Volume 7 • Issue 4 • November 2008* Dan Wells Green Mountain South Hero, VT 10/18/08 Bill Whipp 2nd time Green Mountain South Hero, VT 10/18/08 * Larry Macon 7th time Breakers

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Custom House Publishers, 6797 N. High St., #213, Worthington, OH 43085 • (800) 563-0650

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Volume 7 • Issue 4 • November 2008

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Board of Directors • President •

Tom [email protected]

• Vice President/Reunions •Charles Sayles

[email protected]

• Secretary •Susan Sinclair

[email protected]

• Treasurer •Steve Boone

[email protected]

• Membership •Paula Boone

[email protected]

• Newsletter •Lois Berkowitz

[email protected]

• Board Member •Dave Bell

[email protected]

Table of contentsStats, Facts, New Members . . . . . . . 3Finishers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Member Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Light at the End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Queen Sarah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Running a Double . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Marathon Memories ‘n More . . . . . 9Deadwood-Mickelson Trail . . . . . . 10Humpy’s Marathon Reunion . . . . . 11Des Moines Marathon Reunion. . . 12Tybee Island Experience . . . . . . . . 13Atacama Desert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Missoula. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Leading Ladies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Diversions, etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Doubles & Deals for Members . . . 18Merchandise & Member Events . . 19Reunions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

50 States Marathon Club • PO Box 15638, Houston, TX 77220 • www.50statesmarathonclub.com • Volume 7 • Issue 4 • November 2008

NEWSLETTER

This year’s World Tour Event will be “Big”. We’ll be running the Big Five Marathonin the Entabeni Private Game Preserve near Johannesburg, South Africa.

Highlights of the trip include:• Daily game drives and a bush walk• Safari vehicles to inspect marathon course• Red Cross Big Five Marathon (starts when lions clear the course)• After–marathon party• Choose accommodations from Wildside Tent Camp or Lakeside Lodge• Rates include meals, transfers, drives, medical insurance• Optional two–night extension to Victoria Falls

4–night packages (June18-22, 2009) from $1,239, plus air to Johannesburg (based on current exchange rates)

7–night packages (June 16-23, 2009) from $1,820, plus air to Johannesburg (based on current exchange rates)

$154 for marathon and half–marathon package: Race, T-shirt, medal, diploma,charity fee to Red Cross South Africa

$44 for Champion Chip if you don’t own one

If you are interested in joining fellow club members on this exciting tour,contact Steve Boone for more information or to reserve your spot. [email protected]

For more details on accommodations, rates and packages, please see the web site:

www.amazingrunningtours.com/bigfivemarathon.asp

Wildside Tent Camp Lakeside Lodge

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Stats, Facts, New Members, MilestonesMembership - 1,698 Female - 604 Male - 1,094

Our members have a combined total of more than 103,260 marathons and counting…If everyone updates their statistics, our count will be even higher!

Email updates to your schedule and your marathon total count to [email protected]. Help us out by including your first and last name! Thanks!

AL-23AK-7AZ-13AR-13CA-126CO-53CT-27DE-2DC-5FL-104GA-70

HI-4ID-11IL-92IN-49IA-22KS-22KY-32LA-28ME-8MD-36MA-22

MI-46MN-60MS-7MO-51MT-5NE-19NV-7NH-10NJ-45NM-8NY-66

NC-38ND-2OH-81OK-15OR-21PA-58RI-2SC-16SD-3TN-22TX-152

UT-10VT-5VA-48WA-41WV-14WI-37WY-7

AROUND THEWORLDAustralia-1Austria-2

Bermuda-1Canada-18Germany-3

Japan-1Sweden-1Thailand-1

UK-5

Welcome to our New Members:Tom Abbruscato-TXLaurie Adam-CAKenneth Adgate-MALucia Alzaga-ILDelbert Baker-ALBryan Baroffio-COCrisann Becker-TXOliver Blaise, Jr.-NYBennett Blumenkopf-PAFernando Bosseloo-CARomany Brooks-ARKevin Carrothers-WATim Corcoran-OHLing Dao-VA

Deanna Dredge-NEPeter Friddle-ILLisa Gesualdo-MDKari Graf-FLMatt Greaney-ILRenee Hamilton-CORic Hart-WAWynne Harvey-TXDebbie Haynes-OHRalph Herr-PARobert Hilson-MDJulianne Hyma-WIStaci Inscore-NCDonna Jacobs-IDJim Kolezynski-OHMaricar Korff-NJLori Ladd-MS

Donald Landry-QC, CanadaMarion Landry-QC, CanadaSusan Larsen-UTPeter Levine-MDGina Little-UKDavid Liss-MODenis McCarthy-MOAlbert McGowan-TXEsmail Rahimian-CADavid Rikke-INJo Dee Preston-CACarolyn Price-KYRichard Pye-ILScott Richardson-NJDan Roberts-COTom Robinson-KYMichelle Schall-FL

Laurie Schneider-MNTim Sell-NEJon Shepherd-PAMarvin Solberg-MDCindy Sprigg-MOJohno Stallings-FLAnton (Tony) Stocker-VAKeith Straw-PAGreg Terry-OHAnnette Tomal-ILRita Trimarchi-MODoan Vu-OHJeff Ward-PACharlie Weiland-GAMary Weiland-GAAnnette Wulffe-ILKirk Zimmer-NJ

Demographics:

100 150 Milestones 200 250 Cheri Pompeo 200th Valentine Olympia, WA 2/10/08

Harry Hoffman, Jr. 150th Sarasota Sarasota, FL 3/2/08

Frank Bartocci 250th Land Between Lakes Grand Rivers, KY 3/8/08

Debbra Jacobs-Robinson 100th San Francisco San Francisco, CA 8/3/08

Al Kohli 100th Fox Cities Appleton, WI 9/21/08

Karen Queally 100th Yonkers Yonkers, NY 9/21/08

Johnny Spriggs 100th Heartland 100 Casaday, KS 10/11/08

Ruth Ripley 100th Century Fulton, NY 10/12/08

Claude Hicks, Jr. 100th Louisville Louisville, KY 10/19/08

FINISHER*Certified Finishers have provided hard copies of atleast one item of proof for each of the 50 states:

*Certificate* Results* Bib and Medal

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www.50statesmarathonclub.comPO Box 15638, Houston, TX 77220

Finishers Congratulations Finishers * Certified Finisher

* Jean Evansmore Humpy’s Anchorage, AK 8/17/08* Dick Bartlett Humpy’s Anchorage, AK 8/17/08* Bob Parker Run with the Horses Green River, WY 8/23/08* Bill Pauls Skagit Flats Burlington, WA 9/7/08* Jack Thornton Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Lou Karl Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Terry Crapanzano Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Joe Wasicka Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Grundlingh Enslin Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Ann Singer Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Frances Wasicka Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Winston Davis Maui Maui, HI 9/14/08* Debbie Shelton Fox Cities Appleton, WI 9/21/08* Susan Kolbinsky Lewis & Clark Bozeman, MT 9/21/08* Robert Cooper Clarence Demar Keene, NH 9/28/08* Michael Poretsky Clarence Demar Keene, NH 9/28/08* Cary Cone Quad Cities Moline, IL 9/28/08* Jim Collins New Hampshire Bristol, NH 10/4/08Ira Robinson 2nd time New Hampshire Bristol, NH 10/4/08Robert Bailey Mt. Rushmore Rapid City, SD 10/4/08Peter Levine Mt. Rushmore Rapid City, SD 10/4/08* Stacy Caudell Maine Portland, ME 10/5/08* Bruce Reid Lakefront Milwaukee, WI 10/5/08* Linda Bushong-Reid Lakefront Milwaukee, WI 10/5/08* Frank Spicer Hartford Hartford, CT 10/11/08* Erin McGuire Hartford Hartford, CT 10/11/08* Soozy Fredrickson Baltimore Baltimore, MD 10/11/08* Terry Baransy Hartford Hartford, CT 10/11/08Elyse Baclar Chicago Chicago, IL 10/12/08Jules Baclar Chicago Chicago, IL 10/12/08* Dan Wells Green Mountain South Hero, VT 10/18/08Bill Whipp 2nd time Green Mountain South Hero, VT 10/18/08* Larry Macon 7th time Breakers Newport, RI 10/18/08* Terry Sentinella Louisville Louisville, KY 10/19/08* Claude Hicks, Jr. Louisville Louisville, KY 10/19/08* Don Robinson Louisville Louisville, KY 10/19/08* Ed Nikowitz Denver Denver, CO 10/19/08Tony Blair Des Moines Des Moines, IA 10/19/08* Robert Bucci Des Moines Des Moines, IA 10/19/08* Chester Kalb Cape Cod Falmouth, MA 10/26/08* Charles Cutting Midsouth Wynne, AR 11/01/08* Jane Cutting Midsouth Wynne, AR 11/01/08* Peter Schwanke Marshall University Huntington, WV 11/02/08* Thomas Gerstle Marshall University Huntington, WV 11/02/08* Amy Yanni New York City New York City, NY 11/02/08Rich DeCample 4th time Harrisburg Harrisburg, PA 11/09/08

Female Member Finishers – 114Male Member Finishers – 286

29 Members finished in 2001







So far... 70 members havefinished in 2008


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Profile for Lynn Jaffe, ORLynn has been running for 28 years and working on the 50

states for two. Hermarathon total at thetime of writing was 32,although she is sched-uled for the Waddell andReed Marathon inKansas City, Mo. inOctober. She has not runany ultras, but says theyare on her “to do” list.Her PR was at theMarine Corps (3:44:01)in 1986, and her PW wasat LA (5:38:13) in 2004.

She started running when the family moved to Eugene in1977, “Because everyone runs there and there was a 1/4 milecinder track just a few blocks from our house.” Her dog wouldgo with her to the track, but being smarter than the averagehuman, she figured out that Lynn was running in circles,would go to the end, and wait for her. Lynn had two goldenretriever partners over the years. Now she meets up withTeresa, a running friend, on Tuesday and Sunday mornings.Recently she has been replacing some of the running mileswith bicycling. She alternates long and short days running.She plans four to five marathons per year. Her family supportsher quest for the 50 states—her husband recently bought her amap and a set of push pins to plot her completed states. “I’vehad some memorable trips to races with my children,” shesays. “Though they haven’t run any marathons yet, they havetaken part in some of the shorter distances during race week-end. Recently, my son ran his first half in Arizona in January.”

