February 2003

From The Lake Grapevine Runners & Walkers Club

The Footprint February 2003 www.runnersandwalkers.com

In This Issue • Bold in the Cold recap • In Step With…Byron Benoit • Marathon Madness and More Tucson, Kiawah Island, Sunmart, White Rock, Mississippi, Disney) • RAW Accomplishments and Awards • 24 Hours on a Treadmill • New Year’s Run • Christmas Party • Anti-Turkey Trot • White Rock Marathon Aid Station • RAW now part of USATF ___________________________

Upcoming Events •

Hound Dog Hustle, April 26

“Saturday Night Live” 5:00 pm (First Saturday of each month) Note: check the bulletin board on our website for last minute changes) •

March 1, Amore’s on NW Highway in Grapevine • April 5, Baja Grill in Grapevine (formerly Esparza’s Too) • May 3, Mi Cocina in Southlake Town Center ___________________________

Renewals Your membership expiration date is shown on your Footprint mailing label. When it’s time to renew, just fill out the membership application in the newsletter, and mail it back to RAW along with your check.

Bold in the...Very Cold The 4th annual “Bold in the Cold” 5K and 15K was held on the morning of January 18th. It was still dark when the many faithful volunteers arrived to set up for registration and the finish line. They worked quickly to not only get their jobs done, but also to keep warm, as it was a very chilly morning. By 8 am we had registered over 255 participants, 175 for the 5K and 80 for the 15K. It was quite a day for the female runners. To the delight of club members, especially K2, the first runner to cross the finish line in the 15K was a female! Megan Skeels finished 50 seconds faster than the first overall male with a time of 55:25. Congratulations to Hélène Walker who beat her PR time in the 5K by 1 minute, 51 seconds. Hélène also won the 5K female masters award. 13-year old Kristen Gibson finished first in the 5K with an impressive time of 19:58.

I would also like to thank our many sponsors who provided the refreshments after the race. Krispy Kreme provided the doughnuts, Breadhaus donated lots of bread and rolls, Albertson’s sent fruit, Frito Lay donated many bags of chips and Starbucks sent us their coffee.

Thanks to all who helped to make this a success. I hope to see you all again next year.

—John Bush BITC Race Director

Other winners included Coby Bullard, 5K overall; J.W. Hawronsky, 5K masters; Yolanda Hopping, 15K masters; Norman Roper, 15K overall; and Terry Marcott, 15K Masters.

This year’s Bold in the Cold could not have taken place without the help of the many volunteers, 48 to be exact, who got out of their warm beds to put this race together. Many thanks to each and every one of you.

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15K overall winner Megan Skeels on the home stretch

Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers Club P.O. Box 2982 Grapevine, Texas 76099

RAW Board and Committees

Tom Byno Saves the Day On the Friday afternoon before the Bold in the Cold, Tom Byno headed up a team of volunteers to set up the Club House. They took the mile markers and finish line poles from the storage shed, put up banners, and gave the Club House a general cleaning. Tom figured Saturday morning would be quite cold so he decided to fill up the water jugs. On race day morning, sure enough, the water faucet behind the Club House was frozen solid. Tom's experience with cold weather living, something he learned while living in New York, saved the day. Thanks Tom!

President Kelly Richards President@RunnersAndWalkers.com

RAW Member Tom Goodwin on his way to an age group win and a PR of 21:04

First Vice President Tony Dominiec VP1@RunnersAndWalkers.com Second Vice President Terry Marcott VP2@RunnersAndWalkers.com

A special thanks to John Bush, for putting

Chief Information Officer Jack Hase CIO@RunnersAndWalkers.com

on a great race!

Treasurer Craig Minyard Treasurer@RunnersAndWalkers.com Officers At Large David Ball MAL1@RunnersAndWalkers.com Dave Aungst MAL2@RunnersAndWalkers.com Marybeth Crane MAL3@RunnersAndWalkers.com Stacie Sauber MAL4@RunnersAndWalkers.com Curtis Woodard MAL5@RunnersAndWalkers.com Rick Sanford MAL6@RunnersAndWalkers.com Footprint Editor Susan Barnett SCMBarnett@aol.com

Gloria Bush and Susan Eccleston take race-day entries while trying to stay warm

For all race results, see runnersandwalkers.com

Thank you BITC Volunteers!

