Weekly Rundown

September 29, 2004

AUTUMN GREETINGS KALAMAZOO AREA RUNNERS, BATTLE CREEK ROAD RUNNERS AND RUNNING FRIENDS!

Fall marathon season is now in full swing as many of our KAR/BCRR members are tapering and getting ready for their 26.2-mile adventures.. We will be checking some of the marathon results, but do please share your experience with us, especially if this is your first marathon!

In the mean time, there were plenty of local events this weekend to satisfy the urge to race. The Run for the Son had 205 finishers on a beautiful fall Saturday morning. Peggy Zeeb won the women’s 5k event with a PR 19:51, while the men’s race was won by the speedy Felix Brooks with a 16:57. Our KAR/BCRR participants are listed below in the LOCAL RUNNER HAPPENINGS SECTION. To view full results, check out www.classicrace.com.

Preliminary Club Championship Results are now out there! Check out to verify your information is correct. If you notice any errors or omissions, please notify Jay Campbell as soon as possible at webmaster@kalamazooarearunners.com. There will be a special awards ceremony and party in November. Stay tuned for details!

On Friday, Open Runners had the unique opportunity to race the WMU course as part of the George Dales Invitational. Western Michigan University, led by first place winner Meryl Marsh in a time of 18:04, won the team competition. The men’s open event winner was none other than KAR President David Walch, while the first women’s open finisher was Danielle Quisenberry with an 18:51. Great runs all. Check out LOCAL RUNNER HAPPENINGS to see other KAR/BCRR members who were live on the scene.

Mark Your Calendar Once! Looking for the perfect shoe or orthotic to mesh with your biomechanics? Are you a pronator, a supinator, a heel striker, an overstrider? Come to our Club meeting on Monday, October 11, 7:00 pm at the Borgess Health and Fitness Center. Stephanie Millis, staff pedorthist from Gazelle Sports in Grand Rapids, will show us how she does personalized gait analyses. Stephanie will describe the different foot anatomies, shoe construction, and orthotic devices. Run Faster, Run Longer!" In addition, dinner is on us! Subs and beverages will be served! Please RSVP Bonnie at besrun2003@yahoo.com to let us know if you are attending so we can determine how much food is needed.

Mark Your Calendar Twice! Our Spooktacular Halloween Hash Run is coming October 30! See below in our SPECIAL EVENTS section below for more details.

Membership renewal notices have been sent via E-mail to all members expiring in August and September. Please take the time to complete your renewal application and mail it in. We want to keep you on our list and only active paid-up members will be eligible for Club Championship Series awards

The joint KAR/BCRR Gull Lake Runs are back the first Saturday of every month! The first run around Gull Lake will be held October 2. Meet at the Gull Lake Café at 8:00 am for this scenic run. Best of all, there is a coffee social after!!! For this first run, we ask that you notify Toni or Pat Galligan at jogntoni@jasnetworks.net if you plan on attending so course support can be determined.

Here is a special message from Gazelle Sports.....

Want to be immortalized in the 2005 edition of Gazelle Sports' Events Calendar? We want to include YOU in the design. This next year, as we celebrate 20 years of operation, we invite you - our friends - to submit pictures or personal memories of events that have impacted you in West Michigan over the past 20 years. The photos and essays we choose from submissions will be part of our 2005 Events Calendar. If we use your submission, we will rew ard you with a $50 Gazelle Sports gift certificate! Deadline for submissions is October 15, 2004. Please label your submission with your name and address, and indicate if you would like your submission returned to you. Send submissions to:

Tessa Emenheiser
Gazelle Sports
214 S. Kalamazoo Mall
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Or e.mail: temenheiser@gazellesports.com
Questions? E.mail Tessa or call her at 269/342-5996. Thank you!

Don't forget to check out the LOCAL RUNNER HAPPENINGS below to see if your name is there!

Formal track workouts are now officially over, but the WMU track is still open to the public for those who wish to continue on their own.

Here's what's coming up...

SPECIAL EVENTS AND RACES

Saturday, October 2, 2004
The Lawton Blue Devil Benefit 5k Run/Walk will be held Oct. 2, beginning at the cemetery on 2nd Street. The run begins at 8:30, the walk at 8:40 and the fun run at 9:00 am. For more information, contact Dave Stephayn at 269-624-3101.

Saturday, October 9, 2004
Do you miss High School Cross Country Days? Would you like to dust off those spikes and participate in one of the Midwest’s largest High School Cross Country Invitationals? Look no further; the Portage Invitational now has an open division just for us! The open event features both individual and team competitions. Teams may be Male, Female or Coed (2 men/2 women min.) and each team must have at least 4 members. Each finisher receives a Portage Invitational Medal and the winning team receives a Trophy. The Open race takes place at 8:30 am October 9, 2004 then stick around to cheer on some of the best high school cross country runners in the Midwest.. High School races begin at 9:00. Check out www.portageinvite.com for all the details and to register. The cost is only $10 if you register by Oct 6 and includes a Portage Invitational T-shirt!

