Summer, 2007 - Lopers home page

LOPERGRAM
The Endurance Club For The Endurance Athlete
Celebrating 30 Years On The Road
LO
PE R S
RRCA Western Region Division
“Newsletter of the Year” 2006
Volume 30, No 3
Member of the RRCA - Road Runners Club of America
Summer Issue 2007
Lo p e r s o p e n
Riv erside
Chapter
1
LOMA LINDA LOPERS
RUNNING &
FITNESS CLUB
A Charitable Corporation
Founded in 1977 by Don Hall
_____________________________
www.rrca.org
Board of Directors
President.................Jim Walling 951-769-8300
jwall97@hotmail.com
Course Svcs............... Bill Carter 951-788-8425
carter@cert.ucr.edu
............................Ernie Asebedo 909-424-0366
fkashbulb50@yahoo.com
Treasurer............ Christel Dreier 909-875-5773
Secretary......... Cynthia De Soto 951-789-7231
Board Members
................. Cindy DeSoto icdesoto@yahoo.com
.............. Christel Dreier cmdreier@us.ibm.com
...................................Dan Genin 951-779-0523
dangit4@sbcglobal.net
.......................... Dave Hessinger 909-783-1863
dhessinger@som.llu.edu
................................Ruth Homan 951-780-2099
................................. Jim Hughes 909-798-3734
jwhughes@llu.edu
............................Davidas Moses 951-440-3906
devadas@sbcglobal.net
........................... Belinda Walker 951-697-0036
bwalker87@aol.com
Lopergram Staff
Editor...............Nancy Mitchell 909-796-0772
runnkm@aol.com
Asst. to the Editor.................... Dexter Emoto
909-796-6774
dhemoto@verizon.net
Staff Photographers
........................ Tom Ballesteros 909-862-5494
............................Dexter Emoto 909-796-6774
Cartoonist.................................John Sheppard
www.johnsheppardcartoons.com
LOMA LINDA LOPERS
P.O. BOX 495
LOMA LINDA, CA 92354
(909) 558-8136
Website: www.lopersclub.org
user name: just
password: goforit
E-mail: lopers@discover.net
E-mail for Lopergram:
lopernews@aol.com
The articles and pictures printed in the Lopergram
do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editor, Lopergram staff or the Loper Organization. We,
as a Running and Fitness Club, do NOT endorse
any particular individuals or products. Any persons,
products or websites mentioned in this newletter are
as an “informational” resource only and not an endorsement as such.
The Lopergram is designed by Kelley Herr-Roadruck,
(masthead by Ryan Becker) and printed by Loma
Linda University Printing Services 909-558-4552.
Marking the
Miles
The Lopers Club now has two locations
to serve the Inland Empire. One Chapter
is in Loma Linda, where the Club originated which meets at the Drayson Center
on the campus of Loma Linda University.
The other is at a brand new location in
Riverside at the California State Citrus
Heritage Park. What a way to celebrate
the Lopers 30th Anniversary year!
Our combined membership now exceeds
800- evenly divided between the two locations.
We are off to a great start and whether you
are training to complete your first L.A.
Marathon or just training to increase your
level of health and fitness, we heartily
welcome each and every one of you! We
have some exciting times in store for you
this year. I hope you enjoyed our first ‘ice
cream social’ after the run on Sept. 2.
Coming up, almost before you know it, is
the Mission Inn Run on November 11th.
This is a 5K or 10K run which we all do
as part of our training program. It is local, fairly flat and the right distance to fit
our schedule (under race conditions). On
December 2, 2007, both Chapters of the
Lopers Club will meet at the Loma Linda
City Holiday Classic Run. This is both a
5K and 15K run put on by the Lopers Club
for the City of Loma Linda and our Members. Again, the distance fits our training
schedule and you will really enjoy receiving a quality finisher’s medal comparable
to the medallion you will receive when
you finish at the LA Marathon. Sandy
Wible is our Race Director again this year
for the Holiday Classic. She and her crew
do a terrific job!
Then in late January, we will all go to the
City of Highland to run the East Highland
Half Marathon. (But don’t think about
that distance just yet.)
To provide a smooth-running training
program for you requires a ‘ton’ of volunteers. And the need for volunteers grows
2
President’s
Message
by Jim Walling
as our distance increases each week. Thus
we are always in need of volunteers for
water stops, to help with the refreshments,
pace leaders, traffic control, and on and
on. But we do not want our new members
to interrupt their training to volunteer. If
you are a veteran runner or walker and
would agree to volunteer or if you have
friends or family who might enjoy helping out while you are out on the course,
please contact one of our volunteer coordinators. For Loma Linda the person to
contact is David Hessinger, Phone: 909783-1863, e-mail: dhessinger@llu.edu .
For Riverside the persons to contact are:
Belinda Walker, Phone: 951-697-0036, email: Bwalker87@aol.com OR Cynthia
DeSoto, Phone: 951-789-7231, e-mail:
icdesoto@yahoo.com. We need whatever
volunteer help you can refer to us.
By now, you all have your florescent-pink
Club T-shirts. We urge you to make it a
habit to wear these when you are out on
the road and in all races. They are a great
safety feature because they are very visible at a distance. And in races they tell
us where our members are, or if you need
attention. Just be careful what you wash
them with!! Unless you want you or your
family to wear pink underwear the rest of
the year, better wash the shirts by themselves! (It is recommended that you soak
them overnight in strong vinegar water or
salt water, either one, to help ‘set’ the color
before washing. Then either hand-wash
or machine wash by themselves.) Please
take time to notice the Sponsors listed on
the back of your t-shirt and thank them for
their support. The very best way to thank
them is by patronizing their services when
possible. We listed their phone numbers
or websites this year so you can contact
and thank or patronize them.
Please be sure to sign in with your Pace
leader each Sunday morning and if you
need to drift up or back to a different pace
group let both Pace Leaders know to add
and delete your name on their rosters.
