Photo: Christina Wells at the Sallie Mae 10K

If you have spent any time recently scanning the results of some of the top area road races, you've probably noticed an unfamiliar name appearing toward the top of the results. Recently transplanted Woodbridge, Virginia resident Christina Wells has only been in the area for a few months, but is quickly making her presence known on the local running scene.

Wells, who originally hails from Kentucky, recently moved to the DC area after her husband took a job with the U.S. government. While Wells may be new to the area, she certainly isn't new to elite road racing. Over the last several years, the 29-year-old has been a steady performer in some of the nation's premiere events, including April's U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials held in St. Louis.

"I have been very fortunate with my running," says Wells. "God has opened so many doors for me through running."

After a stellar high school career that saw her capture two Kentucky state cross country titles, Wells took her talents to Western Kentucky University, located in Bowling Green. She had plenty of success in college, won some conference championships, and was even named NCAA Woman of the Year for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Even with all of her success during her college years, Wells was still relatively unknown at the national level.

"I had some injury problems and have really improved since college," says Wells, who started running when she was 11 years old.

She credits much of her post-collegiate success to consistency in training and a love for the roads. Her love for road racing is so strong that you'll be hard pressed to find Wells getting anywhere near a track today. "I am allergic to the track. I have never liked racing or working out on the track and have always felt more comfortable on the roads."

In addition to shying away from the track, Wells also runs less mileage than many elite marathoners. "The highest mileage that I have ever run is about 85 miles per week," says Wells, who is coached by her husband. "Most weeks are between 75 and 80 miles per week."

Before making the trek across the country to her new home in Virginia, Wells dominated the racing in Kentucky, winning many of the state's top road races including Louisville's Triple Crown of races, a series of three races that she won three consecutive years. Wells has solid personal bests of 16:35 in the 5K, 34:50 in the 10K and 2:40:23 in the marathon.

She has also fared well in national championship events. Her recent results have been impressive and show promise for the future. Wells started her 2004 season with a fifteenth place finish (28:45 for the Women's 8K) at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Indianapolis. She preceeded that with a strong sixth place ( 20:57.8 in the women's 6K) finish at the USATF Club Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina in December 2003. Next was a 25th place (2:42:01) finish at the Olympic Trials in April, capped off by a top ten (1:16:40) effort at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota in June.

"I have had some good U.S. champs this year. I gave it my best effort at the Trials. We went out hard and took a risk. I was shooting for the top 20, but was happy with my finish."

While recent performances do bode well for the future, don't expect to see Wells toeing the line anytime soon. She is taking a break from racing, and for good reason.

"I just found out that I am pregnant," says Wells, who plans to continue working part-time at the Woodbridge Park Authority. "It's so exciting. It is something that we were hoping for."

Wells does plan on sticking to a light training regimen during the upcoming months, planning to run every day for as long as she can.

"I need running. I won't race for quite a while, but I would like to continue to run five to six miles a day." Her competitors can also expect to find her returning to racing soon after her pregnancy. She expects to have plenty of motivation after taking a break from competitive racing. "I see myself continuing to race. Pregnancy can be a great motivator. I have a lot of friends who have children and continue to run at a high level."

One of the driving forces that is sure to keep her motivated after her pregnancy will be making a return trip to the Olympic Marathon Trials. After a solid effort this year, she is planning to return in 2008. "One of my main goals is to qualify for the Trials in 2008. I feel like I have to redeem myself this time around," says Wells. "Competing has always been a driving force."