Drew Casselberry says he was just out for a training run at the start of the Firecracker Fourth of July Run 10-kilometer race on Tuesday.
In the end, however, the 21-year-old Incline Village resident and Weber State University runner was all alone as he crossed the finish line in a time of 35 minutes, 18 seconds to emerge as the overall 10K winner at Riverview Park.
Casselberry laid back off the fast early pace, then came back to cruise home a winner on the combined trail and road course.
"That's a fun course ... I enjoyed it," Casselberry said. Casselberry said. "I just used the race as a little tempo run. I had a good outdoor (track) season and now I'm trying to get ready for a good cross country season."
Casselberry capped his junior track season as he placed in three events at the Big Sky Conference Championships - fifth in the 3,000 steeplechase (9:29.18, a personal record), seventh in the 10,000 (31:41.36, a personal record) and eighth in the 5,000 (15:12.36) - and helped Weber State win the team title.
Galena High School standout Dan Geib finished second overall in 35:59. Geib was the state 4A 1,600- and 3,200-meter champion for Galena this spring.
Michael Goralka of Carson City, who formerly ran for U.C. Davis and is now training to run the San Francisco Marathon on July 30, finished third overall in 36:32.
Deb Devine of Crystal Bay was the first woman to finish (13th overall) in 46:10. Sixteen-year-old Gloria Sosa of Carson City was second among the women in 51:26 and Susan Martinovich, also of Carson City, was third in 51:34.
Douglas High graduate Dan Sipko, who runs for Eastern Oregon University, was the overall winner over the 2-mile trail course with a time of 11:21. Tom Acker of Flagstaff, Ariz., was second in 11:33 and Reno's Nick Tatro third in 12:49.
Erika Sosa, 12, was the first woman in 16:06, ahead of Meagan Myer in 16:13 and Kathy Souza in 17:49. All three are Carson City residents.
Overall, a total of 108 runners and walkers finished an event co-hosted by the Sagebrush Stompers, Tahoe Mountain Milers and Fleet Feet Sports. Proceeds went to benefit American Legion Capitol Post No. 4.
ONTRACK
There are not many advantages of turning 40, but I discovered one positive aspect of my new age division Saturday when I had the opportunity to run on the Sacramento State University track during the Pacific Association Masters Track and Field Meet.
(Competitors under 40 were also welcome to participate as open athletes not scoring in the master's competition.) The meet provided a rare chance for average athletes to compete on the state-of-the-art Sac State track that has hosted the past two U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
Taking advantage of the outstanding facilities, the meet featured all of the track and field events one would expect to see at a high-level college or international meet, including the steeplechase, hammer throw, javelin throw and race walking.
I chose to run the 5,000-meter event that took place at 9 a.m., just before the heat started to broil the athletes. There was a large field of about 30 runners in the race with both women and men combined. Aiming for under 18 minutes, I was on pace until I wilted in the third mile, but I was satisfied with my finishing time of 18:20.
In the race, a bit of American track history was made, as Peter Magill of Pasadena, Calif., set the American record of 14:45 in the men's 45-49 age division, crushing the old record by 22 seconds. I saw him three times that morning: at the start and both times that he lapped me.
Magill is a good example of the turn-around one can make when seriously training. Six years ago, Magill weighed 195 pounds and smoked several packs of cigarettes per day; today, he is 165 pounds and one of the few men in the country over age 40 who could take a serious run at a sub-30 minute 10-kilometer run.
Overall, I'd recommend the Masters Track Meet to anyone looking for a fast summer race, especially if you are looking to do something out of the ordinary or try something new, like run a steeplechase or a speedy 1,500 meters.
CONDOLENCES
I was set to run for the Nevada National Guard running team this weekend in the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey relay race, unfortunately I had to change my plans and attend services for Garrett Fogg. Many track and cross-country athletes in the Pacific Association know Garrett's father, Greg, who was a standout runner for Alabama in the 1980s.
Garrett was an up-and-coming pole vaulter for Maria Carillo High School in Santa Rosa (Calif.) and he tragically died last Saturday from a case of bacterial meningitis. The last time I saw Garrett he was pole-vaulting in his backyard on the runway that traversed the Fogg's backyard. Garrett's illness has been a solemn reminder to enjoy each day and little things like 5K times aren't really too important.
Hopefully, every team and individual had a good, safe race at the 178-mile Odyssey on Friday and Saturday. It seems to be a growing event and, who knows, may one day rival Oregon's Hood-to-Coast as one of the largest relays in the West. As for the Nevada National Guard team at the relay ... it was likely to be the only team with a humvee as its support vehicle.
(Running columnists Erick Studenicka and Dave Price are members of the Sagebrush Stompers running club, long-time running running enthusiasts and former sports writers for the Nevada Appeal)