Thursday, November 30, 2017
NCAA DII National Pre-Season Indoor Track Team Rankings
 |
| NCAA DII National Pre-Season Indoor Track Team Rankings HERE |
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
UK Runner Gives Advice on Training, Avoiding Osteoporosis
UK Runner Gives Advice on Training, Avoiding Osteoporosis HERE
Monday, November 27, 2017
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Research concludes that exercise may enhance "brain training."
Research concludes that exercise may enhance "brain training." HERE
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Friday, November 24, 2017
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Joe Klecker Earns PAC-12 Honorable Mention All-Academic Honor
Joe Klecker Earns PAC-12 Honorable Mention All-Academic Honor HERE
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
2017 Minnesota Gopher Women’s Cross Country Performance List
2017 Minnesota Gopher Women’s Cross Country Performance List HERE
Monday, November 20, 2017
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Saturday, November 18, 2017
NCAA DI XC Results
 |
| Gopher women's team photo by Justin Casterline |
Emma Benner 120th in 20:52.4
Women's Team Results HERE(click on Team Scores).
Men's Results HERE: Matt Welch 46th in 30:09.7;
Joe Klecker 67th in 30:24.4; Wayde Hall 93rd in 30:36.6
Men's Team Results HERE
Regeneration of muscle fibers: The breaking and making of healthy adult human skeletal muscle
Research on regeneration of muscle fibers: The breaking and making of healthy adult human skeletal muscle HERE
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Monday, November 13, 2017
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Another Wayzata Double
After winning the team title at the MSHSL Cross Country Championships, Wayzata's Boy's and Girl's teams added the NXR titles to their "resume." The triumphs mean that both teams will be competing again on December 2, attempting to win NXN titles.
"We've had that goal(to attempt to win another NXN title) all year," said coach Dave Emmans. "It's become sort of built into our culture." Having that goal is important, said Emmans, because it can be intimidating for most teams to think about what has become high school cross country's National Championships."
Not every team or every runner can cope with such a lofty goal. It helps that the Wayzata girls team won that title in 2014, which demonstrated to members of the Wayzata teams that followed that it was possible. That win makes it a bit less intimidating and a goal that can be absorbed into the program, part of the culture.
To meet the challenge at NXN requires both physical and mental "toughness." It makes for a long season and requires that the team is able to be able to peak at the right times. Just winning a State championship is a major accomplishment for most teams, so extending the season and being able to perform at a high level in different settings are necessary.
"We don't race a lot," said Emmans. The reason being that each race has its own goal, part of the building blocks of a successful championship season. The Griak Invitational, for example, is on the team's schedule because it is a chance for the team to compete in a large field of talented athletes. Late season races, such as the MSHSL Cross Country Championships is a similar challenge, as is the the NXN meet.
The larger field and high caliber athletes requires that the runners must follow a plan and have the ability to to "run their own race" instead of being distracted by others. When asked about how things went after this year's Griak, Emmans replied that he was very proud of how the team responded to the challenge. They maintained that high level throughout the season, said Emmans.
They were able to stay consistent, performing well every meet instead of having a good race on one outing followed by a less satisfactory one. At Griak, for example, instead of panicking in the big field, the girls were able to follow the race plan, to run their own race, not get caught up in what the other teams were doing.
That was important because they had a "young, but very smart(4.0 in the classroom as well as accomplished on the field of play.) athletes The 2014 team had a leader, Anna French, who, Emmans said, led the team to the title.
This year's group has lot of "really potentially good runners." coming into their own, said Emmans. They've demonstrated that they are capable of doing great things. Their confidence has grown with each performance.
Now there is but one more "mountain" to climb and opportunity to do something special. NXN is the goal of just about any talented team in the US and a new experience than most teams never get. The athletes are treated well, but the "hospitality"can be distracting. The key being to enjoy the atmosphere, but also adhere to the reason for all the work done to get to this point. To be a "Podium team," said Emmans, and if all goes well repeating being on the top of that podium.
THE BOY'S
"This was a special group of guys, says Wayzata boy's coach Mark Popp. "Good guys coming into their own." It's a "scary" deep team with their tight pack being a "secret" to their success. They've run more races than the girl's team and have had a similar consistency. With the depth and talent they could "rest" and rotate the participants, but with that depth and consistency they had the luxury of having a high level of performance with whatever line-up was chosen.
