Jenna Furr was in the race.
The Caldwell sophomore distance runner ran in Saturday's Ohio Division III 3,200-meter final at the OHSAA state track and field meet that is currently being highlighted nationally for its sportsmanship on the internet.
Furr actually had nothing to do with what occurred after she crossed the finish line in 11th place in a clocking of 11 minutes, 49.49 seconds.
But she was on the scene for something very special - two of her back-of-the-pack opponents hanging onto each other as they crossed the finish line.
Trailing Furr -who did not place - and finishing 14th and dead last were Arlington sophomore Arden McMath and West Liberty-Salem junior Meghan Vogel, respectively.
"The girl from Arlington (McMath) was actually in front of me, and I could tell she was having a hard time," Furr said. "I passed her on the last lap before she collapsed.
"Afterwards I heard the crowd cheering (Vogel and McMath)."
Now, here's where the great sportsmanship came into play, and there's a video on the internet to support it.
About 20 feet from the finish line, McMath collapsed and lay on the track. She was exhausted.
On the heels of the Arlington runner was Vogel, who stopped to help instead of continuing on.
"I didn't really see what happened, because I was on the back stretch," said Caldwell track and field coach Dugan Hill. "But I know the girl who stopped to help the other girl had run earlier and won the 1600 race, and she had the best view from the back of the pack to what was going on (McMath collapsing on the track)."
It was truly amazing - and also technically illegal as Vogel could've been disqualified for aiding McMath - but the Ohio track official on the scene wisely chose to ignore it.
"The referee did a good job of walking away," Hill said.
Well, give that official a big round of applause.
And, while you're at it, give one to the two girls, too.
With Vogel helping McMath to her feet, the two thinclads finished the short distance remaining - together.
McMath was clocked at 12:29.90, while Vogel's was 12:30.24.
Vogel was last but she would've been anyways if McMath hadn't fallen. Like Furr, neither McMath or Vogel medaled in the event. Only the top 8 got to stand on the podium and be recognized as All-Ohio.
Alexandra Markovich of Gates Mills Hawken was first in 11:04.53 while Shadyside's Tara Tollett pocketed the silver in 11:06.63.
"Tara and I are good friends," Furr said, "and we race against each other."
Hill said that Furr's time in the 3200 race was a PR (personal record).
"She ran her best at the state meet, and I'm very pleased with her performance," the Caldwell coach said.
Vogel, of course, did not leave the state meet medal-less as she won the 1,600-meter race in a time of 4:58.31.
Overall, Vogel was first in one race and first class in another.
The girl deserves a lot of credit.
Heck, all the track athletes do.
Ron Johnston is the Marietta Times sports editor and can be reached at 376-5441 or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com
