It all started with physical education teacher Warren Hughes.
It was his lap program at Grass Valley Elementary in Camas that sparked a love of running in a fourth-grader named Rachel Blair.
Every recess, Blair would run laps around the school’s track.
“I think I was running four miles a day doing that,” she said. “That’s where I kind of discovered my joy of running.”
Blair also learned something else — she didn’t like to lose. At recess she ran however hard she needed so nobody would beat her, especially the boys.
Fast-forward five years. Blair is still faster than almost everybody she runs against.
The 14-year-old freshman at Camas won the 4A district cross country title and placed fourth at the state championships Nov. 7 in Pasco. Last weekend, she finished 10th at the Nike BorderClash, which gathered 79 of the fastest high school runners in Oregon and Washington.
For her accomplishments, Blair is The Columbian’s All-Region girls cross country runner of the year.
“She’s definitely a true competitor,” said Camas cross country coach Laurie Porter. “She loves the challenge of racing.”
And Blair has been racing at a high level for a while. By eighth grade, Blair had set district middle school track records in the 1,600- and 800-meter races.
No big deal, you say? Well those records were held by Alexa Efraimson, who went on to set a national high school record in the 1,600 and now runs professionally.
“That’s when I figured out that I could be competitive in this if I put all my training and focus toward it,” she said. “Maybe it could pay for college one day.”
Last fall, Blair earned All-America status by finishing ninth at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics National Cross Country Championships in South Carolina.
In August, she won the 3,000 meter national championship for her age group at the USATF Junior Olympics in Florida.
Camas calibration
When Blair joined the Camas cross country team, she was in strange surroundings. For the first time, she was training with other girls who were just as fast.
Blair admits it took some time to adjust to the team concept at Camas, which has won four of the past five state cross country titles.
“In races, I would usually think about myself and what I could get out of it,” she said. “That sounds selfish, but when you’re in pain, you think ‘what am I going to get for going through this.'”
Blair learned to work together with her teammates. She especially leans on Emma Jenkins, who finished fourth in state last year and seventh this season.
Jenkins helped push Blair to a 5,000-meter personal best of 18 minutes, 10 seconds at the state meet.
“Now it’s like what am I going to do for my team today,” Blair said. “We all want this so bad, I’m not going to let them down. I definitely put the team first now.”
With only one senior among its seven scoring runners at state, the Camas girls cross country team should continue to be a statewide force for a long time.
And whatever awards Blair gathers along the way, she’ll always remember the pavement track at Grass Valley Elementary where it all started.
The Rest of the All-Region Girls Cross Country team
Savanna Craig, Mountain View
Improved her 4A state meet time by 35 seconds to place 8th in 18:15. Placed third at district meet.
Emma Jenkins, Camas
Won bi-district Westside Classic. Placed seventh in state and second at 4A district meet. Fastest 5K was 17:58.
Cassie McKinney, Union
Ran a personal best of 18:43 to finish 21st in state. Fifth at 4A district meet. Won season-opening Run-a-Ree.
Jenna Melanson, La Center
Seventh in 1A state meet. Fastest 5K was 18:40. Won 7 of 11 races this season, including league and district meets.
Emily Wilson, Camas
Ran season-best time of 18:30 to finish 13th in 4A state meet. Placed 7th at districts and 5th at Westside Classic.
Maddie Woodson, Camas
Placed 28th at 4A state meet and 4th at districts. Season-best 5K was 18:54 at Nike Portland XC.