Remember to let your friends or contacts
know they can sign up as late as September 30th and still catch up with the LA
Marathon training program. After that,
they can sign up anytime during the year
for our health and maintenance training
program.
We are very proud of you for making the
commitment to your goals and we are here
to help you just as someone(s) helped us.
A word of advance warning, when the
weather gets cold, windy or wet, and dark
in the early mornings, then along come
the Holidays (too much food, festivities,
etc.) you will need to have more resolve,
faith and trust in us. If you ‘fall off the
wagon’ and interrupt your training, not to
worry, just pick up where you left off and
we will see you through to the finish line
at L.A.
Don’t forget your training during the week
and we will see you and your friends each
Sunday morning (6:15 AM so you don’t
miss the beginning of the programs)!!
Editor’s Notes
By Nancy Mitchell
Greetings Fellow Lopers and welcome to
the 2007-2008 Clinic. Or, I should say…
Clinics. We are so excited about the addition of our new Riverside Clinic! A new
chapter of Loper history unfolds with
this new development. To keep up on all
the latest with our new clinic, be sure to
read Danny Bryant’s column “Rappin at
Riverside”.
Whether you are running or walking at
the Loma Linda site or Riverside, (or perhaps you are adventurous and are alter-
I did set a new personal record after all,
the wrong one. It took me about 6:01. I
couldn’t even try to beat the clock and
get under 6 hrs. HOT HOT HOT!! 104
degrees when I finished, at 6:30 start, it
was already 70. Carl got in at 4:46, and
was glad to have just finished. It was
already hotter than LA ever was.
What was I thinking? This is what happens when you think you are gonna find
a nice cool summer marathon. Do not
believe the averages posted, or Farmer’s
Almanac. Assume the worst, like Death
Valley.
The man behind that smiling face handing out refreshments at our Riverside
Clinic is none other than, Chuck Harget. Many will recall that Chuck, a long
time Loper and volunteer, suffered a severe heart attack last November. The
prayers of many including his Loper
family were answered as God has healed
Chuck and he has returned to be with us
again. Welcome back, Chuck. You were
deeply missed!
To all our new runners and walkers…
welcome! Get ready for what we hope
will be one of the most positive, rewarding and satisfying experiences of your
life. Stick with the program, “show up”
every Sunday and do your homework
miles. THE PROGRAM WORKS!!!
Enjoy this edition of the Lopergram. Happy training…keep on keepin’ on!!!
Val and Carl: On a 50 State
Marathon Quest, Missoula Marathon
Another one down, 43 states to go.
Welcome back, Chuck!
nating between the two!) this promises to
be a very exciting season!
When I finished, I couldn’t feel my feet,
except for a blister on my little toe. My
knees were numb. My left hip felt like
it belonged to some one else. Or wanted
to. I had put so much ice on top of my
head under my hat I had brain freeze. I
was fighting off cramps since mile 10,
the likes of which only Joe can fully
understand. Then in the finish lane, I
fully cramped up on both feet, I barely
cripped across the finish line. The crew
thought I was gonna lock up and die. I
wanted to. I had to keep walking for an3
other 1/2 hour to get past that. All night
it felt like my feet were going to curl up
like the bad witches in the Wizard of Oz.
I’ve eaten so many bananas’ I can hardly
walk upright. Not sure if it’s the marathon slump or the bananas. For dinner?
A large order of salty MacDonald’s fries,
and a Gatorade. Heavenly.
All in all, another marathon, another day
in paradise. I only hope I can convince
my body to do it all again in October at St.
George, Utah. Pray for cool runnings.
By Valerie Kitchen
Carl and Val on their 50 state quest
Dexter’s Dialogue
By Dexter Emoto
Taking the Less Traveled Road
The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost
weather and thirst. Yet the view from
the finish line is great! You have to experience that feeling of finishing 26.2
miles!
We are truly fortunate to have challenges
in our lives. For within every challenge
is a clearly defined road for moving
vigorously and meaningfully forwarding life. As you travel on the road less
traveled, I wish you success in your new
adventure!
“Two roads diverged in wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
Robert Frost
Hey Gang…Mark
Your Calendars!
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back..
Oct. 14 Long Beach International
Citibank Half and
Full Marathon
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference…
Dec. 2
Welcome, to our returning Loper veterans and especially new Loper members!
It is our hope that your running/walking
experience with the Lopers will be rewarding and a very memorable one!
The challenge of training for a marathon
can be overwhelming. We are here to
help and encourage you along the 26.2
mile road that is less traveled by individuals wanting to take the unbeaten path.
Having been born with polio, my friend
Aldo Aldana embarked on the LA Marathon, you typically will see participants
skating and using wheelchairs at marathons. Aldo uses crutches to walk 26.2
miles!
I meet and spoke with Aldo at the start
line of the LA Marathon 2007. Aldo is
ready to go and I wish him well.
Nov. 11 Mission Inn 5K and 10K, Riverside
Lopers’ Annual
Holiday Classic
Aldo Aldana at the L.A. Marathon
As I am running, I see Aldo at mile 15.
He is smiling and getting encouragement from everyone passing by. I stop
and we chat.
He is having fun, enjoying every mile
and doing what seems impossible!
I will see Aldo finish the 26.2 mile in 9
hrs. 35 min. It is always a privilege for
me to run and meet the individuals like
Aldo Aldana. He has taken a road less
traveled and through courage and persistence finished the race.
Feeling challenged? Without challenges,
there would be no achievement. If you
wish to achieve a goal in life, you must
take on the challenge.
Running/walking 26.2 miles is challenging! The pains, aches, cramps, hot/cold
4
Dr. Moses Christian takes first place in
his division; Male 75-79, at America’s
Finest on August 18. Way to go Dr.
Christian!!!
