Q+A with Park Tudor's Sophia Kennedy and Gretchen Farley

Having a national caliber athlete can be once in a generation for most schools across the country. For one school in Indianapolis, two of those generational athletes just so happen to attend their school at the same time.

Park Tudor seniors Sophia Kennedy and Gretchen Farley have had extraordinary success thus far in their high school careers. Multiple all-state medals for each of them in cross country and track, breaking records at different meets and courses, and even competing on the national cross country stage as juniors at the 2021 Eastbay National meet.

There is much more left to accomplish for the Panther duo, one of the best duos in Indiana running history, as the IHSAA season has two weeks left, and regional/national meets are on the horizon.

Get to know Kennedy and Farley more below through this week's Q+A session! 

Q1: How did you get your start into running, what were your first impressions of the sport when you started?

Sophia: I started running in 5th grade by the suggestion of some friends who wanted to join the middle school team. Along with two other girls, I was one of "the littles" on the cross country team. I had played soccer from when I was 3, but I decided to switch sports because I ended up realizing that maybe soccer wasn't my thing. From the second I joined the sport I realized I loved it. My favorite part was the team, and looking up to the older middle schoolers was motivating. By the time I got into sixth grade, I realized that I could be pretty good at this, or at least a lot better at running than I was at soccer. My parents and coaches have done an amazing job making sure that the sport stayed a fun activity, and I didn't start actually doing workouts until I reached high school. As I develop more as an athlete, I continue to find different ways in which I love this sport. 

Gretchen: Starting at 6 months old, my mom took me in my stroller to my first ever xc meet to cheer on my brother in his middle school xc race. Ever since then, I feel I've been around the running world environment for my whole life whether that was cheering on my big sibs in their racing or racing myself when I grew a little older and stronger. The starting moments of my running career that I can remember was when I would run the cool down laps with my older siblings when they were in high school. At the time, I didn't know that the cool down was a slower paced run, so when I sprinted past them on the final 100 meters of the lap, I thought I was so fast since I was already "beating" my siblings. Due to first impressions of running such as this and such amazing running role models throughout my life, my idea of running has always been positive and exciting for me. Ever since the beginning of my career when I thought I was a sprinter racing 100s and 200s to now as a high school athlete, running has and always will be my passion, and it will always be the sport that I look forward to challenging myself in and getting stronger at everyday.

Q2: What is a typical training week like for you guys?

Sophia: 2 workouts a week and a race each weekend. Since we race often, I treat some races as workouts instead of running all out. Sundays are off days. 

Gretchen: Training weeks during the fall xc season can get pretty crazy sometimes as I also double sport in the fall with soccer. Every week we have a total of two xc workouts plus a race on Saturday, and the rest of the days serve as aerobic recovery runs. With soccer, on average we have two games a week, sometimes landing on xc workout days, other times landing on recovery days. If a soccer game landed on a xc workout day, then I would either try to get my workout done in the morning hours or if the game was earlier in the night, do my workout after the soccer game. Throughout every training week, there are definitely many nighttime runs, but I am very grateful that my mom is able to bike along my side the whole way. My main goal for training throughout the fall season is to grow stronger by staying healthy and listening to my body. If I start to feel exhausted from the double, I'll adjust my training and mileage based on how I feel. After the long week, I always take Sunday off to reset, rest the legs, and get ready for the next week!

Q3: What was your most memorable race in High School so far?

Sophia: My favorite race was the Eastbay XC championships my junior year. After an injury taking me out of a lot of the season, I did not run anywhere close to how I wanted to in the high school season. Placing 7th at nationals was extremely rewarding because it proved my hard work while I was not able to run paid off at a higher level. Also, the meet experience was amazing and I made so many friends across the country that I still talk to often! 

