Youth Runner Magazine Sept-Oct 2017 by Gosportz Media, LLC

ASK COACH PAT TYSON SEPT - OCT 2017 $4.95

FINDING GOBI

YOUTH RUNNER MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP

HS TRAIL RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS 10 TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION

ESPEN LEHNST GET THE LATEST @ YOUTHRUNNER.COM

YOUTH RUNNING™ | YOUTH TRACK & FIELD™ | YOUTH XC™

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 1

1 | SEPT/OCT 2017

CELEBRATING

21 YEARS

OF INSPIRING YOUNG ATHLETES

WEINI KELATI In this shot Weini is almost to the finish line to capture her victory in the 2015 Foot Locker Finals at Balboa Park, in San Diego, CA. Weini, from Leesburg, Va. took the lead early. Her time was 17:09 and her mile splits were 5:13. Maryjeanne Gilbert was 2nd in 17:10 and Nevada Mareno 3rd in 17:17. Weini is now running for the University of Mexico.

KLOTZ IMAGES YOUTHRUNNER.COM |1

YR MOMENTS HAPPINESS IS WINNING THE NB 5TH AVE MILE It was a happy day for 13-year old Aidan Puffer as he won the 14-under race at the New Balance 5th Ave Mile in 4:44. Close behind was Michael RodriguezKing in 4:47 and Harry Wood Prince, 4:50.

PHOTO RUN 2 | SEPT/OCT 2017

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 3

YR CONTENTS: SEPT-OCT 2017

READY.SET.GO

Vol. 22 issue 4

8 10X NATIONAL CHAMPION

ESPEN LEHNST FEATURE

SAM GEHRKE

CHECK IT OUT

DYLAN MYRAKIAN TRIATHLETE

TRAINING

16-17 INSTAGRAM FAN SHOTS

18-19 MEET HIGHLIGHTS 20

KEEPING UP WITH THE YR BLOGGERS, EDITORS, & FEATURED ATHLETES

IRUN FOR LIFE

27 SUBMIT AN ATHLETE

2-3 YRMOMENTS

LETTER FROM EDITOR IAN

ASK COACH TYSON 24-26

FINDING UP 7 YRBLOGGERS 14-15 POSTER 23 GOBI 29 COMING YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 5

YR GUEST

EDITOR

VOL. 22 ISSUE 3 | JULY/AUGUST 2017 EDITOR AT LARGE Ian Kesterson PUBLISHER/EDITOR Dan Kesterson GUEST EDITOR Peter Maksimow CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & BLOGGERS Pat Tyson, Bob Williams, Matt Walsh, Faith Martinez, Isabella Vu, Espen Lehnst, Mick Grant, Cregg Wienmann, Taitum Schaap ART DIRECTOR Sean Kesterson

LETTER FROM THE

EDITOR

My name is Peter Maksimow and I coach the Kokopelli Kids Racing Team in Colorado Springs, CO. I coach because I was coached, because I am grateful for what was passed down to me and because I hope to pass that same passion along to others. For me, it all started back in 5th grade when I took part in the 1 mile run on a grass field in Whittier, CA during a PE class. I was a skinny, scrawny kid and my mother would not let me play the “popular” sports, like football. “Too dangerous, you will get injured” she said. I was not what most would consider an “athlete.” That day, on the grass field of Longfellow Elementary, I ran 7:22 for the mile and it was the fastest in my class, however, one of the most talented student athletes in another class ran 1 second faster than me. That really got my competitive juices flowing and made

EDITOR'S NOTES 6 | SEPT/OCT 2017

me realize I could be an athlete too, no matter how skinny and un-athletic I may appear to have been. Running has been my passion ever since! I competed in “running club” in middle school, then ran cross country and track in high school and on into college. I continue to compete to this day, focusing on mountain and trail running, having had the great experience of representing the USA as part of the US Mountain Running Team and being able to visit amazing places like New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and all corners of the US. Everything I do in life is running related. You could say I eat, sleep and breathe running. Running is hard work and is rarely comfortable or easy. I make sure to tell the kids that I coach that they should be ready to hurt and that running may not be pleasant during the act itself, but the harder you work, the more confidence, pleasure and success you will derive from it. In the end it will all be worth it, so run hard! Peter Maksimow

THANKS TO PETER FOR BEING OUR GUEST EDITOR AND ALSO WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBER ISABELLA VU.

