Oct. 31, 2013
For immediate release
Olympian Stember, seven others chosen for induction in January
Check out the Sacramento Running Association’s second Hall of Fame class and marvel at the dazzling array of talent.
Olympian Michael Stember … Olympic coach Al Baeta … California International Marathon co-founder John Mansoor … CIM champion Patti Gray … Five-time Western States Endurance Run winner Tim Twietmeyer … former national high school record holder Heike Skaden Mansoor… three-time national champion Lindsay Hyatt Barr … two-time All-American Harold Kuphaldt.
That talented group is scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a dinner on Jan. 25 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento. Tickets are $50 and available at www.runsra.org.
“We are very much looking forward to inducting these eight incredibly accomplished individuals into the SRA Hall of Fame,” SRA Executive Director Ellen Moore said. “This group includes a great mix of high school standouts, collegiate All-Americans, an Olympian, a CIM champion, an ultra phenom and special contributors whose efforts off the track and roads helped shape the running community in Sacramento.”
Stember, a two-time state meet champion at Jesuit High School and a 10-time All-American at Stanford, thrilled the hometown fans with a roar-inducing kick to finish third in the 1,5000 meters at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hornet Stadium. He attained the Olympic ‘A’ standard several weeks later and competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Baeta, a long-time track coach at American River College, helped bring the U.S. Olympic Trials to Sacramento. He also served as a coach for the U.S. Olympic team in 1992 and was the U.S. team’s head manager in 1996.
Mansoor, a Mira Loma High School standout who ran for Ohio State, co-founded the CIM and served as its race director for 30 years. The executive director of the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field also oversaw the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 1992 and 1996 and helped coordinate the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento in 2000 and 2004.
Gray, a former UC Davis star, won the NCAA 5,000 meters in 1982 and the 10,000 meters in 1983. She earned her CIM title with a 2-hour, 40-minute, 29-second effort in 1987.
Auburn’s Twietmeyer is a legend in the ultrarunning world, winning the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run five times and finishing it 25 times in under 24 hours. He’s also completed all 30 CIMs.
Skaden Mansoor, who is married to John Mansoor, set a national high school record in the marathon with a 2:43 effort in 1980. The former Encina High School standout set national marks in the 1,500 (4:35) and the 3,000 meters (9:48). She also worked as office manager for the Sacramento Running Association and the California International Marathon.
Hyatt Barr won three national titles and four state championships in the 800 meters while running for Placer High School. She also competed for Stanford and Tennessee, earning a national championship as part of the Volunteers Indoor Distance Medley Relay Team.
Kuphaldt starred at Bella Vista High School, winning the state title at 3,200 meters in 1982. He was a two-time All-American at Oregon and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1992.
That group joins the first SRA Hall of Fame class of Rae Clark, Eileen Claugus, Chris Iwahashi, Helen Klein, Billy Mills, Paul Reese, Dennis Rinde and Linda Somers Smith.
“The 2014 Hall of Fame class picks up right where our impressive inaugural class of 2013 left off,” Moore said.
The SRA will also present its Annual Achievement Awards in a variety of divisions ranging from high schools to 80-and-older runners. An Athlete of the Year will also be honored at the dinner, which begins at 6 p.m.
“The banquet is a celebration of excellence and a reunion of sorts for the Sacramento running community,” Moore said. “It also gives our community a chance to recognize those who are making history today by honoring the area’s best performances and achievements from the 2013 running season.”
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.