CLICK HERE to see photos of some CORK runners, they were taken by Bob Speik of Traditional Mountaineering and captured some of us on Wikiup Plains on Sept. 4th.....
HUMOR - IN THE BLEACHERS
Next Board Meeting for Central Oregon Running Klub
CORK meetings are the last Monday of each month at 6:00PM
The Board requests and welcomes everyone's participation
Kami Semick runs a personal best in race in the Netherlands
By Bulletin staff report
Published: September 12. 2007 5:00AM PST
Kami Semick of Bend ran a personal-best time Saturday, and it was good for a silver medal at the International Association of Ultrarunners 100-kilometer World Cup.
The race took place in Winschoten, Netherlands.
Semick, 41, finished the race in 7 hours, 51 minutes, 54 seconds topping the time of 7:56:38 she posted last year in finishing 11th overall among women at the 2006 100K World Cup in Misari, South Korea.
Competitors completed 10 laps of a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) loop course that Semick described as flat and mostly asphalt.
“There was some cobblestone,” she said Tuesday after returning to Bend. “You can't go to the Netherlands and not find cobblestone.”
Semick finished ninth overall among women in the 2007 event, and she was second in the women's 40-44 age group, for which she received a silver medal.
“I was hoping for a 10-minute PR,” Semick said. “I was shooting for maintaining a 7:30 (per mile) pace consistently throughout the race, and through 80K I was right on target. The last two laps (20K), I slowed down. The wind was pretty strong at times, and it make the last few laps kind of tough.”
In an international field of more than 300 entries (224 finishers), Semick was the fifth United States runner to cross the finish line and the first U.S. woman. No. 2 among American women was 25-year-old Devon Crosby-Helms of San Francisco, whose time was 8:06:20.
Competing in her second 100K World Cup, Semick placed 64th among all finishers, male and female.
The overall women's winner was Norimi Sakurai, 36, of Japan. Her time 7:00:27 set a new women's 100K record.
The overall men's winner, also of Japan, was Shinichi Watanabe, 30, in a time of 6:23:21. The first American man to finish was 42-year-old Howard Nippert of Blacksburg, Va., who was eighth overall in 6:49:31
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications , Inc. Copyright 2007
Local runner places in Masters World Championships Published: September 11. 2007 5:00AM PST
RICCIONE, Italy Jeanette “Jeanie” Groesz of Redmond is competing in the track and field 2007 World Masters Athletics Championships, which began Tuesday, Sept. 4, and continue through Saturday.
Groesz joins athletes ages 35 to 95 from around the world and has raced in three events so far. Competing in the women's 55-59 age group, she placed fifth out of 16 competitors in the 5,000-meter race, finishing in a time of 20 minutes, 18.42 seconds. The first-place finisher was Great Britain's Janette Stevenson with a time of 18:25.94.
Groesz earned fifth place out of 39 runners in the 8-kilometer event (31:38). American Kathryn Martin won the race in the time of 29:27. In the 800-meter sprint, Groesz placed sixth out of 12 finishers, with a time of 2:42.14. The first-place finisher was Waltraud Egger of Italy (2:32.07).
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications , Inc. Copyright 2007.
Clay Owen Thomason was born on Monday, March 12 th . He was brought in to the world via an emergency C-section. He went full-term and weighed in at 6 ½ pounds however the day or two leading up to the birth were problematic for little Clay. Apparently the placenta had somewhat “given out” and Clay did not receive the appropriate amount of oxygen and nutrients that he needed thus causing his little body to begin to shut down.
Clay and Dave were airlifted to Emmanuel Hospital in Portland on Tuesday afternoon and are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit there. Carisa remained in SCMC for another day and then her mom, Linda drove her up to Portland. Dave & Carisa are staying at the Ronald McDonald house near the hospital.
Clay is a fighter and continues to improve. As of 3-19-07, he is off the ventilator, breathing on his own, starting to move around and open his eyes more frequently. He is still on anti-seizure medication and having some difficulty feeding but getting better all the time. The doctors are still unsure as to how extensive the damage to the kidneys and brain are but we're all thinking positive. YOU CAN DO IT CLAY!!!!! J
If you would like to help out with the large medical bills for Clay, please stop by the Downtown Branch of the Bank of America and deposit your contribution to Account # 4850-0070-6262. The account is named the “Clay Thomason Medical Expense Account”
If you have questions, please call Julie Downing at 317-0205 or 383-7764, or e-mail jdowning@cocc.edu . To send well wishes to the Dave & Carisa, please e-mail davidt@bendbroadband.com or call 350-4199.
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Dick Arnold, 66, completed his first Ironman last month. "It still feels great weeks later!" he said between laps swimming at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center on Friday.
Local man joins trend of older Ironman contestants
By Markian Hawryluk / The Bulletin
Published: December 07. 2006 5:00AM PST
In early November, 66-year-old Dick Arnold, of Bend, accomplished something many people half his age only dream of doing. He completed his first Ironman triathlon, a grueling 140-mile race consisting of swimming 2.4 miles, cycling another 112, and then running a full 26.2-mile marathon.
Yet that age-defying feat was by no means unique. Three other men and one woman in the 65-to-69 age group and four men in their 70s, including a 77-year-old, completed the race alongside Arnold in Florida. Increasingly, contestants in some of the toughest endurance races in the world are individuals we once considered over-the-hill.
"It is incredible," Arnold said of the rising numbers of seniors participating in Ironman events. "Where you really see the increase in the number of participants is in the 60-to-65 age groups. It's the numbers that have double and tripled."
