From July 2007 print RUNOHIO

The spring is always a busy month for running with numerous road races being contested and with high school, college and post collegiate athletes testing themselves in their track and field championships.

Every year there seems to be more and more road races to choose from to run. Many old time favorites attract many of the serious and not so serious runners as they try to improve their time from the previous year. These older races try to provide for athletic competition and give both serious and recreational runners a quality event to test their fitness and be involved in the sport New events seem to be added weekly, with some of the races seeming to be more for the promotion of something other than the sport of running. Check out the RUNOHIO race calendar for numerous races to test your fitness.

A number of outstanding performances were recorded at the 100th boys and 33rd girls Ohio High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships. The event, held at the Jesse Owens Memorial Track at Ohio State University, drew another outstanding crown as fans witnessed the future of track and field. Twelve State records and five State meet records were recorded during the two-day competition. A State meet record is the best performance ever for that event during the State meet competition while a State record is the best performance ever for that event.

Two weeks after the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships, numerous Ohio high school athletes performed well in the Nike Outdoor National Track and Field Championships. Individual honors went to Barnesville's Stephanie Morgan who won the mile in 4:46.31 edging Cleveland Heights Beaumont's Emily Infeld (4:47.96). Yellow Springs' Sam Borchers won the mile in 4:03.33. Euclid's Jessica Beard won the 400 meters in 52.43. Woodmore's Emily Pendleton won the discus with her toss of 166-06. Vandalia Bulter's Jimmie Pacifica won the shop put with a throw of 64 feet - eight inches.

A week later the USATF Junior Nationals were held during the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana June 20 -24th. Many Ohio athletes again represented their home state well in this Championship opened to athletes who are least 14 years old on the day of competition but do not turn 20 during 2007. A number of Ohioans who competed in the Junior Nationals took home awards. Jessica Beard won her second straight 400-meter title as she posted a 52.12. Emily Pendleton defended her discus title with a throw of 162-06. Angela Bizzarri took home runner up honors in the 3,000 meters with her 9:38.42. Samuel Borchers captured the bronze in the 1500 meters with his 3:50.23. Kari Summers placed fourth in the 5,000 meters with her 17:15.19. Frank Shotwell placed fifth in the decathlon with 7,080 points.

If you haven't heard, the USATF Junior Nationals will be held next summer at the Jesse Owens Memorial Track. Start making plans to support Ohio's best and watch the future young stars in track and field.
Besides covering the OHSAA State Championships, I was also able to attend the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Indianapolis, Indiana and to watch not only the juniors but also the best the USA has to offer. Congratulations to all of the Ohio athletes who tried their best to make the National team which will compete in Osaka, Japan August 25-September 2. Former Monroe Falls H. S. (Stow) and Georgetown graduate Treniere Clement won her third straight 1500-meter National title with a 4:07.04. Brecksville - Broadview Heights and Brigham Young University graduate Josh McAdams won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:24.46. Katie McGregor who graduated from Willoughby South H.S. and the University of Michigan finished third in the 10,000 meters with her time of 32:44.69. Beavercreek's Tara Storage finished ninth in the 10,000 meters with a 33:52.73. Lakewood H.S. and Wake Forrest University graduate Michelle Sikes, who won the NCAA 5,000 meter crown, finished third in this event with a time of 15:09.28. Canton Glen Oak grad Derrick Williams captured the bronze in the 400-meter Intermediate hurdles with his 48.26. Mary Wienberg (Danner) a Walnut Hills H.S and the University of Cincinnati graduate finished 3rd in the 400 meters with her 50.24. David Payne a Wyoming H.S and University of Cincinnati graduate finished 4th in the 110 hurdles in 13.22. Mantua Crestwood graduate Bridget Franek placed twelfth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with her 10:10.36. Akron Hoban graduate La Shauntea Moore finished fourth in the 200 meters with a 22.58. Brookhaven graduate Moushaumi Robinson finished seventh in the 400 with a 51.47.

On the field event side Dan Taylor a Berkshire H.S (Middlefield) and Ohio State University graduate captured the silver medal with his toss of 68-10.75 in the shot put. Magordore H.S. and Kent State University graduate Kim Kreiner took home runner up honors in the javelin with a throw of 190- 10. St Ignatius graduate Tim Mack placed fourth in the pole vault with a 18-04.5. Elyria graduate Tianna Madison finished fifth in the long jump with a leap of 21-06.75.

On a sad note, I was looking at the results of the USATF Championships and saw recent Ohio University graduate Scott Mayle was entered in the long jump. However, the results posted him as DNS (did not start). When I went to the Ohio University Athletic web site to see if there was an explanation, the Men's track and field link had already been removed. Earlier this year, Director of Athletics, Kirby Hocutt announced that four varsity sports (men's indoor and outdoor track and field, men's swimming, and women's lacrosse) would be eliminated at Ohio University. Hopefully with public support at least the men's outdoor track and field team will be reinstated sometime in the near future. For more information on the Ohio University men's track and field situation go to - http://bringin gbackohiotrack.blogspot.com and
http://www.runohio.com/archive/news/05-09-07-OU.html

Gatorade Thirst Quencher has chosen senior thrower Emily Pendleton of Woodmore High School (Elmore, Ohio) as its 2006-07 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Pendleton is a four time State champion in the discus and a two-time Nike Outdoor Nationals discus champion and the 2006 and 2007 USA Junior Outdoor Nationals discus champion.

Last month I directed the 30th annual Columbus 10K. Five women broke 6 minutes a mile for the challenging downtown course, making it one of the top women's fields in Ohio in a long time. Also, perhaps the top three Ohio men marathoners at the time captured the first three men's awards making for an excellent run. Thank you to everyone who participated in this event.

If you are looking for something different to run this summer check out the RUNOHIO Race Calendar and choose from the many summer cross country series to test your fitness on the grass.

Race directors don't forget to send RUNOHIO your upcoming events so they can be listed on the RUNOHIO Calendar. Plus, you can post your race information on The Running Network National Calendar -http://www.rn calendar.com/creator/login.asp

Information on The Running Network National Calendar can be found under Regional News on the RUNOHIO's web site - http://www.runohio.com/archive - Race results may also be emailed to runohio@ee.net

The deadline for the August issue is July 16th

I hope you are able to enjoy the 4th of July with family and friends.

Good luck with your summer training and racing. Don't forget to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your runs.

Matt McGowan