MARATHON
MANIACS SECOND MARATHON REUNION
YAKIMA RIVER
CANYON - MARCH 31, 2007
To
help commemorate Bob Dolphin's 400th lifetime marathon, the Marathon
Maniacs were proudly given the honor of having their second
reunion
at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon, which incidentally Bob and Lenore are
co-race directors. Main Maniac (with
cat on head) was making a triumphant return and given the primary duties of
helping set up and coordinating the reunion.
First off, he failed to deliver the Prez
in
the Maniac chauffeured limousine convertible at the prescribed time. The
members were growing restless. Maniacs #2 and #3 could no longer entertain the
masses with their ho-hum jokes. Where is the Prez, they demanded?? Cat on head
begins to hiss…can Main Maniac redeem himself?? Alas, the Prez arrives and with
it the start of a most entertaining weekend.
From
all over the country, and the world…
The
Maniacs came from afar…
David Goodrich, David Bates
(Maine) and Dave Bell (Colorado) Rob Cowan (California) Peggy Shashy (Florida) Chester Kalb II
The Maniac Families came to join them, and in some cases, ran with them!
Stephanie Day with proud Dad Bill Powers Guy Yogi with his father-in-law Gunhild Swanson
Christina, Tim and Jennifer Bruce Janice and Justin Moyer Vicki Schwent and David
Stout
Though Main Maniac was quite embarrassed by his
ill-timed snafu, he was quickly back in his element as the meet and greet
session was
underway. Main Maniac was all too happy to shake
hands with Maniac volunteers Marc
Frommer, Lesa Overfield, Robert "srlopez" and
Brian
Pendleton. Then the crème de la crème…the Maniac of the
Year awards to Van Phan (hugs and
kisses) and Larry Macon (as always,
missing in action). And a veritable free-for-all
when Maniac trivia was played and random prize drawings given out. What Maniacs
wouldn't
do for a Tiger Tail or another cotton T-shirt! Ah, but the aroma of tomato sauce combined
with layers and layers of spaghetti began to filter into
the Maniac Reunion room. Once again the members were
squirming in their seats. Feast or
famine? They could sense the dark chocolate cake
entering their digestive tracts soon. Their
appetites were getting the better of Maniacs #1, #2 and #3. Main Maniac could
no longer hold anybody's
attention. Even cat on head began to claw in
restless hunger. OK, it was time for the feast. Then the magic words from
Lenore…Dinner is served!
The Maniacs are smiling, especially after being fed!
Ed Walsh
"Marathon Freak" and "pumped2run" Gary Otheim and wife
Terry Sentinella and Robert Jacobsen Patch Dahl Jane Herzog and husband
Ray
Scharenbrock, Alan Morton, Henry Reuden, "srLopez" May Cheng, Linda Barton, Leslie
Miller, Eric Gierke, Steve Supkoff
Maniac Legends: Over 1500 marathons
completed Future Maniac Legends: 150 marathons completed
Race Morning and all is calm. Main Maniac boards the
first bus from Selah to engage in some playful banter with some of the Maniac
clan. As the bus comes approaches the Days Inn, he can hardly contain himself.
Soon he will once again find refuge, a place he can call home, where the Insane
can feel Sane again, and be treated like a normal human being! But like some
Maniacs, he hasn't raced in eons. Has he lost his edge?? CAN HE DO IT! There's the calm before the storm…all
together the Maniacs gather for their fearless leader and in one fell swoop
they cry out…"YOU CAN DO IT"!!! Main Maniac is pumped, fired up and
can't wait for the start of the race!
Mike Wakabayashi, David Jones, Bruce Katter
Ken Briggs "Hippo" and Marilou Russell
They all make their way to the start line...a
monumental sea of yellow as far as the eyes can see. Maniac Fenny Roberts belts out the National
Anthem. The engine that could is no longer around so an imitation whistle
blows…they're off. Main Maniac quickly darts to the front, wanting to set a
torrid pace and see if he can catch all other maniacs off guard. He wants to
win! Sub 5 minute pace. He thinks he's a Kenyan!