Lynn reports that she has not been last in a marathon yet,nor has she had a DNF! She enjoys running on bicycle pathsbecause they are gentler on your knees. She has enjoyed all ofher trips and has not yet come across an unfriendly marathon.She would recommend the Country Music (TN), Rock n’Roll(AZ), the Derby Festival (KY), the B&A Trail (MD), Hartford(CT), Erie (PA) and Cleveland (OH).

Lynn is a counselor for her school district’s adult educa-tion program.

Profile of Karl Dentino, NJKarl has run an efficient number of marathons, 50 in

each state and one in D.C., over a 28–year period. He hasnever run an ultra,though he wouldn’tcount it out. He finishedin Kona, Hawaii June24, 2007. His biggestachievement has been aset of 49 consecutivesub-four–hour marathons,though he says it’s notmuch of a big deal sincethe last 12 were all inthe 3:50-3:59 range. InOgden, Utah in 2005 heclocked in at 3:59:56,and had to sprint the lasthalf mile to keep his

streak. Some years he ran as many as five marathons a year.

Karl keeps a conservative goal going into each marathon.He watches splits, sets a conservative goal and has cut his totalweekly mileage from 50+ miles to 30-35 miles. He says, “Iintroduced tempo runs, based on contemporary research. Thissays that the key to improving speed is to incorporate 20–to–30minute runs at just below your lactate threshold (about 15 sec-onds off a 10K pace.” Where will he run next? Karl says thatnow he runs for sheer enjoyment and has introduced swim-ming into his routine. Once he retires, he may decide to raceagain. The 1983 Maryland Marathon was his hardest—it tra-versed the hilliest sections of Baltimore and was billed as the“mean” marathon.

Stories: He finished his 50th marathon and 49th state atBoston in 2007, having raised almost $15,000 for the DanaFarber Cancer Center. He was having hamstring spasms beforethe race, and consulted a physical therapist for cross-frictionmassage. The weather predictions were horrible. While thehamstring threatened to tighten, it never fully did and theweather eased up. By mile 14 he was enjoying the spectatorsand going at a leisurely pace. In September 1999 he was struckfrom behind while running, by an auto. He sustained a frac-tured fibula, permanent nerve damage in his foot and an assort-ment of cuts and scrapes, but was back on the road in 100 days.

Karl is in advertising marketing in New Jersey.

Profile of Susanne Fredrickson, COSoozy just finished her 50 states in Baltimore (10/11/08),

for a grand total of 55marathons. She has beenworking on the states fortwo and 1/2 years—pretty fast timing—andmarathoning for sixyears. She has done twoultras, the Doc Holliday35 Mile Trail when shewas 26, and the Vermont50K in September ofthis year. Her PR was at

the Colorado Old Town in 2003, a 4:30; and her PW was atthe Delaware Triple Crown in 2007, a 6:42:45.

Soozy started running with her father when she was ateenager, to keep him company and keep herself in shape. Sheenjoys dirt surfaces, since they are easier on the body. Her topmarathon accomplishment was running 12 marathons in 12weeks, with a total of 23 marathons in 2007. Her favorite trailwas the Haulin’ Aspen since it was her first trail, and becausethey served microbrew and she could sit beside a stream tosoak her feet. Her favorite road race was Breakers, becausedshe loved running along the ocean.

Stories: When Soozy ran that 35–mile trail, she had onlydone a half–marathon distance beforehand. “It snowed sixinches over the first mountain, and there was nothing but mudover the second mountain. I had to crawl on my hands andknees up to the last stretch at mile 22. It took me nearly ninehours and I was sore for days!” “In Albany, New York I arrivedin the snow and cold in late February. The RD said I could have5 1/2 hours to finish, but after three loops out of five, my plan-tar fasciitis was really bothering me. It hurt to walk and run soI settled into an interesting shuffle and finished right at 5:31. Ihopped back to the hotel, got a quick shower and headed to theairport. By the time I got to Denver, even my “hopper” was outof order. The airport staff helped me to my car. The next morn-

ing I borrowed crutches so I could go to work. After x-rays thenext day, I walked in a cast for the next seven weeks. I had astress fracture on my heel and had to cancel Maryland andHawaii. With plenty of heel padding, arch supports and anti-inflammatory, off I went to Kentucky. How was I to know thatwith all the extra padding my shoes would not longer fit?”

After she finishes, Soozy will probably take a short breakfrom running marathons. She’ll run some local halves, work onher speed, and get caught up on much needed projects aroundthe house. She works as a supervisor for the clerk of courts.

Profile of Kenneth Fletcher, MIKen has been working on the 50 states for five years, and in

that time has completed 18 marathons (16 states), with a goal offour for 2008. His PR was at the Disney in 2004, with a 5:04:53,and his PW was at St. Louis, where he finished in 6:27:35, in2005. He has yet to complete an ultra.

He started running in2001 at the age of 52,on the advice of hisdoctor. “My triglyc-erides were very highand he gave me thechoice of medicationor exercise. My daugh-ter, Colleen, ran crosscountry in high school,so I thought it wouldgive us something todo together. Now that

she lives in Alabama, our choices are limited. In 2003, we ranour first marathon together, the Sunburst. We are runningDetroit Oct. 19, and looking ahead to Sparks, Maryland inNovember. We ran all of our marathons together with theexception of Idaho, since she did the Coeur d’Alene Ironmanin 2007. I enjoy the scenic courses of the smaller marathonssuch as Crater Lake, Oregon; the Grizzly Marathon, Montana;and the Salmon Marathon, Idaho. The larger races have theadvantages of always having someone to run with and talk to,as well as great crowd support. Without my daughter’s supportand encouragement, I would never have embarked on the50–state marathon challenge. Colleen keeps track of all mylocal races and calls before and after to see how I’ve done. Shelets me select upcoming marathons to fit my work scheduleand then she juggles her busy life to accommodate me. For allshe does she will always be my hero!”

In 2001, Ken’s wife, Candace, started a scrapbook of all ofhis races. At the Grizzly, he met Theresa Pipher and JimGeiger, also 50 Staters, who live within 20 miles of him. SinceTheresa scrapbooks her races, she and Candace have enjoyedgetting together to work on the never ending process of updat-ing their running scrapbooks. Ken says that his triglycerides arenow in the normal range, he has lost 60 pounds, made manynew friends, traveled to interesting places and has become clos-er to his family since they attend many of his races.

Ken is a factory worker in Michigan.

Member Profiles


Karl at Boston in 2007

Ken Fletcher, MI, and his daughter Colleen.

THE TEXAS MARATHON PUZZLE–SOLUTIONSolution: 1st Place – Greg Adair – Sport Bean Brownies

2nd Place – Laura Berkowitz – Power Bar Pie3rd Place – Janice Bell – Raisin GU Bars4th Place – Scott Boone – Clif Shot Cookies


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by Bob & Lenore Dolphin, WA

At our Renton home at 4 a.m. on the morning of Sunday,Aug. 17, 2008, the rumble of thunder overhead awakenedme. I hurried to the front porch and admired the zigzagflashes of lightning as rain poured down. This kind of astorm is rare here, and I couldn’t recall witnessing this phe-nomenon in the Pacific Northwest before. Because of theweather, Lenore decided to stay at home, but I finished get-ting ready and left at 5 a.m. As it turned out, there was goodweather for the second annual Light at the End of theTunnel Marathon.

At this early hour there was little traffic, so the drive fromRenton to North Bend was uneventful. I parked in a rural fieldin the race–finish area and boarded the first school bus thattransported the early starters to Snoqualmie Pass. As the buswent east on I-90 to the starting area at the Hyak Trailhead, Icould see the race course on the south valley slope at a high-er elevation. At the trailhead, the 36 early starters checked in,signed waivers, received bibs marked with an “E” for earlystarter designation and received a drop bag.

The race course starts on a dirt and gravel railroad bed andgoes west from Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains tothe foothills in North Bend, Washington. Because I had neverrun through an abandoned railroad tunnel nor on a point-to-point marathon course with a rails-to-trails origin in the moun-tains, I was really looking forward to this marathon. At 7 a.m.our race started on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Iron HorseState Park. This long but narrow park follows the original rail-road right-of-way. We briefly ran on the trail and then back-tracked toward the west and reached the mouth of the historic1909 old tunnel of the former Milwaukee Railroad. The darkinterior of the tunnel made it necessary to carry flashlights oruse headlamps. While running, it seemed best to stay in themiddle of the tunnel to stay clear of the walls. This tunnel is2.25 miles long, and light from the far end of the tunnelbecame more obvious as we closed the distance.

After I left the tunnel, I noticed that the air becamewarmer and humid. Actually, the outdoor temperatures werecooler during the race than they had been the previous days.This day the temperature was about 70 degrees at the startand 85 degrees at the finish with clear to hazy skies.

A gradual loss of 2,050 feet of elevation made for easyrunning. Some of the surface was hard-packed dirt, but vari-able–sized gravel was commonplace. The mountain scenerywas magnificent with a view of mountains to the north on thefar side of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. We ran bythis clear river during the end of the marathon. New trestleswith good running surfaces bridged four deep stream valleysalong the way and offered scenic views. Boulder slopes andsmall stream cataracts added to the variety. From RattlesnakeLake on, the last miles of the course were flat and the foresttrees provided continual shade. In this rural setting there wasan abundance of wild flowers, such as foxgloves, fireweed,white daisies, tansies and other colorful ones.

There were a lot of runners on the course. Most of the onewhom I saw took the regular 8 a.m. start and passed me in thesecond half. Paul Piplani, from Phoenix, Arizona, and I visit-ed on the bus ride. As he passed me in mid-race, he inquiredabout the big insects that were bothering him. I told him thatthey were horse flies that usually feed on horses and cattle. Inthe mountains, however, elk, deer and runners are fair gamefor these bloodsuckers...any large mammal will do!

My race didn’t meet my expectations, but I had a goodtime and finished. I ran at the beginning and then alternatedrunning and walking until the halfway point. After that I aver-aged a 16-mile pace as I walked the second half of themarathon. In the last 5K I became preoccupied with finishingunder six hours. I just made it with a 5:59:18, 129th of 138and first 75-79 Male.

Thanks to race director Brian Pendleton and his crewfor putting on a fine marathon. Thanks to Tony Phillippiand the other volunteers for providing the necessary sup-port for the marathon to be a success. This race was every-thing that I had hoped for and more as I explored the JohnWayne Pioneer Trail for the first time. I hope to return forsequels in the years to come.

Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon SalmonMarathon

From Steve Holehan, TX: I haven’t had any majorknee problems and have managed to finish over 120marathons in ten years. I am careful to avoid over-extending my knees. If I bend them too much then theoutside tendon pops. I have had this problem sincetraining for my very first marathon. I have found thatbike riding causes my knees to hurt and so I avoid rid-ing bikes. If I do ride a bike, usually because the tread-mills are full, then I adjust the seat to limit the amountof full extension. Sometimes my knees ache followingtraining or races. When that happens I ice my knees. Iusually switch my running shoes when the tread wearsout or if I start noticing pain when training with a par-ticular pair of shoes. I have about four pairs of runningshoes that I wear. I don’t stretch anymore because Ithink stretching does more harm than good. My typicalmarathon times are around four hours. I run about 17marathons per year and I am 42 years old.

– Thanks, Steve! How do you keep your knees work-ing? Let us know, at [email protected].

From Dan Wells, KY: Wow, you weren’t kiddingabout the Mesa Falls Marathon being the Marathon forIdaho. It was beautiful. My running time was horriblebut it is now among my list of top marathons.

SHORSHORTS:TS:

by Barbara Brady, CA

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 was the inaugural running ofthe Salmon Marathon in the small town of Salmon, Idaho,population 3,000. The marathon was run on a dirt and grav-el road that ran north from the even smaller town of Tendoy,Idaho into downtown Salmon. The staging area in Tendoywas a one-room schoolhouse, adequate space for the 200runners in the race to stay warm while we waited for thestart. All runners were asked to sign in, give their home cityand state and mark the location using a star, on a large U.S.map. The ten children who were students at the schoolrequested this information. It was a cold, early morningstart at almost 5,000 feet of elevation, with the sky justbeginning to get light. For the first few miles, we runnerswere greeted by herds of mooing cows. We didn’t know ifthey were cheering us on or it was just milking time. Wechose to believe the former. The course was peaceful andscenic, open country, farmland, views of hills and moun-tains, sometimes running alongside water. It was largely adownhill course, losing about 1,000 feet in elevation fromstart to finish. There were two significant hills, which arealways tough for a flatlander like myself. One came at mileseven and the tough one, almost two miles long, came on ashort out–and–back section from mile 14 to 16. Of course,after the turnaround just past mile 16, there was a wonder-ful downhill. The remainder of the course was flat or down-hill. The last few miles were paved. The dirt road was invery good shape and did not present any running problems,but it was nice to have the sure footedness of asphalt afterall those miles on dirt and gravel. There were a significantnumber (I lost count) of cattle grates but each had been cov-ered by plywood so they presented no problems. Veryenthusiastic volunteers provided water and sports drinksevery other mile.

There were a number of unique aspects to this race. Firstwas the amazing enthusiasm that every town–person weencountered had about the upcoming race. At the camp-ground where we stayed, the manager gave us a 15 percentdiscount because I was running the marathon. On race day,he even rode his bike on the course and cheered me ontwice during the race, then greeted me with a warm hugafter the finish. The day before the race, we ate lunch at arestaurant on Main Street in town. When the young daugh-ter of our waitress found out I was running the race, she gotvery excited and asked for my autograph. This was the kindof welcome we got everywhere. The course marshals wereall on horseback, members of the Salmon BackcountryHorsemen. The race shirt was a very nice technical long–sleeved shirt. In every race packet was a note, written by ayoung child in elementary school, welcoming you toSalmon and wishing you a good run.

The finish was in a park by the Salmon River. Each run-ner was welcomed by loud cheering. The children seemed toespecially enjoy the whole scene. After I finished the race, awoman who worked for the local newspaper interviewed mebecause I was the oldest female runner. All in all, it was adelightful experience. Even the weather was great!

From Bruce Reid and Linda Bushong-Reid, both FL:“This was almost too pretty and nice to eat. Our niecehad it waiting for us after the Milwaukee run.”

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by Sarah Jacobs, KS

I was never an athlete. I hated P.E. class, and was proud ofthe fact that I have always had better things to do than go outand get all sweaty. That might be OK for some people, but itdidn’t sound appealing to me at all. I never did anything phys-ical, and I seemed to be getting away with it, so why gothrough what looked to be a lot of effort? Then one day, at 42,a random thought occurred to me: “What kind of 76-year-olddo I want to be some day?” I don’t know why I thought thatall of a sudden, or why I picked the number 76, but the ques-tion had been posed. And the image that appeared in my brainwas that of a 76-year-old me, running a road race. Well, thatwas weird. I couldn’t run a race now, so how could I possiblydo that when I’m 76? The last time I had tried running waswhen my daughter and my best friend were running a halfmarathon together. I was impressed that they could run 13.1miles—I couldn’t even think that far! So I went to the race asa spectator and waited for them to run past. As theyapproached, I started running alongside them. I got two blocksbefore I couldn’t go any further. Not that I had wanted to—butI had tested my limits, and my limit was two blocks.

Now that I had the image of the future 76-year-old me inmy head, I could not avoid the fact that the future I was envi-sioning for myself was not the future I was preparing for. I wasoff course. But all hope was not lost. I had 34 years to train forthis road race. It didn’t have to be a marathon. It could be a 5K.I could do it, if I started right away. So I bought a pair of run-ning shoes that day. With my daughter’s help, two blocksturned into three, and then four, and pretty soon, I was runninga mile, and then two. It was easy to become addicted in thebeginning stages because every day, it seemed, I broke a PR.Each new distance was impossible, and then I ran it!

At some point, I decided that I would run a marathon. Itwas not a smooth path to the marathon, because with all theover-enthusiasm of a novice, I ended up with a stress frac-ture. We will skip that part of the story for now but I kept themarathon as a goal and eventually, the next year I made it.On the eve of my first marathon I was sitting at the pasta din-ner, chatting with other marathoners. I was astonished tolearn that several of them had as a goal to run not one, but 50marathons, in 50 states, and that there was a 50 statesmarathon club that people could join. I loved listening to thestories of their favorite marathons—what a great way to seethe country! I realized that I was about to accomplish a goalthat had previously been unthinkable, and that I might be infor a psychological letdown if I did not have another goal inplace, once this one was done. So I decided right then andthere to run 50 marathons in 50 states.

Before I got to my 20th marathon, I started thinking ahead:What am I going to do after I finish the 50? By then, I hadmet several people who had done in excess of 100 marathons,and had gone around all 50 states more than once. As muchas I am in awe of that, I don’t necessarily think I will be oneof those people. The marathon is tough, and I’m not one ofthe super-talented runners. I don’t even think it is that healthy,to run so many hours at one stretch. It puts a lot of wear andtear on the body. And I enjoy most of the marathon, but I haveto admit, I don’t always enjoy the last six miles! I am testingmy limits, and my limit might very well be 50 marathons. But

50 marathons won’t be the end of my running, and now thatI have been a part of the marathon world, I see that running at76 was not a high enough goal for me. Shoot, there are lots ofrunners older than that!

I’m going to be running when I am 100. But a good goalshould be specific and attainable, so I have formulated a goalfor myself. On March 4, 2062, I will complete a 5K. That isthe first Saturday after I turn 100 years old. I don’t knowwhere the race will be, because the race organizers haveprobably not been born yet. I hope to run, but if I can't run,I’ll walk. It will be a good way to kick off my third half cen-tury. So this is the event I’m training for. All my marathonsare just training runs for my big 5K.

Put it on your calendar! I want everyone to be there! Itmay seem outrageous, to stretch the idea of a “long-termgoal” this far. The race is 53 1/2 years off, and there is cer-tainly no guarantee that I will still be alive at that age, letalone able to perambulate three miles. Because of this, somepeople have thought I am delusional, or at least joking, whenI tell them about my goal. In fact, it started as a humorousidea in my head, but I set the goal anyway

And a funny thing happened, once I set the goal. I startedliving differently. I found myself making food choicesaccording to what would nourish my body long-term,instead of what was cheap, delicious, or available. In fact,healthy foods started tasting more delicious and junk foodswere more often just gross. I was running differently, too—Iused to run downhills and take my walk breaks up hills—now I found myself running uphill for the cardio work, andtaking it easy on down hills, to save my bones and joints.Most importantly, I found that my relationships wereexpanding. I have always been drawn to older people, per-haps because I was a youngest child. But now I started nur-turing relationships with younger people, because more ofthem are going to be around to see me in my big 5K.

Now when I run, and the running is difficult, I think,“Imagine how difficult it will be to run three miles when Iam 100! It might be pretty tough. If I can do it when I am

100, I can do this, now.” The future me can only be an inspi-ration to the present me if I stay on course for creating thatfuture me. It’s kind of a science fiction time-loop story, butit works. So when people express skepticism that I will everactually run that 5K when I am 100, I smile, because theydon’t get it. It doesn’t make a bit of difference whether Imake my goal or not. To be honest, the skeptics are right—Iprobably won’t live that long—the odds are against it. But Ikeep thinking of the quote by David Allen, “The value of afuture goal is the present change it fosters.” I might live untilI’m 100, but no matter how long I live, I’ll be in much bettershape physically, mentally and psychologically because ofthe changes I’ve made as a result of having this goal!

There are no 53-year–training programs for 5Ks, so I hadto write my own. (OK, I know Jeff Galloway’s latest book iscalled “Running until you’re 100,” but that book wasn’t outwhen I formulated my goal! I’m going to use it as a resource,though. He guarantees that you can run until you’re 100, sowe’ll see if he’s right). My program begins with 50 marathonsin 50 states. I figure I should finish that in my early fifties (I’dlove to finish it when I’m 50, but the travel logistics mightmake that impossible). Then, I think I will run 50 half-marathons in 50 states. I might sprinkle in a few marathons,just to keep in shape. If I take 15 years to do that, I will finishwell before I am 70. Then it will be time for 50 10Ks in 50states (perhaps with a few half marathons thrown in as well).That will take me into my eighties, and with shorter races, Imight even be able to take in a few tourist attractions and enjoymyself on these travel adventures. Finally, for a couple ofdecades leading up to the end of my first century, I will run 505Ks in 50 states. So, with that plan, it isn’t so outrageous tothink that I will be able to cross the finish line at my big 5K.

Queen Sarah’s Gentle Tirades: Training for a 5K in the Year 2062

Queen Sarah Jacobs, KS, practicing

From Barb Wnek, MO: The aliens almost gotme when I fell after mile 13 and badly

sprained my finger. But here I am at the Little A'Le Inn finish. I was lucky.

