Marathon Maniacs News Letter – February / March 2006

 

                                                     

February Highlights

·         13 new members for the month of February (255 total members)

·         Prolific marathoner and new Maniac Chuck Engle wins the Tybee Island, Valentine and Pensacola Marathons.

·         Van Phan wins the "Pigtails Run", her own race!

·         Jen Yogi wins the Valentine and Birch Bay Marathons.

·         Laura Bleakley wins the Hudson Mohawk Marathon.

·         Welcome our newest 10-star Titanium Maniac, Angela Ivory

·         Congratulations to Gregg Walchli, Amy Yanni, Steve Supkoff, Cheri Gillis, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Bekkie Wright, Phil DeYoung and Dave Bell for completing the grueling P.T. cruiser / Gasparilla events.

·         Last but not least, congratulations to Meridith Johnson and J. Ellis on their wedding at the Bank of America Marathon.

 

*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*****

If you find a discrepancy or are missing any information that should be in the scorecard (number of marathons/ultras, total count and states/countries/provinces run, please contact Main Maniac.  He will be more than happy to make the corrections.  Or if you find that Main Maniac (with cat on head) has omitted your name from a milestone (50, 100 marathon mark, placing in races, etc..)  please let him know…he wants to give credit where credit is due.

 

Also, if it's your Maniac anniversary date, please help Main Maniac out by renewing your membership. Dues collected help pay for website fees and maintenance, purchasing of more singlets and other wear and…future surprises. Keep your Maniac Seniority Number!

                                                 

Upcoming Marathon News / Discounts

 

·         Big Island Marathon (3/19/06): Race Director Wayne "Big Dog" Joseph is happy to give any Marathon Maniac a $5 discount on any of the three races they host on March 19, 2006   http://www.hilomarathon.com

·         Knoxville Marathon (3/26/05): $5 discount off your registration. Simply enter CHA2005 for the referral code when you register on http://www.knoxvillemarathon.com/

·         Peterson Ridge Rumble (4/09/06): $5 discount for either the 30k or 60k.  Maniac Sean asks that you write your Maniac number on the entry form http://www.footzonebend.com/rumble/

·         Country Music Marathon (4/29/06): Receive $15 off when you register online and enter the coupon code FULL55 on http://www.cmmarathon.com/

·         New Jersey Marathon (4/30/06): Art Castellano is offering the Maniacs a $20 discount. Just indicate Marathon Maniacs on the application for proper processing. http://www.njmarathon.org/

·         Frederick Marathon (4/30/06): Race director Rachel Ridgeway has offered the Maniacs a $5 discount for her race. When registering for the marathon, they can enter "FREDIACS" upon checkout to receive $5 off of their registration fee.

·         Green Bay Marathon (5/21/06): Offering Maniacs a 10% discount on the entry fee.

http://www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com/

·         Coeur D'Alene Marathon (5/28/06): Race Director Chris Copstead is offering Maniacs a 10% discount. They'll need to go to our web site http://www.cdamarathon.org/ and do the mail in the application. It's imperative that they state that they're with the Marathon Maniacs. 

·         Paul Bunyan Marathon (7/16/06): Special Discounts for Marathon Maniac Runners!!!
All Maniac Members will receive TWO (2) free passes to the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner ($30 dollar value) and be offered a special $75 a night room rate at our lodging sponsor, the Black Bear Inn Hotel; this is a 25%+ discount. Fifty (50) rooms will be placed on hold as this could be a "Maniac Summer Meeting in Maine" for members. As a token of our appreciation to your club The Paul Bunyan Marathon Race Committee will donate a table to promote your running club at our Expo free of charge. http://www.paulbunyanmarathon.com/

 

Be sure to check the Maniac discounts link periodically…you don't know what kind of bargains the Main Maniacs will come up with!  http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/ManiacDiscounts.htm

 

Read about some of the new Maniacs (the Barefoot guys…Rick, Todd, Jon and KenBob, as well as some amazing runners…Chuck Engle, Bekkie Wright and Helmut Lintzbichler). If you haven't submitted an interview yet, please do…we'd like to know a little about you all! http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/Maniacquestionnaire1.doc

 

Be a part of the geographical equation…include yourself in the Marathon Maniacs "frappr"

http://www.frappr.com/marathonmaniacs

 

                                               The Marathon Maniacs…at the Races

 

February 4

Death Valley Trail Marathon: Steve "el Penguino" Frederickson, Andy Kumeda, Jon "CoconutBoy" Mahoney, Doug MacLean.

