Last Wednesday Morning Run 2008

Father Time just sent a reminder in that we all need to get one last run in before the New Year. Lets not disappoint the old man.


Wednesday Morning meet at the top lot of Squaw Peak Drive 5:15 AM for a little over one hour trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Slow to moderate pace.


Good luck to those that are running in the Across the Years event. Robert Andrulis 72 hour, and in the 24 hour race The Coury Family (Nick, Jamil, Nathon and Peter). I think James Bonnett is running also?

You can follow along live right now!: http://www.acrosstheyears.com/cgi-bin/leaderboard.cgi

Santa Says Go Run 12/24/08

Santa just sent a reminder that he is coming to town and we all need to go for a group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve Wednesday morning. Meet at the top lot, squaw peak drive 5:15 AM. Plan on a little over one hour. A little rain, cold or snow wouldn't stop Santa so it won't stop us either. Be prepared.


Per Honey's post below. If anyone has the ability to spare a little change for the needy family it would be appreciated.


The 2008 Runner of the Year Awards announcements are approaching. Sometime in January. Be sure to review the categories in the Posting November 24th. You can submit Candidates to Cosmas, Higgins or Comments section on WMRC Blog.

Family In Desperate Need

Hi WMRC friends!

This is something I have never done before, so I hope it all comes out right.

My daughter Shea's friend since kindergarten, Jenny Shoulders' dad is dying from liver disease. He is on a list for a transplant but it doesn't look good. They give him less than a year, diagnosed over 3 months ago. His job of course had to let him go...in and out of hospitals constantly. They have 3 kids, 15, 17, and 20 years old. Their 20 year old son works and has been helping out financially as much as he can. The mom, Debbie, has always been a stay home mom, is working part time as a pet groomer. The rest of the time she is taking care of Jeff. Shea said Jenny hasn't talked about it much, but sort of fell apart the other day because she is so scared. The family is on welfare, getting food stamps, and is on the verge of losing their home. They do not have any other family, except for Jeff's elderly mom who lives in Aho, Arizona. They are also the type of people that would never ask for help. I know these are tough times for many of us, trust me, I know. With all this craziness going on in the world, I am so fortunate to have a healthy family and friends with some of the greatest people ever! SO fortunate!

Now, here comes the asking part...not good at this.

I promised Shea I would tell their story to you guys, hoping to get some small donations. You know, if this doesn't work out, I completely understand. Shea and I are going to make a gift basket for her family with some necessary items, (paper products, dog food, cleaning supplies, etc.) be cool to include a cashiers check from WMRC donations. We would deliver it on Christmas Day if possible.

Think it over, if you are able, I will be at WMRC next Wed. or you can send a check to me.
19836 N. 37th avenue
glendale, AZ 85308 Honestly I feel weird doing this, but it is one of those things where I don't know what else to do...
thanks!
Honey Albrecht

WMRC Run Reminder for 12/17/08

Reminder: We are on for a 1+ hour trail run on Wed am at 5:16 am. This will be slow to moderate and will be very chilly. Blue will be leading as he has recently ramped up his training. He likes hills. Just kidding.

Runner of the week goes to the trio of Jody, Honey and Laura Nagy. They were out on the Tonto loop this Sat clearing the way for a great trail run coming up in Jan. 25th. Jody's Tonto Run. This is a great training run for those gearing up for Pemberton and Old Pueblo. (see Jody's post in the blog archive 11/6/08)

First runner up is Candice for doing trail work Saturday and making the rest of us feel bad.

Second Runner up is the Arizona Wildcats basketball team. They ran #4 Gonzaga out of the gym Sunday to take the Desert Classic Showcase.

Losers of the week are the AZ Cardinals for taking the week off against the Minn Vikings. If they think they can coast into the playoffs and just turn it on they better think again. Get it going boys! Sorry, I had to rant.

See everyone this Wed. Let's have a good week of training as Klown and I are off to Vegas Sat to watch the Cats in hoops at 1pm and Football bowl game style at 6pm. A great day to be had by all in Sin City.

Cosmas

WMRC Run Reminder for 12/10/08

Reminder, we are on for a group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5:17 AM. Mark in on pacer probation so you can be assured the pace will be slow to moderate for about one hour. Great running weather but bundle up a little bit. Head lamps are a must.

About 30 people showed up to to either run or work aid for the South Mountain 50K. See Robert's report on the previous post. Everyone who participated is deserving for Runner of the Week, but the individuals who completed the full 50K stand out. Great job Paul, Honey, Liz, Joe, Chuck, Brian, Melissa, Debbie, and Aaron

Congratulations to the 3 voters who correctly predicted the outcome of the Devils Vs Cats game. The vote was anonymous but I bet Mark, Jason and Blaine (maybe Michael) are the 3. The other 4 winners are the "I couldn't care less" voters. I should have changed my vote to that!!

Lastly, for those who still wait to purchase the annual Ultra Calender, Jamie Mieras will bring extras in the morning. They are $18.00.

