Palisades-News-July-8-2015

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Palisades NewsPage 18 July 8, 2015Starting the Fourth with Will Rogers RunDrake Johnston and Grace Graham-Zamudio won the 5K. Tonny Okello and Susanne McNeil Eng won the 10K.By SUE PASCOEEditorPhotos by Shelby PascoeAbout 2,522 runners took a quickloop through the Huntington Palisades,and then 800 10K runnerscontinued onto the switchbacks at WillRogers State Park, for the 37th running ofthe Will Rogers 5/10K Run.“It was great!” Race Director Brian Sheasaid afterwards. “It’s a community eventand that’s the way it should be.”The Blue Eagles from March Air Forcebase (Staff Sergeants Steven Hernandez,David Adolfo, Jonathon Villavargas andTechnical Sergeant Oscar Lopez) presentedthe colors. Broadway star and PalisadianHelene York sang a perfect rendition of theNational Anthem.Race starter Marcel Loh, Providence SaintJohn’s chief executive, said “We’re proud tobe a title sponsor and proud to be yourcommunity hospital” and pulled the plug at8:15 a.m. Runners thundered down AlmaReal, following the pace car, driven by IndyCar driver and Palisadian Townsend Bell.A mere 15:56 later, Drake Johnston, aformer Palisades High School athletecrossed the finish line. The 20-year-old Villanovajunior runs for the Wildcats. “I’vebeen running easy this past month,” he said.Focused on the race ahead these young runners were among the 376 kids signed up torun the half-mile Kids’ Fun Run.“With this race, I just wanted to have fun.”Johnston, an environmental science andgeography major, was asked if he felt thiswas an easy race. “You never know who willwin. Charles is a good runner and Roberthas beaten me before.” Charles Shermantook second (16.20) and Robert Amadortook seventh (17:32).Six-time race winner Peter Gilmore, 39,finished fourth (16:56). “It hurt so much,”he said after the race. “I haven’t been runninga lot. But I like to come here becauseI see a bunch of old friends.”Grace Graham-Zamudio, 21, won thewomen’s 5K (18:34). A star runner at HartHigh School in Santa Clarita, she attendedLoyola Marymount University where sheran the 5/10K.“The time is good for my fitness levelright now,” said Graham-Zamudio, whoran this race for the first time. “It was prettytough, because I wasn’t expecting the hill.”It was a repeat for 10K runner TonnyOkello who ran 32:56—last year’s timewas 31:21. “I was slower this year,” saidOkello, 31. “I’m not in good shape.” Hestarted running in Uganda when he wasfifteen and then was recruited by the Universityof Alabama, where he ran 5/10K.After graduating with a degree in communicationshe moved to Los Angeles. Hecontinues to compete and said “Runningis my job right now.”It was a sweet finish for Susanne McNeilEng, who won the women’s 10K (40:33). “Itook second last year and it always seemslike I’m second or third, but this year I wonit—thank god, finally,” said Eng, who is amarathon runner, who competes in 10Ksfor the speed work.In the late 1990s she competed in tri ath -lons, but once her sons Eli, 9, and Asher, 5,were born, she switched to running. “I waspushing them a lot in strollers,” she said.She has competed in many marathons, includingChicago and Tokyo, and will competein Berlin this year. Her time is usuallyunder three hours.Promptly at 9:30, it was the start of theKids’ Fun Run. National anthem singerCampbell Ferrier, a Corpus Christi student,sang it perfectly.The pacer bikes for the Kids’ Fun Runwere ridden by Oliver, 14, Theo, 11, andfather Ron Mass. “We have to make surethe kids don’t go on Sunset,” said Oliver.His dad added, “We have to go fast enoughso they don’t pass us.” With the sound ofthe horn, 376 young runners sprinted offand the bikers had to pedal twice as fastto stay ahead on the half-mile course.Pacing is everything, and these runnerschecked the time as the race was ready to start.
