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RUNNER'S NICHE
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Vol. 4 No.11 November, 1999
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NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
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Over half of the folks who subscribe to this magazine
mention that they are training for a marathon when they
email for a subscription. There is a real marathon-mania
these days. I admit that I am not immune to this craze.
Even though I was a sprinter in college, and I have often
stated proudly that I had no intention of running any races
longer than an occasional 10 K, I find myself building in
hopes to participate in a winter marathon.
The recent Chicago and New York Marathons had record
entries, as have many of the major marathons around the
globe. The interesting thing is that the average finish
time has gotten slower at all the major marathons, as well.
Many writers and race directors have called this the second
running boom, and this time around there are many folks who
are more interested in simply participating and finishing
events than they are in running fast.
This has some people close to the sport worried. Where will
all the future Olympic champs come from if everyone is
doing a slow jog to the finish line? Where will all the
blood and guts, win at all cost types come from? Some have
called this a "dumbing down" of the marathon.
I disagree. There are still many elite types out there who
are well biomechanically and physiologically endowed, and
who have the fire in their belly. Mass participation can
only help these faster runners by generating interest and
luring sponsorship dollars to the major events.
This "second running boom" is healthy for all of us who
enjoy running. It assures that our specialty running stores
can make a go of it, that there will be a good number of
quality running events to choose from, and that shoe
companies will continue to produce plenty of shoes for us.
I hope the boom continues, and I don't really care if the
average finish time at races continues to climb, just so we
keep drawing a ton of people to races and fun runs!
- WG
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MARATHON & BEYOND MAGAZINE - THE RUNNING PERIODICAL THAT
GOES THE EXTRA MILE.
Visit their web site at: http://www.marathonandbeyond.com
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RUNNER'S NICHE / MARATHON & BEYOND TRIVIA CONTEST
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Congratulations to last month's trivia winner, David Blakie
of Manotick, Ontario. David 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. Marathon star Moses Tanui, second at Chicago this year,
is from what nation?
2. Bobby McGee is coach to what top female distance runner?
(Hint: She finished in the top ten at Chicago this year.)
3. Khalid Khannouchi became the first runner to break 2:06
in the marathon this year at Chicago. Who was the first to
break 2:07?
4. In what city is the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon held?
5. What year was the first Boston Marathon held?
6. Former world record holder for the marathon, Ronaldo Da
Costa, is from what nation?
7. In the 1985 version of the Chicago marathon, the mens
winner missed the world record at that time by one second,
running 2:07:13. Who was that runner?
8. Who won the womens division of Chicago that same year of
1985 at Chicago? (She missed the then current world record
by just 15 seconds.)
9. What Boston winner holds the womens Ethiopian national
record for the marathon?
10. Who is the fastest female marathoner of all time from
Ireland?
Last Month's Answers:
Stars of the 70s and 80s:
1. Top 800, 1500, Mile Runner, Steve Ovett was from what
county? Answer: Great Britain
2. Distance Runner Kirk Pfeffer, an excellent University of
Colorado product, was from what country? Answer: USA
3. Two-time Olympic medalist in the marathon, Karel
Lismont, was from what nation? Answer: Belgium
4. Former 5000 meter world record holder Dick Quax was from
what country? Answer: New Zealand
5. What country did 5000 meter specialist Brendan Foster
come from? Answer: Great Britain
6. Perennial NYC Marathon winner Grete Waitz was from which
Scandinavian nation? Answer: Norway
7. Boston Marathon champ Jacqueline Gareau came from what
nation? Answer: Canada
8. Patti Lyons-Catalano, a top road racing athlete, was
from what country? Answer: USA
9. Joyce Smith was an excellent marathon runner from what
English speaking nation? Answer: Great Britain
10. Marathon and road star Gillian Adams, who, among other
things was second to Grete Waitz in the 1979 NYC Marathon
was from what country? Answer: Great Britain
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www.ontherun.com/runningdelights
Our entire catalog is now online with secure ordering.
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THE ULITIMATE GUIDE TO MARATHONS
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Book Review by Woody Green
Picking out the right marathon takes a ton of research.
Just finding them all can take hours of searching through
magazines or surfing the web. Two authors, Dennis Craythorn
and Rich Hanna, have done all the work for you, though.
Their book, The Ultimate Guide to Marathons, lists the top
110 marathons in the United States and Canada, giving
complete information on each one. Information such as start
time, logistics of getting to the start, detailed course
information and even the number of aid stations along the
way are put forth in an easy to read manner. Fairly
difficult information to track down, like average
temperatures for that location on race day, is at your
fingertips. Additionally, Craythorn and Hanna have rated
each race for beauty, difficulty, appropriateness for first
timers, race organization and crowds. An overall rating is
given as well.
In the back of the book you will find course profiles for
many of the races, showing exactly where each hill is and
exact altitude information. Graphic evidence shows how far
the St. George Marathon plummets downward, and how
mountainous Catalina is.
Complete contact information, often including email and web
addresses, are given for each contest. The races are
presented in calendar order, but there is also a state by
state reference in the back if you are looking for a race
in a particular locality.
It would be hard to beat this book for thoroughness, but it
would be nice to have a few more pictures. Also, I could do
without the advertisements scattered about the book. Still,
this one is a real winner and a great resource for all
marathon runners looking to travel to a new destination for
their next race.
Runner's Niche rating: 5 out of 5 winged feet.
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UFLASH TOP TEN LIST CONTEST
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First and Second place winners of the Top Ten List Contest
for September will receive a Uflash Sportbelt! And here
they are:
TOP TEN EXCUSES AFTER A BAD RACE
First Place:
From Christine Hackman, Boulder, CO.