John Bush Joe Luccioni Ray Harris Tom Byno Doug Noell Major Mike Dennis Novak Lee Miller Dave Aungst Gloria Bush Betty Paul Susan Harris J.W. Keeling Susan Barnett Ann (Susan’s sister) Dee Stevens Roxanne Schroeder

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Mary Simon Tim Brenner Bruce Herndon Chris Reyher Lisa Noell Chuck Kennard Rick, Matthew, and Andrew Sanford Noel Widdowson Alexandria Widdowson Tom Zack Lauri Greeting Stacie Sauber Eileen Fontaine Gabe Pugliese Mel Crafton Alan Walker

Linda Vilalobos Guy McCracken Henry Lewis Jeff Brown & his dog Tia Metzger Marty Metzger Jack Hase Rick Fogle Jon Korte Francis Cook Bill Collins Courtney Noell Lisa O’Brien Susan Eccleston Alan Engisch Kelly Richards

Scenes from Bold In the Cold

Bruce Herndon & Ray Harris

The kids are ready to run

Dee Stephens (right) with her friend Tina

Tim Brenner and family

Dan Banse, Marybeth Crane & Lori Cerami

Melanie Davies

Super emcee Dave Aungst ...And They’re Off! Overall 5K winner Coby Bullard

Eileen Fontaine

K2 (Madame la PrĂŠsidente) 3

See you next year!

K2K2 ToTo You….

You….

In Step With… Byron Benoit

Wow! Where to begin… The past several weeks have been so exciting for our club.

K2: How long have you been a runner?

BB: Since January of 1982, although I did leave the sport from 1992 until 1997.

After months and months of intense training, Tim Brenner ran his first 50 mile race in the phenomenal time of 9:12:04.

There was a time when I could run farther and faster than Tim. Neither are true now.

K2: Why running?

BB: Too light for football. Too short for basketball. Too slow for sprints. Baseball too boring.

Dozens of people worked together under the leadership of Jack Hase to man the mile 10 aid station at the White Rock marathon.

Our newsletter won "Best medium-sized club newsletter" in the Southern region of the US and we've been entered in the national level competition. We already knew the Footprint is great, but it was pretty awesome to have it confirmed by a non-biased individual. To think, Susan Barnett almost resigned as Editor.

Then a week later, Runner's World magazine (the world's leading running magazine) announced the Hound Dog Hustle T-shirt is among the 5 shirts named "Best Race T-shirt"! That's best race T-shirt for every race shirt submitted in the US! Mel Crafton, Team in Training pacer, paced several people to their first marathon finish. People that were sedentary a few months ago can now call themselves Marathoners, thanks to Mel's relentless efforts and encouragement to get them to the finish line.

At the NYC Marathon, Craig Minyard was the first Texan to cross the finish line. At Tucson ,Terry Marcott was the first Texan.

At Disney, the first Texan was Duncan Stewart. These Three Amigos are fast!

K2: How long have you been a RAW member?

BB: February will make three years.

K2: What has been your fondest running memory?

BB: Running with the Olympic flag in 1988 in Korea.

K2: What do you consider to be your best running achievement?

BB: I hope I haven't achieved it YET!! But if I have to answer, at this point I would say qualifying for Boston.

K2: Where is the most unique or unusual place you've ever run?

BB: A few miles from the DMZ in South Korea.

K2: What's your biggest/best/worst "running secret"?

BB: I keep the smell of Icy Hot on my fingers to sniff in tough times during races. It helps to clear my head and helps me focus.

Byron with his good friend Polar Bear

Over and over again, I'm reminded of the many talents this club has both "on and off the road." It's the donated time, tireless efforts, and awe-inspiring talents of our members that make this club great.

K2: Which of your many nicknames is your favorite?

BB: Boo-Boo from my mother-in-law.

I feel incredibly privileged to be called president of this club. Thank you to everyone for making this club what it is.

K2: What about your non-RAW life would surprise the club members?

BB: I really am 5'5" :-)

K2

K2: What do you do when you're not out running?

BB: I watch movies, read, surf the net, or hang with friends.

K2: What else would you like to add?

BB: I thank the present and past leadership for all their time and efforts.

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A National Award For Our Local Club Accolades seem to be coming in from all sides for winning the Runner’s World National T-Shirt and Poster Contest. I was thrilled to learn that Miles (the hound dog) went the distance! The Grapevine Sun put us on the front page along with the celebration for our award-winning newsletter. It is a great feeling to be recognized by a national audience for my design work. But truly it is the spirit of our club that is the award winner.

As a freelance art director, life is unpredictable at best. It’s tough on a family looking for a steady paycheck.

But we’ve all learned that these are times of uncertainty for everyone, what with current world events.

Nothing is steady.

been steady, thank goodness. It’s been that way the whole time I’ve been a member.

Added to that, this club has been a personal catalyst in making dreams a reality. Being bold. Going for big goals in life in spite of fear. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Going forward with courage; even in the face of big obstacles? In the case of our t-shirt, some members of the club believed it was a winner. For others, it is belief in completing a marathon. Wow, those things actually happened.