Tybee Marathon: Kevin Brosi, Chuck Engle, Brenton Floyd, Eddie Hahn, John Hutchinson, Angela Ivory, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Larry Macon, Cathy Troisi

Cast a Shadow Six-Hour Run: Laura Bleakley

Pigtails Run: Tony (*tc) Covarrubias, Cheri Gillis, Arthur Martineau, Van "pigtails" Phan, tony! Phillippi

 

February 5

Mardi Gras Marathon: Paula Boone, Steve Boone, Philip DeYoung, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Larry Macon, Cheryl Murdock, Nicole Mills, Jay Seashore, Steve Supkoff, Fiona and Wayne Wright.

Ocala Marathon: Brenton Floyd, Harry L. Hoffman, Robert "srlopez" Lopez,

Pacific Shoreline Marathon: Andre Boulais, Carol Dellinger, Gary Geuss, Deo Jaravata, Dana Mosell,  Don Pattison, Barefoot KenBob Saxton, Cathy West

Rocky Raccoon 100 miler: Andrew Edwards

 

February 11

Run Toto Run: Tom Detore

Surfside Beach Marathon: Paula Boone, Steve Boone

 

February 12

Mercedes Marathon: Lois Berkowitz, Andrew Edwards, Brenton Floyd, Dick Franklin, Angela Ivory, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Larry Macon, Cheryl Murdock, Dennis Spurlock, Cathy Troisi, Ron Westbury

        

                       Early Maniac starters at the Valentine Marathon                                                Gary (#232) Otheim

 

Valentine Marathon: Ruth Balf, Jim Boyd, Tim Bruce, Amanda Cohn, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Christel Elliot, Chuck Engle, Cheri Gillis, Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Eddie Hahn, Eric Jensen, David Jones, Arthur Martineau, Gary Otheim, Lesa Overfield, Van "pigtails" Phan, Fenny Roberts, Jim Scheer, Michael Shiach, Gregg Walchli, Steven Yee, Guy Yogi, Jen Yogi

 

Here is Marc Frommer's race report:

My goal for this race was not to get injured, see a bunch of folks that I haven't seen in a while, and have a nice long training run. I succeeded on all accounts. This is one of the Bob Greene races, which are held starting at a state park a bit south of Olympia. He holds these races around holidays and they are uncertified courses with not a lot of aid. Maniacs probably make up about 1/2 of the entrants in the full marathon (there are also shorter races).

I left my house around 8AM on Sunday for the drive, assuming the start would be at 10:30AM. But when I pulled into the parking lot, Prez Steve and a couple of other folks who I was planning on running with (Lesa and Van) were going towards the start saying that they decided to start at 10AM. I quickly parked, got my number, changed

into my shoes and other clothes and dashed toward the starting line still not fully ready. I got there maybe about a minute after they started and sprinted to catch up to them. There were probably about 8 to 10 of us, including NoWDead Val, who started at 10 (a bunch of other folks started at 9:30).

 

               

         Barefoot (#209) Jon           Cheri (#12) Gillis and Ruth (#108) Balf                       Eddie (#184) Hahn

 

I decided to run with Maniac Van who said she was going to run around an 8:30 pace for the first half and then probably pick it up. Since my plan was also 8:30s, it sounded good to me. We passed the "first" mile in around 7 minutes but then realized this is a Bob Greene race so the "mile" markers are not exactly accurate. We reached the "two" mile mark in a bit over 16 minutes so I figured we were doing fine. I didn't bother taking mile splits and just looked at my watch every few markers. We discovered at around the 5 mile mark that Bob had set the course up as a double out and back (sometimes you go to the halfway point and turnaround but this time we turned around at the halfway point for the 1/2 marathon). I didn't really mind that since it seemed to make the race go by faster and you saw folks a lot more. Van and I reached the halfway point in 1:52:38 so we were right on pace. Unfortunately, as we came back into the park, I realized that in my rush to get to the start, I never paid the self-serve parking fee. So, throughout the second part of the race I was wondering what kind of ticket they issued and even if they towed (I imagined getting a ride up to Tacoma and getting my daughter to help me get my car).

       

   Eric (#123) Jensen               Once again the Maniac President outduels the great Marc (#9) Frommer!

 

After we started on the second half, Van took off and I let her go. She must have dropped it down to around an 8 minute pace and my legs/body/mind said no way was I going to do that. I just put it on automatic and tried to
keep an even pace. I must have succeeded since I ran the second half in 1:51:24 (negative splits by a bit over a minute) for a total of 3:44:03. I even caught up to Prez Steve who was having a tough day and we ran the last
bit together. Overall, it was a successful training run (and marathon #46, setting me up for Newport being my 50th), though I was a bit disappointed that my legs hurt a bunch and I couldn't pick it up more over the last 10K. But, my car was there waiting for me with no ticket (I did pay the parking fee after the fact) and I don't feel too bad this morning. 

