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THE PROFESSIONAL AFTER A STANDOUT CAREER AT MONTGOMERY HIGH AND STANFORD, EMPIRE STAR SARA BEI HAS AN UNEXPECTED CHANCE AT A PRO CAREER ON THE EUROPEAN CIRCUIT DATE: Tuesday, July 5, 2005 BYLINE: By BRUCE MEADOWS PAGE: C1 Sara Bei's life usually moves at a pretty fast pace. But even Bei, the best high school distance runner in Empire history and later a standout performer at Stanford, had to catch her breath following a recent turn of events. ``The last few weeks have really been something,'' said the 22-year-old Bei. ``Everything happened so quickly.'' It transpired this way: * On June 11, she finished a disappointing second in the NCAA 5,000 meters in Sacramento.* The next weekend she graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology. ``Like a lot of undergraduate degrees, it doesn't qualify you to do much, but I plan to eventually get my Masters and may end up teaching,'' she said. * A few days after graduation, she got a surprising and disturbing call from her cross-country coach, Dena Evans. Because of a change in an NCAA rule, Bei had lost her eligibility for a fourth season. She had competed in two races last year before injuring her back. ``The new ruling put those races past the deadline'' to red-shirt, explained Bei. With no chance to compete for Stanford -- she had also hoped to run indoor track -- Bei decided to turn pro. * On Friday, her longtime boyfriend, Ryan Hall -- also an outstanding distance runner for Stanford -- proposed to her. * On Saturday, Hall decided he would pass up his fourth year of eligibility and turn pro, too. ``I wasn't sure I wanted to turn pro,'' said Bei, a two-time Pac-10 cross-country champ. ``But when I lost my eligibility, I decided to do it ... why not strike while the iron is hot?'' Bei and Hall hooked up with a sports agent who connected them to Asics. ``You get a salary, all your equipment and Asics pays a travel stipend,'' said Bei, who leaves for Europe on Saturday. Hall leaves for Europe a week later, and both will be competing in races in London, Oslo, Stockholm and maybe Madrid. Hall, from Big Bear Lake, will also run in the World Championships from Aug. 11-14. In his first pro race, in Carson last week, Hall finished third to qualify for the World Championships. Bei was sixth in the 5,000 in her first pro race, but she ran a personal best of 15:24.0, 12 seconds better than her previous best. ``I thought we still had 200 meters to go,'' said Bei, explaining why two runners passed her. ``It was a fast race, some of the best runners in the nation.'' Bei and Hall are under contract to Asics through 2008, the year of the Beijing Olympics. ``I still have a lot to find out about myself as a runner, but with the level of talent I will be going against, my times should improve,'' Bei said. ``I think I have a legitimate chance to make the Olympic 5,000 meter team in 2008.'' Bei and Hall will race in Europe this summer, then come home in September. The wedding -- Bei refers to it as ``the turbo wedding'' -- will be Sept. 25, although the site hasn't been determined. Bei, daughter of Gary and Karen Bei, both Stanford graduates, said running as a pro was really no different than running for Stanford. ``Once the gun goes off, you don't think about anything but the race,'' she said. ``The real difference is running in a blue uniform instead of a red one.'' Bei and Hall have incentive clauses in their contracts based on times they run. ``It's a new motivation for me, a new dimension when it comes to running,'' she said. Bei just wants to keep shaving her 5,000 time. ``With the kind of runners I will face, I know I will be pulled along in some races,'' she said. ``This will open my eyes to what I'm capable of doing.'' You can reach Staff Writer Bruce Meadows at 521-5263 or bmeadows@pressdemocrat.com BEI'S CAREER AT A GLANCE HIGH SCHOOL (Montgomery) Cross country: Won Footlocker Nationals her senior year; became first person to ever win four individual state cross-country titles. Track: Three-time state champ in the mile and 2-mile; won 2000 Millrose Games mile at Madison Square Garden; won National Scholastic indoor mile twice and also the 2-mile. COLLEGE (Stanford) Cross country: Pac-10 Female Athlete of the Year (2003) and also All-American; third-place finish led Stanford to women's NCAA championship; Pac-10 individual champ for second consecutive year; first-team All-Pac-10 her sophomore and junior years; Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year in 2001. Track: NCAA Championship runner-up in 2004 and 2005; competed in Olympic Trials 5,000 meters in 2004, finishing 12th; ran 15:36.1 at Mt. SAC Relays, fourth best time in Stanford history; 2004 All-American in 3,000 meters; runner-up in 3,000 at 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships; ran mile in distance medley that finished second in 2004 NCAA Indoors; won 5,000 meters at 2003 NCAA West Regional; 2002 U.S. Junior National champ at 3,000 meters. RUNNING FOR MONTGOMERY IN 2001: Bei is considered the best high school distance runner in Empire history. "I still have a lot to find out about myself as a runner, but with the level of talent I will be going against, my times should improve," she says about turning pro.
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