Saturday, October 16, 2004
One of the areas largest 5k races, the WMU Homecoming Classic 5k Run and Walk takes place October 16 at 9:00 am and there is also a 1k Fun Run/Walk at 8:15. For a fun twist, you can also sign up as a 3 to 5 person team! This one has great prizes and a great post-race spread! For more information and to register visit www.wmich.edu/race/. To check out a special commentary on this event by Jay Campbell, click here.

Saturday, October 30, 2004
Have you finished that fall marathon and ready to add a new dimension to your running? Are you ready for a fun, noncompetitive, relaxing event with lots of comraderie? The Kalamazoo Area Runners/Battle Creek Roadrunners present the annual Halloween Hash Run! Come join us at 10:00 am at the KVCC parking lot above the track area for a spooktacular adventure through the trails of Al Sabo preserve. Bring the family! There will be water, cider, donuts, prizes, a brand new Kids Trick- or-Treat Mini Hash Run for children 12 and under, and, best of all, it is absolutely free of charge

UPCOMING MARATHONS

September 26, 2004
Boulder Backroads Marathon, Boulder, CO www.boulderbackroads.com

September 28, 2004
Fox Cities Marathon, Fox Cities, WI www.foxcitiesmarathon.org

October 2, 2004
Road Runner Akron Marathon, Akron, OH www.akronmarathon.org

October 3, 2004
Lakefront Marathon, Milwaukee, WI www.badgerlandstriders.org/marathon

October 9, 2004
Whistlestop Marathon, Ashland, WI www.whistlestopmarathon.com

October 10, 2004
LaSalle Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL www.chicagomarathon.com*** Now Closed to New Entrants

October 17, 2004
Des Moines Marathon, Des Moines, IA www.desmoinesmarathon.com

October 24, 2004
Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon and Half Marathon, Detroit, MI www.detriotfreepressmarathon.comPlease note the correction in the Date on this one!

October 31, 2004
Grand Rapids Marathon, Grand Rapids, MI www.cooladventures.net

October 31, 2004
Marine Corps Marathon, Washington DC www.marinemarathon.com

November 7, 2004
New York City Marathon (by lottery or qualifier), New York, NY ***Now Closed to New Entrants

November 25, 2004
Atlanta Marathon, Atlanta, GA www.atlantatrackclub.org

November 28, 2004
Seattle Marathon, Seattle, WA www.seattlemarathon.org

GROUP RUNS

Saturday, October 2, 2004
Today is the final run for the Gazelle Sports/KAR Marathon Training Program Gazelles, Gnus and Impalas! What an awesome group we have had this year! We wish you all of the very best as you each embark on your marathon dream. You have finished the hardest part, the training, and you are ready. The race is the icing on the cake; savor it, enjoy it, have fun with it! Final Run details will be sent to program participants via E-mail.

The Run Around Gull Lake meets today at 8:00 am at the Gull Lake Café. For questions, e-mail Toni Galligan at the jogntoni@jasnetworks.net.

The SHufflers will be meeting at the Milham road entrance of Bicentennial Trail at 7:00 am Saturday for any distance you would like to run. The SHufflers will begin their formal marathon training program in January.

The Battle Creek Road Runners are hosting a casual Sunday morning run at 7:30 am. This run features a wide variety of paces and miles and meets behind Team Active Bike Shop in Downtown Battle Creek and runs along the linear path. For questions contact Toni Galligan at jogntoni@jasnetworks.net.

LOCAL RUNNER HAPPENINGS

The time has come to taper, taper, taper for the Gazelles, Impala’s and Gnus of the Marathon Training Group This past Saturday, program participants took off on a very hilly, meandering course which got several of the herd lost (we won’t mention any names here, but take comfort in the fact that there were more than one!). Gordon Hare ran his final long run-best of success in Twin Cities, Gordon! Special thanks goes to Jay Campbell, Charlie Crouch and Charlie Broberg for providing course support and attempting to keep the herds on track!

Good running Cheryl White (The MTG Cheerleader), Tammy Mills (The MTG Journalist), Bella Walter (Another MTG Cheerleader), LeAnne & Carl Fried (But where was Pre?). Sherry Selby, David Walch, Ralph Meyer, Teresa Xaundria and Cindy Owen held on to a fast pace and could not be caught by the directionally challenged HS Angel Runner.

By the way, the only reason some of you may not have made it into the Weekly Rundown yet is because the HS Angel runner is as name-memorization-challenged as directionally challenged. She’s working on it, though. We have a STAR amongst the herd! Impala Jane Feilen is one of Saucony’s featured runners for the Chicago Marathon.

