KUS News
The sole mission of our society is to
organize, sponsor, staff and support ultrarunning events/competition in Kansas
and the surrounding region. Our vision is to create an atmosphere that fosters not
only the enlightenment of the novice ultrarunner, but nurtures the needs of the
veteran ultrarunner as well.
Volume 2, Issue 4 August 2001
Briefing from the Crew
By Stacy Sheridan Page 1
Punishment on the Prairie
By Marc Friesen Page 1
Dig Omega‑3 Fats? Go
Fish!
By Scott
R. Demaree Page 3
Ye ol Ultra season
Rollin’ Stoned for 24 Hours at FANS
By Dann Fisher Page 4
Briefing from the Crew
Greetings,
I would like to thank this month’s
contributing members, Marc for his report on the adventure race at Kanopolis
Lake, Dann Fisher for his FANS report. Congratulations to Dann on reaching his goal
of over 100 miles. As I watched him and then counted laps for him at the KUS 24
hour in 2000 I knew he would be great at running timed events. Bill Shirk for
his ultra season piece, Bill had actually emailed me and I ask him if I could
use it for the newsletter as I thought it was a great adventure. And as always
my deepest thanks to Scott Demaree for his piece on Omega-3 Fats, Scott is in
the middle of writing his thesis, so I really appreciate getting an article
from him. Thank you all and to all the KUS members, please write in with your
races, runs, hikes etc. You never know when you might inspire another to go to
that race, run on that special trail, or hike up a favorite mountain.
I would like to welcome new member
Dan Winston. Dan lives in Ellsworth and was the Rockin K marathon winner last
April. Dan directed the 5-mile Cowtown run here in Ellsworth on the 4th
of August and did a great job. Welcome to the KUS family Dan.
Phil is back running and is
seriously training for the Heartland 100 race.
I will be working the aid station again this year so he will be crewless
again. As much as I love working the aid stations I will miss not watching his
race unfold, as I get to when I crew for him. This fall will be full with races and
volunteering, I hope that you will all let me know how the training and racing
goes. Good luck with the fall events!
Ever in your service,
Stacy
Punishment on the Prairie
When I heard about the
first adventure in Kansas, Punishment on the Prairie, I thought what a great
race to do. And it was even being held
at my favorite place to run, Kanopolis State Park. This adventure race required a team a three. I had remembered at one time Randy Albrecht
mentioning to me that he thought it would be fun to do an adventure race at
some point. I gave Randy a call. He was a go. The race's premier division was the co-ed team. Randy's and my thought led to the same
person, Marilyn Lamm. She was more
reluctant than Randy, but she finally agreed.
Team KUS Xtreme was born. Next,
how do we train for this?
The race was composed of
four named disciplines, plus special events, which could be anything. Working together as a team, you Mountain
bike 15-25 miles, trek 10-15 miles, canoe 5-10 miles, and orienteer. Only ranges
of miles where given because it is up to your team to find the best route to
each checkpoint. How the race was
scored was also interesting. You took
your time to finish, and added an hour for each checkpoint you didn't make it
to. Of the four disciplines, trekking
shouldn't be a problem. Mountain
biking, Randy and I weren't too worried. Marilyn was definitely anxious about that one. Randy and I were more worried about the
canoeing. We made one trip to Coronado
Heights to do some hill training for trekking part, and then some mountain
biking after that. That was the 10th of
June, less than 2 weeks to race day.
During this period we
also had been looking for a canoe to rent.
I had been in a canoe once, and Randy and Marilyn had never been in a
canoe. We finally found a place to rent canoes in Eureka. We made the trip on the 17th, t-minus 6
days. The canoeing went very well, much
easier than we had previously thought.
Now, we finally had practiced all the elements at least once.
June 22, the day before
the race. We load up the Explorers and
headed out to Kanopolis. All teams were
required to camp at the transition area.
The race had filled with fifteen teams very quickly. All but two teams were from Kansas, and only
one team had any experience in adventure racing. This will prove very revealing as race day progressed. After we had barbecued dinner we went to
learn how to orienteer, using our topo maps, compass, and map protractor. The military method that we learned was very
easy to pick up. Let's see if it will
work in the race. 10:00 p.m., the
pre-race meeting. We were given some
basic instructions, and we headed back to camp. We got a few things situated
for the early start at 5:00 am.
