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UjENA FIT Club Running Interviews and articles with 100 Interesting People

Best Road Races and the UjENA FIT Club is speaking with 100 people who we feel have a lot to say about running, racing and fitness  We will give you background information as will as their insights into the future.  Be sure to post your feedback and comments.

Read All UjENA FIT Club Running Interviews

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The sport of Double Racing is about ready to Take Off!
Posted Thursday, February 19th, 2015
by Bob Anderson, publisher of Double Runner magazine (Photo Bob Anderson with world record holder Julius Koskei wearing the yellow... Read Interview
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2013 Ujena Fit Club Male Runner of the Year
Posted Monday, March 17th, 2014
The Chris Jones story is a running saga of epic proportions.  Don't try this at home! (Photo - Leadville 100... Read Interview
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Sharon Vos: Three in a Row
Posted Sunday, March 23rd, 2014
Aging ever so gracefully at age 59 and forging a career record that becomes ever more impressive, Sharon Vos is... Read Interview
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Julius Koskei: All In the Family
Posted Tuesday, November 5th, 2013
 By David Prokop Editor Best Road RacesJulius Koskei (pronounced Kos-kay), who set the current world record in the Double Road... Read Interview

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Ceci Hopp St Geme - Interview No. 12
Monday, January 30th, 2012
"I was Not A Regular College Girl"
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Ceci Hopp St. Geme started running in 1979 and loved pushing herself from the start.  Within a year she gained national attention when she won the 1980 Kenney (now called Foot Locker) National Cross-Country Championships.  There were several other girls who were favorites but she beat them all.

Ceci grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and now lives in Newport Beach, California with her husband Ed and their six children.  Over the last ten years she has had good success coaching.  She is a premier master runner and is still capable of running sub 19 minutes 5ks at age 48. 

I see her almost every year in Carlsbad for the 5000.  She loves running and her excitement for the sport continues to be as strong as ever.  (Interview by Bob Anderson

1. You were a ballerina and tennis player before you joined your High School track team in 1979. 
Yes I danced for the Greenwich Ballet Company from age 6 until high school and wasn't quite flexible enough to take it to the professional level so I picked up tennis hoping to be the next Chris Evert...went out for indoor track my sophomore year at Greenwich High School to get in shape for the spring tennis season but realized I had more of a future as a runner.  Back then it was an extracurricular activity to me to help me get into a good college.....girls in the 70's did not dream of getting athletic scholarships yet.  By the end of my sophomore spring I was the CT State Champion in the 800 and ran 4:55 for a mile.

Photo Above: Ceci on the last turn of the 2009 Carlsbad 5000.  She ran 18:18 and was first 45-49.  Photo by Catherine Cross Ujena Fit Club



2. Did you love running right from the start? 
Yes, I loved that the harder I tried and worked correlated so directly to improvement...not always the case in tennis or other team sports. It was the perfect competitive outlet for me.

3. Then you won the Kinney National Cross Country Championships in 1980?
Yes, I had been injured my junior spring with stress fractures in my shins which made me so hungry to train and compete my senior year...I was very similar to Jordan Hasay running away from my competition from the gun...even at the Kinney (now Footlocker) meet I ran away from the favorites Vicky Cook, Polly Plumer and Lynn Strauss and never looked back finishing in 17:12 on the old Balboa Park Course that had the switchbacks.

Photo: 1980 Kinney Cross-Country Meet

4. What kind of training did you do in high school?
So much of my success I high school stemmed from my years of ballet and tennis beforehand..I did not start running until I was 16...and am not a big fan of age group running. I was never high mileage (30-35 miles per week) had a different coach for each season, but one Club coach Bill Mongovan of the Gateway Track Club (who still coaches at Greenwich High School) kept me on track for regional and national competition. Lots of 200's and 400's on the track, and hilly six mile runs on the back roads of Greenwich, Conn.

Photo: My six kids hanging out at the beach.

5. Were your parents totally behind you?
Yes, especially my Dad who played football at Columbia and treated me like his oldest son athletically...always filming me and advising me in a very quiet manner. I still remember NCAA's at BYU in 1982 where I had a large 100m lead going into the last straight away and the altitude hit me...I wasn't sure I would make it to the finish line and I picked my dad's voice out of the crowd shouting at me to go to my arms and they carried me to the finish in first by one second!

Photo: My coach Bill Sumner and I before the start of a race.

6. Did you have a good coach?
I have been lucky to have a number of great coaches! In high school Garland Allen (the boys basketball coach..he coached Steve Young too) was my track coach and I won the USATF (TAC back then) 3000m nationals in 9:21 under his guidance. At Stanford and professionally I just loved being coached by Brooks Johnson...he was unbelievably motivation and I won the NCAA's and USATF 5000m titles under his watch and was top ten in cross country four times once finishing second to Lynn Jennings. He was all about speed...fast repeats with full recovery. As a masters athlete I have been coached by Bill Sumner who is an incredible coach on any level though he chooses to focus on high school athletes.  I wish I had been able to run for him as an open athlete as I think I would not have struggled with as many injuries under his guidance.