Higgins

2008 South Mountain 50K Report

The skies were clear , the weather was as close at it gets to perfect for December, and South Mountain was just a superlative setting for Saturday's South Mountain 50k. We had more folks show up for this than in the last few years, with nine folks going the entire distance. With the start at Buena Vista, however, dropping after just the West out and back resulted in 5.2 more miles than last couple of years (about 21 miles from BV to San Juan point and back) Many folks managed to find something a bit shorter for their own tastes and current training goals.
A special Thank You to volunteers Matt Kalina (for manning the Pima Canyon aid station, where he was a welcome sight for those dry and dusty runners heading for the East turnaround) and for Aid Station newbie Michael Chen for doing nothing short of an outstanding job, at the West turnaround at the end of San Juan road, according to reports from the runners on the course.
We had several runners bring donations; Thank you to Honey for coke and mountain dew, Liz for the bananas, Sun Chips and pretzels, Brett for the home made chocolate chip cookies and Betsy and Keene Johnson for the wonderful homemade pumpkin bread. This is a fun tradition on the first weekend of December, where there just seems to be perfect weather (70's in December; need I go on?) And a good time was had by all. We also had enough folding chairs amongst us to have quite a circle to chat, tell stories, make plans and reminisce about all the collective good times on the trails. I hope to see everyone out there next year; though if we get any bigger, we may lose our `informal' status.
Finally, a sad goodbye for those of us from the Valley – Gary Culver is moving away :-( We wish Gary a fun time with the move and maybe an invite to runs some trails in his new stomping ground.
Happy Trails,
Robert

The FULL 50k Time – correct in a relative sense…
Paul Bonnett 5:27
Honey Albrecht 5:47
Liz Everly 6:05
Joe Galope 6:21
Chuck Spurling 6:26
Brian Weineke 7:15
Melissa Masteller 7:27
Debbie Leftwich 7:34
Aaron Mascarella 7:40
Shorter distances:
Laura Nagy
Brett
Carol
Betsy and Keene Johnson
Jamil Coury
Nick Coury
Nathan Coury
Gary Culver
John and Angie Bechtel
Lindsay Cavner got a ride out from her husband
Cliff Anderson ran from Pima Canyon to Buena Vista and back, ready to help out any of the final runners if they got into any trouble
Linda Van Tilbourg and Karen Berrigan ran from Pima Canyon to Telegraph Pass and back for a `25k' fun run of their own.

Central Cross Country / Up to $400 Tax Credit

Here is you chance to help out BIG TIME the Central Cross Country and Track Team at no actual cost to you.

Last year several of you helped out, which allowed me to enter the team in more invitational events, buy shoes, shorts, awards, knee braces, bananas, bagels and yoga training to help them stretch. This years cross country team was a unique group of students from several different countries: Somalia, Sudan Ethiopia, Columbia Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, Liberia, Jamaica and the U.S.. Many were refugees with few resources. What they had was an enthusiasm to try out a new sport. They went on at the end of the season to win the Freshman Sophomore Nike Southwest meet and are excited to keep on training.

Any donation up to $200 for individuals and $400 for families the State of Arizona will pay you back dollar for dollar on you 2008 Tax Return. It's a money back guarantee. Any Tax Payer in Arizona can help and receive the tax credit.

Checks have to be mailed before December 31st. Make check payable to Central High Bookstore Memo: Runners Club. Send to Runners Club Central High School 4525 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, Arizona 85012. Make sure we have an address to send the receipt to you for your full refund on your taxes.

Any questions please contact me.

Thank You.

Paul Bonnett
Coach Cross Country / Track
602-703-4874
ultrazbonnett@hotmail.com

Location Change South Mountain 50K !!!

Due to popular demand, we will be moving the Start/Finish to Buena Vista parking lot. This is just up the road past Telegraph Pass; follow the signs and don't get lost. It is at the end of the road - if you get to the end of the road you are on and don't see a parking lot, you are not on the right road (if you can't find it on the map, email me and I'll gladly point you in the right direction.) All other times remain the same. I will try to have at least a water drop at Telegraph Pass, if not an actual aid station, as well as water at San Juan road crossing and Pima Canyon; semper gumby (be always flexible.) The only further update you will receive is if the run is cancelled for any reason. See you all at a little before 7 AM Saturday!

Happy Trails,
Robert

randrul@ihpc.net

WMRC Run Reminder for 12/3/08

Hey Turkeys, time to get back to some training. Reminder: Wednesday morning run 5:15 AM meet at the top lot Squaw Peak Drive. Plan on a little over one hour. You’ll need a headlamp and possibly a water bottle because the 40th street water fountain was out of commission this weekend. Rumor is someone attached a couple dogs to the 40th street water spigot and the dogs yanked on the leash and created a geyser. Would have liked to have seen that. Maybe we will run to Dreamy Draw Park for the turn around???
Typically a 10-mile road race wouldn’t produce the Runner of the Week but the Thanksgiving Day Classic did just that with a good showing of WMRC folks. Nick Coury wins ROW with a real fast time of 1:01:18 (6:07 mile pace) good for 8th overall. Nick just edged out Adam Hunt by 13 seconds who finished in 10th. Also making a showing were Paul Bonnett, Jamil Coury, Nathon Coury, Dave Cauthon and Joanne Hughes. Jeff McCoy paced a friend and Robert Huotari was seen helping out.

Photographer Jeff Jones is at it again, Check out the cool footage during his run with Jody Chase in Sabino Canyon over the weekend.

