Marathon Maniacs News Letter – July / August 2007

July Highlights

·         14 new members for the month of July (625 total members)

·         Amy Yanni wins the Swan Lake Marathon

·         Van "pigtails" Phan wins the Climb a Mountain Ultra

·         The amazing Lisa Bliss wins the Badwater 135 miler!

·         Thanks to Brian Pendleton for the New and Improved INSANE ASYLUM database

          

       Maniacs with Seafair Marathon winner Paul Rugut                                Lisa Bliss crossing the finish line at Badwater

 

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

The new and improved Maniac database is up and running. Muchos gracias to Brian Pendleton for creating and administering the database and Marc Frommer for answering members e-mails and troubleshooting. Since we weren't able to migrate passwords from the previous server, your password is the same as your user name, until you change it. And please offer suggestions on how the Insane Asylum and bulletin board can be improved. If you continue to have problems logging on to the database, please contact Marc (marc@marathonmaniacs.com).

 

                                                                                    SEAFAIR MANIACS                                   

         

  Doug MacLean with Talking Rain              "MarathonFreak, "Ice" Burg, Lesa Overfield, Marc Frommer"     Karate Kid Pigtails and Quack Quack                     

               The Marathon Maniacs…At the Races

July 1

Swan Lake Marathon: Dave Bell, Jim Collins, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Dick Vogt, Marv "The Commissioner" Winters. The marathonguide.com headline:

Amy Yanni, 53 of Rapid City SD, who was third at the 2007 Casper Wyoming Marathon, was the first female finisher in 3:43:03. Megan Carlson, 27 of Blue Springs MO, the winner of the 2006 Mississippi Coast Marathon, finished second in 3:44:49. Tenielle Klubben, 18, was third in 3:46:51.

 

July 4

Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Ultra: Debbra Jacobs-Robinson's run summary in this exotic locale: This race is not for everyone. It starts with the website information which stresses that race officials take no responsibility for “airline disasters,” attributable, perhaps, to the pre-Glasnost era Soviet-made AN25 aircraft one may be obliged to use. We shrugged this off, though we did begin scanning the news for reports of airline disasters. The website went on to say that race participants were required to carry their own water. Okay, seems reasonable for a trail run. Participants were also obliged to carry a flashlight, rain gear, a compass, a whistle, a pencil, note paper, sandwich bags, and an emergency food ration. Now, we’re starting to talk about something serious, especially the part about how we were prohibited from consuming the emergency food ration unless we were actually stranded overnight.

       

Like I said, not for everyone. Thankfully, the actual race was far less melodramatic: it’s a trail trek with two steep climbs and two steep descents through terrain that looks a lot like the Pacific Northwest. The race begins at 4:30 AM to accommodate the 100KM runners, some of whom straggle in after 10:00 PM - hence, “Sunrise 2 Sunset.” With only 40 or so marathoners and a quarter as many ultra runners, staying on the trail, marked by green paint splotches on widely-spaced trees, was a challenge. Running with a buddy is recommended here: Two sets of eyes to find those splotches.

Weather was also Pacific Northwesty and rain, which had blown through a couple times in previous days, held off. There are only three aid stations for the 42KM, the third of which was staffed by two smiling Mongolians who spoke no English. So much for there being a doctor and a translator at each stop. Despite the tough climbs, only one or two runners had to drop out; the rest of us made it the finish line and a warm welcome from other runners and event staff. Finishing times were very, very slow due to the tough elevation gains, but no one seemed to mind. How could you with such beauty, including views of Lake Hovsgol, blue unlike any other I've seen, and supposedly containing 1 or 2% of the world's water? Its blue was matched by the breathtaking sky. And did I mention the wildflowers?

The location, at Lake Hovsgol, takes time to get to – fly to Beijing; fly to Ulan Bataar; fly to Moron; then a bone-jarring 4 hour ride over primitive roads to Camp Toilogt at the lake - and offers few modern diversions: there’s horse back riding, canoeing and fishing, but electricity – and hot water! – are not plentiful. Food is plain with lots of rice, potatoes and, uh, beef. Camp Toilogt staff are mostly college kids from Ulan Bataar. Don’t count on hearing much English, except among the runners, a mix of Yanks, Europeans and a few Chinese. Lodging – in nomad tents called gers - was comfortable and, by the time race day came around, folks were chummy and no one minded that cell phones didn’t work. Add to this a finisher’s “medallion” unlike any I’ve seen in a hundred marathons and you’ve got a race that really isn’t for everyone.

