1998 Foot Locker Championship

The Girls’ contest obviously became a ton more interesting, as defending champ Erin Sullivan (Vt), last year’s winner by nearly thirty seconds over Mariel Ettinger (Or), was only sixth in the Northeast Regional. Ettinger was interestingly the victim of too fast a start in the Western Regional a week ago with a 5:05 first mile before hitting the brutal hills there and not making it with a 31^st place effort. We believe the Northeast Regional effort was Sullivan’s first loss to high-schoolers in the last year and a half. Obviously there are confidence issues coming back at the next higher level two weeks after a less than optimum race. Sullivan was certainly the most dominant prep runner her 1997-98 junior year, with a dominant National Scholastic Outdoor two mile win in June over a top group that was run after she just had just enough time to warm up after her flight arrived late in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Midwest Champ, Lyndsi Gay (Oh) is amazingly a nationally ranked tennis player in her first year of running. She won over a very veteran group out of the Midwest with National Finals experience, with track speedsters Rebecca Mitchell (Il) 3^rd last year nationally, and 2:12.15 800m runner Christin Wurth (Il) 4^th from the 98 nationals, probably favored by the Lake Buena Vista course in Florida.

Sara Bei (Ca) has dominated the west, with the latest star out of the Santa Rosa area above San Francisco, smooth as silk, often deferring the early pace-setting to others in big races. How far she can afford to sit back in the Nationals will be interesting, with her mid-race moves at the Mt. SAC Invitational and Western Regional on a tough, hilly course very impressive. Bei was tenth at Nationals last year after qualifying at eighth place from the region.

Western runner-up Lauren Fleshman was 2:11.87 in her one serious 800m attempt last spring, with the lithe, gliding runner seeming to race well on all types of courses, and the ability for a quick sprint finish.

Liz Awtrey (Va), the Southern champ, is a three-time finalist who was 30^th at Nationals in 98, and is undefeated this Fall. She certainly has the experience, with the Foot Locker weekend with its gala demeanor sometimes a bit intimidating to first year qualifiers. Most preps are not a couple of thousand miiles away from home and in a strange bed for a couple of nights before running a very, very important race.

Hilary White (Fl) was third in the Southern Regional and will have no shortage of local support, as some of those California Champions along the way were lifted along the course by literally thousands of local supporters. Kira Jorgensen, Milena Glusac, Marc Davis, and others were very, very popular local stars, with Davis claiming he could sit in class at nearby San Diego High School and look out on the Foot Locker Nationals course, visualizing himself winning the National title.

With top regional athletes often romping in local competitions along the way, it is nice that all Regionals this year had good weather. A race under good conditions with a quick start with suddenly a ton of athletes around you early in the running was achieved by all national qualifiers this year. Qualifying athletes who dominated local competition all year long met top competition under "fair" conditions in their area races.

The male prep distance running strength nationally has definitely taken a Northeastern slant in recent years, with three of the last four individual champs (Abdirizak Mohamud (Mass) two and Matt Downin (NH) winning over area rival John Mortimer (NH) in 1994) coming from that area. The track exploits of Jonathan Riley and Andy Powell and others in recent years has really generated a ton of interest in the our activity. With Powell inspired recently in the "hill and dale" sport, and a Northeast Regional win over fellow Massachusetts star, Franklyn Sanchez, one has the sense that this group is honed on solid competition or local "sense of excellence" that will make the group very tough.

Both Powell and Sanchez have excellent Track credentials, with Andy the nation’s top returning 1600m/miler and 3200m/two miler, with Sanchez not far behind over the eight lap event. Powell was 20^th last year, some 40 seconds behind returning runner-up Jorge Torres (Il).

The Illinois crew was very strong this Fall, with Jorge Torres the only ever four-time National Finals qualifier in Foot Locker history (Bryan Dameworth might have made it all four, but he had a shoe stepped off his foot a mile into the Western Regional his ninth grade year). The regional winner Torres has worked his way up from 13^th (95), 5^th (96), and 2^nd (97), with brother Edwardo 23^rd (96) and 6^th last go-round (Edwardo was only eighth in the Midwest Regional). The duo is obviously moving up the ladder each year, with it seeming most Illinois prep courses through the state meet similar to the Lake Buena Vista lay-out (fairly flat and fast!).

Michigan’s Jason Hartmann, Midwest runner-up has 4:12.8 (1600m) and 9:10.23 (3200m) credentials, with national experience. He was fifth in the National Scholastic Outdoor two mile last June at 9:14.98, with Franklyn Sanchez 9:07.86 for second there, and the Northeast’s Louie Luchini (Mne) (11^th Foot Locker 97), 3^rd at 9:08.86.

The South is rising in distance running. The Foot Locker series must be given credit for making all areas of the nation aware of distance running excellence, with activities such as the National Scholastic Outdoor Meet, which has found a home in Raleigh, North Carolina, making it possible for Southerners to easily travel to meets and race against top competition. Brad Wilkins, right down the road from Raleigh in Hillsborough, NC, took the Southern Regional, and was 4:11.81 for a mile in the NSO Meet, one place behind Andy Powell. Wilkins will travel to Orlando with confidence.

Out West, Josh Rohatinsky is honed on local tough competition in Utah, with that area possibly the nation’s most competitive in the fall sport. Josh’s Western Regional win at Mt. SAC included setting an eleventh grade course record that put him ahead of former Foot Locker National Champions Louie Quintana and Bryan Dameworth. Josh is a 4:20 miler, with the rolling quick course probably a challenge to his speed.