                        

  Winner Chuck (#250) Engle               Lenore and Bob (#32) Dolphin                      Winner Jen (#29) Yogi

               

February 18

Myrtle Beach Marathon: Tom Detore, Jack Heely, John Hutchinson, Daniel Lieb, Cyndie Merten, Ed McGowan, Andrew Moore, Terry Sentinella

San Miguel Buzz Marathon: David Dassey, Guillermo Rios

Silver Comet 100km: Brenton Floyd

 

February 19

A1A Marathon: Harry L. Hoffman, Charles Sayles

Austin Marathon: Dave Bell, Robert Bens, Steve Boone, Kevin Brosi, Todd King, Ruth Morrow

Birch Bay Marathon: Jim Boyd, Ruben Contreras, Tony (*tc) Covarrubias, Steve Duncan, Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Al Harman, Jeff Loen, Mark Looi, Jim Morton, Stan Nakashima, Tim Pate, Bruce Quam, Jen Yogi.  From marathonguide.com: Jennifer Yogi, a fixture in Pacific Northwest marathoning, was the first woman - winning in 3:22:19. Amanda Rodgers of Bremerton WA was second in 3:37:00 and Linda Barton of Everett WA finished third in 3:46:45.

Desert Classic Marathon: Barefoot Todd

Lost Dutchman Marathon: Debbra Jacobs-Robinson, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Larry Macon, David Reid. Dale Shoup's race report: Unlike the weather my performance was not pretty. The bursitis in my right knee caused me to slow down although it never stopped me completely. By my watch my finish time was exactly 4:00:00 gun time but my official time was 3:58:33?? I don't know how they gave me a minute and a half credit?

I had a stiff knee for the RnRAZ but it did not hurt my time very much. Following that I tried to ramp up my training; however instead I developed bursitis a couple weeks ago. Consequently I took the last two weeks off
except for an easy run of 6 miles last Thursday. Even though that did not go well I still hoped to be able to run the Lost Dutchman Marathon anyway. 

 

The weather has been nearly perfect down here. Today was the 123rd straight day without rain with no rain in sight. It was a little cool (about 40 deg) at the start, but there were about a dozen bonfires going to keep us warm
till the start. Another unique feature of the Lost Dutchman is the use of a real shotgun for the start. The first 6.5 miles are run on a dirt road through the desert. I started back a bit since I planned to start slow. Still it only took 7 or 8 seconds to get across the start line. Even with my slow start I still had to pass a lot of slower runners who obviously lined up way too far forward. My knee was stiff for the first couple of miles before it loosened up and I
could get into my stride. I missed the first two mileage markers. For the first 3 miles I averaged 8:16. I missed the next two markers as well. For the second 3 miles I averaged 7:56 and actually started thinking that I might have a decent run. However after another mile in 8:00, my knee started to hurt again and get stiff. The course has a lot of rolling hills since it is fairly close to the mountains and crosses a number of washes. The downhill portions were harder on my knee and caused me to slow down while all the other runners would speed up and pass me. For a while I would pass them again on the rises, but then even the flat and rise portions were becoming painful too.

 

It became a death march as I continued to slow down first to 9:00 miles and then 10:00 miles. I did not dare to stop to walk because I knew I would never be able to get going again. I did see fellow Maniacs Robert Lopez, David Reid, and Larry Macon before the start. Robert blew by me before mile 20 and I tried to pick up my pace
to keep up with him, but it was just too painful by then. At first I thought the mile markers were off when I first noticed a 10:00+ split. But then there were more to follow and no matter how hard I tried they persisted.

 

Pensacola Marathon: Chuck Engle, Cheryl Murdock, Sam Thompson. The race summary from marathonguide.com. Chuck Engle ran his seventh marathon for 2006 and made it his seventh win (and sixth course record) for the year. On a cold and windy day, Engle took out the pace to win in 2:38:10. Leonard Vergunst, running his first marathon as a Grand Master (50 years-old and above), took second place in 2:49:11. Curtis Prentice, finished third in 2:51:06.
Tallahassee Marathon: Kurt Lauer, Terry Sentinella

Washington's Birthday Marathon: Jesse Leitner, Lisa Spence

Orcas Island Fat Ass 50km: Christel Elliot, Arthur Martineau, Van "pigtails" Phan

 

February 23-26

Coyote 4-Play: Tony (*tc) Covarrubias, Andy Kumeda, Van "pigtails" Phan, Glenn Tachiyama

 

February 25

Cowtown Marathon: Kevin Brosi, Chuck Engle, Barefoot Rick

Jack Tracy of Oklahoma won the 28th Cowtown Marathon with a time of 2:36:15. Chuck Engle, running on his birthday in his 8th marathon of the year, took second place in 2:36:24. Engle, who prior to this weekend was undefeated in his seven marathon outings, was gaining hard on the leader in the last miles, but came up just short.