Sabino Canyon from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

Only 5 more days until the big ASU vs. U of A football game. Still time to vote your prediction. According to the poll half the voters think the Devils are going to win. Interesting only 9% couldn’t care less.

Higg's Javelina Video Essay

2008 Javelina Jundred 100 mile trail run from Bigg Higg on Vimeo.

Anti-Race Report

1st Ever Arizona Anti-Ironman
Monday, November 24th, 2008
1 Participant
Result = DNF

In protest of the high entry fee ($525) required to legitimately enter Ironman Arizona, I decided earlier this year that I would attempt the distances of swimming, biking, and running on or near the same day as the actual race. I hoped to use Arizona State's student recreation complex (IronmanSRC) as my home base for the swim and run. It turns out the pool is closed until 9am on Sundays, so I delayed my race until Monday. Leading up to this attempt I had been struggling with a foot neuroma that was so severe I couldn't walk on my foot normally about two months ago. On top of not running, I didn't specifically train for either the swim or bike (this was more or less an off the couch challenge). The only triathlon I have ever participated in was the Carlos O'Brian sprint at Lake Pleasant in 2004.

The Plan - A 2.4 mile swim in the lap pool is significantly different than open water, but I had planned to swim 169 lengths to cover the full distance. I would then transition in the locker room and hop on the bike for 3 loops (approx 37 miles each) similar in nature to the Arizona course, up the 87 highway to Shea Blvd. I would finish off the day with 59 laps around the .44444 mile dirt loop outside the IronmanSRC.

The Swim - I was making some final adjustments to my road bike on "race morning" and fumbled my pedals a bit, delaying my start until 7:10am. I have not had much experience with long swims - my furthest being a mile swim at a scout camp on Catalina Island over 5 years ago. I planned to swim 10 laps and then take a 30 second breather to mark off my progress on a tracking sheet and take a sip of Gatorade. This worked well and soon the laps were flying by. Without any training, I could only use the front crawl for 25 to 50 yards at a time and I would then get very tired. I mostly stuck with breast stroke, side stroke and the elementary backstroke. As I passed the halfway mark and soon found myself upwards of 70 and 80 laps, I swam faster in anticipation of the finish. Swim time was 1:36:14 including the small pauses.

The Bike - I transitioned in about 10 minutes which seemed like a long time, but I had to gather all of my nutrition for the whole day. After locking my gear up in the locker, I "jogged" out the building and unlocked my bike. I took along two one gallon jugs filled with water and Gatorade that I was planning to use as a resupply. I hid these in some bushes off University and took off towards the beeline highway. I soon noticed that my rear wheel was wobbling back and forth so bad that it was rubbing against the frame! I guess all that fiddling the night before was a bad idea. I felt frustrated that my day might end right here. Fortunately, I just passed by Tempe Bicycle and decided to stop off for a quick tune up. They put the bike up on a stand and had the wheel correctly aligned in 20 minutes. So $10 later I was back on the road worried how close this would put me to the "cut-offs". The ride out to Shea was slightly but noticeably uphill and there was just enough of a headwind to keep any records from being broken. That coupled with my 30 year old steel road bike and I felt like I was crawling! As I left the city behind me I started to enjoy myself and felt good until I hit the hills climbing up towards Fountain hills. My knee really started to ache and I basically decided that I would call it a day after the first loop. Being signed up for the Thanksgiving Day 10 miler on Thursday, I decided I would have more fun running that race than incurring another injury. I'm convinced the knee issue was from all of the frog kicking during the swim. After hitting the turnaround point at Shea, the course becomes a lot more fun. Riding downhill with a tailwind suddenly makes for renewed spirits. Bike time was 2:58:54 including the 20 plus minutes in Tempe Bicycle.

The Run - Not like my knee wanted to run, but I figured I might as well put in a few laps to unofficially call it an anti-triathlon. I managed to run about 1.7 miles before calling it a day. Run time was 12:24. Total time including transitions was 5:05:10.

I have a definite respect for these Ironman athletes (Including Kirk - congrats!) and will consider a rematch next year (hopefully with some specific training). If not, it was still a fun day. After about 20 minutes of ice on the knee it feels back to normal too.

Jamil

WMRC Run Reminder for 11/26/08

Who: Everyone and then some.
What: Group trail run.
Where: Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
When: Wednesday Morning 5:15 AM
Starting Point: Top parking lot squaw peak drive.
Duration: A little over one-hour.
Effort: Slow to moderate pace.
Available No Show Excuses: None
ROW: Kirk McCarville – Arizona Ironman

What should have been:

But Wasn't:

2008 Runner of the Year Awards / Categories

Keep in mind the Runner of the Year awards are rapidly approaching, here are some categories that will be available to vote on. We will probably have an online poll on the blog to vote thru for at least one of the categories. Here are some categories to think of. You may submit candidates to me, Higgie or through the blog comment section. This year we celebrate award re-distribution. You vote, and then we decide who gets on the ballot. Then after all the voting, we will gather up all the awards and hand them out evenly to those who didn’t get any votes, and to those who didn’t even race or train this year. We need to be fair and share among those less fortunate. Here are some categories.

