In her seven years of cross country racing, Boothbay Region High School senior Sophia Thayer has been as dependable as the fabled tortoise and as speedy as the hare.

"If there was one thing that you could count on regarding the girls team over the last four years, it was that Sophia would race at or near her best," Coach Nick Scott said.

Raven-haired and small in stature, Thayer is the fastest girl to ever run cross country at BRHS. She has broken every local record for a female runner, won the Mountain Valley Conference championship title three out of four years, and was undefeated in every MVC race in the last two years.

She won the Western Maine Championship title in 2012 and has been the only BRHS girl to ever place in the seeded race at the Festival of Champions, which she has done twice. She holds the girls course records for both Boothbay and Lisbon. In the last two years, she also led the BRHS girls team to two MVC second place titles and one Western Regional runner-up title.

Thayer's cross country career began in sixth grade when a friend suggested she go out for the team. Having no other plans that day, Thayer showed up and did what she has done consistently since: impress people.

Thayer remembers former Boothbay cross country champion Chase Brown's reaction to her running debut. "At the end of that first practice, Chase told Mrs. Johnson I should wear a wig and run for the boys," Thayer said with a laugh.

"Sophia dominated the girls team and often placed first overall at the Busline League meets," Boothbay Region Middle School Coach Hildy Johnson said. Reviewing her stats, Johnson found Thayer not only at the front of the middle school girl races, but also, on at least one occasion, beating all the male competitors, as well.

Scott and Johnson agree that it isn't simply athletic talent behind Thayer's success.

"I don't think cross country was something that actually came naturally for Sophia," Johnson said. "She worked and practiced with diligence and embraced the sport each season. She has a drive, for whatever she does, a work ethic that is unique."

"Sophia would struggle against some opponents during track season and then decimate them during cross country," Scott said. "I like to think of that fact as symbolic of the type of individual Sophia is: Tough, gritty and performs best when she has the time and space to outlast her opponents."

To win consistently as she has, Thayer has had to overcome a steady diet of physical discomfort. Thayer said she enjoys running recreationally, but does not truly enjoy racing.

"It feels awful and you want to die," Thayer said. "Anyone who says they like it must be lying."

Thayer's accomplishments have mirrored the overall growth and success of the local middle and high school running programs. Most of that success rests squarely on the shoulders of Scott and Johnson, but Thayer clearly deserves credit, too.

"When Sophia came onto the team, the girls team was essentially non-existent," Scott said, "Not only has she proven to be the best distance runner to ever don a Seahawk uniform, she is also a fantastic leader. Organized, hard working and motivated, she is able to lead her peers and carry out the tasks expected of a captain as well as anyone."

Johnson said Thayer has been a silent leader, unknowingly inspiring others with her success.

How much Thayer has been an inspiration to others was apparent at the end of this year's MVC championship race when several of her disappointed teammates said they had not done enough "to win for Sophia."

Thayer feels a strong connection to her teammates, as well. She said competing and winning as a team, rather than as an individual, has been a highlight of her career.

Not surprisingly, Thayer has not limited her excellence to cross country. A top student academically, Thayer also competes for BRHS in track and Nordic skiing and has been a major player on the local musical theater scene, both with the Y-Arts theater and chorus groups and in Boothbay Playhouse productions.

"Theater has been a huge part of my life," Thayer said. "Sports are under theater. Theater is what I enjoy most."

Despite all her success on the trails, Thayer said she suspects she will not continue to run competitively after high school. "I would like to have more time in college to focus on academics," she said.

Whatever path Thayer chooses, it’s clear that her natural talents, work ethic and will to succeed will keep her at the front of any pack.