On the right track

Stepping up to the line on that bright red track that is so hot to the touch is more thrilling than one can imagine. As you look around at the other racers that you hope to outrun, you try to ignore the fact that everybody in the crowd is watching. It can feel like forever before the loud snap sound goes off to tell you that you can take off. When it does, you’re sure to run for your dear life.

A race can be won by less than a second, so every step you take matters. When you meet the finish line, it can be the best, or the worst feeling ever. If you lose, a wave of disappointment flows over you. But winning is a different story.

One student who seems to be winning many track events for Wenatchee High School is freshman Skylar Walton. Coming into the 2015-16 track season, she already ran a faster 100-meter dash, with a time of 12.16 seconds, than the former WHS student who set the record. Getting to where Walton is today was definitely not an easy journey and there were many obstacles she had to overcome.

Walton began running her fifth grade year.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be something big,” said Walton. “And after my very first race, I knew track was going going to be just that.” Running gives her an indescribable feeling that she fell in love with.

Also Walton made the WHS varsity basketball team as a freshman, but she would rather go further in her track career. And she believes she can. She plans to continue to do track even after high school, but is unsure of exactly where. But first she had to overcome the many injuries she has had to deal with.

Over the last couple years, Walton has dealt with a hip deficiency that has definitely held her back. Even though she is struggling, she is doing everything she possibly can to heal so that she can get back to racing. Walton has been attending weekly physical therapy and chiropractic appointments to strengthen her hip. But currently, her biggest struggle in the injury department is a strain on her right hamstring which she is also doing treatment to heal as soon as she can.

During the summer of 2015, Walton attended a National meet in Florida. This was a huge breakthrough for her. Being able to compare her speed to other people her age around the country was an experience she will never forget. She went there with no support but her mother so she was able to focus on her own skills and learn as much as possible from her surroundings.

At this national competition, she learned how important it was to hydrate. Before her first race, she found herself dripping sweat in the 90 degree weather. Due to the small amount of water she drank earlier in the day, she stumbled and tripped at the end of the race. She now knows how crucial water is to intense runners.

Track is more than just a sport to Walton. She expressed that it is a sport where you want to win, but that it is so much more than that. At the end of the day, track is all about the runner and the clock, and that is what she finds so fascinating about the sport.

“Running is not about being better than someone else,” said Walton. “It’s about being better than yourself.”