MARYSVILLE — Olympic fever must have been running high. For the second week in a row, turnout at Marysville’s all-comers track meet hovered around 100 participants.
With nearly double the turnout from the previous two weeks, new records were set and the level of competition went up a notch or two.
And then there were the occasional fanatical participants.
Exhibit A in the latter category: M-P cross country runner Stevie Utt. The 16-year-old capped off an informal morning run with cross country teammates at Jennings Park by competing in every running event at the all-comers meet. Utt set a record in the 1,600 for his age class with a 5:19 time, a feat exponentially more impressive when compounded by his participation in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 5k runs. Bystanders observed that he ran the last event barefoot.
Belmont siblings Alex, 8, and Amelia, 4, left their own mark on the summer’s final all-city meet, combining for 15 new records that will stand until competition opens again next summer. Amelia had best times by age in the 50 hurdles (13.53), 50 (12.49), 100 (26.09), 200 (58.43), 400 (2:47), softball throw (20-0) and standing long jump (3-1).
Her brother set records among the 8-year-old set in all of his sister’s events but the long jump. He threw an especially hefty 117-11 in the softball throw and set new marks in the the shot put (17-6 1/2) and high jump, clearing 3-11.
Other multiple record-breakers included Garret Westover, 11, who proved adroit in the hurdles where he set records in the 50 and 100 hurdles, plus the 50- and 400-meter dashes. Old records fell in the 13- to 14-year old class as 13-year-old Odin Atkinson set the bar a little higher in the boys 200 (29.01) and 800 (2:36) and 14-year-old Cody House won the 100 (11.74) and long jump (17-3). Meanwhile 33-year-old Angela Clements set new marks in the sprints, running 16.4 in the 100, 38.6 in the 200 and 2:36 in the 400. Clements cleared 9-9 in the long jump for a record there as well.