Article published October 26, 2008
IN THEIR WORDS: RACHEL (SAUDER) KINSMAN
Archbold great is still running
8 state track titles, 1 in cross country
Rachel Kinsman would have won 10 state titles, but she was disqualified as a senior for wearing multicolored tights.
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THE BLADE
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In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sundays in The Blade sports section. Blade sports writer John Wagner talked with Rachel (Sauder) Kinsman, who won state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in all four of her years at Archbold High School.
If the world were fair, Rachel (Sauder) Kinsman would be remembered as one of the best distance runners in Ohio high school history.
Unfortunately, Kinsman instead is better known for a fashion faux pas that cost her dearly.
Kinsman was one of the most highly decorated prep runners in Ohio during her four years at Archbold High School. She remains the only person, male or female, in Ohio High School track history to win both the 1,600 meters and 3,200-meter races at the state meet in all four years of her high school career (1989-92).
She also won a state Division III title in cross country as a junior in 1990 and finished first as a senior. But Kinsman was stripped of that crown, disqualified for wearing multicolored tights under her uniform.
That incident did little to impede her running career. Kinsman ran collegiately at Auburn, where she earned All-American honors seven times, three times in indoor track and twice each in cross country and outdoor track. In 1996, she was named the school's female athlete of the year.After graduating in 1997 with a degree in health promotions, Kinsman was on the team that earned a bronze for the United States in the 2000 World Cross Country Championships and had three trips to the U.S. Olympic Trials. She competed in the 10,000 meters in 2000 and in the marathon in 2004 and this year.
Kinsman lives in Archbold with her husband, Mike, and her two daughters, Rayne, 3, and Adison, 1. She works for the Fulton County Health Department.
"CROSS COUNTRY MY freshman year was just plain fun. I was very new to the running scene. I joined after the season had started after being convinced by my volleyball coach, Char Sharp, to go out for the team. Nobody really knew who I was, there was no pressure, I was just having fun. At the state meet, I placed seventh that year, got to stand on the podium for the first time, and realized that I kind of like this running thing.
"AFTER WINNING the state track titles my freshman year, I had more confidence. My sophomore year I placed second at the state meet to Michelle Borgert from Kirtland, who is now a very close friend. Going into cross country my junior year, I knew Michelle had graduated and thought this might be my chance. Since that second-place finish my sophomore year, I had not been beaten, on the track or in cross country, so I was pretty confident. I did finally win a cross country title my junior year, and it was awesome.
"MY SENIOR YEAR state meet story has been told over and over again. It has been used by coaches as an example of what not to do, but I am glad that people can learn from my mistake. My senior meet was another cold, windy November day, so I had decided to wear tights under my shorts for the first time that season. We checked in with the official - he checked our numbers and uniforms. We specifically asked about my tights, and he said, yes, they were OK, as long as there were no large advertisements on them. So I continued to warm up, they called us to the line, my sweats came off, the gun sounded, and off we went. Little did I know that as soon as the gun went off, I had been disqualified for wearing multicolored tights. Not knowing that, I ran the race, winning my second title by about 40 seconds. I no more than crossed the finish line and my coach [Chuck Forward] grabbed me and told me the news. I was devastated. I was a high school senior, and it hurt having something that meant so much being taken away.
"AS A FRESHMAN [in track], I was pretty naive about everything. I was just having fun. Things had gone well during the season, but I had been beaten a few times throughout the year. I think I was more focused on our 4x800 relay team. I enjoyed the team aspect of running the relay. Even after winning the mile, I would never have thought that winning the two-mile would be a possibility, but again being naive was a blessing.
"I THINK THAT THE most pressure I faced was during my junior year. I had been out with [mononucleosis] from mid-April until the league meet, where I ran one race and got beat. During districts and regionals, my weekly goal was to advance. I knew that I had a few weeks to prepare, I just needed to be in the top four. That's exactly what happened: I didn't win any of those races, but I did advance, and by the time state came around, I felt a little more confident.
"GOING INTO THE STATE MEET my senior year, I was excited, nervous, and trying to take in everything about that meet. This meet was the highlight of my high school career: rounding the corner, running the last 100 meters of the two-mile, hearing the announcer say I was going to be the first [female] Ohio athlete to win two events all four years, getting a standing ovation, and hearing the cheers of the crowd."
"AUBURN WAS AND still is awesome. I had great coaches, the team was awesome, and I loved the South. I was the first Auburn University female to receive All-American honors in cross country. And I think the most surprising accomplishment was when I received the Leah Rawl Atkins female athlete of the year award my senior year. Auburn had so many great student-athletes in all sports, I was honored that they picked me.
"AFTER MY SENIOR year, my college coach left Auburn and moved to Oregon to be close to his family. I decided to follow him and continue my training out there with him as my coach. Oregon is well known for their running, so it was a perfect fit. I spent three years in Oregon and qualified for my first Olympic Trials in 2000.
"IN THE FALL OF 2004, my husband Mike and I decided we would like to start a family. I was able to run through most of my pregnancy and our daughter, Rayne, was born in September of 2005. Then, with about 18 months until the [2008] Trials, Mike and I decided it was time for Baby No. 2. Again, I was blessed with a great pregnancy and our daughter, Adison, arrived on October 25, 2007. With the Trials only six months away, I started training again in December and had a goal of getting in the best shape possible knowing I wasn't going to be 100 percent. Training went as planned, and at the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials on April 20 I had the best marathon experience yet.
"MY LIFE NOW is about balance and being organized. Running makes me a better wife and mom. It is my time, and that time usually happens in the early morning hours. I get up and head out the door before anybody else wakes up. I do this so that I don't have to miss family time. Mike is very supportive and I couldn't do it all without him. There are so many great memories that I have from Archbold. Archbold is where it all started, and I am so happy and thankful to be back."
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