All-PENINSULA MVP GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY: Port Angeles super-soph Lauren Larson

PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles distance and cross-country runner Lauren Larson made a big change in her routine last summer.

Larson had a very successful year as a freshman, finishing in the top 5 nine times and coming in 10th at the Class 2A State Cross-Country meet, but to take the next step, her coach Cheryl Gerardi suggested she take up a summer-long running program.

“It’s all about the summer running. She was very dedicated and her work ethic was unbelievable,” Gerardi said.

In her sophomore year, most of her coaches expected Larson to improve.

She didn’t just improve, she basically blew the rest of the Olympic Peninsula out of the water.

In 2017, Madison Zosa of North Kitsap as a freshman pretty much dominated in the district and league meets after Port Angeles senior Gracie Long struggled with an asthma condition. Zosa consistently was faster than Larson and finished fifth at state last year.

This year, it was Larson’s turn as she assumed the role of super sophomore, running right past Zosa and all the other girls in the Olympic League.

Larson sent notice she was a much more powerful runner right off the bat, winning the Salt Creek Invitational back in September. After that, she won three more races, came in second in the massive Nike Hole in the Wall meet in the Seattle area, won the Olympic League Championship and the Westside Classic West Central District championship and finished fourth at state.

At the end of the year, Larson had won six races and came in the top five in every single race she ran in — 10 races in all.

“I was really excited. I couldn’t be happier with how the season went,” Larson said.

Because of her remarkable year, Larson has been named by the Peninsula Daily News as the All-Peninsula girls cross-country MVP.

Last year, the unquestioned leaders for the Roughrider girls distance runners were seniors Madelyn Dougherty and Gracie Long. They have both graduated and moved on to college cross-country and track. That left a huge void for a very young Port Angeles squad full of freshmen and sophomores.

Larson is not a demonstrative leader, but she stepped into that vacuum by setting an example, said Gerardi. Larson led the young Riders team to league and district team championships and to eighth place at the state meet.

“All the other girls definitely look up to her. She leads by example. The girls are already talking about running over the summer,” said Geradi. “She’s breaking out of her shell. It’s exciting to see her develop leadership skills.”

For her part, Larson said she really didn’t try to seize a leadership role. “I didn’t feel any pressure to be a leader, I try to be encouraging. I tried to focus on what I was doing,” she said.

Larson’s career is still just getting going. Over the winter, she’s continuing to train, both for track in the spring and for cross country.

“[Teammate] Kynzie [DeLeon] and I are starting training [this] week. It’s cold and wet and some days you don’t feel like doing it,” she said.

Last year, Larson won four distance races in the spring in track and field and finished second five times, mostly to her teammate Long, who had a dominant return to running last spring. Larson’s goal this year is to try to qualify for the state 2A track meet in a distance event such as the 3,200 meter run.

Her goal next year in cross country is to break 19 minutes. She did that once at the Hole in the Wall race, where she ran in 18 minutes, 44 seconds. She said that was an especially fast race, flat and with part of the course on a running track. Her time at state was 19:04.

“I would really like to place higher than I did this year [in cross country],” Larson said.

“She is incredibly goal-oriented. When she sets her goals, she follows through, Gerardi said. “I predict she will run a sub-19 [minute race].”

All-Peninsula girls cross-country team

Kenzie DeLeon, Port Angeles

10th at State 2A meet

5th at West Central District 2A

4th at Olympic League 2A Championship

Nine Top-5 finishes

Riley Pyeatt, Sequim

13th at State 2A meet

4th at Western Central District 2A

5th at Olympic League 2A Championship