Katie Rainsberger and fellow Team USA 3000 meter entry Kate Murphy take a moment together in Poland.
Katie Rainsberger had one race left. She used it to leave a legacy. And, as legacies go, this might prove to be an enduring one.
Rainsberger finished seventh at IAAF World Juniors and established a new all-time United States Junior Outdoor mark for the 3000 meters in the process. Her 9:00.62 left her all alone at the top of the all-time outdoor marks and second on the US all-time list if you include indoor marks. Alexa Efraimson's indoor mark of 9:00.16 from 2015 is just under a half-second faster than Rainsberger's time.
While Rainsberger had focused on the 1500 through the spring and into June, her decision to go with the 3000 meters, a range she had mostly stayed away from during her high school career, at USA Juniors proved to be a springboard both to World Juniors and to what is unquestionably the top mark of a storied high school career.
