December Club Meeting
The next gathering of our club will be December 10th, at our holiday party. Where we are having our party is not well know. Within a few days, we will have the location posted on our website. The election of officers for the next year will be concurrent with a holiday party.
Club Workouts
WRC has introduced two new weekday workouts .
A speed workout every Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at the Georgetown Track. Lately, this workout has been graced by Todd Martin, Gary O’Donnell, Darcee O’Donnell, Marie Sandrock, Steve Tappan, Paul Neimeyer, Yancy Hall, John Hayward, Greg Pece, Nate Reilly and Barb Fallon. The more the merrier- come on out!
Also, Thursday evening at 6:30, we have started a Tempo Run which begins at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Rosslyn.
And of course, every Sunday at 8:00 at the 3300 block of Georgetown, is the ever popular Sunday distance run. Come join your clubmates as they exchange verbal brickbats, all the while traversing hill and dale.
WRC usually convenes for coffee afterwards, where a weekly review of world issues is ensues The forum is
much like The McLaughlin Group, though infinitely better as it lacks John McLaughlin, and His
Screaming Idiots.
The Minutes from September
We had a very well attended meeting at “The Place” – Armand’s Pizza House in Tenley Town, Washington, D.C in late September. In attendance were President Keating, Treasurer Scarborough, Vice President Pozo-Olano, Jodie Pozo-Olano, (and youngest member, Catherine); Kelly & Sergio O’Cadiz, Darcee & Gary O’Donnell, Greg Pece, Steve Tappin, Paul Neimeyer, and Bob Platt. There were also a few guests present – but they could not be persuaded to join.
Leading the conversation was Prez. The first point of The club decided to launch an exploratory committee to determine whether or not to take advertising on the WRC website. We have gotten a few offers and have not taken them for fear of jeopardizing our status as a tax-exempt non-profit organization.
Nominations were put forth for individuals to lead the into Y2K. Selected were the individuals
President Jack Pozo-Olano
VP Steve Tappan
Treasurer James Scarborough
Membership Gerry Ives
Newsletter David Keating
Secretary Darcee O’Donnell
Legal Counsel Jack Coffey, Jim Hage
The formal election will be at the club meeting in December. John O’Donnell will oversee the election
Musing from El Presidente
David Keating
Many thanks to the eighteen club members who participated in volunteering for the packet pickup for the Georgetown 10K. Over $350 was raised for the club which will be used to defer the cost of the newsletter, the website, racing teams, uniforms, etc. WRC will be entering Y2k in excellent financial shape, despite having spent $1,200 this year on racing teams. And while we are on the subject, a special thanks to James Scarborough for having done such a terrific job as treasurer.
Some of you have noticed that the WRC website is peppered with the quotes of literary notables (i.e. Shakespeare, Twain, Faulkner, Steve Prefontaine, etc). Some members understandably concluded that I majored in English while in college. Actually, I majored in sociology. The Sociology Department emphasized Marxist theory, and I signed up immediately. Regrettably the Marx emphasized was Karl, not Groucho. Thus, I ended up reading “Das Kapital” rather than watching “Duck Soup” on video. A complete disappointment.
But while on the subject of sociology, an article published in 1995 in the Atlantic Monthly called “Bowling Alone” is of interest to us. The title refers to the decline of bowling leagues, which the author (Robert Kaplan) uses as metaphor for the decline of community institutions. Kaplan states that as Americans moved out of immigrant communities following WWII, the ties that connected us to neighbors (the church, local politics, neighborhood pubs, the Mafia, etc.) withered. Within the suburbs, nothing arose to replace them and Americans grew isolated. This disconnection proved fertile ground for the development of such alarming phenomena as drugs, cults and – even worse – pro wrestling.
The author says that we as Americans should work to develop what he calls “intermediary institutions” – institutions outside of family and work – to connect us to each other. Running clubs like the WRC are such animals.
Approaching this problem from another angle, one of the reasons American distance running has declined (and we can’t blame everything on Jeff Galloway) is because so many good runners now train by themselves all the time, and clubs are of peripheral significance.