10. Lost my damned teeth! Note to self: Find denture
adhesive that doesn't dry out so fast.
9. That crosswind kept catching my Mohawk and blowing me
sideways.
8. Bill Rodgers said, "If you want to win a race, you have
to go a little berserk." And I started wondering, if I go
berserk enough, COULD I win a race? If so, how berserk do I
need to go? Do I need to get a borderline personality
disorder, or will a mere adjustment disorder with
depression do?"
7. Two words: Cute rattlesnake. Stopped to pet.
6. My hat blew off into the "Do not enter - sudden death
by drowning" ditch near Boulder Reservoir. The water level
looked really low, so I went in after it. Oops.
5. Grabbed a cup of sports drink at the aid station.
Yikes! That *wasn't* lemon Gatorade!
4. Did this race around a lake early on a summer morning.
Ate so many of those little fleas that I got indigestion.
3. Packed my gym bag in a hurry. Got to the cross-country
race, and reached into my bag to pull out my spikes, and
discovered that I'd brought my golf spikes instead.
2. One of my lucky socks was hiding behind the bed (it
didn't want to go racing), so I had to wear my unlucky
socks. Got attacked by a crazed prairie dog while running
by an open field.
And the number one excuse for a bad race...
1. Around mile 2, I desperately needed a San-i-can. Peeled
off to visit the nearest one, but alas! It was occupied!
Hopped up and down impatiently for 10 seconds, and then out
popped the previous visitor. He was heartstopping. I looked
at him. He looked at me. He said, "Forget the race. Wanna'
get all caffeined up?" So off we went to Starbucks, tags
unpulled.
Second Place:
From "Karebear"
These are actually excuses used by runners on my cross-
country team.
10. "The man is keeping me down"
9. "My spikes are dead"
8. "The rolling terrain was 'squishy'"
7. "I was thinking too hard"
6. "The acrylic paint on my face wouldn't let me breathe"
5. "I'm fatigued from my workout 2 days ago"
4. "Not enough downhills"
3. "Back spasms"
2. "Recieved 'Bad vibes' before the race"
And the #1 excuse after a poor race...
1. "The race organizers wouldn't let me run because of my
nose ring."
AND FOR THIS MONTH'S CONTEST???
This month we will again have a top ten list contest. To
enter you will need to use your creativity and come up with
your own list. The title of this month's list is "Top ten
effects that Y2K will have on our running."
Email your entry with the subject "Top Ten List" to:
Woodyg3@netone.com
The top two entries will be printed in the next issue of
the Niche, plus they will receive a free Uflash Sportbelt!
(No profanity or questionable material, please, this is a
family oriented magazine.)
AND A NOTE:
One of our readers took exception to the jab or top ten
list took at Oprah last month. We want to assure our
readers that the joke was not meant as an insult to Oprah
herself, but the crazed media response to her running the
marathon. We apologize to anyone offended by her inclusion
in the top ten list last month.
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http://www.uflash.com, your online night safety store is
now OPEN! Visit our website and give us your feedback! Be
Seen, Not Hit!
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THIS AND THAT
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*Chicago, Chicago!*
Forget about Rotterdam or Berlin, how about Chicago?! In
this year's classic, which drew over 29,000 runners, seven
men broke 2:10, while 7 women were under the 2:30 barrier.
Not only that but Khalid Khannouchi set a new mens world
record for the marathon. His time of 2:05:42 makes him the
first runner ever to dip under the 2:06 mark. David Morris
of Albuquerque set a new American mark for a loop course by
running 2:09:31.
While the womens race didn't produce any new world marks,
it was certainly exciting with Joyce Chepchumba narrowly
defeating Margaret Okayo at the line. Joyce ran 2:25:59
while Margaret was given 2:26:00 as her final time.
American Libbie Hickman led the way for the United States
with a PR 2:28:34, good enough for 6th overall.
Apparently a very chilly 36 degree temperature at the start
did very little to cool the pace of the elite field. Listed
below are the top ten finishers in each division.
MEN
1.Khalid Khannouchi, 2:05:42 (New WR)
2.Moses Tanui, 2:06:16 (3rd best all-time)
3.Ondoro Osoro, 2:08:00
4.David Morris, 2:09:31 (New American Record)
5.Simon Bor, 2:09:35
6.Eder Moreno Fialho, 2:09:36
8.James Karuiki, 2:11:14
9.Said Dogga, 2:11:18
10.Simon Lopuyet, 2:11:44
WOMEN
1.Joyce Chepchumba, 2:25:59
2.Margaret Okayo, 2:26:00
3.Elena Meyer, 2:27:17
4.Colleen De Reuck, 2:27:30
5.Irina Bogacheva, 2:27:46
6.Libbie Hickman, 2:28:34
7.Marian Sutton, 2:28:42
8.Renata Paradowska, 2:31:59
9.Albina Gallyamova, 2:32:24
10.Kristy Johnston, 2:32:34
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WEB SITES OF INTEREST
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*Local Weather and More*
Vrunner offers free daily weather forecasts emailed to you,
plus a ton or running information. Take a look at:
http://www.VRunner.com
*FitDirect*
Stuff to buy and more at:
http://www.fitdirect.com
*Dan Kaplan's Run Down Site*
A cool site with lots of neat info for runners, plus there
are even some M.C.Escher pictures to download!
http://www.dankaplan.com
*Belgian Athletic Team*
http://www.come.to/maci
*Great Wall Marathon*
You HAVE to hit the wall on this one; it's the great Wall
Marathon in China!
http://www.great-wall-marathon.com
*AIDS Marathon and relay*
Event in Waterloo:
http://www.acckwa.com/acckwa_main.htm#fundraising
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