The goal going into the season was to be a consistent "podium team", to be ready for Conference, Sectionals, and sharp for the MSHSL State Meet Back off the training a bit after State, qualify for NXN. They've followed that plan and had consistent performances all season no dips, just solid efforts in each outing.
As Section 6 AA is otherwise known as the" Section of death" because of the strength on the teams, you have to treat the meet as almost a mini State Meet because a dip in performance can result in the team becoming spectators for the MSHSL XC Championships.
Another challenge was getting and keeping the team's number one runner Khalid Hussein healthy. The runner-up at the 2016 State XC Meet. Hussein ran a 2:12 1600 in track season, but had an injury afterwards and got a slow start to cross country training. Popp does a pre-race routine of talking with his runners, providing them with a road map of sorts as to individual's strengths and weaknesses and how to plan and execute the best possible strategy on race day.
With his mile speed Popp said that Hussein should stay in contact with the lead runners and have faith in his finish as Hussein would be a better "closer" than the others. Hussein followed the plan to perfection, waiting until the last portion of the race to open up and break away from Roseville Area's Acer Iverson, who had tried to make a break away move on the hill with about a mile and a half to go in the race. Hussein stayed in Iverson's shadow and began his charge for the finish on the downhill coming out of the woods. In the last 800 Hussein quickly opened up a gap between he and Iverson so Hussein could coast after climbing the little hill within sight of the finish.
At the NXR Heartland Regional Meet Hussein finished third, three seconds out of first. The spread between Hussein and the team's fifth runner was wider than at the State Meet. Hussein got a late start to his training for the cross country season because he was recovering from an injury. He and maybe the others may have been more fatigued as the State meet and NXR was eight days ago.
So the gap between NXR and NXN should give Hussein and his teammates plenty of time to rest and sharpen for the challenge ahead. Like the girls, the Wayzata boys will try for a podium finish, and if everybody is "firing on all cylinders" a unique accomplishment of finishing the season with another double.
 |
| Wayzata State Champs |
"We've had that goal(to attempt to win another NXN title) all year," said coach Dave Emmans. "It's become sort of built into our culture." Having that goal is important, said Emmans, because it can be intimidating for most teams to think about what has become high school cross country's National Championships."
Not every team or every runner can cope with such a lofty goal. It helps that the Wayzata girls team won that title in 2014, which demonstrated to members of the Wayzata teams that followed that it was possible. That win makes it a bit less intimidating and a goal that can be absorbed into the program, part of the culture.
To meet the challenge at NXN requires both physical and mental "toughness." It makes for a long season and requires that the team is able to be able to peak at the right times. Just winning a State championship is a major accomplishment for most teams, so extending the season and being able to perform at a high level in different settings are necessary.
"We don't race a lot," said Emmans. The reason being that each race has its own goal, part of the building blocks of a successful championship season. The Griak Invitational, for example, is on the team's schedule because it is a chance for the team to compete in a large field of talented athletes. Late season races, such as the MSHSL Cross Country Championships is a similar challenge, as is the the NXN meet.
The larger field and high caliber athletes requires that the runners must follow a plan and have the ability to to "run their own race" instead of being distracted by others. When asked about how things went after this year's Griak, Emmans replied that he was very proud of how the team responded to the challenge. They maintained that high level throughout the season, said Emmans.
They were able to stay consistent, performing well every meet instead of having a good race on one outing followed by a less satisfactory one. At Griak, for example, instead of panicking in the big field, the girls were able to follow the race plan, to run their own race, not get caught up in what the other teams were doing.
That was important because they had a "young, but very smart(4.0 in the classroom as well as accomplished on the field of play.) athletes The 2014 team had a leader, Anna French, who, Emmans said, led the team to the title.
This year's group has lot of "really potentially good runners." coming into their own, said Emmans. They've demonstrated that they are capable of doing great things. Their confidence has grown with each performance.
Now there is but one more "mountain" to climb and opportunity to do something special. NXN is the goal of just about any talented team in the US and a new experience than most teams never get. The athletes are treated well, but the "hospitality"can be distracting. The key being to enjoy the atmosphere, but also adhere to the reason for all the work done to get to this point. To be a "Podium team," said Emmans, and if all goes well repeating being on the top of that podium.
THE BOY'S
"This was a special group of guys, says Wayzata boy's coach Mark Popp. "Good guys coming into their own." It's a "scary" deep team with their tight pack being a "secret" to their success. They've run more races than the girl's team and have had a similar consistency. With the depth and talent they could "rest" and rotate the participants, but with that depth and consistency they had the luxury of having a high level of performance with whatever line-up was chosen.
