An Ode to Winter Running

The one thing to remember is that if you step outside and feel warm, you have too many layers on. I step outside, feeling a little chilly and ready to go. I hastily take off my two layers of gloves so I can press the 'start' button on my watch without having my clumsy gloves making it impossible to hit it. As my hands start to freeze, I throw my glove layers back on and start running. My legs are a little heavy because I have two layers of running tights on, and my chest is weighed down by the multiple long-sleeve shirts on under my running jacket. As I pick up the pace slowly, I can feel the frigid air flowing through the little air openings in the tops of my shoes, and my lungs reacting to the change in air temperature coming in. My head starts to itch quite a bit because my hat is really warm and I'm starting to sweat. Now finishing up with the first mile, my left hand is already starting to get cold, my face is stiffening up, and my eyes are getting harder to close shut. By the end of the run my beard will have iced over, my eyelashes will have a layer of ice on them (having also frozen shut once which I then had to fix), both of my hands will be freezing, and I will have sweated through all of my shirts, and the sweat has since frozen, making it harder to keep me warm. Want to know the best thing though?

I loved every single second of it.

The other day I found myself running my favorite gravel road. I work at a Bible Camp in rural Garrison, ND called Camp of the Cross. To get to the camp there is a 5.5 mile gravel road, and it's the only road leading into the camp since the lake blocks the camp to the south. Basically it's the only way to get in- and the only way to get out. So for every run that I do that is less than 11 miles (which is 99% of my runs), my only option is gravel. Every mile there is a 90 degree turn to make, so every out-and-back run that I do I have to run at least a mile north, south, east, and west. On this particular day the temperature was around 0F with a decent west wind, putting the wind chill around -20F. Coming off of an injury where I haven't done much winter running so far, it was a relief to bundle up in running layers and feel that bitter cold on face. I had to run a whole mile directly into the wind, and by the end of that mile my face hurt so bad I had to turn it side-to-side to give different sides of my face breaks (I refuse to wear a facemask). Running up the rolling hills actually becomes difficult because of the number of layers I have on, but that can only come in handy later in track races where I don't have layers on.

I have a theory about running outside in the winter and how it helps. Whenever I have to take time off from running in the winter, I find myself living a 'normal' lifestyle for a while, and I don't end up outside in the cold much at all. Sitting around all day in the warmth of buildings contrasts sharply with the outside cold, and it feels that much colder out. However, after running a couple of days outside in the cold and braving the brutal cold, I don't get cold easily outside anymore. If you have to run into a winter wind and you can survive, walking around all bundled up in jackets and layers is easy. My theory is that it's easier to survive winter cold with a positive attitude by running outside and getting acclimated.

I have another theory. As I mentioned above, in North Dakota winters we put on layers. Then we put on more layers. Then we put on more layers. We even double-up on our socks sometimes. For me, workouts have always been done outside in the winter while in college. Speed, tempos, progressives- it all is run outside in the cold. Having all of those layers, especially when I've sweat through a large portion of them, presents a sizable amount of weight to carry while running, and that can only come in handy during races where all I'm wearing is a light top, short shorts, light socks, and weightless running spikes. Being about as far north as you can be in the continental US makes us deal with the coldest cold, and so we have almost a kind of resistance training. The winter is our resistance training, and you know what?

I love every second of it.

Teresa (Hanson) Lloyd- A Short Profile

When looking for some of the best runners to come through this state, I have to pay attention to much more than just the D1 schools. One of the best runners from Jamestown College was Teresa (Hanson) Lloyd. She holds the distinction as being one of the fastest mid-distance female runners from the state of North Dakota ever.

Lloyd hails from Finley, ND, and ran for Finley-Sharon high school in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In a discussion of a future NAIA national champion, it would stand to reason that she would have run to a large number of state championships in high school, but in fact she had but one. In 1981 she won the Class B girls 800m with a time of 2:21.96, which was a completely normal time to run to win that particular race. Not to say she wasn't a force to be reckoned with, having multiple top-six finished in the 800 and 1600 at state. I can't find the state cross country results from that time, so I'll keep looking for hard copies, but I do know that she didn't win state cross country any years.

