In November 2008, Campbell ran unattached in the Missouri Valley Association Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence. A newcomer to competitive distance running at the time, she faced high winds and low temperatures on a course widely renowned as one of the toughest in the state.

The end result? A time of 19 minutes, 42 seconds — good for 10th place out of better than 150 runners in the bantam girls division.

“It was really windy and it was cold,” said Emma’s mother, Francie. “Her legs were shaking and her nose was bleeding, literally, coming across the finish line, and I thought ‘she’s never going to want to to this ever again,’ but she was like ‘that was fun.'”

With the help of several local running enthusiasts, Campbell, now 14, has since evolved into one of the region’s premier competitors. Following a strong showing at a regional qualifier in Joplin, Mo., she’s earned the chance to run against some of the nation’s best.

Campbell has qualified for two events in the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics. She’ll participate in the girls 14-year-old 4×800-meter relay and the 3,000-meter run next month at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

An incoming high school freshman, Campbell joined the Tonganoxie Middle School track and field team this past spring after coming over from McLouth. She ran the 4×400-meter relay and broke the school’s mile record in her only TMS season. She said she’s remained in contact with coaches LeAnn Bond and John Tollefson, as well as Starla Jones, who introduced her to running when she was 8. Tollefson is also the Tonganoxie High cross country coach.

Campbell was recently approached by 365 Blaze Track Club coach Andre Carnegie at her family’s church in Shawnee. The team is comprised of athletes from across northeast Kansas. Campbell joined the team and took on a busy practice schedule, which includes weekly trips to Pioneer Trails Middle School in Olathe, as well as plenty of runs on her own time.

“(Carnegie) makes us work really hard,” Campbell said.

The team ran in an AAU regional qualifier last month in Joplin, and Campbell tried her hand in three events. She took fourth in the 3,000-meter with a time of 12:8.38 and teamed up with Audrey Smith, Cierra Hamlin and Natalie Smith to take fourth in the 4×800 (10:46.7).

The top eight finishers in each age group qualified for nationals. Campbell nearly made the cut in the 1,500-meter run as well, coming in ninth with a time of 5:39 – just 1.28 seconds behind the eighth-place finisher.

“They didn’t do it in heats for the mile, so that’s why I didn’t really place,” she said. “There were, like, 17 girls in an eight-lane track. Everybody was just shoved everywhere, and you’re running in spikes, so you don’t want to spike another person.”

Between now and the beginning of the Junior Olympics, Campbell said she’d like to get her 3,000-meter time under 12 minutes and the team’s relay time closer to 10:20. The relay team has only run together twice.

Next month’s nationals will serve as a family reunion of sorts for Campbell. Her father, Mark, went to Dowling High School in Des Moines and still has relatives in the area.

“This is a big deal for the family to go up there and watch her run,” Francie said.

When the school year begins, Campbell plans to participate in cross country, basketball and track.