Mira Costa distance runner Elizabeth Melia Chittenden has her sights set on reaching the podium twice at State meets
One might find it difficult to relate ballet to distance running, but the correlation has worked for Mira Costa senior Elizabeth Melia Chittenden.
Chittenden, who goes by the name Melia, has become the latest in a long list of standout distance runners produced at Mira Costa.
The defending Bay League 3200-meter champion and favorite to win the cross country crown attributes her success to her ability to focus, a trait she feels comes from her 10 years as a ballet dancer.
“I began ballet when I was five years old,” Chittenden said. “In ballet, every little thing has to be perfect. I remember staring in the mirror while standing on my toes willing myself not to fall. I use that same focus in racing, fixing my eyes on the shoulder of the girl ahead of me.”
Mira Costa’s girls cross country coach Renee Williams-Smith has seen many accomplished runners throughout her career that included the former Mustang being named the Brooks 2014 Inspiring Coach of the Year. Yet she sees something special in Chittenden.
“She has a laser-like focus when she is racing,” Williams-Smith said. ”She is able to be ‘in the zone’ like no other athlete that I have coached while racing.”
Having only run in the Grandview 5K as a kid, Chittenden officially became a runner during her first year of high school.
“After 10 years of ballet, I wanted to try different things that Mira Costa had to offer,” Chittenden recalled “I went out for track my freshman year as a high jumper. We had break for a week before finals and I was looking for something to do so I asked my biology teacher Roberto Calderon, who is the track and cross country coach, if I could work out with the girls cross country team. I soon fell in love with the sport.”
Mira Costa’s girls cross country team is ranked No. 5 in CIF-Southern Section Division 2 and began its quest for a CIF title and qualification for the State Championship Meet with a second-place finish at the CIF Prelims on Saturday at Riverside Golf Club. Finals will be held the Saturday, Nov. 19 at the same venue.
Chittenden placed first in her heat on the 3,06-mile course running a personal best time of 17 minutes, 17.7 seconds.
“Our cross country team finished 9th in State last year and we want to improve on that,” said Chittenden, who placed 11th with a time of 18:01. “I’d like to place in the top five and am hoping to run a 17:30 this year.”
On a 3-mile course, Chittenden owns the state’s 15th fastest time for girls this season at 16:56.77 with her 2nd-place finish at the Cool Breeze Invitational on September 3.
The following week, Mira Costa won the Division 2 senior team championship at the Laguna Hills Invitational.
Chittenden’s strategy is not to take an early lead, saving her energy to pass runners in the last mile or so.
Winning a Bay League individual championship was among the goals set by Chittenden this season after placing second to Palos Verdes senior Jacquelyn Smith in 2015.
“Winning the Bay League title would be incredible,” Chittenden said prior to the race. “I learned a lot racing against Jacquelyn. This is my senior year and I’ve worked so hard that I feel a league championship would validate my efforts.”
She accomplished the feat on November 3 with a time of 17:02.7 on the 3-mile course at Redondo Union high School.
Chittenden’s coach has the utmost confidence in her ability.
“While Melia is naturally talented, she has an amazing work ethic,” Williams-Smith said. “She challenges herself everyday on every workout. I think the girls on the team see this and aspire to it. She really doesn’t take her talent for granted and has decided to get the most out of running. She is a very driven person. She is driven in her academics and everything else that she does.”
Mira Costa’s cross country season “unofficially” began in August, when the programs from Mira Costa and Palos Verdes high schools train for a week in Mammoth.
“The Mammoth Camp is a highlight of every summer,” Chittenden said. “Although I enjoy family vacations, I always look forward to going to Mammoth. The altitude and strenuous runs make for great training. You learn mental toughness you don’t know you had. The bonding aspect is tremendous. Our team is really close by the time the season starts.”
It was during this year’s trip to Mammoth that the high school runners had the opportunity to meet Meb Keflezighi, who was preparing for his final training run before heading to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games.
“Meb told us to focus on setting goals we know we can reach then increase them,” Chittenden said. “He started with the goal of being the fastest on his team, then fastest in the league, then state, region and so on. He later became an Olympic medalist and was an inspiration to listen to.”
Chittenden said she doesn’t know where she gets her athletic genes from although her parents, David and Camille, and the younger siblings also run.
“My mother began running marathons but not until she was in her mid-to-late 30s,” Melai said. “I’m happy that Cara and Cy are running at Mira Costa and even Anna, who is in 6th grade, runs for Manhattan Beach Middle School.”
Williams-Smith said it is a rarity to have three kids from the same family on varsity at the same time.
“Cara is the only freshman on our varsity squad and has been a varsity scorer since her second race of the season,” Williams-Smith said. ”Cy is one of our super sophomore boys and is also on the varsity squad.”
Melia feels cross country has made her a better distance runner during the spring track and field season.
“Cross country translates well to the track season,” Chittenden said. “It’s a combination of physical and mental toughness. It builds a strong foundation for endurance. We average running 40-50 miles per week, much less than in track. Mentally, in cross country you could be competing with a field of 100-200 runners while on the track, there is a much smaller number of competitors.”
As much as Chittenden enjoys cross country, it was on the track where she has experienced her most memorable moments as a runner.
At the CIF-SS Masters Meet on May 27 Chittenden was competing in the 3200-meter race needing a time of 10:35 to qualify for the State Championships.
“During the last lap, I knew it would be tough to make the time,” Chittenden said. “At the 200m mark I had 40 seconds to make it then a thought entered my mind. I said to myself ‘Oh well, the prom is the same day as State so it won’t be so bad.’ Suddenly, I sprinted the fastest I ever have in my life. I looked at the clock as saw my time was 10:32. I started crying.”
A few weeks earlier at the Bay League championships, Chittenden experience a magical moment with teammate Alexis Johnson.
“Alexis was trying to break 11 minutes and we were pushing each other throughout the race,” Chittenden recalled. “She finished second at 10:59 just behind my 10:57.”
Chittenden said Williams-Smith has been a major influence on her, not just on the track but in life.
“Coach Renee is the best coach I’ve ever had,” Chittenden said. “She is such an inspiration being the first girl to run cross country at Mira Costa and then run at Kansas State. She teaches you to run for yourself and for her. I hate to let her down. I’m almost afraid to run for another coach when I get to college. It will be so different.
“Also, when I was a sophomore, I admired Natasha Brunstein, She wasn’t our fastest runner but was a very intense, determined person who is now running for New York University. She helped shape who I am today.”
Chittenden plans to compete in college but has yet to decide on a school weighing her many options.
She has visited Princeton and Northwestern and has offers to visit the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkeley.
“I plan to run in college but the school has to have a top academic program and a program where I can study abroad,” Chittenden explained. “I want to experience everything I can in college.”
Boasting a weighted GPA of 4.2, Chittenden plans to study International Relations and possibly Political Science.
“I want to travel and I look forward to interacting with and helping people,” she added.
Chittenden has been preparing for her college career for years. She has been involved with the Model United Nations program at Mira Costa since she was a freshman and every Wednesday, she volunteers at the Shared Bread program at First United Methodist Church in Redondo Beach.
“We feed the homeless and I get to talk to many interesting people,” Chittenden said. “Whether you’re doing dishes, serving the food or getting a chance to eat with those less fortunate, it’s a very rewarding experience.”
While her life off the race course seems equally as fast-paced, Chittenden still finds time to sit down and play the piano, something she has done since she was seven years old. But she is happiest when her legs are moving.
“I really enjoy running,” Chittenden said. “I like to be outside and whether it’s on the Green Belt, Strand or a hill in Palos Verdes, I get the feeling of being free.”
