The first time Ashlyn Jacobsen entered a race, she insisted on wearing it.

The sixth annual Strawberry Chase 5K run was on the family calendar. The 8-year-old put on her favorite blue tutu and hit the road with her father, Keith, close behind. He even remembers her time: 33 minutes, 47 seconds. It was enough to win her age group, but she went home with two awards.

“When I was little all those other sports I was doing, I was really, really bad at them. I was horrible. I am very uncoordinated. But my first little 5K I won two medals, best dressed in a tutu, and first for my age group. I had never won anything before. I was like, wow, this is something that I can win,” she recalled.

Jacobsen turned the corner that day in the green, idyllic countryside of Ridgely, Md. She never looked back,

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