It’s 5 a.m. in Scottsdale where parents are dropping their runners off to cross country practice at the back of the school. All but one leaves his athlete behind: Justin Lane, who coaches his daughter and fastest runner, McKenna Lane, at Scottsdale Prep.

What started with Justin joining McKenna at her morning runs last year led to him helping the team informally. That eventually turned into a coaching job this season.

Even though she grew up in a running family, McKenna’s first love was soccer. Lane never pushed his daughter to try running but she ran track in middle school and used cross country to stay in shape for soccer.

In her first year, she struggled with finishing races after recovering from a broken foot in soccer. This year, according to her father, is the first time she is running for the sake of the sport.

“In the morning and afternoons when we’re running, I’m her coach but when I pick her up in the afternoon after school, I’m her parent.”

At home, they discuss her workouts and how she can get better. McKenna says running is a routine topic because of her father’s passion for it.

Justin says coaching McKenna is better than cheering her on because he can be analytical rather than emotional.

The Lanes are fortunate to be in an objective sport where time is the only thing that matters. Favoritism is rare.

To her coach, McKenna is another athlete on the team. He doesn’t see it as a chance to live vicariously through her. When he runs with the team, she receives the same amount of time. Assistant coach Kris Glocksien said the relationship isn’t obvious.

Ever since McKenna started track in middle school, she wrote her goal times on a whiteboard on her door; now a junior, she still updates those times. Her self-motivation, according to her father, can help her reach her ambitious times. Having her coach at home also helps her to stay motivated in the offseason.

“Without him, I would’ve been running alone and that’s not fun,” she said, “One of my favorite moments is training together when there’s nobody else because we motivate each other.”

And it also helps her during the season when she misses a run or can’t finish a full workout. “You know when you get home, there’s always time to run, so you finish a workout when you get home.”

Even though McKenna is the fastest, her coach is most proud of her team leadership role. He said she encourages teammates while they race. “Seeing her, and seeing everybody on the team, willingly do that to me is a proud coaching moment.”

It is also a proud parenting moment.

 

It was also a proud parenting moment.