Marathon Maniacs News Letter – April / May 2007

April Highlights

·         23 new members for the month of April (543 total members)

·         Van "pigtails" Phan wins the Mt. Si 50 mile ultra.

·         Welcome our newest 10-star Titanium member, Lauri "The Kid" Fauerbach Adams

                               

  Sub 3 hour Boston Maniacs Kent Sizer and Cliff Richards               10-star Titanium Maniac Lauri Fauerbach-Adams                                    

 

*****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 Marc (maniac #9 at marc@marathonmaniacs.com).  Or you can e-mail Chris or Steve. They will be more than happy to make the corrections.  If you need to have a race added to the race calendar, please e-mail Marc. 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, cat food, purchasing of additional Maniac wear and…future surprises. Keep your Maniac Seniority Number!

 

                                                MANIACS WITH THEIR WIVES AT THE BOSTON MARATHON EXPO

                           

                                                          Tom Rogers                                                                                                                Greg Roth

 

The Marathon Maniacs…at the Races 

 

April 1

Big-D Texas Marathon: Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Thomas "T.O. Okazaki", Amy Osborne, Jones "Rusty" Ramsey, Tom Timbol

Hogeye Marathon: Lauri "The Kid" Fauerbach Adams, Brian Hoover, Angela Ivory, David Malone, Johnny Spriggs

Martian Marathon: Dane Rauschenberg, Jeff Veneble, Darwin "runninguy" Weimer

Metropolitan 50M Kurt Steiner 5: Frank Colella

WSU 100km: Tony (*tc) Covarrubias, Van "pigtails" Phan

 

             

              Brian Pendleton                                                                                                             Joseph Tompkins

 

April 7

Croom Trail 50M/50km: Harry Hoffman

Diez Vista 50km: Jon "Coconutboy" Mahoney

Easter Marathon: Linda Barton, Jim Boyd, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Little Leslie Miller, Cheri Pompeo, Gregg Walchli

Eisenhower Marathon: Dave Bell, Cowboy Jeff Bishton, Kevin Brosi, Steve Grady, Chester Kalb, Thomas "T.O." Okazaki, Don Pattison, Johnny Spriggs, Dick Vogt, Amy Yanni

Mad City 100km: Lisa Stranc Bliss

Ocean City Marathon: Bill Doernbach, Dean Hutchinson, Valerie Kilcoin, Todd King, Anne Scarazzo

San Juan Trail 50km:David Campbell, Rob Cowan, Lori "Heinselman" Craig

 

April 14

Andrew Jackson Marathon: Jim Collins, Angela Ivory, Phil Min, Ruth Morley

Lake McMurtry 50km Trail Run: Brian Hoover, Johnny Spriggs, Terri Ann Vandeventer

Muir Woods Trail Marathon: Jon Burg

Bull Run 50 Mile: Steve Noone

 

          

Maniacs at the Andrew Jackson Marathon                                                    Maniacs at the Kentucky Derby Marathon   

 

 

April 15

Glass City Marathon: Claude Hicks, Jr., Robert "srlopez" Lopez

Ironman Arizona: Jeff Giles

Peterson Ridge Rumble: Bret "Fat-Boyee" Henry, Kate Merrill, Pete "Hippo" Nicholson, Van "pigtails" Phan, Sam Thompson, Olga Varlamova

Rocky Hill Ranch 50M/50km: Thomas "T.O." Okazaki

Spirit of St. Louis Marathon: Dave Bell, Cowboy Jeff Bishton, Kevin Brosi, Tom Craven, Ron Knecht, Barefoot Rick Roeber, Henry Rueden, Charles Sayles, Terry Sentinella, Johnny Spriggs, Keith Whited, Fiona Wright

Whidbey Island Marathon: Tim Bruce, Amanda Cohn, Dave Conger, Mark Cook, Sue Fauerbach, Marius Hansen, Jon "Coconutboy" Mahoney, Monte Pascual, Mel Preedy, Bruce Quam, David Stout, Craig Swanson, Michael Swanson, Seng Lai-Tan, Cynthia "Draggon" Witman, Guy Yogi

                     

Bruce Quam, Dave Conger and "Coconutboy" Mahoney at Whidbey Island                           "Coconutboy": 1st in age group at Whidbey Island

 

