Advice And Stories From Aly Welch


Aly Welch of Rochester Century class of 2018

Personal Records:

1600m - 5:14.29

3200m - 11:12.33

4K (xc) - 14:58.60

5K (xc) - 18:32.90

State XC 2017 - 12th

State XC 2016 - 19th

State XC 2015 - 30th

State XC 2014 - 44th

What city were you born in, and what sports did you grow up playing?

I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I grew up alpine ski racing, nordic skiing, playing soccer, going to kids track meets, dancing, and even played a season of softball.

What sports do you play in high school? 

I run XC in the fall, nordic ski in the winter, and run distance track in the spring. I have lettered in both XC and Track four times and in nordic skiing twice.  That is 10 letters so far.

What happened at the Section 1AA Cross Country Meet this year?

The section meet had some tremendous runners this year.  Five out of the top six runners have made it to State in the past. Anna Fenske and Lauren Peterson of Farmington, and Brianne Brewster of Lakeville South took off with a definitive lead and gradually pulled away from each other throughout the entire race to the finish.  After those three there was a group of about 15 runners who stayed together as a pack through the first mile before starting to thin out.

After that point, me and my teammate Helen and Courtney West of Kasson-Mantorville had a small group that stayed together until about 2 miles. After that I tried to catch up with Brianne Brewster, but wasn't able to, so I finished 4th.

Where and how did Helen Li get involved in Century Panthers Cross Country?

Helen is involved in many activities (stem society, model united nations, volunteering, mathletes, ping pong...)  and as a first year xc runner last year, struggled to make xc practice a priority in her busy schedule. As a result she was running JV for much of the season. However, she was able to dedicate more of her time this year and having consistent training and racing varsity has made all the difference in her running. Having a teammate to push me has not only made me a better runner, but has also made practice and racing more fun! 

You won the Big Nine Conference Race this year and your team won over Red Wing and Mankato West. Can you describe that race?

Big 9 was an awesome race for our team. This is the best Century team we have had in years, and bringing home the conference trophy was very rewarding. Plus one of my teammates, Martha Burket, had a huge breakthrough race, breaking her lifetime PR. I am very grateful to my teammates for their support, inspired by their positive attitudes, and proud of all the hard work they put in this season.


You also won the Rochester All-City Championship. Can you describe some of the goings-on there?

Yes, both myself and the team (Varsity and JV) were able to win at all-city. My teammate Ava Nuttall had a big breakthrough race and she has been imperative to our successes this year. Another teammate Kaitlin Miller also had a well deserved break through, finishing in the top 5. All-City is incredibly special because it brings all the runners in Rochester together.

What other races have you won this year?  Where were those and how did they go as far as your strategy and what the competition tried out on you?

I won the Jaguar Invite in Bloomington. It was a new meet for us and I was not sure what the competition would be like, plus we had raced a very hilly hot course 3 days prior, so I set pretty conservative goals for that race. I think I wrote top 20 on my goal sheet. As a team our race strategy has consistently been go out easy and move up.

My teammate Helen and I were probably in 30th place at the beginning, but by the mile mark we had caught the leaders. We eventually took the lead and were in a pack of 3 with Jefferson's Elena Hayday. It came down to the final 400 meter and I was neck in neck with Elena. I leaned at the line and was able to get her by a tenth of a second. Races like this are my favorite because it is thrilling to be pushed up to the last second. This meet was especially fun because our varsity team was also able to pull off the win.

What Rochester Century runners from the past have inspired you as a runner?

I've had the privilege to work with some amazing Century alum who have been volunteer coaches for our team, Jess Christy and Stephanie Murray (a 4x800m relay state champion). Both have inspired me greatly. Having young female role models means a lot to me, and these two have been someone I could come to for advice or just a hug.

I've also been incredibly lucky to have teammates that have been amazing role models for me. Rachel Lovelace was a captain during my 8th grade and freshman years and had a fantastic work ethic that I was able to learn from.

Michael Pfeifer was a senior when I was in 8th grade and was super welcoming and a great training buddy for me. Seth Massot was a runner on the Century boys team during much of my high school career and inspired me greatly. Although I did not know him very well on a personal level, I was able to learn a lot from watching him race. To me, he emulates running with guts and never ever giving up. He demonstrated grit, determination, discipline, and above all being a good teammate.

Give us a description of your training over the years.  Have you changed what you have done from year to year? 

I have increased my mileage pretty significantly over the years. My long runs went from being about 6 miles my 8th grade year to running 12-15 miles my senior year. I have worked hard to improve my speed over the years, focusing on technique and adding speed elements to workouts; running fast when my legs are tired.

What mistakes do you see beginning runners make?  What would you say to them?

I see a lot of female runners getting frustrated and discouraged with themselves as they progress into their career. It's an unfortunate reality that as girls age, their bodies change dramatically. I've seen a lot of talented middle school girls slow down as they age. It saddens me to see them give up or take drastic measures to improve their performance.

I would tell them to read Lauren Fleshman's Dear Younger Me article on MileSplit. It reminds young female runners that running is so much more than just times and prs and that to reach their full potential, they have to let their bodies go through it's changes, even if that means redefining success.


Do you have a favorite workout?

I love long runs, but I also really like 1000m repeats, hills, and 3 x 2 miles on the track. 

Who are your favorite athletes?

My favorite athletes are the women on the US nordic ski team. I admire their dedication to being full time athletes and their ability to overcome the odds. But most of all, I want to emulate the way they train and race; by having fun and not taking yourself too seriously. They dance and sing and laugh, and they have shown the world that they can win championships. In addition they can do it with glitter on their faces and ribbons in their hair!

Do you have any plans for after high school?

I do not have any definitive plans yet, but I am hoping to either run or nordic ski in college. No matter what, running will remain a part of my life.

Who are your cross country coaches?

Joey Keillor - Joey is our head coach who, through a unique style and expertise on all things running, is successful in making us both better runners as well as better people.

Janet Topazian - Janet is one of our assistant coaches. To me she represents our team mom. She cares about all of the girls and brings fun and enthusiasm to the team.

Bobby Miller -  Bobby, another assistant coach, is the numbers guy on the team; mapping out statistics, times, etc. He also runs with us and always pushes us to be our best.

Janet and Bobby promised the JV girls that if they won the Big 9 Conference JV title, Janet and Bobby would dye their hair for the day of sections. The girls won and Janet was running around the section meet with bright pink hair, and Bobby with bright green.

What else are you willing to share with MileSplit?

As a team we find that we are at our best when we don't take ourselves too seriously and have fun. Some stand out moments in our season include dancing to cotton eyed joe after a workout, making a human tunnel for everyone to run through at the end of a long run, and singing songs on our easy days.

I take school seriously and have a 4.0 unweighted GPA, belong to our high school honors society, and have been academic all-state in both track and XC.

I have a lot of favorite running quotes. One is, "Nothing just happens, you always have to strive."

I also want to say a big thank you to my coaches, parents, teammates, friends, teachers, athletic department, and everyone who has supported me other the years.