7. Why do you think you were able to push yourself...dominating the cross-country and track scene? 
I love to run, love to be in shape, and was so darn competitive....really liked to win!

8. What was a typical day like then?
In high school during the winter we would often have to run laps indoors around the student center (11 laps to the mile) or around the shoveled parking lot.  I ran a lot with the boys by my senior year...or on my own on the roads..I had so much fun training and competing for GHS.

Photo: I enjoy running the Carlsbad 5000 (this is in 2009)

9. You must of been flooded with offers from colleges?
There were not that many strong women's programs yet....my dad really wanted me to go to an Ivy League but many of them were just starting programs for women....it came down to Harvard, Princeton, and UVA.   Then I went to Stanford in February of my senior year and met Brooks Johnson. It was only the second year they gave women athletic track scholarships...

10. Was it hard to leave Connecticut?
No, I really wanted a warmer climate and to experience California. I was so excited to have earned a full scholarship so my dad didn't have to pay for my education (I have four younger siblings) and very excited to run for Brooks. Stanford is an Ivy League education with world class athletics that you can't get on the same level at any other University.

Photo: Hanging out with my running girlfriends...they are having way too much fun.

11. What was it like running at Stanford?
TOUGH! We had a very talented team and we beat each other up quite a bit in practice....but also pushed each other to the top.  Pattisue Plumer and I went 1-2 at NCAA's and Kim Schnurpfeil won the 10,000 both at NCAA's and TAC's.  We finished second at NCAA cross country nationals three years in a row..missing the title each time because of injuries. Regina Jacobs was also on this squad...

12. What kind of workouts were you doing then?
Mile repeats on the golf course were at 4:39 to 4:46. One workout we had was a mile around the Stanford stadium then drop down to the track for a 400 ....eight of these. Regina Pattisue and I would push the 400s trying to go under 60 each time and the longer distance gals would push the recovery mile under 6min! Brooks also had us do a lot of 100's and barefoot diagonals on the grass working on form..mostly arms.

Photo: Racing at the Carlsbad 5000 (2009)...she ran 18:18.

13. Did you have time to be a "regular" college girl?
I joke with my daughters that my sorority was SU TRACK...no I was not a regular college girls although I had some fun and did well academically earning my masters with my fifth red shirted year. What a lot of people don't realize when they tell a person they are so lucky to earn a scholarship is that it was hard work to earn it, and collegiate athletes earn every penny of their scholarships...it is a full time job on top of school in college.

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14. Did you love running your guts out?  You won the 1994 National 5,000m Championships.  
If I was fast enough to run the 800 (2:03pr) - 1500(4:11pr) - mile(4:27pr) on an elite level I would have but I had more success at the 3000m, 5000m...although I rarely ran the 5000.

15. Did you friends understand what you were doing?
I think so...although I suspect they couldn't quite understand running in circles.

16. You qualified for the Olympic Trials twice.
Frustrating...I ran very well in 1982 but was injured in 1984, missed 1988 with pregnancies, finshed 5th at nationals in 1991 but hurt my foot at the trials in 1992...won nationals in 1994 but was injured in 1995 and my dad passed away that year so couldn't hold on for 1996.  I guess I was just not meant to make an Olympic team...my timing was off.

Photo: Running girlfriends getting ready to go out for a run.

17. Is there one race that stands out above all others?
Probably the USATF Cross Country nationals in November of 1993 in Missoula MT.  It was 7 months after the birth of our third daughter and it was seven degrees below zero but still and sunny.  I was one of the older runners at 30 and a rare mother out there.....half way into the race I started wondering why I was out there, I had babies and husband at home who would hug me regardless of how I ran...why was I racing on snow in freezing conditions away from them....but suddenly I turned it around with a mile to go and challenged myself to see how well I could do as a mother of three and nothing to lose....I dropped the pack and almost caught Lynn Jennings finishing 2nd. You have to remember that there were not that many older athletes competing into their 30's back then much less mothers.  In 1994 I beat Jen Rhines the NCAA champion that year in the USATF 5000m in Knoxville TN...she is still out there racing well almost 20 years later.

18. How important has diet been to you in the past?
When I was in college everything was about carbohydrates and thinner was better...this was before they knew the damage amenorrhea did to women and calcium absorption...so many of us struggled with stress fractures.  Today athletes know the importance of protein and a balanced diet...and strong is better.  However, I do think too many female athletes base their performance too much on diet...diet is important to the extent that it is well balanced and you are well hydrated....but your training and confidence should not revolve around it.

19. Has anything changed with your diet after turning 40? 
Since I graduated from college I have always had a balanced diet...I eat what I want... I just don't overeat. The only thing I have cut out of my diet completely is alcohol because there are too many alcoholic genes in my heritage. However, since I cut out wine I probably have more of a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate...so I guess you have to get your sugar somewhere.

