Bingham’s talk. Austin has one of the most eclectic melanges of restaurants of anyplace in Texas. MexTex, Thai, Italian, Creole—you name it, it’s there. (Check Celebrate Austin magazine at www.celebrate-austin.com or www.Austin360.com.) Since it’s a Saturday night in a city that’s still frantically building to catch up to the increasing population, do make reservations. Since you’ll likely be eating earlier (in order to get to bed early) than Jenna Bush and her friends, you should have little trouble booking a table even at the most “in” spots. The ideal Austin weekend, were we to plan it, would be to stick around for several days afterward, after making aconnection with one of the local runners to get some pointers on where to walk and jog to wind down and loosen the muscles, then where to go to maximize the tourist possibilities. It merely shows our prejudice, but we’d hook up with one of the (many) local ultrarunners, because they usually know the out-of-the-way scenic spots that aren’t all that easy to get to. There are lovely running paths along the river, but we enjoyed being guided by one of the ultrafolk through the Ladera Norte and Far West sections, where the locals train for races, such as the Western States 100. There are lots of hills and acre after acre of quiet, tree-lined streets featuring homes that lean heavily toward brick and stone construction; many of the homes in the steeper gorges are built right into the existing stone and are

November/December 2001

beautifully done. Make sure they take you through Bull Creek Park, a lovely recessed creek with a path running along it that’s within 30 yards of a major highway, but drivers zooming by haven’t a clue of the path’s existence.

When you’re done with your run, you will likely brunch at the Magnolia Cafe, the local runners’ fuel station; there’s a nonsmoking section, and the food is plentiful and delicious.

If you’re driving around Austin, there are two aspects of the experience we found rather curious: as in most of California, almost nobody gets impatient and lays on their horn, but on the negative side, if you want to change lanes and fill an open spot there, don’t signal your intentions, as the other drivers take it as a challenge and try to fill the spot you want so that you can’t have it. Hey, we just report ’em, we don’t explain ’em.

And on that reporting note, we feel obliged to disclose that our first brush with beer came at eight years old when our German grandfather gave us a sixounce glass of beer to nurse through a Saturday afternoon of Western movies with the admonition, “Here. ‘You’d better sip this to wash the trail dust from your throat.” He was the biggest fan of Western movies we’ ve ever known, even though he never got west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We can only imagine his yawn-laced reaction to the baby Bushes beer brouhaha. We know he’d have Q loved Austin. si

MOTOROLA MARATHON 161

The Bottom Line

We have weighed various aspects of a marathon within a 1,000-point scoring grid. Besides the author of the article, two dozen runners at the race were randomly chosen to score the race for us (MM = Motorola Marathon). The results follow:

1. HISTORY/TRADITION Evaluate the race’s sense of history and tradition. Possible points: 30 MM score: 19

2. ENTRY FORM Is the race entry form clear, concise, attractive, complete, and easy to fill out? Possible points: 20 MM score: 19

3. ENTRY COST For most races, the entry fee covers between 30 and 50 percent of the cost of putting on the event. Rate the value of your dollar relative to this race. Possible points: 30 MM score: 27

4. LOCALE/SCENICS s the race held in an area that is easy to get to and scenic and offers adequate food and housing services and nonrace activities for family and friends? Possible points: 50 MM score: 41

5. REGISTRATION s registration well organized and efficient? Does it bog down unnecessarily? Possible points: 20 MM score: 19

6. PRERACE ACTIVITIES Evaluate activities, such as pasta feeds, parties, and so on, during the days before the race.

Possible points: 50 MM score: 41

7 EXPO Does the expo offer a fair number and variety of booths relative to the race’s size? Are there quality exhibitors and good guest speakers?

Possible points: 50 MM score: 41

8. COURSE

Take into consideration the following: degree of difficulty, certified, sancioned, quality of road or trail surface, adequate mileage and directional markers, aid stations, medical coverage, race communications, accessibility ‘0 course for friends and family, typical weather, and so on.

