AAU Rules & Regs

The following rules and regulations are from the 1944 Official Track and Field Handbook of the AAU: An athlete becomes a professional if he:

@ Enters a competition for money or for prizes of more than $35 in value; Sells or pawns his prizes; ™@ Accepts a purse of money; @ Enters a competition under a false name; @ Enters a competition open to a professional, or knowingly competes with a professional (known as the “contamination” ruling); Teaches, trains, or coaches in an athletic sport for money or any valuable consideration.

An athlete is disqualified from competing as an amateur who has committed any of the following acts:

@ Entering or competing against other than registered amateurs in good standing; Acting in a discourteous or unfair manner; Competing when knowingly under suspension; Competing in games not duly authorized; Entering open games when unregistered; Refusing to testify; : Allowing his name to be used to advertise or promote the sale on or to act as personal solicitor for the sale, or as the actual salesman of sporting goods, prizes, trophies; ® Capitalizing on his athletic fame.

But it had taken seemingly forever to get that far.

The story of Jimmy Henigan was more the norm. Jimmy’s tale is typical of what a working-class runner who loved to run for the sake of the sport had to go through. Derderdian details the story in his book. Henigan, a three-time Olympian, tried for 13 years to win the Boston Marathon and finally did so in 1931. He had a job at the Post Office, which was fortunate since it was the depths of the Depression and he had eight mouths to feed. But he took a day off to run a race in Nova Scotia and was subsequently fired. Desperate and destitute, he agreed to do acommercial print ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes, for which he was paid $250. When he was found out, he was barred by the AAU forever from

racing. He died at 57 in a VA hospital, his family left in poverty. Was the AAU to blame for Henigan’s downward spiral? It could be argued that if Henigan were able to capitalize on his running fame and accept even meager fees and endorsement monies, he and his family might not have ended up impoverished.

THE ‘50S OPENS A FISSURE

The AAU reigned supreme over its members during the 1930s and 1940s, but by the ’50s undercurrents of a mutiny began to foment, although still strictly at the cloak-and-dagger stage. Runners were beginning to accept money under the table in compensation for showing up at races. Everyone knew about it, but no one dared speak it aloud.

According to Kelley, “It was common practice to take money under the table, but you had to be clever. A check could be traced, so most of the payoffs were in cash. The worst thing you could say about a runner was that he took money. You would swear on your mother’s grave that it didn’t happen, but it was happening.”

The AAU provided runners with housing and a per diem allowance if they were selected to attend a race. In the ’50s the stipend was $4 per day to cover meals, lodging, and transportation. If you were an elite-level runner trying to hold down a job and put in the required hours of training to stay elite, it wasn’t an easy life. Very few runners could juggle the stress and strain of a family and employment with the demands of a marathoner’s schedule.

Kelley was one of the fortunate few. “I was lucky. My employer at the Fitch School where I was teaching was proud of my running career. When I made the Olympic team in 1956, [had to take time out from teaching to attend the Games in Australia, and he supported me wholeheartedly. He realized the public relations benefit of having an Olympian on his staff and gave me full headway,” explains Kelley.

Others were not so lucky. Taking time off from a job to attend races, even the Olympics, was a good way to get fired.

Derderian explains in his Boston book that the 50s brought a generation of better-trained runners who had the freedom and flexibility with their beat-up automobiles to travel the countryside in search of the ever-increasing number of road races. “Fast talented college runners replaced the old plodders,” he wrote. “The new marathoners experimented with speed training. Global communications made the running world smaller, and Americans embraced their foreign counterparts, discovering they liked each other. Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile, and Jim Peters set a marathon record of 2:20.”

The AAU was beginning to lose its hold on the new generation of runners who began to rebel against the Old World rules, especially regarding prize

money and amateur status. By the late 1970s, runners no longer embraced the concept of running the Boston Marathon for the prizes of a bowl of beef stew and a laurel wreath.

THE ‘70S SEES A NEW CONTROLLING FORCE

One of the greatest changes in amateur athletics was the changing of the guard from the AAU to The Athletics Congress (TAC) under the dictates of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. TAC was established to preserve the Olympic eligibility of American track and field athletes and set out to liberalize the eligibility code of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), which works closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This is the point where things start to get interesting. The reasoning behind the creation of TAC was to put American amateur athletes on a more equal footing with the subsidized athletes of the eastern bloc countries, who came out in force after World War IL. In 1977, the IAAF allowed athletes to make commercials for sponsors and take endorsement contracts, but a percentage of the athlete’s fee was to be kicked back to the IAAF.

Prior to that, athletes could not lend their name for profit, as in the case of Jimmy Henigan. In 1979, TAC asked the IAAF to delete the word “amateur” from its constitution, but the motion was rejected. However, in 1982 the IAAF did revise its definition of an “amateur” from this: “An amateur is one who competes for the love of the sport and as a means of recreation, without any motive of securing any material gain from such competition” to this: “An amateur is one who abides by the eligibility rules of the IAAF.”

The ’70s was an era of flagrant under-the-table abuse of appearance and prize money at road races and also the beginning of big bucks flowing from corporate sponsorship. At the 1978 Boston Marathon, which was ironclad in its ruling not to provide any money at all to the runners, Frank Shorter made his Boston debut wearing shoes from his shoe sponsor, Tiger, as well as his own line of running clothes from his new company, Frank Shorter Sports. Bill Rodgers had just opened his running store in Cleveland Circle (along the marathon course) and was about to launch his own running clothing line as well.

Another runner in the 1978 Boston Marathon, Boston University graduate student Randy Thomas, received $1,000 from Nike for wearing an experimental shoe with the lure of an additional $2,500 bonus if he won; he also sported a LaBatt’s beer singlet. He came in fifth.

A 1981 Sports Illustrated article discussed the new running boom and the effect on the major players, corporate sponsorship, and the chasm between TAC rules and the obvious violations of under-the-table payments that had been going on for decades.

The competition among race directors to secure the best athletes to attract masses of runners to their races was so fierce that under-the-table appearance fees for the finest runners rocketed from $3,000 in 1977 to $30,000 in 1981.

The running boom brought 25,000,000 Americans, most of them white and middle-class and often professionals, to road races. This mass formed a huge base of participators who had a willingness to spend money on running products. According to the Sports Illustrated article, corporations seized the moment, and suddenly there was sponsorship money for hundreds of road races a year.

The competition among race directors to secure the best athletes to attract masses of runners to their races was so fierce that under-the-table appearance fees for the finest runners rocketed from $3,000 in 1977 to $30,000 in 1981. The top athletes were getting tired of the secrecy and the threats but continued the game to protect their amateur standing in the IOC with the next Olympics only 3 years away.

RODGERS BECOMES MAJOR SPOKESMAN AGAINST AAU

When Bill Rodgers hit the running scene, he was working in a hospital in Boston delivering corpses to the morgue. He was broke and living on food stamps but began training up to 130 miles a week, becoming a force to be reckoned with. He subsequently became the icon of the running boom in America, the kid next door who exemplified the will to train hard and win easy.

But he was still poor. According to Rodgers, “Everyone was making money but the runners. The system was demeaning, insulting, unfair, and hypocritical. I couldn’t even accept a coaching position at the school where I was teaching because it was against AAU rules. The first time I ever asked for money to attend a race was in March of 1975 in New Jersey. I asked for $50 to cover gas expenses and was a bit nervous to do so. When I opened my first running store in 1977, I had to get permission from the AAU and also pay them a percentage of my income. When I started being offered under-the-table money for appearances, I took it. I was the number-one ranked runner in the world and still broke! It didn’t make sense.”

By the late ’70s the top runners were getting savvy about prize and appearance money. The idea of the noble starving athlete was crumbling, and the runners were demanding to be treated decently and fairly. But this seemingly valid cry fell on deaf ears. The media pounced on the battle between the runners and the AAU, mostly siding with the union.

Rodgers remembers being blasted in an editorial in Runner’s World magazine, which accused him of bringing dishonor to the sport. He was even threatened by NEAAU officials, who tried everything to catch him with his hand under the table so they could ban him. There was an ugly game being played within the running world, and the athletes were put on the spot. Race directors and sponsors were waving big bucks in front of their faces to attend events at the same time TAC was threatening expulsion if anyone was caught taking it.

1980 OLYMPIC BOYCOTT FUELS THE FIRE

One of the reasons that top runners like Rodgers did not want to be caught in violation of TAC rules was the quest to make the 1980 Olympic marathon team.

When the United States decided to boycott the Moscow Olympics, Rodgers was crushed and angry. The top runners all felt the same way. These Olympics

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Frank Shorter (left) and Bill Rodgers (right) worked inside and outside established road racing organizations to effect changes in the prize money saga.

were their big chance to shine. With the hopes of making an Olympic team gone, why should they bother with the restricted rules of TAC anymore? TAC was set up to pick who was going to Moscow, and nobody was. Once the carrot was removed, no one seemed to much care if they were banned or contaminated. It was time to band together and make a statement that would force the hand of TAC to free the runners from institutionalized slavery. Toward that end, the Cascade Run-Off in Portland, Oregon, in 1981 became the flash point.

THE ARRA AND THE INFAMOUS CASCADE RUN-OFF

Don Kardong, who placed fourth at the 1976 Olympic marathon, agrees that the 1980 Olympic boycott gave birth to the more aggressive movement of the runners: “The Olympics was always the carrot that the governing bodies held out in front of us. If we didn’t follow the rules, we wouldn’t make the team. I think people were so angry at the boycott that it gave a lot of emotional boost to the effort to legitimize prize money. That, combined with the economic boom of the sport in the late ’70s, led to the formation of the Association of Road Racing Athletes (ARRA) and subsequently the showdown at the Cascade Run-Off.”

The ARRA was formed in 1979 in the basement of Bill Rodgers’s running store in Boston. The charter members included Kardong, Rodgers, Greg Meyer, Lorraine Moller, Patti Catalano, Joan Benoit, and Benji Durden, along with other top U.S. road racers.

Kardong stated the goals of the maverick group: “Our goals are simple. We’ re after an open racing system in which prize money is paid directly to the athletes on the basis of performance, in which professionals can race against amateurs, and in which athletes can have a meaningful say in the governance of their sport.”

These were fighting words that caused a rippling effect all the way from the IOC to the IAAF, which governed track and field, to TAC. The IOC had always told the IAAF that to be eligible for the Olympics, runners could not take money. The IAAF, in turn, forced this ruling onto TAC, which forced it onto the runners with the added caveat that amateur runners could not even compete against those who take money; this was known as “the contamination rule” in which runners were contaminated by association on a race course.

According to Kardong, prior to the Cascade Run-Off he and a few others went to Ollan Cassell, the head of TAC, suggesting the use of a trust fund for prize money, but Cassell declined the suggestion. The gloves were off, and the Cascade Run-Off was set up to spark a resolution.

wwuwhkbostonmarathon. org

RUNNERS AGREE TO TAKE THE MONEY

Kardong and Cascade Run-Off race director Chuck Galford went to Nike for sponsorship money for the 1981 Cascade Run-Off and came back with $50,000 in prize money.

When Cassell got wind of the prize money being offered, he told Galford that for TAC to sanction the race, he would need a list of the declared “professionals” and two finish lines—one for amateurs and one for pros. Galford refused both requests, and the race was declared a field of contamination. All runners who participated would be at risk of being banned by TAC.

The top runners all knew what they were risking but felt it was worth it. Most of them wanted to get out from under the thumb of TAC and start legalizing what was going on under the table. Kardong called the whole prize money issue with TAC a major hypocrisy. “It was all going on under the table, but once we wanted to be up front and honest about it, we weren’t allowed. The great irony was that you had to remain an amateur to make money,” he recalls. He also emphasizes that most of the runners weren’t even interested in trust accounts; they just wanted to get out from under TAC and create an independent professional sport. The trust accounts were only important to athletes who wanted to stay eligible for amateur competitions like the Olympics.

On the other side of the amateur fence stood runners like Tom Fleming, an avowed pro who enjoyed his professional status and didn’t mind making honest money—as much as $25,000 in the Jordache Los Angeles Pro-Am Marathon in 1981. In 1980, Fleming said: “As a pro I make money in endorsements without having to pay an extortionate fee to TAC for permission.” But even Fleming was worried about the Cascade Run-Off runners who faced being banned. He lobbied for unity in their efforts. “The sponsors don’t care about the IAAF rules or TAC,” he observed. “They care about having the best runners at their races and that’s us. We’ ve got Ollan Cassell by the tender parts. If we all go different ways, we’re not squeezing.”

Fleming believed back then and still believes now that money rules. Greg Meyer, who won the Cascade race and accepted the $10,000 winner’s check, was quoted as saying, “The cause was right.” Meyer and Fleming represented the zeitgeists of the movement.

THE CONTROVERSIAL KIWI

Lorraine Moller, who came to the American running scene from her native New Zealand in 1979, was always taught that money was a dirty word, that it corrupted the spirit of the runner. But she quickly caught on that to survive in the day-to-day world, you took what was offered under the table.

“Tt seems a little like losing your virginity. Maybe it has been something you cared about, but then it’s gone and suddenly you sense there’s a whole new world in front of you.”

—Lorraine Moller

The first time she won a race, there was talk of $50, and she thought she had to pay someone $50 for winning. Very naive.

Coming off a win at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, she ran the Cascade Run-Off, taking third place; she accepted her check. When asked how she felt about the impact of the race, she said, “It seems a little like losing your virginity. Maybe it has been something you cared about, but then it’s gone and suddenly you sense there’s a whole new world in front of you.”

Today, Moller still stands by that infamous quote. “I was warned to stay away from the race, but I was young and wanted to be where the action was. I had also run the race before and liked it, felt a loyalty to it. Taking a stand against TAC was a big deal. All the top runners had a meeting the night before the race, and it was like a huge union meeting of runners.

“My fellow New Zealanders and friends, Alison Roe and Ann Audain, were also there. We were really spiriting each other on; Alison referred to it as the Christians going off to the Crusades. We had to declare up front to Nike that we would in fact take the money. We also felt there would be safety in numbers. After the virginity quote was picked up by the press and repeated just about all over the world, the New Zealand Federation banned all three of us. The ban then had to be ratified by the AAU in the states, and they banned me also. That August I planned to run a race in Michigan, but two elite amateur English runners refused to run with me because I would contaminate them.

“But all the Cascade runners were also there, and they said they wouldn’t run if I couldn’t, so in the end the race directors let me run, and I contaminated everyone! I spent a lot of time contaminating people. That act showed a great deal of solidarity among runners. It proved we could as a group affect change. Basically, this was my time to stand up and be counted. It was a powerful thing in my life.”

RAMIFICATIONS OF THE RUN-OFF

The Cascade Run-Off started the pendulum swinging, and it didn’t stop until prize money was allowed in the form of a trust fund. The runners of Cascade

Gail Kislevitz SHOW ME THE MONEY ® 31

who publicly accepted prize money felt that their defiant act forced the hand of Ollan Cassell and TAC.

In an ironic twist of fate, the road racing circuit could not afford to have their top-notch runners banned from racing because they would lose money from the sponsors. A year later, in September of 1982, the [AAF approved the acceptance of prize money that would be put in a trust fund to be withdrawn only for training and living expenses. The ARRA felt they had made history.

Frank Shorter, a charter member of ARRA who subsequently pulled out of the organization right before the 1981 Cascade Run-Off, has a different take on the establishment of the trust fund. In fact, he showed up at the race but ran on the sidewalk, earning him the nickname “Sidewalk Shorter” by the other racers who officially finished, while Frank chose not to.

According to Shorter, “There was no way that these runners who thought they were so powerful in the media could actually sway the hand of TAC. That’s a very provincial way of thinking. The real story is that I was working with Ollan Cassell behind the scenes a full year before the Cascade Run-Off to get the trust fund issue going. Along with my law partner, Bob Stone, and Steve Bosley, whose bank was the first trust fund depository, we developed the concept of the trust, which had to be approved by the IAAF.

“Not many people knew we were doing this, but in effect Ollan Cassell was the one who saved the banned runners and got their prize money into trusts a year after the fact. Ollan got it approved by the IAAF, who didn’t change a thing in our formation of the trust. ARRA was under the delusion that they forced the trust issue, but it had been in the works all along. They didn’t have a clue. Their sense of protest was a throwback to the 60s.

“The argument I put forth to the IAAF was all about the fact that everyone knew the Soviet bloc countries were already funding their athletes, which put the western runners at a disadvantage, and the IAAF had more western members voting, so the trust fund issue ultimately passed because it was a way for the west to gain parity, and no eastern bloc country could look the western members in the face and deny it.”

Shorter stands firm to this day that Cassell was the man who convinced the IAAF to let the tainted ARRA runners put their money in trust funds retroactively and thus not lose their amateur status. He states, “For the ARRA runners to think that they were not in trouble, that they could have lost everything, goes against common sense. Ollan saved their butts!”

OLLAN CASSELL’S VIEWPOINT

Any story about the history of prize money must include Ollan Cassell, who governed U.S. track and field for three decades, first as the AAU’s chief

executive and then through membership on the IAAF Council and in 1979 as TAC’s chief executive.

Cassell’s humble beginnings mirror the background of many of the runners he was in charge of throughout his tenure. Growing up in a coal-mining ghetto in Virginia, he parlayed his determination and skills as an athlete all the way to the University of Houston, where he developed into a top sprinter. He also fulfilled a lifetime dream of becoming an Olympian, winning a gold medal on the world record-breaking 4 * 400-meter relay team at the 1964 Olympics.

Cassell was both vilified and rarified during his 30-year reign, and his viewpoint matters and needs to be heard. From his home in Indiana, Cassell gave a scenario of the origins of the TAC-Trust very similar to Shorter’s.

According to Cassell, “The formation of the TAC-Trust was part of a larger strategy that started with the 1977 agreement allowing for sponsorship of sports programs. I don’t think the athletes realized all the steps that had to be taken to get a ruling changed. Those things don’t happen overnight.

“We had a long-term strategy and knew it would take years to get it accomplished. It was never intended to be a plan formulated in secrecy with our intentions kept from the athletes, but the arena I needed to get approval from was international, not just the U.S. athletes. I couldn’t afford to have U.S. athletes voicing their opinions on these issues in the press and then face the heat from my international peers. It would have made my job in obtaining the critical vote to get the TAC-Trust passed that much harder.”

Cassell and Shorter had previously worked together to get the endorsement issue passed in 1977. They trusted each other, and others on the IAAF trusted Shorter, so it was a positive working relationship. And Cassell knew that Shorter was willing to put his eligibility on the line for him if needed.

Another reason they worked well together was mutual respect. Both gold medalists, they had experienced both sides of the issues; as world-recognized athletes and later on as a lawyer and a political leader. Cassell explains that by the late 1970s the issue of under-the-table payments put everyone at risk: race directors, sponsors, and athletes. And the risk was felt all the way from the local race to the IOC. He knew he needed to do something to stop the illegal payments, protect the runners, and put American athletes on equal footing with eastern bloc athletes who enjoyed state support.

As Cassell explains, “Frank and I took the TAC-Trust proposal to Greece in 1981 to present to the IAAF. The argument was that it would provide parity worldwide, since every country knew that the Soviets were subsidizing their athletes. We couldn’t state our case just from an American point of view. I worked day and night for 3 days holding seminars to explain the concept of the trust to the Federation. It was very difficult for them to understand the proposal, so we really had our work cut out.”

Gail Kislevitz SHOW ME THE MONEY ® 33

Why did it pass? Cassell feels that the 1981 vote was a small window of critical opportunity based on the boycott of the 1980 Olympics, the turmoil of drug accusations, everyone knowing the Soviets were financially supporting their athletes, and that the U.S. delegation had a great team of negotiators who were trusted and respected by the IAAF.

Also, Cassell was a member of the [AAF council and knew he had the support of the meet directors. Summarizing the conflicting viewpoints, Cassell offers the following: “Athletes always come from a different point of view. During the years I was an athlete, I knew what it was like. It was a hard life. So when I finally got into the political position to affect change, I wanted to make it better.”

1983: NEW YORK CITY AND CHICAGO DUEL FOR PRIZE MONEY

As rules regarding prize money opened up, a new war emerged on the road racing circuit. In 1983, The Big Apple and The Second City came out of the closet, put under-the-table monies on top of the table, and battled for the title of the world’s richest marathon.

Chicago had a slight edge: they openly offered $135,000 in prize money provided by their prime sponsor, Beatrice Foods Co.

Fred Lebow, then president of the New York Road Runners Club (NYRRC), which put on the New York City Marathon, had his hands tied by New York City mayor Ed Koch, who wanted to keep the race a not-for-profit event. Lebow’s dilemma was how to appease Koch’s no-prize-money rule while attempting to attract the top runners, who expected either appearance or prize money and were signing contracts right and left with Chicago.

But Koch was adamant that public money was not going to subsidize a commercial event (the city coffers provided $206,000 in police pay alone), and Lebow was just as adamant that New York City become the best marathon in the world.

Lebow, arunning enthusiast who launched the New York City Marathon in Central Park in 1970, was elected president of the club in 1972 but didn’t take a salary for his work until 1983. Once a well-paid clothing designer in the garment center of New York, he ditched it all for his passion for running. He was also the perfect mixture of feistiness and chatzpa to take on Koch.

LEBOW FIGHTS CITY HALL

Tn 1984 Lebow decided he’d had enough and took off the gloves and came out swinging in support of open prize money for the 1984 edition of the New York

City Marathon. He wrote a tell-all book called Inside the World of Big-Time Marathon Running, disclosing specifics on appearance money, a hush-hush topic. He blew the lid off the under-the-table financing and came clean with the disclosure that he had paid more than $1 million in clandestine payments over the past years to elite runners such as Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar.

According to Allan Steinfeld, current president of the New York Road Runners Club, “Koch was furious and demanded $300,000 from the club to help pay the city expenses. The Board of Directors raised the money, and that was the first year the New York City Marathon publicly paid appearance and prize money of $32,000 and a new Mercedes plus bonuses for course, American, and world records.”

Meanwhile, back in Chicago, race director Bob Bright and Lebow were featured in the media as having a turf war for the best runners and best marathon. Steinfeld insists it wasn’t like that at all.

As he recalls, “Bob and Fred agreed to a list of runners they wanted and the amount they were willing to pay for them. It wasn’t in their best interest to create a bidding war, and they worked things out in a business-like way. It was the media that created the circus-like atmosphere.” Each race got the runners they wanted, and then Lebow went to Chicago and ran their marathon to help promote both events.

TODAY’S BIG BUCKS

Steinfeld explains the big business of prize money as it exists today: “First there is appearance money for the top runners, an up-front business deal between the runner and the club paid by check, and can be in the mid- to high-five figures. It is a private deal only known by the runner, the club, and the IRS. Our club insists on a 1099 form so the government knows of the money, and the runner is responsible for reporting it. Then there is the prize money, averaging around $500,000 with an $80,000 first-place prize for both men and women as well as a Pontiac Grand Am. And there are time bonuses for not only record performances, but also great performances such as sub 2:11 for men and sub 2:29 for women.

“On top of that, the NYRRC doubles the prize money for an American placing in the top six places. It’s not that much of a gamble, and it’s worth it. The money is built into the budget.”

There are also clauses in the elite runners’ contracts for DNF and not finishing in an allotted time frame based on previous times run. In these cases, the runner only gets 50 percent of the allocated money. As Steinfeld concludes, “Without question, it’s big business today. It has to be for the elites to survive.

There are no more lucrative shoe contracts out there like in the ’80s. This is how they make their living.”

NEW CENTURY, NEW ISSUES

The long and winding road to legalizing prize money has been littered with all sorts of interesting debris—tragedies, politics, threats, money, and quid pro quos. Oh, about the sex thing mentioned in the lead paragraph? Bill Rodgers was once offered a woman in lieu of appearance money—but he turned down the offer. Smart fellow.

Nowadays, the issue isn’t about prize money itself, but about whom is entitled to it. With the onslaught of the Kenyans and other foreigners cleaning up at the finish lines, many American sponsors are complaining about giving away lucrative endorsement monies to runners who won’t “give back” in terms of press and media coverage and playing the spokesperson for the sport or product or race or whatever is being promoted.

Some of the issues lie in basic communications skills and language barriers. It’s hard enough for an elite American who crosses the marathon finish line to speak a normal sentence but most likely impossible for a foreigner with very little English at his or her command to say how grateful they are to their sponsors.

And with Americans lagging in the top 10 finishers of most major marathons, the structure of prize money is being rebuilt to compensate for their times. At the 2001 New York City Marathon, prize money was also being offered to the first American finisher.

Bill Rodgers and Grete Waitz may have missed out on some of the early years of prize money by retiring from the sport in the late 1980s, but they continue to earn fees for their appearances and talks at races worldwide. What makes them still marketable 20 years after their reigns as king and queen of the marathon is that they continue to give back to the sport they embraced and loved, and they still convey a sense of humanitarian spirit and zest for life that running has brought them.

And talk about getting bang for your buck. Rodgers and Waitz are two of the hardest-working runners in the business. Unlike some famous personalities who watch the clock tick away until the time they can leave, Rodgers and Waitz stay until the last autograph is signed, the last question is answered, and the last photo is shot. Then they leave with a smile and words of encour- ; agement to all. They return as much of the prize as they receive. st

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Running in Literature

Running Weaves Its Way Through the Literature of the Ages, Suspending Time and Distance. Part 1 of 5

INTRODUCTION: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, KIDNAPPED (1886)

By what I have read in books, I think few that have held a pen were ever really wearied, or they would write of it more strongly.

—Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped

I’VE HEARD that Eskimos have more than a hundred words for snow. Running should have a thousand words for feeling tired.

Runners know tiredness in all its many shades and effects, and we carry among life’s significant memories those races when tiredness was our stepping-stone to high achievement, or the dead weight that sank us; when it crept into our legs like a wasting disease, or suddenly leapt upon us like a cougar from a rock; when we grappled with it, and overcame or were overcome.

Yet when we seek to describe tiredness or fatigue, few words or books or stories are available to help us understand how it truly feels to be “really wearied,” as Stevenson’s David Balfour puts it, to relive the experience, express it, or connect our perceptions with those of others.

In the course of a career as a scholar, writer, and professor of literature, and as a spare-time runner, I have kept one truant reader’s eye open for a literature of running. I look not so much for historical accounts as for words that express, evoke, re-imagine, narrate, celebrate, or make memorable or vivid some aspect of the experience of running.

Sometimes I find them in unexpected places. When Stevenson describes “The Flight in the Heather” of Alan Breck Stewart and David Balfour (Kidnapped,

Chapters 20 through 22), he conjures better than anywhere else I know the numb, stumbling, shuffling, stupid weariness that every marathon or ultra runner has lived through. The friends run and walk and crawl for days and nights through the rocks and moors of the Scottish Highlands to elude the English redcoats—“Sometimes we walked, sometimes ran; and as it drew on to morning, walked ever the less and ran the more”—and prose like that catches their anxiety and haste. It evokes heat and thirst and the immense but brief relief that runners also know when we reach water or shade: “I kept stumbling as I ran, I had a stitch that came near to overmaster me; and when at last Alan paused under a great rock . . . it was none too soon for David Balfour.”

As they keep pressing on, the writing becomes as leaden and heavy as their movement, embodying that depleted state when each step is gained only by a separate act of will and the mind knows nothing but a bleary focus on that task: “Toiling and resting and toiling again, we wore away the morning . . . stumbling like babes, and as white as dead folk. Never a word passed between us; each set his mouth and kept his eyes in front of him, and lifted up his foot and set it down again.”

Stevenson understands those almost primeval emotions of despair and resentment that overtake us: “I did not think of myself, but just of each fresh step which I was sure would be my last, with despair—and of Alan, who was the cause of it, with hatred.”

The Scottish Highlands in 1751 may be a long way from Heartbreak Hill, but reading that passage took me right back to the last (and slowest) time Iran Boston. Stumbling, white as a corpse, full of despair. Yes, Stevenson got my number.

At such moments, two strands of my life come together, and Dr. Jekyll, the benign literature professor, merges with Mr. Hyde, the competitive runner. What follows, and in four future installments, is a selection of such moments of recognition, discoveries of good writing where running becomes, if only briefly, the subject of literature. The selections are drawn from my own reading over many years, but not from planned research. I have followed some leads from books on running or anthologies of sports writing, and those acknowledgments are made in the text or at the end of each article. What I offer is not a guide to the best modern running books. That was provided by Scott Hubbard’s excellent “25 Books Every Marathoner Should Own” (see Marathon & BeGenerally, I keep to libraries’ Literature shelves, not Sports. P’ll be looking at the best running novels but not essays, biographies, or autobiographies, however good. My list is not a full catalogue of all passing references to running, whatever their historical interest, unless they meet my test of literary quality.

