Whether it’s tackling flat or twisting-and-turning, woodsy cross-country courses or training on the streets near her Kenmore home, Amber Rose is one motivated runner, says her mom, Katrina.
For the last few months, the 13-year-old Kenmore Junior High harrier has been running 2- and 2.5-mile courses in Northshore, Seattle, Oregon and Alabama. Amber wrapped up her season with a 76th-place finish in her age group at the USA Track and Field (USATF) National Youth Cross Country Championships Dec. 11 on the 2.5-mile Veterans Park course in Hoover, Ala.
“It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of runners and it was kind of hard to get by some of them,” said Amber, who finished in 15 minutes, 52.84 seconds in the 276-girl pack.
“I could have done a little better at the start, because I hadn’t practiced a lot at getting off from the starting line.”
Added Katrina: “I thought it was a great learning experience. There were so many girls and it was hard to see her — it was a good thing she was wearing bright purple.”
Amber, who placed first (14:21, two miles) and led her Kenmore Junior High team to a Northshore School District varsity title for the second straight year, harkened back to that local race at Big Finn Hill Park to help her gain ground at nationals.
“There was this one hill and it was kind of steep,” she began, “and I’m really good at the hills, and I passed like four or five people.”
To qualify for nationals, Amber notched a fifth-place finish at state and a 15th-place finish at regionals.
The eighth-grader took up running just last year and she’s already looking forward to breaking a sub-six-minute mile during Kenmore Junior High’s track season.
“Sometimes, I get a little nervous, but it’s just fun,” she said of her emotions on race day.
In addition to running, Amber specializes in the 100-yard breaststroke for her Northshore YMCA swim team and skis during the winter.
Bothell’s Barringer makes nationals
Like Amber Rose, Canyon Park Junior High eighth-grader Charlie Barringer won his district varsity race and cruised through to nationals. He also felt overwhelmed by running with so many — 304 to be exact — athletes in Alabama.
“I’ve never been around so many people in one race. All the people in one giant starting line, that got me a little bit intimidated,” said Barringer, who finished 48th in 13:45 as a member of the Cascade Striders running club out of Bellevue.
After Barringer tackled the tough straight-away sprint at the start, he still said to himself, ‘Holy cow, I’m running with a lot of people.’”
The 14-year-old soon found his groove and even ran well on the steep hill, which Rose mentioned. Although Barringer checked out the course a bit online prior to the race, the hill was still a surprise, but he shifted gears quickly — and successfully.
“I live in a hilly area, and every time I go out for a run, I go on the hills,” said Barringer, who noted that while hills may wear down a runner, they’re still part of the terrain that one must deal with.
When he eventually saw the finish line, Barringer was ready to close out with a bang.
“I said, ‘Come on, I gotta get there,’” he said. “And I passed a few people at the end.”
Barringer was rewarded with his quickest 2.5-mile time of the year at nationals after placing third at state (14:09) and eighth at regionals (14:19). At Big Finn Hill at districts, he blazed through the two-miler in 12:44.
A runner since the third grade, Barringer has won many races over the years and went undefeated this season. While he enjoys the sport, he feels a well-deserved break from running is in order.
“I’m happy that it’s over. Running is tough … but I’m really looking forward to next season and doing it all over again,” said Barringer, who will participate in Canyon Park track in the spring.
For now, you can find Barringer on the hardwood playing basketball for the Canyon Park Knights, who sported a 7-1 record at press time.
