2007 A Year in Review
By John Trent (12/29/2007)

For the northern Nevada running community, 2007 had more highs than lows, more performances worth remembering than races to forget, with enough milestones of achievement to stoke the competitive fires for many runners heading into 2008.

Here are just a few of the highlights of the northern Nevada running scene in 2007, as well as some notes to remember as we head into 2008.

Selfless spot of self-promotion: In the coming months, this space will be home to a new “Strider of the Month” feature. If you have the name and email of a Silver State Strider that you think would be worthy of a mention in this feature, please pass this information to johntrent@sbcglobal.net.

The queen exits stage left, to great applause: Reno High School’s Marie “Mel” Lawrence. Northern Nevada’s most decorated high school runner, capped a brilliant career in May with individual Nevada 4A state track and field championships at 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Lawrence’s individual performance keyed the Huskies to a surprise team championship, and was made all the more remarkable by the fact that a leg injury sidelined the smooth-striding former Junior Strider for half her season. Lawrence made a seamless transition to college cross country, helping the University of Washington women’s team to the NCAA Championships.

Excelling at the highest levels of competition: Northern Arizona University senior Jonathan Cardenas. Cardenas, a Reno High graduate and former Junior Strider, was among NAU’s top three runners for most of the 2007 collegiate cross-country season, a season that saw the Lumberjacks rank as high as No. 2 in the country.

Saying so long with thanks from everybody: Longtime Junior Striders and Reno High coach Bruce Susong. Susong, who founded the Junior Striders more than 25 years ago and produced more than two dozen team champions and more than 100 age-group All-Americans in cross-country and track, retired from coaching following Lawrence’s remarkable run at the state track and field championships in May. Few coaches in the area in any sport will ever match Susong’s longevity and success, nor will they ever match the universal respect Susong engendered among his athletes and their parents.

If at first you don’t succeed, keep “tri”-ing: Kent Robison. Robison, one of the unsung heroes of the local running scene for far too many years, had a breakout year in 2007. The 60-year-old Reno attorney captured the world XTERRA championship for his age group, as well as taking first place in the 60 to 64 age group at the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

The Perfect Patriots have nothing on these guys: Galena High School boys cross country team. The Grizzlies didn’t go 16-0, but they were close. Led by individual state cross country champion Bryan Tibaduiza, the Griz steamrolled the competition at the Northern 4A Regional Championships and then one week later, in early November, put on a performance for the ages at the 4A State Championships by placing four runners in the top seven. Galena’s boys finished an astounding 43 points ahead of runner-up Carson High. Coach Domingo Tibaduiza’s runners finished the year ranked No. 16 in the country in rankings by Harrier Magazine. The guess here is that the Griz could give Tom Brady and Co. a run for their money, too.

The Finding Nemo “Friends Don’t Eat Friends” award: The heartfelt cooperation shown between organizers for the Silver State 50-mile Endurance Run and the Tahoe Rim Trail 100-miler. For too many years to remember, TRT race director Dave Cotter has manned the Hunter Lake aid station for the Silver State 50. In an effort to return the favor, several Striders, including Stan Ostrom, who practically single-handedly has handled the Spooner Lake aid station at the TRT, have spent many a long day (and night) helping their neighbors from Lake Tahoe.

RIP: Silver State Marathon. Following the Silver State Marathon’s rejuvenation under the watchful eye of Ski Pisarski and then Lon Monroe, the race wasn’t held in 2007. Here’s to hoping that the Reno running community will find a new event to replace one of the area’s favorite races (with a rich history that dated back to 1976).

High five: To Ronald Tibaduiza, who continued his family’s amazing birthright at the Journal Jog with a convincing victory in September. Ron joined father Domingo, uncle Miguel and aunt Rossy as Tibaduiza family members to win the area’s oldest road race.

Alive and kicking: The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K in October continued to amaze with a field of several thousand … Moms on the Run in May continued its rapid ascendancy on the local running scene, and is quickly becoming a “must run” on many runners’ schedules … the Journal Jog continued to be a local institution in September … the Silver State 50 drew its largest field in four years in mid-May …

Royalty among us: Organizers for the Nevada Wide Open Marathon de Mayo brought Olympic 1,500-meter champion and New York City Marathon champion Rod Dixon to town in May to help promote the race. Dixon, whose four-decade running career has taken him to practically every running locale in the world, said that the marathon still provides the greatest drama, for any level of runner. “Whether they finish in two hours, eight minutes or four hours, eight minutes, the reaction is usually the same: great relief for having survived, and great joy for knowing they’ve accomplished something very important.”

The Odyssey comes full circle: Reno-Tahoe Odyssey race director and creator Eric Lerude certainly had a huge smile on his face in late June as the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey continued to grow and inspire. The third-year event drew more than 90 teams from throughout the country. The Angora Fire forced Lerude and his able team of volunteers to re-route portions of the course, reducing the mileage of the relay-run-adventure from 178 miles to 123 miles. Local teams won both the men’s and women’s titles: Battle Born (men) and Tahoe Trail Babes (women).

Five local runners to watch in 2008: 1) Former Strider Jenny Capel, who, with a year of solid training behind her, will be poised to win a major 100-mile race this summer; 2) Reno High School sophomore Demerey Kirsh, who along with South Tahoe’s Kelsey Smith will be poised to replace Lawrence as the area’s premier female distance runner; 3) Rory Bosio … the Nordic skiing standout from Lake Tahoe took the trails with a vengeance, winning the Silver State 50K in May at the tender age of 24; 4) Sarah Raitter is coming off first-place finishes at the Squaw Valley Mountain Run, Journal Jog and Las Vegas Half-Marathon in 2007; 5) Fred Zalokar … as the rest of us continue to see our middle-aged cartilage and ligaments reduced to rubble, Zalokar was a member of the championship Reno-Tahoe Odyssey team, placed second overall in the Tahoe Rim Trail 50K, was sixth overall in the Journal Jog, and capped his year with two sub-17-minute 5K’s within a two-week span in late November and December … all of this at the age of 47. Retirement is not in this man’s future.

One running wish from me to you: Have a healthy and fun-filled 2008.