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Introduction - explains how the records are organized, as well as other aspects of the data. Runners of the Year - the selections are based on performances by Kansas residents competing in races on certified courses. Send any new records to: |
Kansas Runners of the Year - IntroductionThe runner-of-the-year selections are based solely on performances by Kansas residents competing in races in Kansas on courses certified by USA Track & Field. Selections for the 1970s through 2016 were made retrospectively in early 2017, in large part thanks to records maintained over the years by Millard (Jack) Crook, a veteran Wichita-area runner and record-keeper. With the benefit of hindsight, we also gave priority to records that stood the test of time in making the selections. Rankings for those years as discussed in the comments were accurate as of 2016 and may have been superseded. (For example, an age-group record mentioned in a runner-of-the-year summary may have been broken since 2016.) Runner-of-the-year selections for 2017 and later years were made at the end of the year and comments and records were current as of that time. We welcome your comments and may revise some selections based on those comments if we have overlooked deserving runners. (Your comments may be published on the website.) Generally, we give more weight to performances in the Open division and at the 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon distances, which historically have been the most competitive. We also give priority to a series of excellent performances at a range of distances over a single outstanding performance. We also consider age-graded percentages based on the tables published by World Masters Athletes, but these are not absolutely determinative. We believe that competitive records and a wide range of performances are more important. We know that some Kansas runners have won or placed in national and international competition, and we would consider that as supplemental information where available. An important trend has been the increase in talented older runners, particularly women, which is reflected in the runners of the year. On the other hand, many of the open records and top times have stood for decades. We hope runners of all ages will seek out competitive races on certified courses and challenge the records. And we hope that race directors will continue to certify their courses, administer the races in a professional manner, and provide incentives to bring together competitive fields. Dick Lipsey and Gene Wee
Runners of the Year: 2020-20232023
Deb Torneden, of Manhattan, achieved the top performance of the year with her 6:01 at the Irish Mile in Lawrence to set an age-group 60-64 record. Her time scored 90.1% on the World Masters Athletes age-graded tables. Scores above 90% are considered world-class, and this was the best at any age or distance in Kansas in 2023, breaking her state record from the same race in 2022. She also ran the second-best performance with a 13:15 two-mile time at the Wichita Turkey Trot that scored 89.4% and 21:31 for 5K at the Angie Berry Memorial in Topeka, 88.1%. Noah Stevenson, of Prairie Village and formerly of Kansas State University, ran the fastest 5K of the year with his 14:25 at the Prairie Fire run in Wichita, a score of 89.1% on the WMA charts. He also ran 4:17 at the Irish Mile for the second-fastest time of the year and won the Kansas Half-Marathon in Lawrence in 1:08:46. He also won the Garmin Kansas City half-marathon in 1:09:15, which, as an out-of-state race, is not considered for runner-of-the year purposes. Fred Torneden, of Manhattan, ran an age-group 65-69 record of 5:30 at the Irish Mile (88.4% WMA); 11:52 in the Manhattan Turkey Trot (88.6%), second only to Paul Heitzman’s two-mile age-group record from 1998; and 19:22 for 5K (85.7%). Honorable Mention Joe Moore, of Manhattan, ran 31:41 for 10K (85.8%) at Wichita’s Easter Sun Run at age 39 and 1:08:51 (86.3%) for the half-marathon on the aided Bill Snyder course in Manhattan. Both were the state’s best times for age 35 and older. We also want to recognize two particularly outstanding performances. Brett Meyer, of Hays, ran 4:15 at the Irish Mile, the second-fastest mile time ever by a Kansas resident, behind only his resident state record of 4:11 from the 2022 Irish Mile. His performance scored 89% on the WMA tables. Jaclyn Long, of Mayetta, ran 122.1276 miles at the 48-hour Buckle Mania timed races in Abilene to set a Kansas resident record, male or female. This was the first certified 48-hour event in Kansas since the Kansas Ultrarunners Society Ultraganza in 1997. Other noteworthy performances: Trey Bruton, of Chanute, ran 40.44 miles (fifth all-time) for six hours at the new Ollie’s Ultras in Chanute; Matthew Hadley, of Kansas City, Kansas, ran 3:27:07 (fourth all-time) for 50K at the Prairie Spirit Trail run. Janeth Sumpter, of Wichita, one of three runners-of-the-year for 2022, qualified for the state honor roll at five distances from 5K to the marathon.
2022
Janeth Sumpter, Nancy Rusanowsky, and Trudy Calloway, all of Wichita, had particularly outstanding performances in 2022. Six other runners were also recognized for their outstanding performances. Janeth Sumpter achieved honor roll qualifying times in the 40-44 age group at six distances from the mile to the marathon. We believe she is the first runner to qualify at that range of distances, in that many events. She also qualified in the 5K and half-marathon and twice each at the 4-mile distance, the 10K, and the half-marathon. Her 3:14:27 Prairie Fire marathon time was the best in the 40-44 age group. Nancy Rusanowsky qualified at four distances and set an age-group 40-44 record of 5:40 at the Irish Mile in Lawrence. She also qualified at 5K and 4 miles and twice in the half-marathon, recording the best Kansas resident times at each distance. Trudy Calloway has performed at a high level for decades, also tying for runner-of-the-year for 1994 and was honorable mention for 2004 and 2013. In 2022, she qualified for the state honor roll at four distances and in two age groups. Her 17:46 2-mile at the Wichita Turkey Trot scored 87 percent on the World Masters Athletics tables and set an age-group 75-79 record by more than five minutes. She also set an AG 75-79 record at 5K plus five qualifying times in AG 70-74 as well as qualifying times at 4 miles and 10K in AG 70-74. Other noteworthy performances: Diane Gerlach, Derby, ran 1:14:17 for 10 miles, the second-best time for age-group 55-59 behind her own record. Her 1:34:43 at the Prairie Fire half-marathon was the second-best unaided time by a Kansas resident, behind her own AG record. She also ran Brett Meyer, Hays, ran 4:11 at the Irish mile in Lawrence for a Kansas resident open record. Joe Moore, Manhattan, ran 31:43 at the Speedy PD 10K for the best time of the year and number two Kansas resident all-time for AG 35-39, behind his own record. He also ran a Kayla Straub, Newton, ran 16:28:36 for 100 miles at the Prairie Spirit ultras in Ottawa to set the women’s open record. Deb Torneden, Manhattan, ran 6:04 at the Lawrence Irish mile for a 60-64 AG record that scored 88 percent on the WMA tables, the best individual performance of the year. She also ran 6:09 at the Derby Firecracker mile for second-best all-time and 12:55 at the St. Patrick’s 2-mile in Manhattan to break her own AG record. Fred Torneden, Manhattan, ran 5:30 at the Irish mile for an AG 60-64 record and 11:56 for 2 miles at St. Patrick’s for the only age-group qualifying time at that distance. 2022 selections by Dick Lipsey, Steve Riley, and Gene Wee .