 

Hagg Lake 50km: Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Eric Jensen, Kate Merill, Olga Varlamova. Clay Hathorn's race report: Hagg Lake 50K Mud Run on Saturday. I ran 4:58:10 for 22nd place out of about 100. Bettered my expectations and enjoyed much of this outing, except for the last hour of 11-minute miles through mud.  For anybody who hasn't been to Hagg Lake, it's about 30 miles from Portland--a nice state park with a trail that goes around the lake for about 14 miles. The course calls for a 3-mile out-and-back and then two loops around the lake. This race is well organized and is the first race in the Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series. I wouldn't have figured that 100 people would show up to run 31 miles in the mud in February, but I'm guessing the link to the series increased the turnout--it also seemed to draw some tough runners.

Luckily, it's been mostly dry here, and the weather was really nice that morning--in the 30s to start yet clear with nice light. It was only my second ultra so I proceeded with trepidation--unsure how I would fare in 5 hours of running. I saw some Maniacs and a few other people I knew. As been discussed here before, the ultra crowd is a friendly bunch, and we were running at such a pace as to allow conversations. But at some point, probably mile 10, I became a pack of one alone in the woods free to run and think at my own pace. I remember looking at my watch and actually having this thought: "Gee, only 3 more hours to go." Then I realized what a sick event this was.

The second half of the loop has a lot of quick up and downs and finishes with stretches through rutty, treacherous muck marked with signs such as "can you believe you paid for this?" It's tough stuff to run. I finished the first loop back at the starting line/pavilion/aid station, mile 17, at 2:38, feeling pretty good. I knew the last few miles were gonna be tough to run even if I were feeling good, so I used the opportunity to pick up the pace through the dry sections. I passed probably a dozen people, creating a bit of space. I needed it, because as the course got tougher and muddier in the latter stages I fell apart. The entire last hour I was shot--I shouted "f***!" to a volunteer at the last station when she informed me I had 4.3 miles to go. My first goal was to beat the median time of 5:35 (for men), and my best goal was to crack 5:00. So, despite feeling pretty miserable, I was
satisfied to lurch in with muddy-coated shoes at 4:58. I ran the final 14 miles in 2:19--what is that, a 10:30 pace? That's difficult to fathom given how hard I ran the first 5 to 7 miles of the loop.  Anyway, I felt great all day and evening. Went to two parties that night and tried to make up for the some 3,500 calories I expended. I'll try a few
other races in the series, but probably not until the PCT 50K in late July.

Invest in Youth 50km: Stan Nakashima, Stacy "Possum" Otter, Diana "Slug" Robinson

 

The Gasparilla Classic - Site of the first ever Marathon Maniacs Reunion…scenes from the Race Expo

                

Gunhild Swanson, Sue Fauerbach and Jack Swanson at the Maniac Booth         Rich (#203) Hallworth

 

  

           Maniacs "milking" it up!                    Peggy Nelson-Panzer and Keith Panzer               Barb Bumann

 

February 26

Bank of America Marathon: Dave Bell, Barb Bumann, Janet Burgess, Phil DeYoung, Andrew Edwards, Sue Fauerbach, Cheri Gillis, Rich Hallworth, Harry L. Hoffman, Meredith Johnson, Don "the Rev" Kienz, Rick Korecki, Kurt Lauer, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Larry Macon, Peggy Nelson-Panzer, Keith Panzer, Don Pattison, tony! Phillippi, Steve Supkoff, Gunhild Swanson, Jack Swanson, Gregg Walchli, Christopher Warren, Rob Willis, Bekkie Wright, Fiona Wright, Wayne Wright, Amy Yanni, Steven Yee

                         

                    PT Cruisers Philip (#118) DeYoung, Robert "srlopez" (#111) Lopez and Amy (#130)Yanni         

 

Here is an excerpt from Maniac Cheri Gillis, recounting her PT Cruiser challenge: Gregg Walchli and I chose to do the PT Cruiser Challenge which consisted of a 15K at 7:30 Saturday, a 5K at 9:30 Saturday and the Marathon on Sunday. I looked at last years results and decided I could win the Veteran Women's division if I just ran conservatively and didn't blow up in any of the races.  My intended goal was < 90 min for the 15K, < 30 min for the 5K and < 4:30 for the marathon.

