Hungerford wins 800 meters at Hershey Games
Alexis Hungerford was certainly ready for the race — she had trained diligently since February.
However, the drama and excitement that emerged on the Henry Hershey Field track Aug. 1 may not have been part of the 12-year-old Bothell girl’s plan.
“School races are just for fun, I just do my best — but when I get to Hershey, it’s serious,” said the Northshore Junior High student.
It was intensity at its finest during Hungerford’s jaunt through the 11-12-year-old 800-meter Hershey Track and Field Games North American Final in Pennsylvania.
After finishing the first lap, she nearly tripped over another competitor who fell in her path; later, she passed three others and then caught the leader near the finish line to take first place in a personal-best 2 minutes, 25.85 seconds.
“That was quite the race,” said mom Barb, who filmed the 800 from the grandstand. “The first trip that happened, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’
“And I felt so sorry for the little girl (who led) — she just couldn’t run any faster. That was crazy,” Barb added, noting that the former leader tumbled to the track after Alexis passed by.
Dad Ken was standing in his usual trackside spot at the 200-meter mark, but a tent blocked his view of the finish line. He knew something special was happening when the crowd erupted into cheers.
It was exciting watching Alexis receive her first-place medal atop the podium.
“She’s just a great competitor,” Ken said. “I think she’s more afraid of losing than (having) the will to win — it drives her on.”
Added Alexis, who finished fifth in the 400 at Hershey in 2007: “All my hard work paid off. I’m always scared before a race, but my dad told me, whatever I did, he’s always proud of me.
“All my family do running and they make me feel I can do just as well as they can. My sisters are my inspiration, and my dad, too.”
Alexis’ impressive running resume includes winning many Northshore School District track and cross-country races while at Woodmoor Elementary and taking the 2009 Track City Classic (Eugene, Ore.) midget 800 championship. She compiled a 72-race Northshore winning streak in grades 3-6.
Next up on her running radar is grabbing the Northshore Junior High 800 record, which is owned by her sister, Brittany. Before that, her aunt, Aimee (Hungerford) Fryer was the top Northshore Junior High 800 runner.
“I want to keep it in the Hungerford name,” said Alexis, who wants to compete in the Olympics someday.
But perhaps the standout item on Hungerford’s resume is when she won the CP Johnson Humanitarian Award as a Woodmoor first-grader.
“It was for helping and caring for people. I like to help people, I don’t want people to be sad,” she said, noting that her positive attitude is stronger than ever today, especially when encouraging teammates after they’ve lost a race. “I don’t think you can have a bad race. I tell them, ‘Don’t worry, because you can do better tomorrow.’”
At the Hershey race, Barb said Alexis appeared more concerned with the first girl who fell than with winning the title. Alexis thought the trip was her fault, Barb said.
Ever the humanitarian, Alexis found the girl and made sure she was OK.
