The story of Kiele Anderson’s first competitive footrace is
bound to resurface. It was not the grand opening act most would
expect from the effervescent 13-year-old, who is closing in on five
minutes in the mile and has been called
”
a natural distance runner
”
by coaches because of her speed, height — 5 feet 8 inches —
and determination
MORGAN HILL
The story of Kiele Anderson’s first competitive footrace is bound to resurface.
It was not the grand opening act most would expect from the effervescent 13-year-old, who is closing in on five minutes in the mile and has been called “a natural distance runner” by coaches because of her speed, height — 5 feet 8 inches — and determination.
Legend has it, Anderson never finished her first race. It was held last fall at Alum Rock Park in San Jose, and Anderson so far ahead that she lost track of the course and her competition.
“I didn’t know where to go,” the incoming eighth-grader at Martin Murphy Middle School said. “I saw a bunch of high schoolers practicing and decided to try and keep up with them. I did.”
Anderson has come a long way since then. She got lost a few more times during her rookie season but did not lose another interscholastic race, be it in cross country, the 1,500 meters or the 800.
Anderson won a section title for each of her events, including high jump, in spring, and placed second in the mile at the Hershey’s state finals in June. Last weekend she completed her first year as a competitive runner at the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympics in sweltering Wichita, Kan., where Anderson placed eighth in the youth girls 1,500-meter championship and reached the 800 and 4×800 semifinals.
Though she was not thrilled with her performance, Anderson came away with a better sense of direction.
“I want to run in college,” she said. “I want to get a scholarship and run for a really big school someday, even go to the Olympics.”
In other words, Anderson is ready to carry the torch as Morgan Hill’s newest track and field prodigy, following in the footsteps of recent Division I signees Lance Wolfsmith (2009, Air Force) and Alan Rios (2010, UCLA) of Sobrato, and high jumper Stephanie Armstrong (2010, Cal State Long Beach) of Live Oak.
Anderson is on pace for a brilliant career in high school and beyond. The talent is there — Anderson’s personal records in the 800 (2:24.51), the 1,500 (4:54.46) and high jump (4-9) would have put her on the cusp of qualifying for the 2011 Central Coast Section Finals — along with many intangibles. Anderson’s mother, Lynae Dodson, was an Arizona high jump champion in high school. Her father, Scott Dodson, is 6-foot-3 and has an athletic background as well. Anderson is a straight-A student and has impressed her coaches at Umoja Track Club, a Santa Clara nonprofit that won 19 medals at Junior Olympics, with her work ethic and discipline. They see endless potential in her.
“The last five months have been a great journey,” Umoja distance coach Blanca Fonseca said. “Kiele still has a lot to work on with her form and speed, but she’s not intimidated by any of the training. You tell her to run 20 miles; she’ll do it, and she’ll do it fast. She knows how to push herself.”
Even on the big stage at Junior Olympics, Anderson kept a clear head through intense focus on her goals: a better time and another medal or ribbon.
“She lives for them,” Lynae said while holding a picture in which Anderson’s awards are hanging from her outstretched arms (If they were feathers, she could fly). “She has this aggressive mindset every race, like, ‘I can do this. I can win.'”
Anderson, an Albuquerque, N.M., native who moved to Morgan Hill three years ago, showed similar promise in soccer. She gave up on that once the training became more rewarding.
“I really like soccer,” she said. “But running’s better for me. It’s more of an independent sport.”
This week Anderson resumed training for the upcoming cross country season: “She’s counting down the days,” Scott said.
Anderson’s goals for 2011-12 are to break 2:20 in the 800 and make headway toward the Holy Grail for mile runners — four minutes.
“If there’s a ribbon, she’ll go for it,” Lynae said.