Check out the awesome story and great picture at www.saucony.com/saucony26/chicago/enter.aspx/. Another fond farewell is upon us. Battle Creek Road Runner, Adele Pitt, will be running Chicago October 10, but shortly thereafter will be relocating to the Windy City to pursue a new career. We wish you the very best in your new endeavor, Adele!

A couple of the herd strayed from the pack and decided they didn’t want to wait for New York to experience the thrill of the marathon; Peter Gower and Todd Raab ran the Fox Cities marathon this past Sunday in Appleton, WI. Just back from Thailand, Peter, our KAR World Traveler, ran a PR 3:39:37. Meanwhile, Todd, the KAR Bandanaman, ran a solid 3:44. Great runs gentlemen! In 6 weeks it’s off to New York for the duo!

We had four KAR members participate in the Run for the Son 5k event – all in the male 50 – 59 age group (Must say something about our demographics these days!) Age group award winners include Fred Colbert (1st) and Xavier Cook (3rd). Great Runs Dan Sarkipato and Steve Penix!

In addition to KAR Pres and Overall Winner Dave Walch, several other KAR members traversed the WMU Cross Country Course as part of the George Dales Invitational Friday evening. Awesome runs Jay Campbell, Steve Hicks, Fred Colbert and Isaac Jeganathan. Yes, Fred did run both the George Dales Invitational and the Run for the Son the very next morning. Rumor also has it that Steve Hicks ran a PR 16:27 5k the weekend before in his hometown, but there are no witnesses on hand and Steve insists that the course was mismeasured, possibly may have been only a 4k. Looks like he may have to go back out there and set the trip odometer on his car to settle it for once and for all.

Bill Krasean was spotted in his KAR gear flying through Arcadia Commons early Tuesday – whoosh!!!

Several of our Battle Creek Road Runners traveled to Grand Rapids to show their support for a worthy cause. Colleen Cooney, Wynne Lane and Toni Galligan made the early trek north to participate in the Grand Rapids Race for the Cure. Pink was the color of the day as runners and walkers turned out to make their mark and raise funds towards finding a cure for Breast Cancer. Race for the Cure will be coming to Kalamazoo Mothers Day, 2005… stay tuned……show support……it often hits close to the heart and amongst our own friends and family.

In closing, we share this story from one of our very own KAR and Marathon Training Group members. Annie Stearns:

"Warriors always take a first event of any series as the blueprint or the map of what is going to develop for them subsequently." from Carlos Castenda's The Second Ring of Power

My story begins in February 2001, when after fourteen months of severe depression that did not respond to treatment, I started running. I dusted off a treadmill in my basement and felt like superwoman when I hit the 2 mile mark. That seems like a long time ago. A year later I nervously joined a local running group to train for my first 5k run. Several months later I ran my first 10k and this past April finished a half marathon.

Running has not been an easy endeavor. My shins and knees protest and whine. I consult with ortho docs, try different shoes and inserts and just keep running. In June my local running store started a marathon training program. Two weeks into this I sprained my foot in a freak fall down the stairs. I remember joking with the ER nurse saying, "Well, the good marathon stories include an obstacle the runner has overcome. Guess this is mine!" I had no clue what was instore. I gave the foot two weeks off and kept running.

Over the summer I struggled with shinsplints and opted to provide curb support several Saturday mornings for my training group while doing my own runs later on softer surfaces. I've had the unique opportunity of watching others overcome their limitations and remain determined. This has provided me with energy and inspiration to forge on. I didn't know it, but it was also giving me strength for what was coming next.

On 9/17, the day before my group's final 20 miler, I received the call. My doctor informed me the breast biopsy I had several days earlier was positive for Stage I cancer. I was stunned and heartbroken. After a brief exchange regarding my need for surgery, I asked the doctor, "But I'm in a training for an October 10 marathon!" The doctor responded,"Immediate surgery is not necessary. GO RUN YOUR MARATHON." These were exactly the words I most needed to hear.

The next day I ran the 20 miles as if my life depended on it. It was an important and critical choice to do it. And I'm so glad I did. While I have alwa ys approached the training in terms of "see how it goes" or "I'll see how good I feel on race day", I have no doubt I'll be at the starting line on October 10. I believe as runners we become as warriors fighting against our own limitations both physical and mental. I thank all my fellow runners/warriors for allowing me to take this amazing journey with them. Good luck to everyone on October 10!

"We choose only once. We choose either to be warriors or to be ordinary men. A second choice does not exist. Not on this earth." Carlos Castenda

Thank you for sharing Annie – from wherever we are, your running friends will be thinking of you and cheering for you the morning of October 10.

KEEP UP THE GREAT RUNNING ALL AND LEAP OVER THE OBSTACLES THAT LIE IN YOUR PATH.