Posters have shared some of Jayme's race times and videos. It appeared that she was more of a novice runner. One of the great things about cross country is that it is usually an inclusive, no-cut sport. As a coach, that does pose some safety challenges. We may have dozens of kids out on a route at practice, separated literally by miles. The front runners are usually fine, but our back kids can be more prone to getting separated and lost. Many of them may walk a good deal as well. As coaches, we don't leave until everyone is back and we have periodically had to go back out in cars or on bikes looking for kids. Unfortunately you hear stories of women being taken while jogging all the time. That is certainly the biggest fear. We require all our kids to wear GPS devices when they run. Some parents opt to pay for premium subscriptions on some recording sites where they can watch their kid real time or get an alert when their child's speed varies too much (ie, if they speed up too much, the implication is that they may be in a vehicle--possible against their will--instead of on foot).
Interestingly, I have gotten a few e-mails from random bystanders (such as an uncle of a runner from another team, specifically) who have been to the same race as our team who feel compelled to wax poetic about some of my slower kids--how inspirational they are, how they keep chugging away, etc. They mention the kids by name, even though they have never met them. It is easy enough to figure out from results and/or bib number. I have never gotten an e-mail about any of my superstars, though, interestingly enough...
