PAGE A14, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 31, 2019
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Keizer race walker pursues Olympic dreams
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Lydia McGranahan has al-
ways had a passion for being
active.
The 42-year old Keizer
resident loves backpacking,
hiking and biking. She teach-
es water aerobics and spin
classes at The Kroc Center in
Salem and has also competed
in triathlons in the past.
And in less than three
years, McGranahan
has
turned that passion into be-
coming one of the best race
walkers in the country.
On Sept. 30, 2018, Mc-
Granahan qualifi ed for the
2020 U.S. Olympic Trials
in the 50 Kilometer race
walk by fi nishing her race in
5:08.16 at the Open & Mas-
ters Race Walk Champion-
ships in Owego, NY.
Just six months later,
McGranahan also met the
Olympic Trials time require-
ment for the 20K event at
the Race Walk Champion-
ships in Tustin, Calif.
“It’s blown me away how
fast all of this happened,”
McGranahan said. “I hon-
estly just keep surprising
myself. I’m really driven and
really determined.”
“We all have different pas-
sions or things that we’re in-
terested in, and it’s never too
late to go after them.”
McGranahan was fi rst in-
troduced to race walking in
2014 when her daughter,
Mariah, who was 10 years
old at the time, started com-
peting in the sport at Salem
Track Club.
In the summer of 2016,
both McGranahan and her
daughter were volunteers
during the U.S Olympic Tri-
als race walking event, which
took place in Salem.
Just months later, while
taking Mariah to a race han said. “But I’m wasn’t
walking coach in Portland, getting any younger, so if I
McGranahan was encour- was going to attempt to do
aged to just try it out for a a 20K, I need to do it now.”
In January of 2018, Mc-
few laps and soon discov-
ered that she was matching Granahan fl ew down to San-
Olympic qualifying time in tee, Calif. to compete in her
fi rst 20K and fi nished just a
her 200 meter intervals.
This piqued her curios- few minutes below Olympic
Trials qualify-
ity, so Mc-
ing time.
Granahan
Six months
decided to
later, she was
enter into a
competing
5K event in
at a 20K in
Portland.
Des
Moines
“At this
IA, where she
point,
I
wound racing
didn’t really
know what
— Lydia McGranahan against some of
the athletes she
I was getting
was
assisting
myself into,”
during the 2016 Olympic
McGranahan said.
However, her fi rst race did Trials.
“It blew me away. Here
not goes as planned.
Early on in the race, one I was at the start line with
of the other runners took some of the same athletes
a spill. While trying to as- that I was handing sponges
sist the woman to her feet, and water cups to two years
McGranahan suffered some ago. It never would have
even crossed my mind two
nerve damage in her legs.
McGranahan continued years ago,” McGranahan said.
to compete and even picked “It was amazing.”
With her success in the
up her pace a little, but
wound up falling and break- 20K, McGranahan decided
to push herself even further
ing her arm.
But she wasn’t about to by trying her fi rst 50K in
let this little hiccup prevent New York last September.
Despite not working with
her from pursuing this sport
a trainer and having no ex-
further.
“I just kept playing around perience with the 50K, Mc-
with it and having fun with Granahan still fi nished well
ahead of Olympic Trials
it,” McGranahan said.
After participating in a qualifying time.
“At that point, I realized
Portland to Coast race walk-
ing relay in the summer of that I had some potential
2017, teammates saw Mc- here and that I needed to
Granahan’s potential and take this a little more seri-
encouraged her to attempt ously,” McGranahan said.
McGranahan decided to
a 20K.
After weeks of consider- hire Erin Taylor-Talcott out
ation, McGranahan decided of New York as her coach.
Taylor-Talcott is quite fa-
that she would give it a try.
“I was 40 years old. Who mous in the race walking
takes on a sport to that level community for pushing for
at 40 years old?” McGrana- women to race walk with
“It’s blown
me away how
fast all of this
happened.”
Submitted
Lydia McGranahan lifts her arms in triumph after crossing the fi nish line at the 20K National
Championships in March.
men in the 50K.
Taylor-Talcott writes up
workout plans for McGrana-
han, as well as coaches her
through video chats, emails
and phone calls.
While there are challenges
in maintaining a coach-ath-
lete relationship across dif-
ferent time zones. The two
are able to make it work.