L.A. Marathon Keeps Active
71-year-old in Top Condition
By Canan Tasci
Gordon Barnard wanted to reach two
goals before he turned 50 years old - go
scuba diving and go parasailing.At 48,
he achieved both. Shortly thereafter he
added a third goal - to run the Los Angeles Marathon.
On March 9, 1986, three months before
his 50th birthday, Barnard ran the first
Los Angeles Marathon, clocking in at 4
hours, 7 minutes and 30 seconds for the
26.2-mile event.
“The best part about the marathon is that
you join the less than 1 percent of the
population that is participating in this
event and it cuts through all ethnic, social and racial barriers,” Barnard said.
“Everybody becomes one there.”
Now at 71, the Alta Loma resident continues to run the marathon.
“Age isn’t anything, rather it’s the quality of life that we can give ourselves,”
Barnard said.
In this year’s March 4 marathon, Barnard clocked in at 6 hours 50 minutes.
“There are thousands of people out there
just like me. I’m no exception,” Barnard
said. “Anybody can do it if they’re able
to exercise for any amount of time.”
Bernard’s hip replacement in 2004 didn’t
prevent him from participating in the
event the following year.
“My doctor told me, ‘No more running the marathon,’ “ Barnard said. “So
31 weeks after I got my hip replaced,
I walked the marathon. It was an ego
thing - to prove to myself that I could
still do it.”
Barnard now is an advocate for promoting seniors to be active even if they don’t
run the marathon.
“People would be surprised at how many
things they can accomplish instead of
putting their hands in the air and saying
‘I’m too old,’ “ Barnard said. “I hear that
too often. Any type of exercise will do,
you don’t have to run a marathon. The
importance here is that you’re exercising.”
Beginning at 6 a.m. every morning, Barnard walks at the James L. Brulte Center
in Rancho Cucamonga.
“He is an inspiration to other seniors,” said
Chris Hodnic, recreation leader at the senior center. “He’s here every morning rain
or shine, then when he’s done walking he
comes in to do some weight lifting.”
Hodnic and Barnard agree that seniors
need to remain active.
“Being active helps seniors with their
balance, memory, and improves the immune system and osteoporosis,” Hodnic
said.
For the 2008 L.A. Marathon, Barnard will
train by running every Sunday morning
at 6:30 a.m. with the Loma Linda Lopers
beginning in July.
Rancho Cucamonga resident, Gordon
Barnard, participated in the 2005 Los Angeles Marathon 31 weeks after a hip replacement. Barnard walked the 26.2-mile
marathon in 7 hours and 48 minutes.
Canan Tasci can be reached at canan.
tasci@dailybulletin.com or (909) 9876397, ext. 425.
“There is no age requirement,” Barnard (c) 2007 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights
said. “You come across all kinds of people reserved. Reproduced with the permission of
and they don’t tell you who they are, and Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
the only way you find
out is if you run with
Please Resist the Temptation
them and through
to Cut Overhanging Shrubs or
conversation.”
Barnard has missed
a couple of L.A.
Marathons, but out
of 21, he’s completed 16.
“It’s not about beating everyone else,
it’s about giving
yourself a better
quality of life,” Barnard said.
- Information about
the Loma Linda
Lopers can be found
at www.lopersclub.
org.
5
Branches Along the Route
We have had a couple instances over the past couple years
where a Loper Member takes it upon themselves to do a
good turn for the Lopers Club and prune or trim shrubs
or tree branches that overhand our running route. While
well-intentioned, the property bordering our route either
belongs to the City or is private property. Either way, we
must ask the City to maintain the route and do whatever
trimming is necessary, or let the City contact the private
property owner.
In those cases, if you would just report it to one of the
Lopers Club Officers, we will contact the City and have
the problem remedied.
Thanks for your help in these cases.
Jim Walling, President
RAPPIN' AT RIVERSIDE
By Danny Bryant
Beginning of a New Era
Sunday July 15, 2007, was the beginning
of a new era. After 30 years in Loma
Linda, the Loper Club now gave birth to
the Riverside chapter. On that day 176
people signed up. The following week
another 60 were added. Now there are
over 300 members, with new members
being added every week.
Many board members didn’t know what
to expect being that there were only 6
registered members prior to July 15. On
June 23rd in Rialto, was the “Play of the
Freeway” 5 and 10k race; celebrating
the opening of the finale of the 210 freeway. At that race, Ernie Asebedo, Barbara Spencer, Dexter Emoto and myself
expressed excitement and commitment
regarding the new Riverside chapter.
There were many familiar faces from
Loma Linda and plenty of new members that embraced the Riverside chapter. During the first couple weeks many
expressed the serenity of Citrus Park as
our meeting place. Coach Pat Connelly, from the Los Angeles Roadrunners,
who ran 50 marathons, came out to offer words of encouragement for new and
experienced runners and walkers. It was
especially nice to see many families out
running and walking together.
Paul Ramney who ran with the Loma
Linda group last year, and completed the
Los Angeles marathon; brought along his
wife Corine, 15 year old daughter Corina
who runs track in school, and 13 year old
son Paul Jr. Although they’re all in different pace groups, they all look forward
to doing their first marathon as a family.
Paul Sr. sang Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”
at the Loper Banquet last year.
Lupe Hernandez joined the Lopers in
2004 and after doing one marathon; she
took time off with an ankle injury that
eventually needed surgery. Now that she
is recovered, she is happy to return to
the Lopers. Her commitment and dedication has been an excellent example
to other family members. Because of
always encouraging her family to have
a healthier lifestyle, Lupe also brought
along her son Ruben and his wife Jennifer, her daughter Lupe, her granddaughter Deziree who attends UCR, and her
grandson Anthony who is a sophomore
at Redlands East Valley High School;
and plays football there. Also joining
them is a long time friend of the family Terese Miranda. Lupe is happy about
returning to Lopers, and having the support of many family members.
