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RUNNER'S NICHE
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Vol. 4 No.4 April, 1999
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NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
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I greatly appreciate the work of race directors. Their jobs are
stressful, thankless and time consuming. Without their hard work, we
wouldn't be able to enjoy multiple running events every weekend through
out the running world. Most runners agree that the most important thing
any race director can do to assure a runner's gratitude is an
accurately measured course and good timing system. Beyond that, though,
there is something race directors might want to consider as another
important factor in the enjoyment of the post-race festivities.
Awards ceremonies after most road races are certain to be too long,
agonizingly dull and incredibly frustrating for people who want to use
the rest of the day for other activities. The announcers at these
events are just trying to do their jobs, but it is amazing how long-
winded they can become. After a race people are tired. They may be cold
in foul weather, or roasting on a hot day. Many are ready to get
something more substantial to eat than the usual post-race snacks, and
hungry folks tend to be grumpy, too. A talkative announcer who works
his or her way slowly through set of each age-group awards can be
enough to make a tired runner's blood boil.
It doesn't have to be this way. The best awards distribution system I
have seen was at the Arturo Barrios Race in Chula Vista, California. At
this race the results were posted a few minutes after the race, and
runners who placed in the top three in their age category simply walked
up to an awards table, showed their race number as proof of who they
were, and picked up their prize. Okay, so there is no thunderous
applause and glamour with this system, but people don't have to wait
around all day, either. I wonder how many races are using this system?
For the race organizer, there is a great side benefit to this. Runners
are free to look around the race expo, and are not tied to sitting in
front of an awards podium. Race sponsors are happy when runners are
looking at their displays. Runners are happy when they don't feel like
their precious week end free time is being taken from them. Everyone is
happier. It's an idea that I hope catches on.
-WG
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RUNNER'S NICHE / MARATHON & BEYOND TRIVIA CONTEST
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Congratulations to last month's trivia winner, Arthur Thiry, Gothenburg
Sweden. Arthur receives a free issue of Marathon & Beyond Magazine and
FAME!
This month's winner will also get a free issue of the running
periodical that goes the extra mile - Marathon & Beyond Magazine.
Trivia contest entrants are limited to one prize per calendar year.
When answering, email your answers with the subject "trivia contest"
and answer the questions in the order they appear below. Mail to:
woodyg3@netone.com. The FIRST person to answer all ten questions
correctly wins. If nobody answers all ten correctly, we will award the
prize to the person who answers the most questions correctly. Good
Luck!
This month's Questions:
1. The New York City Marathon had the most running participants of any
marathon in the United States last year. What marathon had the second
highest number of runners?
2. What U.S. road race had the most participants last year? (Hint: It
was not a marathon.)
3. The Flying Pig Marathon will be held on May 9 in what U.S. city?
4. Where is the annual Prefontaine Classic track meet held?
5. What city is host of the Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon?
6 - 10 Who were the authors of the following running books?
6. "Once a Runner"
7. "Best Efforts"
8. "Better Runs"
9. "Slaying the Dragon"
10. "The Complete Book of Running"
Last Month's Answers:
1. Who has the record for the fastest one mile time ever by a high
school athlete in the United States?
Answer: Jim Ryun
2. Who won the gold medal for the men's 1500 meters at the Mexico City
Olympics in 1968?
Answer: Kip Keino
3. What top U.S. runner fell in the preliminary round of the 1500
meters in the 1972 Olympics and thus failed to make the finals?
Answer: Jim Ryun
4. Top British middle distance runner Seb Coe was coached by...
Answer: Peter Coe
5. Former one mile world record holder Filbert Bayi was from...
Answer: Tanzania
6. John Walker, also a former one mile world record holder was from...
Answer: New Zealand
7. Former indoor world record holder for the mile Eamon Coglan is
from...
Answer: Ireland
8. Eamon Coglan was coached by...
Answer: Jumbo Elliot
9. Mary Slaney is currently married to Richard Slaney, but had a
previous marriage with marathon runner...
