Marlette Racer Heats Up with Cold Weather
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
October 23, 2019
Temperatures near the Lake Huron shore will hover around 40 degrees Saturday morning when the girls Division 4 Regional cross country meet begins at Wagener Park.
Riley Ford wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m more of a summer person, but in regard to running, I like the cooler weather,” the Marlette senior said. “I perform a lot better in the cold. I don’t get as overheated. I love the cold – when your legs are almost numb because it’s so cold – I love that feeling.”
Ford will compete for a second straight Regional championship, the next step toward what could be a third straight all-state honor. More importantly, however, she wants to get back down to the times she was running a year ago, and the cold weather could play a major role in that. Not just because of her preference, but because of her health.
During the 2019 track season, Ford was diagnosed with asthma, which was brought on by a tree pollen allergy – something that flares up during the warmer months. While she’s dealt with it admirably, setting school records in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters in track, and winning five of her 10 cross country races this season, she knows she hasn’t been at her best.
“I’ve tried to stay positive,” Ford said. “I went on a college visit and was talking to one of the girls who also had asthma, and she said, ‘It’s OK. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to finish every workout.’ I’ve been realizing that some of it is beyond my control. It’s been very frustrating. Super, super frustrating. But I keep going back every Monday after a race and trying to get better.”
Initially, Ford thought she was dealing with a cold, but it wouldn’t go away. She began audibly wheezing during races, something Marlette coach Chris Titus – who is also Ford’s uncle – noticed as strange, as his star runner was known for her incredible endurance.
She ran her best 1,600 (5 minutes, 16.59 seconds) and 3,200 (11:28.77) times in early May. She qualified for the MHSAA Finals in both events, as well as in the 800, and finished eighth in the 1,600. But her times in the longer distances weren’t challenging her own personal bests.
“She had set the school record in the mile, two mile and half mile, and everything was going really good,” Titus said. “We got to late May, and we started to notice this wheezing problem. By the time we got to June, she was in trouble.”
Ford also was very aware that something was off.
“I kind of noticed that my lungs were starting to feel heavy,” she said. “I knew I was in good shape in the track season, because it was the first year I had upped my training. I knew it was something else. It was not really an out-of-shape feeling.”
She cut back some of her training during the summer as she dealt with her new condition, and now runs with an inhaler.
Despite all of that, her season-best time of 19:03.3 ranks fourth in Division 4. She finished fifth in the division a year ago at the MHSAA Finals, and was 22nd in Division 3 as a sophomore.
Ford, who has a personal best of 18:49 and broke the 19-minute mark three times as a junior, knows there are better times ahead of her, and she’s hoping to start posting them Saturday.
“I’m not really just looking to win,” she said. “I’m hoping to run under 19 – I did it last year. Not only do I want to win it and get points for my team, but I want to drop my time to go into states with some momentum.”
Her season goal is very much the same, as she said she hopes to finish strong and giver herself some confidence and momentum heading into the preparation for her senior track season and beyond. Ford plans to run collegiately and has narrowed her choices to two schools: Huntington University in Indiana and Dalton State College in Georgia.
No matter how things finish, Ford already has taken her place as the top female distance runner in Marlette history, as not only does she hold the three track records, but also has the school’s best cross country time.
“She’s had a great career,” Titus said. “Every single year, she has excelled and improved. I’ve had some very good girls runners, and she’s darn close to a minute faster than anybody I’ve ever had. A lot of those (records) are going to be there for a while. She’s drove them down to the point that she’s likely going to keep those for a while.”
That praise isn’t lost on Ford.
“It makes me feel really good knowing how much time, effort, blood, sweat and tears I put into this,” she said. “It means a lot to me. There are tons of runners that he’s coached. To stack up with (the best) is just insane.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTO: Marlette’s Riley Ford charges ahead during a race this fall. (Photo courtesy of the Marlette girls cross country program.)
UP Champs Repeat as Rudden Takes 1st
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 24, 2015
FLAT ROCK — Marquette High School’s Lindsey Rudden has excelled in track and cross country throughout her prep career.
The senior harrier has earned her share of Upper Peninsula Division 1 titles in track, but hadn’t won at the U.P. Cross Country Finals prior to Saturday.
That all changed on a cloudy, rainy and breezy day at Beauchamp’s Grove as she captured her first MHSAA cross country championship, covering the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 59.8 seconds.
She was followed by Negaunee sophomore Clara Johnson (19:05.8), Westwood senior Katie Etelamaki (19:09.6), Sault Ste. Marie sophomore Mackenzie Kalchik (19:21.6) and Marquette senior Holly Blowers (19:27.4).