In college, however, she tore it up. She went to Jamestown College as a mid-distance runner and built up quite the resume.  Not only was she named an all-American 9 different times in her four years, but she also was twice a national champion. In 1985 at indoor nationals she placed 4th in the 880-yd run, and at outdoor nationals she won the 800 meters and took 2nd in the 1500 meters. Her winning time in the 800 was 2:10.67. Building on that, in 1986 at indoor nationals she placed 2nd in the 880-yd and 3rd in the 1000-yd runs, and outdoor nationals she placed 2nd in the 800m and won the 1500m with a time of 4:23.5. To finish up her collegiate career, in 1987 she ran at outdoor nationals, placing 2nd in both the 800m and the 1500m. In cross country she also did well, winning a WACND individual title in cross country, and placing 32nd and 98th at the NAIA national cross country meet.
From the University of Jamestown athletics website detailing All-Americans:

1985    Teresa Lloyd -NAIA Indoor Track & Field- 880 Yard Run - 4th Place - Kansas City, MO

1985    Teresa Lloyd - NAIA Outdoor Track & Field - 800 Meters - National Champion - Hillsdale, MI

1985    Teresa Lloyd - NAIA Outdoor Track & Field - 1500 Meters - 2nd Place - Hillsdale, MI

1985    Kristin Erickson - NAIA Outdoor Track & Field - High Jump - 2nd Place - Hillsdale, MI

1986    Teresa Lloyd -NAIA Indoor Track & Field- 1000 Yard Run- 3rd Place - Kansas City, MO

1986    Teresa Lloyd -NAIA Indoor Track & Field- 880 Yard Run - 2nd Place - Kansas City, MO

1986    Teresa Lloyd -NAIA Outdoor Track & Field- 800 Meter Run- 2nd Place - Russellville, AR

1986    Teresa Lloyd - NAIA Outdoor Track & Field - 1500 Meters - National Champion - Russellville, AR

1987    Teresa Lloyd -NAIA Outdoor Track & Field- 800 Meter Run- 2nd Place - Russellville, AR

1987    Teresa Lloyd -NAIA Outdoor Track & Field- 1500 Meter Run- 2nd Place-Russellville, AR

She stills holds four individual schools records at Jamestown:
Indoor 800: 2:13.24 in 1986
Indoor 1000: 2:51.48 in 1986
Outdoor 800: 2:07.26 in 1986
Outdoor 1500: 4:23.50 in 1986
Her outdoor 1500 time still stands as one of the fastest 1500 times ever by a North Dakota woman, and would be a school record at many schools across the state, including UND. She still holds many meet and track records around the area in the 1500.

Nowadays she can be found coaching around the Bismarck area, having been an assistant track coach (focusing on mid-distance) at Bismarck High from 2006 to present and an assistant cross country coach at Century High in Bismarck the last two seasons. She was inducted into the Jamestown Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. To this day her times are still impressive, and have set a high benchmark for future athletes to shoot for.


As always let me know if there's anything I missed or said incorrectly!

Links I used to assist me:
http://www2.chs.bismarck.k12.nd.us/athletics/CrossCountry/Coaches/CoachHanson.html
http://www.bhs.bismarckschools.org/uploads/resources/22873/class-b-girls-individual-champions-1971-2012.pdf
http://ndrunner.tripod.com/id89.htm
http://www.bhs.bismarckschools.org/uploads/resources/21802/1981-class-a-boys.pdf
http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/WOUTDOOR_Championship.pdf?SPSID=646085&SPID=100299&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=27900
http://www.jimmieathletics.com/records/0/16.php

The Division 1 List

I've been interested lately in who from North Dakota currently runs at the Division 1 level. I mean, we all see them at state track and high school races, but then where do they go? How do they do? Who is successful collegiately?  So I've been thinking for a long time about compiling an all-inclusive list of who currently runs at the D1 level, and then updating it every year. I think to myself, there's a lot of coaches out there who can tell you all about the athletes from the 70s and 80s and where they went to college and how they are doing now, but what about now? That's my motivation.

Unless otherwise stated all names and information come straight from the school's athletic website.