Runner of the Year- Best overall performance, attendance on Wed, volunteering, pacing, guarding Blue’s back from the coyotes.

Race of the year- Best single performance in any race this year.

Best injury- Did anyone get hit by a car this year?

Newcomer of the year-IE.-Blue Dog-Michael Chen

Most improved runner- Runner who increased their fitness the most

The Ward Award (least improved runner)- Runner who went backWARDs in fitness, not forWARDs

Most memorable moment- Route, race trip, training run, race, when I showed up with Blue, etc.

Best excuse to not show up-(does not have to be true, be creative and throw your friends under the bus)

Albrecht Spirit Award-Always smiling, perfect attendance, never grumpy, ready to run any time.

Best Race Report - The written word or video essay.

Cosmas

Ironman Instant Photos

Thanks to Latvaaho, here are some photos of the Ironman start. Go Kirk!!

Good luck to McCarville who is running the Arizona Ironman on Sunday. To bad he is going to miss the biggest Cards game of the year. (suggestion: you need to listen to the game to help with the pain!!) Anyone else we know running the event???

Kirk's bib is # 1907 Follow along here: http://ironman.com/events/ironman/arizona?show=tracker&year=2009

South Mountain 50K Saturday 12/6/08

Looking for the `usual suspects' as well as (hopefully) some new faces...with the caveat that this is not an 'easy' trail run.

–PARKING—I strongly suggest meeting at Buena Vista and carpooling back to Telegraph; particularly since we had one parking ticket last year. I must let everyone know that parking off pavement will not be tolerated by the park rangers…we don't want to be on anybody's radar. Alternatively, for anybody in the East Valley, parking is available atDesert Foothills Blvd with a short hike (1 - 1.5 miles0 up to TelegraphPass.

From Joe's email last year: Parking is VERY limited. Enter the park by driving south on Central avenue into the main entrance. Take the main road from the entrance, past the ranger station, up the hill, till you get to a hard 'U' in the road. Here, the Kiwanis Trail, the Telegraph Trail intersect with the National Trail. You should see signs. Make sure you don't park were it's designated not to. See: http://phoenix. gov/PARKS/ hiksogud. html
Joe

Meeting time starting at 6:45 am at Telegraph Pass…civil twilight begins at 6:52, sunrise is 7:19, though I think we'll have enough light to start by 7:00 am (the start is a climb up the ridge…)

Same format as last year: Start at Telegraph Pass West on National Trail to San Juan; will be crossing the road on the way out and the way back, will have cached water (can turn around here on the way out if you are having a bad day) Back to Telegraph PassEast on National Trail to Pima Canyon, passing Buena Vista on the way out and the way back; can turn around at BV or some intermediate point if not having a good day.

That is the good and the bad of out and back courses: cutting short.

There will be no course marking, however the trail is marked with brown posts every so often; they are numbered and also have the National Trail logo on them. The only issue is at the East end of National trail to Pima Canyon (about 1.2 miles or so each way) where you will follow the dirt road. If anybody has any questions, email me.

For aid, I am hoping to have someone at the San Juan road crossing (or at least drop the water and pick it up after everyone is through) as well as somebody at Buena Vista (will probably have more `customers' on the return trip) and Pima Canyon. The Pima Canyon stop can be supplies in the back of a pickup truck like Laura did last year (she is running this year) Please email me if you (or friend/family member) is interested.

This is a self-supported run with any donated goodies to be used `pot luck' – style, for everyone's benefit. I will supply the water for San Juan and Buena Vista. If anybody has particular requests, let the group know and I'm sure we can make sure everbody is taken care of.

Robert A.
randrul@ihpc.net

2009 Ultrarunning Calendar

The Ultrarunning Calendar with pictures by Glenn Tachiyama is now for sale! The lovely calendar is just what you need: all the trail / ultraruns are already listed, so just circle your goal race and check the picture for motivation. Sells for $18.00. All proceeds go to The Washington Trails Association, which manages the land for many ultras in the NW. Here's a preview of the 2009 calendar: http://www.pbase.com/gtach/2009calendar

Glenn is sending me a box of calendars in the first week of December, so you can simply tell me -Jamie Mieras- that you want one at a run or by e-mail jmieras@gmail.com

Payment by check / cash happens when I hand it to you at a WMRC run in December (first / second week). I can also accommodate another time to pick up the calendar if required.

Thanks! Jamie

WMRC Run Reminder for 11/19/08

Hello all. We are on for an hour+ trail run at an easy to moderate pace. Game time- 5:16am on Wed at the top lot of SQ PK DR.

What a great weekend by the WMRC – Javalina Jundred went off in Fountain Hills. Jamil Coury, race director put on a great show. He organized great weather and a huge entrants list. Way to give back Jamil, Great job!
ROW award could go to so many people but it is tough not to give it to Michael Chen- He completed his first 100 mile trail run at Javalina (28hrs) this weekend smiling the whole way. He has inspired me to start running again. That is the only race I am afraid of and he flew thru it with blisters the size of my dog on both feet. I am sure he is sore today but still smiling. Welcome to the club Michael!! You should be very proud! Bear Down!!!

