Q + A WITH KATHY KROEGER

interviewed by Dave Milner 12.10.06

Apart from the Foot Locker South Regional in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kathy Kroeger from Franklin, Tennessee (just south of Nashville), a sophomore at Independence High School, went unchallenged all fall. In local meets, she usually finished a quarter mile to a half mile clear of her nearest rival. At the Great American Cross Country Festival in late September, she dominated the Race of Champions clocking a 17:29 PR on a day when many girls were recording "personal worsts." At the Tennessee State Meet she ran a solo 16:59 5k on the challenging Iroquois Steeplechase course.

But eleven minutes into the 2006 Foot Locker National Championships held in San Diego's Balboa Park, Kroeger, who is coached by Kristen Reames at her high school and via phone and e-mail by legendary miler Jim Spivey, found herself with plenty of company. After a 5:35 first mile—the slowest opener in the meet's 20-year history—and then, lo and behold, a snail-like 6:01 second mile, just past the two-mile marker (reached in 11:36), a quintet of frontrunners had formed with Virginia's Aurora Scott, Tennessee's Kroeger, Nebraskan Emily Sisson, Colorado's Kaitie Vanatta, and defending champion Jordan Hasay of California, with Nevada's Marie Lawrence hanging on the back. Any moment now, someone was about to make a move and shift the race into overdrive. Someone had to.

The pre-event buzz of what was widely regarded as the finest girls' field ever assembled for this meet, the victory plans boldly declared by Scott, the pressure on Hasay to repeat, and Marie Lawrence's high hopes of coming out on top after three runner-up finishes. All these factors had build to this exciting crescendo. But then these tightly-packed runners were suddenly stretched out like pearls on a string as the pace Scott, the home-schooled junior from Chesapeake, Virginia hit the gas. Kroeger reacted, the duo began to separate themselves quickly from the field, and it was now a two-horse race.

Scott, who had run away from Kroeger in Charlotte a fortnight earlier was many people's favorite, at least on paper, but many onlookers were rooting for the humble Tennessean with her distinctive low knee lift and wide arm carriage, reminiscent of 1980s South African teen prodigy Zola Budd.

Approaching the last incline, Kroeger made a bid for victory. She took a slight lead going into the hill, and then increased her margin on the ascent to about three seconds. Kroeger then added a further second or two to her cushion as she headed down the hill, along Upas Drive. Scott, who had been planning a move after the hill, seemed to let her go, perhaps believing she could reel the Tennessean back in. But she couldn't. Scott kicked desparately with 400 meters to go, but it was too little too late. The wiry Tennessean was away and clear, even if she didn't know it. Indeed, she looked like she was running for her life, and admitted later that she though Scott was still right behind her.

And when crossed the line, the new champion was so stunned she actually asked someone if she had won—even though there was clearly no one ahead of her and she had broken the tape. "I was so shocked," she said later. "It hadn't sunk in yet."

She finished in 17:29, not one of the faster times in the meet's history, but a solid time following after a pedestrian first two miles. Scott finished in 17:36. Hasay finished a disappointing 10th (18:14), and Lawrence was fifth (18:02). At that evening's awards ceremony, Kroeger thanked Hasay, among others, for showing her that "You don't need to be big or old to win this race."

Kroeger, unbeaten during track season, ends 2006 with just one defeat all year, on any surface, and it seems like we are just scratching the surface of what this tiny Tennessean, arguably Tennessee's best high school runner in history, can do.

TR: First of all, congratulations on becoming national champion. You made the whole Tennessee running community very proud. You must be pretty pumped.

KK: Thank you. Yes, I'm pretty excited.

TR: Was your goal going into this meet to win, or just improve on last year's finishing position?

KK: I really wanted to improve on last year's finishing position [16th, 17:57] and run a faster time. I was pretty shocked to win.

TR: Were you surprised at how slow the pace was through the first half of the race?

KK: Yes, I was really surprised. Were plodding for the first mile and a half.

TR: Were you worried that the slow pace might play into the hands of an 800/1,600 specialist with greater closing speed?

KK: No, I really wasn't thinking about that. Just after the two-mile marker, Aurora and I opened up a gap. I don't think anyone attempted to go with us.

TR: At what point did you realize that you were going to win?

KK: Not until the three-mile marker, when I finally looked behind. I thought Aurora was still right behind me until then, and I was running scared.

TR: You opened up a gap onAurora going up the last hill and extended that cushion going down the hill on the other side. Had you planned to make a move on that hill, or was that just how it unfolded?
KK: I just felt really good and ran the downhill hard.

TR: I know you've been advised by Jim Spivey since the spring. How has your training changed as a result?

KK: He has helped me balance running and soccer workouts and also introduced longer runs. Before last year's Foot Locker meet, my longest run was just six miles. This year, my overall training was more focused toward big races like this one.

TR: Was there a particular benchmark workout that you did in the last month or so that let you know you ready to do something special in San Diego?

KK: A track workout with a couple of tough 1,000s a few weeks before the race let me know I was fit. I also did some hill work that proved beneficial.

TR: How many miles (and runs) a week did you average this fall?

KK: I haven't added it up; my workouts are based on time rather than distance. Including soccer games, I ran about six days a week.

TR: Outside of the race, was the Foot Locker Nationals experience very different for you the second time around?

KK: I was a lot more comfortable and relaxed this time around, simply because I knew what to expect. It also helped a lot to have Rita [Jorgensen] and Virgina [Hine] there. The South team this year was a lot of fun, and everyone was very supportive of each other.

TR: Will you take some time off from running now?

KK: I'll probably take 7-10 days off.

TR: Are you still swimming and playing soccer competitively, or have you decided now to focus solely on running?

KK: I decided to quit soccer mid-November in order to focus on running. I am still swimming for the school in the winter and for the YMCA in the summer.

TR: Is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to doing in the next 7-10 days that you haven't done because of cross country?

KK: Definitely eating ice cream—specifically Ben and Jerry's Half-Baked frozen yogurt. We had these killer sundaes Saturday afternoon following the race. During the season I am pretty disciplined about eating healthy, so I'll probably splurge a little this week.

TR: Will you run any indoor races this winter?

KK: I'm not planning on it, but I'll talk to my coaches.

TR: Any time goals in mind for the 2007 track season? What about a sub-10:00 3,200?

KK: I'd like to move that direction but I don't know if I'll get there this spring. My goals are to keep improving and to enjoy running. I think we sometimes put a little too much emphasis on the outcome of one National Finals race? I won that race, on that day, but it could be anyone on another day. I think the neat part is that we can push each other and inspire one another to work harder and get better.