Marathon Maniacs News Letter – December 2007

December Highlights

·         49 new members for the month of December (773 total members)

·         Meghan Arbogast qualifies for the Olympic Trials at the California International Marathon

·         Jess Mullen wins the Birch Bay Ghost Marathon

·         Sean Meissner, Hope Fox, aNnIe Thieesen and sancho Lin prevail at the Pigtail Races

·                     Cliff “quack quack” Richards wins the Last Chance Marathon        

  

                  Borax Death Valley Marathon Maniac Starters                                                         David Dassey nearing the finish at Death Valley

 

                The Marathon Maniacs…At the Races

 

December 1

Baton Rouge Marathon: Cowboy Jeff Bishton, Lauri “The Kid” Fauerbach Adams, Angela Ivory, Henry Rueden, Jim Scheer, Jeff Veneble

Death Valley Borax Marathon: Gary Beaty, David Dassey, Stevie Ray, Larry Macon, Jon “Coconutboy” Mahoney, Sherry “MMM” Mahoney, Little Leslie, Monte Pascual, Dick Vogt, Christopher “Hollywood” Warren

 

  Baton Rouge Maniacs Angela Ivory and Lauri “The Kid” Fauerbach Adams                       Cheryl Murdock, “The Kid” and Paula Boone   

 

December 2

California International Marathon: Meghan Arbogast, Jon “Ice” Burg, Quicksilver – Runner, May Cheng, Ruben Contreras, Jim DeStefano, Marc Frommer, Eric Gierke, BK Gilbertson, Eddie Hahn, Debbra Jacobs-Robinson, Kurt Lauer, John “Oskie” Lazaro, Jess Mullen, Van “pigtails” Phan, Anthony Nicholas Phillippi, David “Marathon Diet” Spooner, Steve Supkoff, aNnIe Thiessen, Michael Wakabayashi, Ed Walsh

Her unforgettable marathon…by Meghan Arbogast    http://runningmegleg.blogspot.com/

 

The race according to Maniac #9 Marc Fromme: Brief: 3:38:51, Marathon #62, pretty even splits, no Ahnold sighting,too many beers afterwards
Back in ancient history, I ran CIM (1995) as my third marathon trying to qualify for the 100th Boston.  I didn't make it (major bonk at that race) and haven't been back to the scene of the crime.  What I remember most about that race is that was my first meeting with some of the Northwest Dead Runners.  I flew down and back with Kelly and met the famous tanned one, Todd. Byers, at the airport as we hung out together.  I decided to go back again this year since there were a bunch of my Maniac friends running the race.  Also, since I didn't run Portland as planned, I was having marathon withdrawal.  It was good to slap back on the yellow singlet. My goal for the race was to get my 2009 BQ out of the way.  One can never tell when an injury could pop up and even though I'm not in primo shape, I thought I could manage a 3:45.  My "training" was not optimum (even for me) with my monthly totals being:
Sept: 32
Oct: 148
Nov: 147

 

Little Leslie in the Valley of Death: Give me water or just run me over!                   CIM Maniacs Phillippi, Thiessen, Gierke and Harman


And I had a major meltdown at the Autumn Leaves 50K where I "ran" the last loop at a blazing 12 min/mile pace.  But my training and body have felt good the past few weeks, except for a mild cold that I got at the beginning of this week.  At one time, I had visions of improving my 2008 BQ (3:29:23) but decided that would not be a smart move.  So, at the starting line, I set my internal clock for 8:15s and decided to try to keep it at that pace as long as I could.  The weather turned out to be pretty good but cool at the start so I decided to wear a LS shirt (with aforementioned Maniac singlet over it), shorts, and throwaway gloves
(which were tossed about halfway into the race).  I probably could have gotten by with either a SS shirt or even just a singlet but I really wasn't overly hot during the race. My plan worked out great.  The race turned out to be one of more evenly paced races that I have run.  I did start to cramp up in the last couple of miles, which probably cost me a perfectly even race but I'm not going to complain.  The course is a decent one but definitely has plenty of rolling hills over the first half.  Newport is a much faster course.  I even think Portland is a faster course but this course isn't bad.  We had some winds throughout the race but after Tri-Cities I kind of laugh when folks talk about "major" winds.  If you aren't being blown around the course and losing hats, it doesn't count.

 

              Coconutboy and MMM renewing their vows at Las Vegas                                   Little Leslie, Jeanette Quintana and Silver Rivas at Las Vegas       

   
As you can see from my splits, there was no bonking today.  Except for the cramping in my calves that occurred over the last couple of miles (I had to shorten my stride or I would have gone into major cramp mode), all my miles were basically between 8:10 and 8:30.  I passed the halfway mark at around 1:48 so I ran a second half around 1:50.  At the 20 mile mark, I had an eerie sensation which I think was Meghan crossing the finish line (my 20 mile time was just about her overall time). I was thinking about her at that time after seeing my watch and hoping she was done and relaxing.