The belief, the faith, combined with desire, preparation, discipline and enormous friendly support have been an infectious formula here in That’s where LGRAW’s great and in- LGRAW. There’s no bigger feeling spirational members have helped. than seeing a dream come true. Here, They are the people who keep your in our simple leaky purple shack, spirits up; keep you moving forward; those dreams really DO come true. keep you positive. That attitude HAS —David Ball

The Footprint Takes Top Honors The LGRAW newsletter was recently selected by RRCA (Road Runner Clubs of America) as the best newsletter in the Southern Region for medium-sized clubs. RRCA consists of 700 running clubs, encompassing 200,000 members. Our newsletter will now compete at the national level, along with the other three regional winners.

I was pleased but embarrassed to receive warm congratulations from so many RAW members. Rest assured, it really isn’t me that makes our newsletter good. It’s all the people who work with me (especially K2 and Eileen), the authors who contribute so creatively, the crew that does the assembly, and most of all, the RAW members who provide the subject matter in the first place. We are incredibly blessed to have such a unique blend of talents and personalities in our club.

–Susan Barnett

David Ball sports his award-winning t-shirt

Personal Touches * Curtis Woodard's wife Katie is home from the hospital and getting stronger every day. She became ill mid-December and has been diagnosed with AntiGBM (a form of Goodpastures, a disease effecting the kidneys).

Katie has a lot going for her. Her spirits are up and she is so thankful for all that she does have—beautiful kids and a loving husband. She is handling this with such grace and dignity it is truly amazing.

Katie and Curtis have promised to ask if they need any assistance from the club. For now, they insist our prayers are the only thing needed. One of Katie's goals is to be strong enough to attend the Hound Dog Hustle this spring. We all look forward to seeing her then.

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* Our sympathy to Hélène Walker who lost her father January 31. Our thoughts are with her, Alan, and the rest of their family. * Jack Hase’s father was recently in a very serious car accident and suffered severe injuries. We wish him well as he recovers. * Terry Marcott has been called to active duty with the United States Army.

We’ll miss seeing him at the clubhouse. We are all proud of Terry (for many reasons) and send our thoughts and prayers to him and his family. Having this hit so close to home once again reminds us that freedom isn’t free.

A Thanksgiving Fairy Tale

By Fireman Ken Once upon a time in a land far, far away in a kingdom called LGRAW there lived a kind and benevolent Queen who called herself K-2. The Queen presided over a kingdom of loyal peasants who were forever trying to help the Queen succeed.

One day the Queen realized that her kingdom was under siege by a huge dragon called "Turkey Trot." This fire breathing monster threatened to destroy the Queen's kingdom by taking her loyal followers away to the land of "Turkey." The Queen pleaded with her followers not to fall under the dragon's spell and to follow her on a rescue mission to save her land. On a cold clear morning the Queen and her most loyal of followers met beside the giant moat to save the kingdom. The mission of the Queen was to lead her followers down a mysterious trail into an enchanted forest to break the spell cast upon her king-

dom. The Queen and her followers massed at the edge of the trail near the moat, wary of their mission.

Their fear heightened when one of the peasants looked out over the

tom of the moat. The Queen calmed her followers and prepared them for their adventure. She told her followers that they need not bow down when she goes to her knees, she is merely inspecting her land. The Queen and her followers then began their trip to break the dragon's spell. With visions of great rewards dancing through their minds, the group sprinted down the trail, intent on success.

With the mysteries of the forest intact, the Queen and her followers emerged, never speaking of the horrible things they saw in the forest, but sure that they had broken the dragon's spell. UnforThe peasants of the 2002 “Anti-Turkey Trot” tunately, the court jester did not appear with the promised prize, moat and shrieked: "Look!!! The but the peasants were not in deGrape-ness Monster!!!" The peasspair. They had succeeded; the ants cowered, afraid for their lives, dragon's spell was broken. The but the mighty Queen looked over Queen and her followers lived hapthe moat and scowled and the pily ever after.

Grape-ness Monster slid to the botThe End.

Brenda Laney Wins the 2003 “Eva Chin Award” In 2002, RAW informally created the Eva Chin Spousal Support Award, in recognition for Eva’s going above and beyond the call of duty in supporting her husband Lee Miller’s ridiculous running habit. The first solid evidence that Eva would not retain her namesake award was when she put her foot down and refused to sit in the car for two hours while Lee ran the Anti-Turkey Trot. We were all very proud of her!

Brenda Laney is the new recipient of the 2003 “Eva Chin Award.” Brenda, like Eva, once had a "normal" husband. He slept past 5:00 a.m. on weekends, he thought gel was used to style hair, and he had 10 clear toenails. Then in May 2002 everything changed. Daryl became a runner and Brenda took on the role of Spousal Supporter. Brenda's Spousal Support peaked during the Sunmart weekend. She drove a SUV, jammed-packed with gear, food and

clothes by herself down to Huntsville. Daryl flew to Houston.