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Running a Doubleby Kamiar Kouzekanani, TX

Al and Sandy Cumming, who are scheduled to completetheir quest to run marathons in all 50 states and D.C. in March2009, had been encouraging me to run a double. I finally gavein and signed up for the New Hampshire and MaineMarathons. Perhaps I should have asked Al to issue me a tem-porary weekend membership in his ship of fools! Although Iwas hoping to run 4:20 in New Hampshire and 4:30 in ME,my realistic goal was to run both and not to walk at all.

New Hampshire Marathon, Bristol, NH, 10/4/08This was a small marathon in an absolutely gorgeous set-

ting. I flew into Portland on Friday afternoon. From the airportinto Bristol was a 143-mile drive. Packet pick-up was atNewfound Memorial Middle School. Each runner received along-sleeved cotton shirt and a few gift items. The pasta din-ner was at the Masons Hall and one of the best pre-race din-ners I have ever had. Spaghetti, eight or nine different home-made sauces, salad, bread and a variety of homemade dessertitems; all for $8! I stayed in the Days Inn at Campton (about21 miles north of Bristol, off of I-93).

The race day temperature ranged from low 40s to mid 50s,a bit windy and partly sunny. The loop course started outsidethe middle school and ended at the nearby Kelley Park. This isa very hilly and challenging marathon, which requires mentaltoughness and is certainly not for the timid. We circled theNewfound Lake, surrounded by forested mountains; fall col-ors were in their formative stage and scenery was fantastic. Atabout mile 11, we reached the Village of Hebron and ran anout-and-back route for about five miles. There were 14water/sports–drink stations. There was hardly any crowd sup-port, which was expected. We ran on roads, facing the traffic.Although most drivers were slowing down for the runners, afew didn’t and frankly, I didn’t feel very safe running the last4–5 miles. There were plenty of refreshments at the finish, aswell as complimentary massages. We also had access to show-ers inside the middle school. In short, we enjoyed excellentrunning weather and ran a tough marathon in a beautiful place.There were 151 finishers (108 males and 43 females) with anaverage finish time of 4:32:34.

I ran the first half in 2:08 (9:46 pace) and finished in4:21:57 (10:00 pace). I felt very comfortable throughout therun, didn’t walk any, and actually had a good time running themarathon and enjoying the scenery!

Peak Performance Maine Marathon, Portland, ME, 10/5/08After the run in Bristol, I returned to Portland and went to

University of Southern Maine campus for the packet pick-up/expo and pre-race dinner. The long-sleeved technical shirteach runner received was nice and dinner was good.

It was a nice sunny day to run the marathon, with the tem-perature ranging from low 40s to mid 50s. The scenic out-and-back route was mainly through tree-shaded residential neigh-borhoods and we saw the Back Cove and Casco Bay in sever-al places. It wasn’t as hilly as the one in Bristol; nevertheless,there were plenty of hills. There were 14 water/sports–drinkstations. We shared the first 6.5 miles with half marathoners.Crowd support was fairly good at several locations. Splits weredigitally displayed at every other mile. Post-race refreshmentswere good and the finisher’s medallion was nice. In short, it

was a well-organized running event. There were 733 marathonfinishers with an average time of 4:09:19. There were 1,611 halfmarathoners, as well as 56 four-person-relay marathon teams.

Although I was fairly certain that I would finish themarathon, between miles nine and ten I realized that it wouldbe a long day for me. My body made it very clear that itcouldn’t be pushed. I ran the first half in 2:13 (10:10 pace)and finished in 4:37:00 (10:34 pace). I didn’t walk any, andall things considered, I was pleased with my effort.

Later in the afternoon, Debbie, an old Houstonian friend ofmine picked me up in my hotel and we went to Kennebunkportwhere she and Brian have a summer home. She gave me a driv-ing tour of the area and they treated me to dinner in a nicerestaurant. Debbie is a triathlete. Brian has run marathons in allseven continents. And I am a legend (smile!). Can you guesswhat the three of us talked about for nearly two hours? Newfriends may come and go; old ones remain loyal, which shallnever be taken for granted.

I am glad that I did the double. I will not do another one,though! These were states #41 and 42.

Tom Adair, GA sprays Fran Drozdz, AZ with bug spraybefore the Humpy’s Marathon. Bob Parker, NC, looks on.

Charles Sayles, CA, Tom Adair, GA, Burt Carlson, MN, and Bob Parker, NC at the Run With the Horses Marathon. At 82, Burt was the oldest finisher.

SHORSHORTS:TS:From Duncan Sharrits, NC:

Finished the Delaware Marathon on 5/18/08 in 3:34.11, 81stoverall. That makes 19 states and 20 marathons. What was greatwas that my 18 y/o son, Blake, ran his first marathon in an awe-some 3:16:40 and placed 2nd in his age group. We may haveanother Sharrits as a 50 Stater soon.

From Bill Whipp, OH:I will be finishing my 50 states the second (and last) time on

Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Green Mountain Marathon in Hero, Vt.Travel is too expensive, there won’t be a third time. Hope ourpaths cross occasionally, but don’t expect too many more trips.Also, an update on my numbers. To date I have completed 204marathons and 27 ultras for a total of 231; 26 less on the newknee; that is, 185 marathons and 20 ultras for a total of 205 withthe artificial knee.

From Annie King, GA:Last time I finished the States my plan was to complete an

ironman. I was sidetracked then decided to complete the statesa 2nd time. I’ll still be keeping track for the 3rd round, but nowI want to full fill my dreams of an ironman. To begin my jour-ney I’ve signed up for the new Augusta, Ga. ironman 70.3—Sept. 27, 2009. I need transitioning practice. Also, I’m borrow-ing a bike. So I’m looking for the perfect bike for me (x-small).But for now my new job keeps me busy. (17 3 year olds longerbut much faster days!) I’m still hitting the trails and the “newRock ‘n Roll Marathons” as they come along (San Antonio inNovember and Seattle in 2009). I can’t tell you what a fantas-tic journey these past few years have been for me! I’ve beenrunning since the first running boom in the ‘70s, but I neverwould have dreamed the interesting people I have met or theadventures I’ve had while exploring this country of ours.Thanks for putting it all together. I’ve seen it evolve over thefew years I’ve been a part of it all. I can’t wait to see where allof this is going to lead.

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Reunion 8/17/08

Club members after the Humpy’s Reunion meeting on Saturday—Anchorage, AK

Club Members before the race

Betty & Dick Bartlett, NMDick’s 50th state

“Mama” Jean Evansmore, MD50th state

Debbie CropperWomen’s winner. Gracious hostess for

after race party at her home

Club Members after the finish


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We had a good location for our booth where all runners had to passon their way from getting their bib numbers to picking up their T-shirt.

At 3:30 p.m. Chris Burch, the RD, came by and I started the meeting.Chris spoke and answered questions for about 4-5 minutes. We did theusual of having each member give their name, number of marathons andnumber of states. By the time the meeting was over most seats had beentaken and some people were standing in the rear of the room.

By the time we had finished the introductions, our speaker, CreighKelley, had arrived with two Kenyans. In his speech he talked about his

work with education in Kenya and how he has seen marathons in theUSA change the focus on a winning or fast time to a focus on finishing.

Since there were only four receiving their finisher’s trophies,each was asked, “What was your first marathon, your marathon forcompleting the 50 states and what is your favorite marathon?’”This allowed each recipient to be on the stage for more than the standard 10–second photo-op. Later, I heard quite a few members say they liked hearing more from each trophy recipient.

- Charles Sayles, CA

Tony Blair, NECompleted the states

at Des Moines Marathon

Robert Bucci, NYCompleted the states

at Des Moines Marathon

Members were Presented with Their Finisher Trophies by VP Charles Sayles

Jeff JohnstonDeadwood-Mickelson Marathon

6/8/08

Jean EvansmoreHumpy’s Marathon

8/1708

Bill PaulsSkagit Flats Marathon

9/708

Ann SingerMaui Marathon

9/1408

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by Paula Erdle, UT

I combined my trip to Tybee Island (Georgia) for themarathon with a couple of extra days so I could snoop aroundSavannah, which is about 18 miles away. On Thursday, Jan.31, after delightfully uneventful flights to Savannah, I rented acar and drove to my B&B, the Georgianne Inn, on TybeeIsland. The Georgianne is, as the proprietor said, three housesfrom the beach, and that’s exactly right, but a little hard toimagine. You sort of walk through the side yards of the othertwo houses to get to the beach. I started off by locking myselfout of my room, so I had plenty of time to take myself off todinner at McElwee’s—crab bisque to die for, deviled crab(which turns out to be much like a crab cake) and key lime pie—while I waited for the proprietor to get back from his doc-tor appointment in Savannah.

Friday morning, I got up early and walked the beach. Theweather was fine, and there were only a few other souls out,so I pretty much had the dolphins, pelicans and sand dollars tomyself. (Good thing I had read the rules about throwing thelive sand dollars back into the ocean—and how to tell ifthey’re alive. I felt very mother-earthy pitching nearly a dozenback into the surf, even though I rather wanted to keep just oneto take home—but didn’t). I had a wonderful breakfast(including, what else—grits!) at the “World Famous BreakfastClub,” which, if I lived on Tybee, would definitely be one ofmy haunts. Then, off to Savannah to take a three–hour narrat-ed tour of the city.

We toured the historic and Victorian districts (all builtaround the famous and beautiful squares), a couple of otherneighborhoods with names I can’t remember, the riverside,and any number of other places of interest. Jefferson took usby the Mercer-Williams “Midnight in the Garden of Good andEvil” Mansion, and told us about the time he was taken tomeet the woman who is called “Minerva” (not her real name)in the book. He told us stories about the people of the “lowcountry” who are of a culture known as Gullah, and he favoredus with some of the Gullah dialect. He filled us in on some ofthe root lore from that region, too. It was an excellent tour and,even after three hours, ended too quickly.

I made my tour reservation, so 45 minutes later I had a briefhistory of some of Savannah’s haunted places, a few storiesfrom his work with the TV show about America’s hauntedplaces, restaurant recommendations, a Tarot card reader’s phonenumber, a reservation for a ghost tour and a new friend! Whata hoot! Anyway, Laura, the reader, is a young woman whoseHungarian grandmother started teaching her to read Tarot cards(and palms) when she was six years old. Laura became soobsessed with death in her early 20s that she spent some yearsas a coroner’s assistant, “Trying to get a feel for the worst so shecould quit being afraid of it.” Interesting woman. We met in theSentient Bean coffee house—don’t you love the name?—and,over our cappuccinos she read my cards and my palm. It wasabsolutely fascinating (and a whole other story)!

