Original Story Myrtle Beach Sun News - Page One Sport Section Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday,
Oct 26, 2009
Posted on Mon, Oct. 12, 2009
North
Myrtle Beach
runner converting track prowess into crosscountry success
By Nate
Ripke
For The Sun News
There are no traffic jams when
you go the extra mile, just ask
Bursting onto the local seen
last spring when she was named the Girls Most Outstanding Performer at the
Horry County Track and Field meet, Jeneretteclaimed the individual crown in
the 3,200-, 1,600- and 800-meter races, building quite the resume at the
varsity level.
While representing the Myrtle Beach Track and Field
Club this summer, Jenerette posted the third-fasted time in the nation in the
1,500-meter race (4:47:13) for females in the graduating class of 2014, and
later placed 12th at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in Greensboro,
N.C.
Without ever setting foot in a
high school classroom, the Chiefs' top runner is working on carrying over her
success from the track to the undulating terrains thrown her way during a
5,000-meter cross country race.
Easier said than done.
While dominating competition
in
"Right now I think some
of the local meets are holding me way back," said Jenerette, who posted
the fastest time in both the girls and boys dual meet against Socastee earlier
this season while also beating her brother, Christian, a junior.
"I haven't figured out
where my mark is because I am usually running by myself. If the guys' race
starts a couple minutes ahead of [the girls' race] I try to catch and pass some
of them."
Waccamaw freshman Grace
Bennett gave Jenerette her toughest local challenge at
"We had a choice to go to
run at
Jenerette, whose times have
fluctuated over 60 seconds throughout the season, enjoyed having someone to run
with.
"We got through the first
mile in six minutes and it didn't feel like we were doing anything," said
Jenerette, who admitted to talking with Bennett throughout much of the race to
keep each other company. "Most of the time I don't have anyone to run with
and no one is out there pushing me, it gets lonely."
To help raise the competition
level for arguably the best girls team in the county, first-year North Myrtle
Beach coach Laurie Occhipinti dropped several local meets while instead adding
more statewide and regional meets to its schedule.
The stiffer competition has
served as a barometer for Jenerette, allowing her to see where she ranks among
the Southeast's top high school distance runners.
"Right now Benji
struggles with her race strategy. She gives it her all for the first 2 miles
trying to get out in the front of the pack and then hopes that everyone will
die off," said Occhipinti, who has returned to the Grand Strand after
running collegiately at Coastal Carolina. "That works at the local level,
but as she gets older she will learn how to race a little bit smarter.
"There are times when she
is training that I feel like she could be working harder, but you have to take
a step back [and be empathetic] because she is only 13 and she has the tools to
be great."
Jenerette has proven she has
the raw talent to compete at the varsity level, but claims that in order to
achieve her personal goal of running in the 2016 Olympic games she has to learn
how manage a race regardless of the distance.
"My dad always told me
training is 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental, but the race [itself] is
90 percent mental," said Jenerette, whose mother Katherine also ran
collegiately at Coastal Carolina. "It's about getting your strategy down.
Every race is a different strategy. Once I can realize that in my head and can
pick the right strategy for the right race I will able to do better in the big
meets.
"I think the best thing I
could have done was run in the Junior Olympics - it really taught me just how
fast I need to run to compete at that level. Right now I'm working on bringing
that speed from the track and adding it to the distance in cross country."
© 2009 TheSunNews.com and
wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.thesunnews.com
SOURCE: http://www.thesunnews.com/sports/high_school/story/1114309.html
- COMMENTS:
south_carolina_runner
wrote on 10/23/2009 10:07:31 AM:
19:
1st Place
THE 2009 Region 7
GIRLS VARSITY RACE - 3.1 MILES
source: http://sc.milesplit.us/meets/60693/results/105719
DrunkUncle
wrote on 10/16/2009 11:23:52 AM:
Well
Mr. Ripke you should have done your homework before writing this article. While
Jennerette is a definitely a "phenom," she still has yet to post the
fastest time in our area.....that distinction would have to go to Myrtle Beach
High School's Paige Cox. Paige ran a 20:09 on October 6 2009 against
south_carolina_runner
wrote on 10/13/2009 04:22:23 AM:
Benjamin
Jenerette's mother's name is Katherine Jenerette: "NCAA 1994-Big South
Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Honors - Coastal