Mentality has set Inverness Harriers life member Megan Keith apart says coach Ross Cairns ahead of 21-year-old's World Championship debut in Hungary
Megan Keith's coach believes her composure is the key attribute that has helped her reach the World Championships stage – and will continue to see her compete at the top level of athletics.
Ross Cairns has been working with Keith at the Inverness Harriers for years, seeing her into the senior sphere having earned plenty of success at age group level.
He, then, knows the 21-year-old better than most as she becomes the first Harrier to compete in a track and field World Championships in Budapest, Hungary tomorrow morning.
While the Inverness club is no stranger to success, Keith has reached that next level as she journeys into the uppermost echelon of distance running.
Cairns believes that what sets her apart is her mentality – and he thinks Keith can still go on to reach even greater heights in the future as a result.
"She is incredibly grounded, and she comes from an incredibly grounded family who rightfully exposed their kids to a lot of different activities," Cairns explained.
"Megan wasn't an early specialiser, she wasn't running around a mountain at 12 years old winning things, and that has given her an old head on young shoulders.
"One of her main strengths is that she can handle situations like this where other people might go to pieces.
"She has an incredible inner strength about her, and she wants to give her best all the time. She puts herself in situations where the best comes out of her.
"Coaching-wise, the number one thing she exudes is patience. She is nine or 10 years down the line as a young athlete, but she has only come to the fore since she was about 17 or 18. That's when you want kids to progress – not when they are 12 or 13.
"Megan will handle situations like a World Championships really well. The other thing is that success is great, but it's not something that we've ever thought has to come – we've never approached a race thinking we have to win it.
"That comes from Megan coming from a really good family. What you get is someone who is really happy in their own head and that shows out on the track.
"That is one of her major strengths, and probably singles her out as someone who could potentially go pretty far."
That level-headedness will extend to the final hours of preparation before Keith runs in the 5000m heat at 10.10am tomorrow morning.
Although it is her first time at a World Championships, she will have a familiar face to share the experience with, as her flatmate Alyson Bell is competing for Team GB in the 4x100m relay.
Really, having taken almost a minute off her personal best time in the last 12 months to make it to Hungary, Keith has already exceeded expectations just by lining up on the track alongside the best of the best.
With that in mind, Cairns insists there are no expectations being placed on Keith's shoulders at the championships themselves – especially because it is unfamiliar territory in more ways than one.
"Everything is a novelty to be honest," Cairns added.
"Just being here is absolutely fantastic, so everything else is the cherry on top.
"Megan will obviously want to do well, but it will be an experience at this event to be moving in these circles now.
"Only the Olympic Games are at a higher level than this, and 90 per cent of the people competing at the World Championships will be competing in Paris next year.
"We're not really looking at the final. It would be great to get there, but her final is the heat.
"She will give it 100 per cent, she always does. She likes a fast race, and I think she's on record saying that she just wants to be really proud of her race irrespective of what the result is – and that's the way I see it as well.
"At the end of the day, I come back to Megan being 21 and a student at university who is having the time of her life. Everything else is a bonus at the moment.
"Both of us will take it one step at a time. She has all the tools to stay at this level of athletics, which is the pinnacle of athletics, but Megan sets the pace. It's not me as a coach, it's not another external factor, Megan sets the pace of her own journey and will decide where it carries on to."