2021 Four runners were selected for runner of the year for 2021, reflecting a series of excellent performances in spite of a much-reduced racing schedule because of the Covid pandemic.
Joe Moore, of Manhattan, ran the year’s best 5K time with a 14:43 at the MHK Turkey Trot. This was not only the best open time but was also second all-time Kansas resident in the 35-39 age group, behind only his own age-group record 14:36 from 2019. It scored 91% on the WMA tables, the second-best single performance of the year. Moore also set a Kansas-resident record of 31:27 at 10K, breaking Dave Halferty’s record from 2005, and ran the two-best half-marathon times of the year. His 1:07:00 on the aided Bill Snyder course was the best open time of the year, and his 1:07:12 at the Kansas Half-Marathon in Lawrence was the best unaided open time and set an age-group 35-39 unaided record, scoring 87.9% on the WMA tables. Moore was also runner-of-the-year in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and honorable mention in 2017.
Deb Torneden (photo on right), of Manhattan, ran 13:06 for two miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot to break Carolyn Buckner’s age-group 60-64 record from 1999 by 1:21. Her time scored 92.5% on the WMA tables, the best single performance of the year. She also ran 22:05 for 5K at the MHK Turkey Trot to break Kathleen Johnson’s age-group record from 2016. She was previously runner-of-the-year five times, first in 1991 and most recently in 2013, and honorable mention six times. The only previous four-way tie for Kansas runner-of-the-year was in 1997, when Paul Heitzman, Jeff Berven, Dan Lawson, and Deborah Torneden were selected. John Huchingson, of Lawrence, and Marcia Steele, of Wichita, were selected for honorable mention honors. Other noteworthy performances: Daniel Craig, Gypsum, ran a 2:37:28 marathon for second all-time in AG 40-44; 2021 selections by Dick Lipsey, Gene Wee and Steve Riley.
2020 We have decided not to choose a Runner of the Year for 2020 because of the bizarre circumstances that knocked out most of the racing season. However, several performances should be recognized. Joe Moore, of Manhattan, set an age-group 35-39 Kansas resident record of 24:38 for 8K at the RunLawrence Honor Roll race in October. The previous record of 24:59 was held by Carl Nicholson, of Maize, set at the Wichita Couples Classic in 1986. Dee Boeck, of Lawrence,ran 42:05 for 8K at the same race to set an age-group 70-74 record. The previous record was held by Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, set at the Wichita 811 8K in 2015. Jeremiah Estes, of Manhattan, ran 2:29:50 at the Little Apple Marathon to set an age-group 35-39 Kansas resident record. Dave Halferty, of Topeka, held the previous record of 2:32:56, set at the Wichita Marathon in 2005. Also at Little Apple, Chris Melgares, of Manhattan, ran 2:20:35 for third-best Kansas resident in the open division. Ryland O’Hanlon, of Gardner, ran 53:29 at the RunLawrence Levee 12K to set an age-group 13-15 record at that distance. Dee Boeck ran 1:05:10 at the Levee 12K for a women’s 70-74 record, breaking another of Sheryl Drevo’s age-group bests. Dee Boeck broke another of Sheryl Drevo’s 70-74 records with her 52:14 10K at the Kansas Senior Games. At 50K, Kory Cool ran 3:20:08 at the invitation-only Little Apple 50K, held in conjunction with the Little Apple Marathon, for a state record, and Trisha Moore ran 4:06:39 at the same event for a Kansas resident’s record. Other noteworthy performances: At four miles, Diane Gerlach, of Derby, second all-time for age-group 55-59 and Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, second all-time for age-group 75-79 behind her own record. At 8K, John Huchingson, of Lawrence, second all-time for age-group 75-79, behind only the amazing Paul Heitzman; and Molly Wood, of Lawrence, third all-time for age-group 65-69. At 12K, John Huchingson second all-time, age-group 75-79, behind his own record, and Dan Kuhlman, of Lecompton, second all-time at age-group 65-69, also behind Paul Heitzman. Dick Lipsey
Runners of the Year: 2015-2019All individual times that meet or better the listed "Target Time" established for each age group and distance, will be listed in the state Honor Roll files. However, these Target Times (abbreviated T.T.) are subject to being updated from time to time to stay in line with changes in the World Masters Athletics published factors for each distance and age within that distance. 2015 She now holds the top two age-group times at one mile, two miles, and at least the top five times at 5K. (We don’t retain individual records beyond the five best.) She also ran the second- and third-best all-time at four miles, after her own record from 2014, and ran the second-best 8K of all time behind her own record. She also broke the previous 10K record by more than eight minutes and set an age-group record at 15K at the Goddard Tiger Trot. 2016 Joe Moore of Manhattan ran 14:16 for 5K at the MHK Turkey Trot in Manhattan to break Fred Torneden’s 14:35 from 1985. In the process, Moore also surpassed the top four out-of-state runners, including the 14:17 nonresident record set by Irish Olympian Noel Berkeley in 1992. Moore also had the year’s best open mile time of 4:17, set at the aided Poyntz mile in Manhattan; ran 30:06 for 10K for the only open 10K qualifying time in 2016; qualified for the honor roll at the Lake Atwood 10-mile; and ran an aided 1:04:08 at the Bill Snyder half-marathon in Manhattan for the year’s best time at that distance. Honorable Mention: Deborah Torneden ran 39:59 at the Easter Sun Run 10K to set an age-group 55-59 record by more than five and one-half minutes. She also recorded the second-fastest 10K all-time. Chris Burnett of Wichita took down another of Fred Torneden’s long-standing records, his 50:00 10-mile record from the 1983 Lake Atwood. Burnett ran 49:24 at the Wichita Turkey Trot to set the Kansas resident record. He trails only 5,000-meter Olympic finalist Jon Sinclair and Australian international runner Andrew Letherby. 2017: tie
In the Open division Evan Landes, now of Lawrence, ran 14:41 at the new Say Grace 5K in Wichita. His 88% age grading was the second best for any runner at any distance. He also ran 4:21 at another new race, the Irish Mile in Lawrence, the second-best unaided Kansas resident behind his own 4:19 from 2016; and he had the top two four-mile times, both under 20 minutes, as well as an honor roll qualifying 10-mile time at Lake Atwood.
