This week's Whisper Runner of the Week could have been a recipient of this award weeks ago, as her season started off with a bang!  Meet after meet, Katelyn Flolo, of Cornerstone Christian Academy, continuously broke her own school records in both the 800m and 1500m while on her way to victories in over half of her races this season!

Katelyn is a seventh grade runner who came to Whisper in December 2016 for some off-season conditioning and is one of a few runners who braved the nasty weather conditions in January and February.  Her consistency through the winter, training with her Whisper peers up to three times each week, paid off at her District meet on May 5th, where she ran a disciplined 1500m, finishing second.  30-minutes later, she earned Championship honors by edging out the runner-up by a quarter of a second in the 800m.   That 800m race was a season best by 5-seconds, and a 3-second lifetime best!

Asking Katelyn about her experience with Whisper Running in the six months she has been with the team, she responded: "When I was in third grade my brother – a sixth grader- began running cross country. Thoroughly inspired, my best friend and I ran our first mile (more or less) in about thirteen minutes. By the time I got to fifth grade, I was so ready for cross country. I finished my fifth grade cross country season as well as my sixth grade cross country and track seasons before I even considered running outside of my school team. I proceeded to run club track in the summer of 2016, then cross country at my school, and finally club cross country in the fall. My club and school seasons were great, and the workouts pushed me, but I still felt as though I wasn’t maximizing my potential. The “on-your-own” workouts soon became a chore, draining the fun out of running. Finally, in December, I found Dave. My first practice, I was surprised to see that there were three other girls, all my age and about my pace. As the workouts progressed, Dave pushed me to do things I never thought I could. The practices got harder and harder, but they were always fun. Whisper Running has helped me in all aspects of running, preparing me mentally and physically, and helping me overcome challenges in my form. It has also helped me to get connected with the running community through various fun opportunities, participated in as a club.This track season, my off-season training with Dave helped me to feel strong and fast when I ran. So far, I have dropped 6 seconds off my 1500m time, and 3 off my 800m. Through Whisper Running, I found that the key to enjoying running and being as fast as you can is to find a great group of people who are fun to be around, but push you to run your hardest."

Her season is not done, however, as she plans to race at the Meet of Champions in two weeks, and possibly additional meets through the USATF and Tracktown circuits.  Congratulations, Katelyn, on this award that was a long-time coming!  I am super honored that you are part one of Whisper Running team!