Published: June 03, 2009 12:13 am      

Frankfort runner ready for Down Under games

Read coverage from Jan. 21 here

SHORT GAP, W.Va. — Brittany Armentrout said she and her fellow graduating seniors from Frankfort High School might miss some of the things about the hallways they’ve come to know over the past four years.

Reminiscent? Maybe. Regrets? Not for Armentrout.

She’s made the most of a four-year career for the Falcons in the classroom, on the cross country course and on the track. Over the past five months, Armentrout has labored to make sure her next adventure is similarly successful.

The 18-year-old aspiring nurse, who will attend Allegany College of Maryland this fall, is all set to compete in the Down Under Sports International Games next month in Australia. Since January, she’s attended banquets and organized multiple events to raise the $4,500 needed to fund the trip.

Contributions came from places between Carroll County and Colorado, from friends, family, the local business community and strangers alike.

“I’m speechless,” Armentrout said Tuesday as donations from ATK, Nathan Wasser and Fort Ashby Camper Sales put her over the top. “Four thousand, five hundred dollars is not easy to come by. You have to work for it. I’m really surprised at how generous people were — even people I’ve never even heard of.”

For a complete list of contributors provided by Armentrout, visit www.mountainMDmarathon.org and click on the “Brittany Armentrout” tab from the home page.

Armentrout is scheduled to depart July 11 for Pittsburgh. From there, she’ll fly first to California and after 14 more hours in the air, arrive in the Land Down Under. While there, she’ll participate in training sessions and race in an All-American 5K (3.1-mile) competition as well as an international 6K event.

On July 17, she’ll fly to Hawaii for a mini-vacation — all a coordinated effort by Down Under Sports — before returning home a week later.

The last four years have been memorable, Armentrout said. But it’s time to look to the future.

“We’ve had some great times at Frankfort but let’s not let them be the best times of our lives,” Armentrout told her fellow graduates in her farewell address. “What we have done here is only the first step.”

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.