Clement and Gardner Win 100 Mile National Championship in Olander Park 

September 15, 2003

Tim Clement of Solon, Ohio, surprised everyone and Connie Gardner of Medina, Ohio, surprised no one in taking the USA national 100 mile road titles Sunday at Olander Park in Sylvania, Ohio.

The terms of the race were dictated early by a bright, baking sun which was relentless for the first 7 hours of the race, which started Saturday at 10:00AM, sending the mercury into the mid-80's farenheit. Although most of the expected contenders on both the men's and distaff sides positioned themselves in contention early, the weather conditions slowed the overall pace of the field from the start, resulting in less than spectacular final times.

Nevertheless, Gardner's winning time of 16:22:15 is a USA championship record, surpassing the 16:41:26 of Christine Gibbons from 1989. Her winning margin was one of the largest in championship history, as she finished more than seven miles clear of runner-up Janet Runyan of Boulder, Colorado. Unheralded Lynda Hendricks-Dana of Tuscon, Arizona, took the bronze. Gardner, the 2002 USA 100km champion, ran unchallenged wire-to-wire, gradually extending her lead from start to finish.

The 42-year old Clement was faced with a different kind of race en route to his 14:01:01 win. A top-10 contender throughout in a relatively tightly-bunched field, he was basically the only one who never faltered. His strength was his ability to run strongly and boldly through the difficult third quarter of the century race, strategically taking advantage of every weakness of those around him.

The only challenger who didn't falter in his wake was Joe Gaebler, 25, of Boulder, Colorado. The upstart youngster spent most of the last 20 miles gradually closing a half-hour gap on the leader, culminating in a dramatic moment exactly one hour before the finish. Having closed to within 30 seconds of the lead, Gaebler began to wobble and almost collapsed. He took a short break, then had to walk most of the next 1.1-mile lap before finding his rhythm and coaxing his body in for the silver medal. David Jones of Eagleville, Tennessee rounded out the top 3.

Prize money distribution for men and women was as follows: 1st - $500, 2nd - $300, 3rd - $200, 4th - $175, 5th - $150. 

Dan Brannen: danbrannen@earthlink.net

USA 100-Mile Road Championships
Sylvania, Ohio - 14 September 2003 

Place Runner City,St Bib# Sx Age LapsTime 

1.Timothy Clement Solon,OH 97 M 42 92 14:01:01
2.Joseph Gaebler Boulder,CO 71 M 26 92 14:25:25
3.David Jones Eagleville,TN 82 M 51 92 15:18:48
4.Kent Towler Rock Island,IL 84 M 42 92 15:39:01
5.Kevin Setnes Eagle,WI 91 M 49 92 15:45:59
6.Stephen Godale Aurora,OH 73 M 34 92 15:50:41
7.Mark Godale Aurora,OH 13 M 33 92 15:58:22
8.Alex Swenson Oak Park,IL 54 M 39 92 16:12:51
9.Connie Gardner Medina,OH 6 F 39 92 16:22:15
10.Christophe Gibson Pittsburgh,PA 85 M 50 92 17:20:45
11.Janet Runyan Boulder,CO 47 F 44 92 17:45:43
12.David Corfman Cincinnati,OH 5 M 41 92 17:46:08
13.Jeff Hagen Yakima,WA 64 M 56 92 17:56:25
14.Scott Ludwig Peachtree City,GA 27 M 48 92 18:23:17
15.John Nichols Waterville,OH 67 M 39 92 18:27:40
16.Lynda Hendricks -dana Tuscon,AZ 17 F 43 92 19:40:44
17.Bruce Boyd Lakeville,CT 2 M 65 92 19:56:55
18.Kim Martin Medina,OH 30 F 38 92 20:04:28
19.Thomas Green Columbia,MD 15 M 52 92 20:12:43
20.Gregory Trapp Reynoldsburg,OH 88 M 40 92 20:24:33
21.Susan Hart Reserve,NM 86 F 37 92 20:37:46
22.Thomas Zak Shorewood,WI 79 M 38 92 21:07:58
23.Edward Rousseau Minneapolis,MN 69 M 63 92 21:17:02
24.Frederick Davis Iii Cleveland Heights,OH 80 M 55 92 21:28:48
25.Debra Horn Shaker Heights,OH 19 F 44 92 21:34:41
26.Bonnie Busch Bettendorf,IA 3 F 45 92 21:44:51
27.Gary Griffin Tallahassee,FL 16 M 53 92 21:52:06
28.Debbie Jones Hazel Crest,IL 22 F 52 92 21:52:44
29.James Gawle Webster,MA 72 M 52 92 21:57:17
30.Joe Winch Knoxville,IA 58 M 47 92 22:14:54
31.John Mcguire Denver,CO 32 M 48 92 22:39:24
32.Dieter Walz Portola Valley,CA 57 M 68 92 23:00:32
33.Ronald Kageyama Marina Del Rey,CA 89 M 40 92 23:38:35

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