I went back to Tybee to packet pickup for Saturday’smarathon. There wasn’t much of an expo, but it was well-organized and efficient. The pasta feed was put on a couple ofblocks away by the St. Michael’s Catholic Church youthgroup. They did a nice job—everyone dressed in black slacks,white shirts and berets, and the picnic-type tables were cov-ered in checkered tablecloths. The food was really good andthey offered it for take-out as well—a new twist and a nice

touch I think. Saturday morning started off plenty cool, justhow we like it! I walked the 0.7 miles to the start (I alwayswonder if that’ll be the distance I won’t be able to finish in therace because I used up that energy getting to the start...) Noteto Terry, Barb and Greg: Guess who I ran into at the start –Larry Macon and Momma Jean! Naturally, we had to pose fora few photos for Momma Jean.

Tybee isn’t a very big island, so the course is a double loopwith many a side loop, double-back and what-not, and it’s flat-ter than piss on a board. I quite liked it, except for the part whereI came to the finish line at mile 13.1, where the half-marathon-ers veered into the finish chute to the cheers of a good-sizedcrowd, and I had to run on by to do exactly what I had alreadydone, again! The course took us by the Tybee Island lighthouse,which was well worth a look. The day warmed up to comfort-able (high 60s, I think), and once I passed the half-way mark, Iwas happy to look at the Tybee scenery again.

For my “victory” dinner, I followed the suggestion of myghost tour friend, Shannon, and drove into Savannah to theFirefly Café in the Historic District. My dinner was fabulous –and made-on-site, peach bread pudding for dessert! I had a bitof time between dinner and my ghost tour, so I walked over tothe Mercer-Williams Mansion for a good look. I took severalpictures (digital) of the house and not one single one turned out,even though every other picture I took on this trip did!

And now, the ghost tour: I chose the Sixth Sense companybecause they have a reputation for skipping the theatrics andgoing for well-researched stories. Supposedly, Savannah is themost haunted city in the United States (despite similar claimsby New Orleans and Charleston). Apparently, the soil in andaround Savannah has a make-up that results in anelectrical/magnetic field that attracts “activity.” (The story isthat other places on earth have been found to have the samecombination of soil composition and paranormal events).Also, much of Savannah has been built on mass graves, due toan epidemic which is now thought to have been yellow fever,but which was undiagnosed at the time because Savannah’sonly doctor was among the first to die. The epidemic quicklywiped out 75 percent of Savannah’s population, so the burialthing got out of hand and many mass graves were created.Over the years, memories and records were lost, and nowmany a new construction uncovers human skeletons andbones by the hundreds. Sometimes the building continues, butmost of those stories don’t end well. In fact, one new ritzyhotel built on a grave site has had so much “unusual activity”that it has lost two head chefs in less than two years, and hasnever been able to keep a full housekeeping staff.

Our walk included the Mercer-Williams mansion (from“Midnight in the Garden...”), which, according to our tourguide, was home to bad happenings from the very day it wasfinished—a few very strange deaths occurred there evenbefore Jim Williams murdered Danny Hansford. There wasone mansion whose story was so demonic that our guidewouldn’t even talk about it until we were all safely on conse-crated ground at the church across the street from the place. Ikept very close to the rest of the group after that and was large-ly reassured by the story of the next house, which was haunt-ed by a doctor who was, if not a friendly ghost, at least benign.(The doctor no longer haunts the house—an unrequested,unauthorized and “unprofessional” exorcism by a drunkenEpiscopalian priest either drove him out or inspired him toseek more enlightened company elsewhere). As you’ve prob-

ably guessed, the ghost tour was fascinating, but it did scarethe hell out of me, so I think I’m done with that sort of thingnow. However, if you’re ever in Savannah...

Sunday was a glorious, sunny day, so I toured around Tybee.I did a long, long walk on the beach—more dolphins!—andthen drove out to the lighthouse to have a look around. This oneonly had 178 steps, so I decided to give it a try. What a surprise!No problem going up, and no problem coming back down!Once out on the platform at the top, however, I did my impres-sion of a middle-aged woman hugging a lighthouse. I couldn’tjust go over to the rail and gaze at the view like any normal per-son. I had to stay pressed up against the wall and slide aroundthe platform. (Vertigo sucks!) But that worked well and theviews were grand! (And I have a new best friend in a youngwoman who could only navigate the platform on her hands andknees)! Back at the beach, I met a lovely lady on the pier whorecommended a place for dinner where I would see the sunsetover the back of the island. I went there and was treated toanother excellent dinner and a beautiful sunset!

Monday morning, I hit the beach early, and it was the weird-est experience I’ve ever had on a beach. There was so much fogthat I couldn’t see the water or anything else. The only way toorient myself was by the sound of the surf, but that didn’t helpme find my way back to my B&B, so I kept walking until thefog started to move off. When it did, there were the dolphinsagain—a pod of about a dozen. What a treat! This island is real-ly laid back, and being the off season, there were very few peo-ple on this beautiful beach. Really, it was such a relaxing time.

Tybee Island Experience

Lois Berkowitz, MI and Mike Brooks, ME, finish at Erie,Pennsylvania. Mike followed the direction of his heart–rate

monitor for walking and running. Lois followed Mike.

John “Maddog” Wallace, FL, stands victorious at thetop of Machu Picchu, Peru.

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by Pam Penfield, CO

On July 1, 2008 I ran (hobbled, walked, and/or crawled)the Atacama Desert Marathon in Chile with 16 other heartysouls from the Andes Adventure Tours www.andesadven-tures.com guided by Devy Ramscheider. The start of themarathon was called Valley of Death. It should have been asign for me that what was ahead was tough and then some.The path was guided by pink ribbons to help us decipherwhere we were going (hopefully a beer tent). I finished in8:09:20 by my watch. We had some nice Chilean drivers atthe end, and I remember babbling, “Is it finito?”

I would like to add some views from my fellowmarathoners and from the hikers (the hikers thought theywere going on a seven–mile hike, but it was 12.5 miles).

• From Paul: “Lovely view, multi terrain, tunnel andcave. Cold start and hot finish.”

• From Helen: “Lovely view, fantastic weather, smash-ing company...”

• From Shelly: “The marathon today was one of themost challenging trail runs that I’ve run, mostly because ofthe sand! The country was spectacular, especially the salt-covered hillsides and the stark peaks against the bright bluesky. The Valley of the Moon really did look like the moon,

without a blade of grass or any indication of wildlife.Overall, this was a great marathon in a remote, starkenvironment.”

• From Nancy: “My expectations were certainly sur-passed—I originally expected typical desert-like scenery,but the views and landforms were absolutely stunning. Myfavorite portions included the tunnel and the rocky canyonat the end of the race.”

• From Vince: “The scorching, blistering heat I expect-ed never came. Instead, a cool breeze unexpectedly accom-panied the ever–present sunshine. Although it was a desertrun, each step differed in height, obstacles, firmness andtexture. From the fabulous descent into the Valley of Death,through the 100–yard tunnel carved through a mountainoriginally built for cattle, the awesome surprises on this runnever ceased. Finally, after scaling The Great Dune of sandwe wound our way through a labyrinth of a mini canyonthat was spectacular with runs through caves and over salt.”

• From Barb and Dave Sholle: “The Atacama hike start-ed very cold at sunrise with almost solid ice at the rivercrossings. We climbed up a dirt road through a landscapesimilar to some areas in Death Valley or Utah.”

The Atacama marathon was a day to remember, and Ialways will.

Atacama Desert Marathon

by Ann Singer, NY

Fifteen long years ago I had convinced the director ofthe Atlantic City, New Jersey Marathon to let me leave onehour before the actual start to see if, at age 50, I could fin-ish a marathon, walking the 26.2 miles. In 1993 there wereno marathon walkers and no early starts for races. Did I fin-ish? Need you ask? This was the prelude to a wonderfuljourney of visiting states to do marathons—and John and Ivisited Maui for the grand finale.

Fifteen years later I still have the same husband whohas traveled with me to all the marathons, and I still wearthe same 50 States Marathon running T-shirt for eachmarathon. This shirt is worn and tattered but I know it willsurvive the journey today. If I finish, the shirt will bereplaced with a brand new “Certified 50 Stater” T-top bythe 50 States Marathon Club (50statesmarathonclub.com.)The husband is a keeper and will not be replaced.

To say I was overanxious to reach the starting line of theMaui Marathon, Sept. 14, 2008, would be the understate-ment of the year. John and I went to the Whaler’s VillageShopping Center at 2:30 a.m. in Maui, Hawaii to catch thefirst 3:30 a.m. bus to the start of the Maui Marathon at theQueen Ka’ahumanu Center. The question always asked atthe beginning of the marathon to every wearer of the 50States shirt from the runners standing around is, “Whichstate will this be today?” “Today this is my 50th state,” Isay with tears in my eyes. It is 5:30 a.m., the air is a bit cooland the only light comes from the torchbearers who willlight tiki torches along the initial stretch of the course. Wehave received the Hawaiian blessing.

For days, there were no trade winds to keep the islandcool in Maui. As the hours passed in this marathon, the

temperature climbed steadily. Eighty-five degrees, theninto the 90s. The sun was scorching and the high humidityleft the air soaking wet. The majority of the Maui Marathonwas along the Pacific Coast, Kuihelani Highway 30, whichwas paved with hot black asphalt. There was absolutely noshade except inside one tunnel, which was steaming upfrom the ground below. At mile 13.1, I was way over myprojected time. Everyone had told us to add one hour ontoour expected time. Many Japanese runners travel to do theMaui Marathon. As we pass these runners they turnedslightly toward us and bowed in silence. At each first–aidstop we were sprayed with sunscreen so our skin didn’tburn up. We were given bright orange sponges that weredipped in cold ice buckets to cool our body’s inner core allduring the mileage.

Finally the finish line appeared. There was none of theusual banter between John and me on this day. At the fin-ish line the wonderful “surfer–dude” announcer explainedto the crowd, “This is Grannie Annie from NY and in 6:44she has completed her 50 states marathon journey.” Ithought I would be hysterically crying at the finish line,unable to contain my joy and excitement—I had planned tothank John for his support and give him a big kiss. ButJohn and I were physically dehydrated and exhausted; hewent to get us something to drink and I stood under a coldshower. At the awards ceremony, it turns out that thesurfer–dude announcer was fluent in Japanese, repeatingeach sentence in English and then Japanese. We all enjoyedour accomplishments this day and the Japanese found thisenergetic and enjoyable announcer much to their liking.