April 16

Boston Marathon: Gary Allen, Mickey (Quick Mick) Allen, Linda Ambard, Linda Barton, Robert Bens, Jim Bitgood, Ken Blauvelt, Laura Bleakley, Brad Bleiweiss, Robert Britain, Frank Colella, Ruben Contreras, Dick Decker, Ed Ellis, Earl Fenstermacher, Marc Frommer, Cheryl Gamache, Gary Geuss, Beth Giffing, Rich Hallworth, David Hamilton, Al Harman, Jack Heely, Christine Humble, Ed Indvik, Robert Jacobsen, Gene Jochen, Dean Kayler, James Klarich, Rick Korecki, Phil "Uncle Philly" Kriss, Johnny "Shaka" Landeza, Michael Larkin, Kurt Lauer, Karen Leahy, Josh Leibman, Jesse Leitner, Craig MacBean, Gary "The Red Rabbit" Marr, Ralph Meyer, David "ricochet" Murray, Jerry Nairn, Lesa Overfield, Keith "Kip" Panzer, Brian Pendleton, Cliff "quack quack" Richards, Emma Riconda, Tom Rogers, Greg Roth, Quicksilver - Runner, Marilou Russell, Kent Sizer, Joseph Tompkins, Maniac #3 tp!, Chris "Hollywood" Warren, Kory Wheatley, Karen "Sushi" Wiggins, Bekkie Wright, Keith Wright, Amy Yanni, Prez Steven Yee, Gayle Zorrilla

 

The 2007 Boston Marathon…from the eyes of Marc Frommer

As you know the big talk was the weather. As Bob Spencer (from the big list) mentioned, I must be in Boston given my Tri-Cities experiences. Well, Bob, the weather was a piece of cake in comparison to Tri-Cities. I hate to admit it since it would be wonderful to use the weather as an excuse but it really wasn't that bad. It really didn't rain during the race and the headwinds were pretty minor. Plus the temps weren't bad. The worst weather was during the wait for the busses, which turned the Athletes Village into a quagmire. But once we got on the road, I didn't think it was that bad.  I've been running a lot slower all year and was hoping for around a 3:40-3:45 at Boston. I didn't know if it was possible (it turned out not to be) but my race wasn't too bad. I didn't blow up though I did slow down during the second half. My big concern was my left knee which started to hurt around mile 22 or so at Carlsbad and mile 19 a couple of weeks ago at Yakima. This time, my knee started to hurt around mile 12. I was pretty concerned and thoughts of DNF started going through my mind. But I was certainly

 

      

  Boston: The "Unofficial" Maniac Pasta feed at the Blauvelt's Condo                    Lesa Overfield, Karen Wiggins and Gayle Zorrilla

 

going to run past Wellesley and then just tried to take it a mile at a time. My knee never got any worse and, by the end, felt OK (not great but not bad). However I did start to slow down just after Wellesley.

I felt OK after cresting the Newton hills and tried to push it a bit. I did get a few miles back under 9:00 but couldn't get them down close to 8:00. I thought there was a possibility of cracking 3:50 but just couldn't come up with the speed over the last 5K. My least favorite part of the race (the rise right around mile 25 -- Citgo sign) showed up as usual and took a bit out of me. Even after making the left turn onto Boylston (my favorite part of the course after Wellesley) the legs just wouldn't turn over quickly. I still soaked up the great energy from the crowd and finished with a big smile on my face. The crowd while definitely smaller was really great. The folks that braved the weather were tremendously encouraging. Without them, there was a good chance I would have DNF'ed after my knee started acting up.  As for my splits, you can see there was no bonk but a definite slowing, especially on the hills:
Mile 5: 41:42 (included a porta-bush break of 30 seconds or so) Mile 10: 1:24:06 (42:24) Mile 15: 2:07:58 (43:52) Mile 20: 2:53:55 (45:57) Mile
25: 3:39:44 (45:49) Mile 26.2: 8:41, 1:42

For a change, I'm going to listen to my body and take it a bit easy over the next week or so. I've decided to bag Eugene next weekend, especially since I've picked up a cold. Instead, I'm going to concentrate on some decent training for Newport and see if I can't get close to 3:30 there (I will be happy with a 3:35, which would be 8 minutes slower than last year at Newport). You can see my goals have really changed over the last year.


    

           The Prez with the wife of Maniac 312 Gene Jochen                                Earl Fenstermacher at Vinny T's              Larry Herman - Boston Expo

 

As for the rest of the trip, as always, Boston was a blast. I spent a couple of days in NYC before the race and then on Tuesday rented a car and drove off to Cooperstown via Springfield (stopping for a visit to the NBA Hall of Fame -- not nearly as interesting as Cooperstown). If you are at all interested in baseball, especially stats, and history, make a trek there.

This year we had a large crew of folks from Portland as well as the usual large contingent of Maniacs. We had our usual post-race gathering at John Harvards in Cambridge with around 30 folks and a great dinner in the North End on Sunday night. It was great hanging out with the Maple Valley folks a bit on each day. They are a fun group of folks.