Race day, I headed to the
headquarters to get the team's first mission of the day. Most of the race is a surprise; there are
some things you can't prepare for. The
instructions are to go the corral shelter (HQ for Rockin K) and come back for
the next mission. Sounds easy enough. I run back to camp, and we start running to
the shelter. We get to the shelter, and
find out that we are to carry one team member back using two 6-foot 2X4's. After finally finding the most comfortable
way to carry Marilyn back, we start walking, about ¾ miles back. Needless to say there were some very sore
and bruised shoulders at the end of that event.
I go get our next
instructions. Mountain biking is
next. We get our map coordinates and
clues. We start plotting. Given that we have run here so many times it
shouldn't be difficult. We get
everything plotted and head off. We
find checkpoint 1 (CP1) without too many problems. One down, five to go.
CP2 was a little more
difficult. We meandered in the prairie
for another two and one-half hours before finding it. CP2 was a cattle gate labeled "Number 2". 3, 4, 5 and 6 surely couldn't be that
hard. We had a pretty good idea were
all of those points lay, which turned out to be true. It was just a matter of getting there. CP3, CP4, CP5, CP6 all done.
Back at the transition area and eight and one-half hour from the start
we were finally done with the biking.
I go to race
headquarters and get our next map coordinates.
We start plotting our points.
Just as we had plotted about three points one of the RD's came by and
asked us if we would not head out again.
The RD had been told by the Park Ranger the he had some concerns about
us heading out again, given the heat and length of time we had taken for the
bike. We had agreed with the RD that we
were out of contention, but we wanted to head out and find a couple of
checkpoints, to see what the trekking would be like. He asked us again to stay at Race Headquarters. He further stated that this would help him
maintain a good relationship with the Park.
We decided to stay, shower, grab a beer, and lounge in a lawn
chair. These were all worthy
alternatives to heading out in the 90 degree heat, and looking for an orange
and white flag. (A cruel adult version
of hide and seek.)
After getting cleaned up
and setting up our lawn chairs, we waited for the winners to come in. We waited and waited. All the teams that were coming in, were ones
that had dropped out during the trek.
Many teams that came back in talked of running out of water. We knew that this was bad news for any team
out there. It would have to be a very
skilled team that makes it to the end.
Then we heard that one team's member was headed off to the hospital for
dehydration. More and more teams
trickled in from the trek.
They all looked beat to
a pulp. The hot sun and Kansas wind had
taken their toll. 4:00pm had come and gone. This was the cutoff for the teams
to make it to the start of the canoe.
No team had made it to that point in time. No team would finish all
sections of the race, a 0% finishing rate.
Then an ambulance came. They
came to pick another dehydrated competitor. Needless-to-say this was not how
the RD's had envisioned Punishment on the Prairie coming about.
We watched the rest of
the teams come back in the beds of pickups and seats of cars, as we ate and
drank at the post race BBQ. It had been
a tough day for everybody no matter how far you got or how many checkpoints
your team found. Team KUS Xtreme came
away with a few sore muscles and a big learning & team building
experience. And that is exactly what we
wanted.
Punishment on the Prairie will doubt go through some revisions for
next year's event. Overall, it was an
experience well worth having.
And a big thanks to
Randy and Marilyn for agreeing to take on the challenge of being on Team KUS
Xtreme with me!
So
with arms stretched forth, eyes closed and mind reeling, your future is
here...are you ready to go?
---Powerman
5000
Dig Omega‑3 Fats? Go
Fish!
By Scott Demaree
How important is it to eat more
omega-3 fats? If omega‑3 fats could be patented and sold as a
pharmaceutical, it would be hyped around the world as a miracle drug (let’s be
glad they can’t, otherwise it would be available only by prescription and cost
1000 times as much). These fatty acids have the power to help or cure a “who’s
who“ list of the degenerative diseases that curse humanity. From arthritis to
cancer to heart disease, studies have shown benefits from omega‑3 intake.
However, there is a small controversy over the best source of omega‑3
fats for our consumption. Should we get it from plants (flax or perilla oils),
or animals (primarily cold water fish oil)? Let’s look at how these oils affect
health to see if we can answer this question.
