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Runners on the Way Up
Randy and Emily Buzzell
By James MorelandSeptember 1998
Washington Running Report
Randy is fifteen and Emily turned thirteen August 5. These two girls have been running competitively since they were seven when they joined the Middletown Knight Striders. The Striders is a youth running club that competes in cross-country meets in the fall and track and field meets during the spring and summer.
When they joined the Knight Striders, Rusty Moore of Middletown, MD was the head coach. Moore (42) was an elite runner in the area for many years, running 2:25 for the marathon and a sub 5:00 pace for the 8K and 10K. With children of his own and an easy-going approach to racing, he helped them avoid the danger of burnout when running competitively at such a young age.
At age eight, Emily had set the Maryland single age record in the 5M at 41:28. The year before Randy, at age ten, ran 38:23 for the state record. The Spring Thaw, where they ran, is not a flat course. Many youngsters that age are still running fun runs of a mile or less.
Four years ago when Moore's children moved on to high school, Dave Buzzell took over as the coach. Buzzell is a truly laid- back runner. When Ted Poulos ran 215 races in 1995, Dave went the other way and nearly tied the record for fewest races of the year. This elite athlete broke down in early October and ran the Market Street Mile. His time of 4:48 gave him a top three finish. This year, now in his mid-forties he plans to cut back and do three to four races for the year.
The Knight Striders practice three days a week. Some of the kids run on other days as well. When they are training, Randy averages about 25 miles per week and Emily averages around 15-20 miles per week. Randy and Emily also run an occasional road race, usually during the winter or summer months when there is no track or cross country. Both set their 5K PRs at O'Doul's Shamrock 5K Run in March. Randy was sixth overall and third in the nineteen and under division in a pending state record 18:47 (the record is 18:49 by Kari McCarty). Emily was fourteenth overall and sixth in the division.
In 1996, while looking for a cross-country meet for the Knight Striders, Dave mistakenly called the Georgetown Prep Invitational, thinking it was an open meet. In fact, it is one of the largest high school cross-country meets in the Washington area. The race director cleared up his misunderstanding, but graciously invited the Knight Striders to compete. Competing in the small high school division, the Knight Striders team consisted of five members--three eighth graders and two sixth graders. They finished second among the high school teams. Randy won the race and Emily was tenth.
Unfortunately, because they took one of the three team trophies, a coach complained about their participation. As a result, the meet no longer permits kids of middle-school age to run in the race. Randy and Emily are hoping to return and compete there as high schoolers.
In 1997 Randy, then fourteen, became the youngest ranked woman in the Washington Running Report, finishing 27th in the open division. She was the overall winner in three races. Her 32:14 Spring Thaw race is a state record. Her 19:12 victories, at both the Duckworth 5K and the Keys Ballpark Run, are pending records.
This year Randy is a sophomore at Middletown High School. Last year, as a first year student, she won the state title for 2A schools. (Maryland divides its schools into four classes based on size (1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A). Middletown High School won the team championship as well, with three other first year students on the team.
At the state cross-country meet, Randy suffered a torn hip muscle during a sprint to the finish (she won by two seconds), which caused her to miss the indoor season. In the spring, she competed in outdoor track, winning the state 1600-meter title in 5:08. She was second in the 3200-meter with a time of 11:19. Randy's best time in the 800 is 2:19. In 1997, Randy was the 1500-meter champion at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Youth National Championships (13-14 age group). As a twelve-year-old, Randy was second at the USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships.
Emily's 1998 season is already tremendous. Three times she ran under the existing state record of 35:22 for 5 miles. In March at the Forest of Needwood she won the race 33:34. The following month at the Spring Thaw she was the overall winner in 34:28. At the Twilight 8K in July, Emily finished behind her sister's 32:14 for second in the division with 33:15.
Like Randy, Emily's favorite track event is the 1500-meter run, where her best time is 4:56 (a 5:16 mile equivalent). She is entering eighth grade, so will not be competing for Middletown High School for another year. There are many other good young runners currently running for the Knight Striders, and once they and Emily reach the high school level, Middletown High School should have one of the top teams in the region. Emily's has four top-twenty finishes in youth national cross-country meets, including a 10th place finish at the AAU Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in 1996.
Now that Randy is in high school, she and Emily no longer train together as much. Both are looking forward to being on the same team in 1999. The girls keep running diaries and really enjoy the sport. They hope to keep running through their college years and beyond.