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Scott Scoggin CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Klotz Images, Kyle Peters, Sam Gehrke, Smotherman Images, PSImages, Eric Ward, Photo Run, Dingo Images, Rebecca Joelsen, Shoe Addicts, Instagrammers, Fans WEBSITE-DIGITAL-VIDEO Sean Kesterson THANKS TO: Camp Arrah Wanna, Running Trails, Volunteers everywhere. ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIPS dank@youthrunner.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES US One Year: Print $14.95 Digital $9.95 Subscribe at www.youthrunner.com Download the app at all app stores PUBLISHED BY: Youth Runner Magazine is a registered trademark of GoSportz Media LLC. Published 5 times a year by GoSportz Media, LLC Copyright 2017 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. Editorial contributions are welcome, submit queries to editor@Youthrunner.com. Gosportz Media LLC and it’s publisher assumes no liability for the content or opinion of it’s writers or advertisers and reserves the right to reject any advertising at it’s own discretion. Youth Runner recommends that you consult with your coach and your physician on any changes with your training, fitness and health issues.

YOUTH RUNNER

BLOGGERS BRODY'S FAVORITES

Running Shoes

XC Course

SAM GEHRKE Isabella Vu Age 12 Club: Cal Coast

ISABELLA VU:

YR BLOGGER & XC RUNNER Hi I'm Isabella and I'm from Newport Beach, California. I run track and cross country. My favorite events are the 800m, 1600m, and the 5k. As a 7th grader, I love volunteering, being on the speech and debate team, playing viola, and running. I'm always keeping up with the latest running news, and I am super excited to start blogging for Youth Runner. This fall, I've been training hard to drop my 5k PR. For my long runs, 3-6 miles, I keep them at RPE of 3-5 for endurance. For my shorter workouts, 1.5 miles, 800m, and 400m fartleks, I go hard at 5k pace and push. With all my training, hopefully at the end of the year I'll be running approximately 20 minutes. During the summer, I traveled to Oregon for Youth Runnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elite Cross Country Camp. It super fun and I made so many new friends

from all across the country. We ran long and hard, but always had fun. My favorite part about camp was the watermelon competition (inside joke inserted). Round after round, I gobbled the watermelon, until finally Youth Runner reporter, Taitum, and I tied. After that day, I can never look at watermelon the same again. I can't wait come back to camp next year. Some of my advice for runners is to just keep running. It's hard at first to begin, but after a while running a couple miles will be easy. It doesn't matter if you're the best now, or not, but every playing field eventually changes and people do too. Just train hard when you need to and remember that fueling your body correctly and getting enough rest is also training.

Food

Color

Athlete

WHAT ARE ISABELLA'S

FAVORITES?

Color - Blue Professional Sports Player: Allyson Felix Favorite Food - Mango Running Shoes - Asics Gel Nimbus 19 Song - Look What You Made Me Do XC Course â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Yorba Regional Park

TAG PHOTOS #YOUTHRUNNER

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 7

SAM GEHRKE

DISTANCE RUNNER

ESPEN LEHNST ESPEN IS AN 8TH GRADER FROM MICHIGAN, A TEN TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION, LOVES ALL FOOD MEXICAN, AND IS A DETROIT LIONS FAN. HE CAME OUT TO THE YOUTH RUNNER CAMP AGAIN THIS YEAR AND WE FOUND OUT THAT HIS UNCLE WAS A RUNNER AND RAN AGAINST STEVE PREFONTAINE. HE IS ALSO A YOUTH RUNNER BLOGGER.

YR: Espen, how has cross country gone so far, have you had any big meets yet? If so, how did it go? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had one meet so far this season, it was an eight team invitational. It was a 2 mile race, I won it overall but my time was about 30 seconds slower than my goal time. I finished in 11:22, was hoping to be closer to 10:50. I took a little time off after the Youth Runner camp before my cross country season started and just getting back into shape. What important meets do you have on your calendar for 2017? Running a large Middle School XC meet in Michigan called the Middle School Mega Meet, Midwest Championship in Indiana, Footlocker Midwest meet in Wisconsin, Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championship in Ohio and USATF XC Nationals in Florida. What are your goals for xc, indoor and outdoor track this school year? For XC I am hoping to win the Great Lansing Championship for the 3rd year in a row and break 10:30 for 2 miles in

my meets. I am hoping to finish top 10 at USATF Nationals and be the top 13 year old in my race. For Indoor track my goal is to run 9:35 for the 3000 meter. My outdoor track goals are to try and break 10 minutes as an 8th grader in the 3200 meter and run 4:40 in the 1600 meter.

and my race went perfect from start to finish. For Track it was winning the 3000 meter at AAU Track Nationals in Virginia in 2015 because I did not expect to win that race. I was running in 3rd and decided to make a move in the middle of the race to test everyone out and all of a sudden I had a big lead.

So our readers know, how did you get started in running?

Any races that you'd like to forget?

