California Track & Running News

Includes the Runner’s Schedule Calendar!

CaliforniaTrack &RunningNews

Nov–Dec 2010

VOLUME 36 NUMBER 5 $3.95

Duncan Selby/www.selbyphotography.com

WINTER TRAIL SHOES REVIEWED Q&A WITH MARATHON CHAMP SERGIO REYES PA, SCA, SD UPDATES

Top talent made the inaugural USATF Southern California Road Mile Championships a day of racing to remember. In the elite women's race, GRACE PADILLA (#185) laid claim to the title with a time of 5:02.7. She was followed by GENEVIEVE GRAFF-ERMELING (#99, 5:03.3) and EMILY FIELD (#823, 5:04.1). ALISON ATKINSON (#15, 5:08.4) was the masters division winner. More inside on page 17.

Permit #50 Fort Atkinson, WI

PA I D PRST STD U.S. Postage

Official Publication of the California/Northern Nevada Associations of USATF

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WE KNOW

BECAUSE WE RUN

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November–December 2010

David Kloz

SAN DIEGO DIRT DOG XC ACTION: Dr. Chris Hupfeld (#98) dominated the first two races of this year’s series. below Dianna Chivakos is the current women’s leader in the Dirt Dog XC standings. Story in the Association Section of this issue.

The Basics 6 9 19

From the Publisher The Runner’s Schedule Calendar Winter Trail Shoes Reviewed

Departments 14 22 25 28

Long Distance Running Miracles Happen Journal by Mark Winitz Regional USATF Association News Race Walking

California Track & Running News is a magazine for members of the California and N. Nevada associations of USA Track & Field. Contact your region regarding changes of address and missing issues.

Central California Association: lawrencewatsonus@yahoo.com Pacific Association: 916.983.4715 or heikemansoor@aol.com San Diego/Imperial Association: 619.275.6542 or sdi_trackandfield@sbcglobal.net David Kloz

Contents

California Track & Running News

4 c t & r n • n ov e m b e r – d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0

Southern California: 562.941.2621 or info@scausatf.org

From the Publisher R

ick Milam was a huge friend of the sport of track & field for the past 50 years. If you’ve gone to a track & field meet, or even a cross country meet in Northern California in the past 4 decades, you probably met Rick. He was the zen master Clerk of the Course.

Rick felt that the best way to show his love for the sport was to keep track and cross country meets organized and running on time. If you were lucky enough to attend or compete at a Los Gatos All Comers meet, you’d have seen Rick and Willie Harmatz, the former Los Gatos High School coach, ensuring that the meets ran like clockwork.

I got to know Rick while I was coaching with Joe Mangan and Hank Ketels at Foothill Community College in the 1990s. Each spring, we hosted the St. Francis Foothill Invitational and every fall, the St. Francis Cross Country Invitational. Rick and his team would keep an 8hour meet running on time, literally. Some years, we were even 5 minutes ahead of schedule!

Rick developed cancer several years ago, and all through that episode, he kept his friends updated by email, never giving up and always staying positive. Last March, the California Senate recognized Rick and his support of our sport—a recognition that was well deserved.

I’m sorry to report that Rick died on Aug. 23 from injuries sustained in an auto accident. His brother LeRoy kept us informed and when I opened the email about 2 in the morning, I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. I closed my eyes and could see Rick smiling, with his meet sheets in hand, knowing that he would get those sophomore 800m runners on time.

Rick was a student of Dr. Bruce Olgilvie, the father of modern sports psychology. Rick knew and was respected by everyone and loved by many. I understand his memorial service on Sept. 19 in Los Gatos was amazing. (You can read all about it on Keith Conning’s The Conning Tower.)

Please keep Rick’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. I will keep Rick in my heart, seeing him jogging through Rancho San Antonio or managing the St. Francis Foothill meet. Knowing that Rick might have some control of the universe from heaven both comforts me and will keep the smile alive that much longer.

Regards,

CaliforniaTrack &RunningNews Volume 36, Number 5 November–December 2010

Group Publisher Larry Eder Group & Coordinating Editor Christine Johnson, CTRNeditorial@gmail.com Contributing Editors Cregg Weinmann Apparel, Footwear Reviews Dave Shrock Community Colleges Mark Winitz Northern California Kees & Sandy Tuinzing Calendar Photographers Victor Sailer, www.PhotoRun.net Wayne Joness, David Kloz Dave Shrock, supersportsphoto.com Thuc Tran, Bert Whitson Duncan Selby/selbyphotography.com Jim Townsend, Ted Zahn Association Consultants John Mansoor Pacific Lawrence Watson Central Wayne Joness Southern Mike Rouse San Diego/Imperial Proofreader Red Ink Editorial Services, Madison, WI Pre-Press/Printer W. D. Hoard & Sons Co., Fort Atkinson, WI Website Chuck Bartlett

Larry Eder

CaliforniaTrack &RunningNews

Publisher recommends, as with all fitness and health issues, you consult with your physician before instituting any changes in your fitness program.

Publisher’s Information

Let Us Hear From You!

California Track & Running News (ISDN #1098-6472), incorporating Pacific Athlete, is the official publication for the USA Track & Field associations in California and Northern Nevada. It is produced, published, and owned by Shooting Star Media, Inc., P.O. Box 67, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.

Christine Johnson, President; Larry Eder, Vice President.

All ad materials and insertion orders should be sent to Shooting Star Media, Inc., at the above address.

Publisher assumes no liability for matter printed.

Publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for content of paid advertising and reserves the right to reject paid advertising. Publisher expects that all claims by advertisers can be substantiated and that all guarantees will be honored. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Publisher.

Copyright © 2010 by Shooting Star Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. California Track & Running News is solely owned

by Shooting Star Media, Inc.

California Track & Running News welcomes your suggestions, comments, and questions. Direct them to: Christine Johnson, Group Editor Shooting Star Media, Inc./CTRN 608.239.3787 CTRNeditorial@gmail.com

Address Changes/Missing Issues Third class mail is not forwarded! Please inform your local USATF association about address changes, duplicate mailings, or missing issues. See page 3 for how to contact your association for help.

Member of:

6 c t & r n • n ov e m b e r – d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0

ADVERTISING Publisher Larry Eder, Shooting Star Media, Inc. phone: 608.239.3785 fax: 920.563.7298 caltrackads@gmail.com Publisher’s Representative Running Network LLC 920.563.5551, ext. 112 Special Projects Manager Adam Johnson-Eder 608.957.2159; atflistings@gmail.com Advertising Production Manager Alex Larsen

Counsel Philip J. Bradbury Melli Law, S.C. Madison, WI

w w w. c a l t r a c k . c o m

West Valley Track Club Presents the 37th Annual

Christmas Relays Lake Merced, San Francisco 4 person teams 4.5 miles per leg

SUNDAY DECEMBER 12, 2010

LOCATION:

START TIME: DISTANCE:

Start/Finish and all exchange points at Sunset Circle Parking Lot (Sunset Blvd. at Lake Merced) All teams start at 9 a.m.

Each of 4 members runs one 4.464 mile leg. OK to run one leg on more than one team.

REGISTRATION: Early entry fees: $96 per team with long-sleeve shirt $72 team with no PRIZES IN THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS : shirt if entry postmarked by December 4. $96 team late registration with no shirt. AFTER RESTRICTION CODE DEC 4 only race day (starting at 7:30 a.m.) or online entries (ALLSPORTcentral.com) DIVISION No restrictions OPEN allowed. IMPORTANT: Divisions B & C, deduct $1 per runner, and Division U deduct $2 per OPEN No age restrictions N runner from amounts listed above for pre-registered entries. Late entries must register after Women’s Open Junior Girls Born 1991 or after C 7:30 a.m. on race day. DIVISION RULES: Team members may be changed after entry is Junior Boys Born 1991 or after B submitted (within same division) but Division Changes must be made at Registration (bring old Sub-Masters Men 30 years or older F set of numbers with you!). During the race, substitutions may be made if they do not change Sub-Masters Women 30 or older X division status. Changes in division status must be reported at the finish and will result in place- Masters Men 40 years or older H ment in the OPEN division. WOMEN may compete in any of the divisions. Age on December Masters Women 40 years or older R 50 years or older L 12 determines division, except Juniors as described below. AWARDS: $2900 PAUSATF Senior Men 50 years or older T GRAND PRIX AWARDS (PA Open = under 30). RIBBONS to all finishers. AWARDS to all Senior Women Men 60-Plus 60 years or older K members of top division teams @ 11 a.m (approx.). RAFFLE: Merchandise awards.

No processing fees for online registration!

-your fastest and easiest registration option RETURN TO: Send Entry fees (non-refundable, non-transferable) with completed forms to: Christmas Relays, c/o Marc Lund, 1433 Norman Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (checks payable to West Valley TC). Enclose self addressed envelopes with adequate postage to receive #s, or pickup raceday. FAX credit card entries to (650) 960-6993. FOR INFORMATION: TONY FONG (510) 205-8074 (evenings).

Women 60-Plus 60 years or older J Men 70-Plus 70 years or older P Women 70-Plus 70 years or older Z 14 & Under Mixed or same-sex U Family At least 3 from same family E Couples 2 males, 2 females S Corporate Open At least 20 hrs./wk. at one firm A Corporate Women Same as above W Law Enforcement (members must be from the same jurisdiction; active or reserves - police, fire, CHP, Sheriff’s Dept., national park, etc. Military police okay, if from the same facility) Y

For Division records and number of awards per division, visit www.westvalleytc.org

I N C O M P L E T E F O R M S C A N N OT B E P R O C E S S E D

WAIVER: In consideration of your acceptance of our entry, we, intending to be legally bound, hereby for ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, waive and release forever, any and all rights and claims or damages we may accrue against USAT&F, West Valley TC, Inc., the City and County of San Francisco, the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Dept., and any and all sponsors of this event, their successors, representatives and assigns, for any and all injuries suffered by our team while travelling to and from, and while participating in the 2010 Christmas Relays.

Date

Team Representative (over 18 yrs.)

(Signature required for team waiver; must be of credit card holder if applicable)

TEAM NAME:

If the club or organization enters more than one team in a division, follow the name by an appropriate designation, such as “A” Team or another unique name.

Circle Division Code: OPEN A

Please bill my:

MasterCard

Visa

B

C

E

F

H

J

K

L

N

R

S

T

U

W X

Y

Account Number________________________________________ exp. ________ amt. $_______

MANDATORY: LIST TEAM MEMBERS -- (Names may be changed on raceday).

1. _______________________________________________ Age__________ 2. _______________________________________________ Age__________ 3. _______________________________________________ Age__________ 4. _______________________________________________ Age__________

RACE NUMBERS WILL BE MAILED TO PRIMARY CONTACT PUT ADDRESSES ON BACK OR ON FAX COVER SHEET FOR RESULTS

CREDIT CARD HOLDER OR RACE PACKET RECIPIENT INFO --enclose SASE): Name:_______________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________ City:___________________________ State/Zip:_______________________ Ph: (

)_______________ H or W

e-mail:__________________________

OFFICIAL USE ONLY

ASICS Congratulates Kara Patterson on Setting a New AR in the Javelin Throw

CaliforniaTrack &RunningNews presents the

November–December 2010

Runner’s Schedule Calendar YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO RUNNING, WALKING, TRAIL & MULTI-SPORTS IN CALIFORNIA containing events through August 2011!

25,000 Copies Distributed!

Victah, Photorun.NET

Check inside for information on: • Los Angeles Marathon • Big Sur International

Victah, Photorun.NET

Marathon

On October 3, 2004 Olympic Marathon Silver medalist MEB KEFLEZIGHI (Mammoth Lakes) successfully defended his San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon title, recording an unchallenged win in 1:01:45. LINDA SOMERS SMITH (left, 49, Arroyo Grande), a 1996 Olympian in the marathon, secured second place and finished only 1 minute, 36 seconds behind female winner Blake Russell (1:11:55, Pacific Grove), who was a 2008 Olympian in the marathon. See page 14 for more.

You can also find this calendar at www.caltrack.com.

