Two great running events

There are two great racing events going on this weekend.

In Marietta the NCAA is deciding who the best track and field athletes are in Division III. Marietta, and Marietta College has done a fine job of getting the town and the campus ready for the thousands of people that have filled the community for the event.

Thursday evening my family and I went down and watched several of the events. I took particular interest in the 10,000-meter race. The runners remained bunched up for much of the 25-lap race. A lead pack finally broke out around lap 15 before finally breaking apart into a string of fast runners. William Kaul, from Oshkosh, who shattered the stadium record, ran the 6.4-mile race in 30:54.56, and won the race.

There were other great events. The 200-meter races offered some world-class examples of what it is like to run fast, really fast.  I always enjoy the 200 because the runners have to power around a curve, leaning like racehorses as they try to get a lead prior to the dash to the finish line.

I love the long distances though. Requiring strategy and endurance they are a joy to watch.  As most runners know, 10,000 meters is 6.4 miles. Which is less than half the distance of the News and Sentinel Half Marathon, a race that is ran in the heat of August, on city streets. The winner of the half normally crosses the finish line at around the 1:03 mark.

It was interesting watching a long distance race where you could see the whole race without being in a moving vehicle.

It looked a little easier to stage than our race. Fewer people first of all, you had to qualify for it. You can run in the half marathon by clicking on the link.

Since the race is ran on a track they only needed one water stop. We need about 17 to cover the 13.1-mile course.

The championships continue through Saturday at Don Drum Stadium.

Ogden races

At 4 p.m. today a weekend of racing gets under way in Wheeling. Tonight will featured a Torch Relay as well as the Ogden Tiny Tot Trot and Ogden Fun Run. At 7:30 runners will take park in the Ogden/Masters Mile, one of the nation’s fastest with a course record of 3:39:82. The downhill race is a spectator favorite.

The main event gets started in the morning, when hundred of runners and walkers take part in the Ogden 20K Walk, leaving at 7:30 a.m. and the Ogden 20K Run starting an half hour later. The 5K run and walk starts at 8:15.

The Ogden 20K has always been a sister race to the News and Sentinel Half Marathon. I have a lot of friends that work with the Wheeling newspapers and help to stage the event.

Racers that take part in both the Ogden 20K and the half marathon will get an extra shirt and they are eligible for additional prize money.

Online registration is closed for the event, you can still sign up on race day though, if you are up for a fun day of racing, head to Wheeling.