Junkermann’s Rise From Obscurity Is a Great Chase

There was a time when Mark Junkermann considered himself a nobody--at least in the world of track and field.

From his freshman year at Los Alamitos High School through his collegiate years at UCLA, Junkermann continually measured himself against those stronger and faster.

He works very hard to catch up.

“I just want to find out if someone who was a nobody can become one of the best,” he said.

Today, Junkermann (pronounced ‘YUNK - er-man’) is one of the best.

He has the 10th-fastest time in the nation in the steeplechase at 8 minutes 33.66 seconds.

That time, recorded at the Pepsi Invitational June 5, easily surpassed the Olympic trials qualifying standard of 8:39.49. (The qualifying standard has since been lowered to 8:42.75.)

With the trials just three weeks away (July 15-23 at Indianapolis), Junkermann is doing all he can to prepare himself for the best week of his running life.

So what does that entail? Twenty miles a day? Pounds of pasta? Gallons of Gatorade?

“No,” he said. “I’m taking a lot of naps. But other than that, it’s just running and resting. That’s the key right now.”

Common sense has always been one of the keys to Junkermann’s success. Though his desire to improve has always been strong, Junkermann never fell into the trap many athletes do--that of overtraining, injury and burnout.

“He knows how to take care of himself,” Bob Larsen, UCLA track and field coach, said. “He doesn’t rush off and try to do too much too soon. A lot of athletes try to do it all in one season.

“But Mark is patient. He works very hard, but he does so in trying to improve season to season. Not all at once. If anything, that’s been the key for him.”

But patience isn’t Junkermann’s only strength.

He has endurance, as evidenced in his 5,000-meter best of 13:48, also an Olympic trials qualifying mark. And he has speed (3:42.25 for 1,500 meters).

And, perhaps now more than ever, he has confidence to run with the best.

Last June, Junkermann placed second in the NCAA steeplechase final. In January, he placed second in the 3,000 to Jim Spivey, the American mile leader, at The Athletics Congress indoor championships.

And at the Pepsi meet this month, Junkermann placed fourth in a world-class steeplechase field that included three-time U.S. Olympian Henry Marsh. Junkermann outran Marsh by three seconds.

Is he surprised at his success?

“I can’t be shocked or else I’m not ever going to be able to beat them,” Junkermann said. “There was a transition from my senior year to now where I knew I had to stop seeing people as idols.

“I’ve got to put in my mind that I’m as good as they are, and that I can win these races, or I never will.”

Though Junkermann, 22, is concentrating on the Olympic trials--Track & Field News predicts he will place 10th--his best chance of making the U.S. team may be in 1992.

“Supposedly, 27 is the peak age for athletes,” Junkermann said. “And in 1992, I’ll be 27. But I’m definitely going for it now, though. I know I’m ready for a big (personal record). Probably around the low 8:20s.”

Which, if it doesn’t earn him a spot on the Olympic team, will certainly make him a bigger somebody than he already is.

The steeplechase wasn’t the only event to have its qualifying standard lowered for the Olympic trials. Last month, The Athletics Congress eased qualifying restrictions on four other distance events.

They are: the men’s 10,000 meters (was 28:32, is now 28:43); the men’s 5,000 meters (was 13:41.58, is now 13:49.15); the women’s 3,000 meters (was 9:10.72, is now 9:13.54) and the women’s 1,500 meters (was 4:17.05, is now 4:19.15).

Several county runners will race Saturday in the Michelob Invitational at San Diego’s Balboa Park.

Buffy Rabbitt of UC Irvine will run in the meet’s featured event--the women’s 2,000 meters. Rabbitt will face a world-class field led by Mary Decker Slaney. Slaney is expected to attempt to break the world record of 5:28.69, set two years ago by Maricica Puica of Romania.

Former Irvine runners John Koningh of Newport Beach and Rusty Knowles of Irvine will compete in the men’s 5,000 meters. Koningh, a semifinalist in the 1984 Olympic trials, will attempt to qualify for next month’s trials in the 5,000.

Knowles qualified for the trials in the steeplechase with an 8:40 effort last Saturday at Tampa, Fla.

Ultra-distance runners John Loeschhorn of Irvine and Fred Shufflebarger of Laguna Beach will compete Saturday in the Western States Endurance Run, a grueling 100-mile trek from Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif.

This will be the third attempt for Loeschhorn, 43. He finished fifth in 1986. Last year, Loeschhorn had to withdraw at 60 miles with severe leg cramps.

The Southern California TAC Championships will be held Sunday at UC Irvine.

The meet, which starts with field events at noon and distance events at 5:30 p.m., will feature many area athletes tuning up for the Olympic trials.

Irvine All-Americans Beth McGrann, Jill Harrington and Rabbitt will be among the competitors.

For more information, call the women’s meet director, Bob Seaman, at (213) 835-8177, or the men’s meet director, Joe Douglas, at (213) 450-8255.

This week’s schedule:

Saturday: Parade Route 5K Run. Lompoc Shopping Center, Lompoc. 9 a.m. Call (805) 866-9339 for more information.

City of Oxnard 5K Morning Fun Run. Call (805) 984-4643 for more information.

Sixth City of Rosemead 5K & 10K. Rosemead Park, Rosemead. 8 a.m. Call (818) 288-6771 for more information.

State Street Mile. One-mile race beginning at State and Pedragoza St., Santa Barbara. 8 a.m. Call (805) 964-0296 for more information.

Century City 5 & 10K. Century City Shopping Center, Los Angeles. 7:30 a.m. Call (213) 553-0731 for more information.

Wednesday: Heart of the City 5K. Begins at Fourth and Figueroa Streets, Los Angeles. 7 p.m. Call (213) 236-6734 for more information.

Thursday: Paramount Ranch Cross-Country Two & Three Milers. 6:30 p.m. Paramount Ranch, Paramount. Call (818) 992-6219 for more information.