Lea Hatcher Interview

Lea Hatcher is a Freshman distance runner at Morgantown High School in Morgantown, West Virginia. Not to be confused with her older sister Samantha, a 2018 graduate, who was also a successful cross country and track runner while competing for Morgantown High School. After graduating from Morgantown High School, Lea’s sister chose to compete in the Big 12 Conference for Coach Sean Cleary at West Virginia University.

Recently Lea won the Girls 1 Mile Run Championship (Heat 1) at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships on March 10th, 2019 at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City, New York. Hatcher dropped a new PR and US#15/Freshman #1 time of 4:52.23. After combining the two heats, Lea placed 8th overall out of 25 runners, while Ripley’s Victoria Starcher placed 3rd (4:40.63) and Parkersburg’s Madison Trippett placed 9th (4:52.77).

Lea is one of only five West Virginia High school girls to have run a sub-5:00 indoor True Mile. Others to accomplish this feat are Amelia Paladino of University HS, Victoria Starcher of Ripley HS, Madison Trippett of Parkersburg HS, and Lea’s sister, Samantha Hatcher of Morgantown HS.

In the fall, Lea placed 3rd at the West Virginia Class AAA Girls State Cross Country Championships at Cabell Midland High School in Ona (WV), crossing the line in 18:33 and earning her all-state honors.

In the post-season, Hatcher took 105th place in the seeded girls championship race at the Footlocker South Regional Cross Country Championships at McAlpine Greenway Park in Charlotte (NC), crossing the line in 19:25.

Just in her first year of high school Lea has already put together some amazing performances.

Lea Hatcher’s PR’s: 800m (Indoors) - 2:15.71; 1500m (Indoors) – 4:34.71; 1600m (Indoors) – 4:56.79; 1 Mile (Indoors) - 4:52.23; 5000m (XC) – 18:05.83

I recently caught up with her and asked her a few questions about her recent success and history with running.

Coach McMillion - When did you first start running?

Lea Hatcher - I first started running in 3rd grade. My mom got me into an elementary running group called Girls on The Run, and I continued to do that up until 5th grade.

CM - Did you like running from the start?

LH – Yeah! I really enjoyed running because I felt that it came naturally to me and there wasn’t much pressure.

CM - What sports did you participate in as a youngster?

LH - I played soccer up until 6th grade. In Middle School, I ran XC and Track, as well as basketball.

CM - Does anybody else in your family run?

LH – Yes, my mom, dad, and sister run, and my brother plays soccer.

CM - Is there a sibling rivalry between you and Samantha?

LH – No, me and Samantha are very supportive of each other! And we both get very excited when either of us do well in a race or get a new personal record!

CM - Where do you attend high school? Who are your coaches for cross and track?

LH – I attend Morgantown High School. My coach for cross country and track is Mike Ryan.

CM - Do you run for any running clubs in the off-season? If so, for whom and who are your coaches?

LH – Yes, I run for West Virginia Flyers and my coach is Jonathan Wright.

CM - What’s it like training with girls like Tori Starcher, Madison Trippett, Caroline Kirby and Zoe Shetty?

LH – It’s a lot of fun! We’ve all become really close throughout our winter season! It’s really nice being able to work out with them.

CM - As a freshman, you ran the AAA Girls race at the West Virginia Cross Country Championship at Cabell Midland High School in Ona. You went out pretty aggressive from the start, while holding on to fourth for the majority of the race, then you took over the third position after Ripley’s Tori Starcher collapsed. Did you ever imagine running that competitively in you first year of high school cross country?

LH - When I began my first season of high school cross country, my main goal was to make it to states. I was so grateful that everything went well throughout the season and going into states I really wanted to place in the top ten.

CM - Cabell Midland’s awards ceremony is pretty amazing. What was it like for you to get all-state and stand on that podium with all those outstanding runners?

LH – The awards ceremony is definitely something I will never forget, and each of those girls were all deserving of their awards! I was very proud to be standing with them and I hope I will get the opportunity to do that again in the future.

CM - After the regular season, you ran at the Footlocker South Regional at McAlpine Greenway Park in Charlotte, NC. Why did you decide to run in the seeded girl’s championship race?