As we all know, running heavy mileage alone, day in and day out can be oppressive. Having mates to socialize with eases the load, and actually makes it fun. When folks share common goals, train and race on the same team, friendships and fast times develop. One feeds off the other.
One of my regular training partners in WRC when I first joined WRC was Bruce Coldsmith, now living in Alabama. On our runs, Bruce would talk and I would listen. Bruce really enjoyed talking when running fast. And of course, I rarely have anything lucid to say I’m hyperventilating.
Bruce told me something back in 1985 which stuck with me all these years. I was asking him about why guys joined the club and he said “I have won races as an individual, and as a member of a team. Winning as team is far more fun“*. And that pretty much sums up why it is much better to bowl/run in a club than alone.
Obviously, the ties that connect club members are not as profound as kith and kin. But ya know,
they are still much better than anything that occurs at Starbucks.
*This quote, of course, is only a paraphrase. On that particular run we did not have Linda Tripp tagging along, dong recordings
Race Results
Donna Moore wins MCM
Captain Neimeyer’s
Mad Revelers Take Men’s Open Title
October 24, 1999
At the Marine Corps Marathon October 24th, WRC’s Donna Moore ran a remarkable race to win for the second time in three years. For most of the race Donna was running in second, behind Bea Marie Altieri of Columbia. At mile 23, Bea began to fade and Donna took over. The “Silver Spring Rocket” ended up popping a 2:51:50, almost qualifying her for the Olympic Trials.
Said Donna to the Washington Post “I never hit the Wall, and that’s an amazing thing for me, because I always hit the wall. I got tired at the end, but getting tired and hitting the wall are two different things.”
This is an astonishing feat, in light of the injuries that Donna sustained earlier in the year. Further, Donna did not decide to run the race until two days before. For a 39 year old, Donna certainly knows how to throw down the Hammer of Thor when the situation demands.
Not to be outdone, WRC Men also showed what they were made up. Led by Captain Paul Neimeyer, Kevin Ryan and Greg Pece, they won the men”s club division. Said Paul after reviewing the a hard morning’s work “You know, I feel absolutely terrible”
And the men’s masters did quite well, with Jay Wind posting a 3:01. Below is a detailing of all WRC finishers at Marine Corps.
Paul Neimeyer 2:44:00 (34th)
Kevin Ryan 2:49:03 (51)
Donna Moore 2:51:50 (1st woman)
Greg Pece 2:58:51 (118)
Jay Wind 3:01:48(137)
Robert Platt 3:21:26(489)
Bob Trost 3:28:30(693)
Monica Venere 3:40:43(209th woman)
Katherine Turner 3:44:31 (275th women)
Margo Kelly 4:16
Todd Martin (training run ) 2:44.
Probably our favorite quote of the day comes from G’town undergraduate Katherine Turner, who turned all of 20 the two weeks before the race. When asked about her first marathon, Katherine responded.
“I felt fabulous until mile 18… my miles were dead on eight minutes through the half, then started to slip a little bit… my legs felt like lead for the last eight miles, there were no dogs to unleash”
“Unleash the dogs” – we like that phrase. Young Turner can walk the walk, and now can talk the talk
Chicago Marathon
October 24th,1999
In Chicago, the same day, Karen Ouderkerk posted a time of 2:48:25. Karen went through the half at 1:22 and held on tight. This qualifies Karen for the Olympic Trials, being held in Columbia, SC in February. This is the fourth best time ever run by a WRC woman.
These are two remarkable performances on Sunday by Donna WRC and Karen. As we have been doing since 1980, any runner qualifying will receive a travel stipend from the club of $100.
Dan Wallace
also ran in Chicago, finishing eight minutes ahead of Karen, with a time of 2:40:18. Dan reports
“I can’t make any excuses but I didn’t feel great at any point in the race. It may have been due to a new sport’s drink I was trying the day before called GatorLoad which I picked up at the expo. On race day, every time I drank or took Power Gel I felt like I was going to lose my cookies”.
