Sunday, September 18, 2011
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Runners enjoyed autumn’s glory during the during the 2010 Peace Race. The 2011 edition of the race will be on Oct. 23.
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By Matthew Peaslee
Boardman
McDonald junior Patrick Kunkel gets by with a little help from his friends when gearing up for every cross country meet.
That Beatles tune may not exactly be his go-to musical selection when preparing for a race, but it certainly describes his training process.
Kunkel placed sixth overall with a time of 16:18 in Division III at Saturday’s Spartan Invitational.
His workout buddy, Kyle Joynes, came in two spots (and about 10 seconds) later. The Blue Devils, as a team, placed first with 71 points.
North Allegheny was tops in Division I with 96 points for the boys, Brunswick’s 68 was best for the Division I girls. Locally, Boardman was the top-ranked team for boys and girls coming in 13th and 18th, respectively.
In Division II, the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary boys team led with 100 points and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy took first in girls with 45 points. Salem’s 13th place was the area’s best girls rank. For the boys, Lakeview finished 13th. More than 4,800 participants ran.
“Kyle and I have been working really well together coming into this season,” Kunkel said. “I’ve been up top since my freshman year because I’ve always had someone to work with.”
Kunkel, Joynes and the Blue Devils aren’t exclusive with their relationships, though. Over the years, Maplewood has grown to be a friendly rival with McDonald — not just for the similarities on the course, but off it as well.
McDonald head coach Chris Rupe is a brother-in-law to one of Maplewood’s coaches, Michelle Rupe.
Maplewood came in second with 107 points and the Rockets’ girls team took the top spot with 86 points. In classic fashion, the McDonald girls were right behind with 107 points.
“Sometimes it gets annoying because you just wish one would drop off the face of the Earth,” Michelle said of the flip-flopping bout. “It’s fun, too, because we all have the same philosophies.
“I know what they’re telling their kids, and they know what I’m telling mine.”
The connections run even deeper.
Michelle’s husband, Ted, runs the Northeast Ohio running camp that many teams flock to each summer. Sure enough, McDonald and Maplewood have attended it and bonded over their development.
“We’re real close friends with Maplewood,” Kunkel said. “We can talk and joke with them. And, I’ve raced Wyatt Hartman since we were little.” Hartman is the the Rockets top runner and came in ninth at 16:41.
“We’re both small schools,” Rupe said. “The fact that we get them out here early in elementary and junior high, they evolve into great runners.”
Great runners, like Joynes, agree.
“It’s the coaching staffs,” the senior said. “The tradition that they started some years ago has really built over time. It’s all them, we don’t just come out with all these talented runners, [the coaches] form them.”
Kunkel said that the Spartan Invitational is a chance for the top runners in the region to showcase team and personal skills.
“There’s just something about it. You get the crowd into it, there’s so many people here. It’s not the flatest course, there’s good stretches, but you focus on getting a good time and watching your back because the competition is the strongest here.”
Both McDonald and Maplewood had goals of winnning the meet, outright. Last year, McDonald swept. This years split leaves more hunger for later on.
“That’s the thing with this meet,” Rupe said, “you battle and if you come out top five that’s good.”