My parents run a lot of road races and when I was 5 years old I begged them to let me run a 5k. I really enjoyed it and ran a few more over the next year. I never really trained and just ran for fun but every time I ran one I would run a couple minutes faster. By time I was 8 years old I was running 19 minutes for a 5k and someone told us about USATF XC Junior Olympics. My first time running Junior Olympics I broke our state record in the 2k for an 8 year old and took 4th at Nationals. I was hooked after that. What has been your best race experience ever? For XC it was definitely winning the USATF Nationals in Myrtle Beach in 2014 for the 9-10 year old race and breaking the record running 10:23. I really worked hard training for that one

Yes there has been plenty. In 2014 at AAU Track Nationals in the 1500 meter. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t paying attention at the start and when everyone took off I was still standing at the start line. I also ran almost the whole race in lane 2, I have no idea why. I still finished 5th and medalled but I was really hoping to run a better time and finish better. What do you do to prepare for race day? What do you eat? What do you think about? I do a lot of different things to prepare for big races. For training, I like to do a lot of hill repeats the couple weeks leading up to a big race to work on my strength. I always eat pasta the night before and usually toast and eggs in the morning. I also drink beet juice about 30 minutes before the start and take a spoonful of honey right before going to the start for some extra energy. I also

BEST TIMES BY AGE 1500 METER: 9 YEARS OLD: 5:25 10 YEARS OLD: 5:06 11 YEARS OLD: 4:59 12 YEARS OLD: 4:51 13 YEARS OLD: 4:35 3000 METER: 9 YEARS OLD: 10:59 XC 10 YEARS OLD: 10:23 XC 11 YEARS OLD: 10:14 XC 12 YEARS OLD: 10:04 INDOOR TRACK 13 YEARS OLD: 9:46 5K: 9 YEARS OLD: 18:45 10 YEARS OLD: 18:15 11 YEARS OLD: 17:57 12 YEARS OLD: 17:23 13 YEARS OLD: 17:09 (I HOPE TO RUN NEAR 16:30 BEFORE I TURN 14).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS HONOR ROLL EVERY SEMESTER STUDENT OF THE MONTH

think a lot about my race and try to visualize how I want to run and see myself hitting the splits I want and finishing in the time I am hoping for. You came out to Oregon with your dad and visited Coos Bay, Oregon where Prefontaine was from. Describe the trip and that experience. My first time in Oregon was the best experience of my life. I spent over 2 weeks out there with the man that I look up to the most, my Dad, and learned a lot about the man who is a huge inspiration to me, Prefontaine. I was there to attend the Youth Runner camp in Portland which was so much fun. After camp we drove down Coos Bay and spent a few days seeing everything we could find related to Prefontaine. We visited his High School and Middle School and I got to run on his

Middle School track. We also paid our respects at Prefontaine’s grave, found a road named after him and spent lots of time around the bay and in all the shops. After Coos Bay we went to Eugene and stayed near the University of Oregon. We visited Prefontaine’s crash site, I got to run on Hayward Field track and see pretty much everything to see on the campus. I also had the world’s best pizza at Track Town Pizza. We also went to Nike Headquarters and toured the Prefontaine Hall which was awesome. We found out that your uncle competed against Prefontaine, how has that inspired you? Did he share any stories about those years with you? Yes, my uncle Paul ran against Pre and knew him well in college. He ran against him at the Olympic trials also.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS HONOR ROLL EVERY SEMESTER STUDENT OF THE MONTH

LEILANI GIBSON NEW HAVEN TRACK CLUB, CT.

LEILANI HAS A CONTAGIOUS SMILE THAT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET, AN EXCELLENT STUDENT, AND SHE'S A REALLY FAST RUNNER.

Her first race was at the Colgate Women’s Games at age four. Since then she has tried all the running events but mainly competes in the 800m, 1500m and the 3000m. XC is her favorite season of the year though. This summer she was 1st in the 1500m & 3000m at the AAU CT District Qualifier and 1st in the 3000m at The AAU Region 1. At the AAU Club Champions Leilani won the 3000m. In Detroit at AAU Junior Olympic Games she was 6th place in the 3000m, & 9th in the 1500m. Her recent PR's have been a 2:33 in the 800m, 5:08 in the 1500m, and a 10:53 in the 3000m. As for XC and distance races, she won the NYRR Percy Sutton 5k run and the Bronx 5k running both of them under 21minutes. In the NB 5th Ave Mile she ran a 5:37 mile and she has been to XC Nationals the last three years. Leilani trains about 4-5 days a week. Depending on school sometimes she goes out for a run with her dad or runs on the treadmill. When she’s with the team a workout may be repeat 800’s or 12-200’s with one minute of rest. Her meal the night before a big race is usually pasta or chicken and breakfast is always oatmeal and orange juice. Advice to her teammates, “Never give up when it’s hard and to keep going because there are better things for you ahead.”