 

               

     Maniacal Group on Sauvie Island - Foot Traffic Flat Marathon                                  Eddie Hahn "Running with the Devils" - A high of 113 degrees!

 

Foot Traffic Flat Marathon: Linda Barton, Jon "Ice" Burg, Adrian Call, Amanda Cohn, Marc Frommer, Bob Hearn, Bret "Fat-Boyee" Henry, Sean Meissner, Cyndie Merten, Little Leslie Miller, Jess Mullen, Pete "Hippo" Nicholson, Monte Pascual, Van "pigtails" Phan, Jeffrey Roger, Dr. Ashis Roy, Rick "Pole" Smith, Gregg Walchli, Steve "MarathonFreak" Walters, Hollywood Warren. Another race summary from marathonguide.com: In the women's race, Defending Champion Wendy Terris, 38 of Milwaukie OR, successfully defended her title winning in 2:53:05. Annie Thiessen, 36 of Tacoma WA, the winner of the 2007 San Juan Island Marathon and runner-up at the 2007 Tacoma City Marathon, finished second in 3:12:11. Pat McCurry, 30, was 3rd in 3:17:06. This was Cheri Pompeo's 100th Marathon…this is how it went for her: Aside from the weather forecast, it all started out well. Gregg and I got to our hotel in time to watch the Hooters Girl contest after feasting on Pizza at the haunted Old Towne Pizza Parlour. Gregg did a pretty convincing job of feigning disinterest in the Hooters girls by falling asleep mid-way through. I made it a little longer but am still wondering who won. Do any of you know?


Race day we made it to the park at 6:15, got our numbers and wrong sized shirts. I started out, felt pretty good and made it to the half in 2:05, then I guess it started getting hot and there wasn't enough fluid on the course and by mile 17 I was doing a lot of walking trying to keep my GU in. At mile 26 I let the GU out and felt much better. Next time I feel that way, I'll let it go earlier ;-) I walked in at 4:42 but #100 was done. I was congratulated by Gregg, Van, Hippo, Marc, Jessica, and other Maniacs. There were only a couple of takers for the Frappucinnos. I agree with Marc that I will not do this race again. Last year I won my division and got a nice prize, this year I won my division and found out there were no awards, they were out of medals by the time I got in and had no cups after mile 20 when we REALLY needed them. So... other than falling asleep before the Hooter Hottie was announced, it was a good weekend ;-)

 

                                                                                          SPOKANE'S CLIMB A MOUNTAIN ULTRA                                                                                    

  

                      Ken Briggs                                                                      Sean Meissner "Climbin"                                                        Winner Van "pigtails" Phan

 

July 7

Climb a Mountain Ultra: Gilles Barbeau, Linda Barton, Ken Briggs, Shawn Lawson, Sean Meissner, Van "pigtails" Phan, Hollywood Warren

Leadville Trail Marathon: Kevin Carrothers, Eddie Hahn, Johnny Spriggs, Dick Vogt, Keith Whited, Karen "Sushi" Wiggins, Gayle Zorrilla. A "brief" race review from "Sushi": Gayle Zorrilla and I ran the Leadville Marathon on Saturday. That is so far my toughest marathon distance. Actually, it was almost slower than any 50k I have run as well. It took me 7:06, and Gayle 6:06. It was a beautiful course at a very high altitude. Our high point was 13,100' and our low point was 10,200'. For the most part, the run was at 11,500' to 12,500' with a combined elevation gain of approx. 9,000'. 

 

                                                                     Changes to the Monthly Maniac Newsletter

 

I've read your messages and now I'm acting. Its much too lengthy, especially with 600+ members, to list all of the races and whom ran them, so to shorten the newsletter I'll try this. I'll continue to list races with the names of the Maniacs running only if it falls within the following criteria: 1) I have photographs of the race, 2) a member submits a race report, 3) the race director is a Maniac, 4) if your name shows up in the weekly marathonguide.com summaries, 5) if you win a race and 6) give me any other reason to include it. Frankly, I'd rather include more pictures of you, the members, in the newsletter so please keep those photos coming.