Justin Freyermuth of Bend (from left), Sean Meissner of Sisters, Mike Olson of Bend and Danny Harris of Bend hoof it over the Galveston Bridge on Saturday morning during the annual Veterans Day Run in Bend. Olson was the winner of the five-kilometer race in 15 minutes, 20 seconds.
Published: October 23, 2006 5:00AM PST
By Bulletin staff report
Roger Daniels
Lew Hollander
Michael Soma
Three Central Oregon triathletes achieved one of the single greatest feats in athleticism on Saturday by completing the 2006 Ironman World Championship, staged in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
In all, 1,695 participants started the race, and 1,627 athletes finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run (marathon). The field included everyone from professional athletes to those with disabilities.
Lew Hollander, 76, of Bend was one of the oldest athletes to complete the event. Hollander finished 1,580th overall and second out of five men in the 75-to-79 age group with a time of 15 hours, 36 minutes and 17 seconds. The race marked Hollander's 17th Ironman World Championship finish.
Roger Daniels of Bend completed his second Ironman World Championship on Saturday with a time of 14:59:24. The 70-year-old triathlete came in fifth of 12 men in the 70-to-74 age division, and ranked 1,546th overall.
The 2006 Hawaii Ironman set the stage for Michael Soma's first finish in an ironman-length race. The Bend resident came in with a time of 12:41:12. Soma, 48, took 136th out of 167 men in the 45-to-49 age group, and ranked 1,295th overall. Soma was chosen to compete in the Hawaii Ironman through its lottery system.
The overall winners of the championship were professional triathlete Michellie Jones, 37, of Carlsbad, Calif., for the women with a time of 9:18:31. Normann Stadler of Mannheim, Germany, won the men's field. The 33-year-old professional triathlete clocked a time of 8:11:56.
For more information and stories on the 2006 Ironman World Championship, including individual event times, visit www.ironman.com.
The 2006 Ironman World Championship will be televised Dec. 9 starting at 1 p.m. PST on NBC.
Trying to run 72 miles in about 10 hours leaves little time for extracurricular activities - such as fighting.
So when Sean Meissner was running through South Lake Tahoe, Calif., in the wee hours of the morning last month and passed closely by two guys who were, as he put it, "ready to throw down," he picked up his pace.
"I knew a fight was going to happen, so I got out of there real quick," said Meissner, who would go on to win the Lake Tahoe Ultra race by a whopping 1 hour, 21 minutes, finishing in 10:27:48.
Apparently the brawlers had little effect on Meissner, who ran close to eight minutes per mile for most of the race, held Sept. 30 on the highways that form a loop around Lake Tahoe. The course was a counterclockwise loop, starting and finishing near South Lake Tahoe.
The 33-year-old Meissner, who lives in Sisters, has made a name for himself at Lake Tahoe, having won the Tahoe Triple - three marathons on three consecutive days - for four straight years, from 2001 to 2004. He finished fourth in the Triple last year. This year, he elected to race in the new 72-miler and get the running over with in one day.
"I always wanted to run around Tahoe in one push, so I decided to give it a try," Meissner said this week.
The race started at midnight, and Meissner said he got into an eight-minute-mile pace for the first 42 miles. Not long after the start, he found himself in a section of South Lake Tahoe known for its gambling and partying - and on this night, brawling.
But Meissner managed to avoid the fight and pushed on.
As if the fight scene wasn't enough, Meissner narrowly missed crossing paths with a bear, which crossed in front of his support car at the 40-mile point.
But, said Meissner, "I would have rather seen the bear than get in the middle of a fight."
By Mile 47, he said, he ate some energy gel and "felt like complete crap for the next 15 miles," and his pace faded to about 14 minutes per mile.
"That was frustrating, because it was the easiest part of the course," Meissner said.
But ultrarunners (those who run events longer than a conventional 26.2-mile marathon) often experience physical and psychological highs and lows, and Meissner knew he would eventually feel better. At Mile 57 the sun began to rise and, Meissner said, he got back into his eight-minute pace for the last 15 miles.
"Ultrarunning is more mental than physical," Meissner said. "You have to be very stubborn to finish it. In that 15-mile section, I knew it would get better, and you have to know that. You have to have the willpower and the stubbornness to know it will get better."
Meissner explained that he was surprised to win by such a wide margin, mostly because the race was all on pavement and he is more accustomed to running on trails.
"This was by far the farthest I've ran on the road," he said. "My legs held up a lot better than I thought they would. I was surprised how easy it was on my legs."
Meissner said that running 72 miles in one day was much easier on his body than running marathons on three consecutive days, as he had done the five previous years.
"I prefer running the one time," Meissner said. "But when you do that, there's more chances for things to go wrong. With me, it went wrong for 15 miles. But it was easier on my legs, and I recovered faster."
He said he enjoyed the 72-miler more than the Tahoe Triple, partly because he got to run at night.
"At Incline Village (Nev., 31 miles into the race), I could see all these other headlamps across the lake," Meissner recalled. "That was pretty cool. But I had no idea I was that far ahead."
The Lake Tahoe Ultra included 27 runners who started, 18 of whom finished.
Meissner, a delivery truck driver for Consolidated Supplies in Bend, plans to run this Saturday in the San Diego 100-mile Endurance Run, an event held mostly on trails.
His long-term goal is to have raced in 100 ultras (usually 50K or longer) by the time he turns 35 in July 2008. The San Diego run will be Meissner's 66th ultra.
Meissner, who organizes the Peterson Ridge Rumble ultras in Sisters each spring, is one of many accomplished ultrarunners in Central Oregon.
Kami Semick of Bend, a friend of Meissner's, recently finished 11th in the 100K World Cup in South Korea.
