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Salmon Creek Beach Runs are Sunday Aug 5th & FREE for Members But you MUST pre-Reg online! Go to www.Empirerunners.org today! The Empire Runner J u l y 2012 Volume XXXX, No. 7 www.empirerunners.org Kim Conley Olympian! rd Pushes pace early – Finishes in spectacular fashion - 3 in 5000M Final – Going to London Photo by Brad Zanetti KENWOOD 2012 Tommy Greenless & Julia Mallon win 10K Mike Wortman & Eileen Brennanerler first in 3K Also in this Issue: - Race Results - Summer Track Results - Plus More! EMPIRE RUNNERS NEWSLETTER, July 2012 www.empirerunners.org President’s Message From the film Galaxy Quest: “Never give up! Never surrender!”* - Larry Meredith * For details, see my newsletter article titled, London Calling. Photo by Brad Zanetti Kim Conley (#13) follows close behind American record holder in the 5000M Molly Huddle (#11) who would eventually finish 2nd overall behind Julie Culley and in front of Kim. Culley, Huddle and Conley all have the Olympic “A” standard and will be competing against the best the world has to offer in the London Olympics. The Empire Runners Club | www.empirerunners.org | [email protected] London Calling The girl who wouldn’t give up By Larry Meredith There were twenty-one thousand spectators jammed into the stands at Eugene’s Hayward Field on the evening of June 28, 2012 and they were all watching the women’s 5000-meter final, a race to determine the three runners who would represent the United States in the London Olympics for that event. Of that 21,000, there are only about one hundred of us who can say that we witnessed the greatest comeback in the history of the Olympic Trials. That’s because the other 20,900 viewers had little or no knowledge of Kim Conley and with 800 meters left their attention was naturally drawn to the top three runners, now pulling far ahead of the field. They would not notice Kim again until the top two finishers had crossed the line and there were just 50 meters left in her race. They have no idea what they missed. Among Kimmy’s 100 followers at Eugene were her parents, Dave and Melanie. If you were to meet them, even there at the legendary stadium of Bill Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine, you would not Photo by Val Sell immediately guess that they were the parents of an elite American 5000-meter runner. For starters, On the victory stand at Hayward Field Melanie is English and although she has lived in the U.S. for many years, there is no mistaking her lovely accent. In fact, Kim was born in London during one yard of a vacation rental home. Kim was inside the of her father’s work assignments there. I don’t house, being peppered with questions about her personally know if Melanie has ever been an athlete experience and sharing the impressive bronze medal but, if she has, I’ll wager that it was a chapter in her with a small crowd of friends. Some of us guys were life that occurred very early in the book. Besides, she curious to know if there was anything in the parents’ seems far too nice and bubbly to have a killer instinct. background that would suggest a future Olympian Dave, on the other hand, was a decent athlete in his was on the way. Dave offered only this little bit of high school years. Given that knowledge a new history to bolster his genetic credentials. acquaintance would start the guessing at hammer thrower or power lifter, judging by Dave’s hefty While at De Anza High School in Richmond, stature. Nope. He was a cross country runner and a California, Dave was a pretty good track and cross miler on the track, the star distance man on his team country runner who decided to skip his senior track since his sophomore season. season simply because he felt he wasn’t fast enough to be competitive in the mile, at the time the longest Precisely 24 hours after Dave and Melanie’s race contested. As a senior in the spring of 1964 his daughter made her heroic run on the Hayward Field coach informed Dave that the two-mile was being track, a few of us Empire Runners Club members added to the event schedule and he should give it a were gathered with Dave next to the BBQ in the back try. Dave did O.K. during the season and came into The Empire Runners Club | www.empirerunners.org | [email protected] London Calling (continued) we spoke of his daughter’s race. “Damn allergies,” he said. And I could definitely recognize the the league championship as the 3rd-ranked two-miler. personality of Melanie when I gave Kimmy a good- Knowing he had perhaps the worst finishing speed in bye hug as she prepared to leave our BBQ. “I know I the field, Dave formed a plan to get in front early and don’t have to tell you this,” I said, my own eyes see if he could wear down his opponents. He pushed getting a bit moist, “but have a great time in London. the pace from the front but on the final lap the race It’s gonna be the time of your life.” Without a second favorite moved past him. He thought to himself, of hesitation a smile came to her face and she said, “That’s O.K., second place isn’t so bad for a number “It already is.” 3 seed.” When another runner went by, Dave th rationalized that he was right where he ought to be, in In the spring of 2000 I was approaching my 18 and third place, so he could live with that. So with less final year of coaching cross country for Montgomery than a lap to go, Dave was satisfied. And then a High School. I was the only one who knew it would funny thing happened. Rounding the final turn he be my last year and I wanted, as much as possible, saw that he was gaining on second place. “I might to keep it that way. My wife, Tori, would be going into th be able to get that guy,” he says to himself. So he her 12 season as my inspirational side-kick. I did. And then on the final straight he noticed that the wanted the continuity of the Viking program to be leader was weakening and not very far ahead. Now maintained so I approached Josh Dorris, a former Dave was thinking, “Hey, I could win this thing!” And MHS runner from the class of ’93 and, at the time, he finished the story to our little gathering by saying, assisting with the Cardinal Newman High School “And so I did.” team, and asked him if he would be an assistant for the 2000 season and learn the ropes with the hopes That’s Dave Conley, in a nutshell. The night his that he could be hired to succeed Tori and me in daughter became an Olympian a group of 15 Empire 2001. He agreed. And so for over a year, Josh and Runners set up a long table at the Steelhead Brewery Tori both knew that I was giving up coaching but they and began our own little celebration. Dave and told not a soul until I could announce it at the end of Melanie knew we were there and that they were the 2001 track season. invited to join us but we figured it might be quite a while before they would get away from the track. I knew that there would never be a year to easily walk Luckily for us, Kim’s new status made her away from coaching because of the wonderful unavailable, even to her parents, so they gave up relationships that are constantly being developed with and headed for the brewery. Our table had a perfect team members and their parents. And let's face it, for view of the front door and the intersection just me winning was a drug as addictive as any I could outside. The Conleys were spotted as they crossed imagine, even though I knew it was the runners the street and when they opened the door our group themselves who deserved all the glory. What made it stood and gave a huge cheer and ovation, bringing slightly easier to hang up the proverbial clipboard that the entire restaurant to a standstill. Dave and particular year was the exceptionally talented, senior- Melanie were taken completely off guard. They heavy squads that Montgomery would suit up for both looked shocked for a moment and then their faces boys and girls. I hoped to go out with a bang. reddened and they grinned from ear to ear. Not exactly the same reaction that Kimmy had two hours The girls’ team in particular was going to be special. earlier, but a wonderful one none-the-less. Seniors Sara Bei and Sarah Bashel had both competed in the state championship meet in each of It was no more than two minutes later that the men’s their four high school years. Bei didn’t just compete, 5000-meter runner-up, Bernard Legat, currently she had won three straight individual titles and was America’s most decorated distance runner, walked going to become the first Californian in history to do it through the door. We jumped up and gave the same four times. And Bashel who, in my opinion, is still the ovation and this time we were joined by everyone in greatest high school runner that never won a varsity th the place.

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