Anne St. Geme

Steve Virgen

Improbable, impressive and intriguing.

Those were the words associated with Anne St. Geme’s performance

in the 1,600 meters of the Trabuco Hills track and field invitational

Saturday.

The Corona del Mar High sophomore sensation won the event with a

meet record time of 4 minutes, 59.24 seconds, a personal best and a

stunning result, considering she thought she would not finish under

five minutes midway through the race.

She completed the first 800 meters in 2:35, and even her coach,

Bill Sumner, thought St. Geme would not come in under five-flat.

But she covered the third lap in 72 seconds and duplicated that

time for the final 400 to break the meet record.

“That’s just scary,” Sumner said. “I was very impressed.”

St. Geme, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, also won the 800

(2:14.67). The victories seemed to have added more pressure for St.

Geme to fulfill her potential. In addition, there appears to be a

sense of urgency for St. Geme because of her genes.

Her mother, Ceci, was the 1982 NCAA champion in the 3,000 meters

while at Stanford and she went on to achieve success after college as

well. Ceci volunteers her assistance to the Sea King program. St.

Geme’s father, Ed, played football, also at Stanford.

But all the talk and expectations surrounding St. Geme only causes

her to work harder.

“It motivates me when I hear people say I have more potential,”

St. Geme said. “My mom didn’t run until she was a sophomore in high

school. Her time in the 1,600 as a sophomore was 4:55. She always

says I’m a faster runner than she was. She motivates me that way.”

St. Geme also said she has been aided by the coaching of Sumner

and her teammates, especially freshman Hilary May, who challenges St.

Geme consistently during training sessions. St. Geme won’t stop short

and rest on her talent and genes. She has the desire to work hard, as

well.

“Her talent plays a big role,” Sumner said. “But as much talent as

she has, what she is doing now is based on her work ethic. There are

no short cuts with this kid. She works so hard. She is very special

[in regard to her work ethic.”

In addition to regular practice work for running, St. Geme has

also added core training, which involves push-ups, sit-ups and an

exercise called bridge.

That’s when she leans on her arms in the push-up position and

remains there. She is up to 2:20 for holding that position.

“It’s not too much,” St. Geme said of the extra workout. “We don’t

do weight training. The push-ups are probably the most drastic change

from last year. In the race I feel I could go to my arms a lot more,

because sometimes my legs wear out a bit.”

St. Geme said she felt she actually could have ran the 1,600

meters faster Saturday.

She will have the opportunity to improve Saturday at the Arcadia

Invitational.