Runner up goes to Andrew Heard who finished in 17 hrs and 2nd place overall. Why does 2nd pl. get runner-up? He always gets 2nd, when he wins, he’ll get runner of the week. He didn’t train very hard but his own admission and agreed that rest is more important than training. So I am doing this right, I will start training for WS 100 in May. Just in time to taper. Great job Andrew, Lucky, my ass!
Very honorable mention- Debbie Leftwich- she completed her 194th 100 mile race this year. But seriously, she cruises thru Javalina like it is easy. Her last lap was probably as fast as her first. She just knows how to run that course. Great job Debbie!

Other WMRC Javelina 100 Runner notables: Nick Coury, Joanne Hughes & Gary Culver. Nice work!

Other notable WMRC pacers and aid workers: Higg, Honey, Jeff Jones, Jeff McCoy, Jody, Robert Andrulis, Nathan Coury and John Roig. Also, Jamie Mieras working her magic foot repair at race headquarters.

Lots of stories, reports and photos to come. In the meantime Check out JJ's video:

See you Wednesday. Cosmas.

Javalina Jundred from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

Javelina 100 updates

Jamil and the Javelina race crew are posting updates and photos on the javelina blog.

Here is the link http://javelinajundred.blogspot.com/

Looks like Nick Coury and Chris Harrison are running also??

WMRC Run Reminder for 11/12/08

The Drill: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve Wednesday 11/12 5:15 AM meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive, North of Glendale Ave. Plan on a little over one hour run. Headlamps are now needed for most of the run.

Runner of the week goes to Kate McCarville for running the Mad Dog 50K in Scottsdale. 5:09:38. Great job Kate. Make sure Kirk makes room on the mantel for your ROW.

Up next this weekend is the Javelina Jundred 100 mile trail run in the McDowell Mountain Park, Fountain Hills Arizona. Some WMRC notables to keep track off: Andrew Heard, Michael Chen, Debbie Leftwich, Joanne Hughes and Gary Culver. Good luck to you all!!!

Grand Canyon Running - Rim to River to Rim

I joined in on a run in the Grand Canyon on October 27th with my brother Nick, our friend Brian McKinley from Flagstaff, and Jenn Shelton from Ashland, Oregon. Jenn won the World of Hurt ultra marathon the weekend prior and wanted some friends to take here on a run in the canyon. We started down the South Kaibab trail on a spectacular day and reached the Canteen at Phantom Ranch a short time later. After drinking way too much of their really strong lemonade, we headed back up to the top of the south rim via the Bright Angel trail. The up part was especially tough for me since I had not run more than 2 miles total in the previous 7 weeks. Ouch! We all made it to the top, Nick and Jenn smiling while leading the pack, me trudging along well behind them, and Brian in the back (he qualified for Boston at the Denver marathon the week prior). Brian's famous words at the top, "Never Again" were later history as he now can't wait to go back. I was so sore for the next week that I could barely walk! A run in Grand Canyon is truly breathtaking and I was never "higher" on life than I was running down the South Kaibab trail. It can also be said that the climb out can be one of the biggest "lows" if you are undertrained!Lesson of the day: do not try to ride the free Grand Canyon shuttles with no shirt on (they yell at you and will kick you off). A big thanks to the tourists who lent Nick and I a shirt so we didn't have to walk back to our car! Jamil

Cave Creek Trail Marathon Fun Run January 25, 2009

When: January 25th, 2009

Time: 7:30 AM

Where: Spur Cross Conservation Area

Cave Creek, Arizona

Distance: 26.2 Miles with 6,200' elevation gain

Hydration: 60 oz. Minimum to start

Aid Station: There is one aid station at the 12 mile mark. It will have all the regular ultra type food.

Jody Chase would like to invite my running friends to participate in another trail run in beautiful Tonto National Forest. This is only a gathering of friends who enjoy each other's company, the trails and would like to train on this gorgeous loop in a semi supported fashion. I will provide water/aid at the "top" of the loop, approximately 12 miles and will mark the course so I don't lose anyone. Maps will be provided. Although you are responsible for your own direction finding and well being. Donations of $10.00 will be graciously accepted. Whatever is left over after I pay for aid station supplies will be given to charity or other needy entity. This is a tough course that is not for the timid. The average finishing time is 6 hours. If you are not familiar with trail running, trail finding, trail etiquette, are ill-equipped, do not hydrate or are not prepared for the rigors, challenges of trail running in Arizona's back country, please wait another year. Search and rescue are not in my budget. Otherwise, for those who meet the above criteria, I would love to see you in January as some of the toughest runners in the valley gather to share a great run.

For additional information contact Jody Chase at: ultrachase_1@yahoo.com

Grand Canyon Double Crossing Video

WMRC Next Run Reminder for 11/5/08

Another week, another Wednesday morning group run. 5:15 AM top lot squaw peak drive. 5-minute rule applies. Plan on a run of 1 hour and 5 minutes, slow to moderate pace. (If Higg has pacing duties). Last week's run was awesome. It was so great the leader lost track of time and went a little long. Sorry if anyone got into trouble getting to work late. A doctor's note is available upon request. If you are a doctor then a jury summons can be worked out.

Nice little adventure for Honey, Chip, Dave, Jody and Joe this weekend. They went to the Grand Canyon an did a rim 2 rim 2 rim (double crossing). Approximately 46 miles. Runner of the week goes to Dave C. who completed this run for the first time. It was also his longest run to date.

