Club News
Keith Moore and Prasad Gerard Nail Western States 100 Miler; Robin Oswald, Jascha Fields Run Well at Tupper Lake Tinman; WRC Readies for Rockville Twilighter; Russ Crandall Pens Article; Marie Davis Follows Hillary Clinton to NYC
“Summer’s here and the time is right
For goin’ racin’ in the street”
-Bruce Springsteen Racing in the Street (1978)
Yup, about time to go racing in the streets of Rockville again. This Saturday will be the Rockville Twilighter 8K. WRC Runners Todd Martin, Chris Hartshorne and Jack Pozo-Olano will lead our valiant band at Rockville, where we will be competing against some fine clubs from the State of Maryland. Best of luck to all – be valiant and speed well!
“Some guys they just give up living
And start dying little by little, piece by piece
Some guys come home from work and wash up
And go racin’ in the street”
New Members
Maureen O’Connor of Bethesda, MD. A native of Iowa, Maureen has been running since high school. A few years ago, Maureen posted a 3:07 marathon at Marine Corps. Says Maureen
“When not running, I am a lawyer/lobbyist for Fox Broadcasting Co., and the mother of 7 year-old Danielle. She’s been running with me since she was about 1 month old (with a little help from a baby jogger). Haven’t raced regularly in 7-8 years, but I’m looking to get back into racing form. Not sure I will want to do a marathon in the next year, but every distance short of that.”
We welcome Maureen, and look forward to running and racing with her.
Race Results
Western States 100 Miler, June 24th
In an epic feat of will and endurance, Keith Moore and Prasad Gerard both completed the Western States 100 Miler on June 24th-June 25. Keith was 69th in a time of 24:52 while Prasad took 73rd in 25:16.
Western States is not simply a race of 100 miles; it is a race where contestants must ascend 18,000 feet between start and finish. This contributes to an attrition rate of over 40 percent. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Says Prasad about his experiences:
“I had a hard day. I went out strong but conservative. I was on 20 hour pace through 30 and 45 miles but when I got to the top of Devil’s thumb, a particularly hard climb of 1500 feet in 1.7 miles I puked my guts out. I struggled to keep my wits about me but by the time I got to Michigan Bluff (at 56 miles) another climb out of a canyon of 2.8 miles and 1800 feet I had lost 11 places and was ready to call it a day. Through the perseverance of Kevin Sayers and the volunteers I was able to put some weight on and start running again. I did well for the rest of the run only puking up a little bit at 80 miles. Keith caught me at about 95 miles running strong. I was amazed that I made it through the run and I am looking to run Vermont in 2 weeks to redeem myself. WS is truly a great run with incredible staff.”
We congratulate both Keith and Prasad. And we wish Prasad all the best at Vermont 100 Miler the weekend of July 15.
Approaching Michigan Bluff at Mile 56 of the Western States 100
The Marino Chiropractic 5K, July 5th
Race Results from Paul Neimeyer, currently living in exile in Philly. Paul ran the The Marino Chiropractic 5K in Lansdale, PA (though not familiar with the Pennsylvania racing scence, we believe this is not a major stop on the circuit). Anyway, Herr Neimeyer tells us:
“Finished in 16:34 and 2nd place in my age division. Not bad for a Wednesday run after work. But the trip there was more harrowing than the race itself. The 1 hour and ½ drive in the pouring rain, the run from the car (also know as my warm-up) to the packet pick for my number followed by run to the start, gave a Tappanesque feel to the race. Or was it the Mexican food and margaritas afterwards? “
Congrats to Paul for his first race since Boston.
Tupper Lake Tinman Triathlon, July 2nd
Jascha Fields and Robin Oswald ran the Tupper Lake Tinman Triathlon in Tupper Lake, New York. Jascha grabbed 100th over all in a time of 5:02, while Robin placed 155th, in a time of 5:16. The winning time was 4:08, for the race which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. Says Robin about the race
“The course was a tough one–choppy swim and hard to see the course, hilly on the bike, and hot with no shade on the run. But it was a fun race and a good opportunity for me to refine things for Ironman Canada.”
Robin will be competing in Ironman Canada in Penticton, B.C. on August 27.
And kudos to John Rusinko and Mark Drosky who ran 30:05 and 30:26 respectively at the Go Fourth 8K in Alexandria on July 4th.
News of the Club
Our friend Russ Crandall (now living in North Carolina) is publishing once again. The June 29th version of the Christian Science Monitor contained an article penned by Russ entitled New US aid to Colombia – Deeper into the Antidrug Mire. Russ makes some good observations about the incoherence of both U.S. drug policy and foreign policy in South America.
We are glad things are going so well for Russ professionally – because physically Professor RC is one hurting cowboy. Russ tells us
“I ended up slicing my foot with a piece of glass- emergency room, surgery, et al. Now have cast and crutches for 2 months so at least i am not thinking about my knee!!”
We wish both Russ’s knee and foot a speedy recovery.
Sunday Runs continue to attract crowds. Among the folks attending recently have been VP Nate Reilly, Barb Fallon, Hannah Howe, Matt Fisher, Steve Ward, Jason Sparkowski, Dean Burke, Gerry Ives, Tris Kruger, Steve Ward, Katherine Turner, Maureen O’Connor, Becky Orfinger, Marie Davis, Ron McGraw, Mark Drosky, Terry Fry, and Jeff Stratton. On July 9th, we understand that Becky, Maureen and Katherine formed their own juggernaut up from Georgetown to the Ranger Station and back (13 hilly miles).
All are encouraged to attend our Wednesday night run at 6:45 in front of the Capitol. Nate Reilly has taken it upon himself to organize this workout, and we should do our best to support him. It is a rather pleasant run five to six miles and all are invited.
Speaking of Mark Drosky, it seems that he has not missed a day of running since December 1988. This is a streak to rival that of our friend Jim Hage, who has not missed a day since 1982. ClubNews prides itself on not having missed a day of running since last Saturday.
Finally, we would also like to wish Marie Davis all the best. Marie is moving to New York City this week, and will begin her medical studies at New York University beginning in September. Marie has both trained and raced with WRC over the past year, and we will miss her tenacious attitude, as well as her understated wit.
Far Too Enthusiastic Member: “Hey Marie, psyched to run?”
Marie: “It is 7:30 a.m., 85 degrees, and I am about to enter severe oxygen debt. No, I am not psyched.”