Winters takes third place at Middle School Cross Country Nationals in Kentucky

Burlington eighth grader Kellen Winters has been a dominant force in middle school cross country, going undefeated in his two years competing. 

“Kellen has always impressed us with his dedication to running,” said his parents, Dalin and Hannah Winters. “He works hard, putting in hours of training and setting higher goals for himself. 

“His commitment motivated us to find more opportunities for him to experience competition at a higher level. Entering him in the Middle School Cross Country Nationals felt like the next step to help him grow as an athlete and to let him test his skills against some of the best young runners in the country.”

Winters joined 324 other athletes to compete in the 4,000-meter run, held at the Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. last Saturday. “Competing against some of the highest quality runners in the nation, I was pretty nervous about the outcome of the race,” said Kellen. “In Wyoming, there are around 100 runners per meet, but nationals had over 300 so I had to change my gameplan for the run. I knew I had to get out in front right from the start so I wouldn’t get stuck in the pack with all the other runners. Plus, this race was a half a mile longer than what we usually run in Wyoming, so that added a new challenge.” 

Winters met the challenge and placed third in the huge field of runners with a time of 13:04.20. 

When asked where he finds his motivation, Winters referenced some important people. “My biggest motivations are my older brother Grant, and definitely my parents’ support. My teammates have always been there to pump me up and push me to the best of my ability. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been doing my workouts with Howard McNiven. He is an inspiring trainer and is always open for questions. My coach over the past couple of years, Ryan Olson, has guided me to do my best and always congratulates me and the team, no matter our results.” 

Both Winters and McNiven will be joining other athletes from Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming this Saturday at the Nike Cross Regionals Northwest in Eagle, Idaho.