Calendar November 6, SAT Knights Ferry: Salmon Duathlon (5kR-30kB-2.5KR)(14th), 9am $45, $50 after 11/4, $85/$95-Relay w/T-s, Free Beer, Awards, Refreshments, Raffle Prizes. Stanislaus River Parkhalfway between Oakdale and Sonora. On Your Mark Events, PO Box 1199, Arnold 95223; info@onyourmarkevents.com; www.onyourmarkevents.com; 209/795-7832 Knights Ferry: Salmon 5000 (5K) (14th), 9am $30, $35 after 11/4 w/T-s, Awards, Refreshments, & Free Beer. Stanislaus River Park. On Your Mark Events, PO Box 1199, Arnold 95223; info@onyourmarkevents.com; www.onyourmarkevents.com; 209/795-7832 November 7, SUN San Francisco: San Francisco Marathon, For more info go to www.runsf.com November 14, SUN Monterey: Big Sur Half Marathon, 7am, $115 through 11/7.

The out and back course begins on Del Monte near Figueroa Street. The proceeds from our Half Marathon are dedicated to our youth fitness program, JUST RUN®. www.bigsurhalfmarathon.org November 21, SUN Vallejo-Mare Island: Return to Mare Island 3.1 Mile Run/Walk (5th), 9am $30, $35 after 11/20,, $15 All students, $70 Family of 3 w/Awards, T-s,, Refreshments, Raffle Prizes.

Touro University (1310 Johnson Ln); scenic run through the Old Mare Island Navy Base including the Admiral’s housing.

On Your Mark Events, PO Box 1199, Arnold 95223; info@onyourmarkevents.com; www.onyourmarkevents.com; 209/795-7832 November 25, THURS Pinole: Gold Medal Turkey Trot 4 Mile Run, Walk , Stride, 10 am $15, $20 race day w/t-shirt, medals to all that participate. Pinole Valley High School: out and back flat course. Sky High Events; 510/223-5778; Online TheSchedule.com Oceanside: Join us for the 5th Annual Pacific Marine Credit Union O’side Turkey Trot 5k, 5 mile and Kid’s 1 mile on Thanksgiving morning. Proceeds benefit the Move Your Feet

Before You Eat Foundation and Oceanside schools. Invite your friends and family to get together for a healthy start to the holiday on the beach in Oceanside. We will have live entertainment, a great costume contest, and medals to all finishers. www.osideturkeytrot.com November 28, SUN Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders Fourth Fourth Sunday Runs 5K, 10K, 15K, 9 a.m., $3 members, $5 nonmembers. Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224 www.lmjs.org San Francisco: RUN WILD For A Child 5K & 10K, San Francisco Golden Gate Park, 6000 Runners/Walkers, 26th Annual, Benefits: SF Firefighters Toy Program December 4, SAT San Ramon: Bah Humbug Run 5K by the City of San Ramon, 9am $25, $30 after 12/1 w/Awards 5-yr age groups, Refreshments, Prizes, L/S T-s. Corner of Camino Ramon & Bishop Dr. On Your Mark Events, PO Box 1199, Arnold 95223; info@onyourmarkevents.com; www.onyourmarkevents.com

dappled with filtered light through lush canopy. www.brazenracing.com/summitrock.html December 12, SUN San Francisco: Christmas Relays 4x4.46. (37th), 37th Annual Christmas Relays. 19 divisions. Local USATF team prize money.

The runners version of the tail gate party! www.westvalleytc.org San Diego: 40th Anniversary of Scripps Ranch 4 Mile Run/Walk 2010, 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM, Come run or walk among the Eucalyptus trees along historic Pomerado Road. For this special occasion, a two-mile long stretch of scenic Pomerado Road will be closed to traffic from Scripps Ranch Blvd. to Semillon Blvd. For more information you may contact Bob Ilko at President@scrippsranch.org or 858-243-1235, www.scrippsranch.org.

December 25, SAT Richmond: Santa’s Christmas Gold Rush 5 Mile Run, Stroll or Walk, 10 am $15, $20 race day w/t t-shirt, and medals to all that participate. Courtyard Marriott; out and back course around Gold Lake. Sky High Events; 510/223-5778; Online Death Valley: Death Valley Trail Marathon & 30K, $110, This TheSchedule.com scenic wilderness trail run is on a gravel jeep road from Beatty, NV through the picturesque Titus Canyon, finishing in December 26, SUN Death Valley (entire run is in Death Valley National Park). The Oakland: Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders Fourth Sunday desert is beautiful this time of year with mild temperatures; Runs 5K, 10K, 9am $3 members, $5 non-members. Lake lows at night between 30 and 40 degrees and highs during Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Hotline: (510) 644-4224 the day from the low-60s to mid-70s. The event is limited to www.lmjs.org 300 participants and sells out months in advance so don't January 1, SAT, 2011 wait too long to register! NOTE: After a 21-year history of taking place in early February, this event has been moved to Berkeley: Splash and Dash 5M Run, Stride or Walk, 10am $20, $25 race day w/t-s and numerous awards. Sea Breeze this December date.www.envirosports.com Deli-foot of University Ave. (from I-80 take University Avenue December 5, SUN off-ramp. West toward the Bay; course around the beautiful St. Croix, VI: St. Croix International Marathon (9th), Berkeley Marina and Park. Race numbers not mailed; you will http://virginislandspace.org/stxmarathoninformation.htm, pick them up on race day. Sky High, 4967 Santa Rita Rd, El wallacewilliams@msn.com Sobrante 94803; Online www.TheSchedule.com; 510/2235778 (7-10 am & pm).

December 11, SAT Saratoga: Summit Rock Half Marathon/10K/5K, $29-$60. January 2, SUN, 2011 Come join us in the beautiful redwood groves of the Santa Castro Valley: Brazen New Year Runs - Half Cruz Mountains! Tucked away just outside Silicon Valley, Marathon/10K/5K, $29-$60, courses include rolling, but very Sanborn County Park features miles of single-track trails runnable hills. The 5K will be entirely on paved trails around the lake. The 10K and half marathon are roughly 50% on paved trail and 50% on fire trails. Hikers/walkers always welcome!www.brazenracing.com

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January 16, SUN, 2011 Redding: Redding Marathon, Marathon Relay & 5K, 8am Marathon and Relay, $65, $75 after 12/31, Shasta Dam; course runs along the Sacramento River for most of the distance. 9am 5K, $20, $25 after 12/31, Sundial Bridge; course runs along the Sacramento River Trail System. sweatrc@sbcglobal.net; www.swestrc.com; 530-526-3076 January 23, SUN, 2011 Carlsbad: Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon, Carlsbad is a winter marathon and half marathon unlike any other. Ideal weather conditions, a spectacular coastal course and well-organized, friendly management will wow you. Our 26 fully staffed course support stations, continuous entertainment and unsurpassed volunteer support are just a few of our outstanding features. We also offer each participant a technical fabric shirt, goodie bag, spectacular finisher's medal and more. Our events sell out, register early. www.carlsbadmarathon.com January 29, SAT, 2011 Orinda: The Dam Run 5K, 10K, 9am $30, w/t-s after 1/23 and race day $40 w/t-s till gone w/5yr age groups and special awards to Grand Masters and Masters. Closed course, beginning at the San Pablo Dam boat launch ramp(500 San Pablo Dam Rd, Orinda) at the San Pablo Reservoir located at the Orinda entrance (not the El Sobrante entrance) to the Reservoir. www.wolfpackevents.com, Online www.active.com till 1/26, 510-459-0854.

San Juan Bautista: Rotary Mission Ten 10M, 5K (28th), 10am 10M, 10:15am 5K, $22, $27 after 1/25 w/LS-shirt. Mission San Juan Bautista (45 min. south of San Jose); out/back course with partial loop paved; 10M has one significant hill. Good training for a marathon base. 5K out/back, flat. Both races timed with awards. Bill Tiffany, 535 Monterey St, Hollister 95023; wgtt@sbcglobal.net; Online reg: TheSchedule.com; 831-637-0071; 831-637-0092; www.mission10.com Fremont: Coyote Hills, Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont.

From marshlands complete with 7 foot tall tule, to bay-side views on beautiful rolling hills, it's bound to be a great day! All finishers will receive custom finisher medals and custom shirts. www.brazenracing.com February 5, SAT, 2011 Death Valley: Death Valley Borax Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K, out-and-back relatively flat course (fewer than 500 feet of climbing and descending). You'll admire the beauty of the surrounding desert as you follow this paved run from Furnace Creek Ranch along Hwy. 190 through the heart of Death Valley National Park. The course is USATF certified. www.envirosports.com February 6, SUN, 2011 Huntington Beach: Surf City USA® Marathon, This exclusive oceanfront course is a California Dream! Run on Pacific Coast Highway past the famous Huntington Beach pier and wind through the legendary surfing beaches of Southern California.

Retro surf bands entertain along the way and the Finish Line Festival includes a beach side beer garden in the California sun. Finishers receive bodacious surfboard medals! www.runsurfcity.com February 12, SAT, 2011 El Sobrante: Du the Three Bears Duathlon and 5K (2mR19mB-2mR and 5K), 8am $50-Indiv/$80-Team/$20-5K w/t-s, $60/$90/$25 after 2/5 w/t-s till gone w/5yr groups and special awards to Masters and Grand Masters. Old San Pablo Dam Rd (7301 San Pablo Dam Rd, El Sobrante, CA 94803) 2M runs inside reservoir and bike around a 19 mile loop. www.wolfpackevents.com, Online www.active.com till 2/9, 510-459-0854.

February 19, SAT, 2011 San Leandro: Bay Breeze Half Marathon/10K/5K, FLAT AND FAST! These fast courses and fantastic views offer the opportunity for a personal record in any distance you choose. www.Brazenracing.com March 5, SAT, 2011 Cancun, MX: The UjENA 5K / 10K, is a unique event created

by Runner's World magazine founder Bob Anderson. This is a fun but also serious race. Run the 5K or 10K or choose the Bob Anderson Challenge - run the 10k at 7:30am and the 5k at 9:00am! The unique part is that hundreds of models and photographers from around the world will be running. There is also a party on the night of each race. Your race number gets you into the party and the UjENA Jam Expo. (see http://www.ujenajam.com/ for more info). $1,200 cash prizes awarded at each location. Medals and t-shirts provided to top finishers. Info and sign up at www.ujena5k.com Woodside: Woodside King's Mountain Half Marathon & 5 Mile, The scenic course may humble you, with its 1,880 feet of climbing and descending - but at the same time, the remarkable surroundings will energize you as you navigate the lush hiking trails of the Santa Cruz mountains. www.envirosports.com March 12, SAT 2011 Tiburon: Romancing the Island 12K & 25K, $45, You'll fall in love with San Francisco all over again as you follow this hilly loop trail circumnavigating Angel Island. Along the way, savor the panoramic vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Alcatraz Island, the East Bay and Marin County. The 12K is a single loop. The 25K does the loop twice. www.envirosports.com

Calistoga: Napa Valley Trail Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K, You'll traverse the dirt hiking trails through scenic Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, located at the north end of Napa Valley. Along the route, you'll be surrounded by babbling streams and majestic redwood, oak, madrone and bay forests. The course is a bit challenging with the hills, streams and rocks - which makes it all the more exciting and rewarding. www.envirosports.com March 27, SUN, 2011 Mountain View: Run for Zimbabwe Orphans & Zimbabwean Fair ½ & 1M X-C (12th), 12pm-4pm 11 races X-C for a cause!