       

                                                                            Eddie Hahn at the Leadville Marathon, with Keith Whited

 

July 8

Seafair Marathon:  Herb Allen, Jonathan Bernard, Jim Boyd, Bonni Brooks, Jon "Ice" Burg, Janet Burgess, May Cheng, Ruben Contreras, Tom Craven, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Eric Gierke, BK Gilbertson, Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Kenneth Hart, Robert Hester, Jill Hudson, David Jones, Rick "TheRrrick" Karampatsos, James Klarich, Gary Kobold, Rick Korecki, Mark Looi, Susan Cheng-Looi, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Larry Macon, Jon "Coconutboy" Mahoney, Sherry Mahoney, Bob Martin, King Arthur Martineau, Little Leslie Miller, Janice Moyer, Amy Murphy, David Nemoto, Gary Otheim, Lesa Overfield, Monte Pascual, Van "pigtails" Phan, Jeanette Quintana, Cliff "quack quack" Richards, Diana "sLuG" Robinson, Tom Rogers, Linda "Girlie" Rowe-O'Neal, Marilou Russell, Scott Sebelsky, Michael Shiach, David Spooner, Tom Stoltz, Steve Supkoff, aNnIe Thiessen, Joseph Tompkins, Steve "MarathonFreak" Walters, Hollywood Warren, Steve White, Prez Steven Yee

 

The Seafair Marathon, according to your friendly Maniac volunteer and #1 Harry Potter fan Marc Frommer:

I had no idea how I was going to feel today for this race since I have never run 2 marathons in 5 days before (I'm lobbying to add a 1/2 star to my Maniac ranking :-). You all know the ridiculousness of the July 4th Marathon and during this race, I was thinking this is the anti-Sauvie Island Marathon. There were aid stations galore, cups everywhere (including different cups for water and Gleukos), lots of friendly volunteers, gels at the aid stations where they said they were going to be, food and plenty of water at the end of the race (there was no food at Sauvie except the strawberry shortcake and not much water at the end) and I never once had to ask the 1/2 marathon walkers to move over like I constantly had to do on Sauvie Island. This is a very nice organized race and, while it is much tougher and hillier than Sauvie, I will probably run it again. This is also a bigger race than Sauvie and I think the race directors could learn a bit from Seafair.

               

      Tom Craven                                                    Tom Rogers and Rick Korecki                           Vanessa "GungHo" Reiter     Jim Boyd and "Girlie" O'Neal


OK, enough about that. As for my race, there were lots of Maniacs and I spent a good portion of the race running first with Herb Allen #42 and then with Mike Shiach #33 as well as lots of other Maniacs here and there. I decided to start out slow and go for 9 minute miles or so. The first section is the hilliest but there were lots of hills throughout the course. While my legs felt sore every so often, I never really felt bad and kept up a nice steady pace. We passed the 1/2 mark
around 1:56 so I definitely ended up with negative splits by a bit. In fact, as you can see below, my first 5 mile section was my slowest while my last 5 mile section was my second fastest. The heat certainly wasn't as bad as it was on July 4th and I really enjoyed the race and the visiting afterwards. This one is a keeper and I'll probably make another trip up there in the future. I don't know if I'll make it an annual event since it is a LONG drive home but Elaine did most of the driving, which was great. We had some Motown and she is a great backup singer, -- one of her life ambitions. (I can't sing worth a damn so I mostly tapped my foot and sang to myself.). Here are my 5 mile splits. This is probably the most evenly paced marathon I've ever run and, I think, my first negative split.
44:56,

1:27:48 (42:52)
2:12:35 (44:47)
2:57:28 (44:53)
3:41:00 (43:32)
3:51:21 (10:21)

Congrats to Maniac #2, Chris, for his 100th marathon. There were probably at least 10 of us who ran both races and many actually ran faster today than
the easier Sauvie course. The heat and lack of hydration will do that to you.

               

       James Klarich                                Jill Hudson                           the"Rrrrick", Joseph Tompkins, David Spooner                            Patch Dahl

 

July 14

Lake Youngs Fund Run: Jim Boyd, Tony (*tc) Covarrubias (Race Director), Eric Gierke, Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Barefoot Jon, Tim Lofton, David "ricochet" Murray, Stan Nakashima, Monte Pascual, Van "pigtails" Phan, Cheri Pompeo, aNnIe Thiessen, Maniac #3 tp!

Fast Trax Ultra 50K/50M/100km: Corrine Austerman. It was a hot sunny (95F) day in Edmonton with not a lot of shade on the course. But Corrine did have

her game face on and earned the unique edible finishers medal. And of course, her favorite pit crew person was there to lend a hand (Maniac #505)

 

Question to pose to the members regarding Maniac Certificates….we were thinking about giving out Maniac Certificates only to new members when they join and are initiated, just to cut back on some work. In the past, we've always mailed out new certificates when you achieve another star. So, do you all still want the certificates???