"It's crazy," Meissner said of the ultrarunning scene in Central Oregon. "It's great, though. My best friends are ultrarunners, and there's always someone to go out and run with. And some really good ones, too."
Meissner is also friends with Sam Thompson, an ultrarunner from Mississippi who recently ran 50 marathons in 50 days to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Thompson also competed in the Lake Tahoe Ultra, and he and Meissner ran the first 20 miles together.
While Meissner is inspired by Thompson, he said that three marathons in three days is quite enough.
"I just don't have that kind of time," Meissner said.
Mark Morical can be reached at 383-0318 or at mmorical@bendbulletin.com.
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Not often am I speechless -- it was just that I wasn't given an opportunity to grab the mike!
I want everyone at CORK to know how honored I feel to have received that awesome award, that huge plaque, I don't think I've ever won anything quite so tremendous.
Also want to thank you all for your hard work volunteering for the Bend Open/Masters Track & Field Meet. I realize it was a great gift to us, giving up your favorite day of running. The meet was a huge success and we couldn't have done it without you.
Happy trails,
Suzi MacLeod
(& her red-headed running partner, the poodle)
There was no Central Oregon road - make that trail - less traveled by this weekend, with cross-country footraces from Bend to Madras and beyond. Below is a wrap up of Saturday's trail-running highlights. For complete race results see Community Sports Scoreboard, Page D7.
Dirty Dozen and Half Dozen
The Dirty Dozen and Half Dozen were added to the Central Oregon racing lineup just this year, and challenged participants to run six or 12 miles on trails near Wanoga Sno-Park southwest of Bend. According to Teague Hatfield, one of the race organizers, the course was hilly and often sandy, adding additional challenges to the mileage itself.
"It was a beautiful day. We had great views," said Hatfield. "We'll definitely do this again next year."
Winner of the men's open 12-mile race was Andy Martin of Bend with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 34 seconds, while Amy Petersen of Bend took first in the women's open race in 1:29:38.
First-place for Masters (ages 40 and older) men in the Dirty Dozen was Brian Gingrich of Bend in 1:25:45. Dru Carpenter of Redmond was crowned champion for Masters women, clocking a time of 1:32:33.
Winner of the men's open six-mile race was Teague Hatfield of Bend in 42:19, and women's open winner was Shon Agnew of Bend in 49:54. Men's Masters champion was Joel Vergona in 38:52, while Krista Cooley of Prineville won for Masters women in 52:01.
As the final event of the 2006 Dirt Series, it appealed to trail runners striving to complete the four-race set, which began with the Peterson Ridge Rumble 30-kilometer and 60K runs in April.
High Desert Shootout 5K
This five-kilometer cross-country footrace near Crooked River Ranch appealed to all varieties of runners, with a category for high school squads from across the state and a Masters/open category. It also drew some daunting competition, serving as the USA Track and Field Open and Masters 5K State Championship and one of the final races of the USATF/Oregon Grand Prix Race Series.
Winner of the men's open race was Max King, 26, of Bend with a time of 15 minutes, 45.10 seconds. Michelle Swift, 33, of Eugene won the women's open division in 25:33.40. In the Masters category, Chris Gassner, 45, of Bend was crowned men's champion in 21:20.60, while Cheryl Tronson, 48, of Bend took the women's title with a time of 21:31.80.
The course, staged on dirt trails, was challenging with an uphill finish, noted Bob Latham, one of the event's organizers. Nevertheless, it drew racers of all ages. The oldest racer was John Keston of Sunriver at 81. The oldest female runner was Suzi MacLeod of Bend at age 72.
Note: A story and results from Saturday's Pilot Butte Challenge staged in Bend appeared in Sunday's sports section. Results from Saturday's Bob Nelson Memorial XC Meet held in Madras also appeared in Sunday's sports section.
Abbie Beane can be reached at 383-0393 or at abeane@bendbulletin.com.
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There will be no dearth of footraces from which to choose on Saturday ? though it may be difficult to choose one over another. This weekend will offer one Central Oregon classic, two new endurance races to test out, a state championship event, and a revamped version of an old favorite.
Dirty Dozen and Half Dozen
The Dirty Dozen and Half Dozen trail-running events are new on the 2006 racing calendar.
Races of six and 12 miles will wind participants around trails near Wanoga Sno-Park off Century Drive southwest of Bend starting at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, which strives to improve area trails for runners, walkers, hikers and mountain bikers.
Racers will run on double-track and singletrack trails offering vistas of the Cascades. The six-mile course will be a single loop, and the 12-mile course consists of two separate six-mile loops. Both courses are described as spectator friendly.
Awards will be given to the top five Masters (age 40 and older) men and women finishers and to the top five men and women age 39 and younger in each race. The event is also part of the 2006 Dirt Series. Those who participate in three of four Dirt Series events, which also include April?s Peterson Ridge Rumble, June?s Dirty Half Marathon and August?s Haulin? Aspen Marathon or Half Marathon, will be awarded a prize. A raffle will follow the event. Race organizers note that the emphasis of the event is fun.
Those interested should register in advance at the FootZone, 845 N.W. Wall St. in downtown Bend, or on race day from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at race site (if the event is not full). Packet pick-up is Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the FootZone, or on race day at the race site. Cost is $25.
For more information, contact the FootZone at 317-3568 or at www.footzonebend.com.
Pilot Butte Challenge
The event that challenges participants to climb approximately 480 feet to the top of Bend?s Pilot Butte is back for its eighth running. While many will race the roughly one-mile course on the dirt trail in hopes of setting an age-group or personal record, others treat the event as an excuse to take a recreational stroll to the summit of the city?s landmark cinder cone.
