Katylynn and Heather Welsch
Little hands clamped tightly over ears, wee shoulders hunched forward, tiny body taut with anticipation: the pose that Katylynn, 12, and Heather, 10, Welsch were striking made me grin because it’s very familiar to me. It’s the one Jelly Bean, 3, makes every time a public toilet gets flushed (and heaven help us if it’s an automatic flusher, red-lasered-eyed toilet demons of the unhygienic mist!). The only difference is that Katylynn and Heather were anticipating a gun shot signalling the start of a 13-mile trail race and not a whoosh so loud it may or may not disembowel a toddler.
Katylynn and Heather are the newest – and tiniest – running stars as they not only compete in adult races but win them. So far they’ve both run over 100 endurance races, mainly half- and full- marathon distance trail runs at an average pace of 6:23/mile, stacked back-to-back nearly every weekend. And they’re not even teenagers yet; Katylynn ran her first marathon at age 10 and actually won a national women’s title a year later. Their success, however, has set off a storm of controversy about how hard we should push gifted children but also what exactly is the right frequency of workouts for best health. As I watched the video on NBC (you’ll have to click through I couldn’t find a way to embed it), the girl athlete part of me was ridiculously proud of these two kids. But the mom part of me? Cringed. Does a child who is still so frightened by the starting gun that she has to hold her ears really belong in an adult race? Even if she can keep pace?
In the past children have been controversial in races because most adult racers see them like mice underfoot – darting, unpredictable, no sense of body space and too slow. But the Welsch sisters don’t have any of those issues. In fact, it seems like the biggest problem the grownups have is that they’re getting smoked by a fifth grader.
“I really don’t like it when they say the bad words,” Heather explains to reporter Kate Snow. “Do they say them to you?” Snow asks. Heather nods. “Because you’re passing them?” Another nod. “I get mad too when people pass me,” Heather sighs, “but I don’t curse!” This little conversation encapsulated for me the poignancy of having such young girls doing such an adult activity. They don’t get the adult competitive nature. And I’m guessing they don’t get the beer at the end of the St. Patrick’s day runs either.
So why are they doing this then? Especially when Heather has to cry to push herself through some of the runs? (Although she does say that for her it’s just a coping strategy, not evidence that she’s sad or overworked.)
Well let’s start with their dad, Rodney Welsch. Rodney is the one who signs them up, drives them and coaches them through all these races (although he’s not a professional running coach) and he thinks they ought to be trying harder. Of Katylynn he says, “In my opinion she’s not doing anything. I wish she would do more. She could become a really great runner but that’s going to take a lot more effort.”
One racing expert shot back, “We only see the successes, we don’t see the casualties. We only see the Tiger Woods. We don’t see the ones that dropped out, got hurt.”
My mom friends were pretty evenly split on the issue and all of them made some really good points.
Jeni, also a mom of 2 young girls, says,
“It’s something they love and it’s something they have a natural gift for. As a parent, I always am looking out to see if my kids show natural ability for anything because I want to nurture and cultivate that! Their dream is to run in the Olympics and you don’t begin training for the Olympics four years before you want to compete, you start training when you’re like 5. Look at [gold medal gymnast] Gabby Douglas. I guarantee people didn’t agree with her mom sending her out of state to train and allowing her to train for 3-4 hours a day. I’m just saying, those girls obviously have natural ability and a desire to do it and a desire to be the best. So they should cultivate that passion and drive in them.”
Lindsey, soon-to-be mom, agreed but took a different tack, saying,
“We all had something we did in excess as a kid- I lived, breathed and drank Theater. Of course it wasn’t a physical sport, but it was a constant thing in my life and I signed up for every show, competition or opportunity I could. It’s good to have a hobby, and even 12 year-olds can be passionate about something.”
Trista, mom of four, countered,
“I just don’t see the point in pushing them so hard so early. Isn’t a kids race still a race? Why not just do the kids races and totally dominate? The races might not be as long, but that might not be such a bad thing. They’re 10 and 12…they have time to develop and grow. Time to get faster and gain even more endurance. I just think they should compete in developmentally appropriate races. When I hear Kaytlynn say she’s not proud of completing that race in 2 hours and 2 minutes, it breaks my heart. Any 12 year old should be proud of that, even if it’s not a personal best.”
