Cathy Compton's love of running impacts generations

In the street outside our Sanders Beach home, I see them pass by.  

Runners.  

They come and go in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. It’s one of the reasons I love our house. I see young and old, friends and strangers. Fast and slow. 

Some are serious, working hard as they hold a steady pace. Others take a more leisurely approach, chatting with friends. Many have a dog trotting along with them. A few push strollers. 

It is a wonderful sight.

In the summer, the high school kids roll past, some days in large numbers. They are young and fast and strong and seem to glide along effortlessly. It is their presence that brings to mind someone special, the longtime, great running coach at Coeur d’Alene High, Cathy Compton. Perhaps no one influenced more youth to become runners than she did.

She retired after the last season, ending a CHS coaching career there that spanned nearly 25 years and many awards, titles and honors. 

Her CHS cross country teams claimed seven state titles. She earned coach of the year several times. Some of her runners were among the nation's best. They stood out, not just on hilly, windy courses, but in the classroom, earning academic awards, too.  

She instilled a passion for the pain of running into hundreds of students. And she has long loved the sports from growing up in Spokane to running at North Central High School to joining family at Bloomsday. 

I was fortunate enough to chat with Cathy Compton not long after she decided to call it good. Retiring, she said, was an incredibly hard decision, but there was a desire to be with family, grandchildren and try new adventures. 

“I just felt it was time,” she said. 

But leave no doubt, it was tough to step away. This is the time of the year cross country is in full swing. Between competitions, camps and training, running has been a year-round part of her life. She’ll miss the kids, the families, the relationships, the experiences, the adventures, the laughs and the cries. 

“It’s in my DNA,” Compton said. 

Running, through all that life has thrown at her, has kept her fit and her brain clear. 

“It keeps me sane,” she said. “It’s just what I do and I hope that I can always do it.” 

As she walks away from high school coaching, Compton hopes her impact is not the importance of winning, but something bigger, that being the simple appreciation of running and seeing the world from that perspective. 

“It’s just the love of being active,” she said. 

Compton succeeded where others didn't for many reasons, but a big one was because her runners believed in her, the program and what she told them. She provided positive reinforcement and built their confidence. Her runners came to believe in themselves, and nothing matters more than self-belief when in pursuit of excellence.

Compton had a tried-and-true program that included building a base, hills, fartlek and speed work. She was able to get teenagers to run as fast and as hard as they could over hills, through mud, in cold and wind and rain, and nearly collapse at the finish, and be ready to do it all again the next week.

“I don’t think it’s rocket science,” she said. “We haven’t changed a whole lot in 30 years."

Compton, by the way, isn’t done running. She still loves the sport. You may catch sight of her on Tubbs, Canfield, downtown or on the floating boardwalk at The Coeur d'Alene Resort. And when asked, she didn’t rule out a return to coaching. 

“Never say never,” she said. “I’m still capable and I still love it.” 

Every now and then, she sees one of her runners from years past and yes, decades later, they're still running. Her influence goes on, likely for decades. 

That is priceless.

“It tears at the old heart strings, that for sure,” Compton said. 

No matter what, through it all, Compton wouldn't change a thing.

"It's been a helluva ride," she said.

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Bill Buley is assistant managing editor of The Press. he can be reached at bbuley@cdapress.com.