The goal going into the season was to be a consistent "podium team", to be ready for Conference, Sectionals, and sharp for the MSHSL State Meet Back off the training a bit after State, qualify for NXN. They've followed that plan and had consistent performances all season no dips, just solid efforts in each outing.
As Section 6 AA is otherwise known as the" Section of death" because of the strength on the teams, you have to treat the meet as almost a mini State Meet because a dip in performance can result in the team becoming spectators for the MSHSL XC Championships.
 |
| Wayzata boy's 6AA Champions. Photo by Kraig A. Lungstrom |
Another challenge was getting and keeping the team's number one runner Khalid Hussein healthy. The runner-up at the 2016 State XC Meet. Hussein ran a 2:12 1600 in track season, but had an injury afterwards and got a slow start to cross country training. Popp does a pre-race routine of talking with his runners, providing them with a road map of sorts as to individual's strengths and weaknesses and how to plan and execute the best possible strategy on race day.
With his mile speed Popp said that Hussein should stay in contact with the lead runners and have faith in his finish as Hussein would be a better "closer" than the others. Hussein followed the plan to perfection, waiting until the last portion of the race to open up and break away from Roseville Area's Acer Iverson, who had tried to make a break away move on the hill with about a mile and a half to go in the race. Hussein stayed in Iverson's shadow and began his charge for the finish on the downhill coming out of the woods. In the last 800 Hussein quickly opened up a gap between he and Iverson so Hussein could coast after climbing the little hill within sight of the finish.
At the NXR Heartland Regional Meet Hussein finished third, three seconds out of first. The spread between Hussein and the team's fifth runner was wider than at the State Meet. Hussein got a late start to his training for the cross country season because he was recovering from an injury. He and maybe the others may have been more fatigued as the State meet and NXR was eight days ago.
So the gap between NXR and NXN should give Hussein and his teammates plenty of time to rest and sharpen for the challenge ahead. Like the girls, the Wayzata boys will try for a podium finish, and if everybody is "firing on all cylinders" a unique accomplishment of finishing the season with another double.
NCAA announces 2017 Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships qualifiers
NCAA announces 2017 Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships qualifiers
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Gopher Men's Midwest Regional Photo Album
 |
| Obsa Ali(13th) Photos by Gene Niemi |
 |
| Connor Olson(25th) |
 |
| Gopher pack:. Connor Olson, Charlie Lawrence(74th), Erin Ferlic(37th), Alec Basten(29th) |
 |
| Obsa Ali on his way to a new school XC 10K record |
USATF Minnesota Cross Country Open & Masters Championships Results
USATF Minnesota Cross Country Open & Masters Championships Results HERE
Gopher Women's Team Earn Spot at Nationals
Gopher Women's Team Earn an "At-Large" Entry
to the NCAA XC Finals HERE
Photos by Gene Niemi
.
 |
| Megan Hasz(5th), Madeline Strandemo(6th), and Bethany Hasz(7th) on the award stand |
Photos by Gene Niemi
.
 |
Baily Ness(108) cresting the hill |
Friday, November 10, 2017
Minnetonka High School is currently taking applications for the Head Boys’ Track and Field Coach position for the upcoming 2018 season.
Minnetonka
High School is currently taking applications for the Head Boys’ Track and Field
Coach position for the upcoming 2018 season. If interested, contact
Activities Director Ted Schultz at 952-401-5901 or Ted.Schultz@minnetonkaschools.org
Joe Klecker Wins NCAA Individual Mountain Region Title
 |
| Joe Klecker Wins NCAA Individual Mountain Region Title HERE |
Thursday, November 09, 2017
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
State XC Champs featured in Strib HS AOW
State XC Champs featured in Strib HS Athletes of the week HERE
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
USATF Minnesota Athletes of the Month for October 2017
October 2017 Athletes of the Month
11/7/2017
MENDOTA HEIGHTS— A pair of Team USA Minnesota athletes, Ryan Rutherford and Meghan Peyton, took home top Minnesotan honors at this year’s Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 1, 2017. As this year’s race once again served as the USATF 10 Mile National Championship as well as the USATF Minnesota 10 Mile Championship, the race attracted a very deep field. Rutherford and Peyton were both able to finish in the top 20 and each capture USATF Minnesota 10 Mile titles, thereby earning them each the honor of USATF Minnesota’s October Athlete of the Month.
