A Kansas City student is one of the fastest middle schoolers in the country

Ella Messner set a time of 5:04.35 for the 1600-meter race — a personal record by 17 seconds — at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis this spring. It cemented her status as one of the fastest 8th grade runners in the country.
A Kansas City student is among the fastest middle schoolers in the country.

Ella Messner ran 1600 meters in 5:04.35 at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis this spring, breaking her previous personal record by 17 seconds. That time is the fifth-fastest mile for middle school girls in the country right now.

"It was exactly what we had trained for," Messner told KCUR's Up To Date. "We'd been training for it for a long time, so I was ready for it."