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33 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 10, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 10, 2005 Eugene runner triumphs in first Pear attempt Sopagna Eap leads from start to finish and bursts to first in just over one hour By DON HUNT Mail Tribune For Sopagna Eap, Saturday’s Pear Blossom Run was a little like going out on a blind date in a strange city. The University of Oregon graduate student had never run 10 miles in a competitive race and she’d never stepped into the Rogue Valley’s crown jewel of racing. Eap didn’t know what to expect, but was curious with anticipation. Following a one-hour get-together in the foothills of west Medford, Eap and her new run may become inseparable. Bouncing gracefully over the out-and-back course from start to finish, the petite runner covered the 10 miles in 1 hour, 3.37 seconds. Advertisement "I have a shorter distance background, but I knew potentially that I could run a good race," Eap, 24, said. "I’ve never run farther than 10K (6.2 miles) in a race before today, but this felt pretty good. "I just tried to run consistently, maintain my pace and finish strong. And that’s what I did." Three-time winner Rosa Gutierrez of Glendale finished a distant second in 1:00:51.73, and nine-time winner Deanna O’Neil of Canby was third in 1:04:08.13. This was the first time since 1998 someone other than O’Neil or Gutierrez won, and only the third time in 15 years neither of them broke the tape. Rounding out the top five were Kathleen Gosnell (1:04:08.64) and Alama Steinhert (1:04.58.00). Eap was a two-time, NCAA Division II All-American at the University of California at Davis. She finished fourth at the national meet in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters in 2003, with lifetime bests of 9:46 and 16:43, respectively. Those are short distances compared to 10 miles, but Eap put in a good training run for the Pear two weeks ago when she ran a 10K in 35:27 at the Stanford Invitational. "I’m in good shape," said Eap, who was born in Thailand, raised in San Fransico and is of Cambodian descent. "I’ve lived in Eugene going on my second year and that’s a great place to train." Gutierrez, a former standout runner at the UO, stuck with Eap for the first six miles. "She was right on my heels," said Eap, who is studying to become a clinical psychologist, "and so that was a lot of motivation for me to keep up my pace." The pair were running at a six-minute per-mile pace, but once they reached Jacksonville Highway on the return route, Gutierrez could no longer keep up. "I felt good for the first six miles, but then I really got fatigued," Gutierrez said. Gutierrez’s weariness came approximately 40 minutes into the race. Not coincidentally, her training runs had rarely been more than 40 minutes leading up to the competition. A teacher and more recently the cross country and track coach at Glendale High near Grants Pass, Gutierrez no longer has the time to go on longer training runs. "I get up at 4 every morning, run at 5:30 and get to school by 7," she said. "And then it’s 6:30 or 7 in the evening by the time I get home. "I absolutely love what I’m doing, but I don’t have the time to train that I once did. And that’s OK ... I still had a great time out there today." O’Neil, who blistered the course in a record 57:07 a decade ago, was satisfied to secure third place Saturday. She had a baby last May and then underwent a hernia operation in January. "I had a goal of 1:05, but the bigger goal was simply to make it to the finish line," O’Neil said. O’Neil felt frisky at the start, speeding to a 6:02 first mile and running stride for stride with Eap and Gutierrez. "I couldn’t help myself," O’Neil said with a grin. "It’s a lot of fun being right there with the leaders." Even if there’s a newcomer to the group such as Eap. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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