Honorable Mention: Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, ran a series of excellent times at distances ranging from 5K to 10 miles. She ran three of the top four age-group 70-74 5K times including a 26:12 that produced her best age-graded performance (84.1%). She also ran top age-group times at four miles, 8K, 10K, and 10 miles and set an age-group 12K record at the Hiawatha Hustle (77%). Keith Long, of Latham, ran 55-59 age-group bests at 5K, four miles, 10K, and the half-marathon – all at age 59 – with WMA ratings at 84-85% for 5K, four miles, and 10K. Dale Bing, of Wichita, ran age-group 60-64 bests at 8K, 10K, and 12K and age-group 65-69 bests at 5K, 10 miles, and the half-marathon with WMA scores from 77% to 83%. Joe Moore, of Manhattan, moved up in distance this year with great success in the Open division. He set a state record at 50 miles (6:07:43) to record the only ultra score over 70% on the WMA tables, followed three weeks later by a 2:37 marathon that was the best time of the year. He also ran the year’s best half-marathon time, a 1:06:57 at the aided Bill Snyder half in Manhattan, and posted honor roll qualifying times at 10 miles and 5K. There were also two outstanding individual performances of note. Dennis Smithhisler, of Wichita, ran 27:17 at the 811 8K in Wichita for the top age-graded performance of the year (89.19%). This effort ranks second all-time in age-group 50-54 behind Jeff Berven’s 27:06 from 1997. Deborah Torneden, of Manhattan, ran 1:30:16 at the Bill Snyder half-marathon in Manhattan for a WMA score of 88.48%. This is the fastest time for the 55-59 age group but doesn’t count as a record because the course is aided under USATF rules. 2018: tie
Torneden was previously runner of the year for the years 1982 through 1985, and his 2:18:08 from the 1982 Wichita Marathon remains the best time ever run in Kansas. He dominated the 60-64 age group in 2018, running the top two age-group times for 5K and 10K and the best times for one mile, four miles, and the half-marathon. Moore, at age 34 at the top of the open age group, ran the best open times for 5K, 10K, 10 miles, the half-marathon, and the marathon. He was the only runner to achieve open qualifying standards at 10K, 10 miles, and the marathon, and his 14:43 5K scored the highest percentage of the year at any distance on the World Masters Athletes age-grading scales. He was also runner of the year in 2016. Honorable Mention: Michelle Andrew of Topeka, Dee Boeck of Lawrence, and Sheryl Drevo of Goddard were selected as honorable mention for runner of the year. Andrew ran the best 45-49 times at 5K, 10K, and the half-marathon. Boeck, the 2017 runner of the year, ran the best 65-69 times at one mile, 5K, and the half-marathon. Drevo, runner of the year in 2000, 2005, 2014, and 2015, achieved the best 70-74 times at four miles, 8K, 10K, and 10 miles. Dee and Sheryl both move up to the next age group in 2019 so are likely to be prime contenders for runner of the year next year. We also note these outstanding individual performances among many by various runners in 2018. Deborah Torneden’s 42:17 10K scored above 88% on the WMA scale and is third all-time in the 55-59 age group, behind two of her other times. Joe Moore, of Manhattan, is our 2019 runner of the year based on his two age-group records, three other age-group best times, three open qualifying times, and scores up to 90 percent on the World Masters Athletes charts. In his first year in the 35-39 age group, he set a Kansas resident 5K record at 14:36, which scored 90 percent on the WMA tables and was also the fastest open time of the year. His 9:59 two-mile was the only age-group qualifier in 2019, and his 32:17 10K was the best age-group time of the year. Joe ran 52:25 for 10 miles, third all-time in 35-39 and an open qualifying time. His aided 1:05:32 at the Bill Snyder half-marathon was the best age-group time of the year, and his 1:07:27 set a 35-39 record and scored 87 percent on the WMA tables. these were also the best and third-best open times of the year, and he had a third qualifying time, the only open runner with more than one qualifier. Joe was runner of the year in 2016 and tied for it in 2018. Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, and Dee Boeck, of Lawrence, were selected as honorable mention. Dee moved into the 70-74 age group this year and broke Sheryl’s records at 5K and four miles, by more than a minute in each case. In age-group 65-69, she ran the fastest 5K time of the year and had the fastest one-mile time. Across the four events, her WMA percentages ranged from 81 percent to 89 percent. She tied for runner of the year in 2017. Sheryl set four records in the 75-79 age group: at 5K, four miles, 8K, and the half-marathon. She also ran two qualifying times at 10K in age-group 70-74 and achieved WMA scores ranging from 72 percent to 81 percent. She has shown sustained excellence over a long running career. Sheryl was runner of the year in 2015 and tied for the honor in 2000, 2005, and 2014. We’ve also selected Chris Melgares, of Manhattan, and Don Turner, of Shawnee, for special mention. Chris ran 1:05:40 for the best unaided open half-marathon time of the year, worth 88.9 percent on the WMA charts, and his 14:58 5K scored 86.7 percent. Don had a good year that was almost great. He set the 70-74 age-group record at one mile, and his 20:19 5K and 1:35:52 half-marathon rank him second all-time at both distances. The 70-74 age-group 5K record is held by Paul Heitzman, of Eudora, and the HM record by Dick Wilson, of Lawrence. They were perhaps the two best age-group runners in Kansas history and were contemporaries who pushed each other to remarkable times in the older age groups. Both were also nationally ranked age-group runners by the late, much-lamented Running Times magazine. 2019 selections by Dick Lipsey, Steve Riley, and Gene Wee.
Runners of the Year: 2010-20142010
Honorable Mention: 2011
2012 Keith Long, of Beaumont, moved up to age-group 55-59 and had another remarkable year, setting records at six distances and breaking long-standing records in the process. Honorable Mention: In further evidence of the remarkable depth of running talent in 2012, we selected four runners for honorable mention, several of whom might have been runner-of-the-year in other years. Barbara Holzman, of Wichita, set age-group 60-64 records at four miles and 10K, a Kansas-resident record in the half-marathon, and the second-best age-group time at 10 miles. Kevin Miller, of Olathe, broke Long’s 50-54 age-group record with a 1:12:31 at the Oz/Olathe Half-Marathon and set the age-group record at one mile at the Mass Street Mile in Lawrence with a time that also qualified in the open category. Both times exceeded 89% on the WMA tables. Deborah Torneden, of Andover, ran 30:50 at Wichita Inspire Hope 8K to break a 27-year-old age-group record, and her 1:25:23 at the Prairie Fire Half-Marathon broke Marla Rhoden’s resident record. Both times exceeded 87% on the WMA tables. 2013 Deborah Torneden, of Andover, set records at five distances in the 50-54 age group in course of an outstanding year. At 10K, 15K, and 10 miles, she broke 8-year-old records by Mari Mohr. Her 38:48 10K at the Wichita River Run broke Mohr’s Kansas-resident record set at the same event, and she ran 1:02:17 at the Tiger Trot and 1:04:53 at the Wichita Turkey Trot for age-group records. At two miles, she ran 11:34 at Wichita Heel to Heal to break Barbara Holzman’s 10-year-old record and 24:20 at the Derby Firecracker run to break Trudy Calloway’s 15-year-old record. Honorable Mention: Kevin Miller, of Olathe, ran 15:53 at the Leawood Labor Day 5K to break Keith Long’s age-group 50-54 record. His time scored better than 93% on the WMA tables. 2014 Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, set three records in age-group 70-74. She ran 34:52 at the Arthritis Jingle Bell run to break a 23-year-old record at four miles, and she set a 10-mile record at the Wichita Turkey Trot. She also broke the age-group record by more than eight minutes with her 2:03:02 at the Prairie Fire Half-Marathon. Stephanie Griggs, of Wichita, broke Trudy Calloway’s 10-year-old record at two miles for age-group 55-59 with her 13:13 at the Wichita Turkey Trot. She also ran 26:49 for four miles at the Arthritis Jingle Bell run, and her 20:44 at the Prairie Fire 5K is second only to Teresa Perky’s age-group record.
