Teen is off to the races

High school freshman is a race-walking champ

By Paul Koepp, Staff Writer
   Usually, the biggest reward for walking fast is catching a bus or not missing class. But the ability of South Brunswick High School freshman Taryn Wrotny to walk faster than just about any other girl in the country has won her a gold medal.
   Taryn, 13, of Monmouth Junction, took first place July 24 in the 3,000-meter youth girls race walking event at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in Walnut, Calif. Her time of 17:30.63 gave her an average speed of 6.4 mph and a victory with a half-lap margin over her nearest competitor.
   Taryn was so focused throughout the seven and a half laps that she didn’t even realize how big of a lead she had.
   "I’m usually used to having people in front of me. It didn’t hit me until there was 100 meters left because I was thinking the whole time there was someone right behind me," she said.
   "She went out like a demon," said her mother, Donna. "She looked really good."
   Taryn beat some girls who had beat her in the past, and she also smashed her previous best of 18:04. At the finish line, she "felt really tired," but was pleasantly surprised by her performance.
   "I didn’t expect to do as well as I did," she said.
   Her father, Joe, said she worked hard for five years to perfect her technique and give herself the chance to go for gold.
   "You don’t wake up one day and play in the World Series. She stuck it out," he said.
   Taryn was introduced to race walking by another girl on her track team and, before long, she was winning races.
   "I liked it better than running because I was better at it," she said. "You have to have good form. In running, everyone has the same style."
   The rules of race walking require one foot to be on the ground at all times. Racers swing their arms and move their hips from side to side to get the most out of each stride.
   "You can’t just go straight," Taryn said. "You have to be able to concentrate."
   As she won regional races and moved on to bigger competitions over the last few years, Taryn entered races in New York, Virginia, Maryland, Iowa and Indiana.
   "The travel is my favorite part. We plan our vacations around (my races)," she said.
   She plans to continue race walking for at least a couple more years, although she’s not sure if she wants to move on to compete at the full Olympics.
   To see a video of Taryn’s gold-medal performance, go to usatfyouth.sportnet.com.