She didn't complain when her directions got her lost in a city 25 miles away from Huntsville. She stayed in a hotel "suite" that had one bathroom with five other people, two of whom she met at the hotel for the first time. She left her own children with their grandparents but watched Tim's son Nathan for 9 hours and 12 minutes so that he could be a part of his dad's first 50-mile race experience. She and Nate made big encouraging signs and held them high, cheering each time we went by.

Brenda had clean, dry clothes ready if we wanted to change quickly. She made sandwiches to eat between laps. She even helped me take off my wet muddy socks and shoes. I didn't even want to touch them!

Brenda took photos with all the different cameras, had chairs and blankets ready for us after the race,

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helped us get food and drinks, and even produced the checkbook when Daryl discovered the massage tent.

She thought we were all crazy, but she managed to make it sound like that was a good thing. She may not have understood why we wanted to run all day long but she still enjoyed everyone's accomplishment as evidenced by the tears shed when Daryl finished his first 50k in 4 hours, 42 minutes.

Brenda continued her support all the way through the ride home— first, driving so the guys could relax, then helping Nate with his overflowing sundae while Tim stretched out with the seat in full recline position (limiting Brenda's leg room to nothing). All was done without complaint. On behalf of the RAW Sunmart contingent, Thank you Brenda! ~K2 and the "Guys"

White Rock Marathon Hawaiian Style!

40 degrees… no wind… a bit of fog… grass skirts, bikinis, a palm tree and leis? This is what greeted the runners of the White Rock Marathon as they passed through RAW’s aid station. The perfect weather for the runners meant that the volunteers had to keep swaying to the music (and have a number of layers of clothing under those bikinis) to keep warm. The volunteers hooted and hollered as the many RAW runners sped

Andrew Sanford stirs the pot in preparation for the first wave of runners

through. WOW— we had a lot of members running the marathon and relay!

The volunteers wore leis and grass skirts made by Hélène Walker. She and husband Alan also made a fabulous coconut tree which was converted to the RAW clubhouse holiday tree after the marathon. Congrats to everyone on another great aid station and marathon.

….here they come!

And there they go….

A rare sight: Jack Hase at a marathon, NOT running!

These three beauties are Dee Stephens, Byron-etta Benoit, and K2

The aftermath...cups, cups and more cups

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Marathon Madness and More Tucson Marathon Tucson, AZ December 8 Terry Marcott 2:45:44

Kiawah Island Marathon Kiawah, SC December 14

Relay Teams: The Fast & Furious Duncan Stewart 1:20:10 Yolanda Hopping 1:27:49 Team Time of 2:47:56 1st place Mix-Masters

* Ran Sunmart 50 mile event day before White Rock (Editor's note: Duncan felt so good he ** Ran Sunmart 50 K day before went on to run the whole marathon!) White Rock

By Duncan Stewart: While at the White Rock Marathon starting line, I’m thinking, “Why oh why did I let Yolanda talk me into this?” It’s only a relay, and I’m keyed up like it’s my first marathon.

Maybe it was the pressure of someone else depending on me to get through my portion on time, or maybe it was my conscience making me feel guilty. You see, I had been known to go on and on about how “the marathon was all about individual accomplishment and the relay just detracts from it.” And here I was with a relay bib number on Oy! Well, color me red.

Dave Aungst 4:21:27

Sunmart Texas Trail Endurance Runs December 14 50 Mile: Scott Eppelman 6:33:30 4th place overall Tim Brenner 9:12:04 First 50-mile Kelly "K1" Woodmansee 9:40:26 3rd place in age group 50K: Daryl Laney 4:42 9:07 First 50k Lee Miller 5:15:36 K2 Kelly Richards 5:39:42 First 50k Rick Sanford 5:49:05 50 minute PR Carl Stipes 5:51:04 First 50k Kelly "K3" Eppelman 7:27:02

White Rock Marathon Dallas, TX December 15 David Ball 3:30:15 JW Keeling 4:22:34 Bruce Johanns 4:11:03 Steve Grady 4:11:36 Heather Wallace 3:58:25 a PR *Kelly "K1" Woodmansee 5:43:57 Ray Paschal 4:10:50 *Scott Eppelman 3:52:07 Steve Bryant 4:17:01 Debbie Bryant 5:18:18

Dos Chiquitas Cathy McCauley 1:53:39 Tanya Bubash 1:50:12 Team time of 3:43:51

Craig Minyard flying through the RAW aid station

S2 Systems Craig Minyard 1:15:58 Team time 2:39:27 1st place corporate team Team RAW Kat Loewen 1:52:46 Evelyn Luccioni 2:32:46 Team time of 4:25:26 S&M Spankers Marybeth Crane 2:06:45 Team time of 4:29:30 Lori Squared Lori Cerami 2:06:45 Team time of 4:35:36 Poizen Paint **Kelly "K3" Eppelman 2:33:41 Team time of 4:53:38 Team Complete Doug Noell 1:50:51 Courtney Noell 2:20:58 Team time of 4:11:49 8