At Chicago a world record was set by Khalid Khannouchi who posted a 2:05:42, while David Morris, set an American record in 2:09:32. These times are simply mind boggling. Kalid effectively averaged 4:48 per mile, while Morris ran 4:56 per mile
Jug Bay 10K
November 6th, 1999t
Russ Crandall and Todd Martin took 1-2 at the Jug Bay 10K November
6th. Russ set a new course record of 32:16, besting the old course record of 32:18 (which Russ set last year). Todd came in 45 seconds later, after another hard week of training. Said Russ
“A shoe came untied at mile 3-(didn’t stop to tie it) but was able to keep shoe on my foot and cruise in… . Wasn’t too worried about the shoe as I was confident that Todd would pick it up for me if I had lost it.”
Annapolis Ten Miler
August 29th, 1999
At the very hot Annapolis Ten Miler, Patty Fulton took 2nd among women, and Todd Martin 3rd among men. Patty popped a 1:01:21, just nine seconds behind Conn Buckwaiter of Pennsylvania. Patty tells us “Connie (Buckwalter) had a 20-second lead before I eventually caught up to her at about mile 5.5. I was
right behind her heading into the hilly, residential area of the race. She pulled away from me and
gradually built a 20-25 seconded. I narrowed the gap in the last mile but the race ended too soon! “
And Todd ran a 54:29 to place third behind Merrill HausenFluck and Brian Daugherty.
“During the final mile, I noticed that Merryl (the winner) dropped Dougherty and Dougherty looked
like he was struggling (looking back a lot, etc.) If I wasn’t concentrating so much on my intestines, I
might have made a break earlier.
As it was, I kicked it hard only when we go to the grass, and he beat me by nine seconds.”
Vis a vis the intestine comment – it seems Todd made the mistake of ordering spicy Mexican the night before. Among other WRC runners were Marie Sandrock (71:33), Bob Platt (72:57), and Katherine Turner (78:07).
M.S. Challenge Half Marathon
September 19, 1999
The MS Half Challenge was a race which we wish had a team category, as WRC took 4 of the first 18 places. Our own Russ Crandall, who moonlights as a grad student/professor at Hopkins, won the entire enchilada. This is especially impressive as RC only had 8 days of training after a 35 day hiatus. Said Russ:
“a bit awkward being alone for the entire race but I just put the blinders on and kept the pace going.
Good that injury did not flare and that I didn’t lose as much for the 5 week hiatus as
I thought I had.”
Following close in his footsteps were Dan Wallace, Paul Neimeyer, Kevin Ryan and James Scarborough
1) Russ Crandall 1:09:21
8) Daniel Wallace 1:13:26
12) Paul Neimeyer 1:15:14
18) Kevin Ryan 1:19:29
203)James Scarborough 1:38:43
Katherine Turner 1:41:43
Baird Tears Up Races in NYC Metro Area.
WRC’s Kirk Baird, currently in exile in New Jersey, has been running awfully well. At the New York City Marathon on November 7th, Kirk ran a 2:34:51, to place 60th among men.
Kirk posted a 1:10:04 at the Staten Island Half Marathon on October 17th to take fifth. And Kirk also placed fifth at the Liberty Waterfront Half Marathon in Jersey City, with a time of 1:11:40. We hope that Kirk moves back to DC soon so that we can use him on our Masters team when he turns 40 next year.
Southtrust Running Festival 10 Miler
October 16, 1999
Jim Hage, placed 23rd in the SouthTrust Running Festival 10 Miler in St. Petersburg Florida on October 16. Jim ran 54:21, to take fifth in the Master’s Division. John Tuttle of Georgia, took first among American masters. three minutes ahead of Jim.
Army 10 Miler
October 10th, 1999
The Army 10 Miler was run October 10 under rainy conditions. Despite
this, Keith Graff of Reebok Enclave, graduate of St. Johns, won in a time of 48:21, decisively
defeating Dan Brown of Army. All told, Reebok Enclave grabbed at least four
of the top ten places. Pretty stunning group of American runners.
