Club News, August 5, 2003 | Washington Running Club

The WRC – Club News, August 5, 2003

People news, member race results, officers meeting, at the track,
Sunday distance run, new marathon record, and sites of DC.

New Members

Ryan Rodenberg, McLean, VA
Chris Loveland, Arlington, VA
Lisa and Derik Thomas, Alexandria, VA
Challice Bonifant, Washington, DC
Glen and Patricia Hines, Arlington, VA
Ed Zechmann, Arlington, VA

Some of these folks joined earlier in the year, and we take 30 lashes with a soggy noodle for just getting around to mentioning them now. We regret the slip. BUT, we sincerely welcome all these good people to the club!

For the record, thus far in 2003, we’ve had 19 new members, 14 ladies and 5 men.

Leaving

We bid farewell to Nikki Underwood, who has been visiting and running with us this summer while on an internship with NBC on the Sports Machine and away from her home state of South Dakota and the oh-so-good badlands. Nikki tells us that she’s working on getting another internship here in town after she finishes up her last semester of school this fall. So, she may be back…we’ll certainly hope so for her cheerful countenance and humble yet fast running ability has gone a long way toward improving our Sunday distance runs. Cheers Nikki and good luck in school and in the Chicago Marathon too!
Rockville Twilighter 8k, July 19th

Over 2,000 runners took part in this unique evening race. The WRC had a good turnout and some great performances. Super running all!

Women:
4th Casey Smith 24 28:26
12th Lisa Thomas 27 29:38
15th Sharon Donovan 28 30:24
18th Maria Kozloski 38 30:47 (3d 35-39 age group)
28th Marie Sandrock 31 32:10
38th Beth Miller 33 32:48
74th Erica Morton 26 36:01

Men:
112th Mark Drosky 42 30:11
123d Jay Wind 53 30:35 (2nd 50-54 age group)
191st Paul Durbin 38 32:39
431st Bob Platt 51 37:33

5k Run for Youth, July 19th
Women:
1st Sarah Buckheit 43 23:01

Vermont 100 Miler Endurance Run, 08/01/03

Just a couple weeks after doing the Western States 100 Miler, Prasad Gerard headed up to Vermont to take on another long one. Prasad finished 34th overall in 20 hours and 8 minutes. Here’s what he said, “I had a little slow going in the last 10 miles but I was happy with the results of 2 100’s in 3 weeks.

Riley’s Rumble Half Marathon, Seneca, Md, 7/27/03

A rumbling tough course on a humid day…
Men:
6th Al Han 29 1:21:16
9th Mike Rae 33 1:23:35
Women:
46th Beth Klee 31 1:54:28

Sunrise 5k, Herndon, VA, 8/02/03

Women:
8th Erica Morton 26 22:39
9th Sarah Buckheit 43 22:56

Racing Wrap Up

We humbly and sincerely apologize if we’ve forgotten any members in races, who would have liked to have seen their names in print. If so, send an email to wrc03dc@yahoo.com and we’ll update the page just for you!

In the future, if you run a race out of town and want to see your results posted, please send any info in. Interesting quotes or observations are welcome as well.
Officer Meeting

Your friendly club officers recently got together (8/03) to discuss a few things of relative importance to the world of the WRC. Present were Barb Fallon Wallace (president), James Scarborough (treasurer), Marie Sandrock (secretary), Jim Wadsworth (information officer), and Adina Wadsworth (track coordinator); Casey Smith (vice president) was off on vacation. Here are some notes excerpted from secretary Marie’s minutes report:

Financial Report –

Income: New club memberships are steadily rising and dues are being paid.
Expenses: There is some uniform debt to be collected and the club needs to order some woman’s small and men’s large tops. Next Team Race: Philadelphia Distance Run – September 21st, 2003. We are planning on funding [subsidizing] both a Masters and Open Team as well a group dinner.

Membership –

Members are increasing – 10 new members in June and July!
Reminder – Individual Membership will increase to $15 [$20 family] effective [dues year] 2004. A postcard mailing for membership renewal is under consideration.

Upcoming Races –

Philadelphia Distance Run – September 21, 2003
Georgetown 10K – Confusion about the date in 2003. From Washington Running Report Message Board on 7/8/2003 from Kathy Freedman: “We are sorry to say, but the Georgetown Classic 10K will NOT be held in 2003. We are working to bring it back in 2004 with more sponsorship.”

