Emilie Creighton Aiming to take Blake Cross Country to New Heights

Emilie Creighton may seem easy-going, but she’ll run right past you if you let her. 

On September 9, the junior Cross Country runner placed 10th at the Glory Days Invite. Two years ago at the same race, she placed 98th. Her improvement from her freshman year to this year has been a tremendous reason for her continued success. 

“There’s been a lot of growth in Emilie,” Cross Country coach Darius Oxley said. “She’s guiding the younger kids on the team, and leads all the girls this year in competing.” After being led by former Blake star Ella Zeigler her first two years, she is now the leader. 

“She’s pushing herself on the courses and making sure everyone is taking care of business in school. Good culture, team bonding, she’s in charge of everything,” Coach Oxley remarked.  

While Emilie leads on the track/course, she’s more reserved in the classroom. She’s a very quiet student whom coach Oxley describes as “your typical girl” but is very passionate about what she does on the track, as well as off. She likes to spend a lot of time with her two dogs Brody and KC, who she takes on walks as well as plays with outside. She goes on bike rides with her friends and often has calls with them. She’s very easy to talk to and is a great listener, something Coach Oxley said makes her easily coachable. “People a lot of times don’t see as [much of] a competitive athlete from her, but we tell her that she’s a killer,” Oxley stated. That killer instinct has allowed Creighton to be one of the best runners at Blake, and in the county for the past two years. 

When asked how she prepares for each race, she says she, “loads up on carbs two days before the race, and [then] eats some kind of protein the night before.” On the day of the race, she eats a protein-filled breakfast, but not too much, so as to not overdo it. Her teammates are a big motivation for her, as they cheer for her on the sidelines, which she says is a big help. “We always have a good team and work together,” Creighton says. She is very aware of the environment that she is in and knows how to turn on that competitiveness when the time comes. 

Emilie is somebody who is ready to take it to the next level, and who can win any type of race. Coach Oxley says, “She can accomplish anything she sets her mind to.” Her goals change from meet to meet, but one in particular that she has is to break nineteen minutes in the 5K. Another goal she has is to get close to the school record of 18:28 set by Ella Zeigler. She’ll have more opportunities starting with the County Championship on October 21. She is now the face of the Cross Country team and will be looking to bring this squad to new heights.