San Diego Player of the Week : Jorgensen Strides Ahead of the Pack

Kira Jorgensen, a 15-year-old sophomore at Vista High School, doesn’t have a very flattering image of herself as a distance runner.

“To see me run you see a skinny girl who looks like a twig,” Jorgensen said. “To me, I look like I’m struggling at the beginning, but at the end, I’m striding out and it looks like I’m not even working. But I am, more than imaginable.”

Jorgensen’s stride has carried her to more success in the past year than most high school athletes have in four years.

Last fall, she finished fourth in the Kinney National Cross-Country championships and was the first underclass finisher.

Cross-country is her favorite sport and has been since she started running in sixth grade. But in the spring, she runs her distances on the track.

Her winning times in the 1,600 meters (4 minutes 51.03 seconds) and 3,200 (10:24.23) at the Arcadia Invitational April 11 were the fastest in the country among high school runners this season. She was chosen top female athlete at the meet.

The 1,600 time remains a national best so far, and both marks stand as the best in the state this season.

Her 4:58.61 in the 1,600 in the Sundevil Invitational at Mt. Carmel the next week broke the track record. Again, she was named female athlete of the meet.

Jorgensen, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, set a meet record of 9:36.51 in the 3,000 last Friday in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays at Walnut; Saturday she won the 1,500 in 4:30.88.

“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be,” Jorgensen said. “I kind of knew what to expect from being in last year’s state meet (in which distance events are run on consecutive days). It’s still hard doing it all one day and having to come back and do it all again.

“I wanted to see if I could come back the next day and run a race. It was kind of a trial to see if I could do it. I did OK. I impressed myself running as well as I did for the conditions of the day. It was really hot and smoggy.”

In last year’s state meet, Jorgensen finished seventh in the two-mile and 11th in the mile.

“This year I have a lot more experience and a lot more confidence in my running,” said Jorgensen, who is hoping to finish near the top in the distance events in this year’s state meet, June 5-6 at Sacramento. “Anybody who can place second or third in California is doing pretty awesome.”