Regional USA Track & Field honors two Modesto runners

Jon Olsen (right) receives the PA USATF male ultra-runner of the year award.

Much like they do in their respective races, Modesto residents Jon Olsen and Barbara Miller have been on a tear, this time on the awards circuit.

Olsen was named the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field's male ultra-runner of the year at its awards ceremony, Feb. 19, in Berkeley.

Among Olsen's accomplishments during 2012 were placing seventh overall at the IAU World 100K Championships in Seregno, Italy; winning the North Coast 24-hour Endurance Run and setting a pending 12-hour track record at the Desert Solstice Track Race, Dec. 15, in Phoenix.

In Italy, Olsen also was the second U.S. finisher, covering the 100K (about 62 mile) course in 6:48:51, or about 6:35 per mile.

Olsen recently was selected as one of six members of the USATF National 24-Hour Team, which will compete at the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 24-Hour World Championship, May 11-12, in Steenburgen, Netherlands.

PA USATF honored Miller for the best age-graded performance among PA women last year. She age-graded 96.76% with her 1:47:38 at the Clarksburg Half-Marathon in November.

Age grading is a formula that takes into account your time and age to project what you would have run if you were in your prime—your 20s and sometimes into your 30s, depending on the distance.

Miller also was reocognized as the top woman within USATF nationally in the 70-74 age group with her time of 23:47, run in the Women's Fitness 5K last summer in Sacramento.