AS JOUNALIST AND RUNNER, DOUG GOES THE EXTRA MILE

In science fiction circles he'd be termed a traveler.

Sports writer Doug Robinson has been all over the United States and then some - first as the son of an Air Force career officer and then as a sports writer for the Deseret News.He writes as well as he travels. He's won a number of national and regional awards while chronicling collegiate and professional events.

Sports events are more than just numbers to Robinson. He carefully molds each one to inform and entertain the reader. And then there are his feature stories, which feature his talent as well as those he writes about.

Take the one last week on Brigham Young University cornerback Rodney Rice. Robinson started it this way:

Robinson's ability to bring readers into his stories, a la Sports Illustrated, has become his trademark.

He has been a stalwart on the Deseret News sports staff since joining the paper in 1978 after graduating from Utah State University.

His highlights include covering BYU's national championship season in football in 1984 and the U.S. Olympic Trials in track and field in 1984 and 1988.

One of the reasons he does so well detailing the running exploits of Henry Marsh, Doug Padilla, Paul Cummings and Ed Eyestone, etc., is his own track background.

An avid runner, Robinson is the defending 800-meter champion in the open division at the Utah Summer Games. He won the mile there the year before. He was a track performer at Utah State, running the 400 and 800. He has kept in excellent shape, with his best half-mile time this year of 1:56 not that far off his college performances.

When he's not writing or running, Robinson likes to play classical and folk guitar, read and go camping with his family. He and his wife, Lori, have three children - Preston, 6, Collin, 3, and Carly, 1.