My compilation is, however, the fullest commentary yet available, as far as I know, on the rendering of running in literature. Many examples will be new to readers; all are well written; some have great curiosity interest. Did you know the rebel fiends in Hell held a track meet after they were thrown out of Heaven? Or that Polynesian priests used to run for 3 days before announcing who was to be eaten in the cannibal feast? Or that in two major twentieth century novels, running is used as a significant recurring metaphor?

My selections range from Ancient Greece to unpublished new poetry, coming mainly from literature in English, along with translated texts that have become part of English-language culture. I include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama—but not film or TV scripts, nor (with special exceptions) the very large body of good sports fiction for children and young adults.

As Stevenson’s chapters have already shown, I have not confined myself to accounts of running as an organized sport. My test is that the passages speak to me as arunner, and I hope they will speak to other readers who are runners. If you know something good that I have missed, please write to me c/o Marathon & Beyond or e-mail me at rogerrobinson61 @ hotmail.com.

1. Ancient Greece: Homer

We begin at the beginning of the western literary tradition. The narrative poems The Iliad and The Odyssey were probably compilations and adaptations of older poems and oral narratives, written down about 800 years Bc, at least in part by a poet known as Homer.

The poems are set in the earlier era of Mycenaean Greece, when religious rituals included athletic and cultural “games” held on important formal occasions, especially funeral ceremonies. So Homer put (or retained from his sources) descriptions of such games in both epics. In The Iliad, about the siege of Troy (lium), the games are held in honor of Patroclus, the slain friend of the greatest Greek warrior, Achilles (Book 23). In The Odyssey, they are organized to entertain Odysseus (Ulysses) when he is shipwrecked in the land of the Phaeacians (Book 8). In both, the footrace is only one event among many, and The Iliad devotes much more space to the chariot races and wrestling, probably for the same reason that modern Hollywood makes more films about chariots, gladiators, and car crashes than about runners. More speed, more noise, more blood.

In The Odyssey, which some scholars persuasively argue was written by a woman, the main events are dancing and something close to rhythmic gymnastics. Odysseus does toss a mighty discus but excuses himself from the running event on the grounds that he is out of shape because of his sufferings in battle

and at sea, tactfully omitting the several years just spent with the beautiful Calypso on her temptation island.

In both cases, the running event is vividly described. The Iliad race seems to be a straightaway sprint, or “stade,” about 150 yards, but is not run in lanes. There are three starters, but Antilochus, “the fastest runner among all the youth of his time,” is never a factor in the race. “Fleet Ajax” leads all the way from “cunning Odysseus,” who hangs in close but cannot get past. He finally resorts to praying for divine assistance. It never worked for me, but the goddess Athene favors Odysseus, and Ajax slips on some offal left from the sacrificial cattle and falls face down in a pile of cow dung. Homer, whoever he or she was, is not overly reverent toward these heroes.

My main concern here is with how the running is described. I have compared many English versions of these two races—the earliest in literature—to try to sort out how well Homer does it. Some good things get lost in translation. Both races begin, for instance, with a phrase usually translated along the lines of “The course was set out for them from the starting post,” which sounds pretty obvious. But H.A. Harris, in one of the great books on the history of running, Greek Athletes and Athletics (1964), translates the line as, “The course stretched out from the starting line,” which, as he says, gives the runner’s view, not the spectator’s: “It recalls perfectly what a sprinter feels in that lonely moment when he goes to the mark and the finishing post recedes into an unimaginable distance.” W.R. Loader, in his fine book about sprinting, Testament of a Runner (1960), describes the same sensation.

Breathing Down His Neck

The real interest for a runner in the Jliad race is in how close Odysseus follows, which Homer emphasizes in three different images. He’s as close as a woman holding the shuttle tight to her bosom when she is weaving and throws the woof across the warp; he’s so close that he treads in Ajax’s footprints while the dust is still flying; he’s close enough for Ajax to feel his breath on the back of his neck. It’s a strange and uncomfortable feeling in a race, when someone runs that close behind you. Their stride threatens yours, even if there is no contact, their breathing seems to insist on its rhythm and to override your own, and you resent it as if they are intruding into your personal space and somehow freeloading on your effort.

It still happens sometimes on the Central Park Reservoir path, and even at geriatric pace, it’s as irritating as in my sub-30 minute 10K days. To be followed closely is a fundamental discomfort of leading; to judge how close to follow is one of racing’s most precise skills; and the relationship between leader and follower one of the sport’s special forms of interpersonal feeling. It seems to me that this poem, nearly 3,000 years old, has caught those complex

tensions. We don’t now see women every day working at the loom, but that image of holding something tight in against you is still an unexpected and telling one.

The episode of Ajax’s fall can distract attention from the fact that the goddess Athene also enables Odysseus to finish fast. “She made his hands and feet feel light,” says the Butler translation, but the Greek says something more like “raised his hands and feet high,” a perfect description of a sprinter in full flight, whether on a Greek vase or an all-weather track. Also entirely recognizable is the spectator experience of seeing runners flash instantaneously by you at top effort: “The Achaeans all shouted applause as they saw him [Ajax] straining his utmost, and cheered him as he shot past them.” I thought of that image not long ago at an indoor meet, where as a spectator you get a potent mix of close-up and speed.

The Odyssey race is less dramatic and more perfunctory (the authoress perhaps anxious to get to the dancing). Clytoneus wins by a street, or, as the poem puts it, since there were no streets in those days, “by the length of the furrow that a pair of mules can plow in a fallow field.” Presumably therefore it’s a longer race, though there is no detailed report. But the description of the runners “raising a cloud of dust upon the plain as they all flew forward at the same moment” is a real one to anyone who has watched or run in a crowded start on a dry grass or cinder track in summer.

In Pursuit of Hector

The other Homeric running episode is the pursuit of Hector by Achilles in the climactic hand-to-hand fight of the war. Garth Battista includes this, in the free verse translation by Robert Fitzgerald (1974), in his indispensable The Runner’s Literary Companion. | prefer the vigorously readable prose version of Samuel Butler (1898). Butler had been a good schoolboy runner (see Installment 2 in the next issue of M&B) and is better at catching the tensions of the chase in the rhythms of the prose, as well as retaining an important cross-reference to track running that Fitzgerald misses. I will offer some highlights.

Achilles, incensed that Hector has killed his friend Patroclus, runs flat out towards the city, “as the winning horse in a chariot race strains every nerve when he is flying over the plain.” His armor, which has lain unused for so long, now gleams on his breast as radiant as the harvest star, while Hector waits in the gateway like a serpent in its den.

But when Achilles came up to him, looking like the very god of war, “Hector fled in dismay from before the gates, while Achilles darted after him at his utmost speed.” Then the pursuit, three times around the walls of Troy, and we are back to the racing situation of hunted and hunter.

For Achilles, running behind, think Lasse Viren or Derartu Tulu, those runners who look always in charge even when back in the pack. Homer, at least in The Iliad, seems to have known track, and Butler was an experienced handicap track runner and paper-chaser, who had often been a “hound” in his school days (see Roger Robinson, “On the Scent of History,” Running Times, December 1998).

As Achilles follows, behind yet in control, the images are drawn mainly from predatory nature: “As a mountain falcon, swiftest of all birds, swoops down upon some cowering dove. … As a hound chasing a fawn . . . will scent her out and follow her up until he gets her.”

But Homer also relates the chase to track racing: “swiftly indeed did they run, for the prize was no mere beast for sacrifice or bullock’s hide, as it might be for acommon foot race, but they ran for the life of Hector.” Then, to convey the speed and excitement, comes comparison with the thrills and spills of chariot racing: “As horses in a chariot race speed round the turning posts when they are running for some great prize—a tripod or a woman—at the games in honor of some dead hero, so did these two run full speed three times round the city of Priam.”

A final powerful image convinces me that Homer is a fine writer who can find memorable language not only for what runners look like but how they feel, the inward, almost sub-conscious drama of the race. As they surge and dodge, Hector trying to get close to the city, Achilles heading him off, they become locked in a dream-like contest at full speed that neither can change or end: “As a man in a dream who fails to lay hands upon another whom he is pursuing—the one cannot escape nor the other overtake—even so neither could Achilles come up with Hector, nor Hector break away from Achilles.”

The end comes when Hector is deserted by the god Apollo, “who thus far has sustained his strength and nerved his running.” We do not now attribute the front runner’s concentration and will-power to Apollo, but every competitive runner will understand “sustained his strength” and “nerved his running.” And divine power still often gets credit in postrace TV interviews.

2. Ancient Greece: Pindar and Others

To compare runners with diving falcons or racing chariots might seem an exaggeration—what we literary critics call hyperbole. But competitive running is an extreme sport and requires colorful language. Modern runners and sports writers use our own age’s most potent images of speed and power. Ihave seen “… ran like a train,” “like a truck,” or “like a missile.” One once wrote of me, a very long time ago: “He made his break uphill like a jet taking off.”

Vividness is more important than strict realism when writers seek images for the speed or passion of runners. Hiawatha could shoot an arrow and then run and beat it to where it landed, so Longfellow said, as we shall see later. Shakespeare’s Puck could also “go swifter than arrow from the Tartar’s bow.” We talk of Kenyan or Ethiopian runners who “fly” or “float” or “skim” or “glide,” none of which are literally true, since they have feet and tendons and hamstrings and hit the ground left-right-left like the rest of us. The very word “fly” has taken the secondary meaning of “run fast in order to escape.”

Greek writers used the same kind of imagery to praise fast running, often with delightful inventiveness. One anonymous poet speaks of a winner whose speed dazzles the spectator’s eyes, so that you don’t even see him till he’s reached the finish—a nice exaggeration. It’s in praise of Arias, from the city of Tarsus, which was supposedly founded by Perseus, a demi-god with feathered wings on his feet (“thy founder, Tarsus”). In the following passage, the terms “essays” means “tries,” “barrier” is the “start,” “career” the “course,” and “goal” the “finishing post.” The translation is a witty one, by Gilbert West in 1749:

The speed of Arias, victor in the race, Brings to thy founder, Tarsus, no disgrace: For able in the course with him to vie,

Like him he seems on feather’d feet to fly. The barrier when he quits, the dazzled sight In vain essays to catch him in his flight. Lost is the racer through the whole career, ‘Till victor at the goal he re-appear.

The other major texts of Greek literature to be inspired by running are the Odes of Pindar, which date from about 460 Bc. This was the height of Greek civilization, when the great Games were flourishing, the most famous being the Olympian, Nemean, Isthmian, and Pythian (at Delphi). Pindar, and the less-well-known Bacchylides, made a specialty of composing (for a good fee) “Victory Odes,” or encomiums, for successful athletes, in elaborate form, for performance with music and dancing on return to their home town.

It sounds curious to us, and indeed the practice did not last, but the impulse to write poetry in praise of great runners (and other athletes) is not wholly dead. There have been poems for Steve Prefontaine and Joan Benoit-Samuelson in the last few years. And though we don’t hire poets, we still celebrate famous winners in the art forms of our own time: speeches at award ceremonies, television and video, film, photography, personal Web sites, features in Marathon & Beyond, and so on.

Little But Poetic Running References

For my purpose, although Pindar’s shortcoming is that he gives almost no space to actual running and although most of the surviving 45 odes are in praise of chariot-race winners, his references to running are moving. Boxing, wrestling, trial of strength, and flute playing also feature, and some odes are for winners of the boys’ foot race, whose fathers probably hired the poet. (Should I offer my writing services to soccer-moms? Could be a market niche there.)

And the poems themselves, as brilliantly wrought in their formal way as a classical sonata, are concerned less with running and more with the origins and glory of the winner’s city and family and connecting these to the most revered mythology.

There are fine phrases—“the glint of foot,” “a day of fast running,” “the blood in him follows his father’s tracks” (those from the 1969 translation by C.M. Bowra), or, from an older translation: “fleetness of foot and flower of strength.” There is one poem I really like (Olympian 12) about a winner who had found his way to success in the dolichos, the long track race, only because he had been forced to leave his own country at a time of civil war:

99 6,

The fame of your running would have shed its leaves Had not the quarrel of men with men Robbed you of your Knossian fatherland.

And I think of many in our own time who escape turmoil and persecution at home, and through their running ability find unexpected applause and reward in a new land. They are racing on roads all over America even as I write.

Pindar also gave us the deservedly famous sentiment that life has no happiness purer, or better deserved, than the satisfaction of winning an award by your own speed and strength, achieved through determined preparation and courage in the race. “Sweet is the end of endeavor,” Pindar also said, which puts nicely the feeling of seeing a good time on the finish-line clock after along hard race.

The Reality of Sweat

In Bacchylides, though a less highly regarded poet, I found the smell of sweat and taste of tactics that I prefer (being a prosaic old distance runner) to Pindar’s high abstract thoughts. In one ode, “Isthmian for Aglaus of Athens, foot race,” Bacchylides gives a terrific picture of the pressure of racing on an up-anddown straight track (no curves, just turning posts at each end), and of the Michael Johnson of 460 Bc, powering away at the start, intensely focused, swinging the sharp turn without pause, springing across the line, and finally (smeared with oil as all athletes were), racing on to crash right into the recoiling crowd. Not many sports poems get action and comedy this well. The translation, catching perfectly the tense speed of the race, is by Robert Fagles:

In games of Poseidon,

Fine on the fields of praise You amazed the Greeks With a rushing sprint;

No break and back

To the ring’s first mark— Breath hot and short—

You tensed, sprang, sprayed Admirers’ robes with oil, Carved the roaring crowd On rounding the track’s fourth lap.

Greek Philosophers and Thin Runners

A number of Greek philosophers refer to athletics in interesting ways. Plato prefers military training to training for the games, which he thinks makes young men self-centered, interested only in exercise, sleep, and food (Republic III, pages 403-404). But he was well ahead in his view that women should have the same opportunities in physical education as men (pages 452-453).

Aristotle wrote of how difficult it is to keep changing pace at the turns in the dolichos (distance race). Epictetus uses training for the Olympics as a moral lesson about committing yourself to a goal in life, however hard and however great the risks that you won’t succeed (Golden Sayings, page 104). He also gives a familiar list of the discomforts of being an Olympic spectator: “Are you not scorched by the heat? Are you not cramped for room? Have you not to bathe with discomfort?” Obviously, Epictetus was at the 2000 U.S. Trials at Sacramento. His moral is to “bear it all patiently,” because the “splendor of the spectacle” makes it all worthwhile—so look on the bright side, in other words, and hold back your complaining e-mails.

A comic-ironic view of athletics training is provided by Lucian, a Greek satirist of the Roman period (AD 125-180), since a screw-up he made is largely responsible for the strange literary story of the Marathon. In a satiric dialogue, supposedly between a Greek admirer of athletics in the era of the Games (some 700 years before he wrote), Lucian has a foreign visitor innocently ask what on earth is the point of all these young men wrapping their arms round each other and groveling in the mud like swine. And there are some who “jump up and down as if they were running, but stay in the same place. They leap up and

EE Roger Robinson RUNNING IN LITERATURE @® 49

seem to kick thin air. What good can that do?” It’s a good comic device. Imagine bringing a Martian down to watch the runners warming up for the New York City Marathon and having to explain the social usefulness of it all. In a magazine dedicated to going “beyond,” the last word from the moralists should go to Galen, father of modern medicine (ap 130-200). Writing in Latin in his On Health, he sticks his scalpel in us runners without mercy: “Whatever lacks moderation is not good. Therefore I do not approve of running, for it wears a man down thin and furnishes no training in bravery.”

4. Rome: Atalanta

One of the great running myths, and inspiration of many women runners, is the story of Atalanta’s race and the golden apples of Venus. This story exists in several forms, and the idea of a race as means of selection is quite frequent in classical myth and legend; in one instance a king’s sons race at Olympia to decide who will succeed to the throne (Pausanius, Description of Greece, vol. 8).

Atalanta’s story, though an old Greek one, took its finest literary form in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses (stories of transformation), written in Latin about ap 1-8. Ovid deals separately with the other myth of the archetypal virgin huntress, also called Atalanta, who was suckled as an infant by a shebear (sacred to the nature goddess Artemis), was raised by hunters, and then shot the first effective arrow in the great Calydonian boar hunt, when Jason and other heroes combined to kill a monstrous boar. Often these two stories are connected, as in Swinburne’s Atalanta in Calydon (see Installment 3).

Atalanta the runner was as “surpassing in her gift of glorious speed as in her loveliness.” When her father wanted her to marry, an oracle warned her against it. She stipulated that she would marry only a suitor who could beat her in a race and that those who failed would suffer death. (The myth probably derives partly from ceremonial tests of manhood for adolescents, as well as dramatizing the evolutionary sexual selection of the fittest.) Having seen many “rash lovers” cut down “for their love’s excess,” the hero Melanion (called Hippomenes in Ovid’s version) is not inclined to risk it.

But then Atalanta disrobes to run, he sees her face and body in their full beauty, and “love burgeoned,” or “his heart took fire,” or “he burned with love,” or whatever variant translation you prefer. It’s accurate enough of male psychology. He quickly sends in his entry blank.

In Metamorphoses the story is told by the goddess of love, Venus (Aphrodite in her Greek form), in the course of an amorous afternoon on shady grass when she wants to distract her adored Adonis from going hunting.

Ovid is a gifted and sensuous love poet (his The Art of Love has often been suppressed) and enjoys letting Venus take credit for Hippomenes’s success. When the eager runner prays for help from the goddess, she gives him three golden apples to drop in the race, knowing they will distract Atalanta. Ovid (or Venus) indulges in some seductive descriptions of Atalanta, who wears very little for her races except ribbons or some kind of bindings that flutter alluringly at her ankles and knees, whose “long hair streamed out behind her pure ivory back,” and who shows the effort of racing only in “a rose flush coloring the youthful paleness of her body.”

Love Requited

But Ovid also shows his psychological insight, making it clear that Atalanta, though aware of her beauty and susceptible to all that glisters, also knows perfectly well what’s going on, and is much more attracted to Hippomenes than the apples:

Many a time she slowed

When she might pass and gazed into his eyes,

And with a heavy heart left him behind.

—a.p. Melville translation, OUP World Classics, 1986

Ovid’s stories have had a huge influence on English literature, and there are many excellent English versions of the Metamorphoses. Two major poets in the nineteenth century retold the story of Atalanta’s race. One of the last works of the English poet Ted Hughes, who died in 2000, was a selection called Stories from Ovid, including Atalanta, though I found his usual rugged lyricism fell a bit flat there. Maybe he had no sense of running. Allen Mandelbaum is another poet who has recently done the job pretty well (1993).

My favorite for Atalanta, however, is in a 1717 translation of Ovid by various “eminent hands” (including Dryden and Pope), in this case the unjustly neglected Laurence Eusden, who became poet laureate in England in 1718. His verse has a sprightliness appropriate to the speed of the race and the competitive ebb-and-flow, yet also nicely captures the undercurrent of sexual attraction and Atalanta’s emotion at having either to lose the race for the first time in her life or condemn to death a man she fancies. Here is Eusden’s version of the key point of the race, when Atalanta is trying to slow it down, and Hippomenes is hitting the wall:

When a long distance oft she could have gain’d, She check’d her swiftness, and her feet restrained: She sigh’d, and dwelt, and languish’d on his face, Then with unwilling speed pursu’d the race.

O’er-spent with heat, his breath he faintly drew, Parch’d was his mouth, nor yet the goal in view, And the first apple on the plain he threw.

Here is a simpler version of the whole race specifically for Marathon & Beyond, that keeps close to Ovid’s account of the whole race but puts the running references into familiar modern terms. I am indebted to the Harvard University Press Latin/English text, 1916, revised 1984. The only detail Ihave added is the taking of hands at the end. The last sentence is exactly Ovid’s:

They crouched close together, tensed for the start. The trumpet blared, and away they flashed, their flying feet seeming to the spectators hardly to touch the sandy ground. They just skimmed along—imagine them racing over water without getting their feet wet, or flitting like birds over a field of corn without bending the stalks. The crowd got behind Hippomenes, up on their feet, yelling: ‘Now! Now! Give it all you’ ve got! [Nunc, nunc, incumbere tempus!] Great job! Now, focus, good work, push it, Hippomenes, you can do it!’ All the support of her challenger privately pleased Atalanta as much as it encouraged him. She was in no mood to beat him. Time and again she drew level, gazed affectionately across into his face, and eased back the pace again. But the pressure was beginning to tell on Hippomenes. His breathing heaved and cracked, his throat burned, his mouth felt parched, and the finish was still way off. He pulled out the first golden apple and rolled it glittering across the course. Atalanta, astonished at its beauty, checked stride and stooped to pick it up. The crowd was going crazy as Hippomenes went back into the lead, but she powered right back into full stride, closed the gap, and moved ahead. The second apple came bouncing by. Again she checked stride, pulled up, grabbed it, and went after him. They were coming off the last bend with the finish in sight when he muttered a quick prayer to Venus and threw the last apple, putting it obliquely across her path and off to the side. For a stride she hesitated, but an impulse of love sent her after it once more. Now she was clutching three apples. They weighed heavy, and the gap was too great. She slowed to ajog. The race was over. Hippomenes passed the finish. Atalanta jogged up to him, slipped the apples into the crook of one arm, and took him by the hand. The victor led away his prize. [duxit sua praemia victor].

—Translation Roger Robinson.

In another account of the event, by Apollodorus, Atalanta gave her challengers a start, ran armed, and then killed them as she passed. So Melanion (as

he is called in that version) simply drops the apples behind him and keeps his lead as she stops to collect them. That works technically but loses the great moment when she pulls alongside and looks (“languished,” as Eusden says) into his face.

I don’t like the usual ending of the story. Though Atalanta and Hippomenes/ Melanion are married happily, they improperly make love one day in a holy sanctuary and are punished by being turned into lions. Ovid needed that for the story to count as a “metamorphosis” (change in form). I guess it would add a new dimension to those running magazine “Where are they now?” features. (“And now an interview with Dick ‘Leo’ Beardsley at feeding time in the Minneapolis Zoo.”) But I prefer the story to end when the race does, with the result they both choose.

5. Rome: Later Epics

Homer was the dominant literary influence on all later Greek and Latin literature, so imitations of his epic poems usually included “games” and often a race won by some mishap or stratagem, such as Odysseus’s defeat of Ajax in The Iliad. In Virgil’s Aeneid (about 30 Bc), the race leader again slips on blood, but then as he falls manages to trip up one of his opponents, so that his friend, previously in third, gets the win. In the Thebaid of Statius, late first century ap, the front-runner’s long flowing hair tempts his rival, who grabs it as they race for the line, tugs him back, and so wins. After much dispute, the race is re-run. The fourth-century poet Quintus has the leader trip over a tree root, which is more realistic, but the fifth-century Nonnus resorts to the ubiquitous pool of manure.

The best piece of genuine sports writing in any of these comes when Statius describes the runners’ warm-up: “Then they go through the ritual of tuning up and trying out their paces, and with many tricks of the game they liven their sluggish muscles with well-tried exercises. Now they do a ‘knee bend,’ now they slap their chests with loud smacks, now their fiery legs prance in ‘knees up’ and they take short sprints and suddenly stop.”—Translation H.A. Harris

That has an authentic ring. Harris considers Statius, “For the student of the techniques of athletics by far the most interesting” of these later epic poets. He also writes colorful narrative. There is uproar after the hair-pulling incident. The runner who was fouled protests operatically, sobbing, scratching his own cheeks, and pulling at the offending hair. Spectators take sides, threaten to invade the track, and come close to a full mass fight. Everybody screams abuse at the dithery referee. And on that note, I take my leave of the polished and elegant literature of the gracefully ordered classical world.

Installment 2 of Roger Robinson’s examination of running in literature, which will appear in our March/April 2002 issue, will take us to the nineteenth century and includes Shakespeare, the Track Meet from Hell, More Cesspools, Tom and Jerry, and the Strange Literary History of the Marathon, or How to Drop Down Dead.

Sources

Bacchylides, Complete Poems, trans. Robert Fagles (Yale, 1961).

Homer, The Iliad, trans. Samuel Butler (1898). This translation is also used in Barnes & Noble Classics, 1942, 1995.

Homer, The Odyssey, trans. Samuel Butler (1900). Also used in Barnes & Noble Classics, 1993, and Simon & Schuster Pocket Books, 1969, 1997.

Ovid, Metamorphoses (see text for translations).

Pindar, The Odes, trans. C.J. Bowra (Penguin, 1969).

E.N. Gardiner, Athletics of the Ancient World (OUP, Oxford, 1930).

Robert Graves, The Greek Myths (2 vols.) (Penguin, London, 1955).

H.A. Harris, Greek Athletes and Athletics (Hutchinson, London, 1964).

Rachael Sargent Robinson, Sources for the History of Greek Athletics (self-published, 1955).

Richard Stoneman, Greek Mythology (Aquarian Press, London, 1991).

Gilbert West, A Dissertation on the Olympic Games (London, 1749). Pe,

N. Yalouris, The Olympic Games in Ancient Greece (Ekdotike, Athens, 1982).

LJ E]

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Basic Training for the Marathon

The Challenge of Running a First Marathon Is to Safely Cover the Distance. Part 1 of 3

\ A J HEN THE marathon was created as a special Olympic Games event in

1896, it was considered by many sports enthusiasts to border on cruel and unusual punishment of the human body. Those who raced the marathon were considered by some as supermen, by others as madmen. They were, in reality, both.

But the cult of the marathon has over the years—due to experimentation and evolution—become the avocation of the marathon. Today, in the United States alone, more than 400,000 people per year run at least one marathon; this is more than four times the number of marathoners per year in 1979, the peak of the original running revolution.

With proper dedication to training, virtually anyone without serious medical concerns (and some with them, such as recovering heart patients) can cover the marathon distance in a reasonable amount of time. This is inno way meant to denigrate or underestimate the challenges inherent in covering 26.2 miles under your own power. The marathon remains one of the most demanding athletic events in the world. Before embarking on such a strenuous challenge, a runner should have his or her current health and fitness evaluated by a physician. Some potential medical problems are not easily detected.

Most first-time marathoners—and this program is aimed at first-timers— (the next two issues of M&B will offer programs for breaking 3:30 and 3:00, respectively) set a goal of safely finishing a marathon, not running one as fast as they can. Time and speed goals usually come later, and they present a whole *nother set of challenges.

QUANTITY VERSUS QUALITY

The past decade has seen an unfortunate shift away from high mileage as base training for marathoners and more toward quality mileage. This is unfortunate

——). aS

because the stronger base a runner can build before honing his or her talents with hills and speed, the better.

Certainly a first-time marathoner who does not have tremendous amounts of time to spend on training must emphasize quality. But quantity, as in building a solid foundation or base of easy mileage, must not be overlooked. The base of (relatively) high mileage is the foundation on which all other specific/ quality training is built. Build a skyscraper on a faulty foundation at your own risk.

Marathon-training programs built on a foundation of high mileage go back to the New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard. Virtually every American who shone on the world stage in the 1970s and 1980s followed the basic Lydiard philosophy. Unfortunately, in America, Lydiard’s proven training philosophies were overshadowed by the “scientific approach,” which dictated a much smaller base—and the results, or lack of results, are obvious on the world stage. The program that follows here, as well as the subsequent two programs, are based on Arthur Lydiard’s teachings.

Although some people have taken up running and done a marathon within less than a year, this isn’t a good idea. And the older the runner, the less advisable is such a scenario. Jumping into marathon training without a sufficient base of several years of aerobic training is a good way to become a chronically injured ex-marathoner. Nor is it wise to get into arunning program and decide to do a marathon as your first race. Although often done, it begs common sense and good judgment. There is much to be learned about racing itself by racing at shorter distances first (pacing, where to line up, what a race feels like, etc.), and races at shorter distances work wonderfully well as speed training toward an initial marathon.

The simple rule of physical training is this: stress the body, rest, then stress the body a little more to move it to a higher level, then rest again. Without rest, the body never adapts to the stress—it merely breaks itself down.

Before embarking on the 20-week, first-time marathon-training program that follows, a runner should be comfortable running 25 miles a week and should have the ability to do a long run of 10 miles at least every third week.

THE PRIME BUILDING BLOCKS

Several factors are at play when building a solid marathon-training program:

1. The Long Run. The long run is the backbone of any marathon-training program. The long run should be increased by several miles every 2 weeks until it reaches at least 18 miles but works better climbing to 20 to 22 miles. If your body is not taught to run long, and then to run longer, the marathon itself

will be one of the longest—and most excruciating—experiences of your life. Not the way to enjoy a first marathon. Some contend that it’s best to build to a long run longer than the marathon itself; this is a bad idea for anyone except very experienced marathoners. For the first-timer, it is doubly inadvisable. First of all, a run this long can open the would-be marathoner to overuse injuries by overdoing it. Second, for the first-time marathoner, it is a real psychological plus to be running your first marathon-distance event on the day of your planned marathon, rather than the race itself becoming anticlimactic because you ran the distance before. Long runs should not be “slogged.” They should be run at a speed roughly one minute slower than what you plan to run the marathon itself.