WRC runners also very well, with Gary O’Donnell running his first race since spring, posting a 53:53.
On the women’s side of the equation, Anita Freres, Jodie Pozo-Olano, Katherine Turner and Jennifer
Kay all ran well. Here is a list of their respective times.
18) Anita Freres 1:04:32
68) Jodie Pozo-Olano 1:10:42
207) Katherine Turner 1:15:55
568) Jennifer Kay 1:23:29
Georgetown 10K
October 3rd, 1999
Excellent performances from both men and women occurred at the Georgetown 10K on October 3rd. The field was especially strong this year, with 17 male runners in the race breaking 35 minutes over a hilly course (this represents quite an improvement from 1998).
Philippe Rolly
won for men, while Alisa Harvey won on the women’s side. Anthony
Belber and Donna Moore were the quickest club members in the race. Below are the respective
times and places of all WRC runners.
MEN
6) Anthony Belber 32:56
52)Eric Rodkin 38:51
53)John Dix 38:54
Special recognition to Kaitlin who ran with a terrible cold, and to Eric, who is coming off
tendonitis that put him in dry dock for a bit of time. Of course, Donna always runs
well in Georgetown. She insists that she is old, but so far her running has failed to show any signs of it.
Kensington 10K
September 25th, 1999
WRC Maryland members swept the Kensington 8K Run September 25th.
Noontime training partners Patty Fulton and Donna Moore who took 1-2 in the women’s competition,
with times of 29:20 and 30:06 respectively while Jim Hage took first among men in a time of 26:17.
Goblin Gallop 5k
October 31, 1999
At the Goblin Gallop 5K on October 31, Monica Robbers
took 3rd place among women in a time of 19:06, only a few months after her surgery. Our running Kiwi tells us
“Bloody shocking. I had to race a 13 year old. Couldn’t pass her at the end
for fear of being booed by finish line spectators.”
Todd Martin was 11th and Jim Hage 12th, in times of 15:52 and 15:54, respectively. Todd tells us
“I was quite surprised so many fast people would show up for only the promise
of a $150 purse. The weather was great. I noticed the big surprise was that Ted Poulus beat Chuck
Moser. Oh well”.
Rockville Twilighter 8K
July 17th, 1999
WRC Ignites On All Four Cylinders
At the Rockville Twillighter 8K (our major club race of the summer – yes, it has been a long time since we issued a newsletter), Weldon Johnson kicked down Davis Kamau of Kenya, to secure first in a time of 24:24. Weldon, a Yale grad living in G’town qualified for the Marathon Olympic trials by running a 2:19 in Chicago last month.
And in the co-ed open team competition, WRC secured 1st and 6th, against very strong local competiton. WRC Wiley Hares “A” team defeated very strong teams from DC Road Runners, Howard County Striders, and host Montgomery County RRC. Below are the scores from the first six teams
Team Results from Rockville Twilighter (top six)
1.WRC WILEY HARES 71
2.DCRRC OPEN 93
3.HCS BIG DAWGS 94
4.MCRRC BIG DOGS 111
5.WINDMILL KICKERS120
6.WRC WILEY HARES TWO 134
Individual Times for WRC runners
MEN
1.Frank Sprtel 25:36 (10th overall)
2.Todd Martin 26:36
3.Jim Hage 26:39 (second master behind Chris Fox of Shepardstown)
4.Kurt Kromer 27:41
5.Paul Neimeyer 27:55
6.Henry Grossmann 28:11
7.Terry Fry 29:56
8.David Keating 32:57
9.James Scarborough 35:48
WOMEN
1.Patty Fulton 29:40
2.Donna Moore 29:59
3.Barb Fallon 31:21
4.Terren Block 31:55
5.Anita Freres 32:08
6.Jodie Pozo-Olano 32:38
7.Suzy Coffey 38:08
8.Valerie Baruch 41:03
TRAIL NEWS
JFK 50 Mile Team Ready To Run….