Maybe it’s the risk-averse chicken in me but I think that as parents it’s our job to set reasonable limits. Obviously what’s “reasonable” varies from kid to kid and situation to situation – that ambivalence shows in the news story – but in my (uneducated opinion) these parents are taking an awful risk with kids so young. If they truly want them to be Olympic athletes, which is an awesome goal and sounds like it’s within their reach, then they should get educated on how top runners and coaches train. Again I’m no expert but I’ve interviewed a lot of them and I don’t think any top coach would allow their athlete to train like that. The most current research on how to build speed and endurance has athletes running less mileage and instead focusing on running economy, technique and intensity. You don’t see Kara Goucher running back-to-back races every single weekend. (Okay, and also: how expensive and time consuming is all this?!)
The human body is a wonderful machine but it is not a perpetual motion machine – it wears out. Just because the girls don’t have stress fractures yet doesn’t mean they don’t have other potential health issues (says the girl who is not a doctor). My first concern was for their growth plates – running is a high impact sport and the girls could be permanently stunting their growth which will not only make them short but can delay development and lead to arthritis later in life. There’s also the strong possibility of delayed puberty which, while it sounds awesome, comes with other issues. Not to mention the mental toll of performing at such a high level. True, many elite kid athletes are pushed in a similar manner but it’s also true that many kid stars implode. Kids desperately want to please their parents and will do almost anything to get their love and attention, even if that means putting themselves in peril.
I don’t personally know this family. I also don’t know how the tape was edited or other circumstances that would change my view but in general I think that parents need to help kids draw appropriate boundaries. Encourage their love of running. Get them a good coach who knows his running theory. Find a way for them to cross train so they don’t overuse those muscles. And teach them the life skills about risk assessment, time management and a long-term perspective. Kids aren’t born with that, it’s up to us to teach them. Just because a kid wants to do something doesn’t mean you let them – even if it’s a good thing. I’d hate to see their athletic potential squandered because the adults in their life didn’t have the good sense to rein them when necessary. Just my two cents as someone who has no first-hand knowledge of the situation at all but likes to opine on other people’s lives.
But whether or not you think the tweens are running too much or too little, this idea of how much exercise is “just right” is one that each person has to answer for themselves. And new research published this month in Exercise & Science in Sports & Medicine says that when it comes to optimal health the answer may by less than we think.
After following three groups of carefully supervised women for four months the researchers discovered that the ones that had the best biophysical balance was the group that only worked out four days a week doing two days of weight lifting and two days of cardio. That wasn’t the only interesting finding, however, as researchers found that physically the women only working out twice a week showed the same strength and endurance gains as those working out four and six times a week. (Huge thanks to Katie of Cookies and Crafts for tipping me off to this study!)
The scientists explain,
“[After 4 months] The women exercising four times per week were now expending far more energy, over all, than the women in either of the other two groups. They were burning about 225 additional calories each day, beyond what they expended while exercising, compared to their calorie burning at the start of the experiment.
The twice-a-week exercisers also were using more energy each day than they had been at first, burning almost 100 calories more daily, in addition to the calories used during workouts.
But the women who had been assigned to exercise six times per week were now expending considerably less daily energy than they had been at the experiment’s start, the equivalent of almost 200 fewer calories each day, even though they were exercising so assiduously.”
I found that particularly interesting because while I’ve been a 6-workout-a-week girl (if not more, in the past) for years now, over the past few months I’ve found myself dropping down to five. First, let’s take a moment to appreciate how far I’ve come with conquering my compulsive over-exercising (thank you, thank you) that dropping a workout only incited minor guilt. But I think that this shows that when I really listen to my body, it’s telling me it wants another rest day. And after reading this research I wonder if it might be right?