 

July 15

Missoula Marathon: Linda Barton, Dave Bell, Janet Burgess, Jim DeStefano, Allison Eidenger, Sue Fauerbach, Jane Herzog, Chester Kalb, Milos Kostic, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Danny Lyon, Larry Macon, Lynn Mickelsen, Little Leslie Miller, Janice Moyer, Lesa Overfield, Monte Pascual, Henry Rueden, Ray Scharenbrock, Ray Shaw, Michael Wakabayashi, Hollywood Warren, Fiona Wright, Wayne Wright, Prez Steven Yee

 

                                                                 THE INAUGURAL MISSOULA MARATHON

 

        

        Jim DeStefano                                             The Start: Maniacs 11, 294, 2, 173, 172, 20, 298 and 1                  Chester Kalb "Southernmost Walker"

 

 

July 21

Crescent Forest Trail Ultra: Bill "Hotrod" Barmore (Race Director), Steve Barrick, Little Lesli, Monte Pascual, Brian Pendleton, Steve Stoyles, Merita Trohimovich

 

July 23

Kiehl's Badwater 135 mile Ultra: Lisa Bliss. Want to experience the HEAT of the battle at Badwater? Check out Maniac Glenn Tachiyama's Badwater photo gallery for more.  http://www.pbase.com/gtach/bliss07

 

 

     

Fast Trax Ultra: Corrine Austerman                                                                                With Maniac David Hamilton

 

July 28

Great Cranberry Island Ultra: David Goodrich

Volcano Marathon: Alfredo Aromin, Richard Ervais, Carole "Forever Bronze" Higa, Michael Higa, Nichola Kaiser, Johnny "Shaka" Landeza, srlopez, Larry Macon, Les Omura, Wyatt Waro

White River 50 Miler: Francis Agboton, Gilles Barbeau, Linda Barton, Eric Bean, Jonathan Bernard, Tony (*tc) Covarrubias, Al Harman, Mary Latta, Shawn Lawson, King Arthur Martineau, Jess Mullen, Van "pigtails" Phan, Terry Sentinella, aNnIe Thiessen, Sam Thompson, Scott Tomchick, Joseph Tompkins, Maniac #3 tp!, Christopher "Hollywood" Warren. Check out the photo gallery of Glenn Tachiyama…you may recognize some Maniacs.

http://www.pbase.com/gtach/fleuveblanc07

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

        Lisa Bliss at Badwater                                               With her crew and Maniac #10 Glenn Tachiyama

PCT 50 Ultra: Corrine Austerman, Stephanie "Crash" Day, Bret Fat-Boyee Henry, Kate Merrill, Pete "Hippo" Nicholson, Rick "Pole" Smith, Steve "Marathon Freak" Walters, Karen "Sushi" Wiggins. The fun at PCT, courtesy of David Hamilton: Somehow Corrine (MM #405) managed to talk me into my first ultra, just a baby ultra, only 50K, “It’s only a couple miles farther than a marathon, it’ll be a piece of cake”. So… Somehow, I found myself in the middle of Oregon on a recent Saturday morning. Driving to Timothy Lake.

The closest room we could find was an hour drive from the start. As we were driving to the start Saturday morning, Corrine said, “by the end of the day you will be scratched and bloody” I said WHAT, she sweetly said, “oh, you will fall, didn’t I tell you that”. I thought this was supposed to be an easy, fun run through the woods, now I was worried.

We arrived at the start with a lot of time to spare, We did the normal pre race stuff, talked to some people, made new friends, found a mutual friend John (who will probably be a maniac sooner then he thinks). John was also running his first Ultra. We talked for a few minutes before the RD called us for a briefing. With about 3 minutes before the start Corrine and I both made a quick visit to the portajohn . We heard the RD say start while we were still in the head. Knowing we were losing valuable minutes of race time, Corrine and I quickly exited our respective cubicles and joined the back of the pack for the mile or so on the road before we ducked into the woods.

As I’ve learned from my limited experience of trail racing, in the early stages of the race it is difficult to pass anyone on the single track. What I didn’t know was that in a 50K, the early stages lasted for 10 miles or so. Our train at the start of the single track was about 6 runners strong, I was the caboose. A lot of dust was kicked up; there were lots of roots and rocks. At about mile 3 I took my first fall. As I hit the ground the entire train stopped and turned. As happened many times during the day, I said “I’M OK! hoping everyone would just start running again. My second fall left me with a slightly bruised rib and a very minor strawberry on my leg, but “I’M OK!”             After my third or fourth fall I figured out I was following too close to Corrine, and not giving myself enough time to see the trail hey, it doesn’t take me long to learn. About mile 8 I learned that even when a yellow jacket stings you in the back of the neck, keep watching the trail, but hey “I’M OK” At maybe mile 10, the Corrine taught us that when you see a race photographer, don’t look at him! keep watching the trail (but she was OK).  Even with the stumbles and falls, even though some of us are wearing more of the trail than we are running on, I think it can be seen that we are all having too much fun.

