Giving

Kate Henderson goes the distance

Sandia Prep junior Kate Henderson ’25 doesn’t believe in shortcuts. Whether in a race or in the classroom, she knows that consistently putting in the work produces results.

When COVID-19 derailed her ability to play soccer because it was a contact sport, Henderson took up running. She became so good at it, she was recently named the 2023-2024 Gatorade New Mexico Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. 

Wanting more of an academic challenge, she transferred to Prep in 2022. Since then, Henderson has maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom and is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS.)

Henderson is grateful for the achievements she’s experienced at Prep. “I have definitely grown as a student and athlete at Sandia Prep through the teachers, friends, and teammates I’ve had,” she says. “The teachers are always willing to help if you have questions, and I have learned a lot through the classes I have taken and the clubs I’ve been in.”

The Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) is one of her favorite activities because different grade levels come together to participate in adventures. “My favorite trips were the cross-country ski trip in Chama and the kayaking trip at Navajo Lake because I learned new skills and made new friends,” she explains.

Henderson has taken advantage of the wide variety of classes Prep offers, from photography to ecological biology. 

In photography, “we learn how to take pictures with film cameras, develop them, and print them in the darkroom,” she says. “This is really cool because you don’t know how the pictures look until the final product.”

In science, Henderson enjoyed learning about energy flow through ecosystems, genetics, cellular respiration, cellular reproduction, protein synthesis, and more. “My favorite lab was when we ground up a McDonald's hamburger and had to identify the different macromolecules inside (carbohydrates, lipids/fats, proteins, and nucleic acids),” she says. 

Henderson’s race preparation is indicative of her approach to life. “Before a race, I prepare a few days before by visualizing the course and making sure to get lots of sleep. The day before, load up on carbohydrates by eating spaghetti and meatballs. The day of the race, I mentally prepare by telling myself, ‘I’ve trained for this, and I deserve to be here.’”

She admires a runner named Mauren Wilton, who battled the odds early in her career. “She was a young Canadian long-distance runner during the 1970s and was told not to run because of her age and gender,” Henderson explains. “Despite this, she continued running and ended up setting the women’s marathon record at 13 years old, not only in her age group but also the world. This is so inspiring to me because I resonate with her being a young runner and persevering despite the obstacles I face.”

This past season, the 5-foot-4 Henderson raced to a Top 30 finish in the highly competitive Nike Cross Southwest Region Girls Championship Race, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 18:03.66. 

She also took third at the Class 3A State meet -- a loss she avenged at Nike -- leading the Sundevils to second place as a team. 

At the Los Lunas Invitational, she won by 41 seconds, lifting her squad to the program’s first invitational meet team victory in five years.

Henderson offered some advice for other young runners who may want to follow in her footsteps. “When setting your goals, remember there are no shortcuts,” she says. “If you’re willing to put in the time and effort that others won’t every day, then you will overcome what you never thought possible. Even the little things count, such as recovery and nutrition.”

In her downtime, Henderson enjoys painting acrylic canvases for her family members and reading such books as The Hunger Games and Divergent series. She also loves watching documentaries about inspiring runners, such as Choosing to Run, Mighty Moe, and A Long Time Coming.

Henderson likes giving back to her community by volunteering at Roadrunner Food Bank and Sandia Prep events through NHS.

She has a twin sister, Ella, whom she beat at birth by one minute. Her older sister, Zoe, is entering medical school. Her parents are from Australia and England, so Henderson has traveled the world since she was young and lived in New Zealand for a year.

The family skis and hikes together.

When she heads off to college next year, Henderson plans to study physical therapy and nutrition. She also hopes to run on a collegiate team. 

Not surprisingly, she has plans to eventually train for and run the Boston Marathon.

There’s no doubt this Lion will continue to chase her dreams and triumph over any obstacles that come her way.