Ryan Rutherford, originally from Bloomington, Illinois and a 2016 graduate of Illinois State University, placed 18th in a time of 49:12, claiming the honor of USATF Minnesota’s 10 Mile Champion and October Athlete of the Month. Rutherford is a member of Team USA Minnesota, an elite distance training center based in Minneapolis, and has been a member of the team since January 2017.
Before moving to Minneapolis earlier this year, Rutherford was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Champion (once in the indoor 5000m and once in the outdoor 10,000m) in addition to qualifying for the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the 10,000m where he placed 22nd overall. He concluded his career with four Illinois State track & field and cross country records, and was a 10-time All-Conference performer.
Meghan Peyton, a long-time Minnesota resident and another Team USA Minnesota team member, also ran extremely well at this year’s Medtronic TC 10 Mile placing 12th in 57:45, also giving her the title of USATF Minnesota’s 10 Mile Champion and October Athlete of the Month along with her teammate Rutherford. This year’s USATF 10 Mile Championship was Peyton’s fifth time competing in the event, placing 8th in 2014, 9th in 2012, 6th in 2011, and 4th in 2010. Peyton has a long list of top finishes and major accomplishments on both the track and the roads, and her performance last month just adds to that list.
Since 2009, Peyton has finished in the top 10 at twenty-one different USATF National Championship races in distances ranging from the one mile to the marathon, making her one of the most accomplished and consistent athletes in Minnesota. Originally from Tualatin, Oregon, Peyton competed on the cross country and track & field teams at the University of Iowa, eventually becoming a four-time All American. Peyton was the 2008 Big Ten Champion in both the indoor 3,000m and the outdoor 10,000m, later going on to finish 6th in the 10,000m that same year at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Peyton has also been a part of three different international Team USA teams, including the 2013 U.S. team that competed at the Edinburgh International Cross Country Championships in Scotland. In addition to competing as a professional runner, Peyton is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Congratulations to Ryan and Meghan!
Honorable Mention Worthy Performances in October
· Emma Bates, originally from Elk River, Minnesota and current Boston, Massachusetts resident, placed 6th at the USATF 10 Mile National Championships and TC 10 Mile in a time of 55:36.
· Joe Klecker, a native of Hopkins, Minnesota and current redshirt sophomore for the University of Colorado at Boulder Buffaloes, placed 2nd at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships on October 27th.
· Madeline Strandemo, originally from Fargo, North Dakota and current redshirt senior at the University of Minnesota, placed 2nd at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships on October 29th to claim the second All-Big Ten honor of her career in cross country.
· Sisters Megan and Bethany Hasz, from Alexandria, Minnesota, also earned the second and first All-Big Ten honors of their careers by placing fifth and 10th respectively at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships.
· Obsa Ali, from Richfield, Minnesota and current senior at the University of Minnesota, placed 8th at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, earning the second All-Big Ten honor of his career in cross country.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to mskuzara@csbsju.edu with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.
Fans can follow along with USATF Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and online at www.minnesota.usatf.org.
Maxwell Kuzara
Athlete of the Month Committee Chair
USA Track & Field Minnesota
NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships qualifiers announced
NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships qualifiers announced HERE
Gwen Jorgensen is switching from the triathlon to the marathon
Gwen Jorgensen is switching from the triathlon to the marathon HERE
Monday, November 06, 2017
USATF 5K roads championship results
USATF 5K roads championship results: Top 10 men and women HERE
Men: Biya Simbassa 5th; Will Lear 8th; Hassan Mead 9th;
Women: Maddie Van Beek 18th(16:33); Meghan Payton 22nd(16:55)
Men: Biya Simbassa 5th; Will Lear 8th; Hassan Mead 9th;
Women: Maddie Van Beek 18th(16:33); Meghan Payton 22nd(16:55)
EQT Pittsburgh 10 Mile Results
EQT Pittsburgh 10 Mile Results HERE
Danny Docherty (22nd); Reed Fischer (19th);
Danny Docherty (22nd); Reed Fischer (19th);
Free App for Charting Routes for Runners, Walkers, Hikers, Tourists and Travelers based on landmarks or geographic features
A distance-based app that creates routes for runners, walkers, hikers, tourists
and travelers based on landmarks or geographic features. This unique
feature, along with designating distances and route parameters, creates a
highly customized experience.
