Former Centre athlete continues record-breaking ways at OU
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Every once in a while, an outstanding athlete in high school goes on to become an outstanding athlete in college.
Justin Garrard, a Centre High School graduate and a junior at Ottawa University in Ottawa, is one of those. He has compiled four record-breaking finishes as a long-distance runner at OU.
His latest accomplishment was in the St. Louis, Mo., half-marathon (13.1 miles). He finished eighth overall out of 8,000 runners and took first place in the 20-24 age group.
Justin's time of one hour, 13 minutes, and 31 seconds broke the OU record of l:23.45 set by junior Shawn Stottlemire in 2007.
His time ranks as the 25th best in the NAIA (National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics) this season. It also qualified Garrard for the NAIA national marathon, May 24, at Southern Illinois University.
According to coach Kirk Wren, the NAIA is the only national association that has a national marathon, and Justin is the only student-athlete he has coached at OU who has qualified in all three national championships: cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track.
"Justin is an incredible student-athlete," Wren was quoted as saying in an article in The Ottawa Herald. "He works hard and is a very intelligent runner."
Justin's first OU record-breaker was set May 12, 2007, at Emporia State University, where he ran the 10,000m in 32:37.35. His finish broke the old record, set in 2004, by two minutes and 13 seconds.
In November, Justin broke an indoor track and field record with a run of 15:30.56 in the 5000m.
He also established a new record in outdoor track with a run of 15:32.87 and was named the 5000m champion in the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference).
As a CHS senior, Justin set the school record in track in the two-mile run with a time of 9:58.86. He finished second in state competition.
As a cross country runner in high school, he missed qualifying for state by one place as a freshman and qualified every year after that, finishing in second place at state as a senior, less than seven seconds behind the winner.
Justin said he runs five to seven days a week, at least two days in a speed work-out and three days in distance runs. He runs for approximately one hour each time, covering more than 10 miles.
He is carrying a full 17-hour academic load and currently has a 3.85 grade-point average.
Finding time to study can be difficult.
"I usually study at night and during any extra time I might have," he said.
As an OU student, he competes with other colleges in the KCAC including Tabor, Bethel, Friends, and McPherson.
His parents, John and Sandra Garrard of Antelope, attend as many meets as possible and are excited about Justin's success.
"I'm always trying to push myself, trying to find my limits," he said. "This sport has been very, very good to me. I thank the Lord for this talent."
Justin intends to finish his undergraduate studies next spring, earning a degree in business administration with an emphasis in human resources.
Meanwhile, he plans to keep on running and, hopefully, breaking more records.