Photo: Now that is a good looking family...

20. Tell us about your family. Do they run?
We have not raised our family as a "running" family...our older three daughters all ran track and cross country in high school coming form soccer, basketball, and volleyball backgrounds picking it up in 8th grade, one hurdled. Our son was the freshman quarterback at CdM and loves basketball, our fifth daughter loves to cheer and our youngest is playing lacrosse but wants to run in high school.  Again, I am not a huge fan of age group running..they are growing too much for the straight pounding and get burned out easily in high school as it is not a "game" and can become a grind.  My husband and I run four miles together a few times a week. 

21. How have you juggled your training and racing routine around your family?
I have been fortunate enough to be able to afford some help with our children and household over the years...I am also very flexible in my training and get it in when I can make it happen....race more locally and pick races that work with our family calendar.

22. You have six kids, how much time did you take off?
I did not train and compete from 23-17 and 35-40.  I did not train through my pregnancies but jogged up until a week or two before giving birth. The better shape I was in going into a pregnancy the faster I came back.  I tested the first jogger stroller in 1987 around Palo Alto with our oldest daughter and people looked at me like I was nuts.  Same with jogging pregnant back then.

Photo: Cal Coast running friends

23. Was it tough to get back to racing weight?
Every pregnancy was a bit different depending on my agenda after giving birth...I found nursing longer made me hang onto the last five pounds longer than when I nursed briefly...I didn't breastfeed  my last baby and the weight came right off and she was my healthiest baby...it is very individual. Interval work drops the weight faster for me than long slow runs.

24. What do your kids think of her mom being a top runner?
I think they have heard about it for so long they don't think much of it....they see me more as a high school track coach now...and as their mom.

25. Have any major injuries put you on the sidelines? 
Yes..it is part of this sport...we aren't pounding other bodies like football but we are pounding the ground.  I have had about a dozen stress fractures over the years, torn my plantar, strained Achilles, knee issues...but the toughest recently have been foot issues.  I have had surgery by Dr. Amol Saxena on both feet...he has saved them - he is the best podiatrist for runners!  I broke my navicular bone in one foot he pinned back together ten years ago...I am lucky to be able to run at all now!  Definitely dealing with arthritis now too.

Photo: Running friends

26. What was it like moving up to the master's level? 
So much fun...Bill Sumner made it fun...I have a large ladies group to train with in Corona del Mar...and love that I have no agenda and can race when I want to where I want to..share it with my daughters too.  I went from all time prs to post pregnancy prs, to modern day prs....now I am training and racing just enough to keep from getting injured and hope to be running for years to come.

27. Do you still love running and racing as much as you did?
At 48 I am not enjoying as much as I did even three years ago as my body just hurts more..I can't do the mileage to try to get faster and that is frustrating!  But I still enjoy it all.

28. You have been coaching for over 10 years.  Are you a good coach?
I think I am a good coach....we need more females coaching in the running community...especially on the collegiate level.  I have learned a lot from Bill Sumner about dealing with teenagers, and we have won state five times in the last eight years in cross country and had a Distance Medley national championship team who set the California state record.

29. Has this helped you personally as a runner?
Oh do I wish I knew as a young athlete what I know now as a coach...don't we all!  Especially about race strategy!

30. Does being an attractive female runner ever cause any problems?
Thank you...no. Just need to keep my sunglasses on now....

Photo: Ceci was recently inducted into the CT Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame...others before her included Bruce Jenner, Steve Young and Dorothy Hamill.

31. How is it going to feel turning 50?
Young in a new decade!

32. Do you want to run some more good races?
If my body allows it....

33. Will you be watching Olympic Track and Field this summer?
Yes, of course.....some of the athletes are peers of my daughters.

34. Do you watch many running events?
Big track meets....

35. What about the marathon?
I just had a blast running the last ten miles of the 2011 NY Marathon with my girlfriend Jill..so that was amazing to experience a marathon without having to run the whole thing...my body would not be able to do that. 

36. Besides running, what do you do to continue to look beautiful?
Sleep is so important!

37. Do you like dressing up and putting on makeup?
Yes I always have...my college teammates back in the 80's teased me for my blue eye shadow and feather earrings when I raced.

38. Besides running what else do you enjoy?
I love watching our children's sporting events, love to coach, traveling with my husband, and running and brunching with my girlfriends.  I have also spent a lot of time fund raising for high school athletics and the Magic Shoe Charity which collects and refurbishes athletic shoes for those in need.

39. What is a typical day like these days?
Running and household errands in the morning, computer work mid day, coaching in the afternoon, driving kids and dinner in the evening.

40. Has running always been a part of the St Geme family?
Yes in many different ways.

41. What if you had not found running? 
I would be a much crabbier person, but I would probably be playing tennis or teaching aerobics.

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