The
way it works is very interesting; in fact, it’s probably not what you might
expect. Without getting too technical here, all the membranes (boundaries) of
all your cells are made primarily of fat, and many of the signals that tell
your cells how to react to the outside world start in the membranes. The most
important fact is this: different kinds of fats have completely different
effects in these membranes. You also need to know that the fats in these
membranes come mainly from the food we eat, although we humans are quite good
at manufacturing our own fat (from carbohydrates mostly), if we consume excess
calories.
A
great example is how different fats affect the way cells react to the hormone
insulin. Studies in food animals show saturated fat (from cheese or meat),
monounsaturated fat (from olive or canola oil), and omega‑6
polyunsaturated fat (from corn or sunflower oil) all markedly cut the ability
of muscle cells to respond to insulin. In this condition known as insulin
resistance, the muscle’s normal ability to remove sugar from the blood is
blocked. All sugar taken in by muscle cells either gets burned, or stored as
glycogen. We describe this good situation as insulin sensitivity. Not only do
all omega‑3 fats fail to bring on insulin resistance, but if long chain
omega‑3s (from fish oils) are added to a diet already rich in the above
fats, insulin sensitivity can be restored to normal. An interesting fact is
that short chain omega‑3s (from plant oils) can’t bring about this
restoration. By the way, if the insulin resistance is extreme and prolonged,
this condition is known as Type II (adult onset) diabetes.
Incidentally,
a very good way to pack more saturated fat into your cells without getting it
from food is to take in more calories than you burn in the form of
carbohydrates. Yes, those high‑carbohydrate diets we have been told to
follow for years are a great way to do this, because our livers are only
capable of turning the extra carbohydrates into saturated fat.
Let’s get back to the subject. Because all
polyunsaturated fats compete for absorption and processing, it is the relative
amounts of omega‑6 and omega‑3 fats that determine what gets into
our cell membranes. In other words it is because there is so much omega‑6‑rich
vegetable oil in the food we eat that we have too much omega‑6 and not
enough omega‑3 fats in our cells. I’ll go out on a limb here and say IT
IS THIS IMBALANCE MORE THAN ANY OTHER SINGLE FACTOR THAT IS THE CAUSE OF THE
MODERN EPIDEMIC OF DEGENERATIVE DISEASES!
Research
has determined that it is the long chain omega‑3 fats, nick‑named
EPA and DHA (I won’t burden you with their full names) that have the greatest
impact on cell membrane signaling. Our bodies can lengthen short chain omega‑3s
to make EPA and DHA, but we aren’t very good at it. So the final
verdict must be that fish oils are the best source for omega‑3 fat. If
you want some of the benefits of this “wonder drug”, but you just can’t
tolerate fish oil, I suggest that you be sure and take flax or perilla oil
supplements. Then your body can convert some of it to EPA and DHA to do you
some good. No matter what kind of omega-3s you take, I would suggest
that you try to cut out a lot of omega‑6 fat by avoiding products with
corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oils, and by using olive,
peanut or canola oils for cooking.
The
next time someone tells you that all fats are alike and bad for you; tell them
to go fish!
After I flopped at Cross Timbers, I went to Umstead and flopped
at 50miles. Really I just, sort of, got lazy you go through the camp and
everyone was eating barbeque and you know… Anyway, then on to Berryman where I
actually completed a 50miler while falling 5 times and Jan rolled an ankle
receiving two stress fractures in the process, undaunted she got a couple
branches for crutches finishing the marathon and getting a masters victory for
it.
Then I
thought (big mistake) lets do something hard to see what Wasatch might be like,
so I signed up for the Jim Bridger 50K(10,000 ft. of climb) in Bozeman
Mt. We drove out there and the weather was great. When we started I
thought it was awfully steep, as the pack rapidly vanished, I was soon lost up
somewhere around 9,000 ft. Believe me I really came to life though when I
thought I heard a grizzly bear. As luck would have it I came to a trail
that went down and actually became unlost. It took all I had just to walk
fast up on tops of the two climbs. The descents were butt scooters for me
while others bounded down like gazelles etc. I missed the 16-mile cutoff
by an hour or so and that got me a ride back to the starting line. This
time I was glad, as I have learned about acclimation the hard way. But
the scenery, and the people---absolutely great.