Possible points: 400 MM score: 351]

The Rest of the Pack

Below, listed alphabetically, are other marathons profiled in Marathon & Beyond, the volume and issue number in which each race’s profile appeared, and the overall score each race received. If there is an asterisk * behind the score, it indicates that a member of the M&B staff has revisited that race and rescored it—either up or down—based on changes that have been made; the changes are briefly detailed at the bottom of the following list.

Adirondack Marathon (vol. 5, issue 2) 845 points Aspen Fila Skymarathon (vol. 4, issue 1) 863 points Atlanta Marathon (vol. 4, issue 5) 840 points Calgary Marathon (vol. 3, issue 2) 876 points Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (vol. 3, issue 6) 901 points Dallas White Rock Marathon (vol. 4, issue 6) 856 points Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank International Marathon 892 points (vol. 5, issue 3) Edmonton Marathon (vol. 2, issue 2) 814 points Fox Cities Marathon (vol. 3, issue 4) 865 points Governor’s Cup Ghost Town Marathon (vol. 2, issue 1) 795 points Grandma’s Marathon (vol. 3, issue 1) 968 points Honolulu Marathon (vol. 2, issue 4) 906 points Humboldt Redwoods Marathon (vol. 2, issue 3) 809 points Key Bank Vermont City Marathon (vol. 4, issue 2) 888 points Las Vegas International Marathon (vol. 1, issue 5) 831 points* Ocean State Marathon (vol.5, issue 5) 886 points Philadelphia Marathon (vol. 1, issue 4) 838 points Pittsburgh Marathon (vol. 1, issue 6) 904 points

November/December 2001 MOTOROLA MARATHON #163

Portland Marathon (vol. 3, issue 3) 943 points

Quad Cities Marathon (vol. 4, issue 3) 885 points Royal Victoria Marathon (vol. 5, issue 4) 918 points San Francisco Marathon (vol. 1, issue 2) 804 points Santa Clarita Marathon (vol. 4, issue 4) 866 points Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon (vol. 2, issue 6) 866 points Steamtown Marathon (vol. 3, issue 5) 892 points Sutter Home Napa Valley Marathon (vol. 2, issue 5) 913 points Vancouver International Marathon (vol. 1, issue 1) 851 points* Wineglass Marathon (vol. 1, issue 3) 839 points Yukon River Trail Marathon (vol. 5, issue 1) 870 points

The Las Vegas score went up due to the race moving its expo from tents at Vacation Village to one of the major downtown hotels and expanding the expo. The finish line area has also been improved: with the new finish line area, the 90-degree turn into the final 70 yards is now a thing of the past.

At Vancouver, the score has gone up based on several factors: many of the bridges (major uphills) have been removed from the course as has the industrial area on the far end of the Lions Gate Bridge. In addition, the entire event has been consolidated into one area (the BC Place complex, which is one of the few remaining structures from Expo ‘86), which contains the Vancouver Marathon offices, fitness and health expo, seminars, and the start/finish areas.

ry Stockholm ® Marathon

June 8, 2002

Named as the #1 destination marathon in the world by the Ultimate Guide to International Marathons. Stockholm has also been named the “best city in the world for running”. Run into the 1912 Olympic Stadium. This event should be on the top of every marathoner’s list.

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Letters

CE — ——————————————

PERFECT TIMING

Thanks ever so much for the article in your July/August issue on the 1928 Bunion Derby (“The Sheik of Seattle”) race from Los Angeles to New York City. I learned about the race while waiting for a plane in the Ontario, California, airport in February. Ontario is on old Route 66 (the article says that the first stage of the race ended in Ontario), and the airport contains some very nice displays celebrating the highway. One of them is anissue of Route 66 magazine, opened to the first two pages of an article on the Bunion Derby. Their account features Andy Paine, the inexperienced Oklahoma farm boy who eventually won. As I recall, the Route 66 article claims the race was partly a way to promote Route 66, and the race was in Arizona at the end of the second page of the article. I wondered how it all turned out, and Thad thought of writingtoy’alland suggesting that you do an article about the race. But now you’ve done it, and now I know! Thanks fora very interesting and useful publication!