Mahalo: Thank you to all who have lived this journeywith us. Without your encouragement and support, thejourney would not have been the same.

50 States Marathon Journey Ends in Hawaii for Team Singer

Jim Collins, FL gets ready to somersault across the NewHampshire finish line for his 50th state.

Although I’m not aware that we’ve ever had the occa-sion to meet, your newsletter appeared on my kitchencounter this past weekend. It was loaned to me by mygirlfriend, Renee Hamilton, a newly minted devotee com-mitted to making the journey to achieve 50 States. Reneeencouraged me to read the newsletter and I said I’d do thatwhen time was available.

With no disrespect, I see literally dozens of runningand track/field related pubs and electronic renditions ofsame every month, so I was predisposed to speed read andbe done with it. That didn’t happen. Instead, I believe Iread every word!

I reflected on why that happened and came to a per-sonally fascinating conclusion: it was fun to read and asimportant, reflected many of the values and emotionsthat stirred me as a teenager running along the beach inWestport, Connecticut and today in Centennial,Colorado several decades later.

I happened to evolve from a quasi-competitive back-ground and still irrationally imagine that I can compete atsome level. Renee has encouraged me to look through aslightly different lens...hers. She loves the camaraderie,the excitement that comes with travel, the challenge offinishing, the value of a finisher medallion and the inspi-ration brought by the next marathon goal.

Your publication and, by extension, I believe yourmembership, are refreshing examples of the human spiritat work, or better, at play.

I may have a difficult time appreciating those that scootunder a six, seven or eight hour time limit but I can nowmore fully appreciate their aspirations and inspiration toothers.

No, I’m not sure how many marathon notches I have,but I’m sure tracking Renee’s now, thanks to all of you!

If you find me announcing an event at which your clubhas a presence, please make that known to me so I canprovide a shout out.

Best of luck on the roads and trails! Creigh

Tom Adair, GA, received the following letter fromCreigh Kelley, whose friend, Renee Hamilton, CO, isa 50 Stater. Creigh is a professional start/finish lineannouncer, radio and TV announcer. Among otherevents, he was chosen periodically over the last twodecades as the start/finish line announcer for U. S.Olympic Games. For more information, see hisresume at www.bkbltd.com/creigh.htm

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by Martha Corazzini, NV

It seems to be a trend this year, marathons run at the begin-ning of one month moving over to the end of the previousmonth and vice versa. As many of you may know, I’m work-ing running a streak of a marathon a month, so August wouldnot do. I had to find another July marathon. Prospects werenot looking good, that is, until I did a search ofwww.marathonguide.com and discovered the MissoulaMarathon. Now in its second year, this marathon offered muchmore than just the fact that it is run in July—not only did it fitperfectly into my schedule, the course was beautiful and it wasvery easy and reasonable to get to, thanks to Allegiant Airlines.They keep fares low by offering service to secondary mar-kets—like Missoula. Granted, the planes are small and they docharge extra for baggage and seats, however, once you’re pastthe additional fees you’ll realize you are getting a better dealthan the major airlines are offering and even better —a nonstopflight where otherwise you’d spend the day connecting.

My flight left early on Saturday morning, arriving intoMissoula before noon. I chose not to rent a car as everythingin town is within walking distance and I didn’t see that wehad any time to explore outside of the city. A quick phonecall from the airport to the DoubleTree was all it took to havethe hotel shuttle at the airport within minutes and whiskingme back to the hotel. The DoubleTree is rated one of the tophotels in Missoula and I have to say I was impressed. Therooms are quite spacious and very reasonably priced. Thebest feature is the location; it is situated along the banks ofthe Clark Fork River across from the University of Montanacampus. From the restaurant and some of the rooms, youhave a great view of the river.

I had a chance to get some rest before my friends arrived,Kathy and Kevin from NYC and Donald from Arizona.Kathy and Kevin belong to the 50 States Marathon Club andthe Marathon Maniacs. This would be at least the sixthmarathon of the year for each of them and my eighth.

Once they arrived we headed over to the marathon expo,which was held outdoors in a park a couple of blocks awayfrom our hotel. It was under a huge tent, so in case of badweather there would be no need to bring everything indoors,although this weekend there were no worries the weather waspicture perfect and the temperature ideally in the 70s.

After we picked up our race numbers and tee shirts, whichwere very nice short sleeve tech shirts in blue (the half offereda more attractive rust brown); we shopped a bit then took awalk around town. Later, we drove out to the suburbs for anearly dinner at Carino’s, a popular chain of Italian eateries. Itwas an early night and an even earlier wake-up call at 4 a.m.It was a short walk from our hotel to the shuttle out to thestarting line. The buses left from a parking garage offeringfree parking for the day for those who drove.

While we were waiting at the start, we met a couple fromAustralia who were running eight marathons in eight weeksin eight different countries. There’s always one marathonerattempting something more extreme than the next! This is alink to their web site for more on their adventures:www.partnerunning.com/. At 6 a.m. sharp, a cannon blaststarted the race and we were off. I would say that every oneof the 400 runners crossed the starting line within a minute.The morning air was crisp; temps at 6 a.m. were still in the50s—quite a difference from a typical July morning in LasVegas! The view of the foothills as the sun came up was

amazing. We ran past horse farms, mountains, rivers andstreams. With the exception of the lumber mill, there were nosigns of commerce on the first half. We were truly in Big Skycountry! Spectators were limited to the few people who werecurious enough to venture out of their homes to see what wasgoing on and to several family members and friends of run-ners, who followed along in their minivans or on bikes. If youlike the cheering crowds of a big city, don’t run here! This isthe type of race that someone runs who just wants to enjoynature and the fact that they can run 26.2 miles.

For those goal–oriented runners, there were pace groupsand for those on their own, although the field was small, itnever seemed that you were running alone at any point. Aidstations were spread out two miles apart on the first half of therace, then every mile after that. All were well stocked withwater and Powerade and each offered a port-a-pottie-with nowaiting lines! Power Gel was offered at two locations on thecourse, as well. Plaster leg sculptures, decorated by localartists, served as mile markers along the course. These legswhere part of a fund raising project similar to the cows fromChicago or the pigs in Cincinnati. The “legs” added a funtouch to the marathon; something other than water stations tolook out for! Plus they were on display at the expo the daybefore so you were able to recognize your favorite designs.

With the exception of the one–mile–long hill I waswarned about at the halfway point, the rest of the courseseemed to be flat, so I was a bit surprised when I found outlater on that there was a total gain in elevation and theentire course is slightly uphill.

In spite of the gradual incline and elevation—Missoula is3,200–feet above sea level—I would say this is definitely afast course. At the finish line, I heard many happy reportsfrom those who made their Boston qualifying times and PRs.The average finishing time was 4:16; however with a six–hour cut off, there were not many slower runners. For thoseneeding more time or not ready for a full marathon in themiddle of the summer, there is also a half marathon.

Unfortunately, if you choose the half, you’ll miss themost beautiful part of the course. The second half runsthrough a residential area, as it leads you back downtown,crossing the Higgins Avenue Bridge over the Clark ForkRiver to the finish line in front of the historic WilmaTheater. The balloon arch was a welcome sight! The localsput a great deal of thought and effort in accommodating therunners. From frozen fruit pops to massages; and MooseDrool Beer to home-made lemon pasta salad, complete withthe recipe; they thought of everything. The crowds cheeredand broke into “Viva Las Vegas!” as friend Elvis (Don)

approached the finish line. As in almost any marathon, younever know what to expect! For anyone who likes statistics,this was my 119th marathon, 14th marathon/month streakand 16th state toward the second time around.

Missoula Marathon

Henry Rueden, WI, finishes the Hurley, Wisconsin Marathon.

Kathy Kass, NY, Martha Corazzini, NV, friend Elvis(Don Pemberton), and Ken Hart, MD at Missoula.

Al Kohli, WI, has finished his 100th marathon. Here heis with some of his awards.

Diversions by Dr. Bill Morton, IAOn New Year’s Day the Texas Marathon was held. This

year the marathon included a contest to come up with thebest recipe using runner’s snacks. The final four winnerswere determined by the official judges of the event and anadditional prize was awarded to the favorite recipe chosenby the attending marathoners. This year the favorite recipewas not one of the four contest winners. Determine the fullname of each winner as well as the winning place and typeof recipe of each.

1. Robin’s recipe, which wasn’t Raisin GU Bars, didn’t win first place. The person whose last name was Boone submitted the Clif Shot Cookie recipe.

2. Greg Adair didn’t submit the Power Bar Pie recipe.3. The favorite recipe wasn’t Laura’s. The fourth place

winner wasn’t the Sport Bean Brownies.4. The Raisin GU Bars beat Scott's recipe by one place.

Ms. Sayles’ recipe, which wasn't Power Bar Pie, was voted the favorite recipe of the event.

5. The person whose last name was Berkowitz won second place, but not with Sport Bean Brownies. The Gatorade Shake wasn’t the first place winner.

6. The Raisin GU Bars, which weren’t Laura’s recipe,was made by the person whose last name was Bell. Janice’s recipe, which wasn’t the Clif Shot Cookie,won third place.

(For solution, see Profiles page, bottom).

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by Diana Burton, NJ

Women on the Move Conference Headlines:• Kathrine (KV) Switzer of Boston Marathon fame—who

needs no more introduction. She shared of herself, and was down to earth, warm and inspiring.

• Elaine Doll-Dunn is a force among Leading Ladies and famous women, model, Ms South Dakota, weight lifter,mother to seven, great grandmother to two, and now race director to the upcoming women-only marathon.

• Jan Seeley, owner and publisher of Marathon & Beyond,and friend to all, with her own athletic credentials as well as being a noted Yale graduate, Jan is creator of the Women on the Move Conference.

• Leading Ladies participants include coaches, a double-Badwater finisher, a medical director, and too many to name. They might have outnumbered the participants.

• Mike Dunlap made a surprise and exciting appearance. Mike ran with Dick Beardsley and is famous in his own right. He was on his way to a Bike-Across-South Dakota event.

• Meals were roundtable discussions with a theme at each one. • Swag just didn’t stop. • Trolley tour of marathon course with Elaine Doll-Dunn

as commentator. • Showing of “Spirit of the Marathon” movie. • Photographs taken throughout and photo show and

DVD given to all participants.