Undaunted
by having flopped again, we then went to Yellowstone to see the Old Faithful
Geyser and wildlife on the loose and a fantastic amount of forest fire damage
from last year, then through the Grand Tetons on through Wyoming cutting across
Nebraska to miss rush hour traffic in Denver.
I want to go to Heartland for sure and will
probably be at Horsethief and may make the Flat Rock clean up----or go to
Fairfield--Jim and Nancy are thinking about Fairfield, its really nothing
special, just hot.
See Ya Bill and Jan
It ain't braggin' if you can do it.
---Jerome
Herman (Dizzy) Dean, born Jay Hanna Dean
Rollin’ Stoned for 24 Hours at
FANS
By Dann Fisher
Note: The great American poet, Jimmy
Buffett, once suggested that song tracks rather than milestones should be used
to measure life’s progress (as in, it is about 10 songs until we get to the
next town). Although the leader of the
Parrotheads is one of my favorites, an ultramarathon requires an ultra band –
the Rolling Stones. Only a band with 40
years of tunes could provide enough inspiration to get me through a 24-hour
run.
Pleased to meet you.
Hope you guess my name.
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game.
(Sympathy for the Devil, Beggar’s Banquet, 1968)
The FANS
(aka Family Advocate Network System) 24-hour run was held at Lake Nakomis in
Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 23 and 24.
FANS activities are aimed at preparing and sending inner-city youth to
college. The race provides support for
the scholarship fund. Nearly $50,000 is
raised each year by the 24-hour run.
Lake
Nakomis is a wonderful setting for a timed event. The 2.4276-mile course is primarily smooth asphalt, with some
grass, dirt and cement. Well-stocked
aid stations are provided at the finish/start area and near the mid-point of
the course.
I never kept a dollar past sunset,
It always burned a hole in my pants.
Never made a school marma happy,
Never blew a second chance,
Always took candy from strangers,
Didn't wanna get me no trade.
Never want to be like papa,
Working for the boss ev'ry night and day.
(Happy, Exile on Mainsteet, 1972)
Shannon
and I arrived at the lake around 7 a.m. to begin preparations. A makeshift community of tents spanned each
side of the trail near the start/finish line.
We chose a spot under a tree toward the end of the newly formed
subdivision. I chose not to bring a
tent. An inviting compound can lead to
too many time-wasting breaks. I quickly
unfolded two chairs and a table. In no
time, my gear was stowed on and under the table.
While
stretching, I pondered my race plan. If
I could average five miles per hour for the first 12 hours, four miles per hour
for the next six hours, and three miles per hour during the last six hours,
then I would achieve my elusive 100-mile goal with two miles to spare. As I contemplated my ability to carry out
this scheme, two issues kept nagging at me.
Earlier
in the week, I had a cortisone shot in the bottom of my right heel to help
reduce the inflammation in the bursa.
Bursitis had been plaguing me since February, leading me to wonder if my
foot could stand up to the pounding that I was about to inflict upon it.
Yesterday’s
weigh in had been perplexing. Runners
losing more than five percent of the initial weight would be considered
dehydrated and held out. I tipped the
scale 12 pounds greater than I had weighed at home. Based on the fit of my clothes, I knew that my weight had not
changed significantly. I hoped the
difference was attributable to the scale, which would continue to replicate
itself during the race, and not due to operator error. Nothing I could do about it now.
Shortly
before the start, a pre-race meeting was held to explain the lap-count
system. Each runner was supplied with
perforated tags numbered for each lap.
The tags easily pinned to clothing and separated quickly to be turned
into the scoring table. After course
and medical briefings, we were finally ready to run.
If you start me up,
If you start me up I'll never stop.
