Club News, August 2, 2004 | Washington Running Club

Washington Running Club News
-THE WRC-
August 2, 2004

People news, WRR runner rankings, member racing,
club activities – WRC to put on 8k race in September, Sunday long run, track,
running stretching exercises, marathon historic date questioned

People News

Moved Away

Courtney Fulton has headed out to California to do an internship in San Diego. First she was stopping in Iowa to visit friends and family and do a couple races (see results below). While she will be missed, Courtney plans on being back in DC next January. Good luck in CA Court…have fun and wear lots of sunblock!

Milestone Reached

We don’t often mention birthdays for obvious reasons, but this one is a must-mention. Sir Gerry Ives, who has run the Sunday run every Sunday (when we officially counted that is) since 1982, recently turned 65. Are the retirement bells ringing? Happy Birthday Gerry!

Blast from the Past

Member Johnny O’Donnell reports that Mike Regan, once a prominent WRC member and a top tier DC area road racer, is doing fine in San Francisco and that Mike says hey to all he used to run and compete with. We say hey back Mike, good to hear from ya.

New Members in 2004!

Charles Manahan, 37, Arlington, VA
Dane Rauschenberg, Arlington, VA
Jaclynn Campbell, Arlington, VA
Erin Mark

We welcome Charles, Jaclynn, Erin, and Dane into the WRC and wish them the best in their running!

To recap, here’s the latest on new members in 2004 (and a few prospective members):

Ladies:	Gents:
Courtney Fulton	Pascal Brazey
Amy Sullivan	Brian Tefft
Sara Kupfer	George Buckheit
Samantha Newbold	Alvaro Prada
Kerith McFadden	Brian Stickel
Genevieve Kiley	Abdellatif Kabbaj
Kristin Richards	Nicholas Wright
Christa Mehard	Philip O’Conner
Beth McDermott	Charles Manahan
Jaclynn Campbell	Dane Rauschenberg
Allison Collins	Blake Iba*
Erin Mark	Dave Oberholtzer*
Sara Alaei*	Dan Quinn*

* Prospective members. Member Racing Info
WRR Spring Runner Rankings
Results – Most recent and back to July 10th

Washington Running Report 2004
Spring Runner Rankings (Source)
Twelve WRC members make rankings led by Mike and Casey! Kudos to all of them!

Open Women
9 Casey Smith 24 Arlington, VA
13 Lisa Thomas 28 Alex, VA
19 Sharon Donovan 29 Wash, DC

Women 35-39
10 Maria Kozloski 38 Wash, DC

Women 40-44
7 Win Persina 43 Wash, DC

Open Men
3 Michael Wardian 29 Arlington, VA
15 Frank Sprtel 31 Tacoma Park, MD

Men 35-39
8 Pascal Brazey 35 Wash, DC
14 Derik Thomas 38 Alex, VA

Men 45-49
4 George Buckheit 46 Reston, VA
8 Jim Wadsworth 47 Wash, DC

Men 55-59
15 Robert Trost 57 Falls Church, VA

Keep up the good work all…and that goes for everyone, not just those ranked!

Sunrise 5k, Herndon, VA, 8/01

2nd Mike Wardian 30 15:32
(only top 3 yet posted at time of print)

DCRRC Track Races
Washington-Lee High School, VA
Weds 7/28

Master’s Mile:
1st George Buckheit 47 4:49.30
James Scarborough 46 6:03.76

Master’s Men 3,000 Meters:
James Scarborough 46 12:47
Bob Platt 53 13:02

Open 3,000 Meters:
Jay Wind 54 14:31

Riley’s Rumble Half Marathon
Potomac, MD, July 25th

On a tough and hilly course, a few WRCers rolled along among the 574 finishers.

14th Diana Johnson 23 1:41:20 (3d age group)
95th Beth Klee 32 2:00:26 (13th age group)

28th Dane Rauschenberg 28 1:29:29 (5th age group)
35th Jay Wind 54 1:31:38 (3d age group)

Bix 7 Road Race, Iowa, 7/24

After driving straight from DC to Iowa and sleeping for only 1 hour, Courtney got up and ran the reknowned Bix 7 mile road race, then proceeded to do some biking.

Courtney Fulton 51:37

This in from Courtney: “I actually felt pretty good considering I had no sleep! That was one long ride. After the race my friends and I all drove across the state to start our week long bike ride, Ragbraii, across the state of Iowa. It was a blast! I’m definitely doing it again. Nothing like biking hard, stopping at each town for a beer and meeting fun people. It was great!”

Cool….and we thought midwest folk liked to enjoy the quiet life.

Bastille Day 4-Miler, DC, 7/14

Jay Wind 54 26:10
Bob Trost 58 27:45
Bob Platt 52 29:09

Rockville Rotary Twilighter 8k
Rockville, Md, 7/17

On a cool night for this race, for a change, a bunch raced well among the 2,099 finishers.

6th Mike Wardian 30 25:09 (1st age)
10th Frank Sprtel 31 25:28 (2nd age)
George Buckheit 47 30:34 (3d age)
Mark Drosky 43 31:36
Charles Manahan 36 32:25
Jay Wind 54 32:34
Paul Durbin 39 33:03
James Scarborough 46 36:39
Bob Platt 52 37:22

5th Casey Smith 25 28:52 (overall award)
7th Sharon Donovan 29 29:44 (3d age)
11th Lindsay Goulet 26 30:32

Dave Reynolds Swim (.5 mile) / Run (5k)
Biathlon, Rehoboth, DE, 7/4

Iron Mike shows he’s game for a race of any design!

