High school runner Katelynne Hart is in a league of her own

Mile after mile, day after day can be a formula for boredom or burnout for some runners.

But Katelynne Hart isn’t like other runners, either in her approach or her results.

The Glenbard West senior is nearing the homestretch of one of the most impressive careers by any Illinois distance runner, male or female.

Last month, she became the second girl in IHSA history to win four big-school cross-country titles. Next spring, she has a chance to go 4-for-4 in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, as well.

Hart will be showcased on a national stage the next two weekends, first at the Nike Cross Nationals on Saturday in Portland, Oregon, and then at the Foot Locker Nationals on Dec. 14 in San Diego. She has three top-20 finishes in Portland, including fourth two years ago, and was the Foot Locker runner-up each of the last two years.

These races will put the cap on her high school cross-country career, which has been notable both for its consistent excellence and her ability to avoid the various health issues that plague many other runners.

‘‘I’m definitely very fortunate to have not gotten injured,’’ Hart said. ‘‘I think that’s

because we do the little things right here.’’

No doubt that Glenbard West coach Paul Hass has a proven formula. His runners have won five individual state championships since 2012 and have posted six of the top 14 state-meet times.

But even the best plan can go awry without someone who buys into it. And that’s where Hart outpaces the pack.

‘‘A key thing to staying healthy, as well, is just having the passion for running,’’ Hart said. ‘‘I think those two things go hand-in-hand. Either you can kind of lose the passion, or you’ll get injured or whatever.

‘‘And I love to run. I look forward to practice every single day.’’

Interestingly, running wasn’t the first sport of choice for Hart, who did gymnastics and soccer when she was younger. Because she didn’t start as early as some and because Hass focuses on quality training rather than on quantity, Hart hasn’t put in as many miles as some of her elite rivals.

‘‘I’ve been very — I guess you could say conservative with her mileage,’’ Hass said. ‘‘Right now. she’s doing a lot with limited mileage. . . . Some girls are running 70, 80, 90 miles a week, and they’re very, very good. But she’s doing this with half the mileage of those kids.’’

Hart’s workload figures to increase when she heads off to college. She signed a letter of intent with Michigan last month after considering and rejecting the idea of going farther away from home.

‘‘When I first started the [recruiting] process, I was definitely set on going somewhere away from here,’’ Hart said. ‘‘And as I narrowed it down, I just found that one. I grew up here and trained here my whole life and found success with that.

‘‘And, two, I just think people in the Midwest are different than from around the country — and the ‘right’ different for me.’’

Hart is clearly different in her own way. In her high school cross-country debut in

August 2016, Hart finished second to teammate Lindsay Payne. Her next race was an invitational in which she finished behind Payne and Minooka’s Ashley Tutt. Since that day, Hart is unbeaten against IHSA competition.

That remarkable record is why Hass makes the case for Hart’s place in among

Illinois’ female distance runners.

‘‘I think you’d have a hard time arguing she’s not No. 1, right?’’ Hass said.

He points out that when Wheeling’s Dana Miroballi won four consecutive state titles in 1984-87 — in the era of two-mile state meets — her best time was 11:16. Hart, meanwhile, cruised through two miles in the current three-mile configuration in 10:30.

‘‘And [Hart] is in the largest class, and the kids have gotten so much faster,’’ Hass said. ‘‘In 2002, Farah Jadran was our state runner-up from Glenbard West. She went 17:26, and that’s not even all-state today.’’

That Hart has run away from a faster pack than ever before is what cements her No. 1 status in Hass’ eyes.

‘‘Most races, she has literally no one to run with because no one can run with her, quite honestly,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t see anyone making the argument to be consistently as good as Katelynne.’’