Kara June's mother, the then-Gail Martino, started a fine family tradition of girls distance running at St. Joseph High School under now veteran Knights cross country, and track and field coach Greg Sarkisian.

Gail Martino ran cross country for Sarkisian as a sophomore in 1978, his first year as coach. Sarkisian said, “There were three girls cross country runners for us then, and she was the best of them.”

June, a 2000 St. Joseph graduate, helped continue that family tradition, and this summer the 26-year-old will race in the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase at the United States Track and Field Olympic Trials this summer in Eugene, Ore. This Olympic Trials will be her first.

She has run under the Olympic Trials “A” qualifying standard of 10:00 several times, and her best is the 9:57.09 she clocked at the Cardinal Invitational at Stanford last year. If runners meet the “A” standard in an event, they have an automatic berth in the Trials.

June said, “Obviously, my goal is to finish in the top three and make the Olympic Team. I'd be happy with a fifth-place finish. I finished ninth at the U.S. Nationals last year, so ninth to fifth would be a pretty good jump.

“It all comes down to who's on that particular day.”

The Trials take place June 27-July 6. June will run in the semi-finals at 7:40 p.m. June 30. If she makes the final, she will race at 9:45 p.m. July 3.

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Cabrrillo High School graduate and USC senior Duane Solomon has alrady made the “A” standard for the Trials in the men's 800 meters. Arroyo Grande resident Jordan Hasay, who's still a junior at Mission Prep, has met the “B” standard for the women's 1,500 meters. If not enough competitors make the “A” standard to fill out an event, “B” standard meeters can compete in the Trials.

June was the 13th-fastest American woman in the steeplechase last year. Lisa Galaviz, who ran for Nike, set the American record of 9:28.25 then.

Runners circle the track seven-and-a-half times during a steeplechase. Each runner must negotiate 28 barriers and seven water jumps during the race. Unlike hurdles, steeplechase barriers do not fall over when racers strike them. Runners can step on top of them to launch themselves on the water jumps.

Those with good hurdling form have an advantage because a good jump means landing in shallower water. That's nice for June. Besides middle distance and relay running, she ran in the 110 meter high hurdles and 300 hurdles in high school.

“With my background, my body frame , it's part of the reason I excel in this event,” said the 5-foot-5-inch June.

Sarkisian said, “You know, it's a really fun event. When Roy Kring was the head track coach at Hancock College, he used to have the Bulldog Relays at Righetti High School, and there'd be a 1,500-meter steeplechase event.

“I'd make all my milers, boys and girls, do it. They'd protest at first, but after they ran it, they'd say, ‘Coach, that was FUN. Can we race in another steeplechase this year?' I'd tell them, ‘Sorry, there are no other steeplechase events.'”

June said her racing strategy depends on what the pace is, but, “When I'm running in the steeplechase, I like to be in the front pack of girls early so I can see the barriers well.”

She runs for the Asics Aggies club and opened her 2008 season with a 4:26 1,500 meters. Her best time in the event is the 4:21 she ran in Belgium on the European circuit last year.

June said, “I don't run full-time professionally, but Asics will help with travel and gear. If I hit certain times, I'm eligible for money.” June works full time for San Luis Obispo-based Running Warehouse, an online retail store which sells running equipment. She is a buyer/supervisor there.

June will run her first 2008 steeplechase at Stanford next Friday.

“Stanford has been good to me,” she said. “My opening steeplechase last year was a 9:58 at Stanford. A month later I ran the 9:57.09 at the Cardinal Invitational.

“At the U.S. Championships, I ran 9:58 and change in the prelims, then 9:59 in the finals two days later and finished ninth. To run under 10 minutes twice in three days, to have that kind of consistency, I was really happy with that.”

As for Sarkisian, Kara June said, “He's been part of our familly's lives for a long, long time. He's invited to all the weddings.”

Kara June was a four-time Western Athletic Conference women's steeplechase champion when she ran for Fresno State.

“I graduated from there with a degree in liberal studies, and I have a teaching credential,” June said.

Sarkisian said June just missed two school records her aunt, Evelyn Martino, holds, the 1,600 meters/mile school record of 5:08 and the 800 meters/880 mark of 2:20.

June said, “I qualified for the CIF Finals one year. I ran a 5:09 1,600, my PR by nine seconds, in the prelims, then went out and ran a terrible race in the finals the next week.”

She was a four-time state meet qualifier in cross country at St. Joseph. Her teams qualified her freshman-through-junior years. She ran in the state meet as an individual her senior season.

Kara's older sister, Michelle, was racing for St. Joseph part of the time Kara was there. In fact, “I started hurdling so I wouldn't have to race against her all the time,” Kara June said. “She was faster than I was in the distances at first.

“I'd run the 110 hurdles in some meets, the 300 hurdles in others. I'd run the 800 and 1,600 relay in some meets, the 1,600 and 1,600 relay in others. We had a lot of other good distance runners while I was there, so I didn't have to run distance all the time.”

Sarkisian said, “Actually, I made her run the 3,200 more than she remembers. You know, she's pretty much taught herself this steeplechase thing.”

However, “She turned into a good little hurdler for us when she was in high school, and obviously that's helped her.”

June flourished after high school. First came her distinguished career at Fresno State, where she ran cross country and track. A successful post-collegiate career has followed, thus far culminating in the Olympic Trials berth.

The 26-year-old stays plenty busy. “I don't run full-time professionally, but I run what many people consider full time, 85-90 miles a week. I work 37 hours a week.”

June said, “if I have one regret, it's that I didn't take running more seriously in high school. But, you know, if I'd been one of those girls who worked her tush off all the time from a young age, I don't think I'd be where I am today.”

Sarkisian said June and her sister took high school running seriously enough.

“In eight seasons (four cross country, four track for both of them), she and Michelle between them never missed a practice. Ever.

“Kara's work ethic is a big reason she's where she is now.”

June said, “I think the big thing is, my mother and father (Scott, who graduated from Santa Maria High School) never pressured me. I've been running since second grade, but they never pushed me into it.”

Is one particularly distinguished family running tradition at St. Joseph over? Hardly.

“(Sarkisian's) coaching five of my cousins,” she said. They are triplets Alexis, Brittany and Caitlin Brandt, Megan Martino and Sean McCormick.

Sarkisian said, “You know, if hadn't been for that family, I don't know where women's distance running at St. Joseph would be today.

“Gail started it, then it continued with Evelyn, Kara and Michelle. Obviously we've had lots of other good people, but it was pretty shaky until the Martinos came along, starting with Gail.

“This family has been hanging around running for a long, long time. They have been a vital part of distance running at St. Joseph. Gail started things, and it's been exciting and fun to see how the others have carried it along.”

March 30, 2008