Main Maniac hasn't trained all year and soon his
suicidal pace comes back to haunt him. The front running Maniacs Sean Meissner and Cliff Richards were running on air and promptly pass him in a blink
of an eye. Main Maniac reacts…"hey guys, I'm EctomorphicMainManiacium 20
star level, you can't pass me up". Sean replies, "sure we can, I'm
quick and Cliff's quack…I mean, quack quack". Needless to say, they leave
their superhero behind. One by one the Maniacs start to pass him up. Then the
familiar tandem of Annie Thiessen
and Maniac #3 tp! The bonkfest has
started. What can Main maniac do? Being the intellectual scientist that he is,
he figures out a solution. Since we have AT and tp, we can just combine their
initials to form ATP, the building blocks in the Krebs cycle! Glycolysis,
Energy, Whoohoo! Figuring he'll need 36 ATP's to help get him through the cycle
and regain his energy, he'll need to harness that energy from the next 36
Maniacs he sees! Unfortunately the next one to arrive is Mary "mph" Hanna. The way Main Maniac saw it, she wasn't
running "mph" but rather miles per second, her one stride matching
every five of his. Well…there goes that scientific theory! Mary offers a
suggestion…"hey fearless leader, soon to arrive is Dave Murray, maybe he will help "ricochet" you to the
finish line!
The Prez and Eric Gierke Hollywood Warren…back on his
horse! The pregnant one Genia Kacey
/ Barefoot Todd
He's thinking, "hey, this slowing down will be
a great way to meet my entourage". Both swiftly and slowly more yellow pass
him up. But soon familiar faces emerge…unique gaits and one-of-a-kind shoes! He
blurts out…"hey Prez"
whaddya doing here so soon? The Prez says, I'm trying to stay in front of #2!
No! Could it be?? Is #2 actually on his horse and running a marathon? Is their
proof in the pudding or is it just heresy? Is Hollywood making a "cameo
appearance" at Yakima? A loud echo in the canyon is heard…Heerrree's
Hollywood!! It's true! The next chapter in Ripley's….Believe It..or Not! But
wait…another miracle is about to unfold. While Main Maniac is getting passed by
the parade of yellow, soon an extended version of black and yellow is amongst
them. Genia Kacey, at 7 months
pregnant (with a future Maniac), running the Yakima River Canyon marathon.
Sheeesh, what a Maniac! But it doesn't end there…soon comes the tanned and
Barefoot one…Todd Byers!
While making his way up the first of the gargantuan
hills, Main Maniac now has second thoughts of running the race. ATP didn't
help, the fountain of GU made his stomach churn and he didn't need Power-Ade,
he just needed Aid! Another round of Chariots of Fire or the theme song from
Rocky just didn't cut it! Though all was not lost…at least he had the pleasure
of meeting these new Maniacs for the very first time.
Anna
Connor Debby Graham and Kay
Reynolds Troy Windsor Michelle Smith-Harden David Nemoto
Meanwhile back to the race. Main Maniac was trying
to cheer on all the runners but got distracted because he observed some
massive, muscular and malicious Maniac biceps, kind of like looking into a
mirror. The contestants: Maniac #3 (I'm
an Ironman!) tp!, Eric "Ahhnold" Barnes, Annie(mal) Thiessen and
Ruben "Just call me Rocky"
Contreras. Bringing out the pad of
paper and conferring with the impartial judges…was it a close vote? He takes
the measuring ribbon around each contestant. The judges cry out, "No Main
Maniac, not around their waistlines, around their biceps!" No, in a
runaway vote…Main Maniac deems the winner of the 2007 Yakima Maniac Bodacious
Biceps Award to…Annie(mal) Thiessen! There immediately is a protest…tp!
reiterates, "I'm an Ironman"! Ruben blurts out, "yo
Adrian"! Until next year!
"I'm an Ironman" "Ahhnold" The "Annie(mal)" "Just call me Rocky"
While most of us were still enjoying the spectacular
scenery of the canyon, there was a race amongst the leaders. The first Maniac
to cross the
Finish line was Sisters, Oregon native Sean Meissner, who was able to fend off
the challenge from the next Maniac, Cliff
Richards. Main Maniac
greets Master Sean, presenting him with a piece of
cat hair from "cat on top of head" as being the first Cat Maniac to
cross the line. The women's
race was just as exciting. Main Maniac cheering both
Mary "mph" Hanna and Annie
on, cat on head saying, "You two look mahvelous,
absolutely mahvelous! In fact, Purr-fect!" In
the end, Mary prevailed, for the third year in a row.