The app is free at www.FASTZach.com
and available on iOS and Android with the ability to create routes in over 50
countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
During its testing phase, which began last spring, the app attracted over 5,000
users.
The app supports routes up to 150 miles in distance.
At present, the app tracks time and mileage and you can even
re-route mid-run to return directly to the starting point. As we develop,
we will continue to add features such as splits, elevation, audio tours and
social media integration.
***************
Contact: Pat
Goodwin, pfgoodwin@sprynet.com,
952-454-8876
Running App that Creates Routes for Runners
Free app that creates routes for
runners, walkers, hikers, tourists and travelers based on landmarks or
geographic features.
Minneapolis – Nov. 6, 2017 – FASTZach has developed a
distance-based app that creates routes for runners, walkers, hikers, tourists
and travelers based on landmarks or geographic features. This unique
feature, along with designating distances and route parameters, creates a
highly customized experience.
The app is free at www.FASTZach.com
and available on iOS and Android with the ability to create routes in over 50
countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
During its testing phase, which began last spring, the app attracted over 5,000
users.
“FASTZach enables you to explore routes like never before so you
can #GETOUTANDROUTE with more confidence and discovery,” said Amanda Brooks,
FASTZach founder. “I developed it while I was marathon training and
expecting my son Zach. I was always looking for a great and safe place to
run and this app turned out to be my solution.
“Whenever I run, I often want to see something fun and be
surprised by a new route. I think other active people want that same type
of experience as well, plus it’s a great motivator to get you out the door
whether you’re at home, in a new city or even a different country.”
After FASTZach users create a route to explore somewhere new or a
familiar route in new ways, they can choose to save, rate and share their
route. Other features include turn-by-turn voice navigation, GPS
tracking, start and end points based on user location, and user-selected
criteria. The app supports routes up to 150 miles in distance.
“At present, the app tracks time and mileage and you can even
re-route mid-run to return directly to the starting point. As we develop,
we will continue to add features such as splits, elevation, audio tours and
social media integration,” said Brooks. “FASTZach generates routes in
seconds and is a great way to let you ‘See More in Your Miles’.”
About FASTZach
FASTZach is a lifestyle product, promoting better health and
wellness through movement and exploration. Created and coded in
Minneapolis/St. Paul, FASTZach is patent-protected and able to generate routes
across the United States, Canada and abroad. For more information, visit www.FASTZach.com.
***************
Sunday, November 05, 2017
NCAA Division DII Central Region Cross Country Championships Results
NCAA Division DII Central Region Cross Country Championships Results HERE
Lance Elliott's MSHSL XC Championships Photo Album
Lance Elliott's MSHSL XC Championships Photo Album HERE
Saturday, November 04, 2017
Close Race for the Boy's Class A Title, Race Results
 |
| Declan Dahlberg(821) and Matt Steiger(753) were given the same time with Steiger getting the win. Here the pair have broken away from the rest of the lead group as the pair ran shoulder to shoulder through the finish. Photo by Gene Niemi |
 |
| About 1.5 Miles into the race, third place finisher Geno Uhrbom(881) leads defending champ Declan Dahlberg(821) and 2015 Class A champion Matt Steiger(Green singlet and shorts, orange shoes who is running right behind Dahlberg.) Photo by Gene Niemi Race results are HERE |
A Double Double Highlighted the Team competition at the 2017 MSHSL Cross Country Championships
On a cool, overcast day on the St. Olaf cross country course Wayzata swept the girl's and boy's Class AA titles and Perham also did the double in Class A .For Perham it was the reverse of last year's State Meet team battles that they lost in tight competition. This year they edged Winona Cotter by one point to take home the girl's trophy. The win in the boy's race was by 30 points over runner-up St. James Area high school.
Wayzata was more dominant, beating Edina by 21 points in the girl's AA race. In the boy's it was anoter dominant performance with Wayzata's scoring 37 points to runner-up Stillwater Area's 72 and Edina's 107. Wayzata senior Khalid Hussein won the AA 5k title, pulling away from Acer Iverson of Roseville.
"I ran a 4:12 mile in track," said Hussein, which boosted his confidence in the back and forth battle with Iverson, who tried to break Hussein by charging up the hill on the "forest" segment of the course in the second half of the race. Iverson, a junior from Roseville, said he thought he could hold onto the lead and the gap he opened with his surge, but Hussein was too strong and quick over the last half mile of the race.