We had a lovely pre-race maniac dinner with the Bride and Groom Friday evening and made it to the start in plenty of time Saturday morning. It was hot and humid for the 15K and I ran the first 10K in 53 minutes then
remembered that I had 2 races to go and slowed ~1 minute per mile. I made it in 1:24:26. I was under fueled and spent the time between the 2 races eating. The finish line had lots of good food. The clouds started to move in
during the 5K but my legs were lead. I figured I'd be doing a 10 minute pace and started 1/3 of the way back in the pack. I was still weaving through walkers in the last mile of the 5K. I slipped in just under 30 at 29:29.

 

Gregg's times were 01:01:10 and 00:19:41. After the races we went back to the hotel and alternated between submerging ourselves in the unheated outdoor pool and the hot tub. It felt great. We went out for another pasta
dinner and retired early.  We were both pretty sore starting the marathon and I figured I'd not try to do anything better than 4:30 and to be nice to myself and just putt along at a 10 minute pace. The slow start seems to be a good thing for me and something I don't often accomplish because I still felt good after 20 miles. I gradually picked up the pace after the half and finished in 4:21:39. Maniac Amy Yanni was in the veterans division but is soooo fast that she placed 2nd overall and got booted from the division awards, allowing me to be 1st veteran woman. :-).  So far I have 3 t-shirts and 3 medals and the PT Challenge shirt and award will be mailed. Gregg's marathon was 3:12:01 putting him 2nd overall in the PT Challenge.  We flew the red-eye in Thursday night and our plane leaving Denver on Sunday was delayed due to weather getting me home ~2:30AM Monday. I think I'm still tired but I really had fun!

      
     PT Cruisers Steve Supkoff, Cheri Gillis and Gregg Walchli               These two are up to no good!

 

Barb Bumann's Race Report: The race is *supposed* to start at 6:00 a.m., presumably to beat the heat,
but when I got up Sunday morning it was pouring rain. Chris Marr had rather brilliantly packed lawn-size garbage bags which were useful for waiting around at the start. And wait and wait and wait we did. The race finally
began at 6:30 a.m. Rumors abounded about the reason for the delay -- waiting for volunteers to show up; waiting for traffic to dissipate.   Whatever the cause for the delay, we passed the time visiting with fellow Maniacs and even though it was raining, at 69 degrees it wasn't uncomfortable. Ultimately we all just started moving -- no one around us heard a gun!
    

       Maniacs Kurt Lauer, Don (#208) Pattison and Steve Supkoff                                 Ironman tp!


Before we started, my training partner announced that he would be running with me, because he hasn't had a great deal of time to train since announcing that he's running for office. (At the trade show, Steve Yee said something about having trouble keeping up with *me* after suffering a calf injury at the Valentine Marathon. So apparently my pace is what people run when they are injured or out of shape :-).

We were running in darkness and drizzle for the first hour or so. I remember being a little concerned about the heat and humidity but as the morning wore on, it actually seemed to get cooler and there was a welcome
breeze. The course itself was one of those odd urban courses with lots of tight turns from street to street -- at one point we ran onto a high school/college track, did a single lap, and ran out the same gate, turning a different direction. So there was a steady stream of runners circling around the track. I've never done that in a marathon before! There was a lot of concrete as well, but the good news was that the course was relatively flat -- the only high spots being the bridges that we crossed.
                              

                            Wayne and Fiona Wright doing "the Hustle"                   Dave (#212) Bell


At the 15-mile mark, Chris and I began to incorporate brief walking breaks at each mile marker. Remember the "breeze" I mentioned in the previous paragraph? As the morning progressed, the breeze began to pick up steam,
knocking a timing clock off its stand, sending mile markers scattering across the road, and at one point sweeping all the cups off an aid table directly into our path as we passed! Until mile 20, the wind was at our backs but at that point we turned and faced squarely into it for the next six miles as we ran parallel to the bay. It was a tough finish, fighting that wind for six miles. We saw Gunhild Swanson on the course and she also agreed it was a long day.  Steve Yee leapfrogged past us and finished a few minutes ahead. There were a number of out and back sections which allowed us to cheer on most of the Maniacs at one time or another. I sure like those distinctive yellow singlets for identifying people on the course! At mile 23, Chris's hamstring began to seize up and he began to drop back. After determining that he'd be able to finish, I abandoned the walking breaks and took off,
just wanting to be done!