Fight Aids and the Orphan crisis in Africa! Feel the Essence of Zimbabwe! The fair is a fun filled educational free event for the entire family. Races every 20 minutes. $5, $20 for a team of five. St. Joseph School, 112 Miramonte Ave; flat, fast course, 220m for Pre K, 1/2M for Kinder; 1M for all other ages. The run and fair are a benefit for the AIDS orphans of Makumbi Children’s Home. Online www.TheSchedule.com; Teacher 650941-9206; zpclarks@sbcglobial.net; www.zimbabweparaguay.org Dallas, TX: Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 8am, Take a 13.-mile tour of the charming and sophisticated neighborhoods of Dallas and discover a city where the whimsical, eclectic, regal, athletic, country and cosmopolitan worlds diverge into a burgeoning metropolis. http://dallas.competitor.com continued on next page

March 13, SUN 2011 West Hills: Ahmanson of a Gun Trail Run, The Ahmanson of a Gun Trail Run is a hilly trail run on fire roads and single track trails in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon recreation area aka Ahmanson Ranch. Distance is approximately 10K. This event will be held rain or shine. www.trailrunevents.com March 20, SUN 2011 Los Angeles: Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss, 7:20 am, 26th Annual Los Angeles Marathon. Iconic Stadium to the Sea course which will begin at Dodger Stadium and travel through Hollywood, Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica ending at the beach, just north of the Santa Monica Pier. www.lamarathon.com San Francisco: Emerald Across the Bay 12K, This certified 12K (7.45Miles) course runs from East Fort Baker to and across the Golden Gat Bridge on the west sidewalk, then along the bay to Aquatic Park. The course is hilly, paved and beautiful. All registered runners are shuttled to the start from Aquatic Park as there is no parking or drop-off at the start. To decrease crowding on the course, runners are assigned to one of 3 waves based on their best 10K time in 2010, age, and date of registration. The race benefits Edgwood Center for Children & Families. www.rhodyco.com March 26, SAT 2011 Agoura Hills: Great Race of Agoura Hills: Pacific Half Marathon, Chesebro Half Marathon, Old Agoura 10K, Deena Kastor 5K, 7am, Run the 26th annual Great Race of Agoura Hills featuring the Pacific Half Marathon, Chesebro Half Marathon, Old Agoura 10K, Deena Kastor 5K. Voted LA's #1 Post Race Party! Tons of food, big prizes, scenic USATF certified/sanctioned, B-Tag timing, professionally produced, huge expo. Half marathons capped at 1,500 & will sell out. One of Runner's World's Top 6 10Ks. http://greatraceofagoura.com/

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April 2, SAT, 2011 El Sobrante: Du the Golden Bears Duathlon and 5K (3mR22mB-3mR and 5K), 8am $50-Indiv/$80-Team/$20-5K w/t-s, $60/$90/$25 after 3/26 w/t-s till gone w/5yr groups and special awards to Masters and Grand Masters. San Pablo Dam boat launch ramp(500 San Pablo Dam Rd, Orinda) at the San Pablo Reservoir located at the Orinda entrance (not the El Sobrante entrance) to the Reservoir. 3M runs inside reservoir and bike around a 22 mile loop, 5K Run/Walk inside the reservoir. www.wolfpackevents.com, Online www.active.com till 3/30, 510-459-0854.

Sausalito: Golden Gate Headlands Marathon, Half Marathon & 7 Mile, 7 Mile: $35, Half: $40, Full: $60, ou'll start and finish at Rodeo Beach located at Fort Cronkite in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (west of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County). The course is a combination of single track hiking trails, fire roads, pavement and a beach crossing. The event is limited to 400 participants and sells out every year so don't wait too long to register! www.envirosports.com

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April 3, SUN, 2011 Carlsbad: Carlsbad 5000, 7:05 am, a fast and fun seaside course where 16 world records have been set. Both rookie runners and serious speedsters alike enjoy running or walking in one of seven people’s races. Celebrate after your race with two free beers at the Pizza Port/Imperial Cerveza Beer Garden!

At high noon, witness the elite athletes vie for a lucrative prize purse and a new world record. The All Day 25K race option is back again!! This race option is available for those in search of an endurance challenge. Run all five 5k races and take home a special tech tee and exclusive All Day 25K finisher’s medal. www.carlsbad5000.com April 10, SUN, 2011 Pescadero: Artichoke Half Marathon, 10K Run/Stride, 9am $30, $35 race day w/t-s and awards to all. Pescadero Exit off Hwy One (14M S of Half Moon Bay) Pescadero Road East to Stage Road, turn right to Native Son’ s Hall; very scenic out/back level paved road and 3M of trails. Race numbers are not mailed; you will pick them up on race day. Sky High, 4967 Santa Rita Rd, El Sobrante 94803; Online www.TheSchedule.com; 510/223-5778.

April 16, SAT, 2011 Calabasas: Fool Moon 12/24 Hour Runs, 9am–9am, Southern California's only 12/24 Hour Endurance Runs! Held a graded dirt loop course in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Calabasas, CA, the Fool Moon 12/24 Hour Runs are RRCA Championship Races that will feature race shirts, finisher plaques, overall and age division awards and fully stocked aid station at base camp. 24-Hour Run starts at 9:00AM; 12-Hour Run starts at 9:00PM to allow runners to enjoy running under the full moon. www.trailrunevents.com May 1, SUN, 2011 Newport Beach: OC Marathon & Half Marathon, Inspire Kids to Fitness by running the OC Marathon. We offer a beautifully scenic course starting in Newport Beach with majestic views of the Pacific Ocean, traveling through the pristine Back Bay and the performing arts and premier shopping districts of Orange County. Make this flat, fast, stunning course your destination Marathon for 2011 to experience the beauty of the OC in perfect springtime running temperatures. www.ocmarathon.com Carmel: Big Sur International Marathon, Big Sur to Carmel.

Run along scenic Highway One, the nation's first nationally designated Scenic Highway. Course open 6 hours, a 13:40 pace. www.bsim.org Napa: Napa Valley Sprint Triathlon, half-iron distance, The

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half-iron distance event entails a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and half marathon (13.1 mile) run. You'll begin your race following a 1.2-mile rectangular swim course in Lake Berryessa at Oak Shores. www.envirosports.com June 3–4, FRI–SAT, 2011 Reno: Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Relay Run Adventure 178M (7th), 7am. One of Reno-Tahoe’s newest & most exciting Special events; a team relay run on a 178M course through the Reno-Lake Tahoe region. shelly@renotahoeodyssey.com; www.renotahoeodyssey.com June 5, SUN, 2011 San Diego: Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 Marathon to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The flat course includes idyllic San Diego landmarks such as Balboa Park, PETCO Park, the Gaslamp Quarter and beautiful Mission Bay. Live bands, cheer teams and themed water stations line the flat and fast course through America's Finest City. Both routes start in Balboa Park and finish at SeaWorld.

For course descriptions, maps and elevation charts visit www.runrocknroll.com.

June 12, SUN, 2011 Tarzana: Valley Crest Half-Marathon, 8am, A hilly mountain half-marathon on dirt Mulholland that treats runners to beautiful spring foliage and magnificent vistas of the San Fernando Valley. The race is run in early June, and has typically had cool, overcast weather. The course is entirely on countymaintained fire roads, with aid stations approximately every 3.5 miles. This is a great first-timer trail run! www.trailrunevents.com June 18, SAT, 2011 Puerto Vallarta, MX: The UjENA 5K/10K, is a unique event created by Runner's World magazine founder Bob Anderson.

This is a fun but also serious race. Run the 5K or 10K or choose the Bob Anderson Challenge - run the 10k at 7:30am and the 5k at 9:00am! The unique part is that hundreds of models and photographers from around the world will be running. There is also a party on the night of each race. Your race number gets you into the party and the UjENA Jam Expo. (see http://www.ujenajam.com/ for more info). $1,200 cash prizes awarded at each location. Medals and t-shirts provided to top finishers. Info and sign up at http://www.ujena5k.com July 31, SUN, 2011 San Francisco: San Francisco Marathon, The San Francisco Marathon is a loop course. The race starts and finishes on the Embarcadero. The Full Marathon runs through Fisherman's Wharf, the Marina, across the Golden Gate Bridge (and back!), through the Presidio and into Golden Gate Park. After a tour of Golden Gate Park, you'll run down the famous Haight Street and through the Mission, Potrero and Mission Bay Districts.

After a pass behind AT&T Park your almost home - just run under the Bay Bridge and up to the Finish Line. The course is USATF certified and is a Boston Marathon qualifying race. For more info go to www.thesfmarathon.com August 27, SAT, 2011 Calabasas: BullDog 50K and 25K, The challenging and popular Bulldog runs consist of two races - the 25K Trail Run and the 50K Trail Ultra Run, which are conducted simultaneously. Come join us and run in the beautiful scenic Santa Monica Mountains recreational area beginning at our base camp in Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu California. The challenging course offers inspirational vistas of untamed terrain and sweeping ocean views as it weaves through the mountains on single track and fire roads. www.trailrunevents.com

LDR News Pacific Association LDR Report

BY MARK WINITZ

San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose; Oct. 3 California women captured the top five places at the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on a perfect autumn morning for racing. But one woman, in particular, inspired all others.

Linda Somers Smith (Arroyo Grande), age 49, a 1996 Olympian in the marathon, secured second place and finished only 1 minute, 36 seconds behind female winner Blake Russell (Pacific Grove), who was a 2008 Olympian in the marathon.

According to Andy Carr, keeper of USATF road records, Somers Smith’s phenomenal 1:13:32 at age 49 tops Colleen De Reuck’s pending U.S. women’s age 45–49 half marathon record of 1:16:30 set earlier this year at the Houston Half Marathon. Somers Smith also set a pending W45–49 20K record in route to the half marathon with a 1:09:42, shattering the current ratified 20K record of 1:14:13. In addition, she bettered the unofficial U.S. W49 single-age record of 1:27 for the half marathon distance. left Linda Somers Smith; right Meb Keflezighi

To top it all off, the unassuming lawyer deservedly earned USATF’s Athlete of the Week Award for her superlative performance.

“It’s a fast course—one of the faster ones I’ve run,” said Somers Smith, who owns a half marathon all-time PR of 1:11:01 set in Tokyo in 1997. “All summer I did triathlon training, working on my strength. I entered and won the Santa Monica Triathlon. Over the last few miles of today’s race, I kept telling myself ‘this can’t hurt as much as getting off the bike’ [and then running during a triathlon].”

Russell posted a 1:11:55 winning time as she tuned up for the ING New York City Marathon. Incredibly, it was the marathon veteran’s first solo half marathon.

“My main goal was to run under 1:12:00, so I was happy with it,” said Russell, who placed third at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials, earning a trip to Beijing.

Russell, Somers Smith, and third-place female Rachel Booth (Mountain View, 1:14:47) all bettered USATF’s women’s half marathon standard of 1:15:00 for entry into the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials. Somers Smith is a seven-time qualifier for the Trials, having previously qualified for the 2012 Trials at the 2010 Honda LA Marathon with a 2:36:33 “A”-standard performance.

2004 Olympic Marathon Silver medalist Meb Keflezighi (Mammoth Lakes) successfully defended his San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon title, recording an unchallenged win in 1:01:45. Keflezighi was accompanied through 10K by his Mammoth Track Club

teammate Patrick Smyth (who served as pacer), but ran the remainder of the race alone.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to challenge Haile Gebrselassie [in the New York City Marathon] and give it a good shot.

He’s been my idol since I’ve been in high school,” said Keflezighi after running his first race since placing fifth at last April’s Boston Marathon in 2:09:26. “I was thrilled to run within 10 seconds of my marathon PR at Boston despite running with a tear in my left quad. At age 35, I’m running faster now than I ever have, which is pretty crazy.”

Hanson’s Brooks Distance Project teammates Brian Medigovich (2nd, 1:04:56) and Paul Hefferon (3rd, 1:05:55), both of Rochester Hills, Michigan, followed Meb in San Jose.

“I’m just trying out some long stuff now before I go back to track,” said Medigovich, a recent grad of Adams State College who was a CIF champion at 3200m as a senior at San Luis Obispo High School.

Although Medigovich, 23, bettered USATF’s standard of 1:05:00 as a half marathon qualifier for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, he said he’s not inclined to try out the marathon distance for a few years.

The sold-out half marathon celebrated its fifth anniversary with 13,000 participants. Full results are available at http://san-jose.competitor.com/

Reyes Wins USA Men’s Marathon Championship Title

Victor Sailer/www.PhotoRun.NET

Some track & field pundits speculate in running blogs that Sergio Reyes might be the best “grassroots” club distance runner in the U.S. Reyes, who competes for the ASICS Aggies, bolstered that theory on Oct. 3, when he captured the 2010 USA Men’s Marathon Championship crown at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. It was the first national championship title for Reyes, 28, who works as a civilian flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base near his home in Palmdale. Reyes’ 2:14:02 win earned him $25,000 and an automatic berth on the USA men’s marathon team that will compete at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, Korea.

He knocked about a minute and a half off of his previous PR of 2:15:30 set at last year’s Chicago Marathon.

“I really didn’t consider myself a contender for the win, but I knew I could place high on a good day,” Reyes said. “But my main thing was trying to make a world team spot continued on page 16 14 c t & r n • n o v e m b e r – d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0

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David Kloz

ing to keep the pace honest, and bridging up to the leaders. From there, I didn’t want to go off on my own and hope to hold it for the final 9 miles. It was new territory for me, and I didn’t want to go until I was ready to commit.

