Former LCSC runner qualifies for U.S. Olympic Marathon trials 

10-9-07

Lisa Paxton (left), a former member of the Lewis-Clark State College cross country program, has qualified for the United States Olympic Trials in the marathon, while another former runner will make another attempt to do the same. 

The Olympic Trials for the marathon will be held in Boston next April. 

Paxton, a 2003 LCSC graduate and member of the cross country and track teams, met the “B” standard (2 hours and 47 minutes) in the St. George Marathon in St. George, Utah on Saturday.  She posted a time of 2:45:36 and finished as the fifth overall female in the race.   

“This is very exciting for Lisa and shows the true inner determination and persistence she has in order to continue to pursue her running endeavors,” LCSC coach Mike Collins says.  “I am very excited for her and am quite positive that she will represent herself, her family and Lewis-Clark State in an outstanding manner as she continues with her training and in the race this next April.” 

Tausha Patterson (Kuzmic) a 2005 graduate, also took her first step in the same endeavor traveling from Tampa, Fla., to Portland, Ore., to run in her first attempt at making the “B” standard.  Being her first race this season, her goals were a little different than Lisa’s in that as a first race she wanted to see where her legs were when it came to racing and she had set a goal of 2:52 for the Portland race.  She was well on her way until she rolled an ankle at about the 13.5-mile mark and ended up hobbling her way to the finish. 

Collins says Patterson will have one maybe two more opportunities as qualifying times have to be made by mid March next spring.