The first race will begin at 9 a.m. at the foot of the butte?s east side. Men and women age 70 and older will kick off the event, followed in order by men and women 60 to 69, boys and girls 12 and younger, racers 13-14, ages 50-59, men and women 45-49, men 40-44, women 40-44, men 35-39, women 35-39, men 30-34, women 30-34, men 19-29, women 19-29, men 15-18, and women 15-18. Race groups will start in 10- to 15-minute intervals. Participants should register for the Challenge at least half an hour before their event.
The Pilot Butte Challenge is free to participants and spectators. There will be water for racers at the top of the butte.
For further information, call Joe at Pilot Butte State Park, 388-6055, ext. 22.
Bob Nelson Memorial XC Meet
Madras High School's cross-country season opener has changed its name and will welcome public participation for the first time this year.
The race has been renamed the Bob Nelson Memorial XC Meet, in memory of longtime Madras cross-country coach Bob Nelson, who died last year. The meet invites Nelson's former runners as well as the general public to participate in the three-mile run on a mix of grass, paved and dirt trails around Madras High.
High school girls will begin at 11 a.m., followed by high school boys and the open race.
There is no charge to race. Participants should simply arrive at the high school stadium before their scheduled race.
For further information, call Margaret at 475-7265.
High Desert Shootout 5K
No exclusions apply in this second annual five-kilometer footrace near Crooked River Ranch northeast of Terrebonne. The event is not only a cross-country competition for high school teams from across the state, it is also the USA Track and Field Open and Masters 5K State Championship and part of the USATF/Oregon Grand Prix Race Series. The race is also open to other youth cross-country teams, such as squads representing middle schools.
Organizer Bob Latham notes that the level of competition will be stepped up this year, with high school cross-country teams attending from North Medford, South Eugene, The Dalles, South Salem and more. Some teams are ranked in the statewide top 10. Latham describes the race as a true cross-country event - staged 100 percent on dirt trails with spectacular views of the Cascades.
Varsity and junior varsity men's and women's high school cross-country teams will begin at 10 a.m. The Masters and open field will start at 12:15 p.m. Event organizers expect 12 high school teams, and about 100 runners in the Masters/open category.
Those interested in racing should register on race day at least half an hour before their event. Cost is $15 per person in the Masters/open division, which includes a T-shirt.
For more information, call Latham at 382-1927 or Harry Simonis at 504-1077.
Abbie Beane can be reached at 383-0393 or at abeane@bendbulletin.com.
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Veteran long-distance runner and triathlete Roger Daniels demonstrates the proper technique for running downhill safely and efficiently. Daniels shortens his stride, bends his knees, and keeps his body upright to lessen the impact on his joints while maintaining his speed.
more photos
Many would agree that the simple act of running - putting one foot in front of the other - involves some level of endurance, speed and athletic ability.
But skill? Running is not usually the first chapter in any "how to" book.
But in fact, there is a whole slate of techniques that can help improve running efficiency and make runners less prone to injury. And with the fall running season - an active time for longer races such as half-marathons, marathons (26.2 miles) and ultramarathons - nearly upon us, it's an ideal time to learn some new techniques or brush up on forgotten mechanics of running.
Anyone who has run with the Central Oregon Running Klub (CORK) on Saturday mornings likely knows Roger Daniels - or at least has seen him before leaving the trailhead. Daniels, a spry 70, is the one leading the pack up challenging mountain trails for tens of miles; the one with whom runners only a fraction of his age can barely keep up.
Daniels, of Bend, has had a lot of time to ponder the science of running. He has competed in the Western States 100 (a 100-mile footrace) 10 times, completed six Ironman races - consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run - and run countless 50-mile and 50-kilometer races. He is also a part-time coach of the Bend High School cross-country team.
"You have a lot of time to think about (running technique) when you train for and race ultras," Daniels says with a laugh. "You think about what's most efficient and what will hurt you the least in the long run; what will do the least amount of damage to your body.
"I think the average runner tends to not understand what form does for them," he adds. "You see people stumbling around at the end of a marathon. They don't understand that sometimes, even if they slow down, good running form will get them to the end more quickly (than if they picked up the pace while letting their form lag)."
According to Daniels, focusing on downhill technique is most important in staving off running-related injury.
"The gravity combined with the force can beat you up really bad," he observes.
The rundown
Running dos * Keep upper body relaxed to increase efficiency
* Keep body upright and aligned to increase efficiency
* Shorten stride and bend knees while running downhill to lessen impact Running don'ts * Slouch forward
* Fully extend and straighten legs on downhill terrain
* Allow lead leg to get too far ahead on uphill terrain
The veteran runner and coach recommends that runners keep their head upright, over their hips, with their lead foot directly in front of them. He also recommends a shorter stride than most runners normally use.
"You should be over your center of gravity with your foot underneath you so when you land you push straight down," Daniels explains. "That way you're pushing down on loose rocks so they don't slide out from under you, and your weight comes down on the part of your stride that can support you best.
"Shortening your stride also helps," says Daniels. "The shorter your stride, the less energy will be transferred back into your knees or joints." Daniels suggests thinking of oneself as a wheel. The more points that touch the ground over a certain distance, the smoother the ride.
Daniels stresses that a runner's knees and ankles should also be flexed enough to absorb shock.
"Locked knees are like ramrods," Daniels notes. "Each joint takes a shock if they're locked. It moves from the knee to the hip to the lower back. A flexed knee acts like a spring instead of a rod."