Georgianne Carlson was one of many
that was happy she didn’t have to drive so
far to go run on Sunday morning. “Going to Loma Linda from Riverside was a
challenge in the past, especially getting
up early on Sunday morning. Now it’s
much nicer to go to Citrus Park here in
Riverside,” she says. Georgianne is also
joined by her husband Mark. They both
were members in 2002 however Mark
took some time off and Georgianne took
a year off. “With our busy schedules during the week, we now have quality time
together on our Sunday morning runs,”
she said.
The Bechtel Family who lives near Citrus Park, also enjoy the short commute.
Alice Bechtel completed the Los Angeles marathon in 2000 and encouraged
daughter Jenny to run to. “At that time
I was busy with school projects so I declined to run because I didn’t want to
burn myself out,” she says. Meanwhile
Alice husband Brent was a Loper member in 2003, but did not participate in the
marathon because of an injury. Alice’s
son Curtis, who was very active in high
school sports, suffered a traumatizing
injury in a wrestling competition that re6
sulted in a broken neck. Curtis now 22,
and his sister Jenny 24, join their parents
Brent and Alice in the new Riverside
chapter. They too look forward to running the marathon as a family.
Charles Searer who lives near Temecula
also enjoys the fact he is closer to the
Loper club. He joined the Lopers in 2004
and has already done six marathons, four
in Los Angeles. Charles is the pace leader
for the 14 minute mile group, “The club
isn’t just for fast runners, but for individuals who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some don’t join because they may
The Ramneys; training together
as a family.
feel there isn’t anyone that will be in their
age group,” he says. Charles says there
are at least 4 members in his 14 minute
group that are in their 70’s. One of those
members is 77 year old Hank Smith who
is looking forward to completing his first
marathon in March.
Robert McAtee who lives in Riverside
county says the new group is “awesome”
He is the pace leader for the new 10:30
minute group. “Pleasantly surprised
with the turnout, I didn’t know what to
expect. I was hesitant about asking people to come out as pace leaders because
I didn’t think we would have the people
to lead,” he says. “This is a good thing
we’re doing for Riverside, it’s good for
health. I’ve known people with health
issues and have made lifestyle changes
for the better and we should spread that
message to the city.” As with all pace
leaders, Robert likes to connect with
members of his group giving them perContinued on page 15
Sendai International
Half Marathon
By Michelle Prowese
I don’t think I will even come close to
being able to describe the amazing experiences we shared during our trip to
Sendai for the Sendai International Half
marathon held on the 13th May 2007.
The Japanese people were more than
hospitable. As we arrived at the Tokyo
airport, they greeted us with warm smiles
and hugs as well as bouquets of flowers
making sure that were escorted to each
train all the way through to our hotel in
Sendai. As invited sister city athletes
we were treated like royalty. There
was nothing that the Japanese people
would not go out of their way to do for
us. From the first day, I also learned that
the Japanese are very punctual and organized people. They presented us with
an itinerary with each day’s celebrations
and events scheduled. The first day we
rang the Riverside bell (an annual tradition) before being greeted by several
Sendai residents lined up and clapping
as we entered the Sendai City town hall
and there, the coaches introduced and
declared their athletes and the race rules
were explained. We were also given our
racing uniforms that were individually
made for us with “Riverside” printed in
Japanese along the top of our singlets.
The other sister cities represented included Dallas, Rennes (France), Minsk
(Belarus), Gwangju (Korea), Tainan
(Taiwan), and Changchun (China) all of
which were staying with us at the hotel.
Getting to know the other athletes and
forming friendships was one of the main
highlights of this trip.
The day before the race we went to Matsushima, a town by the coast, 30 minuets
by train from Sendai. We took a boat
cruise that toured around the hundreds of
little islands in the bay and explored the
local stores and some historical buddhist
retreats where we were told the priests
went to spiritually cleanse their minds.
The race was also very well organized.
We started on the track, 10am sharp, with
over 1000 other athletes. It was televised
and all along the way I could hear residents cheering me on “kambade kambade
Riverside” which I really needed in the
last 8km, which involved a long gradual
incline to the finish line. We had to run
through time gates at 5km, 10km, 15km
or 20km so even though the last ½ was
difficult I was motivated not to get pulled
off the course. Considering the amount
of substitution cross-training I had been
doing leading up to the race due to a hip
injury, I felt my body held up good in the
race. I paired up and ran with a girl from
Dallas for the first 8km and concentrated
on not losing too much time in the harder
last half of the course.
I was definitely sore after the race, the
longest I have raced in my life, but it was
great to relax and enjoy the final days of
our trip seeing some sights of Sendai and
participating in celebrations. The awards
ceremony was hosted in a room in which
the interior was much like a palace and
there was a large assortment of food platters with various dishes and a large screen
viewing the race. After the awards there
was a special sister cities dinner. This
included the presentation of gifts, medals and traditional Japanese dancing in
which even the athletes and coaches had
to participate in toward the end!
une), experienced a traditional Japanese
lunch sitting on the floor and eating with
chopsticks, painting our own Kokeshi
dolls and a very much welcomed soak in
the Hot Springs! I just had to get past the
fact that we had to be completely naked
in the baths!
For our last evening, we went to Karaoke with some of the Japanese members
of the Sendai sister city committee, followed by dancing with some of the other
athletes and coaches late into the evening. This was definitely an effective
method of ensuring that all of us slept on
the plane on the way back to the US!
Marco Arteaga and Michelle Prowese
Well, in reflection, I would love to go
again, and definitely recommend Sendai
to anyone interested in traveling to Japan. This was a great experience for me
with a lot of new friendships and memories that I will have forever. I especially
want to thank Karla Adams, our coach/
manager for all of her fundraising efforts in making this trip possible. It was
a pleasure for me to share this trip with
her and my fellow training buddy and
Loma Linda Loper Marco Arteaga.
That night, I went out to
Karaoke, which is very
popular in Japan with a
group of interpreters, athletes and coaches from the
hotel. This is quite different
to the karaoke I have done
before, with rooms rented
just for the group you are
with so it is nowhere near
as embarrassing.
