Club News, June 4, 2000

News Flash-News Flash
Ex-President Keating storms French coast

June 6 hasn’t seen an American invasion since 1944. Until now.
Early reports from the St. Lo area include an eyewitness account from a local Frenchman-

Mon dieu, he seemed to be everywhere! I have never seen a man run so fast and while holding a goblet full of this year’s Beaujolais, no less!”

Keating apparently was last spotted fleeing from the local gendarmes.

Club News
Barb Fallon 2nd at Race for the Cure; Donna Moore 3rd at Laurel 5k; Lawyers 10K Team Raring to Go; Word from the WRC Diaspora; Members Head off on European Travel

“Those are my principles. If you don’t like them I have others.”
Groucho Marx

Right now, we are looking for just one set of principles – namely WRC’s By-Laws. Seems that we have misplaced them. Or perhaps we never had any in the first place. Opinions vary. All of which means that we could abandon the motto “Be Valiant and Speed Well” for the more fitting “WRC – 25 years of complete constitutional anarchy”. If any of our charter members does perchance have a copy, let Prez Steve Tappan know (202 332-5639).

“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I’ll never know.”


New Members

Robert Hansgen, 28, of Alexandria. An employee of the army, Robert is training for a fall marathon. We welcome Robert to the club, and look forward to running with him.


Race Results

Up and comer Barb Fallon took 2nd in the Race for the Cure on June 3rd in downtown DC, in a race of 22,000 folks. Not bad at all. Interestingly Barb was also featured in a picture in the Washington Post sports section on Sunday, at the start of the race, next to Tipper Gore. We congratulate Barb on her race, and the excellent photo.


Over at the Laurel 5K on June 3rd, Donna Moore took third in a time of 18:19 Said Donna” I was happy. It is as fast as I can expect to go, over a course that has a lot of turns and hills”


WRC Runner Bob Platt posted a 3:30:16 at the Madison Marathon on May 28th. This time is a bit slower than the 3:16 he posted at Boston, but nonetheless quite good. Said Robert about the experience “There was a heavy wind, and when the course runs along various lake shores, there is nothing to shield you from it.”


Our friend Steve Ward took 5th at the Herndon 10K on June 4th, posting a time of 35:40, to take 5th It is great to see Steve returning to old form, four days after his 45th birthday.


WRC’s Eric Rodkin took 4th in the MCRRC Capital Crescent Run 5K on June 3rd, in a time of 17:19. George Buckheit, Paul Ryan and Len Peruski, a trio of masters, finished ahead of Eric, with George posting a winning time of 16:18.


News of the Club

Many thanks to Captain Todd Martin, who has put together WRC’s Lawyers Have Heart 10K team for June 17th. Chris Hartshorne, Todd, Donna Moore, Patty Fulton , Adina Siegel, Caitlin Adams will all be running. Todd will be in contact with you all before the race.

And many thanks to our own Steven Ward who is the race director of Lawyers Have Heart this year, and to Debbie Drummond, who is serving on the race committee. All their hard work makes the race possible.


Update on Herr Neimeyer

We have word from Paul Neimeyer, now working at Temple University in Philadelphia. Says Paul

“I feel like I am up to 100 agreements, affiliations, contracts memorandum of understanding, letter agreements, etc. per week! This has dropped me (kicking and screaming all the way) to about 75 miles per week Glad to hear that someone will be organizing the track workouts for WRC. Don’t want to here that Gary O’Donnell or Kevin Ryan have gotten fat and lazy in my absence!”

Interesting that you should mention Kevin:

Uh, Paul, we don’t know how to break this to you – Kevin is now a Japanese Sumo Wrestler


We have word from Greg Pece, who is currently an Air Force officer stationed in Japan. Says Greg

“I competed in a 1/2 marathon at the base of Mt Fuji that ran around a lake called Yamanakoka. I think it was called the “Lake Yamanakoka distance races” or something like that. There was also a 14.4 km that went only around the lake. Painfully I later discovered the 1/2 marathon was just made by adding an out and back portion to the loop around the lake, which was rather endless as those “out and back” portions invariably seem to be during a race. Halfway around the lake we were treated to an amazing view of Mt Fuji looming over the lake, in all its 12000 foot plus glory. The mountain/volcano looks particularly impressive since it rises from just over sea level, and is not surrounded by any other mountains. I think the elevation of the race itself was maybe 2000 feet. It really was a startling view and I slowed my pace just to take it all in, somehow not caring about a fast time at that point. I am signed up for a race on July 25th to the top of Fuji, and I questioned my judgement at that point.

When Greg Pece runs to the top of Mt. Fuji in July – where he might well encounter Kevin Ryan sumo wrestling.


Safety Seminar

Elizabeth Ottaway president of RunHers sends word that RunHers will be hosting a women’s Running Safety Seminar on Monday, June 12th at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia, one mile east of 395. The title of the seminar is: “On the trail, down the street, at the mall”. This seminar will give you the information you need to stay safe. For more information: (703) 548-3507 or (703) 255-5514 or Runhers@winning.com.

Safety Tip: Prime Minister Barak of Israel advocates sticking both fingers
in the eyes of miscreants. Mr. Arafat agrees


The Sunday run was again graced by Sarah Ford and Debbie Drummond and a good fellow named Greg Though most of us went but ten miles, Debbie and Sarah did twelve miles. We hope to see them again.


Time Change for the Sunday Run

Runners are reminded that our long runs will be starting at 7:30 on Sunday morning. This is to accommodate the fact that we are about to enter the dogs days of summer. Though 7:30 is rather early for a Sunday run, we have decided that collapse by sleep deprivation is marginally less painful than collapse by heat exhaustion. Beginning June 18th, some of us will be running out of Tris Kruger’s house in Potomac, Maryland which has a pool for post workout cool down. Others no doubt will continue to run out of Georgetown.


European Travel Tips

And we wish David Keating, Jim Wadsworth and Gerry Ives who are soon to depart on trips to Europe all the best. Gerry is visiting Fair England, Jim is going to the Baltic States and Dave to France.

We remind Mr. Keating that France is a wonderful country, for reasons other than the fact “they serve red wine at McDonalds” . Also, your opinion that the French Army “collapsed in WWII like the Portland Trailblazers in game seven of the Western Conference Finals” is an opinion born of rank igorance. The French are American allies, and God willing, this will still be so after your visit.