My final time was 4:08 and change, good enough for 5th in my age group, so obviously others struggled, too. I waited at the finish and CM crossed about five minutes after me.  After the marathon we hustled back to the hotel to shower and change, then returned to the finish area to attend the wedding of two Marathon Maniacs from Tacoma. That was kind of different! It was fun to see everyone and I'm glad I went, but it was a long trip and I'm just as glad to be home :-).


                                       

                         The Rev reiterates…Marathons requires pacing, marriage requires patience! Here it is the complete service

Wedding party John (#143) Kokes, Meridith (#100) Johnson, J (#45 ) Ellis, and Meridith's daughter Shelby

 

Hudson Mohawk Marathon: Laura Bleakley

The Women's race was won by 2005 Napa Valley Trail Marathon winner Laura Bleakley, of Rochester NY, who claimed her victory in 3:31:31. Dana Peterson, of Albany NY, came in second in 3:40:42, while defending champ Martha DeGrazia, of Slingerlands NY, came in third this year in 3:47:55.
Hyannis Marathon: Val Kilcoin, Ron Westbury, Guy Yogi

Last Chance for Boston Marathon: Mark Janosky, Stephen Velott

                     

          The Maniac sage…Words to make you smile…

                                 What do you call someone who treats a sick duck?…A Quack Doctor!

 

Noteworthy Accomplishments / Promotions / Omissions / Maniac Stuff:

 

Ø       Titanium Maniac: Angela Ivory for completing races in 41 states in 2005.

Ø       Gold Maniacs: Arthur Martineau for completing 4 races in 6 weeks.

Ø       Maniac #76 Chris Marr is running for State Senate in Washington. 

Ø       Thanks again to John Elliot for his valuable time and effort for linking marathonmaniacs.com with marathonguide.com, and establishing the race spreadsheet and bulletin board options.

                       

New Members for the Month of February

2/01 - Richard Ervais #243 (New York, New York): Richard has travelled quite a bit in completing his 22 marathons, in places like Antarctica, Patagonia, Paris and Berlin. He looks forward to running Boston in 2006 and is a silver Maniac, his streak being 8 marathons in 8 months.

2/04 - Bekkie Wright #244 (Manchester, Connecticut): Known for running marathons in "outlandish" costumes, Bekkie finally reached her goal of Gold level status by virtue of completing 12 marathons in 12 months in 2005. Currently working on completing the 50-state circuit, she has big future plans, such as running 2 marathons in one day this June in Norway (Oslo and Tromso) and vows to complete the circuit at the 50th Anniversary of the Atlanta Marathon…in 2010. It never hurts to think WAY ahead!

 

2/07 - Angela Ivory #245 (Nashville, Tennesee): Angela had quite a stellar year in 2005, completing 47 marathons and ultras in 41 different states and DC.  She has already completed the 50 states and DC circuit and is well on her way to completing it again.  And with those kinds of credentials, lets congratulate Angela on being the fourth female 10-star Titanium Maniac!

2/07 - Guillermos Rios #246 (Ventura, California): Guillermo, please contact us…we don't have your stats!

2/08 - Jeff Loen #247 (Kenmore, Washington): Jeff scored major points with the Maniacs as he complimented our "unique one-of-a-kind" hats we were wearing at a race.  His streak of 3 in 3 months was slightly more difficult, as he completed the Chuckanut and Mt. Si 50km ultras and the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in 2005 to qualify him for bronze induction.  Jeff is one of the few Maniacs whom has run more ultras than marathons!

2/09 - Daniel Lieb #248 (Durham, North Carolina): Daniel had his Maniac streak way back in 2002-2003 when he completed Hartford, New York City and the First Light Marathons for 3 in less than 90 days. After not having run a marathon in 2004, he's now on his way back to the Insane mode by running one in 2006.

 

2/10 - Tim Bruce #249 (Sequim, Washington): Tim enjoys running marathon in the great Pacific Northwest as all 9 of his marathons were either in Washington and Oregon.  His last 3 marathons (Portland, Seattle and Christmas) were within the bronze level qualification of 90 days, so welcome to the Insane world of the Maniacs!

 

2/10 - Chuck Engle #250 (Jackson, Mississippi): A familiar name that graces the race summaries from marathonguide.com for his numerous placings, Chuck's goal in 2006 is to run 50 sub 2:50 marathons...he's well on his way with 9 of them, 8 of which were marathon victories.  Its going to be fun keeping up with the exploits of the so-called "Marathon Junkie". Oh, by the way…he's already a 8-star Platinum Maniac, by running in 26 states in one year. Whew!

 

2/12 - Michael Szklarz #251 (Springfield, Massachusetts): Michael has run a total of 21 marathons between 2001 and 2005. During the latter part of 2005, he completed the Quebec City, Clarence Demar and Cape Cod Marathons to qualify for bronze level status. Mike's plans to run at least 6 marathons in 2006.