Check out Joe's photos of the run here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8409896@N07/sets/72157608601443978/


ROW runner-up goes to Blue Cosmas who still won't let Mark take off the "Super Dog" outfit 3 days after Halloween. Don't be surprised to see Blue out there Wednesday in his new threads. Do be surprised if Mark is still wearing that goofy referee costume!

Lastly, Jeff Jones has been busy uploading some of his running videos from trips and races. If you haven't seen it check out the one he did a few months ago after his first 100 mile foot race, Big Horn 100. One of my favorites. The scenery and music are great. The reflection period during the night very touching. Check it out below:

Big Horn 100 from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

WMRC Run Reminder for 10/29/08

Reminder: we are on for a group trail run tomorrow morning 5:15 AM. Meet at the very top parking lot on Squaw Peak Drive. Plan on a little over an hour run at a slow to moderate pace. I can almost guarantee it. McCarville had a big weekend.

The runner of the week goes to Kirk McCarville for helping out with the Squaw Peak Scramble check point on Saturday then runs the Soma Triathlon on Sunday with a 126th overall finish, 3rd in his age group. 5:07:33 total time.

Runners up include Randy Ohlinger who also showed up at the Scramble to cheer everyone on and finished right behind McCarville at Soma. We can’t forget Nick’s impressive “hard rock like” Poker Run championship or Adam’s smashing the “unbeatable” record Poker Run Time.

Hope everyone had fun Saturday. For those who missed it there is always next year or the next Wednesday Run!!!

Very nice to see that Catra found the blog and loved Honey’s “Catra”.

2008 Poker Run Video

Check out the great video footage of the 2008 Squaw Peak Scramble Poker Run that Jeff Jones put together. Great Job Jeff!!!


WMRC Poker Run from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

777 does the job!!!!

Records Fall as Nick Coury pulls three 7's to win the 2008 Squaw Peak Scramble Poker Run. Nick said this accomplishment was just as satisfying as his 5th place Hardrock 100 finish. Asked how he did it and he added "with some of the hardest card playing training of his life!!"

Under perfect weather conditions 28 runners participated in this year's SPS Poker Run. Leaving the starting point at Dreamy Draw Park interestingly about half the runners went to the Squaw Peak Drive check point first and the other half went to the 40th Street lot first. Mileage ranged from 9.1 miles to Dave Cauthon's early meandering 11.3 mile route. On the way down to Tatum Dave was overhead asking "Is this squaw peak drive???"

What was once thought of as an unbeatable record time was smashed by 6 runners. First in was Adam Hunt with a time of 1:09:05. Paul Bonnett 1:13:01 and Nick Coury 1:13:01 rounded out the top 3.

Honey "Catra" was the first female finisher and tied for 4th overall with Chip. Honey broke her 2006 womens record in a time of 1:21:45. Must have been the outfit and tattoos. Dare you to run your next Ultra in that thing!!!

Joe "Elvis" Galope rounded out the top 6 with the time of 1:26:25.

Even though there were some quick times, the SPC Poker Run is not all about who runs the fastest. Its about having fun, pulling the best poker hand, dressing up in a costume, winning some prizes and getting people out trail running.

If you were out in the Preserve that morning you would have seen people smiling, laughing, dazed and scratching their head as a tattooed up female "Catra" ran by them being chased by Elvis who was closely followed by a 6 foot "Girl Scout" with hairy legs. That "Girl Scout" was Jeff McCoy the winner of the Best Costume. (Hopefully someone has a photo!! The official photographer sucked this year)

Others who ran: John Pearce, Jody Chase, Jamie M, Dave "got lost" Cauthon , Tim Meyer, Mike Schell, Brad Combs, Laura P, Carol C, Candice, Lisa O, Robert A, Bob, Joanne, Jeff Jones, Jim Baca and Matt B with his 4 fellow medical students.

A special thanks Blain, Jamil, Kate and Kirk McCarville for manning the check points.

A big special thanks to Jeff Jones who designed and donated the travelling trophy.

Squaw Peak Scramble Poker Fun Run Tomorrow!!!

Hey Group, Reminder: Meet at Dreamy Draw Park a little after 7:00 AM. "The gun goes off at 7:30 AM". Directions to Dreamy Draw Park: Exit Northern Avenue from SR-51 go east all the way to the parking lot at the end. We'll set up under one of the Ramadas. Once again, Cosmas (run director), has outdone himself. Up for grabs are: 3 sets of Suns Basketball Tickets, 3 sets of Coyote Hockey Tickets, 2 Nathan Hydration Packs, two gift certificates, Zane Grey 50 mile trail run entry and art work. The best poker hand "Champion" not only gets their pick from above but also gets to hold onto the traveling trophy designed by Jeff Jones for one year. Wait to you see it. The Trophy is by far one of the nicest I have ever seen.

Everyone has a chance to win!!! Did I mention there is no fee? Bring a friend, lets have some fun!!

