Two area high school cross country runners share more than just a passion for the sport. Alton High School's Shalana Whittenburg, left, and Dora High School's Isabelle Martin, right, both wearing their running medals, both hold their respective schools' 5K records with the exact same time: 20 minutes and 43 seconds. The connection between the two record holders runs deeper than the stopwatch. Both young women are descendants of 103-year-old Alice Whittenburg: Shalana is Alice's granddaughter, while Isabelle is her great-great-granddaughter.Despite being separated by multiple generations in their family tree, in May, the two runners will have graduated from high school just two years apart. Martin recently completed her senior cross country season at Dora, earning her fourth All-State honor to close out her high school running career. Isabelle's mother, Andrea Crews-Martin, noted the unique odds of the girls' shared accomplishments. "It's a remarkable piece of Ozarks family history, connecting generations through athletic achievement and an almost unbelievable coincidence," Crews-Martin said. “Two schools. Two record holders. Two years apart. The exact same time. One 103-year-old family matriarch. What are the chances?" (Courtesy)