(I know what all the guys are smiling about; I’m not quite so sure why Corrine is smiling)

By mile 10 or so, the pack had thinned out. We were mostly running alone, but usually in earshot of other runners. There were gorgeous views of Mt. Hood, lakes and rivers and valleys. It would have been great to linger and enjoy the view, but you really needed to watch the trail if you were moving. Aid stations were about every 6 miles or so. They had so much more than a typical marathon aid station. Usually the runners would mill around for a couple minutes figure out what to eat, (gummy bears, chips, cookies M&M’s brownies, GU, Potatoes) we really didn’t need lunch after the race, but the BBQ burgers were a nice treat at the finish.  Mile 25 or so, while running downhill I took my last fall; I hooked my foot on a root, and was airborne until I hit the ground with a thud. “I’M OK” and I was, but I lay there for a while until I got my breath.

Before you knew it, after only 7 hours or so, Corrine and I crossed the finish line. We stayed around the finish for quite some time cheering on the runners as they finished.  It was Great to finally meet Hippo (MM207) and Kate (MM229), a couple of maniacs I was acquainted with from cool running postings as they finished their 50-mile race. Also had the chance to meet several other maniacs and runners.  Always fun.    

Good friends, and new friends are what really make all the races special.

                                                                                      MORE OF THE MISSOULA MARATHON

     

     Monte Pascual, Melissa Martin, Lesa Overfield and Milos Kostic                            Jim Scheer, Sue Fauerbach, Dave Bell

July 29

San Francisco Chronicle Marathon: Maniac #200, Andre Boulais, Ken Briggs, Jon "Ice" Burg, Claudia Cooper, Tom Craven, Ed Ellis BK Gilbertson, David Hartz, Ed Indvik, Stuart Jackson, Deo Jaravata, Chester Kalb "Sothernmost Walker", Todd King, Danny Lyon, Jon "Coconutboy" Mahoney, Sherry Mahoney, Little Leslie, Lesa Overfield, David Reid, Silverio "Silver" Rivas, Quicksilver - Runner, David "Marathon Diet" Spooner, Thomas Tan, Ryan "GandaMan" Valdez, Ed Walsh. The SF Marathon from Dale Shoup:

 

The weather was as advertised and nearly perfect for marathon running, although anyone wishing to see any of the sights clearly especially when
running on the Golden Gate Bridge would have been disappointed. It was cool and foggy for much of the run. My glasses were also fogged up which
was a bit of a problem and caused me to nearly turn my ankle on some potholes or uneven patches that I could not see very well when exiting Golden Gate Park through the Alvord Lake Tunnel.

I ran the inaugural SFM in '05 so I knew what to expect; nonetheless I still went out too fast and had to pay for it in the second half. The hills are not as bad as one imagines for SF, since the course goes around the city instead of through the center. The worst hill is the climb just past mile 4 at the Presidio on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. Even though I have done some hill training, it still took a lot out of me. I was trying to take it easy for the first half but my
HRM was telling me otherwise. It was hard for me to gauge my effort vs. the other runners because more than 3/4 of them were only running the half and did not need to conserve as much energy. However my biggest problem was my lack of conditioning.

Following my knee injury last year, it took me over 6 months just to get my mileage back up again. I managed to run a couple marathons earlier this year, but both were slow and I even blew up in the second. Then I took a month long cruise. Although I ran around the deck 1150 times, my mileage suffered, and I put on about 15 lbs. When I ramped up my mileage after the trip, I got a nasty cold or virus that set me back 2 weeks. Consequently I missed all the spring marathons and didn't even feel like I was ready for the Seafair Marathon earlier this month. Kind of pathetic for a supposed Marathon Maniac member :(

I have to say the race director got most of the problems I experienced in the inaugural run sorted out. We did not encounter the mass of walkers on the constricted out and back crossing of the bridge. There seemed to be ample room to pass other runners, although it looked like it was a little tougher for the slower runners I passed going back the other way. However there were no where near enough porta-potties in the start area. The problem was confounded by sandwiching the few that there were between the bag drop area and the entrance to the 3rd wave corral. It was very difficult to navigate to drop off my bag and get back to my wave 3 corral, after anxiously waiting for my turn in the potty line.