Then in a flash, the marathonguide.com press release
comes out…in record time!
Yakima River Canyon
Marathon - Mar 31 - Yakima, WA
Defending Champion Manuh Santos, 27 of Yakima, won the 2007 Yakima River Canyon
Marathon in 2:39:14. Third place finisher in 2004 Rick Becker, 52 of Selah,
finished second in 2:43:34. Sean Meissner,
33 of Sisters OR, was third in 2:44:36.
In the Women's division, Two-time
Defending champion Mary Hanna, 45 of Maple Valley, who won the 2006 Avenue of
the Giants Marathon, was the winner in
3:04:26. Ann Armstrong, 45 of Poulsbo, finished second in 3:05:14. Karin
Kupp, 38 of Yakima, was third in 3:14:57.
Sean Meissner and family
waiting for the Maniacs
"quack quack" Richards Mary"mph" Hanna
Meanwhile, back on the ranch….Main Maniac is just
shooting the breeze, meeting up with old and new friends. He didn't seem to
care that his legs were about to fall off, nor that his arms were swinging
wildly into oblivion. Now cresting the second hill, he got the inspiration he
needed to help see him through, the magic elixir, so to speak…some of the
lovely Maniac ladies. But then cumulus clouds started to appear overhead, the
scene turning tumultuous. Crackle was the sound, and soon a flash of lightning
jolted in front of the path of Main Maniac. Like when Moses parted the Red Sea,
it was, yes you guessed it, the image of Non-Maniac beauty! A stern voice was
heard overhead, "You didn't tell me you were going to run this
marathon…you've got massive amounts of house and yard work to do". Did I give
you permission? You knew you're SPOF (spousal piss-off factor) points are at an
all time low. And now you want to hang around with other ladies! Main Maniac
was now in a quandary. Even chocolates and a dozen roses won't rectify the
situation. Can he BS his way out of this one? Like any other Maniac, his words
of praise for her and his mention of selfless devotion to the Marathon Maniacs
was all that was needed to soothe over the "misunderstanding". He
knew he could reward her later with a "meal at the Maniacs favorite
restaurant", an unlimited spending frenzy at Nordstrom's and even dessert
at the Cheesecake Factory. But all she wanted was…a burger and fries from
Dick's Drive In!
Linda Barton Barb Blumenthal
Shelleena Bunker Jessica Mullen Christie Hayes
But inspiration only goes so far, especially if
you're climbing over a one-mile hill.
The ladies blow Main Maniac a kiss as they steadfastly charged up the
hill, leaving him in their wake. Soon the incredible Bob Dolphin arrives. Could
Main Maniac hang with the legend. He tries to distract Bob by trying to see if
he could identify all of the flora, fauna and natural history that the Yakima
Canyon is known for. Not knowing that Bob is the premier entomologist,
ornothologist, ichthyologist, paleontologist and all around botany king of the
greater Pacific Northwest, there is no species that he can't name. He starts
rattling off the names…Onchoynchus, vinca minor, etc. Main Maniac brain starts
to get fried! He changes to layman terms… "hey Bob, what kind of wildlife
have you seen during the race"? Bob's smooth response; bighorn sheep, bald
eagles, red-throated thrush, a few white-tailed deer. Bob calmly asks Main
Maniac, "have you seen any"? Main Maniac thinks hard. Well no, reckon
I haven't seen any because my head was always staring at the ground? But I
think I was actually passed by a "sLuG", a "hippo", a
"possum that could pass for an Otter" and some Maniac wearing rabbit
ears! I even got passed by an "Industrial Bellybutton, for gosh
sakes!" Bob quickly moves on. Will Main Maniac be the last of the Maniac
finishers???
Claudia Cooper Bobbie Howard Herb Allen Cynthia Witman
As he finally reaches the top of the final hill and
looking forward to the ensuing downhill, his mind wanders and thinks of the
great many Maniacs he has seen come out for this special reunion. He's met many
new ones. He saw familiar faces and reminisced the good times with them. And he
also got to run with Maniacs whom haven't run a marathon in quite some time
(that is, in Maniac time).
