Most people enjoy running with a song in their head.

Maryknoll's Julie Besenbruch excels at both, but can't do them at the same time.

"Sometimes I get songs stuck in my head," the sophomore cross country standout and youth choir member says. "If I sing and run, I get out of breath and can't run."

Ask Besenbruch to choose between her two loves, and she just can't: "That's a really hard question. I couldn't answer that."

Besenbruch is one of the top contenders to win the girls individual title in the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Cross Country State Championships at Central O'ahu Regional Park today.

The girls are scheduled to run at 9 a.m., and the boys at 9:45. Both fields were expanded to 200 runners from 175.

Besenbruch is expected to be pushed by Seabury Hall's Hailey Grosman, Mililani's Kristin Ali Keith, and Kaua'i's Chelsea Smith-Wishard. In recent league championships, Besenbruch (19 minutes, 43.23 seconds) and Grosman (19:52) were the only runners to break the 20-minute mark in the 3-mile event. They ran on different courses, but Besenbruch's time was recorded where today's meet is being held.

Top contenders in the boys field are Leilehua sophomore Bryce Jenkins, Moloka'i's Manu Adolpho, Kamehameha-Maui's Kalani Rosell, 'Iolani's Kon Weber and Hawai'i Prep's Mac Crommett.

Besenbruch sings in the Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus, Hawai'i's oldest and largest community youth choir for children whose members must audition to earn a spot.

"I just like both of them," Besenbruch said. "My team is awesome and my choir is awesome."

And while cross country is a team sport, the spotlight is on individual runners, which Besenbruch doesn't like.

"I'm a little afraid of being the center of attention," she said. "Singing is a lot less individual, it's as a group."

But races provide her instant gratification: "For races, it's fun to win. It's fun to make that effort and think, 'Yes, I did it.' "

Besenbruch is a "coach's dream," according to Maryknoll co-head coach Dr. Ben Kawasaki, whose daughter, Annie, won the state title in 2000.

"She'll just get better and better as the years go by," Kawasaki said.

On track to being her class valedictorian, according to co-head coach Dr. Chris Yee, Besenbruch is the take-charge leader of the Maryknoll cross country team, both on and off the course.

"She's well-brought up," Yee said. "She's such a nice girl. She's never said a bad word about anybody."

Besenbruch's commitment to running and singing means she sometimes doubles up on the same day. She did it this past Saturday when she practiced singing in the morning, then won the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title in the afternoon.

"I love them both a lot," Besenbruch said. "But a lot of times I don't get much sleep. And I wouldn't call Maryknoll an easy school."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.