Charlotte freshman Alana Hadley has proven she can excel (and break records) at any distance and on any terrain.
Occasionally, one of North Carolina's high schoolers decides to compete unattached in a college race, perhaps looking for the experience that comes with greater competition, perhaps looking for a distance or event that isn't available in high school competition. It is a much rarer occasion when a high school athlete actually wins in such a race, regardless of the level of collegiate competition. When the runner in question is Alana Hadley, though, all bets are off. The ninth-grader from the Charlotte 
area has been turning heads on the road racing scene for years, having broken the 20-minute barrier for the 5K in 2007 as a ten-year-old. Her talent first came to the attention of the high school track & cross country community two years ago, when she clocked 17:09 for a 5K on the track. Alana made a big splash during her eighth-grade year when she ran her first half-marathon in 1:21:15, and then proceeded to win two races against college competition (17:06 for 5K, and then 36:14 for 10K).
So how do you follow up a group of races that impressive? Well, if you're Hadley, you set an American single-age record for 14-year-olds in the half-marathon (1:16:58), then you qualify for Foot Locker Nationals with a cross country PR of 17:27 at McAlpine Greenway. After that, you break the American single-age record for 15-year-olds in the half-marathon (1:16:41 in February at Myrtle Beach). Finally, this past weekend you win another 10K on the track against college runners, putting up an excellent time of 34:59.38 at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, TN. The mark vaulted Alana into ninth place in U.S. history among high schoolers at that distance and #2 in North Carolina history, according to NCPrepTrack.net. Although she has chosen not to compete for her school in order to pursue her goals at the longer distances (with an eye to a future marathon career, I believe), this youngster has shown that she can compete with the best our state has to offer.
The most impressive aspect of Alana, though, might be the way she carries herself through all of this. In interviews and when writing about her experiences for her own blog, she comes off as engaging and mature beyond her years. She has had some tremendous opportunities opened up by virtue of her talent, and she seems to understand the importance of all the experiences she has had. Furthermore, she analyzes her races like a much older runner, and seems to gain something positive from every race, even when the results are (rarely) disappointing. In fact, it is possible that she has earned as many fans through her writing as she has by her performances In the words of Providence Day coach and avid runner Ben Hovis, who has been watching her career from the early days:
Alana Hadley is an amazing talent. She seems to be a well-rounded girl with a solid balance between school, family, and running. Alana does a decent amount of long runs with our local running group, the Charlotte Running Club, and I'm always impressed with how easy 7:00 miles are for her over 13+ miles. Her dad and coach, Mark, has done a great job helping her continue to progress with her speed and endurance. I am looking forward to seeing where Alana's career will head from here.
While it would have been interesting to see how that talent translates to the mile and two-mile (and who knows, maybe we'll still get to see that over the next three years), how can you argue with a girl pursuing her dream? That is especially true when the plan laid out by father and daughter is producing such tremendous results. Though she does not fit the classic mold of a high school track/cross country athlete, fans of running will continue to follow Alana's career arc. Here's hoping that she continues to impress and move closer to her long-term goals!
