Beach Nov 2016

Hitting
her
Stride
by Randy Angel
Mira Costa’s Melia Chittenden, center in yellow jersey, maintains her focus on the grueling Palos Verdes cross country course. Photo by Ray Vidal
Mira Costa distance runner Elizabeth Melia Chittenden has her sights set on reaching the podium twice at State meets
One might find it difficult to relate ballet to distance running, but the
correlation has worked for Mira Costa senior Elizabeth Melia Chittenden.
Chittenden, who goes by Melia, has become the latest in a long list of
standout distance runners produced at Mira Costa.
The defending Bay League 3200-meter champion and favorite to win the
cross country crown attributes her success to her ability to focus, a trait she
feels comes from her 10 years as a ballet dancer.
“I began ballet when I was five years old,” Chittenden said. “In ballet,
every little thing has to be perfect. I remember staring in the mirror while
standing on my toes willing myself not to fall. I use that same focus in racing,
fixing my eyes on the shoulder of the girl ahead of me.”
Mira Costa’s girls cross country coach Renee Williams-Smith has seen
many accomplished runners throughout her career that included the former
Mustang being named the Brooks 2014 Inspiring Coach of the Year. Yet she
sees something special in Chittenden.
“She has a laser-like focus when she is racing,” Williams-Smith said. ”She
is able to be ‘in the zone’ like no other athlete that I have coached while
racing.”
Having only run in the Grandview 5K as a kid, Chittenden officially became
a runner during her first year of high school.
“After 10 years of ballet, I wanted to try different things that Mira Costa
had to offer,” Chittenden recalled “I went out for track my freshman year
as a high jumper. We had break for a week before finals and I was looking
for something to do so I asked my biology teacher Roberto Calderon, who
is the track and cross country coach, if I could work out with the girls cross
country team. I soon fell in love with the sport.”
Mira Costa’s girls cross country team is ranked No. 5 in CIF-Southern
Section Division 2 and will begin its quest for a CIF title and qualification
for the State Championship Meet at the CIF Prelims on Saturday, November
12 at Riverside Golf Club. Finals will be held the following Saturday at the
same venue.
“Our cross country team finished 9th in State last year and we want to
improve on that,” said Chittenden, who placed 11th with a time of 18 minutes,
1 second. “I’d like to place in the top five and am hoping to run a 17:30
this year.”
On a 3-mile course, Chittenden owns the state’s 15th fastest time for girls
this season at 16:56.77 with her 2nd-place finish at the Cool Breeze Invitational
on September 3.
The following week, Mira Costa won the Division 2 senior team championship
at the Laguna Hills Invitational.
Chittenden’s strategy is not to take an early lead, saving her energy to
pass runners in the last mile or so.
Winning a Bay League individual championship (finals were held November
3) is among the goals set by Chittenden this season after placing
second to Palos Verdes senior Jacquelyn Smith in 2015.
“Winning the Bay League title would be incredible,” Chittenden said. “I
learned a lot racing against Jacquelyn. This is my senior year and I’ve
worked so hard that a league championship would validate my efforts.”
Her coach is confident in her ability to do so.
36 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • November 10, 2016