When I started pushing it a little bit—not by much—at about 231⁄2 miles, I didn’t see too much of a response from Jeff [Eggleston], so I kept moving with it. I definitely didn’t want to leave it to the very end. But it really starts to hit you in the last couple of miles. You’ve run enough hills to start to wear you out, and there’s still more hills to go. The body starts to lock up and become really sluggish. I figured that someone was going to roll back up on me, but luckily I was able to hold on.

Reyes placed an impressive 6th overall at the America’s Finest City Half Marathon before claiming the U.S. marathon title at Twin Cities. and my best opportunity was at Twin Cities where two of the [men’s marathon] team spots are handed out.”

In ideal running conditions (low 40s at the start with little wind), Reyes settled himself into a chase pack behind co-leaders David Janokowski (North Carolina) and Seth Pilkington (Utah) who hit halfway in 1:06:43 with a half-minute lead. By 25K, the race was down to Reyes, Jeff Eggleston (New York, second, 2:14:09), and Fernando Cabada (Colorado, third, 2:15:25). Reyes hung tough through the hills over the final 10K to the finish in St. Paul, dropping his final rival (Eggleston) at 23 miles, and hanging on to a narrow 7-second gap at the finish. Drew Shackleton (24, Los Angeles) was fifth in 2:16:31.

“This was an excellent breakthrough performance by Sergio,” said Glenn Latimer who chairs USATF’s Men’s Long Distance Running Committee. “He’s always had the talent. Now he’s realized his potential. I was also pleased to see six PRs in the top 10 men, an indication of the continued growth in depth of U.S. men’s distance running.”

Conversation with Sergio Reyes CTRN talked with Reyes 3 days after his USA Men’s Marathon Championship victory. It has been a good year for Reyes, who also set PRs on the track at 5000m (13:52.39, Mt. SAC Relays) and 10,000m (28:29.70, Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational), and 10K on the roads (29:14).

So, tell us a little about your race in Minneapolis.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day for racing.

The challenges were on the course itself, which is a lot more hilly than Chicago’s course. The last 10K is all hills. I tried to stay as patient as I could while doing my fair share of the work.

From 12 to 17 miles, I led the chase pack, try-

Did the win surprise you?

Yes, definitely. My splits were slowly starting to fade over the last few miles. I was feeling absolutely terrible. Being able to hold on all the way to the finish was a surprise.

Have you run Twin Cities before?

It was my marathon debut back in 2005. It was a disaster. I had to stop and walk to drink and rehydrate, and hit the wall over the last 7 miles.

I finished in something like 59th place. After that one, I was repelled by the thought of running another marathon. I had a lot to learn.

How many marathons have you run now?

This one was my eighth. I improved a lot last year—from a tough day in Boston (17th, 2:19:22) to running a lot better in Chicago (first American, 2:15:30). And this year’s training and everything has been good leading up to Twin Cities. I knew anything was possible, but it can be anybody’s given day.

Did you train any differently for Twin Cities, or did you use your tried-and-true method?

I didn’t do anything tremendously different.

My coach, Joe Rubio, had me doing the same workouts we did last year leading up to Chicago. It was actually a lot more relaxed— not a drawn-out schedule like he had me do in the past. Each week, we did mile reps one day and then a tempo run on the weekend for my two hard workouts. Plus a long run.

My weekly mileage got up to just over 150 at the peak, definitely a fair amount of miles. But I definitely felt I was getting stronger and able to handle a lot more than before. And the races that we were using to gauge my fitness showed positive signs. The U.S. 10-Mile Championships in August went well (fifth, 48:32). Then, in September, I PRed for 10K on the roads (29:14) at the Santa Monica Elite West Coast Invitational.

The last few weeks leading up to Twin Cities, I absolutely felt like I was in the best shape of my life. In fact, after I started to taper for the race in my last few workouts, I was wondering if I was losing fitness. You start to

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doubt yourself. You expect to be super fresh.

You wonder if you’re getting stale. But you need to just stay grounded in the game plan and your training schedule, and it will come together. Whether you realize it or not, you are getting rested up. At that point, it’s just maintenance. Becoming more mature and understanding that kind of stuff really helped.

Who do you train with?

Justin Patananan, who runs with Nike Team LA, is my daily training partner. He’s religious about showing up at my house on time and doing our workouts, even the days I really don’t feel like it. His consistency has been an enormous help. We were both training for a fall marathon.

How did you get started in running?

I started as a little boy growing up. My dad ran for San Jose City College and was very serious about his training and staying fit. I started running with him around the track very early and he saw my potential. I trained with my four sisters, who all ran. I dropped running in high school, but competed for Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo) and Cedarville University in Ohio [where Reyes was a multiple NAIA AllAmerican in track and cross country and was the NAIA champion at 10,000m in 2002— Editor].

Currently you lead the open men’s division on the Pacific Association/USATF long and short road running Grand Prix circuits. You run a lot of local PA/USATF championship races, and then you go to the U.S. champs marathon and win it.

Do you find that you thrive on the PA races and the team comraderie, scoring for your ASICS Aggies team?

Racing in the PA provides something that not a lot of U.S. road racing champions have the opportunity to do: keeping it fun. I have a blast doing PA cross country and road Grand Prix races. They’re competitive enough to keep me on edge, and it’s a super group of guys that I run against. We’re all pretty competitive, but we’re also having a good time. The races give me a good workout as long as I don’t strain it too much. I’ve learned how to go to PA races and use them to, sort of, check the box on my weekend training schedule.

Sergio, you obviously have a great relationship with coach Rubio. How has he assisted you with your development?

I’ve been with Joe since I graduated from college, about 7 years. I think we work well together because he has a huge amount of patience to work with someone like me. I’m not necessarily a difficult person to work with, but I’m not necessarily a fast improver. He told me early on that I wasn’t going to see rapid improvement, that it was going to take a while.

Having him be patient with me—although I

had some bad races and it looked like I was peaking out and might never make it big—was a huge boost.

He coaches me by email and over the phone [since Rubio lives on the central California coast and Reyes lives in Southern California] and is very good about replying to

Southern California Association LDR FROM WAYNE JONESS Open Athletics Road Running Chair

Duncan Selby/selbyphotography.com

SCA/USATF Road Mile Championships El Toro Airfield, Irvine; Aug. 29 Top talent made the inaugural USATF Southern California Road Mile Championships a day of racing to remember. More than just a one-mile road race, this 16-heat competition was conceived as a focal point to bring together—on the same day—athletes from the three disciplines of sport governed by USATF: road running, track & field, and race walking.

The unique venue was the former El Toro Airfield in Irvine. To ensure as flat and accurate a mile race as possible, runners and race walkers queued up on the military grade, 10,000 footlong runway 34-L, racing on a point-to-point USATF-certified course marked with timing clocks every quarter-mile.

Youth, masters, and senior race walk competitors kicked off the day with a 7 a.m. start.

Ryan Thong (M10) not only won his division with his 8:38.3 finish, but was the first race walker overall to cross the finish line, and winner of the 2010 Southern California Open Race Walk 1-Mile Championship award. Close behind Ryan was Patsy Hurley (F16), whose 8:45.3 finishing time also earns her the title of

my every question. And he forgives me for the occasional very stupid things I do.

You recently got married ...

Yes, a few weeks ago, on September 4th. It’s a whole new stage of life. Aimee is very supportive. She took care of all the wedding planning 2010 Southern California Open Race Walk 1Mile Champion. Patsy is the daughter of race walking coach Chuck Hurley, who’s leading the way in training and promoting race walking with younger competitors. The Masters Race Walk 1-Mile award went to Yoko Eichel (F63), who finished in 9:07.2.

Rick Campbell (M64) earned the masters title with his 8:41.5 finish. Campbell was the only Southern California Association member bold enough to compete with the Elite race walk talent in the 7:15 a.m. heat. This showcase event featured two-time Olympian Tim Seamen (M38) with a 6:06.1 time and Olympic competitor John Nunn (M32), who crossed the finish line in 6:08.1.

By 7:30 a.m., the scene at the starting line resembled a youth track meet, with sub-bantam, bantam, midget, youth, intermediate, and young runners warming up for six competitions in their specific age-groups. In fact, nearly a third of all the competitors Sunday morning were from the active Southern California youth. Leading the sub-bantam division were runners Isaac Woodcock (M8) 6:14.6 and Sofia Gibson (F6) 7:56.6. For bantam: Logan Eldridge (M10) 6:00.5 and Reagan Peterson (F10) 6:41.4. Midget: Jacob Ogden (M12) 5:17.2 and Alexandra Gushue (F11) 5:53.8.

Youth: Anthony Palazzo (M13) 4:59.9 and Jordan Stiewig (F13) 5:33.0. Intermediate: Drake Johnston (M15) 4:48.7 and Kylie Nishisaka (F15) 5:52.4. Young: Nicholas Lopez (M17) 4:41.1 and Natalie Best (F17) 5:58.6. The Southern California Road Mile Championships were specifically scheduled at the end of August to catch the youth runners after their summer break and before they started their cross country season in earnest.

2004 Olympic competitor and World Games Elite Men's Action at the SCA Mile Championships (left to right): winner Michael Chavez, Jaques Sallberg, Brandon Bethke, and David Edwards.

and generally helped me out so I could just focus on Twin Cities. During our honeymoon, she understood when I had to go out on 11⁄2 hour workouts. She understood that it was a very big race for me and all that was at stake. It all paid off. s

Gold and Silver medalist Lashinda Demus graciously made a special appearance to present the youth awards, making this a memorable day.

Following the exciting conclusion of the youth races were four starts for adult runners: open men’s and women’s races (19–39) and then masters competitions (40+). Top open finishers in these events were Danielle Gordanier (F39, 6:05.3) and Michael Cortez (M31, 4:56.1), and top masters finishers Sue Zilhmann (F46, 5:41.2) and David Norwood (M50, 5:14.5).

Some spectators noticed the double threat presented by Ryan Thong, Patsy Hurley, and Yoko Eichel. After taking top honors in the race walk competition, these talented athletes came back to win awards in the one-mile run, as well. Ryan took home a Silver medal in the boys bantam division (6:32.6), Patsy won Silver in girls intermediate (5:56), and Yoko took Gold in the women’s 60–64 division (7:14).

While the morning had started out surprisingly cool and overcast, clouds were clearing and the day was warming up by the start of the USATF elite races. With a point-to-point course, wind can either be a hindrance or a help. Fortunately for the elite competitors, there was only a slight headwind and temperatures remained cool.

For the elite women’s races, open and masters runners competed in the same race, with competitors wearing back tags to identify their division. A review of the results of recent Southern California Road Championship races shows that in the women’s competition, little time separates open and masters runners and on several occasions, the overall women’s champion was also the masters’ champion.

The women’s race started out with an enthusiastic burst of speed. Overall 2010 Southern California USATF 1-Mile Championship winner Grace Padilla (F39) noted her split at the half-mile timing clock as 2:18! A quarter-mile later, the intensity of the first 800 meters had taken its toll, and runners had to dig down to hold their position.

Ultimately, Padilla crossed the finish line with a time of 5:02.7, followed immediately by Genevieve Graff-Ermeling (F39) in a time of 5:03.3. Third place was taken by Emily Field (F29) running 5:04.1.

The masters division was won by Alison Atkinson (F43) in 5:08.4 with Tania Fischer (F44) close on her heels with a 5:11.7 time, and Debbie Richardson (F47) taking third in continued on page 18

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San DiegoImperial LDR Report

BY MORGAN SJOGREN

America’s Finest City Half Marathon San Diego; Aug. 15 America’s Finest City is the third jewel in the San Diego Triple Crown Half Marathon series.

The race not only attracts runners looking to complete the Triple Crown, but also an abundance of foreign and local elite runners. The men’s champion, Flagstaff ’s Ezkyas Sisay, only 21 years old, crossed the finish line in 1:03:58.

The leader of the women’s race, fellow Flagstaff resident Belainesh Gebre, 22, finished in a time of 1:10:28 that would have placed her 12th overall in the men’s race! Despite the challenging course, the winning times remained fast—a testament to the quality of the field.

