For Kalaheo state cross country champion Emily Naylor, running has become her sanctuary

The first time Emily Naylor went out for cross country, the results were good.

The Kalaheo runner placed in the top 100 at the state championships. Naylor placed 99th, not bad at all for a freshman, with a time of 23 minutes, 56 seconds. On a grand scale, it was more than notable.

It wasn’t enough for her.

“We pulled her up to varsity, she qualifies for states. I remember it was at CORP (Central Oahu Regional Park),” Mustangs cross country coach Peter Jay said. “We’re going back on the bus and she goes, ‘I’m going to train harder.’ She’s already looking toward the next season.”

Even then, in 2018, Naylor often chatted with her older teammates, including boys state champion Colby Otero. Sometimes it was about running. Sometimes it was about nutrition; Naylor has been a vegetarian since sixth grade.

“I didn’t know that. Since sixth grade? Since 2019, I knew that she was watching what she ate,” Jay said. “She had conversations with Colby. He put in so many miles, he would drink a protein shake, get good sleep and proper nutrition. He followed a plan. He would wait until after states to eat junk.”

By the fall of 2019, Naylor transformed, going from 99th to No. 1, winning the cross country state championship. Her time of 19:37 was well ahead of another sophomore, Kaylee Volner of Seabury Hall (19:58). The race was held at Seabury Hall, in hilly Makawao.

“There were some hills, uphill and downhill. I remember the cheering,” Naylor said. “There were some parents there. I was wearing some bright neon pink and orange flats (running shoes), and some of the parents were shouting, ‘You didn’t wear those bright shoes for nothing!’ Some of them were just from other public schools, which I thought was pretty cool. One of them was yelling, ‘Don’t let the private schools win! Win one for the OIA!’”

By mid-March of ’20, athletes knew a lockdown was imminent. COVID-19 was just beginning to wreak havoc globally. The OIA track and field meet at Radford’s John Velasco Field was only the second of the season.

“The last meet before everything shut down, it lasted until 11 o’clock at night because everyone knew it was the last meet. There were 50 people in line to run the 200. The line went all across the football field,” she said. “I was like, wow, this is going to be a long time until I can run the 3K. I just want to go to bed right now.”

That strange state of consciousness, where an external crisis changes all goals and plans, was put on hold for a few moments that night.

“I ran a 5:15 in the 1,500. That was a new PR for that year. The 4×400, we didn’t get my time, but that would be a 76 or 74 (seconds). It felt fast,” Naylor said. “The 3K, I did 10:50. I got to run with the boys.”

It was just a matter of time before life was locked down.

“When they announced it was official, I was pretty upset. There were times I would go out for a run. What was the point when I had nothing to run for? It was really the racing that really motivates me, to have something to work for,” Naylor said.

She kept grinding academically. Naylor has a 4.1 grade-point average, but running was her sanctuary.

“I really had to find my joy in running simply for running, getting outside, especially when we were doing online school. It was nice to get out of the house after being in my dining room for six to eight hours,” Naylor said.

After two weeks of life without running, she got back to her passion. It would be a long offseason with OIA fall and winter sports canceled. What she knows now about herself, about her body, training and nutrition, required an arduous journey.

“During quarantine, sophomore year, I decided to go vegan. It started with good intentions, but it ended with an eating disorder,” Naylor said. “It was fine during the season, but once we were in quarantine and we had no control over something, it was something I could control. Restrictive eating, eating healthy and being able to run.”

Naylor was overdoing it.

“The overtraining. I really knew it was bad because I would go on runs and feel absolutely exhausted. I’d check my weight and I’m really not healthy. I finally got help and got a dietician who is just amazing. I think I’m much, much healthier now,” she said.

The process took time.

“First, since I was severely underweight, we focused on getting my weight back up in a healthy way. We incorporated a lot more peanut butter. I love peanut butter. I still kept my mileage up because I’m sort of a stubborn person. So I stuck to that and I got my weight back up,” Naylor said.

Getting calories and nutrients into her body required a change to mindset.

“We focused on becoming more flexible with what I can eat. She’s always saying instead of calling myself a vegan or vegetarian, be a flexitarian. Eat whatever I want.”

That means there’s an occasional pepperoni pizza.

“I’m not completely against meat. I’ve had it a few times in the past year, but I like my choices better, and also taking days off and listening to my body,” she said.

Naylor became a vegetarian as a matter of taste.

“The only meat I liked was chicken sticks. In class, we saw all kinds of videos about how meat can affect your body. I wondered, ‘Are the chicken sticks really worth it?’ I’m not going to judge anyone who eats meat. I still eat that,” she said.

Now, she gets her protein from soy milk, peanut butter, tofu and texturized soy protein.

“I make sure to get in protein for each meal. Carbs, lots of bread and pasta,” Naylor said.

Exercise science, she added, is a possible college major. She plans to run at Tennessee-Chattanooga, close to her grandparents’ home.

“My mom thinks I’d be really good in media. When I got Gatorade runner of the year for the second year in a row, they had the Pay It Forward program,” Naylor said.

She made a 30-second video in support of the Kauai Marathon youth running program, which received a $12,000 prize.

“It was a competition between all 50 states. I ended up winning,” Naylor said.

She gets balance and support at home.

“My dad (John Brian Naylor) is the one who’s, ‘You’re doing great, you’re doing perfect, you don’t need to change.’ But my mom (Amy Naylor) says, ‘You need a reality check.’ She keeps it real,” Naylor said.

The ups and downs of pandemic life adds up to a senior year that might be somewhat normal. She knows there is a different level of expectations as a defending state champion.

“I’d say it’s been a bit of a struggle to not let pressure get to me. I feel like I am a bit nervous to perform before races, but it’s also been a thing of remembering, I race for the fun of it,” she said. “As long as I give it my all, I’m happy with myself.”

EMILY NAYLOR’S FAVORITES

>> TV show: “Lost.” “I’m really into ‘Lost’ right now. My parents got me into it.”

>> Movie: “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” “That really reminded me of ‘Avatar.’”

>> Snack: Smoothie bowls. “I just make a regular smoothie with soy milk and frozen fruit, some spinach and blend it up. I put granola and peanut butter on top. I make it normally two hours before I work out when I come home after school.”

>> Music artist: Elton John (“Rocket Man”)

>> GPA: 4.1. “It should be over 4.1 (soon) because I take AP classes and I’m getting all A’s.”

>> Class: AP Biology

>> Teacher: Mrs. Koopman

>> New life skill: Braiding hair

>> Bucket list: Netherlands, Scotland, Bahamas, Australia

>> Shout-outs: “Shout-out to my coaches for giving me confidence, making me a strong runner. Shout to to my papa (John Naylor), my dad’s dad, for helping me find a great college. Shout out to my mom (Amy Naylor) for keeping it real. My dad (John Brian Naylor) is the one who’s, ‘You’re doing great, you’re doing perfect, you don’t need to change.’ But my mom says, ‘You need a reality check.’”