Social Calendar – Club “September” Picnic [pool party]: Tentative date: September 28th 2003. Fall Happy Hour: No date scheduled as of yet – because there is quite a bit of summer travel underway.

Other News – Barb Fallon-Wallace (president) will represent WRC on the Washington DC Marathon Advisory Board.

On the Red Oval

We continue to get great turnouts at the Tuesday evening track workouts. For more info on WRC track workouts, the track page tells a story or two. A special thanks go out to Adina Wadsworth, Frank Sprtel, and Bryon Powell for helping to coordinate the track workouts…and we also thank all the members who have been showing to run them.

Sunday Distance Run

A bunch of peeps meet on Sunday mornings to run distances of 10-18 miles (if you want/need to go shorter, you can turn around and head back at any point to your liking since our runs are almost always out and back courses). We start at 8 am in Georgetown on M Street (3300 Block, across the street from the Staples Store with the red awnings). Distance run info and directions

After running we regroup at Dean & DeLuca (3276 M Street, NW) for refreshments and fresh discussions about all things normal and abnormal.

New Marathon Record?

An info tidbit was recently offered from member and running information guru John O’Donnell where he let us know that a buddy of his indicated that “there was a new world record set in the Edinburgh marathon…for the slowest marathon. Lloyd Scott ran 148(hours):30:56 wearing a full 130 pound diving suit.” John waxed on: “I told my old training partner Bill Donnelly I am skeptical about this record. Someone should run it past Jeff Galloway for authentication. Sort of turns the whole “fish out of water” thing on it’s head.”

The proof’s in the pudding,
which may be in the Loo
Pic from Lloyd’s previous worst
at the London Marathon

Some google research turned up some evidence of supposed record: “A British man weighed down by a rubber diving suit has broken the world record for the slowest-ever marathon run, flopping across the finish line after more than six days.

Lloyd Scott, who overcame leukemia and a bone marrow transplant in the late 1980s, ran the course to raise money for a charity that works with children suffering from the deadly illness.

The 41-year-old former firefighter from London finished his ordeal in the Scottish city Edinburgh in six days, four hours, 30 minutes and 56 seconds, having already completed marathons in New York and London in around five days each.

He took a day longer for the Scottish race over 42 kilometres because he was suffering from a minor case of food poisoning, forcing him to lumber to the bathroom more frequently.

“I had to keep dashing to the loo and on the royal yacht Britannia (which was anchored in Edinburgh along the race course), there was a problem trying to get the suit off in time to get to the toilet,” he said.

“I’m feeling OK, it was a fantastic finish at the stadium, everyone was on their feet clapping and we had a piper… it was a wonderful reception,” an ebullient but visibly weary Scott said.

“Now I’m having a dram of whisky to celebrate,” he said, adding he was looking forward to not having to slip into the 60-kilo heavy diving suit for the seventh day running tomorrow.

The hardy Briton has raised more than one million pounds since 1992 in various races, climbing to the top of Africa’s Mt Kilimanjaro in the rubber suit, for example.

His next stop will actually take him underwater: later this year he plans to walk the entire length of Loch Ness.” [source: BBC]

So, yep, looks as if he actually done did it, Johnny O’D. And we must all admit, anytime we hear someone call it a LOO, we laugh. If you say not, you must be lying.

Sites of DC – Have You Seen This Yet?

George Mason Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Source: Cochran, Pominville, Williams

If you haven’t yet seen this memorial, you should check it out on one of your runs in East Potomac Park. If you’re running along Ohio Drive away from the Lincoln Memorial (in West Potomac Park), you’ll spot this right after you go over the bridge at the Tidal Basin on your way out to Hains Point…look straight ahead.

From the National Park Service: “The George Mason Memorial, located near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, commemorates the neglected contributions of an important Founding Father. George Mason was the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which served as an inspiration to Thomas Jefferson while drafting the Declaration of Independence.”

That’s all for now folks…thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: Club News is designed to inform, enlighten, and amuse. We make no guarantee that this stuff is completely accurate, or even bears a passing resemblance to reality. We also don’t guarantee that your sense of humor will be tickled. But alas, we try.

Have anything to contribute? Please do so. Write to newsmaster at: wrc03dc@yahoo.com
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