mid march – mid may 2010
The following runners were chosen by the staff of RUNOHIO and its’ readers as the top runners in Ohio in 2009. RUNOHIO along with the runners of Ohio and the Midwest congratulate the following individuals for earning this honor.
What were your favorite races last year and why? “My favorite two last year were the Columbus Marathon and the Youngstown Peace Race 10k. Both races were very competitive with great weather where I had the opportunity to run my best times in a couple years.”
Top Female Angela Bizzarri Top Male Master T. J. Lentz Top Female Master Gay Hammon
Top Female Grand Master Terry Mahr Men Open Matt Folk Other top male runners: John Ely, Fred Kieser, Craig Leon, Josh Ordway, Brian Olinger, Chris Reis and Jeff See Matt Folk, 33, has been running for seventeen years. Matt lives in Perrysburg where he owns the Second Sole Athletic Shoe Store.
Top 2009 Performances Glass City Marathon.......... 2:31:04 Churchill Half Marathon.... 1:07:57 Hyde Park Blast 4 Miler . .......19:21 Ryan Serber 8km .............. 23:55 Columbus 10km ................... 30:46 Rite Aid Cleveland 10km ...... 30:46 BG Boy Scout Half Marathon1:09:07 Johnnycake Jog 5 Miler . .......24:18 Peace Race 10km ................. 29:19 Columbus Marathon.......... 2:20:45 When and how did you first start running? “I started running my sophomore year at Clay High School. I was at the age where I was trying a variety of sports to try to earn a varsity letter. My freshman year I played about 5 minutes
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2009 runohio Runners of the Year
Top Male Matt Folk
Top Male Grand Masters Terry McCluskey
runohio
Matt Folk on the basketball team and wanted to try something different.” How do you train and what is your favorite workout? “I do a little bit higher mileage at a little bit lower intensity. During a normal week in a core of training cycle I usually do 9 to 10 runs a weeks with a long run, a speed workout, and either a tempo run or a race. The rest of the runs are normally relaxed distance runs between 7 and 7:30 pace. I still think my favorite workout is a surge workout of 1 to 5 minutes hard followed by 1 to 2 minutes easy with the number of reps varying depending on what race distance I am training to race.” What do you like about running and racing? “I like the challenges, camaraderie, health benefits, and sense of accomplishment after a good run. It has opened up and continues to open up many doors in my life. It has led to many great friendships, travels, and experiences.” Racing is always interesting because even though you try to set yourself up for success with solid training you never fully know what you are going to get. The first reason is you never know who will show up and what kind of shape they will be in. The second reason is you never fully know how your body is going to respond.
What do you like about running and racing? “I have always loved to compete. In a specific race competing is against whoever is around me, but overall when I look at how my season went, the competition is myself. Where I was at the previous year is my competitor, I look to see if I improved compared to where I was last year, which is always my ultimate goal.”
Any advice for runners who want to improve their running? “Set a series of goals both long term and short term that you wish to achieve, come up with a training plan (or plan of attack) that will help you reach your goals, and adjust accordingly along the way. Don’t be afraid to mix things up and try some different things. Doing the same exact things over and over can easily put you in a rut. Be consistent and have some fun.” What are your running goals this year? “My main goal for 2010 is to try to set a pr for the marathon and try to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials by hitting the standard. I hope to have a great spring and summer of mileage while mixing in some races and go after a solid fall marathon.” Women Open Angela Bizzarri Other top female runners: Melissa Converse, Leigh Cordes, Sarah Flament, Bridget Franek, Emily Infeld, Christina Johnston, Rachael Kinsman, Jessica Odorcic,, Becki Ordway, Kara Storage and Tara Storage Angela Bizzarri, 22, is from Mason and is a senior majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois. Angela won the 2009 NCAA Division I National Cross Country Championships in 19:46 for the 6,000 meter course and the NCAA Division I Track and Field 5,000 meter Championships in 16:17.49. Angela was third in the USATF 5,000 meter National Championships in 15:33.02. In the 2009 Big Ten Track and Field Championships Angela won the 5,000 meters in 15:54.86 and was second in the 1500 meters in 4:16.95. Angela was second (20:10) in the Big Ten Cross
Angela Bizzarri
(Photo by www.photorun.net)
Country Championships behind fellow Ohioan and Penn State runner Bridget Franek (20:03). Angela running history includes eight Ohio High School State Individual Championships in track and cross country as well as being an eight time All American in college.
Top 2009 Performances 1500 meters ................................4:17 3,000 meters ...............................9:11 5,000 meters..............................15:33 6,000.........................................19:47 How did you first start running? “I first started running in middle school with a track club called Eastside Pride. It was a great experience for me to not only enjoy time with friends I made but learn about the sport of Track and Field.” How do you train and what is your favorite workout? “I run 6 days a week, two workouts a week, a long run, midweek long run and 2 easy runs. As far as training methodology goes you would have to ask my coach Jeremy Rasmussen. My favorite workout is probably 400’s we do the week of big races. We usually do 1012 total broken into about 2-3 sets. I can’t say it’s our toughest workout but it always feels smooth especially when we have been tapering.”
What were your favorite races last year and why? “The NCAA Cross Country Championships and U.S. Track and Field Championships 5000m were my favorite races. Both of these races were a lot of fun for me because they were surprising to me. I didn’t expect to finish as high as I did in either of these races and it gave me confidence in my abilities. The NCAA Cross Country Championships was a very dynamic race with a lot of surprises but I was able to stay calm and stick to my own race plan.” Any advice for runners who want to improve their running? “Running is about doing a lot of little things right beyond just running; nutrition, sleep, strengthening, mental approach, icing, and stretching to name a few. I think it is impossible to do all these things perfectly but if each season you focus on one of these things to improve on, over time you will generally get better in a lot of these areas.” What are your running goals this year? “I want to be a better overall runner then last year. The easiest way to see that is pr’s but also seeing improvements in more tactical races where time is irrelevant.” What are your plans after you graduate? “I graduate in December so my plans are not concrete right now. But I want to continue running and go to graduate school to become a physician’s assistant.”