Simply a natural
PITTSBURGH — Born into a running family, one thing can be said about Mars Area Elementary School fourth-grader Ellie Spaulding when she hits the pavement.
She’s a natural.
Ellie, 10, competed in the Pittsburgh UPMC 5k as part of the Pittsburgh Marathon weekend and completed the course in 20 minutes, 49 seconds. That was good enough for second in the girls 10-14 age group and eighth overall among female runners.
The only girl in the 10-14 age group to beat her was Camryn Bruno of Oakdale, who took seventh overall in 20:42.
“There were thousands (2,559) in the women’s division and Ellie was right there the entire time,” her father, Dan Spaulding, said. “She’s always been able to run at a good pace.”
Dan Spaulding finished among the top 20 overall in the race. He said a family member runs close to Ellie during the race. His wife, Callie, is a long-time runner as well.
“We’re not going to let our 10-year-old run through the streets of Pittsburgh by herself,” he said. “We had our eyes on her.”
Ellie’s running ability at such a young age is opening a lot of eyes.
She plays basketball and soccer as well, but insists running is her favorite sport. She does not anticipate leaving that sport anytime soon.
“I like running with my family,” Ellie said. “I run maybe 10 miles a week or so. I like trying to place as high as I can in these races.”
Ellie’s first-ever race was in Salt Lake City. She was 6 years old and the family was visiting there. Her father was doing a 5k and she wanted to run.
“I was a little hesitant about letting her do it,” Spaulding admitted. “The air is different there and I wasn’t sure how she’d handle it.”
Ellie handled things just fine, finishing among the top six in the 11-under age group. She was running against girls five years older than herself.
“I love running against my own time, trying to beat my time,” Ellie said. “The faster I run, the better I like it.”
A prime example of that was the Kiski Valley Turkey Trot last November. Ellie completed her first mile in seven minutes, five seconds.
“At that race, she realized she could break seven minutes,” Spaulding said. “She woke up a couple of days later, we went out running and she ran a mile in 6:40. When she’s determined, she does it. Ellie is very competitive.”
Her mother competed in cross country while in school. Her father was a runner at Grove City College and was a 12-time conference champion.
Dan and Callie Spaulding both coach the Kids of Steel running program in Adams Township. They’ve been involved with that program since 2019. Callie is the head coach.
“The program had about 30 kids when it started in 2015,” Dan Spaulding said. “We have 250 kids in it now, kindergarten through sixth grade. Ellie’s been part of that program. It’s not necessarily about breeding runners, but it does help keep kids strong and in shape.”
Ellie likes the competitive and health sides of running.
“Running helps me relax,” she said. “As long as it’s fun, I’ll keep doing it.”