2. Regularity of Training. To run well, the body needs to be trained regularly—that is, 5 to 6 days a week, with set workouts for certain days, set up on a hard/easy pattern. Regularity of workouts allows you to set your workout schedule around your week (or your week around your workout schedule).

3. Good Nutrition and Hydration. Good nutrition fuels the body’s performance and rebuilds broken-down muscles. As for all the trendy dietary manipulations out there, ignore them and cut back on fats and increase carbohydrates, the body’s gasoline. This isn’t rocket science, merely common sense. As far as hydration goes, drink eight to ten glasses of water a day. Yes, you’ll have to urinate frequently, but that just indicates you are properly hydrated. Virtually every organ in your body needs to be bathed in water for it to work efficiently—including your brain. Cut back on alcohol 2 days before a long run; besides its capacity to dehydrate, alcohol can also make it more difficult for your blood system to transport much-needed oxygen. Don’t drink soda pop—it’s no good for you (read the contents of a can some time).

4. Speed Play. Don’t be afraid of speed. If you can throw some speed play (fartlek) into your workouts during the week, it will train your legs to turn over faster, and as a result, the marathon—run at a much slower speed—will seem less of an effort. Repeat miles at the track allow you to gain speed, practice good running form, and learn pacing, as it is a precisely measured environment, which very few training courses are.

5. Shorter Races. Some runners take up the sport and then train for and run a marathon without ever running a shorter race. Bad move. Racing at shorter distances presents an opportunity to do speedwork under the guise of racing while also familiarizing you with the road-racing environment. Running the marathon as your first race is putting unnecessary stress and strain on your experience.

THE BASIC PROGRAM

The 20-week training program that follows is for a runner who is currently running regularly, at least 25 miles a week, and who has been running 10K races at slower than 40 minutes.

¢ WHR refers to “working heart rate.” Although there has been some breaking away from the traditional methods of calculating working heart rate, the new methods can merely complicated a relatively simple process. Why complicate your life? To determine your WHR, subtract your age from 220. This gives you your theoretical maximum heart rate, which translates to 100 percent. From that number, chart rates that equate to 60 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent, and 90 percent of your maximum rate. If you use a heart-rate monitor, so much the better. You can program the mointor for target 60 percent of maximum heart rate for that day’s workout, for instance. If you don’t train with a heart rate monitor, periodically take your pulse while on the run. Because everyone coming to this program has different abilities, but each has a chronological age and a heart rate, the WHR is the easiest way to get everyone working at the same rate. Naturally, your level of fitness, your gender, and your body weight are significant factors.

° Hills. When the workout calls for hills, do not use rugged mountains— unless you’re training for a rugged mountain marathon. The course should contain a regular diet of hills, but the hills should be no steeper than 3 to 4 degrees. Don’t charge the hill, but run it under control and with a eye to good form.

¢ Rest. Arest day means rest. Don’t exercise, unless it is casual exercising such as bike riding (not racing) or swimming.

¢ Mile repeats. Always do the warm-up and also a 1-mile cooldown followed by a 1-mile walk. Walk one lap of the track between each mile repeat.

¢ Longruns. Do your long runs at the WHR indicated—don’t merely slog through them. Long run courses should not be excessively hilly or difficult, as the long run should allow you to get into a rhythm and cruise along. Practice fluid-intake on long runs, either by having someone crew you or by hiding bottles along the course. Practice with the drinks (water or sports drink) that you plan to drink on race day.

¢ Upper-body workouts. Although few marathoners do a regular upperbody routine, doing a simple three- to four-times-a-week session of sit-ups, push-ups, and arm curls can add strength to the upper body. This strength comes in very handy when you would otherwise begin to droop after the first 18 to 20 miles in a marathon.

Sw SSS Richard Benyo BASIC TRAINING FOR THE MARATHON Mf 59

20 WEEKS AND COUNTING

What follows is your basic marathon-training program counting 20 weeks from your marathon:

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON UE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED HU

FRI SAT

SUN MON UE WED HU

20 Weeks Out Res 3-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 1-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 3-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up, 2 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Res 10K race 19 Weeks Out Res 3-mile run at 60% WHR 4-mile run at 70% WHR 3-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up, 2 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 10-mile run at 70% WHR 18 Weeks Out Res’ 4-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 1-mile hill run at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up, 2 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

Rest 8-mile run at 70% WHR or 10K race

17 Weeks Out Rest

3-mile run at 60% WHR 4-mile run at 70% WHR 3-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up, 1 repeat mile at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 12-mile run at 70% WHR 16 Weeks Out Rest 4-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 2-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 3-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up, 3 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

Rest OK race followed immediately by 5K jog

15 Weeks Out

5-mile run at 60% WHR

-mile warm-up jog, 2-mile hill run at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog

3-mile run at 60% WHR

Track: 2-mile warm-up, 3 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

4-mile run at 70% WHR

14 Weeks Out

5-mile run at 60% WHR

-mile warm-up jog, 3-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog

3-mile run at 60% WHR

Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 4 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, -mile cooldown walk

8 to 10-mile run at 80% WHR or 10K race immediately followed by 5-mile jog

13 Weeks Out

4-mile run at 60% WHR

1-mile warm-up jog, 2-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog

3-mile run at 60% WHR

Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 3 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

15-mile run at 70% WHR

12 Weeks Out Rest 5-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 3-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 4 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 10K race followed immediately by 5-mile jog

11 Weeks Out Rest 5-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 3-mile hill run at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 4 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 16-mile run at 70% WHR

Richard Benyo BASIC TRAINING FOR THE MARATHON 61

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

10 Weeks Out Rest 5-mile run at 70% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 4-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 5 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 10 to 12-mile run at 80% WHR or 10K race immediately followed by 5K jog

9 Weeks Out Rest 4-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 3-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 4 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 18-mile run at 70% WHR

8 Weeks Out Rest 5-mile run at 60% WHR 8-mile run at 70% WHR 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 5 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

10K race followed immediately by 10K jog 7 Weeks Out

5-mile run at 70% WHR

1-mile warm-up jog, 4-mile hill run at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog

4-mile run at 60% WHR

Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 5 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

20-mile run at 70% WHR

6 Weeks Out Rest 6-mile run at 60% WHR 8-mile run at 70% WHR 4-mile run at 70% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 5 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 12 to 14-mile run at 80% WHR

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT

SUN MON TUE WED THU

FRI SAT SUN

5 Weeks Out Rest 5-mile run at 60% WHR 1-mile warm-up jog, 4-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog 4-mile run at 60% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 4 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk Rest 21-mile run at 70% WHR

4 Weeks Out

6-mile run at 60% WHR

10-mile run at 80% WHR

5-mile run at 70% WHR

Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 5 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

13 to 15-mile run at 80% WHR or 20K race or 20K time trial 3 Weeks Out

6-mile run at 60% WHR

1-mile warm-up jog, 5-mile hill run at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog

5-mile run at 70% WHR

rack: 2-mile warm-up jog, 5 repeat miles at 70% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, -mile cooldown walk

22-mile run at 70% WHR

2 Weeks Out Rest 5-mile run at 60% WHR 6-mile run at 60% WHR 4-mile run at 70% WHR Track: 2-mile warm-up jog, 2 repeat miles at 80% WHR, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

Rest 10 to 12-mile run at 70% WHR

1 Week Out Rest

4-mile run at 60% WHR

2-mile run at 60% WHR

3-mile run at 70% WHR

Track: 2-mile warm-up job, 1 repeat mile at 90%, 1-mile cooldown jog, 1-mile cooldown walk

Rest or 2-mile slow jog

MARATHON race at 70% WHR

Richard Benyo BASIC TRAINING FOR THE MARATHON _@® 63

RACE DAY TACTICS AND CAUTIONS

Get up plenty early on race day so you’re not rushing yourself. Get to the start at least 30 to 45 minutes before the race is to start. Jog easily for 1 mile to loosen up, but don’t do any fast running. The race itself will give you the chance to gradually loosen up your stride.

Line up to one side or the other of the field that approximates your planned pace (which should be apparent to you from the pace you kept in your 22-mile long run). It’s best to line up on the side so you don’t get trapped in the center

: of the field. Don’t line up in the front unless you plan to win the race. You’ll only hamper faster runners. Don’t get sucked into a fast pace by the excitement of the race environment. Get into your planned pace (i.e., 70% WHR) as soon as possible and stay there.

Mentally break the race into segments: 5 miles, 10 miles, 5 miles, 10K. This pattern goes like this: 5 miles— get into groove, find pace, get rhythm, warm up; 10 miles— smoothest miles of race; be cautious to hold pace down when it begins to feel too easy; 5 miles— concentrate on keep-

. ing smooth and regular pace against impression of increasing effort; 10K—the hard work segment; concentrate and work to hold pace.

The final 10K is difficult for everyone. If you have not exceeded your pace in miles 5 through 15, once your muscles loosen up and you feel good, you should have some energy reserved for the final miles.

Once you cross the finish line, pick up your medal and then keep jogging, or at least walking, for 2 miles or so to bring your heart rate down gradually and to work some of the stiffness out of your legs before it sets in.

Use the week after the race to rest and bask in the glow of a job well done and to restock the carbohydrates you burned during the race. If you exercise at all, take some gentle walks.

Congratulations: you’re a marathoner!

In Midwinter in the Northeast, the Palms of Bermuda Call.

AS THE jet descended toward the runway, it wasn’t difficult for me to remember why I had decided to come to Bermuda. Palm trees. Here it was, the middle of January, and through my window I was seeing palm trees. Back home in Washington, DC, another 2 months would pass before the season offered up even a hint of green.

Inside the skin of the airliner, the temperature was controlled. Outside, just as the Department of Tourism brochures had promised, temps were in the mid 60s. The day was partly overcast and a little on the warm side for someone who’d come from damp, frigid DC, but for me, it would be a perfect setting for a race vacation. “Just hydrate and have a good run,” I told myself, my eyes still on the palm trees.

I had come to Bermuda to enjoy the warmth and run a marathon for fun. Every January, the Bermuda Track and Field Association, in conjunction with the Department of Tourism and a private marathon tour company (Marathon Tours), sponsors an International Race Weekend, which includes an invitational mile, a 10K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon.

The start of the Bermuda Marathon and HalfMarathon.

After safely getting through another fall marathon season, running the Bermuda Marathon seemed a good way to take advantage of the big conditioning base I’d built over the past 6 months, and to reward myself for completing the season without injury.

Bermuda is a commonly misunderstood place. Often associated, albeit distantly, with the Caribbean islands, Bermuda actually lies far north of the Caribbean, about 570 miles east of the North Carolina coast. And although Bermuda is commonly considered a single island, it is really a collection of some 150 separate islands, many of them no more than a speck of rock peeking above the bright blue waters.

These islands are the tips of long-dormant volcanoes. Put together, they form a long, fishhook-shaped archipelago, inhabited by 61,000 people. Because the islands are swept by the friendly Gulf Stream waters and winds, the temperature in Bermuda stays moderate all year long, ranging from a low in the 60s to a high in the mid to upper 70s.

In the middle of this fishhook is the city of Hamilton, established in 1790 as aconvenient meeting place for all of Bermuda’s scattered residents. Hamilton is the capitol of Bermuda, and its streets are filled with pubs, restaurants, and little shops. The main thoroughfare is Front Street, which runs parallel to the harbor and features a roofed sentry box affectionately called “the birdcage,” from which a police officer directs traffic.

Near the birdcage is the Number 1 Passenger Terminal, site of the race packet pickup. After checking in at my hotel, I hustled over to get my race number, but I found surprisingly few people at packet pickup. I learned that the field would be—how shall I say this?—an intimate gathering of runners.

A SMALL AND INTIMATE FIELD

There were 392 runners registered for the full marathon and 313 for the half— a far cry from the maddening crowds at New York, Boston, and Chicago. But small races do have their charm.

Race secretary Pam Shailer told me that the day before last year’s marathon, she had been contacted by a runner making last-minute plans to fly to Bermuda to run the race. He was not registered and had not arranged for lodging and transportation. Pam accepted his registration, helped arrange his stay, and picked him up on race day to drive him to the starting line. While I would never dream of imposing myself on a race official that way—and I can’t guarantee that Pam would do something like that again—it’s nice to be part of a race in which the support is a little more personal than the norm.

I dabbled the rest of the day in sightseeing, shopping, eating—but mostly Trested, waiting for race day. I’d heard a report that rain was expected, so ’’d

— Course Profile <—— Repeat Loop

4om_ Torrington 39m 30m _ © Hill Road 20m —F Front 21m

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Devil’s Hole d

Flatts Village 7. 8

5m 27m ~—’1.2m_ South Road Harrington Sound Road —_—North Shore Road Pitts Bay Road 3m 6m

come prepared for the worst. In the middle of the night I heard a light tapping noise: rain splashing against the window. Grrrr, I thought, clutching my pillow. Iimagined the wet huddled mass of runners waiting at the start. But, no. Hours later, when I rose and headed out the door, the rain had tailed off, leaving a cool, overcast morning. Perfect!

By 7:30 a.m., I was once again on Front Street, 30 minutes from the start of the race.

The course is a double loop, circling back to the start, where half-marathoners pull over to the side, while marathoners forge ahead for another circuit of the path just traveled. When I first began to consider running this race, my initial question was, “Where’s the hill?” After all, in a marathon, there’s almost always a hill. Sure enough, it was there: a nearly 40-meter climb at 3.5 miles called McGall’s Hill, revisited at 16.5 miles. I decided to keep that little impediment in mind.

After a quick bathroom visit (short lines!—another benefit of a small race field), it was time to line up. The signal was given, and suddenly we were off and running.

The first mile flashed by in a blur of storefronts and adrenaline, and then we slipped out of the city center and onto a beautiful country road, heading east. The road was not crowded, but neither was it empty: there were runners all around me, and I always feel at home in that community. We approached a few rolling hills and then arrived at the foot of McGall’s Hill. The climb looked impressive but fell easily under our eager feet. As I crested the hill, I wondered

ERMUDA TAKES its name from Captain Juan de Bermudez, who first

sighted the islands in 1503. With its perilous volcanic reefs, Bermuda was a site of many shipwrecks, leading some seafarers to refer to the region as the Isle of Devils. In 1609, Admiral Sir George Somers, en route to the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, was caught in a fierce storm and shipwrecked in Bermuda along with his 150 crewmembers. They discovered that Bermuda was rich with cedar trees and wild pigs, left behind by the Spanish. Sir George and his crew salvaged their ship, built a new one, and sailed off, but their adventure sparked English interest in the island. Legend has it that Sir George’s story inspired Shakespeare to begin writing The Tempest the following year.

Jeffrey Horowitz ISLAND FUN 67

how it would seem to me a bit over an hour from now, when we returned to visit it again.

THE GREEN WORLD

Green. I’d noticed it upon arriving, but into the run, I noticed it everywhere. Lush green, bright green. The island doesn’t have a soil base deep and rich enough to support large-scale agriculture, but its native plants thrive, lining the marathon course with color. And there are other colors as well: houses splashed with blues and yellows and pinks, and the bright white of their rooftops, kept clean so the water that falls from their sides may be stored in underground cisterns for later use.

L also noticed something else—or, more correctly, the lack of something else. Garbage. I saw no trash on the streets, not in Hamilton, not on the country roads, not anywhere. So far, it was a runner’s paradise.

We turned north onto Devil’s Hole Road, and at mile five we were treated to a view of Harrington Sound. From there we turned towards Flatts Village. True to its name, the approach to Flatts Village is indeed flat. Crowds had been sparse, but at this point people began to show in larger numbers. There were several small groups of spectators. They appeared interested and supportive, though more reserved than the boisterous crowds you find at major marathons. Not exactly the Wall of Sound as you turn off the bridge and onto First Avenue at New York, and it certainly isn’t the Valley of Sound you pass through at Boston when you reach Wellesley. The restraint seems to be in line with the character of Bermuda. The islands are, after all, in possession of Great Britain, and they retain some of the Old World mannerisms and gentility. Bermudans don’t scream and yell along the course, but they are A lush, green world surrounds runners quick to return a polite “Hello” or on the Bermuda Marathon course. “Good morning.”

COURTESY OF THE BERMUDA DEPAY

“6 John Smith’s Bay

Upon leaving Flatts Village, we turned left and headed west along the North Shore Road. Here, at mile 8, I was rewarded with the first ocean view of the race—and it was breathtaking. Jagged dark volcanic rock meets glorious blue water in a spray of white foam. The scene was almost enough to make me want to stop and sit, but I continued, consoled in the thought that I’d be back to see this again later in the morning when I did my second loop.

YOUNGER THAN IT LOOKS

The road then settled into a pattern of rolling hills, and I noticed that the porous nature of the limestone used as a building material made structures appear weathered and ancient—a stone archway overhead looked positively medieval. I also noticed a salty breeze blowing in off the ocean, another welcome distraction.

To my left, I saw the Railway Trail, a running path made up of segments from Bermuda’s old railway line, completed in 1931 and abandoned in 1947. The trail looks filled with beauty and adventure, carved through rock and draped in foliage. I fought the urge to head out and explore it.

At mile 11 we turned and headed south, back toward Hamilton. An old man sitting in a folding chair by the side of the road called out: “Once you pass me, it’s easy to the finish!”

“Great!” I called back. “See you again soon!” And I hoped I would.

The last 2 miles into Hamilton are downhill and fast. By this time, the sun had fought its way through the clouds and scattered them, and the foliage seemed to have retreated. “Not good,” I thought to myself as the temperature began to climb.

The halfway point loomed ahead, and the half-marathoners around us burst into speed. I joined their enthusiasm and flew through the finish line, but my race was only half over, and my legs, as if acknowledging that, lost some of their springiness.

I realized that McGall’s Hill was waiting for me a mere 3 miles away. As I tried to regain my focus and marshal my reserves, a man on a scooter passed

by and offered me a piece of candy. “I’ll be with you guys all the way!” he promised as he sped ahead to the next runner. Just then an older Japanese man passed me and called out, “I’m faster than last year!”

“Good for you!” I called back. I felt oddly energized by his enthusiasm. I threw an invisible lasso around him, and let him pull me along for a few miles. Before long, I’d found my stride again and settled into a groove.

THE HILL LOOMS

And just in time, too. McGall’s Hill loomed ahead, and it seemed to have grown since my last circuit. That leaden feeling crept back into my legs, and I concentrated on just moving ahead, putting one foot in front of the other. Looking off to my left, I saw rolling green fields. On a distant hill a woman with long brown hair sat, a dog by her side. She smiled and waved, and I waved back, transfixed. And then I was on top of the hill. I noticed for the first time that there is a church there, and, on the right, a cemetery. Appropriate, I supposed. But not for me. Not today. I was moving on.

I began to breathe a sigh of relief as I remembered the flat miles that lay ahead. The heat had taken its toll, however, and I feared that soon I’d start slowing down. As I came upon Flatts Village again, I tried to put a confident face on my running—for myself as well as the spectators. I heard someone call out “You’re 17th!” Really? ’m not an elite runner, and I’d never before been told my place during a race. One more benefit of a small race field—and it was enough to boost me over the next few miles.

As I continued, I realized that the crowds, though sparse in numbers, were as determined as the runners to see the race through. They remembered me and called out as I passed by. The children waved, and the women smiled. “You’re looking good!” they called. “You too!” I yelled back to them.

Then came the old man, still sitting in his chair, waving to me as if he’d known me for years. And up ahead was Runner number 16. That could be me, I thought to myself, and as the miles passed, I felt confident it would be.

The street signs indicated 4 kilometers to Hamilton, so I tried to speed up. There was the man on his scooter again. No thanks, I shook my head: no more candy for me, but thank you, thank you.

Now there were more people along the path, and I’d begun counting the minutes. Mile 25 was downhill, and I wondered if the extra speed I gained from the descent would be worth the pain in my legs and lungs. But just ahead was Mister 16 and I was near, very near… and then next to him. He smiled and said “Hello.” I smiled back and surged onward. Then there was Front Street again, and the finish line just ahead, a real finish line for me this time, and I crossed it, relieved and grateful for having completed another marathon. A medal, and I turned around, and there was Mister 16—now Mister 17. I thanked him for being there to help me finish the race.

POSTRACE ENJOYMENTS

Now I stepped inside the terminal, upstairs where I’d left my baggage, and where there was the promise of food and drink. I took in fluids during the race, but I was still so thirsty. It had been hot out there, but Pam Shailer, the race secretary, told me that it had hailed during race weekend the year before, so I was happy to have been spared any rain or ice.

There were pastries, fruit, hot chocolate, and soup, and soon I felt revived. Downstairs, two massage therapists were administering to the runners, and I went down to get in line. When it was my turn, the therapist introduced himself as John Ford. From what I could tell, he knew just about everyone there. More important, his fingers were magic and brought welcome relief to my tired body.

LAVERY WAS introduced to Bermuda in 1616, but because of the unsuitability of the island for large plantations, most slaves became skilled tradesmen rather than fieldhands. Slavery was finally abolished in 1834 throughout all the British possessions, including Bermuda. Segregation, however, was the policy in Bermuda, just as it was in the United States, well into the 1950s. A boycott of movie theaters and restaurants in 1959 brought about an end to segregation in those and other businesses, and universal suffrage was adopted in 1963. A new constitution, adopted in 1968, provided for full self-government on domestic issues, but in a referendum held in 1995, Bermudans rejected full independence from Britain by a margin of nearly three-to-one.

Getting There And Enjoying It

decide to attend the Bermuda Marathon, a long weekend would ugh time to see most of the sights and to appreciate the island’s history. To help plan and enjoy your trip, | recommend that you — lanet guidebook to Bermuda. Also, check oe the race Web nnuidatrackn field. com. :

i on of the hotels. just outside d downtown Hamilton. The penton

Princess Hotel is one of the old grand dames and is near to the finish line. This should be your first choice if it is within your means. Expect to pay a little more than usual for all your eae There is no prerace pasta feed, but | recommend La Trattoria Restaurant, 22 Washington Lane, for good, cheap carboloading. For lighter fare and a beer or two, the Frog & Onion, out by the Royal Navy Dockyards, is a fun pub to visit. And if you have a chance, treat yourself to High Tea in one of the finer hotels.

As it turned out, the finish line stayed open well past the advertised deadline, and the last finisher crossed almost 9 hours after the race began. The men’s winning time was 2:21:18 by Fedor Ryzkov, and the women’s winning time was 2:43:17 by Lioudmila Kortchaguina. Both came from Russia.

As I made my way back to my hotel for a well-earned shower, I wondered about the future of the race. We have seen lots of races grow so big that they have become, as Yogi Berra might have said, so crowded that no one goes to them anymore. So what can we expect to happen to the Bermuda Marathon?

Here’s what we know. The Bermuda Marathon is held in an exotic location, but it’s easily accessible from many U.S. cities. It’s a wintertime race that offers moderate to warm temperatures and has relatively little competition from other marathon races at that time of year.

Finally, it has already become a destination race for one major charity fundraising organization, and others can be expected to follow. So, assuming continued corporate sponsorship, it’s a good bet that this race will grow significantly over the next few years. There’s no reason to believe that this will be a problem, however, since both the Bermuda Marathon course and the race administration appear ready to handle bigger crowds. For now, and for the foreseeable future, the Bermuda Marathon is a jewel of a race and f deserves to be added to your running to-do list.

RUN THE OKLAHOMA CITY MEMORIAL MARATHON

marathon ¢ 2 person relay ¢ 5 person relay * wheelchairs * marathon walk kid’s marathon ¢ memorial walk * expo

THE 2ND ANNUAL OKLAHOMA CITY

MEMORIAL MARATHON

Sunday, April 28th, 2002

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

(405) 525-4242 www.okcmarathon.com

inffaloare RP

Sunday, May 26, 2002 Buffalo, New York

Register on-line at: www.buffalomarathon.com Marathon hotline: (716) 694-5154

Marathon

Half Marathon

Relay Teams

Family Events

Carbo-load Party

Two Day Expo

It’s a scenic

flat fast course, taking you through the best

streets in Buffalc

register online today! Quww.cmmarathon.com

Troy | Eas

TIMEX NASHVITIE:

toe erolileol: i a SS Sa Naat

, CALGARY ih a

Sunday, July 7, 2002

° marathon ¢ 2-person and 5-person marathon relays ¢ ¢ 10K ¢ family marathon mile «

Now you can wrangle a summer 10 km, McCarthy Tetrault 5-person marathon and bring along the family Marathon Relay, Crape Geomatics for a vacation they won’t forget. 2-person Relay and the Hopewell Join us for our 38th Annual Calgary Family Marathon Mile. After your Herald Stampede Road Race in race, relax and get set to take in the

Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We’ve got world famous Calgary Stampede. a race for every cowpoke with scenic Ten days of rodeos, chuckwagon routes, great post-race food, fun races, western entertainment, activities and friendly faces to cheer midway rides and corn dogs, and you on. The BURNCO Marathon is a loads of free Stampede breakfasts flat course that starts at historic Fort throughout the city. Yahoo! Calgary and winds its way through

the Calgary Zoo, friendly neighbour- For registration information, hoods, beautiful parks and tree-lined please visit our website at

paths by the scenic Bow River. www.stampederoadrace.com or call There’s also the Calgary Herald 403-264-2996.

Yahoo!

Running as a Metaphor for ‘Life

Running, Especially Long Distances, Is the Path to Wholeness, Vitality, Awareness, & Life Itself.

NVOLVEMENT WITH running and racing at any level can be viewed as

a personal journey, a lifetime of discovery and learning. Training is far more than just physical activity or competition. It offers the opportunity to look deep inside and uncover weaknesses and strengths. The lessons appear on many different levels—mental, physical, and even spiritual—as you allow yourself to open up to them.

Whether you’re running competitively or for health and fitness, you can encounter the full range of knowledge and experience required for success in life. The sports setting is like a miniature rehearsal for life’s trials, with all the pleasures and hardships, successes and setbacks, victories and shortcomings that you face in day-to-day living. Participation in sports—in our case, running—can provide a path to personal discovery and development. Running is a perfect metaphor for understanding how to live your life to the fullest.

Running teaches us about many aspects of life that would be difficult to learn in any other way. The power and energy of athletics, the feeling of being completely absorbed in an activity, can bring out your absolute best. Competition offers a unique opportunity to challenge yourself, test your limits, and perform as you never have before. Few activities in life offer the kind of intensity and accelerated learning you find in athletics.

I once interviewed Payton Jordan, one of the legendary U.S. runners and the model for longevity in sport. Payton is now 83 years old and is still setting world age-group records on the track. He looked back on his association with Jesse Owens, considered one of the greatest sprinters in the world: “I remember when I ran against Jesse Owens in the 100 yards at a college meet at the LA Coliseum. I was 17, and he was 25 years old. You just knew when you talked

JoAnn Dahlkoetter RUNNING AS A METAPHOR FOR LIFE Ml 77

to Jesse, the aura of confidence, commitment, and preparation. There are certain athletes who, when they walk up to the starting line, you know they’ re going to do their job. It was just the way Jesse carried himself.”

You can attain that same kind of confidence and inner strength through a daily commitment to your marathon training.

THE GAME OF LIFE

The pursuit of excellence can be both demanding and satisfying. To do well in running, you are simultaneously learning what it takes to do well in the rest of your life. The principles for distinction in both areas are the same. The difference between a mediocre athlete and a champion is in the willingness to persevere in the face of adversity.

The qualities that employers look for in their workers are the same ones that coaches seek in their athletes..Character and integrity come first, followed closely by positive attitude, self-discipline, desire, and commitment.

THE “SOFTER” QUALITIES

Behind the mental toughness and competitiveness of training and performing in sport, another, far deeper level of learning takes place when you get involved in running. You may not appreciate this part until you lose a race, or become injured, or sink into a performance slump. For deep fulfillment and personal growth through athletics, you also need to learn the “softer qualities” of patience and humility and accepting responsibility for mistakes.

You learn to search deep inside to discover your vulnerabilities and your strong points. After you recover from an injury, you expand your appreciation of health and life. Through riding the waves of successes and failures, you learn how to win and how to rebound from defeat. You accept the ups and downs in running, and also in life.

When you train and compete, over time you’ll face an array of emotional states as you respond to demanding situations. You learn to handle difficult emotions and express your feelings even when it’s uncomfortable to do so. Along with emotional awareness, you may also develop a new sensitivity to your body, so you can tell when it’s time to push hard and when you need to rest and recover. Through these experiences you’ I] develop a firm belief in yourself and a faith in your plan. You’ll know yourself well enough to make wise decisions. You’ll have an inner direction and a sense of purpose in life.

