GENESEO — SUNY Geneseo held its 8th Annual Friday Knight 5K on October 17th. Dozens of people participated in this year’s race, but all eyes were on 7-year-old Catherine Staley as she crossed the finish line to enthusiastic cheers.
Posting a time of 22:30, with nearly a 7:15 pace per mile, Catherine finished up the Geneseo Trio, a series of 5k races that began on August 31st and ended Friday night.
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“She loves to run,” said mother Mary Catherine Calabrese, 39. “She does a bunch of activities at St. Agnes School. She’s on the Mercury swim team, and participates in both Irish dance and pony club. I have to bike behind her on her runs ’cause I can’t keep up!”
When asked when she got interested in running, Mary Calabrese, 70, Catherine’s grandmother, said “She just started a couple months ago. She did one race in July, and has done four more since Labor Day.”
Decisively defeating a number of grown men and women in Friday’s race, Catherine shows no signs of slowing down. Upon crossing the finish line, she stopped for a moment, looked around, caught her breath, and started up running again. And if you’re looking for tips on how to get faster, Catherine has got one word of advice for you: “Practice!”
PHOTO CREDIT: Little Catherine Staley during the Knight 5k. (Photo/ Ben Gajewski)