By Gail Wood
Sofia Kane knew she could dance.
But could she run?
After doing competitive Irish dance since second grade, Kane figured she’d give running a shot last year as a freshman at Olympia. After all, her older sister, Clare, had a knack for running, qualifying for state in cross country and track.
So, Sofia wanted to give running a try.
“I really didn’t know how I’d do,” Sofia said.
As it turned out, she’s better than even her coached thought she would be. Sofia, showing this tough competitive edge, advanced to state in cross country as a freshman. Now, a year older and with a rigid summer workout behind her, Sofia is even faster.
“She’s really blossomed,” Olympia coach Cris Violette said. “She’s made a big jump from last year. At this point, she’s quite a bit better than any girl in the area.”
And she’s only a sophomore.
At the Sunfair Invitational in Yakima a couple of weeks ago, Kane showed both her wheels and her cool, running the 5K in 18:50 to place 19th. It was the first time she had run under 19 minutes. Last year, Kane ran under 20 minutes just once.
At the Capital Invitational that kicked off the season in September, Kane knocked a minute off her time she ran the previous year at the same meet, finishing second for sophomores with a 14:41. She’s already running faster than even her sister ever did.
“She’s a testament to what off season training can do,” Violette said. “She put in the miles.”
Over the summer, Kane upped her weekly workouts from the low 30s to the upper 40s. Four times a week, she’d squeeze in two practices, running in the morning and evening. She also went to a week long running camp at White Pass, chugging up hills and doing long distance. Now, Kane is hoping to finish in the top three at the 4A Narrows League championship and qualify for state for the second straight year.
Kane may not win any sprints. But she’s got exceptional stamina.
“I don’t know if she’s got great speed, but she can maintain that pace,” Violette said. “She can go and go and go.”
Besides her endurance, Kane also has a coolness factor, a knack for staying calm in big meets. She’s not overwhelmed or intimidated by competition.
“That’s the unique thing about her,” Violette said. “I’ve never seen her rattled.”
So, while Kane has her sister’s wheels, she doesn’t have her disposition, or a propensity for worry. Violette remembers having to console the older Kane at the starting line of the state meet her senior year.
“She was in tears,” Violette said. “But Sofia doesn’t get upset. She stays focused. She’s tough.”
A year ago, after Kane’s times dropped and she qualified for state, she made a tough decision. She dropped Irish river dancing so she could concentrate on running over the winter to get ready for track. She ended up running 1,500 meters in 5:18 and the 3,200 in 11:35.
On the last 300 meters of her fastest 1,500, Kane’s sense of achievement trumped her sense of leg-weary, lung-aching pain. Kane, whose sister is now running cross country at Yale, has that added ingredient that often separates the middle of the pack finisher and the winner. She can run through pain.
“You learn to suck it up,” Kane said. “When I ran my fastest 1,500 time I didn’t even notice it (the pain) because it was so exciting to be improving by so much.”
Kane, a 4-point student like her sister, isn’t the only underclassman on Violette’s team showing potential. Olympia only has one senior (Alicia Scott) in the top varsity five. There are 10 freshmen, nine sophomores and nine juniors turning out. The youth, and Kane’s surprising showing, suggests a bright future for Oly cross country.
Besides Kane, other top girl runners in the area include Capital’s Aviva Browning, Yelm’s Mackenzie Bachmeier, Northwest Christian’s Elizabeth Weber and North Thurston’s Hallie Whitley. Violette is surprised Kane is the leader of that fast pack.
“I knew there was talent there,” Violette said about his perspective of Kane when she first turned out. “I didn’t know how good she was going to be. She enjoys competing all the time. It’s been fun to watch.”
