Saturday, March 25, 2000
Mini-Marathon expects 10,000
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jill Tranter had a good reason for missing last year's ChoiceCare/Humana Cincinnati Heart Mini-Marathon.
She was 71/2 months pregnant with her first child. Daughter Macey was born May 24. A week later, Tranter ran the 5-kilometer Fork in the Road Run.
Now she's back in top form.
More than 10,000 people are expected to participate Sunday in events at the 23rd Heart Mini-Marathon. That includes the 15K race, a 5K HeartRun, 5K and 10K HeartWalks and a 2K Kids' Mini-MaraFun.
Tranter, 29, is one of the favorites in the women's 15K. She is the top-ranked female in the area after winning the local Triple Crown of Racing at the end of 1999: the 5K Willie's Fun Run, the 10K Thanksgiving Day Race and the 5K Jingle Bell Run.
“I'm in shape,” Tranter said. “I'm better at shorter races. This is 15K. I'm hoping to run 571/2 (minutes) or faster.”
That could do it. Kelly Keeler, last year's women's winner, finished in 54:22, but the second-place finisher was at 59:14.
Keeler, who has won the Heart Mini-Marathon four straight years, will miss the event this year, organizers say. She lives in Minneapolis.
Patricia Ratliff, who finished second last year, is entered. Other top area women, such as Deanna Walsh and Flying Pig Marathon winner Sommer Settell, were not entered as of Friday. However, it is not uncommon for runners to sign up the morning of the event.
Michelle Kitze, from Dayton, also could contend if she comes to town for the run.
“It's a big race, and it keeps getting better every year,” Tranter said. “You don't know who's going to be there. If (Keeler) came in, I'm sure she'd be even faster than last year.”
Between having a child and working, Tranter said she fits in about 35 miles of running a week, while someone like Keeler probably runs 70 to 80 miles a week.
Tranter favors taking Macey out in a running stroller. “She loves it,” Tranter said. “The faster we go, the better. She loves being outdoors.”
On the men's side, John Sence, the area's top runner, will miss Sunday's race. He is in Boulder, Colo., getting ready for the May 7 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. T.J. Lentz, who also will participate in the Olympic Trials in Pittsburgh, would have been the favorite to win the men's division with Sence out of town, but he injured his hip three weeks ago and said he won't be running Sunday.
“I have been treating that pretty aggressively,” he said. “I'll be down there cheering. Maybe I'll do a little warmup. I like the race so much, but it's probably a good decision just to lay off.”
Lentz finished second the last two years, behind Sence. Both train with the Cincinnati Athletic Association, a group that includes some of Sunday's top contenders, starting with last year's third-place finisher in the Mini-Marathon and Flying Pig, Tim Menoher.
Lentz said Barrett Hopper and Kevin Taylor are others who could win Sunday.
The Heart Mini-Marathon has been ranked one of the top 100 road races by Runner's World magazine.
Sunday's temperature is expected to be in the high 50s to low 60s with partial sunshine.
Heart Mini-Marathon events
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