Ellen Welcker, a FootZone running store sales person, says the injuries she hears runners complain about most frequently are soreness in the knees, arches, hips, hamstrings and lower back. Welcker, 29, who competes in races ranging in distance from five to 50 kilometers, suggests allowing the body to relax a bit while running downhill.
"Running downhill is jarring," she says. "A lot of people try to brake by leaning back. It can help to let go some; allow your body to absorb the shock."
Daniels reminds runners that on flat terrain they should continue to keep their bodies upright and hands relaxed at waist level.
"Your energy should come from your lower abdomen and your upper (body) should just float along for the ride," says Daniels. "You don't want to waste any energy in your upper body that you don't need to use. In a sprint, you can put more energy into your upper body because you're running for a short amount of time. But in a long run, (relaxing your upper body) will make a difference."
Daniels notes that each runner has a certain form and style. Style is something natural to one's body, and form is about correctly positioning one's body.
He emphasizes that it's more about the mechanics than the appearance.
"I know one lady who, when she runs, looks like a bagful of broomsticks," he says. "But her form is very good."
Daniels cautions runners who are running uphill not to put their lead foot too far forward and slump their upper bodies forward.
"When you're too far forward, your lever (bent leg) is too far forward, so you're not running with as much force. You're using more force to pull your body up rather than to go forward," Daniels explains. "Fatigue causes you to lose form, but this is when you should concentrate on form the most. If you do, you'll go farther with each step."
Welcker says that when she runs uphill, she tries to keep her eyes focused ahead and her stride short in order to keep her weight over her lower body, therefore running more efficiently.
"When I'm tired, I try shifting my feet to use different muscle groups," she notes.
"When I run, I just really try to use my core strength," adds Welcker, who says she has endured some hamstring problems. "(I) lift my shoulders and run from a good position so I'm not just using my legs. It feels much healthier overall."
Charlie Kanzig, coach of the cross-country team at Sisters High School, says his runners work on technique each practice through alignment and form drills.
Coaches watch the young runners for form and technique, including arm swing, posture, foot-plant position and more. Kanzig believes even pigeon-toed runners and those with more serious form issues can improve with effort.
"If you're not upright, you're less stable, your breathing is impacted, and even your stride is shortened," Kanzig observes. "Usually when you're slouching, it means you're not in shape and are working too hard, or you need to strengthen your core, upper body or lower back."
According to the coach, Sisters cross-country runners often perform skipping drills or other types of drills that help strengthen their legs and keep them on a straight running line.
"Every little bit helps," says Kanzig. "The more coordinated you are, the stronger you are, the faster you run. Paying attention to those things also keeps more kids from getting injured."
Abbie Beane can be reached at 383-0393 or at abeane@bendbulletin.com
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Charlene Levesque and
representatives of the Central Oregon Running Klub presented a $75,500 check from Heaven Can Wait to the Sara Fisher Breast Cancer Project on July 21st at 8:30 AM. The names of the people pictured from left to right: Joe Levesque, Peggy Carey, Charlene Levesque, Bob Latham.
The Colorado Marathon and Mini Marathon should be on everyone's list of runs to do. A very scenic downhill course where more runners qualify for Boston than in any other Colorado marathon. You are bused to the start and follow the Poudre River canyon back to Fort Collins. The Mini Marathon used to be a half but was lengthened to 15 miles this year to provide a starting area with more room. There were 679 mini runners and 629 marathoners.
I finished in 2:41 which although very slow was 18 minutes faster than the next 70+ runner. Really faded in the last couple of miles. After standing around the finish for an hour and stiffening up I had to run another 1.2 miles with my 8 year old granddaughter, Ashton. It was her first race. She was a little awed in the whole operation after watching marathoners finishing in the normal state of exhaustion. It was a success though as she is ready to do it again. Yesterday she wore her tee to school and took her finishers medal and certificate to show and tell.
Harry Kittleman
harry@lonetree.com
Side note from Lori: Harry was our a CORK Treasurer for many years and a great person to know (still is)!!
Three Central Oregon athletes still cannot escape their Texas roots.
Jim and Carol McLatchie and John Lodwick of Bend, all former longtime residents of Texas, were recently inducted into the Texas Running Hall of Fame and also recognized in "Inside Texas Running," a running magazine published roughly every month.
Jim McLatchie, 65, has been running since the age of 13 and boasts an accomplished running career.
In 1963, he ran a mile in a time of 4 minutes and 6 seconds in Scotland. His success at running ultimately led him to enroll at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas in the following years. From there, he moved to Houston in the mid-1970s, according to the article in "Inside Texas Running." Since then, he has founded and coached the internationally recognized Houston Harriers running club. He has also coached numerous elite athletes who have qualified for a total of 43 Olympic trials slots since 1984, including two Olympic marathon runners and one steeplechaser.
In addition, he has served on the Women's Long Distance Running Committee, represented the United States as a coach for several national and international events, and been a member of the USA Track and Field Committee to help develop a plan for distance running, among other accomplishments. He is currently a member of the Great Britain elite coaching squad for the steeplechase event, and serves as a volunteer coach at Pilot Butte Middle School.
Jim's wife, Carol McLatchie, 54, began running while attending Kansas State University.
Among her accomplishments, in the early 1980s, Carol McLatchie qualified for the first of three Olympic trials for the marathon, placing 12th in the inaugural women's event with a time of 2:35. She also ran a 33:01 10-kilometer race on the track at an Olympic trials exhibition, and a 15:45 5K at the same meet. In the same year, she clocked a 32:41 personal-best time in the 10K, and four years later she became the national 10K champion.