Once these qualities are acquired through running, they will naturally flow into your professional and personal life. Your belief in your ability as a runner helps you keep confident during a job interview and remain under control in

pressure situations. World champion marathoner Mark Plaatjes talks about how running carries over into other aspects of life:

Running has defined my life as a person, a physical therapist, a husband, and a father. The way my running goes is the way my life goes. When I am running well, I am focused, goal-oriented, and single-minded. This translates into other areas of my life as well. I am sharper at work and make fewer mistakes. I have more energy to do things with my family. I am generally more productive in all spheres of my life. Running brings passion to everything I do in life.

LIFE’S LESSONS FROM RUNNING

There are many parallels between athletics and our day-to-day living. Here are ways you can incorporate the lessons of running into your personal life.

Positive Vision

Find your passion and follow your path. In sports and in life you need to find what you love doing and carry it out with your heart and soul. Discover an activity that is meaningful for you. Follow your intuition and choose the path that serves you best. Then move forward on your course with passion and commitment. Stay true to your dreams regardless of what others say. When you enjoy what you’ re doing and know you’ re pursuing worthwhile goals, anything is pos- ~~ sible. :

When asked about his unorthodox running form, Michael Johnson would respond, “Some people think it looks different, some people think it’s strange. What do I call it? How about beautiful! I think the best description is effective. My style is more smooth, more effortless than most of the people ’m running with. Some coaches were leery at first. Running teaches us about many asThey’d say, “Yeah, he’ll be really good pects of life that would be difficult when I change his style.’” to learn in any other way.

JoAnn Dahlkoetter RUNNING AS A METAPHOR FOR LIFE Mf 79

But the irony is that Michael’s “funny” running style is actually a quick cadenced biomechanical marvel—a huge factor behind his mind-boggling speed. Michael noted: “A lot of commentators would say, ‘God, if he changed his running style, if he ran like everybody else, just imagine what he could do.’ Yeah, I say, if I ran like the other guys, I’d be right back there with everybody else.”

Despite what others may say, sometimes you have to keep the faith and push through to your dreams.

What is your true passion in running? What turns you on and energizes you in life? Are you allowing enough time for these things? The best performers in athletics, education, the arts, and engineering do what they love and love what they do. They pursue their goals for the pure joy of engaging in the activity. They invest so much of themselves in the activity because they see their goals as rewarding and worthwhile. Thus they can continue to create with excitement and vision.

Playfulness and Fun

Work extremely hard toward your future goals in running and in life, but don’t sacrifice the rest of your life to arrive there. It’s possible to balance working hard and playing hard while having a fulfilling life in the here and now. You can achieve your dreams and have fun in the process. No matter how intense things become in your life, always leave time for play. Nothing should get in the way of laughter and fun; they allow you to lighten up and keep life in perspective. Play can enrich your life as much as any other goal or achievement. It cleanses your spirit, recharges your batteries, and allows you to return to work with renewed enthusiasm.

Keep playfulness at the center of your life. Create opportunities to laugh or play at least once a day. You can even do it while you’re working. I once had a client come in and ask me about an article he was reading in a magazine. He said: “Dave Scott, six-time Ironman winner, was talking about lactate threshold. But later he was also talking about nutrition and including a lot of milk in your diet.” The client then asked me: “So what is this lactate threshold anyway? Does it have something to do with milk?”

I laughed and told him, “Oh, you’ ve reached your lactate threshold when you’ve consumed the most milk you can possibly drink.” (Fortunately, he knew I was joking.)

Do you view your workouts as a time for work or play? Perhaps there should be time for both.

You can play in both running and in life. Remember when you first discovered running? Can you recapture that feeling of spontaneity and curiosity, the total absorption in your activity, of being in the moment?

You can bring back a simple focus, having a mind that is free from anxiety and distractions, with no concern about the judgments of others. You can become totally connected to what you’re doing at each moment, whether it’s an interval workout or writing a proposal for your supervisor at work. You can enjoy a fresh outlook each day and look forward to continuous learning, in running and in life. Never forget the power of play.

Appreciation for Life

Recognize the value of your journey in running and in life, and realize all that you have gained. As you look back on the road you have traveled, you can take a broader view and acknowledge the many goals you have achieved along the way. Remember all the friends you have met and the opportunities that have come your way. Realize how much your body has allowed you to accomplish, and treasure the fun and satisfaction you’ ve experienced. You’ ll identify a host of benefits you have been receiving without even realizing it.

Cathy Freeman, 2000 Olympic gold medalist at the 400 meters, related this story:

Iremember as a child this sense of being inferior, that we had no right to be in a white restaurant, or a white store. There’s always a sense of loss, with all that was taken away from us. We were taken away from our homes and put into orphanages and camps. It makes me very sad, but also very determined. I carried both Aboriginal and Australian flags at the last World Championships. Now I am proud of my origins. The effect I have on children is a by-product of what I do best. Iam very honored. I feel very proud.

Cathy Freeman’s victory in Sydney was one of the most stirring moments in Olympic history. She is the best definition of grace under pressure. Her winning of the 400 meters is a representation of the way things are supposed to be.

Practice the discipline of gratitude on a daily basis. Enjoy and savor every moment of the day. Take time to appreciate each experience in life, and connect with the precious friends and family around you. Remind yourself to look for the simple joys before beginning each day and before starting each new activity. Find meaning and value in everything you do. Let those special moments, people, and pleasures enrich your body, mind, and spirit. Remember where you came from and be grateful for your accomplishments. Be thankful that you have another day to live.

I interviewed 2000 Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila at the Stanford Invitational track meet just moments after she broke her own world record two times in the pole-vault. She told me: “When I am running down the approach

toward the bar, sure I’m focusing on making the height. But more importantly, I feel so fortunate that I can just experience the pleasure of running fast and jumping high.”

Your Performing Edge

Take risks, challenge yourself, and stretch your limits. You can learn to think, train, and feel like a champion; you keep the Olympic spirit with you every day. Follow your dreams and pursue what is most important to you with vision and passion.

When you consider all those who have lived before us, and all those who will come after, our lifetime is relatively short. So live your life to the fullest, with vitality and intensity. Be present each step of the way. Train for the pure enjoyment of moving your body. When you’re running, run; when you’re working, work; when you’ re outside, open up your senses to your environment and let it heal you. Capture the energy of the moment.

When you do an activity purely to enjoy the process, you become open to the most fulfilling moments. There’s no external reward at stake. You require no praise or honor for your accomplishment. There’s no need for others to see or even know what you’re doing. The value is internal and exists in the doing. You do it for its own reward.

THE SAME PRINCIPLES APPLY

Running challenges the body, mind, and spirit. Competition develops awareness, self-confidence, cooperation, and sensitivity to yourself and others. The same traits apply to academics and the work environment. Learning and working require the same energy and commitment as competitive running, and they yield the same kinds of benefits. Running and learning go well together to help people discover and realize their true potential in life. If athletics can give you an inner desire, courage, and determination—and if you can combine that with a firm belief in yourself—you’ll be a success in the game of life.

Our way of life is perfectly expressed through our physical training. All of the strengths that make up our humanity—the passion, the competition, the pressures, and the willingness to overcome adversity—are all found in the spirit of sport. As you grow both athletically and personally, you’Il open up to the value in yourself. When you keep the right perspective in your training, regardless of the final outcome, you’re bound to emerge from the running experience a better person. You’ll discover that your voyage has no final destination. The purpose of traveling is for continued growth as you keep redefining what you can achieve in your life. es

2002 MAD CITY MARATHON

It’s marathon time once again in the Mad City, and you’re invited! Come to Madison this Memorial Day Weekend!

Race Weekend (At Health & Fitness Expo) $60 There will be no race-day registration for the marathon. HALF MARATHON ENTRY FEES:

MADISON 5K/10K ENTRY FEES:

CARBO-LOAD DINNER sis

YOUR ENTRY FEE INCLUDES:

A unique race tshirt, goodie-bag, finishine festival and complete

race results. Marathon finishers also receive a race medallion.

Marathon & Half Marathon goodie bags, numbers and tshirts may

ONLY be picked up at the Health & Fitness Fair May 25.

* ENTER ONLINE at www.madcitymarathon.com

* Or fill out the official registration form below, and send along with your check to: AD (TV MARATHOH, c/o Madison Festivals, RO. Box 45535, Madison, WI 53744-5535, (608) 445-1215. Make checks payable to MAD CITY MARATHON, LLC.

SACE-DIISION

OVERALL First 5 men/women and first 5 Masters men/women

WHEELCHAIRS Top 3 finishers

AGE GROUPS All Marathon finishers will receive medallions. ‘The first three men and women in each age group will receive awards. 19 and under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 00-64, 65-69, 70+.

MADISON WISCONSIN o CAUTH G FITNESS EAR , May 25,9 am-5 pm, Madison Marriott West

MARATHON GOODIE BAGS, NUMBERS AND ‘T-SHIRTS MUST BE PICKED UP AT THE EXPO!

WWW.MADCTUMARATHON.COM + CQRRO LOD DINNCR «

Evening of May 25, 5-7 pw, Madison Marriott West

Release of Claims Send with your check to: MAD QTV MARATHON, In consideration of the acceptance of my entry in

MAD© CITY MARATHON RACE APPLICATION co Madison Festival, PO. Box 45535, Madison, WI Sw or abut hay 26,2002 release Mad Gy

53744-5535, (608) 445-1215. Make checks payable to. Marathon, its members and officers, Madison

SIGN UP ONLINE! WWW.MADCTUMARATHON.COM , MAD CITY MARATHON, LLC. Resta ne See ant a LAST NAME FIRST NAME Lit Board of Regents, theTown of Madison, te Sate of

‘Wisconsin and their respective employees or agents, the vas cvcntsponsiing ogatzaton and ote 5 individuals r entities who are in any way connect ADDRESS (INCLUDE APT NO OR SUITE) {othe event, including any volunteers asisting with the event from any lability or cain for injury o – ss dha might ssn uring ty parcipaton ny of these events or that fin any other way relat cITy STATE IE, CODE ed’to these events, | understand that this release applies to myself and my personal representatives, els and asgns.1 know that running in the tharathon,or the other events, isa potentially haz:

COUNTRY (LEAVE BLANK IF U.S.) AGE SEX TSHIRT SIZE a ee eect MorF SIMUXL {quately and am medically able. assume all sks a8s0ated with running in the marathon or in the other DAY PHONE NIGHT PHONE DATE OF BIRTH other arp co weather acing gh 7 7 7 7 ket [7119] thon ute ot ll pemon wow, MARITAL STATUS EDUCATION No. of MARATHONS COMPLETED (open ituianes motion pictares recordings or Single | | Married ls. | |cottege | |Graa. schoo! : [Best Finish Time 202 other feproduction of my participation in any IN WHICH EVENT(S) WILL YOU BE PARTICIPATING? Seutue Marathon Marathon Wheelchair ‘Half Marathon 10K Run 5K Run SK Walk Date : Guana under _ Carbo-Load Dinner: No. Tickets EXPECTED RACE FINISH TIME|_ |= ae

YNINIV (Your Mileage May Vary)

The Quest to Determine the Most Relevant Training Elements Begins with the Examination of One Runner’s Data.

BY DAN HORVATH

A UTO MANUFACTURERS are careful to qualify their gas mileage claims with the phrase, “Your mileage may vary.” And so it is with distance running. What works for one person may or may not work for another. There are varying degrees of correlation between one runner’s training regimen and his or her results when compared to those of other runners.

One of the problems in determining how best to train for and run marathons is that opinions are so varied about what works and what doesn’t. Every coach and writer has a biased view about what you ought to do to maximize your training and realize your potential. Unfortunately, much of their advice is not backed up by hard evidence. In many cases, the data required for adequate analysis simply does not exist.

Over the years, I’ ve been collecting an extensive amount of data about my own training and racing. Although this data applies only to myself, and your mileage may vary, some analysis will still be useful to others. At best, you may be able to apply some of the deductions to your own training. And at the very least, you’ll be able to find out what has worked or not worked for this one individual.

The analysis of the data shows the correlation between the following factors and marathon performance (see pages 90-91 for the data):

¢ Overall training factors such as total mileage, overall pace, and mile repeat pace.

¢ Various long run factors, such as long run pace and distance.

¢ Various other miscellaneous factors, such as weight and age.

These factors were chosen for two reasons: first, they may actually provide useful information, and second, I actually have data relating to them.

THE DATA

To determine which training factors have the most influence on a given race, I first select the marathons and then analyze the related training data. Here are the criteria for selecting which of my 50+ marathons to include in the analysis:

e There must be data available relating to all of the factors.

¢ The marathon itself must have been a serious effort, not just a “long training run.”

e I must have not become injured or sick just before or during the race.

¢ Imustnothave “hit the wall” badly during the race. This is because these efforts are generally precipitated by starting out too fast, and then finishing with a much slower time than I would have had I simply runa steady but slower pace.

I was interested in the races where I would and should expect a certain result, based as much as possible on the training itself. I came up with 30 marathons that fit the criteria (see pages 90-91).

It so happens that for many of these marathons, the expected result was a time in the neighborhood of 3 hours. [For more on the subject of how to break 3 hours, see “Six Fifty-Two” in the November/December 1999 issue of M&B.] Some of these efforts were successful and some not. For the purposes of this study, however, that objective shouldn’t matter. The correlation between the various training elements and the marathon performance ought to apply regardless of the time goal.

Several environmental factors, such as weather conditions and what I ate the night before the race, may cause variations in marathon performances. Using larger quantities of data help to mitigate these factors in such a way that they begin to lose significance, however. They will not be taken into account for this study.

Most marathon training programs span a time period of 12 to 18 weeks. Although a longer build-up period is generally preferable, the first several weeks are often devoted to base-building. The factors analyzed assume that I already have a solid base, so the period chosen for the data is generally 1 of 12 weeks before the marathon.

Dan Horvath YMMV (YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY) 85

INFORMATION, CORRELATION, AND CAUSATION

Although I’ ve collected all of this data, I haven’t always done so great a job of processing it into useful information. Sure, I do look back once in a while to determine some of the training that led to a successful race effort. But these looks back are not very qualitative or quantitative. Sharing a detailed analysis of the data is the goal of this article. The transformation of the available data into useful information involves correlating the training data with the marathon performance data by use of statistical models.

Probability and statistics were not among my strongest courses back in my college days. Those days, in turn, happen to be a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Iam fortunate, however, to have two daughters in college who were able to help out their ole Dad with his homework. You won’t need to be a statistician to understand the basic principles here, however.

To show correlation, each set of training data is plotted against the marathon performance data. In addition, a correlation coefficient, R, is computed. R is a number that describes the relationship between two sets of data. I’m sure there’s a reason why it’s called R, but please don’t ask me what that reason is. To make the correlations more meaningful, R is squared and then multiplied by 100 to arrive at the percentage of variation in one factor explained by the other factor.

To put it more concisely, for each set of training data versus the marathon performance data, a scatter diagram will be created, and the percentage of variation will be calculated; the larger the percentage, the stronger the correlation. The actual formula for R, as well as that for any other method of measuring correlation, is left as an exercise for the reader. For my part, I used Microsoft Excel.

There is one other thing. Each daughter independently informed me that “correlation does not imply causation.” Causation, I said, is the whole idea of training. On the other hand, it is conceivable that a strong correlation between, say, mile repeat pace and marathon pace may simply be due to being in shape (or young, or not being injured, etc.), and not due to one thing causing the other. More on this later.

OVERALL TRAINING ELEMENTS

Is there a correlation between marathon pace and overall mileage? A nonrunning acquaintance overheard a friend and I discussing his most recent marathon. The acquaintance said, “Wow, a marathon! How did you train for it?” My friend, who didn’t want to be bothered explaining the intricacies of his training to someone who wouldn’t understand (or even ultimately care), replied, “Tran a lot.”

I liked his answer. It really sums things up, doesn’t it? If you want to runa marathon, you’ve got to run a lot. If you want to run a fast marathon, you should probably run even more. But how close is the correlation between number of training miles and the resulting marathon pace?

In comparing the total number of miles run during the 12 weeks before a marathon to the actual marathon pace, there is a fairly strong negative correlation, and a percentage of variation of 11.47 percent. This means that for me, more miles do relate to a faster marathon pace.

How about the correlation between marathon pace and overall pace? There’s no doubt that training is specific. To run fast during a race, you must run fast during your training. The question is, how specific is it? How close is the correlation between the overall training pace over the previous 12-week period and the resulting marathon pace?

The correlation analysis yields a percentage of variation of 0.42 percent. This number is so small that it’s almost insignificant. Could it be that it doesn’t matter how fast I train? Clearly, for me, overall training pace is not as important as I had thought.

It occurs to me that perhaps for my more successful efforts I had more variation in my training pace. That is, I may have done my fast runs faster, although my slow runs may have been slower. I may also have done more fast training. The best way I have to measure this sort of thing is to examine the number of races during the marathon build-up period and my mile repeat pace. The assumption is that I would be doing these runs much faster than my normal training pace. In addition, the number of races gives us some idea of quantity of fast training efforts. See below for analysis.

Correlation Between Marathon Pace and the Number of Previous Races Run During the Marathon Build-Up

Does it help to run other races as part of the marathon training? I often try to fit some shorter races into my schedule. For the data, I examined the total number of races run during the prior 12 weeks. Marathons or other races done as “training runs” are not included, but marathons that were run as races are counted as races. Of course, for a serious attempt at a fast marathon, you generally should not be running another serious marathon within the previous 3 months, but there are always exceptions. Your marathons may vary.

With the exception of those few longer ones, the majority of the races were in the 10K range. It would have been nice to analyze these race paces versus the marathon pace, but the distances do still vary; it may be anything from 5Ks to other marathons. Pace calculators, used to compute one distance’s anticipated pace based on arace pace of a different distance, are available elsewhere.

Comparing the total number of prior races run to the marathon pace itself yields a percentage of variation of 15.20 percent. This means that, for me, it appears that it does help to run other races prior to the marathon, and the more, the better. Contrast this with the philosophy of making the marathon one’s first road race of any kind!

Correlation Between Marathon Pace and Average Mile Repeat Pace

For all 30 of the marathons in this analysis, my preparation included several sessions of 1-mile repeats. These interval sessions are generally done in the form of 1600-meter repeats, with a 400-meter rest in between. Of course they also include warm-up and cool-down periods. I usually do one session of six to nine of these each week during the 12 weeks leading up to the race. The exceptions come when I substituted other speed work, say 1200-meter repeats or a race or tempo run. I also usually avoid or curtail these sessions during the final 2 weeks. Due to all these variables, I was not able to analyze the number or frequency of repeats— only their pace.

The pace for the repeats is important, however. I usually try to run them at close to my current 10K pace. How closely correlated is this pace with the resulting marathon pace? The percentage of variation is 34.81 percent. This indicates a strong correlation: a faster average mile repeat pace definitely does relate to a faster marathon pace.

LONG RUNS

There is general agreement that the long run is the cornerstone of any marathon training program. Opinions vary widely, however, on how long the long runs should be and on the optimum pace for these runs.

Correlation Between Marathon Pace and the Distance of Long Runs

There has been much controversy over the years regarding how long long runs ought to be. Some say that they should not exceed 20 miles, so that you’ re able to resume mid-week training sooner. Others have opined that to prepare for the rigors of the last 10K of the marathon itself, much longer training runs, say 27 to 29 miles, are necessary.

A more recent, and I think more sensible, notion has come along that you should run long runs of the same amount of time that you expect to run the marathon. This may indicate a maximum of about 22 miles, depending on the difference between marathon and long run pace.

Icalculated the average distance for all runs 18 miles and longer during the 12 weeks before the marathon. These runs have generally been done on a weekly basis. The comparison to marathon pace yielded a slight surprise: the percentage of variation is only 0.02 percent, so there’s no significant correlation. This means that I haven’t necessarily run faster marathons when my long runs have been longer; the distance of those runs doesn’t appear to matter. Perhaps I’ ve been overdoing it a bit, however. It may be better to save my legs for my other training.

Another philosophy that I’ve adopted in recent years is to alternate between very long and semi-long runs. One week I may do a 25-miler, followed by a 20-miler, and so on. I still like this idea, but even so, perhaps I should cut back on those distances a bit.

Correlation Between Marathon Pace and Long Run Pace

Yet another source of controversy over the years is the pace of long runs. Is it better to run them at or near race pace, or should they be run at a much more leisurely, conversational pace? The arguments go way back.

Over the years, my long run pace has varied quite a bit, as I’ve oscillated between the differing philosophies. Generally, however, it has been about 1 to 1.5 minutes per mile slower than the resulting marathon pace.

In comparing the average pace for all of the long runs during the 12 weeks before the marathon versus the actual marathon pace, we see that the percentage of variation is 1.03 percent. This is not a strong correlation, but it appears that, in general, the faster I’ve run my long runs, the faster I’ve run my marathons.

It may be advantageous to vary the pace of long runs. Begin the long runs at a pace of 2 minutes per mile slower than your planned marathon pace, pick up the pace a bit during the middle miles, and then run the final few miles at marathon pace.

OTHER FACTORS

Some factors have nothing directly to do with training but may have a strong effect on a marathon performance. Some of these, such as ancestry and predilection to train hard, can’t be measured, but others can. Two that I’m particularly concerned about are my weight and my age. Both appear to be headed in an upward direction, and although I may be able to do something about one of them, I wonder how well they relate to my marathons.

Dan Horvath YMMV (YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY) mm 89

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Dan Horvath

Correlation Between Marathon Pace and Average Weight

I wasn’t so sure I was going to like this one. A positive correlation would mean that keeping my weight low correlates with faster marathon times. And, like many people, I have some amount of difficulty keeping those pounds off. The average measurement for all weigh-ins over the 5 weeks before the marathon was compared with marathon pace. We’ll have to assume that the scale is consistent. The analysis for the correlation between marathon pace and average weight yields a percentage of variation of 33.49 percent. This is a significant correlation.

And it is just as I had feared. I need to keep working at fighting that battle of thé bulge.

Correlation Between Marathon Pace and Age

I was sure I wasn’t going to like this one. A positive correlation here would mean that my race paces are getting slower as my age has increased. And since my marathon times appear to be getting larger over time, and since I have not been able to manage a sub-3-hour marathon since 1996, I thought the analysis would show a strong correlation.

This time the result, a variation of 5.44 percent, was a mildly pleasant surprise. Although the correlation is positive as expected, it isn’t too far from zero, So it is fairly weak. Maybe there still is some hope for me. (Nah!)

CONCLUSIONS

Some of us like to believe in cause and effect: that if we follow a good training schedule, if we just work hard enough, we’Il see a successful conclusion to our quest of running a great marathon. However, it ain’t necessarily so. Sometimes we can do everything right, and the race itself comes out wrong. Sometimes we don’t seem to train as hard as other times, and we still manage to turn out a good race. For me this happens at least once per blue moon. . . but only during leap year. Part of this is because of environmental factors, and part is due to individual differences.

One of my friends chides me about training so hard. He doesn’t appear to work very hard at his own training, and yet he achieves excellent race results. I believe this is evidence of the YMMV thing at work.

On a related subject, there’s something else I noticed in my own data: diminishing returns. It appears that I don’t need to work very hard to run a 3:15 marathon. But to run 3:10 or better, I need to train much harder than you’d expect for a 5 or so minute gain. This may be strictly a perception on my part, but it sure seems real.

Compiling the raw data into the table turned out to be more work than I anticipated. But it was also more enjoyable than I expected. I was able to relive all those long training runs and speed sessions.

Based on the analysis, I’ve learned that my training has actually been remarkably, and surprisingly, consistent over the years. Some training elements, however, appear not to matter as much as expected. I had thought that overall training pace, long run distance, and long run pace would show stronger correlations than they did. I had expected that there was a strong relationship between mile repeat pace and marathon pace, so that result was not a major surprise.

In addition, it appears that running higher overall mileage and doing several prior races relate fairly strongly to marathon performance. As does weight.

This brings us back to causation. Perhaps the strong correlations between marathon pace and weight, or between marathon pace and mile repeat pace, are actually due to being in similar shape for both sets of data. The mile repeats do, however, still represent an important training element. It’s just that they’re not the only one. Indeed, it may be beneficial to study some combinations of training elements.

I’m going to carry on with those 1-mile repeats, continue to include races in my schedule, and try to keep that weight under control anyway. Your mileage may vary. i, I would like to thank my daughters Veronica and Valerie as well as my friend David Couper for their assistance with this article.

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The Toughest Race

We Often Brag About the Races We’ve Survived and the Medals We’ve Won, But Sometimes the Really Tough Races Aren’t Run At All.

BY MICHAEL WILLE

T WAS a sunny Friday afternoon, and the smell of spring was seething in

the air. Every time the door swung open, the sunlight cut through the bar like a knife and illuminated the accumulated dust on the liquor bottles.

I was bidding a good friend adieu, as I was soon to be off to Ouarzazate for the 16th annual Marathon des Sables. The 150-mile, seven-day stage race would take me through the beautiful rugged desert of Morocco, and most contenders would be flying to the site via Casablanca, but I had arranged alternate travel plans to spend time in Spain and France as well. I was treating myself to a race well run, with some holiday time thrown in.

I’ve worked under Phil Green, executive chef of the Hilton Towers San Francisco, as his assistant chef in the past, and we’ ve maintained a wonderful friendship throughout the years. He’s only a bit older than I am, but our lives have grown in very different directions. I’ve been running around the world, adventuring in East Africa as a remote catering chef, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and taking time off to cook on small sailing vessels crossing the Pacific. Meanwhile, he has been establishing a very respectable executive chef position in San Francisco and taking care of his wonderful family.

Every couple of months we have the opportunity to get together and share bits and pieces of each other’s lives, each of us enjoying many aspects of our own lives and envying the pieces that we are missing from one another’s. This particular midday session happened to be one of those times.

“So you’re going to Morocco for a month, but how many days will you be racing?” Phil asked, taking a pull on his beer.

“It’s a 7-day stage race, so the miles are broken down per day,” I explained. “Days one and two are 15- to 20-mile days. Day three is the dreaded Dune Day,

where you run 12 miles across completely unmarked dunes, navigating with your compass. Then that’s followed by the 50-miler, which is lumped into 2 days. You’re given 40 hours to complete this. The first-place guy last year, Lahcen Ahansal, a local, of course, did the 50-miler in seven hours and 30 minutes. The temperatures were reported to be 120 degrees.”

I took a sip of my beer and gave Phil a moment to digest the ridiculous information as his eyes bulged. “That is then followed up by a standard marathon of 26.2 miles. So if you are one of the superheroes who completes the 50 in under 8 hours, you have a remaining day-and-a-half to hang out in camp and recuperate for your marathon. The final stage is the sprint, which is a mere 12mile race into town.”

AN HONEST EVALUATION

Phil was giving me the “Are you freakin’ nuts?” glare that I was only too familiar with after spouting this spiel to hundreds of other innocent bystanders who may have been foolish enough to inquire about my antics.

“So what are these guys going to feed you along the way?” he inquired.

“Ah, that’s the beauty of the race!” I replied enthusiastically. “Every individual is responsible for being completely self-sufficient, so there’s a list of mandatory items that must be carried along with any luxury items you want to bring.

“Mandatory items are the 2,000 calories of food per day and a backpack that does not chafe your nipples and cause them to bleed. A lighter, from which I will drain half the fluid so as to not carry the extra weight. A mirror to send distress signals to the helicopters when I’m lying on the dunes yelping ‘Help me!’ from my dried, cracked, dehydrated lips when there’s no water left. A compass to help me get lost in the dunes since I don’t know how to use it. A pocketknife to cut the copious amounts of gauze and bandages that I will be applying to the blisters on my feet. A headlamp to help me get lost at night. And, finally, my mandatory, warm-as-hell, ultralight, synthetic, 1-pound 7ounce sleeping bag to sleep in since it’s said to get as cold as 35 degrees at night.

“However,” I added, “my favorite piece of mandatory equipment is the life-saving anti-venom pump with topical disinfectant. The pump is used for the removal of venom that may be injected by the various desert-dwelling scorpions that burrow into your backpack, sleeping bag, and shoes at night. Fortunately, only five of the 1,500 species are considered to be man-killers. Unfortunately, all five are abundant in the Sahara. Much like their close cousins, the vipers, they inject a complex neurotoxin, which by molecular weight is reputedly 100,000 times more potent than cyanide. Which is a reason we

Phil Green and the author (right) put

down the pots for a publicity shot.

would wish to extract such convulsion-promoting, cardiac-arresting fluid as quickly as possible.”

