July 28, 2008

PAINESVILLE, Ohio - Story by John Kampf - News-Herald

The streak is over.

For the first time since 1990-91, the Johnnycake Jog has a back-to-back winner. Taking advantage of a blistering pace over the final 3 1/2 miles of the race, Pat Sovacool sprinted away from the rest of the field and won the 32nd annual Johnnycake Jog at the Painesville Fairgrounds on Sunday.

Sovacool, who will be a senior at Miami University this fall, had to decline the cash award that went to the first-place winner because of NCAA rules. But the championship plaque and the satisfaction of being the first back-to-back winner since John Scherer in 1990-91 was more that enough for the former St. Ignatius standout.

"I'm just glad to keep the tradition of Miami going," said Sovacool, who joins Fred Kieser, Rosey Jackson and Brian Carlton as former Miami runners to win the Johnnycake Jog. "I didn't feel great all week. I thought maybe I'd break 25 minutes. I just listened to my body, and fortunately, my body responded." In a big way.

Matt Folk, 32 from Toledo, and Kieser shared the lead for about the first mile-and-a-half of the race, which because of construction started inside the fairgrounds for the first time in race history.

Once he was on flat ground at the top of Fairgrounds Road, Sovacool shifted into another gear.

"I pulled away from Fred and took the lead," said Folk, who finished with a 24:41 in second place. "Pat flew by us a little before two miles. I tried to stay with him for about five seconds. Then he was gone."

Coming off a performance in the NCAA Division I meet this spring in which he ran in the 5,000 meters, Sovacool is in between his track and cross country seasons. Having not specifically trained for a five-miler like the Johnnycake Jog, he simply went with last year's philosophy.

It worked. The 24:16 he ran Sunday was three seconds faster than the 24:19 he ran last year.

"Last year I went out conservative and tried moving up in the second or third mile," Sovacool said. "I wanted to do the same thing today."

Kieser, of Kirtland, said he felt like he had a chance to win this year's race. Being a training partner of Sovacool's, Kieser felt good about his start. Until Sovacool's fly-by.

"I didn't think he could hold that pace, especially in this heat," Kieser said. Coming down the stretch on Mentor Avenue, Sovacool had a 100-meter lead. "After Pat opened that gap on the rest of us," Folk said, "I was just trying to hold on to second."

Which isn't what Sovacool expected.

"I knew Matt would be a good challenge," he said. "I thought I'd have to sprint the last part of the race if I was going to win."

Following Sovacool and Folk were third-place Kevin Podl (25:00), fourth-place Brandon Bauer (25:22) and Kieser (25:35).

Prior to Sovacool's back-to-back and Scherer's pair of wins, the only other two back-to-back male winners in Jog history were Ted Rupe (1988-89) and Carlton (1980-81).

There has never been a three-in-a-row winner.

"I might as well go for three," Sovacool said with a grin.