Seven-time Johnnycake Jog champ Jessica Odorcic relishes memories, as well as new fitness and life path

Surrounded by a throng of other runners, Jessica Odorcic reaffirmed her goals to herself as she prepared to run her first Johnnycake Jog 5-mile race.

“I just want to win my age group,” she said to herself.

Odorcic apparently was aiming a little low.

The starter’s pistol went off and the Riverside alum and former Wright State All-American embarked on what turned into not just a memorable race on that day, but also the start of an unparelleled streak of greatness in Johnnycake Jog lore.

Odorcic — then Jessica Kuhr prior to her marriage — won that 2006 race with a time of 27 minutes, 19 seconds. It was the first of seven Jog titles for her, as she won in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2017. As a seven-time winner of “Ohio’s Finest Five-Miler,” Odorcic is the most decorated Jog runner in history.

Though 18 years have passed since her first Jog, Odorcic remembers it in great detail.

“I remember passing Debbie Kilpatrick-Morris at the two-mile mark and was like, ‘Oh my God, I think I’m in the lead,’” she said with a laugh.

As she came down the stretch along Mentor Avenue, she thought, “My parents are driving to Virginia for vacation. Dad’s not going to be here to see this. He’s going to be so mad.”

The thought of winning one Johnnycake Jog never entered her mind. But here it was. And she did it.

Now 43 years old, Odorcic said the details of every one of her races aren’t as clear. The only other one that really sticks out, she said, was the 2012 race when she set a course record of 26:19 amid one of the most stacked fields in Jog history.

“There were Ethiopian runners there,” she said. “I was so nervous, emotional almost to the point of tears, before the race. I knew I had to go out fast because if I lost sight of those two girls, I’d be running for third place.

“That first mile, I ran my all-time mile PR. I just kept telling myself, ‘Just run as fast as you can. It’s only five miles. You’re not going to die.’”

She passed the two runners from Ethiopia at the three-mile mark as they passed Lowe’s and Dunkin’ Donuts.

“That’s one of the most amazing races I’ve ever run in my career,” she said. “I still can’t believe I ran that fast.”

A week later, Odorcic set a course record in the Buffalo Suburu 4-miler in New York.

Odorcic won the Jog again a year later but was 22 seconds slower than her record-setting time in 2012. She ran and won her final Jog in 2017 with a 28:19.4. She said the years of running took a toll on her body, and it was time to find other avenues for exercise and fitness.

“Running doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards anymore,” she said. “It’s OK. I’ve made my peace with it. I’ve had so many injuries now that if I try to run too much and overdo it, it’s hard on me. I end up limping if I overdo it. I’ve found other ways to exercise and relieve stress.”

She and her fiance Ryan Patriarca are avid cyclists. Like Odorcic, Patriarca is deeply rooted in fitness and exercise, as he is a former Ironman competition participant.

“I can bike 20, 30, 40 miles a day and my knees don’t hurt, my hips don’t hurt and my back doesn’t hurt,” she said. “I’m in better shape now than when I qualified for the Olympic Trials. Geez, I’m 43 — who would have thought that? Not me, that’s for sure.”

The bond Odorcic and Patriarca is a strong one, rooted in fitness, togetherness and understanding after Odorcic lost her husband, Tommy Odorcic, to malignant melanoma in 2014.

“We’re a good match,” she said of she and Patriarca. “He’s very understanding, and he’s great with my son Max. Ryan has definitely helped me be able to see happiness in life again and fun things in life again. I think about Tommy every day. How could I not? I’m very grateful for Ryan.”

Max is a 13-year-old student-athlete in the Perry school district who is just as active as his mother, father and Patriarca.

“He’s very active,” Odorcic said. “He plays a lot of sports — football, boxing, everything. He’s just like his dad.”

JOHNNYCAKE JOG

What: Ohio’s Finest 5-miler and 5K run/walk

When: 8 a.m., July 14

Where: Lake County Fairgrounds, 1301 Mentor Ave., Painesville Township

Registration: gcxcrunningseries.com/johnnycakejog

Packet pickup: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 12 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 13 at Second Sole, 8791 Mentor Ave., Mentor. On race day, 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at the fairgrounds