THE "COLD" BOSTON MARATHON FINISH

                 

                                               Laura Bleakley and Marc Frommer                                                                 Amy Yanni and "Hollywood" Warren

 

April 21

Charlottesville Marathon: Satiro Oliveira, Steve Supkoff, Keith Whited

Jersey Shore Marathon: El Hamersly

Leona Divide 50 mile: David Campbell, Lori "Heinselman" Craig, Andy Kumeda, Natalia Norman

Quachita 50 mile/50 km: Rob Cowan, Jorge Rivera, Johnny Spriggs

Salt Lake City Marathon: Dave Bell, Lauri "The Kid" Fauerbach Adams, Rick "TheRrrick" Karampatsos, Bill Mandler, Don Pattison, Blaine Phillips, Ron Westbury

Seaton Trail 78 km: Gene Jochen

Sybil Ludington 50km: Frank Colella

 

April 22

Mt. Si 50km / 50 mile: Ruth Balf, Gilles Barbeau, Michelle Barnes, Steve Barrick, Linda Barton, Barb Blumenthal, May Cheng, Tony (*tc) Covarrubias, Patch Dahl, Stephanie "Crash" Day, Laurie Dent-Cleveland, Mark Dix, Christel Elliot, Eric Gierke, Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Jill Hudson, Mary Latta, Jeff Loen, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, King Arthur Martineau,  Jessica Mullen, Pete "Hippo" Nicholson, Stacy "PoSSuM" Otter, Brian Pendleton, Van "pigtails" Phan, Cheri Pompeo, Diana "sLuG" Robinson, Sam Thompson,  Scott Tomchick, Karen "Sushi" Wiggins,  Prez Steven Yee, Jon Yoon

 

  

                Maniacs at the start of the Mt. Si 50 km                                 Sam Thompson                                           Steve Barrick, May Cheng and Eric Gierke         

               

London Marathon: Shaun Hamill

Spokane River Run 50km: Lisa Stranc-Bliss, Gunhild Swanson

Wenatchee Marathon: Jim Boyd, Ken Briggs, Pamela Brulotte, Janet Burgess, Dave Conger, Christie Hayes, Jane Herzog, Jon "Coconutboy" Mahoney, Sherry Mahoney, Doug Meadows, Gary Otheim, Monte Pascual, Mel Preedy, Bruce Quam, Michael Shiach, Michael Wakabayashi, Gregg Walchli, "Hollywood" Warren

 

April 28

Capitol Peak 50M/55km: Gilles Barbeau, Bill "Hotrod" Barmore, Eric Barnes, Linda Barton, Christel Elliot, Robert Hester, Shawn Lawson, King Arthur Martineau, Jessica Mullen, Van "pigtails" Phan, Steve Stoyles, Sam Thompson, Joseph Tompkins, Karen "Sushi" Wiggins

Free State Trail Ultra: Ken Saveth, Gina Sheets, Retro Rob Willis

Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon: Cowboy Jeff Bishton, Kevin Brosi, Kevin Carrothers, Jim Collins, Chester Kalb, Ron Knecht, Rick Korecki, Jeff Veneble

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon: Dave "FatMan" Anderson, Stephanie "Crash" Day, Steve Grady, Kenneth Hart, Brian Hoover, Robin Hudson, Bill Powers, Johnny Spriggs, Ryan Valdez, Dick Vogt, Marv "The Commissioner" Winters

Pine Line Trail Marathon: Adrian Call, Gary Engstrom, Peter Klein, Gay Renouf

Promise Land 50km: J.R. "The Turtle" Ankney, Jesse Leitner

 

 

    

   The 50-mile "attitudes" of Pigtails and (tc!)                                                Kendall Kreft and Tim Lofton                                                         Scott Tomchick

 

Trail Dawgs Marathon: Brian Doernbach, El Hamersly, Claude Hicks Jr., Steve Noone, Gwen Payne, Charles Sayles

Vancouver Discovery Walk Marathon: Jim Boyd, Stacy "PoSSuM" Otter, Diana "sLuG" Robinson

Zane Grey 50 Mile: Rob Cowan, Olga Varlamova

Country Music Marathon: Jon Burg, Philip DeYoung, Andrew Edwards, Bob English, Rich Hallworth, Bob Hearn, Larry Herman, Angela Ivory, Russ Johnson, Tom Karpowich, Valerie Kilcoin, Tamara Mackey, Phil Min, John Richeson, Trent Rosenbloom, Dr. Ashis Roy, Arnat Vale, Keith Whited

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/news/article_1298044.php/74- 75 year-old_Indian_completes_75_marathons                                           

 

 

 

                        

           Country Music Marathoners: Dr. Ashis Roy                   Tamara Mackey and Arnet Vale            Nothing will keep Arnet down!

 

April 29

Big Sur International Marathon: Dave Bell, Diva Burns, Ed Ellis, Jon "Coconutboy" Mahoney, Sherry Mahoney, Ruth Morley, David Nemoto, Cynthia "Draggon" Witman

Han-gang Marathon: Dane Rauschenberg

Lake Waramaug 50km: Frank Colella

Mt. Diablo Marathon/Endurance 50 miler: Jon Burg

New Jersey Marathon: Tim Chesko, Jim Collins, Lauri "The Kid" Fauerbach Adams, El Hamersly, Jack Heely, Claude Hicks Jr., Dean Hutchinson, Gwen Payne, Charles Sayles, Anne Scarazzo, Michael Shilling