The last day, we boarded a
bus and visited the Sendai
(Aoba) castle, Zuihoden
Mausoleum (the final resting place of Date Masam7
The Hernandez family training together at the
Riverside Chapter.
Lo m a L i n d a
O p e n i n g D ay s Ú
8
Riv erside
9
The Run of My Life -
that would prove a worthy adversary for
what might have been the Devil’s hot
breath on our necks.
An extreme athletic Adventure
By Norm Haines
We made it to Stovepipe a little after 7:30
pm. For the first 42 miles of the run, I
had Heidi as my pacer and companion.
But by the time we reached Stovepipe
Wells she had developed blisters on her
feet and was totally exhausted and we
put her to bed. I went to the pool for a 15
minute dip, which was very refreshing,
then went back to check on the crew.
Joe shared some updates on other runners many were having blister, stomach,
and kidney issues—and I, the old jackrabbit of a 68-year-old man, ran off into
the night, bounding up the welcoming
hills on the first portion of Townes Pass.
Little did I know that I would have continuing stomach problems all the way to
the top.
the Badwater 135 Solo 2007
I completed “the most difficult running
event in the world” the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, Calif.
- with only one and a half hours of rest in
53 hours and 52 minutes.”
hoped the run would take only 48 hours
a 20-minute mile pace.
The crew was responsible for my physical and mental support, making sure I
drank and ate enough, dealt with any
blisters, and kept me motivated
A lot of people wonder why someone
would want to spend a week in the desert
in July but there is no way to understand
the call of the desert without experiencing the Death Valley event first hand.
BADWATER to FURNACE CREEK
(17.4 miles)
The Death Valley “Badwater 135 Solo
run w/crew is about you and the environment. It’s about the most fundamental goal, pushing your body and mind
across the finish line. The event begins
at the lowest point in the continental
United States, 280 feet below sea level
at at Badwater, where temperatures can
reach 130 degrees, and traverses three
mountain ranges to the 8,360-foot summit of Mount Whitney. The hottest temperature for this race was 123.
For 135 miles, I walked, hiked, jogged
and willed my body in order to reach a
finish line that I had eyed for the past 10
years. One of my pacers, Heidi or Danny, always at my side urging me on.
I was one of the 17 participants in the
July 1st 2007 unofficial race I had a support crew of four, which grew to 6 by the
middle of the race. The crew included
crew chief Dave Combs from San Francisco, Joe Kozma and his wife Kati from
upstate New York, and my great pacer
Heidi Johnson from Vermont. Later in
the race Kati’s sister Monica and Danny
Westergaard an ultra marathoner from
Southern California, jumped in to help.
They road in a van that never went more
than a mile away from me during the
event. We also had a second vehicle that
was the backup and transport car. I had
It is hard to describe the beauty of Death
Valley, but the vastness of the valley and
the enormity of the surrounding mountain ranges are incredible. The temp. was
already in the 90’s and we where expecting 120’s. This first section is 17.4 miles
and continual rolling hills. We used this
section to work out any kinks with the
crew and to make sure everything was
working smoothly. We made it to Furnace Creek without incident and in 4
hours and 45 minutes.
STOVEPIPE WELLS TO TOWNES
PASS (58.7 miles)
There were two points during the race
where I was very, very concerned about
finishing the event. When I reached mile
mark 42 (Stovepipe Wells), I had reached
the first of the challenging inclines - an
FURNACE CREEK TO STOVEPIPE
WELLS (41 miles)
This section proved to be the hottest section of the entire run. It was a long and
supposedly flat 24 miles to Stovepipe
wells. Stovepipe was where we had our
crew hotel room and would be the first
rest for half of the crew. I was very curious about the temperature and Heidi and
I kept after the crew to keep us informed
as we felt we needed afternoon temps of
120 degrees plus.
We started this section just before noon
at it was 121 degrees! (Heidi’s words)
- Dave Combs, Joe Kozma and Joe’s
wife Kati followed after us in our blue
van, preparing water and Gatorade and
filling blue terrycloth sleeves with ice.
(The sleeves was Norms idea), a long
cool cylinders to wrap around our necks
10
18-mile mountain path upward known
as Townes Pass, with an elevation of
about 5,000 feet Though it was dark, it
was still hotter than heck still over 110
degrees! For a short period of time the
sky was full of stars, but as the moon
rose over the mountains the stars disappeared because the moon was full. I
was now vomiting my way up the mountain. At this point Danny had come out
to check on us after his last training run
of the day for the “Official Race” and
was waiting for me at the third car stop
up the hill. He took one look at me and
said “I’ll go with him for a while.”. The
closer we got to the top of Townes Pass,
the further away it seemed but the better I felt. Finally at the top, Danny went
back to the motel for rest and I took a
long awaited 45 minute rest in the van.
Then “hauled butt” down the mountain
at a rate of about a 9-minute mile, big
mistake. On the way down Dave kept
asking me where I “all of a sudden” got
the extra energy.
PANAMINT SPRINGS RESORT to FATHER CROWLEY’S TURNOUT (80.2
miles)
The second trying climb, being the Panamint grade, was an 8 mile 3,000 climb to
Father Crowley’s Monument (80 miles
into the event). This was an extremely
challenging section, not just for me but
also for the crew because of the steep
narrow road; they had trouble pulling off
to the shoulder at times. After 41 hours
of climbing we made it to Father Crowley’s turnout. I was totally spent! I got a
20 minute rest there and I had a little to
eat plus some Ensure. Then Danny got
me to my feet, saying “its time to go”
and we continued, it was now 28+ hours
into the run. But the climb was not over.
I still had 2000 more feet to climb to get
to 5000 feet level and the top of the Pamamint mountain range.
Both the crew and my pacers kept me
hydrated as we moved along the road.
