Jeff Wilhelm
Born: 1959 in Elyria, Ohio
Residence: Boise, Idaho
Family: Wife: Peggy Jo Wilhelm. Children: Fi Wilhelm, 32; Jasmine Wilhelm, 30
Athletic highlights
Amherst Steele High School (1973-77)
Five-time Division I All-Ohio, four times for cross country and once for track
Son of Jack Wilhelm, 2010 inductee of the Lorain County Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame
Cross country
State meet: 13th (1973), 8th (1974), 5th (1975), 2nd (1976) – to Fitch’s Alan Scharsu
Best 2-mile time: 9:29 (state meet 1976)
2.5 mile time: 12:13 (Ashland Classic)
1976: Harrier Magazine High School All-American
Track and field
1977: 3rd place at Class AAA state meet in 2-mile, 9:29.7
1975: 7th place at Class AAA state meet in 2-mile, 9:36.8
Personal record times for track
880- 1:54.1
Mile 4:15.6 – won Elyria Sectional, 1976
2-mile – 9:16.0 All-Ohio Meet
Bay Relays Most Valuable Athlete, 1977 – ran 5 events
Lorain County Community College (1977-79)
Cross country
2nd team All-American, 1977 – 11th place overall at NJCAA Championships, 24:51
1st Team All-American, 1978 – 7th Place overall at NJCAA Championships, 24:08
Won the regional meet at LCCC in 1978
Best 8K: 24:08. Best 10K: 31:04
Track and field
1st Team All-American, NJCAA Marathon (Track Championships), 2:36:01, 1979- 6th place
PRs
1,500 meters 3:55.1 (Oberlin College)
5,000 meters 14:48 (NJCAA in Eugene, OR)
10,000 meters 30:36 (Akron)
Qualified for national championships 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in 1978 and 1979
Baldwin-Wallace College (1979-82)
Cross country
1979: Ohio Athletic Conference 2×6 mile relay champion with Steve Fedyski
1979: OAC 8K championships, 2nd place
Track and field
1980 OAC 3,000-meter steeplechase champion, 9:16.1 (meet record)
1980, ’82: Qualified for NCAA Division III championships in steeplechase
International, as Rotary Scholar to Saarbrücken Germany, 1980-81
1981: Saarland (Germany) steeplechase champion, 2000 meters, 5:39
1981: Saarland (Germany) Steeplechase champion, 3000 meters, 9:14
Post-schooling
Nordic Skiing
Finished 31 Worldloppet Ski marathons
Finished 27 American Birkebeiner ski Marathons, 51k
Best Birkie time: 2:27:59 – 51 km
Bronze medalist – 3rd place at US Nordic Ski Masters Championship, 45km, 2012 (M5 age division)
Life
39 years as a teacher: 15 years as Middle and High School English teacher; 24 years as a university professor working in schools
Currently Distinguished Professor of Literacy Education at Boise State University and Director of the Boise State Writing Project, delivering over 100,000 contact hours of services to students and teachers each year.
I have won the top research awards in English Education: the NCTE Promising Research award for YOU GOTTA BE THE BOOK: TEACHING ENGAGED AND REFLECTIVE READING TO ADOLESCENTS in 1996, and I have twice won the NCTE David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research for READING DON’T FIX NO CHEVYS: THE LITERATE LIVES OF YOUNG MEN 2013 and for READING UNBOUND: THE NATURE OF PLEASURE IN ADOLESCENT READING 2016
Wilhelm has written 42 books – 39 about teaching and educational issues; three books for young adults
Connections to other Lorain County Track and XC Hall of Famers
Wilhelm’s dad is a 2010 Lorain County Track and Field inductee – and was his coach for track and XC at LCCC. Dick Elsasser (class of 2012) coached the distance runners at LCCC in track so he was also a coach for Wilhelm. Dick Cooley (2011) was his high school coach. Jim Welte (2021) and Peter Kummant (2011) were high school teammates. Wilhelm was second in the 2-mile race where Kummant was the first Ohio high schooler to break the 9-minute barrier for two miles. Jackie Below (2009) was a college teammate at LCCC.
Summary
Wilhelm’s dad. Jack, founded the Lo-Co Road Runners Club back in the beginning of the running revolution in the 1960s. Jeff would always help out at his dad’s xc and road running events and by the age of 10 started running himself. Some of his fondest life memories are running cross country at Amherst with so many great guys and athletes. And then running for his dad at LCCC. After college he turned to long distance bicycling, whitewater kayaking, backpacking, and Nordic skiing. Wilhelm has competed as a Nordic skier in marathons and other race distances for the last 33 years.