Lighthouseblog: July 2016

First, let me give my regrets for getting this out so long after the trials is completed. We returned home and I am just now wrapping this up. In any case, thanks for checking back in!

Women’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase

Emma Coburn was the class of the women’s steeplechase. She took over with 3 laps to go and won in a trials record time of 9:17.48. Courtney Frerichs of New Mexico and Colleen Quigley of Florida State were second and third, making their first Olympic team. Ohio’s Bridget Franek, a member of the US team in London, dropped off the pace with a little over 3 laps to go was not able to repeat as an Olympian.

Women’s Shot Put

Michelle Carter won the shot put. Carter threw her best on her third attempt with a 64-3’1/4. This was her seventh US title and third Olympic team. Seven women had throws of 60 feet or better - the most in trials history.

Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles

Sixteen year old Chanel Brisset, of Wynncote, PA. equalled the third best time in US high school history with a 12.95 qualifying race. She advanced to the finals. The women’s 100 meter hurdle final was the fastest in Olympic trials history as the top six finishers ran 12.62 or better.

Men’s 200 Meters

Noah Lyles, a high school runner from Alexandria, VA ran the fastest ever 200 meters with a 20.04 to qualify for the final.

In the final, Justin Gatlin, running in lane 8, beat a younger field with a 19.75. LaShawn Merritt placed second, in 19.79 followed by Ameer Webb in 3rd for his first Olympic team. Noah Lyles ran 20.09 for 4th.

Women’s 5000 Meters

In the first round of qualifying, Molly Huddle had the fastest time in 15:26.33, followed by Conley, Mackey, Taylor, Houlahan, Tully, Ostrander, Emily Infeld of Ohio, Sara Hall of Redding, CA., Hall, D’Agustino, Tebo, and Welling. Angela Bizzari of Nike and formerly of Mason High School in Ohio did not advance.

Men’s 1500 Meters

In the first round Craig Engles had the best qualifying time of 3:41.92. Avila, Blankenship, Winn, Manzano, Colby Alexander of Strongsville, Ohio, Crawford, Wheating, Centrowitz, and McNamara all advanced. In the semis, Ben Blankenship led all qualifiers with a 3:44.24. Oregon alums Matt Centrowitz, Colby Alexander, Daniel Winn, Andrew Wheating, Jordan McNamara, and Johnny Gregorek all advanced to the final. The final was not decided until the final 200 meters when Matt Centrowitz put on a beautiful fluid sprint to win in 3:34.09. Robby Andrews put on a kick of his own to finish in second in 3:34.88. Ben Blankenship had to outkick Manzano for third in 3:36.18 for the final spot on the Olympic team.

Men’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase

Evan Jager and Donn Cabral made their second Olympic team and earned a trip to Rio in the steeple. Jager took the lead after the 3rd lap and kept it to the finish line in 8:22.48. Cabral ended up third. Hillary Bor moved from 5th to 2nd from the final water barrier to make the Olympic team.

Mens’s 5000 Meters

A Hayward Field crowd of 22,847 was anxiously awaiting the final of the men’s 5000 under perfect sunny skies. McGorty took off after 2+ laps. Shrader ran after him and caught him within a half lap. The two of them forged the pace and opened up a 30+ meter lead at one point. Galen Rupp took off after them and reeled them in to the roar of the Oregon fans. After a few laps with Rupp pushing the pace, it was obvious that the chase pack was closing on all three leaders. After a few laps, the chase pack of 6 or 7 caught them all, including Rupp! Now the race was on for the three spots on the Olympic team! The crowd was in a frenzy. Bernard Lagat was in 6th place with a lap to go. He was in 2nd with 200 meters to go. HIs final lap of 52.82 passed leader Paul Chelimo to win in 13:35.50. The 41 year old Lagat made his third Olympic team in this event. Hassan Mead, a former Minnesota Golden Gopher, who runs for Nike Elite now, finished second in 13:35.70. Chelimo, of the US Army, took the lead from Galen Rupp (who faded to 9th) with 300 meters to go for a 13:35.92. UO alum Eric Jenkins was 4th by 6/100 of a second - the closest fouth place finish in the 5000 in trials history.

