Cross country coach wins Cougar trail run
June 15, 2010
By Bob Taylor
For Michael Smith, nothing quite beats a run around Cougar Mountain on a warm spring day, unless it is taking on the challenging Boston Marathon.
Michael Smith, the cross country and track and field coach at Liberty High School, closes in June 12 on a win in the 7.5-mile Cougar Mountain Trail Running series race. By Greg Farrar
Smith will be the first to tell you that his marathon days are over, but he admits to still enjoying the competition of shorter races.
He especially likes the annual Cougar Mountain Trail Running series, one of the most popular trail-running events in the Pacific Northwest.
Smith, cross country and track and field coach at Liberty High School, certainly enjoyed his 7.5-mile run June 12. Although there were runners with younger legs on the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park course, it was the 51-year-old Smith who finished first.
He completed the course in 56 minutes, 3 seconds. Smith beat Joe Creighton, of Seattle, by more than a minute. Creighton finished second in 57:56.
“I felt good in this race,” said Smith, who got off to a big lead early and stayed in front to stay.
“I kept thinking there was someone right behind me. Every time I looked back, there was no one there,” he said. “From about the half-mile point, I was running by myself.”Smith has been a competitive runner since fifth grade. He ran in high school and as a member of college teams. Smith went to state as a member of the Highline Community College cross country team, and later competed in the nationals for Whitworth College. As a high school coach, he runs with his athletes during practice sessions throughout the season.
In 1987, Smith ran in the Boston Marathon.
“You really can’t say you have raced until you have done something like the Boston Marathon,” he said. “There is no race like the Boston Marathon.”
But these days, he prefers the Cougar Trails run series.
“I really love running on Cougar,” he said.
This was Smith’s second race this season on Cougar. He finished third in the opening 5-mile run May 15. Martin Roswall, a cross country skier from Europe, won that race. Drake daPonte, a Mount Si High School graduate, was second.
The third race, a 10-mile run, is scheduled for July 10. Smith isn’t sure whether he’ll tackle that run.
“I will probably wait right up to the day of the race to decide to register or not,” he said. “Right now, my game plan is that I will probably try it, but a lot determines on whether I am healthy.”
Smith wasn’t the only member of the Liberty cross country team at the June 12 race. Several members of the boys team competed and did fairly well.
Brandon Thomas and Josiah Sherwood, who took part in the Liberty graduation ceremonies the night before, decided to join their coach at Cougar Mountain.
Thomas finished fourth in 1:01:13 and Sherwood was 10th in 1:03:32.
“They did pretty well, considering they didn’t get a lot of sleep,” Smith said.
Scott Turner, Chris Turner and Tyler Westenbroek were other Liberty runners who took part in the race.
Scott Turner was fifth in 1:01:41 and Chris Turner was 15th in 1:05:03. Westenbroek was 41st in 1:13:16.
The Liberty high school runners marvel at Smith’s longevity as a runner.
“He’s a beast,” Thomas said.
Nichole Sellon, of Edmonds, was the top women’s finisher. She completed the race in 1:05:48. Sellon, 18th overall, was almost eight minutes ahead of Emily Wetbrook, the second-place women’s runner.
Sellon, formerly of San Diego, used to run for fun, but began serious training three years ago. She said she enjoyed the Cougar race.
“There was a good amount of uphill and downhill, and flat,” she said. “And most of the time, it was single track, and that makes it fun.”
The Seattle Running Club sponsors the Cougar Mountain Trail Running Series, which is in its eighth season. The series not only introduces many runners to Cougar Mountain, but also benefits King County Parks.
Volunteer work groups from the trail-running community spend an average of 120 hours each year doing trail restoration work. In addition to the volunteer labor, a portion of trail race registration fees is donated to King County Parks.
Bob Taylor: 392-6434, ext. 236, or bobtaylor@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
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