30th Mike Wardian 30 37:27 (over 300 competed)

Spirit of Gettysburg 5K
Gettysburg, PA, 7/10

3d Mike Wardian 30 15:02

Great racing all…and we humbly apologize if we missed anyone. (If we missed your name in a race or missed a race entirely where you ran and you want to see the results here, let us know and we’ll update the page. Afterall, all the news that fits, we print. And it’ll all fit!) Club Running Activities and Stuff
WRC RACE TO BE HELD

On Saturday, September 18th, the WRC will be putting on an 8k race (WRC Club Challenge 8k) on the C&O Towpath (flat, fast, scenic) from the Carderock Recreation Area. The race will begin at 9 a.m., with onsite-registration-only at 8 a.m. For members the cost will be a discounted $2 and for non-members, $5. Also, a co-ed team competition will take place with 3 needed to score (at least one female). Some prizes will be awarded, refreshments will be served.

We welcome all members to run this race…and tell your running friends about it too. It’s a good way to see how your training is coming along. For more information go to the race page. Write it on your calendar, come on out, and bring your speed.

Track at Washington-Lee High School

The WRC track workouts are held on Tuesday evenings at 6:20 p.m. Try to show up early to get properly warmed up. Weekly track workouts are given on the weekly email updates sent to members.

We meet at the far end of the track, on the same side of the entrance gate, but down where intervals are begun. Bring water or a sports drink!

Showings have been strong on recent Tuesdays!

For more info on WRC track workouts, the track page says a thing or two.

Sunday Distance Run

The WRC’s Sunday distance run starts at 8 am on M Street (3300 block) in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Distances range between 8 and 16 miles.

Many members are gearing up for fall marathon training. Come on out!

Afterwards, we regroup at Dean & DeLuca’s for refreshments and a sit down, talk alot.

Go here for more distance run info and directions

This past Sunday, 8 members (Gerry, Tris, Jim, Bryon, James, Emily, Adina, and Diana) ventured to Potomac to test the challenging run along the towpath on the Maryland side of Great Falls…then jumped into the pool to cool off.

– Other Stuff –

Running Stretching Exercises

On this page of the Running Times Website are 8 active isolated stretches from the father/son team of Jim and Phil Wharton. For more information and pictures showing those isolated stretches, check out the site!

U.S. Astronomers Question Date of Original Marathon
(This item of interest in from member Ryan Rodenberg)

Mon Jul 19, 4:28 PM ET Add Science – Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Deborah Zabarenko

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The first marathon — a grueling run by a battlefield messenger from the plains of Marathon to Athens — may have occurred in August heat instead of the comparative cool of September in Greece, astronomers reported on Monday.

This finding would offer one explanation for the fabled quick demise of the original marathon runner, Pheidippides, who allegedly managed to gasp out the words, “Rejoice, we conquer,” before dropping down dead on his arrival at Athens in 490 BC.

Many accounts date the battle of Marathon, against invading Persians, at Sept. 12 of that year, based on calculations made by 19th century German scholar August Boeckh.

Like the current astronomers, Boeckh reckoned the date of the battle of Marathon based on the writings of Herodotus, who provided precise descriptions of the phase of the moon around the time of the battle of Marathon.

But astronomers at Texas State University figured Boeckh failed to take into account the difference between the Athenian and Spartan calendars, which were a month apart at that point, putting the date of the battle and run at August 12.

Both calendars were lunisolar — based on the lunar cycle but adjustments to stay in step with the solar year — but they started at different times, according to Russell Doescher of Texas State, one of three authors of “The Moon and The Marathon,” in August editions of Sky and Telescope magazine.

CALENDARS OUT OF SYNCH

Athens began its year at the summer solstice and Sparta started at the autumnal equinox, Doescher said in a telephone interview from San Marcos, Texas.

“For that specific year, from 491 BC to 490 BC, there were 10 new moons, or 10 months, between the fall equinox of 491 BC and the summer solstice of 490 BC,” Doescher said. “Normally there would be nine … The Athenian calendar and the Spartan calendar were off by one month.”

The misfit between the two calendars is important because of communications between Athens and Sparta over the Marathon battle. When Athenians first learned the Persians had landed at Marathon, a messenger was sent to Sparta to ask for aid. The Spartans replied that they could not march before the next full moon, because of a religious festival.

Boeckh judged that the festival was Karneia, named for the Spartan month Karneios, and relied on a reference from the Greek scholar Plutarch equating this with the Athenian month Metageitnion. From this he calculated the date of the battle in September.

However, Doescher and his colleagues said that in 490 BC, the date of the Karneian full moon would have been a month earlier, in August.

This could have been significantly more stressful for Pheidippides, or any runner, the astronomers said in a statement. They said the average maximum temperature in Athens during September is about 83 degrees F, compared with the average August high temperatures along the marathon route ranging from 88 degrees F to 91 degrees F.

The men’s marathon at the summer Olympic games in Athens is scheduled for Aug. 29; the women’s event is Aug. 22.
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