LH – I decided to run in the seeded race to get a feel for what it was like racing in that environment. I learned many things from that race that I hope will be helpful to me in the future.

CM - How did you feel about your performance in that race?

LH – I wasn’t very happy going home from that race. One of my goals was to at least break 19 minutes in those terrible conditions. When I crossed the line and noticed my time, I was a little bummed but I was still satisfied with my first high school cross country season.

CM - Was there in regrets for not running in the freshman girls race?

LH – I was a little hesitant to run in the championship race because I thought I could’ve placed higher in the freshman race. Overall, I think it was a better experience for me to run the seeded race.

CM - Did you take any time off after the Footlocker South Regional? If so, what was it like getting back to training?

LH – I took the following week of footlocker very easy, but I only took 2 full days off. I didn’t start working out again until indoor, and it was a little tough to get back into rhythm.

CM - You started off your indoor track season by running a 4:53.73 1600m at the MileSplit/Spire Scholastic Showcase in Geneva, Ohio, which ultimately got you a qualifying standard for NBNI. Did you think you would be running these kind of times this early in your career?

LH - No, I never thought that I would have gotten these times so early, but I’m very grateful and my coaches have all been very helpful and supportive.

CM - At the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship at the Armory Track in New York, you ran in the first heat of the Girls 1 Mile Championship. Did you have a time goal for that race?

LH – I told both my indoor and outdoor coaches that my main goal was to PR and possibly win my heat.

CM - Were there any nerves before the race? If so, how did you manage them?

LH – Anyone that knows me knows that I do not handle pressure well, ha-ha! I get very anxious even if the race is a few days away. I often try to just be alone and listen to music. I also like talking to my sister Samantha because she also has experience with these national races.

CM - Were you content in running in the first heat or would you have rather ran with Starcher and Trippett in the second heat?

LH – I had told my indoor coach that I was disappointed that I wasn’t in the second heat leading up to the race, but I learned that being in the 1st heat just gave me a chance to get a feel for NBNI and I think it was a good fit for me.

CM - What was yours and your coaches plan for the race? Where you going for the win?

LH – I had talked with my coaches for a while leading up to this race because the nerves were building up. They both thought that I had a good chance of winning my heat which made me excited, but I still had some doubts because I was ranked 4th for my heat.

CM - When your name and time was announced after winning your heat. What was going through your mind?

LH – I heard my time announced and I was so elated! I knew that I had won my heat but I was unaware that I had ran a PR until they had said my time!

CM - What did it mean to you to be able to compete at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship?

LH - When I had qualified for NBNI I was so excited because it gave me the chance to compete with the best.

CM - Just a few more questions. Which season do you like best - cross country, indoor track or outdoor track?

LH – I enjoy outdoor track the most, but my first indoor season was very enjoyable.

CM - Do you have a favorite runner you look up to? If so, who?

LH – I look up to runners like Emma Coburn and Jenny Simpson. I also look up to Katelyn Tuohy because of all of her accomplishments at such a young age.

CM - What is your favorite workout?

LH – I love fast paced workouts like 400m repeats and 8 x 800’s.

CM - Who do you credit your success to?

LH – I credit my success to my family because they really support me. I also give a lot of credit to my coaches both cross country and track and my indoor coach. I also am very thankful for the fundamentals I learned in middle school with my coach Desiree Poach.

CM - How do you stay focused and grounded?

LH - Being the youngest of three kids, I learned a lot from my older siblings. Through my family’s love and support they are able to help me set realistic goals and encourage me to do my best. I also feel that I am able to trust in my training and know that the outcome depends on how much work I’m willing to put in.

CM – Lastly, what are your goals for this upcoming outdoor track season?

LH – I would love to break 4:50 in the mile and break 2:10 in the 800m. I would also like to work towards a team state title and focus on my individual events.

CM - Thanks for your time Lea. On behalf of RunWV I want to wish you continued success!

LH - Thanks again for interviewing me! I really appreciate your time!

Submitted by Coach McMillion (03/13/19)