Alexa Efraimson Q&A: Five Years Since Historic NXN Win

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Five years ago this weekend, Alexa Efraimson of Camas WA used a late push to beat Elise Cranny (Niwot CO) and two-time defending champion Sarah Baxter (Simi Valley CA) in one of the best girls prep distance races in history. 

It was 2013. The last Nike Cross Nationals at Portland Meadows horse racing track. It was a frigid morning with hard, frozen ground. Minnesota weather. The Wayzata MN girls upset the Fayetteville-Manlius NY girls. The Gig Harbor WA boys won, as did North Central WA's Kai Wilmot. 

But the girls individual race was the top draw. 

In Colorado, Cranny had destroyed course records and appeared unbeatable. In California, Baxter was a phenom and it became a thing to try to time your race day selfie as she went cruising by in the background. In Washington, Efraimson was on a trajectory that would take her to a professional contract within a year. 

Earlier this fall, Efraimson reflected on her breakthrough win at NXN. 

Q: What do you remember about the lead up to the NXN final?

Alexa: I think, honestly, my parents and coach (Mike) Hickey did a really good job of making sure I didn't read too much of that (hype). There was a video where they were arguing if I was going to win or Sarah Baxter was going to win. My parents showed it to me after the race. I think if I would have saw that I might have started to overthink it. I was just focused on how we had trained and not on the other girls as much.

Q: What do you remember about the season you had leading up to it?

Alexa: I remember (at Pre-Nationals) running on the homestretch and it was so windy I felt like I was running backwards. The biggest meet leading up that year, for me, was the Bill Dellinger Invitational. (She raced a college field and beat NCAA 10K track champion Emma Bates of Boise State). I remember running BorderClash that year and it was held at night.  I remember (at NXR Northwest) Makena Morley was really, really close to me the entire race. We were neck and neck and she was even ahead of me for a while.

Q:  How did you approach NXN? Was it fun or all business?

Alexa:  My freshman year at NXN, Katie Knight (of North Central WA) told me she would do puff paint T-shirts for all of the Northwest individuals. I decided my junior year that it was my turn to do that. (The shirts) were for the dance after the race. I made puff paint shirts for all five (NW individuals) and gave them to them. That was my lead up. I was going to be relaxed and have fun and at the same time I was like, I'm going to enjoy this weekend but at the same time I know it's a race, so I'm going to be focused going into it and celebrate after.

Q: What do you remember of the race itself? You and Cranny and Baxter ran together the whole way.

Alexa: In the second and third mile, I'd fall back a few feet and then catch up again, so I was playing that game. I was just hanging on. With 200 meters to go, Elise had pulled forward and Sarah had pulled forward. I remember I had all my Camas teammates there cheering me on, a bunch of family members, Hickey was coaching me through the entire race. People had been saying 'You have this kick.' So I thought, you know you have this kick, might as well use it. And I just went. I didn't want to have any regrets. 

Q: What did that victory mean to you in your running career?

Alexa: I think it was one of the first big steps of confidence for myself. It was my first big national championship. I had won juniors and youth (national titles) in the years prior. But this was my first big cross country championship and it gave me confidence, not only in long distance, but being able to take the lead and win.