Since Phil seemed both overwhelmed and amused, I wanted to continue to amaze him with the plethora of useless facts I had researched over the past few weeks. “Scorpions grew legs and lungs some 300,000,000 years ago and burrowed their way into every continent other than Antarctica. They can survive in places like the Sahara because they have such a tremendous ability to adapt. They emerge only to hunt or copulate, and the female of the species often confuses the two. The feeding process may take many hours, since they need to chew their food to a semi-liquid state with little pincers called chelicera to suck the ‘slurpee of prey’ into their tiny mouths. Itcan consume as much as 30 percent of its body mass in one meal and can wait as long as a year between feedings.

“The scorpion,” I continued, “is so conservative with its own body fluids it can often absorb enough liquid through the fluids of its prey that it never has to drink. The fecal matter is dry, the urine is excreted in a crystalline form, and its shell is impermeable. The creature has adapted itself to become one of nature’s most indestructable desert predators, which is what I will have to model myself after to reign triumphant in the Marathon des Sables.”

WORK WITH WHAT YOU FIND

“You know, Mike,” Phil replied, “it sounds like wildlife is abundant in the Sahara. Perhaps you can shave a few pounds by leaving your food behind and hunting snakes and scorpions along the way. You’ve always been a pretty creative chef, and I’m sure you could adapt some of your cooking knowledge to make a viper chili or some scorpion kabobs.”

“Phil, that’s not a half-bad idea. It would probably be tastier than the granola, dried fruits, PowerBars, and GU packets I’ ve got for lunch. For dinner, I have simple stuff like powdered mashed potatoes, Stove Top Stuffing, Ramen Noodles with black bean paste, miso, and dried shiitaki. I’m bringing lots of instant cous-cous, the grain so nice they named it twice. I figured that’s what the local runners will be eating, along with tons of dried dates. I figure if leat like the Moroccans, I should be able to run like them. But, I won’t be able to do much cooking, as I won’t be carrying a stove. Apparently, it gets so hot during the day that all you have to do is cut the top off a water bottle, put your dried food and water in the sun, and let it bake until it resembles some sort of pliable, edible, starchy food-like substance.”

“Mike, I have no doubt that with your background and training that Stove Top Stuffing with powdered sausage gravy and bits of beef jerky will be a gourmet experience. A dash of Tobasco here, a pinch of dried basil there, a squirt of anchovy paste, and you’re talking Michelin three-star dishes. You may not have a stove, but I’m sure you won’t let Joyce Goldstien or Hubert Keller get one up on you. You could even make the big time and get aired on national television. The hell with Iron Chef! You could start your own show— call it ‘Aluminum Chef’ or maybe “Tin Can Chef.’”

The author, winning a wet Cascading Crest Cataracts 25K in 2000, would face the challenge of his life before the 2001 Marathon des Sables.

Michael Wille THE TOUGHEST RACE Mf 99

Phil was amusing himself with this idea. “Instead of working with stuff like sweetbreads, foie gras, and black truffles, you can compete using only a small gas camp stove and a miniature penknife. They can give you ingredients like acan of chili, powdered mashed potatoes, a couple grams of dried basil, and some monosodium glutamate to work with. You could have locals as the judges and they would be spitting out your European-style cuisine while begging for goat, dates, and cous-cous.”

We both laughed as we continued to drink beer and tequila shots late into the evening, fueling ever more expansive menus. We discussed my limited knowledge of Morocco, old times we shared working together, and the most important thing in Phil’s life: his family. It was, to say the least, a grand evening.

A ROCKY MORNING

The next morning, though, was a pretty rough start. I had 2 days left until departure and needed to get in one more ambitious training run. I took off after breakfast, which consisted of a couple of Advil and a pot of coffee. Eight Am can be an ungodly hour for anyone who’s been up drinking and socializing into the late evening. And the San Francisco chill was so cold that my nose hurt and my fingers were numb. I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about that in Morocco.

I was carrying my loaded pack and headed toward the beach to run in the sand dunes, as I had done so many times before. I must have done this run two dozen times over the past months, so I was on remote control.

I would often envision myself in the dunes of Morocco with Lahcen and Mohamad Ahansal in my sights as I plodded around in the dunes. The dune grass, which I was glad to hear was nonexistent in Morocco, was rigid and sharp. It would pierce the calves like pins and needles so that upon exiting the dunes my legs would be covered with tiny red dots of blood. There’s no escaping the sharp grass blades when running Ocean Beach; they plant the grass there to help hold the sand against the wind. I consider this to be “resistance training” and figure it provides some compensation for the relentless sun I would have to tolerate when I reached the Sahara. Suffering is good.

As I exited the dunes to continue along the trails, I still had a raging headache and stomach pains. But everything else felt great: the breathing, the legs, and the pack on my shoulder were all comfortable. This was all very important to me.

When I get to this point in a training run, my mind starts to race. I calculate all of the mileage I’ ve covered over the last few months four or five times over to make sure I’ve got it right. I review the checklist of travel items I have and what still needs to be done:

“Remember to wrap your water bottle with some duct tape—that may come in handy.”

“Remove excess tags from all gear.”

“Get rid of all the froufrou carrying cases for sunglasses, snakebite kit, and compass. That’s just extra weight, and the stuff can be wrapped with the other pair of socks.”

“Unpack and organize all food into Ziploc bags, making it lighter and more organized.”

“Cut unused straps off of backpack.”

The list would go on as long as the miles.

Distance running is nothing more than a series of peaks and valleys. You have to push yourself through the lows to get back to the highs. And when you are at the highs, as I was right now, there is nothing like it in the whole world.

Regardless of my persevering abdominal pain, I had dinner that evening with my girlfriend Shelly at Frascati Restaurant on Russian Hill. It was the final “Hurrah” before I left. We enjoyed quail, risotto, fresh gnocchi, and crispy sea bass with lots of red wine. We ate like kings and were treated like royalty. I chased my dinner down with a few more chugs of Pepto Bismol and spent my last night with Shelly before the final day of shopping and tweaking my equipment.

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My stomach was still churning, but I could tell it wasn’t from something ’’d eaten, so I tried to carboload and hoped Pepto would help “coat, soothe, and relieve.” The only logical explanation I could think of was that I was experiencing departure anxiety, so I suffered through it and made the best of the situation.

THE ALMOST FINAL DAY OF MY LIFE

The next day was meticulously planned to the minute, but it immediately got off to a bad start. My 7:00 a.m. self-imposed assignment of bagging race food was interrupted by a trip to the emergency room due to severe abdominal pains that refused to back off. I was sporting a temperature of 104.

After hours of prodding, pulling, poking, needle sticking, forcing me to drink some chalky disgusting barium, and putting me through X-rays, fecal samples, urine samples, IV, ultrasound, MRI, CAT scan, and every test short of an SAT, the doctors finally came forth with a diagnosis. I was only half-aware that they’d come to a conclusion because I was groggy with the morphine they’d been using to suppress the pain.

“J don’t know if you’re aware of what we’ ve been talking about here,” he said, looking down at me as I slipped into and out of consciousness, “but we need to run a few more tests. It seems that you have Portal Vein Thrombosis— a blood clot that’s blocking a vital vein carrying blood from your guts to your liver. We’ll have to check the tissue of your liver to make sure it’s healthy. We’re calling up some specialists.”

I came to the conclusion that Portal Vein Thrombosis was pretty bad and that I probably wouldn’t be scrambling to get onto a plane tomorrow to go to the Sahara. I hollered for the nurse to feed a bit more morphine into the intricate plumbing that was sticking out of my arm. I was flooded with emotions about missing the race, watching the distress on my sister’s and girlfriend’s faces as they watched me suffer, and a sincere appreciation that this was happening here and now instead of somewhere in the middle of the night in the middle of the Sahara in the middle of the Marathon des Sables.

It turned out to be a long, restless, morphine-influenced evening.

That evening was to be followed by a luxurious stay at the hospital with what seemed like hundreds of different doctors and nurses stopping by to feel my abdomen and ask repetitive questions. This was, after all, probably a oncein-a-lifetime chance to check out the freak case of Portal Vein Thrombosis. It made me wonder if the doctors were sitting around in the lounge drinking coffee while sharing work/gossip with each other: “Hey, Joe, did you check out the guy with the Portal Vein in 314? You haven’t seen him? Ah, man, you gotta stop and feel the guy’s abdomen! You can feel the clot, the bloodflow—

The author charges the Dipsea Trail to Stinson Beach during his 4:38:25 quadruple Dipsea.

everything. And man, does he look like hell. Hey, and get this: he thought he was gonnarun some race across the Sahara! What a bozo!”

When my release papers were issued on Monday, I walked myself out of the hospital with vigor and determination. Aided, of course, by the help of my girlfriend and a few rest breaks that I had to take while holding onto a railing or sitting down on whatever was convenient. That was after they wheeled me as far as needed for insurance purposes. But I did, Ireally did, walk out to the curb on my own two feet. Runners do have their pride.

THINGS LOOK UP—FINALLY

Things began to look up after I ran through my dose of Lovenox, a bloodthinner that I had to have injected into my belly twice a day. The nurse and I practiced it at the hospital so that when I went home, I could do it “without difficulty” for the next week. I was to grab the fat at my midriff, insert the needle, and slowly inject the burning medication by depressing the plunger. Keep in mind that when I entered the hospital I weighed 160 pounds on a 5’10” frame. After a steady diet of Jell-O and IV drip, I’d lost 10 pounds, so that fat at the midriff was getting difficult to locate.

My additional 2 weeks of recuperation was not wasted. Through the miracles of modern technology, specifically the World Wide Web, I was able to follow

COURTESY OF MICHAEL WILLE

the progress of the 2001 race in which I should have been running. Lahcen Ahansal once again dominated, with a finishing time of 18 hours, 42 minutes, and 10 seconds; his brother finished 53 minutes and 13 seconds behind him.

It was amazing to gawk at the impressive first-place female finishing time set by Franca Fiaoconi, who was eighth overall with a 23:46:46. Tania Pacev was the third woman, 30th overall, and top American with a 29:04:48. The Web site provided photos and daily race stats, but following the race while lounging on the couch with a copy of The Lonely Planet Guide to Morocco opened on my lap just didn’t do it.

I learned that 59 other runners had dropped out of the race for one reason or another. Although none claimed to be suffering from Portal Vein Thrombosis, I’m sure all their excuses were more than valid. They at least made it to Morocco and lined up at the start.

Although I’m certainly not complaining. No matter how good Dr. Peltre (head of the marathon medical corps) and his staff of 30 were, I can’t imagine that they’d have been able to diagnose my problem—even with the additional support of 220 techs and logisticians, 90 support vehicles, two choppers, one Cessna, tons of medical equipment, and four camels.

My wish that I had been able to race in Morocco is offset by my gratitude at being alive. I’ve slowly been getting back into training. When I push too hard, I can feel the blood forcing through the clot; it’s a reminder to slow down.

It was difficult to explain to Phil and to everyone else I’d bored with my upcoming exploits just what had happened to derail it. But they eventually understood and were concerned for my well being. They’d all contributed mental support as I prepared for race day. They now provide me with mental support when I realize I can’t go out, at will, and throw down a hard 20-mile workout.

Like the scorpion, I must adapt to my surroundings and my capabilities. My running days are not over—things will, in their time, evolve and allow me to get back on course. In the meantime, I’ve begun work on a very short 4 book on how to turn leftover trail mix into a gourmet meal. est

_ March/April 2002 M&B Sneak Preview Here are just some of the stories we are working on for our next ‘issue: _* Guest Editorial: What the a0 NYC Marathon —_ by Senator Roy Herron : * How to Run a 3:30 Marathon by Rich Benyo” : * Running in China by Mary Nicole Nazzaro ¢ Pheidippides Redux: The Myth vs. Reality

CELEBRATE!

FIVE YEARS OF FAST, FURIOUS, FUN FEBRUARY 9, 2002

The FIFTH ANNUAL MYRTLE BEACH MARATHON, Marathon Relay and OneMile Family Fun Run takes place February 9, 2002.

This event will give marathoners, recreational walkers and relay runners

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3BX< Tim

One of Our Favorite Writers Gets Back to Us With Gimbled Reports From the Roads.

BY TIM MARTIN

HEN WE started Marathon & Beyond six years ago, we didn’t want it

to be all heavyweight training and racing information. So we turned to one of our favorite running humorists, Tim Martin, who, like a fabled spirit, hangs out in the vast redwood forests of far-northern California. We like to think of him as a cross between a character from The Hobbit and a hardy oldfashioned journalist going off to report on what’s happening that’s slightly skewed. “Man bites dog? Yessiree, chief! I’ll get on it right away.”

Tim was in the midst of being named the Road Runners Club of America’s “club writer of the year.” He was also in the process of compiling a stack of his short humorous pieces toward his first book, published a couple of years ago by Marathon Publishing under the apt title of There’s Nothing Funny About Running. Right.

No slouch to his avocation, Tim has run more than 50 marathons and is a winner of the Russian River Marathon. He’s been working on a new batch of pieces while also churning out scripts for his agent in Tinseltown. When he was out on a long run, we sneaked into his remote woodland cabin and were appalled to find that he writes on a—horrors!—computer. (We’d been expecting quills and a bottle of organic ink and hemp writing paper.) We printed off the following three examples of Tim’s humorous running writing (say that five times fast) and spirited them away so you could enjoy the workings of a finely twisted mind at work.—Editor

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO THE BOSTON MARATHON

SECTION 2A. ESSAY: IN ORDER FOR THE STAFF OF THE BAA TO ALLOW YOU ADMISSION TO THE BOSTON MARATHON, WE ASK

THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HELP TO DEFINE YOU AS A RUNNER?

Tam a dynamic runner, often seen on the cover of major running publications.

Iam addicted to the slap of soles on pavement.

I do several workouts a day.

I stretch before and after each run.

I log additional miles on a stationary bike and pump weights in the gym.

For me, a day without running is as dull as an infomercial knife set.

I speak Greek, Japanese, and Kenyan.

Tam as lean as a goat.

Ihave a keen sense of humor.

Ihave been known to run speed workouts on my lunch breaks.

Lhave trained with Joseph Chebet.

Iam an honorary member of the Santa Monica Track Club.

Severe inclines, such as Heartbreak Hill, do not faze me.

Using only a Swiss Army knife, I once single-handedly performed successful open-heart surgery on a fellow runner.

Tam the subject of numerous documentaries on long distance running.

When I’m bored, I build running tracks for disadvantaged athletes.

I never fly off the handle when my Cytomax isn’t served at the proper temperature.

I am a novelist, a playwright, and a screenwriter, all on the subject of running. Critics worldwide swoon over my running lectures. Iam unabashedly obsessed, undeniably besotted with the sport. I seek out marathons, as a person with a raging thirst seeks out bottled water. I can shake off a stroke as though it were a head cold.

T look good when I run.

Iam a born leader. I have excellent stamina. Last summer I toured the United States on foot, averaging 250 miles a day. I have been tearing up the roads, and competition, for over 20 years. My resting pulse rate has earned me fame in international running circles.

Children and other runners love me.

Iam a member of the IOC, RRCA, USATF, and the IBORF (International Brotherhood of Running Fanatics). I can juggle and run. I know the finishing order of every Boston runner since the race’s inception. My ego is harder to find than the remote control during an infomercial.

Tam currently uninjured.

Thold the record for competing in the greatest number of marathons and ultramarathons—more than 2,000 and counting. I train on grass, gravel, concrete, asphalt, and dirt. I’m an excellent mechanic. I once made midcourse repairs on a disabled race ambulance. I have fashioned extraordinary running shoes using only a waffle iron and a hunk of rubber. I once ran across Australia in 200 days, 12 hours, and 4 minutes.

Ido not have an uncontrollable urge to cut courses.

Ihave an entire room in my house devoted to the Boston Marathon.

I own over 25,000 race T-shirts.

I could not draw another breath without running each day.

I have a discipline and dedication to running that goes far beyond the boundaries of other sports. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life, but I forgot to write it down.

Ihave already booked my plane ticket to Boston.

Thave had the following exams: rectal, EEG, muscle-motor analysis, urine test, stress test, patch test, reflex test, lung-capacity test, X-rays, and sperm count. I have never had measles, leprosy, or irregularity.

I do not feel people are out to get me, nor do I hate my father.

I plan to purchase several hundred dollars worth of official race souvenirs.

I have never suffered from halitosis, mitosis, comas, amnesia, or toenail fungus. Nor have I ever experienced headaches, gangrene, or spontaneous combustion.

lam often referred to as “The Michael Jordan of Running.”

Ihave recently communed with the running spirit of John A. Kelley.

THE WOODSTOCK MARATHON

For months now you’ ve heard the whispers. A new marathon is about to make the scene. A mystery race will soon enter the picture. Today I am able to confirm those rumors. The name of that race is the Woodstock Marathon.

Iloved the 1960s, and I bet you did, too. Remember all the peace, love, and good vibes? Remember bell-bottom pants and flower power and hippies in crumpled Volkswagen micro-buses, and chicken-shack pickups, and waxing philosophical over brown rice and organic bean sprouts? I miss that, don’t you? Isn’t it about time that we come together and repsychedelicize our lives with a groovy 26.2-mile race?

The Woodstock Marathon will do just that. It will be a running event for lovers of the Earth, peaceniks, aging bohemians, and hair farmers. Check this out: at the prerace expo we’ ll have pro-life lectures, biodiversity council meetings, and mysticism gatherings. There will be relationship workshops for

Runners Who Love Runners and a slide potluck hosted by the Committee to Legalize Hemp Athletic Clothing. We’ll have poets and belly dancers and every natural-food organization known to mankind jockeying and jostling for space.

Race day will be a real trip. To start things out, we’ll have music—free music. Tons of music: The Animals, The Troggs, Ten Years After, Vanilla Fudge, Country Joe and the Fish. All of it played at killer volume for the benefit of the deaf and toothless. Like me. We’ ll burn incense and let runners line up wherever they want, just to keep things mellow.

We’Il let it all hang out on the course. It will be a place for self-discovery. A place to try on new running identities, to be fitted with a radical idea or two. Aid stations will be manned with posy sniffers, tree huggers, and toadstool worshippers. Mile splits will be given by waffle-soled gorp nibblers, green dweebs, and tofu twinks. The finish line crew will consist primarily of ecofreaks, ozone boneheads, and global warming dolts. Cheering the runners on will be droves of nappy-haired hippies, murmury liberals, three-bong-hit saviors of the Earth, and a few normal spectators. Of course, everyone will be flashing the peace sign.

MICHAEL HUGHES

Tim Martin 3xTIM m 109

It will be mandatory that a protest march be staged somewhere along the course. Without one, it wouldn’t be Woodstock. We’ ll have folks rally to save our rivers. Or save our forests. Or, better yet, save our small marathons.

Entry fees? Maybe we won’t have an entry fee. Why should we? It’s all part of being a free spirit with no material hang-ups, right? What we will have are flower girls selling running shoes with a Marxist slant (for your shoes, you pay only what you can). And we’II do our part to help Mother Earth. At Woodstock, we’ll recycle our paper cups and compost our porta-potty waste into nearby certified organic gardens.

Need help? Just ask the race director. You’ Il recognize him by his long hair, paisley pants, face paint, and little blue sunglasses.

Sorry, no vehicles will be allowed on the course. And no watches, either. (Does anyone really know what time it is?) There will be no keg, just ERG. And no drugs. You won’t find anyone eating peyote or firing up a fatty at the Woodstock Marathon. Who needs to? After running 26.2 miles, you’ll be feelin’ groovy enough.

After the race? Don’t split right away. Unlike most marathons where crowds disperse like grease globules in a tub of dish detergent, Woodstock runners will want to stick around. We’ll have munchies. And lots of prizes. Each finisher will be eligible to win Grateful Dead T-shirts, Birkenstock waffle trainers, and recycled copies of the Bhagavad-Gita, Catcher in the Rye, Siddhartha, and The Complete Works of Richard Brautigan. We’ re even trying to get Brautigan to be the official starter, even though he’s been dead for years.

There will be tarot readings and masseuses and meditation groups. Vendors will sell Adidas macramé caps, Nehru Balance shirts, and tie-dyed Nike shorts.

One final word of caution: should you experience a flashback at the Woodstock Marathon or should you DNF, you’ll be sent directly to the Richard Nixon Chill Tent for rest and reprogramming.

Bummer, man… .

CARBOLOADING AT PIERRE’S

On the evening before my last marathon, I let my wife talk me into dining (read: carboloading) at a posh French restaurant called Pierre’s. The place had a staggering variety of wines, an eclectic selection of background music, several dozen entrees, and a maitre d’ who copped a haughty tude.

I’d rather wade through a shark tank in tuna underwear than ever go back there.

The main problem was the food. Or, rather, the lack of it. I’m a big eater, especially on the eve of a race. I like to dine at all-you-can-eat buffets, where

I can chow down like a crazed cocker spaniel and break the crisp evening air with a heartfelt belch. You can’t do that in a French restaurant. One must never be seen packing in carbohydrates or acting strange in any way that might spread discord or uneasiness.

No. Wouldn’t want that, would we?

I had eaten very little that day, so I was starved by the time we got to Pierre’s. I started on bread sticks as soon as we were seated and never stopped. I watched meals go by as waiters danced between tables. I wanted to devour everything on the menu. My body was like a furnace set high enough to liquefy steel. Every morsel of bread that passed through my mouth was consumed in the raging inferno of my hypermetabolism. I pictured the open furnace door on a locomotive as the crew shoveled in coal.

Finally, our waiter arrived and walked us through the menu’s obscurities. The evening’s specials were described with a sumptuousness that was, well . .. incomprehensible.

“Our specials tonight are goat-cheese terrine with arugula juice,” he intoned. “Sautéed cod with capers and baby vegetables. Coastal shrimp cooked in spiced carrot juice. Squid rings in aioli linguine with roasted garlic puree. Warm frisee salad with duck confit. And sushi.”

“T never eat sushi,” I replied. “I have trouble eating things that are merely unconscious. Got any plain pasta?”

MICHAEL HUGHES

No, he did not. But he did have a wide variety of other strange selections, such as cream of blueberry soup, veal loin rubbed with sage and coriander, Russian Coulibiac of salmon, and fillet of grouper oursinade. All served in portions suitable for someone with the disposition of Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Buddha—some tiny, brown, selfless person.

The waiter left us to decide. At the bottom of the menu were prawns, drizzled with 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, priced at $75. This caught my eye. “Did you see the price on those prawns?” I asked my wife.

“Keep your voice down,” she hissed.

“T can’t believe it.”

“Keep it down.”

“Look at the prawns. Seventy-five dollars! For four prawns.” I put the menu down, cleared my throat, and settled deeper in my chair.

“T see it,” she said.

“Do you know how many pasta dinners I could buy with $75?” I asked.

“This is your pre-race dinner,” said Linda, scowling. “I wanted it to be special.” The waiter reappeared. Linda ordered her meal. “I’ll have spring rolls with fresh peppermint leaves, steamed rice . . . and prawns,” she said.

“Whew doggies. Ka-ching!” I muttered. My smile was pasted on, but I was beginning to feel like a famine victim. I was absolutely starving. Growing thinner by the second. If I didn’t get a meal—a big meal, a real meal—inside me soon, they could just fax me to the starting line.

“Let’s see…” I said, searching the menu desperately. “Gee, I don’t know

The waiter sighed.

“Just pick something,” hissed Linda.

“Okay,” I said, picking what looked to be the heapingest helping I could find. “I’ll have the pan-seared cutlets, layered with steamed sweetmeat and baked in an inverted clay dong under a lattice work of woozle leaves and sunripened chaff noodles.”

When our meals were finally served, I stared in disbelief. The portions were tiny. Itty-bitty salads. Miniature cutlets. Pasta that could fit on the head of a pin. I glanced around the room to see if by mistake we were being served a dinner ordered by Ken and Barbie. As [ ate, I felt like I was growing emptier with every bite. What I really wanted was a tub of pasta. A baked potato drenched in melted butter. A wagon wheel-sized pizza encased in a thick layer of mozzarella cheese. I wanted to be eating my way toward a condition where I would never have to eat again. I wanted some real chow, damn it! ‘

I settled for another helping of bread sticks. es)

Big Sur Marathon oes

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2002 ¢ Sunday, April 28 «

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| My Most P¢3 Unforgettable Marathon

(And What | Learned From It)

_BY DICK BEARDSLEY

/SOTA, June 20, 198 1—Many people think my most unforgettable marathon was the “Duel in the Sun” with Alberto Salazar at the April 1982 Boston Marathon. That race is right up there, but there was something extra special for me about the 1981 Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.

Race director Scott Keenan had invited me to run Grandma’s the previous November, and I gladly accepted. I had heard nothing but great

things about the race and —— : —

my boss, Garry Bjorklund, Dick Beardsley (left) and Garry “BJ” Bjorklund share the lead—and their water—in the early miles of the 1981 Grandma’s Marathon.

for whom I had worked at one of his running stores in the Twin Cities, had won the race in 1980 with a 2:10:20—setting a course record with one of the fastest times of the year by an American.

Dick Beardsley. ~+~«MY MOSTUNFORGETTABLE MARATHON M115

I was being coached at the time by Bill Squires of Boston, one of the best long-distance coaches this country has ever had. He and I really clicked, even though he did most if not all of his coaching over the phone.

It was less than 2 weeks before the big race, and I had my last long run coming up the next day. Long runs via Coach Squires’s advice were awesome! They weren’t just going out and putting the time and miles in; you were always doing something during the run. I had set the course up to be rolling hills most of the way, with a few flat areas. Coach wanted me to warm up 2 miles easy and then start my “21-miler.” The plan was to run the first 5 miles at 5:00 pace, then back off for the next 5, then another fast 5 miles, and then back off for 5, and do my last mile fast but in control.

I was ready to go!

The first 5 miles went by in just under 5:00 per mile, and I felt great! I backed off the next 5 miles but still was averaging about 5:20 pace, and I felt as if I were out for an easy run. The next 5 were again at around 5:00 per mile, then I backed off to 5:20 again for the final 5. At mile 20 I took off and ran my last mile in 4:35! I was pumped!

If I’d continued 4 more miles at a 5:20 pace, I would have run a 2:14-2:15 marathon in practice. Needless to say, I was excited.

That night I called Coach Squires to let him know how the workout had gone. He went crazy over the phone. If he could have reached through the telephone and wrung my neck he would have. He obviously felt I’d blown my upcoming marathon by burning my workout. Then out of the blue he became real calm and said not to get excited. “Dickie, it’s okay; don’t get excited,” he said. To myself, I’m thinking, “Coach, you’re the one that’s overexcited.”

As I would learn after the race, he was indeed concerned that I’d left my race out on the training run.

OFF TO THE RACES

I left for Grandma’s on the Thursday before the race, as I had to be there for a press conference the next morning. My wife Mary had to work and was going to ride up with friends the next day. We had only one car, an old Honda Civic that we had to park on a hill because we couldn’t afford to get the starter fixed; we had to let the car drift down the hill and then pop the clutch as it picked up speed.

Needless to say, I was really excited about the race. I am by nature a very positive-thinking person, and I was going over in my head about how ready I was to run a fast race, all the 20-plus mile training runs I’d done, the hill repeats, the fartlek, the track workouts, and then that little bit of negativity

would slip into my head and would say things like: “Maybe you’ ve done too many 20-plus mile workouts, too many hill repeats, too much fartlek, too many laps around the track at too fast a speed!”

I knew I had to do something to get my mind into the race coming up Saturday.

On the way out of town, I’d grabbed the mail, and it was sitting on the passenger’s seat. I looked over and saw the newest issue of Track & Field News and thought to myself, “Hey, while I’m driving up to Duluth, I’ll page through the issue.” I flipped the magazine open, and the page it turned to had big bold headlines: “John Graham of England runs 2:09:45 at Rotterdam.”

I thought, “Wow! That was like the fifth fastest time ever run in the world at that point.”

Tread the article and didn’t think much more about it until I noticed a mile marker along the Interstate, and its number was 209. It was the first one that stuck out in my mind. I’m always looking for positive signs to enhance my day, and now I was starting to get very excited. I was thinking “Am I going to run a 2:09 on Saturday?!”

My best time coming into Grandma’s was in March, when I had won the inaugural London Marathon in 2:11:48. But it’s a mighty big drop to get to 2:09. I tried to get that “2:09” out of my head, but it was hard to not think about it—especially considering the omens.

As I was coming down the big hill into downtown Duluth on the shores of Lake Superior, I could feel the electricity in the air. There were signs and billboards everywhere welcoming the runners. All the radio stations I turned to were talking about the race. Hey, I was so pumped I was ready to stop my car on the side of the highway and begin running immediately!