Besides the race, the weekend was great.  I met Val at the airport on Saturday and she graciously drove me to the hotel/expo where the other Maniacs were hanging out in the lobby.  We went off to lunch and then the expo.  That night 11 of us had dinner at an Italian place and after the race we celebrated our successes.  Maniac Steve Supkoff got a BQ by around 20 seconds, Annie just missed breaking 3 hours (but did break tp!), May set a PR, and Eric, Kurt, Al, and Ruben (my roomie for the night) all had strong races.  All in all a great weekend.  I'm probably done marathoning for the year but am starting to work on my schedule for next year.  It will start off with Carlsbad next month and will include my usuals of Yakima, Boston, and Newport.  There is a good chance I'll be at Eugene and might go up to Tacoma as well but that is a lot of little trips in a short period of time so I'm not sure that I'll make both Eugene and Tacoma.

Las Vegas Marathon: Alfredo Aromin, Gary Beaty, Keven Babbitt, Adam Blum, Sable Cantus, Bob English, Elisa Hawkins, Yolanda “Walking Diva” Holder, Deo, Erin Johnson, Dennis Kato, Todd King, James Klarich, Steveie Ray, Jon “Coconutboy” Mahoney, Sherry “MMM” Mahoney, David Major, Linda Major, Little Leslie, Sheri Nemeth, Les “Maniacles” Omura, Monte Pascual, Don Pattison, Teri Petit, Brian Pilgrim, Jeanette Quintana, Silver Rivas, Ray “McGyver” Shaw, David Stout, Joseph Tompkins, Christopher “Hollywood” Warren

     

Rocket City Marathon: Amy Yanni                            Claude Hicks Jr.                                        Janis Posey                                          David Livingston

 

December 8

Rocket City Marathon: Linda Ambard, Claude Hicks Jr., Angela Ivory, Darrell James, David Livingston, Dotty Maddock, Phil Min, Lisa Nichols, Steve Noone, Janis Posey, Patty Powell, Charles Sayles, Dean Schuster, Amy Yanni

Sunmart Trail Endurance Runs: Jim Baudhuin, Gary Beaty, Andrew Edwards, Brian Hoover, Stevie Ray, Thomas “T.O.” Okazaki, Johnny “The Animal” Spriggs, Darwin “runninguy” Weimer

 

December 9

Honolulu Marathon: Alfredo “Da Man”Aromin, Roger Biggs, Brian Bury, Martha Corazzini, Tom Craven, Mark Essenberg, Sue Fauerbach, Jeff Fong, Michael Goolkasian, Carole “Forever Bronze” Higa, Michael Higa, Nicholas Kaiser, Kathy Kass, Al Kohli, Johnny “Shaka” Landeza, David Major, Linda Major, Cyndie Merten, Harvey Nakasone, Jeffery “Maverick” Nakasone, Les “Maniacles” Omura, V-J “Phinish da Run” Ridao, Zander Ross, Henry Rueden, Kamika Smith, Thomas Tan, Gregory “GRE” Taylor, Wyatt Waro, Prez Steven Yee

 

   

                    Kamika Smith                                         Martha Corazzini and the Prez                                              Michael Goolkasian

 

December 16:

 Christmas Marathon: Keven Babbitt, Jim Boyd, Faye Britt, Bob and Lenore, Gilles Barbeau, Russell Cheney, David Conger, Peter Corduan, Michelle Cunningham, Sarah Duncan, Andy Fritz, David Hamilton, Bret “Fat-Boyee” Henry, Angela Ivory, David Jones, Elizabeth Jones, Ashley “rogue wave” Kuhlmann, Michael “MMKuhl” Kuhlmann, Stevie Ray, Kelby Marks, Gary “Red Rabbit” Marr, Kate Merrill, Little Leslie, Andre O’Donnell, Monte Pascual, Brian Pendleton,  Mel Preedy, Bruce Quam, Jeanette Quintana, Silver Rivas, Susie Ro, Fenny Roberts, Tom Rogers, Jim Scheer, Ray “McGyver” Shaw, Tom Stolz, Joseph Tompkins, Erika Van Flein, Gregg Walchli, Steve “Marathon Freak” Walters, Christopher “Hollywood” Warren, Steve White

 

     The Maniac “Bored” Meetings

Your Main Maniacs met recently (at our favorite restaurant!) to discuss the upcoming year, goals of the club, arguing and agreeing on the Maniac Race Criteria, possible Maniac reunions and locations, Maniac of the Year Awards, the soon to be announced Maniac “Hall of Fame”, trying to find another “discount guy or gal” (srlopez is taking a “short” break from marathoning) and changes to the monthly newsletter (meaning a new format and editor). So stay tuned for more details.

