B
S PORTS
Section B
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com
Athlete of
the Week
Gold Rush Run/Walk sees big turnout
The race has returned since it fi rst appeard a few years back, and
many fi tness enthusiasts showed up to participate
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
As Bohemia Mining Days geared up, so did
many of the fi tness enthusiasts of Cottage Grove
for the Gold Rush 5k Run/Walk. Run CG (includ-
ing CGHS cross country coach Jim Settelmeyer
and the Sentinel’s own Jon Stinnett) organized the
race as part of Bohemia Mining Days. The run is a
twilight-set race through historic downtown Cot-
tage Grove that featured walkers and competitive
racers alike.
The race started at Sixth and Washington streets
by the Brewstation and then proceeded to River
road along the Coast Fork of the Willamette Riv-
er.
Some runners and walkers were unable to enjoy
the scenery, as many fi nished by the time twilight
turned to dark.
Though the event was a casual and recreational
race, that does not mean there weren’t any com-
mitted runners and impressive fi nishes.
As one Settelmeyer helped organize the race,
it is only appropriate that another won it. Sam
Settelmeyer, son of the aforementioned Settel-
meyer, fi nished in fi rst in 16 minutes and 45 sec-
onds, nearly two minutes ahead of everyone else.
“It’s always fun to come out here and run with
my family,” the winded Settelmeyer said. The
Cottage Grove High School alumnus used to run
cross country for his father, so the race is nothing
new to him.
“I’m not really training for anything or pushing
for a specifi c time, it’s just about being with my
family and having fun,” he added.
Just as Settelmeyer fi nished speaking, his broth-
er, Teagan, came racing to the fi nish line to snag
second place with a time of 18:19.
Kyle McNary, Patrick Frost and Paesen Timm
wrapped up the top-fi ve fi nishers, but soon-to-be
sophomore and cross country state qualifi er Kon-
rad Raum fi nished in sixth with a time of 19:37.
The Gold Rush somewhat replaces the Bohe-
mia Mining Days half-marathon, which last took
place in 1993. In 2014, Jim Settelmeyer tested an
idea of a team half-marathon relay, but the idea
never really took off.
“There just wasn’t enough interest in it, it
seemed diffi cult to get going,” Settelmeyer said.
But with around 100 participants in the Gold
Rush with its second appearance in roughly eight
years, a successfully themed race may be emerg-
ing.
Please see Gold Rush Results, Page 3B
Photo by Sam Wright
Nearly 100 local community members showed up to run/
walk the route of the Gold Rush as the sun went down
on Friday night.
CGHS cross country
alumnus Sam Settelmeyer
blazed through the 5k
run on Friday. Taking fi rst
place with a time of 16:
45, beating his brother by
over a minute and a half.
Elementary
swimmers
qualify for
state meet
Six PR times set in
Roseburg
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
Sentinel fi le photo
This year's triathlon will feature just under 350 athletes from around the country and even the world. The race has been dubbed one of
America's top triathlons.
Best in the West takes command of Rolf Prima Tri for second year
The pretigious race returns to Cottage Grove this Saturday for the sixth annual triathlon
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
The Rolf Prima Triathlon is
set to return to Cottage Grove
Lake this Saturday, July 23.
This marks the sixth-annual
triathlon, which usually sees
over 300 entrants each year.
The event was originally kick-
started by dark:30 sports with
Steve Cash and Alan Cline with
the help of Blair Bronson. After
moving on to other opportuni-
ties, Cash passed the torch on to
Bronson, who heads Best in the
West events.
“He [Cash] had another busi-
ness he was running,” Bronson
said. It will be the second year
Best in the West has hosted the
race, and they seem to be doing
it justice. While Alan Cline and
dark:30 sports built a partner-
ship with the people of Cottage
Grove, Bronson and Best in the
West have maintained the rela-
tionship so that the race contin-
ues to be a welcomed and excit-
ing event.
Bronson says that they work
with Park Rangers and the Army
Corps to ensure that they meet
all of the requirements and can
have certain parts of the road
closed off for the race.
This year, Bronson reports
that just under 350 athletes have
registered, a number that corre-
lates with the growing popular-
ity of the fairly recent tradition.
“We’re very happy with the
turnout, but we would like to
get it to the 500 mark within the
next couple of years,” Bronson
said. Over 300 participants is a
great success, but the real sta-
tistic is that about 25 percent of
this year’s participants will be
fi rst-timers. Such a number is
encouraging to the goal of 500
participants in future years.
“The best way to spread the
word is by word of mouth,”
Bronson said. “It’s the best way,
in my opinion, if people have a
great experience then tell their
friends and family about it and
encourage them to join.” While
Best in the West does spend re-
sources on marketing online and
in print, Bronson says that good
feedback and recommendations
to other people is the best way
to get more participants.
Though 500 is a reachable
goal, Best in the West would
want to cap the number around
there. As the number of par-
ticipants increases, the race will
lose some of its intimacy.