Self-Transcendence 6 Day race: Tim "pumped2run" Lawson

Vancouver Discovery Walk Marathon: Stacy "PoSSuM" Otter, Diana "sLuG" Robinson

Vienna City Marathon: Sheila Lawless-Burke

Eugene Marathon: Jenny Appel, Ruth Balf, Eric Barnes, Michelle Barnes, Tim Bruce, Patch Dahl, Kim "Goofy Gal" Danahy, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Sarah Duncan, Michael Dutton, Judy Fisher, Richard "Road Kill" Haase, Eddie Hahn, Bret "Fat-Boyee" Henry, Robert Hester, Darrell James, Barefoot Jon, Rick "TheRrrick" Karampatsos, Kurt Lauer, Robert "srlopez" Lopez, Cyndie Merten, Little Leslie Miller, Dana Mosell, Thomas "T.O." Okazaki, Lesa Overfield, Monte Pascual, Don Pattison, Gail "Detour" Phillips, Mel Preedy, Michael Rasmussen, Henry Rueden, Rick "Pole" Smith, David Spooner, David Stout, Gunhild Swanson, Jack Swanson, Ed Walsh, Steve "Marathon Freak" Walters, Chris "Hollywood" Warren, Darwin "runninguy" Weimer

                                                                                                            EUGENE MARATHONERS

                  

     Robert Hester           Michelle Barnes                                                        Eddie Hahn                                                                         Tim Bruce

 

 

Get Well Soon Wayne Wright….Message from his wife Fiona

As you all probably know, my husband Wayne Wright (MM #172) had open heart surgery on 3/22/07. Since then he has been walking and participating in several 5K's. The Dr. has given him permission to run a little. He's running for 1 minute followed by 4 minutes of walking. This is enough for right now. We plan on participating in the Flying Pig on May 6 as originally planned. Wayne will walk/run the marathon, hoping to finish in 6-7 hours. I have enclosed a photo of him with his sign. He wears this for all the local races. Hope to see you at the Pig or another race very soon.

 

              
                                    Wayne Wright                                                                     Tammie Massie and Gilligan at the Umstead 100

 

Noteworthy Accomplishments / Promotions / Omissions / Maniac Stuff:

 

Ø       Titanium (10 star) Maniac: Lauri "The Kid" Fauerbach Adams (31 marathons/ultras in 30 states and DC in 12 months): Starting with an Ironman and ending with a marathon double, read about the exploits of our newest 10-star Titanium member.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A Look Back on The Year
I began this athletic year (04/09/06-04/01/07) with redemption, and ended it with such. My dream, based on the Marathon Maniac levels (aka "spinny spins"), evolved from 5 stars to 8 and ultimately, once the Triumvirate made an exception for me, 10. 10 stars, Titanium level: the highest degree a Maniac can achieve. It's an elite group, and I feel honored to be in the company of such high caliber runners. I wanted to see if I could do it, if my body was up to the challenge. Marathon recovery wouldn't allow me 52 marathons a year, and financially I couldn't do 20 countries in a year, but I could do 30 marathons in 30 states in a year, especially since work kept sending me all over the country. Eventually I was to tack in DC for kicks, so 31 (ultra)marathons in 30 states in 365 days.

And so it began, on almost no running base. And I rarely had the benefit of taper or the luxury of recovery. Training for Ironman killed my run, because
my focus obviously had to be on the bike. The first race was Ironman Arizona, where I redeemed myself from the bike crash at IMLP the year before. I walked most of the marathon, because I wanted to soak it all in. Also on 15-20mpw I knew I didn't have a lot to work with. Once I crossed that finish line, I decided to do whatever races I wanted, wherever I wanted, regardless of where they'd fall on the schedule. This was a huge decision, for it would enable me to tackle races I'd always wanted to do (specifically, Marine Corps and Richmond) that were always too close to my annual NYCM and Philadelphia marathons. I built my schedule carefully, which would later force me to pack 'em in, selecting races just because they fit into the schedule and because they were another state.

Overall I did 59 races: 2 ocean swim races (1M, 1.5M), 1 aquathlon, 1 olympic duathlon (converted from tri), 2 sprint triathlons, 1 olympic tri, 1 Ironman, 5 5Ks, 1 4M, 5 5M, 2 10Ks, 1 10M, 7 half marathons, 24 marathons, 5 50Ks, and 1 50M. I completed my first Ironman and ventured at long last into ultramarathoning. I had some busy weekends, especially the weekends I did more than one race - 11 doubles (1 5K/half marathon, 1 10M/5K, 2 5M/marathon, 1 sprint tri/olympic tri, 2 half marathon/marathon, 4 marathon/marathon) and one triple (5M-sprint tri-5M). I came in 3rd in my age group in a late year 5K, took 3rd Athena in a sprint tri, set an olympic bike leg PR, and (once I'd run my first) I reset my 50K PR. But it really was all about the marathon, so on this topic I'll now focus. A list of all the (ultra)marathons I ran can be found here.