In the end I think that all of us (well the adults anyhow) need to find what workout frequency works the best for our health and our lives and that may vary a lot from person to person. But I think the takeaway message is that if all you want to do is 3-4 days a week (or even 2) then you don’t have to feel guilty about it or worry that you’re not getting health benefits. And, of course, the group that fared the poorest in the study was the control group who did no exercise. Anything is better than nothing and when it comes to your health, a little bit goes a long way!
What’s your opinion on the Welsch sisters? Anyone here a child prodigy that can speak to this? How much do you like to workout and does that equal how much you actually do exercise??
I think it’s great that they’re successful, but putting so much pressure on such young bodies can’t be good. I’m concerned about their growth and development will be impacted by all this cardio before they even reach pubescence.
I was struck by the dynamic between the two sisters. Now I could just be projecting, but it seemed like the younger one was less “into” it than the older one and was only playing along with the whole thing so she wouldn’t be left out attention wise. It wasn’t merely sibling rivalry (as the piece noted) but something uglier.
The father was irksome and gave me a big Lohan vibe.
So I’m worried about these girls’ MENTAL and EMOTIONAL health far more than their physical health.
I wrote about this on my blog a couple of months ago, and one of the concerns I have – that I haven’t really seen addressed in too many places – is that the girls are susceptible to developing eating disorders as they hit puberty, especially considering how much pressure their dad puts on them to perform. Considering that eating disorders are practically endemic among high school and collegiate cross country runners, I can’t imagine how much more heightened the risk is for these girls, who are being labeled phenoms before they are even in junior high.
Also, the fact that their father has them racing every weekend…I don’t know, they could benefit from having access to coaches who actually know what they are doing. You are right – people who run at a high level do not race every weekend, and for good reason. Shoot, I don’t run at a high level and I don’t race every weekend. I’ve learned that I put my body through such stresses when I do race (because I have a tendency to always lay it all out there) that I can’t do it every weekend and expect to stay injury-free.
I guess my overall point is that I think the girls are amazing and talented, and it would be a real shame if they were to burn out or worse because of poor decisions on the part of their dad/coach.
I saw an article about that study yesterday and it made me feel better about the fact that 4 workouts a week is pretty much what I can manage these days, and it is most often 2 days of cardio and 2 days of strength training. I love it when I get things right without even trying. 😉
As for those girls, I agree they would benefit from some knowledgeable coaching. I understand parents wanting their children to do well, but not to the point of pushing them and disregarding health & safety. I know it happens, mind you, but I will never understand it.
You totally put my thoughts about these girls into words Charlotte. I’d love to watch them in the Olympics in 8 years and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with nurturing a passion in children but you’re so right- professional coaching all the way. I hope they get to keep doing what they love in a healthy way.
As for finding out how many workouts are enough, we’re totally on the same wavelength (once again!) Last school year I was doing 6x/week and starting last summer I dropped to 5 too. The difference is staggering. I feel better, I’m less tired, I can workout harder at the workouts I do, I haven’t gained any weight, and my muscle tone has never looked better. It’s nice to have that supported by research! These days I do 2 weight training sessions, 2 intense cardio days (kickboxing, HIIT, spin), and 1 light day (like a Zumba class or pilates or something). I feel great. For someone who was once a double a day exerciser I’m super proud of myself (and you too Charlotte!)
Richard Williams, I am sure, put “a lot of pressure” on Venus and Serena at young ages, and the sisters have competed against each other countless times. I’ve never seen any indication that either of them has had an eating disorder/anorexia, nor have I ever heard either of them complain about the work they did and do to become the champions they are. Like the Williams sisters, the Welsch sisters apparently have terrific natural athletic abilities that their father recognizes and nurtures. There are millions of parents who let their kids sit on the couch playing video games and eating junk food, while they sit on the other couch glued to their phone/tablet/laptop, eating junk food. I’m far more critical of those parents and worried about those kids’ well-being than I am by this dad/family.
I think the fact that these sisters have enormous potential, and that their father may be unconsciously hurting them by pushing them too hard/too fast/too soon, is what is bothering people.