Christopher Burnett, of Wichita, ran 1:04:25 at the Prairie Fire Half-Marathon to set an open record that stands as the unaided Kansas-resident record as of 2017. The time exceeds 90% on the WMA tables. Teresa Perky, of Overland Park, ran 19:50 at the Lutz/Triumph over Tragedy 5K to set an age-group 55-59 record. The time exceeds 89% on the WMA tables. Raquel Stucky, of Wichita, ran 2:44:58 at the Prairie Fire Marathon to break Kathy Whitcomb’s open record from 1982. She also set an age-group 35-39 record. Runners of the Year: 2005-20092005: tie
Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, set a 15K age-group 60-64 record of 1:16:53 that stands through 2016, a 10-mile record of 1:21:20 that she later broke, and a half-marathon record of 1:50:13 that was second only to her own record from the year before. At two miles, 8K, and 10K, she ran what were then the second-best times for her age group, and her 23:32 5K time was the age-group best of the year. Mari Mohr, of Wichita, set age-group 50-54 records of 20:38 at the Wichita Wesley Senior Masters 5K and 1:05:15 at 15K at the Wichita Memorial Classic. She also set Kansas-resident records with a 42:20 10K at the Wichita River Run and a 1:09:55 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot, the second-best age-group time at four miles, and the second-best time in the marathon behind Marla Rhoden’s age-group record, both coming in the Wichita Marathon. Honorable Mention: J.P. Worcester, of Lindsborg, ran a series of excellent times at a wide range of distances in the 40-44 age group. His 10:08 for two miles at the Hutchinson School Run was the best time of the year, and he ran an aided 16:15 for 5K at Celebrate Chisholm and 16:27 unaided at Wichita Sole Sisters, both in the 86% range on the WMA tables. Other times included 21:54 for four miles, 34:09 for 10K, and 1:18:31 at the Wichita Half-Marathon. 2006: tie Paul Heitzman, of Lawrence, set three records in the 75-79 age group that all stand through 2016. He ran two miles in 14:05 at the Hutchinson School Run, 41:58 for 8K at the Wichita Journey 2 Gether, and a 48:57 10K at the Wichita Easter Sun Run. These times range from two to seven minutes better than the next-best time in the age group. In competition outside of Kansas, he ran 41:13 at the Amy Thompson 8K in Kansas City, MO, a time that betters his Kansas age-group record. Deborah Torneden, of Wichita, ran 11:10 for two miles at the Hutchinson School Run, a 45-49 age-group record that is still second only to her own 11:00 two years later. She also set the current age-group 10K record of 36:49 at the River Run, breaking the previous Kansas-resident record by more than four minutes, and has the top five resident times in the age group. She set a 10-mile record of 1:02:54 at the Wichita Turkey Trot. Her two-mile and 10K times both score in the 88% range on the WMA tables. Honorable Mention: Cindy Cameron, of Westwood, set an age-group 40-44 record for 15K that also qualifies on the open list and had top-three age-group times at two miles, 5K, 10 miles, and the half-marathon. Desiraye Osburn, of Lyndon, set the women’s 5K open record with 16:26 at the Wichita Just for Kids run. She broke Deborah Torneden’s 25-year-old Kansas-resident record in the process and scored better than 89% on the WMA tables. 2007: tie Desiraye Osburn, of Kechi, set an open women’s record of 10:13 for two miles at the Wichita Easter Sun run. She also ran 33:48 for 10K at the Wichita River Run, missing Chris Vanatta’s open record from 1985 by one second. Both of her times scored 88% or better on the WMA tables. Her 60:08 10-mile at the Wichita Turkey Trot was the year’s best time.
Honorable Mention: Thom Wilkins, of Conway Springs, ran 11:35 for two miles to break Paul Heitzman’s 14-year-old age-group 60-64 record and ran the fourth-best 5K time at 18:43, both performances exceeding 85% on the WMA tables. 2008: tie
Tony Estes, of Topeka, ran 58:36 at the Topeka Winnie Hesse/Run for Life 10-mile to set an age-group 50-54 record that still ranked second through 2016. He also ran 17:05 at the Rossville Tall Corn 5K, 35:31 for 10K at Manhattan St. Patrick’s, and 1:21:09 at the Olathe Half-Marathon, all of which were the best age-group times of the year and rank in the top four all-time. Honorable Mention: Kaelyn Balch, of Wichita, ran 41:35 for 10K at the Easter Sun Run to set an age-group 12-and-under record, breaking the record set by Heather Burroughs in 1984. Two months later, she ran 39:22 at the River Run to set the Kansas-resident record for the 13-15 age group, which she then broke at the River Run the following year. 2009 Steve Riley, of Lawrence, ran what stands as the only sub-three-hour marathon in the 55-59 age group as of 2017. His 2:59:07 at the Wichita Marathon broke his own age-group record of 3:02:47, set earlier in the year at the Abilene Eisenhower marathon. His Abilene time broke the Kansas-resident record set by Walter Birney of Copeland at Wichita in 1991. At 10 miles, he ran 1:02:12 at the Wichita Turkey Trot to break Jeff Berven’s resident record, a time that ranks as second resident through 2016. He also ran the top three 10K times of the year in the 55-59 age group and had the top times at two miles and 5K. Honorable Mention: Kaelyn Balch, of Wichita, ran 36:36 at the Wichita River Run to break her own age-group 13-15 record, set the previous month at the Easter Sun Run, which had broken her own record from the previous year. Her time scored above 89% on the WMA tables and qualified on the women’s open list. Runners of the Year: 2000-20042000: tie
His 10K in 34:04 at the Wichita River Run was a state record for 10 years and ranked second through 2016; he also ran 35:10 and 36:04 that year. At 15K, he ran 54:13 at the Wichita Memorial Classic for a resident record that was second through 2016; and he ran 56:34 for 10 miles at the Winnie Hesse/Run for Life for resident record through 2016. His 2:43:00 at the Wichita Marathon was an age-group record for six years that was second through 2016. At two miles, his 10:29 at the Wichita Easter Sun Run set a record that still ranked fifth resident now; at four miles, he ran 22:20 at the Oxford Lions Club race, an age-group record that he surpassed the following year; and at 8K, his 26:48 at the Mission Sunflower run ranked second then and third through 2016. Finally, his 16:40 5K at Kansas City Cancer Action broke his own an age-group resident record but lasted only a year, until he improved on it the next year; and his 1:15:41 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon stood as an age-group record for 10 years and was second through 2016. Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, set age-group records at six distances in the 55-59 age group. Her 14:05 two-mile at the Hutchinson School Run was a record for four years that ranked third through 2016; she ran four miles in 29:22 at the Wichita Racquet Club run, a record then that ranked fourth as of 2017; and her 37:14 8K at Derby Days stood as a record for 14 years and was second through 2016. At 15K, she ran 1:14:05 at the Wichita Memorial Classic, a record for 13 years and now second; 1:16:51 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot, a record for four years that now is third; and her 1:42:46 at the Air Capital half-marathon was a record then that through 2016 was the third-best by a Kansas resident.