Anyway, after Mayor Miller said her piece and the national anthem was sung, we were bedazzled (not really) by the fireworks at the start. Off we went! First mile in 5:57 and uphill to boot. Oops, better slow down! Craig and Coby slide right by before we hit mile 2. While the hills aren’t steep, they are quite long, so I slow down a bit from 4 to 7. Then it’s down to the lake and around we go. By mile 10 I’m struggling to keep the pace under 6:15 and know there won’t be a PR today. But I have to keep going as hard as I can because Yolanda Is Waiting. Oh, the pressure, the pressure! With a dying gasp I hand off the relay band to her.

After I catch my breath, I look around for Craig – where did he go?

Maybe if I jog to mile 20 I can catch a ride from a friend on a 5-person relay team. Mile 20 arrives and not a familiar face in sight. Hmm, might as well keep going. Gosh I’m tired!

Finally the 26-mile marker arrives

Marathon Madness and More and I gratefully stop. I cheer and clap for the marathoners and especially friends. David, Lee, Scott, Dennis, Doug, Brian, Kathy & Dan, and Steve. You did great and way to tough it out, buddy!

By Duncan Stewart:

The main appeal of The Walt Disney World Marathon is, naturally, that the runners take a tour through all four of its theme parks. They use a seeding system that assigns via a Yolanda is still there, so we go into corral letter, not a number. So my the awards ceremony, where we low bib number only meant that I learn that we won our relay division. signed up early. (On a side note, do Yahoo! Yolanda ran ANOTHER PR you think getting up at 1 am on the and is deservedly happy. For myself, day registration opened to enroll I decide to retire from marathon online is obsessive?) Our hotel relays. ☺ complex had the unfortunate coincidence, for me at least, of hosting a college cheerleading event.

Mississippi Marathon So of course they were hooting and Clinton, MS hollering all night long. Ha, ha, I January 11 fooled them. I had to get up at 3 am to make sure I got to the staging area Gabe Pugliese 4:15:35 on time. (The last bus leaves at 4 am Byron Benoit 3:24:32 for the 6 am start!)

course, I had my bottle of carbo drink, which can be used for other purposes once empty. I met up with Jon “Polar Bear” Korte once I got to the corral, and we edged our way up to the front. There was this character in the elite section that had about 20 little pigtails in his hair. I mentioned to PB that this guy had better win or he’d feel like a clown.

Finally it was time for the start and off we went. Although the first mile was exactly on target, my splits were all over the place. The race starts in Epcot and winds around that park before heading over to the Magic Kingdom, where you eventually get to run through Cinderella’s Enchanted Castle. From there the course takes you over to Animal Kingdom, then to MGM Studios, then through the Boardwalk on the way Both did this marathon as a training back to Epcot. It was “way cool” run for the Mardi Gras marathon. As cruising through the parks, but from Byron put it, “I wanted to do a 26 a pure running perspective I miler so I figured I’d just as soon go preferred the quiet stretches in where water and such would be set between. Included in the pockets of up. Plus I got a long sleeve shirt and spectators were the Disney gloves for $20. Some 5k's cost that characters, and music here and much. Also got to take a trip in a there. At the halfway point I was a Boxster (Porsche)!” little ahead of target, according to the race predictor, and on course for The Mississippi Marathon was a 90-second PR. Alas, it was not Gabe's 20th marathon overall. He meant to be, as I lost 2 minutes after checked off state # 16 in his quest to the 20-mile mark despite my best complete a marathon in all 50 states efforts. My tried-and-true “Pain Is plus DC. Temporary, Pride Is Forever” mantra helped, though. Chip time – 2:49:13.

Goofy and Courtney Noell Disney Marathon My second-fastest time ever, which Orlando, FL Once arriving at the staging area, ain’t so bad at age 40. But it really the clothing bags have to be turned hurt to lose that PR in the last 2 January 12 in no later than 5 am, so everyone miles! Polar Bear really impressed can start making their way to the me with his 2:58 on minimal Marathon: actual start. Well, the weather was training. The finishing medals, in Duncan Stewart 2:49:13 in the upper 40’s, which is great for the shape of a Mickey Mouse head, First Texan! running but not so great for standing are really cool. My family and I then Jon Korte 2:58:29 around in running gear. Me being spent a glorious week enjoying the Tony Dominiec 5:10:35 cheap and all, I was reluctant to Disney World parks.

Melvin Crafton 6:09:56 donate my old sweats to charity.

