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SPORTS
Charleston Catholic's Harris runs away with women's title
Sami Harris of Charleston sprints in as the first female to cross the finish line during the West Virginia 5K Championship Saturday, June 19, 2010 in downtown Huntington.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- In resounding form, a Charleston Catholic High School student ran away with the Women's West Virginia 5K Championship title.
Sami Harris sprinted past the Veterans Memorial Boulevard finish line with a time of 17 minutes, 58 seconds. Shawnee State University runner Sara Armstrong finished second at 19:34, followed by Morgantown's Lindsey Wehseler at 19:37.
"I felt really good and I knocked 25 seconds off my best time ever," Harris said. "I've been training hard and it was a great race."
Harris credited "speed work" and the past track and field season for leading to Saturday's performance. The race's competitive, yet festive, atmosphere also aided.
"I love this," she said. "There are a lot of people to run with and pace yourself with. There are a lot of fast people."
Armstrong joined several Shawnee State teammates Saturday. A collection of Bears runners from the Portsmouth, Ohio, college travel locally for summer road races. The rising junior set a sound pace and finished especially strong.
"I felt great," Armstrong said. "I went to just run and see what I could do and see what my summer training has been like so far.
"I hit my mile splits exactly on and then I just kicked it for the third and it felt great."
Goals entering her first West Virginia 5K Championship were sketchy. Yes, the downtown Huntington course is flat, leading to friendly times, but the course was an unknown for Armstrong.
"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "I hadn't heard how big of a race this is, what kind of competition there was, so I was just going out to run and see how my summer training was at.
"And when they announced my name as second I was like 'Wow.' I did not realize that."
Armstrong's coach, Eric Putnam, was hardly surprised.
"She's off to a great summer," said Putnam, who won the Men's Division with a time of 15:07. "She had a little knee issue in the fall. She had some tendinitis, probably some bad shoes. I probably ran her a few too many miles once we got into the season. And she's very healthy now and she's off to a great start.
"She's super-talented and she's one we're blessed to have because she's so motivated. She's training hard."
Putnam insists he runs for love of the sport, not to motivate his runners. Armstrong and her teammates, however, are more than impressed.
"Eric's amazing," she said. "I've always known he was a great runner, but for him to kick all of our butts every day is insane for his age (37). He's an awesome coach.
"It's inspiring. He still has such as passion for it, and it makes us all have a passion for it too."
A passion for running also was displayed Saturday by a family spanning three generations. Ashland's Jack Ditty crossed the finish line with his 9-year-old granddaughter, Haven Lochow. Haven, who attends Geneva Kent Elementary School in Huntington, is a two-time national AAU jump rope champion and also plays soccer and basketball.
Grandpa meanwhile, will serve as the doting father on Sunday. He's flying to London to watch his daughter in a Wimbledon doubles match against Venus and Serena Williams. Julie Ditty is a 10-year veteran of the Women's Tennis Association.
"We're a health-conscious family," Ditty said. "Amy was doing these races when she was Haven's age."
Perhaps most impressive of the family's accomplishments on Saturday was Haven's post-race appearance. While numerous runners understandably were crouching over and making bee-lines for Gatorade and water, Haven simply stood by her grandfather without a drop of sweat ("I'm really proud of Haven," Ditty said).
Haven Lochow's parents, Amy and Steve, are doctors at Marshall University and St. Mary's Hospital, continuing the health-first nature of the family.
"It's a lot of fun to have the whole family together," said Amy, who finished with a time of 24:34. "It's really special to be able to have my daughter run this race with my dad. As a pediatrician in this area I think it's very important to promote kids getting out and getting exercise and getting healthy.
"One way I can do that is to lead by example."