The race also drew plenty of local competition as San Diego’s finest runners competed for local bragging rights. Okwaro Raura, Team BSK/Running Center, ran a stellar race finishing 1:09:30 as the first local. Babey Wagnew of Lemon Grove took second and Dave Easa, Team BSK/Running Center, had a breakthrough race to round out the podium.

Michael Chavez (M25) became a two-man battle between Chavez and Sallberg. In the final 200 meters, it was Chavez who had the stronger sprint finish and managed to put a second on Sallberg. Chavez took home the top prize money, the 2010 Southern California USATF 1Mile Champion title, and set the official course record of 4:06.2.

Of course, his record is sure to be challenged in 2011 when members of the Southern California Association meet again to run their best mile ever!

More information at roadmile.org, scagrandprix.org and caltrack.com. s

On the women’s side, Johanna Bonfiglio maintained her dominance on the San Diego road race scene. The Team BSK/Running Center runner bested her competitors in the San Diego race by nearly 4 minutes, clocking a finish time of 1:18:24. Jessica Goertz and Claire Rethemeier finished second and third, respectively, among the always-competitive San Diego women’s field.

Thuc Tran

SCA ROAD MILE AWARD WINNERS Top (left to right) Boy’s SubBantam division winner Isaac Woodcock (6:14.6), Jackson Coney (4th), Cole Ellison (2nd), David Lorenzana (5th), and Nathan Bernado (3rd) with Lashinda Demus. Bottom (left to right) Elite Senior winner Ruth Wysocki, presenter Bob Larsen, Lydia Salinas (silver), and Debbie Lee (bronze). strong kick 400 meters from the finish to pass Karla Alburez. Cassie Bando took third. s The fastest local finisher at AFC, Joey Bonfiglio followed up two weeks later with a win at the End of Summer 4-Mile.

End of Summer 4-Mile Fire Run La Jolla to Pacific Beach; Aug. 28 While San Diego may be notorious for beautiful, albeit hilly, races, the End of Summer 4Mile Fire Run is a fast, slightly downhill course that attracts talented runners. The point-topoint course that begins in La Jolla finishes in Pacific Beach and invites runners to celebrate with a post-race beer garden at PB Bar and Grill is comparable to none! These attractive race features brought several runners from outof-state to challenge for the overall title. Mario Macias was the men’s overall leader with a time of 18:55. Marco Anzures followed and third place went to Sean Zanderson (adidas/Movin’ Shoes). Perhaps most impressive was Rancho Buena Vista HS senior Chris Breuer, who finished fourth overall in an impressive time of 19:33. Johanna Bonfiglio (BSK/Running Center) won the women’s race in 22:19 with a

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David Kloz

5:21.2. The 50+ seniors division was won by Southern California running legend Ruth Wysocki (F53). Wysocki’s 5:18.6 finishing time also resulted in an astonishing age-graded score of 974! Not only was this the highest agegraded score of the day, but it’s the highest score posted in the Southern California Road Running Grand Prix from a field of 354 runners competing in six races so far! 2009 Road Running Grand Prix winner Lydia Salinas (F50) finished second with a time of 5:43.2, and Debbie Lee (F53), took third with 6:03.3.

In the men’s races, masters and seniors were combined, followed by men’s elite open.

Two-time Olympic Trials competitor Christian Cushing-Murray (M42) easily led the masters race, finishing in 4:25.4, nearly 18 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. In second and third places were Jon Megeff (M47, 4:42.4) and Aaron Goddall (M40, 4:43.7), respectively. For the senior (50+) competitors, the race was much tighter with Rich Burns (M55) clocking in a 4:42.6, followed by Ray Knerr (M50, 4:43.8) and John Loftus (M52, 4:57.0).

Ten runners stepped up to take the challenge of the men’s open elite race. In a replay of the women’s elite race, the first quarter-mile saw some ambitious speed and confidence as Fedley Bonneau (M28) led the field with a 58-second split. With the last quarter-mile in sight, the lead pack of David Edwards (M23), Brandon Bethke (M23), Jaques Sallberg (M35), and

REVIEWS

Winter Trail Shoes by Cregg Weinmann

Running is a basic activity: one part locomotion, one part recreation, and one part competition. When pursued in a natural setting such as trails, it’s also imbued with a freshness, a vitality that’s a big part of trail running’s appeal. Here we feature three new trail shoes and five updated models in the Responsive Trail and Trail Racing categories. To assist you in your search for the best trail shoe for you, pay particular attention to the recommendation of what foot types and characteristics the shoe is designed for, and then seek the help of a specialty running store where you can try on a number of models before you hit the trail.

adidas Supernova Riot 3 $110

ASICS Trail Sensor 4 $110

The Supernova Riot is the latest version of the adidas trail running philosophy. The outersole is the result of a partnership with Continental Rubber, and features multidirectional lugs for excellent traction in conditions as varied as mud, loose stuff, or packed trails. The midsole is molded EVA that is responsive on trails, as well as the roads. The ForMotion cassette and Promoderator medial support provide good stability. The upper is supportive microsuede and rubbery overlays that create a nearly full rand. Extra support is provided by the logo stripes that are attached to the midfoot eyestay and offer extra protection at the toe and heel. The net effect is a shoe with stability, support, traction, and good cushioning underfoot.

The updated Trail Sensor is the best yet for trail running. The midsole and outersole—dialed in on the last round and carried over—effectively handle a variety of trail surfaces from paved to loose, offering good cushioning, stability, and support. The heel articulates well on uneven surfaces, functioning like the suspension system on an SUV. The plush interior—familiar in upper-end ASICS shoes—fits well, courtesy of memory foam in the heel and a smooth forefoot interior. Real changes have been limited to the upper, where a full rand protects the foot with additional high-friction protection at heel and toe. Mesh from the toe through the tongue provides good ventilation, and the eyestay offers enough stretch to secure the foot while adapting to small differences between feet.

“Just what I expected—good stability, good cushioning, good traction—on every surface I run on, [whether] trails or roads.”

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 6.5–13,14,15; women 5–11 Weight: 13.7 oz. (men’s 11); 9.9 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, adiPrene (foam) Strobel Board For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

“Nice, comfortable fit with this shoe. Almost suspension-like over the rough spots, as well as a decent job on roads. The traction was noticeably effective.”

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 7–13,14,15; women 5–11 Weight: 14.0 oz. (men’s 11); 11.8 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, Solyte (foam) Strobel Board (heel) For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Inov8 X-Talon 190 $100

Lowa S-Trail GTX $135

The X-Talon 190 is the lightest trail racing option offered by Inov8; in fact, it’s the lightest trail shoe on the market. It’s not quite as protective as the X-Talon 212, but that’s the tradeoff for speed. The upper features an airy mesh with a network of midfoot HFwelded supports and high-friction treatBEST SHOE ment via a rubbery coating printed onto the mesh over Trail Racing the toe. The midsole is a low-profile, single-density foam WIN 0 that has a responsive feel on firm ground and a nimble TER 201 response on the trails. The outersole of effective lugs offers the excellent traction and cushioning deflection proven in the X-Talon 212.

Runners looking for a minimalist shoe or an effective trail racer should find the X-Talon 190 to their taste. Though no other trail racers happened to be introduced or updated in this season, its industry-leading light weight, traction, and performance earned the X-Talon 190 our Best Shoe award in the Trail Racing category.

Lowa has made gradual changes to its trail shoes to make them better suited to trail performance. While not as light as performance trail shoes, the S-Trail line is about running. The Trail-S GTX is the waterproof version of the series with GoreTex providing its breathability and water-shedding properties. Stiff mesh and synthetic overlays offer support and protection while securing the foot well. The midsole is two layers of EVA, the top portion wrapped at key points by overlays from the upper to add stability. The ride is very firm, but combines with the outersole lugs to offer good traction and stability, though the flexibility is on the stiff side.

“Felt like a feather, with teeth. Bit into the trails, did OK on the firm parts [and] even managed short segments of roads. Great trail racer.”

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 7.5–12,13,14; women 5.5–11 Weight: 15.6 oz. (men’s 11); 12.9 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted with GoreTex booty For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics to mild overpronation

“Good, secure fit with a solid feel. Very firm on roads, but good responsive feel and very good traction on the trails.”

TRAIL RACING Sizes: men 5–13; women 6.5–11 Weight: 8.0 oz. (men’s 11); 6.6 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved to curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics, for faster-paced running

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REVIEWS

Winter Trail Shoes continued

Mizuno Cabracan 2 $125

Pearl Izumi isoSeek IV $105

Cabracan, The Sequel is much the same as the original, but close inspection reveals some surprises. Though the midsole and outersole appear the same, the midsole is now ap+ foam, which is more resilient and durable than round one. The other significant changes are in the upper. The application of synthetic rubber, strategically placed for protection, is not only at heel and toe, but extends over almost half of the lateral side. The rand, previously only in the vamp, now circles the foot with only a small gap behind the medial toe for protection without limiting flexibility. The overall lightening up of the shoe and the performance differences of the midsole, making the ride a bit livelier on firm surfaces. Its versatility on trails, as well as limited road use, makes them even better than the original. Runners looking for a protective, stable, versatile trail shoe should include the Cabracan 2 in their search.

The new isoSeek replaces the SyncroSeek, shifting from the SycroFrame to its new all-foam Graduated Guidance System technology.

(It also sports a brand new upper, midsole, and outersole, so we’re not sure why it’s designated as “IV.”) The secure, seamless upper is breathable mesh with rubbery synthetic overlays at the heel and toe and a band on both sides of the lower eyestay that extends from the heel to the midfoot. The low ankle collar prevents irritation and extended eyelets allow a snug fit. The midsole is dual-density foam with Skydex inserts, which is stable with good cushioning on the roads, while effective on the trail, as well. The outersole is where the isoSeek really shines, though. The tread pattern is PI’s best yet for trail running. Perimeter lugs are oriented to climbing in the forefoot (ascents) and braking in the rearfoot (descents). The lugs down the middle of the sole are firmer, adding extra grip when needed.

“Fit very well. I can rely on Mizuno’s consistent fit. The tread was great, no slips on my runs. Very durable and a good performer for my trail running, and did a good job getting me from the car to the trail.”

“The fit and smooth interior were excellent. The outsole ... offers good traction in any angle, direction, or surface. Hill climbs and loose soil were no problem.”

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 6.5–13,14; women 5–11 Weight: 12.5 oz. (men’s 11); 9.9 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 6.5–13,14; women 5–11 Weight: 13.7 oz. (men’s 11); 10.9 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel Board For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics to moderate overpronation

Saucony Xodus 2.0 $100

Scott Aztec Pro II $95

The original Xodus anchored Saucony’s RAW (Run AnyWhere) trail running line.

Round 2 retains the essentials, with a bit of upgrading and fine-tuning. The Xodus 2.0 upper is a closed mesh with HF-welded overlays in a supportive saddle. The midfoot ArchLock from round one has been replaced with ProLock, an internal archband that cinches down the midfoot more directly than did the ArchLock, by positioning webbing loops from the eyestay to the archband. An elasticized, gusseted tongue helps keep the debris out while snugging the foot. The midsole chassis remains intact with the same midsole and Vibram outersole. The single-density foam features bilateral heel crashpads that provide very good cushioning and the ride is enhanced by the polyurethane innersole and SRC foam Strobel board. The combination of fit, cushioning, protection, and traction make the Xodus worth consideration.

The Aztec is the award-winning Makani, refitted for the trail. The upper uses the Ergologic Fit System, a saddle separate from the vamp, which locks the midfoot over the midsole.

Inside is a gusseted tongue that’s elasticized to snug the foot with a rubbery toeBEST SHOE cap for protection. The basic, low-profile Scott toolResponsive ing is employed, but here it’s single density foam that Trail WIN adapts well to varied terrain. The lugged outersole is a TER 2010 heel-to-toe sheet of carbon rubber, providing both grip and protection, though also adding a bit of weight to an otherwise lightweight performance running shoe. The long and short of it is that trail runners looking for traction and a responsive, low-profile ride will be pleased with the Aztec Pro II. In fact, its performance, fit, and value earned it our Best Shoe award in the Responsive Trail category.

“The fit and support worked great, especially how it wrapped my arch.

The traction was good, the cushioning was good. They pretty much handled my trail needs.”

“The fit was great: snug through the arch with plenty of toe room.

Nice and low to the ground, good traction, and performed well on all kinds of surfaces. I was very impressed.”

