michigan runner, november / december 2010

1Michigan Runner - November / December 2010

Michigan Runner - November / December 20102

In This IssueNovember / December 2010 Vol. 32, No. 5

Cover: Paul Aufdemberge’s first place award at the River Days Run in Detroit was theopportunity to throw the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers baseball game. Paul’s account ofhis experience is on page 5. Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios

Features & Departments

CalendarNovember 2010 - February 2011 p. 35-38

Editor’s Notes: Way Back By Scott Sullivan p. 4

Race-Winner Aufdemberge Makes His Pitch By Paul Aufdemberge p. 5

Running Shorts with Scott Hubbard p. 6

Phantom Keys By Bob Shaffer p. 7

Beyond the Chip: The Bucket List By Laurel Park p. 8

Notes on the Run: 101 Reasons I Run, Part 5 By Daniel G. Kelsey p. 13

Holdaway Completes Ultra-Running Grand Slam p. 22

New/ Old Run the KeweenawMakes for Memorable Trip By Richard Magin p. 24

Running with Tom Henderson p. 39

Michigan Masters,TeenAmaze at Crim By Bill Khan p. 10

Smurfs, Loinclothed Lions Hit Dances with Dirt-Hell By Katie Kelly-Noble p. 12

Big House Big Heart Scores Big with Runners, Charities By Sarah Smallheer p. 14

Applefest Runs: East as Pie?Almost By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 15

Gries, Rzepecki Make Like Lightning onMilford Hills By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 16

Greek Treats, Hills Abound at Rock and Road By Ron Marinucci p. 17

Smith, Fenton Go-Go through Sand Blasts at Park2Park By Scott Sullivan p. 18

Run for Hills Draws 411 for Debut By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 19

Veneziano TopsWomen,Almost Beats Spouse at Bauman’s Race By C.D. McEwen p. 19

Bechard Goes 2-for-2 at Detroit Zoo By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 20

WoodWinsWitch’s Hat Debut, Park Repeats By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 21

Betsy Valley’s Beauty Shines in Fall By Grant Lofdahl p. 22

Sold-Out T-Rex Triathlon CapsWednesday-Night Trifecta By Katie Kelly-Noble p. 23

Tahqua Trail Runs: Insanely Gorgeous, Insanely Tough By Tom Henderson p. 28

OnYour Mark, Get Set, Roll Melons By Heather Dyc p. 29

Weather, RunnersWell-Timed at BrooksieWay By Ron Marinucci p. 30

Resumed Baldhead Challenge is Soggy Fun By Scott Sullivan p. 31

Red-Letter Day for 20th Red October Run By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 32

Youth Rule Run at the Farm By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 33

Fecht Tops Mena in Kensington Run through Rain By Charles Douglas McEwen p. 33

Playmakers Classic Features Fundraising Zeal, Speed By Katie Kelly-Noble p. 34

Bank of America Chicago Marathon Photos by Victah Sailer / photorun.net p. 40

Governor’s Labor Day Bridge Run Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios p. 40

Spartan Invitational Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios p. 40

Capital City River Run Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios p. 40

At the Races

The 1960scartoonseries

“Peabody’sImprobableHistory” featured aWABAC machinein which Mr.Peabody, a profes-sorial, bow tie-wearing dog, trav-eled back in timewith his pet boySherman to famousevents, which were

transpiring counter to lessons in school text-books.

Paul Revere, for instance, could not ridethrough Boston because he had only a statueof a horse, Robin Hood wanted to steal fromthe poor and give to the rich, and so on.Peabody always found ways to fix the prob-lems, save reputations and insure historicaltexts were accurate.

Each show ended with a dreadful pun.After “correcting” the 1781 surrender ofGen. Cornwallis to Americans at Yorktown,Peabody asks Sherman if he’s heard of therooster who captured British loyalists. Theboy hasn’t. “What?” the dog asks. “You’venever heard of chicken cacciatore?”

Such was the premise of my college historystudies and career as a “snapshot” historian inmagazines, runner and chronicler of thatlifestyle. Should I have a WABAC (a take-off onthe UNIVAC computer, a ’60s invention ofsome portent) at my disposal, I would travel towhen I was young, fit and ran much faster —or at least to before I broke a bone in my leftknee, and correct that.

The “fowl” truth came home to roostwhen, off crutches, I tried a 5K with friendsand placed way, way back.

It wasn’t so bad when a 10-year-old girlpassed me. Nor when a woman my age didthe same, then walked up a hill and I passedher back. The problem was she resumed run-ning, passed me back, walked and let me passher, ran and passed me back ... then contin-ued running.

I had one hope left: a long, closing down-hill where my advantage from gaining injuryweight would serve me. Look out, 60-lb.kids! Mr. Gravity’s on his way!

So I thundered down, passed the womanbut not the child, and stormed to the finish,where everyone else in the group, being done,stood waiting. At least I had saved my bestfor the end.

“You looked awful,” a ex-friend said.

As a ’60s snob, I had little use for whatJefferson Airplane became: a ‘70s-‘80s pop-hitmachine called Starship. Blame them for “FindYour Way Back” among other mega-sellers.

Since I was then of an age to buy therecord, of course I didn’t. “Contemporary”music, art, running magazines, you name it ...by then meant “crap” to me. Even now,Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time”(published between 1913 and ‘27) seems aricher reference than here and now, beingmore obscure to me.

“Finding my way back” to foot speed maynever happen. Nothing dashes hope, after all,like evidence. Still, vanity insists I try, so I’mtaking vitamins (my one concession to modernmindsets is “pills solve everything”) and makingsure every run I take to unwind from the work-day includes some agony.

In one adventure, Sherman and Peabodyvisit Ponce de León to find he has found theFountain of Youth, his soldiers drank from itand have been transformed into babies. Messwith the time-space continuum, those thingshappen.

With the Seminoles about to attack,Ponce’s cause seems lost; but the Indians,lacking flashbulbs to take pictures of theirexpected victory, wait until dawn to strike.Peabody spikes their drinks while they sleepwith water from the fountain, so at dawn allthe Seminoles too are babies.

The chief and Ponce declare peace,exchange talcum powder and agree to forgetabout the fountain. But Sherman does notescape unrewarded. When he inquires of arusty key he found, Peabody says,“Congratulations. You now own one of theFlorida Keys.”

Lame? I won’t baby my wounded kneeany longer. My only accessible (andinevitable) way is forward.

I take solace in nostalgia for times andtriumphs I never knew.

- MR -

4 Michigan Runner - November / December 2010

Way BackEditor’s Notes

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By Scott Sullivan


Race-Winner AufdembergeMakes His Pitch

By PaulAufdemberge

When I heardfrom DougKurtis

about the River Days5K, a new June 19 runin downtown Detroit,I decided right away torun it. The first fivemen and womenwould each receivefour tickets to aDetroit Tigers game,and the first-placemale and femalewould get to throwout an honorary firstpitch before a game.

I would have beenhappy with just thetickets, but I ended uppulling away fromRyan Piippo and theother competitorshalfway through the5K, along the scenicRiverWalk, to win in16:27.

Women’s champi-on Andrea Karl threwout the first pitchbefore the Tigers’Labor Day game versusthe Chicago White Sox,and I was assigned the Sept. 24 game againstthe Minnesota Twins, a Friday night game inthe last home series of the season.

A week before the game, I showed up fora morning run with friends and was present-ed with a gift. I opened it to find a Tigers jer-sey. I now had the perfect thing to wear forthe game! I turned it around, and on the backwas the name “Fidrych” and number 20,honoring the player I had told my friends wasmy all-time favorite Tiger player.

In 1976, when I was 11 years old, Mark“The Bird” Fidrych had taken the baseballworld by storm. He won 19 games, filledballparks with fans wherever he pitched, was

the American League starting pitcher in theAll-Star game and was named Rookie of theYear.

He talked to the ball, groomed the dirt ofthe pitcher’s mound on his hands and knees,and played the game with such joy and skillthat it makes me smile even now.

The Bird’s baseball career, and eventually,his life, ended much too soon. I would be proudto wear his name and number onto the field.

When game day came, I arrived atComerica Park with my family, and we weredirected to the playing field from a gatebehind home plate. I would be the second offour to make an honorary pitch.

I was a little nervous,even though I knew it wasjust a simple throw andwould be over in aninstant. My wife Jeanneand kids Emily and Jacobaccompanied me onto thefield, and I soon spottedseveral familiar faces inthe stands. Some of myTotal Runner co-workersstood right behind thescreen behind home plate,and other friends werenear the home dugout.

When the time came, Iheard my name on thepublic address system andI walked to a spotbetween the pitcher’smound and home plate. Ipaused for a second andthen threw.

The ball seemed to slipfrom my fingers almosttoo easily, and for a splitsecond I wondered whereit was headed. To myrelief, it went right to theglove of Don Kelly, theDetroit player whoserved as catcher.Kelly signed a baseballfor each of the first-ballthrowers, and we foundour seats to watch the

game, a 10-1 Tigers victory, as a summer-likeday turned into an autumn-like evening.

I would guess that about 40 or so familymembers and friends came out for the game.They are the ones who, for me, made this anight to remember. I am happy that I couldprovide an excuse for them to have a fun andmemorable evening.

Three-time Michigan Runner of the Year PaulAufdemberge, now a national masters stand-out at 45, denies there is truth to the rumor

he will be in the Tigers’ pitching rotationnext year.

- MR -

Paul Aufdemberge’s wife Jeanne and kids, Emily and Jacob, accom-panied him onto the field at Comerica Park.

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TRIVIA: According to the Association ofRoad Racing Statisticians (arrs.net), what

man and woman have won the most lifetimeprize money?

THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO HMMM:

1. Folks who run or walk on treadmills onnice days.2. Folks who go to a track to walk.3. Folks who run with traffic at their back.4. Folks who run in the dark without reflec-tive wear.5. Folks who make a marathon their firstrace.6. Folks who take shortcuts in races.7. Whatever happened to key pockets inshorts?8. Marathons have been run in space, on shipdecks, treadmills and indoor tracks. Is therean underground marathon record?9. Folks who always run with their phones.10. Folks who lie about their PRs.11. Athletes who test positive for perform-ance-enhancing drugs yet maintain their inno-cence.12. Parents who live through their children’srunning.13. Running tattoos.14. Listening to reasons runners give for notrunning in winter.15. Visiting coaches wheel-measuring cross-country courses before meets.16. The United States boycott of the 1980Summer Olympic Games.17. Subpar television coverage of the sport.18. Tanning salons.19. Race entry fees.20. Wondering how far I could have run in24 hours in my prime.21. Chocolate Cheerios.22. Plantar fasciitis and arthritis.23. The notion of a race on the PierceStocking Drive outside Glen Arbor.

24. Race entrants (almost exclusively men)who use fictitious names.25. Two guys near home; one “runs” wearinga weighted, heavy vest and the other goes forlongish walks smoking a cigar.

OUT OF THE CLOSET. I have an old shoebox that sits on a shelf in the back of mycloset. It holds old race trinkets and awards.It’s an adidas Marathon 80 box, for thosewho recall that terrific pair of shoes.

About half the contents pre-date theearly-1980s box, and I go through it aboutonce every couple years to relive memories.About half the awards are inscribed with myage group and place, while the others are amishmash of ribbons, generic and race-specif-ic faces minus inscriptions.

I have seven generic yet race-specific faceawards from an old favorite, the MiddlevilleTurkey Trot 10K. All seven look alike with aturkey and race name on the front and noth-ing on the back.

A Middleville Turkey Trot memory: oneyear I forgot to pack shorts for the trip frommy Ann Arbor home to my mother-in-law’sin Wyoming (Mich.). I was at the localRogers Department Store door as it openedat 9 a.m. race day. I was in/out in four min-utes with a pair of stiff, $10 cotton athleticshorts. I arrived for the 9:30 start with min-utes to spare.

I don’t recall my time that day but I won oneof those awards, proof that clothes don’tmake the runner. Well, I guess if you don’thave shorts, you stay home. I digress.

I have a medal for finishing third in myhigh school conference cross-country meet asa senior. My son Jeff also placed third in hisconference meet as a senior. That coincidencetakes on luster as we each lost to two guyswho went on to place in the top three in thestate meet that followed.

As I went through the box recently, Ifound one medal I’m going to send to afriend and another that’s light gold in color.On the front is the State of Michigan crestand words “Michigan High School AthleticAssociation” around the edge. On the back isinscribed “1969 Final Cross-CountryWinning Team Class A.” Man, it never getsold looking at that medal, and that meet liveson as one of my top-five sports moments.

Then I think about all that’s followedthat rainy, championship day at theWashtenaw Country Club. A lot has hap-pened, but the medal remains an importantbenchmark in an unfinished body of work.

SCHOOL HALLWAYS. I was inducted into theAnn Arbor Huron High School Hall of Fameon Oct. 2. My invited guests were my son, Jeff,an Ann Arbor Pioneer High all-stater in cross-country; my former Huron track coach, KentOverbey, and my brother, Don, who was a2006 AAH Hall of Fame inductee. I was onKent’s first track team in spring 1969 and he’sstill sharing his coaching candor and wisdomwith the River Rats today.

I was part of a few firsts at Huron,including being a member of the first team towin an athletic contest and first to win aLower Peninsula state title.

Huron lived in name only during its firsttwo years of athletics. The new school hadn’tbeen built yet and wouldn’t open until 1969,my senior year. We were housed those firsttwo years in the Pioneer High building. Infact, during my sophomore year, Huron andPioneer students shared the same classes. Thefollowing year, Pioneer students went toschool from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., thenHuron moved in from 1 to 6 p.m.

I played baseball in 10th grade and rantrack my last two years, setting a two-mileschool record as a junior and mile record as asenior. One other item listed on my HuronHall résumé was being Most Valuable Playerfor our state-champ cross team.

My athletic prowess, as you can see, wasgenerally meager and dwarfed by what Dondid at Huron a couple years later. On meritalone, I didn’t deserve Hall consideration, soI’m especially grateful to my former Huroncross-country coach, Des Ryan, for the nomi-nation and looking beyond my high schoolcareer to the time and service I’ve given thesport since then.

Pretty much all the things I’ve done inrunning were the result of being in the rightplace at the right time and digging in to makethe most of each opportunity. It’s an honorand humbling to be inducted into the Halland recognized as a Huron man who tried tomake a difference.

The moral here: hang around longenough, achieve a few things over a lifetimeand somebody might notice. While gettinginducted is sweet, it’s not a stopping point.You’ll be hearing from me for a few moreyears.

ANSWER: Haile Gebreselasie of Ethiopiaand Paula Radcliffe of England have won the

most prize money.- MR -

Running Shorts with Scott Hubbard

Michigan Runner - November / December 2010 7

Phantom KeysBy Bob Shaffer

Having overpaid my dues in academia(Go green!), I know to start bytelling you what I am going to tell

you. I’m going to write about holiday racing.

Next, I define my terms. “Keys” aredevices that open objects (or ideas) that areclosed. A “phantom” is a person or objectthat appears or disappears mysteriously.

First-time races are always an interestinggamble, sometimes run by non-running direc-tors, sporting 15-year age-groups, one-deepmedals and high fees, anyone? Some are anabsolute joy and offer a chance to set yourage group’s record, at least for a year.

I had the pleasure of running a debutHalloween race last year. Ah Halloween!Would this be an excuse for a costume? Ithought so, but which? How much?

This raises another question of customand style. Some people are happy to run incotton, some in whatever, some in club sin-glets (Go Grand Rapids Running Club!)maybe with pants that don’t clash, some withonly the highest-tech gear (Go adidas TysonGay compression shorts!). And some of us,after nearly 40 years of running, have some-thing of every color and style.

This can be a problem. It means I can betempted to run in red and green for Christmas,or any high school color theme if the racebegins there (you know, Go red Kent City! Goblue-and-yellow East Grand Rapids! etc.).

For Halloween, orange and black (Iknow, Go Rockford! Go Ottawa Hills! GoHalloween!) seemed about right; it could stillbe technical yet themed.

If I went overboard on the costume thing,I’d be “jumping the shark” (academic refer-ence to “Happy Days” TV character Fonzie,whose jumping a shark on his motorcycleshowed the show had outlived its originalpremise and useful life).

After having survived 40 years of end-of-season sales, I had items unworn and untest-ed but maybe perfect. Let’s see: black tights,black turtleneck, orange singlet, jacket ifneeded, black gloves, hat and those newshorts that had never been worn because theywere too revealing ... without the tights.

Race day dawned cold and drizzling, butwarmed and colorful by the spirit of thecrowd and the costumed fairies. I was colorcoded but saw my friendly rivals were not: abad, bad sign.

This meant I better strip down to basics:no glasses, hat or jacket to slow me down.This was serious racing!

I get revved, nervy, edgy before a race. SoI was proud I was systematic before this one:car keys in pocket, parking brake on, glassessafely stowed and car parked legally. Eventime to visit the porta-john.

I noted the winged fairies gatheredtoward the front at the starting line, becausethe wings would help them fly, I assumed.They couldn’t be like the little kids who lineup in front because they think they are goingto win (OK, sometimes they do beat us, butmore often get trampled. I think I’ve mas-tered the elbow-in-the-ribs move — just kid-ding, that’s only for the track.)

Alas, the fairies didn’t fly. Their wingsnot only slowed them down but poked otherrunners in the eyes as we passed.

You know how races go: fast folks takeoff, old guys try not to get “chicked,” rocketmen crash and burn, smart racers try for neg-ative splits. For me, I tend to be positive inthis area only.