Danny or Heidi urged me to “drink that
bottle. I want that empty by the time we
reach the van OK?” they would say. At
the van, Joe was relentless with giving
me food I didn’t want (I go to the point
of just not wanting to eat) and always
had a fresh bottle ready to go.
I consumed more than 100 bottles of
fluids, from Gatorade to Propel, an occasional Diet Pepsi and lots of just plain
water. I also took about 75 S-caps and
20-30 Advil, and ate a bunch of food and
drank a large amount of Ensure.
DARWIN TURN OFF to LONE PINE
WHITNEY PORTAL ROAD (122
miles)
Thank the Lord, we never thought we
would make it to this road, but it did not
get any easier from here. You talk about
a long road to nowhere. The memories
get fuzzy from here on, it is around 8 pm,
day two or 38 hours into the run. Over
the next nine hours Danny paced for the
first 22 miles and Heidi for the last 10
miles of this stretch into Lone Pine. It
was one hell of a 32 mile section.
As Danny and I were about to reach the
van at the 100 mile point at 11:30 pm the
second night noticed that there seemed to
be extra lights near the road and Joe and
Kati were congratulating me. I wondered
if I had lost my mind. It seems they
knew that I had not completed a 100 mile
run (until now) and this was it. 100 miles
into a 135 mile run at 11:30 pm on a very
dark night I had finished my 1st 100 mile
run in 40 hours and 37 minutes.
At this point in time it was something that
I just hadn’t thought of. I was overjoyed
that finally after 10 years of not completing a 100 mile events I finally completed
one in Death Valley on a course that has
to be one the toughest 100 mile runs you
can imagine.
As we continued down that dark quiet
road it was very boring and Danny started to sing (not to well). We then heard
several coyotes howl in the distance and
what did he do Danny started howling
too. I told him that I was embarrassed and
that really got him going on and on and
on. It got to be hilarious but helped keep
the mind busy and not worrying about exhaustion and pain. Heidi took over pacing
at daylight and somewhere near Keeler.
She by now was feeling much better, the
blisters were sore but her energy was
back and she paced me into Lone Pine.
LONE PINE to MT. WHITNEY PORTAL (135 miles)
It never ceases to amaze me that I
was able to complete the last 13 miles
11
through town and up the Whitney portal
road to 8,360 ft, the end of the road and
the finish, after already running/walking
122 miles. Danny was with me going up
the Portal Road and we made good time,
“I could smell the Barn” and was hell
bent to “get it over with”.
(This rest section is taken from Heidi
Johnson’s account of the race)
At a little after 12 noon, Norm crossed
his toilet paper finish line, held by Joe
and Kati to the applause of our crew,
Ben Jones, and a number of other ultra
runners who were there to witness his
unbelievable accomplishment. Later he
would tell me he had begun to slip into a
dream world by the end of the race. He
thought it was his birthday and we had
taken the wrong road to his birthday party. And after 53 hours and 52 minutes,
Ben Jones presented him with probably
the best birthday present he could imagine. The Badwater solo belt buckle.
Proof that he had crossed 135 miles of
some of the harshest terrain around.
A special THANK YOU to the crew.
They worked perfectly together and I
would never have finished without your
great amount of energy and efforts.
Photos taken by the one and only Ben
Jones.
Editor’s Note: Norm Haines is our former
RRCA (Road Runners Club of America)
Western Regional Director. A long time runner, he has also been a friend and strong supporter of the Lopers and the RRCA for many
years. This was Norm’s first attempt at the
Badwater Ultra.
Way to go Norm! We are proud of your accomplishment and thankful for your many
years of support, contributions, dedication to
the racing community and your service to the
RRCA.
Let’s Speed
By Russ Barber
Speed 101 for Marathoners
This article is intended to explain the basic principals involved in acquiring and
maintaining speed while training for marathons. While first-time marathoners may
glean some information from this article
for future reference, it is mainly intended
for experienced marathon runners, i.e.
those with at least one or more marathons
under their belts.
Assuming that you have already established a base mileage of 30 miles a week
or more you should be able to work speed
training into you runs with no problem.
I do not recommend that you do much
speed work without establishing at least
this modicum of a base. Your base mileage gives you the framework with which
to build your speed.
The first and most useful of all speed
workouts for marathons is the Tempo or
Threshold Run. The tempo or threshold
run is a run in which, after warming up for
10 to 15 minutes, one runs at about 10 seconds slower than 10K race pace for about
20 minutes then does a cool-down run to
finish off the workout. This type of run
helps to increase the Lactate Threshold, i.e.
the point at which lactate begins to build
up rapidly in the bloodstream. This point
is usually at or slightly above your 10K
race pace. Running for 20 minutes at just
below this threshold, once a week, helps
the body to adapt and raise that threshold
enabling you to run faster before that point
is reached. There is a maximum degree
to which this level can be raised but it is
maintained by the same principle.
As lactate builds up in the bloodstream
the legs begin to feel a burning sensation and then become heavy. It used to
be thought that this was a direct result of
the lactic acid but now researchers believe that the lactic acid is a good thing
and some other mechanism is the actual
cause of the discomfort. Whatever the
actual mechanism of the discomfort is, it
has been shown that this type of running
once a week will raise the level at which it
occurs thus allowing you to be able to run
faster and longer before it occurs. This
is true of any endurance distance, but because marathons are longer in distance it
offers a greater benefit to marathoners as
they are running well below this threshold
during the race.
Racing shorter endurance races such as
5k or 10k will produce the same effect as
the tempo run. Remember that a 5k or
10k race will take the place of this workout and is probably all the speed work you
will need for the week. Recovery from a
race effort is usually the number of days
in miles raced up to 10k distances, then it
begins to diminish somewhat. Between
two and three weeks is usually enough recovery time for a marathon as apposed to
three days for a 5k.
The second type of speed work for marathoners is Long Distance Repeats such as
½ mile, ¾ mile and mile repeats. These
give the most benefit when done the last
six weeks leading up to the Taper. The ½
mile repeats should be done at 5k race
pace or faster and it is a good idea to build
up to being able to do up to ten in a row.