Answer: Ron Tabb
10. Mary Slaney, then Mary Decker, set a world record in 1982 at an
all-comers meet in Eugene, Oregon for what distance?
Answer: 10,000 meters
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TROPICAL HALF-MARATHON FUN
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By Darius Baer
My wife, Joanne and I flew to Aruba in early March for a vacation. I
had read on the Internet that there would be a half-marathon. However,
I was unable to contact anyone about it. So, since we got to Aruba at
midnight on March 12, I began investigating the race particulars the
next morning. By that afternoon, I was registered at the local
recreation center in Oranjestad for the race, which was to begin the
next morning at 6:30 a.m. local time (which was 3:30 a.m. Colorado
time).
Aruba is a very small tropical island 15 miles north of Venezuela. Only
90,000 people live there year round. Because Aruba was a former
territory of the Netherlands, there is a strong Dutch presence there
and some of the racers were of Dutch descent. Aruba is 19 miles long
and 6 miles wide. So, the half-marathon took us 2/3 the length of the
island. Because the race organizers liked me or because I told them
that I would run the race in 1 hour and 25 minutes, they agreed to pick
me up at my hotel at 5:30 a.m. and drive me to the race start at the
end of the island in San Nicholas. When we got to the start, there
were no bathroom facilities. We were told to use what we could find.
I was totally discombobulated, and because my body still felt that it
was the middle of the night, was unable to do anything but wander
around wondering what I was doing.
Just as the dawn's early light appeared, it was 6:30 a.m. on March 14th
and the race started. There were about 75 participants, almost all of
them from Aruba and its two neighboring islands of Bonaire and Curacao.
I was among only 5 Americans, 3 men and 2 women. We started out by
running a half mile to the shore highway that would be the course for
the rest of the race. As normally happens in the U.S., the younger
runners started out faster and I found myself in 14th place running
along side a Dutch fellow. Within a couple of miles, I left him behind
and had moved into the top ten and was gaining. Although the sun had
come up, it was obscured by a nice cloud cover. Temperatures were in
the upper 60's with a pleasant tail wind. By 6 miles, I was running
about 6:15 pace per mile although all measurements were in Kilometers.
I pulled even with the second place runner while the front runner was
way out of sight. He was a 19 year old whose family was continually
cheering him on by pulling to the side of the road every mile or so. I
ate my Mini Power Bar and fell back from him. Shortly after the 11
kilometer water stop, I caught him and passed him. Not knowing at that
time that the front runner was so far ahead, I had visions of winning
the race.
However, that was not to be. When we passed through Oranjestad at 18
kilometers, I began tiring and the Dutch fellow I left at 3 miles
passed me and eventually became the second place finisher. I held on
for 3rd place in the exact time that I had predicted for the race
director: 1:25:00. I guess I know my capabilities. The male winner's
time was 1:12 and the first women was 1:35. Second place was 1:23:53
and there were 10 men under 1:30.
After everyone had finished, they had an awards ceremony which was
spoken in Papiamento, the local language. They took their time because
in Aruba you don't hurry. I was given a big plastic trophy which I had
to carry home. what was more enjoyable was that they made a big deal
about me because I finished 3rd in the race. I had my picture in the
local paper and the activities director at the hotel had a special
ceremony the following Wednesday to announce the women's winner,
another American, and me. All and all, a fun time which I would
certainly repeat.
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DON'T BE A FAT HEAD!
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By Woody Green
For some odd reason, runners are quite interested in what percentage of
their body weight is fat. I saw many folks lined up in front of a booth
at the Las Vegas Marathon expo, all interested in a new little device
used to measure body composition. The little instrument looked like a
bathroom scale and after stepping on it with bare feet you got a
readout of percentage of body fat. Some of the Las Vegas crowd walked
away from the test scratching their heads. Others were laughing, still
others crying.
Measuring the percentage of your body that is made up of fat on the
basis of "bio impedance" is a new and controversial method. More
standard methods include skin fold measurement with calipers and
underwater weighing. But, why all the fuss about body fat?
