Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Cougar seen in Ashland's Lithia Park Jackson County Library District approves $5.62 million contract with LSSI Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center creating sanctuary for mentally ill Howiee's claims top prize in Medford Smudge Pot Stroll Gov. Kate Brown gets an up-close look at ailing Medford viaduct Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Medford man dies after being struck by truck in crosswalk Emergency Services, April 13 Emergency services, April 12 Emergency services, April 11 Jury awards more than 200K in Rogue River dog-barking case, orders dogs debarked Politics and Elections Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for one year Education Prepping before 9th grade Shumate says initiatives will require reserve spending Eagle Point school district violated union members' constitutional rights, federal judge says SOU celebrates Arbor Day early with awards and talks SOU student's play heads to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Environment Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek Evans Creek dams on track for removal this summer Nearly 400 steelhead die in Applegate fish-trap failure Forum looks at Crater Lake wilderness proposal A place to play State News Grants Pass state rep walks away from motorcycle crash unscathed Senators join in Oregon Caves dedication Forest Grove spelling bee celebrates bilingual students Oregon lawmakers, counties spar over public safety spending Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Barrie A. Witte Janie Denise Hernandez Herman Donald Higday Jack Howe Parker Toni Adams Bianchini Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Fantasy Sports: Injuries piling up to start season Bats come alive for Ducks in win Heir Jordan Nieves' grand slam lifts Padres past Giants Expansion Orlando City defeats Portland Varsity 541 College Sports Bats come alive for Ducks in win Chaos, wins evenly distributed for Raiders UO’s Lockie sharp in spring practice Ducks top OSU on bases-loaded walk in 9th Strong pitching gives SOU pivotal sweep Pro Sports Heir Jordan Nieves' grand slam lifts Padres past Giants Expansion Orlando City defeats Portland Booker, Jazz upset Blazers Guthrie, Moustakas lift Royals to victory Community Sports Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Cars We Remember: 1964 Olds F-85 owner seeks information Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Odyssey Silvio Calabi: Passat 1.8T Sport is satisfyingly rational New bosses take charge at Harry & David Erickson shores up business with three contracts Real Estate News Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Erickson shores up business with three contracts Lithia Motors shares break the $100 mark Road to health: Bike and pedestrian paths play greater role in transportation project funding Agriculture New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Granlund cartoon: Hillary 2016 bid Letters to the Editor, April 13 Kathleen Parker: Rolling Stone gathers dirt — on itself Our View: Medford School District's new spending appears prudent Editorials Our View: Medford School District's new spending appears prudent Other Views: Keep Klamath water plan moving in Congress Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes Our View: All ethics reform bills should get a hearing Our View: Cheers and jeers Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 13 Letters to the Editor, April 12 Letters to the Editor, April 10 Letters to the Editor, April 9 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Columns Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Kathleen Parker: Rolling Stone gathers dirt — on itself Dana Milbank: After another tragedy, signs of progress George Will: Containing Iran's nuclear intoxication Charles Krauthammer: The Iran deal: What we've given up Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Lifestyle Latest stories Cars We Remember: 1964 Olds F-85 owner seeks information Wry & Ginger: Commencement-speech gigs have a hold on academia Paul Rogers: Schedule your time wisely Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Odyssey It Is What It Is: The importance of the pick-me-up Food Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Season Stepp: Try farmer’s market sunchoke in a creamy potato soup Page H. Onorato: Bringing spring to the dinner table Tammy Kelly: Asparagus is in season Power of 5 Home and Garden Paul Rogers: Schedule your time wisely Home Help: 3 upgrades to help give your bathroom spa-like panache Cry babies, it’s time to plant onions Garden Cameos: Good soil foundation of fabulous garden Ceramic tile: How it’s made and what’s new Health Go get physical Community blog: Better Living By Design: A Symposium You Must Not Miss Health Watch: Combat common running and walking ailments Dr. Jeff Hersh: Distracted driving Dr. Murray Feingold: Keep laundry detergent packets away from kids Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Milestones and Achievements Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Haga-Parks Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 'BRAND,' 'Western' among Ashland Independent Film Festival award winners The ABBA Show comes to the Craterian Theater in Medford Five picks for entertainment this week The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Live Music in Local Clubs Theater Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland OCT stages 'The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)' Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' ‘A Dream of Red Pavilions’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Music The ABBA Show comes to the Craterian Theater in Medford The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Gene Burnett tonight at Liquid Assets in Ashland Community Events 'BRAND,' 'Western' among Ashland Independent Film Festival award winners Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Dining Restaurant inspections, April 12, 2015 La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Standing Stone owners to open Medford brewpub and restaurant Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Cougar seen in Ashland's Lithia Park ... Jackson County Library District approves $5.62 million contract with LSSI ... Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center creating sanctuary for mentally ill ... Cougar seen in Ashland's Lithia Park ... Jackson County Library District approves $5.62 million contract with LSSI ... Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center creating sanctuary for mentally ill ... PEAR BLOSSOM RUN Gage sets record run Klimek Gage sets course mark in winning her fifth Pear Blossom Run Comment By Tim Trower Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 6:02 PM Updated Apr 12, 2015 at 12:41 AM By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 6:02 PM Updated Apr 12, 2015 at 12:41 AM --> WOMEN RECAP: Former Phoenix High runner Marci Klimek Gage breaks the 21-year-old course record for her fifth straight championship. Her time of 57:04 over the 10-mile course bet... » Read more X WOMEN RECAP : Former Phoenix High runner Marci Klimek Gage breaks the 21-year-old course record for her fifth straight championship. Her time of 57:04 over the 10-mile course betters the mark of 57:07 set by Canby’s Deanna O’Neil in 1994. TOP 10 1. Marci Gage, 57:04 2. Michele Holcomb, 1:02:54 3. Carissa Fleskes, 1:03:18 4. Becka Kem, 1:04:59 5. Heather Oliveria, 1:07:20 6. Ashley Baldovino, 1:07:35 7. Lorelei Phillips, 1:08:21 8. Madison McCarthy, 1:08:31 9. Kristin Peterson, 1:08:31 10. Janelle Ralph, 1:09:23 » Social News That ho-hum feeling from doing something repetitive wasn’t about to creep into Marci Klimek Gage’s psyche. Sure, the distance runner was working on a string of four straight Pear Blossom Run 10-mile women’s championships entering Saturday’s race in downtown Medford, but motivation to continue the streak was hardly an issue. Having struggled greatly in her previous race, the 15-kilometer national championships, Gage had redemption on her mind, and she got it most thoroughly. In the 39th annual Pear, she cruised to her fifth consecutive victory — the same number of times she’s entered — and she snapped up the coveted course record. Gage won in 57 minutes, 4 seconds, bettering the 21-year-old standard set by all-time victory leader Deanna O’Neil. O’Neil, who claimed nine Pear Blossom titles from 1991-2003, set the previous record of 57:07 in 1994. “I definitely did want the course record,” said Gage, a 27-year-old former Phoenix High and Linfield College standout who lives in Bend. “That was a goal. I went out and used my watch for the first couple of miles to get a pace for the record, then I turned it off for the rest of the race and just wanted to see how it played out.” She received feedback about her status along the way, including from the bicycle rider who leads runners in. “I knew I had to run a fast last mile to make it,” she said, “and I didn’t know if I could do it. But I thought I’d give it a shot. I didn’t see the clock at the end, and my family said they thought I was really close.” Chip timing for the runners is monitored via a van parked near the finish line. Gage’s record was overlooked until times were posted a short while later. “I finished and no one said anything,” Gage laughed, “so I figured I must not have gotten it. I was really surprised, pleasantly surprised when I found out. It was definitely a nice way to end it.” Gage won by nearly 6 minutes over Michele Holcomb, of Medford. Holcomb, last year’s 5K winner, entered the 10-mile as part of a Medford School District initiative to have a representative from each school in the marquee race. Her time was 1:02:54. Portland’s Carissa Fleskes was third in 1:03:18, Ashland’s Becka Kim fourth in 1:04:59 and Medford’s Heather Oliveria fifth in 1:07:20. Gage, who has qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, was coming off a major disappointment at the 15K nationals one month ago in Jacksonville, Fla. Her aggressive training regimen had her at peak fitness, but when she arrived in the Florida, reality smacked her in the face. “I stepped off the plane and it was like 100 percent humidity,” she said. “I was, ‘I can’t breathe down here.’ It was not Northwest weather.” Warming up for the race 1 ½ days later, she realized it wasn’t going to be her day. Her goals dissolved and were replaced by a desire to simply finish the race. “It was very disappointing because you commit months and months of training with that being the goal,” said Gage. “So after the race, I put it behind me and switched my focus to the Pear. I wanted to come out here and give a good, honest effort and try to show some of that fitness I worked so hard for.” With no women racers to challenge her, she settled in with a group of men that was going at a suitable pace. “It was good to have them,” she said. “I wasn’t alone at all during the race. I always had someone to kind of key off of.” Gage’s only challenge was to avoid complacency during the flat, 4-mile stretch of pavement returning to town from the Hanley Road turnaround. “You get in such a nice comfortable pace not having to turn or go over a hill or anything, you can fall off pace without even knowing it,” she said. “That’s half the battle.” Gage doesn’t see a scenario in which she would miss the Pear. That said, next year — when a victory would tie her with O’Neil for the most in a row — figures to present a unique challenge. The marathon trials are in February, and she’ll follow that with a track schedule in hopes of qualifying for those trials. “I will definitely race it,” she said of the Pear. “I don’t know exactly what it will look like, but I will be here one way or another.” Given Gage’s national stature, Holcomb had no intention of pressing her. Holcomb, a sixth-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary, began running some six years ago. “I knew I would not catch her,” laughed Holcomb, a former Pear Blossom queen while a senior at Cascade Christian High in 1994. Holcomb prefers the 5K, but when Medford schools Superintendent Brian Shumate asked for at least one runner from each school to enter the 10-miler “and really be a part of the community,” she said, she was Lincoln’s obvious choice. “We had a great turnout,” she said, noting the group had dinner the night before at the district office and all the runners had “team” shirts to wear. “We had a lot of fun, even out on the course cheering each other on.” Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 541-776-4479, or email [email protected] By Tim Trower Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 6:02 PM Updated Apr 12, 2015 at 12:41 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Biggest Fantasy Winners, Losers in Free Agency Apr. 8, 2015 at 2:45 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Bears Stars Apr. 7, 2015 at 1:09 am RBs Ready to Break Out on New Teams Apr. 2, 2015 at 10:21 am Who Will Be QB1s with New Teams in 2015? Mar. 31, 2015 at 3:42 pm Fantasy Football Outlook for Bengals Stars Mar. 27, 2015 at 9:59 am Things DFS Players Should Never, Ever Do Mar. 25, 2015 at 8:31 am calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501