In the year where The Evil Empire tried to kill me with constant business trips all over the country, I took advantage whenever I could of their dollars and piggybacked marathons onto said trips. Fortunately they paid all my travel expenses to 6 races (CO, IA, NM, CA, WI, GA). I became much better at reading maps since I drove to so many races; eventually driving 10-12h one way became no big deal. Longest driven: 17.5h each way to/from Kansas City MO (tackled because airfare was too costly on Thanksgiving weekend). I also somehow lost my intense fear of flying. I slept in hotel rooms, B&Bs, friends' and family members' spare rooms and on their couches, and in my car at rest stops in OH, MO, TX, NC, and VA.

As official race pacer I paced a group of newbies to their first marathon finish (NJ) and later a longtime friend to his first finish (NYC, where as he massaged out his cramps I drank myself into a stupor). A lot of Thermolytes, Gatorade, and beer consumed on courses, a lot of blood, vomit, sweat, snot, and tears expelled. I ran in all kinds of weather: light rain, torrential rain, snow flurries, record high temps, record low temps, air so dry I couldn't breathe, air so thick with humidity I couldn't breathe, cloudy, sunny, and - more times than I can count - windy. I ran on all kinds of terrain: asphalt, gravel, rocks, roots, dirt, concrete, steel, wood, on top of/through 3" of snow, through knee-deep puddles. Flat courses, rolling courses, incredibly ridiculously hilly courses. Urban, suburban, rural settings and in multiple mountain ranges and along rivers, creeks, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. I finished races that far outstripped my physical abilities and others that perfectly matched them. I hallucinated during two races, and was forced to stop and regroup during one before I was allowed to move on. I discovered the unique joy and fun of the 24 hour race, and the unique pain and confusion of the 50 mile race. I broke my toe on the sharp descent in CO, and my spirit on the hills in ME. I ran fast out of nowhere in VA and AL, and set new benchmarks for slowness in NC and KY. I battled my fear of heights and won in WV and CA, yet lost that same battle in KY. I saw a moose less than 200 yards from me in VT, and an antelope gracefully blaze across a plain in CA. So much roadkill, including an armadillo carcass in AR, a perfectly intact bone skeleton of something in NM.

I ran side-by-side with legends, characters, and with regular Joes like myself. I ran with people old and young, gay and straight, single and married. During my first 50K in IA I ran a bit with Terry Sentinella who would go on to win the accompanying marathon, and in RI I ran with Ironman legend Tom Knoll. I ran a few times with Team Pisano. In MA I ran next to Sam Thompson on his bid for 50 in 50 in 50 as he wore his shirt upon which SPONSOR ME was handscrawled in Sharpie, and in NJ I ran the E50 5M portion next to Dean Karnazes (who said I had "rockin' legs built for ultramarathons"!) on his own bid for 50 in 50 in 50 in his nice, new preprinted corporate shirt. I ran with retirees, IT geeks, a bounty hunter, and a priest. I ran for races benefitting good causes and fundraised on my
own to raise money for causes near and dear to my heart. I met so many of my fellow Maniacs, and earned the right to join the 50 States and 50 States+DC clubs.

I discovered I really suck at trail, exemplified by falling off the trail and having to scream for assistance during my first trail marathon and by being barely able to walk (ravaged by grief and hypothermia) at my first 50 miler. I met paramedics, nurses, and doctors in so many med tents. I discovered altitude sickness and the unique pain of frostbite. I met up with my old enemies of heat exhaustion, hyponatremia, and dehydration. I ran in a race of only 9 people in CA and later in NYC I ran in the biggest marathon ever held. I won second place twice (trophies for both) and 2nd in my age group once (a bag and towel for that). I was interviewed for a national athletic webcast that so many people heard; I received emails and calls from people I hadn't heard from in years. My Ironman story was published on a Rochester TV station webpage and I was featured in Philly Fit magazine. I gained an entire new wardrobe thanks to countless T-shirts and tech shirts (long sleeve and short sleeve, white and colored, men cut and women cut) and hats. I earned a pair of running shoes, a scarf, an Amphipod, a coffee mug, and a finisher's turtle. 28 medals, plus a bonus Goofy medal. Sometimes I ran every step, sometimes I barely ran at all. I ran sick, with fever, hungover, exhausted, grief-stricken, furious, elated, and apathetic. I learned so much about the nuances of running, specifically what I'm good at and what I really need to improve upon.