I was staying at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Duluth, and as I walked to the counter with my bags, I asked the gal if they had a room for Dick Beardsley. She informed me that they did, then handed me a key and wished me luck in the race. As I made my way to the elevators, I realized that the big rush of runners had not yet arrived, so I had the place pretty much to myself. It was a big enough place that the sparks of energy I was shooting off didn’t hurt anyone.

ANOTHER SIGN

As the elevator door closed, I realized I had no idea which floor I should push. I thought it might be about time to take a look at my key to see which room I was in. When I did, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I started jumping up and down inside the elevator, hollering and screaming, I was so excited.

No, this isn’t the Psychic Channel. You’re probably saying to yourself, “Hey! I’ll bet he got room 209.” Well, I didn’t. I got room 902. Which, backwards, is 209!

At that moment, I knew there was absolutely no doubt that I was going to run 2:09. I didn’t know if that would be fast enough to win the race, but there was no longer any doubt in my mind that come Saturday, I would run 2:09.

Although it was difficult to keep this to myself, I didn’t tell a soul about what had been revealed to me. Not race director Scott Keenan, not my coach Billy Squires. Not even my wife Mary. No one. It was my secret, and I was now really, really ready to go!

Mary arrived in Duluth the next day, and it was reassuring to have her there. She helped me immensely by serving as a screen and a defense so I could avoid all the people. I love people and especially enjoy being around runners, but the last few days before a big race, I didn’t want to be around anyone. It was my time to get myself mentally ready for the race. I tried to never leave anything to chance when I ran marathons.

I always brought along two sets of racing shoes and clothing just in case one set was lost or stolen. The night before the race I would lay my racing clothing in the spare bed in the hotel with my number all pinned on my singlet, my racing shorts, socks, and my racing shoes lined up. I would then tuck them in nicely. I knew that I wouldn’t sleep well that night, but by golly, my racing gear was going to get a good night’s rest! I know it sounds weird, but for me it was as important a preparation as my long runs.

The next morning, I was up early, spending much of my time sitting on the toilet seat. I was excited. I began to think that the butterflies in my stomach were going to carry me away. As I slipped into my brand new racing gear that my sponsor, the New Balance shoe company, wanted me to wear, it was like putting on armor to go do battle.

I had been running for New Balance for a couple of years and had been wearing the same outfit for quite some time. Each marathon I had run up to this point had been faster than the one before and needless to say, I didn’t want that trend to end.

As Mary and I left our hotel room and waited for the elevator to come up, I started feeling guilty. I told Mary I had to go back to the room for something and that I would meet her downstairs. I rooted around in the back corner of the closet and there was my old racing outfit. I felt terrible, as if I were abandoning my best friend. Even though I had to wear my new uniform to race in today, I just couldn’t leave my “old friend” stuffed in a corner.

So I took my “old” racing singlet and hung it on a hanger. I pinned my “old” racing shorts to the singlet, and pinned my “old” racing socks to the shorts, and

tied my “old” racing shoes to the socks and hung it up in the window of my hotel, which looked down on the 25-mile mark.

I thought that if my “old friend” couldn’t be out there running with me, at least he could watch as I ran by. Now my mind was set, and I was ready to race. Everything was in order.

A PERFECT DAY

When we walked outside, we discovered the day was the kind every marathoner dreams of: cloudy skies, no wind, a little light mist and fog from time to time, temperatures in the mid- to upper-40s. And lining up in the race, the defending champion and 2:10 marathoner Garry Bjorklund, plus many other top-notch runners. I knew the pace would be fast right from the start.

The gun went off, and BJ and I took off fast. A quarter-mile into the race, I looked back and couldn’t see anyone else because of the fog. BJ turned to me and said, “Beards, it’s just me and you. I’ll run with you as long and as fast as Ican, but this is your race.” I couldn’t believe my ears. Was he sent down from God to help me run fast today? I’m thinking to myself, Hey, he’s the defending champion, the course record-holder, and he’s telling me it’s my race?

At about 4.5 miles we had been running under 5:00 per mile pace, and I was feeling great, but then out of nowhere I started getting a bad sideache. I didn’t know what to do to stop it. Should I tell BJ? If I did, he might just take off and say bye-bye! But he had said it was my race, and I’ma very trusting person, so I took a chance.

“BJ, I’ve got a bad sideache.”

“Don’t worry, Beards. We’ll cut the pace back a little, and there’s a water stop over the next hill. Get a drink and you’ ll be fine.”

Now I knew he was sent from heaven! I got myself a drink, stretched out my side a bit, and the ache was gone.

With that behind me, I begin to notice that while I’d been running smack dab in the middle of the road the whole way, BJ kept cutting the tangents. How naive I was in those days. BJ’s going to get disqualified, I thought to myself. At about 8 miles, BJ rolled over next to me and said, “Beards, if you keep running in the middle of the road, you’re going to be running a couple of extra miles. The course is measured to the shortest possible way a runner can run.”

“Thanks!” I said, and I began doing tangents with BJ.

I was feeling really great as we kept clicking off sub-5:00 miles.

At the halfway point, which we hit in 1:04:35, BJ came alongside me and said, “Beards, you’ ve got a 2:09 going.”

Thinking I’ m pretty witty, I replied, “How ’bout I stop now and just double my time?”

By 15 miles we weren’t really talking much to each other anymore, as it was time to really focus on what we were doing here, running at breakneck speed.

At 18 miles, we were still running side by side, and I looked behind us to see if I could see anyone. When I turned back around, BJ had thrown in a surge and had a 50-yard lead on me. He was flying!

Wild emotions shot through me. Had he been setting me up by telling me it was my race? Or was he feeling better than he thought he would and was now going for the win himself?

I concluded that this moment was not the time for a lot of pondering. I took off after him as if I were wearing a rocket. At 19 miles, I caught him and threw in a really hard surge.

REPORTS FROM THE FRONT

At 20 miles, a race official on a bike came by me and said, “Beards, you just ran a 4:41 mile, but BJ is only about 20 yards back!”

I panicked and took off again. I hit 21 miles, and the race official pedaled up to me and said, “Beards, you just ran a 4:36 mile, and BJ’s hurting.”

I thought, BJ’s hurting? What about me?

The biggest hill, around 22 miles, is called Lemon Drop Hill. It was not really all that big, but situated at 22 miles, it felt like a mountain. I was hurting going up Lemon Drop, but once I topped out, I could see downtown Duluth and knew I was getting closer with every step.

By this time the crowds were huge, and they were giving me a lot of encouragement. I didn’t know how fast I was running, as my cheap wristwatch had stopped, but I felt that I was still moving good.

Then, in an instant, my worst nightmare happened as I approached the 24mile mark. The sideache returned, and suddenly I felt as if I’d been snagged by a bear trap. It was the worst stitch I’ ve ever had! I’d gone suddenly from having this race under my control to wondering if I’d be able to finish. I felt as if I were pulling a plow. I kept going, trying everything I could think of to get rid of the pain.

Tapproached the 25-mile mark with the bear trap still firmly attached to my side. I looked ahead, trying to focus on something other than the pain. Ahead Thad a sharp left-hand turn. I saw a very young boy standing in the middle of the street. Surely he’Il move, I thought, as I rushed toward him. But he just stood there. Where was his mother? I began yelling at him to get out of the street, but it was doing no good. He just stood there, blocking the route. What

should I do? I was trapped. I was surrounded by massive numbers of bicycles (since outlawed from the course), to my left are the huge, massed crowds of spectators, and there’s a big old light pole on the course where I need to turn.

What could I do? I kept yelling at the kid to get out of the way, and he actually began to start moving. But I was coming like a freight train. He got partway to the side of the street, and then his eyes met mine (that’s how close we were to each other), and he froze!

OUT OF OPTIONS

I suddenly had no options left. This little boy had removed them. I was trapped in a tunnel, moving at faster than 5 minutes per mile. I ran right into the poor little guy, and he went flying into the crowd. I chanced a quick glance back and saw he was crying. Well, that’s good, I thought—that means he’s still breathing. I felt bad about the collision, but there was nothing I could have done at that speed! Where in the world was his mother?

On the upside, the crash with the kid did something to my side, and the bear trap pain was gone.

Iwas back running normally again—with less than a mile left to go.

As completed the final turn into a long quarter-mile straightaway to the finish, I was overwhelmed by the crowd noise. It was deafening. As I started welling up with tears, I looked ahead and could see the finish line. Then I saw the clock and could not believe my eyes!

Unless I died right then, I was going to break 2:10.

As I crossed the finish line, the clock read 2:09:37—only 9 seconds off the Americanrecord Dick Beardsley wins the 1981 Grandma’s held by Bill Rodgers, my run- Marathon ina course record 2:09:37, which ning idol. still stands today.

Dick Beardsley MY MOST UNFORGETTABLE MARATHON @® 121

Iwas jumping up and down like a little kid on Christmas morning when he finds a new train set under the tree. I was hugging everyone, and everyone was crying.

This was one of the best days of my life. All the hard training had paid off. But the reason this day was and remains special to me is that my wife Mary was there in the finish chute with me, along with my two sisters and my mom and dad, who had never seen me run a marathon before.

It was like a family reunion—the best one I ever had!

From It

UDGE YOUR potential by your last key workouts. We can’t run what we haven’t practiced. When you run your last key workouts and they go well, use them as a gauge to how fast you should run on race day. Just about every good marathoner has such key workouts. | know Alberto Salazar had a favorite course he’d run hard on several weeks before a marathon; he used how he did on that course to determine how he’d run in the race. It is really a gauge of your fitness. Portents can work for you. | People may feel my excitement at seeing 209 in various forms going into Grandma’s was pretty silly. But take indicators such as that as a sign. Hey, what can it fe you if it builds your confidence? That’s what doing a good marathon comes down to: being confident you can do it. A little sign here or there that your goal is preordained can do nothing but good.

Use the first miles to get into a rhythm. Some of the best marathoners in the world contend that the “race” doesn’t begin until you reach 20 miles. By that they mean that you’re out there “traveling” to the 20-mile mark just to pay your toll to get the privilege of racing. The exact distance varies for different people. For some it’s a race after 18 miles. With enough training and hard miles, it does come at 20 miles. Use the “trip” out to 20 miles to get into a rhythm that helps the miles just melt away so you’re relaxed when it comes time to race.

(COURTESY OF GRANDMA’S MARATHON

The marathon is long enough that problems—such as side stitches— aren’t necessarily the end of the world. It’s the rare marathon that goes smoothly from starting gun to finish line. When obstacles occur, deal with them, keep going, and often they’ll resolve themselves. (| don’t recommend that you look for a small child to smash into to get rid of a side stitch.) But the year after this race, when | was going against Al Salazar at Boston, | developed a hamstring cramp in the last mile as | was trying to throw in a surge to drop Alberto. You’ll never guess what finally got rid of the cramp so | could again pick up the pace and attempt to catch Alberto before he crossed the finish line. | stepped into a pothole—and suddenly the cramp was gone. Honest. You just never know. And that’s what /

makes life interesting, right?

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Dick Beardsley MY MOST UNFORGETTABLE MARATHON 123

You’ll laugh – possibly cry – and applaud wildly…

» Dick Beardsley-Marathon _ Champion, Seminar Speaker, Expert Fishing Guide,

~ “Survivor”

* Two-time champion and course record holder —Grandma’s Marathon

Champion and course record holder-Napa Valley Marathon London Marathon Champion

Second-place finish—-“The Duel in the Sun’”—Boston 1982 Fourth-fastest men’s marathon time

Two-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier Experienced fishing guide for

more than 25 years

“I’ve heard all the speakers on the running circuit. None has a better story to tell, or tells it better than Dick Beardsley.” Joe Henderson, senior writer, Runner’s World magazine.

“TN If you would like to invite the dynamic Dick Beardsley to your race, contact:

Jan Colarusso Seeley, Marathon & Beyond

Tau The Art of the

oe Ultramarathoner

Runners Have Been Doing Ultras for Centuries, and the Basics Never Change. A Classic Revived. Part 4 of 5

by Tom Osler

The first three installments of Tom Osler’s book appeared in our July/August, September/ October, and November/December 2001 issues, respectively.

CHAPTER 7 RACING ALL DAY

In this chapter we examine races of 100 miles and twenty-four hours. In the past, runners were warned to avoid these distances, or advised to try them at the conclusion of a career as a grand finale to serious competition. Few ever raced these lengths more than once. Even the great Ted Corbitt established the present American record of 13:33:06 for 100 miles in 1969, in his first and only attempt at the distance. At that time there were so few 100 mile races that Corbitt went to England to set the record. He also established an American record of 134.7 miles for twenty-four hours, again in England and again in his only try at the event. In those days runners saw these as grotesquely long marathons, to be run every step of the way. Walking was not yet considered a serious skill within the sport, even though both these records could be matched by an athlete who knew the art of mixing. Since running the entire distance would sometimes “destroy” the runner, it was thought best—perhaps correctly—to retire after one such race.

Today we know that twenty-four hour runs, as well as 100 milers, are well within the capacity of trained athletes who mix walking and running. By doing this, such distances can be enjoyed and not feared. I have run three twenty-four hour runs in the past three years, as well as two 100-milers. In all these races I combined walking and running and had very positive experiences. My best twenty-four hour distance is 114 miles, and my fastest 100 miles was run in 16:11:15. While these are far short of records, they provided me with an opportunity to explore new dimensions of my athletic potential. They were not devastating; in fact, my recovery from these ultras was more rapid than recovery after many difficult marathons.

Tom Osler THE ART OF THE ULTRAMARATHONER @ = 125

Continuous Running or Mixing

While many well-trained runners can race fifty-milers using only steady running, only the world’s finest athletes should attempt to cover 100 miles without some walking. It would be far easier to negotiate 100 miles in fourteen hours by mixing than it would by trotting at a steady 8:24 mile pace. One hundred miles in fourteen hours is an excellent time, and would win most races of this length. In a 1978 100-mile road race that was run in New York City, my good friend Nick Marshall tried steady running and turned in a brilliant 14:37:05 performance, the sixth best American ever at this distance. Unfortunately Nick’s legs have not yet returned to normal, even though a full year has elapsed. Nick is one of the finest athletes ever to attempt these distances, and Ihave respect for him as a competitor. No doubt he will soon recover and we will once again match strides on the track and road, but I would not want to endure the frustration that I know he feels when he cannot race.

On the other hand, Park Barner established the American twenty-four hour run record in 1978 without walking a single step. Park stopped only twice, once to change shoes and once for a bowel movement. There is no doubt that he has exceptional genetic gifts for this activity; the average ultramarathoner would take great risks if he used steady running only in races of this length.

Road and Track

Nearly all twenty-four hour runs take place on quarter-mile tracks. Races of 100 miles are also frequently run on a track, and when a road is used the course usually consists of a small loop that is repeated many times. Tracks and small loops are desirable because they require far less help from officials. These days, runners are never in short supply, but it is often difficult to find volunteers to help direct the race.

Many would-be ultramarathoners are intimidated by the track. They fear that circling a small oval all day will be unbelievably monotonous and detrimental to their performance. Surprisingly, most athletes who have run in long track races discover that boredom is rarely a concern. Ultramarathons are not even like 10,000 meter races. Here you do much more than simply circle the track. You walk, drink, eat, do exercises, reverse direction, sit, stop and talk to reporters and even nap on occasion. There is far too much happening in an ultra to ever cause boredom.

Most runners who have tried twenty-four hours on the track, and have been schooled in mixing, find upon finishing that they are eager to do it again. Rather than experiencing boredom, they discover that the track becomes a good friend. Where else can you find refreshment every quarter mile? There is

no concern for losing your way, and officials can help a man if he gets into difficulty.

Because long distance track races have not been common during the past fifty years, one important feature has been ignored by race directors—reversing directions. In bygone pedestrian races, athletes were often free to reverse the direction in which they had circled the track. This is healthy for the legs and feet. While I am not recommending that runners reverse at will, they can reverse en mass, when directed by an official, to avoid chaos.

One simple way to coordinate the reversal of a race is to have an official blow a whistle at the end of each half hour period. At this signal, the runners complete the present lap, then turn around when they reach the starting point. Runners who have not yet reversed stay on the inside lane, while those who have just turned around run a bit wide. In this way the switch can be completed in a minute or two without collisions or confusion.

Last year I raced 100 miles over a track on which reversing was not possible because a twenty-four hour relay was also in progress. At about seventy miles I began to have trouble with my left ankle. After the race the ankle became swollen and remained so for over a week. In contrast, I have finished three twenty-four hour runs and one twelve-hour run in which the runners reversed each half hour. I had no difficulty at all with my ankles in these races. For some reason, reversing seems necessary only in the longest races. I never had difficulty in fifty-milers on a track where reversing is never considered.

Lap Counting

In races of many laps, counting can be a major problem. At times the race officials will miscount, and unless you are alert and can verify their counts, you will lose valuable distance. Few runners can count their own laps; it is too easy to become confused. Small, hand-held counters can make this task easier. The runner carrying such a counter can click it each time a lap is completed. While this method is not 100 percent reliable, it does allow the runner to check the official lap count periodically. Metal counters are sturdier than those made of plastic and thus are a better value.

Resting, Exercising, Sleeping

Besides walking, the runner can also take brief rest periods during which he leaves the track and sits or lies down. When I established my personal record at 100 miles, I stopped every ten miles and rested for a few minutes. Then I lifted my feet above my head for several minutes more. On returning to the track, I always felt refreshed by this respite.

Some runners have found that various stretching exercises are invigorating during these stops. In case of fatigue, the runner might even consider a brief nap. I have watched runners grow stiff and weary during twenty-four hour races, only to return from a thirty-minute nap looking like they just began running. These techniques sound strange to the uninitiated, but they are part of the sport of ultramarathoning, and they make it possible for ordinary runners to cover surprisingly long distances.

In addition to rests and naps, other methods, including massage, can be used to revive the runners. The great Rhodesian Arthur Newton, who held many world records from fifty miles to twenty-four hours in the 1930s, chose to stop during his twenty-four hour record race to take a hot bath and have a complete dinner, immediately upon completing one hundred miles. He then returned to the track and ran over fifty miles more!

Psychological Preparation

The runner’s attitude toward racing should become more casual as the distance increases. Marathons can be run with a certain intensity, but such intensity must be tempered considerably if fifty miles is to be completed. In races of 100 miles the approach is so casual that the scene resembles a workout rather than arace. This is true for all but a handful of world-class runners who can actually run all day long.

The thought of entering a twenty-four hour track race can be very frightening. For this reason I always promise myself that I will be especially timid in my approach to such a race. Unlike my policy for a fifty-miler, I won’t “engage” other runners in direct competition in a race of 100 miles. In fact, I promise myself that this will be a day of fun. After all, I’ll be free of work and family cares. Nothing more serious than gently walking and running around an oval need concern me. If I get tired, I sit down. If I get hungry, I eat. If I get weary, I sleep. What could be easier?

I will now describe my first twenty-four hour track run. It will allow the reader to see how different principles we have examined are put into practice.

Wednesday, December 8, 1976

I have been studying the efforts of the great pedestrians of the nineteenth century. Iam convinced that the secret of their ability to cover 500 to 600 miles in six days lies in their combination of running and walking. Tomorrow, for the first time, I am going to put this theory to a test. I will circle the track for twenty-four hours, and while my greatest previous distance afoot was sixty miles, I am convinced that I can surpass one hundred miles by using this rediscovered technique.

I will be running alone, but the college and community have taken notice of my trial. Each year students at Glassboro State sponsor Project Santa, a fundraising drive for needy families at Christmas. My run will help in this effort.

Areporter from the local newspaper visits my home in the afternoon. As I relate my strategy for covering more than 400 laps on the track, I notice that my wife Kathy is growing uneasy. After the interview I ask if anything is wrong. We have been married for eleven years, and she has seen me off to hundreds of races without concern. But now Kathy confesses that she is afraid. “The whole idea sounds crazy, and you’ re apt to kill yourself!” I try to convince her that I have no plans to be “heroic,” and that I will simply come home if] get too tired. I don’t think she believes me.

Pat Barrett, a three-hour marathoner herself, has driven from her home in North Jersey to help count laps and be my handler. Pat graduated from Glassboro last June and had been my frequent training partner for three years. I retire to bed at 9 p.m. while Pat and Kathy renew their friendship.

I set the alarm for 4 a.m. and for a 5 a.o. start. I try to sleep, but it’s impossible. I’m like a child waiting for Christmas. I can’t wait to get on that track and start running. Over and over I review my plans. I will start by running seven laps, then walking one, running seven, walk one, and so on. If this becomes too difficult I will switch to running three and walking one. If that in turn is too hard, I will alternately run and walk single laps.

Ilay still, but don’t sleep. Usually I have no difficulty sleeping, but tonight I keep thinking of the old pedestrians. Tomorrow I will have my first chance to feel what they felt. I will start in darkness, I will watch the sunrise, I will see the day unfold. The sun will set, but I will go on into the night. Great!

_ The night passes without sleep. I rise at 4 a.m. Bob Zazzali, my training partner, who will be running several miles with me during the day, arrives to drive Pat and me to the track. I think about my lost sleep, but I should be fine even without it. Two nights without sleep would be a disaster, but Ican survive one.

The Start (5 a.m.)

There is just enough stray light from the parking lot to light the school’s cinder track. It is 20 degrees, with no wind. I am wearing ski pajamas on my legs, two sweat shirts, gloves and a hat to guard against the cold.

A few professors and students are there to run a few miles, and without ceremony we start running at 2 minutes past 5 a.m.

I try to relax, but my legs are bursting with energy. I pass the first lap at a 7:30 mile pace. This is ridiculous! At this rate I will set the world’s record. Still,

I cannot get control of my nerves. Seven laps pass—time to walk. I’ve never done this before, and my body resists what seems like a highly unnatural pause.

Finally, after covering six miles in 49:40, Ihave stilled my nerves and walk my first lap. I should have walked earlier, but I have never run and walked in training, and I found it impossible. In the future I’1l know better! After the first hour I have established the proper ratio of seven laps run to one lap walked. At last Iam in control of myself. Phase one of this effort will continue until 1 p.m. In phase one running should be effortless and not tiring. While the effort is easy, I cannot relax completely, for the wind is beginning to pick up. I hate cold weather, and twenty degrees with wind is very cold.

My long-time friend Neil Weygandt is running the first fifty miles with me. Neil is a 2:40 marathoner; I assure him that he will succeed by using our technique of strategic walking.

The sun is shining brightly and the cinder track is starting to thaw. When we started, the track was frozen hard. By 10 a.o. it had a pleasant soft sponginess, but by noon portions of the inside lane were under water. Apparently there were ice crystals frozen in the cinders and now they have melted. The track has become so soggy that it is nearly impossible to run comfortably on the inside lane. I was aware before the race that this might happen. The outermost lane of the track is in good shape, and at forty-five miles I begin to run there. I won’t be able to return to the inside lane because of it’s soggy state. Since ten laps on the long outside lane equals eleven on the inside, the conversion to 440-yard laps is easy. After I run ten laps, I give myself a free one!

Ihave been reversing direction every half hour. Not only does this equalize the strain on my legs, it also provides an opportunity to view the stadium from a slightly different perspective. Each mile I check my hand-held lap counter. I confirm my progress with Pat Barrett, who is also keeping count.

Phase one ends with Neil and me passing 50 miles in 8:08:13. Neil stops and joins Pat to help with the lap counting. I stop and walk to the field house, only 50 yards away, for a bowel movement.

Phase Two

As I return to the track, I feel some slight fatigue. This is surprising, since I felt great when I left just ten minutes earlier. Now phase two has begun, and while I can’t expect my legs to trot on without some urging on my part, still I must remain very comfortable or the final eight hours will be wasted.

After running for twelve hours, the sun starts to set. I have anticipated this moment since I tossed and turned sleeplessly last night. My running speed is now about eleven minutes per mile, but I feel reasonably strong and am truly able to enjoy the twilight. I have run seventy miles. Many students and faculty

came to the track in the afternoon to run a few miles with me, and as darkness sets in, more arrive.

I pass eighty miles in 14:06:27, but Iam no longer comfortable. I shouldn’t be this fatigued until phase three! Twenty miles to go before I reach 100, and at this rate that will take four more hours. I am really finding this unpleasant, but I maintain the seven to one running and walking ratio.

After eighty-five miles, a small musical group arrives on the track. They are somewhat tipsy, but still able to circle with me while playing reasonably well. The carnival atmosphere they generate is just what I need to forget my somber trot. They stay for only ten minutes, but they succeed in rescuing me from self-doubt. I continue on with renewed cheer.

Phase Three

I pass ninety miles in 16:09:39. Phase three is just beginning, but I don’t see how I will be able to run much beyond 100 miles. As I near the 100-mile goal, however, my spirits rise. I grow more optimistic and the fatigue slips from my shoulders. A small crowd of friends, students and reporters has gathered for the conclusion of the first one hundred miles.

Much relieved, I reach one hundred miles in 18:19:27. Our college president greets me and I briefly enjoy one of the most fulfilling moments of my running career. I feel a desperate need to leave the track and sit down. Kathy has brought a large bowl of spaghetti, and I retire to the field house to enjoy it. I change my clothes and lie down for fifteen minutes, during which time I actually sleep. I am in the field house for fifty-three minutes before I return to the track for the final five hours of the night.

It is very cold, but the wind is still when I walk back down to the cinders. After sunset, the soft track has frozen again; this time it froze in ruts since so many runners had left footprints during the day. Fortunately, the outside lane has remained passable throughout the twenty-four hours.

I try to run a few steps, but my legs feel incredibly heavy. To my horror, running is no longer possible. (In retrospect, I made two mistakes. I should have taken several rest breaks during the day, and I should not have eaten so large a dinner. In addition, a nap of thirty minutes to an hour at this point might have enabled me to begin running again.)

If I could no longer run, I could still walk comfortably at three miles per hour. Students are night people, and many of them joined me as I slowly circled the track. By 5 a.m. I had walked fourteen miles for a total of 114 miles in twenty-four hours.

After a short interview on the college radio station, Neil and Pat drove me home. Kathy was relieved to find me alive, and we all went to the living room

to discuss the day’s events. I fell asleep quickly while the others chatted, much to their amusement.

While my effort had created interest in Project Santa, it had another effect as well. Pat and Neil met on that icy track for the first time. What they said during the long hours spend counting my laps will never be known. Santa’s spirit was at work, though, for they became engaged shortly thereafter and are now married.

Post-Run Recovery

After spending a sleepless night Thursday, followed by running all day and night on Friday, I imagined that I would sleep most of the next day when I returned from the track. While I did take a few brief naps during the day I really felt no need for extended sleep.

Having suffered long recovery periods from prior marathon races, and even longer recovery times after fifty-milers, I also anticipated that bounding back from the twenty-four hour effort might be even worse. I was delighted to find that this was not so. In particular, there was no leg soreness at all. The following day I tested my legs by running a few steps. They felt a bit heavy, but they produced a smooth, pain-free stride. Nevertheless I thought it best to avoid any real running for three days, and when I did resume training, I only jogged a few miles each day for an additional week.

In subsequent long races which mixed considerable walking with running, I experienced comparable recovery. Leg stiffness, which can be painful for a week following a marathon or fifty-miler, is rarely present. In spite of my feeling of well-being immediately following such efforts, I still believe that it is best to forego normal training for at least a week to insure that no unexpected injury develops.

Statistics

The graph on page 133 shows the number of miles I covered during each of the twenty-four hours. It is interesting to note that the run actually does divide itself in to three phases of about eight hours each. During the first phase I averaged about six miles per hour, but during the second this drops to five miles per hour. Since I was reduced to walking for most of phase three, my speed dropped to about 3.5 miles per hour.

A close inspection of the data collected during this run reveals that of the 114 miles I traveled in the twenty-four hour period, 88.5 were run while 25.5 were walked. The time spent running was fourteen hours and twenty minutes, while I walked for seven hours and fifty minutes. Thus only fourteen of the twenty-four hours were spent in actual running. While running, my average pace was 9:43 per mile, and while walking it was 18:28.

24 HOUR RUN AT GLASSBORO STATE COLLEGE (CINDER TRACK) DECEMBER 9 – 10, 1976

PHASE 2

Ih MM | ppd Er

MILES TRAVELED EACH HOUR

Many people feel that a steady pace is best for racing at short distances. But is it also best for a twenty-four hour run? True to my novice standing in this ultramarathon, my speed declined without interruption over the day. My goal, still far away, would be to blend running with walking so well that the final eight hours are as productive as the first.

