Low-tech edition (About)
Home > Sports > Running Blog
Running Home | Weather Forecast | What is Redwood Empire
Track All-Time | Cross Country All-Time
Schedule | Archives | Links
Girls' athlete of the week By ERIC BRANCH THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Sarah Sumpter had won races before. But nothing this big. And not by this much. Sumpter, a senior at Healdsburg, ran away with the 5,000-meter Division IV race at the talent-stuffed Stanford Invitational on Saturday, finishing in 17 minutes, 50 seconds. Her time won her race by 45 seconds, crushed her personal-best by 17 seconds and was the third-fastest in the field of 1,117, including the fastest time among California runners. Sumpter now ranks sixth all-time in the Empire at 5,000 meters. “I didn’t expect to have that big a lead,” Sumpter said. “I was pretty amazed. I wasn’t expecting a run quite that fast, but I’ve been working hard towards it.” Sumpter, who ran 19:05 at Stanford last year, laid the groundwork for Saturday’s success during the summer. In addition to her typical training, she entered five 10Ks and finished the rugged 16.2-mile Salt Point Trail Run in 2:14.03. Her rigorous offseason made her performance in Palo Alto possible. And her next mission is to prove that her breakthrough was no fluke. “It does give me quite a bit of confidence,” Sumpter said. “But I’ve got to keep a level head — I’ve got to do it again. If you lose focus, it can all go out the window.”
|
Email story | Print story | Subscribe to paper
|