The Maniacs favorite volunteer and all-around Maniac
hugger Lenore was present at the finish line, waiting for all the other Maniacs
to come join in the celebration. After Maniac #3 tp (whom too much flexing cost
him a sub 3-hour marathon), comes Rob
Cowan, and Ken Blauvelt, then
OMIGOSH it can't be (could the course be short)…it’s the Prez! Maniac Prez
pacers David Spooner and Eric Gierke are the next to arrive to
the promised land. And then hoards of yellow begin to trickle in. "Ricochet" Murray, the hobblin' but
always glamorous and amorous Annie, Terry Sentinella, Eric Jensen and Ruben
Contreras. Whew, Lenore needs a break!
"Uncle Philly" David Spooner Eric Jensen Jeff Hagen "Ricochet" Murray Claude Hicks, Jr
More yellow. The Penguin announces Robert Jacobsen, Eric Barnes, Kurt Lauer
and David Jones. "Uncle Philly" Kriss, followed hand in hand by
the lovely couple Sherry and
"Coconutboy" Mahoney. Not far behind comes "Crash" Day, Barb
Blumenthal and "marathonfreak"
Walters. Cat on head is wringing with excitement just witnessing his team
come through in the clutch. The names seem endless. Steve Supkoff, "Hippo" Nicholson, Michael Wakabayashi, Al Harman, David Nemoto. The
Penguin is getting tongue-twisted. "HotRod"
Barmore runs in with Christel Elliot.
Bobbie Howard and May Cheng. Guy Yogi and then Robert
"running 52 for J.Lo" Lopez. Youngest Maniac Christina Bruce and then Maniac
#50 Claudia Cooper. Favorite Maniac helpers lovely Lesa Overfield and Marc
Frommer. The Penguin is languishing behind as the Maniacs are really coming
in droves.
Ken Briggs, Mark Dix and Nathan Greene.
Earl "if I had your money I'd
throw away mine's" Fenstermacher, the
incredible Gunhild Swanson and local
Jeff Hagen. And then the
incredible…could it be…is he finally on his horse?? Yes, it’s the one, the
only…Hollywood Warren! The last Maniacs to break the 4 hour
barrier…Anna Connor and Ed Walsh.
Kurt Lauer Ken Blauvelt,
Eric Barnes, Robert Jacobsen Brian Pendleton Jim Scheer
The Penguin is doing his best "Happy Feet[Sy1]"
imitation now as he just cannot keep up. His feet are moving faster than his vocal
cords. In comes Linda Barton, Steve
Barrick, Christie Hayes, "sLuG" Robinson, Jessica Mullen, Jim Boyd,
Gary Otheim, "Industrial Bellybutton" Windsor, Jeff Loen, Steve
White, Herb Allen, Judy Fisher, "Sushi" Wiggins, Claude Hicks Jr.,
James Scheer, Seng-Lai Tan, Janice Moyer, Michael Shiach, David Stout, Michelle
Smith-Harden, "Road Kill" Haase and Cheri Pompeo, the Penguin
takes a well-deserved break before continuing with trying to make the world's
longest sentence.
A five minute break before "pumped2run" Lawson shows up,
followed by "Possum" Otter.
Floridian Peggy Shashy and then Shelleena Bunker. Amanda Cohn, Jennifer Bruce, Brian Starkey, Bill Powers and Brian
Pendleton. Cymthia Witman and Patch Dahl. Cyndie Merten and the tandem of Kay Reynolds and Debby Graham. Blaine
Phillips from Utah, followed by Janet Burgess, Little Leslie Miller, Monte
Pascual and Tom Rogers. The names seem endless. On the verge of laryngitis,
the Penguin probably wishes he were in Antarctica!
Coconutboy and Sherry Mahoney
Pam Brulotte leading the Leavenworth Ladies Amanda Cohn and husband
And making their way to the finish line…Sue Fauerbach, Marilou Russell, Chester
Kalb II, David Goodrich, Fenny Roberts, Dave Bell. Then Michelle Barnes, pregnant one Genia Kacey. Then the crowd starts
erupting. On the verge of finishing his 400th marathon comes the one
and only Bob Dolphin, his entourage
in tow. His gait is smooth and obviously this being his magic 400 has given him
extra incentive to finish fast. He realizes that he's so much faster than last
year that he pushes to the end, sprints and his entourage is now in full-blown
lactate threshold mode. They can't keep up with the King of marathons, so they
back off and let me have his moment of glory as Lenore gives him the biggest,
most special hug ever in the annals of all of his previous marathons. Then Bob,
having watched movie musicals for the past few days and with so much energy
left in him, starts humming, then singing and two-stepping. "What a day
this has been, what a rare mood I'm in, why it's…Almost like being in
Love"…There's a smile on my face, for the whole human race, why
it's…Almost like being in Love"! Even Lenore gets in the act…"My
sweet Embracable you! There were hugs and kisses that lasted through the whole
night.