Gretchen: My most memorable race in high school has been the Eastbay XC championships. During the winter season, I also play basketball so continuing with running workouts gets pretty tricky as I usually have to do my k repeats at night down Central Avenue for the street lights to guide my path along the road. The late night cold workouts were so worth it though as it led me to a 9th place finish at the Midwest regionals and a 20th place finish at nationals. In all honesty, going into Kenosha I really didn't know much about nationals and instead my goal going into the race was to hopefully get a pr and try to stick with the top pack knowing that I had my basketball season starting in full swing the next couple of weeks. Sure enough though I finished 9th and I was headed to nationals!! While competing with the top 40 girls in the country at nationals was so exhilarating, the whole experience in total was just so amazing and truly memorable. Making new friends and meeting future teammates was more fun than I ever could've imagined and I look forward to seeing if I can carve my path to San Diego again this year!

Q4: What is your favorite workout?

Sophia: My favorite workout is K repeats at any pace. 

Gretchen: My favorite xc workout is either K repeats or sets of fast 400s. With my middle distance background, I always love a good fast interval workout to get the legs turning over at a faster rate. I would say just this year, I've also grown into liking more of the longer aerobic workouts which as a freshman and sophomore appeared pretty intimidating.

Q5: Who is your biggest role model?

Sophia: My role models are most definitely my parents. They were both D1 runners at Indiana University and my dad went on to be a professional runner and an Olympian. My mom is an absolute boss in the corporate world of Indianapolis. Obviously, I have some pretty cool parents to be able to look up to. But, it is not their accomplishments that make them my role models. My parents have done everything in their power to ensure that I have every opportunity possible in my life. My parents constantly remind me that they are proud of my dedication and hard work, rather than praising me for the outcomes, because outcomes are not always in my control. I learn something new from them everyday, and I admire the hard work they put into things they believe in. I hope to be just like my parents when I grow up.

Gretchen: My big siblings are most definitely my biggest role models. My sister Abby and brother Henry both ran middle distance for Duke and my oldest sister Hannah ran sprints for Stanford. My fondest memories are those when we would head to Clemson or Arkansas for track meets to watch my siblings run. Watching them compete at such a high level inspired me as a young girl to want to be just like them one day. There wasn't one time I didn't want to be around them. If they were doing their homework, I was doing my coloring "homewerch" right next to them or if they had to go to track practice, I was always there holding the blocks for my sister. While constantly wanting to be right next to them, probably annoying them just a bit at times, I learned where hard work, dedication and commitment can take you all while having fun and enjoying the process. Later on, watching my sister Abby compete in the Olympic trials in the 800 on the big stage was incredible. I knew what she did to get there and I grew so much admiration for her in how she accomplished a goal that she had put her mind to for a whole year. I love my siblings so much and every day I remind myself to persevere and be just like them when I grow up.

Q5: What are you looking forward to most the rest of your senior year before you head off to college?

Sophia: I am looking forward to testing myself and trying to accomplish my goals as a high schooler. National high school races are a blast, so I look forward to enjoying my time with all of the friends I have made through the sport. I have many time goals in track, including going sub 10 in the 2 miles, so I am very excited to have some fun that all while keeping my larger goals for the future in mind. 

Gretchen: First off, I can't believe it's already senior year, time flies by! I can't wait for another amazing year of accomplishing goals, challenging myself both athletically and academically while enjoying every moment of every day. Last year was my first year of putting myself into national competition type meets, and I have never had so much fun. With every race remaining in the postseason and post postseason along with the upcoming track season, I look forward to putting myself in races right from the start to test my limits and truly see where I can take this incredible sport. I have some big goals for the upcoming races along with the upcoming track season, and I can't wait to continue to grow stronger every step along the way to achieve such goals. This is only the beginning of the running journey, and I couldn't be more excited to experience the path it takes me on.

Q6: If you could go on a run anywhere with anyone in history alive or not assuming you can keep a conversation pace, who would it be and where would it be?

Sophia: I would definitely run with Kipchoge. He seems like such a fun and interesting guy. I would love to hear him speak on the mental aspects of running. I love his smile. It's so adorable. 