John Karon

Atlanta, Ga.

BITTER SWEET

I just wanted to let you know how much I love the September/October

issue of M&B! As always, the issue is very hard to put down. I tend to jump around when reading the issues, rarely reading from front to back, usually starting with the editorial and then checking out the features T want to read first. This time was a bit different. I immediately went to the “How Runners Talk” feature because the title sparked something in me. After reading sucha greatarticle, Ireally wanted to learn more about author Christine White. What a shock toread her bioin the back of the issue. Just reading that last line brought me to tears. Rich Benyo’s notes about Christine at the end of his editorial must have been very difficult to write. T cannot imagine your emotions after your phone call to her home. I hope you are okay with me bringing this up. [just wanted you to know how much I was touched by Christine’s article and that we subscribers, DO in fact read the bios you work so hard to provide. I really appreciate all of the hard work everyone at M&B puts into every issue. God’s Speed. Kelly Bailey Williamsburg, Va.

WE WANT MORE

Love reading your in-depth profiles of various marathons around the country. In fact I’m planning to enter a couple of races based on the reviews.

LETTERS mi 167

November/December 2001

DC Road Runners Club Presents the 41st Annual

Washington’s

Birthda Marathon &

Marathon REL EEN,

RRCA Maryland State Marathon Championship Race

+ Sunday, Feb. 17, 2002 + 10:30 a.m # + Greenbelt, Maryland #

Entry Fee – $22 for entries postmarked by Wednesday, Feb. 6 $27 for all entries after Feb. 6 and $30 on race day.

A 3-person team Marathon Relay will also be conducted,

The Course – The race will start and finish near the Greenbelt Youth Center at 101 Centerway in Old Greenbelt. The T AC-certified course consists of three scenic loops.

Race packet pick-up will be held in the Greenbelt Holiday Inn lobby Saturday Feb 16 from 4 P-m. to 8 p.m. Race Day pick-up will Start at 8:30 a.m. at the Youth Center. Parking is available at Southway & Crescent.

Weather – The average temperature at the start time is 40°. Be Ptepared for winter weather running, and dress appropriately.

Awards to first overall and master, Male and F emale Age Group awards – Ist, 2nd and 3rd place. Long Sleeve T-Shirts for all entrants.

On THE Mark

THRESHOLDS

I’mpretty new to marathoning. I’ve only run two of them so far, neither of them very well, but I want to get better. A friend who has been running for decades recently cleaned out his library and gave me several dozen running books from the 1970s and ’80s. I’ve been devouring them but am confused. I keep hearing the term “lactate threshold” these days but do not find it in any of these older running books; but I do find the term “anaerobic threshold.” Are they the same thing, or are they merely similar? I understand the concept of “anaerobic threshold.” But if they are the same thing, why change the term? —Elie Brown via e-mail

ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD and lactate threshold are one in the same. Both indicate the point at which you ’re producing more lactate in your bloodstream than can be removed. Eventually the lactate builds up and, in layman’s terms, you get tired.

Your anaerobic threshold, or AT, can be changed in accordance with your training. The most highly trained athletes can perform above their AT for about an hour. Someone participating inacompetitive event that lasts

November/December 2001

only a few minutes will be performing well above his or her AT. Joe LeMay

has been one of America’s top marathoners over the past decade; he writes the “On The Road” column in M&B.

THE TWO terms are attempts to describe the same phenomenon. Although it’s not as precise as its name connotes, “lactate threshold” is the more accurate of the two. Here’s the deal: lactate is a by-product of carbohydrate metabolism. In contrast to what you might have heard, you produce lactate at times other than when running all out. In fact, you’re producing it right now. But at rest, and at low levels of exertion, lactate is cleared from your blood at the same rate that you produce it. That is, as you run faster, you produce more lactate, but you also clear it more quickly. These concomitant increases continue until your rate of production exceeds your rate of clearance. For welltrained runners, this occurs at around the pace you can hold for an hour, at a perceived effort level commonly described as “comfortably hard.” Back in the days of the original Running Boom, this effort was called “anaerobic threshold.” The term is misleading, however, because at paces faster than this, you’re still running aerobically. For example, when you race a 5K, you’re running faster than

your supposed “anaerobic threshold,” but more than 90 percent of your energy needs are still being met aerobically. True anaerobic running can be sustained for less than a minute.