1st Half 1:54:11, 2nd Half 2:02:04
Avg 09:01.0
 
Even though it was mostly downhill and I felt like I was putting out the same effort, I slowed down a bit in the second half. My training indicated I should have been able to run about 3:50, so my first half was not too fast unless you consider the hills. Anyway I am satisfied with my effort and hope my speed will come back. If not, I am prepared to accept it along with my passing decade milestone in another month as a sign of aging.
   

            David Goodrich at the Great Cranberry Island Ultra                   Amy Yanni (shortest) and her PostFontaines at the Ragner Relay

Noteworthy Accomplishments / Promotions / Omissions / Maniac Stuff:

Ø       Palladium (7 star) Maniac: Frank Colella (13 in 12 weeks)

Ø       Ruthenium (5 star) Maniac: David Malone (13 marathons is 13 states in one year)

Ø       Gold Maniacs (3 star): Tom Stoltz (4 in 5 weeks)

Ø       Silver Maniacs (2 star): Robin Hudson (6 marathons in 6 months), Ken Briggs (8 marathons/ultras in one year)

Ø       100 marathon mark: Cheri Pompeo (Foot Traffic Flat), Hollywood Warren (Seafair)

Ø       50 marathon mark: Gary Otheim and Rick "TheRrrick" Karampatsos (Seafair), Jim DeStefano (Missoula)

Ø       50 states and DC Completed: Harry Hoffman

Boonsom Hartman "meeting the press" Article HERE

Ø       Hollywood Warren…11 marathons in 11 weeks as mentioned in the August issue of the Northwest Runner

Ø       Fritz Peiper and the Great Wall of China in the latest RaceCenter magazine.

 

 

                                                                                   MANIACS  INITIATED  LAST  MONTH

                        
     Tom (#598) Stoltz                                          Emmy (#608) Stocker with Maniac Frank Collela                                           Amy (#609) Mathis

                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                FAMILY MATTERS

 

          

                      Linda Barton and Mom                                                            Janet Burgess and Company                                         Pedro Infante and kids

                 

New Members for the Month of July

 

7/05 - Valerie Vanhorn #612 (Madison, Wisconsin): Maniac membership was given to Valerie as a birthday present from her sister. Last year she qualified for Bronze level status as she completed the Mesa Falls, Pocatello and the Top of Utah Marathons within a one-month period. She has completed 7 lifetime marathons/ultras in 3 states.


7/06 - Jeff Nakasone #613 (Mililani, Hawaii): Les Omura and Shaka are at it again, slowly but surely recruiting the entire Hawaiian marathon population into becoming Maniacs.  Jeff's Bronze qualifier came earlier this year by running the Big Island Marathon and the Run to the Sun Ultra on consecutive weekends. He has 29 lifetime marathons and 1 ultra to his credit. Aloha!


7/09 - Nancy Kay Thomsen #614 (Bonney Lake, Washington): I always have to give special credit to those Maniacs whom reside in the no longer rural area of Bonney Lake since your Prez also hails from there. Nancy recently completed her Bronze Maniac qualifier by finishing the Boston, Tacoma City and the Seafair with 3-month period. She started her marathon career way back in 1984 (Indianapolis) and has completed 13 marathons total in 5 states.

 

7/11 - Tom Saunders #615 (Tumwater, Washington): Maniac influence is how Tom became a Maniac. Training every so often with Maniac Marilou Russell around Capitol Lake in Olympia and when she wore her MM yellow windbreaker, that was the final straw…he had to join! He is a 2-star Silver maniac by virtue of completing 6 marathons in 6 months. He has run 47 lifetime marathons in 8 states and 3 countries.

 
7/11 - Lisa Nicholls #616 (Aurora, Colorado): Lisa started running marathons 10 years ago (Atlanta 97) and since that fateful day has run 12 lifetime marathons in 10 states. Her best streak came recently with the completion of the Nashville, Newport and Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathons. Lisa, we hereby proclaim you as a Bronze Maniac.

                  

                Nancy Kay Thomsen                                Tom Saunders                                                 Lisa Nicholls


7/12 - Wyatt Waro #586 (Honolulu, Hawaii): Another member from the Aloha State, Wyatt started his marathon gig last year with the Maui Marathon and has run 5 more since. His hardcore marathon streak consisted of the Big Island, New Jersey and the Frederick Marathons, making him a Bronze Maniac.