(Start Me Up, Tattoo You, 1981)
Those
runners toeing the starting line shot out quickly, establishing a frenetic
early pace. I chose to be much more
conservative, lagging in the middle of the pack as we passed through tent
town. After heading west on a short
straightaway, we made a left turn and proceeded south over an arched wooden
bridge. We meandered south down the
tree-lined asphalt trail for a short distance before crossing through a short
grassy area leading to an asphalt bike path that ran in front of the beach
bathhouse. Shortly after the bathhouse,
a coned-off grassy area led us southwest onto a different trail that wandered
past a boat ramp, angled toward the west and then abruptly turned back south
before climbing up an incline to the bridge on Cedar Street. After heading south across the concrete
bridge, which knifes through the middle of the lake, we dropped quickly back to
the asphalt trail. The trail, lined
with trees on the left and a swamp on the right, headed east for a short
distance before reaching the aid station and curving back to the north. Off to the left, the Minneapolis skyline
rose majestically above the trees. The
peace was interrupted by the approach of a low flying Northwest Airlines jet,
appearing to be close enough to touch, as it prepared to make its arrival at
the nearby airport, a vision that would repeat itself over and over throughout
the day. After heading north for a
short distance, we came to a drinking fountain powered by a long-handled
pump. The fountain produced incredibly
cold water that would beckon me numerous times to soak my bandana in its juices
as a respite from the heat. At this
point, cones led us from the trail up and over a steep grassy hill. Upon rejoining the trail, we passed another
swimming beach, made a hard left and returned to the start/finish area.
The
lake was a hub of activity. People
strolled along enjoying the cool Minnesota morning. Numerous runners sped by, gazing quizzically at their slower
moving brethren. Dogs rolled in the
luscious green grass and frolicked in the crisp, clear water.
Ev'rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy,
'Cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy.
(Street Fighting Man, Beggars
Banquet, 1968)
I
settled into a comfortable early pace, noting that I had no pain in my
heel. Shannon soon joined me for a
couple of laps, giving me a pleasant early distraction. Once she dropped off, I focused on running
relaxed and sticking to my plan of running for 20 minutes and walking for 5
minutes. I plied myself consistently
with water and Sustained Energy drink, being careful to choke down a gram of
Endurolytes per hour.
Always in a hurry, I never stop to worry,
Don't you see the time flashin' by.
But baby, I can't stay,
You got to roll me and call me the tumblin',
Roll me and call me the tumblin' dice.
(Tumbling Dice, Exile on
Mainstreet, 1972)
I
had completed 17 miles at the three-hour mark, placing me 21st in
the field of 87. I was ahead of pace,
but running easy and feeling good. At
four hours, I weighed in for the first time to find out I was down four pounds
from my initial weigh in. Yikes! My worst fears about the initial weigh in
were coming true. The real heat of the
day hadn’t arrived yet, I was consuming 40 ounces of water or more per hour,
but could only drop five more pounds before I’d have to sit out for a bit. I had no choice but to increase my caloric
intake over the next four hours. I
grumbled about the stupid scale as I slammed down a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich.
I
passed 50K in 5:29. By now the heat was
building. We were fortunate to have a
cooling south breeze through the morning, but reminiscent of Kansas, it
increased in intensity as the day wore on.
I slipped on headphones to create a distraction and pounded onward,
completing 33.9 miles by the six-hour mark, good enough to be in 13th
place.
By
the middle of the afternoon, the beaches were packed. I was envious of the persons splashing about in the crystal clear
lake. A group of sun worshipers set up
shop near the course and cheered us on for the next two hours.
You can't always get what you want,
But if you try sometimes, you might find,
You get what you need.
(You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Let
It Bleed, 1969)
The
increased food and water consumption had held my weight in check. Although I had managed to increase my weight
by a pound, I was paying a price for the increased consumption. I was feeling bloated. By nine hours, I had completed 49 miles and
moved up to 10th place. My
50-mile split of 9:10:29 was only four minutes off my second fastest time for
that distance and put me nearly 50 minutes ahead of schedule.
I
sat down for the first time since the race started to change shoes. The salt stains on my shorts indicated that
the Endurolytes were working. There’d
be no hyponatremia today. I couldn’t
help but be concerned about how queasy my stomach had become. I slowed the pace, walked a bit more, and
became more conservative in my food and drink consumption over the next couple
of hours. As the 12-hour mark
approached, I was feeling very nauseous.
I completed 60.6 miles, right on schedule, but I was in a bad way. I was horrified to find out I was only
one-half pound above being held out. I
struggled on to 100K in 12:20:44, but I felt really hammered. With my calves and quads cramping, I hobbled
the rest of the loop, grabbed a piece of pizza, and collapsed into a
chair. The pizza was a big mistake, as
it quickly began reverberating in my stomach.
I was chilled so I pulled on a long-sleeve shirt. Shannon provided me with a vanilla milkshake
that tasted wonderful. It went down so
smooth, but soon curdled in my stomach.
