By Catherine Garrett | [email protected]

Unstoppable. That was the theme for the Race Cats Elite team from Draper that took 39 runners to the USATF National Junior Olympics in Paris, Kentucky recently. And, amid freezing temperatures, tornado warnings, hailstorms, 40-mile-per-hour wind, the Utah contingent proved to be just that.

Taylorsville’s Lily Jameson was part of the 11 and 12-year-old girls team that brought home a national championship Dec. 11. 

“We were pulled off the starting line and were soaking wet,” Lily said. “Thirty minutes later, we were back and just had to go with it. It was really slippery and hard to get your footing. But it was sure fun to win.”

Also on the championship team were Maya Bybee, Adria Favero, Hadley Flach, Tatum Flach and Teagan Harris – who earned All-American status – along with Tyana Lake. 

“This did not come easy to them. These girls travel from all over the state of Utah to practice with our team in Draper,” Race Cats head coach Michele Brinkerhoff said. “They practice three to four days a week together and travel from Park City, Salt Lake, Sandy, Taylorsville and Utah County. Some of them even choose to homeschool just so they can run on this team.”

Lily’s older brother Cole, a freshman at Taylorsville High School, finished seventh in the 13 and14-year-old division, earning All-American recognition at this year’s race, his fourth such honor. Their younger brother, Myles – a third grader at Vista Elementary – helped his eight-and-under team to a fifth-place finish with the fastest race he had run the entire season, coming in 28th.

“We dealt with a messy course and the aftermath of the weather and the younger groups already having raced,” Cole Jameson said. “I just tried to not slip.”

Myles said, “Nationals was really cool, but it was really muddy.”

The 11 and 12-year-old boys team took third place with the 13 and 14-year-old girls team placing seventh. Kenneth Briggs, Bethany Mittelstaedt and David Webb also finished their events as All-Americans.

“Every single athlete finished the race, even though some had severe trauma and anxiety from the natural disasters. We are so proud of them. They travel from all over to compete and train together, sacrificing so much to be part of something special. And they are so special and deserve to be recognized for it,” Brinkerhoff said.

Lily, Cole and Myles Jameson, children of Teren and Emily Jameson of Taylorsville, have running in their blood. Teren was a two-time All-American at the University of Utah and Emily (Nay) was a key member of the 1997 national championship team at BYU, earning All-American honors three years during her time in Provo.

Cole has been making his own name in the running world and as he entered the high school ranks this past fall, he battled back from a stress fracture to take second in the Region 2 championships. His finish helped Taylorsville High to the team title.

“Cole was more excited to be part of the region championship team than for his own finish personally,” Emily Jameson said. “He’s been able to really see how the team is more important and that what you do helps others.”

He was the second freshman finisher in the 6A state race, placing 53rd overall, and also took second in the freshman race at the East Bay Region Championship – competing against runners from 12 states – Dec. 4, before he headed to nationals.

“Cole dialed in on what he wanted to do,” Teren Jameson said. “It has to come from the individuals themselves and he had decided himself. It’s fun to see that.”

Lily, a sixth grader at Eisenhower Junior High, said she wants to get better and faster with running so she can achieve personal bests. Ultimately, she wants to be an All-American.

Myles enjoyed his first plane ride on his trip to nationals and is excited to keep pushing himself with running. “I knew it would be good for me to run and now I just try to think, ‘I can keep going,’ to motivate myself,” he said.

Emily Jameson grew up in Montana and ran largely on her own, so her kids are getting a much different experience in their running journeys. “I have loved watching my kids be part of a family of runners,” she said. “They work hard and push each other to compete and the relationships are amazing.”

Teren Jameson, who also helps coach Race Cats, said, “It’s been great for my kids to be able to see that hard work pays off and that improvement encourages them to keep on trying.”