Posted: September 14, 2005

Ultra Running: Peterson, Johnson Win National 100 Mile Titles

Report from Dan Brannen

SYLVANIA, Ohio - (Sept. 10-11, 2005) - Lafayette, Colo. neighbors Steve Peterson and Rebecca Johnson were silver medalists at last year's National 100 Mile Run Championship, held on the same 1.1-mile paved loop around Olander Lake in Sylvania, Ohio which has hosted either 100 Mile or 24 Hour Run national championships annually since 1993. Two months later, they took their running to the next level by winning the national titles, respectively, at the National 24 Hour Run Championship in San Diego. This year, they returned to Sylvania and added 100 Mile gold to their cache.

Peterson joined forces with 2003 National 100 mile silver medalist Joe Gaebler to crank out steady, metronomic 8:30 miles behind the faster and more erratic opening paces of Glen Turner, Johns Geesler and local favorite John Nichols. Mother Nature played a big role in the outcome, hanging a blazing sun over the course all day Saturday, and topping out with a high temperature of 84 degrees. Peterson and Gaebler took control of the race in its second half, trading the lead sporadically but always within minutes of each other. Peterson's final hour push was just 5 minutes too strong for the younger Gaebler at the tape, 14:28:37 to 14:33:05.

Rebecca Johnson was even more impressive - ignoring the early, substantial lead of novice ultrarunner and sub-3 hour marathoner Sarah Llaguno - locking into her own zen-like trance which lasted, flawlessly, for nearly 16 straight hours of perfectly steady running. Johnson, 36, eventually assumed the lead without apparent effort, and was unpressed in notching a new event record of 15:41:50.

American National 100 Mile Run Championship- Sylvania, OH, Sat-Sun, September 10-11, 2005

MEN
1) Steve Peterson, 43, Lafayette, CO, 14:28:37
2) Joseph Gaebler, 28, Reserve, NM, 14:33:05
3) John Nichols, 47, Waterville, OH, 15:15:59
4) John Geesler, 46, St. Johnsville, NY, 15:28:20
5) Roy Pirrung, 57, Sheboygan, WI, 16:27:33
6) Glen Turner, 45, Boulder, CO, 17:18:31
7) Gregory Trapp, 42, Reynoldsburg, OH, 18:55:22
8) Steven Escaler, 28, New York, NY, 19:12:20
9) Roy Heger, Medina, OH, 19:35:16
10) Bob Oberkehr, 51, Northvale, NJ, 20:13:18

WOMEN
1) Rebecca Johnson, 36, Lafayette, CO, 15:41:50
2) Janet Runyan, 46, Lafayette, CO, 17:17:47
3) Brenda Klein, 36, Reserve, NM, 19:14:28
4) Sarah Llaguno, 40, Raleigh, NC, 20:24:16
5) Juli Aistars, 46, Lake Zurich, IL, 21:14:20
6) Susan Lance, 45, Whitesburg, GA, 22:27:41
7) Sue Albert, 36, Murrysville, PA, 24:10:04

Find more race information at: www.AmericanUltra.org.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.