: Megan Beauchene
Year: Junior
School: Kamiakin High School
Location: Kennewick, WA
800m PR: 2:12.99
Mile PR: 4:53.19
Megan Beauchene has kept her hot streak alive following a 4:53.19 runner-up mile performance at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California earlier this month. At Arcadia, her first outing in a national-level event, Beauchene led the field onto the homestretch only to be overtaken by victorious Shea Martinez of Utah. Since then, Beauchene, a junior at Kamiakin High, has run a winning 800m (2:15.55) and runner-up mile (4:54.71) at the Pasco Invitational, captured a 2:16.23/4:56.51 double in a league meet and, most recently, won the 800m in 2:14.30 at the Hermiston Invitational while also anchoring the Braves’ distance medley relay in a 5-flat 1600. Like many successful distance runners, she got her start on the soccer field.
Arcadia mile: “My approach,” said Beauchene, “was to try to hang onto the front as long as I could, make a move when I felt it was right — and make it big.” She bolted ahead with 350 meters to go, gapping the field, but Martinez ran her down in the last 50. “I try to learn from every race,” said Beauchene. “I think I made my move a little too early.”
Season goals: Beauchene is training to run a 2:10 800m and sub-4:50 mile. She will contest both events in the state finals May 23–25 in Tacoma, as well as run a leg on the Kamiakin 4 x 400 relay. After that, she hopes to run the mile at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., in June.
Cake can wait: Beauchene turns 17 on Friday. Sorry, no birthday cake, yet. Her team will be traveling to a meet in Seattle on Friday and competing on Saturday. After the meet, cake is allowed on the menu.
Prescient coach: Kamiakin track coach Matt Rexus can’t say enough about Beauchene’s progress, work ethic and humility. Beauchene, in turn, can’t say enough about Rexus’ ability to predict her times, including splits. “If I have a big race coming up, he’ll put these times in my head early on,” said Beauchene. “It’s almost creepy that he’s always right.”
Distance heritage: For decades, going back to Gerry Lindgren, Washington has been known for its premier distance running, mostly on the men’s side. In recent years, young women have joined the spotlight. Currently, seniors Amy-Eloise Neale (Glacier Peak) and Katie Knight (North Central) and sophomore Alexa Efraimson (Camas) are national stars. “It’s a privilege to have such great competition in my own backyard,” said Beauchene. “I’m starting to realize that I can run with these girls.”
Soccer start: Following the path of many top runners, Beauchene began playing soccer at age 5. She progressed to a year-round travel team, showing peerless endurance in matches. She continued with the travel team while running track at Kamiakin until last fall, when she quit soccer and started cross country. By that time, she had logged more mileage and felt ready to contest the 5K. She also felt she had more of a future in running.
Summer mileage: To prepare for her first cross country season, Beauchene ran every day last summer, often twice a day, reaching 50 miles a week. She also attended the Flathead running camp in northern Montana, where the director, Pat Tyson, the legendary Spokane high school coach now at Gonzaga University, gave Beauchene that much more confidence for the fall season. Beauchene went on to place fourth in the state cross country 3A race.
Current workouts: One of Beauchene’s favorite workouts is 10 x 300m with a 100-meter jog in between. She does the first nine reps in 50 seconds each and belts out the last one in 45. “This gives me confidence in my kick,” she said. For distance, when there’s no meet on a Saturday, Beauchene runs 10 miles on the roads, aiming for seven-minute pace.
Sub-5:00 promise: Beauchene ran track at her middle school where Rexus is a science teacher. She clocked a 5:28 1600m in seventh grade and 5:20 in eighth grade. Once a Kamiakin freshman, Beauchene was told by Rexus that she could break 5:00 in the 1600m. She didn’t believe him. She went into the state meet with a season’s best of 5:22. At state Beauchene slashed her time by 22 seconds with a 4:59.21 for fourth place.
Fast genes: Beauchene’s mother was a high school sprinter and hurdler in Wisconsin. Beauchene expected to be a hurdler in middle school but “fell in love with distance” and that was that.
Hoop screams: Beauchene is 5-foot-9 and 130 pounds. Always the tallest girl around, she was talked into playing basketball as a youngster. “I played one year and hated it,” she said.
Picture perfect: Beauchene usually packs a camera in her meet bag. She enjoys photography and has become pretty good at it. In addition to taking running pictures, she takes photos of senior friends that are used in the school yearbook.
Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.