12 | SEPT/OCT 2017

SAM GEHRKE

YOUTH RUNNER

TRIATHLETES just leave everything out there and finish strong. I finished with the top individual run time of all males in the 9 and 10 year old division with a 6:08 pace. Winning the national championship was something I will never forget. At what point did you realize you were going to win? I knew I had a very good race, but I did not realize that I won until the results were being printed by the race official. When my ticket said I was 1 out of 37 at the top, my mind was going crazy. I couldn't think for a second. It was amazing. How did the transitions go for you? I know that transitions can sometimes win or lose a race so I had to really be prepared, especially with a very big transition area. My transitions went smooth & there were no problems with spotting my station or getting my shoes, belt and helmet on. How did you get into triathlons?

BRIAN MIRAKIAN

DYLAN MIRAKIAN Dylan competes with the Z3 High Performance Triathlon Team & the SBR Elite Team in Kansas. In August he won the 9-10 year old division at the USA Triathlon National Championships in Ohio. He also recently set an unofficial world record of 28.17 in the 4mile. YR: Tell us about the conditions of the course and the experience of winning the triathlon.

Winning a USA triathlon junior national championship and being the #1 ranked triathlete at my age in America was a big goal I set for myself. The day of the race, I was a little concerned about the course conditions. It was cool and drizzling rain most of the morning. I knew the lake would be cold and the pavement would be wet. I just stayed focused and I knew once I completed the bike and began the run that I wanted to

My Dad told me about a local junior triathlon race and signed me up for my first one when I was 6 years old. I loved the thrill of racing and focus and drive I felt. For our complete interview with Dylan go to: www.youthrunner.com

DYLAN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS: CERTIFICATE OF MERIT FOR PIANO PERFORMANCE PARTICIPATES IN A YOUNG ATHLETE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM COMPETES ON THE MATHLETICS TEAM ONE OF FIFTY JUNIOR SOCCER PLAYERS SELECTED FROM THE UNITED STATES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FC BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL SOCCER TOURNAMENT HELD IN BARCELONA, SPAIN YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 13

14 | SEPT/OCT 2017

THREE COURSE CHALLENGE THE MUD PIT THE HIGHLIGHT OF XC FOR THESE RUNNERS WILL BE CHARGING THROUGH THE MUD PIT AND THE COLD WATER, THEN MAKING IT TO THE FINISH LINE.

KLOTZ IMAGES

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 15

INSTAGRAM

FANPAGE

KIDS RULE THE WORLD! WE JUST SHOWCASE THEM! HERE ARE SOME OF YOUR BEST SHOTS THIS SEASON! WANNA SEE YOUR OWN PHOTOS IN THESE PAGES? IT'S EASY! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HASHTAG #YOUTHRUNNER WHEN YOU POST TO INSTAGRAM!

16 | SEPT/OCT 2017

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 17

MEET HIGHLIGHTS KOKOPELLI KIDS They have a XC program and a Trail Running Series of meets. If you live in Colorado you should check them out at www.kokopellikids.com

PETER MAXSIMOW

18 | MARCH/APRIL 2016

AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES The most successful AAU Junior Olympic Games ever were in Ypsilanti, Michigan this summer. Results and photos at youthrunner.com

18 | SEPT/OCT 2017

ERIC WARD

NATIONAL HS TRAIL RUNNING CHAMPS The first ever National HS Trail Running Championships were help in Salida, Colorado with a 5 mile course through switchbacks and hills.

JODI & BRIAN PETIT

PORTLAND TO COAST HS CHALLENGE The “Olympia Slackers” defend their title in the Portland to Coast High School Challenge.

KLOTZ IMAGES

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MOUNTAIN RUNNING CUP This was the first year that the USA had a Team participating in the Youth Mountain Running Cup held in Italy.

PAUL KIRSCH

NB 5TH AVE MILE The New Balance 5th Avenue Mile features elite athletes and also age group races such at the 14-under mile race.

PHOTO RUN

AH YES,

back to cross country! Trails, hills creek crossings, mud, dirt, and teammates that will be friends for life. For us it started with the Portland to Coast High School Challenge, an all night relay that ends up at the Oregon Coast. Two vans full of runners maneuver their way through thousands of runners hoping to avoid wrong turns and lose time. The “Olympia Slackers” surprised themselves and won for the second year in a row. 19

KEEPING UP WITH

YR ATHLETES, BLOGGERS, & EDITORS

WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT SOME OF THE ATHLETES THAT APPEARED IN YR ARE DOING THIS SEASON.

JAMES DONAHUE Featured Athlete March-April 2014

(8TH GRADER) REBECCA JOELSON

James was in YR after he won the 9-10 USATF XC Nationals.