But the Penguin wasn't quite through yet. Barely
waddlin' on the names just kept on coming. Timothy
Bruce, Jack Swanson, Charles Sayles, Hajime Nishi from Japan, David Bates, Steven Hamling, Mel Preedy, Bruce
Katter, Barefoot Todd Byers, Alan Morton from England, Raymond Scharenbrock and Henry
Rueden. All of the Marathon Maniacs were in. But where was Main Maniac? Did
he fall off the side of the canyon walls? Did he hop on the next train to
Clarksville? Did a vulture or raven do him in? The volunteers start taking down
the finish line banner, the cones are no longer needed for traffic control.
Again, where was Main Maniac? A blur in the distance…a figure emerges, like
someone crawling in, one hand and knee after the other. Nearing twilight it’s
Main Maniac. The scoop was he during the entire race he was actively seeking
new Maniacs. To boldly go where no Maniac has gone before! He had expended all
of his energy talking, running, eating, singing, writing, and all of the other
-ings! But mission accomplished. Due to his cavorting, 4 new Maniacs were
inducted after completing Yakima: Steve
Ellis, Jill Hudson, Shari Nemeth and Malcolm
Anderson from Canada. Malcolm began discussing with Main Maniac a project
he's been working on and would like to contact other Maniacs whom fit the
criteria.
Al Harman and friend Michael
Shiach "Road Kill"
Haase Christel Elliot and "HotRod" Barmore
100 Marathons
– Book Blurb
Malcolm is writing a book on the experiences of
people who have run 100 marathons. To
most people, running a marathon is a remarkable and remotely possible
achievement, a major lifetime accomplishment. To run 100 or more marathons is
even harder for people to comprehend.
Why would people run 100 marathons? The experiences and stories of those
who have run 100 marathons are fascinating. Malcolm is currently interviewing
100 Marathon Club members in North America, United Kingdom, and Australia and
New Zealand. When completed, the book will cover a range of topics, including
planning for marathons, travel experiences, training, the social side of
running, use of technology, humorous stories, injuries, costs, how runners
manage to fit marathon running into the rest of their lives, favorite runs, and
advice to those starting to run marathons.
The book will be published at the end of the year. If you have run 100
marathons or know someone who has, and might be interested in being
interviewed, please contact Malcolm at andersnm@post.queensu.ca.
This
is one of 3 books Malcolm is currently writing on marathon running. The others
– The Marathon: From Athens to Disney,
and The Cayman Islands Marathon
Experience, will be released in May 2007.
Maniacs Earl, Jessica, Lesa and
Troy Marc Frommer, Christel and tp! Monte Pascual and Jim Boyd
And so goes another year of the Yakima River Canyon
Marathon…a great success story. At the awards ceremony, many Maniacs came away
with hardware, ribbons, great random prizes and bottles of wine. Of note, they
announced the runners whom have completed all 7 Yakima Canyon Marathons.
Maniacs included in this group are Steve
Barrick, Jim Boyd, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Steve Hamling, David Jones, Mel
Preedy, Fenny Roberts, Jim Scheer and Prez Steven Yee.
Magic
Memories from the 2007 Yakima River Canyon Marathon
Tom Rogers and Janet Burgess Hollywood, Hippo, Possum, sLug and
tp! The Annie massage therapy
On closed caption television at the Selah Civic
Center, the Maniacs gathered together to all cheer on Main Maniac as he crossed
the
finish line. They presented him with this fine
Maniac portrait as a gift for their commander-in chief.
Todd Byers and Mel
Preedy Cyndie Merten Steve
Hamling Bob Dolphin
Main Maniac thanks all of the members for supporting him and the
club. He asks the members…where would
you like the next Maniac
reunion to be at?
Hope to see you at the 3rd Marathon Maniac reunion!!