It took less than 15 seconds.
The time when the starting gun sounded to the moment Karlie Lema broke through the finish line lasted 14.34 seconds.
In that time, she covered 100 meters faster than six other girls her age on a rainy Saturday in Hershey, Penn.
Lema started out the blocks as fast as she could, held a lead through most of the race until the very end she got curious about just how well she was doing.
“I looked over and she (Cassandra Lemus) beat me,” Lema said.
Lemus, from Seattle, edged the Morgan Hill girl by a mere tenth of a second to capture the gold at the Hershey’s Track and Field Games.
Though Lema ran slightly slower than her qualifying time of 14.29, her second-place finish was still almost a half second faster than third place. And she would have beat out six of eight boys within her age group if she ran against them.
Lema, 10, said she liked the experience of being flown out to Pennsylvania to take part in the games.
Lema is normally a soccer player, though she has participated in fun runs in Saratoga. She heard about the Hershey’s Games from a friend’s mother.
Lema’s mother Annie Bergholz signed her up for a qualifying competition in the 100 where she ran a 14.29, which left her among the best in the nation in her age group.
That afforded Lema and all-expense paid trip to the national finals, which drew competitors from across the United States and Canada.
They were greeted by former Olympians Rafer Johnson and Carl Lewis, who addressed the competitors at a dinner and some even had their medals presented by the track stars.
Participants competed in track and field events ranging from racing to jumps. There was also a softball throw.
Her race wasn’t until Aug. 3 and in the mean time, she got to tour the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory and ride the roller coasters at Hersheypark, an amusement park near the factory.
Lema got to stay in dorms with the other competitors at Elizabethtown College.
She came home with a couple souvenirs, including track shirts that she exchanged with other competitors.
The games gave each girl four shirts and could trade two of them with girls from other states.
Lema said she was willing to give qualifying for the games a try next year. Along with 100 meters, she also wants to give the hurdles and relays a try.
