Colgan's Adamson signs to run at Coffeyville

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January 24, 2013

Colgan's Adamson signs to run at Coffeyville

By Jim Henry Globe Sports Editor The Joplin Globe Thu Jan 24, 2013, 12:22 AM CST

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Morning, afternoon, night, it doesn’t matter.

St. Mary’s-Colgan’s Johnny Adamson loves to run.

“I almost had to ground him to make him come home at night,” said Rebecca Adamson, his mother.

Adamson tracks his running by time — three hours a day — not miles. After all those hours on the road, Adamson signed Wednesday morning to run cross country this fall at Coffeyville Community College.

“It was the coach (Craig Perry) who really did it,” Adamson said. “He was very generous, understanding and kind. He treated all his athletes the same … he didn’t have a favorite one over another.”

The Red Ravens finished fourth in the Jayhawk Conference East Division meet last fall and ninth in Region VI, which includes both divisions of the Jayhawk.

Adamson’s track career began as a sprinter.

“When we first got Johnny as a freshman, he said ‘I’m a sprinter,’” Colgan coach Cathy Oplotnik said. “So he went with the sprinters.”

“Not too good,” Adamson said. “That (being a sprinter) was a junior high thing. I really didn’t know what I was doing in junior high.”

“After that, he has developed into where he just loves to run,” Oplotnik said. “So we told him let’s try the 800, let’s try the mile, let’s try the two-mile. Then between his freshman and sophomore year, he went out for cross country, and that has helped him as well with his development. Putting in all those miles, he’s pretty fun to watch.”

Adamson, the son of Michael and Rebecca Adamson, developed into an all-state performer in cross country and track. He’s won the CNC meet the last two years, and he placed third in Class 3A state as a senior after finishing 13th as a junior. In track last spring he was regional champion in the 1600 and 3200 meters, and he was third in state in the 3200.

He broke Colgan’s 1600 and 3200 school records last year — shattering the 3200 mark by about 20 seconds, and he expects to lower both times this spring.

“As many other runners have probably said in the past, it’s always about the mindset of a runner, the not-quitting type of instinct,” Adamson said.

“I prefer cross country over track,” Adamson said. “It’s much longer. I’m more of a long-distance runner, a really long-distance runner. Hopefully I’ll end up running a marathon later.”

Before starting his collegiate cross country career, Adamson has accepted an invitation to run in the Shrine Bowl cross country race in July in Topeka.