The times Elise Farris has run this spring in the 800 meters have been remarkable considering she has a weight on her shoulders.

OK, so the weight is only imaginary, but sooner or later she's going to have to deal with it.

A junior at Hopewell High School, Farris is a gifted basketball player -- she was named to the Post-Gazette West Edition Finest Five this season -- and a gifted runner. But in college, she will probably have to choose one or the other.

"I like basketball better ... I've been playing basketball all my life. I didn't join the track team until my freshman year," she said. "I don't know ... basketball stays with me because I love it, but running track is fun, too."

Farris will run the 800 in the Class AAA portion of the WPIAL championships today at Baldwin High School. She will also run a leg on the Vikings' 1,600-meter relay.

The relay has a chance to medal at the championships, but might not be fast enough to qualify for the PIAA championships May 23-24 at Shippensburg University. Farris is fast enough to earn a trip to Shippensburg in the 800.

To do that, she will have to be one of the top four finishers in the race or place in the top eight and run the PIAA qualifying time of 2 minutes, 18.47 seconds.

At the Class AAA northern qualifier last week at Butler High School, Farris ran the 800 in 2:22.93 and placed third behind Seneca Valley's Erin Lopresti and North Allegheny's Eleni Mermigas. But at the Baldwin Invitational earlier this month, Farris ran a 2:16.07 to Lopresti's 2:15.55.

Lopresti is the favorite going into today's 800, but ...

"Elise thinks she can beat her," Hopewell coach Kevin O'Connor said. "I think she can take a shot at [Lopresti]."

The 800 field is deep and talented. Farris also will have to beat Norwin's Shelby Haitz, Baldwin's Jen Haffner and Hempfield's Julie Johnson, among others.

Not surprisingly, the 800 is Farris' favorite race, although she ran the 400 well this season and even gave the 200 a try.

"The 400 is a complete sprint," she said. "The 800 is a steadier fast pace and it's easier to cut down your times in it.

"I have a strategy for the 800. I try to go out hard to get a good position because you don't want to get stuck in the back. I usually let another girl lead like the first lap and stay right on her heels. Then right at the start of the second 400, I kick it in. I usually try to pass on the back straight and take it from there."

Blessed with speed and endurance, the plan has worked well for Farris. The only 800 races she has lost have been at the Baldwin Invitational and at the qualifier.

O'Connor points out that Farris is at something of a disadvantage in the 800. She doesn't run cross country in the fall while most of the other top competitors in the race do.

"That helps their endurance and she doesn't get that," O'Connor said. "I'm hoping she'll run well at the WPIALs and then at the state meet and maybe some college coaches will talk to her and she'll run cross country in the fall."

It also hasn't helped that the Vikings have been without a track this season. Because of construction at the school's Tony Dorsett Stadium, the track team has had to train elsewhere. Practices have been held in the junior high parking lot and more recently O'Connor has taken his team to Moon Area and West Allegheny for workouts.

"It has been tough. We've run a lot on the pavement, which I don't like, and it's hard to judge your speed running in the parking lot," Farris said.

"But I'm excited about next year and running on a new track and having home meets."

Her goals this year have been to run the 800 in 2:15 and the 400 in 57 seconds. Her best time in the 800 was 2:16 last year.

"The one thing about her is she works hard and isn't afraid to do repeats," O'Connor said. "I think she'd do even better in the 400 if she would use blocks ... maybe next year. As for the 800, what she did at Baldwin proves she can run with anybody."