“Coaching from afar
would never work for
non-motivated athletes, only
the athletes who are self mo-
tivated still thrive with a long
distance coach,” Taylor-Tal-
cott said.
“I’m very fortunate with
all the athletes I coach, they
only come to me because
they really want to improve,
so it’s always a joy. I can’t wait
to see where Lydia will con-
tinue to go.”
While qualifying for the
50K seemed like a lofty goal,
McGranahan thought that
meeting the 20K time would
be even more diffi cult.
“In the back of my mind,
Please see RACE, Page A11
Whiteaker track team takes both All-City crowns
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Scott Coburn has been
coaching different sports at
Whiteaker Middle School
for nearly 30 years.
Last week, the Wolverines
track and fi eld squad was
able to achieve something
that had never happened in
Coburn’s tenure with the
school.
After fi nishing the dual
season undefeated, both of
Whiteaker’s boys and girls
teams won the All-City track
meet at on Tuesday, May 14
at Sprague High School. The
girls scored 146 points for the
event and sent 18 athletes to
the podium, while the boys
team scored 125 points and
had 15 athletes place.
“It was one of our most
successful seasons of all
time,” Coburn said. “This
was a team that really pulled
together and always support-
ed each other. They showed
a lot of heart this season.”
“There is some natural,
God-given talent on this
team. Our kids were com-
peting well at every grade
level and in every event.”
After not coming out
for track last year, Lillian
Besa concluded her incred-
ibly successful season with a
victory in the discus with a
throw of 84-feet-5-inches.
“She felt so so good about
herself after she won all-city,”
Coburn said. “Lillian has
been getting better all year
and she just did a super job.”
While Besa earned the
lone victory for the Whiteak-
er girls, the rest of the squad
was able to pile up a number
of high fi nishes throughout
the meet — the Wolverines
Submitted
From left to right: Cassius Hernandez, Ethan Wollangk, Pawit Potisuk and Pawat Potisuk show off their fi rst place ribbons after
winning the 7th grade boys 4x100 relay at the All-City meet on Tuesday, May 14.
gained six second place fi n- sprinter, and bringing home
ishes to go along with a trio the victory for Whiteaker.
“It was one of the most
of third place fi nishes.
Avery Buss placed sec- exciting races of the day,”
ond in the seventh-grade Coburn said. “People in the
100-meter race with a time stands were jumping around.
of 14.12 seconds, and also It was really cool to see those
boys celebrate
fi nished sec-
together.”
ond in the
Braiden
long
jump
Copeland was
with a new
the only mul-
personal-best
t i p l e - eve n t
of 14-feet-10-
winner
for
inches.
Whiteaker as
Although
he earned a
she fi nished in
pair of wins in
third, Aspynn
both the long
Westby broke
jump
(16-
the Whiteaker
— Scott Coburn
11) and high
school record
jump (5-8).
in the 1500m
“Braiden’s athletic ability
— which has stood for 14
years — with her person- really showed on that day,”
Coburn said. “He showed
al-best time of 5:28.42.
“We just try and love our calmness and stayed within
kids and encourage them to himself, which was a big fac-
do the best that they possibly tor for him.”
Whiteaker’s other indi-
can, and the kids really have
responded to that,” Coburn vidual winner on the boys
side was Darius Afalava, who
said.
Coming into the meet, was victorious in the sixth
Whiteaker’s boys seventh grade shot put (39.10.5)
While Coburn was very
grade 4x100 relay team
hadn’t lost a race all season. pleased with his team’s suc-
But they sure made their fi - cess, he was also thrilled to
nal city race of the season an share that 175 kids came out
for the team this season, and
exciting one.
As the relay went into almost all of them showed
the fi nal turn, the Wolver- signifi cant improvement.
“Throughout the season,
ines were actually sitting in
second, trailing Parrish. But we had kids improve from
Whiteaker anchor Pawat Po- being one of the slowest
tisuk took the baton from kids on the team to being a
his twin brother, Pawit, and middle-of-the-road kid on
caught Demari Thompson the track. That’s a wonderful
from behind, crossing the success too.”
fi nish-line just two-tenths of
a second ahead of the Parrish
“It was one
of our most
successful
seasons of all
time.”