BC News

Looking for a 'hat trick,' two-time Freihofer's Run champ stops by Hamagrael
Release Date: May 29, 2008

Two-time Freihofer’s Run for Women champion Benita Johnson encouraged Hamagrael students to always do their best as she asked them to encourage her in her try for a third victory in the race when it goes off Saturday.

“Hopefully you guys can cheer me on,” she said to a few hundred Hamagrael students assembled in the gymnasium on Thursday, May 29.

An Australia native, Johnson has won the Freihofer’s Run in 2006 and 2007. She told the students that while she hopes to achieve a “hat trick” with a win this year, the most important thing is that she gives it her all.

“The best thing about racing is doing your best,” she said, urging students to adopt that philosophy in all that they do from studying to sports. “When you cross the line, if you know you did your best, that’s what you do it for.”

Johnson won the 8K in the 2004 World Cross Country Championships in 2004, and she is set to represent Australia in this summer’s Olympics in Beijing in either the marathon or the 10K. She told the students about traveling around the world to race and took dozens of questions, ranging from if she had a preference for koalas or kangaroos (kangaroos) and what she eats for breakfast (cereal, toast and a bit of yogurt).

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” she said. “I don’t know if I could get through the day without it.”

Johnson recommended that students play team sports when they are young and go for the occasional jog. Running is hard on your body, she said, suggesting that more regimented training begin later in life.

Johnson’s visit to Hamagrael was fitting: Last fall, the American Heart Association named Hamagrael the “Heart Healthiest School” in the country for its school-wide dedication to the Heart Association’s educational programs and physical activities.

At the end of the assembly, Hamagrael Principal David Ksanznak presented Johnson with a Hamagrael Heart Healthiest School t-shirt to commemorate her visit.

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