[July 08, 2011] Young Harrison Smith Born To Run Tweet Jul 08, 2011 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- During a recent stay in Colorado, Andi Smith took her son to the Boulder High School track, where the 12-year-old was doing laps when a group of older athletes took notice. "As they were doing interval workouts, this guy calls to me and says 'You need to put him in track and field,'" Andi said of her son, Harrison, who will enter sixth grade at Albuquerque's Bosque School this fall. "It was really cute." Cute indeed. When your name is Harrison Smith, your parents don't have to "put" you in track -- you're practically born lacing up your running shoes. Young Harrison is actually Harrison Smith III, a thirdgeneration standout in a wellknown Albuquerque track family. He's been running pretty much since he learned to walk and is already a veteran competitor. "(Running's) fun to do because you get to go around, especially early in the morning when everything is waking up and the sun is barely out. That's when I like to run a lot of times," Harrison III said. Harrison was at Boulder High to log some away-fromhome miles in advance of this weekend's USA Track & Field Region 10 Junior Olympics in Albuquerque. The meet started Thursday and runs through Sunday at the UNM Track. It's drawing nearly 1,300 athletes from New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and El Paso. Harrison III, who runs for Albuquerque's Cougar Track Club and coach Shane Cleveland, will compete in the 800 and 1,500. He's undefeated in those races -- and the 3,000 --this year in New Mexico. "He's got some pretty good competition in the 800 and 1,500 (this weekend), so he's got to get on a roll, but when he wants to do it, he can," said dad, Harrison Smith Jr., better known as Chip. "He's learned how to win. I just love watching him go for it." Chip, 41, was the Smith family's second-generation star. A 1988 Sandia High graduate and New Mexico state champion, Chip went on to compete at University of Arkansas -- where he was an All-American in the 5,000 -- before finishing his college career at UNM. Chip followed in the footsteps of his father, Harrison Smith Sr., who won three state track championships in the 880 yards for Albuquerque High. After two years in the Army, the eldest Harrison also competed for UNM, setting a school record in the mile. Harrison Sr. didn't push Chip into running; Chip didn't have to push Harrison III into the sport either. Harrison III was doing fun runs from a very early age, and was in club track by around age 6. "He started running a little earlier than I thought we should, but it's because my dad had Alzheimer's and we kind of wanted to make sure he saw him run a little bit before he lost his memory. And he did," Chip said of Harrison Sr., who died last year. "That was really cool." While the youngest Smith sensation maintains a long list of interests -- from skiing and swimming to playing piano and the steel drums -- running is his favorite pursuit. "And I like to run in competition, so I know how fast I am against the world," he said. He's even measuring himself against his dad. Harrison III is fresh off competing at the USATF Youth Outdoor Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C. There he earned All-American honors with a pair of top-eight finishes. His fifth-place finish in the 3,000 duplicated his father's showing at the same meet 30 years ago. Harrison knew about his dad's 1981 performance and kept count of everyone ahead of him, holding off a hardcharging competitor down the stretch to ensure he equaled his father. "I was thinking 'I can't let my dad beat me in placing,' so I went faster," Harrison III said. "I didn't want to get sixth." Joked Chip: "I think I should've told him I won, because he knew I was fifth and as soon as he got in fifth place, he didn't let anybody else pass him. It was kind of funny." Today-Sunday USA Track & Field Region 10 Jr. Olympics, at the UNM Track; free admission To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]