True, Logue make it big from small-town Kansas roots

Kansas state champs travel to Boston this week for adidas Dream Miles

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

In the small town where Kyler True lives, you can find a dirt road within a half a mile in every direction.

"Olpe is not a huge town," he says with a laugh.

Located in eastern Kansas, Olpe is home to less than 600 people. It's a community where every one knows one another. Sports, in particular football, are a way of life.

True, a senior at the high school, found his calling in running.

Two hours to the southeast is located Girard, another small Kansas town. It's home to another elite runner, Cailie Logue.

Girard is a little bigger than Olpe, just under 3,000 population, but shares many similarities. There's a few restaurants, a four-way stop -- no stop light. And sports are the center of the community.

Like True, Logue is surrounded by a rural running environment.

"That's one of my favorite things about living out in the country is there's plenty of dirt roads, trails and soft surfaces to train on," Logue said.

True and Logue both won state titles in Kansas over the weekend and both will travel to Boston this week for the annual adidas Dream Mile at the Boost Boston Games.

Late spring and summer are considered tornado seasons in Kansas. True and Logue have both seen tornadoes, but shrug off the powerful storms.

"It’s not a big deal," True said. "Yeah, it happens, but you don’t think about it too much."

Both have to drive at least 15-30 minutes to a bigger city if they want to go to the movies or eat out at a bigger restaurant.

Away from the big cities and schools, True and Logue have thrived growing up in small-town country settings and have have emerged as two of the best high school distance runners in the nation.

At the state meet in Wichita, both runners earned three individual gold medals and two state records.

True crushed the Class 1A competition with a distance triple of 1:54.52 for 800 meters, 4:07.17 in the 1,600 and 9:12.51 in the 3,200.

"I've never really thought of myself as a 'small town, never-had-an-opportunity kid type of thing,'" True said. "I just thought if I could get fast enough and run the times that I have, people would start to notice."

For True, it took people in Olpe a while to understand his commitment to running. After giving flag football and other sports a try, he started running in the seventh grade. He had some friends in track and established a network of people that helped him continue with the sport.

"I fell in love with it," he said. "My coach has been a big influence and I wanted to continue hanging out with him, and wanted to keep doing it."

True is coached by Tom Camien, who ran at the University of Arkansas under legendary coach John McDonnell.

"I think originally Kyler was an outcast for not playing football and basketball," Camien said. "But by his junior year people realized, 'Wow, this kid is really good at what he does,' so they've kind of accepted that. And now he's at that point people are behind him."

True, who said he started taking running more seriously his sophomore year, won 11 gold medals in track and field -- eight as an individual. He is also a three-time state cross country champion.

He does most of his training on Olpe's dirt track. Camien said it gets washed out in the spring at times, so gravel or cement roads serve as alternatives.

At the 1A state meet last weekend, his 1,600-meter time broke Tim Gundy's record from 1979. True was also on the winning 4x800 relay and his leg speed is what sets him apart. The Oklahoma State signee has run 1:50 in the 800.

"He's got a fabulous work ethic," Camien said. "He recovers far better than any athlete I've ever seen on any level. This kid has never missed a practice in four years. He loves to compete, and he's afraid of no one."

For Logue, it's always been running. She's coached by her dad, Matt, who was coached by his father. Both of Logue's parents ran collegiately.

"For me, I just like to work at something and see that progression," Logue said. "I really like competition and in running it's really easy to see your work and competition is very clear."

That mindset has been the catalyst for Logue's success. With the guidance of her dad, they've gradually increased her training each year. During the offseason, Logue trains with the male athletes at the school.

"It helps that my dad's my coach," Logue said. "He sees how much sleep I'm getting, and is cautious when it comes to the (training) miles."

Logue, who will attend Iowa State in the fall, traveled to Eugene last summer where she was part of the Nike Elite Camp and participated in the exhibition mile at the Olympic Trials.

"I (wasn't) really intimidated by the other runners," she said. "We are all runners and have similar goals and things."

At the Class 4A state meet Saturday, she won the 800 in a meet-record 2:12.27 and clocked 5:04.31 in the 1,600. She ran 10:28.80 in the 3,200 for another record, and was more than a minute ahead of the second-place finisher. She finished her Kansas career with nine state track and two cross country victories.

Earlier this season Logue ran an all-time Kansas best in the 3,200 meters with 10:09.97 at the Kansas Relays.

“For me, my goal is to always keep improving, each time out,” she said.

Logue, who actually lives in Galesburg, Kansas, travels 30 minutes each day to Girard. Galesburg has a listed population of 126 people. She stays plenty busy.

"I'm part of the band, school newspaper and show animals at the fair," she said.

For both coaches, experiencing the success of their standout athletes has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. True and Logue are talents that don't come around often in small population centers.

“I learned about how to coach your own kid,” Matt Logue said. “I've really enjoyed it. The success she's had has been great and something to share.”

This Friday's race will be the last one for Camien, as he's set to retire.

“He's (True) just a kid you dream to have,” Camien said. “I never thought a kid like that would come through Olpe, Kansas ... to finish up with him is just a dream come true.”

And True and Logue are hoping Boston provides another opportunity to show everyone what a small-town distance runner can accomplish.

“Sometimes from Kansas you feel like really good runners get overlooked because we don't have the best conditions and things,” Logue said. “It's really cool to be able to put Kansas on the map a little bit.”