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 6.5–13,14; women 5–11 Weight: 14.0 oz. (men’s 11); 11.2 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, SRC (foam) Strobel Board For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics to very mild overpronation

RESPONSIVE TRAIL Sizes: men 8–13; women 6–11 Weight: 12.5 oz. (men’s 11); 9.3 oz. (women’s 8) Shape: semi-curved to curved Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

CREGG WEINMANN is footwear and running products reviewer for Running Network LLC. He can be reached via e-mail at shuz2run@lightspeed.net.

Copyright © 2010 by Running Network LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be stored, copied, or reprinted without prior written permission of Running Network LLC. Reprinted here with permission.

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Š2010 New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

James Carney, Team New Balance

The 759 was designed for the body in motion, unleashing your inner animal. So lace up a pair, scope out your target and let your spirit run wild. newbalance.com

When you’re in the right shoe, you love RUNNING more.

Miracles Happen One Runner’s Journey Back to the Sport He Loves

BY MARK WINITZ

To find a dealer near you, call:

800-253-7463 or go to:

newbalance .com

Journal Entry #9, September 2010 According to experts, miracles happen if you stay fit. The benefits of exercise, particularly sustained aerobic exercise such as running at a moderate to moderately intense pace, are well documented. In one example, a 21-year longitudinal study on 538 members of the FiftyPlus Runners Association (now Lifelong Fitness) and 423 healthy controls conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine concluded that vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage. (Reference: Archives of Internal Medicine, August 11, 2008) I am a lucky recipient of this advantage.

According to my cardiologist, a strong heart from over 25 years and 60,000-plus miles of running—despite a genetic predisposition toward coronary artery disease—helped me survive a heart attack in 2008, two days after my 58th birthday.

Both my grandfathers died in their 50s of heart attacks. Even if today’s medical research linking appropriate, regular exercise with health benefits were available in my grandfathers’ time, I’m not sure they could have taken advantage of it. As Jewish immigrants living in Brooklyn, New York they both worked hard at their laborers’ jobs to sustain their families. I’m grateful they did, or I probably wouldn’t be here today.

While all of us become heirs to the miracle of human life from our ancestors, we also inherit the genetics, both good and bad, that contribute to our individuality—and sometimes similarity. When a sibling of mine had a heart attack a few months ago, initially, I was shocked. Now besides our obviously similar genetics, and similar propensities toward physical fitness, we have a mutual motivation to absorb the latest research about heart attacks and how to minimize risk.

Experts still admit there is much to learn about the effects of running on the human body. Studies are conducted, but not all the results are consistent.

Recently, father-and-son investigators Dr. Robert Schwartz (Minneapolis Heart Institute)

and Dr. Jonathan Schwartz (University of Colorado, Denver), both runners, reported the results of their study, which compared coronary artery plaque in marathon runners compared with a control group. They studied 25 runners who had competed in the Twin Cities Marathon (Minneapolis-St Paul) every year for 25 consecutive years. Surprisingly, compared with the controls, the marathoners had significantly more calcified plaque volume (a primary risk factor for artery disease and heart attacks).

Why? The reasons are unknown, but the researchers suggested that metabolic and mechanical stresses such as antioxidant damage from the cardiovascular stresses of training and calcium leakage from taxed bones into the bloodstream might be factors. (Source: American College of Cardiology 2010 Scientific Sessions; March 16, 2010; Atlanta) Another study, conducted in 2009 in Great Britain by Liverpool John Moores University and the Countess of Chester Hospital studied the effects of ultradistance races on runners’ hearts. Researchers presented their conclusions at the European Society of Cardiology’s Congress 2010 in Stockholm.

The study suggests that running continuously over 50 or 100 miles may not be good for the heart.

Forty-five runners who competed in the challenging 2009 Lakeland 50- and 100-mile race in northern England were studied. The race was run over difficult, very hilly terrain in thunderstorms and driving rain. Only 25 of the 45 runners, all experienced ultramarathoners, completed the race. 96% of these finishers developed a significant increase in cardiac Troponin I, which can be an indicator of heart muscle damage, and 12% showed signs suggestive of significant cardiac damage. They also developed significant electrical changes on electrocardiograms. (Source: ScienceDaily, Aug. 31, 2010) Yet the results of another study, released in 1993 by the Stanford University School of Medicine on 11 ultradistance runners and 11 physically inactive men showed that the runners had larger epicardial coronary arteries and greater dilating capacity of these arteries than the inactive men. (Source: Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 1993, “Coronary Artery Size and Dilating Capacity in Ultradistance Runners”) For the moment, I take these studies with a grain of potassium salt (sodium isn’t good for high blood pressure that often accompanies heart disease). You should, too. There is much

This article is not intended to provide medical or rehabilitative advice of any sort. Please consult with your doctors and physical therapists about your own medical situation.

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yet to be uncovered and studies on larger runpopulations are required. ning Overwhelmingly, the bulk of current research tells us to keep on runnin’.

Personal Update And what about my own experiment of one?

Where has my path taken me since my last journal report? To a couple of unexpected places. My wife, Fran, and I took a much needed 9-day vacation trip to Maui at the end of August—our first real break from our respective businesses in many years. For almost a week, our Hawaiian getaway was uneventful relaxation. It ended, however, when I developed chest pains—perhaps aggravated by smoke from the burning of nearby sugar cane fields.

I recommend an air excursion between the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu by small aircraft. The views are spectacular, even by emergency air ambulance, which was the VIP treatment I received to Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center in Honolulu. The next day, I was the recipient of a brand new arterial stent, my fourth, this one to open up a left coronary artery that was 90% blocked. The old genetics trick again.

My cardiologist says I’m doing all that I can through diet, exercise, supplements, etc., to lower my bad cholesterol (LDL), increase my good cholesterol (HDL), and lower my blood pressure. In fact, the changes are so dramatic that he says I’m a candidate for a Dr. Andrew Weil case study.

At the conclusion of my July/August Miracles Happen column, after waxing philosophical about miracles and destiny, I quoted one of my favorite Beatles’ lyrics: Let it be, let it be. There will be an answer, let it be.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, I now have an answer about my continually painful bionic, all-titanium artificial right hip that has mystified my doctors and thwarted my hoped-for return to running for over 31⁄2 years.

Immediately upon returning from Hawaii, I learned that I was not alone. A friend passed along the news that had made it into the New York Times and Wall Street Journal: Johnson & Johnson/Depuy, the manufacturers of my particular artificial hip, has recalled 93,000 units of the device after finding that 13% of patients (1 in 8) who had received the metal hip needed revision surgery within 5 years. My difficulties with the hip, apparently, make me one of the 13%.

The culprit? In some people, small metal particles (shavings) from the wearing away of metal-on-metal joint surfaces can trigger an allergic reaction, causing pain and swelling around the joint plus possible damage of the muscles, bones, and nerves around the hip. In addition, cobalt (one of the primary metals

comprising the artificial hip) can initiate or aggravate heart problems. Testing has shown that I have abnormally high levels of cobalt circulating in my body.

The remedy, according to experts?

Revision surgery that replaces one or more metal hip components with polyethylene bearing surfaces. I’m sorry to say that I’m not alone.

Thousands of people who received this particular artificial hip will probably require revision surgery.

On an encouraging note: I’m back to walking, deep water “running,” bicycling, and weight lifting after my Hawaiian “holiday.”

Somehow, I’m keeping fit. In fact, at 5-8, 140 pounds I’m the lightest I’ve ever been in my adult life. There may be running left in this 60year-old body yet.

Miracle Story of the Month I’m proud to say that I’ve known Kees Tuinzing and his wife, Sandy, almost as long as I’ve been involved in running. Barry Spitz, a race announcer and writer for the Marin Independent Journal, expressed Kees’ contributions to the sport better than I ever could when he wrote in 2009: “NO ONE has been more influential in the Marin running world over the past four decades than Kees Tuinzing. He founded the Tamalpa Runners club. He organized scores of local races, including stalwarts such as Pacific Sun and the Human Race. He began the Thursday morning workouts at College of Marin.

He brought many hundreds of people into the sport, and has coached more Marin runners than anyone, by far. He created “The Schedule” magazine. He started one of the nation’s first professional race timing companies. Kees is one of the pioneers of long distance running in Northern California.”

I wrote for Kees and The Schedule (now the Runner’s Schedule) during the 1980s and learned much about the publishing world from him. But then, everyone learns from Kees. He’s a natural teacher and motivator.

Tuinzing, 63, literally grew up on the high flanks of Marin’s Mount Tamalpais where his parents built a home. Every school morning he bicycled down the mountain 41⁄2 miles to Mill Valley’s Tamalpais High School and in the afternoons bicycled back home, a steep 1,000foot climb. He began running in 1973, and subsequently logged 85,000 miles, 60 marathons with a PR of 2:40, and a 10K best of 33:56. In July 2008, Tuinzing required full hip replacement surgery. Nevertheless, he’s still very entrenched in the sport today as a coach, producer of The Runner’s Schedule (with Sandy), and as a manager at ArchRival running stores in Mill Valley and Greenbrae.

Following surgery, Tuinzing tackled his rehab with a passion, using kettlebell training—exercises with cast iron weights that look

like cannonballs with a handle—to regain his muscle strength, mobility, and flexibility. He took up bicycling again—an activity a bit easier on his joints than pounding the pavement and steep Mt. Tam trails.

Although he gave up running—it just hurts him too much to do it—he didn’t give up his appetite for physical challenges.

Tuinzing set his sights on last July’s Death Ride “Tour of the California Alps,” an arduous five-pass ride through the Sierra Nevada mountains that includes 129 miles, 15,000plus feet of lung-busting climbing, and about 3,500 riders.

“An analogy would be doing Mt. Tam five times,” Tuinzing said. “The passes are all 8- to 13-mile uphills and then down each one.”

For his first attempt at this challenge, he chose the option of riding four passes (90 miles). To prepare, on alternate weekends he put in long rides of up to 102 miles and rides consisting of two or three circuits over Mt. Tam. His weekly totals were “only 150 miles; really not enough,” he said.

“It’s definitely not easy,” Tuinzing commented about one of the premier cycling events in the West. “And, it’s all about doing your homework and how you deal with the altitude.”

He said he had to back off the pace when he got to elevations around 7,500 feet, and he had to stand up on the pedals several times going up Monitor Pass. Overall, however, the ride went smoothly and his hip cooperated.

“Next time around we’ll probably do the whole thing. But it’s all about the time I’m able to put in [for training],” said Tuinzing who works six days a week at ArchRival, coaches up to two Tamalpa group workouts a day, and continues to work out with weights, swims, and participates in relay triathlons.

“I miss the comraderie of running with my friends on the Mt. Tam trails,” he admitted, “but now I get it with the bike group that I ride with on Mondays.”

Make sure to catch my previous Miracles Happen journal entries on the CTRN website at caltrack.com. Send me your own runningrelated miracle stories and I’ll try to mention them here in future journals.

Mark Winitz started this diary to chronicle his return to running following hip replacement surgery in January 2007 and a heart attack in May 2008. He named it Miracles Happen because he believes that somehow they do. You can contact Mark with your comments or your own stories at 650.948.0618 or at winitz@earthlink.net.

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USATF Regional News our region. The other associations are Central California, Southern California, San DiegoImperial, Hawaii, Arizona, and Nevada.

And I’d like to pay special recognition to the PA race walk community. We are so fortunate to have Art and Beck Klein at the helm.

They not only lead clinics in race walking, but they are nationally recognized for their volunteering in this discipline. Race walking is a wonderful way to stay in shape whether one does it competitively or for fitness.

Volunteer for the WMA via email iherman49@yahoo.com and I’ll contact you.

Having fun yet? We will! Happy Holidays and stay warm.

Dave Shrock

have our voices heard, especially in this “odd” year, which is a rules year. We’re the only association that has 18 delegates. Each association is awarded 12 delegates plus 1 additional delegate for every 1,000 members. Our year-endPresident’s ing October membership roll is very close to Message 7,000 members, which means we get at least an additional 6 delegates. Not since 2001 or so FROM IRENE HERMAN has our membership been this high. We expeIherman49@yahoo.com rienced a drop after the Boston, NY, CIM, and other marathons relinquished their requireGoal 2011: Volunteering is the Heart of the PA ment for joining USATF. Members, make it Calling for bilingual members … July 6–17, your goal in 2011 to each bring a new member 2011 is a chance for you to practice your sec- to USATF. This also means you’re helping your ond language. The World Masters club increase its members.