Scott Douglas

is a former editor of Running Times

and co-author of Advanced Marathoning (Human Kinetics, 2001).

Back Issues of M&B

Back issues of M&B are available. They are $5.00 each, plus shipping. U.S. shipping: $2 for 1-2 issues; $3.50 for 3-11 issues; $7 for 12+ issues.

Foreign/Canada shipping: $4 for 1-2 issues; $7 for 3-6 issues; $15 for 7-11 issues; $24 for 12+ issues.

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About THE Authors

— a RICH ENGLEHART began running in 1967 and 7 has continued ever since, stopping occasionally to earn money, marry, and reproduce. A career highlight came in Finland in 1975 when Lasse Viren refused to let a 5000-meter race start because Rich had misread the schedule and was in the bathroom when he should have been on the starting line. He currently lives in

: Newburyport, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons. He works as a counselor, teaches graduate classes in psychology, and advises distance runners. He vows to run marathons more regularly when some of the starting times switch back to the afternoon.

SCOTT DOUGLAS is a former editor of Running Times. For three years, his “Scott Speaks” column occupied the back page of that magazine. Scott was also a columnist for M&B for two years. With Pete Pfitzinger, Scott is the co-author of the books, Road Racing for Serious Runners and Advanced Marathoning. With Bill Rodgers, he is the co-author of Bill Rodgers’ Lifetime Running Plan and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jogging and Running. Arunner since 1979, Scott has PRs of 30:48 for 10K and 51:01 for 10 miles. Given that he has never broken 30 seconds for 200 meters, his most precious PR is a 2:06.6 half mile. Scott and his wife Stacey Cramp live in Bethesda, Maryland.

PETE PFITZINGER is a two-time member of the U.S. men’s Olympic Marathon team, a distance running coach, and an exercise physiologist. He is also a two-time winner of the San Francisco Marathon and finished third in the 1987 New York City Marathon. In his current position as an exercise physiologist, Pete specializes in working with endurance athletes. He is a regular columnist for Running Times.

November/December 2001 ABOUT THE AUTHORS M 175

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JOE REIF is a technical writer for the Providian Financial Corporation, the sponsors of “The Relay” and formerly sponsors of the San Francisco Marathon. Joe writes user manuals and technical presentations for the corporate systems division and designs Intranet sites for the technical staff. He comes to his corporate writing duties from the world of newspapers; he worked at the Pierce County Herald in Puyallup, Washington, and before that at the Houston Chronicle, where he went to work after graduating from the University of Houston in 1994. He currently lives on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. Unlike Martin Mull in Serial, Joe does not take the ferry to his work in San Francisco.

BARRY LEWIS is a writer/photographer who has documented many adventurous pursuits over the years. Whether searching for a warplane wreck on Australia’s Torres Straits reefs or covering the Marathon des Sables (Marathon & Beyond, November/December 1999), his style has always been to take part in the adventure. One of the East Coast’s top trail ultrarunners, Lewis has more than 60 ultras under his belt.

K. MARIE BENDER has for the past eight years been a sergeant with a county sheriff’s office in Washington State, where she is a jail line supervisor. She’s seen much of the world in her 41 years: she lived in the Phillipines for a year, spent two years living in Israel, four months traveling through Europe ona Eurail pass, and five weeks on an exchange program in Japan. She

: loves the outdoors and spends a great deal of time skiing, hiking, ad nding her motorcycle—and of course running. Her youngest stepson, Ryan, has been accompanying her on her long runs by riding his bike along as a mobile aid station. Marie plans to keep working at her PR and hopes to take a few cracks at lowering it in 2002 with marathons at Las Vegas and Marine Corps.