Photo by Victah

One of the most talented young female runners in the U.S. is 16- year-old Aurora Scott of Chesapeake. Although she has been an age group star for years, this fall she blossomed into a national-class force, starting with a 1:18:15 at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Sept. 3 in Virginia Beach (and the title of top Hampton Roads female runner), continuing through a few cross country meets, superlative performances at two Colonial Road Runners races in Williamsburg, a 17:16 at the William and Mary Homecoming Run 5K Oct. 28, and an all-time CRR mark of 16:37 at the Governor's Land 5K Run for the Brain Nov. 18, one week before running the fastest qualifying time in the nation, a record 16:25 that won the South Region Footlocker Cross Country Championships. Her year culminated with a second-place finish in the national high school championships Dec. 9 at Balboa Park in San Diego.

At the Footlocker South Region, Scott, a high school junior, won a close battle, 16:25 to 16:32, over sophomore Kathy Kroeger of Franklin, TN at the McAlpine Greenway course in Charlotte, NC. Far back in third was Emilie Amaro of Cooper City, FL (17:15). Scott was the only Virginia girl to qualify (the top 10 in each of four regions made the nationals). Although each cross-country course is different, Scott and Kroeger were the only two girls in the nation to go under 17 minutes in qualifying, so both were considered among the favorites to win the national title, along with the defending champion, sophomore Jordan Hasay of California. The Footlocker record on the Balboa Park course is 16:39 by Melody Fairchild in 1990.

At the Footlocker national championships, Scott and Kroeger proved their regional times were no fluke, as the two pulled away from the pack of the 40 best high school runners in the U.S. after two miles. Kroeger won in 17:29, with Scott runner- up in 17:36. There was a huge 20-second gap to the next runner, Midwest Region winner Emily Sisson of Omaha, NE, third in 17:56. Only one other runner was under 18 minutes, and defending champion Hasay was 10th in 18:14, the fourth straight year the defending champion didn't win. The weather was sunny and dry, with temperatures in the mid-60s.

Scott tuned up for the two cross-country meets by running an historic race at the fifth annual Governor's Land 5K in Williamsburg. For the first time in the 14 years of Colonial Road Runners road races, a female was the first runner across the finish line. There were a total of 245 finishers in the 5K run/walk.

What she did Nov.18 on the flat, fast, and certified Governor's Land course was amazing. She went through the first mile in 5:17 with the 2006 CRR men's overall Grand Prix champion Steve Chantry (51) of Williamsburg. Whereas Chantry dropped off his hoped-for Virginia state men's 50-54 age-group-record pace (16:29 by Chuck Moeser of Sterling), Scott maintained her pace, and pulled away from Chantry for an 18-second winning margin, 16:37 to 16:55. Her time won the women's overall title by more than three minutes over Pamela Lovett (44) of Newport News (19:45) and Valerie Plyler (47) of Yorktown (19:47).

Scott's 16:37 broke the U.S. single-age-16 record of 16:45 by Molly Huddle at the Chris Thater Memorial 5K (Elmira, NY) in Aug. 2001. It also broke the all-time CRR women's 5K record of 16:42 by former William and Mary standout Sonja Friend-Uhl (32) of West Palm Beach, FL (a two-time Olympic Trials participant) at the 2003 W&M Homecoming Run 5K. Scott's time also broke her own all-time CRR mark for the women's 15-19 age group; the previous best was her 17:16 at this year's W&M Homecoming Run three weeks earlier. It also broke the Governor's Land course record of 17:33 by Lori Robertson (33) of Fort Lee in 1994, and the Governor's Land 15-19 age group record of 17:53 in 2002 by another former W&M runner, Nadia Baadj (19), of Williamsburg.

Finally, Scott came within just one second of the Virginia state record for women 15-19, a record held by a Kenyan runner based in Chapel Hill, NC, Lyneth Chepkurui (17), who ran a 16:36 at a 5K race Thanksgiving Day 2005. Virginia state records are currently all-comers records, not just for Virginia or U.S. residents.

Although not a race record, Scott's time at W&M Homecoming was the second fastest individual and third fastest, time in race history. Only Friend-Uhl (17:03 in 2002 and 16:42 in 2003) has run faster. Scott's time was also two seconds faster than the 17:18 current W&M women's cross-country and track coach Kathy Newberry ran in 2000.

Besides Governor's Land and W&M in 2006, Scott had run two previous CRR races, an 18:35 at age 12 at the 2002 5K Run for Mental Health, and an all-time CRR women's 14-and-under record 18:11 at the 2003 Queens Lake 5K. No other 14-and-under female has run under 20 minutes in a CRR race.

Three female runners had previously placed second overall in CRR races, but Scott is the first to win a race outright. Newberry (27) of Williamsburg (a Lake Braddock High grad), herself an Olympic Trials participant (2004 in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters), was second in 17:11 last August at the Estuary Days 5K at York River State Park. The other was Alison Holinka (22) of Williamsburg, who was second at the 2001 New Quarter Park 6K. Holinka, now of Elkin, NC, qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon Nov. 12 at the Outer Banks Marathon with a North Carolina state record 2:44:13, winning the race. The third was Scott herself at W&M Homecoming, where she was the second runner across the line, but 2 1/2 minutes ahead of the next female.

So to have a 16-year-old run times comparable or superior to national-class runners like Friend-Uhl, Newberry, and Holinka, and international talent like Chepkurui, shows a potential that could take her to the Olympics, or at least the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Scott had already broken 17 minutes for the 5K (a 16:55 at the 2005 Norfolk Jingle Bell Jog 5K, as well as at the Norfolk YMCA 5K). Mostly home schooled, in her one year at public school (a freshman at Western Branch High in Chesapeake) two years ago, she placed second in the Virginia AAA cross-country championship (to Melissa Dewey of Hayfield High). The following spring she won state titles in outdoor track at both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She was ninth in the Footlocker national high school cross-country championships in 2005 in San Diego, her sophomore year, after placing 27th her freshman year. At the South region, she was 7th her freshman year and 3rd last year (in 17:15). She will turn 17 in early January, and is 5' 2". Her sophomore year was a combination of home school and a private school (Oaktree Academy in Chesapeake).

She has run a PR 4:48 mile in practice. At the Nike Outdoor National meet in 2005, she was first in the frosh race in 4:52. Her 1,500-meter best is 4:32 and she's run a 9:44 for 3,000 meters, both at the USATF Junior Olympics in 2005.

There were more than 20,000 runners entered in the sixth annual Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. Among the 16,170 official finishers were the top three Hampton Roads runners, Scott of Portsmouth (1:18:15 as part of her basic training and distance base), 2006 Shamrock Marathon winner Renee High of Virginia Beach (1:21:04), and Kelley Taylor of Virginia Beach (1:22:43). While it was her first Rock 'n' Roll, Scott had completed marathons at Richmond and Shamrock, including a 3:03 in 2003. Although none in recent years, she would like to be one of the top Americans at Boston some year.

Her training includes a lot of cross training (swimming and biking, but no triathlons yet, elliptical trainer, stationary bike, and stair stepping). Her weekly running mileage is no more than 40 to 45 miles per week, modest for a national-class high school runner, and she regularly uses a heart-rate monitor. The whole family runs, including 21-year-old brother Justin, mother Ozella, and father Spencer, an architect.