Photo by Brightroom.com

Jeff Olenick (26) of Newport News, VA has burst upon the scene like a supernova this summer. After starting at Centennial High School in Columbia, MD (class of 1997), and continuing at Goucher College in Baltimore (graduating in 2001), Olenick's running career was then quiescent until 2005. After a decision to return to serious racing, and six months of hard training starting in January, Olenick's star shone bright at a half dozen races on the Virginia Peninsula in July and August (where he was undefeated), then peaked with a surprise win over Michael Wardian at the 30th annual Annapolis 10 Mile Run August 28th in 51:28. Shin splints and related running aches and pains have dimmed his racing for the fall, but Olenick plans a return to racing and further PRs starting in February.

In his senior year at Centennial High in Columbia, Olenick was the Maryland state 3A cross country champion, and won the state track 3,200 meters (in the 9:30's). At Goucher College, he was ninth in the NCAA Division III national cross-country championships and ran around 25:00 for the 8,000-meter harrier distance. At Goucher (coached by John Caslin) he ran cross- country all four years, and track for one year, but was hampered by stress fractures.

After graduating in 2001 (with a major in history), he got a logistics internship as a civilian employee at Fort Eustis, in Newport News, which became a permanent job. He was in the Middle East (Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, and United Arab Emirates) from January 2003 through August 2004, and returned to Fort Eustis as a Traffic Management Specialist in cargo transportation at the Surface Deployment and Distribution Center (SDDC) Operations Center. Although back in the U.S., he did no running last fall, only deciding to start training in January 2005.

Olenick's first race back was the Damien's Run for Recovery 5K June 26 in Columbia, while visiting his family, where he ran 15:04 (under the old course record of 15:08) and placed third (behind Philippe Rolly and Mike Styczynski) for $75 prize money in the fastest 5K ever in Howard County.

Olenick's first race ever on the Peninsula, the Yorktown Freedom Run 5K on July 4th, was a winning effort (in a PR 15:03 for $250 prize money), and he went undefeated until September 18. His other road PRs are 25:30 for 8K and 32:00 for 10K. With $2,400 in prize money, the Yorktown race attracted a strong field, including two Kenyans, Patrick Rotich (25), based out of Virginia Beach, and Barnabas Togom (26), of Princess Anne, MD, who had just graduated from Maryland-Eastern Shore. Rotich went out hard, and was caught by Olenick at the mile mark (covered in a quick 4:44). Both were together at two miles (9:37), and Olenick made the decisive move on the notoriously steep Buckner Street hill with a half mile to go, and pulled away for an 11- second win, 15:03 to 15:14, with Togom third in 15:27.

Next up were two track meets (July 7 and 21) at Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, where he won three different events. In the first Walsingham meet, held under relatively cool conditions, but with wind and threatening skies, Olenick easily won both the 1,600 meters (4:27.2) and the 3,000 meters (9:05.4), while running barefoot (he forgot his track spikes). The second meet featured the 5,000 meters, with most of the fastest road racers on the Peninsula entered. They endured stifling hot conditions (humid, with temperatures in the upper 80s). Olenick was an easy winner in 15:47.3.

Two local 5K races in August were final tune-ups for the Annapolis 10 Miler. On a Friday morning at his home base of Fort Eustis (Aug. 5), Olenick won the Super Day 5K by one and one- half minutes with a time of 15:31. Then on August 13 in Williamsburg, a record field of 356 entrants (including 264 finishers in the 5K) endured record heat--a high of 97 degrees that afternoon, and over 90 degrees at the 7 pm starting time for The Vineyards of Williamsburg 5K Run, the hottest Colonial Road Runners race ever held). Olenick was not fazed by the heat, easily winning in 15:23. The race record is 14:37 by 11-time William and Mary All-American Matt Lane, set in 2001 (the fastest time ever in any CRR event). Olenick tied the 15:23 race age-group record for men 25-29 originally set in 1994 by Rob Lee of Fort Lee. At the front, Olenick and CRR Grand Prix leader Mark Tompkins led a group of four from the start, with the first mile covered in 4:56. Olenick pulled away from Tompkins at the turnaround point on Treasure Island Road, and extended his lead to 27 seconds by the finish.

The focus all summer for Olenick was the Annapolis 10-Mile Run, the RRCA National 10 Mile Championship, which he won under warm and humid conditions. Michael Wardian of Arlington set a fast pace, but Olenick took over the lead at 7.5 miles, and pulled away to a 51:28 to 52:14 win. Olenick was an unknown to Wardian, but he hung with the quick pace. "I felt real good," said Olenick. "It was what I had been training for all summer, my first long distance race (10 miles or above). I couldn't have run that well without Wardian setting the breakneck pace early. Once I got used to the pace (around three miles in), I just rolled with it."

The ten-mile race took its toll on his legs, though, and Olenick was worried that shin splint pain might turn into a repeat of the stress fractures that curtailed his collegiate career. He passed up an opportunity to win $500 at the September 10 Abbitt Realty Bay Days 10K in Hampton, then was second (to Brian Godsey) in 14:52 (on a course Olenick felt was about 30 seconds short) at the Police Pace 5K in Ellicott City, MD September 18. That will probably be it for the year. Olenick said, "Running is currently on hold while I allow a couple of injuries to heal. Nothing really planned until next year. I only started running again in January to just prove to myself that I could still put up some quality times (PRs). With that done, I'm just waiting until I get motivated again." His training is relatively light, about 40 to 50 miles per week. "Not a lot of miles, but I go for quality over quantity," said Olenick. "I usually try and keep every run (even the 9 to 10 mile long runs) under 5:50 pace. I hate cross-training and pretty much just coach myself."

Olenick continued, "This injury was screwing with my form and resulted in me severely straining a muscle in the same leg (right). Just seemed like a good time to take off. I'm planning on getting back into running sometime next month [November] and racing again around February. I'll then plan on picking up the training in the spring for (hopefully) another big summer with some PRs." So, although Olenick's star power is currently on the wane, it should burn brightly again in the new year.