John Mirth

John Mirth was an outstanding athlete at Poland High School in both cross country and track & field. His high school accomplishments included a 19th-place finish at the Ohio State Cross Country Championships in 1979. During the 1979–80 track seasons, he qualified for the District Meet in the two-mile run and won the MVIC Two-Mile Championship.

After high school, John attended Cornell University and later Ohio University, competing in both cross country and track at each school. At Cornell, he earned recognition as the team's Outstanding Freshman. At Ohio University, he was named the team's Most Valuable Runner (1982), served as team captain (1983–84), earned All-Conference honors, and became a three-year varsity letter winner.

In 1983, John set an Ohio University record in the 10,000-meter run, a time that remained among the school's top five all-time performances. He later qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials three times, competing in 1988, 1996, and 2000.

Capping an outstanding distance-running career, John finished 23rd in the 2004 Boston Marathon.