Coming this fall, Minnesota will welcome back its prodigal running talent, Grace Ping.
Ping, who owns six age group world records, will return to Winona Cotter High, where she first began to rise among the high school distance running ranks at just 12 years old, her father Ryan Ping confirmed to MileSplit.
Ping, who spent a year in Park City, Utah, with her family, will return to Winona Cotter High along with her sister, Lauren, who will be entering the seventh grade.
But first, Ping will race at the Portland Track Festival on June 10-11 at Lewis & Clark College. The event will be streamed live on FloTrack.
Ping's high school career took a small detour in Utah when she was unable to run in varsity competition, per the Utah High School Athletic Association bylaws. But Ping continued to race and competed at several events unattached. In April, she produced a world age class record in the 5K for 13-year-olds in San Francisco, beating a field of 144 college athletes in 16:26.83.
"I think she definitely grew by being here," Ryan Ping said of his daughter. "You're forced to get outside your comfort zone when you go somewhere new and you meet new people. It's been awesome for every single one of them."
Related Links:
- Grace Ping sets age group world record in 5K for 13 year olds
