Xiomara Clarke is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Madison Highland Prep for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX— A girl and her family hike up a mountain, the Arizona sun beaming down as the trail grows steeper. While her parents take their time going up the trail, she and her brother keep climbing — fast and steady.

That girl grew up to be Elle Jenkins, a junior cross country runner for Madison Highland Prep, who now trades hiking trails for race trails. This season, Jenkins has led the way with two first-place finishes at the Alhambra Lions Invitational and the USATF AZ Regulation meets.

The dual-sport athlete, who also runs track, is one of the only two girls on the cross country team, yet she often outruns the boys.

“They’re often trying to keep up with her,” coach Megan Martin said.

Jenkins started running in third grade after her dad and brother influenced her from their days as high school distance runners. By sixth grade, she dabbled in running for a club team. 

“Freshman year is when I finally realized that it was the sport for me,” Jenkins said. “That’s when I became super serious about it.”

Martin said Jenkins is a leader on the team because she always pushes herself and her teammates to improve at every race.

“Elle has a great work ethic on the track,” Martin said. “Her wins and fast finishes are motivating to both her and the rest of the team.”

Jenkins said running isn’t about collecting metals or wins. It’s more about pushing herself to learn from the races she struggled in.

Jenkins said she had a personal record in every meet except for the Fountain Hill Invitational on Sept. 13, but she still appreciated the outcome because it gave her the chance to learn how to pace herself better and run faster during meets.

“Last year, I would take those excuses, build them up in my head and ignore the fact that I did struggle, and then the next race, I wouldn’t PR again because I’m not realizing my faults,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said she is more positive before races this year.

“Instead of thinking ‘Don’t stop,’ now I think ‘Don’t slow down,’” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said having this mentality has improved her speed and stamina during races.

Jenkins also said she attributes her success to having her ‘superstitious traditions’, such as wearing the same shorts and ribbon in her hair that she had for her last personal record. She said it’s a way to trick and distract herself rather than overwhelming herself.

Jenkins is 40 seconds off from beating Madison Highland’s record for the 5K. 

“It’s not about beating the person, it’s more about setting a new record for the school and doing it for myself,” Jenkins said.

Chris Jenkins, Elle’s father, said that whenever she is running, she is in a “euphoric state.”

“There were girls literally crying into their parents' arms, and there were girls who were sitting on the ground, or on their hands and knees because they were in so much pain, and Elle had this huge smile on her face.”

Jenkins said she hopes to continue track in college even if she isn’t on a team.

“I have no doubt that she’s going to go to college,” Chris Jenkins said. “She’s probably going to get a bunch of scholarships, either running or academic. I have no worries right now.”