

"She's got the desire and drive and she's got a good work ethic. What else do you need to be a good athlete besides the talent, which she does have?" Durheim said. "When you have the mental aspect and work hard, that's all you need, especially in cross country. Last year she had a great desire to be a champion. She wanted to win every race she ran. Now she's working on the mental preparation."

Paton may be competitive, but winning races isn't the main reason she loves to run.

"After school, I'm really wound up," she said. "I'm in the classroom all day, and it's nice to get out and run and get all that energy out."

Comments

Want to comment on this story? All Wenatchee World members are invited to comment on stories, by using the form below. Please know that we at wenatcheeworld.com hope our site is useful, entertaining and civil. So we'll delete comments that are obscene, abusive or way off topic. We appreciate it when readers use the "suggest removal" button to flag inappropriate comments. For more about interacting with the site, see our Use Policy.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment