First-year cross country athlete McClain is latest North Coast Section Division 5 standout looking to measure up against the best California has to offer following impressive performances at Ed Sias and Woodbridge

By August Howell for DyeStat

It’s rare to describe a cross country athlete as one of the best in their state before they have yet to run a cross country race.

But that’s exactly what many were doing when they saw the cross country debut of Harper McClain on Sept. 14 at the 35th Ed Sias Invitational in Martinez, Calif.

The junior from St. Helena High in California, a Division 5 school with enrollment 483 near Napa, had no competition in her cross country debut, winning in 11 minutes, 40 seconds on the hilly 2-mile Hidden Valley Park course, 44 seconds ahead of second place and the No. 9 performance in meet history.

McCLAIN INTERVIEW AT ED SIAS | McCLAIN INTERVIEW AT WOODBRIDGE

But at the 39th Woodbridge Cross Country Classic a week later, the 16-year-old talent really did look like one of the state’s best runners.

She finished fourth in the Bob Day girls sweepstakes race, clocking 16:23.9 on the 3-mile course. It wasn’t just the top performance by a Northern California athlete in meet history, it was also the best by a Division 5 performer.

All three girls in front of her – Buchanan CA senior Corie Smith, Desert Vista AZ freshman Lauren Ping and McKinney North TX senior London Culbreath – have been both state champions and Nike Cross Nationals All-Americans during their careers.

“My mind is still blown. After I raced, I couldn’t believe I was actually able to stay with the front pack, and I had that game plan to try to just hang on as long as I could,” McClain said. “I was really excited to cross the finish line and feel great. It still hasn’t completely sunk in, but it will definitely sink in soon, and it’s motivating me to keep working hard and be ready for the next race.”

It’s remarkable that McClain, with her limited cross country experience, has the potential to be one of, if not the best female runner, in Northern California this season, as well as a contender for a Division 5 state title, along with the potential to qualify for the Foot Locker Championships or Nike Cross Nationals.

But who is Harper McClain, and how did she get to this point?

It was a current teammate who first suggested she could try track and field during their freshman year. She brushed it off, thinking he was joking. While she enjoyed running at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, she was all in on soccer, and continued to play club in Santa Rosa during her first two years in high school.

But by the time her sophomore year came around, McClain admitted soccer was not providing her that same feeling running gave her on the casual runs she would take with her father. There was something about the communal inclusivity of running.

“Even people who don’t know you cheer you on,” McClain said. “Times and training are so universal. You don’t need to have the same language to speak with someone in a running group. You just go on a run and enjoy it together.”

It was evident to her new coaches that McClain possessed something special. Not only was she talented, her humble attitude combined with a solid work ethic made for a healthy combination.

But even McClain and her coaches were surprised at how successful she was early on.

At her track debut in March, McClain set school records in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She ran the 1,600 in 5:10.3, finishing 34 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and demolishing the previous record of 5:32.6 set by Jenny West in 1997. Later in the day, she ran the 3,200 in 10:52, breaking West’s other 1997 record of 12:15, and placing 1:43 ahead of the runner-up.

“There were a few records at our school I thought I could break,” McClain recalled. “And I broke them, and I was like, ‘OK, it wasn’t that it was easy, but I felt like I could do more.’”

At the state meet in May, she came in seventh in the 3,200 with a lifetime-best 10:29.68. She followed that up over the summer by winning USATF Junior Olympic national titles in the 15-16 age group in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters in Sacramento.

“I was not thinking I could hold that speed as long as I could,” McClain recalled with a smile. “I was having a lot of internal, ‘I can do this,’ sort of feelings.”

McClain is eager to find that same success in cross country, and she’s used a variety of ways to improve. She has studied runners from the Nike Oregon Project and Bowerman Track Club, noting their tactics as well as their form.

But it was the tight-knit support system of St. Helena that has helped McClain tap into her potential. Chris Cole, a 15-year volunteer coach, wrote many of Harper’s workouts in the spring. He was impressed and surprised by her confidence, exemplified when she took the lead on the first lap of the 3,200-meter state race.

“She’s extremely confident, she never doubted herself, and that’s pretty extraordinary for a first-year track runner,” Cole said.

Bob Cantrall, the school’s sprints coach, helped McClain with side-to-side form.

“I think that’s the most important thing for Harper,” Cole said. “She’s got the metabolism and the ability. To keep working on her form and speed is really what’s going to take her to the next level.”

McClain and her coaches have worked hard to get her into higher-quality meets and more competitive races. But in league races, she’s often out all alone in front, and she’s accustomed to internally motivating herself.

McClain’s next big competition will be Saturday at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento. With her small, but passionate support team, McClain is just getting started.

“I feel like my speed I’ve been working on and the mindset are starting to come together,” said McClain, who received a congratulatory message after Woodbridge from reigning Division 5 state champion and Healdsburg High graduate Gabrielle Peterson, now a freshman at Oregon State.

“It’s great to be able to be able to represent my small school and that small aspect of a small town. You don’t need to have a giant team to help you get to where you need to, and I couldn’t do it without my parents and my coaches and my friends and support group. It’s great to not only be filling the shoes of great runners (like Gabrielle), but also making my own mark for my league and my division and just overall running for girls.”