For one thing, it has become a sort of physiological triumph for
runners to measure their body fat percentage and discover that they
rank with the elite runners in this category. If you can't run as fast
as they can, at least you can try to be as skinny!
Women have a physiological need for more body fat compared to men, and
even women who are elite marathon runners need a greater percentage of
body fat than men do. The average man has between 15-18% body fat,
while the average woman has 22-25%. Runners can be a good deal lower
than this, and it is not unusual for a male runner to have below 10%
body fat, or a woman to be below 18%. Some are much lower.
You might think that lower is better, but at a certain point, this is
not true. Your body needs fat for normal body functions, to pad vital
organs, and to provide for energy needs. When the body doesn't have
enough fat stored up, it can actually start to use muscle as an energy
source. Certain chemical needs in your body can fail to be met, as
well. That isn't a good scenario!
Of course, we know it is very bad for our health to carry too much fat
on our bodies, as well. Greatly increased health risks are associated
with body fat over 25% for males and 32% for females.
Naturally, losing unneeded fat will reduce overall weight and so the
energy cost of running. That means that lowering body fat to a certain
level will increase performance. There is no evidence that decreasing
body fat below about 8% for men or 14% for women will improve
performance, though. Certainly there are many good athletes with lower
percentages of body fat, but there also many athletes who are starving
themselves and actually decreasing their performance potential and
possibly doing harm to their health. While you think about this, have a
bagel, for crying out loud!
There is really little reason for someone exercising regularly to worry
much about the exact value of their body fat percentage. If you just
have to know what your body composition is, though, the best way to get
an accurate measurement is to go to a human performance lab or health
club with the proper equipment and be weighed underwater. A fairly
accurate assessment can be made with skin fold calipers, too, although
this test begins to lose accuracy at the lower end of the scale. The
jury is still out on some of the other, newer methods such as
electrical impedance.
But, let's back up the alfalfa sprout and Romaine lettuce truck a
minute, here. If you know you need to lose weight, you're on the right
track already by running. There's no real need to have exact figures on
your body composition. And, if you are already skinny, just be happy,
for heaven's sakes!
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THIS AND THAT
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*Cross-Country Fun*
On Sept. 25, 1999 you might want to travel to the Greensboro Cross-
Country invitational. Divisions are available for high schools,
universities, middle schools, open, and masters with 14 great races on
100% grass/trails. Distances vary from 4,000 meters to 8,000 meters.
2,000 athletes are expected.
Contact: Charlie Brown, Greensboro Pacesetters Track Club
2304 Gracewood Dr., Greensboro, NC 27408-2509 ph. 336-282-8052
*Ramble On*
The 16th running of the James Joyce Ramble will get under way April 25,
1999 at 11 a.m. in the historic town of Dedham, a suburb of Boston,
Massachusetts. For entry information, call 781-461-1365 or visit the
Ramble's website at:
http://www.ramble.org.
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WEB SITES OF INTEREST
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*Active USA*
Find events in many sports including running, cycling and triathlon
across the U.S. at:
http://activeusa.com/
*All-Time Track and Field Performances List*
Listings of the best performances in all track distances at:
http://www.algonet.se/~pela2/index.html
*Waddle On Over*
John Bingham, writer of the Penguin Chronicles, and a new book, "The
Courage to Start: A Guide to Running for Your Life" has a site at:
http://www.waddle-on.com
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LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
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Dear Runner's Niche,
I feel a little guilty and as time passes and I read the odd running
mag it gets worse. I ran the last Seattle marathon that was set on a
brand new, very challenging course. Last year's Seattle was not very
well organized and things weren't too well received in several running
publications- a number of people complained. This year's race was
awesome. The course was super, the support lavish and enthusiastic.
Great fuel stations, fabulous finish line reception, great music in the
toasty warm field house where we were fed like Olympians. I feel
remiss in not having written about this earlier. Thanks and congrats
to the Seattle crew.
- Daryl Anderson, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
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