The First Family of Distance Running continues to leave its mark on the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools track and field record book.
It started with current Ole Miss track and field standout Morgan Claire Rose, who won a total of 20 gold medals in six years of competing in cross country and track and field. Next, Chase Rose won a combined 15 medals at Kirk Academy and Oxford High School and now eighth-grader Charley Rose has started her journey to try to overtake her brother and sister on the long list of accolades. The youngest Rose capped off an outstanding season by recently winning the Class AAAA titles in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep. The wins give her four titles after she won the Class AAAA cross country title back in the fall in Clinton.
In the 800-meter run, Rose finished with a 2:39.46 edging out Cierston Tarawacki of Oak Hill Academy with a time of 2:41.21. This was the closest challenge Rose had during the entire day.
Rose and Anne Maree Crechale were side-by-side heading into the final lap of the 1,600-meter run. However, Rose pulled away with a time of 5:56.49 to beat Crechale, who ran a 6:01.80. Rose and Crechale battled in the 3,200-meter run with Rose running a 12:53 compared to 13:01 for Crechale.
“Charley has a really good kick stretching from 200-300 yards, not just the last 100 where she picks up her pace,” her father, Chuck, who coaches cross country at Kirk Academy, said. “It was touch and go for a while, but she pulled away at the end.”
There is a different strategical approach for each race, according to Rose.
“In the 800-meter run, I pretty much run both laps hard,” she said. “You always want to maintain a steady pace throughout.”
The strategy is much different in the 1,600-meter run. Rose tries to make each of the laps in 85 seconds.
“My father set that mark for me,” she said. “On the last lap, I’m trying to make sure I break the six-minute mark.”
In the 3,200-meter run, Rose kept pace with her competition for the last three laps, before taking over the race and winning by eight seconds.
Rose started running for the 2022 track season following the completion of the basketball season. She started out running a mile or two and would build a base from that, according to the elder Rose. Charley ran 20 miles a week during her training time.
“You want to get some runs in and build a foundation to get your body back to running again, along with building your cardio up,” Chuck Rose said. “Then, we start doing workouts and be able to perform them after building that base up. The more miles you run, the better you are going to get in most cases. She’s young and we didn’t overtrain her.”
It’s a different type of shape for basketball for Charley than long distance running.
“In basketball, there are more resting periods than running, of course,” the youngest Rose said. “Long distance running requires you to run longer and have that endurance.”
Having two older siblings that run has been an influence on the baby sister.
“I probably wouldn’t like running as much as I do if they didn’t run,” she said. “They are always pulling for me to do well.”
Having three children with the success they have had is a sense of pride for Chuck Rose and his wife, Lacey.
“Distance running takes a lot of discipline to be successful, which they all three have been,” he concluded. “They realize what it takes to win. Everyone wants to win, but are you willing to put in the work it takes. Charley learned that when she won the North State and how good it felt to see the hard work pay off.”
Rose begins training in July for the cross country season that begins in August at Kirk Academy.
