Laura White

Laura — a repeat honoree, also the 2021 Runner of the Year — discovered her love of running through the PAL Elementary School Cross Country program where she ran for the Charlotte Avenue squad. She joined the PAL Gate City Striders in 2015 at the age of 8. Since then, the PAL Striders have provided her opportunities to compete in many Junior Olympic National races sponsored by USA Track and Field all over the country in New Mexico, Alabama, Florida, Nevada, Kentucky and Wisconsin. These Nationals competitions pitted her against the best youth distance runners in the United States, where she made new friends — including a runner from Massachusetts with who she’ll attend Nike Running Camp this summer — and experienced different communities (and cross country courses!) all over the US.

Her 2021 season personal beat race was the USATF Region 1 Junior Olympic Championship at Highland Park in Attleboro, MA, where she covered the 4K course 14:59. Weeks later, she earned All-American status – a goal she had pursued for years – at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Paris, Kentucky.

Laura is a natural leader both on and off the course. She’s self-motivated, goal oriented, dedicated, selfless, and that teammate that always has your back for support. The PAL coaching staff says she “has a heart of gold and helps paint the picture of what teamwork truly is. She is a stand-up young lady that not only sets the performance bar high, but possesses a glow that helps foster a powerful team dynamic. She’s welcoming, kind hearted and an all around team player that used this season to really dig deep and find the even more competitive level we all saw in her.”