 

2/17 - Val Kilcoin #252 (Middletown, New York): Val is a prime example of marathon perseverance. After she set her personal best at the 2002 Hartford Marathon and looking forward to great things in 2003, a skiing accident put her plans on hold until April 2004 when she regained her form and was once again running marathon.  I was lucky enough to run with her for a few miles at the 2005 Mystic Places Marathon and she informed me that with one more race, she would qualify to become a Maniac. Sure enough, she recently completed 3 marathons in 3 months for Bronze induction.  Since that injury, Val thanks God just being able to run because…she luvs to run!


2/22 - Edward McGowan #253 (Brooklyn, New York): With each successive marathon, Edward has gotten faster. So obviously he's entered into 8 additional marathons in 2006 (he's already completed 2) to try to better his times. His eventual goal is to complete the 50 states and DC circuit. With 3 marathons run (Las Vegas, Mobile and Myrtle Beach) during a period of 76 days, Ed becomes a Bronze Maniac.

 
2/28 - Helmut Linzbichler #254 (Kapfenberg, Austria / Harbor Springs, Michigan): The question really should be…what has Helmut NOT achieved in his lifetime. From mountain climbs to multi-day stage races, 100 milers, Helmut has lived the ultimate more than a Maniac life. He's proud of the fact that he has 250 straight marathon/ultras without a single DNF.  He says his schedule for 2006 is "light" but when that includes the Bataan Death March Marathons, Leadville, the Himalayan 100-mile stage race and marathons in Bhutan, Austria and Poland, well, that's Maniacal. Having done 32 marathons in one year, Helmut is a certifiable Osmium nut!  

 

2/28 - Susan Cheng-Looi  #255 (Issaquah, Washington): The 6th wife and husband team to join the Maniac Clan (husband Mark is Maniac #25), Susan was probably "peer-pressured" into trying to qualify for Maniac induction.  But what better way than to spend a few long runs with some of your best friends. Susan recently completed the Seattle, Christmas and Birch Bay Marathons to qualify for Bronze induction. Mark is at Gold level…you can catch him this year!

 

 

 

 


                                Rhetorical Revelations and W(Rites)…from the Rambunctious Rev

“The world is divided into three kinds of people:  those who are good with numbers,

    and those who aren’t.”   -- (?)

 

Dear Fellow Maniacs,

If you’re a Mega-Maniac, during a race you rightly notice whether or not the tables serve the water first and the power drink second, or vice versa, for planning purposes.

 

If you’re a Mini-Maniac, during a race you rightly wonder whether or not the upcoming tables…  are yet another Mirage … or are real tables this time…

for planning purposes.

 

  *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

 

Mini-maniac #481 checking in.  And boy have WE got some crackers for you to crunch.

 

You see, there is a Mega-Maniac epidemic going on that has pushed your dear Rev to the precipice of blasphemy, as in tritely over-using my son’s pet phrase, “OhDearGod.”  I’ve been reading YOUR bulletin board.  And I have been so smacked around by the incredibility of it all, I have landed on my keester. 

 

To wit:

 

Somebody out there named Pigtails, an innocent enough moniker, decided to run the “Nothing to Worry About Half-Marathon” in the morning, because…what harm could THAT do… as a warm-up to…the afternoon’s ultra “Ho-Hum-Let’s-Run 50k”.

Hello?  Didn’t I read somewhere that a mile plus some stretching is a warm-up if you’re reeeeaaalllly good, and for mere mortals a four-minute, slow jog between the parking lot and the starting line followed by a gentle stretch works great and is even downright informed, compared to nothing? 

And now I’ve got to choose either that, or we’ll try the 13.1 miles option?   Oh DearGod.  What sort of warm-up stretching follows that?  No no, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.

And this (I’m not making this up, Imus) because brave Pigtails believed the “half-marathon-and-an-ultra-in-a-day” experience would be easier than the two marathons in two days of weekends past?   YOU, oh fearless Pigtails, are officially a Mega-Maniac, in the very unofficial books of the Mini-Maniacs.  (*See this space in the Dec & Jan newsletters to find the birth of this distinguished Slackers Group lurking within MarathonManiacs. J  )

We must tell you though, Oh Pigtailed One, from back here in the Still-At-Least-Remember-Being-Sane remnant of the club, we shiver to consider one of your thought processes in proceeding from one race to the next on that same (gulp) day.  You mentioned an attack in the morning run of Plantar Fascistitis (that’s my spelling, and I’m stickin’ to it).  Painful indeed, and so you opted for an Ibuprofen sandwich, and were off to the afternoon trail. 