There is a pleasure-pain balance in fallracing; the hard run pleasantly warms youat the price of aerobic (or anaerobic) pain.The blessed finish ends the pain butallows that really-cold feeling. (At the endof the 1980 Detroit Marathon I wenthypothermic; a very heavy German ladylaid on top of me and saved me — true.)

Afterward I ran slowly a bit to cooldown, went to my car to retrieve my hatglasses and jacket — and found that mykeys were no longer in my pocket. Norwere they in the john. Nor were theyfound and turned in. They were probablylaying out on the well-measured 3.1-milecourse, unseeable without glasses.

I don’t carry a cell phone for a fast5K, do you? My friends were happy tolend me theirs, but no one at home —eight cold, wet miles away — was awakeor answering.

Could the keys be in the car, as somesaid? Could the police open my car andcheck, as some advised? Well no, policewill not open your car. The sergeant, how-ever, offered to drive me home.

I was cheeky, making him wait till I gotmy medal. We talked in the squad car aboutthe adventures and travails of our adult chil-dren, the economy, etc. He was truly a swellguy.

At home, everyone finally woke up, wegot a spare set of keys and drove back to theremnants of the race and my locked car (Gowife!). The spares worked, I drove home, itwas finally time for a shower ... and the keysfell out of the crotch of the new shorts.

Had they been there all the time? Hadthey disappeared and reappeared? Whoknows, it was Halloween.

I hear pros pin keys in their shorts orgive them to their agents. Now I tie mine inwith the cord.

The other lesson is that in really coldraces, you don’t feel certain things. On theother hand, there was the 5K/10K doublewhen I put the finishers’ medal in my shortsfor the second race and then knew exactlywhere it was for the whole race!

Enjoy!

Bob Shaffer practices psychology, whenhe is not running, in Grand Rapids.

- MR -


The Bucket ListBeyond the Chip

By Laurel Park

Last summer I was telling one of my co-workers about a vacation Rich and Iwould be taking. We were traveling to

Gettysburg, Pa., where I planned to competein the Spirit of Gettysburg 5K — a race I hadlong wanted to do.

“Is it a big race?” my colleague asked.

“Nah, a couple hundred folks,” I replied.

“Is it prestigious?”

“It’s well-known in the region, but noton the national radar like other races.”

“Is there prize money?”

“Yes, but not very much.”

“OK,” she said slowly, with a look whichmade clear she could not fathom what wouldpossess me to drive eight hours and spendtwo nights in a motel to run a little 3-milerace that was not going to pay for itself.

“I’ve wanted to do this race for years,” Iexplained. “Not for any reason other than itsounds cool and I want to do it.

“There are several races I want to dowhile I’m still competitive,” I went on. “I’mgetting to the point in my running careerwhere I’d better start doing these races, or it’sgonna be too late.”

“Ah!” she said triumphantly. “You havea bucket list!”

A bucket list. I hadn’t thought of it thatway, but I guess she’s right.

A bucket list, for those who may notknow, is a list of things that you want todo/see/experience before you euphemistically“kick the bucket.”

In my case, however, it’s not exactly “kickthe bucket” but rather “can still keep ahead ofthe sag wagon.” It’s startling to realize that theyears are flying by and the window of opportu-nity for trying new races closing.

Each year when the “spring racing pre-view” issues of running magazines hit mymailbox (invariably on a bitterly-cold, snowyday), I eagerly page through them and find somany races that sound interesting.

Then reality hits and I remember that mycreaky body can only handle so many races

in a season, and while I’d love to race everyweekend, the end result would be very ugly(although lucrative for my physical therapist).

Add to that the handful of local racesthat are permanently set in my schedule, andthe number of available weekends decreasesdramatically — to around four or fivethrough the entire summer and fall. That’snot very many, relative to all the races inthose spring racing previews.

A couple of years ago I decided that Ibetter stop talking about “someday” andstart getting to these races before my warm-up jog is the highlight of my day.

While participation is the main draw, mybucket list has an ulterior motive. One of thebest things about racing — and one of themain reasons I’m so reluctant to give it up,common sense notwithstanding — is thechance to see new places and meet new peo-ple within a known context.

Races are comfortable and predictable.I’m in my element, I know what to expectand do, and it’s familiar territory, even if thelocale is not.

Once I figure out where to park, I feellike I’m on par with all the other entrants.I’m no longer just a tourist or visitor; I’m amember of the community. My entry feebought me an all-access pass and not only doI get to go backstage before the show, I’llprobably get to hang out and party with theband afterward as well.

When I think about some of the races onmy list, it’s not just the actual event that’sappealing, but also the chance to “go back-stage” in a place that for whatever reason hasalways seemed interesting.

Maybe I’ll enjoy the experience andregret having to leave, or maybe a quickglimpse will be enough. Either way, I’ll havegained something, probably learned some-thing, and hopefully have come away with anew friend or two.

Running tends to be a small world, andafter a while it’s rare to find a race where youdon’t bump into someone you know, eitherdirectly or through mutual friends — kind ofa pre-Facebook social experience.

That makes my bucket list all the moreinteresting; I may be traveling to parts dis-tant, but odds are I’ll find at least one famil-iar name or face.

At last year’s Gettysburg race, for exam-ple, I saw a young man wearing a maroon“Calvin Alumni” singlet. “Do you think thatcould be Calvin College in Michigan?” Iasked my husband.

“Can’t imagine there are many otherCalvin Colleges with the same colors,” hereplied.

I struck up a conversation with the kid, whowas indeed a recent Calvin grad spending the sum-mer back home (near Philadelphia) before embark-ing on a fall internship abroad. We had a wonder-ful chat about the college, the running program,and his plans — then he proceeded to smoke therest of the field and win the race.

My bucket list also marks the transitionfrom doing races because I think I should, todoing them because I want to.

Particularly early in my career, there werea few races that I didn’t necessarily enjoy butentered anyway, mainly because I felt that Iought to. For whatever reason, those racesjust didn’t “click” for me, and in some casesthey coincided with other races that mayhave been less prestigious or noteworthy, butthat sounded (to me) like a lot more fun.

Laurel Park wins the Witch’s Hat5K, one of the local races perma-nently set in her schedule.

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Over the past decade I’ve found it easier topick the fun races over the “prestigious” ones.That’s not to say that prestige doesn’t still playa role in the choice process, but it’s not the pri-mary determinant anymore; the experience,rather than the outcome, is the focus.

Sometimes the outcome is a foregoneconclusion and it’s all about the experience. Iwould love to run the Fifth Avenue Mile inNew York City, regardless of the fact that I’dbe anchored firmly at the back of the packwatching the rest of the field disappear intothe distance. (I am not, nor have I ever been,a miler.) Having visited New York this pastJuly, the thought of running flat-out downFifth Avenue sounds way cool, no matterhow long it would take.

Same with the Tufts 10K for Women,which for the past several years has been theUSATF 10K National Championship. Howawesome — and humbling — to race in themidst of so many talented women. I’ve actu-ally made plans to run Tufts a couple times inthe past, but injuries have thwarted myefforts. I’ll get there eventually, I hope.

Being a history devotee, many of theraces on my list are in the east, and most arein or near large cities. Another NYC event isthe Advil Mini 10K, which takes place inCentral Park. I spent a little time in CentralPark during last summer’s visit (got lost in it,in fact), and I’m still intrigued by the idea ofrunning a 10K entirely within the confines ofthat place. (This would also be one of those“enjoy the experience” events.)

The James Joyce Ramble 10K inDedham, Mass., also sounds interesting. I’venever read any Joyce, but I love the areaaround Boston and I’m sure the race wouldbe both challenging and educational.

Same with the Monument Avenue 10K inRichmond, Va. I attended a professional con-ference in Richmond about 10 years ago andran the course early one weekend morning; itwas absolutely lovely and furthered myresolve to come back and run the race.

One event that ranks high on my list but isnot in the east is the Bellin Run 10K in GreenBay, Wisc., because I am a life-long Packers fan.It would be so fun to spend a weekend inPacker country — during the summer.

The only frustrating thing about my listis it’s way too long. There are too manyplaces to see, too many events to experienceand not enough days to do them. And, ofcourse, new events keep popping up.

So, I guess, maybe bucket list is the rightdescription. Hopefully, when my competitivecareer is over, my creaky hips will still allow mea few miles per week so that I can continue todiscover new places, meet new people and keepthe bucket as far at bay as possible. MR

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Michigan Masters, Teen Amaze at CrimBy Bill Khan

FLINT (8/28/10) — World- and national-class athletes took home the big prize money,but Michigan runners excelled as well in the34th annual Crim Festival of Races.

It started in the signature event, the 10-mile run, where Paul Aufdemberge, 45, ofRedford won the masters race for the thirdstraight year by beating a professionalKenyan runner.

Lisa Veneziano, 46, of Fenton was sec-ond in the women’s masters race, winningCrim money for the sixth time in her career.

Kenyan-born Boaz Cheboiywo ofYpsilanti was the first Michigan finisher, plac-ing seventh overall in 48:10, while RyanSheehan of Kalamazoo was seventh in theUSATF men’s 10-mile championship racewith a time of 48:49.

History was made later in the day whenGrand Blanc High School senior GabrielleAnzalone became the first female to win a Crimrun outright, taking the 8K race in 29:13.

While even the best runners inthe United States have difficultybeating the Kenyans, Aufdembergemore than holds his own at the mas-ters level, even into his mid-40s.

He turned in a time of 52:24this year, 48 seconds faster thanGideon Mutisya of Kenya.

Aufdemberge beat KenyanJoseph Koech last year and Mutisyain 2008 to win masters titles. Hewas second to Mutisya in 2007.

“He’s got some great P.R.’s fromwhen he was younger,”Aufdemberge said of Mutisya.“There’s always a lot of good run-ners here. It’s nice to do well. I cer-tainly have to take advantage of theopportunities when I get them.”

Aufdemberge passed Mutisya notlong after the Bradley Avenue hills,which begin near the five-mile mark.

“We’ve kind of battled it outhere a couple times,” Aufdembergesaid. “He was maybe 50 yardsahead of me at three miles, but Iwas able to make up some groundon the hills. I felt pretty strong inthe second half.”

Veneziano had the largest of her

six Crim paydays, winning $900 as the sec-ond-place master to Ramilya Burangulova,49, of Russia, a 1992 and 1996 Olympian inthe marathon.

She’s won a total of $2,375 in Crim prizemoney.

“I had no idea who was in front of me,”Veneziano said. “I always shoot for it. I did-n’t know who was running from out of thecountry today, but I felt good. I had a reallysolid race. I knew I wasn’t too far back, but Ididn’t know if I cracked the top three.”

Veneziano has run with impressive com-pany the last two years. A year ago, she wasthird in the masters race, one place behind1984 Olympic marathon champion JoanBenoit Samuelson.

The 8K run is normally an afterthought onthe Crim schedule, with nearly all of the goodcompetition taking place in the 10-mile run.

However, that changed when Anzaloneset Crim history by beating each of the other782 entrants — including the males.

Gabrielle Anzalone set Crim histo-ry by beating each of the other782 entrants — including themales.

Women’s lead pack in the Bradley Hills are TeybaNasser (bib no. 51), Caroline Rotich (bib no. 63) andeventual winner Mare Dibaba Hurssa (bib no. 69)

Julius Kogo is the 2010Crim 10 Mile Champion.

Crim Festival of Races, Flint

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The track and cross country all-stater finished in a person-al-best 29:13, 34 seconds ahead of Warren De La Salle juniorScott Ratkowski.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Anzalone, who has been thewomen’s 8K winner the last four years, taking fourth overallin 2008 and 2009.

Ratkowski had no problem losing to a girl.

“She’s a phenomenal runner and she’s going to have agreat career,” he said. “I’m just happy. I’m going to go tell mycoach, give him a good hug.”

Some day, Anzalone may come back to run the 10-milerace and have the success experienced by another formerGrand Blanc runner. Sharon (Dickie) Thompson, who nowlives in Tennessee, was the fourth overall woman in the 10-mile with a time of 55:23. Thompson beat six-time Crim win-ner Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, fifth in 56:04.

Andrea Pomaranski of Farmington Hills was the firstMichigan female, placing sixth among all of her gender in 56:08.

“I thought I was second,” she said. “I didn’t really see anywomen during the race. Somewhere along the line, someonesaid I was sixth (overall). I knew I had to be top three(Michigan), but I didn’t know I was first. I was just trying torun within myself, run my own race and whatever happenedhappened.”

At the front of the pack, Kenya had a 1-2-3 finish led byJulius Kogo. Kogo didn’t decide to compete until two daysbefore the race, making the trip worth his while by taking firstin 47:06 to claim the $5,000 check given to the overall winner.Robert Letting was second (47:15) and Kiprotich Kirui (47:24)third.

Kogo won the Parkersburg (West Virginia) Half Marathona week before Crim. He felt fit enough to pay his own way toFlint to take a shot here.

“He was thirsty for a race,” said Kogo’s coach and agent,Ben Kurgat.

The USATF national men’s 10-mile champion was Fasil Bizuneh,an Indianapolis native who was fourth overall in 47:29. He won$7,000 from an American-only prize purse.

Bizuneh’s time was the fastest by an American at Crimsince Ed Eyestone took fifth in 1989 in 47:06. His finish tiedthe best by an American since the race began offering prizemoney in 1991. Brian Sell, a 2008 Olympian in the marathon,was fourth in the 2004 Crim.

“It shows people that I’m back on the scene,” Bizunehsaid.

He was followed by Americans Antonio Vega in fifth(47:43) and Justin Young in sixth (47:49).

In the women’s race, Maree Dibaba of Ethiopia won athree-way sprint to the finish against Kenyan Caroline Rotichand Ethiopian Tayba Naser. Dibaba won in 53:52, two sec-onds ahead of Rotich. Naser was six seconds off the lead.

“I was in the last sprint and thought I might catch her,”Rotich said. “But there was no catching her.”

- MR -

Grand Blanc native Sharon(Dickie) Thompson took4th in 55:23

Lisa Veneziano took home$900 as second Master.

Six time Crim Champion,Catherine Ndereba, placed5th.

Michigan Runner TVhttp://michiganrunner.tv/2010crim/

Fasil Bizuneh won theUSATF Men’s 10 MileChampionship.

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Smurfs, Loinclothed Lions Hit Dances With Dirt-Hell

By Katie Kelly-Noble

HELL (9/11/10) — Halloween came earlythis year with the running of Dances WithDirt in Hell.

During the twilight hours Saturday, Sept.11, more than 1,600 athletes gathered to runa 100K relay, 50-mile ultramarathon or 50Kultrarun. While the individual runners gar-nered respect for their feats of exertion, theday belonged to the costumed relay teams.

Harry Potter, comical police officers,cowboys and Smurfs were some of the manyteam themes. Dressing up was not a racerequirement, but those wearing costumesexperienced a goofier way to traverse 100K.

Race director and Running Fit stores co-owner Randy Step was in good spirits onrace morning. “This is my favorite day of theyear!” said Step. “It’s always perfect; look atthe weather!”

Rain clouds gathered early on, but thegray skies didn’t seem to make a dent in theexuberant atmosphere.

The Smurfs team consisted of five peoplewho identified themselves as Jokey Smurf,Hefty Smurf, Papa Smurf, Smurfette and theevil Smurf-catching wizard, Gargamel. Askedhis “real” name, Papa Smurf responded with“Stud Muffin” and “Fun Guy.” Team mem-bers had painted their bodies with blue paint.

Not everyone dressed differently for thesake of comedy. Ian Overton, 25, ofColorado only wore a loincloth that leftnothing to the imagination. Being such a min-imalist dresser, he also wore Vibram FiveFingers on his feet while his teammates woreregular running attire and shoes.

Overton said he made the loincloth him-self. “(My team) actually doesn’t have atheme. I ran in (the loincloth) as a joke for arace in Vermont and liked it so much that Idecided to keep running in it.

“It’s very breezy and I get full mobilityout of it,” he continued. “This is now myofficial racing gear. No more second-handArmy shorts, just my loincloth.”

Teams finished the relay in just under sevenhours to just over 23 hours (aptly-namedCreeping Death took last in 23:39:18).

After teams were given a time handicapbased on age and sex, the Maumee MudPuppies International took first place, finishingin 6:51:09. Team Fast Bucks was second in7:08:32 and Team Five Filthy Fifties third in7:09:2.

The Onsted Ringers, who finished firstbefore the handicap, ended up fifth in 7:18:14.

By the end of the rain-soaked, tiring day,teams met their last runner at the end of thefinal leg and slowly trickled across the finish

line together. Given the rain, water legs, andmud runners endured along the way, theSmurfs left lots of blue body paint on thetrails and resembled a light shade of gray asthey made it to the finish together in 9:18:40.

- MR -

Dances with Dirt, Pinckney

Runners dance with dirt and wade in the water.

Smurfs team members are Jokey,Hefty, Papa, Smurfette andGargamel.

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By Daniel G. Kelsey

“Nothing could be madder, moreirresponsible, more dangerous thanthis guidance of men by dreams.”– George Santayana, “Imagination”

Carlsson began in realism. He lived witha pooch so feeble from old age shemight wet the carpet without warning

— that is, if she didn’t die first — and with awoman so altered by a degenerative diseaseshe spent much of her days lost in a zone.

By going out for a run he gavehimself an hour’s respite (Reason 84)from the smell of piss sopped by PetFresh and from the drudgery of laun-dry and kitchen.

