BOULDER — After Kaitlyn Benner decided running high school cross country wasn’t such a bad thing after all, Laura Thweatt became her mentor and inspiration in a career that led to a scholarship at the University of Colorado.
When Benner made her first breakthrough in a national championship race last month, Thweatt had one, too. And because of their victories that day, both will make their international debuts Saturday in Guiyang, China.
Benner, a Monarch High School graduate and CU freshman, won the junior race at the U.S. Cross Country Championships on Feb. 7 in Boulder to qualify for the junior race at Saturday’s cross country world championships. Thweatt earned her trip to China a little over an hour later on the same course, winning the women’s open race.
“I love Kaitlyn,” said Thweatt, 26, who also ran for CU. “I call her my ‘Mini-Me’ because she reminds me a lot of myself.”
Thweatt is an assistant coach at Monarch, where Benner initially ran only because her mother insisted she participate in a fall sport. When she was a sophomore, Monarch won the first of three consecutive Class 5A state titles.
That wasn’t the only reason Benner grew to like running. Thweatt not only coached the Monarch girls, she ran with them.
“Having Laura as a coach was really awesome,” Benner said. “It was great to have someone we could look up to, who could actually run with us. She really helped me with motivation, and she was one of the people who really encouraged me to look at CU. Originally I thought, ‘I can’t run for a program like that, they’re so good and they’re so well known.’ She was like, ‘No, Kaitlyn, this is something you should look into. I think you would do well there.’ Having her come from this (CU) program, it meant a lot. She’s someone I really look up to. She’s a great role model.”
In a CU career that ended in 2011, Thweatt competed on teams that included future Olympians Emma Coburn and Shalaya Kipp. Thweatt fell short of her goals and left feeling she hadn’t reached her potential. She considered quitting the sport but got the job at Monarch and joined the Boulder Track Club. In 2013 she won the USA Track & Field club cross country title, which led to her first pro contract. The confidence she took from that helped propel her to last month’s national title, where she was cheered by dozens of family and friends.
“It was just surreal,” Thweatt said. “It was electrifying. I was joking afterward, ‘This must be what Shalane Flanagan feels like at every race.’ There wasn’t a point on the (course) where someone wasn’t yelling at me.”
Thweatt urged Benner to consider CU, even though she was “intimidated” by the prospect of running for a program that has produced 10 Olympic distance runners under coach Mark Wetmore.
“She had so many options, and to pick CU, known as the powerhouse Division I program in running, that can intimidate a lot of kids,” Thweatt said. “To jump on board and be like, ‘This is where I want to go because I want to improve, I want to challenge myself at this kind of program,’ I commend her for that. You have Olympians training with you. Not only do you have a stellar collegiate program, but you’re surrounded by these great American distance runners at every practice.”
At the NCAA championships last fall, Benner was one of two freshmen to score for the Buffs, running third on a team that finished seventh.
“One of the big reasons I did choose CU was the success of the program, but that definitely made it scary to come here,” Benner said. “At the beginning, I could not keep up with the girls on their easy days or the warm-ups. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, can I do this for four years?’ But you get used to it, you get adjusted, and it’s turned out to be great. I’ve loved my experience so far.”
Now they’re in China together, Mini-Me and her mentor.
“It’s such a cool experience, and I’m so excited to share it with her,” Thweatt said. “And it’s a huge springboard for her into a tremendous college career. To see what she does from this point forward, I cannot wait. I’m so stoked that I get to be part of that.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnmeyer
Local runners
Other Colorado runners who will be competing in the IAAF cross country world championships Saturday in Guiyang, China:
Valerie Constein, CU, Battle Mountain grad
Katie Rainsberger, Air Academy High School
Paul Roberts, Lyons High School
Cerake Geberkidane, Oklahoma State, East grad
Lauren Gregory, Fort Collins High School
Eric Hamer, Palmer Ridge High School
Paul Miller, CU, Poudre grad
Mattie Suver, Colorado Springs, Oregon grad