Paul Heitzman, of Eudora, set four records in the 70-74 age group, three of which still stood through 2016. At 5K, he ran 20:04 at Rossville Tall Corn; at four miles, he ran 26:26 at Mulvane Old Settlers; and at 10K, he ran 42:45 at the Wichita River Run. All of these records still stand. These times scored from 85% to 87% on the World Masters Athletics age-graded tables. He also set a 15K age-group record of 1:14:13 at the Wichita Memorial Run that long-time rival Dick Wilson broke the following year at the same race. That time still ranks second through 2016. Wilson broke the following year at the same race. That time still ranks second through 2016. In competition outside of Kansas, he won his age-group at the Trolley Run 4-mile in Kansas City in 25:28; the Hospital Hill 12K in Kansas City; and the National Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 2002
He ran 34:13 for 8K at the Topeka Journey for Sight and 1:05:50 for 15K at the Wichita Memorial Classic, breaking the age-group record set by Paul Heitzman at the same race the previous year. He also ran 10 miles in 1:10:31 at the Wichita Turkey Trot, breaking his own record set earlier that year at Topeka Winnie Hesse/Run for Life; and his 1:33:22 at the Wichita Half-Marathon broke his own record set earlier in the year at the Lawrence Raintree run. In competition outside of Kansas, he won his age group at the Hospital Hill 12K in Kansas City. Jeff Berven, of Wichita, set age-group 55-59 records at two miles, 5K, and 10K, two of which scored 87% or better on the WMA charts. 2003: tie Dave Halferty, of Topeka, ran 50:35 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot to set an age-group 35-39 record that still stood through 2016, breaking the previous record by Olympian Jon Sinclair. He also ran 1:08:21 at the Wichita Half-Marathon for a still-standing Kansas-resident record. These performances scored from 85% to 87% on the WMA tables. Paul Heitzman, of Eudora, ran 12:32 for two miles at the Hutchinson School Run to set a still-standing record in age-group 70-74. He also ran 34:43 for 8K at the Wichita St. Patrick’s run, a time second only to Dick Wilson’s age-group record then and through 2016. His 20:18 5K at the Lawrence Raintree run ranked fourth all-time through 2016 after three other of his own performances. His two-mile and 5K times scored above 88% on the WMA tables. Honorable Mention: Deborah Torneden, of Wichita, set an aided-course 5K record for age-group 40-44, an 8K record that she broke the next year, and the third-best age-group 10K time, after two other of her own times. Dick Wilson, of Lawrence, ran the second-best four-mile all-time for the 70-74 age group, behind only Paul Heitzman; the third-best age-group 10-mile (he has the top five times); and the second-best all-time half-marathon, behind his own record. 2004 Steve Riley, of Lawrence, ran a remarkable series of races at every distance from two miles to the marathon in the 50-54 age group except the 12K, where no race was held These races were highlighted by his 2:52:02 at the Wichita Marathon, which is the Kansas-resident record as of 2017. At the Wichita River Run, he ran two miles in 10:44 for the second-best age-group time then and through 2016. This race was the same day as the River Run 10K, where his 35:04 ranked third-best then and fourth through 2016. His 22:24 four-mile at the Hutchinson School Run ranked second then and third through 2016, as did his 28:34 8K at the Wichita St. Patrick’s Day race. He also ran 55:45 at the Wichita Memorial Classic, second through 2016 at 15K. His 1:19:59 at the Wichita Half-Marathon stood as a Kansas-resident record for seven years and fourth through 2016. Honorable Mention: Deborah Torneden, of Wichita, set age-group 40-44 records for two miles and 8K. Trudy Calloway, of Wichita, set age-group 55-59 records at two miles, four miles, and 10 miles and ran the second-best 8K time. Sheryl Drevo, of Goddard, set age-group 60-64 records at 10 miles and the half-marathon and had second-best times at 5K and four miles. Runners of the Year: 1990-19991990 Randy Staats, of Wichita, set an age-group 13-15 10K record of 34:49 at the Back to Health run that still stands through 2016. He also holds the third-best time. His 10:17 for two miles at Derby Days set an age-group record that lasted seven years and ranks second as of 2017. Honorable Mention: 1991
Honorable Mention: Tim Gundy, of Burrton, set the state open record at four miles with his 19:15 at the Wichita Arthritis Jingle Bell run, a time that is second-best Kansas resident through 2016. He also ran 23:37 for 8K, still the second-best resident time. 1992
Honorable Mention: 1993: tie Paul Heitzman, of Eudora, set an age-group 60-64 two-mile record of 11:44 at the Wichita Turkey Trot that stood for 14 years and ranks second through 2016. A model of consistency, he also recorded times of 11:46 and 11:47 that year. At the 10K distance, he ran 39:04 at the Leawood Labor Day run, finishing second to longtime rival Dick Wilson in a time that ranked as the second Kansas resident then and fifth now. In competition outside of Kansas, he also ran 38:10 at the Humana 10K in Kansas City. Trey Harrison, of Wichita, ran 18:44 at the Super Bowl race to set an open four-mile record that still stands. His time scored above 90% on the WMA tables. 1994: tie Dick Wilson, of Lawrence, set age-group 60-64 records at three distances that stand through 2016. His 18:27 5K at the Leawood Labor Day run broke the 18:30 set by Paul Heitzman two years before. At the 8K distance, he ran 30:41 at the Topeka Journey for Sight for an age-group record and also ran 31:01 and 31:02 that year. In succeeding years, he ran 30:51 and 30:52 and holds the top-five times in his age group. He may have more, but our records only go five-deep per runner. His 1:23:45 at the Wichita Air Capital half-marathon is an age-group record by more than five minutes, as of 2017. In competition outside of Kansas, he also ran 1:27:18 at the Kansas City Hospital Hill half-marathon.
