Kaylee Flanagan was on the swim team in middle school, but there was a problem: all that pesky water.
"I didn't really like the fact of always being wet when you're swimming," she said. "That's not appealing to me."
Because getting wet is a major part of being a swimmer, Flanagan exchanged her swim cap for running shoes and joined the cross country team when she started high school. The sport wasn't totally unfamiliar -- her older sister ran track and cross country, too. So she went to her school's cross country summer camp for the first time.
"I hated it," she said. "It was my first time ever running and, I don't know, I just hated it."
Despite her feelings, going back to swimming was an even more insufferable option, so she continued as a substitute on the cross country team through the season. Then at the next summer camp something changed.
"Something clicked and I really enjoyed it. The people were great," she said. "From then on I just decided that I was going to stick with it. It was my sport."
In her first race, she ran the 4x800 relay for the track team, and though it was fun something still wasn't quite right. It was then that her coach decided to put her in the two-mile race and at long last Flanagan found her niche.
"I wasn't really too great at the sprinting events, I would say...So from then on I was kind of like, 'OK I'm definitely more of a distance person. I'm going to stick to this,'" she said. "That first time I did the two-mile I fell in love with it."
"Now that I think about it I'm like, how could I ever hate this?"
That love has paid off throughout her high school career -- she won the 3200-meter race at last year's track State competition and competed in both the Foot Locker Nationals and Nike Cross Country Nationals. Each and every race has its own special memories for her, and these major competitions are no exception.
After she crossed the finish line at States in front of every other competitor, it took a while for her mind to register what she'd just done. When she saw the scoreboard and it finally hit her, she thought back to one of her original inspirations for running.
"I watched my sister win in cross country and I never thought that I would be able to live up to her or anything," Flanagan said. "Winning that race just made me feel like I could be exactly where she was at in high school. We were kind of on the same training schedule, so that was exciting."
The Nike and Foot Locker competitions provided their own unique experiences. Flanagan finished in 18th place at Nike and 31st at Foot Locker, but what she remembers best is the camaraderie she felt with the other runners -- they were in love, too.
"Everybody loves the sport, but when you were racing against all those people they all were at the same level we were at. We were just like, 'Wow there are 40 of us that love this sport to death. We've all been training hard for the exact same thing,'" she said.
For those who have yet to find that kind of affection for running, Flanagan shares some words of wisdom: "Run your own race. Don't ever play the pacing game or anything; it's not worth it. Just always have a great time because you never know when one race could be your last race."
The days of donning a cap and goggles seem far away now, though Flanagan hasn't been made bitter toward swimming, despite the unrelenting moisture involved; she enjoyed watching the Olympic swimming events. Coming up on her final season as a high school runner, of course she wants to beat her previous times. Most of all though she just wants to make this year a memorable one, giving this athletic love story a happy ending.
Fun Fact: Kaylee loves frozen yogurt. "I'm a fanatic for frozen yogurt," she said.
Favorite flavor? Cookies and cream.
Toppings? All of them -- fruit, pretzels, granola, everything. "I like to pack it all in," she said.
Best froyo joint in Illinois? Menchie's.
"I'm always looking for a good frozen yogurt spot, so if anybody has any suggestions I'd be willing to try it out!" She laughed.
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