I worry too about parents who encourage an environment of obesity at home, however, this particular theme of child prodigy pushed to the brink (and then over it) is not uncommon. When I played soccer as a teenager, I saw young ladies with incredible talent who pushed themselves, and pushed themselves, and pushed themselves… until they tore their ACL’s and ruined their soccer career.
These girls have a very special talent that 99.99% of their peer group (possibly even the general population) does not possess. They have incredible athletic talent that has the potential to be lost by over training. Ask any sports therapist- they see this all the time.
Venus, Serena, Tiger Woods, etc… they are the lucky ones who had the right combo of latent talent, training, emotional support, and financing. There are a slew of young stars left behind who were burnt out, stressed out, injured, and forgotten.
So, while childhood obesity is an important problem, I believe that it is a categorically different issue than what these two sisters are facing. I think it would be a great tragedy if these girls are left at 18-years-old with stress fractures and Daddy issues.
If you know anything about competitive distance running, you know that eating disorders are very, very common among runners, especially when they are teenagers. Your analogy is not really apt as there is not exactly a rash of tennis players developing eating disorders.
I’m not saying that the girls should be forced to sit on the couch eating Doritos. What I AM saying is that if they want to train and compete at a high level, they need to do so in a sustainable way that doesn’t burn them out and destroy their bodies. There ought to be a middle ground here.
I hope they get a “real” coach. If they show such promise and want to continue they need someone training them who can make the most of their training time and give their lives some balance and know what to look for to prevent injury. They may, when they sprout up in height, not be able to do this anymore…and it would be good for them to have other things in their lives so they don’t feel like they’re failing themselves or their father just because of the way things change in life…
The fact that these girls race every weekend yet their dad says they’re not doing “enough” sends up a HUGE red flag. As you and many others have mentioned, this will take a toll on them physically, but even more mentally and emotionally.
What happens when they hit puberty and start rounding out? What if they simply cannot run as fast at 15 as they do now? Whose dream are they working toward, theirs or their father’s?
I’ve met a lot of kids trying to get into the film and TV industry. Often at auditions. They start out loving it, and all too often end up hating it. The parents, who are their kids’ self-proclaimed managers, are usually a nightmare. The kids who do find success often become the sole source if income for their families. Call me crazy, but I think that’s too much for an 11-year-old. And the fact is that most of these kids won’t have a career once they grow up. The Jodie Fosters and Natalie Portmans are the exceptions, while the Lindsey Lohans and Amanda Bynes(es) are the rule.
As for workout frequency, I also find myself cutting back to 5 days a week from 6. I’m a little more creaky these days. My joints can’t take the same kind of intensity. I’m also doing more yoga fewer higher-impact exercises. Yoga gives me a kind of mental clarity I don’t get anywhere else. And I need as much of that as I can get! 🙂
There is a very fine line between encouraging/supporting/cultivating our children and pressuring/pushing them. Or, let’s say, a lot of gray area. I think perhaps the only people who can make the determination of which it is are the children and parents involved. And the day you ask them which one it is. Certainly you would wish to see a passion for the activity in question in the child.
This same idea also applies to adults – do the instructors of my boxing class encourage or push me? Depends on how much I am hating burpees that day…
Of course more care needs to be given with children who can’t necessarily get up and walk away from their parents (who feed and clothe them) if they feel like they’ve had enough.
But let’s look at the comment from Trista and apply this in an academic sense. If you have a child who is academically gifted or passionate, should we keep them in the same level of grade work or should we give them school work to challenge and grow their minds? If my child can already read well in Kindergarten, should I still make him sit through nine months of learning his alphabet? But again, with physical issues more care needs to be taken with their young bodies.
Or let’s ask the young Kenyans who don’t have Mom and Dad in their cars and minivans to drive them everywhere. They run miles to school everyday (well, maybe, its up for debate). No one views this as damaging to them. We admire this in them.
This is all a bunch of gray areas. Are we so afraid of ‘overworking’ our children we shy too far away? Are we so afraid of having overweight, unhealthy, not physically fit children that we push them too far?
