Horn, Rodeheffer hope to add to already impressive list of achievements

Published 10:38 am Friday, February 27, 2015

Their success in running has earned them trips to California, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia.

Now Oak Harbor High School seniors Jonalynn Horn and John Rodeheffer hope their legs will carry them to somewhere closer to home —- to the podium at the Washington state high school track championships in Tacoma in May.

Horn and Rodeheffer are two of the most successful long-distance runners in Oak Harbor High School history. They begin their final Wildcat season when spring sports start Monday, March 2.

Rodeheffer is the more decorated of the two, piling up ribbons and awards in both cross country and track. Horn is one of the most accomplished OHHS cross-country runners ever and hopes to add to those achievements this spring in track.

Rodeheffer grew up in a running family. His parents, Bill and Catie Rodeheffer, were successful runners during their high school and college years. His father also coached high school track for 10 years. They, however, did not “push” their son into running, John said. When he was 11, he discovered a passion for the sport, ironically, while competing in swimming.

“During dry-land conditioning, the running part was the part I liked best,” John Rodeheffer said.

From that point, he switched his focus from the pool to the track.

A year later, Bill and Catie Rodeheffer started the Whidbey Island Running Club, which eventually morphed into Running Unlimited Fitness. They started the club, in part, to give John someone to train with and to help him enjoy the camaraderie of a team atmosphere.

John Rodeheffer quickly became one of the best Washington runners in his age group, qualifying for numerous national championship junior Olympic meets in cross country and track and earning trips across the United States.

His success continued once he hit high school. In his seven seasons (four in cross country and three in track), Rodeheffer has qualified for state each season and has been named to the all-Wesco first team five times; he was second team his freshman year in both sports.

He is a two-time league and district champion in cross country and in the 3,600 meters in track, as well as the defending league and district 1,600 champion.

Last fall, he set a course 3A record at the district cross-country meet and then finished fourth in the state meet. The fourth place tied Gary Lineburg’s effort in 1965 as the highest finish ever for an Oak Harbor High School male runner. Unfortunately for Rodeheffer, the 3A field was the most talented at the Washington championships. Based on his time, Rodeheffer would have most likely won in any of the other classifications.

A few weeks later, he finished fifth in the BorderClash, which featured the top cross-country runners from Washington and Oregon.

In track, Rodeheffer finished sixth in the state 3,200 as a sophomore, breaking Lineburg’s 1966 school record of 9:26 (converted from the two mile) with a time of 9:20.19.

Rodeheffer was eighth in the state 3,200 last spring and was unable to lower his own school mark.

“I plateaued a bit last year,” he said. “I was a little disappointed I didn’t improve at state.”

His goal this year is to finish in the top three and go under nine minutes.

Last year’s performance is giving him “motivation to train for this year,” he added.

Rodeheffer placed 11th and 12th in the past two state 1,600-meter races.

Rodeheffer’s parents also had a hand in Horn’s success.

When Horn was 12, her brothers were high school cross-country runners and her father asked her if she wanted to run as well. She did, so her father signed her up for the Rodeheffers’ running club.

“It was fun,” she said, and that was the beginning of a steady improvement that led to qualifying for several USA Track and Field national meets.

In high school, Horn has excelled in cross country, where most courses are about 5,000 meters.

She is the only Oak Harbor female runner to finish in the top 12 in the state cross country meet twice, running eighth as a junior and 12th last fall.

Her eighth-place finish is the second best in Oak Harbor High School history.

She is a two-time first-team, all-Wesco runner and earned second-team honors as a sophomore.

Horn gradually improved through her high-school years, climbing from 24th, to 13th, to seventh, to first in the Wesco meet. She finished second in the district meet last fall.

Horn has a knack of running best when the most is on the line. As a sophomore and junior, she placed higher at the district meet than at the league meet although all of the same runners (and more) took part.

She is now working to find the same success in track,  where the races are shorter.

In track, she has lettered all three years and finished fifth in Wesco in both the 1,600 and 3,200 as a junior, just missing a state trip.

“My goal is to qualify for state in the 3,200, which is my strong point,” Horn said. “I’m hoping for the 1,600, too.”

Upon high school graduation, both Rodeheffer and Horn will head to Idaho to continue their running careers.

Rodeheffer has committed to Boise State University, and Horn has signed a letter of intent to compete for Idaho State University.

However, before adding another state to their running passport, the Oak Harbor seniors are looking to conquer their own in May.