Welcome to another episode of The Blue Water Running Podcast, where we feature and celebrate the amazing high school and collegiate cross country and track and field athletes and their accomplishments from the Blue Water Area.

On Saturday, May 30, Algonac sophomore Jenna Dobbs earned her first All-State track and field medal by placing fourth at the Division 3 state finals in the 400-meter dash, running 59.36. After chasing a sub-60-second time all season, she broke the school record, which just happened to belong to her own mom. Jenna now sits at number six all-time in the Blue Water Area and has the current number one time in the area from this 2026 season. Along with trying cross-country for the first time last fall and dropping her 5K time by nearly two minutes, she is also a competitive gymnast balancing multiple high-level sports.

Join us as we chat about her season, her goals for the future, and get to know her personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

“Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made.” – Gabby Douglas

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On Saturday, May 16, North Branch’s ladies claimed the team regional crown, just edging out Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 102-98. Leading the way was the double-sprint champion Penelope McNutt, running qualifying state spots by winning the 100 in 13.04 and placing second in the 200 in 26.69. Penelope teamed up with Aubree Deshetsky, Lily Hurd, and Sydney Bailey to win the 4x100 in 50.47, and also qualified in the 4x200 in 1:47.

McNutt has dominated the Blue Water Area sprints this season: she was a four-for-four BWAC champ, winning the 100, 200, 4x100, and 4x200, and also did the same in all four events at the Marysville Invitational. She hit an Early Qualifying mark in both sprint events and has bests of 12.48 and 25.92, and is the only area girl to have run sub-26 in the 200. Other than the preseason invitational opener and the large Davison Twilight Invitational, the Broncos’ 4x100 has remained undefeated. McNutt is ranked 10th in the D2 100 and 13th in the 200, with the relays currently ranked 5th and 11th, so an All-State finish is looking probable for McNutt.

Join us as we chat about her season thus far, her upcoming goals, and get to know her personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

“You will never know how good you might have become unless you try”- Mike Mentzer

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In this episode, we have our first guest from Imlay City High School: junior sprint sensation Brett Lestage. Brett has had a fantastic season, hitting early qualifying marks in the 100 and 200-meter dash, and coming very close in the 400 meters in his first attempt at the distance. Brett set his PR in the 100 on April 25, running 10.78 to join the elite sub-11 club and currently ranks fifth in the event statewide in Division 2. His 200 best is 22.25, and his 400 PR is 50.67. He won all three sprint events at the BWAC Championships on May 5, along with the 4x200 relay, making him four-for-four in league titles. We’ll chat with Brett about his training, season goals, and what he hopes to accomplish during his first appearance at the state finals, and get to know him personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

"The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." - Tony Robbins

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast: please share an episode to help spread the word about Blue Water Running’s mission, which is to feature and celebrate the achievements of high school and collegiate cross country and track/field athletes from our area. You can follow Blue Water Running on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, along with athlete and meet reports and photos on the website at bluewaterrunning.org.

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Support the show

https://www.bluewaterrunning.org/
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