From there he wandered into fan-tasy.

It started in all innocence. Henoted that, from the time he wasyoung, if he stood in line for an hour,he developed soreness in his lowerback that persisted for days, but if heran for an hour, his back held up (85)like he was a man of steel.

If he bent over his housemate’sjigsaw puzzle for 15 minutes, hedeveloped stiffness in his neck thatkept him awake at night, but if he didtempo for 15 minutes, his neck grewas supple (86) as if his shoulders worea cape.

It progressed in all absurdity.From jogging to sweat off (87) theblueberry muffins he couldn’t give up,he commenced to sprinting to beat thepack (88).

He conceived the fever dream ofsomeday winning a small race (89) sothat other runners would know hisname even if they didn’t know hisface. For one season he got so stokedup he twice finished second.

His secret desire of winning acash prize in a bigger race (90) wentunfulfilled.

After he fell from his peak, run-ning still gave him moments to feedhis fantasies. His fellow firefighterstreated him like a star attraction (91)when they inaugurated an annual racefor fund-raising. A trustee on his localschool board treated him like an

expert (92) when she put together a race tomake money for athletics.

But even the out-to-pasture days passed.

“Nothing lasts forever but wishes,”Carlsson said. “Now, in my head, I break thetape in front of Lance Armstrong or MariaSharapova (93) when I’m jogging.”

We’ve seen in this series how writersraised realism about running to RealisticLiterature. But surely no scrivener raised fan-tasies about running to Fantasy.

Wrong.

I give you “Lud-in-the-Mist,” brought tolife by an obscure English novelist, HopeMirrlees, in 1926. If literary critics ever ana-lyzed this gem of a story they doubtlessmissed the reality that it’s all about running.

The quaint nation of Dorimare lies side byside with a shadowy land of Faerie known asthe Dubious Country. Fantasist Lin Carter, in apreface to a 1970 revival of the novel, its lastgasp, captured a danger in such proximity:


101 Reasons I Run, Part 5Notes on the Run:

The folk of Dorimare are prosy, mundane, earthy. Theyare all business, all respectability, wrapped up in the small,everyday concerns of living. But to the west lies the realmof madness, dreams, poetry and magic.”

Young people take to eating fairy fruit floated to Lud-in-the-Mist, Dorimare’s capital, by a river from theDubious Country. Thereupon the running starts with avengeance.

Ranulph (note the name), a son of Master AmbroseHoneysuckle, judge and Lud’s chief citizen, succumbs to atemptation to sample the forbidden. While on the borderRanulph dares his companions to a race to Fairyland, andsprints into shadow, vanishing as if into death. He runsbecause he’s lost all sense of decorum (94), or so it appears.

Luke, a servant boy charged with watching Ranulph,takes to his heels in pursuit, and though he falls behind,runs on as if he’s lost all touch with reality (95).

The Crabapple Blossoms, girls of the finest academy inLud, run away to Fairyland after learning to dance fromWilly Wisp, a trickster. Moonlove Honeysuckle stops athome on her way, shrieking as if in horror at facing thewild.

“Then, swift as a hare, she tore across the lawn, withglances over her shoulder (96) as if something were pursu-ing her …”

“For a few seconds Master Ambrose stood bewildered,then, setting his jaw, he pounded across the lawn, with asmuch speed as was left him by nearly 50 years of very softliving ...”

He runs with citizens in a panic as if their sanity (97)depends on chasing down their progeny. In the end it fallsto Master Ambrose alone to cross over into the surrealworld of Fairyland in order to rescue the CrabappleBlossoms and Ranulph. Afterwards it falls to him to makean outrageous proposal in the senate … that the folk ofDorimare partake of fairy fruit.

“Only a few months ago what would he have said ifsomeone had told him the day would come when he …would be exhorting the citizens of Lud-in-the-Mist to throwwide their gates and welcome in the Fairies?”

Listen to Mirrlees. Take a little starch out of your collar,rigidity out of your cape, stiffness out of your neck (98), andrun for your life.

Hannah and Jodee, while training with a group, had atalk one evening about their reasons for running. Both werepragmatic, neither given to much in the way of wish-fulfill-ment. Neither trotted out any shallow philosophies such as“We go because it’s there” or “We do it because we can.”

The closest Hannah came to trying fairy fruit was towish she could get to the point of not puking (99) duringor after races. The closest she came to an excursion into theDubious Country was to look forward to running a bigrace (100) like the Boston Marathon.

Jodee cut to the chase about her reasons for running.

“I just love it (101).”

- MR -


Big House, Big Heart, Ann Arbor

Big House Big HeartScores Big with Runners,

CharitiesBy Sarah Smallheer

ANN ARBOR (10/3/10) — The fourth annual Big House Big Heart racesbrought out record crowds of 4,730 participants in the 5K, 1,711 in the 10Kand thousands more in the one-mile fun run/walk.

The events’ draws include courses which skirts the University ofMichigan’s central campus, live entertainment and an unforgettable tripthrough the players’ tunnel and onto the field at Michigan Stadium for a fin-ish on the 50-yard line of “The Big House.” For diehard U-M football fans,Big House Big Heart should not be missed.

The races also serve as a major fundraiser, this year collecting close to$638,000 for more than 140 charities, according to Andrea Highfield ofevent organizer Champions for Charity.

Wet, dreary weather the day before Big House Big Hert gave way to crisp,early-fall temperatures in the mid-40s and brilliant blue skies as the 10K gotunderway around 8 a.m.

Former Eastern Michigan University star Josh Perrin, 24, now of Hamburg,won handily in 31:57, three and a half minutes ahead of his closest competitor.Perrin also claimed the 5K in 15:16, a new course record and the first time aperson has doubled and won both races.

Beth Wightman, 29, of Toronto claimed the top spot in the women’s10K in 36:59, also a course record.

USATF 2010 masters 10K champion Laurel Park, 47, of Ann Arbor,took home the women’s 5K win in 18:25. Park won the inaugural 2007 racetoo.

Ted Stilber of Dexter was on hand for the third year with his entire fam-ily. “My wife raced her first 5K with a 40-minute goal and finished in37:04,” said Stilber. “My daughter Allie finished in 36:04 and my daughterKatie and I walked together.

“Everyone had a great time and we are already looking forward to nextyear,” Stilber said.

Jennifer Alford of Chelsea has run in the Big House races each yearsince they began. She stepped up to the 10K 2009, then a new addition tothe activities.

“The Big House Big Heart is one of my favorite events,” Alford said. “Ilove everything about it: the wonderfully-big participation, all the charities itsupports, its great organization and the chills I get when I run through thetunnel onto the field each year.

“The race seems to fit my style,” she went on. “I PR’d in the 10K eachof the last two years. To top it off, my young kids and husband join me inmy post-race bliss to run the one-mile fun run.

“I’ll run this event as long as my legs allow me to and I hope that willbe a very long time,” she said.

- MR -

By Charles Douglas McEwen

NEW BOSTON (10/3/10) — With fall colors attheir peak, and apple pies and quarts of cider asawards, the record 357 runners and walkers at theHuron Township Applefest had plenty of motiva-tion to finish hard.

Matthew Robin,27, of New Bostonand Andrea Blake, 31,of Dearborn did justthat as the overall win-ners of the 5K.

“This is my home-town race,” saidRobin. “I wanted todo well here.”

It was his first over-all triumph here, Blake’sthird in the past fouryears. She saidthe course waschangedslightly fromthe past.

“Therewere more hillsand I think wewere on thebike trailmore,” Blakesaid. “It waswindy too.”

Robin led from the start, crossingfirst in 17:40. Blake was second overall in19:28. Paul Deladurantaye, 64, ofSouthgate, placed third in 19:46.

Andrea Bodary, 14, of New Bostonwas the women’s runner-up in 21:27.

Aaron Al-Sorghali, 24, of Toledo,Ohio, won the men’s 10K in 37:18, beat-ing out Tom Yates, 49, of New Boston,the top masters runner, who finished in37:31.

”I figured I had to make a movearound 5K or else I’d get burned in theend,” said Al-Sorghali of breaking away

from Yates. “I stepped on the gas and was fortu-nate enough to get away.”

Karen Meraw, 25, of Shelby Township led thewomen in 39:41. Serena Williams, 14, of AllenPark, running much of the way with her dad,Steve, took second in 42:02.

“I really liked this course,” Meraw said. “AndI like the Applefest in general. I could eat a wholeapple pie right now.”

The Applefest Runs, hosted by theDownriver Runners, start and end in town andtravel a tree-lined, gently-rolling, out-and-backcourse through Lower Huron Metropark. Afterthe races, participants could enjoy the ApplefestStreet Fair here.

For complete race results go tohttp://www.everalracemgt.com.

- MR -


Applefest Runs: Easy as Pie? Almost ...Huron Township Applefest, New Boston

Karen Meraw led thewomen in the 10K.

Andrea Blake wonthe 5K and wassecond overall.

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Gries, Rzepecki Make Like Lightning on Milford HillsBy Charles Douglas McEwen

MILFORD (9/11/10) — Jon Gries and JackieRzepecki made successful debuts at the 30Krace distance and in Milford, winning the10th annual Labor Day runs this year.

Gries, 24, of Okemos and Rzepecki, 31,of Lake Orion faced talented competition.

“I led for most of the middle of race,”said Gries. “Ian Forsyth came up on meabout mile 15. But then he dropped out.”

Forsyth pulled over with a cramp in hiscalf. Gries said the hills were getting orneryat that point.

“The one right before mile 16 was a killer,”he said. “Real steep and a rhythm-breaker.

“A friend told me when I signed up thatit was a nice course on dirt roads and flat.But it was more challenging than that.”

Gries won in 1:41:18. With Forsythdropping out, Eric Green, 42, of Pontiac wassecond overall and the top masters finisher in1:50:04. Michael Johnson, 29, of Ann Arbortook third in 1:52:26.

Rzepecki led the women in 1:59:58, fol-lowed by Suzanne Larsen, 29, of Fenton in2:02:09 and Julie Zehr, 29, of Ottawa in

2:02:22. Sixth-place Tracy Wollschlager, 41,of Novi was the masters queen in 2:11:22.

“It was great,” said Rzepecki of herMilford debut. “This is a beautiful city. It’s agreat course.”

Jordan Desilets, 29, of Pinckney ranaway with the 10K for the second year in arow, running a 32:29 to beat his time lastyear by eight seconds.

Desilets, a former Eastern MichiganUniversity star, held a cavernous leadthroughout. “It’s hard to stay focused andpush on the hill climbs when you’re all byyourself,” he said.

Masters champ Kirk Walrath, 40, ofFenton took second in 33:54, followed byAndrew Porinsky, 25, of Dexter in 33:55.

Denisa Costescu, 34, of Walled Lakepaced the women in 37:20. Next cameCathleen Willy, 26, of Alexandria, Va. in39:47, and Kimberly Noonan, 35, ofWashington in 45:55. Fourth-place JaneSanders, 54, of White Lake topped the mas-ters in 46:10.

Doug Klingensmith is director of thisevent, which had 918 participants. For com-plete results, go to www.LaborDay30K.com.

- MR -

Labor Day 30K and 10K, Milford

Jackie Rzepecki led the women inthe 30K with 1:59:58

Denisa Costescu paced the womenin the 10K in 37:20.

Jordan Desilets ran away with the10K for the second year in a row.

Jon Gries made a successful debutat the 30K distance in a 1:41:18 win.

Michigan Runner TVhttp://michiganrunner.tv/2010milford/

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By Ron Marinucci

WEST BLOOMFIELD (9/12/10) — The onlything that could have made the WestBloomfield Rock and Road Races any betterwould have been more runners.

The courses were pretty, accurate and chal-lenging. The weather gods cooperated. And thepost-race refreshments were special, if unusual.

In addition to the traditional bananas,bagels, etc., runners were treated to Greeksalad, pita roll-ups and Coney Islands, cour-tesy of Greek Island Coney Restaurant.

The morning began with overcast skies,which soon blossomed into a cloudless, brightblue. Temperatures were in the upper 50s andlower 60s, with only the slightest of breezes.

Both courses, designed by Michigan run-ning legend Doug Kurtis, were a treat.

The 5K covered a bike path and mostly-residential streets, with some rolling hills.

“There was sort of a grinder comingback,” said 65-69 age-group winner RobertDrapal. “But it wasn’t terrible. It was a goodcourse with no traffic.”

This was good news to runners whorecalled last year’s 5K, when a wrong turn ledthem to a very short course.

The 10K course boasted something foreveryone. Its first three miles took in a bikepath and residential streets. Then runnersveered off for a little more than a milethrough the woods of the West BloomfieldNature Preserve. Footing there was mostlycrushed limestone and forest dirt.

The next half-mile followed the WestBloomfield rails-to-trails path. A short jauntthrough another subdivision led to the finalmile on a cross-country course, grass anddirt. There were a lot of short-but-steep hillsand upgrades throughout the course.

Rebecca Filiatrout, running the 5K as justher second race, took home a second-place age-group medal. “It was great,” she said after-ward. “It was a beautiful day, a lot of fun.”

Her race strategy, she told me, was “tokeep your friends in the orange vests insight.” My “friends” were blind runnerMichael Holmes and his guide for this race,

Mike Rollason. They were age-group award-winners too.

Filiatrout followed Holmes and Rollasonafter the race too. “I’m going to get some ofthat good food now,” she laughed.

Gershon Weiner, 75, also won his agegroup. “It was a great day,” he grinned after theawards ceremony. “They (the organizers) did anice job … and had little tots to seniors.”

Matt Hughes, 14, ran with his aunt,Susan Bach. Both were doing their first 10Ks.Matt has been running since seventh-gradecross country, while Aunt Susan said, “This ismy first year running.”

Matt, now a Bloomfield Hills Andoverfreshman, thought the course was “fun, withthe trails and hills my favorite parts. I tried torun it all — and I did!”

“Oh my gosh, there were a lot of hills!”said Aunt Susan. “It was challenging, butpretty and mapped out well.”

Both took home age-group hardware:Matt first and Aunt Susan second.

Ryan Robinson, 44, was the overall 10Kwinner. “I brought my kids out,” he said.“They shamed me into running it too.”

Robinson had run the first Rock andRoad five years ago, “so I knew what I wasin for. It’s the same course, a tough one, andas beautiful as ever.”

“It always seemed there was someonebehind me,” he said. But there wasn’t – notnear, at least. Robinson shot out to the lead inthe first half-mile and won by more than twominutes. “I just ran my own race,” he said.

Masters runners grabbed the spotlight inboth races. In the 5K, Walt Czarnecki andTammy Gomizawa, each 42, claimed firstsoverall. Kevin Sherwood and Mary KayDodero moved up, then, to masters champi-ons. Fred Hagen, 81, finished the 5K as themorning’s most-senior runner.

Allison Lustig, 32, broke the mastersmonopoly, winning the women’s 10K.Denise Dashner and Eric Eiswerth were thefirst masters finishers.

Race director Dennis Troshak washappy with everything but the final number

of runners. “We had many positive commentsabout the course, people enjoyed the trailthrough the preserve and we couldn’t haveasked for a better weather.”

He was hoping for 250-plus registrations,but came up short of that, likely due to mov-ing the race from May to September.

“The reason for the change was the num-ber of races in the spring,” said Troshak.“The courses for both races were a little drierthan they were on our former May date. ButI understand that when you move the date,people feel like it is a new race.”

He thanked race sponsors Henry FordWest Bloomfield Hospital, Greek IslandConey Restaurant, Busch’s Market, HillerChiropractic and the Beacon C and GNewspapers. Troshak also cited the manyvolunteers, including the West Bloomfieldpolice and parks staff.

Race results can be found athttp://www.westbloomfieldparks.org. - MR -


Greek Treats, Hills Abound at Rock and RoadRock and Road Race, West Bloomfield


Smith, Fenton Go-Go through Sand Blasts at Park2ParkBy Scott Sullivan

HOLLAND (9/25/10) —Runners can go-go atPark2Park. The sixth annualhalf-marathon and 5K featureflat, fast courses that passthrough or past a plethora ofparks.

Word has spread that the13.1-miler makes a near-per-fect fall marathon tuneup:this year’s 570 finishers wereup 37 percent from last year’srecord of 416, which wasmore than double the prioryear’s standard. Soon there’llbe no place to park in ParkTownship left.

The answer, my friend, towho’d win men’s race wasblowing in the wind until co-leaders Matt Smith and KevinRook hit the Holland StatePark loop beside LakeMichigan.

There, the gales ofSeptember sent waves crash-ing above the LakeMacatawa breakwater, blast-ed dunes so that stinginggrains sanded off rough edgeson runners’ forms and helpedSmith to gap Rook.

“When I surged at fourmiles, he (Rook) stayed withme,” said defending champSmith, 36, of Holland, whoran for Northern ArizonaUniversity’s 1995 NCAA run-ner-up cross-country team.“At the beach (between milesseven and eight) I managedsome separation.”

“I fell off in the windthere,” said Rook, 24, ofPlainwell, who ran as aWestern Michigan Universitystudent although the school nolonger has men’s track and crosscountry programs. He placedthird at the Borgess half-marathon inKalamazoo April 24 (1:21:09) and had run a13.1-mile split of 1:17 at the Fifth Third RiverBank Run 25K in Grand Rapids, but this wasdifferent.

“Borgess was hilly and I’m running fasternow. Today’s time is my best,” Rook said.

