Following fast footsteps: Melantha Jenkins is latest from family with fleet feet

Melantha Jenkins hasn't been running her entire life — it only seems that way.

Now, after placing fifth in the 400 meters at the National Junior Olympics in Omaha, Neb., last summer, Jenkins returns to the place where her running career began.

The sophomore transferred from Skyline High School on the Sammamish Plateau to live with her father, former NFL cornerback Melvin Jenkins. It just so happens that Melantha Jenkins ran her first race at Redmond High School in a "lollipop race" when she was 3 years old.

"I took my shoes off, and I went out there and I just ran," Melantha said. "I won it. I guess I've just been running ever since."

Jenkins followed in the footsteps of her father and older brothers, all of whom were standouts in track. Melvin Jr., who graduated from Skyline last spring, and Melantha are extremely close. The two have competed in track meets for as long as Melantha can remember.

Melantha said the main reason she began running the 400 was to be like Melvin Jr., who attends South Alabama University on a track scholarship.

"Mel Jr. is a great athlete, but I think she's better," said Alice Jenkins, Melantha's mother. "She's doing things at her age that Mel wasn't doing until he was older."

Being apart from her brother for the first time began to take its toll on Melantha this year. Her parents also divorced last year, and Jenkins was without a male figure in her life on a daily basis, which was the main reason she decided to move in with her father and transfer to Redmond.

"She made a decision that was best for Melantha," Alice Jenkins said. "It had nothing to do with track or the schools."

The change was made so abruptly at the end of the winter quarter that Melantha didn't even have time to tell her best friend she was transferring. The move was a surprise to Redmond Coach Denis Villeneuve, who saw Jenkins walking down the hall one day.

Jenkins' lean build with long arms and legs gives the impression that she's taller than her 5-foot-7-1/2 frame.

"She's very athletic and graceful," Villeneuve said. "Once she gets moving, she's very fluid. I just watch in awe.

"She was born to run. It wasn't coached into her. She definitely has the genetic background."

In addition to having the ideal runner's body, Melantha has the advantage of having grown up around NFL players. She is intimidated by virtually nothing.

"I'm a lot more comfortable around them (famous athletes)," Jenkins said. "I'm not going to go up to them and start gawking."

Despite being the daughter of a former NFL player, and following in her brothers' footsteps, Melantha said she doesn't feel any pressure.

"I don't feel like I have to do anything," she said. "I want to make a name for myself now, to help me in the future."

Although she also plays basketball, Jenkins loves to run. She considers the 400 "my race," and likes it because it's one of the most difficult to run.

"The 400 is more about running a smart race," she said. "You don't have to be the fastest person if you just run smart. The fastest person could sprint the whole race, and you might still catch them because they're worn out. It's all about how you run your race."

Jenkins turned a few heads last year at Skyline. At an April 11 meet, she not only won the 100 (12.8 seconds), 200 (25.6) and 400 (58.3), but broke Skyline records in all three events at the five-year-old school. She also anchored the winning 800 relay.

Jenkins went on to win the same four events at the KingCo 3A Conference meet and qualify for state with top-five finishes at the Sea-King 3A District meet.

For the first time in her life, Jenkins was intimidated at the Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma. The 13-year-old failed to make it to the finals in any of the events.

"I think I kind of psyched myself out," Jenkins said. "When me and my brother did jogging laps the very first day we got there, I was, 'Oh my gosh, this track feels different.'

"I was questioning everything, instead of just accepting it and saying, 'OK, I can do this.' I take that as a learning experience."

Lesson learned.

At the Junior Olympic Nationals in July, Jenkins didn't bother to check out the track before the meet. She ran a career-best 55.88 seconds, the best time by a state runner in four years and No. 2 all-time by a freshman from Washington.

"It was just another race, just another track meet," Alice Jenkins said. "I saw a lot of maturity and I was excited.

"She went through a lot in her personal life this past year. The missing link is back there; her father means the world to her."