Unfortunately distance running on the female side especially is a very tough sport with a high rate of injury. In the last few years every single top high school female distance running prospect has seemingly dealt with injuries. The only top distance running prospect that has been able to avoid injury in the last few years has been Chmiel, and she worked as hard as anyone. They are in an age group where they are still developing physically, and that makes the transition into college very difficult.
Katelyn has of course dealt with injuries. But I will say that her parents and coaches were aware of the dangers and tried to be cautious. Her training distances were limited until her sophomore year. She never ran any distance beyond the 1500 at her state meets until she was a sophomore and would typically have only a few hard track efforts each year, her state meet in the 1500, New Balance in the DMR and maybe a Penn Relay or Loucks games thrown in. She would generally stay local, with NB indoors being at the Armory. She ran NXN each year in XC and was not barnstorming around the country. Never ran Arcadia or Brookes or Boston. Never ran any other national meets. Never took the alleged golden ticket (lol) to race Footlocker. And her coaches made her rest after NXN in 2018 and ended her season early her junior year. Katelyn was the type of kid who would sneak out to train but they did their best.
I agree that there is too much emphasis on high school records. Distance running is not sprinting where younger athletes have a legitimate at elite times. There are warning signs. It is very easy to over train to the point where longevity is needlessly sacrificed. The athletes make a name for themselves but at an immense price. Both Cain and Murphy ran huge times in high school but it is not a coincidence that neither could maintain that after high school. Lately it seems that we do see athletes working super hard to break high school records, running national meet after meet and showing impatience in a sport that is not very forgiving.
Starliper has talked about her struggles publicly so I am comfortable saying that I thought she was over racing and over training in high school. She is far from the only one. But I think she has turned the page. The lesson is trust the process and not be in too much of a hurry.