Club News
Fulton Wins Steamtown Marathon; Platt and Fields do well at Quanitco Half Marathon; New Tri- Dog in Club; Descendents of the Puritan Fathers Populate Club
New Members
Jeffrey Adonis, 31, of Adams Morgan. A native of Boston, Jeff is currently training for the Disney Marathon in January. Jeff has been a regular at our Tuesday speedworks, and recently showed for the Sunday run.
Like his Adams Morgan neighbor Robin Oswald, Jeff is also a triathlete. Jeff did Esprit Ironman in Montreal in 1999 (11:17) and Ironman USA, Lake Placid, NY in 2000 (11:58). After running Disney, Jeff intends to do Ironman California in May and Ironman Canada in August.
No word whether Jeff shaves his legs/chest/eyebrows per certain other club tri-athletes.
Race Results
Twin City/Steamtown Marathons
The marathon season began on Saturday for our club out in Minnesota. Donna Moore ran a 2:57:32 to place 21st place among women in the Twin Cities Marathon. Good job Donna!
Donna’s training partner Patty Fulton took first in the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton PA, the next day in a time of 2:50:34. Said Patty
“I warmed up fairly quickly. The first half of the race is very fast because there are a lot of downhills. I tried to slow down my pace but it was almost too difficult to try and concentrate on running a slower pace. It felt good at the time (running a little faster than I wanted to) so I tried not to worry about it but I was a little concerned that it would catch up to me in the end. I felt great through 22 miles and then it hit me. My quads started to ache. At mile 23.5, I hit the biggest uphill in the race – almost a mile long. It was torture. I felt like I was barely moving. When the hill was over, I kept telling myself that the race was almost over and the women who were behind me couldn’t be feeling any better than I was at that point. There was another hill at 25.5 that ended at 26. People were screaming in my face. The last .2 miles was sheer agony. I felt like I was running in slow motion. I was in so much pain that I almost couldn’t enjoy the victory. The finish was like that Powerbar Bonk commercial where the marathoner bounces off the tape. I didn’t bounce off the tape but I had trouble breaking it. I just didn’t have the energy to get through it so they just let it drop to the ground!! How embarassing!
Way to go Patty!
Patty Fulton crossing the tape at the Steamtown Marathon.
Quantico Half Marathon, September 30th
At the 5th Annual Quantico Half Marathon on September 30th, WRC had two runners competing.
- 29 Jascha Fields 1:24:14
- 89 Robert Platt 1:31:43
Said Jascha about the race
” I was on pace for a 1:20 Half Marathon and running with the lead woman (who ended up with a 1:19) for about 7 miles. She was running with a pack of three guys and the woman and the three guys were all wearing Gold Fila Jerseys and they were all in the marines. It was funny how people were barking at them to go faster on the out and back sections of the course…..Later on in the race I crashed and slowed to 6:40 pace, but I still managed a decent time. I guess I was being a bit unrealistic, but it never hurts to test your limits. “
Georgetown 10K, October 1st
The Georgetown 10K was a faster course than usual this year, as it was a straight out and back route along Canal Road. Because of neighbor objections to the traffic problems it causes, the race did not wind thru the hills of Georgetown as is traditional.
Women
- 9) Robin Oswald 39:39
- 33) Janet Murray 43:34
Men
- 9) Jim Hage 32:35
- 35) Roberto Rodriquez 36:25
- 39) Dave DeDeschryver 36:34
- 46) Ron McGraw 36:56
- 67) Jascha Fields 38:14
- 90) John Dix 39:20
News of the Club
Volunteers Turn out in Droves for the G’town 10K
Many thanks to all who volunteered at the Packet Pickup for the G’town 10K on September 30th. Included in this number are
- Adina Siegel
- Jim Wadsworth
- Janet Murray
- John O’Donnell
- Ron Mcgraw
- Dan Wallace
- Barb Fallon
- Jeff Aronis
- Henry Grossmann
- Marie Sandrock
- Steve Tappan
- Kevin Ryan
- Gerry Ives
- James Scarborough
- Tris Kruger
Over 300 dollars was raised for the socialist collective because of the efforts of these folks. Many thanks to all
Ron McGraw, Airborne Ranger
We have word from our friend Ron McGraw that he will not be able to captain our Pennsylvania Avenue mile team because of reserve duty. Ron is in Special ops, as para-trooper. We thank Ron for his service on behalf of our country, and encourage him to double knot all those laces!
Ron is the airborne guy in the upper right who is wearing the Nikes
4X100 Meter Olympic Controversy
One of the controversies coming out of the Olympics is the behavior of the American men’s 4X100 medal team at the award ceremony. The preening and self-aggrandizing behavior of Maurice Greene, Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams and Brian Lewisembarrassed many – not least of whom, themselves.
While not wishing to make apologies for their behavior, it should be noted that Steve Prefontaine (role model to many of us), did not exactly distinguish himself at an earlier Olympics. Following the terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes in the Olympic village in Munich back in 1972, the men’s 5K was postponed one day. Prefontaine made vocal objection to this, arguing there was no need. This confirmed Pre as another clueless, obtuse, self-important American jock. To his credit, Pre later apologized.
The point being that we say/do things when we are young that are completely idiotic. Not to excuse it, but eventually most folks mature. Now if folks continue to clamor for attention as they enter middle age, this is different. At this point, it would be best if the offending party abandoned Track and Field, and found something else. For these incorrigible “Boobi Americani”, there are the following career choices
- Back up singer for Allen Iverson
- Developing real estate with Donald Trump
- Starring on the next Kathy Lee Gifford Christmas special.
Donald Trump – Far More Irritating than Mo Greene
Illustrious Puritan Ancestors
One of the fun things about our club is that we have three members who are descendents of the original pilgrims – Hannah Howe, Jim Wadsworth and Tris Kruger. Hannah’s family was one of the original settlers of Massachusetts, while Jim’s was one of the founding families of Connecticut. Indeed the Charter Oak – the symbol of Connecticut, found on the quarter issued by the U.S. Mint – belonged to the Wadsworth family.
And then there is Kruger. Kruger’s full name is Tristram Coffin Kruger. And yes, Tristram Coffin I was an interesting character. While the rest of the colonists came to the new world to found “a city on a hill, a light unto nations”, TC had more practical notions. In the mid 17th century, he started brewing beer in Newbury, Massachusetts. Regrettably, he was busted by the authorities in 1653 for selling brew that was malt liquor. Which is very cool – Tristram Coffin I was one of America’s first moonshiners.
Women’s Self Defense Class
Word from Elizabeth Ottaway, president of Runhers “The RunHers are sponsoring a RRCA A.W.A.R.E. safety/self-defense workshop for women runners on November 4th at the Alexandria City Police Department. Further information can be found at the Runhers Website.