BY TRACI ARBISI Times Correspondent
VALPARAISO -- As Matt Thomas and Mike Cole entered the final mile-and-a-half, it was clear the 21st annual Popcorn Panic was a two-man race. And, it was very much in doubt. "Every time I would surge ahead, (Cole) would come back that much stronger," Thomas said. Thomas, a second-year Panic participant and Valparaiso native, ended up being just a bit stronger, winning the race in 25:50. Cole was right on Thomas' heels, finishing five seconds behind. "I had no idea that I could run that fast," Thomas said. "When a guy is behind you pushing you, you tend to do things and reach speeds that you don't normally do." "Matt was a good competitor, and I enjoyed running with him," said Cole, who mentioned the possibility training with Thomas in the future. It was only three years ago Thomas took up competitive running. The idea crossed his mind as he contemplated coaching cross country for Thomas Jefferson Middle School. "I figured that the best way to become a good coach was by doing it yourself," said Thomas, who was into cycling when he attended Indiana University. In the women's competition, Valparaiso's Collette Liss, a former Valparaiso University star, came back to win her second Popcorn Panic in as many tries. The two-time track All-American, who holds every record at VU from the 800 to 10,000 meters, finished seventh overall with a time of 27:14, only three seconds behind her record set last year. Liss fought hard to maintain a lead over Kirk Martin, the eighth-place overall finisher who is just coming back from an injury. Although Liss was slightly disappointed in her performance at the Panic, her thoughts looked toward the upcoming endeavors. Liss is a member of the Indiana Invaders, a Nike club focusing on cross country meets this fall. She also will take part in the club nationals in early December. "I haven't felt satisfied with my performance, which is my motivation to push harder and run faster each time," Liss said.
__________________________________________________Paul Jankowski
An eastbound train rumbles through the middle of Valparaiso every day around 5:48 a.m. A westbound train follows a few minutes later, its whistle blowing loud enough to wake a heavy sleeper who left a window open. Someone gets up early to make the donuts at the new Glen Park Bakery, because by 6 a.m. it's smelling pretty good outside on Lincolnway. A former teacher of mine walks his dog on Campbell about 6:15 or so, and by then more than a dozen people are getting a good workout walking around the Old Fairgrounds Park track. What does this mean? A lot of people could use a lesson in the fine art of sleeping until a decent hour. But it also means I've been around to witness these exciting happenings, and not in bed where I belong. A few months ago, you may have noticed announcements about Opportunity Enterprises forming a team to run in the Chicago Marathon. I saw them and didn't think much about it at first. As a part-time runner, I've always thought about running the marathon. My dad has run eight or 10 of them, and my mom has done a few. But this year? Nah. I have two young children, I've been at a new job for six months, 26 miles is a long way, it's quite a commitment. I am the master at making excuses. But when the OE team was forming, a few people told me I should consider joining the group and running the marathon. That was the beginning of June. I went to a meeting, and signed the roster. Now there are more than 65 runners from Porter and Lake counties who plan to run the marathon on behalf of OE, an organization that serves individuals with disabilities. Each runner must earn $262 in pledges for OE, and team organizers are expecting the final tally to be around $30,000. OE employees, clients and volunteers have been extremely helpful. Guest speakers at monthly meetings so far have included Runner's World writer Hal Higdon, a Michigan City native who has run more than 100 marathons, and Chicago Marathon executive director Carey Pinkowski, an excellent high school runner in the mid-70s from Hammond. Higdon's visit in June served as a kickoff for an 18-week training program that he devised. For not-so-avid runners like myself, the beginner's program isn't too difficult. At least it hasn't been so far with 10 weeks to go until the Oct. 24 race. The training program entails two days of rest per week, a day of cross-training such as swimming or biking, and four days of running. The weekday runs range from 3 to 6 miles through most of the program, and a long weekend run that started at six miles and increases one mile per week up to 20 a few weeks before the race. That's why you may have noticed OE Marathon Team signs on several street corners every weekend. The group meets on Saturday and Sunday mornings for the long weekend run, which is up to 13 this week. Last Sunday many team members competed in the Kingfish Mini-Marathon in Portage. Never having run more than 10 miles at once, I managed to finish the 13.1-mile race in 1 hour, 43 minutes, which is just about on track for a 3 �-hour marathon time. I'm not too concerned about that now. Along with several other first-time marathoners on the OE team, the goal is simply to finish the race and be capable of walking the next day. If you're a runner who has been thinking of running a marathon and you haven't joined the OE team, it's a good opportunity and still not too late. If you can run 13 miles relatively pain-free, join the team at 7 a.m. Saturday or Sunday. There will be someone in the group that runs your pace. And during the week, you too can enjoy the sites and sounds of your community when the sun rises. --Paul Jankowski is a former sports writer for The Times now employed at First National Bank, Valparaiso.