After the conference we moved onto the town of Spearfish.Freebies from Jan Seeley at the conference included: Fresh fruitgift showed up in our rooms the first night; Gotta Run book byElaine Doll-Dunn; Running and Walking for Women over 40 byKathrine Switzer; cinch backpack in red by New Balance; shirt inhi-tech lime green fabric in a ladies cut by New Balance with con-ference details in white print; conference notebook in lime green,complete with a page for each coach and each participant; hat orsun visor in choice of color (hot pink) by Marathon & Beyond;sweat shirt in dark green with South Dakota license plate“Runner” and Licensed to Run imprinted; hi-tech ladies cut shirtin white with gold detail imprinted with Leading Ladies“Rehearsal”; unique wristband water bottles; Marathon & Beyondissue with article by Elaine and KV about the inaugural marathonplus either the current magazine copy or an add-on to current sub-scriptions; Luna and Clif Bar samples; Clif blocks samples; M&BRace Ready socks plus a shared gift exchange. Pretty dramaticamount of SWAG, yes? Then add the goodie bag from themarathon and one needs a second suitcase. Kathrine Switzer, run-ning pioneer who broke the gender barrier at the previously all-male Boston Marathon in 1967, was our featured speaker andguest coach. For three days, we had seminars, round–table discus-sions, and training runs. Extraordinary is not a strong enough wordto describe these women. I cannot give an exact number, but thecombined number of marathons and ultra-marathons of our groupof ten retreat athletes and eight coaches is several hundred. And,the list of different marathons, ultras, and hikes reads like a cata-log of extreme challenges: Comrades in South Africa,Kilimanjaro, Badwater, Tahoe Triple, various Ironman Triathlons,Pike’s Peak—to name only a handful. These “super women” (someof whom are 50-staters) aged in range from 39 to 68, with only sixwomen under 50 in the whole group of campers and coaches.

The marathon—my 21st state and 26th marathon:• Big headline—I finished in the top 100! Well, so what,

there were only 97 marathoners . . . . • Spearfish Canyon might be one of the most perfect settings

for a marathon course. One runs along the flowing stream where cascades abound. More than half of the course is on a very narrow and windy road with the majority of the course downhill. (Not to be confused—there are some good up-hills too.)

• Animals, trees and rock cliffs aplenty. • Leading Lady Elaine Dunn is a unique roll model and an

ever present force. Her husband, Jerry Dunn, is race director of the long running Mickelson-Deadwood Marathon so they have a high experience level.

• BOBs take care of runners. That’s Boys-on-Bikes or Best-of-Boys, some in tuxedo T-shirts, all cute, all wanting nothing more than to please (be helpful to) the women runners.

• A cold flowing creek is at the finish line for soaking sore legs.

• The T-shirt is high-tech, well-designed and created for ladies.

• Classy and money is no object—if Elaine thinks of it, it’ll be done, as evidenced by the last minute introduction of a big screen projector at the pasta party to show the Olympics, with pertinent comments by KV.

• Buses left from Spearfish at 4 a.m. from the Canyon Lodge at 5 a.m., taking us to the Lead Country Club for about 30 minute delays before starting the mostly downhill course.

• Always a very cool start and a very warm ending. In my case, it might have varied from 45 to 85.

• A 5:16 finish, super at the start and difficult at the end and that has nothing to do with the wall.

• Fruit pizzas at the end.

At the smallish expo the events included a creative writingworkshop on capturing running-released power by WendyMendoza; Women Who Dare Forum—The stories of extraor-dinary women, and Dr. JoAnn Owens-Nausler—A dynamitespeaker who walks the talk. The day is finished off with a‘Taste of Italy’ pasta party—included a style show byKathleen’s Boutique and Elaine’s granddaughters.

Tourist Highlights:• Spearfish Canyon is about 20 miles in length and

absolutely breathtaking the entire way. • Mt. Rushmore isn’t all that near but worth the drive if

one takes the canyon routes. • Iron Mountain Road has pigtail curves ñ you truly meet

yourself coming and bridge over the road you were on,over and over. There are tunnels with views of Mt Rushmore.

• Crazy Horse in Custer is about an hour away. The town of Custer town is special.

• The 1880 train from Hill City to Keystone takes two– and–one–half hours and was well worth the historical perspective.

• Needles Highway is worth a trip all on its own. • Spearfish town is quaint, full of historical buildings,

but can become boring pretty quickly.

Leading Ladies Conference & Marathon,South Dakota 8/12-2008

From Kevin Brosi, TX: Well, we did not make it to thetop of Rainier. Here is the short story: None of our teamof 18 made it to the top of Mt. Rainier on Sunday 9/21.It snowed all day and night Saturday and was stillsnowing on the upper mountain at 1 a.m. when we setout. The weather turned horrible at 11,000 feet. Thewind was blowing at 40 mph and we could barely standup or keep our balance. I don’t know what the temper-ature was, but it tried to flash freeze everything I had.Fortunately my one liter Nalgene bottle was largeenough and deep enough in my pack so it was only par-tially frozen. A foot of new snow covered the trail mak-ing it even slicker and harder to follow than normal. Imade it to 12,300 feet when the upper rope team at12,600 feet including my son Heath (age 26) slid in ashort avalanche about 200 feet wide that crashed into alower rope team. That ended the climb. No one washurt, but all received an extra jolt of adrenaline. Wehigh tailed it down the mountain to high camp.

I think we are jinxed on this challenge! I say thatbecause we tried this same climb last year and had oneof our team fall into a crevasse at 12,500 feet, but hewas saved by the rope team and a well–placed picket,ending that attempt. My torn meniscus held up wellgoing up, but I still could not keep up with my sonHeath. The downhill was a little painful.

So my wife Lucy had minor cancer surgery on Sept.30 and I had the torn meniscus repaired Oct. 3, whichoccurred Aug. 10 at the Isle of Man Marathon. It’scrutches and limping for me.

Jim Simpson, CA, Al Kohli, WI, and HenryRueden, WI celebrate Al’s 100th marathon atFox Cities.

Heath and Kevin Brosi, TX, on their attempt toclimb Mt. Rainier.

SHORSHORTS:TS:

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by Mary Steinhauser, MI

If you had asked me about an eight loop marathon before Cy and I ranWakefield, Massachusetts, I would have said, “Forget it!” But Cy signed us up,and I went on to discover the joy of only doing eight loops of three plus miles—not 26.2 of anything. It made a difference in my mind—only eight.

This late July race was combined with a 24/12 hour ultra and ultra relay.Starting this Friday activity at 7:00 p.m., we ran into the night around LakeQuannapowitt. The course was advertised as well lighted, but flashlights camein handy in a few areas.

Volunteers with an agenda of hospitality manned two water stops at thebeginning and middle of the loop. Lap counters and back up counters kept trackof each loop calling out our numbers and names. Their accuracy was comfort-ing. Marathon miles were also marked in paint with orange cones at each mile.

On Wednesday and Thursday morning, we traveled to Wakefield on Rt. 90from Cleveland through Pennsylvania and New York into Massachusetts mak-ing it an easy trip despite the tolls. U.S. Rt. 95 took us to one of Boston’s north-ern suburbs, Wakefield, site of the race. After checking into our hotel severalexits south of the race, we took a light rail rapid transit into Boston for sight see-ing on Thursday. Unfortunately, we didn’t take umbrellas with us, so we stayedin the several blocks around the Boston rail station for supper and ate some icecream while talking to some homeless men who had also taken refuge from thetorrential rain under the porches of nearby government building.

Thursday, the day before, and Saturday, the day after were rainfilled.However, race night Friday was cool and dry. Seven or so 50 State memberswere among the eighty marathon participants. One of these, Charles Sayles age71 of California, looked strong and determined. Another of the 50 Staters hadrun the Deseret News Founders Day Marathon in Salt Lake City the day before.

Watermelon, cookies, juices, and peanut butter were available to snack on ina rain soaked area behind the water stop. Speaking of food, we passed theDolly’s Donuts store with the Harley crowd eight times. At the beginning ofmarathon, those donuts smelled so good, but by the end the grease was notpleasant. When I remember this race, I’ll remember, the beautiful night, thehelpful people, and the fun of only eight rounds.

Around the Lake Marathon

Dr. Bill Morton, IA is a puzzle geek. He says, I went ontothe internet and downloaded programs to create thecrossword and word search (any one could do it).

Diversions by Dr. Bill Morton, IA

SHORSHORTS:TS:From Kenny McCleary, IN:

I think Tupelo is Indian for “hot and humid”.It was very warm and muggy at the start, and,with a new moon, very dark. The late finishersprobably faced high 80s temps with 80 percenthumidity. When I finished, it was around 85degrees. The race organizers do a great job. I’malways a bit uneasy whenever a race occurs onroads that are not closed to traffic or controlledby barricades, but the local drivers were verypolite. Entries are limited to 249 for the marathonand 249 for the 14.2 “half” run. I really enjoy thesmaller race venues like Tupelo, so I was veryhappy with the overall low key and casual feelthe event creates. The race shirt and medallionare worth the pain and effort to run the race. Howcan you not love a bright tie-dyed race shirt witha skull-and-cross-bones and the motto, “Tramplethe Weak, Hurdle the Dead?” The medallion isalso a skull-and-cross-bones. It will be a uniqueitem for my 50 State finisher’s–medal collection.All the racers managed to clear out before thetraffic from Hurricane Gustav had an impact.The hotels were starting to fill up with evacueesas I was leaving town. I wish I could tell you theother names of the club members there. I’m stillpretty new to the group. Some of the faces andnames from the newsletter are starting to getmore familiar.

From Keith Levitt, FL:After spending two full days in Boulder I’m

ready to pack my bags and move to this wonder-ful town. The race started off in perfect 54degrees with no winds at all. The scenery wasterrific as I looked upon the mountain tops cov-ered with snow. Clouds periodically moved in tocover the hot sun from shinning down on myneck and shoulders while providing me great tan.The high altitudes and dry weather made it diffi-cult to run, feeling as if I was drinking enough.Starting from mile one the course had continuousrolling hills and lots of pot holes. The only flatsection in the race was from miles 14 thru 20.

The course was a part out and back so I knew allthe big hills that I hit in the beginning of the racewould soon come back to haunt me towards thelatter half of the race. I started out running withsome friends from Orlando which made it realnice. I came through the half on pace for a 3:50marathon. Soon after the 15th mile I began toslow down and become very tired. I ran withalmost the same pace up till mile 18. I was forcedto walk most of the way in while trying to gut outa few minutes of running. While running I wastrying to recall some of my readings about theGalloway method and how to get through atough day. I began to run for four minutes andwalk for one minute, then as I approached mile23 I realized that my quads were completely shotand my hamstrings were also killing thus havingto walk more and more. With each step I slowlydeveloped a new pain in my lower back on bothsides which really caused me to not run for morethan a minute at a time with lots of walks inbetween. I didn’t make my under my four–hourrace goal, I did complete my 30th state whichwas a big personal goal for me. I continue to lookforward in joining thousands of other runnersacross the country while completing the rest ofthe states by the time I reach my 40th birthday.

