Maniac questionnaire

Name Clare King

Maniac # 838
 
State you live in:  Alaska

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? I have ran 30 marathons so far, but no ultras yet.

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) Racing and beating all the boys in junior high school for fun. First sanctioned race was in high school. I ran a 10k in Washington State, and I was hooked.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? The first marathon I ever ran was on my 24th birthday. It was the Emerald City marathon in Seattle Washington.
What year did you run it? The year was 1986. Did you have fun that day? Yes, but suffered later!!

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running?
I have pretty much ran all of my life. My sister and I liked to run before school in the morning, and we would drag our Dad out with us. We found out later he had been a really good runner back in the days when it was not cool to run.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I decided to become a Maniac because I love the whole maniac concept. To finally be recognized and rewarded for being a nut. What more could you ask for?  The shirts are cool too, and it is nice to know there are other people that have a hard time differentiating between pain, insanity and fun!! :^)
My inspirations were other maniacs that I would see at various races. I thought, I am a crazy maniac too, so this might just be the club for me!

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run?
All of them. Every distance, every state, and every country….oh, to only have more time and more money. If I had to pick just one, I would have to say Antarctica. After I finish the 50 states and D.C, I want to do the 7 continents as well, and that one is logistically and financially a stretch.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? I would want to run with my dad again. He died about 14 years ago, and I would like to be able to run with him again.

What was you most memorable marathon and why?
Every marathon is memorable in some way, but my most memorable so far would have to be Virginia Beach, which I ran with my 15 year old daughter. It was a great experience to be able to run her first marathon with her, and very fun for both of us.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? It would depend on what distance they were trying to PR at, but if it was a marathon, I would suggest St. George, Utah if they don’t mind up and down hills. It can be a really fast course if you are in shape for it.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Every race out of state is a minimum of 1500 miles away. That just gets me to Seattle. I think Albany Georgia is the farthest I have gone so far, and that would be about 2,500 miles. It is much harder to travel from Alaska, but very fun too.

Do any of your non-running friends or family members think that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? Absolutely.. Many people think I am nuts. People just do not understand. “You are doing another marathon? Do you realize how bad that is for you? Didn’t you just do a marathon? Is this the same one, or is this another one? How many are you doing this year?  How long is this race???” ;^) The good thing about clubs like this is, you can tell them, I am not nuts, look at maniac # 1. Now that guy is nuts!! (JK)

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? One a week would be awesome, with an occasional double.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers’ medal? I love them all. Austin has a good one, so does the Yukon Trail marathon in Canada, but they are all special to me.

Where do you keep your finisher medals? So far they are all stuck in a drawer upstairs in my closet, and the latest 4 or 5 are hanging in the living room. I have my eye on this really cool medal hanger that you can order from the 50 state marathon site. It is wood, looks awesome. Cost is just under $100.00. Maybe I will get it for myself for my next birthday.

 Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear?
When I am not at work, race shirts are pretty much all that I wear. Why buy shirts when you already have drawers full of them?? And cool ones at that!! The ones I do not wear, I give to either Salvation Army, or I bring them to a school I used to work at that has lots of under privileged children.
If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? I think here is Alaska. This is a great state, and there are so many awesome places that are fun to run in. The marathons here are okay, but I think I could pick a better venue then the two main ones that we have.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Either one, black, yellow, or black and yellow. Doesn’t matter.

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal?
Pre race is something light. I do much better if I don’t eat too much before the race. So maybe a salad and a baked potato or a chicken breast or something like that. Post race, anything goes. Mexican food is always awesome, nice and spicy, or  pizza, or Chinese food , and….right after the race, I love to have salt and vinegar potato chips. MMMM.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice?
Gu works for me, most flavors, and I like Gatorade and Powerade

Which race would you never run again and why?
There is no race that was so bad I would not repeat it, so have to pass on this one.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why?
The hardest race is the Cross Pass trail race in Girdwood Alaska, and mainly because of the time cut offs. You climb up this Mt. pass, 3500 feet, and cover four miles all under an hour. So, you kill yourself to make the first cut off, and then you still have 22 miles to run, including a glacier river crossing, and you have to do the whole thing under 6 hours. Lots of the trail is so overgrown you cannot even see your feet, so you are guaranteed to take a screamer or two during the race. One time through the pass I saw 8 bears. There is devils club, and hornets, and this is truly a secluded race, limited to 135 runners. Hard but very rewarding when you finish.
What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? There are no typical weeks for me. I run when and where I can. Typically I probably average 35 miles per week. Some way more, some way less. I bike, hike, roller blade, and work out at the Alaska Club. Depends on my kids sports and work schedule what I end up doing.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? Yes, my best two training partners are Pok Maley, and B.C Kindred. We call ourselves “The Three Old Bags Running Club”. They are both awesome athletes and great training partners. I also have many friends in Anchorage that I run and travel with when I can. I also have two German Sheppard dogs that log many many miles with me, and help keep me safe.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe?
I like Nikes and Brooks. I have wide feet, and they fit me well. I also race in the same brand of shoes.
What are your short-term running goals?
Qualify for Boston 2009 at Steamtown Pennsylvania this coming October.
What are your long-term running goals? Run an Ultra this year, and run 13 new states so I can reach the Ruthenium level, and be half way done with my 50 state quest.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Go to all of my kids sports activities, hike, camp, ride bikes, travel, and when I am totally tired out, watch a movie and drink some fine wine.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head)
Main Maniac of course!! I too have a cat. Well, actually I have two cats. I have a black one with green eyes, and an orange tabby cat. They are fun to mess with!! And they are wonderful to curl up with after a long run on a really cold day. Cats are very warm, especially if you put them under your blanket!!