I totally agree with you that this seems a bit much. I run with a coach and if I told him I wanted to run marathons two weekends in a row he would rip me a new one. Even the best athletes only race a handful of times a year because you’re body needs time to recover both mentally and physically. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with pushing your kids but this is beyond what full grown athletes do so it just ridiculous.
I live in Houston and run half marathons so I have seen these girls with their dad. If the race allows it he will ride his bike next to the older one yelling at her to go faster the whole race.
I ran cross country in middle school and I just can’t imagine racing in halfs every weekend at that age. I think it’s awesome that they run and I would totally foster that talent/ability too, but it seems excessive and a lot of potential for injury and burn-out.
Re workouts: I also noticed that I maintain my weight and fitness level just as well at 3 workouts/runs per week versus the 5-6 that I’m compulsively prone to doing.
Charlotte, have you seen this? I friend showed it to me when I was discussing these sisters after reading your post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0&feature=youtu.be
I run three days a week. I find that this is enough for mental health benefits and to help maintain a recent weight loss, but not too much that I’ve gotten overuse injuries (thankfully, fingers crossed). I may add a fourth day of exercise, but it would probably be something else like biking, yoga, lifting weights at home, hiking, etc. In my previous exercise life I ran five days a week, but I would always end up with some sort of injury that required time off. I think that my body appreciates more rest days between runs, and as long as I’m getting health benefits from my runs I’m happy to take the days off.
I understand that the girls have something special and perhaps could be olympic athletes, but I would worry that the parents might burn them out too early before they can realize their potental. Its one thing to run on the Jr High cross country team where the race distance is 3 miles, its another thing to run half and full marathons! I honestly think if were the parent, I’d encorage my kid to get into swimming at that age if they really wanted to practice endurance sports. Let them take up long distance running as they get into Junior and Senior High. As an adult runner, I understand how running really breaks down the body. I can’t imagine how suseptable those growing bones are to injury. And agreed with other commenters above, they are likley set up for ED’s later and life, and just emotional issues in general as they strive to please parents that are never pleased!
I know how some folks feel about getting smoked by a young “kid”. In the world of bike racings I get my tail smoked by kids who have just learned how to ride a bike 6 months ago. It’s reminder that genetics and natural talent play their role.
As for workout frequency I say training the body and mind should be a daily occurrence. That doesn’t mean working out hard every day but I’m a big believer in daily practice of some sort.
It sounds like the girls love to do this, and probably wouldn’t want to be stopped. I think the problem is with the father pushing them too hard. It’s one thing to let your young daughters train and compete, but it’s an entirely different thing to push them to where it’s unsafe.
I also worry because of what I’ve read about distance running, and how it can weaken the heart. Yes, I know, runners won’t like me saying that, but I don’t make this stuff up! From what I’ve read, sprinting is far healthier, and you just have to compare the typical sprinter’s body with the typical runner’s body.
Charlotte–I am so proud of you for reducing your workout days. Being healthy is the goal and listening to your body will always bring the best results no matter what advice you get or what the experts say.
Thanks Kat for your comment. I was concerned about the girls, but feeling judgemental about it. If the girls are as talented as they seem, then he is going about it the wrong way. Screaming at your children to go run faster while you ride a bike along side? No. Maybe it would be different if he ran along side them offering encouragement, but he doesn’t. He needs to take the enterance fee money he will save by not entering them into races every weekend and hire a real coach. I am not a perfect parent either, but I am also not in the news because I am hurting my children. Common sense goes a long way when raising kids.
First, regarding Kat’s post, that’s scary, but I’ve seen parents do worse. Also, what Marilyn said about a weakening heart is also very true and probably the worst physical damage. I know that cyclists, who really push the edge of training and racing have heart problems and die early.
I must say that this post brought up some memories. I was not a child prodigy of any kind, but me and my family ran deep in the competitive swim circles that are pretty serious, year-round programs. I was a few years older but I did most of what these girls are doing now. (In the eighties, overtraining was just the way things were) I often tell people that I spent more of high school under water than above, which wasn’t the best for my emotional development, and it took me forever to have a healthy relationship.