I ran to deal with hard times at work and in life. I ran to cope with the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer of my best friend, and later running helped ease the pain of her death. I walked away from some people, and welcomed others into the fold. I was surrounded by people, or completely alone. I ran to escape from things, and to return to others. I collected scars from When Sports Clothes Attack on my upper back, lower back, rib cage, belly button, inner arm, and chest. I collected bruises from rental car keys that were tied to the drawstring of my shorts and tucked down the front of said shorts. I lost skin to sunburn and windburn, I lost nearly 40 pounds, and a lot of my hair fell out thanks to mental and physical stress. I ran in a tank top and shorts that barely covered my ass in the brutal heat and humidity of summer, in a tiara on my birthday, and in 4 shirts, 3 pants, a hat, a hood, and 2 pairs of gloves in the frigid chill of winter. I ran many times in Maniac gear: hideous yellow, smooth red, and (more times than not) cool Maniac black. Some marathon mornings I was excited to race; others I didn't want to run at all. Sometimes I ran fast for no reason; other times I ran slow for no reason. But for a year I just ran, in total over 860 miles in my (ultra)marathon races, not including extra miles I accumulated from taking wrong turns or my training miles. And so what began with a smile and redemption in an Ironman ended with a bigger smile and more redemption in a double marathon weekend. The year of the Destination Race, of "quantity over quality". 30 states + DC, 31 (ultra) marathons in 365 days. It's been a wild ride, and I'm glad I took the journey though I'm also anxious to calm down a bit, focusing on training properly for the PRs I seek in the fall.

        

   Maniacs #1 and #2 with Johnny "Skaka" Landeza          "Quick Mick" Allen                                           Maniac #3 tp! lubing up!          

               

Ø       Osmium (6 star) Maniac: Karen "Sushi" Wiggins for running in 35 marathons/ultras in one year.

Ø       Ruthenium (5 star) Maniac: Johnny Spriggs (3 marathons/ultras in 3 states in 9 days)

Ø       Iridium (4 star) Maniac: Anne Scarazzo, Edward McGowan, Craig MacBean (9 marathons in 9 states in 12 months)

Ø       Gold Maniacs (3 star): Little Leslie Miller, Joseph Tompkins (12 in 12 months)

Ø       Silver Maniacs (2 star): Natalia Norman (6 marathons in 4 months), Steve Grady, Ed Walsh, Ryan Valdez (6 in 6 months)

Ø       100 marathon mark: Robert "srlopez" Lopez (Easter Marathon)

Ø       50 marathon mark: Johnny Spriggs (Eisenhower Marathon), Ruben Contreras (Boston Marathon), Ron Knecht (Kentucky Derby Marathon), Claude Hicks Jr. (Trail dawgs Marathon)

 

                           HAPPY MANIACS AT THE BOSTON POST-RACE BASH AT JOHN HARVARDS

   

                                            Aunt Fun and mph                                                   Marc Frommer, Dick Decker, Meghan Arbogast and friends

 

New Members for the Month of April

 

4/01 - Steve Noone #521 (Glenmoore, Pennsylvania): Though Steve had qualified for Bronze membership when he completed the 3 in 3 months criteria (Disney World, Rocky Raccoon and the 50km HAT run), he wanted his Maniac "birthday" on the same day as April Fool's Day. He can't be a fool for wanting to join the Maniacs, can he? His lifetime totals include marathons and ultras in 10 states and 6 countries.


4/02 - J.R. "Turtle" Ankney #522 (Crozet, Virginia): Since J.R. had the opportunity to run with some of the other Maniacs in his past races, he decided it was finally time for him to "cross the line". Just as well as his best streak of 4 states in 8 weeks qualifies him for 3-star Gold membership. From his history, it looks like he prefers trail ultras just as much as road marathons.

 
4/02 - Abe Lim #523 (Avon Park, Florida): Abe's wife is very wise as she thinks that he should be in our group, and rightfully so. Having run marathons in 13 states back in 2001 qualifies him to be a 5-star Ruthenium Insane Asylum member. He has run a total of 123 lifetime marathons and ultras and has completed the 50 states and DC circuit. His favorite quote: "Life is short, live well, love much, laugh often".


4/02 - Steve Ellis #524 (Kent, Washington): Another one of those Ironman finishers, Steve has been running since 1999 and to date has completed 25 marathons and 9 ultras.  His best streak came recently with the completions of the Chuckanut 50km and Yakima Canton Marathon within the required 3-week period for Bronze membership.

                 

                    Steve Noone                                                             J.R. Ankney                                                                               Steve Ellis                               

 

4/04 - Adam Blum #525 (Los Gatos, California): Californian Adam recently ran in the Chuckanut and Mt. Si ultras to meet quite a few of the Maniacs. Though he's run hundreds of races during his lifetime, he hasn't run many marathons as he was obsessive on doing short trail races. Now he's focusing his efforts on trail ultras, which he plans on running a whopping 34 of them this year. He's a Bronze Maniac by running 2 marathons/ultras in 3 weeks.

 

4/04 - Bill Russell #526 (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada): Since 2001, Bill has run 16 marathons and 3 ultras. 2006 was a "down" year for him as he was battling knee and groin injuries; that is, if you think doing 4 marathons and 2 ultras is minimalistic. But Bill looks like he's back as he just completed Yakima and Boston, with Vancouver and Tacoma just looming ahead. He's a bronze Maniac with his 2 marathons in 2 weeks.