BOB BRACEY

Since then he has overcome Mono and a broken leg from a hockey accident. Now as an 8th grader he is back with determination and is running with the high school varsity team in Belmont Hill, MA. In a recent meet he tied for first and has already run a 17.19 5k.

PHILLIP ROCHA On the Cover Feb-March 2013

JORDAN HASAY On the Cover in High School After her career at Oregon Jordan has been running with the Nike Oregon Project. This year, in the first marathon of her career she came in third at Boston in 2:23:00. At the Peachtree 10k in July Jordan was third in 33:08. She also has a series of stretching videos that you can see at www.P.A.C.E.com Twitter @JordanHasay

PHOTO RUN 20 | SEPT/OCT 2017

Phillip is now a sophomore at Colorado University and running for the Buffalos. He was a National JO Champ and ran a 8:56.93 3000m at age 14. In high school he won 10 of his 11 races, and placed second at Foot Locker Nationals. A two-time state cross country champion and 11th at the Nike Cross Championships as a junior. He was fifth at state as a sophomore after placing 10th his freshman year. At the state track & field championships in 2015, Phillip was second in the 3,200m and won the 1,600 Pacific League title. HS PRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: 800-meter: 1:54.65; 1,600-meters: 4:11.56; Mile: 4:14.49; 3,200-meters: 8:59.42

RYAN CROUSER

Featured Athlete

Ryan has come a long way since we met him and his cousins Sam and Haley when they were back in grade school. A stellar high school career, a gold medal in Rio, a win at the Prefontaine Classic, and this summer it was his second straight U.S. title in the shot put launching it 22.65 meter (74-3/34) Follow him on twitter @RCrouserThrows

PHOTO RUN

Featured Athlete We first featured Tierra as a 7 year old running the 100m and long jumping. Tierra is a junior this year. As a freshman, her relay team took 2nd at CIF in the 4x400. This year Tierra won the heptathlon at the Arcadia Invitational and then made the USA Junior National Team (U20 as a 16 year old) and went to Peru to compete in the Pan Am Games. Her goal this upcoming season is to work on improving certain events for the heptathlon and making Team USA again.

PHOTO ASICS

TIERRA CROCKERELL

CANDACE HILL Featured Athlete We met Candace after she ran 10.98 as a 16 year old at the Brooks PR Invitational. She was also named Gatorade National Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Shortly thereafter she became a professional athlete for Asics.

LAUREN RAIN WILLIAMS On the Cover April-May 2012 Lauren missed competing at the CIF State Championships in June due to an injury. She took time to recover and is now a student athlete at the University of Oregon. As part of the Oaks Christian HS Team in 2016 her time of 22.80 places her as the sixth fastest 200m runner ever. Olympian Allyson Felix and Candace Hill are the only ones to run faster as high school athletes. Follow her @Laurenrain25

SMOTHERMAN IMAGES YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 21

iRun4Life

Kids Only 3k Doylestown, PA In May about a 1,000 kids gather at Central Park in Doylestown, Pa. for the annual iRun4 Life Kids Only 3K. Kids participating in the race are part of iRun4Life’s running program, which is found in 25 elementary schools across 10 school districts and is organized and directed by parents and teacher volunteers. Overall, more than 3,000 children participate and more than 300,000 miles have been logged by iRun4Life youth. The running program started in 2008 with four elementary schools and 300 children participating. Its focus is to teach children about exercise, healthy nutrition and giving back to the community in the form of good deeds. They believe that if children learn to love exercise at an early age, and realize how fun it is to feel healthy and strong, then they will live an active and healthy lifestyle throughout their lives. More information about iRun4Life is available at www.iRun4Life.com.

Arturius Perez, 7, runs with his Doyle Elementary group and finished first in his division. He’s been running with iRun4Life for three years.

Jason Maher and his dad, Tim, were on hand to watch the race, and decided to hang out on the tennis courts before it began.

Nolan Feite learned about iRun4Life through his friends at St. Jude Catholic School in Chalfont, Pa. It was the 9-year-old’s first year competing in the Kids Only 3K.

“The family plays a lot of sports: tennis, baseball, basketball and soccer,” Tim said. “Also, I can’t forget ping pong.”

“He’s fast, so he kind of likes that,” his mom, Sandy, said with a laugh.

22 | SEPT/OCT 2017

Riley Flynn and her mom, Shelly were experiencing the 3K for the first time. Riley, 7, is in school at Warwick Elementary, and participates in the iRun4Life program. “We run around the parking lot. It’s a lot of fun,” Riley said. “I like running, and I like to run fast. I like beating my brother, too.”

