Cahlib Edwards, 10, stretches on the Ooltewah High School track. He has broken several records at Ooltewah Elementary and was the fastest child in Hamilton County Schools in the 400-meter dash last year.
CLAIM TO FAMECahlib Edwards, 10, can run the mile in under six minutes, the fastest time at his school. When he competed with the Chattanooga Jets Track Club in 2009-2010, he ran at the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics in Hampton Roads, Va.ABOUT HIMSchool: Rising fourth-grader at Ooltewah Elementary School.His dream: To play in the NBA or run the 400-meter in the Olympics.Favorite runner: U.S. Olympic athlete Tyson Gay.Currently reading: “Naruto” manga (Japanese comics).Favorite movie: “Hulk,” and the “Spider-Man” and “Batman” films.PERSONAL BESTS50-meter: 6.95 seconds100-meter: 13 seconds200-meter: 29 seconds400-meter: 1:15 minutes800-meter: 2:47 minutesTALENT SHOWDo you know a child age 13 or younger with a precocious talent in academics, athletics or the arts? The Times Free Press is searching for children to feature in “Talent Show,” which appears in the Life section on Tuesdays. To nominate a child as a possible subject of a future feature article, e-mail staff writer Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or call him at 423-757-6205.
Although he loves to run, Cahlib Edwards, 10, said he sometimes gets bored on the track, not because he’s losing interest but because it gets lonely being so far out in front.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one out on the track until I lap [the other runners],” he said, laughing.
For all his boasting, Cahlib has the accomplishments to back up his claims.
He first laced up to run cross-country as a kindergartner in Indiana. Even then, he was outpacing others, including the “rabbit,” an adult who ran ahead of the children to show them the way.