More detail info below on earlier post:

Best SPS "Tap Out" so far

So far Jon Roig has the best Squaw Peak Scramble Tap Out. Jon may give Kirk a run for best injury of the year. Don't even think about not showing unless you can beat this:

Sounds like it'll be fun, but I've got two convenient excuses:1) I'll be in Las Vegas for my friend's bachelor party. Should be pretty zany.2) The weekend before Man Against Horse, I was doing one last run on Camelback and totally wiped out running down the Cholla trail. It was pretty ugly, but it could've been way worse. I totally dislocated my shoulder, though, earning me a visit to the ER. (For the record, no helicopter rescue was required... I met the paramedics down at the bottom, so at least I left with honor.) I'm still running, albeit not as much as normal and I'm rocking a sling... which is pretty ridiculous looking, but it is what it is.'Course, that totally screws up my fall race schedule as I try 'n' figure out what I have to do to rehab this thing... but I'll be back in action soon enough.Thanks for the invite, though!

Squaw Peak Scramble This Saturday!!!

Squaw Peak Scramble update....IT IS ON!!!! Dreamy Draw Lot- This Sat, Oct 25th at 7am. Race to Start at promptly 7:28 am.

Prizes so far- 2 pairs Suns Tix, 2 pair Coyotes tix, No Cards tix, No PAC-10 leading Wildcat tix…. Nathan hydration waist packs, Runners Den Gift Cert. REI Gift Cert. more to come....Special prize goes to MVP---Takes everything into account,..... Run time, best costume, overall attitude, poker hand....and other stuff....

Here are the rules. Only one rule, STAY ON THE TRAILS! NO CROSS COUNTRY! You can take any route, any trail and any order to get to the 3 check points and then back to the start. You will be given a playing card at each of the 3 checkpoints as well as one at the start and finish. 5 total. The runner with the best poker hand at the finish is the grand prize winner. Other categories, fastest run time, slowest run time, best costume, attitude, most blood. Etc….The McCain award goes to whoever finishes with a smile but can’t remember which route he took to get there. The Obama award goes to the fastest rookie of the race, the runner that gets the best time with little or no Sq Pk trail experience.
The distance is anywhere from 8-10 miles depending on your route. Brad went 11.5 in 2006. Don’t follow him, Average 8.67.

Checkpoints
Dreamy Draw- Katie Cosmas and Blue-(it wouldn’t be fair if Blue won so he is getting his WS 100 volunteer hours)
40th st lot- Jamil Coury
Tatum Parking lot- Mrs. McCarville (Kate)
Sq Pk Lot- WMRC lot- Blaine Black

Each checkpoint will have an aid station set up. Check in with them and get your playing card and then run off to the next checkpoint. There is no water at Tatum lot. Get water at Sq Pk. and 40th st.

We will have a guest referee out there, and since I will not be eligible for any prizes, I will be wearing a referee shirt as well and have a whistle to blow if I see any shenanigans...I can be bribed, but the secret guest referee isn't as easily swayed and will put you in time out if she (oops there's a hint) catches you. By the way, "time out" is two minutes in the bathroom at the 40th st lot, if you have ever passed by there and smelled it, YOU DON"T WANT THAT!!!!! Trust me....

Course Records
Poker Hand- Kirk McCarville- Straight flush to the King- 2006 – Prediction- Never will be beaten.
Men - Higgie - 1:29.19 - Prediction- Dave C will shatter the course record.
Women - Honey 1:29.26 – Prediction- Honey will break her own record
Best costume- Brad Parker- 2006 - Forest Gump

This will be fun, so I hope everyone comes and joins us. Wear a costume and celebrate Halloween. Boo!

Cosmas

Zane Grey 50 is on!!!

The Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Endurance run is on!! Joe Galope has stepped up as race director. Sign ups start November 1st. Race date is April 25th 2009. Check out the revised Zane website on the link to the right of the page. Great job Joe.

Laura's Man V Horse Report

It was so amazing! I still can’t believe I did it! I am just in awe of our WMRC group…amazing people that really helped to get me in the right shape. Here is what I sent to my family…

Hey fam,

The results are in from my race: I was the third female to finish! My official time is 4 hours and 40 minutes. Yay. Attached are some pics. All the other peeps in my running club did the 50 mile race, so I was there for that start. It was surreal to see all the riders and horses with the beautiful landscape in the background – almost from another time. And we had a beautiful view of Prescott Valley in the background. I saw those runners off to start their race, then went back to the warm car (It was too cold to stand around and stretch!) and read my People magazine until my race started.

The race was awesome. I started slow and stayed with a couple girls I ended up knowing from running on Squaw Peak. When we reached the mountain, they slowed down, so I went ahead, and that’s when I saw all my training pay off. I just kept passing people! Really great weather that got a little colder as we increased elevation, but was perfect for running. I included a pic of the finish line (those two orange make-shift posts), because you can see how far it is from the mountain – about 3 miles – that I sprinted over (well, I FELT like I was sprinting) through to the finish! I’m very happy with my finish and my time!

Laura P.

More Triathlon Vomit

Speaking of Triathlons Joe G sent over this photo of Jarrod Shoemaker finishing in the Olympics. Could you imagine the photo montage of all the WMRCers puking during a 100?

WMRC run reminder 10/15/08

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve Wednesday morning 5:15 AM. Meet at the top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale. Plan on a little over a one-hour run at a slow to moderate pace.

