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Baldovino, Solof look to run away from the competition By Don Hunt Until now, Damian Baldovino has never immersed himself into running the way he did when he starred for Medford High in the mid-1980s. He wasn�t motivated enough to pound the pavement for an hour or more each day, like many of the elite runners. And just when he�d think about cranking himself into high gear, he�d get hit with a serious injury. Baldovino suffered a hairline fracture of his hip in 1992 and then, shortly after he began to fervently train in 1997, he suffered a herniated disk. He was put on disability from his job with Pacific Power for a year, and his doctor told him he might never run again. But Baldovino will not only be at the starting line Saturday for the 25th edition of the Pear Blossom Run, he hopes to win it. Baldovino and defending champion Ian Solof were the only runners who registered predicted times of 50 minutes for the 10-mile event that starts and ends at Medford City Hall beginning at 8:45 a.m. The out-and-back course goes along Jacksonville Highway and Hanley Road. "I feel great," Baldovino, 34, says. "It�s been a long haul, but I think I�ve pretty much made it all the way back. "I think I�ve got about three years of real hard running left in me, and I�m going to make the most of it." Baldovino has been training 60 to 70 miles per week � often running in snow near his Lakeview home � and has recently put in some speed work to boot. His accomplishments over the past year are notable: a 13th-place finish (in a field of 14,000) and a time of 31:04 at the 6-mile Wharf-to-Wharf run in Santa Cruz, Calif.; a time of 4:25 in the 1,500 meters at an indoor track meet in Bend; and a seventh-place showing (in a field of 13,000) and 49:58 clocking at the 15-kilometer Shamrock Run in Portland. "It�s a lot of fun being in shape and seeing what you can do," Baldovino says. "When I hurt my back, I couldn�t do anything for several months and I began to realize how much I missed just heading out the door and going for a run. "I was finally able to walk and then jog. You don�t know how much you miss it until it�s taken away." Baldovino hopes to present a stiff challenge to Solof, who ran away from the field last year to triumph in 50:48.7. Both runners plan to cover the first mile in about five minutes and have hinted that the course record of 49:49 could be in jeopardy if the weather conditions are right � cool and no wind would be ideal � and if neither runner has to go it alone. The record was set by Matt Cato in 1990. "Hopefully, I�ll be good enough to push Ian and stay with him till the end," Baldovino says. Solof is also in tiptop shape. The former Ashland High standout won the 8K version of the Shamrock run on March 18 in downtown Portland and ran a lifetime best of 29:42 in the 10,000 meters on the track at the Stanford Invitational on March 31. Solof, who is an assistant coach with the University of Portland track team, has been training 80 to 100 miles per week. "It was very special to win it last year," Solof says. "I hadn�t run the Pear in 10 years and that made it even more special." Solof plans on running each half of the race in virtually the same time; Baldovino prefers to run the second half faster. That should make for some interesting strategy. "The breaking point is usually about the 3- or 4-mile mark," Baldovino says. "That�s when you usually start to see some separation." Other contenders include Justin Loftus, a former Ashland High teammate of Solof�s, and Leonard Hill, one of 13 participants to complete all 24 Pear Blossom Runs. Hill finished eighth last year and has been in the top 10 in all but two of the events. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.