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Sunfair Invitational
35th year of Washington's fast and furious flighted races
Saturday, October 4, 2008 - Franklin Park, Yakima WA
Gig is up: Gig Harbor WA sweeps combined-score titles
Meet story by Rob "Watchout" Monroe, Photos by James Thomas
 After hours of rainfall leading up to the meet, and portions of the course caught in very windy conditions all throughout the day, Sunfair still had some exceptional performances and all-time marks on the challenging 3 mile layout. First, a little background is in order, so those who haven’t been there can find some appreciation for the course. Sunfair is held at Franklin Park in Yakima, WA. Athletes run 3.5 loops of the course, which is virtually all on one big hill. The first mile marker is at the top of the “Terrace’s Hill” (right) on the first loop, while the 2nd mile marker is a loop later in the middle of the downhill portion of the course. Terrace’s Hill is the short and very steep part of the course, where the winds were blowing fiercely all day long. Athletes only make the steep climb on the first loop, while they have to deal with the longer hill along the tennis courts that reaches just as high for all the other loops. Many spectators and athletes who had been there before commented on how slow the course was running, mainly because of the grass being slick from all the rain leading up to the meet. Despite all the rain, the grass held up very well and it wasn’t too muddy anywhere… just slick, which isn’t necessarily much better for fast times.
Inspiration in the face of weather woes
Speculation soon gave way to inspiration as the races were underway. Perhaps the greatest moment of the meet occurred during the Boys’ senior race, when a Gig Harbor runner gave it everything he had and then some during his race. He was so completely drained that while striving to make it to the finish line, he could barely move forward and then collapsed not 25 meters from the end. He struggled to his feet and made it a few more steps before collapsing again. The crowd quieted down when they saw this, admiring his will and hoping he would be alright, that he would make it.
 Garrett McKinney was his name, and he had been looking at a low 19-minute finish that would have placed him in the top 40, before he ran out of energy. As he crawled his way to the finish, refusing help from meet management, the crowd cheered him on (left). Proudly, he successfully crossed the finish line a minute later, an unforgettable struggle finally overcome. In that race, he truly gave his all, found his limit, and earned the respect of everyone at the meet.
Gig Harbor takes control of the varsity races
On the heels of such an inspirational event, the varsity races soon began, where both the boys and girls ran together in flights. First up were the #7 runners, where it was led through the first mile in 5:34 by a trio of runners in Nathan Page (Gig Harbor), Nate Wilson (Sehome), and Richard Wojan (Boise). By the second mile, Central Valley’s freshman Drew Brown caught up with Wojan, but it was a battle between Page and Wilson for the lead, as it stayed through the finish. The girls were led by Central Valley frosh Jamie Lambie and Gig Harbor junior Erin Hull by the 2nd mile, and stayed in that order through the finish. The 2nd flight, made up of the #6 runners from each team, was more of the same, as Gig Harbor and Central Valley were among the leaders for the boys and by the end Sehome’s Calvin Collander joined and surpassed them for the win. Gig Harbor’s Kelly Williams led throughout to start off a trend, as the first Gig Harbor girl claimed victory in the #6 runner’s flight. Flight number 3 was more of the same, with Gig Harbor and Eastlake going 1-2 in the girls and Gig Harbor and Central Valley boys finishing in the top 5, the boys mile splits just under 5:30/11:25 and the girls just under 6:25/13:25 (where Gig Harbor's Christy Sipes broke away during mile 2).
The fourth flight featured Eastlake's only win, as Tasha Lingenbrink broke away during the second mile to pass the 2 mile mark in 13:05, 20 seconds clear of Gig Harbor's Claire Betterbed. The fourth flight also featured the closest winning race of the day, as Eisenhower's Timothy Cummings barely  held off hard-charging Tide runner Robby Ubben (right) after having led most of the race. Cummings was given an official time of 16:39.3, while Ubben was marked down at 16:39.5.
Things got even more interesting during the next race, as Glacier Peak's junior Ryan Weed opened up with a very fast first mile of 5:09. Tahoma's Phil Lussier was next at 5:15 at the mile, and took over the lead during the second mile to come through in 10:57 with Boise's Max Hardy leading the chase trio (along with Redmond's Miles Hille and Glacier Peak's Ryan Weed) coming through in 11:11. Lussier ended up holding on to win in 16:30.6, and Hardy finished a strong 2nd but it was Lakeside's Josh Alexander who stepped it up and closed well to finish 3rd, nearly catching Hardy on the homestretch. The girls race also started off significantly faster than before, as Wapato's freshman Samantha Blodget led Boise's Sarah Olson in 6:06, with Eastlake's Katelyn Steen and Gig Harbor's Brittany Kealy following close behind. During the second mile, Sehome's Alanna Steele moved up well and led through 2 in 13:03 with Eastlake, Boise and Gig Harbor on her tail. Brenna Eldredge made a strong move during the closing mile, but it wasn't enough as Steele won in 19:21.4 for Sehome and Olson claimed second in 19:38.4, but Eldredge did claim 3rd for Cedarcrest as Eastlake's Katelyn Steen and Gig Harbor's Brittany Kealy rounded out the top 5.
