For 8th grader Annie Rolf, running is her joy. Annie recently broke the school 5K record held by Maria Laudenbach in 2019 with a time of 19.41.6, as an eighth grader.
“She talks about running all the time, ” said Weston Rolf, her brother and training partner. “That’s the joy of her life and I don’t know what she’d do without it.”
The love for cross country runs in the family, Annie’s mom ran cross country in highschool and her older brothers run cross country for the Saints and helped train her.
“My brother – he trained me the entire summer and my other brother also helped me train,” said Annie.
If you’re a resident of Oak Grove, odds are you’ve seen her run through your neighborhood.
“I have about two workouts a week,” Annie said. “A long run and two easy runs and an off day.”
Annie’s work ethic for an eighth grader is off the charts. She runs a minimum of four miles a day. On a more strenuous day she will run eight miles.
Annie has trained all summer for this, running six days a week to prepare for this upcoming season.
Described as a fierce competitor, Annie pushes her teammates to be the best they can be.
A much tougher goal this year is for her to run under a 19 minute mile and qualify for the state cross country meet. She’s well on her way. Several weeks after breaking Laudenbach’s record, she broke her own record.