Team In Training Pacer However, since this was my 20th I would definitely recommend this marathon, I had planned ahead.

I marathon. Running through the Half: made quite the pre-race fashion parks was memorable and the course Doug Noell 1:44:42 PR statement with a garbage bag over a is flat, so you can still post a good Courtney Noell 2:18:41PR t-shirt over a kitchen-sized bag, all time if you get favorable weather, as Alan Noell 2:56:29 on top of my race outfit.

And, of we did.

Lisa Noell 3:19:04 9

The Route to a World Record

By Scott Eppelman

The seed for my 24-hour run to nowhere was planted early in 2002.

While at my health club, I overheard a conversation about endurance running. Since I know most of the ultrarunners in the Dallas area, it's unusual to hear a stranger talking about the sport. So, I introduced myself and asked who they were talking about. One of the individuals had a brother in the U.K. who held the world record for distance covered on a treadmill in 24 Hours.

Upon learning that it was "only" 103 miles, I began wondering if I could go farther. My 24-hour best on roads is more than 137 miles, and I have covered in excess of 131 miles on a track, so the record seemed attainable. Still, there were uncertainties, and my longest nonstop treadmill run to date was only about an hour.

The first steps were to find out from Guinness Book of Records what guidelines needed to be followed for the run to be accepted as official, and to locate a facility for the attempt. One of the rules is that the public must have access to the site for duration of the run. An obvious solution was a health club that was open 24 hours. The 24 Hour Fitness location in Addison, Texas was receptive. Many thanks to Brent Johnson and the staff there — they were great. The quality of the facility was also top notch.

My friend and fellow North Texas Trail Runners member Norman Hall, a video enthusiast, offered to run a camera and be a witness, along with his wife Lynne.

Finally all the planning was done, and the big day arrived — Friday, November 1. I needed to start in the evening, which meant that I would be fresh for the overnight hours, but that it would be over twelve hours from when I woke up to when I set foot on the treadmill. After getting the video equipment ready, I began with little fanfare at 8:18 P.M. A few friends were there to wish me

well, and I spoke with others on the phone in the early going.

Everything I needed (with the exception of a bathroom) was beside or on the treadmill: Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel from E-CAPS and Hammer Nutrition (my only calorie sources), bottled water, mobile phone, towels, SportSlick (antichafing lubricant), extra shoes and socks, and a radio. The Halls filled my water bottles and gel flask for me, so all I had to worry about was constant movement.

My experience with 24-hour and multi-day racing had taught me that I perform best using a combination run/walk strategy from the outset. On the treadmill I ran four miles, walked one mile, then took a bathroom break. This cycle was about an hour long. I continued this, hour after hour, almost mechanically, until after 4:00 P.M. Saturday. Another tactic I considered using, but decided against as a result of an on-treadmill phone conversation, was to periodically raise and lower the belt angle.

The question I am most asked about this run, and about ultrarunning in general, is "What did you think about?" My reply is that there is plenty to fill my mind, even for an entire day. Experience has also shown me that focusing inward, rather than on external stimuli, is the way to go. I concentrate on how I feel, doing repeated "system checks" of my stomach, energy level, feet, stride, etc. If I'm focusing well it is almost like being in my own little cocoon. And so this is what I did, although not 100% of the time.

Distractions were readily available when I wanted them, like conversations with Norman, Lynne, and others in the club, music, television (continuous showings of the same infomercials in the wee hours drove me crazy. I also saw the same 10

SportsCenter four times in a row. I nearly had the day's scores memorized). I could also just "people watch." Aside from about 2:00 to 4:00 A.M., there was always someone to see. The Halls were the ones at real risk of boredom. Lynne read a complete paperback book, coincidentally titled "24 Hours." I don't know what it was about, but the name was certainly appropriate.

And on it went. Near the end I shortened the running segment, then the walking pace, and by the time I was done there was more walking than running. As can be the case in a long run, I was worn out at the end. This is not as obvious as it sounds. What I mean is that I may tire near the finish, whether 24 hours or 24 miles. The cause, I believe, lies in the mind-body connection. It is very strong. This is what enabled me to get through those first twenty-plus hours with relative ease: my mind had set up my body for what was coming. The mind also started the process of shutting things down, knowing that the conclusion was near. Getting the mind and body to communicate and work in harmony is crucial in ultrarunning, and I am sure this is also the case with other endurance sports.

My total was 116.04 miles. The video, my mileage log, witness statements, and other information will be reviewed by Guinness Book and hopefully approved, which would make me the world record holder.

My appreciation goes to LifeFitness, whose treadmill performed flawlessly. My feet were "in good hands" in performance toe socks by Injinji Footwear (www.injinji.com). Consistent energy, free of peaks and valleys, was provided by E-CAPS/ Hammer Nutrition (www.e-caps. com). And of course, I could not have done it without Norman and Lynne.