It is even better if you can do them as intervals, also called Yasso 800’s. The idea
discovered by Bart Yasso of Runner’s
World Magazine, is that if you can do ten
Yasso 800’s at four minutes each for the ½
mile with a slow jog in between intervals
then you should be able to do your marathon in that time in hours or four hours. If
you do the longer repeats like ¾ mile and
mile, then you should cut the repetitions
respectively.
For those who actually race a marathon
rather than run a marathon, runs at anticipated marathon pace are needed. These
runs are for advanced or semi competi12
tive runners. During your long runs you
should, at least every other week and especially the last 4-6 weeks, run 1/3 to ½
the marathon distance at anticipated marathon pace. If you don’t get your body
accustomed to running at this pace it will
have a hard time enduring the faster pace
for the whole marathon. For instance my
easy run and long run training HR is about
150 – 153bpm but my marathon race pace
is 157 – 161bpm.
Lopers Complete the
Triple Crown
Several Lopers completed the “Triple
Crown Series” on Aug. 18th in San Diego. Along with over 1200 runners, they
earned this special medal by competing
in 3 races: the Carlsbad Half; La Jolla
Half and America’s Finest.
The third time is definitely a charm! Way
to go Lopers!
History of the Loma Linda Lopers - Part IV
Those Were the Days Continuing On: 1986-1988
By Jim Perry
We started the tenth year of the club’s
history in 1986. Health emphasis was
strong and many members lost weight
as they learned more about exercise and
nutrition.
Two new marathons were born in 1986.
In March, many finished the first one in
Los Angeles. With more than fifty finishers, we won the “Participation Award”, a
trophy to the club with the most entrants.
Current members finishing that
inaugural event were: Ed and
Diane Arasim, Al Casey, Nyla
Cook, Ellen Currie, Chuck
and Jane Cutting, Lyle Deem,
Chrystal Dreier, Nellie Killion,
Bill Lowry, Lillian Miller, Dan
and Yukari Matthias, Ken
Morrison, Nat Pisciotta, and
Jim Walling.
Again this year many Lopers were found
in races across the country: LA; Big Sur;
Lompoc; and some ventured farther. Joe
Vreeman ran the Twin Cities Marathon in
Minnesota and Pat Bieberdorf ran New
York. Mavis Lindgren, now 80 years of
age, finished the Nike International in
Vancouver. That November Don “The
Mailman” Stewart finished his first marathon at Orange Grove.
The other new race that started
in 1986 was the Big Sur Marathon, a point-to-[point course
through the rugged and incredibly beautiful scenery 26 miles
Lopers, after the Palm Springs Ultra.
south of Carmel. We had about
six Lopers participating in that inaugural
Other members were doing the “Ultra
event. Frank Shorter was the announcer
Challenge.” Bill Gebbie finished “Old
and it was a big thrill for me to talk with
Dominion,” a 100 mile race in Virginhim as we ran a few blocks on the way
ia. Dr. Edd Ashley tried the “Western
back to my car after the event had finStates” also a 100 miler. One of the most
ished.
difficult events the Angeles Crest (from
A very enjoyable and inspiring evening Wrightwood to the Rose Bowl in Pasaat the Wiessemans’ that fall, celebrated dena) had Tom O’Neil and Bill Gebbie
the 90th birthday Mt Whitney climb on the trail for this 100 mile event.
of Hulda Crooks. Congressman Jerry
Richard Kegley, one of our world recogLewis shared the evening and presented
nized runners, became the first man over
Hulda with a plaque from the congress.
60 to have ever completed “The BadwaCongressman Lewis had spent several
ter 146”. Those familiar with this race,
months training along with a team from
still going on today, will recall that this
NBC news that actually spent the week“Insane” event takes one from outside of
end on Mt. Whiney climbing with us.
Death Valley (the lowest point in the US)
Reed Galen’s broadcast each day from
to the top of Mt. Whitney. Dick started
the mountain documented the progress
this race Aug 1st and arrived at the sumof this amazing woman and her climbmit on Aug. 6th. The time on his feet
ing party for the national news!
equaled 6 day races in San Diego, where
13
he had earlier
set a world record! With the
heat, terrain
and the altitude, this event
was
much
more difficult.
Hulda Crooks
had once again
Congressman
made
the
Jerry Lewis
headlines with
with Hulda Crooks.
her unassisted
climb of Mt. Fuji in Japan that fall. (An
older man had previously done this but
was carried part of the way). Once again
another World Record for Hulda!
The events of 1988 were overshadowed
by the tragic murder of Cindy Lodarski
by an ex-boyfriend on Feb. 25th. We all
gathered at her church in Colton for the
service and in support of her family. The
loss was so difficult to understand.
In April, Pat Bieberdorf ran Boston with
a time of 3:26:06! John Lodarski, Don
Matthias, Kelly Pepper, Tom O’Neil,
the Reids - Clair and David all did Big
Sur. They all wore gold t-shirts with “In
Memory of Cindy” printed on the front.
A reporter picked up on the story and a
very nice “Memorial” piece came out in
the paper the next day.
During this year two of our members had
been published. Bill William’s “Runners
Log Book” which is still available is
an excellent motivational tool to use in
your training program. Ellen Coleman,
a charter member of the club gained national recognition with her book “Eating
for Endurance”.
In the first twelve years of the Lopers
Running and Fitness Club, our corporation had much of which to be proud.
All thanks to the loyalty, dedication and
work of those willing to step forward
and take leadership roles in the organization.*
*Editor’s Note: This is a “condensed” reprint from the original Loper’s Runnergram
written by Jim Perry, a Founding/ Charter
member of the Lopers. For History of the
Lopers Part I-III, go to our website: www.
Lopersclub.org for last year’s issues.