Smith finished in 1:13:44 to Rook’s

1:15:03. Next came Steven Gates, 29, ofByron Center (1:18:44).

Masters champ Craig Spoelhof, 42,crossed sixth overall in 1:22:42, 10 secondsahead of fellow Holland resident RandyVanloo, 47.

An elated Cathy Fenton, 42, of Wayland,finished women’s champion in 1:29:40, 16

seconds ahead of AmeliaHerman, 31, of Holland.

“She (Herman) was closingon Cathy with two miles left,”said Rick Ganzi, who ran withand helped to pace Fenton. “Iurged Cathy to go now and tryto break her.”

“‘Break’ is too strong a word,”said Fenton. “But surging didseem to make a difference.” Sheplanned to join Ganzi leadingpace teams at the Grand RapidsMarathon Oct. 17, then aimfor a sub-3:20 at the New YorkCity Marathon Nov. 7.

Two-time defending champKelly Daniels, 36, of GrandHaven — who had beatenFenton at the Mt. BaldheadChallenge 15K two weeks earlierin nearby Saugatuck — finishedthird in 1:33:09. Masters queenNancy Kocsis, 45, of Grandville,took fourth overall in 1:35:51.

Of the half-marathon’s 570finishers, 324 (57 percent) werewomen, a near reversal fromPark2Park No. 1 six years ago,when two-thirds were men.

The 5K, which looped on apaved, wooded trail throughWinstrom Park, saw similardistribution with 147 femaleand 108 male finishers.Winners were Nathan Fujoika,26, of Grand Rapids (16:37)and Alicia Sherwood, 23, ofJenison (19:03).

Some of the loudest cheerswent to Evan Hughes ofHolland, who finished 236th in47:55 — at age 3.

Park2Park raises funds forthe nonprofit Christian commu-nity organization Neighbors Plus,which furnishes financial train-ing, family mentoring, English asa second language classes andother services aimed at “building

a stronger community by education, guidingand caring.”

“We are building a stronger community byencouraging healthy activities such as running,”race director Sherrie Kornoelje Santos said.

For complete race results and more infor-mation, visit www.classicrace.com. - MR -

Park 2 Park, Holland

Eventual winner Matt Smith (in green singlet) makes hismove at the beach to pull away from runner-up KevinRook.

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FLINT (8/12/10) — If she doesn’t own the Bauman’s Charity 5K outright, LisaVeneziano has certainly made her mark at this Thursday evening event, whichstarts and finishes at Kettering University.

Veneziano, 45, won the women’s race for the fourth straight year. She alsowon in 1999 when she ran a course-record 17:29.

“That was my PR,” Veneziano said. “I’ll always remember that day. I’m notsure that I’ll ever see that time again, but I keep coming back to try.”

This year a temperature in the low 90s made it hard to run dazzlingtimes. Veneziano prevailed in 18:53, beating Casey Campbell, 16, of SwartzCreek (19:59) and Kaylie Milne, 15, of Grand Blanc (20:45). Wanda Handlin,53, of Flint was fourth overall in 22:44

Veneziano runs this race every year with her husband, Jay Owens, 49, ofFenton. “The race is always great,” Owens said. “It’s probably the only eveningrace we run. If you catch some nice weather, you can go fast on it.”

Owens, who usuallybeats Veneziano in 5Ks, best-ed her this year by just 16seconds. For anything over10K, she runs away fromhim. “Lisa said if she hadanother quarter-mile shewould have got me tonight,which is probably true,” hesaid.

“We toe the line at thestart of races, then say good-bye,” Owens continued. “Iwould run with her, but shelikes to run more by herself. Ithink it keeps hermore focused on her race.”

Wes Stoody, 21, ofFenton (16:33) won themen’s race, followed by ChadMrdeza, 13, of Lennox(16:55) and Kreg Hatfield,32, of Flint (16:56).

John Niven, 46, ofSwartz Creek was the topmasters runner (17:54).

For complete race results,visithttp://riverbendstriders.com.

- MR -


Run for Hills Draws411 for Debut


FARMINGTON (8/21/10) — The Farmington Run forthe Hills drew 411 runners and walkers for its inauguralevent.

Proceeds from its 10K, 5K and 1-mile races raised$5,000 for Special Olympics Oakland County. Sponsorsincluded Jet’s Pizza, Quicken Loans, Running Fit, TotalRunner, Tortoise and Hare Running and Fitness/AnnArbor, New Balance, Panera Bread, Tom Holzer Ford,Bright House Networks, Saddlershots.com, Schematix,The Oakland Press and Michigan Runner.

“It was a good race,” said women’s 10K winnerHeather Dyc. “The course was pretty tough. That first hill,right off the bat, was hard, and there was another big hillon mile two. It’s hard to run a fast time on a course likethis, but it was good. I’ll be back next year.”

Dyc, 26, of Redford led the women from the start,but University of Portland (Oregon) senior TheresaHailey, 21, shadowed her much of the way.

“Every time I would speed up, she (Dyc) would alsospeed up, so I never could quite catch up to her,” Haileysaid.

Dyc timed 40:42, Hailey 41:10. Laura Maslar, 53,of Grosse Pointe took third in 44:14.

Eric Green, 42, of Pontiac, MR’s 2009 MaleMasters Runner of Year, won the men’s 10K in 34:30,finishing ahead of Brendan Murphy, 18, of SterlingHeights (35:04) and another top masters runner, SteveMenovcik, 41, of Grand Ledge (36:11).

Green dominated from start to finish but didn’t runone of his fastest times, he said.

“There were a decent amount of hills,” Green said.“But what really did me in was the humidity. It got real-ly wet out there.”

Green runs for the Front Line Racing Team, as doesmen’s 5K winner Matt Yacoub, 36, of Farmington.

Like Green, Yacoub opened a big lead at the start ofthe race, but Caleb Kline, 19, of Ann Arbor made up alot ground at the end.

“I got a little cramp with a quarter-mile to go,”Yacoub said. “But I pushed through it and was ablehold off the guy behind me.”

Yacoub finished in 16:31. Next came Kline (16:45)and Phil Stead, 29, of Ann Arbor (17:10).

Angela Matthews led the women in 17:24, followedby Denisa Costescu, 34, of Novi (17:57) and BellaJones, 13, of Farmington (23:45).

For complete results, go tohttp://www.farmingtonrunforthehills.com.

- MR -

Run for the Hills, Farmington

Veneziano Tops Women, AlmostBeats Spouse at Bauman’s Race

Bauman’s Charity 5K, Flint


Bechard Goes 2-for-2 at Detroit ZooBy Charles Douglas McEwen

ROYAL OAK (9/19/10) — Vince Becharddid double duty at the Run Wild for theDetroit Zoo, presented by Ford Motor Co.

Bechard, 22, of Dearborn cruised tovictory in the 5K in 16:19, then came back30 minutes later to capture the 10K in34:26.

“It’s a fast course,” Bechard said. “Ididn’t have any expectations except to runhard and get in a solid workout. It’s goodpreparation the Detroit Half Marathon,which I’ll run next month.”

Run Wild was Bechard’s first visit tothe Detroit Zoo and his dominance wassurprising considering that the races had2,338 humans participating. He said heplanned to visit the polar bears beforegoing home.

Benjamin Kendall, 14, of Dearborn tooksecond in the 5K in 17:46. Ziv Barjoseph,39, of Pittsfield was runner-up in the 10K in37:51.

Dorsey Dobry, 42, of Franklin (40:23) and Sonja Hanson, 41, ofRochester Hills (41:21), representing the Hansons-BrooksDevelopment Project, finished 1-2 among women in the 10K.

Dobry learned about this race from Hanson. “It’s a greatcourse,” the winner said. “Fun, scenic, beautiful!”

Hanson felt she ran pretty well herself. “It wasn’t a PR for me,but it was still good,” she said. “I was just trying to keep an eye onthe leader (Dobry). But she’s much faster than I am.”

Stephanie Kern, 27, won the women’s 5K in 19:14. Last year’swinner, Paula Antoniou, 37, a veterinary technician from LakeOrion, took second in 20:08.

Dave Wolbert, 51, of Flint (18:07) and Donna Olson, 60, ofCanton (23:10) led the masters in the 5K. The top 10K masterswere Rodney Reneski, 44, of Goodrich (38:31) and SueMichonski, 45, of Huntington Woods (48:58).

Run Wild raised more than $85,000 last year to pay for equip-ment in the Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex.

“It’s nice to do fun runs,” said Kern. “When it’s for a goodcause, it’s even better.”

For complete results, visit http://www.raceservices.com.

Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak

Bibs provided admission to the Detroit Zoo’s exhibits and beautifulgrounds.

Michigan Runner TVhttp://michiganrunner.tv/2010runwild/

Vince Bechard cruised tovictory in the 5K, thencame back later to cap-ture the 10K.

Dorsey Dobry won the10K in 40:23.

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SOUTH LYON (9/11/10) — Fifth-time entrantBennett Prud’homme knew the Witch’s Hat 5Kcourse as well as anyone, but first-timer AlexWood, a 1:57 800-meter runner in high school,had the bigger kick at the end.

Prud’homme, 20, a South Lyon HighSchool graduate, and Wood, 19, ofBirmingham, ran most of the race together.

With 200 meters to go, Wood accelerated tobeat Prud’homme by seven seconds.

“I pushed the pace for the first mile,”Prud’homme said. “We worked together forthe second mile. After that it was kind of afree-for-all.”

Taking advantage of the cool weather andflat course, both ran PRs. Wood’s 16:49 was 10seconds faster than his previous best 5K.

“I wouldn’t have been able to run thattime without him (Prud’homme) beingthere,” Wood said. “He ran really well. Itwas fantastic to have someone to run withthe whole way.”

Prud’homme’s 16:56 beat his previous PRby 17 seconds. “This is my favorite race ofthe year,” he said. “I look forward to it morethan anything.”

Gavin Smith, 33, of Northville tookthird in 17:11. Masters champ RobBasydlo, 43, of Davisburg, placed eighthoverall in 18:33.

Women’s champ Laurel Park, 47, ofAnn Arbor finished right behind Basydlo.Working her way back from an injury,Park fell shy of the 17:32 she ran winninglast year. But her 18:42 still placed hermore than a minute and a half ahead ofher closest women’s rival.

“I pulled my hamstring at Diemer (theBrian Diemer/Amerikam 5K in Cutlerville)in June,” she said. “So I haven’t donemuch of anything (running-wise) sincethen.”

Park, who has won this 5K manytimes during its 19-year history, was aSouth Lyon High School classmate of racedirector Scott Smith once upon a time.

Dani Steinbacher, 25, of Ann Arbor fin-ished second in 20:15. Next came 13-year-olds Claire Ford of Huntington Woods(21:16) and Erin O’Donnel of New Hudson(21:22).

Close to 600 runners and walkers signedup for the the Witch’s Hat 5K, 10K and OneMile Fun Run. Well over 300 entered the 5K.

Another 160 were in the 10K. In that race, JoshPerrin, 24, of Hamburg and Laura Maslar, 53,of Northville collected overall victories.

Perrin timed 31:25 to pace the men. Nextcame Blake Yard, 17, (35:07) and masterschamp Victor Brown, 47, of Canton (35:57).

Perrin, who led from the start, ran one ofthe faster 10Ks in race history, but he saidthat he had trouble adjusting to South Lyon’saltitude. “I just got back from Colorado andthis is my first hard run in a week,” he said.

Maslar paced the women in 43:35, fol-lowed by 16-year-olds Maggie Sadler (44:50)and Caitlin Millis (45:00).

Maslar has a 41:02 PR, but characterizedher 43:35 as “not bad for a 53-year-old.”

All event proceeds support the boys andgirls cross country programs at South Lyonand South Lyon East high schools. For com-plete results, visit www.slxc.com/witch.

- MR -


Wood Wins Witch’s Hat Debut, Park RepeatsWitch’s Hat, South Lyon

First-timer Alex Wood out kickedBennett Prud’homme to win the5K.

Laura Masler won the 10K in43:35.

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Holdaway CompletesUltra-Running Grand Slam

Dale Holdaway ofNorthville becamethe first

Michigander to completethe “Grand Slam ofUltrarunning” Sept. 11, fin-ishing the Wasatch Front100-Mile Endurance Run inMidway, Utah.

Holdaway earlier thisyear finished 100-mile racesat Western States inCalifornia during June,Vermont in July andLeadville, Colo., duringAugust.

He became just the202nd person to completethe Slam in its 25-year his-tory. Most of them live andtrain in the mountainousregions of California,Colorado, Utah andWashington.

Finishing ultramarathonsis no given, even for thosewho are highly trained. Ratesaverage about 50 percent in100-mile races where dehy-dration, muscle fatigue, sleepdeprivation, altitude sickness,nausea and blisters are among obstaclesthat stop many runners short.

In addition, runners must completeraces within specified cut-off times (30hours for most 100-mile events) to beconsidered official finishers.

Holdaway said that ever since hisdays as a high school wrestler in Arizona(where he was state champion in the 132-lb. weight class) he has enjoyed competi-tive sports and pushing himself to the lim-its.

He said each Grand Slam event pres-ents its own challenges. Western States,for instance, traverses the Sierra NevadaMountains from Squaw Valley toAuburn, Calif., and climbs about 18,000feet while descending approximately22,000 feet. Both snow and temperaturesabove 100 degrees are often encounteredduring the race.

High temperatures and humiditycombined with relentless rolling hills andmountains made this year’s Vermont 100-miler difficult as well.

The Leadville trail run, also known

as “The Race Acrossthe Sky,” averagesclose to 10,000 feet inaltitude and climbs toas high as 12,500 feet,where breathing can beespecially difficult forathletes from relativelylow-lying states likeMichigan.

The course atWasatch, the grand-daddy of them all,ascends about 27,000feet and descendsabout 26,000 — prettymuch the same eleva-tion change as begin-ning at sea level, thenscaling and descendingMount Everest.

Holdawaycompleted the Slam in104 hours, the sixthfastest time of all 2010participants (28embarked on the four-race series and 13 fin-ished).

Although rela-tively new to ultrarun-

ning (he began in 2008 by running theGrand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim with hisbrother, Michael), Holdaway is an experi-enced marathoner with a personal best of3:08.

He is also a fast learner, last yearwinning the Central United States 50-Mile Trail Running Championship andfinishing first overall at Michigan’s first100-mile race, the Hallucination 100-Mile Run.

Holdaway balances running withbeing a husband and father of four chil-dren, working at Ford Motor Co. andvolunteering for community organiza-tions.

He trained for the Slam “running lotsof miles on the beautiful trails inMichigan’s state parks, up and down thebiggest hills I could find, and working outon a StairMaster machine to simulatemountain climbs I would face in TheGrand Slam races.”

What’s next? “Catching up on yardwork and other honey-dos that wereplaced on hold this summer,” Holdawaysaid. - MR-

Dale Holdaway com-pletes the “GrandSlam” of Ultra-Running

Betsy Valley’s BeautyShines in Fall

By Grant Lofdahl

THOMPSONVILLE (10/3/10) — A large group ofathletes gathered in front of the main lodge at CrystalMountain, chatting and preparing themselves for theevent to come.

No, there wasn’t a freak early snowstorm that gotfolks out on the slopes two months early; they werecompeting in the fifth annual Betsie Valley Half-Marathon and accompanying 10K and 5K races.

Sunny conditions with overnight lows temperaturesin the 30s greeted runners as they set out from one ofthe state’s top resorts into the northern countryside.

Clarkston’s Earl Brinker and Traverse City’s RonZywicki flew to the front of the pack. When Brinkerturned onto the 5K route, he was on his own for asolo 16:52 victory.

Zywicki, 49, raced like a 29-year-old, speeding upand down the early hills on scenic country roads withMt. Pleasant’s Tim Mocny hot and his heels in the13.1-miler.

Yours truly teamed up with Rockford’s DavidPlambeck shortly before turning onto the BetsieValley Trail, from which the race gets its name. Thetwo of us clicked off a nice, even pace despite consis-tently-inaccurate mile markers that may have throwninexperienced runners for a loop.

The pair ahead of us barely slowed from theirfast early pace, as the indomitable Zywicki crushedhis own course record by more than three minuteswith a 1:13:17 — an impressive 5:36 per mile. Mocnyfollowed in 1:14:56, also under the old course record.

The author broke away from Plambeck near the 10-mile mark and placed third, more than five minutesbehind the leaders. Kevin Tarras of Grawn followedPlambeck to round out the top five, while women’s win-ner Tasha O’Malley of McBain made it a northernMichigan masters sweep. O’Malley, 41, broke her 2009course record and placed sixth overall in 1:27:47.

Traverse City’s Jessica Kerfoot took the women’s5K, while Jason Johnson, also from TC, was the over-all 10K winner. Molly Brinker of Clarkston made it adouble-Brinker victory as she won the women’s 10Kand placed second overall in 40:37.

With brilliant October sunshin highlighting fallcolors just starting to emerge, Crystal Mountain madea spectacular backdrop for the awards ceremony. TheBetsie Valley Run certainly lived up to its billing ofgiving 231 runners — 95 of those in the half-marathon — a taste of “the best of NorthernMichigan’s beauty.” - MR -

Betsy Valley Half Marathon, Thompsonville

By Katie Kelly-Noble

BRIGHTON (8/18/10) — First there was theTriceratops Triathlon June 23, then thePterodactyl Triathlon July 21. The T-RexTriathlon completed Running Fit’sWednesday-night trifecta.

All three series events offered dinosaurbuoys, prehistoric memorabilia and stiff com-petition.