In the girl's AA race, Washburn's Emily Covert used the same strategy as Iverson. However, she was able to hold the gap she got on last year's champion Anna Fenske of Farmington. The battle between the two resulted in a new All Time record for the 5K of 17:30.1 for Covert. That record almost fell as Tierney Wolfgram successfully utilized a different strategy to run away from the Ping sisters, Lauren, who was second and Grace, who finished third in the Class A race.
Instead of waiting to make a move in the latter half of the race, the tactics the other champions utilized, Wolfgram ran even splits, she said, going out hard and holding that pace the last half of the race. She gave credit to the Pings, who she got to know when she was invited to participate in the Project Gold running camp two years ago in Utah, and again in last summer's Project Gold camp at St. Mary's in Winona.
She and the Pings got to be good friends along with the rest of the girls in the camp, she said. "I'm not the most confident person," Wolfgram said of her pre-race nervousness, but she learned how to transform that anxiety into energy. Energy enough to set a new Class A record for 5K and only 1.5 seconds away from duplicating Covert's All Time mark.
It was the fast times run by Grace Ping that had attracted Wolfgram into the sport. When she saw Grace Ping, then a 7th grader, out run and dominate the race to win the 2015 Griak high school Maroon race title, Wolfgram said that then :"I didn't think a 7th grader could run that fast" A 7th grader herself then, Wolfgram's attitude and expectations were transformed. Training with and getting to know Grace and the other "campers" helped her to set her goals higher.
On Saturday Grace had a strip of green kinesio tape on her right quads. She didn't want to talk about the leg or the fact that she hadn't trained during the past week. She said that she was OK, and was hoping to run in the NXN qualifying meet later this month, Saturday's race was more for the team than herself, as Cotter had a shot at the team title, which they lost to Perham by a point.
Wayzata was more dominant, beating Edina by 21 points in the girl's AA race. In the boy's it was anoter dominant performance with Wayzata's scoring 37 points to runner-up Stillwater Area's 72 and Edina's 107. Wayzata senior Khalid Hussein won the AA 5k title, pulling away from Acer Iverson of Roseville.
"I ran a 4:12 mile in track," said Hussein, which boosted his confidence in the back and forth battle with Iverson, who tried to break Hussein by charging up the hill on the "forest" segment of the course in the second half of the race. Iverson, a junior from Roseville, said he thought he could hold onto the lead and the gap he opened with his surge, but Hussein was too strong and quick over the last half mile of the race.
In the girl's AA race, Washburn's Emily Covert used the same strategy as Iverson. However, she was able to hold the gap she got on last year's champion Anna Fenske of Farmington. The battle between the two resulted in a new All Time record for the 5K of 17:30.1 for Covert. That record almost fell as Tierney Wolfgram successfully utilized a different strategy to run away from the Ping sisters, Lauren, who was second and Grace, who finished third in the Class A race.
Instead of waiting to make a move in the latter half of the race, the tactics the other champions utilized, Wolfgram ran even splits, she said, going out hard and holding that pace the last half of the race. She gave credit to the Pings, who she got to know when she was invited to participate in the Project Gold running camp two years ago in Utah, and again in last summer's Project Gold camp at St. Mary's in Winona.
 |
| Tierney Wolfgram Photo by Gene Niemi |
She and the Pings got to be good friends along with the rest of the girls in the camp, she said. "I'm not the most confident person," Wolfgram said of her pre-race nervousness, but she learned how to transform that anxiety into energy. Energy enough to set a new Class A record for 5K and only 1.5 seconds away from duplicating Covert's All Time mark.
It was the fast times run by Grace Ping that had attracted Wolfgram into the sport. When she saw Grace Ping, then a 7th grader, out run and dominate the race to win the 2015 Griak high school Maroon race title, Wolfgram said that then :"I didn't think a 7th grader could run that fast" A 7th grader herself then, Wolfgram's attitude and expectations were transformed. Training with and getting to know Grace and the other "campers" helped her to set her goals higher.
On Saturday Grace had a strip of green kinesio tape on her right quads. She didn't want to talk about the leg or the fact that she hadn't trained during the past week. She said that she was OK, and was hoping to run in the NXN qualifying meet later this month, Saturday's race was more for the team than herself, as Cotter had a shot at the team title, which they lost to Perham by a point.
 |
| Grace Ping. Photo by Gene Niemi |
 |
| Lauren Ping Photo by Gene Niemi |
