AURORA — When Brie Oakley joined the Grandview cross country team a year ago and wanted to run in the prestigious Liberty Bell Invitational, coach Allyson Robbins thought it wouldn’t be right to let her run with the varsity because she had participated in only a couple of practices. Robbins let her run in the open race instead, and Oakley won it by more than a minute.
“A lot of the other coaches weren’t happy with us,” Robbins recalled with amusement last week, “because the lead biker got so far in front of everybody, the other girls didn’t know where they were going.”
Robbins wasn’t surprised how well Oakley ran in her first cross country race (18 minutes, 36 seconds for 5 kilometers) despite her lack of training. Oakley had 12 years of soccer behind her, and her talent was apparent.
“That first week of practice, she was up with all of our boys,” Robbins said, “so we knew she was going to be our top runner last year.”
Now Oakley is one of the top runners in the nation. She broke the Liberty Bell record this month in 16:44, the best high school time in the nation this year. Eight days later she went to California and ran the nation’s fastest 3-mile time (15:54).
It’s a lot to absorb for a shy 17-year-old who has been a competitive runner for just over a year.
“I guess it hasn’t really processed in my mind,” Oakley said. “I’m not really thinking, ‘Wow, I’m the fastest 5K and 3-mile time in the nation.’ I’m like, ‘Well, that’s amazing but I’m still going to work hard because there is still more left.’ ”
At the state cross country championships last year, Oakley nearly beat three-time Class 5A champion Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins, finishing less than two seconds behind her.
“I didn’t really have many expectations of myself,” Oakley said. “I was just like, ‘I’m going to do my best.’ I knew about Lauren. Throughout the race I just thought, ‘I just want to stay with her and keep her in sight. She was obviously gapping me, but I was like, ‘Well, it’ll still be great if I finish second.’
“Going into the stadium and seeing her, she was obviously tired, kind of jogging. I was like, ‘Well, maybe I can catch her,’ because everyone was going crazy in the crowd. I started sprinting and I almost caught her at the end. If there had been a couple more feet, I know I would have caught her. That really opened up my eyes and made me realize what I’m capable of.”
Gregory finished second to Oakley at Liberty Bell two weeks ago in 16:52, which is the nation’s No. 2 time. That they are 1-2 nationally despite running at elevation is remarkable.
Oakley decided to try running after a friend encouraged her to join the cross country team. Soon she realized she liked it better than soccer.
“In soccer, you could work hard but if your team was not working hard, it didn’t really pay off,” Oakley said. “In running I felt so much more confident, and my hard work was paying off. I’d come to practice and work hard, then I’d go to a race and it’s all about me. I don’t have to rely on other people.”
When spring came, Oakley did track instead of soccer. She won the 1,600 and 3,200 at state.
“Brie is hyper-focused,” Robbins said. “She’s a high-caliber athlete (with) laser focus on every little detail. That is so rare at this age. You get some passionate kids, but as far watching what she eats, supplements, not just running but yoga and stretching, she’s very dedicated. She’s that way in her school work too.”
Over the summer Oakley trained with Trent Sanderson’s Team Prep USA, a program for elite runners based in Crested Butte. Sanderson coached Olympic steeplechase bronze medalist Emma Coburn before she got to the University of Colorado. He says Oakley has great running mechanics and can perform at very high heart rates, but her “grit factor” is exceptional as well.
“She’s that type of girl that is ‘Yes, ma’am’ and ‘Yes, sir,’ but there is a deep yearning for success,” Sanderson said. “Running is how she gets to release it. Running allows her to ‘speak’ what’s hidden in her mind, hidden in her body. That allows her to go out and do it in her way.”