“Tri” as they might, no one could stopJoe Deighan, who won all three races.Deighan, 39, of Beverly Hills, completed thesweep at T-Rex in 1:01:26.

Ryan Rivamonte, 19, of CommerceTownship took second (1:03:01) for the sec-ond year in a row. Chad Mahakian, 25, ofFarmington Hills was third in 1:03:26,improving eight places from his 2009 finishhere. Last year’s race and series winner,Roman Krzyzanowski, 39, of Plymouth,placed fourth.

Mahakian attributed his improved timeto cooler weather. “It seemed that everyonehad faster times tonight,” he said. “The pre-vious series races were warm and humid.

“I was about two minutes faster here than Iwas in July,” he said.

Mahakian, who completed his first fullIronman last month, said the increased traininghelped too. “I like the bike course, because it’s abig loop so you can tell what place you are in,”he said. “I came out of the second transition inthird place and wanted to go sub-20 on the run.

“I was pleased with my 18:51, which wasa PR on this course,” he said.

Erin O’Mara, 25, of Ypsilanti and LauraSophiea, 55, of Bloomfield Hills fought it outfor the women’s win. Although O’Mara ranthe concluding 5K almost 1:30 faster thanher competitor, Sophiea won in 1:06:26 toO’Mara’s 1:09:19.

Sophiea took advantage of her impecca-ble swimming skills, clocking 13:24. She fol-lowed that with a strong bike and neverlooked back.

Anne Marie Phillips, 49, of Northvillewas third in 1:09:50.

The popular triathlon sold out beforerace day arrived. Age-group winner JaneSanders, 55, of Plymouth said she came toget in a midweek speed workout and toencourage the people she coaches forRunning Fit’s triathlon training class.

“I choose the T-Rex series for severalreasons,” she said. “I wanted to be therewith the people in my class. Several did theentire series and improved each time. I amproud of them.

“The T-Rex series races are well organ-ized, fast and fun,” Sanders added.“Everyone has a great time out there,whether they are an experienced triathlete ornew to the sport.

“I was happy to see a good number ofwomen in my (55-59) age group. People ofall ages, shapes and can enjoy triathlons,”she said.

- MR -


Sold-Out T-Rex Triathlon CapsWednesday-Night Trifecta

T-Rex Triathlon, Brighton


New/Old Run the KeweenawMakes for Memorable Trip

By Richard Magin

COPPER HARBOR (8/11-13/10) — Turningleft at the only stoplight in Copper Harbor,where the road sign reads “Miami, FL 1,900miles” and glancing right at the wind-blownwater of the harbor, I bemoaned how fatehad again conspired to ensure that I beginanother long ride home to Chicago in misery.

Sometimes, as with Rod Stewart’s lamentin his song “Maggie May,” I wish I’d neverseen its pretty face at the far north end of theKeweenaw Peninsula, with its array of moun-tain bike and hiking trails, scenic overlooksand deep, dark forests.

Heading south on U.S 41 — rollingthrough a canopy of pine, spruce and aspen— I struggled to keep my eyes on the road.Minutes earlier, as my wife Karen poured meinto the right front seat of our Toyota Priusand I tried to pour Coke down my throat tosettle the few bits of food I’d not yet pukedup, I contemplated staying yet another night,and perhaps even retiring up here — just toavoid the annual drive.

But, like my nausea, the feeling passed andI reflected on why I have this urge each year to

travel almost 500 miles from home to run in thethree trail races of “Run the Keweenaw” — acontinuation of the decade-old Keweenaw TrailRunning Festival now organized by theKeweenaw Trails Alliance in coordination withthe Copper Harbor Trails Club.

Each year I join several hundred similar-ly-afflicted souls who seek out the challengesof running in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,and each year I head home like a whippedpuppy, head down and tail between my legs.

How I got into this state — and condi-tion — is the subject of this tale.

No (Or All) Man’s Island

This year I found a new way to turn anopportunity for a refreshing vacation in thegreat outdoors into a time of second-guessingand regret. I told Karen that I used to thinkthat I had to run 26 miles to feel this bad.But she smiled and knew the race in this casewas actually a 52-mile ultra — not one overthe mountain-bike and back-country hikingtrails of the Keweenaw, but over the 900-foot-deep canyons and abysses of LakeSuperior.

And the mode of transportation was notmy feet, a bike or even a sea kayak; it was asmall ferry boat, the Isle Royale Queen IV,which carries happy tourists to Isle RoyaleNational Park to see moose and wolves, andbrings back sick, pale refugees puking all theway — when, as Gordon Lightfoot sangabout the Edmund Fitzgerald, “the gales ofNovember come early.”

It was July, not November, but nevertheless,there were 35-mph southwest winds blowing 4-to 8-foot waves that bisected our course.

The relentless barrel rolls of the shipbrought seasickness to many, and the journeywas not the anticipated happy ending to ourfirst visit to Isle Royale, even though thereturn voyage began with seeing a moosecome down to the shore to say “goodbye.”

Our trip over three days earlier was oncalm seas: tranquil and smooth – I read amagazine most of the way. On that trip I satnear the bow to watch the boat’s entry intoRock Harbor, site of the Rock Harbor Inn,our home for three nights of post-trail run-ning R&R, hiking and canoeing.

The island was abloom with wildflowers,

Richard Magin worries his next step will pitch him off the plank bridge onto the rocks below.

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a few ripe thimbleberries and an incrediblearray of lichens along its many miles of hik-ing trails. But I could only sample a few ofthose miles on my sore and tired legs (Iwished could have spent more time hikingand camping on Isle Royale. On fresh legs, itwould be a great place to try a one- or two-day run: north to south on the GreenstoneRidge Trail is 42 miles).

As it was, running for me was out of thequestion, but I did get in some hikes up toLookout Louise and around Tobin Harbor.Our room in the lodge opened out onto asmall deck that rested on a rock beingwashed by the waves of Lake Superior.

Who knew that such benign conditionscould change so fast into a maelstrom, butsuch is the history of Superior dating back towhen the Ojibwe named it Gichigami (bigwater). At first the lake was quiet, restful andrelaxing; a great place for me to soak, soothand stretch the sore muscles I had overusedduring the previous two days (July 10-11) oftrail running at the Run the Keweenaw.

Trail Fest Renewed

The RTK consists of three primary trailraces: Mt Baldy Summit Run (6K), CopperHarbor Trails Challenge (12K) andKeweenaw Trails Run (25K); as well as aJunior Trail Run (2K), a 25K relay andopportunity to hike all the courses.

The RTK shuffled the schedule of theprevious Keweenaw Trail Running Festivalraces by beginning with a 6K run up Mt.Baldy at nearby Eagle Harbor Saturdaymorning, instead of reveille at Ft. Wilkins.

Resurfacing of state Highway 26 fromEagle Harbor to Copper Harbor curtailed thetraditional sandy slog across the EagleHarbor beach, so the runners all assembledabout a kilometer up the road from town,right where the course turns northwest on abee line to the summit.

No complaints were heard about a littlecourse shortening as most of the assembledrunners seemed to be KTRF veterans andknew what they were getting into. Who saidexperience leads to knowledge? Maybe this isnot true of trail running — where selectiveamnesia from prolonged oxygen deprivationmay lead to memory loss.

But I digress and I am sailing pretty closeto the kinds of questions I deal with in mybioengineering work: my annual trip up theUP is not designed to generate new hypothe-ses about learning, motivation and delayedgratification.

The hill climb started promptly at 9 a.m.and the bunched pack of runners wasted notime darting off ahead of me along the wide

trail. The course was pretty straight for a trailrace, but what it lacked in turns it made upfor with sand, rocks, roots and incline. It wasa hard run to pace properly, as the footingand slope varied all the way, making italmost impossible to find a comfort zone(other than by walking).

Once over or through the small stream atthe 1K mark and up the first big sand dune,most racers were running at or near theirmaximum heart rate. Sooner or later on thisascent I knew from experience that I wouldhave to walk a bit to get my breathing undercontrol.

At least with the new morning start andshade of the forest, overheating was not aproblem. Plus, with the hill run now comingfirst, the runners all had fresh legs. Speed isideal, but mostly we runners don’t want tostrain or sprain anything this early in themorning or the weekend.

Trying to shift gears — like on a moun-tain bike — is probably the best way to runthis thing, but my technique seems to be oneof sequential downshifting as I get closer tothe top: start off slow and fade. And, asalways, it was the false summit about 1Kfrom the finish that invited novices (and slowlearners) to push too hard, too soon.

Nevertheless, once the summit of Mt.Baldy was in sight — and the trail smoothedout — many runners were able to find extraenergy for a surge to join the pack reassem-bling on the top. The male and female win-ners of the hill climb were Karl Walczak(21:01) and Amy Roberts (25:46), both ofHoughton.

The top of Mt. Baldy was really wherewe wanted to be, in part to be done, but alsoin part to take in the panoramic view of theKeweenaw Peninsula, Eagle Harbor and LakeSuperior. There are some nice photos of thefinish of the race and the views on the web athttp://www.juskuz.com/2010/07/11-run-the-keweenaw-2010/.

On this crystal-clear, cloudless morning,the view was almost good enough to compen-sate for the pain of running all the way upthe hill. My friends, Joe and Cheryl Corbeille,snapped my picture at the top with EagleHarbor in the background, so at least Iwould have more than just a word picture toshow my friends back in Chicago. Lookingaround, I really missed sharing the view andexperience of the run with them.

This feeling hit home as I started my longwalk back to the start. It may have onlytaken 30 minutes — or a bit more in my case— to get to the top, but it usually takes morethan twice as long to walk back to the carparked along the beach in Eagle Harbor.

On the walk down I chatted with fellow

runners, old friends and new. We all enjoyedthis time on the trail when no clock was run-ning.

Funny how the races, which seem never-ending when you are in them, are all a blurafterwards; I actually have more memories ofthe walk down than of the run up.

Back in Eagle Harbor, I headed for thecool, soothing waters of Superior to soakaway the strain and soreness. The drive backto Copper Harbor extended the tranquilmood, as this section of road was an arbor ofarching trees with just enough light comingthough the high branches to dapple theasphalt with a mosaic of sun and shade: oneof my favorites drives in all of the UP.

After a shower and quick lunch (so quickthat I missed the barbecue that race organizerLori Hauswirth had arranged, with a coun-try/rock/folk band, in Grant Township Park,right next to the start/finish line), Karen and Itook advantage of the sunny day to book acruise to the Copper Harbor lighthouse (thefirst on Superior, established in 1848).

I guess I was thinking of the old scheduleof races with the evening run going off at 7p.m., so I was surprised when we returnedfrom our boat trip to see it was 4:15 p.m.;the evening 12K trail run was set to start atfive. So much for me taking an afternoonnap.

One trouble with “destination”marathons or trail runs is the tensionbetween focusing on the race and trying toexplore local sights and attractions. On theother hand, staying at the Lake Fanny HooeResort and Campground, we were less than aquarter mile from the start and finish of thenext two races; knowing the area is anadvantage when time is short for the transi-tion from tourist to trail runner.

While I quickly dressed for more trailwork and hunted up the bug spray and sun-tan lotion, Karen grabbed a book and headedfor the deck on the back of our cottage. Itwas hot so she was careful to sit in the shade.It did not look like I was going to have thatoption, as the sun was still above the tree lineand the temperature was over 80 degrees.

I tried to scope out the 12K coursesketched with magic marker on a topographi-cal map posted at race headquarters (in thecommunity center, also at Grant TownshipPark), but could not follow the crisscross oflines, arrows and finger smudges winding offto the southwest and up toward KeweenawMountain Lodge.

The good news was that we did not actu-ally go all the way to the top and the trailseemed to hug the contour lines most of theway; the bad news was that the new course,after crossing Highway 41, headed uptowards Brockway Mountain and was 12K,

not the 10K of the previous year. For aglimpse of the topology and the many trailsaround Copper Harbor, see the interactivetrail map on the Web site for the CopperHarbor Trails Club(http://www.copperharbortrails.org/trails).

Sooner than I could say “Jack Flash,” therunners were called to the start and sent ontheir way directly past my parked car andwife at the lake resort.

The first kilometer was flat and fast as itcircled a pond south of town. Then thecourse turned sharply into the woods along apath of small round stones often seen onbeaches in the UP — a reminder that theshoreline of Superior was once much higher.

This section of trail slowed down thepack and allowed us to calibrate our effortmeters for the coming ascent. This beganwith the deceptively-named “Garden Brook”trail, which connected to the “WoopidyWoo” trail — you get the idea.

The names say it all as far as incline isconcerned, but the start was not a trail in theusual sense; it was a bridge made up of waytoo many — literally hundreds — of rough-cut, two-foot-wide, wooden-slab cross ties.This conveyance might be interesting andchallenging for mountain bike racers, but thelooming gaps between boards were terrifyingand I ran with a fear that my next step wouldpitch me off the bridge onto the rocks below,where only a few ferns would break the fall. Islowed as much as I could without holdingup the train of runners behind me.

Another concern with this type of “trail”was that there was no room to step aside —like a gentleman trail runner — to allowpassing. Near the top of the ridge we werediverted off the planks to a more-typical sin-gle track — aptly named Woopidy Woo —with its normal rhythm: rocks/roots, stepup/step down, turn left/turn right andinhale/exhale.

This three-dimensional washboard rideover the terrain was the full video experience,not the simpler two-dimensional projection thatI tried to decode on the map before the race.

The fundamental contradiction of trailrunning is that we profess to do it so we canget out and see the woods and the great out-doors, but in fact, to be any good at it — orto even survive running on a difficult trail —you must always keep your eyes firmlyfocused on the trail immediately in front ofyour feet.

Somewhere near the 5K sign the first-aidstation came into view. I gulped some water,stepped aside to let the greyhounds pass andresumed the race in the company of twoother runners.

Here in the central section of the race Iwas tempted to try to pick up the pace andpass, but we were holding about an 8-minute-mile pace, which is good for me ontrails, and I remembered there was more tocome in this race and in the one tomorrow,so I kept my place in the train.

As often happens, complacency bringsabout a downfall, and this is particularly truein trail running. Just as I was beginning tofeel comfortable with the pace and trail, Icaught a toe on a rock, tripped and did a fullbody slam to the hard truth of trail running.

The soft truth of trail running is that wecare about each other. No sooner had I hitthe ground than the train of runnersscreeched to a stop and inquired about myafflictions. When I assured others they wereminor, they offered to pull me to my feet. Iscrambled to my feet remembering the trail-running mantra, “He who dances with dirt,runs with blood,” and got the group goingagain.

I was not running with a sense of com-placency any longer. Despite a few twinges inthe joints and some stings from the skin atbending surfaces, all the internal joint socketsseemed to be functioning normally, but mysteps were certainly more cautious.

By the time we had reformed andregained a steady pace, I began to notice thatwe had turned around back toward town andthat the trail (now, either “Woopidy Woo” orthe “Garden Brook,” no time to read signs)was actually heading down a gradient. Aftermore wandering around the mean level of theridge, the woods opened again onto Highway41 and I recognized that we were back on afast track to the finish area.

The leader of our little group must havenoticed this also, as he took off and we alltried to pick up the pace behind him. Likemost trail races, the 12K course was markedevery 5K, so it was not really possible to setor maintain a sense of pace per kilometer asone can on a road course. Thus, when wetrail runners find ourselves in a situationwhere we think we know how far we have togo, we take advantage of it, even if — as Imentioned earlier — we should be prudent inmarshalling limited resources in a multi-dayevent.

But none of us, it seems, can hold backwith the end of the trail, if not in sight, at leastwithin our grasp. So I accelerated down thefinal section (which thankfully skirted the oldplank road) and almost zipped around the pondto the finishing banner in just under one hour.

There, as the parade of runners crossedthe finish line, we were greeted by friends andfamily who looked askance at the sweaty,dirty and in some cases bloody knees of therunners (male winner Daniel Dehlin of

Marquette in 39:11, female winner Robertsin 46:14).

Our supporters had seen it all before andwould see it again tomorrow.

After thanking my fellow runners, I head-ed to Lake Fanny Hooe for a cool andrefreshing dip to wash off the dirt and driedblood, and to soothe sore muscles. The early5 p.m. start/finish allowed runners time for adinner of fresh lake trout or whitefish at theTamarack or the Mariner North, and a slowstroll along the Copper Harbor dock wherethe Isle Royale Queen IV was getting readyfor a sunset cruise. There was no cruise forme this night, except for the short one backto the cottage and an early bedtime.

Day Two

The Run the Keweenaw weekend really hithome when I got up Sunday morning: sore,tired and not fully awake. I was dimly awarethat before breakfast, I faced a 2- to 3-hour trailrun on a course twice as long as the nightbefore. Resigned to my fate, I began morningrituals trying not to think about the upcomingrace nor disturb my sleeping spouse.

One nice thing about staying at LakeFanny Hooe was that I only had to go 200meters or so to get to the start line, andKaren, if she woke up, could just look outthe window of our cottage to watch me passby 20 meters from our bed. Since the new25K course was a double loop, she couldmiss the start and still catch us all an hourlater when the parade went by again.

The trail map showed a course resem-bling a twisted and folded rubber band,stretching first up the “Stairway to Heaven,”then encircling Ft. Wilkins. It was too convo-luted for me to follow this early in the day.

The heat had evaporated and the expect-ed rain had held off. Fewer runners answeredthe bell for day two of racing, and most whodid seemed as stiff and slow-moving as I was.