CHAPTER 8: RACING FOR SEVERAL DAYS—PART 1

Very few races in America are scheduled to extend beyond one day. Such races had been popular among professional pedestrians in the nineteenth century but professional long distance walking and running has been dead since the great transcontinental foot races of 1928 and 1929. Should amateur runners attempt such efforts? Park Barner ran a solo 200 miles from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh in 1978 shortly before establishing the American twenty-four hour track record. Recently I ran for three days (200 miles in seventy hours) at Dr. David Costill’s Human Performance Laboratory in Muncie, Indiana. Even such demanding runs need not be feared if undertaken properly; they can offer many athletes a chance to explore areas of physical and mental capacity not often tapped.

By the time George Littlewood established the six-day record of 623.75 miles in 1888, the art of the pedestrian had reached great sophistication. Unfortunately that art is now lost. This chapter reports on my own recent three-day trial, and attempts to draw modest conclusions from it.

Sleeping

Sleep is clearly essential in events longer than twenty-four hours. The question really is, how much is enough? Before my three-day trial I was concerned that I would need at least six hours per day. I was surprised to find that I averaged three hours and thirty minutes each day without ever feeling deprived of sleep.

The great pedestrians of the six-day races normally slept only three or four hours per day. (The day before the contest started they would sleep as much as possible.) Newspaper accounts tell us that they would enter their tents, sleep for 30 minutes, awaken, and immediately resume traveling.

Many runners sleep for eight hours each day. How can they hope to get by on half that amount while expending so much energy, shall we say, for several days running? Perhaps the answer is not the total hours of sleep, but the quality of that sleep. Research shows that the deeper kind of sleep, known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, is more restful than the earlier, lighter slumber. Runners who can immediately fall into and awaken from REM sleep have a distinct advantage in ultramarathoning.

My sleeping pattern is unusual. I often nap for an hour or two in the afternoon. I go to bed at ten but get up at 1 a.m. for three hours of reading followed by two or three more hours of sleep. I am not recommending this schedule for others, and relate it because it was a factor during my three-day run. Weston had demonstrated that it is best to eat and sleep during a six-day effort at roughly the same times that one would during an ordinary day. A race extending over several days is best approached as a series of ordinary days during which a great deal of running is done at all times other than those reserved for eating and sleeping.

A pattern that emerged during my three-day run was as follows:

1 p.m. – Lunch 1:30 p.m. – Sleep for thirty minutes

7 P.M. – Supper 7:30 p.m. – Sleep for one hour

1 A.M. – Snack 1:15 p.m. – Sleep for forty-five minutes

5 a.m. – Snack 5:15 a.m. – Sleep for seventy-five minutes

I chose to sleep immediately after eating since it is difficult to run on a full stomach. In each case I fell asleep easily.

It was better to awaken from sleep naturally than to be jolted awake by an alarm; starting to run again is much easier. Only once in three days did I use an alarm clock, and I had a rough time returning to the track.

Eating and Drinking

Unlike races of a day or shorter, three days spent running make solid nutrition essential. In 100-milers or twenty-four hour efforts an athlete can get by on

sugared drinks, if he or she has sufficient nutritional reserves. In events lasting three days or more, genuine meals must be eaten.

Earlier I examined how breakfast, lunch and supper might be coordinated with time spent sleeping. It is probably best to eat during the event at approximately the same time of day at which you normally would.

What you eat and drink should also not be too different from foods that you normally prefer. It’s likely that a few rich desserts such as pie and cake will help. Large quantities of fluid should be taken continually to avoid dehydration. I have found that fruit juices, coffee, tea and powdered milk mixed with sugar were all effective.

Reviving It is surprising how quickly runners can revive after a short time spent off their feet. During my efforts at twenty-four hours as well as my recent three-day run I would frequently find myself growing slightly weary while running and walking. After a brief rest, lasting from fifteen minutes for a small snack to two hours for a meal and a nap, I would return to the track. Getting started was always a bit hard, but after about twenty minutes of motion I would begin to feel refreshed and could continue for several hours in good spirits.

As always, the reader must decide upon, through experiment, the effectiveness of these techniques for his or her particular body.

Walking

The longer the run, the greater the importance of walking. While trained runners need not worry about practicing long walks for efforts of twenty-four hours or less, this isn’t true for races of three days and up. During my best effort at twenty-four hours I ran eighty-nine miles and walked twenty-five. The walking gave me no problems in spite of the fact that I never walk further than one mile in ordinary days. During my 200 mile effort in seventy hours, I walked a full 100 miles in short segments; here the walking gave me great difficulty. Perhaps I made a mistake in choosing to walk so much. Nevertheless, I believe that I must now practice long walks if I am to attempt such trials again.

Why should training in walking be necessary for the trained runner? If an athlete wants to cover one hundred miles or more by using walking in a race of several days duration, then he or she had best become efficient in his walking style. I soon found that my walk was very energy consuming. In addition, walking places different stresses on the feet. I never get blisters while running, but I did get bad ones from prolonged walking. I need to toughen my feet so that they can also handle walking many miles.

Thave outlined my suggestions for sleeping, eating, reviving and walking during pedestrian efforts lasting several days. I will now briefly describe my own three-day trial in order to put these theories in a practical setting.

A Three-Day Trial Wednesday, April 25, 1979

lam flying to Muncie, Indiana. Tomorrow at 7 A.M. I shall begin my first run longer than one day, a three-day trial. Through the winter, as usual, my training mileage has been low. I have averaged fifty-five miles per week since December; worse, my weight is up twelve pounds. I have no special schedule of when to eat, sleep, rest, walk, or run, but I will decide these things as the event progresses.

At the airport I am met by Dr. David Costill, Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University. This laboratory is well-known for its studies of runners. The world’s greatest athletes have come here for scientific analysis, and I am delighted that Costill wants to have my trial here. He informs me that he has a crew of twelve graduate assistants to record data during the run. They will analyze blood samples, oxygen, urine, and weight as well as record distances, times and psychological impressions.

Costill drives me to the lab and shows me his equipment. The lab is impressive, but I’m particularly interested in the track. There is a half-mile macadam oval passing through a park-like area of the campus that I can use during the daylight hours. A field house containing an indoor eight-lap-to-the-mile dirt track will be used at night. Both are within a few seconds walk of the laboratory.

At 7 p.m. Costill and I met with the support crew. After he reviews their schedule of experiments, I explain to them my reasons for attempting this run. I relate briefly the story of the great pedestrians of the past, with emphasis on my hero Weston. I confess that at present I know nothing about how such efforts are best negotiated, but I will learn and this is my school. Ultimately I want to try six days, in an attempt to cover 500 miles. The crew is enthusiastic; most are distance runners themselves. Without their help such a trial would be impossible.

Costill shows me the remaining preparations. There is a complete kitchen as well as a small private room for sleeping right in the lab. Everything I need is here.

I go to bed at 9 p.m. and sleep soundly for eight hours at Costill’s home. Unlike my twenty-four hour run described above prior to which I did not sleep at all, I now have the advantage of a full night’s sleep. Sleep lost before a twenty-four hour effort is of little consequence, but sleep missed before a three-day effort would certainly be reflected in a reduced performance.

After a breakfast of yogurt and coffee we drive to the lab. It is 6:30 a.m. and Tam amazed to find everyone working so hard. Preliminary tests delay the start and I begin at 7:25 a.m.

The First Day—Thursday, April 26, 1979

I walk out the lab door to greet a partly overcast breezy morning. It is 64 degrees, delightful weather were it not for the wind. I walk the first mile in fifteen minutes, then I begin alternately running and walking the half-mile laps. My walking style is excessive; I lean forward and come down with my leg straight, like a modified “goose step.” In contrast, my running form is smooth and easy. Dave Elgar, a 2:25 marathoner himself, is timing my laps. I am running at ten minutes per mile and walking at fourteen. I am surprised that I can walk that fast.

As I circle the little oval, I enjoy looking at the budding spring landscape. Fresh grass and blossoming trees are everywhere. The path is crowded with students and faculty running in both directions. I always enjoy watching others run. I can study their style in relation to their build and weight. Watching the women run is an extra treat.

At twenty miles I begin to feel a strange sensation on the callus beneath the ball of my right foot. It doesn’t hurt, but I am alert to any possible problem. Little do I know that this is the start of a deep blister that will be my greatest concern in the final stages of the run.

After completing twenty-three miles I break for lunch. My bowel movement is very loose, probably due to the grape juice which I am drinking every mile. I have to correct this stomach problem if I am to get needed nutrition from my food.

Ihad mentioned to Costill last night that today is a my thirty-ninth birthday, and the lab assistants now appear with a huge cake. One quarter of it was reserved for me, and I managed to eat it all before the day was over. A tough stomach is a real friend in ultramarathons, and my stomach is my greatest asset. Thead for my private room where I fall asleep for twenty-five minutes. When I return to the track, I find that lunch and sleep have taken only fifty-two minutes.

I continue to alternate running and walking half-mile laps. I am now running faster, and walking slower than I did in the morning; I run at eight minutes per mile speed and walk at sixteen. Pete Watson, himself a swimmer and marathoner and a member of my support crew, begins to walk with me. I tell him that the walking is starting to feel harder than the running. Pete reveals that the entire crew has been concerned about my walking stride. It looked excessive to them, but they chose to remain silent. How right they were! My thighs were beginning to stiffen and I had not yet traveled thirty miles. I notice that the thighs are stiff when I walk, but not when I run. This is terrible! Thigh

Tom Osler THE ART OF THE ULTRAMARATHONER ® 137

stiffness is usually a severe sign of fatigue. In desperation I try to alter my walking stride. By bending my knee as my foot makes contact and by walking more erect, the stiffness starts to disappear. Blessed relief!

Since lunch I have been drinking powdered milk with extra sugar. This delightful drink tastes like a milkshake. I have never tried it before, and Costill is worried that the milk will be difficult to digest. Itisn’t, and more importantly, it is helping to tighten my bowels.

By 5 p.m. Lam growing weary from so much walking. Perhaps I have erred in choosing to run and walk equal distances. I thought walking would be restful, but it is in fact more tiring than running. I decided to change my ratio to three laps running for each lap walking. This feels much better.

By 7:30 p.m. I reach fifty miles and gladly stop for dinner. Mrs. Costill has prepared a delicious hot meal, and I devour it with delight. After dinner I take a forty-five minute nap from which I awaken very refreshed. This whole break took one hour and forty minutes.

It is 9 p.M.—too dark to run on the outdoor half mile oval. But the indoor facility is dreary. There is nothing cheerful about this giant quonset hut. The track is made of dirt, is very dusty, and measures eight laps to the mile, just like the original Madison Square Garden. At least I have something in common with Weston; I am now on a track similar to those that he made famous.

Iam surprised at how quickly I get into motion again. I walk the first mile as a warm-up, then begin running 1.5 miles and walking 0.5 miles in a repetitive run-walk mixture. This feels very comfortable, and I continue in this way for an additional twenty miles.

At 1:30 a.m. I leave the track and take another nap. Fearing that I might sleep until morning, I ask to be awakened within an hour. I awoke from my previous naps without assistance, but this time I must be stirred.

On returning to the track I have great difficulty starting. Why did I get up? I want to sleep. I feel depressed for the first time. I promise myself that I’ll never try this again. Perhaps I should quit at forty-eight hours and return to my family.

I share these thoughts with my assistants, and we agree that I must have been awakened during a deep segment of sleep. In the future I will allow myself to sleep until I am ready to get up.

After thirty minutes, energy begins to return to my body and my stride becomes easy, but now the pain in the ball of my right foot is growing more noticeable. Costill examined it earlier and suspected that a deep blister was forming under the callus. Since I have never before had blisters in this location, Iwas a bit skeptical of his diagnosis. However, I had already walked thirty-five miles. I’ve never before walked that far in one day, and I believe that this has caused the problem.

At 5:30 a.m. I leave the track, having completed eighty-two miles. This time I’ll sleep as long as I like!

The Second Day

Tarise at 7 A.M. after sleeping for ninety minutes. In the lab Costill and his crew are busy at work. They seem surprised that I appear fresh, and frankly, I am too. I thought I would want more sleep. A few hours ago I was looking for an excuse to quit, but now I’m eager to get started.

When I leave the lab at 7:30 a.m. I am greeted by warm sunshine. The morning is beautiful, and for once there is no wind. Convinced that I walked too much yesterday, I select a run-walk rhythm of 1.5 running miles to 0.5 walking. I feel great; even better than I did yesterday. The lab assistants continue to take periodic blood samples and every hour they also tap my “exhaust” by having me breath into a large bag for two minutes as I walk and run. Besides the four major rest periods during which I eat and sleep, there are approximately ten short “stops” during which I change clothes, record my body weight and relieve my bowels if necessary.

I pass 100 miles at 11:30 and decide to celebrate by lying down in Costill’s office for twenty-one minutes. One of the assistants is busy working at the newly purchased microcomputer. I own a similar computer and keep it in my office at home. For a few moments I forget the run as we discuss his programming problems.

T enjoy lunch and a short nap as I did yesterday, but when I return to the track in the afternoon the ball of my right foot is mildly uncomfortable. At 4:30 p.M. I ask Costill to examine it again, and now he is sure that it’s a blister. He places two small pieces of mole foam on either side of the blister to remove the pressure. When I return to the track I am amazed to find that the discomfort is entirely gone! I can’t even tell which foot is giving me trouble. I do have one reservation. Will the mole foam itself cause trouble later? It is always dangerous to change things inside a shoe.

I quit for dinner at 6:30 p.m. having completed 122 miles. If I maintain this pace, I could complete 250 miles in three days, the pace required for finishing 500 miles in six days. On paper it looks easy, but on the track it’s proving harder than I had anticipated. I sit down to a large dinner of yogurt, cheese, bread, lettuce, pie and ice cream, and then sleep for one hour.

Iresume running at 9 p.m. on the little indoor track. Pete Watson arrives with his stereo, and the air is filled with the sounds of his favorite rock albums. I love music of all types, opera, classical, rock, disco, you name it. I find that running to the beat of the records is very enjoyable. In the old Madison Square Garden pedestrian contests a band played all day long. How this must have helped the pros!

Tam still running 1.5 miles, then walking 0.5, but my legs are growing stiff. I’m not really concerned, though I am well into phase two of the trial, and I should be feeling some effort.

Suddenly at 11 p.m. I feel tremendous pain in the little toe of my right foot. We head for the lab and examine the foot. The mole foam that so effectively solved the problem on the ball of my foot has itself created a blister on the little toe. That blister broke while running and has left the skin really raw. Jeff Miller, Pete Watson and Dave Elger work at devising various pads for the toe. All fail. It looks like I’m going to quit, for I can’t even walk slowly on this foot without a severe limp. As a last measure, I pull off the mole foam and place a band aid over the toe. Amazingly, the pain is gone.

I return to the track and run for only five more minutes. I solved the toe problem, but with the mole foam gone, the original blister is again bothersome. I feel weary but am convinced that I will be able to continue. I decide to sleep.

We worked on the blister for an hour, and I now sleep for an additional ninety minutes. When I return to the track at 3 a.m., my foot feels better running than it does walking. Why did I take long walks in training?

My body is reasonably fresh and willing to work. If only this foot would snap back! By 5 a.m. [have completed 144 miles. I retire again for 90 minutes sleep, hoping that I will awaken with renewed freshness as I did yesterday morning.

The Third Day

Ireturn to the track at 7 a.m. I feel good, but my legs are noticeably weaker. The weather has also turned blustery and overcast with an occasional drizzle. I have to dress warmly.

For the first time, running is no longer comfortable. I decide to run the half lap into the wind, and walk the other half with the wind. In this way I will be warm when I walk.

By 11 a.m. [have reached 160 miles, but my foot is deteriorating rapidly. I stop for thirty minutes and try to alter the shoe so that the ball of my foot doesn’t hurt, but nothing really helps. I could travel well if only I didn’t have this blister. I begin to calculate how far I could go if I stop running and only walk. There are twenty hours left, and if I walk two miles per hour I will reach 200 miles. It is clear that I cannot cover 250 miles as I had hoped.

By 1 p.m. [have managed 165 miles. I stop for lunch and a nap of forty-five minutes. As always I return to the track feeling refreshed. It is amazing how quickly the body can revive after a good meal and a nap.

By 3 p.m. my run has become an eleven minutes per mile shuffle. I hate running this slowly, and decide to continue with walking only. My foot severely reduces the otherwise pleasant pedestrian stroll. My path takes me past a tenstory dormitory. In one of the upper windows someone has placed a sign in letters four feet high reading, “Go Tom.” That sign sure helps lighten my steps. Ihave circled this path so many times that I was bound to attract some attention. Occasionally as a student passes by, I hear an encouraging “you can do it!” I still think I can cover 200 miles, but I had hoped to do it more pleasantly.

I eat dinner at 7:30 p.m., and I am desperate to relieve the pain in my right foot. Ihave covered 178 miles, and have twelve hours left in which to cover only twenty-two miles. I take a safety pin and begin to probe the callus under the ball of my foot. If there really is a blister there, letting the fluid out should reduce the pain. Sure enough, a small quantity of clear fluid oozes out. But when I try walking, I discover that I have made the problem worse; I now feel a burning sensation. I rub Vaseline into the blister and cover the area with mole skin.

I return to the indoor track and begin walking at 8:20 p.m. A small band of students arrives to watch my progress. There is almost a party atmosphere as Pete’s records are blasting and a game of Frisbee is begun. I feel embarrassed that I cannot run with so many people watching. At 10 a.m. Dave arrives carrying half a warm cherry pie on an aluminum plate. He holds the plate for me as I circle the track while gorging myself. What a sight I must be!

By 11:30 p.m. I have covered 189 miles and I decide to take my last nap. When I lie down the balls of my feet itch terribly. I rip off the mole skin protection and rub them furiously. How good that feels.

Isleep for only twenty-five minutes. I’m excited by the thought of finishing those last eleven miles.

On returning to the track I find that the blister really begins to hurt so I decide to walk very slowly. Soon the pain subsides to the level of discomfort; to keep the pain away, I stop after each mile and lift my feet over my head for five minutes. By 5:25 a.., seventy hours after starting, I have completed 200 miles. Two hours remain in the three-day period, but I have no stomach for more walking.

I walk back into the lab. What a filthy mess I am! I shower and shave for the first time in three days, and cannot help but laugh as I retire for a few hours sleep. This has been harder than I expected, but I now know that my lack of experience in walking caused the blister. Nevertheless, I’m happy. I now know that sleep is no real problem in these trials; I need only three or four hours per day. In spite of the uncomfortable blister I feel fresh, and wonder when I can try this again!

Post Trial Recovery

In the days following this run I did not require any additional sleep. I was, however, more accident prone. I was especially careful while driving, for fatigue had caused my reactions to slow. I did very little running for ten days,

as is my practice following ultramarathons. The blister slowly healed and there was no problem with leg soreness.

Statistics

* Thave given a narrative description of my three-day trial. For readers who wish to examine the run in minute detail, the three tables that follow provide a complete picture of miles covered, times taken for rests and sleep, speed walking and running, and more.

Table 1 gives a detailed picture of how the mileage progressed each hour as well as the number of miles traveled within each hour. The careful observer

TABLE 1 TOM OSLER’S 3-DAY PEDESTRIAN TRIAL Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana April 26-28, 1979

s DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 Time of Day Miles Miles Miles Start of Total Per Total Per Total Per Each Hour Hour Distance Hour Distance Hour Distance Hour AM. 7:25 1 4.75 4.75 86 4 149.75 4.25 8:25 2 B15 5 91 5 153.5 S75: 925, 2 14.25 45 96.25 5.25 157 3.5 10:25 4 18.5 375 100 375 160 3 11:25 5 23 45 102 2 162.75 2.75 PM. 12:25 6 23.5 0.5 102.25 0.25 165 2.25 1:25 7 28 45 106.5 4.25 165 0 225 8 32/5 4.75 110.25 375 167.5 25 3:25 9 37.25 4.5 115 4.75 171 35 4:25 10 40.5 3:25 V7 2 174.5 35 B25 11 45 45 121.75 4.75 177 25 625 2 49.5 4.5 121.75 0 178.5 1.5 125 13 49.5 0 121.75 0 179 05 S25 14 50.75 1.25 124.25 25 182.25 325 9:25 15 55.5 4.75 129.5 5.25 185 2.75 10:25 16 60 45 133 3:5 188 3 41:25 17 65 5 134 1.0 188.5 0.5 A.M. 12:25 18 69.75 4.75 135 1.0 190.5 2 1:25 19 69.75 0 135 0 192.5 2 225 20 72 222 136.75 15 195.5 2 3:25 21 77 5: 140.75 4 197.5 2 4:25 22 82 5 144 3.25. 200 25 B25 25 82 0 144 0 200 0 6:25 24 82 0 145.5 15 200 0

can see how I revived after each meal and nap. For example, on the first day I had lunch and sleep during the sixth hour; the mileage covered during the next three hours is greater than in the three hours before lunch. This pattern also holds following dinner.

In Table 2 we record the length of each rest period and note periods of sleep. We can see that little time was required for sleep, while much time was spent trying to relieve blisters and alter my shoes.

TABLE 2 TOM OSLER’S 3-DAY PEDESTRIAN TRIAL Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana April 26-28, 1979 5 SSS SS aS SS SSS SS ESS TSEC DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3

Time of Rest Time of Rest Time of Rest Day Length Comment Day Length Comment Day Length Coment

9:33am. 6 7:54am. 7 overdressed 8:41am. 4 10:51 12 rain 11:09 21 laydown 9:15 13 11:12 3 11:59 89 lunch 11:14 26 sleep 30 11:37 6 1:39pm. 2 1:05e.m. 97 lunch lunch sleep 45 12:23 pm. 52 sleep 25 2:48 13 5:57 9 — snack 2:48 2 4:27 28 fix foot 6:47 31 5:03 16 6:28 139 dinner VeZe: 51 dinner sleep 60 sleep 20 6:14 6 dinner 11:06 6 10:11 z T2100 sleep 45 11:34 55 workon 10:22 4 blister 11:18 10 12:44am. 132 sleep90 11:24 3 1:27 a.m. 87 sleep 50 3:16 5 11:36 55 sleep 25 4:57 6 3:22 5 1:14am. 2 52s 19 sleep 90 = 5:01 116 sleep 90 1:40 6 LA2 6 rain 2:34 A 321 5 3:45 6 4:09 5 4:32 8 4:58 D

5:25 120 sleep 90 TOTAL 7:02 sleep 3:30 TOTAL 10:24 sleep 4:00 TOTAL 7:41 sleep 3:00

Table 3 summarizes the important activities of each day. When I first made these computations I was startled to see the comparative number of hours spent running, walking, and off the track. They are:

Hours Running = 16:26 Hours Walking = 30:27 Hours Off Track = 25:07

Over one day was wasted in not moving at all! There is clearly plenty of room for improvement.

TABLE 3 TOM OSLER’S 3-DAY PEDESTRIAN TRIAL Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana April 26-28, 1979

Tom Osler’s book, The Art of the Ultramarathoner, will conclude in our March/April 2002 issue.

Back Issues of M&B

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ARTIA

ARATHON PLANET EARTH 2001

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Generously illustrated, often with rare and neverbefore-published photos, this book provides a detailed narrative of how the race was run, fascinating biographical details of the top finishers, the political climate surrounding the race, and a map with street descriptions of the actual race course.

Toledo’s Running Community Hosts an Intimate, Long-Running Event.

© CARTER SHERLINE

\ N ] HEN YOU think of Toledo, Ohio, the term “running hotspot” probably does not leap to mind. You would not name this city of 300,000 as having one of the oldest marathons in the country. And their marathon generates a little less excitement than the New York City, Los Angeles, or Marine Corps races.

But as you run the Toledo course, the terms “comfortable,” “easy-access,” and “runner-friendly” do come to mind. And, most often, so does the phrase “nice day.” If you want an enjoyable, extremely well-managed event, if you want a fair chance at a Boston qualifying time on a USATF-certified course, and if you want easy access to several free or low-cost art and music events, try the Glass City Marathon. For convenience, a small airport is located about 30 minutes from the race start/finish on Route 2 (Airport Highway); the nextclosest airport is Detroit Metro, about 1 hour from downtown Toledo.

In 1790, French traders Gabriel Godfrey and John Baptiste Beaugrande built a permanent settlement, later to become the city of Maumee, on the Maumee River. After the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, European settlers

Glass City Marathon 130 Yale Drive Toledo, OH 43614

PHONE: 419/385-7025

FAX: 419/531-0119

E-MAIL: jpatmann50@aol.com

WEB SITE: www.toledoroadrunners.org

RACE DIRECTORS: Tom Falvey, Pat Wagner & Pam Graver-Koenig YEAR RACE ESTABLISHED: 1971

CERTIFIED: USATF

START TIMES: 7:55 a.m. wheelchairs, 8:00 a.m. runners, walkers, relays COURSE RECORDS:

Open male: Tom Fries, 2:28:17 Open female: Sarah Davis, 2:54:30 Male master: Dennis Scott, 2:40:30

Female master: Wenr-Shi-Yu, 3:17:28 5-Person Relay: 2:19:41, Bob Masters, Ed Altweis, Tony Fraij, Keith Madaras, Rich Lachowski

PRIZE MONEY: Top 3 in open divisions: $100, $75, $50. Top masters male and female: $75. NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: 300 to 400 MARATHON FINISHERS IN 2001: 220 full marathoners, 64 five-person relay teams, and 52 two-person relay teams MALE/FEMALE FINISHERS: 74 percent male; 26 percent female COURSE MARKINGS: Every mile. Splits and race pace given at 1 mile, 5K, 5 miles, 10 miles, half-marathon, 15 miles, 20 miles, and 25 miles. MEDICALAID: Twoambulances on course; doctor at finish line; foursag wagons on course with nurses NUMBER OF AID STATIONS: 15 RACE DATE FOR 2002: April 21 HOSTHOTEL: Radisson Hotel, 101 Summit St., Toledo, 800/333-3333 ENTRY FEES FOR 2002: $30 if registered by April 8; $35 after April 8; $60 for two-person relay team by April 8; $70 for two-person relay team after April 8; $150 for five-person relay team by April 8; $175 for fiveperson relay team after April 8

began trickling into area villages, which were united in 1833 and named for Toledo in Spain. The Toledo War of 1835 put the Toledo area in the center of a controversy over which Michigan and Ohio militia had actually taken up arms and nearly come to blows. The United States Congress finally ruled in Ohio’s favor, with Ohio gaining Toledo and Michigan being compensated by statehood and the annexation of the Upper Peninsula. The City of Toledo was incorporated in 1837.

As an entry to the Great Lakes, Toledo has been a business staple for the Midwest for many years. It is an industrial city but on a quieter scale than Chicago or Detroit. At one time, Toledo hosted five Fortune 500 companies. Now, the IntroToledo Web site lists 15 Fortune 500 companies that have sites or headquarters in the Toledo area, with industries including motor vehicle parts manufacturing, oil refineries, and the shipping of coal, petroleum, and grain.

Toledo also has easy access to Detroit (one hour) and Ann Arbor, Michigan (45 minutes), home of the University of Michigan and all the accompanying cultural events. Like other cities in the Midwest, Toledo’s downtown riverfront area has been revitalized. Within a short driving distance of the marathon’s host hotel are a number of restaurants and entertainment centers, including an excellent museum, a world-class zoo, and a hands-on science center for children.

CLASSICAL GLASS

At the end of the 19th century, Michael Owens, financially backed by Edward Drummond Libbey, invented an automatic glass-blowing machine. With this invention, Toledo’s glass industry took off. For many years, Toledo was the glass capital of the world, and subsequently became known as the Glass City.

Toledo’s glass focus remained industrial until the 1960s; then, the Glass City was a logical place for the modern art glass movement to take off. According to the Toledo Museum of Art’s Web site, “In 1962, Harvey Littleton of the University of Wisconsin, with the technical assistance of Dominic Labino, a chemist and inventor from Grand Rapids, Ohio, solved the problem of melting glass ona small scale. Ata workshop at the Toledo Museum of Art, they presented their revolutionary idea that an individual artist working alone in a small studio could make art glass. The workshop elevated the glass blower from craftsman to artist/craftsman, and the contemporary glass movement was begun.”

Located at 2445 Monroe Street at Scottwood Avenue, the Toledo Museum of Art is a world-class museum within 5 miles of the marathon’s host hotel. Edward Drummond Libbey founded the museum in 1901 asa free museum, and it remains so today. The classical revival style building that is its current location opened in 1912. Florence Libbey, the widow of

Must See/Must Avoid

GO SEE IT

Toledo Museum of Art. Located on Monroe Street at Scottwood Avenue, the Toledo Museum of Artis a definite must-see. Cruise through galleries of African and Egyptian art, European paintings, furniture, and hangings, glass, graphic arts, and on and on.

