So, for all these reasons, I have been stalking Pam. Unfortunately, for all my excitement at being a stalker, as it turns out, I’m not particularly good at it. [have yet to actually meet Pam. I met Dean at the San Francisco Marathon where he was a featured speaker—a nice guy, truthfully. We were semi-lost together, trying to find the room where he was supposed to speak. But Pam has eluded me. She did leave me a message on my answering machine, though. I was running the Tucson Marathon (of course) and had called to find out about shuttle service. Lo and behold, Pam herself called me back. Progress! When I went to run the marathon, I had high hopes of finally meeting my idol. I searched for her at the expo, the start, the course—but nothing. Then, after I had finished, I was standing in a stupor, exhausted, but elated because I had qualified for Boston. My husband was standing a few feet away and waving frantically, pointing. Assuming he was simply overjoyed at my time, I happily waved back, even raising my fists in the air in triumph. He continued to wave in an almost manic way, until I became a little embarrassed at his exuberance.

When we finally reached each other, he said frantically, “Did you see her? Did you see her! She was standing right next to you!”

“Who?” I asked, dumbfounded, my body depleted, my brain carbohydrate starved.

“Pam!” he practically yelled at me. “She was standing right next to you!”

I spun around, desperately searching for my elusive prey. But she was gone, swallowed by the sea of happy finishers and their loved ones. I had missed Pam Reed.

“Some stalker,” my husband said with a smile, putting his arms around me.

But I’m nothing if not determined: to run 100 miles, to qualify for Western States, and to meet Pam Reed.

“Il find her,” I said confidently. “I think she’s running the Zane Grey i 50-Mile Trail Race.”

ELIZABETH A. LOUGHREN AND MICHAEL L. SACHS, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

arathon & Beyond readers may be interested in research articles published

in the past year (2005) on the marathon and ultramarathon. There were 634 references found using the key words “marathon and ultramarathon” in a SPORTDISCUS database search of 2005 publications. Many articles dealt with swimming and cycling; however, 273 dealt with running. Almost all of these 273 articles, though, were in Marathon & Beyond or other related magazines/journals, such as UltraRunning (www.ultrarunning.com), or in publications such as Running Times and Runner’s World. Unfortunately, only 11 articles were of a more academic nature (see below), but these still may be of interest to Marathon & Beyond readers. Perhaps 2006 will be a better year for research on the marathon and ultramarathon. This feature will continue to be a regular annual service of M&B to its readers.

Some of the articles listed below may be found online through a variety of databases; some may even be available in full-text versions. Please contact Michael Sachs at msachs@temple.edu if you have any questions about accessing the articles listed below.

Clark, H. R., M. E. Barker, and B. M. Corfe. 2005. Nutritional strategies of mountain marathon competitors—An observational study. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 15(2): 160-172.

Dixon, S. 2005. Variation in joint flexion range of motion during 12 weeks of marathon training. Journal of Sports Sciences 23(2): 106-107.

Erickson, M. R. 2005. Neuromuscular impairments as primary contributing factors to lower extremity overuse syndromes in a marathon runner (poster session). The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 35(1): A54.

50-plus runners get fit faster than younger athletes. 2005. Active Living 14(1): 25.