Banks, Hartzell 1st-time winners in Road Race 2K
Steve Banks was out of running for about 18 months. Now, he's starting to make up for lost time.
Banks, 20, of Butler missed his senior track season for the Golden Tornado due to a leg injury and only started running about three months before last year's Butler Road Race.
This year, his time of 6 minutes, 35 seconds was good enough to hold off Andy Egbert, 19, of Amherst, N.H. who finished with a time of 6:42, to capture the 2K men's race.
Last year, Banks finished 28th with a time of 8:30.
Paul Geibel, 21, of Butler (6:45), Chris Alikani, 15, of Mars (6:47) and Jeremy Peterson, 22, of Franklin (6:52) rounded out the top five.
It didn't help matters this year for Banks when his friend, who was supposed to set the pace, didn't make it.
"I just went out relaxed," said Banks, now a student and runner at Clarion University. "I found myself in first place and I didn't want to give it up."
There was a small group in front of Banks at the bottom of Main Street.
"I was fifth coming down the hill," said Banks, who started to pick off the other runners. "They looked tired and I felt great. I figured I could do it."
He found himself in second place behind Egbert, but passed him coming back up Main Street and pulled away with the win.
All of which seemed unlikely two years ago when Banks didn't have the ability to run.
"I was hurt for a year and a half. I couldn't run," said Banks, who ran 3½ years for Butler but didn't run track and field his senior year due to his problems. "My legs were destroyed. I was on crutches for five to six months."
Banks returned to running last spring and ran for the Golden Eagles, but admits he had a terrible outdoor track season this year.
"I've come back and I ran the best I ever had right here," said Banks. "What I did here (Saturday), I couldn't have done this well in high school. This is new."
In the women's race, Janelle Hartzell figured her time had finally come.
I wanted to win this," said Hartzell, 18, who just graduated from Slippery Rock High School and also was the class valedictorian. "I was second last year (to Leisl Soegel) and the year before I was third."
Hartzell's teammate at Slippery Rock, Calley Bridges, 15, of Prospect, was second with a time of 8:09. Chelsea Cooper, 17, of Butler was third (8:24), Tess Crispin, 17, of Lyndora was fourth and Jessica Glas, 14, of Cranberry Township, was fifth (8:38).
"I kind of went out hard, but overall I was pleased," said Hartzell. "I haven't done much (running) lately."
Hartzell will be attending Penn State University, but may try and walk on to the cross country team.
"That may be my only chance," said Hartzell. "We'll see how it goes."