7/13 - Edward Lyell #618 (San Diego, California): 2007 has been very kind to Edward. Travels to run the Rome, Dubai and the HOT Running with the Devil Marathons are some of his destinations so far. He's absolutely hooked on marathons. With 24 lifetime ones in additional countries such as Thailand, Greece and the Netherlands, he should be. He's a 2 star Silver Maniac by virtue of running 6 in 6 months.


7/14 - Danny Lyon #619 (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada): Danny's great quest is to have 50 marathons completed before he turns 50 (January 2008) as a pact that he made with himself and his 11 year old daughter, whom wants to accompany her Dad when he runs his 50th. Currently a 3-star Gold Maniac with his 12 marathons in 12 months. So he needs 9 marathons in 2007 to accomplish that feat and hopes to target Long Beach in October for his big celebration. He has also completed 3 100-mile races in his lifetime.

 

7/18 - Lynn Mickelsen #620 (Sammamish, Washington): We met Lynn in the heat of Missoula along with good friend and Maniac 568 Allison Eidinger.

In 2006, Lynn finished the Portland, Marine Corps and the Seattle Marathons within a 3-month period to qualify her for Bronze Maniac status. She has 6 lifetime marathons to her credit, and no surprise 6 different states and DC.

 

             

                Edward Lyell                                    Wyatt Waro (162) with Maniacs 180, 538, 605, 120, 600, 111, 490                 Lynn Mickelsen with Maniac 568

 

7/22 - James Kondek #621 (Bainbridge Island, Washington): James marathoning career started back in 2000 with the Seattle Marathon and since that time has completed 35 more in 4 states. His Bronze membership streak was 3 in 2 months (Mt. Si 50km, Capital City and the North Olympic Discovery Marathons).

 

7/23 - Bruce Gilbert #622 (Lenaxa, Kansas): Bruce should get an extra Maniac star just for "longevity", having done the Boston Marathon in 1969, 1984, 1994 and 2004, a whopping 35 year span! His best streak of 2 in 2 weeks, done twice in his lifetime also came 30 years apart (1970-Kansas and Drake Relays and 1999-Wichita and Kansas City). He has run marathons in 13 states and 3 countries and is proud of this streak…12 consecutive Kansas City Marathons (1988 - 1999, all in sub 3:15).


7/26 - John Mason #623 (Lafayette, Indiana): For someone whom just started running in late 2006 and ran his first marathon in February 2007, John is certainly on a ROLL! Already a 4-star Iridium Maniac by virtue of just completing 4 marathons/ultras in 4 weeks (Running with the Devil, Rattlesnake Trail 50km, Half Voyager Ultra and the University of Okiboji), he plans on completing the fifty states in under 2 years. As Main Maniac would say, YOU CAN DO IT!!

 

7/31 - Frank Patek #624 (Spokane, Washington): Frank recently qualified for Bronze Maniacism by completing the Vancouver, San Diego Rock and Roll and the San Francisco Marathons within a 3 month span. With a total of 25 lifetime marathons, some of them have been run in faraway places such as Berlin, St. Petersburg and Vienna.

 

7/31 - BK Gilbertson #625 (Enumclaw, Washington): BK, aka Kayla, has run a lifetime total of 8 marathons and has only duplicated her states just once. Her best streak of 3 in 2 months came recently with the completion of the Grandma's, Seafair and the San Francisco Marathon.

 

NO SPOF PROBLEMS HERE

      

                        Bob Martin                                           Heidi Hubler                             King Arthur Martineau        Terence, Susan and Mark Looi

 

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

July, 2007

Dear Mr. President…

 

Hellooooooow Stevie!  How are you, my favorite fellow of unique running accomplishments, style, charisma, and absolutely no imitatable form whatsoever, hmmm?  I miss ya, Stevie Boy, and all the rest of you Northwesterners.  I want you to send discount man SRLopez on a mission: Find a discount for our own MarathonManiacs Jet!  How cool would that be?

 

I’ve got a question for you and your loyal comrades of the You Can Do It mantra.  It’s a fun mantra, except along about mile 19.

 

My question: when should we stop running?  (I’ll wait until the boos and catcalls subside before I continue…). 