 

     

           Linda Ambard, Steve Noone and Lisa Nicholls at Rocket City                                       Darrell James and Phil Min

 

 December 22

Pigtails Flat Ass Marathon: Steve Barrick, Adrian Call, Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Rick “Road Kill” Haase, Ashley “rogue wave” Kuhlmann, Michael “MMKulh” Kuhlmann, sancho Lin, Anthony Nicholas Phillippi, Mel Preedy, Ray “McGyver” Shaw, aNnIe Thiessen, Merita Trohimovich

Pigtails Flat Ass 50km: Jenny Appel, Valerie Beyer, Michael Cartwright, *tc, Lindsay Felker, Hope Fox, Mary “mph” Hanna, Christie Hayes, Rob “Rattler” Hester, Jill Hudson, Dean Kayler, Phil “Uncle Philly” Kriss, Shawn Lawson, Tim Lofton, King Arthur Martineau, Sean Meissner, Jess Mullen, Pete “Hippo” Nicholson, Lesa Overfield, Monte Pascual, Van “pigtails” Phan, Cliff “quack quack” Richards, Michael Shiach, David “Marathon Diet” Spooner, Steve Stoyles, Linda Walter

 

                       

Honolulu Maniacs Fong, Aromin, Shaka, Maniacle Les, the Higas and new Maniac Essenberg    srlopez at Sunmart: Just give me some FOOD!

 

December 31

Last Chance Marathon: Maniac #200, Gilles Barbeau, Eric “Trail Scat” Barnes, Michelle Barnes, Margaret Barrett, Linda Barton, Valerie Beyer,  Adrian Call,  Russell Cheney, May Cheng, Ruben Contrereas, Darby Chick, David Englund, Rick “Road Kill” Haase, Jane “camelback” Herzog, Rob “Rattler” Hester, Robert Jacobsen, Elizabeth Jones, James Klarich, Mary (cartwheels) Latta, sancho Lin, Jon “Coconutboy” Mahoney, Sherry “MMM” Mahoney, Rich Menzel, Stan Nakashima, Monte Pascual, Brian Pendleton, Van “pigtails” Phan, Anthony Nicholas Phillippi, Mel Preedy,  Cliff “quack quack” Richards, Scott Sebelsky, David “Marathon Diet” Spooner, Steve Stoyles Joseph Tompkins, Hollywood Warren, Jon Yoon

 

** There will be additional Pigtails, Christmas and Last Chance Marathon Pictures in the January 2008 Newsletter (unless the Prez gets a whole slough     of January race photos from Maniacs)

 

 

 

 

                                                               THE PIGTAILS FLATASS MARATHON AND ULTRA

  

    The one…the only…pigtails!!                                     Christie Hayes and ultra winner Hope Fox                   UltraChamp Sean Meissner

 

*****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. 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 Maniac #9 (Marc) (marc@marathonmaniacs.com).

 

            Noteworthy Accomplishments / Promotions / Omissions / Maniac Stuff:

 

Ø  Platinum (8 star) Maniac: Linda Major (45 marathons in 2007)

Ø  Palladium (7 star) Maniac: Darwin “runninguy” Weimer (21 marathons/ultras in 20 states/provinces in one year)

Ø  Ruthenium (5 star) Maniac: Yolanda “Walking Diva” Holder (Tahoe Triple, 9 marathons in 3 months)

Ø  Iridium (4 star) Maniac: Nancy Stoltzfus (10 marathons in 9 states in one year), Steve Noone (9 marathons in 9 states in one year), Mark Ellis (4 marathons in 22 days)

Ø  Gold (3 star) Maniac: Margaret Barrett (4 marathons in 4 states in 50 days)

Ø  Silver Maniacs (2 star): Alfredo Aromin (6 marathons in 6 months), Richard Sadowski (8 marathons in one year)

Ø  50 states and DC Completed: Roger Biggs (Honolulu)

Ø  Cover Girl: The smiling face of aNnIe Thiessen on the December issue of Northwest Runner (January 2008)

Ø  Marathon and Beyond (January/February 2008): Trent Rosenbloom article on the Flying Monkey Marathon

 

·          

Roger Biggs and friends celebrating 50 state completion at Honolulu                     2007 was a great year for Darwin “runninguy” Weimer

 

New Members for the Month of December

 

12/04 – Ann Page #725 (Houston, Texas): Since Ann’s running friends thinks she’s a Maniac and her non-running friends thinks she’s certifiably Insane, she has to be! With her credentials of running marathons in 13 states in 2006, she is certifiably a 5-star Ruthenium Maniac in the Insane Asylum. She has completed 58 marathons and 1 ultra in her lifetime, and with her finish at the 2007 Honolulu marathon, she is a 50 state and DC finisher.

 

12/04 – Hazel Chase #726 (Redmond, Washington): Hazel started her marathon career back in 2003 at Lake Tahoe and since that time has completed 18 others in 10 states. With her recent finish at the Seattle Marathon coupled with the Portland and Tri-Cities marathons the previous month, Hazel is a Bronze Maniac. 