 

4/04 - Malcolm Anderson #527 (Yarker, Ontario, Canada): Some of you may have met Malcolm at the Yakima Canyon Marathon, where he advertising his next big project: writing a book about marathoners whom have completed 100 marathons. Malcolm is a Bronze Maniac by having done the Athens, Cayman Islands and Walt Disney World Marathons in monthly succession.

 

4/05 - Sheri Nemeth #528 (Sherrillis Ford, North Carolina): Sheri met a few Maniacs at the Juneau Marathon last year and now says she's ready to become one of us. She was also at the Yakima Canyon Marathon and previously completed the Tybee and Mobile Marathons in the previous months to qualify for Bronze membership in the Insane Asylum. Her ultimate goal, like many of us, is to run a marathon in all 50 states, of which she has completed 12.

   

                Adam Blum                               Malcolm Anderson                                                                                      Sheri Nemeth          

 

4/05 - Brian Hoover #529 (Tulsa, Oklahoma): The founder and President of the Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra Runners (TATUR), Brian knows what it takes and how much hard work is involved in maintaining a club. He recently completed the Olathe and Hogeye Marathons on back-to-back days to qualify for 4-star Iridium status. He has 8 lifetime marathons and 7 ultras in his running resume, in 5 states.


4/05 - Michael Rasmussen #530 (Newport News, Virginia): A recent transplant to Washington via Virginia, Mike qualifies for Bronze Maniacdom by completing the Lower Potomac and Shamrock Marathons a week apart. He has completed 13 marathons in 11 states.

 

4/05 - Marshall King #531 (Richardson, Texas): Marshall surely loves those ultra runs as most (if not all) of his runs have been at least 50km.  In March this year, he competed in the Three Days of Syllamo located in the Ozark National Forest where on back to back days he calmly finished 50 km and the next day 50 miles. That makes you a 4-star Iridium Maniac Marshall! This is Marshall quote at the end of his e-mails, cortesy of C.S. Pandy, the Race Director of the Himalayan Run/Trek: "There is no reason to worry how far the run is. You simply have to enjoy it and not question if it is 26 or 27 or 30 miles--you will thank me later for supplying an extra few minutes of enjoyment."

4/06 - Grannie" Annie Singer #532 (Suffern, New York): How can you not derive some inspiration from "Grannie" Annie Singer? She has completed 50 marathons in 34 states and recently had a new granddaughter (Emma), hence her nickname. Here's an interesting tidbit. At the Seabrook Weekend Challenge, the race officials gave her the numbers Grannie Annie 1 and Grannie Annie 2 to do the race not because she was fast but because she had travelled from New York, which was the longest distance from any of the other race entries!

                   
                         Brian Hoover                                                               Marshall King                                             "Grannie" Annie Singer

 

4/07 - Elisa Hawkins #533 (Honolulu, Hawaii): Elisa is new to running but dove in feet first. She ran her first marathon in June 2006, but since that time has completed 5 additional marathons, as well as an 100km and the tough Run to the Sun on Maui. She is a bronze Maniac by having run 2 in 2 weeks.

 

4/07 - Ryan Valdez #534 (Fort Worth, Texas): There's a lot of Maniacs that reside in Texas and Ryan just adds to that collection. Since his first marathon back in 2001 (Mardi Gras), Ryan has run in 9 more in 3 states and DC, with his best streak being 2 in 3 weeks (Mardi Gras and the Waco 5-0).  That makes him a Bronze Maniac in the Insane Asylum.


4/11 - Jill Hudson #535 (Seattle, Washington): Jill truly enjoyed being in the company of so many Maniacs at Yakima that she figured she might as well be a part of the fun and "insanity".  Now talking about someone whom goes wayyyy back, Jill ran the Seattle Marathon back in 1979 when she was a mere teenager. Now she believes she is hooked again and is planning to do 7 marathons and ultras in 6 months. Her streak of 2 in 3 weeks (Chuckanut 50km and Yakima Marathon) qualifies her for Bronze membership. But the best indicator that she is a true Maniac…back in 1990 she ran the Seattle Marathon and at the finish ate a Dick's Burger (the Prez second favorite restaurant!) and then puked! Way to go Jill, you are a true Maniac!!

 

4/13 - Cathy Kimble #536 (Houston, Texas): Cathy started running marathons in 2004 and has completed 8 of them, all within the Lone Star state of Texas. Her Texas marathon streak of 3 in 3 months include the Houston, Austin and Seabrook Marathons. Welcome to the world of Bronze!

                       

                   Ryan Valdez                                                         Jill Hudson                                                           Dean Schuster                                 

 

4/13 - Silverio "Silver" Rivas #537 (Alta Loma, California): Silverio has an impressive streak by virtue of running at least one marathon between the years of 1982 to 1999.  His goal is to complete 100 marathons and he is over halfway to that total (55). His streak of 3 marathons in 3 months include the Las Vegas, Pacific Shoreline and the Los Angeles Marathons. So now when his family and friends call him a "Marathon Maniac" he'll just laugh louder!

