"I wanted to see how I stacked up against the best runners in the country," she says. What she saw was a personal best of 33:46, a fifth-place finish and a national top-ten ranking.

Such rapid progress is unusual, but to Hart it's no mystery. "I've been able to get in shape faster than most people," she explains. "A great deal of the credit goes directly to Coach [Babington] and then there's the support of my family. I call them after every race."

The Hart clan must have especially enjoyed the call they received June 30. Elated just to be at the trials, Hart came up with a late kick in the grueling 10,000 and nabbed a spot on the team.

Of course, the Olympics have arrived and Hart hasn't left New Mexico, but that doesn't bother her.

"I've always wanted to represent the United States--it's part of a dream I've had since I was about ten," she says. "The experience of running in the trials was really special, and one I'll remember for a long, long time."

Her future is a teaching job in a small Colorado school, but that doesn't mean the end of her running career. "Right now I feel like I want to stay with it," she says. "I'm serious about it and I'm really excited to continue. I feel like a newcomer and I'm anxious to learn."