Three of the top five girls @ the Concordia/Adidas were frosh. Oregon XC has a bright future… keep it up ladies!
Corcodia/Adidas XC
1 Sara Tsai 17:41 South Eugene 9
2 Erin Clark 17:43 South Eugene 11
3 Megan Fristoe 17:44 Summit 12
4 Gracie Todd 18:08 Sheldon 9
5 Piper McDonald 18:10 Summit 9
Kami Semick is one of the best endurance athlete in the world. The ultra runner lives here in Bend and was kind enough to take a break from running and answer some questions for Central Oregon Athlete:
Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you lived in Bend?
Kami Semick – Husband and I moved to Bend in May 2003…so a little over 7 years. Moved to Bend when my daughter turned one year old – didn’t want to raise her in the bay area.
COA – Where did you live before Central Oregon?
KS – Berkeley California. I worked in the software industry.
COA – What got you into ultra running?
KS – Being in Bend inspired me to sign up for a 50k in Ashland. That was my first ultra and from there, I was hooked.
COA – Have you always enjoyed running?
KS – I’ve always run…in high school I was a sprinter and jumper, in college I walked onto the cross country and track team (earned a performance based scholorship after two years); then when in the software industry, I ran in the mornings to keep my sanity.
COA – What do you think makes Central Oregon such a popular place for endurance athletes? We have so many trails and access to amazing places in nature, I think KS – It’s inspiring to just go out and get lost, so to speak. So you develop endurance exploring. Also, based upon my relationships with other endurance athletes in the area, I get inspired by seeing them perform. So we build on each other.
COA – What kind of mileage do you put in when you are training hard?
KS – My “build” weeks are 90 – 110 miles. I rarely will go above 110 miles per week. On weeks where I am stepping down mileage, I’m around 60 mpw.
COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
KS – Winter – runs at Smith Rock/Grey Butte. I like doing repeats, in a sick way, on Grey Butte.
Summer – Most anything from Bachelor west.
COA – What are some of the highlights of your running career?
KS – Winning the World Cup 100k in 2009; Winning World Trophy 50k 2009. I think being the 5 time champion of Miwok 100k, a competative 100k run near San Francisco is also a highlight. I guess I would also add setting the course record at Vermont 100 mile this year – that was a highlight.
COA – What do you like to do when you aren’t running?
KS – In the winter I love to ski/snowboard (alpine & nordic) which is one of the reasons I love Central Oregon. There are so many great snow parks and places to explore. When I’m not being active, I enjoy the softer side of life – cooking, eating, drinking wine, hanging out with my family.
COA – Anything else to add?
KS – Thanks for the interest!
Piper McDonald… expect to hear that name a lot in the upcoming years. The 13-year-old 7th grader at Sky View Middle school isn’t just fast for her age, she’s one of the fastest “women” in Bend. That’s right, when it comes to running, McDonald is fast beyond her years. Here are a few examples of what she’s done in adult races in Central Oregon:
(These are Overall results, not age group)
1st – Duel in the Desert 2009 Two Person Road (with Mike Larsen)
1st – Pilot Butte Challenge 2009 (New women’s course record)
2nd – Girls on the Run 5K 2009
2nd – Heaven Can Wait 5K 2009
Those are just a few!
Piper was kind enough to slow down and answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete.
Central Oregon Athlete – How old were you when you entered your first race?
Piper McDonald – When I was 11 i entered my first race which was a 10k in Portland on 5-18-08
COA – Do you remember the first race you ever won?
PM – The first race I won my age group in was my first race and the first race I won over all female was the Pilot Butte Challange in 2008.
COA – How did you get into racing?
PM – The reason I got into running is because of my parents. I have always been into sports and have done them my whole life but even before I really got into running my parents used to keep me and my older brother’s in shape by having us do some running, every now and then and then one day I just decied that I liked running and wanted to make it my primary sport.
COA – Do you have a favorite race?
PM – My favorite race would probley be Trask Mtn. I did it one year when one of my older brother’s Jake was in it with his high school. I love it because there is big hills, mud pits, and creek crossings.
COA – What’s coming up next for you, any races planned?
PM – I have a few races planned for the future I will probley do a lot of the COCC races and I’m planning on doing the Dirty Half.
COA – What are your short and long-term goals?
PM – My goals in order are first to win cross country nationls, then to go to boarder clash all 4 years of high school, then to go University of Oregon, and then my big goal for the future is to go to the Olympics.
COA – What sports do you enjoy?
PM – My favorite type of running is cross country because there is a big range of distances and you get to run on all different tirains. Then I like track and another sport i like is cross country skiing which I do in the winter to take a brake from running but to also stay in shape.
COA – Any non-athletic hobbies?
PM – A non-athletic hobbie I have is sewing.
COA – What’s your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
PM – I have a coach named Mike Larsen who has made me the runner I am today and I could not have done it with out him. One of my favorite workouts he has had me do is a bunch of strenght exersizes where I just worked on building up strength.