For the first time in years, WRC will be fielding an ultramathon team at the JFK 50 miler, being held in Hagerstown on November 20th. The captain is Greg Pece, and the team will have Keith Moore, James Scarborough, and a couple of other unfortunate souls. Their self-appointed name is TEAM GUMP. Few of us could imagine finishing a marathon, and doing another.
The club wishes them the best of luck, and encourages TEAM GUMP to fill out those organ donations cards NOW.
Jeff Galloway in the News.
Former Olympic marathoner and 1990s running celeb Jeff Galloway is in the news again. Jeff is now coach of Team in Training (what club wags have dubbed “Team in Trauma“) , and is the author of numerous books on the marathon.
Galloway was just quoted in the
New York Times as saying “I tell new runners to run two minutes and walk two minutes for the entire 26 miles,” Galloway said. “I’m taking couch potatoes to an elite accomplishment in life. The whole concept has changed.”
Part of that statement is actually true – the concept of marathoning has changed – to the point where it is barely recognizable. We might be missing something here, but we always thought a marathon involved running 26 miles. Akin to how baseball involves a bat and ball, tennis a racket, and hockey a puck. It is unfortunate that Galloway, who has much influence, has chosen to ignore this distinction.
Jim Hage, Scribe
One of our more prominent members is Jim Hage. Indeed, the Washington Running Report calls him “Our most famous runner“. We think such an appellation is rather unfair to Dr. Tris Kruger, and his 1959 Yellow Cadillac Convertible, but so be it.
Anyway, it has come to our attention that Jim writes about running almost as much as he actually runs (and believe me, that is quite a bit). He is now publishes his own Newsletter (RRR), free lances for the Washington Post, and is a contributing editor at Running Times. No doubt there are a few Slovakian papers where Jim also figures prominently.
Jim probably writes as fellow Maryland Resident Tom Clancy. But we vastly prefer reading Jim’s prose to Clancy’s. Fewer bodies (not to mention verbs and adjectives) are mauled en route to the conclusion of Jim’s storis. It is rather difficult to figure out what suffers more in Clancy’s stories – the nefarious terrorists, or the English Language
Congrats to Robert Trost, and his Marine Corps Marathon Streak. Seem that Robert has started every marathon since 1979. Take that, Cal Ripkien!
Robert, along with Roberto Rodriquez and Robert Shapiro will be running the GW Birthday Relay for WRC in February. Looks like this team will have the same name as Jim’s Newsletter- RRR
Speaking of which, it is time for you middle distance runners to start thinking about your Spring Races. Time to take the limelight away from the marathoners, and show folks what real leg speed looks like…
Website Update….
The WRC website received over 5000 hits last week. This is the most ever. Web denizens will note that WRC has adopted a new image of our club – The Phoenix. This is to symbolize the indomitable spirit of our club. It also represents our fervent hope that when we retire, it will be in Arizona, rather than Florida.
The WRC Phoenix – Looking annoyed, as it has not yet been paid royalities
UPCOMING RACES
The next races where we will be entering teams are:
- GW Birthday Relay
The new administration of Jack Pozo-Olano/ SteveTappan will be devising WRC’s Spring Campaign. Stay tuned for further details
Letters to the Editor
Please feel free to submit any written materials for publication in the newsletter to: WRC Newsletter, 1121 Arlington Blvd #236, Arlington, VA 22209 or call the Editor at (703) 527-8698, or e-mail the editor at dskeating@hotmail.com. Race results and comments for “Trail News” are also welcomed.
Washington Running Club
4616 Laverock Place, NW
Washington, DC 20007-2544
CLUB OFFICERS
President: Dave Keating (dskeating@hotmail.com)
Vice President: Jack Pozo-Olano (
Secretary: John O’Donnell
Treasurer: James Scarborough
Newsletter Editor:David Keating (dskeaitng@hotmail.com)
COMMITTEES
Legal: Chairs – Jim Hage, Jack Coffey
Membership: John O’Donnell
Teams: Jack & Jodie Pozo-Olano (703) 516-4517