Oak Ridge Runners Train for Oak Apple Run with Help from ROHS Running Elite

The Oak Ridge Runners, an after school run/walk club at , had some special running buddies on Wednesday. Members of the track and cross country teams joined the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders for their afternoon practice.

The Oak Ridge Runners has almost 50 students led by third-grade teacher Dave Stafford that meet twice a week after school to run or walk for exercise.

Royal Oak High School coaches Dave Barnett and Ryan Piippo brought high school running stars Jared Vier, Dan Dobras, Adam Quinn, Ben Hill, Max Benoit and Willie Davids to Oak Ridge to help motivate and inspire the younger runners. Quinn, Hill, Benoit and Davids were cross country state finalists last fall and Dobras, Quinn, Hill and Benoit will be running in the state championship track meet on June 2. Ryan Beck of Oakland University also joined the runners.

"As you can see we have some pretty good runners here," Piippo told the students. "And they happen to be some pretty nice guys, too."

, crossing the finish line at 34 minutes and 53 seconds to win the 10K race, about 4 minutes off the race record.

Many members of the Oak Ridge Runners will be participating in the 2-mile event in this year's on June 2 in downtown Royal Oak and one student, fourth-grader Jack Reicle, will run the event's 10K race.

"I'm pretty good, but I think they can help me," said Reicle, who trains three times a week with his father Joe Reicle.

Paula Heckman said her son Ethan, a third-grader, was excited to train with the older boys.

"He totally loves the Oak Apple Run. He has been running in it since he was in kindergarten," she said. "But this year is special because he will be running with his Oak Ridge teammates."

In addition to showing the younger runners some new drills, Senior Dan Dobras said he was there to get the students excited about running and "basically just hang out with them because they are really cool."