 

I don’t mean stopping running generally.  Mr. Dolphin’s recently reaching 400 marathons exemplifies the MarathonManiac ideal, although I do suspect that Mr. Dolphin’s superior success sends shivers up more than just my spine. Chuck Chiseled Engle mixed top speeds while doing his 50 in a year, suggesting an energizer bunny mentality I can only ponder. There’s comeback kid AnNie Thiessen, who after breaking a virtual smorgasbord of body parts in her pretty self, has returned to land yet again in the winner’s circle. New members place into the club with some phenomenal resumes (see above this column), notating the non-stoppable nature of these new nuts.  

                                                                               

 

The question is, should we ever stop running a race?  After all, we are to run through “the wall”, for crying out loud. (Or by crying out loud.  … Or so I’ve been told.)

 

See, Steve, we MiniManiacs don’t have the sort of bodies that create the sort of name that appears in the sort of summary like the one above.  No sir.  We finish these blasted events, but those last two hours whisper to us, “You are being a flipping maniac”.  (Kind of different from your meaning, I suppose.)  To a few of us, no uglier sight exists in all of sport than milepost 20. (Six more miles?). And so, TP’s triathlete friends and TC’s ultra mates may find this all just a giggle, but herewith are a few guidelines for my MiniManiac friends on when to (gulp) stop in a marathon:

 

1) When you never had This New Pain before.  Think about it.  You’ve trained. You’ve run lots and longs.  You have finished multiple marathons before.  And now you have a brand-spanking-new sharp pain or dull ache at mile 16?  The "never-happens-to-me" mighta just happened to you: a tear, a stress fracture, or Lord knows what else, so pull over!  Your running life will be longer than any one race, yes?

 

2) When you are woozy. Say the heat is up, and by golly, you didn’t get in your sauna training this decade.  You’ve used the soak-your-shirt system, chugged an extra pint of water, poured a few gallons onto your head, and you have made it before, so why not today?  Because, Woozy One, you see that the forsaken “mile 20” sign is fuzzy, shrinking, expanding, and swaying all at once, right along with the telephone pole it is attached to.  Hmm.  Or is it, “wheeee….”

 

3)  When your life-support systems have symptoms. We do know our bodies, and have weathered cramps, stomach acid in the chest, and uncomfortable fatigue before, and often.  But when the chest ache starts a new conversation with the tight left arm, and they are both impolitely interrupted by the nagging of unusual nausea, it isn’t so bad to be walking, not running, to your nearest EMT, or even letting someone retrieve one for you. 

 

You won’t get booted from your favorite club, honest. The decision might open up the possibility of, well, of tomorrow.   Take the DNF (did not finish).  Heck, take the DNETOF (did not even think of finishing). We’ll add a column to the scoreboard for DNETOFs, kind of a badge of honor for the brain.

 

Finally, 4) When somehow it isn’t right today.  Now I know I yet again risk expulsion from this hallowed club of elite feet. “Stop in a marathon if continuing somehow isn’t right today” ??? 

 

That you got this far in running, MarathonManiac, means plainly you are no quitter.  You have finished some of these marathons against odds, pain, minor injuries, exhaustion, petrified quadriceps, knotting calves, and an ache across the shoulders and neck that would make an ox moo.  You’ve run with every cell in your being begging you to knock it off.  When they were all yelling, you kept on. Exhilarating.

 

But a day might come out there when something unclear isn’t quite right, and the message surfaces quietly, that, this once, stopping might be somehow better than gutting it out.  A wimp you are not.  You are, however, wondrously and mysteriously made, and when a voice inside your incredible tendons tugs at your spirit, at least take a walk and a listen. If you get a green light, then fine, run on.  If not, heed the voice.  The inner soul is wiser than we might think, and the Herodium star level can wait.  This is supposed to be fun, not to disable us, or worse.  And Stevie will still love you.  He told me so.

 

So be careful out there.

. 

Love ya,

Rev 

dgkienz@yahoo.com

p.s. (Steve, if Lopez doesn’t come up with a jet, Hooters has an airline now, and they love you, right Stevie? so….)

 

            

Maniac #3 tp! leading comrades aNnIe and *tc to battle the White River 50 miler        srlopez interview with Missoula's CBS affiliate

                               

Maniac Ongoing Discounts

·         $10 off marathons put on by Bob Green (his next one is the Gateway to the Pacific Marathon).

·         15% off shoes, apparel at the Balanced Athlete (Kent, Wa); ask for Eric

·         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 August / September Newsletter and to the web site soon. The President has written…

 

                 

              Main Maniacs with Bob Dolphin                       He's a ROLL Model! Hollywood finishes the WR 50!!