historybuff wrote:
I saw Montoya race frequently in 1979...He ran like crap at the RMAC meet and came out of nowhere really to win the national championship...pretty amazing. Does anyone out there remember a guy named Jeff(?)Turningheart...He ran one or two rraces for Adams and I've heard that Vigil called him the "most talented" runner he ever had...Lasted less than a semester and went home, I believe.
historybuff wrote:
I saw Montoya race frequently in 1979...He ran like crap at the RMAC meet and came out of nowhere really to win the national championship...pretty amazing. Does anyone out there remember a guy named Jeff(?)Turningheart...He ran one or two rraces for Adams and I\'ve heard that Vigil called him the \"most talented\" runner he ever had...Lasted less than a semester and went home, I believe.
Historybuff, Sammy was so sick days before that 1979 National meet in Kenosha, Wisconsin that he almost didn't run, but he was an animal! He was so sick, he couldn't even get out of the van to jog the course the day before the meet.
If Montoya wasn't the most talented Adams State runner, then Jeff Turningheart certainly was. He was on our team in 1982, sadly, for only 6 weeks, and then he went back home to his reservation in South Dakota. He only ran our team 10k time trial, the WSC meet, the AFA invitational, and our home meet on the 'loop.' What an amazing talent!! When we ran our 'one-lappers' at Cole Park around the park benches, he would run 20ft. wider by the trees and STILL keep up with Porter (who was in his first post-collegiate season and on his way to his first Nat'l TAC championship XC win). Turningheart, like all the great ones, made it look effortless.
I talked to him two years ago, and he is still in S.D. Many years ago (10+ years?) when he ran the NYC marathon, ABC sports did a profile on him. What Jeff could have done, had he stayed at Adams!