SPORTS WRAP

Some people think us runners are a little off our rockers as it is. Then Beth Svenby of Owatonna adds a little challenge for herself: to run a race in all 50 states. She’s about halfway there. “I think it’s important to have an adventure to be working towards and something exciting to bring on tomorrow, and this has been it for me,” said Svenby.

She’s been running for years but one rainy day last summer, she lined up her finisher medals and it dawned on her that she had hit quite a few states. So, the race was on, so to speak. “My husband, Brent, thinks it’s a very expensive bucket list idea. He kind of laughs about that. He’s my partner in crime,” said Svenby.

“He’s a patient person because there’s a lot of hours of waiting when your spouse is out running a marathon or a half marathon. A lot of sitting on park benches waiting for me to return,” she said. Svenby has four kids, three of which are runners.

California recently got checked off while she ran a marathon with a friend in honor of their sons graduating from college. She trained for it outdoors despite her dislike of the cold. North Carolina and Florida followed. Three more down.

She has Colorado in May, Alaska in June and Georgia in July. The East Coast is tricky. “The weather in the summer and early fall is terrible. It’s just full of humidity and almost unbearable to exercise outside,” she said.

Return to Paradise

While the family made a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, that was before she embarked on the 50-in-50 effort. “It looks like we’re going to be going back,” said Svenby.

She’s gotten comments from friends since declaring her intentions on social media. “There’s a group called 50 Runs in 50 States… There’s a lot of other crazy people out there trying to do the same exact thing,” she said.

Characters abound in these events from people wearing costumes to a runner who juggled ping pong balls the entire race in North Carolina.

Svenby ran track in high school but says, “I hated running. My girlfriends and I would cut through backyards and not complete any runs. Then we were always super nervous for the meets because we hadn’t put in the time like our coaches thought we had. We just wanted to be outside in the sunshine,” she said.

That changed as a single mother with small kids. “The only thing I could really afford were running shoes. But I knew I needed to do something for me emotionally and mentally just to stay in the game.”

That has led to this effort to criss-cross the country. “As long as I’m healthy and able,” said Svenby.

Heart and Soul Run

Svenby spent years organizing the From the Heart Run in Owatonna that raised money to help local families battling cancer. The event is in transition. “We are looking for younger people to want to form this committee.”

She is happy to share her knowledge of what it takes to run this event as she sees a place for it for this community. “Running is more than just about physical. It’s good for your mental health. I think that race gave people something to look forward to and train a little bit for and get out there and walk or run. So, it would be great to be able to keep that going.”

OHS girls track

High school track feels like teams within a team when you consider the different skills required to fill out a full squad. Owatonna’s senior captains on the girls’ team represent a cross section of that dynamic.

Amanda Clubb joined track to run but found her calling in throwing. “The learning curve was extremely steep because I didn’t know anything about throws… Our coaches do a really good job of breaking it down starting with the basics… I feel I caught on pretty quickly and I think a lot of people do,” said Clubb.

She’s already had a personal record in the shot put this season and is pushing for 120 feet in discus. “It’s very optimistic, but I think I have it in me,” she said.

“We as throwers are super close because we spend all of our time together. We have a very positive team environment. We all work together. Even though we are throwing individually, throwing is still a very much a team-oriented sport. You push each other to succeed,” said Clubb.

Isabella Schultz says the same feeling exists among the distance runners. “It’s super close and connected. Distance running is a lot to endure physically, but also mentally. You’re running eight laps around the track,” said Schultz.

She says there’s about 30 girls that compete in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. “We cheer each other on. We go out and we’ll go on five-mile runs. You’ve got to get through those runs somehow. You talk and you get to know those people super well.”

Schultz, who does cross-country in the fall, runs the 3,200. “We have a lot of potential. We have some very strong runners coming in. I’m very excited to see where the season takes us,” she said.

Maryn Pool runs the mid-distance 400-meter race, diving into tough workouts right away. “We started with a really hard first few weeks for the season, building up endurance and speed so that it will progressively start to show throughout the season,” said Pool.

She appreciates being elected as a captain. “I try to reach out to as many girls as I can, just make sure they’re all involved and know what’s going on and really focus on getting to everybody.”

Halle Theis aims to return to state in the long jump. “I set my goal high, which is 18 feet. So, that would get the school record. That’s what I’m hoping for,” said Theis.

She scratched a 17-foot, 10-inch jump recently. “I know that I can do it… You just have to trust yourself, knowing that even if you do scratch a couple that you still have a couple more jumps left. You have to trust your process and training to be able get there.”

Theis also triple jumps. “It came naturally, right away, just getting the general steps down. But then after training it, knowing how to get my second phase longer, it definitely helped in the long run.”

The Huskies had their lone home meet of the season last week.

Unlucky 13

Owatonna High School softball dropped a 3-0 game to Rochester Century on Wednesday, April 16. The Panthers’ freshman pitcher fanned 13 Huskies and allowed just two hits.

Coach Jeremy Moran believed the team lacked discipline at the plate. “We were not able to lay off pitches out of the strike zone and got ourselves in too many pitcher-friendly counts,” said Moran. A first-pitch strike was delivered in all but four at-bats.

OHS had its first error-free game of the season. “Our defense was outstanding tonight, highlighted by Preslee Hodgman’s defense in centerfield. She threw out two base runners at third.”

Freshman Jessalynn Smith pitched the complete game for Owatonna, striking out six. The Huskies stranded five runners in scoring position against Century.

OwatonnaLive.com play-by-play

Thursday, April 24
Medford baseball vs. JWP, 4:30 p.m.
OHS baseball vs. Winona, 5 p.m.

Friday, April 25
OHS boys lacrosse vs. Sartell, 7:30 p.m.