Championship will be hosted by the Pacific.

I’d like to announce to the disabled comThere are opportunities to volunteer at the reg- munity that we are having our officials certifiistration desk, security, awards, information cation clinic in Dec, Jan and Feb. Disabled desk, hospitality, athlete greeter at the airport, members can fullfill many officiating posiand much more. We expect anywhere from tions. We want you.

7,000–8,000 athletes. Competitions will be Speaking about the Physically Challenged held at three colleges: Sac State, Sac City, and Athletes, we have a PA circuit for you in 2011!

American River College. Ages of the competi- Check out the races that will include a PC divitors are 35–100 years old. There are no quali- sion and get in the competitive spirit for the fying standards to enter this championship. inaugural PC Grand Prix. And please tell your There will be individual competitions in cross PC friends about it. Check our website for country and the marathon. Here is a chance information or contact George Rehmet or me not only to volunteer, but to compete against at iherman49@yahoo.com. athletes from all over the world. Check out the Did you know that we have an average of PA website for volunteer and official applica- 400 athletes run our cross country series? Our tions. Please commit early so that we can slot women’s competition is going strong for the your place. U.S. athletes must wear the USA second year, with women outnumbering the uniform. Represent your country! Since there master’s men race at GGP by 44 runners, 190! are two days of cross country and the marathon (Open men have been around 50.) Where are on the last day, we need a lot of volunteers as you guys? Here’s an opportunity for you to course monitors. I expect that the local clubs, run post-collegiate XC. Get your friends out such as the River City Rebels and the Buffalo there with you. November is the month of the Chips, will volunteer. Please email George PA Champs leading into the December Club Kleeman with any questions: george_klee- Champs in Charlotte, North Carolnia. Our man@comcast.net. association is considering a 2013 XC Club It’s the season to represent the Pacific at national bid. USATF is looking for a $30,000 the annual USATF convention in Virginia prize purse to be offered by the successful bidBeach, Virginia. We’re sending 18 delegates to der. We know that it would benefit our athletes to be in their home territory.

Upcoming Regional Level 1 Coaching Schools Next year, the PA and Tim Wason Dec. 11–12, 2010 at Chabot College, Hayward are going to host A 21-hour school covering all aspects of sports science and specific event the first restrucgroups. More at pausatf.org/data/coach/coachevents.html. tured West Region Cross Country Jan. 15–16, 2011 at Sacramento City College, Lillard Hall Championship at A 21-hour school covering all aspects of sports science and specific event Golden Gate Park. groups. More at pausatf.org/data/coach/coachevents.html.

It will be the same date as our PA Jan. 22, 2011, VS Athletics Super Clinic at Sacramento City College Champ, and you’ll 16 nationally recognized clinicians will provide information that you can apply be able to be on the immediately to your program’s improvement in the following event-group association all-star areas: sprints/hurdles, endurance, throws, and jumps. For more details, visit team contesting vsathletics.com/clinic. Also see inside back cover of this issue for more details. other athletes from

Pacific Association

Sacramento Hosts USATF Level 2 School FROM DAVE SHROCK, PA COACHES CHAIR Sacramento played host to the Pacific Association’s first Coaching Education Level 2 School immediately after the Junior Olympics from August 1–5 at McClellan’s LionsGate Hotel. 93 youth coaches from three nations participated in the inaugural Level 2 School “Youth Specialization” 41⁄2 day school, including many successful and longtime coaches in youth leadership.

The school was organized with a general approach, with sprints-hurdles-relays, jumps, throws and endurance-RW event areas addressed, plus demands and concerns of the youth athlete and coach.

The next Youth Specialization School will be held in the Wichita region after the JOs in 2011. For further information on USATF Coaching Education, visit usatf.org/groups/Coaches/education/ Association News continues on next page.

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San Diego–Imperial San Diego Dirt Dog Cross Country Update 2010 From MORGAN SJOGREN

Wild Duck 5K Aug. 21; Guajome Park The Dirt Dog 2010 cross country season is underway; it looks to be an exciting fall.

Several new runners will join the series, and there will be a few from last season missing this time around. 2010 features a fresh format that puts a spotlight on masters runners, who have their own separate race at each event. In the masters’ race, Chris Hupfeld, BSK/Running Center, got the action going as the first winner in the series. His time of 16:46 left teammate Mike Hansen to second place (16:50), and BSK/Running Center to the 40+ men team victory. JH Cohn’s Adam Weiner, a familiar face at the front of the pack, finished third overall in 17:06 and was also the first 50+ runner, leading JH Cohn to the 50+ win. Laura Stuart (JH Cohn) led the masters’ women in 19:22. BSK/Running Center captured the women’s 40+ team title with Candy Fink placing second in 20:04 and Sinead Thorton third in 20:53. The women’s 50+ winner was Tammy Tabeek (JH Cohn) in 20:26. San Diego Track Club won the women’s 50+ team competition.

The men’s and women’s open races featured past Dirt Dog champions, familiar competitors, and racers new to the scene. Sean Zanderson, adidas/Movin’ Shoes, took the first open win of the series in a time of 15:43.

Last year’s overall champion, Nazario Romero, also of adidas/Movin’ Shoes, finished second in 15:40. Dave Edwards, BSK/Running Center, who recently finished his collegiate eligibility at Cal State–San Marcos with an All-American finish in the 1500m at NAIA Track Nationals, made his Dirt Dog debut with a solid third-place finish in 15:49. The 1–2 punch of Zanderson and Romero helped adidas/Movin’ Shoes to its first team win. Dianna Chivakos, adidas/Movin’ Shoes, ran 17:58, winning the women’s race over Amy Hassell, San Diego Track Club, 18:20). Katie Meehan, adidas/Movin’ Shoes, paced third in 18:23 to secure another win for the strong adidas/Movin’ Shoes team.

Balboa 4-Miler Sept. 4; Balboa Park The Balboa 4-Miler is a San Diego classic and

one of the more popular races in the Dirt Dog series with a strong turnout of runners. The challenging course over hills and uneven terrain certainly challenges the notion that Californians don’t run real cross country! The masters race looked much like the first race of the series with BSK/Running Center athletes going 1–2 in 22:38 and 22:59, respectively.

Adam Weiner, again the 50+ winner, was right behind in 23:18. BSK/Running Center won its second 40+ team competition At the Wild Duck 5K, Laura Stuart (#9) won the masters and JH Cohn once again women’s division. had the lowest 50+ score, setting them up as early season favorites. win of the season in 20:47, while Gonzalez and The already-strong JH Cohn women’s 40+ teammate Okwaro Raura proved they were team pulled even more talent out of the arsenal not to be taken lightly. Their respective 20:51 with Tracy Wright winning the masters’ and 20:56 finishes secured the open team win women’s division in 25:48. Laura Stuart was for BSK/Running Center.

Mirroring the men’s race, Dianna second in 26:08. Linda Vigil, BSK/Running Center, was third in 26:42 but that was not Chivakos, adidas/Movin’ Shoes, took her secenough to displace the dominant JH Cohn for ond win of the season in 24:24. KC Meehanthe team win. Sarah Tabbutt ran 27:01 as the Culley, adidas/Movin’ Shoes, ran a strong race first 50+ woman and San Diego Track Club to finish second in 24:50, while Jessica Brothers, BSK/Running Center, ran a strategic once again won the team division.

In the open race, Sean Zanderson, adi- race to creep into third place in 24:53. Unlike das/Movin’ Shoes, was challenged by the 2008 the previous races, the women’s open team Dirt Dog champion Sergio Gonzalez, winner changed from the previous race, with BSK/Running Center, who has returned to the Red Hot Racers displaying their depth.

Full results and information can be found form after a season of injury. Zanderson showed his strength to finish with his second at sdusatf.org.

Central California President’s Message FROM LAWRENCE WATSON lawrencewatsonus @yahoo.com

Central CA USATF Schedule of Meets 11/13

Central CA Assn and Regional XC Championships, Bakersfield

2/27/11

Run for the Dream Youth Zonal Meet, SaveMart Center, Fresno (Youth, high school, college, open, masters divisions)

We’re making great progress in our turnaround plan for our association. The Central California association is one of three associations that meet the USATF national website standard. A special Central CA USATF Coaching Clinics 2010 Coaching Clinic, Tulare thank you to all who help to make this possible.

2011 Level I Coaching School, Fresno A few more quick notes: •USATF Club Grants Available: youth travel grant and an open cross country grant. Please email me at lawrencewatsonus@yahoo.com about how to apply.

•We need more officials. If you can help, please email me with your contact information.

•Reminder to Coaches: You must be a USATF member and complete the background check.

•It’s time to renew your membership. (I suggest getting the multi-year term, like I do.)

Please invite someone to become a USATF member today. Thank you all. s

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David Kloz

Association News continued from page 25

Race Walking SCA Race Walk Roundup FROM PEDRO SANTONI SCA RW CHAIR

A few years ago, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, engaging in his customary verbal gamesmanship, disparaged Sacramento as a “Cow Town,” but track & field enthusiasts know better. California’s capital is also a superb location for our sport, and this July Sacramento did a magnificent job in hosting both the USATF Outdoor National Masters Track & Field Championships and the National Junior Olympics. Thirteen racewalkers from Southern California—seven masters and six youngsters— ventured north to test their mettle in these two events. In this column, three of these hardworking athletes explain how they approached the Masters meet.

Pasadena 10-Miler in January was so-so, and at the St. Patrick’s 20K in March I ran out of gas with four loops to go and barely finished. It wasn’t until the 15K Nationals in May that my quads felt better, but my time was still slow. I knew I had to do something to increase my speed with Nationals 7 weeks away, so I asked coach Jim Coots for help, and he came up with a workout plan for me to follow.

What does your basic cycle (monthly/weekly) of training consist of? What kind of workouts do you do?

The basic cycle consisted of workouts 7 days a week, two of which were hard.

How did you sharpen for Nationals?

My goals were to reach my peak by July 16 and medal. I knew I had my work cut out for me because I was in the last year of my age bracket, with a couple of fast 60-year-old walkers in the mix. To medal, I needed to walk a 27- or 28minute 5K, and a 58- or 59-minute 10K.

Rick Campbell, who competes for SoCal Track, is looking forward to moving into another age bracket in a few months, just in time for the 2011 World Masters Championships in Sacramento. He’ll be the race director for the 2011 USATF 20K Masters Racewalking Championship at Huntington Beach.

What were your goals for Nationals?

Against my coach’s advice, I competed as part of my workouts. Between early June and early July, I raced three 5Ks, and cut my times in each. I went from 30:17 to 29:48, and [then] to 28:44. Now I was cooking! But I had not done a 10K all year, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be ready.

Prior to Nationals, how had your racing progressed in 2010?

I focused on getting back into shape from the 2009 World Games and then recovering from a quad injury this March from hiking. My

What went right (and wrong) in Sacramento? In other words, what were the highlights of the meet for you? Were there any lowlights?

At Sacramento, we were blessed with early morning coolness for the 5K, and I walked as

Left to right Equalizer teammates Constantine Yap, Ryan Thong, Courtney Thong, Victoria Yap, Patsy Hurley, and Julia Townsend at the Junior Olympics.

planned with a 2:18 per lap pace and a 28:45 time. Unfortunately, that was not enough for a third-place medal. The 10K was interesting, with 75 men and women all together at the start. I had my plan for the 2K splits and a 58:15 finish, which would give me a shot at third place if I could beat my good friend and rival Norm Frable. He took off at the start, and I finally caught up with him just in time to get my first caution for a bent knee. I finally passed Norm, and to keep up the pace I found another rabbit [Bill Reed] to chase. We traded the lead back and forth until Bill sprinted ahead of me with about one hundred meters to go. Still, I was able to hold Norm off and finished in 58:10. I had not even looked at the DQ board during the race, but I was curious if I had been carded for the bent knee call. I had two marks, one for bent knee and one for lifting, but to my relief there was not another red card out there with my name on it, so I secured a National third-place medal. It was a good day!