July 8, 2015 Palisades News Page 19Wilimovsky Strives for OlympicsBy LOGAN TAYLORSports ReporterLocal swimmer Jordan Wilimovsky,21, will take a year off from school atNorthwestern University to train forthe 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.At the Olympic trials next June inOmaha, he hopes to make the U.S. team intwo events: the 1500 freestyle and the 10Kopen water. The International OlympicCommittee added the open water race atthe 2008 Beijing Olympics.During his three years at Northwestern,the 5-foot-9, 145-pound Wilimovsky wasthe only freshman to individually participatefor Northwestern as well as the only Wildcatin history to go under the 15-minute markin the 1650 freestyle with a time of 14:58.80.By sophomore year, Wilimovsky was anAll-American, and a Northwestern recordholder in the 1000 and 1650 freestyle(8:54.03 and 14:42.99, respectively). Junioryear, Wilimovsky was the top collegiatefinisher in the 1650 freestyle at the ATTWinter Nationals with a time of 14:51.10.Wilimovsky swam an average of fivehours a day, while also taking four classeseach quarter and studying a couple ofhours every night.Given such a demanding schedule, Wilimovskysaid he is taking a year off, “so ILocal swimmer Jordan Wilimovsky is training for the 2016 Olympics in the 1500 freestyleand the 10K open water swim.Photo: Mike Lewiscan focus solely on swimming and traininglong course and open water.”He lives with his parents, Rolf andWendy, and younger brother Alec in theSunset Mesa neighborhood.While a student at Malibu High, Wili -movsky competed in the 2012 U.S. Olym -pic trials and placed 17th overall in themen’s 1500 freestyle with a time of 15:33.29.Since then, he has lowered his time to 14:56.In the 2012 London Olympics, the topU.S. competitor, Connor Jaeger, finishedsixth with a time of 14:52 and gold medalwinner, Yang Sun, swam 14:31.Wilimovsky will be training mostly athome with his club team, Team Santa Monica,under Coach Dave Kelsheimer.“I will also be doing some traveling,” Wil -imovsky said. “I plan to go up to the Olym -pic training center in Colorado Springs acouple of times as well as spend the monthof December training in Australia.”Wilimovsky gained his biggest accomplishmentthis April when he won theOpen Water Nationals in the Men’s OpenWater 10K. Competing at the World Cham -pionships in 2013 and the Pan PacificChampionships in 2014 helped inspireWilimovsky’s Olympic hopes.“Racing internationally for the UnitedStates is always an honor and a great learningexperience,” he said. “It gives you an opportunityto race some of the best in the world.”From swimming over five hours a day todoing dry-land workouts such as cardio,abs, and pull ups twice a week, Wilimovskymaintains balance by sticking to an extremelydetailed daily routine.“During the summer, I get up at 5:45a.m., eat breakfast, then have swim practicefrom 6:30 to 9:30. Then I’ll come home,have another breakfast, take a nap or dosomething throughout the day, then go toafternoon practice from 4 to 6:30. Then Icome home, have dinner, and do it all overagain the next day.”Asked how growing up in the Palisadesaffected his swimming career, Wilimovskysaid: “I started swimming when I was ninebecause I couldn’t meet the Junior Lifeguardsstandard. I joined a club team thatsummer and stuck with it.”Wilimovsky is currently preparing toleave for Kazan, Russia on July 13, wherehe will compete in the Open Water WorldChampionships that begin July 24. He willbe swimming in the 10K open water event,where competitors swim close to two hours.Excellence in Real EstateStores and restaurants alongSwarthmore Ave. are open for business.BENTON’S SPORT SHOP • BOCA MAN • MAISON GIRAUD • CARLY KPEPEKAR/ELLISR E A L E S T A T E G R O U PBOCA • SOLIS SALON • CITY NATIONAL BANK • GET DRESSED • LAVENDER BLUEMADISON • MICHELE INTERNATIONAL BLOW DRY & BEAUTY PRODUCTSMICHELE INTERNATIONAL • TOY ZOO • P2 SKATE SHOP310.496.5955 | www.pekarellis.com
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