Guess it's just another dream
That's slipping away.
First the sun and then the moon,
One of them will be around soon.
Slipping away.
All I want is ecstasy
But I ain't getting much.
Just getting off on misery
It seems I've lost my touch.
(Slipping Away, Steel Wheels,
1989)
I
feared my race was slipping away.
Previous attempts at 100 miles each had disintegrated around 13
hours. Now it was happening again. I considered tossing my shoes in the lake
and crawling away. Instead, I decided
to relax for a bit to see if I could come to grips with my emotions. Jeff Hagen roared past. I marveled at his consistency and his
relaxed calm demeanor. Jeff has written
articles on 24- and 48-hour strategy and had complied 216 miles in a 48-hour
event. Other runners passed, some
looking fresh, others looking beaten. I
was not the only one grappling with demons.
I was drowned,
I was washed up and left for dead.
I fell down to my feet and I saw they bled.
I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread.
I was crowned with a spike right through my head.
(Jumping Jack Flash, Through the
Past Darkly, 1969)
I
had to get moving again if I was to have any chance at reaching my goal. Shannon got me up, and we walked a slow
arduous loop. I sucked down as much
water as I could. I was still nauseous,
but at least the water was staying down.
I grew determined not to fail again.
If necessary, I’d stay after the race and walk the course to get to 100
miles.
Drink in your summer, gather your corn.
The dreams of the night time will vanish by dawn.
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
(Time Waits For No One, It’s Only
Rock ‘N’ Roll, 1974)
My
walking pace increased as my muscles began to limber. As I passed near the bathhouse, the smell of marijuana blasted me
out of my singular focus. Although I
have never smoked anything, I contemplated stopping by for a few nausea-reducing
medicinal tokes. I grew increasingly
antsy to run, but decided to walk until the 16-hour weigh in to make sure I was
as hydrated as possible. If I failed
the weigh in, I would be finished. I
had covered six miles in the two hours leading to the scale, where I found I
was back up three and half pounds.
Hallelujah! I was still in the
game. The bad news was that I had only
compiled 71.4 miles and slipped to 12th place. Eight hours left and I still needed 29
miles. I would have to cover four miles
per hour through the night. It was time
to get running.
Brown sugar how come you taste so good?
(Brown Sugar, Sticky Fingers,
1971)
During
the previous two loops, I consumed a couple of cups of Coke. I was surprised that the soda seemed to go
down without adding to stomach upset. I
decided to switch to pop for energy knowing that once I started taking on the
simple carbohydrates, I ‘d have to consistently use soda or risk spiking and
bonking. Shannon went in pursuit of
Pepsi, which I prefer to Coke, and I set out on my new energy campaign. The only food that I was comfortable eating
at this point was saltine crackers.
Get off the fence,
It's creasing your butt.
Life is a party,
Let's get out and strut.
You're not the only one
That's feeling lonesome.
You're not the only one
With mixed emotions.
(Mixed Emotions, Steel Wheels, 1989)
In
addition to adapting my energy program, I developed a new running
strategy. I decided to run from my crew
spot at the end of tent town to the mid-point aid station, grab a handful of
saltines, walk until I reached the end of the grassy hill and then run back to
the start/finish line. Over the next
four hours, I settled into a good grove, covering 16 miles. At 20 hours, I had compiled 87.4 miles and
moved up to 9th place.
Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today.
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away.
(Gimme Shelter, Let It Bleed,
1969)
Time to
weigh in again. My goal was back within
reach, but I still feared the scale could derail me. I took a deep breath as I stepped on the scale. It seemed to take forever for the scale to
bounce into balance. Once it finally
stopped, I had two pounds to spare.
Yes! The weighing was
through. I was going to make it to my
goal.
The sound of strangers sending nothing to my mind.
Just another mad mad day on the road.
I am just living to be lying by your side.
But I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road.
(Moonlight Mile, Sticky Fingers,
1971)
I
wandered down to my crew area to find Shannon in a blanket cocoon attempting to
sleep. Rather than returning to the
hotel, she had stayed at the race to see to my well being. When I returned every 30 minutes or so and
tried to quietly supply myself, she would awake and check to see if I was
needed anything. She was having as
rough a night as I.
I've been walking Central Park
Singing after dark
People think I'm crazy.
