The Road to State: Kailey Eddy

It has been a year of redemption for sophomore Kailey Eddy.   After missing all but the first two races of last season Eddy was determined to make up for lost time.  She came back strong last spring running personal bests over the mile and two mile but still felt she had something to prove this year.  

Eddy has been the Warriors top runner for much of the season including the CCS Championship Saturday where her time of 19:19 was good enough for seventh place, earning All-CCS honors.  She led an impressive Warrior Squad that has the greatest depth of any team to come through Valley Christian.  Despite an impressive end to the season the sophomore feels she has more to prove. 

“I am going to put everything I have into State,” Eddy said. 

As motivated as she was to do well as an individual, it was making it as team what mattered most.  “It means everything that we made it as a team to the State Championship,” she said.  “My motivation all season was to run my best at CCS so my team could make it.”

Kailey came into the season prepared and fit following a terrific summer.  She was the top runner in the team time trial to kick off the season and ran impressively in early season meets.  But the season was not all smooth sailing.  In the first WCAL meet of the year she was running along side teammate Jessica Xu when just past the mile Eddy went down.  It appeared her season was in jeopardy as she was carted off in an ambulance unable to put any weight on her hip.  It was in that moment that the team came together and asked for God’s healing. 

“What happened to me at that first WCAL was very scary and my team surrounded me with love. It made me feel very blessed for having them and their prayers.” Eddy said.  “Their prayers I think are the main reason I healed miraculously. It made me feel that God has a plan for me through running.”

What followed was nothing short of a miracle.  Eddy was sidelined that following week but was feeling better and itching to get back training with her team.  She felt better but the coaches took a steady progression back easing back into training cautiously.  Just 10 days later she was feeling good without any pain and ran perhaps her most impressive race this season running 19:05 over the 5k Woodward Park course at the Clovis Invitational.

Kailey Eddy has one speed: Go.  It is the kind of love-hate relationship you have as a coach.  While the coaches love the aggressive running style and work ethic it is also the kind of risky style where you have some amazing breakthroughs but also can have disastrous consequences.

Kailey Eddy is the kind of runner willing to take the risks to be great. 

“I want to run competitively as long as I possibly can!  I love running way too much to ever stop.” 

Kailey Eddy will run in her first State Championship along with her teammates at Woodward Park on November 30.