Ex- Toledo standout tops women

Briana Shook was over a minute ahead of her closest competitor.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- As with any compulsion, a deviation from routine can be nerve-wracking.
That's why Briana Shook's break from training -- beginning today -- won't be easy.
But she can take comfort knowing that she ended on a high note.
That high was as the first woman finisher in the 30th Peace Race Sunday.
For her first appearance in the local race, the Tiffin, Ohio native's time in 34 minutes, 5 seconds, paid $1,000.
"I wanted a decent time," said Shook, a 2004 graduate of the University of Toledo. "I wanted to end my season with a fun race. Tomorrow starts some time off."
Taking time off
Shook, the American steeplechase record-holder, said she's been advised to take some time off before the resumption of training for the cross country world championships in February.
"It was nice to end with a win before I take a week or two off, but I'll probably be going crazy after three days," she said of a runner's obsession with their training regimen.
Shook, an assistant distance coach at Toledo, said the next-closest woman was less than a minute behind her.
"I just grabbed onto a couple guys and started working my way up," the tall, dark-haired Shook said.
Sunday's Peace Race time placed her 25th overall among 1,224 runners.
"I didn't expect anything better today," she said in comparison to a recent personal-best at the Boston Road Race Championships. There, Shook was the sixth American -- 40 seconds behind the winner.
"It pulled me to a faster time," she said of her 33:52 two weeks ago in Boston -- a personal-record 10K time.
U.S. record holder
Shook, who will be 24 in January, has the U.S. steeplechase (3,000 meters) record of 9:29.
This summer, she won at the Olympic Trials in California, but was disqualified for missing the first water jump. So she had to travel to Belgium two weeks later on July 31.
The runner-up female earning $500 Sunday was Lyndsi Gay of New Albany, followed by Anjanette Arabian of Rocky River. Arabian was the Peace Race's defending woman champion. Carly Graystock of Forest City, Pa. took home $100 as the No. 4 female finisher and Cleveland's Allison Had won $50 for fifth.
A pair of 15-year-old Maplewood High sophomores were 1-2 in the Peace Race's 2-mile race.
Tops 2-mile event
Andy Arnio of Cortland won in 10:08, followed by Andy Morgan, also of Cortland, in 10:12.
"We came out hard with Ryan Petrick," Morgan said of their stiffest competition, a YSU runner and Champion High graduate, at the race's start. "Then I tried to stay as close to Andy as possible because I knew he'd pull me through it."
The 2-miler for both teens comes on the heels of their participation in a cross country event in Tiffin a month ago. That's when Arno won the race for students in Division III schools. Morgan was four seconds behind.