Carol McLatchie has continued to win races and set world records at the Masters level, including her 1993 World Masters Champion title in the 1,500 meters and the 5K.
She has also worked on several national and international running committees, including Women's Long Distance Running International Subcommittees. From 1996-2002, she was also Chair of the Women's Long Distance Running Committee.
Lodwick, 51, who began running in high school after failing to make the basketball team, has also enjoyed an impressive marathoning career. Both he and his college roommate, Jeff Wells, placed in the nation's top 10 marathon runners in 1976, when Lodwick ran the White Rock Marathon in Dallas in 2:16.23.
For the next five years, Lodwick continued to run times that kept him near the top of the list of U.S. marathon runners.
Among his career highlights is a 2:11 time and fourth-place finish in the 1981 Boston Marathon.
Today, Lodwick is a pastor in Bend, and he still runs 60 miles per week.
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications , Inc. Copyright 2005.
I am attaching some photos I took October 30 at the running of the MacDonald Forest 15K trail run in Corvallis. You may recognize some of our Korkies...
My daughter Erica was first in the 20-25 age group, and fourth female overall. It was a great race, great weather and would have been my to have run it with her. Boo-Hoo!
--
WILLIAM JOHNSON
C.O.R.K. SECRETARY
Karlie Grasle of Prineville, right, was the winner of Saturday's Lord's Acre run in the 5-kilometer event. She finished the race - staged in Powell Butte - in 23 minutes and 40 seconds. The day also included a 10-kilometer race - won by Bend's Ian Golden - and the annual Powell Butte Church potluck feast. Above, Ilga Eglitis, left, Tamara Tuttle, middle, and Megan McGrath walk the Lord's Acre 5-kilometer event Saturday in Powell Butte. For complete results, see Community Sports Scoreboard on Page D5.
A shipment of SportHill CORK running caps has arrived at the Footzone. These are moisture wicking running caps with a Velcro adjustment strap and the CORK logo. Great for those long runs on sunny days.
The Cork membership price is $12, with one dollar of the proceeds going to Bend area high school running programs.
After winning his age division in Canadian event, Roger Daniels now looks to start his next competition By Heather Clark
Published: September 19. 2005 6:00AM PST
A Bend triathlete earned a surprise invitation to the Hawaii Ironman last month after winning his age division in the Ironman Canada.
Roger Daniels, 69, who did his first running race at age 40, picked up his first-ever Ironman win on Aug. 29 but didn't know it until the following day.
The triathlon, held in Penticton, B.C., just north of the U.S. border on Highway 97, began with a 2.4-mile swim in British Columbia's Okanagan Lake.
From there, riders embarked on a 112-mile bike route that included the ascension of two significant mountain passes. Racers then completed a 26.2-mile run leg.
Competing in a field of 16, Daniels completed the race in 14 hours, 3 minutes and 9 seconds, nearly 30 minutes in front of the second-place finisher.
An accomplished ultra-marathon runner, Daniels' strength is the marathon while, he noted, swimming is his weakness.
"I was surprised," said Daniels last week from his home in Bend. "I'm at the top of my age group because I'm 69. They had twice as many entries as they did last year (in that age division) so I figured I didn't have a chance to do anything."
Daniels was even more surprised when he crossed the finish line to find that his timing chip wasn't working and another racer's name was connected with his time. The following morning, he looked at the results and noticed his name wasn't included on the list of finishers.
"When I got done my friends said, 'We thought you were in the bottom of the lake because (according to the timing chip) you never came out of the water,' " recalled Daniels, When his finishing time was finally determined, Daniels remembers race organizers asking, "By the way, you won. Are you going to Hawaii?"
"I had to think a second, because it is pretty close turnaround," said Daniels, who placed second at Ironman Canada in 2003 and third in 2004.
But, agree to the invitation he did, and now Daniels is preparing for triathlon's big dance, the prestigious Hawaii Ironman which serves as the sport's world championship event, It will be held Oct. 15 in Konan.
"I happened to be there at the right time I guess," said the modest athlete of his first Ironman win. "Part of it is we train on hills all the time."
So, the steep climbs during the windy bike stage of the Canadian race - which Daniels claims is the second most difficult bike course of the more than 20 Hawaii Ironman qualifiers - gave him an edge.
Ironman Canada is the oldest Ironman event in continental North America and has been hosted for the 23rd time in Penticton, B.C., according to its Web site. Athletes at Ironman Canada competed for 100 qualifying spots to the 2005 Ironman World Championship.
"You always have things in your mind that you think you'd like to do," said Daniels of the opportunity to compete in Kona. "I thought I'd have a better chance next year because I'd be in a better age group."
Next month, Daniels will head to Hawaii with Bend pal Lew Hollander, 75, who qualified to compete at the race by winning his age division last April at the Ironman Arizona in Tempe, Ariz.
Heather Clark can be reached at 541-383-0352 or at hclark@bendbulletin.com.
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications , Inc. Copyright 2005.
A longtime Bend weekend club hosts its annual Bigfoot race Sunday
By Heather Clark / The Bulletin
The group that gathers in Bend's Drake Park every Saturday morning may, at first glance, appear more like best friends reuniting than a pack of runners.
But a closer inspection - they're all decked out in running shoes and shorts, all chattering about an upcoming race - gives them away.
Members of Central Oregon Running Klub (CORK) are about to depart on their weekly Saturday trail run. On this Saturday, the group of about 20 men and women decides to run the Deschutes River trail, starting at Meadow Camp, five miles west of Bend off Century Drive. Depending on each person's available time and fitness level, some will run as few as six miles and others will go longer. Some members, training for next month's Portland Marathon, will tread up to 20 miles.
