St. Geme running for charity, not victory

It will be difficult not to change the plan at the starting line.

Up until the point Ceci St. Geme toes the line at the 15th annual Komen Orange Country Race for the Cure, her motivation will be charity. The race is at 7:30 a.m. today starting at the Newport Beach Marriott.

But when St. Geme takes a gander at her competition in the five-kilometer race, in all likelihood thoughts of winning will rush into her mind.

The plan for the race is to focus on a time, not the competition. But St. Geme did not become the 1982 NCAA champion in the 3,000 meters by easing up. And St. Geme was not a two-time All-American in cross country by focusing on anything less than first place.

St. Geme was all of that and the USA Track and Field national champion in the 5,000, months after giving birth to her third child in 1994, because of her elite talent and competitive nature.

Corona del Mar High cross country and track and field coach Bill Sumner is the one who planned St. Geme’s race. He wants her to finish in the mid-17-minute range because St. Geme battled foot injuries over the summer and hasn’t reached the peak in her training.

But Sumner knows fighting the urge will be difficult.

“You put them at the starting line, they want to win,” he said. “We have already talked about the plan. So that’s why I can tell you she’s not going out to win. She’s going out to support Race for the Cure. [The plan] keeps everybody honest but doesn’t go overboard. She won’t be happy with it, but she’ll be good with it.”

St. Geme said this will be her first big event since winning the Blue Cross of California Spirit run, another 5K, in March. St. Geme added that she is trying to work her way down to the 17-minute mark and that she ran 17:50 a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m just getting back into it,” St. Geme said. “I’m having more fun with it now.”

Part of the fun comes from practices as a volunteer with the CdM team, which includes her daughter Christine, a senior with the Sea Kings. St. Geme’s eldest daughter, Annie, a state champion in cross country and the 1,600 meters, graduated in the spring and went on to Stanford, where St. Geme starred.

“I’m there slowing them down rather then pushing them,” St. Geme said. “They keep me at a good pace.”

Sumner disagreed.

“Right now she could beat any one of them,” Sumner said. “The boys’ team has huge respect for her. It’s hard for a mom to come out here and have that respect from the boys. She’s very talented. This is a mom who runs a 5K in the morning then goes to four soccer games and two basketball games and then takes the kids to In-N-Out. She thinks nothing of having a pool party. It’s a very supportive family and they are very good hosts.”

Sumner has known St. Geme, 43, for more than five years now. He remembers when he first saw her run.

“She shocked me,” Sumner said. “I said ‘This is a gift of nature.’ She’s a very talented lady with incredible work ethic. That’s quite a combination. She was pushing 40 when I met her and she had six kids. I couldn’t believe it. The rest is history. Now nothing she does surprises me.”

Sumner added St. Geme’s popularity in the community will add support to the race.

“She’s got a following in the community. We’ll all be out there cheering like crazy,” Sumner said. “She works really, really hard. But a lot of people work hard. You have to have something to work with.”