North Dakota State University- Women First, Men Second
Sydney Bork- So, Hurdles, Fargo
Christina Bruenjes- So, Multi, West Fargo
Lauren Gietzen- Fr, PV, Bismarck
Ann Govig- Jr, Multi, Bismarck
Gabby Grommesh- Fr, Sprints, Casselton
Tarin Lachowitzer- So, Distance, Fargo
Kelsey Laufenberg- Fr, Throws, Alice
Amanda Levin- Fr, Sprints, West Fargo
Sierra Link- Fr, Mid-D, Bismarck
Morgan Milbrath- So, Sprints, Minot
Regina Nyanfor- RFr, Sprints, Fargo
Alyssa Olin- Fr, Javelin, Mott
Amber Riopelle- Jr, Javelin, Mandan
Sierra Rosenau- Jr, Javelin, Carrington
Emma Schalow- Fr, Jumps, Fargo
Rachel Todhunter- Junior, Multi, Grand Forks
Brecca Wahlund- Jr, Distance, Minot
Alexis Woods- Fr, Sprints, Parshall

Daniel Asa- Fr, Multi, West Fargo
Quinn Baumann- Jr, Javelin, Grand Forks
Loren Bothun- So, Hurdles, Grand Forks
Adam Coykendall- Jr, Javelin, Lisbon
Lucas Degree- Sr, Distance, Bismarck
Ryan Enerson- Fr, Hurdles, Grand Forks
Kellen Feeney- Fr, Javelin, Fargo
Nigel Hageness- Fr, Sprints, Rugby
Dalton Herding- Jr, Mid-D, Hankinson
Matt Jennings- So, Mid-D, Devils Lake
Landon Jochim- Fr, Sprints, Bismarck
Brett Kelly- Sr, Distance, Bismarck
Brock Larson- Jr, Multi, Fargo
Grant Mjelstad- So, Multi, Fargo
Matt Moberg- Fr, Jumps, West Fargo
Alex Neumiller- Jr, Sprints/Jumps, Bismarck
Tyler Parker- Jr, Javelin, Hazen
Camron Roehl- Fr, Distance, Grand Forks
Landin Rognlin- Sr, Javelin, Fargo
Nick Scarberry- Fr, Sprints, Fargo
Branden Scheel- Fr, Distance, Fargo
Austin Schmidt- Fr, Javelin, Stanley
Conrad Schwarzkopf- So, Throws, Bismarck

University of North Dakota- Women First, Men Second
Carly Bertsch- So, Distance, Fargo
Taylor Boster- Jr, Throws, Halliday
Rachel Dryburgh- Fr, Hurdles, Hillsboro
Jayd Eggert- Jr, Throws, Minot
Darian Hedland- So, Javelin, Hatton
Courtney Heupel- Fr, Hurdles, Medina
Aubrey Hovland- So, Jumps, Rugby
Alisha Lindsay- So, Distance, Grand Forks
Jessica Lindsay- Sr, Mid-D, Grand Forks
Paige Melin- So, Distance, Bismarck
Josey Page- So, Sprints, Carrington
Katarina Reller- So, Throws, Grand Forks
Brooke Shimek- So, Mid-D, Thompson
Paige Slemmons- Jr, Sprints, Fargo
Chantel Urban- Sr, Throws, Surrey
Erin Wysocki, Sr, Distance, Grand Forks

Darin Baltezore- So, Distance, West Fargo
Calvin Burkholder- Fr, Sprints, Grand Forks
Cataldo DiDonna- So, Distance, Bismarck
Jimmy Evers- Jr, Hurdles, Grand Forks
Jordan Fisk, Sr, PV, Langdon
Keaton Hanevold, Jr, Javelin, Thompson
John Hoplin- So, Javelin, Grand Forks
John LeClerc- Jr, Hurdles, Grafton
Mitchell Meyer- Fr, Mid-D, Dickinson
Nate Peterson- Sr, Distance, Horace
Roman Waldera- Sr, Throws, Minot

 University of Minnesota- Women First, Men Second
Frances Conlin- RS Jr, Sprints/Hurdles, Fargo
Jess Herauf- RS Jr, Multi/Javelin, Dickinson
Madeline Strandemo- RS Fr, Mid-D, Fargo

Bryan Bjerk- RS Fr, Throws, Grand Forks

University of Iowa
Kayla Hochhalter- Fr, Throws, Carrington

Montana State University
Matthew Gotta- Fr, Distance, Bismarck

University of Nebraska
John Welk- Sr, Sprints, Bismarck
Drew Wiseman- So, Hurdles, Bismarck

University of Oregon
Jake Leingang- So, Distance, Bismarck

If I missed any names, please let me know!