In the #2 runner's flight, things started off a bit more conservatively for the guys, as Gig Harbor's Chris Adgar-Beal was the early leader, passing through the mile in 5:14, followed by Redmond's Mack Young who took the lead during the following loop to pass by 2 miles in the lead at 10:55. Young held on to win in 16:13.7, while Tahoma's Casey Campbell (16:16.2) and Boise's Greg Montgomery (16:21.7) beat out Couer D'Alene freshman Cody Curtis (16:24.0) for the top 4 spots. In the girls race, it was A.C. Davis' Shawna Schooley who took it out in 6:00 and was followed by Olympia's Clare Kane, Kingston's freshman standout Marina Roberts, Gig Harbor's Cara Saxon and Shadle Park's Katie Morris. A Sehome runner again made a strong move during the 2nd mile, as Mimi Krieger was 4th in 13:02 with a mile to go, but it was Olympia's Clare Kane breaking away and passing by in 12:43 while Schooley and Roberts tried to hang on. By the end, Sehome's Krieger did make up the ground to finish 2nd in 19:06.8, but it was Olympia's Clare Kane who took home the title in 18:59.8. Schooley held off Roberts for 3rd, finishing 19:10.3 to the freshman's 19:15.0.
Eastside elites Gonzales (Southridge) and Mires (Mead) come out on top of incredible fields
Going into the last flights, first the guys and then the girls, team scores were announced. It looked like a close battle between Gig Harbor and Tahoma, with Sehome and Central Valley also showing very well. This was good news for Gig Harbor, whose Conner Peloquin was one of the co-favorites in the final race. Southridge's star senior Andrew Gonzales was among the early leaders, and led the lead pack through the first mile in 5:00, with Peloquin and Port Townsend's Quinton Decker next and  Redmond's Aiden Irish, Boise's Eric Fitzpatrick, and Auburn Riverside's Julian-Blake Cowan all keeping close. Before the 1.5 mile mark, Cowan made a move to take the lead going up the long hill along the tennis courts. He held his slight edge through 2 miles in 10:22, with Gonzales and Peloquin right behind him and the group of Irish, Fitzpatrick and Decker right on their heels. On the last loop of the course, Gonzales made a move and passed Cowan just before the top of the hill, and then pulled away to win in 15:23.9. Cowan held off Peloquin for 2nd (15:32.2 to 15:33.1) with Boise's Fitzpatrick very near in 15:34.9. Irish held off a charging Kelton Sears of Tahoma for 5th in 15:47.9, and Port Townsend's Quinton Decker also dipped under 16 in 15:50.2. Peloquin's finish gave Gig Harbor the boys title with 36 points, Sears' finish kept Tahoma in 2nd with 39, and Fitzpatrick's race moved Boise into the picture for 3rd place with 52 points.
Finally, the most anticipated race of the meet was on deck: The top flight of the girls race, featuring standouts Alyssa Andrews from Gig Harbor, Baylee Mires from Mead, Annie Dear from Olympia, Andrea Nelson from Shadle Park, and Kinsey Gomez from Couer D'Alene ID, just to get started! During the introductions, team scores were again announced heading into the final race: Gig Harbor held a narrow lead over Sehome in under 20 points, with highly ranked Eastlake sitting in 3rd with 30 points, seemingly out of the race already. Gig Harbor looked promising, as their #1 had beaten Sehome's best twice already this season. Andrea Nelson and Baylee Mires (left) were the early leaders, going through the mile in 5:54 with Andrews situated in 3rd place just behind. The chase pack started with Ruby Roberts of Kingston and Kinsey Gomez, continued with Annie Dear and Sandra Martinez (AC Davis) and Monroe's Suzanna Ohlsen. On the next loop, Nelson had slipped back to third while Andrews moved up to challenge Mires going up the hill. At the crest, they were going at it stride for stride, and continued in heated struggle through the 2nd mile mark in 12:09. Annie Dear used the downhill to her advantage and passed Andrea Nelson by the 2 mile mark, with Kinsey Gomez right there as well.
During the next half mile, Mires again made a move, this time for good, gaining a modest lead on the ever persistent Andrews. Annie Dear made her intentions known as she was solidifying her positioning before the kick, while Gomez looked strong in 4th and Sandra Martinez and Annie Moore (Sehome) were moving up and passing Nelson. Mires continued to break away, and crossed the line in an incredible 17:59.5, a top-20 All-Time mark on the course under not the best of conditions. Andrews claimed 2nd just two seconds off of the top-20 all-time list in 18:11.5, and Dear finished a strong 3rd in 18:25. After Gomez claimed 4th place, Andrea Nelson found another gear to regain form and finish 5th in 18:30.9, while Sandra Martinez (18:34.0) and Annie Moore (18:37.7) found a way to beat last year's Sunfair champion Ruby Roberts (18:53.5).
Taking both sides of the team race, Gig Harbor showed impressive depth in victory
The second place finish by Andrews was high enough for for Gig Harbor to claim the team championship with a mere 20 points, and also ensured they took home the combined boys & girls score trophy after having swept both team races. Annie Moore's 6th place finish was good enough to keep Sehome in a solid 2nd place, and Eastlake maintained in 3rd.
After the race, Gig Harbor coach Patty Ley praised Mead star Baylee Mires' performance, noting what good shape she appears to be in right now. Ley also noted that Robby Ubben "stepped up and had a great day" and that her girls team "all ran solid". Also of note was that Avery Unterreiner, freshman sister of now-graduated standout Miles Unterreiner, ran 20:02.6 to win the JV race in an outstanding effort. Gig Harbor had a total of 6 girls under 20:10, and two of them came from the JV race! 20:10 would have finished in the top 30 of the top flight, and Avery Unterreiner's 20:02.6 would have been competitive for a top-10 finish in the #3 girls race. Gig Harbor boys also showed tremendous depth, taking 2nd and 3rd in the senior boys race, 2nd in the sophomore race and a total of 10 guys under 17:40.
Sunfair proved to be a great meet, providing excellent competition for all on a challenging course. In it's flighted format, it goes a long way to show how various teams' runners stack up all down the lineup, where #3 and #4 runners all fight amongst their peers from other teams to see who is the fastest of them all. There were breakthroughs at all levels, people having fun all around, and a well-run meet filled with many of the best in the Great Northwest.
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