The Following is a paid Advertisement
Karla’s Corner
BM!%R Q,
Health and Fitness Trainer
By Karla Adams
What to Eat for Long
Distance Training
CARBOHYDRATES:
Carbohydrates are your body’s main
source of energy. When eaten it is converted into glucose in our bodies. Glucose is used by the body for energy or
stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, which is used later for energy. They
are your body’s highest form of energy.
Hence, the focus on carbohydrates loading before training long distances. It is
limited on how much glycogen we can
store at a time. So it is best to eat small
amounts throughout the day. Too many
carbohydrates at one time or too much
entertainment carbohydrates can lead to
weight gain or leave you feeling sluggish or fatigued during your training.
Carbohydrates should make up 45-55%
of your diet. About 90-95% of those carbohydrates should be complex and come
from nutrient dense natural sources like
fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, potatoes
and whole grain. The other 10% should
come from simple carbohydrate and/or
entertainment carbohydrates like: honey,
GU, sugar snacks, or anything else you
can think of that is a simple sugar just
eaten for entertainment reasons. As your
miles get longer using GU will help keep
your energy up. Taking a GU or similar
product after about 5-7 miles depending on how hard you are working, will
replenish glucose and keep your energy
levels up. The drop in energy that occurs
as you get farther in your miles is from
your body burning through all of your
glycogen stores.
PROTEINS:
Protein is your body’s main source for
recovery. Protein is the only thing that rebuilds tissue after it is broken down from
exercise. Your ligaments, blood, immune
cells, tendons, muscles, bones, skin, and
hair are all made of proteins. Protein also
helps regulate hormones. When you are
training for a marathon or just highly active you need more protein than a sedentary person. Depending on how much
training you are doing and how hard you
are working while training you should
consume 4-6 servings of 15-25 grams of
complete proteins a day. If you are feeling fatigued during your runs or in day
to day activity there is a chance you may
not be recovering properly. Not getting
enough protein can cause your body to
break down muscle tissue for energy.
You are at a high risk of breaking down
muscle tissue after 40-50 min of exercise. If you are pushing yourself really
hard this could happen after 30 min. As
a long distance athlete paying attention to
your recovery should be at the top of the
list of priorities. If you are in a state of
over training you are more likely to injure
yourself and/or not enjoy your training as
much. Some injuries can stop you from
training temporarily or permanently. It is
14
best to replenish your body with proteins
and carbohydrates with in 20 minutes after any workout. Drinking a protein shake
can help give you the fastest recovery.
Your body will not need to break down
much before absorption.
Some good sources of complete proteins
are: meat, fishes, protein supplements,
soy, dairy.
FATS:
Some different types of fats are unsaturated, saturate and Trans fats. One is
from plants, one from animals and the
other mostly from processed foods, respectively. Unsaturated fats help to lubricate joints, hair, skin and nails. They
aid in mental function lowering LDL (the
bad cholesterol) and raising HDL (good
cholesterol). There are different types
of unsaturated fats, monounsaturated
and polyunsaturated. We need a 3:1 ratio of unsaturated to saturated fats. Too
many saturated or Trans fats can be bad
for your health. Some foods that contain these fats are meat, dairy, coconut
oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter. Choosing meats or dairy product low in fat will
help keep your saturated fat intake in a
healthy range. As a runner to much fat
can make you sluggish and add weight to
your body, where as not enough unsaturated fats can affect your joint, mood,
muscle recovery and health.
The way you eat all week long should
have a focus on preparing you for the long
miles on the weekend. How you eat during
the week will affect how you feel on your
ling miles. Your nutritional needs change
when you become a long distance athlete.
If you have other goals along side of finishing a marathon such as speed, optimal
energy and recovery, weight loss, and/or
muscle gain your nutrition can become
much more specialized. It is a good idea
to educate yourself on what it is you need
to do to take care of your health as a long
distance athlete as well as what it takes to
achieve your goals. Educating yourself is
very important. There are many books on
the market as well as articles on the internet. Look for credible sources.
To read more articles specific to runners
visit: http://www.karlaadams.com/Reading.htm
Rappin’ at Riverside…Continued from page 6
Morgan Stanley
she stopped going to Loma Linda because it was too far. She
continued running on her own but it wasn’t the same. “Everyone is friendly and helps each other, I like being outside and
meeting new people and doing something healthily,” she says.
Diana is happy to be back with the Lopers at the new Riverside chapter. She is committed to completing the Los Angeles
Marathon.
Bob Christman
Financial Advisor
Associate Investment Consultant
101 East Redlands Boulevard
Suite 170
Redlands, CA 92373
toll-free 800 733 2763
tel 909 793 2763
direct 909 307-3811
fax 909 793 3470
CA Insurance Lic.#0C45473
A new era is underway in Riverside, the birth of the Riverside
Chapter Loper Club, and we look forward to its growth. As
with Loma Linda, the streets of Riverside will be flooded with
pink shirts every Sunday morning.
bob.christman@morganstanley.com
The Betchel Family, training together and having fun!
ICB
Dexter
Emoto
Inland Community Bank N.A.
11175 Mtn. View Ave., Suite O
Loma Linda, CA 92345
Photographer
T: 909 796-6774
CP: 909 553-5185
dh.emoto@verizon.net
Jim Walling, Vice President & Manager
Phone: 909-796-7100, Ext. 221
Special Thanks to:
Ziprick & Cramer, LLP
Attorneys-at-Law
707 Brookside Ave.
Redlands, CA 92373
Phone: 909-798-5005
www.ZCALaw.com
Vic Miller, Realtors
“Small Enough To Care…Large Enough To Serve!”
For Sponsoring the Lopers
15
Lo p e r s o n t h e m o v e
San
Francisco
LOPERGRAM
The Endurance Club For The Endurance Athlete
Celebrating 30 Years On The Road
L
O PE R S
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Bernardino CA
Permit No 2847
Loma Linda Lopers • P.O. BOX 495
Loma Linda, California 92354
16