Maniac questionnaire Name: Maryann “malvs2walk” Ramirez Maniac #1780 How many marathons / ultra marathons have you walked? 9 What was the first race you ever walked? (Any distance) Venture On 5k Fun Run What was the first marathon you ever walked? What year did you walk it? Did you have fun that day? Freescale Austin Marathon 2/19/2006; I had a blast even though the starting temp was 19. Is it ever 19 in Texas??? Maybe once in a while. I loved the point to point course! How long have you been a walker and why did you start walking? I started walking for exercise in December of 2004 because I had quit smoking and drinking several years previous and had simply gotten fat. I needed to lose weight in order to feel better. Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I have always been one to go to the extreme. In all facets of my life, it has been ALL or NOTHING. Maniacs are ALL!!! Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to walk? If I thought I could do it, complete the Mohican 100 mile trail race in Loudonville Ohio. If you could walk a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? I would choose either or both of my children. If I could inspire either or both of them to start on the road to fitness that I have chosen later in my life, it would be the icing on ALL my cakes. What was you most memorable marathon and why? The one that will remain the most memorable is the one on the list that I was not able to complete. It was my first DNF and that happened at my first attempt to walk 100 miles. I chose a high level of difficulty for my first 100 (I know, I know, all 100’s are difficult) but Mohican? For God’s sakes, I live at sea level with no possibility of hills to train on. The reason I am most proud of that race is that after I dropped out, instead of going back to my tent and moping around, feeling sorry for myself, I caught a ride down to the busiest aid station (covered bridge) and worked to help the runners as they came through. I filled bottles, made sandwiches, cut fruit, handed out Vaseline, and fetched drop bags, etc, until about 1:30 in the morning. It was a most rewarding experience to return to the finish line and watch some of the folks who had been struggling during the night cross the finish line I had not been able to cross. If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could walk a PR at, which race would you suggest? If there was a marathon on the same day as Angie’s Half Crazy Half Marathon in Clear Lake Texas, it would be the bomb. Fast and pancake flat! What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? 1,186 miles Do any of your non-walking friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for walking as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? People do think I am crazy, but, honestly, they have stopped making comments. It used to be really ridiculous because I live in a small town and every time I went to the bank, grocery store, etc, the questions would come at me non-stop. Where are you going NOW (sarcastically); how many miles did you walk THIS WEEK (more sarcasm). They all feel guilty for their own lack of something interesting to do, so they have finally decided to talk about be behind my back instead of grill me. THANKS BE TO GOD!!!! If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you walk in one year? I would probably be satisfied with one a month. From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? I like the brass bass fish from Bass Pro Shops so far. Where do you keep your finisher medals? They are hanging on some home interior crap I bought a long time ago when it was really popular. I am considering buying a couple of those tie hangers, hanging it over the front door and using them for door chimes. Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I do wear some of the cute ones. Rocky Raccoon in the fall has a Raccoon wearing lime green sneakers, and the one from the ET midnight marathon will get a lot of wear, too. As for the rest of them, I use the tech shirts for training, and I was thinking of making a quilt out of the cotton ones. If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Right here in Sealy Texas. It would probably be an ultra on a 1 mile loop. Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Black or Red, NEVER YELLOW! What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre race, why, pasta with some lean protein, of course. Post race… when it was a really tough one, a black and blue cheeseburger. What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? I like GU and Hammer Gel, and I make my own sports drink from Electrolyte Stamina Power Paks. Which race would you never walk again and why? I have not found a race I would absolutely never do again… I just like to schedule races in different places for the chance to travel. What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? My most challenging was absolutely the Mohican 100 mile trail race. The main reason was the fact it was my first 100 mile attempt and my first DNF. Second to all that was the presence of relentless hills, steep hills one after the next and I live at sea level with NOWHERE to train on hills. What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you walk? Any cross training? I walk a minimum of 25 miles a week, and have walked as many as 66 miles in a week when training for an ultra. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? I used to, but as I improved, they became injured, so I had to move on. What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I wear running shoes… racing flats, or training shoes. They must be lightweight and flexible for racewalking. What are your short-term walking goals? Short term, I would just like to continue doing several long distance races a year, and improve on my speed in shorter distance races. Racewalking form and technique improvement are also high on the list. What are your long-term walking goals? Long term, I would be so proud to add my name to the list of American Centurion walkers. The list is maintained by Ulli Kamm from www.ultrawalk.com at this time. Defined: a centurion is a person who has walked 100 miles or more in 24 hours or less at an approved event where judges are present in order to enforce the loss of contact rule found in the USATF rule book. For this type of competition, the bent knee rule is relaxed. Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than walk marathons? Hang out with my mom and/or some of my friends and family. Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head), non Maniac Beauty? It must be the Main Maniac! |