Fletcher's Kayley DeLay seeing sweet results from her cross-country goal-setting

Bruce Lipsky

[email protected]/20/14--Fletcher High's Fletcher's Kayley DeLay {cq}, 15, is the All First Coast girls cross country runner. She was photographed on the campus of the University of North Florida on Saturday, December 20, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Florida Times-Union/Bruce Lipsky)

Kayley DeLay calls it her “weird tradition.”

It might be her secret weapon.

Before each race, she takes a bite of her favorite candy bar, then saves the rest for after the event. Now, Fletcher’s cross country star is chomping away at the competition, one bite at a time.

The Senators sophomore charged through the pack in 2014, running nearly 20 seconds faster than any other local runner, to win honors as the Times-Union’s girls cross country athlete of the year.