Norm McGee- A Short Profile

In the 1980s North Dakota was blessed with one of the most prolific sprinters to ever run in this state. His times still hold records all over the area, and he even ended up running against some of the country's fastest in the Olympic Trials. Norm McGee ran for the University of North Dakota from 1985-1989, and played football during his time as well. I've heard that the reason a man with his sprinting talent came to DII UND because there he could play football and run track, whereas at DI Wisconsin he would not be allowed to play football.

Norm McGee originally came from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attending Milwaukee West High School. How he ran in high school is difficult to come by, but in 1984 he ran 10.57 in the 100m, which for 19 years stood as the sole record for the 100m in the state of Wisconsin, and then in 2004 a man by the name of Demi Omole from Dominican also ran 10.57, so McGee still holds a share of the record for fastest 100m in the history of high school track and field in Wisconsin. Naturally this kind of talent would warrant major universities to choose from, but because he also was a good football player (predominantly because of his speed), he choose to go to the University of North Dakota upon graduating high school.

During his time at UND, McGee roped up an impressive amount of feats. While playing football in 1984 and 1986-1988, he ran track 1985-1989. To create a quick summary of all his accomplishments, here's a direct quote from the UND Sports website:

"It was on the track where he truly shone, winning 13 All-American honors and five NCAA Division II sprint titles. In 1989 he was the UND male athlete of the year. During his indoor career, McGee was a five-time All-American winning 55-meter national championship in 1987 and 1988. He was a four-time 55-meter NCC champion - where he holds the NCC record (6.20,1988) and was a two-time champion in the 300 meters. For his outdoor career he was an eight-time All-American, winning national championships in the 100 meters in 1978, 1988 and 1989. At the NCC Championships he was a four-time 100-meter champion and three-time 200-meter champion. He was also a three-time member of a NCC-champion 1600-meter relay team. His 10.22 mark in the 100 meters (1989) stood in the NCC record book. He also held six individual UND records and is a member of four-record holding relay teams."

When McGree won his three national titles, his times were (in order): 10.46, 10.20w, and 10.34 (the 'w' represents wind-aided). His now-retired NCC records are in the indoor 55-meter dash (6.20), and in outdoor 100m (10.22). He has the outdoor track record at MSUM (Minnesota State University Moorhead) in the 200m at 20.94. He also holds the indoor facility record at the University of Milwaukee in the 55 meters with a time of 6.34. His 10.20 in the 100m is- through 2013- still the 15th fastest DII 100m ever ran.

That's pretty impressive.

In 1988 McGee ran in the USA Championships in the 100 and finished 8th in the prelims with a time of 10.27, and then 6th in the finals with a time of 10.17. The Olympic trials qualifying time was 10.3 In the 1988 Olympic Trials he ran the 100m, finishing 5th in the first head with a time a 10.25.

In 1989 he graduated with a degree in recreation and youth leadership from UND, and then was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with pick 28 in the 11th round. He didn't last long in the NFL though, because even though he had superb speed, he didn't have the catching ability to be an NFL wide receiver. In 1997 he was inducted into theh NCAA DII Track and Field Hall of Fame, and two years later in 1999 was inducted into the Wisconsin Track and Field Hall of Fame. He now serves as the Director of Sports, Fitness, and Recreation with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Greater Milwaukee Area. It's truly amazing what he was able to accomplish, and now he is remembered as one of the fastest sprinters to ever run in this state. I can just imagine the look on people's faces at the Olympic Trials when they saw a sprinter listed as being from the University Of North Dakota. His records from the 80s still stand today, 25 years later, a testament to how incredible it was at the time.

Links I used to assist me:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19880716&id=ozcdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yaUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6709,3279222
https://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Results/Track/State_Records/brecords.pdf
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wiml/sports/m-track/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/2014-indoor-records-m.pdf
http://www.49erswebzone.com/alltimedraft/decade/1980/
http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=750113
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/track_outdoor_champs_records/2010-11/d2_motf.pdf
http://www.ustfccca.org/assets/d2_men_alltime_top10.pdf
http://m.delphiforums.com/hobsrg/messages/4651/17
http://www.msumdragons.com/sports/2008/10/9/MTRACK_1009080854.aspx?path=track
http://northcentral.prestosports.com/Record_Book/08_Updates/08_MTF.pdf

Mike Slack- A Short Profile

Mike Slack in the glasses

Only once EVER has a sub-4 minute mile been ran on North Dakota soil. The man who did it was Mike Slack. In 1974 while competing unattached (he had ran for the NDSU cross country and track teams), he ran a 3:59.7 at the Bison Sports Arena in Fargo.
 http://www.gobison.com/sports/2013/3/9/586073399.aspx?path=mtrack

Researching a little bit about him, there is an interesting backstory (much like with any person).