Gretchen: If I were to run with anyone anywhere, I would run with the 800 meter record holder David Rudisha in Athens, where the first Olympic track games were. In 2011, I remember watching the men's 800 meter olympic race on the tv with my mom and dad. To this day, I will always remember how Rudisha's eyes looked as if they were on fire. He led the race from start to finish to cross the line in a world record time, truly one of the most impressive races I've ever witnessed. Just how Rudisha put himself into the race and took a bold move, I hope to do the same in my future racing as well. I know it would be so cool to meet him as I could gain so much knowledge about running from learning through his incredible experiences.

Q7: You both have committed to schools for after your senior years as Sophia has chosen to run at Stanford and Gretchen has chosen to run at Notre Dame, what stood out about those programs and where else were you considering? What are you guys most looking forward to in college in the years to come?

Sophia: I took all five of my official visits to Stanford, Notre Dame, NC State, UVA, and CU Boulder. Obviously, all of these programs are outstanding, and there really was no wrong choice. Stanford stood out to me because it was the perfect mix of everything I am looking for. Stanford is a place where I will be able to balance high levels of  academics and athletics. I absolutely love Coach Clark, and the rest of the staff/ team are amazing people. And Palo Alto is absolutely gorgeous. I am so excited to be able to train at the next level with an amazing team. One of my friends, Irene Riggs, committed about the same time as me, and we are so excited to train and live together. The other girls in my class are amazing too!! I've absolutely loved high school, but I am just so excited to go to college now. 

Gretchen: I had originally scheduled all five of my officials to Notre Dame, Duke, Princeton, UNC, and Oregon but I only ended up taking two. After taking a visit to Duke and then the next weekend to Notre Dame, I knew Notre Dame was my home and I didn't feel it was right to visit others when I knew I had already found my happy place.The moment I stepped onto ND's campus standing in the line for the football game next to the band playing the fighting Irish song, I knew ND was a special place. I actually got chills as I could feel the spirit and energy from standing right next to the band while others around sang the song. I know that at Notre Dame, I'll be able to balance their outstanding academics while also being able to train and compete with one of the nations top running programs due to the wonderful amount of support they give their athletes. With the wonderful support that ND supplies, I know that I'll be able to flourish in both my athletics and academics to become the best runner and person I can become. I absolutely love Coach Sparks along with the rest of the coaching staff, and I couldn't be more excited to join such a wonderful, talented, and motivated group of women who are there for eachother and not just for themselves. The energy and positivity the women shared with one another while I was on my visit was contagious, and it makes me so excited to think about the amazing program I'll be joining next year! Go Irish!

Q8: Favorite Subject in School?

Sophia: My favorite class this year is AP chem. I love how hands on the class is with all of the experiments. Usually, my favorite class is math. 

Gretchen: I've always been a math/science girl so any class revolving around those subject areas I usually love. This year, my favorite science class has been physics. I have loved all the cool labs we've done, one being to create a mousetrap car and at the end experimenting to see whose car went the farthest distance. There is also a lot of physics involved when you run and play sports in general, so learning about physics through these types of examples have been incredibly mind captivating to me!

Q9: What is something unique that not many people know about you?

Sophia: I have a twin brother! He plays soccer and we look nothing alike. 

Gretchen: Even though my siblings and I all became running athletes we also have some basketball blood in our family. My grandpa Farley played basketball for IU winning an NCAA championship his junior year and in his rookie year winning the world championship. He practiced incessantly on makeshift basketball courts in old barns and his basketball never left his side, not even during the night. I suppose I've inherited his desire to excel in sports so I'm very grateful to him although I never got to meet him. 

Q10: What do you most enjoy doing in your free time outside of running?

Sophia: I love to bake, make friendship bracelets, and spend as much time as I can with my friends. 

Gretchen: If I'm not running, then I'm most likely playing some other sport whether it be soccer, basketball, or really even any other fun active activity. If I'm not playing sports and just truly have some free time, I always enjoy being able to relax, spend time with family, Facetime my big siblings, or hang out with friends. I also have a guinea pig, a rabbit and a dog which I call my Farley farm, so whenever I get the chance I try to give them some love and attention. Fun coffee shop runs with my mom or friends is also always enjoyable and always hits the spot! Some of the most memorable moments are formed when life slows down just a bit and you're able to sit and enjoy the small, special things with your family, friends, and pets!