Next we feature Carl Acosta, a longtime racewalker in Southern California. A fierce competitor, Carl also has taken on coaching responsibilities for the Southern Cal Walkers, and serves as the club, uniforms, and volunteers coordinator for the Walkers Club of Los Angeles. He can be seen at races and workouts with his trusty sidekick, Guido, his alter ego crow hand-puppet.

Prior to nationals, how had your racing progressed in 2010?

2010 has been a complete turnaround from my successful 2009. After going almost 2 years without getting disqualified, I received three consecutive disqualifications in Grand Prix events, starting with the St. Patrick’s 20K, the Mount San Antonio 10K, and the Riverside 15K. I was able to make it through the California Senior Games in both the track and road walks, however.

Jim Townsend

What does your basic cycle (monthly/weekly) of training consist of? What kind of workouts do you do?

I am following Jonathan Matthews’ training program. This means my walks are strictly in my aerobic range, which is at 65–75% of my maximum heart rate (121–141). Because of my age (76), my goal is to remain at 30 miles a week to avoid injury, with a long walk of 30% of my weekly mileage, or about 9 miles.

How did you sharpen for Nationals?

I followed the same training program with one exception: I started working out daily—you 28 c t & r n • n o v e m b e r – d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0

What were your goals for Nationals?

My goal was to peak for the meet.

Unfortunately, I was disqualified in the 5K track event, but did manage to make it through the 10K road walk. Still, my finishing time was very disappointing (71:09), 6 minutes slower than in Oshkosh in 2009 (65:00).

What went right (and wrong) in Sacramento? In other words, what were the highlights of the meet for you? Were there any lowlights?

I’ll start with what went wrong first. The disqualification in the 5K, as I’m now learning from my kinetics trainer, is the direct result of having no flexibility in the right hip and the femur bone not functioning in the pelvic cradle. This right-side imbalance has been forcing the right leg and foot to land hard, creating a collapse of the knee and forcing a bent knee. I first became aware of this when a very inflamed corn surfaced on the middle toe of my right foot and I’ve been wearing a corn cushion since.

I’m presently doing some specific pelvic drills every day to correct this problem. What went right was that, despite my anatomical imbalance and the fact that I had to face nine judges on the 2000-meter loop 10K road walk, I managed to get through the finish with only two cards.

The third walker in the spotlight is Yoko Eichel. She started running about 20 years ago and has competed in a number of marathons, including the prestigious Boston event. Yoko has also successfully transitioned into racewalking and has competed in World Masters Championships in South Africa and Spain.

What does your basic cycle (monthly/weekly) of training consist of? What kind of workouts do you do?

My speed workouts consist of 4x400 and 2x800 three times a week, plus a fairly easy one-mile jog. I can’t do long distances anymore because of back problems (sciatica), so short, intense workouts are more productive. I start the workout session with a 5-minute uphill racewalk.

How did you sharpen for Nationals?

The main thing is to try not to get injured. The overall accent is on cardio and general endurance in addition to the speed workouts.

What were your goals for Nationals?

My goals remained to break 60 minutes for the 10K and 29 minutes for the 5K. My 2010 times, which were significantly faster than in 2008—50 seconds for the 5K and 2 minutes, 20 seconds for the 10K—were probably due to

Jim Coots right with St. Patrick’s 20K winner Philip Dunn in 2008. a lack of injuries, especially some sciatica that had been bothering me. I also pushed my training a bit. So my 2010 times of 29:45.31 and 1:00.19.56 were pretty close to my goals, huh?

What went right (and wrong) in Sacramento? In other words, what were the highlights of the meet for you? Were there any lowlights?

The best part was the high level of competition. There were several excellent walkers who had entered my age group, one of which was a former Olympian. It’s fun to be a part of this sport with such high-level competitors. It’s also exciting to walk in the same venue as the Olympic trials and next year’s World Masters Championships will be held at the same Sacramento track.

The new crop of young local racewalkers who compete for Equalizers performed exceptionally well at the National Junior Olympics.

Constantine Yap won the Boys 1500 in 8:02.79, besting 11 other walkers, while Ryan Thong took second place among 17 Bantam Boys in that same event with a 7:55.27. Both Patsy Hurley and Julia Townsend came in second in the Intermediate and Youth Girls 3000, achieving PRs of 17:04.79 and 18:25.60, respectively. Finally, Victoria Yap barely edged out Courtney Thong for fifth place in the Youth Girls 3000, 19:02.71 to 19:02.90, respectively.

Closer to home, two events stood out.

Most memorable on the competitive side were the inaugural SCA-USATF Road Mile Championships, held on August 29 at the El Toro Airfield in Irvine. Twenty-five racewalkers toed the starting line very early that morning to make their way through a straight, flat, and certified point-to-point course on former Runway 34L. The elite race featured Olympians and San Diego residents Tim Seaman and John Nunn.

Tim turned on the afterburners in the homestretch to pull away and win by 2 seconds, 6:06.1 to 6:08.1. Two youngsters from Equalizers took top honors in the Open event, Ryan Thong (M10) 8:38 and Patsy Hurley (F16) 8:45, while masters winners were Rick Campbell (M64) 8:42 and Yoko Eichel (F63) 9:07. Visit caltrack.com and roadmile.org for more on this event.

Last, but certainly not least, was the sudden news of the retirement of one of our sport’s mainstays, the legendary Easy Striders coach and founder Jim Coots. He announced late in June that after 25 years of coaching it was time to leave the sport to spend more time with his family. He will be sorely missed, particularly because racewalkers of all abilities and rival clubs (myself included) were always welcomed at his Saturday morning workouts at Irvine

Ted Zahn

know, more is better. I thought I could perform better if I could edge into the 30–40-mile range per week. I drifted from the old saying, “If it works, don’t fix it!”

High School. There, with his inimitable wit and wisdom, Jim pushed, prodded, and encouraged everyone to walk to their potential.

So, happy trails, coach Jim! And although he will no longer be coaching, we hope that he’ll miss us enough to grace us with his presence at some of our Grand Prix events in 2011. s

PA Race Walking Report FROM ART KLEIN PA RACE WALK CHAIR Youth Training to Become Tomorrow’s Olympians The first race in the 2010 PA Grand Prix, the One-Hour Championship, was held on Feb. 27 at Los Gatos HS with a talented mix of open, masters, and youth in attendance. The weather was overcast, in the low 50s, and ideal for race conditions. Nicolette Sorensen (14, Diablo Valley Track Club), finished first, performed admirably with 10,719 meters completed around the track.

Kevin Killingsworth, a seasoned veteran, also walked slightly over 10,000 meters securing the men’s title. Noteworthy is that fact that the youth walkers compete at 1500m (ages 8–12) or 3000m (ages 13–14). Nicolette and Caitlin Palacio (6th) are the reigning 2009 National Junior Olympic Champions in their age groups, respectively, at the 3000m and 1500m distances.

Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships Highlight on Youth Boy Dion Shattuck From July 27th to August 1st, a large group of boys and girls (ages 8–19) arrived at Sacramento State College to compete in the JOs. There were a lot of Junior Olympics records broken and a few USATF National agegroup records, as well, during these slightly continued next page

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Race Walking continued from page 29 MOTIVATE

CHALLENGE

Calorie Counting

Challenge Me

Coach K

Challenge You

Lance

Marathons

UNLEASH

RUN

GPS

Treadmills

PR Machine

Voice in Your Head

Track Goals

Pocket Coach

This is get up and hit the road, you can do better, nice job and nice butt, and want to go again tomorrow? all wrapped up into one.

This is the voice inside your head telling you your pace, time, distance, and calories burned. This is boosting up with a PowerSong. This is listening to top coaches and athletes like Lance Armstrong pushing you.

(Hint: listen to Lance.)

Nike+ GPS

The Runner’s App

cooler days.

Once again, Becky Klein’s coaching expertise was evident by the quality performances of her race walkers that represented several clubs in the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field (PA/USATF). Many had repeat performances of 2009 scoring in the top-8. (Look for details in an upcoming issue of California Track & Running News.)

Although SCTC currently doesn’t have many youth participate in the PA/USATF Club and Association competitions, one athlete stands out who could become the one for others to follow: Dion Shattuck, age 14. Dion is both a high jumper and a long jumper. He qualified for the National JOs at the Modesto Region 16 Junior Olympic Meet held July 10–11. He scored a first place with a height of 5–9.75 and a second-place jump of 19 feet. These accomplishments and others convinced the SCTC board of directors that he should be sponsored to ensure his participation in the national meet.

I conducted an interview with Dion and his parents, Julie Shattuck and Andrew Creely (both avid runners), a few weeks after the competition, which you can read on caltrack.com.

Their comments that show that the road to becoming a “star” begins with athletic challenges at a young age fostered by attentive coaches, a supportive family, and lots of hard work.

PA Youth Racewalkers Have Success!

FROM BECKY KLEIN, PA Youth RW Chair Once again it’s time for me to reflect on the 2010 Youth and Junior racewalking season to date. While I dream of more kids being involved in the track & field sport of racewalking, I’m thrilled by the talent and dedication shown by the walkers we do have representing the Pacific Association.

We are so excited to have two of the best junior racewalkers in the country coming from the Bay Area: Tyler and Nicolette Sorensen.

It’s been very exciting to watch this brother-sister duo take the junior racewalk season by storm. I’ve watched them both develop as athletes since they started the Junior Olympic program as Bantams.

Tyler was one of only two athletes selected from the Pacific Association to compete in the 2010 World Youth Olympics Games held in Singapore August 14–26. He had this to say about his experience: “I really enjoyed competing for the U.S. at the Inaugural Youth Olympics this summer in Singapore. Team USA consisted of 82 athletes, 20 of whom were competing in track & field. We all stayed at the youth Olympic village in Singapore for 17 days, along with the other 3,600 athletes from around the world. We also took part in fun cultural and educational activities throughout my stay. I finished 10th place in the 10,000m race

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walk, which I was very happy with, given the hot and humid conditions.”

Even though Tyler is an internationally competitive athlete, he still takes opportunities to compete in our local events. Tyler competed in a 3000m racewalk at the PA Open Track & Field Championship on May 30 at the College of San Mateo, where he set an intermediate boys’ USATF national record of 12 minutes, 16.70 seconds.

The second half of that duo is 14-year-old Nicolette Sorenson, now in her first year competing as a junior athlete. Already at her young age Nicolette is dominating those at least 4–5 years older. When she competed for the first time in the Junior National Track & Field Championship, she dominated the women’s 10K racewalk, crossing the finish line in 56:25.49. She went on to represent the U.S. in the USA vs. Canada racewalk competition, taking second place. Both races that Nicolette has competed in locally (1-Hour Postal and 5000m RW), it’s notable that she’s taken first place in each race, dominating the adults competing.

This year’s Junior Olympic Track & Field Championship was hosted by our association, so it was important to us to have good representation from our group of walkers. The Lsi Sprint team really showed their strength, with most of their racewalk athletes scoring in the top-8 and coming home with medals.

Several noteworthy racewalk performances were by Caitlin Palacio, midget girl and 4-time Junior Olympic national champion. She walked away with yet another championship in Sacramento. At 12 years old, she’s already showing herself to be a seasoned competitor.

Daimon Todd gave a PR performance to once again take the Silver medal in the 3000m youth boy division. This was the third time Daimon has earned a second-place finish in this event. I know these two will once again make the National Racewalk Honor Roll for their continued outstanding performances. Keep your eyes on all these athletes—they just might be our future Olympians.

Please note the outstanding performances and times of our Pacific Association athletes that competed in this year’s Junior Olympic T&F Championships: 3000m RACE WALK: Youth Girls 4. Jade Corral, Lsi Sprint, 19:02.63; 11. Kylie Michaels, Roseville Express, 24:50.69 Youth Boys 2. Daimon Todd, Umoja TC, 16:08.83; Intermediate Girls 4. Lila Haba, Lsi Sprint, 18:06.00.

1500m RACE WALK: Bantam Boys 3. Jason Gomez, Lsi Sprint, 8:27.82; Midget Girls 1. Caitlin Palacio, Lsi Sprint, 7:35.02; 8.

Donna Roscoe, Napa TC, 9:03.86; Midget Boys 9. Adam Haba, Lsi Sprint, 12:10.25;

I would love for my dream to come true— to have 40 kids participate in racewalk in 2011.

If your club is interested in bringing racewalk to your organization, please contact me at boopwalk@yahoo.com. I’m hosting many clinics in the upcoming months. s

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