Cedars, February 2020

February 2020 15 SPORTS her head, her dad immediately said, “I think that’s a great goal. I think you should go for it.” For a goal-oriented person like Ruhl- man, his sincerity meant everything, espe- cially considering she was still close to 20 minutes off the mark to qualify. “That was very influential in my pursuit of this goal,” she said. In the last mile of the Indianapolis Marathon, she knew she wasn’t going to hit the time she needed to, so she struggled both mentally and physically to finish the race. She didn’t know her dad was there, but all of a sudden she heard his voice saying, “Go Katie girl! I’m so proud of you!” “I lost it,” she said. Niemiec is a husband, a father and an engineer. Finding time to train is hard for him just like it is for Ruhlman, but it also brings great joy being able to do so with his kids. “I think it’s cool that I get to kind of share my passion with them,” he said. “Running doesn’t make sense on paper; it’s not the most lucra- tive thing to be doing with my time, but God’s put these dreams and desires in my heart and if I follow through and act out on those, I’m liv- ing my life to its fullest and my kids get to see me do that.” He is also thankful for his time at Cedarville and the coaching he re- ceived during his career as a distance runner. “I’ve got to give a shout out to Coach O [Paul Orchard] because he kind of started it for me, turning me from a guy that kind of had a little bit of natural talent into someone that knew how to run and actually loved it,” said Niemiec. The trials will take place Feb. 29, in At- lanta. Only the top three men and women will move on to represent Team USA in the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. Niemiec is just looking to have a suc- cessful race and place well with such a small margin. In response to the possibility of making it to the Olympics Ruhlman said, “Realisti- cally, it’s not going to happen. I’m just rac- ing to have a good race. Place well, soak it up, enjoy the process, and then see where, four years from now, I am.” Abigail Hintz is a sophomore Journalism major and digital editor for Cedars. She loves reading, playing Spikeball with her friends and watching soccer 24/7. M.A. in Outdoor and Adventure Leadership The M.A. in Outdoor and Adventure Leadership combines professional and practical educational experiences to develop exceptional Christian leaders in churches, camps, and colleges. Join a global community with a passion for adventure and experiential learning. wheaton.edu/MA-Adventure Photo provided by Katie Ruhlman Cedarville alumna Katie Ruhlman (right) qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:44.15.