Men’s 110 Hurdles Final

Devon Allen, Oregon redshirt sophomore, attacked the hurdles. Allen, an Oregon wide receiver on the football team, ran 13.03 to win. It was the first time since 1956 that the college champion won the Olympic Trials in the same year. Ronnie Ash and Jeff Porter, 13.21, finished second and third to make their first Olympic teams. Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson, two favorites, did not make the team.

Off the Track

Bud and Jim introduced us to Kelly Green from Burton, Ohio. Kelly is a former Kent State 800 meter runner. Kelly joined us in the cafeteria from time to time. We bought an extra ticket from Kelly when son-in-law and daughter Brett and Betsy came up to Eugene.

We ran into the Austintown trio of Rich Kempe, Bob Lunn, and Andy Sasson in the exposition area behind the west grandstand. In addition to running against these guys in high school, all three ran at Mount Union with Lunn transferring to Bowling Green after his freshman year. We reminisced about running summer races at Goodyear Park in Akron in the summer between high school seasons.

Hal and I met Marc Hunter and Larry Coy and their wives in the exposition area one afternoon. Along with these two, Guy Abrogast, Terry Williams, Kevin Ryan, Tom Tepley, Nate Ritchie and Bob Lunn were also there. Another time, I met up with Marc again and was able to visit with his son Drew who had just signed a pro contract witih Adidas.

During one meal, a young lady stopped by and asked if I was who I appeared to be (in consideration of the beard). It was a former track standout from Cloverleaf - Kelanie Nuckols! While not a distance runner, she was on the Cloverleaf track teams during the time I worked with the distance runners. Kelanie is entering her senior year at Mt. Union and is a volunteer for the trials. We had a good time catching up and were able to visit often with Kelanie during the trials.

We saw Matt McGowan (Ohio Northern distance runner and publisher of the RUNOhio Magazine) every night in the cafeteria. Matt was probably my closest rival throughout my four years at Wooster. This rivalry began with my first college cross country meet and ended at the OAC Track Meet our senior year. He gave me a RUNOhio shirt, which has become a trials tradition. I proudly wore my new shrit the next day.

Jim, Teare, Hal, Barb and I went to the Wild Duck where we had a chance to meet Ed Carruthers ( 3rd in ’68 HJ), John Carlos, (2nd ’68 200m), and Craig Virgin (3 time Olympian in the 10,000m. He was on multiple world cross country teams. We visited with Craig who told me he is still in Lebanon, IL. Terry Hart, our Michigan friend (and former Michigan pole vaulter) was there along with Martin Nolasko (former college runner and Humolt Toad road racer). We ran into McGowan and other RunOhio folks and we surrounded Terry with our Ohio State and Run Ohio shirts on for a “Lonely Wolverine” photo.

Craig Virgin was there again when we returned with brothers Jim and Art. Tim Breiner (College of Wooster), and his friend Pete were there as well as Terry Hart and Martin. Craig followed me back to our table where he proceded to tell old Big 10 track stories involving people that a lot of us recognized. One of the stories Craig recalled was when Tom Byers of Ohio State was hired as a rabbit for a mile in Oslo. Tom did his job leading through 1200 meters. Nobody was staying up with him and Tom kept running instead of stepping off the track and went on to win despite a furious closing kick by Steve Ovet from Great Britain. Craig added “Tom and Steve did not hang out after that”!

Westfield friend and track official Julie Gauvreau stopped by the cafeteria one night with Tommy Dann. Tom, (a former Wittenberg runner,) and I had some close races in college. It was great to see Tom and catch up after all these years.