INTERESTING BIO FACTS (this year’s finalists)

Lyndsi Gay (Reynoldsburg, Oh) - Midwest Champion in her first year of running (!) is a nationally ranked tennis player who qualified for state in that sport for the last three years.

Allyson Marquand (University, Irvine, Ca) - Allyson is a member of the U.S. "under 18" National soccer team in addition to her running exploits. She has signed at----------(don’t hold your ears and scream!!!!) Stanford. At the Regional she indicated that she would play soccer her first year at the Farm, indicating she was excited about the class of athletes she is joining there, hoping to help the soccer team to move up in the National Rankings in that sport. She will continue to do some running, and maybe be involved with Cross-Country and Track in the future there.

Marnie Mason - We are inclined to think that Coach Marnie Mason-Johnson listed for qualifier Ian Dobson (Klamath Union HS, Klamath Falls, Or) is the eighth place finisher from the same school in 1984.

Where they are now: (from Foot Locker program done by Marc Bloom)

Brent Steiner - account manager for Cannondale Bicycles, Phoenix, Az.

Ellen Lyons - Marketing and web site design for a mechanical engineering firm, Mountain View, Ca.

Jay Marden - elementary school principal, Carmel, Ca.

Ceci Hopp - mother and professional runner, Atherton, Ca.

Charles Alexander - mechanical engineer for Silicon Valley computer firm, Mountain View, Ca.

Connie Jo Roberson - Middle School teacher, Cary NC.

Eric Reynolds - works claims department of insurance company, Ventura, Ca.

Christine Curtin - completed her PhD in clinical psychology at University of California, Berkeley, Mill Valley, Ca.

Matt Giusto - Professional runner - Bay area of California.

Janet Smith - started camp for young female distance runners last year. Mount Prospect, Il.

Scott Fry - Works at father’s ceramic tile factory. Tiffin, Ohio.

Cathy Schiro - High School Track Coach, Durham, NH.

Reuben Reina - Professional runner, Fayetteville, Ark. Erin Keogh - completing PhD at University of Texas in Kinesiology, Austin, Tx.

Marc Davis - Professional runner, Boulder, Co.

Erin Keogh - above

1987

Bob Kennedy - professional runner, Indianapolis, In.

Kira Jorgensen - completing PhD in aerospace engineering at University of Colorado, wants to be astronaut. Boulder, Co.

Bryan Dameworth - Professional runner, Alamosa, Co. Melody Fairchild - Professional runner and high school cross-country coach, Denver, Co.

Louis Quintana - Substitute teacher, San Luis Obispo, Ca.

Melody Fairchild - above

1991

Corey Ihmels - Substitute teacher, Salem, Or.

Liz Mueller - Data entry at nuclear power plant, also amateur boxer who is undefeated in three fights with one TKO. New London, Ct.

Brendan Heffernan - Working in computer field, assistant coach at high school where dad is the head coach. Glen Gardner, NJ.

Amanda White - Professional triathlete. Carlsbad, Ca.

Adam Goucher - student University of Colorado, Boulder Co.

Erin Davis - student Penn State University, University Park, Pa.

Matt Downin - student University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wi

Julia Stamps - student Stanford University, Stanford, Ca.

Abdul Alzindani - student North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Kim Mortensen - student, Los Angeles, Ca.

Abdirizak Mohamud - student Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Mo.

EARLY TV - They put a go-kart on the course in the first year’s race in 1979 in San Diego with a camera looking back at the runners. Girls’ leader Ellen Lyons spent most of her time on the downhills waving and yelling to the go-kart during the race to speed up or get out of the way, as the driver did not have the nerve to go down the hills faster than the Idaho winner could traverse those sections. This was also the year the TV group asked Fred LaPlante, the Meet Director (then San Diego State Coach), if the athletes could not stay close together for the first mile or two so they would look good in the TV pictures.

GREAT MOVIE - They used to show the Foot Locker Finalists a movie the night before the event. This movie happened to be of the early 80’s national finals where the girls race went out close to 4:50 for the first mile and Oregon’s Brad Hudson charged out close to 4:25 for the first mile in the Boys’ contest. Both leaders eventually faded, but, boy, you should have seen the look on many of the competitor viewers faces as they thought each year the race went out that hard, and "oh my gosh," you have to take this race out quite a bit faster than my best mile ever run. I was kind of glad when they stopped showing that particular movie.

COURSE RECORD RUNS - Reuben Reina’s 14:36.8 Course Record run on the San Diego Balboa Park course in 1985 was never broken through the finals races there until 1996. That 1985 race had nine boys under 15:00, with no other yearly finals ever having more than two under that barrier.

Janet Smith’s 16:43.7 survived the onslaught of Cathy Schiro (16:48.1 1984), and Erin Keogh (16:43.8 1985) before Melody Fairchild unloaded on it on an eighty degree day in 1990, with the Boulder, Colorado star racing 16:39.2 to win by 59 seconds in one of the most staggering prep performances ever. Fairchild was "in a zone" that day unlike maybe no prep ever in this series. Julia Stamps came close with a 16:41.9 from 1994.

PERSONAL MOMENT - Having 1996 National Foot Locker Champion Kristen Gordon tell me later that a comment I made helped spur her on to her win. At the top of the last hill before she ran down Julia Stamps and the group for the win she said that she thought back to when I introduced her at the California State meet award presentation a couple of weeks previous as probably the second best runner in the nation, thinking in her mind she was going to prove me wrong---oh well---------------!

There’s truly nothing like the event. Orlando’s a cheap ticket if you ever are inclined to go, you will not be disappointed with your attendance.

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