By Jessica Quiroli
Fourteen-year old Wesley Frazier didn’t just make North Carolina history when she raced in the Seahawk Invitational.
She re-wrote the record book and put the nation on notice when she clocked in at 17:05.09.
And she isn’t just the one to beat in the NCISAA.
She could possibly be the fastest girl in the state.
While that might seem to put a lot of pressure on one so young, Leslie Payne, Frazier’s coach at Ravenscroft High School describes a girl with tremendous focus.
“Her goal is to help her team finish in the top three in the state, ideally as State Champions,” Payne said. “She is not really looking beyond that right now.”
At 4 feet 11 and weighing 78 pounds, Frazier’s small stature might not indicate someone with a great deal of strength. But she’s certainly making the most of her capabilities.
“She is very small, but gets every bit out of her body,” Payne said. “She has certainly proved a lot about herself this season. She ran away from the 2nd place finisher (Carolyn Baskir) in the Seahawk and then came back the next weekend.”
Payne goes on to describe a race that was close most of the time, making Frazier’s (Photo, right, by PrettySporty.com) victory even more impressive.
“She had that same runner breathing down her shoulders for three miles, and pulled away to win by 14 seconds,” Payne said.
Frazier raced unattached in the Seahawk, but this didn’t appear to faze her. Payne attributes that to Frazier’s dedication and determination to her goals.
“She enjoys running for the sake of running. She is very self-motivated, so she can push herself, even if there is no one in the race, or at practice pushing her.”
Though no two courses are exactly alike, the difficulty keeping up the pace and not fatiguing in the later months is always a concern, especially in the bigger races. But Payne is both realistic and optimistic about that. “I think she is wise about her training and will push and rest based on how she is feeling.”
Frazier (Photo, left, by PrettySporty.com) followed up her record-breaking Seahawk run by placing first in her next two races: the Wolfpack Invitational finishing in 17:10 and the Greensboro XC Invitational where she clocked in at 17:50.
“Naturally she will be a contender in every race. I also know there are a lot of runners who want to beat her. Very few runners remain undefeated,” Payne said.
“But if the day comes that Wesley gets beat, I know she will just resume her training and welcome the next race.”