Mike was from East St. Paul in the Twin Cities area and grew up into a major era of milers in Minnesota. While attending Harding High School, Slack got into cross country and track fairly late, not getting serious about running until his junior year. Gary Bjorkland was in high school the same time as Mike, and Slack took second to him on numerous occasions, one of which was Bjorkland's 4:05 high school state record performance. As far as I can glean, Slack had a high school PR of 4:12, which was not too shabby. Unfortunately he was still in Bjorkland's shadow, and that ended up being a theme throughout his career- generally running very fast, but others running faster.

While Bjorkland went to the University of Minnesota, Slack went to North Dakota State University, where he made a huge impact on the team and program. Under Hall-of-Fame Coach Roger Grooters, Slack flourished. Until the year 1973, there was no "D1, D2, and D3" national cross country championship races, but rather a college and a university division. In 1971 and 1972, he won the college division national championship as an individual, and in 1971 he took 3rd individual in the university division in a stacked race that included the likes of Steve Prefontaine (one of the most famous U.S. distance runners of all time), Gary Bjorkland, and Dave Wottle (future gold medalist in the 800 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games).
http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/NCAA_XC_PDFs/1971-men.pdf

He also won individual titles in the 1971 and 1972 NCC cross country championships, one of which NDSU won in 1971 (they also took second at nationals in the college division in 1971 and first in the college division in 1972). He went on to become a force in the 3-mile and 6-mile (precursors to the 5k and 10k) races, being D-II All-Americans in both. He later tried marathons, which he had trouble finishing, but was routinely WAY ahead of his competitors before having to drop out. Even more, for a short time he had the American record in the 20k at 59:58.

Not bad for a miler.

The real talent of Mike Slack was found on the track. After Slack graduated, he became one of the U.S.A.'s best milers. Proving his leg speed, he was able to run mid-to-high 1:40s for the 800, and sub-4 in the mile. His biggest breakthrough came a year after finishing up at NDSU, when he ran the 3:59.7 mile at the indoor track in Fargo. A week later he ran 3:58 in Houston, which allowed him to start being invited to bigger and better meets. Eventually he ran in races for the U.S.A in Europe, and in 1977 at an AAU meet, he ran a 3:37 in the 1500 for third place (3:37 converts to roughly a 3:55 mile). Slack was known to train with Bjorkland in the Twin Cities, where they had a running store. They were known to run lots of miles and generally hammer out workouts and easy runs alike. They went to races all over the midwest, dusting anybody that showed up to race. It was some of the fasting racing from Minnesota both before and after they ran.

After the stopping the big-time running scene due to injuries, Slack worked in business for a while and ultimately ended up in Leadville, Colorado, where he coached high school cross county. For the purposes of this blog, the main point is that he is still the faster miler in the state of North Dakota ever. He can say that no person has ever ran 8 laps around an indoor track in North Dakota faster than him. Some would say that the 70s and 80s were the prime-time for distance running in this area. There may be some legitimacy to that, and the evidence begins with great milers like Mike Slack, 45 years ago.

Links I used to help me:
http://downthebackstretch.blogspot.com/2014/05/mike-slack-takes-on-all-challenges-big.html
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=364406&page=0
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3918766&page=0
http://www.gobison.com/hof.aspx?hof=177&path=&kiosk=
http://www.gobison.com/hof.aspx?hof=142&path=&kiosk=

Feel free to correct me or add anything!

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to this blog.

I've spent the last year cowering all over the internet to find tidbits of information about running, specifically about North Dakota. From all of this and coaches and friends, I've learned some really interesting things, but I have A LONG way to go. Due to how difficult it is to find information about North Dakota running anywhere in a comprehensive format, I was looking for somewhere to get all of my thoughts down on paper. My ultimate dream is that this blog could be a place for people to talk about running in North Dakota, and to compile all sorts of information about it.