Going back to the Eugene Olympic Trials of 2008, we have come to know a guy by the name of Dave Casper. Dave always wears a Mt. Sac Relays hat and is a fixture at the trials. His friendly personality and love of the sport make him a great guy to visit with in the cafeteria - where he likes to linger and make his rounds. We recently learned that Dave was national class in two events in the 1950’s. He was one of the top contenders in the 400 hurdles and he was also a 1:47 880 runner in 1955. Dave showed us photos of his family and he liked to play track trivia with me. One day he showed me a photo of three runners in an indoor race. Two were immediately recognizable as Steve Prefontaine and Frank Shorter. He challenged me to come up with the third guy in the photo who was leading at the time. Well this was easy because I had just been talking to the very same guy an hour earlier …. Terry Williams. Dave’s jaw dropped and the trivia game was over.

Speaking of incredible coincidences, as Teare and I were about to board our flight in San Francisco, who should be on the same plane but our new friend Kelly Green of Burton, Ohio! Not only was she on the same plane, but she assigned to the seat next to us! This resulted in a five crowns card game that took us across much of the USA!

In addition to the people we met, we all were able to get exercise via walking the campus or to the trials events. For the walkers and runners in the group, we had the bike trails and Pre’s bark chip running trail just down the street and across the river. One day, Teare and I rented bikes and went on a couple rides on the river trails. Kelanie Nuckols joined us for a ride that same afternoon.

In Conclusion

Our Lighthouse adventure, including the drive across America and Olympic trials has come to an end. We had a great time during every phase of this trip and were glad to have you along!

For those of you who stayed for the trials reports, I hope you enjoyed them as well! Our best to all and we hope you enjoy planning whatever makes your tail wag!

Bill and Teare

Teare and I drove up from Crescent City, CA. on July 1 and made it to Eugene by 2:00 PM. I was in Hayward Field for the opening ceremonies by 3:30. Two F35’s did a flyover as the final notes of the Star Spangled Banner were played via trumpet.

On the Track:

Ohio’s Brannon Kidder qualified for the semi’s of the 800 meters. Clayton Murphy, of the University of Akron not only qualified for the finals, but ended up winning the trials 800 in 1:44.76. Boris Berian was second in 1:44.94, and Charles Jock was third in 1:45.48.

High schooler Vashti Cunningham qualified for the women’s high jump Olympic team with a leap of 6’4.5. Brittney Reese was one of the better performances of the day with her 23:11.75 in the women’s long jump. Euclid, Ohio’s Jessica Beard competed in the women’s 400 meters, but did not advance to the semi finals. Sandra Richards Ross did not qualifiy in the women’s 400 either. Later, we saw her in the stands hanging out with friends.

In the men’s pole vault, Sam Kendricks set a new meet record in the pole vault with a jump of 19-41/4. Cale Simmons was second with 18-61/4, and Logan Cunningham was third with a vault of 18-41/2.

In the men’s 10,000 meters, Galen Rupp had a lead, fell back to the chase pack, surged again, then was reeled in once more. He let it rip with 600 meters to go to win in 27:55. He had already qualified for the marathon. He came back on July 4 and finished 6th in the first heat of the 5000 meters to qualify for the final. Shadrack Kipchirctir was second in 28:01 and Leonared Korir was third in 28:16. Both Kipchirctir and Korir run for the US Army.

On day one of the decathlon, Ashton Eaton started things on the right foot with a win in the 100 meters with a 10.33. Jeremy Taiwo took the overall lead in the decathlon but Eaton regained the lead after the long jump and 400 meters. On day two, Garrett Scantling won the decathlon shot put with a 52’04. Hardee and Brondyke were 2-3. Ziemak (from U. Wisconsin) was 6th and Eaton was 7th. Taiwo won the decathlon high jump with a 7’03 and Ziemak was second with a jump of 6’10. The decathlon, always one of my favorite events, came down to the 10th and final event to determine the final outcome and US Olympic team. Jeremy Taiwo was sitting in 4th place following Eaton, Ziemak, and Scantling after nine events. As they approached the 1500 meters, the final event, Taiwo had to beat Scantling by 14 seconds in order to move ahead of him in points awarded for the 1500. Taiwo took the lead from the gun and finished in a strong second place finish in the event. He gapped Scantling by over 200 meters and made his first Olympic decathlon team.