Honorable Mention: Francis O’Neill, of Manhattan, ran 29:23 at the Wichita River Run, finishing fifth in a field that included several Olympians and in which 10 runners qualified for the Kansas honor roll. His time exceeded 90% on the WMA tables and remained the Kansas-resident record as of 2017. 1995: tie
Steve Riley, of Lawrence, 2:39:04 at the Wichita Marathon for an age-group 40-44 resident record that stood for seven years and ranked second through 2016. He also ran 1:15:33 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon, a time that was second resident then and still ranks sixth. 1996 Paul Heitzman, of Lawrence, set three age-group 65-69 records that still stood as of 2017. He ran 11:07 on the Lawrence ALS two-mile aided course for an age-group record and then ran 11:47 at the Wichita Memorial Day run, the third-best ever. He has four times under 12 minutes and is the only runner in his age group to break 12 minutes. He set the 12K record of 51:10 at the State Championship race in Pittsburg and the 15K record of 62:28 at the Overland Park Ekiden. He also set a short-lived 10K record of 39:45 at the Wichita River Run that he and rival Dick Wilson both improved on the following year. And in the half-marathon, he ran 1:30:46 at the Wichita Air Capital race to set a record that he improved on the following year, when he set the current record of 1:26:29 at the same event. In competition outside of Kansas, he won the 800 meters, one mile, and 3,000 meters at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championship in Greensboro, N.C., setting an age-group record in the mile. He also was age-group winner at the Hospital Hill 12K in Kansas City, Mo. Honorable Mention: Charles Doze, of Wichita, ran 24:28 at the Arthritis Jingle Bell run to set the age-group 60-64 record that still stood as of 2017. He also ran 38:45 for 10K and 1:30:15 in the half-marathon, both of which are still top-four times. 1997: tie Paul Heitzman, of Lawrence, set four records that still stand in age-group 65-69. He ran 18:43 for 5K at the Leawood Labor Day run and holds the top five times for this age group. He broke his own state record with a 39:26 10K at the Wichita River Run but finished second behind Dick Wilson’s 39:18. He then ran 38:38 at the Derby Derby 10K to set the still-existing record. At 10 miles, he ran 1:05:36 at the Wichita Turkey Trot to break Wilson’s record of 1:07:20 set earlier that year at Winnie Hesse/Run for Life. He also set an age-group half-marathon record of 1:26:29 at the Wichita Air Capital run, breaking his own record set at the same race the previous year. These times ranged from 87% to more than 89% on the WMA tables. In competition outside of Kansas, he won age-group championships in the 10,000 meters; 5,000 meters; and 1,500 meters at the USA Track & Field National Masters Championships in San Jose, California, and was second at 800 meters and 400 meters. Jeff Berven, of Wichita, ran 10:22 at the Derby Days two-mile to set the still-standing record; he also holds the top five times in the 50-54 age group. At 5K, he ran 16:54 at Wichita Race for the Cure to set an age-group record that lasted 14 years and ranked third as of 2017. His 54:06 15K at the Wichita Memorial Classic is the age-group record through 2016, and his 58:56 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot was a record for more than eight years and third best by a Kansas resident as of 2017. Dan Lawson, of Salina, set the age-group 40-44 of 20:10 four-mile record at the Wichita St. Patrick’s run that stood as of 2017. He also ran 20:29 for the second-best time of the year and is the only Kansas resident to run sub-21:00 in this age group. He ran 31:46 for 10K at the Wichita River Run to set the current age-group resident record, and his 49:10 15K at the Wichita Memorial Classic is the age-group record and sixth in the Open division. His 10-mile time of 52:52 at the Wichita Turkey Trot remained the age-group best through 2016 is on the honor-roll list for the Open division. Deborah Torneden, of El Dorado, ran 22:56 for four miles at the Wichita Couples Classic, a time that ranked second then and through 2016 in the 35-39 age group. She also ran 28:22 for 8K at the Wichita Autumns End run for the Kansas-resident record Honorable Mention: Dick Wilson, of Lawrence, is the second-fastest runner at 5K in the 65-69 age group with his 19:18 and ran 32:06 for 8K to set the age-group record that he broke the following year, and which still stood as of 2017. He also set a 10K record with his 39:18 at the Wichita River Run that lasted only six months before Paul Heitzman broke it. That time is still second through 2016. He also set a 10-mile record of 1:07:20 that lasted seven months until Heitzman broke it but which also ranked second as of 2017. In competition outside of Kansas, he was second to Heitzman at 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the USA Track & Field National Masters Championships in San Jose, California. He also ran 39:23 to win his age-group at the Groundhog 10K in Kansas City, Mo. 1998: tie Paul Heitzman, of Eudora, set an unaided 65-69 age-group record of 11:38 at the Hutchinson School Run two-mile, trailing only his own aided age-group record of 11:07. He also ran 24:34 for four miles at the Couples Classic for a still-standing record and added a 25:40 that year that ranked fourth. He holds five of the top six age-group times at four miles. Two of his times exceeded 90% on the WMA tables. In competition outside of Kansas, he won his age group at 800 meters, one mile, and 3,000 meters at the USA Masters Indoor Track Championship in Boston; ran 1:30:01 for an age-group second (behind Dick Wilson) at the Indy Life Half-Marathon in Indianapolis; and won the Hospital Hill 12K in Kansas City. Heitzman also won the national age-group 65-69 championships at 8K, 10K, 12K, and 15K; set an outdoor age-group record for the 3,000 meters; and was ranked first nationally in his age group at 5K, 8K, 12K, 15K, and 10 miles, second at 10K, and third in the half-marathon. Deborah Torneden, of El Dorado, set an age-group 35-39 record of 10:28 for two miles at the Hutchinson School run and an age-group 5K record of 17:03 at Wichita Race for the Cure. She also ran 17:32 and 17:38, the third- and fourth-best age group times through 2016 and has the top-five resident times. She also ran 1:01:18 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot, sixth-best through 2016, and five of the top seven times. She qualified for the state honor roll in the Open division in all three events. Fay Bradley, of Independence, set an age-group 60-64 10K record of 36:30 at the Wichita River Run and later ran 1:02:05 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot to break Dick Wilson’s age-group record from the 1992 Turkey Trot.