Jackson Watters, 9, has been an iRun4Life runner for a full year. He began running at Linden Elementary. He ran the 3K at a speedy 8:02 pace, which is impressive considering it was the longest race he’s ever done. “I like running fast. I like racing,” he said. Volunteers Danny Remishevsky (16), Rajiv Deo (16) and Thanu Yalamanchi (12) were all first-year volunteers. Part of the CB Cares volunteer team, the team volunteers at a number of local events, including runs, community days and more.

Tierney Gannon, 8, began running with iRun4Life at Kutz Elementary. This year was her second 3K race.

“We just like helping out the community,” Deo said.

“I like running with my friends,” she said. “That’s what I like most about it.”

“Anything we can do to be involved, we try to do it,” added Remishevsky.

YOUTH RUNNER

BOOK REVIEW

FINDING GOBI

REVIEWED BY ISABELLA VU

Imagine this scene: Dion Leonard, an ultra marathoner, challenges himself to a multi- stage, 155-mile race across the barren Gobi Desert. A stray dog immediately takes interest in him, never wanting to leave his side. Not just through one strenuous stage, but every mile, and every night. They grew closer and eventually, Leonard named her Gobi. After the race, he promised to take Gobi back to Scotland. This wasn’t an easy task, especially when Gobi disappeared. I don’t want to spoil the story too much, as this book is definitely one to read. There have been so many excellent books written about man’s best friend and their relationship in this past year. Finding Gobi, a true story, recounts the heartwarming tale of a stray dog and a runner, definitely takes

the cake for me. I can’t lie when I say dogs and running are one of my favorite things. When put together, it’s a very comforting idea that makes you want to smile again, and again. This book touches on so many important lessons and I encourage any young adult to give Finding Gobi a try. Dion touches on life’s disappointments and successes, something we all face as runners, and my favorite, a happy ending. This book also has strong content about determination, integrity, and never losing hope when things go wrong. Finding Gobi is relatable on so many levels and after reading it multiple times, I hope you will give this book a try. To Learn More and to Buy go Here: findinggobibook.com

ASK A

COACH

DINGO IMAGES

COACH TYSON ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

ALL ABOUT PREFONTAINE, COLLEGE, AND STAYING INSPIRED Pat Tyson is a coach at Gonzaga University and was one of the winningest high school coaches ever while at Mead HS in Spokane, Washington. Coach Tyson went to University of Oregon and was a roommate with Steve Prefontaine. You may also have seen his book " Coaching Cross Country Successfully" by Human Kinetics.

Coach Pat Tyson

We were privileged to have Coach Pat Tyson come to the Youth Runner Middle School Camp this year. Here are some of the questions he answered at the afternoon session.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO RUN SIDE-BY SIDE PREFONTAINE?

COACH TYSON: Pre was all business during workouts. He made the tempos of the fast runs really sweet. In the morning we went right out the door, with no warm up, at a pretty good clip for 5-6 miles. When I reflect back I think it was cool to shadow the best runner in America. I know much of it made me a better runner. So I wanted to share that with you, shadow better people. Shadow better students. If you’re a pretty good student and want to be a better student, shadow that better student. And the same thing with running. Don’t be afraid to hang out and go on runs with better people. Coming to this camp, this is it! There are very few camps like this in America. There’s probably a few, but I don’t know of any better for quality. 24 | SEPT/OCT 2017

I think this is it. This is cool! You guys are already shadowing, excellent! HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE PRE AS AN ATHLETE AND AS A FRIEND?

COACH TYSON: As an athlete Pre was almost second to none. He was a driver. He made the races so exciting to run because there was no rabbiting. Do you know what I mean by rabbit? He was the rabbit and dared people to go with him. He punished those who were not ready to keep up with the fierce pace. To me he was a great role-model and taught me how to chill and have more confidence in myself. I used to be a worrier. Does anyone in here worry a lot before a race? Yeah, I did too. He told me, “What are you worried about, it’s just running.” Yeah, easier said than done Pre! But he did teach me to keep

busy by watching cartoons, listening to music, and not worrying too much about the race until about an hour or two before the race, which is normal. Then you get the adrenaline going instead of worrying about it the night before tossing and turning and all that kind of stuff. To me he was a great role model, taught me how to chill, and have more confidence. Pre had amazing self-confidence and was a great team leader, in that he really connected well with those who gave 100%. Pre loved people who gave 100%. As a friend I was his side-kick. He really treated me as his brother. He had two sisters by the way. I never had a driver’s license let alone a car when I lived with him. He took me everywhere. We never got in a fight. We never had bad feelings. I took care of him by being a perfect room-

mate. He was a clean freak. I for the most part was too. He’d get up in the morning and make his bed. There was never a dish in the kitchen area. Everything was just nice. His car was always spotless, he vacuumed all the time. He was a little bit ADD but instead of taking ADD medicine he’d go out and run 10 miles and be like, “Ah, I’m better.” We never had bad feelings. I took care of him by just being a perfect roommate. We just had so much in common and there was no jealousy. Literally, best friends. He upgraded my confidence and I never was a bother in his life. I let Pre be Pre and Pre counseled me into being a better, more confident person. We even ate the same kinds of foods: French toast with peanut butter, juicy hamburgers, big green garden salads, and banana splits at Dairy Queen.