I think it seems strange to a regular person because, for some reason running doesn’t have the same programs for kids that other sports offer, so it doesn’t seem normal for them to do so much training and compete against adults. (I like the gymnast analogy that mentioned the training that Gabby Douglas did) And, most adults hate running, so to alot of people it must just seem wierd. I think being so small is what makes them so good, they don’t have as much weight pounding into the ground. I also, feel that when you are young you just don’t think so hard about things. In my opinion kids do well in sports, becuase they just run, they don’t think about it first.
The girls will figure it out when they get a little older, it doesn’t seem like they’re forced into anything and as long as they’re happy, there are so many good things for them to learn from this. How to accomplish things, goal setting, focus.
I think about screwing up kids alot now that I have a child, but I try to trust my instincts. I will say that I won’t be the one pushing my son like this. My motto is to do your best at what you do, drive has to come from within for it to really mean anything.
I exercise a lot, but that’s because I teach group fitness classes. 6 times a week for average of 2+ hrs. It’s a lot but I try and fuel myself properly.
In terms of my opinion on the kids, I think it’s disgusting what the dad said. I think his intentions are wrong and he’s going about it the wrong way. I think it’s okay that they run in these big races but maybe they need to enjoy being kids too. Every weekend seems too much, but I also think they need to perhaps do more than the average kid would considering their passion, potential and abilities.
As a child I was a competative Synchronized swimmer and at 14 I retired and worked 2 year as a professional performer. This was in the late 70’s and really everybody was flying without an instruction book. Any coaches I had were young people who had to stop competing because of injury. Joint injuries tended to happen but the biggest thing I saw was early onset arthritis. I don’t know how well my experience then relates to today but I think many athletes deal with a lot of pain and I wonder if it is really worth it at the end of the day when all you have is a bunch of tarished medals and stories about the old days.
No I’m not as bitter as that sounds but, then I was never at the top of the heap. That is a long way to fall.
My 10-year-old runs 5Ks with me—we probably do about 4 or 5 a year. But we’re not trying to win. And 3 miles is not 26.2. I really think a marathon is way too long for someone who hasn’t even stopped growing yet. Marathons take a serious toll on adults.
My first thought as you began telling their story was the same–what impact does this have on their little, developing bodies? I agree that it seems a lot of stress to put on them (physically as well as emotionally)–stress which may burn them out rather than set them up for success in the long-run. Thanks for tying this into research on workout frequency too. I guess there is some truth to the old adage “everything in moderation.”
Who knows best what to do with these girls? The parent who knows them the best, and loves them, and has their best interests at heart? An experienced, professional coach who knows the science of the sport and has the welfare of his athletes at heart? Or (this is gonna get me yelled at), a lot of people on the internet who read an article and watched a five-minute video?
Don’t get me wrong, this is a great jumping-off point to talk about the generalities of how much training is enough, and about our attitudes to how young, talented athletes should be managed. There are great conversations to be had and mostly we’re having them.
But I really do think that none of us here can be sure enough to make a cast-iron judgement about this one particular family.
It is amazing the natural talent these girls have, but ay yi yi. Back to back races every weekend? I know kids are super resilient, but how do their little bodies recover from that? I’m sure their dad, like he says, just wants the best for them, but wow, to claim his daughter is doing nothing? Ouch.
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I’m a mom, runner, and running coach and I watched the NBC piece on them. I’m really torn, honestly. I can’t imagine my 12-yr. doing that kind of distance. Then again, he doesn’t want to, and they do. A local youth running coach has always used the rule of thumb that kids shouldn’t run more miles in a race than the grade they are in. Seems kind of sensible, but I also think there are exceptions to every rule. As long as the girls continue to love it and don’t seem to be hurt by it, then I guess who am I to judge?
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Had the honor to meet these girls when I assisted Danny Dreyer in his ChiRunning workshop in Houston last weekend. I never heard about them…of course I had to come home and google them…
so I blogged about them too 😉
http://myownrunningstory.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/the-youngest-chirunners-ive-ever-met/