Soph Stratton ties state course record in Oregon

By Romaine Soh for DyeStat

Sunset sophomore Ember Stratton showed Saturday at the OSAA Cross Country Championships that she is attempting to pick up where Ella Donaghu left off.

Donaghu, a freshman at Stanford who re-wrote the state record book for high school track and cross country at Grant (Portland), smashed a 22-year-old record last year at Lane Community College.

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Stratton went into the 6A final well aware that the target and record was 17:26. She was initially credited with 17:27, but the results were later video verified later to insure accuracy because the timing equipment was wet. Stratton improved by 16 seconds from last year’s runner-up finish in order to tie the record.

“It feels reall great,” Stratton said when she learned of the revised results on Sunday. “It feels good to be close to (Ella) and close to her record knowing that she's a really great runner and a good friend.”

Targeting the record had been a goal of Stratton's all season.

“I knew that I could probably get close. But based on the weather I wasn't sure, but I really wanted to try,” she said. 

Stratton’s time was 24 seconds faster than 6A runner-up and teammate Kelly Makin. Olivia Brooks of Summit won her third Class 5A title in 17:45.

“It’s really exciting watching Ella Donaghu run,” Rick Stratton, Ember’s father, said. “I wish she was still here for another year or two. They push each other.”

Sunset was unable to defend its team title and finished second to Metro League rival Jesuit with 85 points. The Crusaders put four runners in the top 11 and scored 51 points.

While Ember said five kilometers is fun distance for her, she feels even better suited to longer distances such as 10K or a half marathon.

“We’d just do fun runs in Montana,” Stratton’s dad said of Ember’s running origins. “She’d always ask if there’s a medal and what kind of food there is after the race.”

The Strattons lived in Montana up until five years ago when they made a work-related move to Beaverton, Oregon. Rick Stratton analyzes forest fires for a living, and yes, that has something to do with how Ember got her name.

In kindergarten, young Ember ran in a school-organized 5K. Her mother, Shelly, promised to run with her. But when the race started, Ember flew ahead and Shelly was unable to keep up.

“I realized then, okay, she’s gonna be good at running,” Shelly said.

Ember started out as a dual sport athlete. Besides running, she was a center midfielder on her soccer team. But as she got closer to high school she made the decision to pursue one sport.

“It was a hard decision for her,” Shelly said. “Two or three years ago, she said okay, I’m ready to put it all into running.”

Ember’s older brother, Logan, also runs for Sunset. She has three younger siblings as well.

“[Logan]’s got a lot of running talent, but it’s not his passion, like it is Ember’s,” Shelly said.

Ember enjoys the friendships she has with her teammates almost as much as the actual running.

“Even though it’s raining, it’s really nice,” Ember said after her race. “But it’s so fun to run in the rain. Just being able to talk to my friends and doing (well) in races is always fun. After the meets – having fun, staying up late and eating good food.”

Next up is a chance to return to NXN. Last year the Apollos made it as a team. This year, Stratton will be one of the top names in the NXN Northwest field with a good chance to advance as an individual. She finished 20th at the national meet last year as a freshman.

“I was a little bit sick (early) this season, but now I’m back and ready to race these big races now,” she said.