Jace Larson, an 11 year old fifth grader at Village Elementary, was ranked 8th in the 11-12-year-old 800 meter category for USA Track & Field Youth as of April 17, and he also qualified last year for the Junior Olympics in the 4×4 relay. Jace is expected to move up a few ranks and compete this summer in North Carolina at the Junior Olympics.
Jace has been running his entire life. He began when he was one year old. He ran like a runner, not just like a typical toddler. Jace doesn’t remember why he started running but did share with me that he has always loved it. He tells me that his parents bought him a plastic lawn mower to steady him when was one to keep him from falling on his face because he was running so fast. They also had him wear a puffy hat to protect his head as his legs developed the strength to support his need for speed.
Jace was just three years old when he competed in his first kids’ race, the Junior Carlsbad quarter mile. Then when Jace was five his family moved to Bahrain. His father was a pilot in the U.S. Navy and that moved them frequently. While in Bahrain, Jace began running four miles on the beach with his Dad. When he was bored they would run for 30 minutes around the neighborhood outside of the compound in which they lived.
Jace joined a running club in first grade. Then the family moved back to the United States and Jace ran his first 5K in Kingsville, TX where he came in second to a boy a year older than him who was on the cross country team. The next time Jace ran that race, he won.
Moving back to San Diego when in 3rd grade, he ran a one mile cross country meet for the Lutheran school he attended and came in first place. After he won the cross-country meet in 3rd grade, his Mom, Tonya Larson, a fitness expert and teacher, felt like he needed to be on a real track team so she sought out nearby teams and they chose the USA Rockets. This is where coaches have taught him proper breathing techniques, where he has picked up speed, and learned how to stay in the ‘zone.’ He has also learned proper form and how to start using blocks. Being on a team like this requires dedication and commitment, not only by Jace, but also his parents as the practices are twice per week for up to two hours in La Mesa.
In 4th grade Jace was invited to play flag football by a friend and he remembers that his “first play of my first ever football game was a touchdown.” He played for the season and the team ended up winning the NFL Flag Football Super Bowl in 2017. The coaches told him he is “the fastest kid in my age group in the league.”
When Jace is not running or practicing with his football team he enjoys playing football with his friends in his front yard and playing video games. He also likes flipping on the trampoline and doing jumps and tricks on his bike in the dirt. He is clearly unstoppable. Jace tells me his favorite subjects in school are math and physical education.
This summer he is really looking forward to competing in the Junior Olympics, visiting friends and family in Iowa and Missouri and participating in Junior Lifeguard training, and then starting football training in August with the Islanders team. And for this fall he is excited about the new opportunities of middle school. He has a sixth grade older brother who tells him the Coronado Middle Schools is great.
Even though Jace has been running for 10 years and competing for half that long, he says he still gets nervous before a race sometimes. He stays motivated by the support of his coaches and teammates.
Jace’s advice for other kids who have big dreams is to try hard and never give up. Stay close to good people. Listen to your parents even though sometimes you don’t feel like it.
As for his future, even though he is only in fifth grade he has plans to go to a big college where he will play football and run track. His dream is to become an NFL drafted wide receiver; and if that doesn’t work out, he will keep the family military tradition alive, every male on his Dad’s side of the family has served. He will become a Marine.
