RUNNER - The Salt Lake Tribune

Prep track: State medals fuel runner Eli Oftedal’s passion to train harder

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:19:03 MDT

Prep track: State medals fuel runner Eli Oftedal’s passion to train harder

By Ben Raskin Special to The Tribune

Updated May 22, 2013 03:19PM MDT

It wasn’t the time that Eli Oftedal wanted, but it is the one the Rowland Hall sophomore would take. The 800-meter specialist for the Winged Lions secured the Class 2A state championship last Saturday, but the time he ran at the BYU Invitational was the standard he was trying to best. Best by a hundredth of a second. “I felt like I ran well and expected to do well,” Oftedal said. “I was just hoping to get that state record.” Oftedal finished at 1 minute, 57.25 seconds for his first state title ...

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Prep boys’ track: Park City elite runner catches his idol

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:02:30 MDT

Prep boys’ track: Park City elite runner catches his idol

By Aaron Falk The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 18, 2013 12:02AM MDT

Provo • Luke Puskedra had to “chase ghosts” in high school. As the state’s top distance runner in 2008, the Judge Memorial star lacked the competition to test him on the track. So his coach had him look elsewhere for something that would push him, like the clock or the last man in the heat after lapping the competition. Ben Saarel swears his ghost is real. He’s met Puskedra, shook his hand. And on Friday morning, Saarel still was chasing him. It was cool and gray as Saarel and the rest of the fi...