“It’s overdue,” said Rudden, who plans to run at Michigan State University next fall. “The second mile was real fast. We were pushing each other. It’s pretty humid, which made it hard to breathe. The course was pretty muddy in the first mile; otherwise it was pretty solid.”
The Marquette girls the team title won for the third consecutive year, edging Sault Ste. Marie 40-49. Negaunee placed third with 97 points, followed by Calumet 115 and Houghton 131.
“All the girls ran well in tough conditions,” said Marquette coach Dale Phillips. “I’m happy for Lindsey. This definitely takes a weight off her shoulders. This is a nice addition to her resume. Holly ran a nice race and I think Becci (McNamee) had a personal best. Our fifth and sixth girls (Chloe Henning and Samantha Borzick) also ran their personal bests, which was a big help.”
Johnson’s strategy was to stay with Rudden as long as she could.
“She (Rudden) is really good,” said Johnson. “I hung with her for nearly two miles. I didn’t have enough to stay with her all the way, but I thought it was worth a try. I thought Katie (Etelamaki) also ran real well. I’m glad I got to race with her all year. She was really closing the gap in the end.”
Kalchik ran a personal-best time, helping her move up a place from last year’s Finals.
“I didn’t want to go out too fast,” said Kalchik, who got sick after two miles. “I felt pretty rough, but just pushed through it. The girl from Marquette (Blowers) was coming up on me. It was hard. I felt good coming in here, knowing the competition. I had a better idea what to expect.”
This also marked a personal best for Blowers, who had hoped to break 19 minutes.
“This is not what I was hoping for, but we were working as a team,” she said. “I wanted to do it for the team. We have great girls on our team and great competition. I’m going to miss this so much.”
Sault Ste. Marie’s Megan Arbic placed sixth (19:32.2) and teammate Courtney Arbic took eighth (19:45.9).
“It went great,” said Sault coach Jim Martin. “Our top five girls ran lifetime bests by 20-30 seconds. They just went out and ran like they wanted to be on the podium. I’m real happy for them.”
Gladstone junior Leigha Woelffer, who was crowned champion a year ago, took 10th this time (20:19.8). Etelamaki also was seeking her second individual title after winning the Division 2 race in 2014.
Division 2
Ishpeming was a repeat champion with 31 points. The Hematites were followed by Hancock at 49, Gogebic at 83, St. Ignace at 89 and Norway with 118 points.
“I’m pleased to see our boys and girls both win,” said Ishpeming coach P.J. Pruett. “This is only the fourth time the Ishpeming girls were U.P. champions. It happened in 1979 and ‘80 and now last year and this year, and our boys were pretty dominant.”
Ishpeming junior Khora Swanson earned top individual honors at 20:56.2, followed by Hancock’s Taylor Pertile (21:15.2), teammate Mariah Bertucci (21:44), Gogebic’s Melissa Wanink (21:45.4) and Hancock’s Madisyn Wright (21:46.4).
“I’m pleased with my time,” said Swanson. “I just worked hard today. We had to get our points by catching people in front of us. I’m just happy we won as a team.”
Division 3
Chassell edged Munising 67-69 for its second straight Division crown, followed by Cedarville at 92, Dollar Bay at 105 and Brimley at 114.
“Sticking to the basics and believing in themselves were the keys to our victory,” said Chassell coach Marco Guidotti. “They were up to the challenge. They really like competing in the West-PAC (West Peninsula Athletic Conference). Competition in our conference is strong year in and year out.”
Newberry senior Natalie Beaulieu won the Final for the second straight time in a school-record 19:24.5. She was followed by Chassell senior Shitaye Sam (19:46.6), Munising sophomore Alyssa Webber (19:57.4), Cedarville’s Emma Bohn (20:55.7) and Brimley’s Lauren Halvorsen (21:30).
“I made my move at the mile mark and started to get some separation,” said Beaulieu, who ran the first mile in 5:51. “I was a little concerned at first because I thought I may have gone out too fast. But I knew where I needed to go, and the hills were then my only concern. I just tried to stay in my pace.”
The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette’s Lindsey Rudden (left) runs stride for stride with Negaunee’s Clara Johnson before breaking away for the Division 1 championship. (Middle) Ishpeming’s Khora Swanson sprints the stretch in first place in leading the Hematites to their second straight title. (Below) Newberry’s Natalie Beaulieu won her second straight individual title in Division 3, while Chassell’s Shitaye Sam led her team to its second straight team championship. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)