Now, we acknowledge: ye Megas all Are tougher than we are.  But a half-marathon with a PF attack, add a dash of Advil, and go traverse the State in the afternoon?  There is a Mini or two back here who would suggest interpreting a foot’s PF message to mean go take a couple of weeks off, not lunch. Sigh.

(“Be careful out there” might not be a rallying cry, but it is the thought we’re tacking on the end of our Congratulations. Love ya, ya know.  Signed, Lead Wimp.) 

 

On to OhdearGod number two.  This is an unsolicited, personal apology to my own Mega-Maniac fave, AnNie of the Sunrise Smile.  I previously noted AnNie’s incredible accomplishment of winning not one but three marathons in one year, moreover, in nine days. Overlooked a larger detail.  Madame Thiessen wasn’t done in ’05.  She won an astonishing NINE Victories in ’05.  OhdearGod.  Nine.  To be an entirely certifiable MarathonManiac you don’t even have to consider SIGINING UP for nine in a year.  She Won nine.

(Though, heh heh heh, come to think about it, compared to winning three in nine days, winning nine took her, my, my, my, most of a whole year, heh heh heh….  another pokey year like that, AnNie, and we’ll just have to  you turn back into a Mini-maniac...) 

 

Lessee, a different sort of congratulations we present to you Megas.  Now we mini’s a-l-m-o-s-t understand running an ultra, almost, and that that might mean running in the nighttime, when it is dark out.  But running one, reported on the bulletin board recently, where you might not be able to find the course’s turns?  And then this is described as “fun”?

Well, Megas, you may have a sane member!  Sir Robert SRLopez, one of the more thoughtful and studied MegaManiacs out there, recently congratulated his Mega-mates on this bone-crushing run they completed, and said he will enjoy considering doing the run next year with the other Mega-maniacs, a run that can accurately be described as the “Maybe this Way, Maybe That, Bridle-Something Ultra”…and then, Monsieur Lopez honestly admitted, but he actually probably won’t.  

YOWZER!  SANITY FROM THE MEGAS!  Lopez?  That eruption of wild cheering you just heard was from A Whole Crowd of Mini’s who Love You, Mannnnn!

 

OhdearGod number four, and thanks to the same Mr. Lopez for pointing it out elsewhere, an accomplishment which makes Minis everywhere tremble. 

There were Seventy-Nine days last year during which Marathonmaniac Larry Macon earned a medal. That’s right, 79 new necklaces. 

Perspective: Pro Basketball players play for less than 48 non-consecutive minutes in about 79 games (82, minus the occasional injury…). (And don’t go adding “preseason”; we’re not counting Larry’s inbetween jogs either.)

And many of those Paid ballplayers are too tired to play for the Olympic team.  Too tired.  Hey, maybe it’s the travel.  (Oops.  I forgot.  Larry didn’t run all 79 marathons in one state.  Darn, there goes that excuse, aye, tall fellows?)

Seems to me we put Larry in a big ol’ box, ship him off to the International Olympic Committee, and set him down as Exhibit A+++ in our quest to have Maniacal Marathoning become the next Olympic Sport.  It would be the first sport ever to commence 365 days before the closing ceremonies. No trials needed.

Think about where and what Larry, Yee, Warren, Fauerbach, Phillipi, Holcomb, and a host of others could have gone and done with some Olympic Funding.

Odd irony though. 

Larry?  When you win? 

You’ll get…a medal.

 

A nice one Titanium one.  We’ll get ‘em to design it ‘special.

 

May OhdearGod bless ya,

Mini-Maniac #481

 

 

Rev

Have comments or just want to talk to the Rev Email The Rev

In an attempt to make the Marathon Maniacs one of the best and unique running clubs out there, we want to hear how we’re doing.  You as members know what you want and what you don’t want, so don’t hesitate to let us know.  We can’t guarantee that we can accommodate every request, but we’ll do the best we can.

 

If you have a desire to share your race experience with the rest of the Maniacs, feel free to write up a race report, submit it to us and we’ll post it in the monthly newsletter.  This is a good way to get the info you want into the letter and not just what we might write.

 

Maniac Ongoing Discounts


· $5 off marathons put on by Bob Green (his next one is the Easter Marathon).
· 10% off any running shoes, apparel at the Bellevue, Wa Foot Zone store (ask for Jenny)
· discount on BITE sandals (contact Tony at tony@marathonmaniacs.com for details)
                       

More to come in the March / April 2006 Newsletter and to the web site soon.

The President has written…



 
                                             Sealed With a Kiss!