DAYTON - I let Trent Hafen catch his breath after he ran the 800 meters during the season's last Middle School track meet Thursday in Dayton.

He pretty much blew everybody out of the field. But that's to be expected for an eighth grader who ranks as 13th in the nation for his age group in the 1,500 meters.

I asked him how he did it. Having been a runner myself since I was 18, I had a hunch what he was going to say.

"It's hard to explain," he said. "It feels natural to me. It feels like I have the body for it."

Other runners in our midst, such as cross country and track stars Seth Deal, Nick...