"Don't be intimidated," says club president Joe Levesque, issuing a blanket invitation. "Come down and join us. We have all kinds of people with all kinds of paces.
"We have people that run 12-minute miles and six-minute miles, people that run 100 miles and people that are satisfied with a 5K (5 kilometers, orr 3.1 miles), and all of those spectrums show up on Saturday."
Levesque, 63 years old and a 20-year CORK member, said he believes the club dates back to the mid-1970s.
He says CORK is made up of triathletes and long-distance runners, and casual runners, too.
Many of CORK’s members have been participating in the Saturday trail runs for decades, while other runners joined the group for the first time just last week.
“When the club originated,” recalls Levesque, “we parked at Drake Park and it was only a few blocks (of running) until we were out of city streets. Now, with development, we generally drive up to one of the trailheads and run.”
In the summer, the club enjoys higher-elevation mountain trails. Winter sends them east of Bend, for runs in the Badlands.
Levesque notes that the club’s Saturday runs are attractive for all types of runners.
“People in the club are made of fast people (who run) out ahead and slower people at the back of the pack,” explains Levesque. “If someone comes and they’re a slow runner, we make sure there’s somebody with them. Saturday is a social run.”
The club’s membership roster includes about 125 local runners who range in age from 18 to 75, according to Levesque.
He also notes that the running club fosters friendships and helps motivate him to exercise.
“It’s someone to visit with when you’re running,” he says. “It’s kind of a herd instinct. It’s easy to sleep in Saturday, but if you’ve got a commitment to a couple of friends to go down there to the Saturday run, it drags you down and puts the pressure on.
“Running is the draw,” he adds. “But there are people from all walks of life in the organization.”
When Richard Arnold, 65, retired to Sunriver three years ago, he immediately joined CORK.
“I was a runner in the Bay Area from where we came,” Arnold recalls. “I was looking to find something to keep active. So I went down there one Saturday morning and we went up and ran the (Deschutes) river trail.”
Now a triathlete, Arnold recalls his first CORK gathering, when he was able to run only three miles before calling it a day. Now, he typically covers 12 to 14 miles with the group on the Saturday trail runs.
“It’s the camaraderie,” says Arnold of the benefits of CORK. “There’s a real genuine love to go out and run. We see some of the most beautiful country. It’s a very special time.
“There’s a common thread of the people,” he adds. “That’s what draws you here.”
This Sunday, CORK will host one of its largest community events of the year.
The Bigfoot 10K, now in its 29th year, is the longest-standing running race in Bend, according to race director and CORK member Teague Hatfield.
The 6.2-mile USA Track and Field-certified road race is set to take place on Century Drive, on a gradual downhill course from Seventh Mountain Resort to the Les Schwab Amphitheater.
Volunteers from CORK help organize and run the race, while local high school cross-country runners and coaches offer assistance at the aid stations.
“One of the cool things about this run,” says Hatfield, “is there are a hundred-plus high school cross-country runners on the course as course monitors. They all volunteer to help make it happen.”
Proceeds from the event benefit high school cross-country programs in the Bend-La Pine School District. Hatfield estimates that last year the race raised $1,000 for each school’s team.
CORK members also host the Heaven Can Wait event each June — a 5-kilometer walk/run that benefits breast cancer programs and awareness.
At this Sunday’s race, Hatfield expects runners with a range of abilities to take to the course.
“Everything from rippin’-fast runners to a stroll,” he says. “The bulk of the people aren’t rippin’-fast runners. It’s just people that are getting out there to challenge themselves — whatever way that is.”
To learn more about CORK, visit www.centraloregonrunningklub.org.
Heather Clark can be reached at 541-383-0352 or at hclark@bendbulletin.com.
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications, Inc. Copyright 2005.
Heather A. Clark
Sports reporter, The Bulletin
P: 541-383-0352
F: 541-385-0831
hclark@bendbulletin.com
Bend Bulletin Article: Area track athletes cited by association By Bulletin staff report Published: October 11. 2005 6:00AM PST Three Central Oregon athletes were recently honored by the USA Track and Field Oregon Association.
Jeanette Groesz of Redmond was named Oregon's Outstanding Masters Female Track athlete for her winning performances in the 800 meter, 1,500 meter and 1-mile race at the National Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships and World Masters Games in 2005.
Groesz competes in the 55-59 age division. She also received the Outstanding Female Long Distance Runner award. Groesz claimed first place in her age division at the Masters National 8-Kilometer Cross Country Championships this year and is currently the leading female in Oregon Grand Prix circuit.
Dylan Mason of Bend was honored with Oregon's Outstanding Men's Long Distance Runner title.
Mason, 32, won the April Fool 15K in Eugene earlier this year and posted second-place finishes at three other 2005 Grand Prix races in Oregon.
Bob Latham of Bend was named Most Outstanding Person by the Oregon track and field committee. Latham was awarded the honor for his role in creating the Grand Prix Series, a circuiit of eight running races in Oregon for masters competitors.
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications , Inc. Copyright 2005.
Layne Bryant, 35, of Bend was the fastest High Desert runner on the 26.2-mile race course. He placed 50th overall and 10th in his 35-39 age division with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes and 25 seconds.
Bend's Katie Caba, 34, claim-ed the fifth-place spot among women with a time of 3:00:42 and earned third place in her age division.
The only Central Oregon runner to finish first in a division was Dari Terrebonne of Bend. The 29-year-old competitor topped the women's clydesdale division with a time of 5:43:07.
The 34th annual event attracted more than a 7,000 runners and walkers.
Look for other Central Oregon finisher in today's Community Sports Scoreboard on Page D5 .
