By David Freeze
Kara Crotts Shines as Rowan’s Best Female Runner
Kara Crotts first found running at 8 years old when she participated in “Girls on the Run” from third grade to fifth grade. Kara continued in Southeasr Middle School’s track program. She’s still friends with many of the girls she met through these programs.
Kara tried other sports like volleyball, horseback riding, and soccer but running was the only thing she stuck with. Kara said, “I think running works for me because it requires me to be mentally and physically tough. Running teaches me to stay disciplined and calm during hard moments. My best moment in running was the Rowan County Championship meet this year because I won individually and my team won. I looked forward to this meet all season and knew it would be tough considering the competition. It made me feel that all the hard work that I put in had paid off.”
Kara’s family includes her mom and dad, Tracy and Jody Crotts. Neither parent were athletes, but they have always been supportive of Kara’s sport and have never missed an event. When not running, Kara enjoys hanging out with friends and family, trying new things, listening to music and watching movies.
By running year-round with cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, Kara stays sharp. She said, “My favorite season is indoor track. I enjoy attending bigger meets where the competition is fierce. My mileage is normally around 35-38 miles a week and goes up to 40 on weeks I do not have races. When training the week of a meet, my mileage will slightly decrease so I am ‘fresher’ on race day.”
During the off-season, Kara does most of her run’s solo, but the team will meet for practice several days a week. Kara said, “I enjoy running alone to clear my mind, but I always have a fun time when running with my teammates. I believe there should be a good balance between the two.”
Often the best high school runners don’t compete with adult runners in area races. Why they don’t is a column for another day. This was Kara’s third year in a row taking part in the Butterball 5K. She said, “It is a fantastic way to start my Thanksgiving morning. I convinced a few of my current teammates to sign up the night before and saw a former teammate there. I had just come off a week break post cross country season, so I was feeling a little rusty. Local 5K’s are different from cross country meets, there is such a wide range of ages. Cross country meets are on grass and in the woods, you never know what kind of surface to expect. I enjoy doing local 5K’s and would like to do more during the off-season.”
Dad Jody Crotts said, “Winter Flight 2024 is when we really noticed how Kara had evolved as a runner. We had never watched her warmup before a race. She warmed up under the bleachers at Shuford Stadium, and we were amazed at the combination of grace and strength with her lunges, kicks and stretches. Kara came to compete and it showed. She finished 7th, second female overall, and won her age group.”
As Rowan’s high school female runner of the year, Kara continued, “I bring my competitiveness in other components of my life besides running. I strive to push myself because I want to excel at whatever I am doing. I know that by me doing the absolute bare minimum, I will not carry out my goals. I find myself being competitive in academics and in personal growth. I would describe myself as hardworking and optimistic and am willing to put in the work and always give my best, even when I am not feeling 100%. I approach things with a positive mindset by only worrying about what is in my control, this helps me stay motivated. I’m considering adding cross-training in the future.”
Kara’s immediate goal is to excel in indoor track, where she hopes to advance to the NCHSAA 5A state championships. Kara said, “For the rest of my high school career, I just want to keep progressing and see where it takes me. Running is something I want to pursue throughout my life, and I could definitely see myself running in college.”
Next Saturday, we have SRR’s own Santa Run 5K and Fun Run hosted by the Millbridge Ruritans across from Sloan Park. Bigfoot sightings are common in that area!
Look for the Santa Run and other upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org