Kirk Hunter, of Colby, set a two-mile record of 9:32 for the 35-39 age group at the Wichita River Run and ran 53:54 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot, a time that ranked seventh among Kansas residents through 2016. His 1:13:09 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon was a Kansas-resident record that ranked third as of 2017. Carolyn Buckner, of El Dorado, set the current two-mile record of 14:27 for age-group 60-64 at the Hutchinson School Run, and her age-group record of 22:41 for 5K, set at the Wichita Nike Open, was an age-group record for 17 years and ranked second through 2017. Runners of the Year: 1980-19891980 Bruce Coldsmith, of Lawrence, ran 50:04 at the Lake Atwood 10-mile, a state resident record then that ranks third all-time for a Kansas resident through 2016. 1981: no selection
Fred Torneden and Kathy Whitcomb, both of Wichita, set long-standing state records at the Wichita Marathon. Torneden’s 2:18:08 surpassed Terry Ziegler’s record from 1973 and set a state record that still stands as of 2017. 1983: tie
J.P. Worcester, of Hill City, ran 2:23:20 at the Wichita Marathon. His time was third all-time among Kansas residents then and still is through 2016, behind only Fred Torneden and Terry Ziegler. 1984: tie
Jacque Struckhoff, of Grinnell, set a women’s open 10-mile record with 59:26 at Lake Atwood that remains the fifth-best open time for Kansas residents. Her time still stands as the age-group 16-19 record. 1985: tie Fred Torneden set an open 5K resident record of 14:35 at the WRC Challenge in Wichita that stood until 2016. Chris Vanatta, of Manhattan, ran 33:47 at the Divided United run in Overland Park for a women’s open 10k resident record that stands as of 2017. Torneden’s and Vanatta’s times both exceed 89% on the WMA tables. 1986 Donn Bischoff, of Maize, ran 2:34:58 at the Wichita Marathon for an age-group 35-39 record that stood for 19 years and still ranks as second resident. He also ran 1:13:20 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon, 53:29 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot, and 25:57 for 8K at the Couples Classic. These times still rank fourth, third, and sixth all-time respectively among Kansas residents for the 35-39 age group, and he ran all of these near the top of the age group, at age 38 or 39. He also ran 10:01 for two miles at the Defeet Diabetes race, a time that was second then and 10th resident now. His 10-mile record stood for nearly eight years until broken by Olympian Jon Sinclair. 1987: tie Donn Bischoff, of Maize, moved up to the 40-44 age group and again established several records. His 1:11:28 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon was an age-group resident record for 24 years and stood as second resident through 2016. He also ran 32:11 for 10K at the Defeet Diabetes run in Hutchinson that was a resident record for 10 years and still ranks second resident all-time, and his 54:23 for 10 miles at the Wichita Turkey Trot was a state records that ranked third as of 2017. Randy Staats, of Wichita, set three state records in the 12-and-under age group in the space of two months. His 37:16 for 10K at the Wichita River Run and his 28:58 at the Couples Classic for 8K are age-group records as of 2017. He also ran 11:03 for two miles, a record that stood for 17 years and ranked second through 2016. 1988 J.P. Worcester, of WaKeeney, ran 48:33 for 15K at the KFDI Fun Fest to set an open record that stood for eight years and ranked third through 2016. He won by only one second over Steve Lenz of Ashland in a race that also produced the 10th, 11th, and 15th best open times as of 2017. He also ran a 15:06 5K at the Jaydoc Relay that was then fifth-best resident and still ranks in the top 20, plus a 15:14 5K at Green Meadows in Haysville and 10 miles in 51:40 at the Wichita Turkey Trot and 52:23 at Lake Atwood. 1989: tie Tim Gundy, of Burrton, ran 8:57 for two miles at the Haysville Pioneer Days race, still the state open record, and 9:01 and 9:21. He also ran 24:02 for 8K at the Couples Classic. His times exceeded 88% on the WMA tables. J.P. Worcester, of Valley Center, ran 1:08:02 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon in Wichita, then a resident record that ranks sixth among Kansas residents through 2016. Other top times included a 24:26 8K at Wichita St. Patrick’s run, 10 miles in 51:36 at Lake Atwood, 48:46 at the Foolish 15K in Wichita, and two miles in 9:21 and 9:22. Tim Benham, of Wichita, ran 1:04:37 at the Foolish 15K for the third-best time in the 55-59 age group. Moving up to the 60-64 age group, he ran 1:07:30 at the Wichita Turkey Trot for a state record that still ranked fifth resident through 2016; 1:29:52 at the Air Capital Half-Marathon for a state record that ranked third as of 2017; and 3:29:38 at the Wichita Marathon for a state record that lasted seven years and was sixth-best among Kansas residents through 2016. He also ran 40:15 at the Derby Derby 10K, a time that then ranked as second resident. Runners of the Year: 1970s1970s
We have results for very few certified races from that decade, only the Lake Atwood 10-mile (still in existence), the 1979 Scott City marathon, and the 1972-79 KU Relays marathon. According to USA Track & Field records, the following courses were certified before the 1980s. We have no results for any races that might have been held on these courses. If you have results for any of them, we would welcome a copy. Humboldt Marathon, certified in 1966 Here are other noteworthy performances in the 1970s: 1975 Tammy Gilpin, Wichita, 1:10:00 for 10 miles; age-group 16-19 record, seventh Kansas resident as of 2017. 1976 Bob Creighton, Atwood, 2:48:42 for age-group 40-44 record in the marathon, now 11th resident. 1977 Dennis Smithhisler, Harper, 1:08:51 for 10 miles; still the state 12-under age-group record. 1978 Kent Hughes, Derby, 2:53:13 for age-group 16-19 marathon record, still third resident. Jeff Cochran, Hugoton, 52:28; still the state age-group 16-19 resident record for 10 miles. Joy Meyen, Lawrence, 1:09:54; age-group 16-19 resident record for 10 miles, still sixth Kansas resident. 1979 Bob Hughes, Lawrence, 2:42:20 for 35-39 age-group marathon record and still top 10 resident. Roger Schmitt, Dodge City, 2:55:22 for 40-44 age-group marathon record and the only honor roll qualifying time from the Scott City Marathon. Steve Spiller, Great Bend 56:39; still the 13-15 age-group record for 10 miles as of 2017. |
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Our 2023 selections for Kansas runners-of-the-year feature two veterans and a newcomer to the top rank.
Our 2022 selections for Kansas runner-of-the-year feature a three-way tie by versatile runners who qualified for the state honor roll at a range of distances.
Rob Hays (photo on right by Mile 90 Photography), of Topeka, ran 14:35:00 for 100 miles at the Kansas Rails to Trails ultras in Ottawa, at age 55. He broke the previous record of 14:40:29 by national-class runner Pete Kostelnick, set on the same course at the Prairie Spirit Trail races earlier in the year. His time scored 88.6% on the World Masters Athletes age-graded scoring tables. Hays also set an age-group 55-59 marathon record of 2:47:06, scoring 85.8% and breaking Steve Riley’s age-group record from 2009.
