When Alyana (aka Lanie) Szuch toes the line to defend her title at the 5K trail race on June 9, she鈥檒l face more than the usual scrutiny. Szuch is 13. The trail running phenom鈥檚 victory wasn鈥檛 beginner鈥檚 luck: Szuch was third woman in the 10K at last year鈥檚 games, the second woman at the 2015 Xterra National Championship half marathon last September, and seventh at the U.S. Mountain Running Championships in 2015, when she was only 11.
Szuch lives and runs with her parents (both former Ironman and ultra-endurance athletes) and her 15-year-old brother, Colin, an accomplished high school runner, and her four-year-old sister. She started running when she was 鈥渟ix or seven,鈥 on the trails right out the back door of the family鈥檚 house in Evergreen, Colorado. In addition to trail running, Szuch runs track for the , in Golden, Colorado; competes on local Nordic ski, swimming, and mountain biking teams; and has already begun taking college classes.
You鈥檇 think Szuch would be a ball of nerves, but the seventh-grader is freakishly low-key, proving that the secret to her success is as much mental as it is physical. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 let the pressure get to me. It doesn鈥檛 matter your age or who you鈥檙e chasing. You just have to do as well as you can.鈥
OUTSIDE: What was it like to win the women鈥檚 race at the Mountain Games 5K trail race last year? Were you surprised?
LANIE SZUCH: I didn鈥檛 have an expectation, so I was kind of surprised. I kind of just ran my own race and it came along. I didn鈥檛 really know who was there and what competition was like.
How are you feeling going back to defend your title in the 5K?
It鈥檚 exciting. I鈥檓 doing some trail runs, and I鈥檓 also training for the [June 3 in Mount Cranmore, New Hampshire].
How many miles do you run a week?
I鈥檓 not sure. Sometimes I just go out and run around Elk Meadow, three to six miles-ish. I also do hill repeats. I also run , which is mostly climbing, not too steep. And there鈥檚 the Lower Loop, which is rolling hills. I think your body tells you how far you鈥檝e gone and how hard you鈥檝e pushed it.
Do you push every time?
Yeah, I try to.
Do you run alone?
I usually run with my family鈥攚ith Mom, Dad, and my brother. We usually run our own speeds, except me and my brother, who are usually running and chasing each other.
Do you ever get sick of running? Is there ever a day when you don鈥檛 feel like going out?
Oh, no. I try to run every day, but some days I can鈥檛 because of other things or schoolwork.
What are your goals for running?
I want to get a full-ride scholarship. I want to make the . I just kind of want to go as far as I can鈥攖he Olympics, anything I can get my hands on.
What鈥檚 your favorite distance on the trails?
I like the 10K.
Do you have any plans to increase that?
I鈥檝e run trail half marathons in the past. I got second at the Xterra Trail National Championships last year. But for now, I鈥檓 going to stick with the shorter distance.
Is that because you鈥檙e still growing?
Yes.
Have you been injured?
No. Well, last season, I took a bit of time off. I think the half marathon was a little too much volume for me. A couple joints were feeling off.
How do you balance running with school, friends, and life?
My schedule is pretty balanced. I try to exercise in morning because it makes me feel good, and also after school. If I take a little time out of electives in the morning, I can get up at 6:00. I鈥檓 usually hitching a ride to the rec center with my mom on her way to work. I鈥檓 usually on the treadmill, and I also swim for cross-training. I try to get in a 45-minute running workout in the morning and a 45-minute swim.
Do you have a smartphone?
No. It鈥檚 my choice, actually. I don鈥檛 want to be addicted to something. It takes up your time. It鈥檚 just kind of a waste when there鈥檚 so much to do. I鈥檓 not really into social media.
What do you do to take a break from running?
I never really want to take a break from running. Usually if I do take a break, I don鈥檛 feel as fresh. I don鈥檛 sleep as well. If I鈥檓 in a bad mood, I go for a long run and feel so much better.
Do you get nervous when you compete?
I focus right before a race, but usually I try not to worry too much about my food or plans, because you stay more relaxed if you don鈥檛 think about it.
Do you get upset if you have a bad race?
It can be a little frustrating, but you need a bad race once in a while. It makes me more dedicated and ready to train for the next one.
Do you have any advice for younger kids who want to get into running?
Dream big and put yourself out there. Go as far as you can go. Never limit yourself. You鈥檝e just got to live life to the fullest.
Thanks so much! Can you put your mom on the phone?
Sure. Mom鈥!
OUTSIDE: Well, it sounds like she has a healthy attitude!
CAROLINE SZUCH: She鈥檚 a pretty mature kid and really in tune with her body. We try to just let her be in the driver鈥檚 seat and hold her back because we don鈥檛 want her to do too much too soon. She hasn鈥檛 really run more than 15 miles a week. She鈥檚 incredibly driven in sports, school, and her art.
What鈥檚 your secret?
We鈥檙e just a bunch of nerds. We鈥檙e voracious readers. We don鈥檛 do anything on the computer other than school projects. We just try and go out and push as hard as we can together as a family. We try to eat clean. We鈥檙e very simple people.
You鈥檙e also a competitive athlete. How does it feel to be chasing Lanie?
Unfortunately, it came sooner than when I thought it would! I鈥檓 a 3:07 marathoner, but I swear to God, she was seven years old when she started passing me. And that was when I was at my prime, racing [Trail 100].
If she and Colin were to stop racing, would that bother you?
No, not at all. It鈥檚 their life. They need to figure out what works for them. We just want them to be active outside in nature and be able to use their sport as a tool to go to when life gets hard.
Do you get any flak about Lanie鈥檚 running?
Oh yeah, people think that for our daughter to be doing as well as she is against pro women, we must be behind it. People who watch Lanie run say they feel so sorry for her. Don鈥檛 feel sorry for her! She鈥檚 loving her life. There are so many kids on the opposite end, sitting on phones up to 20 hours a week and eating food they shouldn鈥檛 be eating. People don鈥檛 see that as bad, but they see us running an hour and a half and raise their eyebrows. That鈥檚 another reason to stay off social media. There鈥檚 a lot of jealous people. Of course, there are just as many who are super supportive.
The whole racing thing can be kind of destructive, like playing with fire. I tell Lanie, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to tank, and you鈥檙e going to have to figure out how to work yourself out of it. You have to remove yourself from the game of being better than other people. You are going to have periods when you鈥檙e not going to be good. That鈥檚 part of the process.鈥