I chatted with a lady as we assemblednear the start. She was being “cheered” byher four young children and tired-lookinghusband. I’m not sure who was looking for-ward less to the morning run, husband orwife, but the kids were fully awake and excit-ed. “Where does she find time to train?” Iwondered.

Such runners speak to the diversity oftrail running and the lure of the woods. I wassure her family could have found a nice lake-side resort in the Wisconsin Dells, or muchcloser to home, and she could certainly findeasier ways to exercise than by hitting thetrails. No one drives all the way to CopperHarbor just for a cardio workout. Each trailrunner is driven by other demons.


The demon who designed the RTK cours-es this year was Daniel Dehlin, and the angelwho marked them was Bill Marlor. But it wasArni Ronis, owner of Downwind Sports(Houghton and Marquette), who called us toattention at the start line.

Arni, who was also the official starter forthe Saturday races, outlined the general lay-out of the 25K course with particular men-tion of a new part that was still “under con-struction” and warning to be careful on thesection aptly named “Paul’s Plunge.”

Having never run the new 25K course, Iwas at a loss as to how to pace myself. Mystiff body set its own pace until my musclesand joints warmed up. Proper pacing is fun-damental in trail races, as the flat sectionstempt you to speed up, the uphills to walkand the downhills to tempt fate.

As in the 12K the night before, we start-ed out going around the pond, then climbedplanks of the infamous “Stairway to Heaven”trail. I kept running, but just when I thoughtI might have to slow down the train of run-ners behind me by walking, the course brokeright onto “Here We Go” again. I whisperedto myself and to the course designer, “Thankyou.”

As my breathing rate fell, I felt a sharppain as the scab on my right knee brokeopen, reminding me what could happen if Ifailed to keep my attention on task today.

I tried to run in a smooth, easy rhythmalong the “Dza Beet” and “Blue” trails, pick-ing up a quick drink of Heed at the 5K reststation. I was tempted to give chase to fasterrunners, but cruising in a trail race temptsfate as I’d learned yesterday. So I held off andtried to enjoy the run while maintaining asteady effort.

Somewhere I read the advice “Be one withthe trail” — a little too New Age for me at myage — but at this stage it fit my feelings.

Near the 10K trail sign, the courseseemed to turn back toward Copper Harborand descend. I pulled a gel pack off my waist-band and washed it down with a drink fromthe water tank as we passed under the“Finish” banner for the first time. I evenstopped for a few seconds to catch my breathand to swallow the whole cup of water.

Then it was off down the side of thehighway, right through downtown and onto arolling roadside bike trail that took ustoward Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. Theunimpeded path (no rocks or roots) allowedme to stretch out my stride and maybe take aminute or so off of my per-mile pace.

After about a mile we turned right andentered the park, near the campsites, and tra-versed the entire length of the area past grog-

gy campers as we came back along the northshore of Lake Fanny Hooe.

Just as I started to wonder if I had missedthe 15K sign, it appeared and the trail poppedout of the woods right next to our cottage. Iwaved to Karen and, dripping sweat, overheardtwo campers asking each other what we wererunning from. A good question.

The good news was that I had less than10K to run; the bad news was that, as weheaded up the road toward Manganese Falls,we were nearing the bottom of “Paul’sPlunge.” This steep section of the course wasunfinished and looking up it was daunting.(You didn’t think that we would get to rundown it, did you?)

Just as I entered the woods, the clouds —which had been threatening all morning —opened up (just waiting, I guess, for the cuefrom the race director?). This turned the softdirt, roots and rocks of the trail into mud,slippery sticks and puddles filled with hiddenstones. Since the path up had become adownward-flowing cataract, running — forme — was not an option, and just makingupward progress was a chore.

As I slogged, slid and shimmied over andaround obstacles, the toll of two races in twodays and two hours running without break-fast began to build into a major bonk.Runners were passing me on the uphill and Ifelt down on myself; I am never as strong orwell-trained as I’d like to be, and trail run-ning chisels into such weaknesses.

It was a great relief to finally reach to thetop of this section and to see a downhill aheadalong a dirt road toward Lake Manganese. Ipicked up my head, feet and attitude — as Ineeded to, because this new “Mango” trail wasonly finished Friday night.

As we passed the 20K sign, I began tothink about the finish as we connected withthe “Ma Maki” trail and caught a bit of asecond wind. I was hearing more footstepsbehind me and getting tired of stepping offthe trail to allow faster runners to pass, astrail-running etiquette requires. So I pickedup my pace and began to look forward to thegentle descent to the finish that closed out the12K yesterday. Here, unfortunately, thecourse designer had a different idea — andone more trick up his sleeve.

At the trail junction named “Here WeGo/Der We Went,” we veered right towardsigns announcing “Cliffs Ahead” and show-ing crude drawings of upside-down mountainbikes with falling riders. Sure enough, thenext 100 meters or so of rain-soaked pineplanks skirted rock ledges, taking us alongthe edges of a trail with 50- to 150-footdrop-offs only a shoe length to my right.

Since I’m scared of heights even when in

full possession of my faculties, this was not ahappy time for me. Fortunately, I stayed ver-tical all along the ridges and steep plankbridges, even the one named “Clyde’s Slide.”

I did slow, but this time no one camesprinting past, and as soon as I saw the pathahead covered with small round pebbles, Iknew that the final flat trail section aroundthe pond and across the field was near.

I was so happy I almost sprinted alongthe path to the finish. (Note that “sprinting”at this stage of a 25K race is a relative term.)I crossed the finish line with the heady feelingthat if I had not completely conquered thecourse, I had at least conquered my fear of it.

After crossing the line to warm wishesfrom the soaked, hardy race crew, I walkedstiffly to the water tank and shook handswith recent and incoming finishers. Not muchwas said, but from the relief on our faces andmud on our shoes, you could glimpse whatwe had shared and see how happy we wereto be finished — all in more ways than one.The 25K winners were again Dehlin(1:31:18) and Roberts (1:47:58).

The cold rain discouraged me from myusual post-race leg dip in Lake Superior,something I would regret in the next few dayswhen hiking on Isle Royale with very soremuscles. Instead I headed back towards ourcottage and a long hot shower.

The runners then converged on Zik’sBar/The Pines Restaurant, which the nightbefore had been hopping under a banner read-ing “Bikers Welcome” but now was moresedate as a breakfast buffet was spread outbeside the bar. Taking a seat with a full platenext to five other runners, I introduced myselfand quipped that what the RTK really neededwas a 50K race to make the weekend an even100K event. Fortunately, the other runners tookthis as a jest and did not dump me and mybreakfast plate back out in the rain.

Later, sitting with new friends at theawards ceremony, I saw the mother of four Ihad met at the 25K starting line picking up anice piece of local, hand-made pottery as anage-group winner. I’m not sure who was hap-pier: husband, wife or daughters, but I ampretty sure that they will all be back nextyear — as will I — at the RTK.

The overall RTK series winners were, forthe women, Roberts, Kelly Lufkin ofHoughton and Karly Sikma of Grand Rapids.The men’s winners were Dehlin, MatthewWaite of St. Paul, Minn., and Eric Charette ofHuntsville, Ala.

When not running Michigan trails, writerRichard Magin, 63, is a bioengineering profes-sor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

- MR -



Tahqua Trail Runs: Insanely Gorgeous, Insanely ToughBy Tom Henderson

PARADISE (8/15/10) — The Tahqua Trailruns are pure Jeff Crumbaugh, MichiganRunner’s 2009 Contributor of the Year.

Like other of his one-of-a-kind events,most particularly the insane Keweenaw TrailFestival he invented (three tortuous trail runsin a little more a day), the Tahqua runs areequal blends of breathtaking beauty andbreath-stealing difficulty.

Difficult? What a boring word, so nonde-scriptive, to apply to the you-gotta-be-kid-ding-me nature of the 25K and 10K runsalong the Tahquamenon River in the UpperPeninsula.

These things are incredibly beautiful andincredibly tough. Which once again earnsCrumbaugh the nickname “Evil Bastard Jeff.”

Thunderstorms were predicted for thisyear’s runs, after a week of hot, sunny weath-er more reminiscent of Georgia than the UP, aspell so warm in a summer so warm that peo-ple swam and frolicked in Lake Superiorwithout screaming in pain or worrying aboutlosing their reproductive abilities.

And the morning brought sounds ofthunder, a sighting or two of lightning and abrief rain. But by race start, the threat waspast and runners — the combined field of200 entrants had filled up several weeks earli-er — could focus their attention on the featat hand. And their feet.

These aren’t courses for sightseeing,

although you’d be nuts not to sneak a peakat the gorgeous scenery slipping by, the sunreflecting off the river, the canopy of greenoverhead, the wildflowers, grasses and …oops, pay attention.

There’s mud to slip in where small creekscross the trail on their way to the river. Muchof the route is single track along the river.

But at the first thought of, “Hey, thiscourse isn’t so tough after all, just a strollalong a river,” the trail makes a right turnand heads straight up the side of the gorgethat lines the river. Some of the uphill mightbe stairs built by park laborers, but most istree roots, rocks and ledges built into theground by centuries of foot traffic.

Then you hit the crest, make a U-turnand head back down a treacherous descent ofroots and rocks. Run along the river somemore, start to get comfortable, time to headback up the gorge and back down. Repeat.Repeat. Repeat.

Think the courses are tough? Only onerunner of 73 in the 10K broke 50 minutes,

Justin Noble of Pinckney, who ran 49:18. Hiswife, Katie, led the 52 women in the field andwas third overall in 50:47, just eight secondsback of male runner-up Tanner Nichols ofWhite Pigeon.

Rob Schell, a 50-something fromKalamazoo, was the first master in 59:24,with Lynda Dast of Mt. Pleasant takingwomen’s master’s honors in 1:06:44.

Only one runner among the 113 in the25K broke two hours, Kyle Larson of Duluthin 1:54:15, more than six minutes ahead ofLee Kanitz of Hessel, who was 10 minutesahead of the third-place runner and first mas-ter Troy Hering of Rothschild, Wisc., whofinished in 2:10:56.

Bridget Durocher of South Range led the43 women in 2:23:45, nearly eight minutesahead of Jill Allardyce of Saginaw. JaniceMacKay of Sault Ste. Marie, running in the50-54 division, was top master in 2:42:22.

As usual, Crumbaugh gave runners theirmoney’s worth. Entry fees were a bit steep bynormal standards, but this was anything butnormal. They included a bus ride to thestarts, organic t-shirts, cherry juice, iced cof-fee and blueberry muffins at the finish andhandcrafted bowls by a Munising artist to thetop three in each age group.

Sunday’s races were preceded by a 2Krun for kids Saturday and a pasta dinner.Grant Smitz of Roscommon led the five boysin 9:20 and Victoria Vining of Sault Ste.Marie led the five girls in 12:39. - MR -

Tahqua Trail Run, Paradise

Bridget Durocher led the womenin the 25K.

Michigan Runner contributorKatie Kelly-Noble won the 10K.

Justin Noble of Pinckney broke 50minutes to win the 10K.

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By Heather Dyc

HOWELL (8/20/10) -- The 33rd annualMelon Run defended its title as one of themost scenic and family-friendly eventsaround, winning the attention of competi-tive runners and melon rollers.

In true summertime fashion, thearoma of the State Street Barbecue andlive music from Livingston County’s 93.5Classic Hit station accompanied runnersas they warmed up for the 5K and 10Kraces that started at 7 p.m.

Cookies, chips, fruit juice smoothies,ice cream, candy-coated pecans and morerefreshments were ideal for hungry run-ners.

Entrants battled the three H’s -- heat,humidity and hills -- as they set out ontheir runs.

Adam Dohm, 27, of Saline won the5K in 17:31. He said he didn’t find the

course too challenging, but his traininghadn’t been as good this season. Thefemale 5K winner was Cherie Salmeto, 40,of Pinckney in 21:11.

Shane Logan, 32, of Pontiac won themen’s 10K in 36:25. Krys Brish, 46, ofMilford paced the women in 44:57.

Brish was all smiles as she finished. “Icome for the Melon Roll,” she said. “Didyou see those guys?”

Eighteen-year-olds Jacob Johnson ofHartland and Andy Stone of South Lyonwere two of several runners to racedressed as melon heads. For the secondyear in a row, they crossed the finish linewith only their eyes peering out fromunderneath carved melons. They said theyswitched their designs from last year tomake their melon heads cooler and moredynamic.

For complete results, visitwww.gaultracemanagement.com. - MR -


On Your Mark, Get Set, Roll MelonsMelon Run, Howell

Kids enjoy the evening Melon Roll.

Cherie Salmeto is the Melon Run5K Champion.

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Weather, Runners Well-Timed at Brooksie WayBy Ron Marinucci

ROCHESTER HILLS (10/3/10) —The Brooksie Way has seen impressivegrowth in its first three years. Its 2008inaugural drew 3,352 runners andwalkers. Last year that numberincreased by a couple hundred.

This year’s Brooksie continuedthat growth, with more than 4,000persons competing in events held atseveral distances.

Among the almost 1,100 who ranthe 5K was two-time Olympicmarathon medalist Frank Shorter(gold 1972, silver 1976). Michigan’sGreg Meyer, the last American male towin the Boston Marathon 27 yearsago, walked the 5K with OaklandCounty Executive Brooks Patterson.Patterson nosed Meyer out at the fin-ish for the second straight year.

Addressing the crowd from scaf-folding at the race start, Shorter saidrunners would have “no excuses” not torun well given the ideal weather. Hechallenged them to offer encouragementas they passed him in the race. Shorter,62, finished in 27:22 after admitting herecently had “160,000-mile mainte-nance” on his hip.

Indeed, the morning began brightand sunny with little or no wind. That wouldchange, but only after most runners hadcrossed the finish line. Temperatures hoveredin the low 40s at race start. Long sleeves, knithats, and gloves were common sights for thefirst time since March.

All three races started at the northeastcorner of the Oakland University campus andfinished at the beautiful and historicMeadowbrook Mansion, all 88,000 squarefeet of it.

The 5K course, for the most part, circledthrough the campus. It was scenic, but had acouple hills to keep runners from dozing off.

The mile race traced the eastern fringe ofthe campus before heading down toMeadowbrook. It was mostly flat.

The feature event, the half marathon,attracted more than 2,500 runners and 100-

plus walkers. The course was varied, beauti-ful and challenging.

From its start, it took runners along threemajor thoroughfares for a bit more thanthree seriously-rolling miles. Almost threemore miles of mostly-flat crushed stone fol-lowed on the Clinton River and Paint Creektrails, broken up by about a mile throughdowntown Rochester and a municipal park.

Miles seven to 11 threw runners a half-dozen long, grinding hills. It was interestingto listen to their ideas of which were thetoughest: “The mile between seven and eight”... “The long one just before 11.” The lasttwo miles were relatively flat or downhill.

First-time Brooksie half-marathonerKristen Slosser felt she wasn’t prepared forthe hilliness of the course. “It took a lot outof me,” she said.

“I was extremely glad that theweather was what it was,” she contin-ued. “The temperatures were lowerthan I am used to running in, but Ithink that helped more than hurt me.

“The mid-morning sun and clearblue sky, along with the changingleaves on the trees, made the course abeautiful experience. It felt more likerunning trails than taking to the streets— and that made the hills tolerable.”

Slosser said the enthusiasm of par-ticipants was infectious. “Everyoneseemed excited. That made the moodaround the starting line much morepositive,” she said.

“Drubbler” Riley McLincha of Cliobrought his three basketballs to thehalf-marathon again. He’s done allthree Brooksies.

McLincha admitted he carried theballs — in a bag he fashioned with helpof a bungee cord — on the trails andthe dirt of Dutton Road. “But I drub-bled (a combination of dribbling andjuggling) about the same as length asthe Crim” (10 miles), he said.

Brent Hull won the 5K in 17:23.Women’s champ Kaitlyn Berry wassecond overall in 17:36, the fastestwomen’s time ever at Brooksie byalmost a minute.

Tim DiFalco and Patricia Collins were mas-ters champions. Monte Piliawsky, 66, ran23:09, an age-graded 17:56.

Leo Foley, a top-10 finisher in his priortwo Brooksie half-marathons, triumphed thisyear in 1:14:33, a minute and a half beforerunner-up and top master Eric Green.

Eryn Caton won by more than a minuteamong the women, posting a 1:25:06 thatwas 49 seconds fasters than her effort lastyear. Hometowner John Brabbs grabbed themasters crown, while Andrea Osika andDeanna Skelcy continued their strong mastersshowings here, finishing 1-2.

Dillon Smith drew attention by running1:20:42 at age 13, a 6:10 pace.

The Brooksie was initiated to raisemoney and awareness for healthy lifestyles. Ithas provided almost $20,000 in grants toprograms in Oakland County dedicated tothose goals.

It is named after Patterson’s son,

Brooksie Way, Rochester Hills

Winner Leo Foley (bib no. 36), Shane Logan(center), and runner-up Eric Green (bib no.2162) are having fun leading the Brooksie WayHalf Marathon.

Michigan Runner TVhttp://michiganrunner.tv/2010brooksie_way/

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Brooksie, an avid athlete and outdoorsmanwho died in a snowmobile accident in 2007.

This year’s Brooksie timed things perfect-ly. Race end found many runners shivering,heading for entertainment in ShotwellPavilion or to their cars to avoid cold north-west winds that had blown in suddenly.Fortunately, few runners were affected duringthe races themselves.