Published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western Communications , Inc. Copyright 2005.
75, and miles to go: Ironman competitor defies age with exercise By Heather Clark / The Bulletin
Published: October 11. 2005 6:00AM Lew Hollander's physique belies his age - as does his voracious appetite for writing, research and learning. His lean, muscular figure would be the envy of many men half his age.
While sipping on a nutrition drink - a mysterious brown-colored mix that Hollander himself concocted - the 75-year-old Bend man reflects on the attitude he brings to all aspects of his existence.
"I look at life as a race," says Hollander at his southeast Bend home.
"I view business as a race. If I have a lawsuit, I'm not going to come in second. You put everything you have into it. Business, sports and life are all in the same continuum; they're all goals."
Hollander will compete in the 75-79 age division this Saturday in Kona, Hawaii, at the Ironman Triathlon World Championships, a race he qualified for by winning his age division at Ironman Arizona in April. Saturday's grueling three-sport race includes a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon (26.2-mile) run.
Not only did Hollander win the Arizona race, he's also already been crowned a world champion this year. In August, he succeeded in claiming first place in his age division at the International Triathlon Union World Long Distance Championship in Fredericia, Denmark.
The key to Hollander's success in triathlon, he says, is consistency. Although not lightning fast during any leg of the race, he is steady.
"I'm pretty well-balanced," notes Hollander. "It's the second half of the marathon (portion of the triathlon) where the positions on the podium are set. I can run a long way.
"During the second half of the Ironman, I feel pretty good. I've got a damn good machine," he laughs, pointing to his body.
Hollander has packed a lifetime of fitness and triathlon training into the last 20 years. Before his first Ironman race in 1985, he competed in horseback riding endurance races with his wife, Hanne, and their six children.
It was after Hollander began running alongside his horse during the course of a 24-hour equine endurance race that he started dabbling in marathons and ultramarathon running, and later made the transition to triathlon.
Hollander, ter my last Ironman. It's a joke, but it's good for you. The regiment of life that you have to do to accomplish that goal is good."
Hollander adds that he'll continue to try to qualify for the event as long as his finishing times are under the cutoff of 17 hours. The oldest known Ironman finisher was 77 years old when he completed the race - a record Hollander hopes to eclipse.
The veteran triathlete describes the Ironman race as "ugly."
"It's like a moonscape," Hollander explains. "It's hot and windy. For slower people, like me, there's a head wind on the way out (during the bicycle leg), and by the time you turn around, the wind has changed."
Surrounded by 2,000 of the world's best endurance athletes, Hollander says the frenzied seawater start at the championship race "has got to be the greatest rush in the world."
Hollander says he has no specifically designed training schedule - hard to imagine for an active physicist who meticulously monitors his diet.
"I read my instrument panel, which is me," notes Hollander. "Yesterday, I played three sets of tennis, went for a swim, and rode out east in the hail on my bike."
Hollander attributes his success in sports, and in life, to his ability to intensely focus on his goals.
"When I was in kindergarten, the principal did her (doctoral thesis) on me," remembers Hollander, who grew up on Long Island, N.Y., "because I could focus on a project longer than any other 5-year-old."
Hollander has competed in about 40 Ironman triathlons and hundreds of half-Ironman and sprint-distance races, evidenced by his office literally blanketed with trophies and medals.
One of his proudest accomplishments is completing the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile trail run in California that ascends more than 15,000 vertical feet. Hollander finished the race in about 28 hours.
"I've done it once and I've finished it once," he says, recalling the 1984 race. "I barely made it. I want that (finisher's) buckle on my tombstone."
Over the last two decades, Hollander has competed in an average of two to three Ironman triathlons a year, plus dozens of local running and multisport races.
He holds the records for the fastest ascent of Bend's Pilot Butte in both the 70-74 (12 minutes, 12 seconds) and 75-79 age category (13:15) set during the annual Pilot Butte Challenge race.
"The older I get, the longer it takes me to recover," Hollander laments good-naturedly. "A month later now (after an Ironman), I'm still tired."
But other than a slower pace, Hollander sees no end to what he can accomplish and scoffs at the idea of not being able to compete 10 years from now.
"Looking back at life, everybody would run faster than me," he says. "But you know, I'm still here. I can run, swim, bike, ride a horse - and that's the nicest part of my life."
He's also a tenacious planner.
"I look ahead," he adds. "When we're having this discussion 10 years from now, I'll be planning the next 10 years."
Hollander claims that keeping fit also keeps him connected to his community and younger people.
"As you get older, people tend to withdraw from society," he suggests. "I find myself always having to adjust. An important part of growing old is to remain a part of community, and sports help with that - that's part of anti-aging."
Live online coverage of the Ironman world championships will be at www.ironmanlive.com . Taped coverage of the race is scheduled to air Nov. 12 on NBC at 12:30 p.m.
Heather Clark can be reached at 541-383-0352 or at hclark@bendbulletin.com.
Published daily in Bend, Oregon,
The Colorado Marathon and Mini Marathon should be on everyone's list of runs to do. A very scenic downhill course where more runners qualify for Boston than in any other Colorado marathon. You are bused to the start and follow the Poudre River canyon back to Fort Collins. The Mini Marathon used to be a half but was lengthened to 15 miles this year to provide a starting area with more room. There were 679 mini runners and 629 marathoners. 
A Bend triathlete earned a surprise invitation to the Hawaii Ironman last month after winning his age division in the Ironman Canada. 
Lew Hollander's physique belies his age - as does his voracious appetite for writing, research and learning. His lean, muscular figure would be the envy of many men half his age.