The race will see the return of
power couple Guy Crawford and
Kate Belivaqua, who set records
while winning last year’s race.
Crawford fi nished the Olympic
distance in one hour, 51 minutes
and 36.2 seconds. That defeated
2014’s winner Jesse Thomas’s
record of 1:54.58.8. Belivaqua
also set a record for the wom-
en’s Olympic distance with a
time of 2:05:49.30.
“It’s a race I keep coming
back to because I love not only
the location and course, but the
fun, social atmosphere,” Be-
livaqua said.
Bronson says the race will be
a success as long as everyone
enjoys themselves.
“So long as everyone crosses
the fi nish line safely, it will be
successful,” he said.
Along with an increase in
participation, Best in the West
is looking to put on a kids' race
in order to get more youth in-
volved.
“I think that will be our peak;
if we can get a kid’s race going
and have more youth involved.”
The race will start at Cottage
Grove Lake on Saturday at 8
a.m.
The strength of Cottage
Grove’s high school swim-
mers is well known throughout
the community, but this past
weekend it was the elementary
swimmers that shined. Over the
weekend, Roseburg hosted one
of the largest swim meets of the
summer, where the competition
ranged from elementary to high
school and even some college
competitors.
Cottage Grove elementary-
level swimmers set six personal
records between four different
swimmers, and two qualifi ed
for the state championship meet
this upcoming weekend.
M.J. Raade placed fi rst in the
500-meter freestyle race, setting
a personal record of 6:20.46.
Despite the fi rst-place fi nish,
Raade unfortunately didn’t qual-
ify for state. However, she also
snagged a second-place fi nish
in the 100-meter freestyle race
with a time of 1:06.47, another
personal record. Sophia Seliva-
nova qualifi ed for six events, but
it was her 200-meter inter-med-
ley race that put an exclama-
tion mark on her performance.
Selivanova fi nished the event in
3:16.79, another personal record
for Lion swimmers and another
fi rst-place fi nish.
Sarah Wills, whose exact
times were not yet released to
head coach Tyson Pilling, made
a massive PR as she dropped her
100-meter butterfl y time by a
whopping 40 seconds and took
fi rst place in her race.
“It was by far the biggest time
Please see SWIMMING, Page 3B
Miller, Donahoo, Braaten and Maricle July 16 winners at Grove
BY BEN DEATHERAGE
For the Sentinel
Cottage Grove Speedway
hosted Bohemia Mining Days/
Ladies Night on Saturday, July
16. The historic quarter-mile
had some incredible racing
all evening long. Classes in
competition included the 360
Sprints, Late Models, IMCA
Sport Mods, and the Quality RV
Repair Hornets.
The 360 Sprints were on tap
for the third and fi nal round of
the Interstate Sprint Car Se-
ries Triple Crown. Grants Pass
driver Jared Ridge claimed the
lead in the early goings of the
main event but was soon passed
on lap seven by Garen Linder.
Linder, who is from Central
Point, lost the lead to Ridge
on lap 23. It looked like Ridge
had the race won until the fi nal
lap, when Eugene’s Kyle Miller
made a daring pass in the last set
of turns.
It was the fi rst winged 360
Sprint victory for Kyle Miller in
2016. Miller (driving of Kady
Adelman) accumulated the
most points over the three-race
miniseries to win the Interstate
Sprint Car Series Triple Crown.
Jared Ridge was the runner-
541-942-7561
up, followed by Garen Linder
in third. The rest of the top fi ve
was made up of Burlington,
Washington native Greg Ham-
ilton and Chelsea Blevins from
Anderson, California.
Britton Donahoo was the guy
to beat in the Late Model fea-
ture. Donahoo, out of Salem,
obtained the top place position
on the opening start. There he
remained for the entire distance
to win his second victory of the
season, which makes him the
fi rst driver in the Late Models
to visit the winner’s circle more
than once so far in the current
season.
Creswell’s Paul Culp fi nished
second, and ending the night
in third was David Schmidt
of Eugene. Redmond driver
Ron Brewster got fourth, while
Chuck Christian, from Eugene,
managed to place fi fth.
In the IMCA Sport Mods,
Daniel Ray set the tone early.
Ray, of Springfi eld, led the fi rst
lap until Jordon Braaten found
his way around him on the
eighth circuit. Braaten kept all
challengers behind him to win
for the fi fth time at CGS.
Please see SPEEDWAY, Page 3B
Friday
July
22nd
$2,600.00 to win Mark Howard Memorial Modii ed Nationals
NW Extreme Late Models, Late Models, IMCA Modii eds, Street Stocks
Saturday
July
23rd
Modii ed Nationals Continues with NW Extreme Late Models, Late Models,
www.cottagegrovespeedway.com
Clark Printing Extreme Sprints, IMCA Modii eds
SAVE! $5.00 of coupon good for this weekend only