 

12/04 –Richard Chase #727 (Redmond, Washington): Richard and Hazel (see above) make up the next of the Marathon Maniac husband-wife combo’s. Main Maniac has lost count of how many there are now! With almost identical marathons completed, Richard is also a Bronze Maniac with his 3 marathons in 2 months.

 

12/04 –Paul Walsh #728 (Chalfont, Pennsylvania): While Paul hasn’t run that many lifetime marathons he was definitely happy with his recent accomplishment of running 4 marathons in 43 days (Steamtown, Breakers, Harrisburg and Philadelphia), all under 3:10.  He is a Bronze Maniac with his finishes at Harrisburg and Philadelphia in back to back weeks. How he got interested in the Maniacs? His friends include Maniacs Dana McBride, Andrew Moore and Jack Heely, all residing in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

  

                                    Hazel and Richard Chase                                                                      Paul Walsh                                                      Steve Tursi


12/04 –Steve Tursi #729 (Suffern, New York): When Steve created his running schedule for the year, he really had no intention of joining the Maniacs  but now that his streak of 3 marathons in 90 days (Self-Transcendence, Breakers and Philadelphia) is complete, he said…what the heck, why not be Insane! Steve also ran the 2006 Las Vegas Marathon to give him 4 completed in his lifetime, all run in different states.


12/04 – Lily West #730 (Seattle, Washington): Lily is a Bronze Maniac by having completed the Chicago, New York City and Seattle Marathons within the 3 month period. Her first marathon was in 2005 (Portland) and she has completed 8 marathons in 7 states. 

 

12/04 – Iris Chen #731 (New York, New York): Iris never thought she would be a part of something like the Marathon Maniacs, but then again, why not! With her recent finishes at the New York City Marathon and the Knickerbocker 60km ultra, she is certifiably Bronzed in the Insane Asylum.  She has run the New York City Marathon 8 times and when she’s not busy running she heads the “I Have a Dream” Foundation.


12/04 – Paul Bridge #732 (Veradale, Washington): Paul has quite a marathon streak going, having run at least one a year since 1993. With his marathon completions at Portland, Richmond and California International, he is a Bronze Maniac. His lifetime totals include 25 marathons in 8 states and DC.

 

12/05 –Troy Lesovsky #733 (Canoga Park, California): Hollywood Warren  met Troy in Death Valley recently and happily took the photo below of Troy with his girlfriend. With back to back marathons completed on the same weekend, Troy is a 4-star Iridium Maniac. He has completed 15 marathons in his lifetime. 

     

                                                                Iris Chen                                                                                                              Troy Lesovsky

 

12/05 – Pam “Rockenmama” Hughes #734 (Macungie, Pennsylvania): “Rockenmama” certainly has her hands full, training and running marathons and  is involved with a different kind of marathon by raising 5 kids, which includes 6-year old twins.  Pam is a Bronze Maniac with her 3 marathon finishes in 3 months.

 

12/09 – Trevor Bryan #735 (Rapid City, South Dakota): Trevor started running marathons in June 2007 and in the half year has completed five. He probably got his inspiration from fellow South Dakotan and Maniac Amy Yanni. His best streak of 3 marathons in 6 weeks (Deadwood Mickelson, Mayor’s Midnight Sun and Missoula) qualifies him for Bronze membership in the Insane Asylum.


12/10 – Melissa Kneece #736 (Virginia Beach,Virginia): Melissa certainly knows how to cap off her Maniac qualifying streak. First it was the Marine Corps, then the Outer Banks and finally for rest and relaxation, the Grand Cayman Marathon to make her a Bronze Maniac.

 

12/10 –John “Oskie” Lazaro #737 (San Diego, California): John also stated his marathoning career in mid-2007 and has completed 5, in California and Oregon. His 3 marathons in 90 days (Portland, Santa Clarita and California International) qualify him as a Bronze Maniac.

12/12 – Roscoe Douglas #738 (Macon, Georgia): Since July 2006 when Roscoe ran in his first marathon, his goal has been to complete the 50 state circuit. He’s got 19 under his wing, with 14 new states finished this year.  And with those 14 marathons in 14 states being his best marathon streak, Roscoe is a full-fledged 5-star Ruthenium Maniac.

   

   Pam “Rockenmama” Hughes                     John “Oskie” Lazaro                                                                            Roscoe Douglas

 

12/12 – Donna Goodson #739 (Coweta, Oklahoma): Donna ran her first marathon back in 1986 and then took a long break before fulfilling a dream of running a marathon with her daughter in Dublin in 2005. Just completing her third marathon in 3 months (Chicago, Tulsa Route 66 and Dallas White Rock), Donna is now a Bronze member in the Marathon Maniacs.