Molly Huddle won the women’s 10,000 meters with a 31:41. Cleveland Beaumont’s Emily Infeld was second in 31:46, and Marielle Hall third in 31:54. The Olympic standard is 32:15, so all three are qualified to compete in Rio.

On July 4th, Bridget Franek from Mantua Crestwood High School in Mantua, Ohio won her heat of the 3000 meter steeplechase in 9:39.93. Emma Coburn, an Olympian from 2012, won heat three in 9:35.28, to set the stage for a possible second Olympic team for Bridget Franek.

Finally, the stage is set for a great 5000 meter final with several names we recognize and some new faces qualifying out of 2 heats on Tuesday. From heat one: William Kincaid (13:47.86), Ryan Hill, Ben True, Jeff See (from Columbus, Ohio and Ohio State), Shadrack Kipchirchir (10,000 qualifier), Diego Estrada, Riley Masters, Garrett Heath and Sean McGorty.

From Heat two: Bernard Lagat (13:48.36), Lopez Lomong, Eric Jenkins, Hassan Mead, Paul Chelimo, and Galen Rupp.

Finally, there was the women’s 800 meter, which provided the drama for the trials to this point. All eight competitors held PR’s under 2:00 going into the final. With a possible clip and an alleged push with 130 meters to go, the two favorites were knocked out of the race. Unheralded Katie Grace won in a PR 1:59.10. Ajee Wilson was second in 1:59.51, and Chrishuna Williams was third in 1:59.59. With 150 meters to go, Brenda Martinez, one of the favorites, moved wide to begin her kick. Alysia Montano and Molly Ludlow did the same. In the middle of it all, Martinez claimed she had her foot clipped from behind causing her to veer out of her lane. Montano stumbled, made contact with another runner, and rolled head over heels causing the crowd of 21,713 to make a collective gasp. Grace flew past Wilson and Rogers and Williams barely hung on for third, despite a strong finish by Ludlow. This was especially painful to watch as Ludlow finished in fourth and one spot off the Olympic team in 2012. Montano dropped to her knees in emotional agony several times in the final 120 meters which was equally tough to watch.

Off the Track:

The trials are also about the fellow track fans as well as the action we are all here to see. Our contingent includes brothers Art Reedy & Jim Reedy. Friends Hal and Barbara Gerspacher, and Teare and myself staying in the dormitory. Brett and Betsy Amstutz joined us for a couple days, and attended two days of action at the trials. Julie Gauvreau, and friends Tom Sherwood and Tom Dann (former competitor from Wittenburg) are also here.

Outside of our immediate group, we have run into Bernie and Tom Weber, Matt McGowan (RunOhio Magazine, and former competitor from Ohio Northern U.), and Tim Breiner from The College of Wooster. Walking around the expo, we ran into a gang of former competitors from Mount Union and Austintown High School, including Rich Kempe and Bob Lunn. Kelani Nuckols, from Mount Union and formerly of Cloverleaf High School is here as well. Kelani, like Tim Breiner did not recognize me at first due to my lighthouse keeper beard and mustache. Today, Teare and I went bike riding around town and saw the Eugene premier of the movie “Tracktown” with Kelani at a downtown theatre.

As always, there are former Olympians walking around the venue and out and about. We have talked with Ed Caruthers (silver in '68 High Jump), John Carlos (bronze '68 200) and Craig Virgin ('76, '84 Olympian in 10,000). I saw Craig Masback, track announcer and former miler while jogging out on Pre’s Trail.

We stay in a dormitory which is litterally caddy-corner to Hayward Field where the Olympic Trials are being contested. We eat in a cafeteria which is part of our dormitory complex. The food is healthy, abundant, and good. We are having a great time.

Today, July 5, was the first of two rest days. Art and Jim took a road trip to see Brett and Betsy in Redding, California. Barb Gerspacher returned from Bend where she was visiting her sister Linda, and Teare, Hal and I stayed in Eugene and enjoyed the parks and bike trails.

I will provide at least one more recap of the action from Eugene. Until then, we hope everyone is well. Thanks for joining us at the Olympic Trials! Here are a few photos of our time in Eugene.