For complete results, visithttp://www.thebrooksieway.com. - MR -

Eryn Caton won the halfmarathon by more thana minute.

Dillon Smith drew attention byrunning 1:20:42 at age 13.

Resumed Baldhead Challengeis Soggy Fun

By Scott Sullivan

SAUGATUCK-DOUGLAS (9/11/10) — TheMt. Baldhead Challenge is challenge enoughwithout adding rain to it.

The road runs, which took a sabbaticalwhile steps up their namesake sand dunewere rebuilt last year, returned in rain whichleft 190 finishers — 131 in the 15K, 59 in the5K — not needing showers afterward.

Never did post-race towels and coffeefeel and taste so good.

Kyle Morrison, 28, of Holland led wire-to-wire in the 15K, whose new course —starting in downtown Douglas, loopingthrough the Ox-Bow art school campus andclimbing 302 new steps to Mt. Baldhead’ssummit — won glowing reviews, crossing in59 minutes, 11 seconds.

Next came Sam Ramirez, 43, of Chicago(1:00:57), Spencer Carr, 28 of St. Joseph(1:04:39) and hometown favorite JimSpringer, 45, of Saugatuck (1:05:30).

Kelly Daniels, 36, of Grand Haven,paced the women in 1:11:07. She was fol-lowed by Cathy Fenton, 42, of Wayland(1:12:07), Gail Kuipers, 45, of Holland(1:15:30) and Christine Scott of Birmingham(1:18:26).

It was a good day for Fennville’sMendoza family in the 5K. Luis, 17, and

Pedro, 14, led the males in 19:13 and 20:37respectively. Sister Mary Mendoza, 12, pacedthe females in 24:02.

“We had 215 registered runners and 70volunteers who stuck with it despite gettingsoaked,” race director Ginger Smith said.“People loved the new course.

“We’d have loved sunshine. But we havebuilding blocks for next year.”

- MR -

Mt. Baldhead Challenge, Saugatuck

Jim Springer (124) and Steve Gerenser (189) are grinning just stepsaway from the top of 302

Men’s 15K winner Kyle Morrisongulps water at the top of thesteps.

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Red-Letter Day for 20th Red October RunBy CharlesDouglas McEwen

WAYNE (10/2/20) —The Red OctoberRun celebrated its20th anniversary witha record turnout of1,161 runners despitea cool, rainy day.

“We did every-thing we could to letpeople know that itwas our 20th anniver-sary,” said CynthiaCook, race directorfrom its incep-tion. “Along with our20th anniversarylong-sleeved t-shirt.we gave out runninggloves with RedOctober artwork tothe first 750 regis-trants. Plus everyone who ran this year got amedal.”

With better weather, the event may havetopped its previous record of 824 runners byeven more.

“In our 20 years, we’ve seen everythingfrom sideways rain to snow to slush.” saidCook. “We’ve had temperatures well over 80and gorgeous weather.

“Today was pretty typical: misty anddrizzly with some wind. Runners didn’t mindthe rain because it was fairly light.”

Vince Bechard, 22, of Dearborn thrivedon the conditions. The former Wayne StateUniversity star ran away with the10K in 33:52, nearly five minutes aheadof Matt Sikora, 37, of Harper Woods(37:32). Craig Dolecki, 36, of Redford tookthird in 37:54.

Dani Stienbacher, 25, of Ann Arbor wonthe women’s 10K in 42:37. Next cameKathryn Tuomi, 23, of Livonia (44:27) andAshley Unger, 24, of Trenton (45:44).

The 5K was tighter, with Megan Wilson,20, of Livonia (22:52) edging Alexa Kelser, 9,of Holly (22:58) for the women’s title. NaomiToben, 33, of Milan finished right behind in23:01.

For the men, Gavin Smith, 33, ofNorthville beat his training partner, VictorBrown, 47, of Canton.

Brown, who finished second last year toEd McGovern, caught up to Smith at thetwo-mile mark. “We went back and forth forthe next half-mile,” Smith said. “Then Ipulled away a little.”

Smith finished in 17:05, Brown17:27. Another masters runner, Steven Harris,44, of Hazel Park, took third in 17:56.

Smith was happy with his time. “It’s nota PR (16:52), but it’s the best I have done this

year.”“I was a little faster last year,” said

Brown of his effort, “but I was a littleyounger last year too.”

Brown might have won his first RedOctober Run had he not invited Smith to joinhim. But he didn’t regret.

“I’d recommend this race to anybody,”

Brown said. “It’svery well-organizedand the course isflat. Now, if wecould just dial inideal weather. Therewas a lot of wind onthat final back-stretch. But everyonehas to deal with thewind.”

Cook said shefinds the 5K inviting.“I’ve run a lot ofraces,” she said, “butnot that one. One ofthese days I’m goingto sneak into it.” TheRed October Run,presented byOakwood AnnapolisHospital, included a5K walk won byRichard Huber, 54,

of Montrose (27:54) and Denise Smith, 39, ofAllen Park (31:41). It also included a JuniorOctober Run for kids 12 and under.

For complete results, go towww.gaultracemanagement.com. For moreinformation about the event, visitwww.oakwood.org/redoctoberrun.

- MR -

Red October Run, Wayne

Michigan Runner TVhttp://michiganrunner.tv/2010redoctober/

Vince Bedard led the 10K from start to finish.

Gavin Smith won the5K in 17:05.

Dani Stienbacher wonthe 10K by almost 2minutes.

Megan Wilson cap-tured the women’s5K title.

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Youth Rule Run at the FarmBy Charles Douglas McEwen

WATERFORD (10/9/10) — Two 13-year-olds named Sam won the fifthannual Run at the Farm, presented byWaterford Parks & Recreation at theHess-Hathaway Farm Park.

Samuel Albaugh of Waterford ranaway with the men’s crown, whileSamantha Allmacher of Macombclaimed the women’s title.

“I love running this course,” saidAlbaugh, who also prevailed here lastyear. His identical twin brother SimonAlbaugh placed third overall.

Simon said that he beat his brotherout of the womb by two hours, but Samusually beats him in cross country races.“I’d rate this course 7 out of 10 on a scaleof hardness,” he said. “It has a really bighill in the woods that you repeat twice.”

Samuel finished in 18:25, a PR,while Simon crossed in 21:40. Inbetween them, John Tarkowski, 57, ofNorthville timed 20:10 and didn’t knowwhat to make of the twins. “Theylooked a lot alike,” he said.

The Albaughs run for MasonMiddle School in Waterford. FellowMMS student Luke Peterson, 13, wasfourth overall in 21:46.

Allmacher, who attends Shelby JuniorHigh School, paced the women’s field in23:58. “I felt good, except the hills weretough,” she said after her first race victory.

Next came Donna Olson, 60, ofCanton (25:18) and Ashley Truan, 27, ofBeverly Hills (25:36).

“She (Truan) was ahead of me most ofthe way, but I passed her at the end,” saidOlson, who got lost when she ran this racein 2008. “They had the course markedwell this year,” she said.

“We had about 75 people run, whichwas a record,” said race director LaurieSoma. “We were hoping for 100 butcouldn’t quite make it.”

The course was a double-loop on turfused by Waterford Mott and Ketteringcross country teams. There was also a one-mile run this year.

For complete results, go towww.runmichigan.com. - MR -

Run at the Farm, Waterford

SamanthaAllmacher wonher first 5K race.

Samuel Albaughran away with themen’s crown.

Fecht Tops Mena inKensington Run through RainBy Charles Douglas McEwen

MILFORD (9/18/10) — Matt Fecht poured it on in the rain to topKyle Mena in the 27th annual John Rogucki Memorial KensingtonChallenge.

“It started raining at mile three,” said Fecht, 26, of Warren.“The (15K) course was a little hillier than I remember from lastyear” (when he placed second behind Nick Stanko).

Fecht and Mena, 25, of Ypsilanti ran together for the first fivemiles of the Road Runners Clubs of American state-title race, pre-sented by DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital.

Mena accelerated, then Fecht caught up and passed him atseven miles.

“It was comfortable,” Mena said. “We were sharing the pace.He put a surge in at seven miles and I couldn’t keep up.”

Fecht finished in 49:12, Mena 49:29. Eric Green, 42, of Pontiacwas third overall for the third straight year and the masters champin 51:55.

“The rain helped,” Green said. “When it started, I started hav-ing better splits.”

Sara Vergote, 25, of Toledo won the women’s 15K in 56:00.“The course was incredibly challenging,” she said. “I had no idea itwas going to be that hilly.”

Marybeth Reader, 41, of West Bloomfield was top master andsecond overall in 1:00:12. “The downhill start was kind of out ofcontrol,” she said. “My first couple splits were too fast for what Iwas trying to do today..”

Heather Dyc, 26, of Redford finished third in 1:00:59. Grandmasters winners were Doug Kurtis, 58, of Northville (59:49) andJackie Olsen, 57, of Riverview (1:26:54).

Bennett Prud’homme, 20, of Ann Arbor claimed the 5K in 17:06.Dominic Nicita, 46, of Brighton led the masters in 19:10 and Phil Leja,58, of Milford the grand masters in 23:16.

Mary Darazio, 42, of Whitmore Lake won the women’s 5K in20:49. Janet Sawyer, 56, of Linden paced the masters (23:21) andMary Krankel, 60, of Ann Arbor the grand masters (27:01).

Proceeds from the Ann Arbor Track Club-sponsored Challengewent to the Wounded Warrior Project. For complete results, go towww.aatrackclub.org.

- MR -

John Rogucki Memorial Kensington Challenge, Milford

Michigan Runner TVhttp://michiganrunner.tv/2010kensington

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Playmakers Classic Features Fundraising Zeal, SpeedBy Katie Kelly-Noble

EAST LANSING (9/19/10) — Lake LansingPark was full of opportunities with thePlaymakers Autumn Classic 8K run and 2-mile walk on tap.

The annual race paired with SpecialOlympics Michigan to create a unique experi-ence for all involved.

The race was led by two runners not onlyready for the 8K, but to attack fallmarathons. Simon Ripis, 32, of Kenya won in24:28, followed by Scott Schmick, 27, ofOkemos in 24:44.

“It was good. The course was nice. Therewas not a problem. I want to thank (thedirectors) for organizing the race,” said Ripis,who plans to compete in the HonoluluMarathon in December.

Schmick said his goal is to run sub-2:19 atthe USATF Men’s Marathon Championships inMinneapolis/St. Paul Oct. 3. Doing so wouldqualify him for the U.S. Olympic MarathonTrials Jan. 14, 2012, in Houston.

“It went all right,” Schmick said. “Ihaven’t done a whole lot of 8K training, butit is a nice course. (Ripis) took the lead rightaway. I trailed and couldn’t really make upany ground.”

Titus Laroupe, 17, of Kenya took third in25:36. Ripis and Laroupe both currentlytrain in Lansing.

Lanni Marchant, 26, of Okemos grabbedan easy win for the women in 27:35 andplaced 15th overall. The Playmakers Eliteracing team member said she had raced oftenin the last few weeks, but her legs felt goodon the local roads.

“I tried to keep it as even as I could,”Marchant said. “I was out here for a fun run. Iraced on Friday and did a half-marathon lastSunday, so I had a busy week — but I love rac-ing in the events Playmakers puts on.”

Lisa Starks, 35, of Lansing was a distantsecond in 31:35, followed by Shannon

Audretsch, 26, of Okemos in 32:04.

A noncompetitive 2-mile walk for SpecialOlympians followed the 8K start. Entrantscollected pledges to benefit Special OlympicsMichigan.

“Fundraising this year was awesome,”said Val Suszko, SOM coordinator of Area 8fundraising and Holt Public Schools. “Wehad the athletes help (raise money) in orderto do the walk. They were so gung-ho. We’vehad some athletes raise more than $1,000.”

Race director Alicia Armstrong waspleased with the race participation and part-nership between SOM and Playmakers.

“The race grows every year and it’s won-derful to have people out and about on abeautiful Sunday morning,” said Armstrong.“The 2-mile walk was a wonderful addition.The 1-mile walk was too short last year; theSpecial Olympians told us they wantedmore.”- MR -

Playmakers Autumn Classic, East Lansing

Runners enjoy the scenery of Lake Lansing Park

Lanni Marchant grabbed an easywin for the women in 27:35.

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NovemberSat., November 6

Don DansereauMemorial Scholarship5K Run/WalkBay City 10:00 amBay Arenac Career Center5KR/W(989) [email protected]

Gobble Gobble GallupOak Park 8:30 amOak Park CommunityCenter 5KR(248) [email protected]

Iceman ComethMountain Bike RaceKalkaska 8:00 am27MB(231) [email protected]

Livonia Turkey TrotLivonia 9:30 amBicentennial Park5KR/W(734) [email protected]

Michigan High SchoolCross Country L.P.State FinalsBrooklyn 10:00 am

Michigan InternationalSpeedway 5KRMichigan High SchoolAthletic Association(517) 332-5046mhsaa.com/sports/bxc/

Muskegon Turkey Trot5K Trail RunMuskegon 10:00 amOrchard View MS5KR(231) [email protected]

Randy’s RaceMonclova, OH 10:00 amMonclova Primary School10 MR, 4MR, 1M Kids(419) [email protected]

St. Clair River TurkeyTrotSt. Clair 9:00 amSt. Clair Riverview Plaza5KR(810) [email protected]/node/24

Strong Body - StrongMind 5KSouthfield 10:00 amSouthfield High School5KR/W(248) [email protected]/Strong_Body_5k.html

Turkey TrotOxford 10:00 amSeymour Lake TownshipPark5KR, 2KW(248) [email protected]

Sun., November 7

Angus Glen HalfMarathonMarkham, ON 8:00 amAngus Glen Golf Club13.1MR/W, 10KR/W,5KR/W(905) [email protected]

Grand Mere GrindStevensville 9:00 amEastern Grand Mere StatePark 10KR(269) [email protected]

ING New York CityMarathonNew York City 10:50 am26.2 MR(212) 423.2249www.nyrrc.org

Rochester AreaOptimist Club BloomerBoogieRochester Hills 9:00 amBloomer Park5MR/W, 5KR/W, 1KFR

(248) [email protected]

Souper Run - Dash forthe Daily BreadAdrian 9:00 amLenawee CountyFairgrounds, 602 N. DeanSt.

10KR, 5KR, 1MW(517) [email protected]

Stay in the Shade’sHighland Trail RunHighland 10:00 amHighland Recreation Area4.8MR, 2MW(248) [email protected]

Turkey Trot CrossCountry RunMt. Pleasant 3:00 pmDeerfield County Park6KR X-CHarry Plouff(989) [email protected]/~mphsstr/

Sat., November 13

ANG Road HawgClassicBattle Creek 9:00 amBattle Creek Air NationalGuard Base

10KR, 5KR/W(269) [email protected]

Glen Lake Turkey TrotMaple City 10:00 amGlen Lake School5KR, 1MFR(231) [email protected]

Hoffmaster Trail RunNorton Shores 10:00 amP.J. Hoffmaster State Park,Beach Parking Lot4.3MR(232) [email protected]

Last Chance CrossCountry RaceBrighton 10:00 amHuron Meadows MetroPark [email protected]

Mid-Land HalfMarathon / 10K/ 5KMidland 10:00 amS. Ashman St./ Tridge13.1MR, 10KR, 5KR(989) [email protected]

Middleville Turkey TrailTrotMiddleville 9:00 amRoxanne Potter(269) 795-5535

November 2010 - February 2011 Event Calendar


[email protected]/departments/operations

NCAA Division I CrossCountry Regionals -Great LakesRochester 11:00 amOakland University10KR, 6KRNCAA(765) 494-7747ncaasports.com

NCAA Division III CrossCountry Regionals -Great LakesHolland, MI 11:00 amWest Ottawa Golf Club8KR, 6KRHope Collegehttp://ncaasports.comMen, 11:00; Women, Noon

NIRCAOpen & AlumniXC RaceBloomington, IN 8:30 amIndiana Univ. X-C [email protected]

Original AnnArbor TurkeyTrotDexter 8:30 amHudson Mills MetroPark10KR/W, 5KR/W,1MFR, 200mFRChampions forCharity(734) [email protected]

Panther Fall ClassicComstock Park 9:00 am100 Betty Dr NE, MillCreek Middle School5KR/WScott Taylor/ The Runnery(616) [email protected]

Saginaw VeteransMemorial PlazaVeterans Day RunSaginaw 10:00 am3MR/W(989) [email protected]

Scarecrow Sprint XCRaceFremont, OH 10:00 amWalsh Park5KR(419) [email protected]

St. JeromeSchool/PSA’sOhio/Michigan 5KWalbridge, OH 9:00 amSt. Jerome School 5KR(419) [email protected]

The Alternate Half / 10K/ 5KMidland 10:00 amPere Marquette Rail Trail13.1MR, 10KR, 5KRRyan Hackett(989) [email protected]

USATF MichiganAssociationOpen/Masters XCChampionshipsNorthville 9:00 amCass Benton Park 5KRJackie DeVose(313) [email protected]

USATF MichiganAssociation XC JOChampionshipsNorthville 9:00 amCass Benton Park5KR, 4KR, 3KRJackie DeVose(313) [email protected]

Woldumar NatureCenter Run-a-MunkLansing 10:00 amWoldumar Nature Center,5739 Old Lansing Road10KR, 5KR/W(517) [email protected]

Sun., November 14

The Burg Trail RunLaingsburg 1:00 pmLaingsburg HS X-C course10KR, 5KR/W, 1MW(517) [email protected]