WHY WAS PRE SO INSPIRED TO BEAT THE OTHER RUNNERS?

WHAT WAS STEVE’S MOTIVATION IN A RACE?

COACH TYSON: He hated to lose! He hated to lose at ping pong. He hated to lose playing horse shoes or at anything. He was a true competitor and considered not giving your best a sign of weakness. He hated losing at anything, including air hockey, ping pong, bowling, croquet, team sports, you name it.

COACH TYSON: To win! So, when I talk

WHAT KIND OF RUNNER DO I NEED TO BE IN HIGH SCHOOL TO RUN AT A COLLEGE LIKE OREGON?

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE STEVE’S RUNNING STYLE?

COACH TYSON: Pre, first of all, had beautiful form. He ran tall and on the mid part of his feet. He had a nice perfect arm swing, which led to a very efficient running technique. When he raced, he ran like no other, out the door like a Jack-Rabbit but did not let up. WHAT MADE STEVE SO SUCCESSFUL?

COACH TYSON: Confidence! Great coaching, he had great coaching and an amazing ability to deal with pain. He got cozy with pain. On a workout when some would go, I can’t do this, Pre would go, “Bring it on!” He would be like, maybe he wouldn’t say it but he would be like, “what are you going to do, feel sorry for yourself?” What are you going to do? Survive! He was a master at getting cozy with pain. When most people threw in the towel, he would hang on longer and break on through, (begins singing) “Break on through to the other side.” He’d be humming it!

about one of the keys to being a good runner it’s to love running, start with that. Then, shadowing excellence, shadowing good people. I was so lucky to go to Oregon and hang out with Prefontaine. It changed my life. I love it. What I’m sharing here today I share with all my team at Gonzaga. I can’t wait to meet back up with them on Sunday. I’m going to have all our teams back on campus on Sunday and I’m going to greet them just like I greeted you guys and we’re going to go for it.

DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE TODAY IF YOU HADN’T MET PRE?

COACH TYSON: No way! If I had not met Pre, if I had not gone to Oregon and met Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger and trained with them. I don’t know what I’d do. I wouldn’t be here. It doesn’t have to be Oregon. When you go anywhere, when you graduate from high school someday to go someplace to explore running, hopefully you’ll find a good coach. You want to find somebody that inspires you, hopefully a whole team of teammates that inspire you. If you met our Gonzaga guys you would love them, they are so cool.

COACH TYSON: A place like Oregon or anyplace like that? In high school first of all you’ve got to continue to love running. What you’re doing in middle school is you’re building this love of running. Really 6th, 7th, and 8th grade… okay maybe 5th grade, those are amazing years. And what we want you to do, if I was your high school coach, I want you to come out of middle school so on fire to compete for four more years. And then what happens in high school is that you get to run in all these cool meets including maybe, Footlocker Nationals, Nike Team Nationals, Nike Regionals, all these cool cross country meets. Then track is the same way, Arcadia, Penn Relays, boom-boom! And then all of the sudden, keep that love, things are going pretty good, some rocky roads a little bit, cause that’s running, right? You’re hurt, bad race, that’s the life of a runner. That’s part of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. In high school, if you have some pretty good things going for you, you’ll have lots of options, Oregon or where ever it is. Where do you go to school now? (Girl responds, Denver) Run with the Buffalo! Whatever, lots of choices, lots of possibilities.

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 25

ASK A ASK A

COACH COACH

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOUR TOP THREE THINGS YOU TAKE FROM PREFONTAINE IN YOUR COACHING?

COACH TYSON: The first thing I do is get you to love running. That’s huge. If you love running, you don’t mind working hard, because there has to be a little work in there too. The second thing I took is, listen to your body. The concept of, we’re going to get injured, right? You need to communicate how we feel to the coach. Prefontaine never missed a workout by the way, ever! That’s weird, because he had to be sick with a cold. Well, he ran a workout with a cold. He had little owies, he iced them but he’d still go for light runs but that worked for him. He was a freak. Not everyone can have that kind of consistency. What I learned from that whole experience was to make sure you communicate 26 | SEPT/OCT 2017

