Wrangell Sentinel -

Kayla Rooney hated running when she started. Now she can't imagine her life without it.

The four-time state placer returned to Wrangell specifically to coach the high school cross country team, continuing a family legacy of coaching.

"My mom (Trisa Rooney) made me start running. I told her I didn't want to do it. She told me I could try it out, and if I didn't like it, I could quit," Rooney said. "So, a few weeks in, I didn't like it and I wanted to quit, and my mom told me, 'Well, you've already started. You can't quit now."

By the end of that first cross country season in 2009, Rooney "ab...