         
12/12 – Katie Hazelwood #740 (Irving, Texas): We welcome the Maniacs second Mother-Daughter combo as mom Donna Goodson was just initiated as a member. Daughter Katie, whom recently married, has run exactly the same marathons as her Mom save the first one that Mom ran in Tulsa 20+ years ago. She credits many friends whom are already Maniacs, especially the great “Commissioner” Marv Winters for getting her and her mom excited about becoming Maniacs.


12/14 – Leann Myers #741 (Metairie, Louisiana): Leann says she’s “old enough to know better”, but the temptation of becoming a Maniac was too great especially when she’s fulfilled the requirement for Bronze entry into the Insane Asylum three times! Her latest streak involved finishing a marathon, 50km and a 50 miler within 50 days. She has completed 28 marathons and 3 ultras in 28 states in her lifetime. 

12/14 – April Thomsen #742 (Manvel, Texas): April has run the Dallas, Houston, and Austin marathon combination twice to qualify for Bronze membership in the Insane Asylum. And she loves her great state of Texas as all of her marathon completions have been in that state.

       

                Leann Myers                                         Wendy Mastripolito                        Scott Taylor (right) with brother-in-law and Maniac Frank Livaudais

 

12/14 – Valerie Boessling #743 (Pearland, Texas): Late last year and into the beginning of 2007, Valerie completed the Texas trifecta (Dallas White Rock, Houston and Austin) to qualify for Bronze membership in the Insane Asylum. She has run 10 lifetime marathons in 2 states.

 

12/15 –Wendy Mastripolito #744 (Glenmoore, Pennsylvania): Wendy is a “newbie” marathoner whom after a 20+ year break is getting back into competitive running with a bang. Her recent streak of 2 marathons in 3 weeks (C & D and Philadelphia) qualifies her for Bronze Maniac induction. Squeeze that with her 40+ road races, duathlons, triathlons and bike races in 2007 and you’ve got a hard act to follow in 2008. But now that you’re a Maniac…YOU CAN DO IT!

 

12/15 – Scott Taylor #745 (Dallas, Texas):2007 was a busy and well-travelled year for Scott as he’s run at least one marathon a month , all in different states. Beginning with the Walt Disney World and finishing at Harrisburg, Scott is an 6-star Osmium Maniac by having run 16 marathons in 16 states/countries this year. His lifetime totals include 32 marathons/ultras and has run marathons in Switzerland and the Netherlands.


12/16 – Mark Essenberg #746 (Wahiawa, Hawaii): Our faithful Hawaiian Maniacs has once again struck and recruited their next “victim”, er, Maniac! Mark was all set to join this past September but suffered a severe injury at the Volcano Marathon, thus delaying his entry for a few months. However he has come back strong and with his completions at Maui, New York City and Honolulu, is a Bronze Maniac, complete with full bragging rights to his fellow Hawaiian Maniacs as an official member. He has run 11 lifetime marathons in 4 states and 2 countries.

    

           Honolulu Marathon Maniacs with Mark Essenberg (far right)                    Peter Corduan                                             Dennis Duria               

 

12/16 – Paul Friese #747 (Mustang, Oklahoma): Another Maniac from the Sooner state, Paul’s best marathon streak came recently with his finishes at Chicago, Route 66 and the Dallas White Rock Marathon  to qualify him for Bronze level membership. His lifetime totals include 8 marathons in 4 states.


12/17 – Susan Ro #748 (Seattle, Washington): Susan is a “newbie” to the Pacific Northwest, or better known as “Home of the Maniacs”, as she moved to the Seattle area 2 months ago. She just completed the Christmas Marathon and coupled with the Chicago and Seattle Marathons, she thus qualifies for Bronze level status in the Insane Asylum.

 

12/17 – Peter Corduan #749 (Portland, Oregon): Like Susan above, Peter also completed the Christmas Marathon to qualify him for Bronze level status. His two other races for his 3 in 3 month streak include Portland and Seattle. His marathoning kick started back in 1992 and he finished 6 in 1993 but then took a long break until this year, where he’s again “Insane” and in a place where once again he will be respected.


12/17 – Dennis Duria #750 (Oak Lawn, Illinois): Dennis sure doesn’t know how it take it “easy” when it comes to qualifying for the Maniacs.  His 3 in 3 month Bronze maniac streak consisted of the Chicago Lakefront 50km, then the McNaughton Trail 50 miler and finally the Ice Age 50 miler. His lifetime totals include 6 ultras and 6 marathons run in 3 states.


12/18 – Elizabeth “prime” Jones #751 (Bellevue, Washington): Elizabeth had a busy last 37 days of 2007 by completing in succession the Seattle, Tucson, Christmas and the Last Chance Marathons, thus making her a Bronze Maniac. While she isn’t busy running, she teaches math at Newport High School so if you have any calculus or analytical geometry problems that needs to be solved, you know whom to contact! And being associated with math, Elizabeth requested a “prime” Maniac number, hence 751.  When she’s out doing marathons, be sure to smile as her husband Glenn will be out there taking pictures of you Maniacs!