Another great weekend for WMRC runners.

Even though the event wasn’t on trails we have to give Latvaaho Runner Of The Week for his performance during the Ironman Triathlon championship in Kona, Hawaii. He’s not the fastest fish in the ocean but when you get him to land watch out. Chris passed 780 people on the bike ride. Then he goes out and passes 223 people during the run for a marathon time of 3:09:33 good for a 168th place overall. 30th in his division. WOW.

Other honorable notes:


Dave Cauthon ran a double dip this weekend. The 7 mile Cha Cha trail run on Saturday then the 17 mile Mazatzals on Sunday.

Other notables on the Cha Cha finishers list: Adam Hunt, Sandra Fontaine and Candice. Great job guys and gals.

Mazatzals: Nick Coury, Paul Bonnett and Andrew Heard finish 1,2,3. Gary Culver, Dave C, Robert A, Liz Everly, Rachel Jones, Michael Chen and Joanne Hughes finished right behind

The Start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OgsBs8wwPU

Robert A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME69qC9NFiw

Mazatzals photos by Jamil Coury: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2374354&l=32f76&id=10001678

Special thanks to Jody Chase for taking the extra time cleaning up base camp after she finished marking the course.




TAW – Thug Apprehension of the Week: As the story goes, Michael C..n (witness protected) stopped at a Circle K to ask directions on his way over to the Jones’ house to carpool with RJ, Liz. Two thugs followed him and tried to rob him at gunpoint. He mashed the gas pedal to the floor and sped away. Moments later RJ, Liz and Michael were at Starbucks getting drinks for the road and guess what? The two thugs like starbucks too! Michael calmly asked an employee to call the police and presto the thugs were arrested!!!

Lastly, congratulations to those that went to the Cardinals football game and had to deal with Cowboy fans. Cards fans had the last laugh and took it to them!!!




Upcoming:
October 18th Javelina Jundred Full Moon Training Run 7 PM to 7 PM meet at the Pemberton trail head. More info at the Javelina website.
October 25th Squaw Peak Scramble. Meet at 7:00 AM for the 7:30 AM start. Dreamy Draw Parking Lot.

Latvaaho / Ironman World Championship, Kona

Good luck to WMRCer Chris Latvaaho who is running in the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii this Saturday. The McCarville's and Ohlinger's are there also!!! Must be nice. There is a live video web cast and you can follow his progress at this link:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship?show=tracker&rid=172&y=2008&race=%2Fevents%2Fironman%2Fworldchampionship%2F&athlete=1189

He says the weather is hot and humid just how he likes it!!! Check out the photos of the start area he just sent. His daughter Ariana gets her great looks from her mom. Obviously not from Chris:)

It will be nice for him to get this Triathlon stuff over with so he can get back to the trails!!!

Higgins

WMRC Run Reminder 10/8/08

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning (10/8) 5:15 AM. Meet at the top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale. Plan on a little over a one hour run at a slow to moderate pace.

What a great showing last weekend for WMRC runners. So many great performances it is impossible to choose just one Runner of Week.

ROW 1: Perry Edinger finished the Ultra Grand Slam in Fashion! 2nd place overall in the Arkansas 100 with a time of 19:07. Only 6 finishers this year in the grand slam. Perry finished first!!! 96 total hours. Great job Perry!! Also, great job to Honey for pacing duties the last 16 miles or so.

ROW 2, 3 & 4: Still waiting for final results for Man against Horse 50 and 25 mile trail run in Payson. However based on what we know congratulations to Paul Bonnett for a first place overall finish in the 50 Mile and Joanne Hughes for a first place female finish in the 50 mile. Don't have times but who cares? The 4th ROW goes to Laura Pflugfelder for not only finishing her first marathon but a trail one at that. She had a great race and finished strong.

Other notables on the WMRC list who were scheduled to run Man V Horse include: Chip, Debbie, Albert, Liz and Carol. look forward to hearing all about it. Sorry if I am missing anyone.

Honorable mention to Robert H, Rachel J and Laura Nagy for the Payson Half Marathon. Robert H ran a 7:20 pace. 7th overall. Any trails in that run? :>)

Squaw Peak Scramble Poker Run
Keep the date open. Saturday 10/25/08 7:00 AM. Dreamy Draw Parking Lot (Northern e/o of the SR-51)

The Rundown:
This is a no fee fun run. Start at Dreamy Draw Park and take any trail, any order, any speed to get to three other "checkpoints" in the preserve. Squaw Peak Drive lot, 40th st lot, Tatum lot.

At each of these checkpoints you will be dealt a playing card and one at the start and finish. The person with the best poker hand at the conclusion is the grand prize winner. There will be other awards and drawings as well. Depending on your route the distance is between 8 and 10 miles. 11 miles if you are Brad Parker:>)

The only rule to this is you must stay on the trails. No cutting switchbacks or jumping trails and going cross-country. No guns either to take out competition.

Best Poker Hand: Kirk McCarville 2006 Straight Flush to the King. No Joke!!!
Male course record: 1:29:19 (Kevin "Quick Draw" Higgins)
Female course record: 1:29:26 (Honey "Don't Shoot" Albrecht)

See you guys in the morning.

Higgins