COSI. The Center of Science and Industry is at Summit and Adams Streets within walking distance of the race start/finish on Toledo’s riverfront. MindZone explores how our minds “process, interpret, and create illusions and perceptions.” Lifeforce, Body Music Evaluator (learn to play a tune using belches—that’s not a misprint), sports areas, and many other exhibits allow adults and children to actively explore science.

Toledo Metroparks. Check out the Toledo metroparks Web site (www.metroparkstoledo.com) for several beautifully maintained parks, including Sidecut Park, which is part of the race course. Sidecut Park opened in 1931 as the first Toledo metropark, with “two picnic tables and a well.” There is a monument to The Battle of Fallen Timbers within the park. The Battle of Fallen Timbers took place August 20, 1794, amid trees topped by a tornado north of the Maumee River. The battle has been called “the last battle of the American Revolution” and one of the three most important battles in the development of our nation. The battle, which opened the Northwest Territory for westward expansion, was won by the Legion of the United States led by General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. A confederacy of Indian tribes led by Miami war chief Little Turtle (Michikinikwa) of the Miami and Blue Jacket (Weyapiersenwah) of the Shawnee led the Native Americans. The outcome of the battle led to the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. Heidelberg College at Tiffin, Ohio, is financing an archeological project designed to preserve this historical battlefield. The actual battle site is a farm within the suburb of Maumee, Ohio. Fort Miamis, built by the British in 1794, is located nearby, 3 miles southwest of the City of Maumee near |-475 and US 24. Toledo Metroparks has purchased the original 66.8 acres of what will become the 185-acre Fallen Timbers Battlefield National Historical Site. Future President William Henry Harrison was also fighting under General Wayne at Fallen Timbers. In 1813 Harrison built Fort Meigs “to protect northwest Ohio and Indiana from British invasion.” Fort Meigs, currently undergoing renovation, islocated on West River Roadin Perrysburg, Ohio, close to the Fallen Timbers location.

Wolcott House Museum Complex. The Wolcott House is an 1836 Federal-style house, the original home of James and Mary Wolcott. The buildings in the complex include a log cabin, a 19th-century church, an 1840s saltbox farmhouse, and a station of the Toledo and Grand Rapids railroad depot. The house is located on River Road in Maumee, not far off the race course. It is a nice short tour that you can fit in within a 3-hour time slot.

MUST AVOID

There’s not much to avoid in the Toledo area. Generally, race participants should not walk alone in downtown Toledo after dark, a caution common

to most metro areas.

WEB SITES:

www. oac.state.oh.us/niffegallery/glass/glasspr.htm www. toledomuseum.org/info_main.html

www. toledoraodrunners.org www. metroparkstoledo.com www. cositoledo.org/home

www.ohwy.com/oh/w/wolhoume.htm

http://tristate. pgh.net/~bsilver/fallen.htm

Edward, continued to support the museum during the Depression era, when little was flourishing economically.

Over 30,000 works of art are housed there, with several thousand of them on permanent display in 35 galleries. Highlights include one of the world’s finest glass collections, and the Peristyle, a “classical-style concert hall that seats 1,700 and is home to the Toledo Symphony.” The glass gallery is a modern-style circular exhibit hall with a stairway in the middle. Visitors begin with ancient glass on the first floor and follow the stairway to the upper level as exhibits walk them through glass history.

On the upper level, Bohemian glass is on display, along with blown

pieces by Dominic Labino, Fritz Dreisbach, and other modern artists. Want to see Picasso, Degas, Van Gogh, African, and Asian art? The museum has these and many more. It also hosts music events in the Peristyle and in the Great Gallery. Toledo’s running community is as well established as its museum. The Toledo Roadrunners Club, some 850 strong, is one of the largest in the Michigan/Indiana/ Ohio area. Check their Web site (www.toledoroadrunners.org) for applications for the Glass City Marathon as soon as they are available, as well as information about other runs in the Toledo area. For the past 10 years, the TRRC-sponsored Olander Park 24-Hour Run in the suburb of

Sylvania has been the site of the USATF national 24-hour championships.

For first-class running shoes, check out Dave’s Performance Footgear, with locations in Delta (30 minutes outside of Toledo) and Sylvania (10 minutes from Toledo) for an excellent selection of lastminute goodies to make your race stylish and comfortable. Dave’s often exhibits at the marathon expo.

CORPORAL KLINGER ATE HERE

Remember M*A*S*H? Corporal Klinger sang the praises of Tony Packo’s restaurant on Toledo’s east side. The original east-side Packo’s was a staple of Toledo entertainment in the days when Klinger suffered through the Korean War, and it remains pretty much as it was then. The Cake Walkin’ Jazz Band is no longer available with Dixieland jazz on the weekends, but one of Tony’s satellite restaurants offers weekend entertainment. Many local groceries sell Tony’s pickles and peppers, or you can stop in at the original downtown restaurant or the newer sites in Sylvania or West Toledo for a Hungarian hotdog, pickles and peppers, and the necessary bread to soften the blow of the hot pickles.

According to www.tonypackos.com/ history.html, Tony Packo, the son of Hungarian immigrants, opened the original restaurant on Toledo’s east side in 1932. The famous Hungarian

hotdog began as a homemade sausage sandwich served on rye bread. When you visit for your postrace snack (we don’t advise calorie-loading on Hungarian hotdogs before the race), be sure to check out the walls of framed hotdog buns, signed by celebrities from every genre, including presidential candidates. The restaurant is still run by the Packo family.

Toledo’s zoo, one of the largest in the world, is located about 4 miles south of downtown and hosts 875,000 visitors per year. The zoo originated a century ago, when a single woodchuck was donated to the City of Toledo Parks Board. Now the zoo provides a home to 4,000 animals, representing over 600 species. Five Spanish Colonial-style buildings constructed during the Depression by the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Act are still in use. The zoo is open every day of the year but Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

THE RACE

The Glass City race is user-friendly in all areas, beginning with the race application. The application states that the course is open for 5 hours and that runners and wheelchair participants run at their own risk after 1:00 p.m. Butif you are a slow, persistent runner and know your finish will be slower than 5:15, you’re encouraged to call race director Tom Falvey to request an early start. In this year’s

GLASS CITY MARATHON > 151

race, 25 to 30 people were given an official start at 6:00 a.m. Race officials provided reflective vests for the early runners who wanted them, as well as directions on where to discard the vests once daylight broke. Counting these early starters and including relay teams added in the last few years, the total field was almost 250—less than half the size it reached in earlier years. Runners will note that the course has stayed essentially the same for the past several years. Runners who don’t wish to train for the full marathon can opt for the five-person or two-person relay.

A MULTITUDE OF AWARDS

Awards are plentiful. Cash is awarded to the top three overall runners, the top male and female masters runners, and the top male and female wheelchair athletes. There are also awards for each of the nine class divisions of the two- and five-person relay events, with special awards for the overall fastest two- and five-person teams. Age group awards go at least three deep in each category.

Other nice details include cheerful and plentiful volunteers available at every mile to provide water, sports drinks, candy, oranges, and bananas. Police monitor strategic turns and heavily trafficked areas. The Radisson Hotel is located at 101 Summit Street, only a block or two from the start and finish, and there’s plenty of parking.

The run begins on Summit Street

and ends a few blocks closer to the river. It’s an easy walk back to the comfort of the hotel from the finish after you receive your finisher’s mug (Libbey glass inscribed with the marathon logo and date) and finisher’s medal (added in the last couple of years). If the weather is on the chilly side, finish line volunteers wrap mylar blankets around runners.

There is a banner, loudspeaker announcements of the runners, and music to herald your finish. About a block after the finish line, tables are set with refreshments and a good view of the river. Hot soup, bagels, fruit, cookies, and water are plentiful for even the latest runners. If it’s warm, you can sit on concrete steps and gaze at the Maumee River as you contemplate your achievement; if it’s chilly, you can limp back to the hotel to shower before the awards ceremony.

According to Pam GraverKoenig, co-director of the Glass City Marathon for the last 11 years, a core group of about 25 people chairs individual committees and puts forth a major effort every year to pull off the event. Pam feels that smaller races give the runners more personal treatment. “We really try to treat the runners well,” she says. “The volunteers are very enthusiastic and come back year after year.”

THE COURSE

The Glass City Marathon is a flat course by anyone’s standards and is run on paved city streets. The course

is pretty, given the frequent views of the Maumee River and the beautiful residential areas with spring flowers. Daffodils, tulips, magnolia trees, forsythia, and other favorites decorate the lawns of Rossford, Perrysburg, and Maumee, making for a beautiful and natural welcoming committee.

A banner on the skywalk over Summit Street identifies the start line. You hear the “Star-Spangled Banner” and occasionally “Oh, Canada.” You also run into a bagpipe serenade near the start. From Summit Street, the course heads down city streets to the High Level Bridge, one of two or three “hills.”

The 1-mile mark is on the bridge. You angle around several Toledo streets before you enter the community of Rossford. At this point, the course follows the Maumee River for several miles, although the water is occasionally hidden from view. The areas are always residential, but the

Toledo

course sticks to well-paved roads and attractive neighborhoods. It then moves into Perrysburg. The next river crossing occurs just after mile 10 as the course angles into Sidecut Park and follows the road through the park. Here crowds consist mostly of fishermen whose primary reason for coming to the area has to do with whatever is biting that day in the Maumee. Besides the fishermen, you’ ll see very little traffic in this area.

Toledo

Eagle Point Rd. Rossford

Course Map

GLASS CITY MARATHON M153

Runner’s High/Runner’s Low

HIGHS Mostly scenic course High volunteer support — Fluids, goodies available almost every mile Inexpensive hotels —

THE SECOND HALF

At mile 14.5, runners turn around and head back toward the park and into the residential area of Maumee. While the river is not always in sight, runners follow this path into downtown Toledo and curve back onto Summit Street until the detour at about mile 26, which directs them to the riverfront on Water St.

Do not expect many spectators along the course, but aid stations are well manned and enthusiastic. With the race held in mid-April each year, you’ ll find that the weather is usually perfect for running. If there is a drizzle, it’s usually a mild one. If you need your Tyvek jacket at the start, you’ ll have it tied around your waist soon enough.

There is rarely a strong wind, and you’ ll pass plenty of folks out for their Sunday morning constitutional. You won’t need to carry fluids, as the aid stations are frequent. And you won’t have to go after your own water when you do reach an aid station; volunteers easily take care of the modest field of runners. You won’t find many runner-friendly bushes along the

LOWS Little crowd support Minimal race expo Very flat course

course, as mostly it runs through residential areas, but there are six Portajohns.

THE HISTORY

With the increase in marathoning throughout the United States and the world, you can choose any type of course, weather, toughness, or championship that you want. Go ahead and run in the big cities (New York, DC, or LA) and the exotic locales, but don’t overlook the Glass City Marathon. With the exception of a break from 1984 through 1989, this marathon has been running for 25 years. In 1971, when Sy Mah was running the course, the race began and ended at the University of Toledo on the west side of the city.

The race’s Web site declares “The Glass City Marathon honors the memory of Sy Mah, one of Toledo’s greatest running enthusiasts, who once held the Guinness Book of World Records spot for running 524 marathons in his lifetime.” The memory of Sy Mah is an integral part of Toledo’s racing history. Born in Alberta, Canada, Sy Mah moved to

Toledo in 1970. He taught health education and initiated running classes at the University of Toledo. He was among the first to prove that it’s possible to run multiple marathons in a month—and even on the same weekend.

His lifetime total of 524 marathons was a record that stood for many years. His friend Tom Falvey went to a few marathons with Sy and reminisced about the triples Sy would do on holiday weekends: “Doing the marathons was no problem for Sy, but driving to the race, getting from one race to another—that was a problem.”

The Toledo Roadrunners Club is placing a statue of Sy Mah in Olander Park in Sylvania. Funds raised will be used to provide college scholarships for students interested in running. The tradition continues, for Sy’s grandson has been at the marathon start for several of the last years.

“ONE-PUNCH PETINIOT”

Tom Falvey has been involved in marathoning since 1978 and with the Toledo Roadrunners since 1983. His memories include the year 1979, when Bucky Cox, a 5-year-old from Kansas, completed the race with his father. He also elaborated on the story of “One-Punch Petiniot,” as mentioned on the www.OhioRunner.com Web site. It seems that Jim Petiniot and Tom were

running on Bancroft Street with traffic when a motorist began honking and yelling at them. The third time was enough for Jim, a coach at Central Catholic High School in Toledo. The driver yelled: “Why don’t you get the hell out of here?” When the motorist came after Jim with his fists, Petiniot hit him hard and shoved him back into the front seat of his car. Thus was he dubbed “One-Punch Petiniot.” Dave Kohler left teaching at Rogers High School in Toledo to become involved with bagpipes. Every year, for the price of a T-shirt, Dave shows up at the start of the race and serenades the runners. In 2001, he brought six young bagpipe players with him. After the starting ceremony, all six jumped into a car and headed out to various points along the course to continue the entertainment. Dave Payette, an expatriate Toledoian who has since moved to Florida, had a show on a local cable television station for several years. As he ran the course, he would be followed/led by a Toledo Edison electric car filled with film equipment. Periodically he would grab the equipment from the car to interview runners along the course. Runners would find Dave closing in on them, mike in hand, not even out of breath as he popped interview questions and directed the video perched on the electric car. Runners could count on full marathon coverage on a local cable channel shortly after the race. ps

GLASS CITY MARATHON = 155

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 (GCM = Glass City Marathon). The results follow:

1. HISTORY/TRADITION Evaluate the race’s sense of history and tradition. [Possible points: 30 GCM score: 26]

2. ENTRY FORM Is the race entry form clear, concise, attractive, complete, and easy to fill out? [Possible points: 20 GCM 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 GCM score: 28]

4. LOCALE/SCENICS

Is 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 GCM score: 42]

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

6. PRERACE ACTIVITIES

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

Possible points: 50 GCM score: 38]

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 GCM score: 26]

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 to course for friends and family, typical weather, and so on.

Possible points: 400 GCM score: 350]

9. RACE AMENITIES

This category includes race T-shirt, finisher’s medal, finisher’s certificate, adequate and efficient finish area, ease of sweatbag retrieval, showers, postrace refreshments, awards ceremony, raffles, results postcard, results book, and so on.

[Possible points: 250 GCM score: 220]

10. VOLUNTEERS

Are the volunteers experienced and adequate in number? [Possible points: 100 GCM score: 94]

TOTAL SCORE FOR GLASS CITY MARATHON

862 points

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

ey Bank Vermont City Marathon (vol. 4, issue 2) 888 points Las Vegas International Marathon (vol. 1, issue 5) 831 points* Motorola Marathon (vol. 5, issue 6) 876 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 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.

through ancient redwood forests

Sunday May 5, 2002

Humboldt Redwoods State Park in North Western California

Course is in a scenic area that is naturally ideal for runners, with amenties to better support the runner.

Course is on paved roads, mostly flat with a gentle elevation change of only 100 feet total. Located 250 miles north of San Francisco, 50 miles south of Eureka. USAT&F certified and sanctioned course and a qualifier for Boston Marathon.

+++» ONLINE INFO & ENTRY === +

HAD ME IN STITCHES

I had quite a time reading Michael Selman’s article “By the Numbers” in your September/October issue. I thought it was so funny. Most of all I am extremely amazed at how Michael could keep the humor in the article (the numbers and calculations made my head spin). He made me laugh out loud. What a character! Carol Griffiths Bermuda

RIGHT ON THE MARK

I just ran the Columbus Marathon on Sunday and had a bad performance day, even though the race and event was fantastic. I arrived home on Monday afternoon to find my November/ December M&B in the mailbox. It was awelcome sight because I do like reading it. However, I was even more excited when I found the article “Quality Seconds” by Pfitzinger and Douglas and began reading. Even more astonishing, the event I am considering doing in response to my poor performance this weekend is the Motorola Marathon, which as fate would have it, is the featured marathon in the same issue!

To make a long story short, the timeliness of all this has boosted my spirit and damaged ego. M&B’s arrival day I get home; the great article

about training for a second marathon 4 tol2 weeks out; and even better, an evaluation of the Motorola Marathon—this is now fate.

Looks like I have a training program to meet a February 17 date with the Motorola Marathon and hopefully attain the PR I had hoped for this past weekend.

Dan Bloedorn SignmeupSPORTS

NO MORE OF THAT, PLEASE!

I’ve subscribed to your magazine for the past couple of years and up to now have really liked it, but I was disappointed with your article “Miracles Happen,” in your November/December issue. Please don’t go the way of Runner’s World and publish articles about Penguins, healthy, young folks doing 5+ hour marathons, and the like. already know how torun slow marathons; what I need (and want) is hope and advice on how to get faster. Ollie Nanyes Peoria, Ill.

MATTERS OF THE SOLE

Great article on running shoes in your November/December issue. If you ever get leg/foot injuries, this article is amust read. The Tiger Nairobi pictured on page 57 was my firstrunning

LETTERS M 159

shoe in 1976 after running in high top

Converse basketball shoes for 4 years.

Thanks for the article—about time

‘ someone had the guts to address some research on the issue.

Jeff Riddle

Mahomet, Ill.

THE MERITS OF STRETCHING

In The Art of the Ultramarathoner, Tom Osler claims that stretching is not worthwhile. On the contrary, it is essential for a variety of reasons: to maintain flexibility and range of motion, to avoid having opposing muscles work against each other, and to maintain muscular power. A short muscle is a weak muscle, since fibers that are permanently contracted are not available to do work.

Linda Calandro, an innovative bodyworker from Atlanta, points out that proper stretching also breaks up the neuromuscular patterns that constrict and eventually deform our bodies. Her work adds to the benefits of stretching; she manipulates the restricted spots in the muscles until they release.

Linda reports that the stooped posture of the elderly usually results from the abdominal muscles shortening as aresult of years of sitting. This not only pulls us into a slouch, but it compresses the thorax and abdomen, forcing the internal organs to operate in aconstricted space and so decreasing the efficiency of the whole body. It also causes the front and sides of

the abdomen to pouch out, leading to a pot belly and love handles. Neurologically, this is a major component of the aging process.

This is normally treated futilely with crunches. Instead, to deal with it effectively, lie flat on the floor, on your back, with your arms over your head. You should feel a stretch in your belly. If you don’t, stack pillows under the small of your back until you do. Breathe in and out slowly into the resistance until you feel the tension level decrease. You can stretch your sides in the same manner by lying on your side with pillows under your waist. You get a better stretch by lying on the edge of a bed, facing the center, and letting your top leg drop behind you. You can also stretch your side effectively by doing a yoga triangle pose with your feet closer together than normal, so you feel the stretch in your hip rather than in your thigh.

This is just the beginning of the stretching you need to be doing to keep maximum fitness and defeat the aging process. It has been of major help in enabling me, at age 70, to have racewalked 27 marathons in the last 6.5 years, including 5 so far this year, without trashing myself.

Charles Cohn Austell, Ga.

RUN FOREVER, OR DIE TRYING

Rick Rayman, a fifty-five year-old dentist from Toronto, Canada (and M&B charter subscriber), has not

missed a single day of running in 23 years come December 10th, 2001. He is inspirational. Running is his passion. On Sunday, October 21, 2001, he completed his 100th marathon. I am not a runner, but I can tell you what I have learned from my father.

The rush you feel when crossing the finish line cannot be described on paper. Streak runners are few and far between, but somehow all of them seem to know each other. Running shoes only last a few marathons, so make sure that you have five of the same kind waiting in the closet. Running everyday is difficult—especially after a cortisone injection or a close relative’s funeral—but it must be done. Never travel anywhere in the world that would require you to be in aplane/airport for more than 24 hours. Love the run. Love the people you meet at marathons and keep in touch with them. Do not wash your running clothes until the end of the season. Sore muscles and black toenails are just something you get used to. Display your race photos and be proud of your accomplishments. Be pleased with your best marathon time, but focus more on the run, not on the race. Try to run Grandfather Mountain Marathon at least once. Do not expect people to understand why you do it. Plan out your marathon schedule for the year a year in advance, but do not actually confirm that you will be running a particular marathon until the

Send your letters to

week before. Keep track daily of all of yourruns, including distance, time, and weather conditions. Eat a bag of prunes the night before a marathon and make sure to have good reading material for the morning of. Celebrate the victory and hardships of your running with family and friends. Cross every finish line as though it were your first. Never forget why you run and how it makes you feel. Run to live and live to run. Jill Rayman Ontario, Canada

MARATHON MAN

Great article on Jerry Dunn in your

November/December issue. Now,

maybe I need to get out more, but what

is Green Magmaand where would one get some?

Pat Palmer

Binghamton, N.Y.

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On THE Mark

SALTY DOG

Ihave noticed an excessive salt taste in my sweat. As I wipe my face during some longer runs, I am expelling alot of salt. Is this an indication that I’m taking in too much salt (sodium) in my diet? Or is this normal for the time of year (August) and just part of being a long-distance runner? —Gerard M., via e-mail

OTHER THAN water, salt (aka sodium chloride) is the main nutrient excreted in sweat. Research has shown that individual runners may secrete tremendously different amounts of sweat during the same activity in the heat, and the salt content in the sweat may also vary tremendously.

You may be one of those individuals who excretes a high salt concentration. Also, the salt content in sweat is higher before you become acclimated to running in the heat; after acclimatization, which takes about 7 to 14 days of running in warm temperatures, the salt concentration in sweat decreases tremendously. In the spring, as the temperature warms up, you may notice that when you run, sweat that gets in your eyes may burn, and that’s caused by the high salt concentration. After you’ re heat-acclimatized, the sweat no longer burns your eyes, as the salt concentration has diminished.

Normally, your kidneys regulate the salt content of your body in order to maintain normal levels. If they don’t, you may experience high blood pressure if your body retains too much salt (actually sodium), or low blood pressure if your body retains too little. Ifyou eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and minimally processed foods, you would not be taking in too much salt. However, if you eat a lot of highly processed foods, which have a high salt content, you may be taking in too much sodium. Check your food labels— they’ II tell you how mucha serving of the product contributes to the daily recommendation for salt intake.

During the 7 to 14 days of acclimatization to exercise in the heat, it may be a good idea to sprinkle a little salt on your food if your diet is not normally salt-rich. Also, if you sweat profusely and you still experience the salty taste in your sweat, you may want to continue to use the salt shaker, but not excessively. You may want to have your blood pressure checked. Hope

this helps. Mel Williams headed the Human Performance Lab at Old Dominion University and is a member of this magazine’s Science Advisory Board.

THE PROPER amount of sodium for arunner is a delicate and complex balance. There is a surprising amount of research on this important subject. Sports nutrition companies that produce electrolyte replacements and sports fluid replacement drinks struggle with this sodium issue. It’s not simply a matter of the amount of salt in your diet. The big picture perspective on sodium for runners relates to arunner’s sodium intake and how it’s used in his or her body.

From a running performance standpoint, sodium is necessary for hydration—that is, for processing the fluid that a runner drinks through the stomach. Many runners attempting to hydrate properly experience the sensation of the fluid sloshing in their stomachs. When this occurs, the fluid is not able to be processed through the stomach, and even though the runner is drinking, he or she isn’t receiving the benefit of the hydration.

When the stomach becomes too full of fluid that can’t be processed, the runner might experience nausea and vomiting. Some of the variables that affect how sodium is used in the body are the environmental conditions that the runner is running in, such as temperature and humidity, and how the sodium metabolism is assisted or prevented due to the fuel or fluid being consumed.

High temperatures and the amount of perspiration (sodium loss) affect sodium levels. Fuels containing high levels of sugar can prevent sodium from being processed through the

stomach. Obviously, these variables can change from run to run, so the runner has to understand and manage his or her sodium requirements according to the variables.

To understand what products have the right amounts of sodium for you and the conditions in which you run, read the labels of sports fluid replacement drinks and sodium/electrolyte supplements that you’re considering.

Theresa Daus-Weber

is a 10-time finisher of the Leadville Trail 100, a race that she has also won; she is also a frequent contributor to this magazine.

EXCRETION OF salt, and various other substances in minor amounts, in sweat (predominantly water, which causes the desired skin-cooling effect as it evaporates) is perfectly normal. The amount of sweat produced depends on the extent to which the body senses that it needs cooling. Often sweating is more profuse in summer than in winter because of the higher ambient temperature, but as many of us remember, sweating can be considerable on a cold winter day when running hard in a sweat-suit. In most circumstances, a high dietary salt intake is not necessary for adequate sweat production.

Whether you’re taking in too much salt in your diet is another issue. You may have a good idea about this from your usual intake of high-salt foods, such as salty snacks, most canned soups, and most frozen TV dinners. The labels always state the sodium content. The closer you come to a vegetarian diet, the lower your salt

intake is likely to be (vegetable foods contain relatively little salt).

The best way to estimate your usual sodium intake more precisely is by completing daily records of your dietary intake over a time (say, 1 to 4 weeks). Aregistered dietitian can supply the necessary forms and instructions and also convert the data into an average sodium intake in milligrams per day.

Peter Wood

is the chairman of this magazine’s Science Advisory Board; he has run more than 100 marathons.

ALTHOUGH I claim no scientific knowledge of this subject, from a practical standpoint, I believe the concentration of salt excretion in sweat among athletes is regulated by the body the same way it regulates calorie burning and water retention. What I mean by this is that the body is able to adapt its use of various elements based on conditions it anticipates over the long haul.

A body placed ina starvation mode begins to slow down its metabolism in anticipation of trying to save and more effectively use each calorie available to it. A body regularly deprived of water tends to retain as much water as it can to preserve itself— which is why it isn’t a good idea for people who want to lose weight to restrict their fluid intake: the body sees its deprivation as a crisis and retains fluid, which is just the opposite reaction the dieter wants. Drink plenty of water, and the body excretes any excess.

It’s asimilar situation with sodium. If you train in hot temperatures, your body will eventually begin to horde sodium because it knows that for chemical balance purposes, it needs saltand getting rid of itin sweat, which is its normal tendency when there is plenty of sodium available, isn’t a good idea. So, after several weeks of hot-weather training, the salt concentration in your sweat will radically decrease.

When we were training in the desert to run the first-ever Death Valley-to-Mt. Whitney out-and-back in 1989, we’d camp out in the open for a week or more, doing 20-mile workouts during the hottest periods of the day. Various support crew would join us for some or all of the training. After each 20-mile workout, we’d return tocamp and lick each other’s arms to determine, based on the salt concentration, whether they were successfully adapting to the hot weather. The saltier the taste of the runner’s sweat, the less adapted they were to the heat.

Rich Benyo

is the editor of this magazine,

and on three different occasions (1989, 1991, and 1992) he attempted to

travel on foot from Badwater in Death Valley to the peak of Mt. Whitney and back; he has since rid himself of the urge to lick the arms of people he meets.

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bullfight, Rock is for the

running race. No one writes

HATS about this sport as well.” SPU

Mark Wetmore

216 pages Head track and field coach ISBN 0-7360-2794-7 University of Colorado $16.95 ($24.95 Cdn)

Distance running success is achieved one way—through hard work and smart training. Are you ready for the challenge? Then, Running Tough is for you. You’ll find yourself running side by side with such world-renowned figures as Adam Goucher, Libbie Hickman, Frank Shorter, Arthur Lydiard, and Emil Zatopek, tasting their unwavering dedication and determination, and viewing firsthand their training runs.

Running Tough organizes the 70 workouts by training goals to create a user-friendly handbook. This allows you to develop a customized training plan using the most appropriate workouts for training and racing. With Running Tough, you’ll have the tools to create enhanced training programs, discover new plateaus in your workout regimes, and meet the challenges of world-class competition.

Also available in bookstores

ZO HUMAN KINETICS

Give the GAThat = \ Pays You Back!

Are you tired of loaning your M&Bs to friends who never give them back? Have you been searching for the perfect gift for that special running friend? If so, let us send your friend a year’s subscription to M&B. We’ll also send a pair of our new unique M&B Coolmax® running socks and a special card to tell your friend of your generosity.

Besides receiving endless thanks from your friend, you’ll receive from us a set of 12 original, very cool, limited-edition greeting cards (three different prints with running themes) designed by award-winning artist and M&B staff member Bill Percival. Use your glossy, full-color cards as thank you notes, holiday cards—or nag notes to those friends who still have your copies of M&B.

Hurry! This offer expires on February 1, 2002. (Be sure to circle sock size.) Send Gift Subscription & 1 Pair of M&B Coolmax® Running Socks to

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1-year (6 issues) * U.S.: $29.95 * Foreign: $41* * Canada: $38.47**

*Non-U.S. price includes extra postage **Canada price includes extra postage + 7% GST 1 Check/Money Order (U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank, payable to Marathon & Beyond, 206 N. Randolph, Suite 502, Champaign, IL 61820) Q MasterCard O VISA

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Send 12 of our limited-edition greeting cards to

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