  

                    Elizabeth Jones                                                          Bill Gaghan                                                                             Kathy Kass

 

12/18 – Bill Gaghan #752 (Glastonbury, Connecticut): Back in early 2006, Bill ran 6 marathons in 6 months to qualify for 2-star Silver level in the Insane Asylum. Currently he’s in the middle of a 7 marathon in 7 month streak. He has run 25 lifetime marathons in 22 states and DC. He and his family are celebrities, as they were recently on a reality TV show.

 

12/18 – Kathy Kass #753 (New York, New York): I met Kathy at the finish line of the Honolulu Marathon and I must say she looked better than me after that race.  She’s run 7 marathons this year and her streak of the New Mexico, Denver and New York City Marathons qualify her for Bronze level in the Maniacs.

 

12/19 – Tim Wilson #754 (Vista, California): Mani#240 has been a big source of encouragement to Tim in his relatively short running career, but he’s already qualified for Boston and by completing the Long Beach, Santa Clarita and Tucson Marathons, is now a Bronze member in the wacko Insane Asylum. He also has an Ironman finish under his belt and for those Maniacs doing the 2008 Ironman CDA, look for Tim at the starting line.

 

12/19 – Michelle Cunningham #755 (Sammamish, Washington) : Michelle ran her first marathon back in 2000 (Seattle) and has completed 10 more thereafter, in 5 states. Her Bronze Maniac qualifier consisted of the Portland, Seattle Ghost and the Christmas Marathons.

 

12/20 – Brad Schwartz #756 (Bloomingdale, Illinois): Brad had quite a year in 2007 by running 16 marathons in 15 states, which qualifies him for 6=star Osmium level in the Insane Asylum. His lifetime totals include 70 marathons and ultras and has completed the 50 state circuit with his finish at St. Charles, Missouri this past September.

 

12/20 – Cindy Heckerl #757 (APO, South Korea): Cindy grew up in Tacoma, Washington but now is far, far away from home, having lived in Seoul, South Korea for the past 11 years. She started marathoning 5 years ago, with most of her races in Korea, but did manage to sneak away and do the hilly Seafair Marathon. Last fall she had a Bronze maniac qualifying streak of 3 marathons in 3 months.

          

        Don Pemberton                                                       Scott McMurtrey                                                         “rogue wave” Kuhlmann

 

12/21 - Sam Felsenfeld #758 (Foothill Ranch, California): Sam comes into the club as a Bronze Maniac by virtue of running the Orange County, Carlsbad and Pacific Shoreline Marathon in early 2007, all within 2 months of each other.


12/21 – Donald Pemberton #759 (Mesa, Arizona): Don held out as long as he could in trying to qualify at a higher level but just figured he’d better join now before the Maniac numbers got too high. His best streak was accomplished in mid 2007 with finishes at the Fort Collins, Coeur D’Alene and Newport Marathons.  He has run 13 lifetime marathons in 10 states and will be looking to upgrade his Maniac level soon.

 

12/22 – Scott McMurtrey #760 (Pullman, Washington): Scott had a tougher path for his hard core Bronze Maniac streak as he participated  in the Cle Elum 50km, Relay for Life Solo, Portland Marathon and the JFK 50 miler. And guess what..these are also his total lifetime marathons and ultras! If you want to read the gory details of his races, be sure to check out his blog:   http://ikeeprunning.blogspot.com

You may also find out some interesting tidbits such as him being a fan of candy corn and Celine Dion.

12/23 – Ashley Kuhlmann #761 (Lakewood, Washington): Can you believe that Ashley got her Dad (Maniac #678 MMKuhl) interested in running marathons and yet he got to be a Maniac before she…now is that fair??  Since she is still very young, she’s got many years of racing ahead of her. Her recent finishes at the Christmas and Pigtails Marathon qualifies her for Bronze level membership in the Maniacs. And with her Dad, they make up the 4th Father-Daughter Maniac combos. We’re still waiting for our first Mother-Son combo…are the sons that lazy or would they rather play football and baseball??

 

12/25 – Rick Cooney #762 (Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada): Rick’s best maniac streak was last year when he ran 9 marathons in 8 months. He says he is crazy but that some of us are insane..now he is Insane and a 2-star Silver Maniac. His goal in 2008 is to upgrade to Gold by running in 12 marathons.

  

                                           Rick Cooney (left) with friends                                                            Lindsay Felker                                         Andre O’Donnell

 

12/25 – Lindsay Felker #763 (Seattle, Washington): Lindsay is also a newly initiated Maniac whom took the “longer” route for her best hard core Maniac streak, which just happened to be three 50km’s in three months (Baker Lake, Ron Herzog and Pigtails Flat Ass). She has completed 4 marathons and 4 ultras in 2 states in her lifetime.


