March 2, 2007

ATHENS, Ohio - Dedication, faith and a strong work ethic, those are words normally associated with elite athletes. Distance runners, especially, rely heavily on those ideals to get them through training and events.

Carime Reinhart is no exception.

When you first meet her, Reinhart seems like a college student from tiny Bascom, Ohio. She might even think that she's just another track athlete, but her impact on the Ohio University track program goes beyond competition.

"I'm basically a small-town girl with big dreams, she said. "At OU I just want to be known as a great all-around student-athlete and role model for younger generations."

Reinhart, a junior who majors in speech pathology, takes running track and cross country and her studies seriously. To prove her point, Reinhart was named to the 2006 Academic All-MAC track team twice - once for the outdoor season and again for the indoor season.

Though it may appear that Reinhart's scholastic success comes as effortlessly as her running, she said that is not the case.

"I honestly don't know how I fit school into everything," she said. "One thing that runners, especially distance runners, have is good time management skills. I've become very good at prioritizing things such as schoolwork while still being able to have a social life and time to myself."

As for her athletic accomplishments, she finished second in the 10,000 meters at the 2006 outdoor MAC championships, recording the fourth-best time in the MAC this year (35 minutes, 54.68 seconds).

Her 2006 cross country season ended disappointingly when Reinhart missed out on the NCAA Championships by 1.7 seconds.

Junior track teammate and fellow captain Jessica Kestler said that Reinhart fell short of her personal goals last year, but that it was just a matter of time before she was back on track.

"That girl is so determined that nothing can stop her, and she is just on fire this year, Kestler said. "Everyone is simply waiting to see what she'll do next. There is no limit."

Reinhart was back at it this year when she participated in the Penn State Invitational where she broke Amy Hansen's 26-year-old school record in the 3,000 meters. Her time of 9:52.58 topped Hansen's 1981 record of 9:58.61.

While that record had a lot of people thinking Reinhart was one of the best runners in OU history, she wasn't sure about their thinking.

"I am honored to be even categorized with some of the greats," Reinhart said. "All I do is go to practice and go into the meets with a positive attitude, exemplify sportsmanship, and do my very best each time I step on a course or track."

One would think that a full slate of cross country and indoor and outdoor track wouldn't leave much spare time for a dedicated student-athlete, but Reinhart has found a new love - one that gets her where she wants go faster than she can run.

"Biking has become a hobby of mine that I started the summer of my sophomore year," she said. "I simply bought a road bike and then started going on trips and have come to really enjoy them."

Reinhart's idea of a trip doesn't involve a couple of laps around campus. Her first ride of 2006 covered 495 miles - from her home in Bascom to Mackinaw, Mich. - over five days. The second trip took her from home through New York and back - more than 1,000 miles in nine days.

Later this year, Reinhart plans to bike through the Blue Scale Mountains in the Carolinas back to Bascom.

Where will biking lead Reinhart?

Once her OU career comes to an end she hopes to turn her love of running and biking into competing in triathlons.

Written by Jimmy Smith