I've been stumbling on my feet
Shuffling thro' the street
People ask me, "What's the matter with you boy?"
(Miss You, Some Girls, 1978)
About
an hour before daylight, I began feeling dizzy. The nausea increased. I
felt the worst when I attempted to stand still. Shock waves pulsed through my calves and forearms. I knew it meant dehydration was imminent,
but I put my head down and pushed on. I
was too close to give up now. I passed
Ed Rousseu, who complimented me on how well I was moving. This was a tremendous honor. The venerable Rousseu was piling up 100
miles for the 11th straight year.
I
decided I could get in one more full loop before 23 hours arrived and moved us
to the short course. I was chilled so I
pulled on a long sleeve shirt. I had
run only a short distance when I stumbled coming off the arched bridge,
alerting me that the dizziness was getting worse. My legs were throbbing and my head was pounding, but I managed to
shuffle my way through the loop five minutes before the short course was
opened. At the 23-hour mark, I had
completed 99.5 miles and moved into 8th place. Two laps on the short course and my demons
would be exercised.
(Wild Horses, Sticky Fingers,
1971)
I
walked the first short loop and then began running during the second. A wave of emotion rushed over me as I
reached 100 miles, a mark I had pursued unsuccessfully since 1999. 23:11:10.
I wasn’t sure what was holding me up as I shuffled four more loops,
raising my mileage total to 101 miles.
I sat down on a nearby bench, launching into the dry heaves. After a brief period, of sitting with my
head between my legs, my stomach relented.
I glanced up at the clock to see that 20 minutes remained. I’m not sure what inspired me, but I rose up
and started walking again. After
shuffling three more laps, I managed to run the last lap, completing it just as
time was running out.
The
race was over. I had complied 102.03
miles. The last lap had pushed me into
6th place ahead of three runners with 101.78 miles. I collapsed into a chair. Shannon soon emerged from the car. She was visibly upset. A few moments earlier she had hooked her
finger on the port-a-john, leaving a large gash. It was obvious that she was as emotionally spent as I.
(Dear Doctor, Beggars Banquet,
1968)
The
nausea was immense the remainder of the day.
I was unable to get even saltines and 7-up down. By the time we reached Ames, I was very pale
and my face was sunken. Shannon’s
concerns resulted in my conceding to go to the emergency room. Two liters of IV fluids brought me back to
life and put me on the road to recovery.
Raise your glass to the hard working people.
Let’s drink to the salt of the earth.
(Salt of the Earth, Beggars
Banquet, 1968)
Although
I had reached my mileage goal, the race did not unfold as planned. Shannon and the many wonderful volunteers, especially
the guy at the mid-point aid station who supplied me with saltines all night,
kept me going. I learned that by being
willing to adapt, not giving into the pain, and pursuing relentless forward
progress in whatever form, that I could accumulate a significant amount of
mileage. Now I look forward to the
Heartland 100 in October, my next attempt to complete a 100-mile race, and the
Ultracentric 48-hour in November.
You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and
the dog will give you a look that says, "My goodness, you're right!
I never would have thought of that!"
