Maniac questionnaire

Name: Francis

Maniac #: 595

State you live in: Washington

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run?:

Marathons: Portland (3), Paris (1), Vancouver (1), Seattle (1), Chicago (1), Ottawa (1)

Ultras: Mt Si 50k (1), Ron Herzog 50k (1), Bridle Trails 50k (1), Lake Young 50k (1), Chuckanut 50k (1), White River 50M (1)

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance): St Patrick Day 5k (2001)

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Portland Marathon 2003. It was a blast and had fun since I always thought that there is no way, I would run a marathon because it is so boring to run for 4 hours and I did 3hrs:51mn and right after finishing the race, I was already planning on the 2^nd marathon.

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I have been a runner for a long time but just for short distance like 3 to 5k. I would say that I was jogging instead of running. It is cheap way to exercise even though I did not have the right shoes to run with because I could not afford it.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I decided to be a maniac because I like the friends that I got to meet through races like Bill Barmore and they told me good things about this group. It is always good to be part of a running group.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? I would say Boston since it I have to qualify for it and is the top of the top.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? I would choose my wife however she is not a runner, therefore I would go with Dean Karnazes, the ultramarathon man.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? I would say the first one Portland 2003 because I was trying to finish the race strong.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Don’t know about that but I think Portland is a great one to run a PR on but I have heard good things about the Newport Marathon, OR.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Paris Marathon 2007

Do any of your non-running friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? Yeah most of them say that I am crazy, but they don’t understand that because they don’t even run. And I always tell them that running is good for your knees and your ankle and overall health and I get older, I would still able to run marathon and they will more prone to use a cane to walk or not even walk for a few miles. But basically, don’t tell me that I am crazy if you don’t even run. The ones that like running understand this feeling and see why I am pushing myself.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? As many as I can manage, PR or not….As long as I am having fun doing it staying injury free. And of course, a goal would be run 50 marathons in all 50 states before the age of 50.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? I would say the Ottawa Marathon 2007

Where do you keep your finisher medals? Hanging in my home office….along with my tae kwon do medals

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear?

I use race t-shirts for training only and don’t like to use them in a race…I wear all my race t-shirts above all I trained hard for them so why leave them in the closet unless they are cotton shirt

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it?

Back home in Senegal

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Maniac Yellow,,,,,I am already black

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? My pre race meal is always a banana and a protein bar “Odwalla Berries” and my favorite Post race meal is scramble eggs followed by a cheeseburger and fries. I need the calories and the salt after all.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? GU and Gatorade ( I am in the verge of dumping Gatorade for Gleukos or something better)

Which race would you never run again and why? Probably the Seattle Marathon because of the crappy weather and that time of the year….but we never know , I could do it again for training purposes of for any other reasons, but would not train for this race

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? The most challenging race that I have ever done was the Ron Herzog 50k. This race occurred in November when Seattle was receiving a lot of rainfalls and the temperature was dropping…So this race started out on really cold day, and then rain, snow showers were mixed along the way. Added to that, I had to run on soaking tank traps, crossing freezing water creek. I could not feel my toes and I had lost the mouth piece of my camelback without realizing it, and lost all my Gatorade at about mile 9…no source to rehydrate before the Aid station and I had to take someone’s else Nalgene bottle to finish the race. At the Aid station, I was so cold that I could not eat, change into dry clothes, put my gloves on and even tie my shoelace…Thanks to the volunteers that helped put my gloves on and give hot chocolate.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I try to log about 30 miles a week if possible unless I am in a training mode. For cross training, I bike, tae kwon do, yoga, hiking, weight training, and of course salsa dancing

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? I don’t really have a training partner, I usually run by myself on the road or in the woods. It would be great to find a good running partner that would not slow me down or run way faster than me. But I occasionally with run friends and Jessica S, the one who really got me into running.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? For road running, I like Asics Nimbus and for the trail running I use the Brooks Cascadia.

What are your short-term running goals? Qualifying for Boston is I hope a short term running goal, because I don’t want to be a long term one. Getting older will help me maybe

What are your long-term running goals? One long term running goal would be to run a 100 mile race. Before then, I need to log and be comfortable with the 50 M and 100k races.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Dancing, Traveling, Shopping, and Sipping a mojito on a sandy beach

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) Don’t have any right now