Taylor Tragesser is a 10-year-old from Morristown, Indiana and passionate runner. She’s getting ready to accomplish the 2020 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, her first half marathon. However, this certainly is not her first introduction to running. Taylor has been running with her father since she was a toddler. In fact, it is an activity her whole family of six participates in together. Even Taylor’s younger siblings, four-year-old Presley, seven-year-old Landon, and nine-year-old Chloe, enjoy running at the track with the family. Taylor competed in her first 5K at six years old, followed by her sister competing in her first at just three years old. Taylor’s mom, Ashley, says she and her husband let their kids run around the track as soon as they are old enough to walk.
Taylor will take on the Indy Mini on May 2 with her mom, dad, and sister. In addition to their training, the Tragesser family has a goal of running a total of 4,040 miles in the year 2020. So far, the family has completed 634 miles with Taylor completing 162 of those miles herself. Taylor loves running with her family as a fun way to stay healthy and spend time together. A friendly competition, Taylor hope to one day beat her dad as she comes closer and closer each year.
Taylor is also no stranger to competing against older runners. In fact, she competed on the Morristown Middle School cross country team last season as a fourth grader. Despite being the youngest member, Taylor was able to excel on the team. She received five first places and was voted most valuable runner. Taylor has also competed in the cross country Junior Olympics and ran at the Nationals competition in Wisconsin. She was recently named the 2019 USATF Junior Olympics Cross Country Indiana Athlete of the Year.
Taylor is most excited to share the memory of completing the Mini-Marathon with her family, who has been her motivation through her training. Her parents encourage Taylor and her siblings to do their best and challenge them to improve. Future goals for Taylor include running on her middle school, high school, and college teams. Taylor also hopes to one-day complete a full marathon. We can’t wait to cheer on Taylor and her family at the Indy Mini!
Join Taylor and her family at the start line on May 2! Register now for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and the Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K before online registration closes on April 27. More info: indymini.com/register