Dee Boeck, of Lawrence, was the top AG 70-74 performer in five events. Her 16:39 two-mile broke Sheryl Drevo’s record and scored 86.7% on the WMA tables, and her 1:59:09 half-marathon at Wichita Prairie Fire broke her own record. She also recorded the best times of the year at 5K, four miles, and 10K, second only to her own age-group records. She ran 25:22 for 5K and 54:15 for 10K, both scoring over 85% on WMA charts, as well as 34:15 for four miles. She now holds AG 70-74 records at seven distances. She was runner-of-the-year in 2017 and honorable mention in 2019.
Sheryl Drevo of Goddard had one of the most dominating years in memory, setting age-group 70-74 records at six distances from one mile to 15K and recording the second-best time at 10 miles, behind her own record from 2014.
Two of the state’s oldest records fell by the wayside within a week this year.
This year was unusual because there were many excellent age-graded times by older runners who were well into their five-year age groups. Consequently, there were relatively few age-group records, and many of the better times were noticeably slower than previous times in the same age group by the same runners. We expect a slew of records when these runners move into the next age group in the next year or two.
Dee Boeck, of Lawrence, ran 7:21 at the Irish Mile to set one of the few age-group records this year, breaking her own 65-69 record set the previous year and exceeding 86% on the World Masters Athletes tables. She ran the top four age-group 5K times of the year, including a 24:01 (85.5%) that is second-best all-time; set an age-group record at 12K in the new Hiawatha Hustle in Wichita; and ran the best half-marathon time of the year.
Fred Torneden and Joe Moore, both of Manhattan, are our 2018 runners of the year.
Dennis Smithhisler, of Wichita, set three records in the 45-49 age group that still stand as of 2017. His 26:16 8K at Wichita Inspire Hope broke the 27-year-old record by Clyde Davidson of Emporia. He ran 32:58 for 10K at the Easter Sun Run to break Steve Riley’s record from 2000, and his 1:11:16 at the Wichita Half-Marathon also broke Riley’s almost 10-year-old record. All three performances scored at the 87% level or better on the World Masters Athletics age-graded tables.
Keith Long, of Beaumont, had one of the most dominating years ever, setting records at four distances in the 50-54 age group, two of which stand as of 2017, with times that scored from 87% to better than 91% on the WMA charts. His 16:39 at the Wichita Dream Big 5K broke Jeff Berven’s 14-year-old record, and his 21:39 at the Derby Firecracker four-mile broke another of Berven’s records. He ran 28:06 for 8K, second only to Berven’s age-group record, and he ran 57:57 for 10 miles to break the record set by Tony Estes, who had taken down another of Berven’s records. Finally, he ran 1:16:33 at the Prairie Fire Half-Marathon to break Steve Riley’s age-group record. That time stands third by a Kansas resident as of 2017. All of these performances came at ages 53 and 54, near the top of the five-year age group.
Cindy Cameron, of Westwood, set age-group 45-49 records in the one mile and half-marathon, set an age-group record at 12K that also qualified in the open category, and ran the second-best unaided Kansas-resident time at 5K.
Trudy Calloway, of Wichita, set an 8K record for age-group 65-69 at Wichita Inspire Hope and broke Carolyn Buckner’s 11-year-old 5K record with a 23:48 at Prairie Fire.
Honorable Mention:
Dave Halferty, of Topeka, set a Kansas-resident 5K record of 15:13 for age-group 35-39 at the Leawood Labor Day Run and a 10K record of 31:29 at the Junction City Freedom Run, both of which were in the 86% range on the WMA tables and still stood through 2016. He also ran 2:32:56 at the Wichita Marathon for an age-group record that was still the resident record through 2016. His 25:46 8K is the fourth-best resident time through 2016 and his 1:14:27 at the Topeka to Auburn half-marathon was the best time of the year. 
Barbara Holzman, of Wichita, set age-group 55-59 records of 29:02 for four miles and 45:41 for 10K, plus a 22:30 5K that was the year’s age-group best.
Mary Grene, of Andover, set the age-group 45-49 four-mile record with a 24:11 at the Wichita Super Bowl run that broke Trudy Calloway’s 13-year-old record. She also ran a 25:01 that ranks second through 2016. Her 11:19 two-mile at the Wichita River run scored 87% on the WMA tables but was second behind Deborah Torneden’s age-group record, and her 19:06 5K was then second-best by a Kansas resident. 
Deborah Torneden, of Wichita, ran 11:00 at age 47 the Wichita River Run 2-mile to score a remarkable 92% on the WMA tables and set an age-group record. She also ran an aided 17:51 5K at Celebrate Chisholm.
Steve Riley, of Lawrence, set records at eight distances in the 45-49 age group and ran a series of other excellent times at every distance from two miles to the marathon except the 12K, where no races were held. 
Dick Wilson, of Lawrence, set four age-group 70-74 records, all of which still stand.
Bob McAnany, of Hays, set an age-group 45-49 record at two miles and Kansas-resident records at 5K and 15K.
Deborah Torneden, of Coffeyville, set an open two-mile record of 10:25 at the Wichita River Run that stood for 16 years and ranks second as of 2017. She also ran 16:51 for 5K at the Gold Leaf Women’s run, setting an open record that lasted 15 years and remains the second-best Kansas resident time. She also ran 35:29 at the Wichita Polar Parade for the best 10K time of the year. These times all scored from 85% to 87% on the WMA tables.
Trey Harrison, of Wichita, ran 9:03 for two miles at the Hutchinson School Run, a time that ranked third all-time in the open division then and through 2016. He also holds the fourth-best time. He ran 14:37 for 5K at the Wichita Polar Parade, which made him third resident then and fourth now. He also ran 14:57 and 14:59 that year to give him three of the year’s top four times.
Trudy Calloway, of Wichita, set an age-group 45-49 four-mile record of 25:42 at the Arthritis Jingle Bell run that stood for 13 years and ranked second as of 2017. Her 10-mile record of 67:35, set at the Wichita Turkey Trot, was an age-group Kansas-resident record for 12 years and still ranked second-resident through 2016.
Lisa (Weidenbach) Rainsberger, of Hutchinson, set the open half-marathon record of 1:16:23 at the Air Capital race that is still the Kansas-resident record. She also twice ran 17:02 for 5K at the Nike Open and the Emma Creek Classic, which is the third-best open time for a resident.
1999: tie
Fred Torneden set a resident open 10-mile record of 50:00 at Lake Atwood that stood until 2016 and ran 29:48 for 10K at Hutchinson’s Defeet Diabetes run, still third-fastest all-time for a Kansas resident. Both times exceeded 88% on the WMA tables.
We have made only one selection for the decade of the ’70s: Terry Ziegler, then of Wichita, is our runner of the year for 1973 based on his 2:21:15 victory in the Kansas Relays marathon. His time was a state record that stood for nine years and still ranks second all-time for a Kansas resident.