"In my opinion, she's not doing anything and I wish she would do more."
That's the father of the Welch sisters, two endurance athletes who compete against adults, even though Kaytlynn and Heather are just 12 and 10 years old, respectively.
The young duo, which were featured in a New York Times article about youth endurance running in November, were the focus of a segment on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams recently:
Sisters Kaytlynn and Heather Welsch are all-stars in the adult world of endurance running. The girls, 12 and 10, are two of the fastest and youngest endurance runners in the country, often zipping past adults. Their extraordinary talent has left some questioning how far is too far to push such young runners?
The interviews create a picture of two girls who truly do enjoy running, but at what cost? Will this lead to injuries later in life? Burnout? They regularly run half-marathons, and the eldest has already completed a full marathon. And while he maintains he's just encouraging the best for his daughters, you can't help but get the "overzealous-borderline-insane" vibe from their dad ... who's also their coach.
What say you -- how young is too young?