 

4/22 - Alfredo Aromin #538 (Aiea, Hawaii): Is there any runner that Maniac #180 doesn't know in Hawaii? Another one of his good friends, Alfredo has completed about 25 marathons (all in Hawaii) and his best streak was 3 marathons in 3 months back in 2004 (Kona, Kilauea and Maui) gives him Bronze status in the Insane Asylum.

 

4/25 - Mike Herrin #539 (Tremont, Illinois): Knowing how busy marathoners can get when they run a lot of them, Mike initially requested entry a few years ago but didn't do anything about it. Oh well, better late than never! His 66 marathon completions were run in 40 states and his best streak of 9 marathons in 9 states in one year fulfills the criteria for 4-star Iridium status.


4/26 - Dean Schuster #540 (Columbia, South Carolina): The Prez met Dean while downing a "cool one" at the House of Blues Awards Banquet following the Myrtle Beach Marathon. Besides having completed Myrtle Beach, Dean a week after that ran the Black Mountain Marathon to qualify for Bronze membership in the Insane Asylum. He thinks this may be good enough to hand out towels in the bathrooms at the Marathon Maniac meetings!

    

                        Peggy Ankney and husband J.R.                                                                                              Gilles Barbeau

 

4/29 - Peggy Ankney #541 (Crozet, Virginia): Peggy and husband J.R (maniac #522) comprises the latest edition of the wife-husband Maniac teams.

Peggy's streak came recently with her 3marathon/ultra completions in 3 months (Holiday Lake 50km, Knoxville Marathon and the Promise Land 50km), thus good for Bronze. She has completed 6 additional marathons, all after her inaugural marathon at Richmond in late 2005. Being a science geek, she specifically requested that her Maniac number be a prime number, since prime numbers are "way cooler" than non-primes. So the Maniacs hereby bequeath #541 to Peggy! And did you also happen to know that the following are prime numbers…557, 617, 739, 829, 977, and a whole lot more!!

               

4/29 - Gilles Barbeau #542 (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada): Gilles initial marathon came way back in 1982 (Ottawa) and after 1984 took an 11-year hiatus before returning to the marathon scene at Seattle. He seems to enjoy trail ultras just as much as road marathons by reviewing his race stats.  His best streak came last year when during Thanksgiving weekend he completed the Seattle Ghost and Seattle Marathons on back to back days, thus earning him 4-star Iridium status in the Maniacs. Gilles has run marathons/ultras in 3 Canadian Provinces and 4 states.


4/30 - Bob Hearn #543 (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada): Bob first marathon in Victoria in 2004 was a successful one as he qualified for Boston. Since that time he has run in 5 more and his recent streak of 2 marathons in 3 weeks (Boston and the Country Music Marathon) qualifies him for Bronze membership in the Insane Asylum.


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

Steve-Oh, have I got one for YOU this month.

As you and I know so very well, it is AWFUL when people run a marathon as a bandit. Just terrible. It is stealing, isn’t it? Other people paid good money for the race to be put on, and some people come along and just wham, bam, thank you ma’am, run the race and get most of the goodies along the way, paying nothing. That’s just wrong. New York has folks on the sidelines looking for bandits, and they’ll physically pull you off the course if you do that. Good for them. I’d never consider it, neither would you, and neither would any other right-minded marathon maniac. No sir.

But something interesting happened to me on the way to heaven last month.

                                                                    

It started last year. Through the gracious efforts of a maniac friend, I was wonderfully given a special invitation to run in the Boston marathon, despite not having a qualifying time on my record. The $200 entry fee for such special invitations I paid gladly, for I was thrilled beyond description. 

On that glorious morning of the ’06 Boston, I noticed loosening up outside the starting corrals about 100 runners. Curious, I asked an official about them, and she replied, “Other cities, rightly so, forbid bandits in their races, but we had so many over the years we decided to reach a compromise with them. We ask them to line up over there and wait for the official runners to run, and then we let them go, too. It works out alright.” Hmm.

This year, the same special invite came to my door, and I knew someone who might appreciate the official opportunity, and sure enough, he was grateful for the chance. Made him pretty happy. Me too. Anyway, I read the brochure, and sure enough, Boston advertises: “no bandits”. But I packed my running shoes, accompanied my friend to the expo, and there, plain as day, Stevie, was a poster-map of the starting area, and plain as two days, there it was: an area on the official poster, off to the side of the pictured corrals, marked: BANDITS. WhooooHooooo!

Same course. Same excitement. As slow as I am, same warm Gatorade. Best of all, a few friendly females near Wellesley (12 in particular). And, sigh, same hills in Newton.

I prayed later, and was clearly told that there is a compromised spot in the afterlife for me. I get to run Big Sur for eternity (yesssssss!!!!), but I have to run it like Barefoot Bob.

Love ya,

Rev

dgkienz@yahoo.com

 

 

                               

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 April / May Newsletter and to the web site soon. The President has written…