with your coach. If the coach doesn’t know your little Achilles is bothering you, you’ve got a bad cold, or you just didn’t get any sleep and you feel terrible it’s not smart for you to do that workout. The workout that the coach has planned for you may not be a very good fit if you’re hurt or not feeling very good. It could run you down to where you are terrible for a couple of weeks. Some of you know what I’m talking about. Even at this age you may get in a race and you’re like, oh man! You want to drop out but you don’t drop out, you never drop out but the bone’s sticking out or something. That’s the second thing, communication and listening to your body. It’s hard to do that but that’s the second thing. The third thing is learn how to deal with stress. Pre was a master at learning when to turn it on and learning

when to turn it off when he gets ready for a race. A couple hours before the race we would hop in a little convertible, head to Hayward Field, and all-of-the-sudden I would talk to him and he wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t answer me because he was in the zone. He was in a weird zone. Prior to that he was having fun, talking about whatever, listening to music, joking around. So you learn when to turn it on and when to turn it off. Those are the three things. I became a better runner once I learned to chill. When I learned to relax. I was a worry-wart, a big-time worry-wart. I worried about tests, now I get A’s. I think, “Why did I worry?” If you haven’t prepared yourself for a race, maybe you have a right to be nervous. Those are the three things; love of running, consistency, and learning how to chill.

SUBMIT AN

ATHLETE

GRIFFIN MAZESKI

AGE 10, AURORA, CO.

Griffin runs cross country and track & field with a youth running team in Parker, CO called the Parker Panthers. His passion for running drove him to set some ambitious goals this year and he actually accomplished them. At America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego he ran a 1:33.43. For a short time that was a 9-year old world record but in September Jaden Merrick ran even faster in 1:30.46. They will likely meet up at XC Nationals in Tallahassee. He also set the 9-year old race record in the 39th annual Bolder Boulder 10K running 41:03 on a tough course at altitude. Last year, his Parker Panther 9-10 boys team took 1st overall at the National meet in Hoover, AL. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking forward to seeing how the Panthers and Griffin do this year.

YOUTH RUNNER TOP DOG OF THE MONTH TOP DOG OF THE MONTH XC RUNNER

Lauren Ping, 12

Lauren is chasing down the times of her sister Grace this year and was 3rd in the St. Olaf Showcase with a time of 18:21 & 2nd at the Rochester Mayor Invitational in 19:21. Way to Go Lauren!

AAU HEPTATHLETE

ALL-AROUND ATHLETE

Adia Palmer, 15 Bishop Loughlin High School

Gary Moore, Jr. ,12 New Haven, CT.

Adia was 5th in the Heptathlon at AAU Club Championships this summer, 1st in the 400m hurdles, and 3rd in the SMR where she ran 2:18 on the 800m leg. She is a member of the Metropolis Track Club. Way to Go Adia!

Gary not only won the Pentathlon at the AAU Nationals in Detroit but he was also 2nd in the Shot Put, 3rd in the Javelin and 4th in the 200m hurdles. In the fall he runs xc and plays youth football. Watch for Gary Jr. at Indoor Track.

ARE YOU A YR-KID? Let us know what makes you a Youth Runner. Submit an Athlete at: youthrunner. com/events/ athlete/submit

READ MORE ABOUT THESE ATHLETES AT YOUTHRUNNER.COM YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 27

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I recommend the movie Remember the Goal to you as fine family entertainment. It has a timely message that will resonate to the athlete and non-athlete alike.â&#x20AC;? Jim Ryun, three-time Olympian, multiple world record holder

A young female coach fresh out of college takes over the cross country program at an all girls' Christian school and attempts to lead them to their first ever state title. As the runners begin to train, the top five girls all deal separately with particular issues relevant to teen life. As each of these stories unfold, so does the wisdom of the young coach as she guides the girls along the pathway of life. This inspirational drama was originally released in theaters. BUY www.fiveandtwopictures.com

COMING UP! HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL WANT TO ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR. FOR THE DETAILS AND REGISTRATION LINKS GO TO YOUTHRUNNER.COM

AAU XC AAU WEST COAST NATIONALS | RENO, NV. | NOV 18THJULY 8-9TH WEST COAST AAU CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | CHARLOTTE, NC| DECEMBER 2ND REGIONAL AND ASSOCIATION MEETS GO TO YOUTHRUNNER.COM

HIGH SCHOOL BORDER MEETS NIKE BORDER CLASH | BEAVERTON, OR | NOVEMBER 18th

FOOT LOCKER

FOR THE DETAILS AND REGISTRATION LINKS GO TO YOUTHRUNNER.COM

NIKE CROSS NATIONALS NATIONALS | TALLAHASSEE, FL | DECEMBER 9th Regional and Association Meets - youthrunner.com or usatf.org For more results, and event dates check the calendar at youthrunner.com

YOUTHRUNNER.COM | 29