12/25 – Andre O’Donnell #764 (Seattle, Washington) : Andre claims he’s addicted to running marathons and just cannot stop thinking about them. Now that he’s fulfilled the Bronze Maniac criteria of 3 marathons in 3 months (Portland, Seattle and Christmas), he can’t wait to unleash his HUGE marathon binge coming this spring!  

 

12/26 – Melissa Simmens #765 (Columbus, Maryland): Melissa in one Maniac whom enjoys those “longer” runs, as she participated in 9 ultras in 2007. Her best streak happened recently with the completion of the North Central Trail Marathon and with the JFK 50 miler, makes her a Bronze Maniac. She has run numerous 50km, 50 milers and is also a finisher of the Umstead 100 mile race. Great job Melissa!

 

12/26 – Susan Glesne #766 (Mt. Vernon, Washington): Susan could have been a Maniac long ago as her best Maniac streak occurred back in 2003 with 3 marathons in 3 months (Skagit Flats, Royal Victoria and Seattle). Her overall totals include 23 marathons in 7 states and that includes the Ironman Canada.

   

                Melissa Simmens                                               Susan Glesne                                                     Terry Weimer with husband “runninguy”

12/27 – Ernie Chen #767 (Sammamish, Washington): I met Ernie at the Pigtails Marathon and with that race plus the Royal Victoria and Seattle Marathons, he completed his quest for Maniacdom at Bronze level. His first foray into marathoning was back in 1999 (San Diego Rock and Roll) and now has run 13 lifetime marathons in 3 states and Canada.

 

12/28 – Terry Weimer #768 (Emerald Park, Saskatchewan, Canada): Terry’s goal when joining the Maniacs was to start off at a higher level than her husband and “runninguy” Maniac Darwin. She accomplished that goal by completing marathon in 19 states and Canadian provinces in 2007, making her a 6-star Osmium Maniac. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) ,“runninguy” is once again ahead of Terry so she says she’ll keep trying to catch him.  Terry has completed 42 lifetime marathons and 1 ultra in 27 states, 6 Canadian provinces and also in Belgium. And last but not least, Terry and Darwin make up the next of the wife-husband Marathon Maniac combos.

 

12/29 - Allen Thomas #769 (APO, Japan): Allen says he’s a “Clydesdale” and is new to the sport of marathoning but he’s off to a good start, having run 8 marathons since his inaugural one in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio. Currently in the Air Force stationed in Japan, he’s excited that he’ll be heading back to the states soon (New Mexico) so he can do some major damage in his quest to complete all 50 states and all 7 continents. He’s a Bronze Maniac by virtue of completing 3 marathons in 3 months.

 

                        Cindy Heckerl (left) with friend Emma                                                                       Rob Roy Smith with future Maniac Hoa Pham

12/29 – Jean “Mama Jean” Evansmore #770 (Ellicott City, Maryland): Holy cow, Jean is truly “Mama Jean” as well as our newest 10-star Titanium member. She did her first marathon in 2005 and soon after wanted to be a 50-stater. One race led to another and from February to December 2007, she ran 30 marathons/ultras in 30 states. Nearing her goal of 50 states (she has completed 43), Mama Jean wants to leave us with an all-important message…Sing. Laugh. Thank the Creator and ENJOY your life. I say “Amen” to that!


12/29 – Rob Roy Smith #771 (Seattle, Washington): Rob says he’s ready to be a Maniac and why not? He recently met the Bronze qualifying streak of having run 3 marathons in 3 months (Portland, Las Vegas and the Pigtails Flat Ass 50 km). So welcome to the club Rob!

 

12/30 – Chris McFaul #772 (Northampton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom): Another Maniac from overseas, Chris would like to do more marathons but he’s currently stuck in a location where there aren’t that many. He has done a few tropical marathons (Malaysia, Sarawak, Bangkok and Singapore) and even participated in a Hash House Harriers marathon through leech infested jungles and swamps. Chris is a Bronze Maniac with his streak of 3 marathons in 2 months.


12/31 – Brandon Lott #773 (Burbank,Washington): And to round out 2007, Brandon gets the notoriety of being the last maniac inductee for 2007, though unfortunately he won’t get any extra “spinny stars” for that.  Relatively new to the marathon scene with his first being at Timberline in 2006, he Bronze Maniac streak of 3 in 3 months consisted of 3 ultras (Uncle Joe’s 50km, La Grizz 50 km and the Autumn Leaves 50 miler). What a great way to end the year!

 

                                                                                                  ‘THE MANIAC NINJAS”

       

      Chris McFaul                                  Rian Rosenthal                                            Jen Savage                                                                     Deo Jaravata

                                                                                                                               

 

 

                                               

 

 

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

 

Hiya Stevie!

 

I just got off the phone with one of our friends.  Of course, I had never met him before, didn’t know his name, and wouldn’t recognize him if he handed me a new pair of Ascics 2120’s.