---Dave
Berry
WHERE KUS MEMBERS PLAN
TO RUN AND RACE
Jim & Nancy Davis
Possibly the
Arkansas Traveller 100 mile Oct. 6
The Elk River Trail
cleanup 9/8
Flatrock 25/50 9/29
The Heartland 100 Oct. 12-14
Phil Sheridan
10/13/01 Heartland Spirit of the Prairie, Cassoday, KS
Dave Noltensmeyer
9/29/01 Flat Rock, Independence, KS
Marc Friesen
Aug. 25 - Cascade Crest Classic 100 Mile - Easton, WA
Sept. 8 - Crew/Pace Randy Albrecht @ Wasatch Front 100 - Salt Lake
City, UT
Sept. 15 - Horsethief Canyon Trail Run 6.5 Mile- Kanopolis, KS
Oct. 7 - Chicago Marathon - Chicago, IL
Oct. 21 - Wichita Marathon - Wichita, KS
Nov. 10 - Quivering Quads 50Km - Troy, MO*
Nov. 17 - JFK 50 Mile - Boonsboro, MD*
Dec. 29 - HUFF 50Km - Huntington, IN*
Feb. 16 - Rail to Road 100Km - Brooksville, FL*
Mar. 23 - GNC 100Km - Pittsburgh, PA
9/8/01 The Elk River Trail cleanup
9/15/01 Horsethief
Canyon Trail Run 6.5 Mile- Kanopolis, KS
9/29/01 Flat Rock, Independence, KS
11/10/01 Quivering Quads
50Km - Troy, MO
10/12-14/01 Aid Station at The Heartland 100
Sept. 2 Breckenridge Crest Trail Marathon
Sept 16 Horsethief Canyon Trail Run
Sept 23 Flint Hills Harriers XC Race, Manhattan, KS -- RD
Sept. 29 Flat Rock 50 km
Oct 13 Heartland 100
Nov. 4 Blue Springs 50 km, Blue Springs, MO
Nov 23-24 Ultracentric 48 hour, Dallas, TX
Dec. 8 Sunmart 50 km, Huntsville, TX
Dec 29 -- Arne Richards Memorial Fat Ass 25 km and 50 km,
Manhattan, KS --
RD (taxman@kansas.net; 785-539-5568)
09-03-01 Heart of America
Marathon (MO)
10-01-01 Arkansas
Traveller 100-Mile Trail Run
12-8-01 Sunmart Texas
Trail 50-Mile
Sept. 29 Flat Rock
October Grand Canyon
Double
October Grand Canyon
Double
Bismarck
Marathon. Finish of it will
qualify me for the 50 state club-
I will have raced a marathon or longer in
10 states. I did run (ha ha) the Madison Marathon in May
I ran 45 miles in about 8 hours
on the track during the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life fund raiser in
Perry Kansas, June 8-9.
I am doing 5k's until fall when it
cools down.
August 11th - Howl at the Moon 8hr run - Danville, IL
Sept 1st - Haliburton 100 mile - Ontario, Canada
Sept 29th - Flat Rock 50k
Nov 3rd - Owen-Putnam 50 mile - Spencer, IN
Dec 29th - HUFF 50k - Huntington, IN
Tom Lasater
August- Pikes
Peak Ascent
Sept 29th - Flat
Rock 50k
Scott Demaree
10/13/01
Heartland Spirit of the Prairie, Cassoday, KS
Nov 23-24 Ultracentric 48 hour, Dallas, TX *
* Tentative plans
Upcoming New Races
Arne Richards Memorial Fat Ass 25K and 50K Solo and Relay Race
Saturday, December 29
Anneberg and Linear Park, Manhattan KS, 9:30 am
For information and entry forms contact Dann Fisher at
785-539-5568 or taxman@kansas.net
October 12, 13, & 14, 2001
· A three day marathon stage race will be run on October 12, 13,
& 14, 2001
· The 72-mile circumference of Lake Tahoe with a 6-mile overlap
for a total of 78.6 miles will be run over 3 days.
. Updates and registration on the web
www.LakeTahoeMarathon.com
For an entry blank or answers call the Marathon office (530) 544-7095 Or Ultra Director Marty
Coffey (530) 577-6634 cell (530)
721-1225
KUS-ipes
Sicilian Burgers
1-½ pounds lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped pitted ripe olives
3 pepperoncini chilies, seeded
finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon Italian salad
dressing
4 kaiser rolls, split
4 (1oz) slices mozzarella cheese
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
Heat grill. In medium bowl,
combine ground beef, salt and pepper; mix well. Shape mixture into 8 thin
patties, 4 inches in diameter.
In medium bowl, combine onion,
olives, chilies, basil, and salad dressing; mix well. Place ¼ mixture on each
of 4 patties to within ¼ inch of edges. Top with remaining patties; pinch edges
to seal.
When ready to grill, place patties
on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium
coals. Cook 10 to 12 minutes or until patties are thoroughly cooked, turning
once. To toast rolls, place cut side down on grill during last 1 to 2 minutes
of cooking time. Place 1 slice of cheese on each patty; cook an additional
minute or until cheese is melted.
Place cheese topped patties on
bottom halves of rolls. Top each with lettuce leaf and tomato slice, cover with
top halves of rolls.
Note: To broil patties, place on broiler pan; broil 4 to 6 inches from heat using times above as a guide, turning once. Place rolls cut side up on broiler pan; broil 1 to 2 minutes, turning once.