From Brent Weigner, WY:Brent completed the Samsung Melbourne

Marathon in Australia, on Sunday, October 12.He has completed a marathon on all seven conti-nents for the fifth time, breaking his currentworld record of four circuits on the seven conti-nents. Dr. Weigner was running in honor of hislate father who recently passed away at age 82.“My dad would tell people most of his childrenwere normal except for the one who was a crazyultra marathon runner. Then he would laugh andproceed to brag about my running feats. I thinksetting a world record in his honor was a finetribute to my dad.” Brent is a seventh grade geog-raphy teacher and cross country coach atMcCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne.He was the first person in the world to run ultramarathons on all seven continents and at theGeographic North and South Poles.

Adam Shank (not a member). Mike Herrin, IL; Beth Davenport, NM;Dave Bell, CO; Janet Burgess, WA; and Charles Sayles, CAhad dinner togetherbefore the AlbuquerqueMarathon

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Seeing DoubleNovember11/1/08 Monumenta—Indianapolis, IN www.monumentalmarathon.com11/2/08 Marshall University—Huntington, WV http://healthyhuntington.org

11/15/08 Mountain Home—Mt. Home, AR www.mountainhomemarathon.com11/16/08 Route 66—Tulsa, OK www.route66marathon.com

11/29/08 Ghost of Seattle—Seattle, WA www.nwultras.com/ghost_main.htm11/30/08 Seattle—Seattle, WA www.seattlemarathon.org

December12/06/08 Death Valley Marathon—Death Valley, CA www.envirosports.com12/07/08 Las Vegas Marathon—Las Vegas, NV www.lvmarathon.com

12/13/08 Rocket City—Huntsville, AL www.runrocketcity.com12/14/08 Otter Creek—Brandenburg, KY www.headfirstperformance.com

2009January1/24/09 Hilo to Volcano 50K—Hilo, HI www.bigislandroadrunners.org1/25/09 Maui Oceanfront—Maui, HI www.mauioceanfrontmarathon.comHour flight between islands

1/24/09 Diamond Valley Lake—Hemet, CA www.diamondvalleylakemarathon.com1/25/09 Carlsbad—Carlsbad, CA www.carlsbadmarathon.com

February2/14/09 Surfside Beach—Surfside, TX www.surfsidemarathon.com2/15/09 Austin—Austin, TX www.attaustinmarathon.com

2/14/09 Myrtle Beach—Myrtle Beach, SC www.mbmarathon.com 6+ hours apart2/15/09 Breast Cancer—Jacksonville Beach, FL www.breastcancermarathon.com

February/March2/28/09 Cowtown—Fort Worth, TX www.cowtownmarathon.org3/1/09 Miracle Match—Waco, TX http://www.sw.org

March3/7/09 Greenway Trail—Damascus, MD http://senecacreektrailrace.com3/7/09 Umstead Trail—Raleigh, NC www.umsteadmarathon.com3/8/09 Lower Potomac—Piney Point, MD www.cbrcmd.org

3/21/09 National—Washington, DC www.nationalmarathon.com3/22/09 Shamrock—Virginia Beach, VA www.shamrockmarathon.com

3/28/09 Ellerbe Springs—Ellerbe, NC www.mangumtc.org3/29/09 Virginia Creeper—Abingdon, VA www.runtricities.org/creepermarathon3/29/09 Georgia—Atlanta, GA www.inggeorgiamarathon.com3/29/09 Knoxville—Knoxville, TN www.knoxvillemarathon.com

Seeing DoubleDoubles are marathons and/or ultras which can be run on consecutive days with a drive time of 5 hours or so.

Many of our members enjoy running doubles to help cut down on the costs of traveling totwo states separately.

Please check the individual race Web sites before scheduling your trip. If you find otherdoubles let us know so we can include the races on our schedule. We now have Doubleslisted on the club Web site under Schedules on the menu bar.

[email protected] Please include race name/date/Web site.

$ Deals for Our Members $Check the Web site regularly for deals

www.50statesmarathonclub.com

Dedra Trotter has an offer for our members. Get 25% off until 12/31/08 on maps and other cool travel stuff fromwww.store.randmcnally.com. Use her employee code: SHARE3599to get the discount and free shipping for orders over $50.

Valley of Fire Marathon 11/22/08 Overton, NV is offering a $5 discount for the 10K and a $10 discount for the full and halfmarathons. Go to the registration page and register through paypal.Then copy and paste the registration form and forward to [email protected]. Any questions call TracyWhelchel at 760-810-0599. www.valleyoffiremarathon.com

Thunder Road Marathon 12/13/08 Charlotte, NC is offering a $10 discount to club members. Enter the code: 50 States(There is a space after 50.) www.runcharlotte.com

Mississippi Blues Marathon 1/3/09 Jackson, MS Reunion Run is offering a $10 discount for members on the marathon (50STATES10). $5 discount for the half (50STATES5). Register on active.com. www.msbluesmarathon.com

Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon 1/18/09 Phoenix, AZ is offering a $10 discount for the full or half Code : 50STATE Discountavailable until 1/9/09. www.rnraz.com

Mardi Gras Marathon 2/1/09 New Orleans, LA is offering a $10 discount to members. Just use the NOTC member discount andput “50” in the membership number field for online registration.www.mardigrasmarathon.com

Tallahassee Marathon 2/1/09 Tallahassee, FL is offering a $5 discount. Use the coupon code 50smc08 if you register throughActive.com. www.tallahasseemarathon.com

Little Rock Marathon 3/15/09 Little Rock, AR is offering a $10 discount on the marathon (code: LUV50STATESCLUB) or $5 discount on the half (code: LUV50STATESHALF). Discountsavailable until 3/9/09. www.littlerockmarathon.com

Georgia Marathon 3/29/09 Atlanta, GA is offering a $10 discountfor the marathon (code: 50STATESMAR09) and $5 off the half(code: 50STATESHALF09) when you register through active.com.www.inggeorgiamarathon.com

Brookings Marathon 5/16/09 Brookings, SD is offering $10 discount for the marathon until 3/31/09. Use the 50 Stater discount online or write “50 Stater” on application. www.brookingsmarathon.com

Kona Marathon 6/28/09 Kona, HI is offering a $5 discount(mail in application only). www.konamarathon.com

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Two Cities-Fresno, CA 11/9/08 Nancy Talley & Mike Hermanwww.trailof2cities.com

Bartram Forest 50K/26.2-Milledgeville, GA 11/29/08 Kevin Hatfield http://wintertrailrun.net

Baton Rouge Beach-Baton Rouge, LA 12/6/08 Craig Watsonwww.brbeachmarathon.com

Texas-Kingwood, TX 1/1/09 Steve & Paula Boonewww.50statesmarathonclub.com/texas.html

Zoom! Yah! Yah-Northfield, MN 1/11/09 Dick Daymonthttp://www.geocities.com/zoomyahyah/

Kahtoola Wasatch Winter 50K/5K–Midway, UT 1/31/09 John Bozunghttp://jbozung.host.elfon.com/bigfootmaster.htm

Tallahassee-Tallahassee, FL 2/3/08 Jack McDermottwww.tallahasseemarathon.com

Ocala-Ocala, FL 2/1/09 Chuck Savagewww.ocalamarathon.com

B&A Trail-Severna Park, MD 3/1/09 Tom Bradfordwww.annapolisstriders.org

Seabrook Lucky Trail-Seabrook, TX 3/15/09 Robby Sabbanwww.seabrookmarathon.org

Yakima River Canyon-Yakima, WA 4/4/09 Lenore & Bob Dolphinwww.ontherunevents.com/yrcm

Davy Crockett Bear Chase–Groveton, TX 4/11/09 Steve&Paula Boonewww.50statesmarathonclub.com/bear.html

Lake Waramaug Ultra (50K/50M/100K)-New Preston, CT 4/?/09 Carl Hunt860-355-8847 [email protected]

BPAC 6 Hr Distance Classic-Buffalo, NY 4/?/09 Carl Pegelswww.wny-ultra.org/bpac

Tacoma City-Tacoma, WA 5/3/09 Tony Phillippiwww.tacomacitymarathon.com

Walker Only–St. Cloud, MN 5/16/09 Dave [email protected]

HUMP 50K-White Clay Preserve Park, PA 5/?/09 Hunt [email protected] www.udell.edu/johnmack/traildawgs

Wyoming-Laramie, WY 5/24/09 Brent Weignerwww.angelfire.com/wy2/marathon

Bob Potts-York, PA 5/31/09 Clay Shawwww.bobpottsmarathon.com

Squaw Peak 50M Trail-Provo, UT 6/6/09 John Bozungwww.squawpeak50.com

Deadwood Mickelson Trail-Deadwood, SD 6/7/09 Jerry Dunnwww.deadwoodmickelsontrailmarathon.com Reunion Run!

Kat’cina Mosa 100K-Provo, UT 8/1/09 John Bozungwww.squawpeak50.com

Leading Ladies-Spearfish, SD 8/?/09 Elaine Doll-Dunnwww.leadingladiesmarathon.com

Leanhorse 100/50/50K-Hot Springs, SD 8/22-23/09 Jerry Dunnwww.leanhorse.com

Club Merchandise

Members,Have you seen the new shirts, jackets, bags, and other merchandise? Please check out ournew “Custom Embroidery.” You can have our logo embroidered on many items. You mayalso add your name. Give your family your wish list.

There is a link on our club web site under “Merchandise”called “Custom Embroidery.”

FINISHER

Members: If you are a race director or race organizer and would like to have your race listed in the next newsletter, please [email protected].

Supporter Your Name

Wind Shirts Nylon Jackets Hoodies Duffle Bags

www.companycasuals.com/50statesmarathonclub//start.jsp

Events Directed by Our Members: November 2008 – August 2009

This publication is printed with soy inks on 50 percent Post-Consumer Recycled Newsprint.

Documents

Volume 7 • Issue 4 • November 2008* Dan Wells Green Mountain South Hero, VT 10/18/08 Bill Whipp 2nd time Green Mountain South Hero, VT 10/18/08 * Larry Macon 7th time Breakers