 

See, I live in Pennsylvania.  A girl maniac in Washington told me about another girl maniac who lives in Washington who earned her way onto the cover of Northwest Runner! So I wanted one!  Not that I can fly over and start running 5ks in Tacoma on weekends or anything (my carpet is in the shop again), but it’d be fun to have my own copy of a mini-Sports Illustrated with our AnNie Thiessen on the cover!  How cool is that?  So I called NW Runner magazine, and the Publisher himself picked up the phone.

.

Turns out he’s a friend of yours, and maybe every other runner in Washington State, a delightfully informative and made-wise-from-experience fellow who has been around racing since P.F.Flyers,   a fellow named Martin Rudow, and we got to talking. 

 

Unlike running experts outside our club who are quick with their critical commentaries, Mr. Rudow clearly likes you, us, Maniacs, etc.  He said some delightfully friendly things.  And he is very impressed by the phenomenal accomplishments of the human body in running…but, he has his concerns too.

 

Reflecting, with a hint of sadness, he surmised that some of us (who, me?) misappropriate others’ ability and talent to ourselves, because we get to thinking we “can do it” if somebody else did it.

 

Martin loves running, but did too much, too often, with old equipment and bad medical advice, in the “no pain, no gain” school of athletics years back, and can no longer run.

 

He hastened to add again, he likes the Maniacs.  And then he hastened to add, “I fear they get caught up in peer pressure,” (I thought I left that when I hit age 23, but no, Martin’s right, I didn’t) “and push their bodies past where their bodies are telling them to be pushed.”

 

I did not have a tape recorder going, Prez, but he said words about like this.  “I really like so many of those people, especially the leadership, Tony, and Chris, and that Steve is as nice as they get, but even Steve, I worry about him, too.”

 

MarathonManiacism lives on, and grows in leaps and bounds.  You men put your ideas of fun out there for us to enjoy with you, and this has magically multiplied the fun a zillion-fold!  The goals are giggly-exciting and inspiring.  The accomplishments are plenty worth our respect and congratulations.  If along the way we get fitter, and learn character, and raise money for medical research, and make life-long friends, and find marriage partners even, and grow together peacefully and enrich one another’s lives, the fun gets to be profound and wonderful. Thank you!

 

It takes nothing away from any of this, and maybe will add to and prolong some careers, to hear Martin’s voice midst our 700+ voices.  Perhaps we might ease up a tad on the competitive nature.  I’ve got body parts I can’t pronounce that are already yelling, “yay!!!”  The stars are extraordinary accomplishments indeed, and not a joke (I mean, really, they spin, for crying out loud), but they are not cause for stressing, making up statistics, even less for fighting, not even for bickering, nor worth permanently injuring ourselves, or worse, our relationships. 

 

WHEN we prepare right and train well, and we want to go after 5 marathons (or 35) in 5 weeks (or 5 weeks) sometime, or cartwheel our way through eleventeen states in a year (“be quiet! Soleus Calfamaximus, if the rest of us are going, you are, too”), then this is the club for us!  But no running over our grandmother – or our own selves – to get there anymore.  Now, often, injuries just happen to even the best athletes with perfect preparation.  Nevertheless, we can resolve: no more self-inflicted injuries avoidable with a dose of… a dose of… sanity. (Oooooo, Mr. Programmer, deduct a star…Rev used a bad word.)

 

And no more even conceiving that there is some sort of immortalizing glory to be achieved here.  Pretty medals, comfy shirts, a long-shot on the gorgeous abs, a string of stars ten long, even a lottery’s chance at a magazine cover!  But, Glory… that’s something far beyond the stars and covers, where it belongs, and can appear far deeper in us, as a gift.  Ascribe to it worthiness when you find it. 

 

Group Hug.

 

Now, when’s the next reunion, and who’s bringing the pre-race jelly donuts?

 

Rev

dgkienz@yahoo.com

 

**********  p.s.  **********

We lost a friend most of us never met.  I never met him either, but he was a runner, so he was our friend.  Manuel was tragically killed while out on a training run just five months after the birth of his first son.  More information, and some beautiful pictures of Manuel, his wife Celine, and his son Mathis, can be found at two sites:

 

seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/343782_jogger17.html?source=rss

 

martineautribe.blogspot.com/2007/12/horrible-thing

 

A note of sympathy and optional practical support can be sent through our Maniac contact:

 

Arthur Martineau

14040 NE 8TH ST #200

Bellevue, Wa 98007.

 

  

Mary Latta proclaims “This is your Last Chance!”       David Spooner                              The “Possum” and the “sLuG”

                                       

Maniac Ongoing Discounts

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

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

·         10% off any running shoes, apparel at the Foot Zone store (Bellevue location only, ask for Jenny)

·         discount on BITE sandals (contact Tony at tony@marathonmaniacs.com for details)

·         More to come in the January 2008 Newsletter and to the web site soon. The President has written…

 

 

            Hope you all had a Merry Maniac Christmas                                                                       And a beer-y Happy New Year!