SALEM Shivers family spends quality time on the run

On any given day, Joe, Mark and Paul Shivers can be seen running the streets of Salem with their children.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
SALEM -- The love of running brings joy to the Shivers family.
It also helped Salem High School win two straight boys state championships and the school's first girls state title in Division II.
On any given day, brothers Joe, Mark and Paul Shivers and their children can be seen running the streets of Salem.
Mark Shivers, a practicing physician in Salem and Alliance runs on a regular basis with his five daughters: Liz (a sophomore) and Lauren (a freshman) were members of the Quakers' state title team. Lexi (a seventh grader), Gabrielle (a ninth grader) and Anna (a third grader) share their father's love of running.
"Its nice that my father helps me train," said Liz. "He goes to all of our races and gives us advice from time to time on how to run.
"I have a lot of fun running. I just love doing it; it gives me a lot of joy,"
Added Lauren, "It's great running with my father and sisters. They are very supportive and it helps to have a lot of people to talk to."
Girls state champions
Alexis Thorne (19 minutes, 40 seconds), Deirdre Clary (19:40), Liz Shivers (19:58), Sarah Yerkey (20:16), Lauren Shivers (20:28), Erin Murphy (20:31) and Kimberly Kenst (22:09) ran in the state meet for the Quakers, who won with 60 points. Kettering Archbishop Alter was second with 73.
"Running with my children is indescribable, said Mark Shivers. "It's a gift from God and a comforting feeling to get out there with them.
"One of the things we did when running was finish up at my mom's house and we would stop and see her and my dad and that brought us joy."
The state meet was bittersweet for the Shivers. The day before the meet, Mark's mother died. The title helped alleviate some of the sadness.
"It was a wonderful experience at state," said Liz, who started running when she was 8. "All the girls worked so hard to achieve that goal."
Lauren, who started running when she was 7, added, "It's awesome as a freshman to have run with a state championship team.
"My sister and I are supportive of each other, said Lauren. We discuss and help each other with any problems we have running, especially if one us has a bad day."
The Quakers practice seven days a week, even in the winter. That training also pays off during track season, when the two sisters compete in the 3200 meters and 4x800 relay.
Boys team still running
The Quakers' boys team includes Aiman Scullion, Patrick Gorby, Paul Shivers, Isaac Newton, Michael Overholser, Ryan Griffith and Matt Yanek. They will compete in the Foot Locker regional meet Saturday in Kenosha, Wis.
Joe Shivers, Salem's middle school principal, says he encourages his sons Joe (a senior) and Brian (a freshman) to relax when they are running.
"I ran with my son Brian on some of his easy runs last summer," said Shivers.
Added Joe, "Running is enjoyable and very relaxing. It makes you feel good." Joe, who will compete in the 1600 and 3200 next spring, recently played the lead in the Salem school play "Inherit the Wind." He is secretary of the Student Council and president of the National Honor Society.
Paul Shivers, a practicing dentist in Salem, occasionally runs with his son, Paul, who is a junior at Salem High.
"We have a lot of fun when we are running and get to discuss everything," the father said. He traveled to Columbus earlier this month to watch the race at Scioto Downs.
"It was just huge," he said. "The run starts and finishes in front of you. Our families watched the athletes down on the infield. By their behavior, when they found out how they did they ran to each other and high-fived. It was just amazing."
One big team
Talking about Salem winning both Div. II state cross country titles, Paul said, "We are basically one big team. We were there for [the girls] and they were there for us.
"It just shows that our teams worked hard and didn't let our goals lag. Our program is one of the best in the state and the coaching staff inspired us."
Paul, who is editor of the Salem High newspaper, is a member of the National Honor Society. He and Joe are writing a book about cross country, with a summary of their experiences on the 2004-05 seasons.
Paul said his running style is a combination of long distance and a little speed and that he plans to compete in the 3200 and 4x800 relay for Salem next spring.