Dreher senior Jonathan Chu, 17, finished third at the Cold Winter's Day 5,000-meter road race in Columbia Saturday. Chu, finishing in 16:29, won his age group with Robert Chu second and Stephen Sykes, a graduate of Dorman, third (17:20) in the 17-19 male division.
"I'm happy with a third place finish, but I was placing more emphasis on time," said Jonathan Chu. "I really want to run sub 16, but I'm glad that I can still hit a sub 16:30 (5K) after cross country season."
Overall winners were, for males Eric Ashton, 38, in 15:12 and females Kathryn Cavanaugh, 25, in 18:58.
"I was tight before the race, but my legs loosened up after two miles of racing," said Jonathan Chu. "(Eric) Ashton took out quick so I tried to follow him the first mile. When I dropped to third, Ben Clarke (4th, 16:39) was pushing the pace behind me. I'm glad he was there because I might not have sped up. He helped keep me alive till the last mile where I was able to pick up the pace again. I always have problems holding pace in the middle of a race and its frustrating. I felt fine after the race, but I probably need to start getting more sleep again. With school out, I don't have much need to wake up early in the morning."
In preparation for 2007 and outdoor, Jonathan Chu mentioned, "XC season didn't end until after Footlocker regionals. I took a couple weeks off and now I'm gradually adding mileage back on. I started intervals earlier than normal because I want to force my mile and two mile time down. As a senior, I am placing more energy into being accepted into college. I still want to attempt a 4:20 mile by the end of track season, though. It's a long way off, but I hope my practices will take effect by then."
Full results and a gallery from the event can be viewed at the meet relation link to the right.
scrunners.com wishes everyone a safe and happy new year.
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