Q&A ... WITH SAUGUS RUNNER KATIE DUNN.

Byline: - Tim Haddock

Katie Dunn doesn't drive. She doesn't have to.

She's one of the fastest high school distance runners to come out of Saugus High School and has been part of record-breaking relay teams all spring. In a recent track meet at Mount San Antonio College, she was on a distance medley relay team that set the fastest outdoor mark in the nation this year (they now rank No. 5). It was the seventh-fastest time in state history. She was also on the four-mile relay team that set the state record (20:10.76) at the Arcadia Invitational earlier this month. Dunn ran the anchor leg of the relay in a personal-best 4 minutes, 53.9 seconds. There's no doubt Dunn could get around faster on foot than most in their cars. Dunn talked about why she doesn't have a car or her driver's license, what character from "Harry Potter" she relates to, her appreciation for fine running shoes and how she and her siblings came up with the names for their cats.

DAILY NEWS: Do you care that you don't have a car?

KATIE DUNN: I don't care that I don't own a car. Sometimes it's bad that I don't drive a car yet. We run miles and miles everywhere. I'll walk wherever I need to go or my friends always drive or we get a ride. It's not a big deal that I don't have a car.

DN: Do you have a driver's license?

KD: I actually do not. I'm very much a procrastinator on that. I live so close to school and I knew I wasn't going to have a car to drive, so I basically decided, OK, I don't need a license until I'm 18.

DN: Do you plan on getting it?

KD: I do. I do plan on getting it. I'm going to be 18 in July. I can wait that long.

DN: What's the most you've spent on a pair of running shoes?

KD: I've spent up to probably $160.

DN: What kind are they?

KD: The Asics or I have a pair of Nikes that I like to run in.

DN: Which ones do you like better?

KD: Right now, I like the Asics. They're comfortable and I need the pronation. It helps you work your form so you don't pound so hard and you have cushion.

DN: What is your favorite "Harry Potter" movie?

KD: Probably the fourth one ("The Goblet of Fire"). I just like all the fighting and all that, and I love the characters in it. I really am waiting for the next couple of movies that will be coming out. A lot of scenes in there are going to be really good. Sometimes it's not all true to the book, but since I haven't read these last couple books, I don't really mind it.

DN: Who's your favorite character in the "Harry Potter" movies?

KD: I actually like Ron Weasley. I just think he's really funny with all that goes on with Hermione and Harry and all the stuff they go through.

DN: You don't think he's a bit of a whiner?

KD: He's probably a bit of a whiner. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a whiner myself. I love complaining about things. My coach would know that.

DN: Your cat's name is Fluffers. Your sister's cat's name is Mrs. Kitty Fantastico. How did you come up with the names for your cats?

KD: Me and my brother share the one called Fluffers. She is actually not too old, but she is a huge cat. She just loves to eat. And she has this fur on her so we basically called her Fluffers. My brother calls her Flufferface because she loves to be lazy. My sister just loves doing the crazy names, so she just calls her that.

DN: She just made it up?

KD: Pretty much. They're both pretty young. We've only had them for about three or four years. We got them when they were kittens, so they're not too old.

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Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News