Hogsback WildernessRunElba 9:30 amElba Equestrian Center5MR, 2MR(810) [email protected]

Jingle BellRun/Walk for

ArthritisKalamazoo 1:00 pmCelery Flats, Portage5KR/WSamantha Mertens(248) 649-2891, [email protected]

Roseville BigBird RunRoseville 10:00 am10KR, 1MR/W, 4KRTony Lipinski(586) [email protected]

Tues., Nov. 16

Wayne CountyLightfest 8K FunRun/WalkWestland 7:00 pmMerriman Hollow Park,Hines Drive8KR/W(734) [email protected]

Sat., November 20

Blitzen the DotteWyandotte 9:00 amWyandotte Boat Club5KR/W(734) [email protected]

Grand FinaleLansing 9:30 amGrand Woods Park5KR, 5K/8K team(517) [email protected]/Grand_Finale.html

Jingle BellRun/Walk forArthritisBloomfield Hills 9 amCovington School5KRW, kids runArthritis Foundation,Michigan Chapter(248) 269-2895 /(800) 968-3030 [email protected]

NCAA Division I I CrossCountry Regionals -MidwestLouisville, KY 10:30 am

Bellarmine University, E.P.Tom Sawyer Park10KR, 6KRNCAAhttp://ncaasports.com

NCAA Division III CrossCountryChampionshipsWaverly, IA 10:30 amH.J. Max ChampionshipCross Country Course8KR, 6KRWartburg Collegencaasports.com

One Hill of aRun - CORRECT-ED DATEGrand Rapids 9 amUnion High School10KR, 5KRDan Droski(616) [email protected]

Schrauger Memorial 5KLake Orion 10:00 amLake Orion High School5KR, 1MR/W(248) [email protected]

WMU Turkey TrotKalamazoo8:30 am tentative timeStudent Recreation Center5KR(269) [email protected]/rec/

Sun, November 21

New Balance Girls onthe RunYpsilanti 10:00 amEllen Thompson Women’sHealth Center, St. JosephMercy Hospital 5KR(734) [email protected]

Mon., Nov. 22

NCAA Division I CrossCountry ChampionshipsTerre Haute, IN 11:00 amWabash Family SportsCenter 10KR, 6KRNCAA(812) 237-4040ncaasports.com

Southwestern MichiganCollegeTurkey TrotDowagiac 4:00 pmSouthwestern MichiganCollege8KR, 5KR, 1 MRRon Gunn(269)[email protected]

Thurs., Nov. 25

1st Source Bank/Niles/Buchanan YMCAThanksgiving Day RunNiles 9:00 amNiles/Buchanan YMCA10KR, 5KR/W, 1MFRNiles/Buchanan YMCA(269) [email protected]

Ann ArborThanksgivingDay Turkey TrotAnn Arbor 8:30 amUniversity ofMichigan NorthCampus RecreationalCenter5KR/WSharon Suffolk(248) [email protected]

Dorks Brothers TurkeyTrotAlpena 9:00 amGreat Lakes MaritimeMuseum-Heritage Trail5KR, 1MR(989) [email protected]

Fifth ThirdBankThanksgivingTurkey TrotDetroit 7:15 amCobo Center10KR, 5KR, 1MRThe Parade Company(313) 247-4149detroitturkeytrot.org

Galloping Gobbler 4MilerFort Wayne, IN 8:30 amHutzell Athletic Center,Univ. of St. Francis Campus4MR, 2MW(260) [email protected]



Gazelle Sports GobbleWobbleGrand Rapids 8:00 am3930 28th Street4.1MR, 1MR(616) [email protected]

Gobbler Gallop TrailRunSaginaw 9:00 amImerman Memorial Park5KR, 1.5MR/W(989) [email protected]

KAR Thanksgiving DayTurkey Trot PredictionRunKalamazoo 9:00 amKalamazoo ValleyCommunity College,TexasCorners Campus 5KR(269) [email protected]

Lansing Turkeyman TrotLansing 9:00 amLansing CommunityCollege 5KR(517) [email protected]

Smoke theTurkey 5KSylvania, OH9:00 amSt. James Club5KRElite Endeavors(419) [email protected]

Turkey TrotGladstone 9:00 amGladstone Senior Center5KR/W(906) [email protected]

Fri., November 26

Fantasy 5KHowell 6:00 pm5KR(517) 546-3020 or (517)[email protected]

Sun., November 27

Holiday HustleMaumee, OH 5:15 pmMaumee Indoor Theater5KR, 1.5MFW(419) 360-3709

[email protected]

The Downtown MileFremont, OH 9:00 amRodger Young Park1 MR(419) [email protected]

Sun., November 28

Hansons Group RunLake Orion 8:00 amHansons Running Shop(248) [email protected]

Road Racing at MetroBeachHarrison Twp 11:00 amPointe Road - Metro Beach2MR Bob Blunk(248) [email protected]

DecemberThurs, December 2

Run Through theLightsKalamazoo 6:30 pmGazelle Sports 5KR(269) [email protected]

Friday, December 3

Midnight Special 5KRace and PredictionRunWhitehouse, OH11:45 pmFallenTimbers MS5KR/W(419) [email protected]

Sat., December 4

Christmas StockingRun - See YMCA ofGreater Flint 5K SantaRun

Dashing through theSnowFowlerville 6:00 pmDowntown Fowlerville5KR/W(517) [email protected]

December ChillAdventure RaceDavison 9:00 amGenesee County Parks7 hr sprint: canoeing, MB,orienteering, trekkking(231) [email protected]

Dickens of a RunMt Pleasant 8:30 amMax & Emily’s, downtown5KR(989) [email protected]/~mphsstr/

Holiday Hustle5K / 1 MileDexter 4:00 pmMonument Park5KR, 1MRRunning Fit

(734) [email protected]

Jingle Bell Runfor Arthritis -NorthvilleNorthville 9:00 amNorthville Downs5KRW, 1/4 MSnowman ShuffleArthritis Foundation,Michigan Chapter(248) 269-2895 /(800) 968-3030 [email protected]

NCAA Division II CrossCountryChampionshipsLouisville, KY 10:30 amE.P.”Tom Sawyer St. Park10KR, 6KRBellarmine University(812) 237-4040ncaasports.com

Reese Winter RoadRace SeriesReese 10:00 am

Reese High School10KR, 5KR/W(989) 529-7904

[email protected]

YMCA ofGreater Flint 5KSantaRun/WalkFlint 12:00 NoonDowntown YMCA,411 East Third St.5KR/WYMCA of GreaterFlint(810) 232-0622flintymca.orgRegistration includes 5piece Santa Suit

Sun., December 5

Road Racing at MetroBeachHarrison Twp 11:00 amPointe Road - Metro Beach2MR Bob Blunk(248) [email protected]

Running of the ElvesRochester 12:00 pm5KR/[email protected]

Sat., December 11

Candy Cane RunGrand Rapids 10:00 amGR Home for Veterans6MR, 3MR, 1.5 MR(616) [email protected]

Jingle Belle Women’s5KLansing 10:00 amDelta Township DistrictLibrary 5KR/W(517) [email protected]

Run Like TheDickens andTiny Tim TrotHolly 9:00 amKarl Richter Campus10KR, 5KR/W, TinyTim TrotRob Basydlo(248) [email protected] run-likethedickens.com

USATF National ClubCross CountryChampionshipsCharlotte 9:30 amMcAlpine Park10KR, 6KRusatf.org/events/2010/USATFClubXCChampionships/index.asp

USATF National JuniorOlympic Cross CountryChampionshipsHoover, AL 10:00 amVeterans Parkusatf.org/events/2010/USATFJuniorOlympicXCChampionships/

Sun., December 12

Anchor Bay Jingle BellRunNew Baltimore 4:00 pm5KR, 1MW(586) 725-4726www.jinglebellrun.com

Tues., December 14

Grosse PointeChristmas Light RunGrosse Pointe 6:30 pmGrosse Pointe store6MR(248) [email protected]

Sat., December 18

Bay Area Runners ClubHoliday 5K Run/WalkBay City 10:00 amBay County CommunityCenter5KR/W John Metevia(989) [email protected]

HUFF 50K Trail RunHuntington, IN 8:00 amKekionga Trail, J. EdwardRoush Lake, Kil-So-QuahCampground50 KR, 50K Relay, 11MR(260) [email protected]

Sun., December 26

Sault Ste. Marie, ON9:30 amAlgoma’s Water Tower Inn10KR, 5KR/W, 2KR/WSault Ste. Marie Stryderssaultstryders.com

Hansons Group RunLake Orion 8:00 amHansons Running Shoptraining(248) [email protected]

Harold Webster BoxingDay 10 Mile RunHamilton, ON 11:00 amYMCA 79 James StreetSouth10MRJames Van Dyke(905) [email protected]

Fri., December 31

Fifth Third NewYear’s EveFamily FunRun/WalkDetroit 3:00 pmBelle Isle Park,5KR/W, 1MR/WJeanne Bocci(313) [email protected]

New Year’s ResolutionRunFlint 2:00 pmDowntown YMCA8KR, 5KR/W(810) [email protected]

JanuarySat., January 1

Gazelle Sports’ JohnDaley Memorial OneOne RunKalamazoo 1:00 pmSpring Valley Park4.4MR/W, 2.2MR/W(269) [email protected]

Reese Winter RoadRace SeriesReese 10:00 amReese High School10KR, 5KR/W(989) [email protected]

Resolution 5KLansing 10:00 amCorner of St. Joe Highway

and Broadbent 5KR(517) [email protected]/Resolution5k.html

Sat., January 8

IDADARUNLinden 6:30 pmLinden Community Ed.,7201 Silver Lake Raod8MR, 8M relay(810) [email protected]

Walt DisneyWorld HalfMarathonLake Buena Vista6:30 am13.1MRJon Hughesdisneyworld-sports.disney.go.com

Sunday, January 9

Walt DisneyWorld®MarathonLake Buena Vista6:00 am13.1MRJon Hughesdisneyworld-sports.disney.go.com

Sat., January 15

Frosty 15K FreestyleCross Country SkiRaceBrighton 10:30 amHuron MeadowsMetropark15K X-C Ski;5K X-C Ski(248) [email protected]

FebruarySat., February 5

Reese Winter RoadRace SeriesReese 10:00 amReese High School10KR, 5KR/W(989) [email protected]

WinterlaufeFrankenmuth10:00 amFischer Hall8KR/WLucas Hart(989) 860-3388 or(800) [email protected]

Sat., February 12

Dances withDirt - GreenSwampDade City, FL50MR, 50KR, 26.2MR,13.1MR, relayRunning Fit(734) [email protected]

Sat., February 26

Disney’s RoyalFamily 5KLake Buena Vista, FL7:00 amWalt Disney WorldEpcot® Center;kids at Wide Worldof Sports10 am5KR, kids runsrundisney.comDisney’s Princes HalfMarathonWeekend:February 25-27, 2011

Sun., February 27

Disney’sPrincess HalfMarathonLake Buena Vista, FL6:00 amWalt Disney WorldEpcot® Center13.1MR, 5KR, kidsrunsrundisney.comDisney’s Princes HalfMarathonWeekend:February 25-27, 2011

- MR -


By Tom Henderson

What a grand summer it was! Lots ofheat. Lots of sun. Lots of lakeswarm enough to get into without

heart attack or anguish.

As I write this the first of October, it’ssupposed to be near freezing tonight and coldand rainy tomorrow. As you read it, youmight be looking out at early snowflakescoming down. So, here are highlights of along, warm season of running, most of themrace-related.

1. The Harvest Stompede in the LeelanauPeninsula. There I was at the finish area atCiccone Vineyards, sharing a hard-earnedcookie with the dog. I had a MichiganRunner shirt on, so it wasn’t surprising whentwo couples walked over and one of the menasked, “Do you write for Michigan Runner? Iforget your name, but this must be Maddie.”

Indeed. Maddie showed them her No. 1trick: “Can you give me a whisper, girl?”She’ll give you anything for a cookie.

The two couples had read about theStompede last year in MR and decided to putit on their calendar. They loved it so muchthey vowed they’d run next year too.

Every year, the race has had splendidweather. This year, not so much. But organiz-ers still got lucky. It poured until a few min-utes before blast-off, and blue skies were

showing through the clouds by the time theseven-miler ended.

I ran nearly three minutes slower thanlast year, but still faster than two years ago.Either way, I’ve learned from the dog that it’sthe joy of the chase, not the numbers on thewatch, that make racing so much fun. Thetwo of us had a blast.

My wife, Kathleen, and my blasts contin-ued throughout the day and weekend, as wetook in the winery tastings that are part ofthe Stompede.

1A. Gotta call the Tahqua 10K in Augustin the UP a tie with the Stompede. Both areridiculously beautiful, and until you’ve runthe Tahqua, it’s hard to imagine a muchharder race than the Stompede, but this is.You can read more about it elsewhere in thisissue.

Added fringe benefit? Kathleen, who forsome reason was able to run more this yearwithout pain than in recent years, got to dothe 10K in 2010, instead of just waiting forme at the finish, and our 15-year-old grand-son, Daron, who has run a few 5Ks over theyears, ran all of it with her for his longest runever.

3. Running to the top of Mt. Baldy on arainy day in August. It’s a course JeffCrumbaugh put together for the KeweenawTrail Festival, running from the beach atEagle Harbor to the top of the highest peakfor miles. Nice thing about doing it in Augustis plenty of stops along the way for raspber-ries and thimbleberries. Incredibly tough 3.8miles up. And a tricky descent, steep and cov-ered in rocks and stones that act like ballbearings.

4. Taking Nate Skid, my young colleague,on his first tour of the Potawatomie Trail inMay. He wanted a tune-up for his first half-marathon, at Dexter-Ann Arbor, and nothinglike a 15-miler on the Pot to get tuned, ortrashed.

5. The Asparagus 5K in Empire May 15.Glorious early summer day, one of the quirki-est courses around, with a first mile that goesstraight uphill and a finish on the beach atLake Michigan. Nice to set a personal courserecord, to boot.

6. Any of the four or five times I ran myeight-mile route though Barton NatureReserve and Bird Hills Park in Ann Arbor,with stops along the way for me and the dogto jump in the Huron River. Great ups anddowns, perfect mix of wildflower meadowsand deep forest.

7. Any of the 10- and 12-mile runs in theSand Lakes Quiet Area northeast of TraverseCity. Lots of lakes for the dog to get into.One perfect lake for me, the dumbly-namedLake One, with its surreal turquoise-greencolor, clear water, sandy beaches and thickwoods and hills as a backdrop.

8. The Run for Shelter 10K at the end ofApril in Traverse City. Good cause, goodcourse, fantastic last mile and a half, down-hill on trails and through pastures.

9. The first annual Run for Fred 5K atStony Creek Metro Park at the end of July.Nice cause, raising money to fight childhoodcancer, and a cool hero, the race director’syoung son, cancer survivor turned runner.

10. The Hartwick Pines Challenge, astunning 7.2 miles through Michigan’s laststand of virgin pine. What a way to kick offOctober. If you haven’t run in this park justnorth of Grayling, you’re can’t imagine howcool it is.

(Okay, I’m cheating. As I write this, theChallenge isn’t until tomorrow. But barring acar accident or earthquake in northernMichigan, this is a course that has to go intothe top 10. I hate to leave it off just because Igot my work done before I left.)

Honorable mentions? Hot runs afterwork at Kensington, with a dive into theHuron River thrown in; jumping in the lakehalfway through a four-mile trail workout atStony Creek; running my favorite 4.5-mileloop through the woods from my cabin upnorth; the six-mile up-and-down jaunt on theLake Ann pathway west of Traverse City,including a stretch along the scenic PlatteRiver; four-mile runs on lunch hour at BelleIsle, with a dive into the river just before thelast mile to the car.

Wait, let’s reorder things. The real No. 1?Having learned to love running, again, frommy dog. To enjoy its essence, to not look at isas a task to be finished, or a chore I reallyought to do. To enjoy the routine runs and tosavor, to love, racing the way I used to loveit. To love it despite no hope of PRs, despiterunning times that once would have beendepressing, despite the extra poundage jig-gling around.

Thanks, Mad Dog. Thanks for that won-derfully joyous look on your face when weget to a race start and you see people pinningtheir bib numbers on. Thanks for the wildlyecstatic howling you can’t repress when yourealize the race is about to begin. Thanks forthat smile on your face as we pass a runnerand you give them a look that says: Gotcha.

- MR -

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Tom Henderson & Maddy run atthe Tahqua 10K, 2010

Notes on the Run: DogsRunning with Tom Henderson


Capital City River Run,Lansing, Sept. 26

The kids run and balloons add to the festive atmosphereof the Capital City River Run Half-marathon and 5K.

Bobby Crim and Governor Jennifer Granholmfinish the Governor’s Labor Day Bridge Run.

Governor’s Labor DayBridge Run, Sept. 6.

Patrick Grosskopf leads the college open raceat the Spartan Invitational.

Bank of America ChicagoMarathon, Oct. 10

Desi Davila talks to thepress after she finished 4th,1st American, in 2:26:20

Photos by Victah Sailer / photorun.net Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios

Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios

Spartan InvitationalEast Lansing, Sept. 17

Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios

Jason Hartmann finished8th, 1st American, in 2:11:06.


michigan runner, november / december 2010

Documents

charles douglas mcewen

youth rule run

scott sullivan

katie kellynoble

scott hubbard

michigan runner

spartan invitational

big house big heart