From Ordinary to Ultra Athlete When asked if Carl Stipe had run his first 50k at Sunmart, Lee Miller replied, “Yes, that was Carl's first 50k, and based on his comments on the way home, it was possibly his last one too.” Lee copied Carl on his answer and Carl came back with this classic reply, which epitomizes the thought process of the distance athlete: “My initial feelings about this run were much the same as my thoughts about Hotter Than Hell the first time I did that event. At HTH, as I lay in the dirt under a tree, I recall cursing anything and everything to do with distance events (at the time I thought a 100mile bike ride was a distance event) and I contemplated taking up Sumo.

“During Sunmart (probably around 19-22 miles) I was pretty much of the opinion that I was having a really bad time and again my thoughts turned to my possible future as a sumo wrestler. Once I realized that I had less than 10 miles to go, my perspective changed and I was thinking this is not "that bad" (except for the pain from blisters and my aching knee).

During the drive back, I realized just how tired I was and how spent my legs felt. I think that was partially due to the sudden stop after almost 6 hours of going. So my thoughts were "this was it."

I am even thinking that given a different course, a 50 mile run might not be out of the question if I can ever figure out how to train for one, but that may just be due to me killing a few brain cells on Sunmart.

“Now here I sit a few days after Sunmart, and I am almost convinced that I enjoyed it. I am pretty sure I will do another 50k.

“And to think I used to be ‘normal’ —content with lifting weights and running a mile or two.”

—Carl Stipe

“So, would I do another 50k? Sure.

Would I do a 50 miler? Maybe.

Would I ever be sick and twisted enough to do a 100-miler? You never know, given how this distance stuff twists your perspective on things as you go past each new ‘furthest I have ever gone’ point.

RAW Members Full of Good Cheer When I first told my husband that I had offered our home for the RAW Holiday party, he asked, “So since these people are all runners, does that mean that they just eat healthy food?” I avoided choking with laughter and replied, “Why do you think they run!?” I did find it interesting that as I was cleaning up in the wee hours of the morning, I discovered that we had drunk 21 bottles of wine...and two cases of bottled water!”

—Susan Barnett

Tony Dominiec and Jim Barnett

Eileen Fontaine & Stacie Sauber

Doug & Courtney Noell, and Tia & Marty Metzger

Joe and Evelyn Luccioni

Mike and Liz Shanks

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RAW Welcomes 2003

We Need Your Ideas….

Nearly 40 people came out to the clubhouse to celebrate the New Year with a short run and a good time with their friends. The weather was beautiful; only a repeat of the 2000 snow storm could have been better. It was great to see Gary Howsam and Curtis Woodard again, both of whom are an inspiration for handling adversity.

The hit of the event? It was either John Bush's bow tie and cummerbund or Lee Miller's seven layer dip. Hard to choose.

We are blessed to have a large number of hares in our club, but let’s face it...most of us are just big ol’ tortoises. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that those really, really fast people are the exception, and it’s the rest of us that are normal. We want to be a club for everyone. Anyone that we can encourage to get outside and run or walk, is one more healthier person in our midst.

As we reflected on 2002 we all were thankful for our many blessings and looked forward to another successful year of running and walking with wonderful friends and a great club!

Running and walking does so much for us—mentally as well as physically. We need to encourage more people to come out and join us, regardless of their pace or the distance they’d like to cover. In the next few weeks, we’re going to make a concentrated effort to make those people who may have been intimidated feel welcome and at home at our club. Whether they’re a beginner runner, or an old pro, we want them to be a part of the RAW community. Over time, the “W” in RAW has dwindled, and with some focus, we can rebuild a core group of walkers, and runners who want to cover shorter distances.

We have some ideas on how to ensure that everyone that comes out to our weekend training runs will find someone to run their pace and distance with them. If you’re interested in taking the lead in getting this program underway, let us know. Send an email to K2 (Kelly Richards) at President@RunnersAndWalkers.com and we’ll get this show on the road! (K2 has been traveling a lot lately, so don’t be discouraged if she takes a while to answer—we do want you!)

Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of the American Cancer Society.

During the event on May 16th and 17th, teams consisting of 8-15 people will gather and take turns walking or running laps at the Birdville Stadium track. Each team will keep at least one team member on the track at all times from7 pm to 7 am. Relay For Life represents the hope that 12

those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day, cancer will be eliminated.

At RAW we know the effects of this disease.

Let's support our survivors and those currently fighting cancer by doing what we do best... running and walking.

For more information, please contact Paul Gerba at Gerbap@aol.com.

Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers Club Membership Application Name: ______________________________________

____ Male ____ Female

DOB:____/____/____

Address: ____________________________________

____ New Membership

____ Renewal

City: _______________________________________

Is it okay to publish this information in the club directory?____

State: ___________________

Participating Family Members: Name:_______________________ Name:_______________________ Name:_______________________ Name:_______________________

Zip Code: _______

Home Phone: (____)__________________________ E-Mail Address: _____________________________

___M ___F ___M ___F ___M ___F ___M ___F

DOB:___/___/___ DOB:___/___/___ DOB:___/___/___ DOB:___/___/___

I know that participating and volunteering to work in club events can be potentially hazardous. I assume all risks associated with running, walking, and volunteering to work in club events. Having read this waiver and knowing these facts, and in consideration of your acceptance of my application for membership, I, for myself and anyone entitled to act on my behalf, waive and release the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers, Inc., United States of America Track and Field, and all sponsors, their representatives and successors from all claims of liabilities of any kind arising out of my participation in club activities. I grant permission to all of the foregoing to use any photographs, motion pictures, recordings or any other records for any legitimate purpose.

Membership Dues: _____ $20 Single _____ $30 Family Mail to: LGRAW P.O. Box 2982 Grapevine, TX 76099

Check here if you need two membership cards: _____ Signature_______________________________________ Date:_____/_____/_____

New Members

Renewals

Lori Cerami Ray Paschal Peter Cruz and Lori Moffitt Peter Chan Daryl Laney Bill and Annette Collins Norman Roper and Barbara Luciano Martha Wright Michael and Tanya Czyz Al and Kristine Blackmon Scott Conrad Chuck Franklin Linda Garner Don Krell Christine Gonzalez Mark Sparks Deborah Evans Phil Johnson Adam Pope Chris Fegley Mike Dunkel Nancy Szollosi Lauren McCarley

Ted Ray Amyx David and Becky Aungst David Ball Travis Batchelder Mark Blenden Richard and Susan Brooker Steve and Debbie Bryant Paul Gerba Thomas Goodwin Yolanda Hopping Kandy Kobar Don Nelson John Nixon Courtney and Doug Noell Lisa O’Brien Mike Pettay The Alison Repass family Liz Shanks Mary Simon James Uhelski Alan and Hélène Walker Tom Zack

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He Did WHAT?!

You’d think we’d be used to hearing these accomplishments by now, but Scott Eppelman never ceases to amaze us.

He ran 50 miles at Sunmart on Saturday, December 14, and then ran the White Rock Marathon course TWICE on Sunday! He called it the “Sunmart-Double White Rock Boondoggle”.

It wasn’t the first time that Sunmart and White Rock had been done in the same weekend, so in typical Scott fashion, he decided “it was time to up the ante.” Scott started running his first tour of White rock at 2:00 a.m.

We can’t wait to see what’s next on this guy’s to-do list!

Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers P.O. Box 2982 Grapevine, TX 76099

PRSRT STD A U.S. Postage Paid Grapevine, TX Permit No. 243

Join us for “Saturday Night Live” — the 1st Saturday of each month

LGRAW Now Part of USATF Due to the escalating cost of membership, LGRAW's Board has elected not to renew the club's membership with the Road Runner's Club of America. Instead, LGRAW will join the USA Track & Field (USATF) organization. The USATF is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running, and race walking. The USATF motto is "Sport for Everyone....For Life."

• • • •

Establishing and enforcing the rules and regulations of our sport.

Sanctioning more than 4,000 events each year.

Providing insurance to sanctioned events, member clubs and member-athletes.

Certifying race courses for accuracy and validating records.

Nearly 100,000 Americans are members of USATF. Other member orThe USATF serves our sport by: ganizations include the US Olympic • Establishing grassroots proCommittee, NCAA, NAIA, Road grams, such as the Junior Olym- Runners Club of America, Running pics, to help develop future USA and the National Federation of stars.

State High School Associations.

• Developing, selecting and lead- Fifty-seven USATF Associations ing Team USA at the Olympics, oversee the sport and its 2,500 clubs World Championships and more at the local level. than 12 other international events each year.

Any LGRAW member can join the • Promoting programs of training USATF. The benefits and details on and competition for men, how to join can be found at http:// women, boys, and girls of all www.usatf.org/membership/ ages. benefits/.

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Popularity Grows for “Saturday Night Live” The first Saturday of each month RAW members come together to share an evening of dinner and camaraderie. It’s a tradition we have dubbed "Saturday Night Live."

It’s a wonderful time to introduce your spouse, friends and children to the club in an easygoing atmosphere. A year ago we were averaging 12-20 attendees. In August we jumped to 30 participants and have increased our numbers each month since.

The January event reached nearly 50 people!

We always meet at 5:00, and locations are published in the Footprint and on our online bulletin board (www. runnersandwakers.com). Come on out and find out what your fellow RAW members look like in REAL clothes!