Two More Ironmen

On Sunday August 26th Tim Hatch and Jamie Nielson completed the Louisville, Kentucky Ironman. Tim's time was 12:17:05 and finished 442nd, Jamie was 725th in a time of 13:06:22. Awesome job by both, we are honoured to run with guys (or girls) who can put themselves through such an ordeal and still say that was fun.

RoadRunner Gear

Looks we have some movement on RoadRunner gear. James Rooney is in contact with Sugoi about ordering Singlets, Tees and Longsleeve Tees. Prices to follow. He will be taking orders at the Running Room on Wednesday at Run Club. The primary colour will be red and the logo as seen above, which will be on the back and also mapleleafs in the shirt design. The picture at right is what the Tee is supposed to look like. Stay tuned for more...

Barrie Dragon Boat Festival

Saturday August 24th saw a number of the RoadRunners compete as "Running On Water" in the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival. For most of us this was our first time, so we probably surprised a lot when we won both of our heats. The second heat saw us come from behind to win. The third heat was cancelled to due to inclement weather, preventing our team from claiming first in our division. As it was we were .7 seconds out of first place. A good day and a lot of fun had by all. Thanks to Georgian Pontiac for their Sponsorship. Special acknowledgement should go out to Clarence Wang, the organizer of our team, who worked tirelessly to make everything happen. Thanks Clarence.

Orillia Triathlon

This past Sunday was the Orillia Triathlon and we were represented by "A Rose and 2 Thorns" who came 1st. We assume the rose was Lyndsay Smith who swam followed by Shawn Patton on the bike and Kevin O'Neill on the run. Congratulatons to all three.

Iroquois Trail Test 32k

Saturday August 18th was the tough Iroquois Trail Test in Kilbride Ontario. On a beautiful cool morning Kevin O'Neill finished in 2:45 and Keith Lascelles in 2:51 for 8th & 13th places. This is an event which came well recommended (with sly smiles), and lived up to it's billing. Running through a creek (twice) and up and down the Niagara Escarpment a number of times, sometimes over very technical terrain (where walking was a challenge). If you are looking for a great challenge next year then give this one a try.

Are you a Trail Runner

A Quiz... Are You a Trail Runner?

By: Blake Wood, Mary Fuka, Skip Eastman, and Tracey Chmielewski
The following quiz "Are you a trail runner?" first appeared in the RRCA Footnotes, Fall 1995.

1 -Which would you prefer to run:

• The Boston Marathon in under 3 hours (-1)
• The Pike's Peak Marathon in under 5 hours (+1)
• The Hardrock Hundred, and you don't care about the time (+2)
• A 50k with no T-shirt - it's just a training run (+3)
• It doesn't have a name, you don't have a number, you hope you'll be back by next week, but you're not particular (+3)

2 -Your condition when you return from your regular run:

• Sweating (-1)
• Bleeding (+1)
• Your blood has thickened from extended exposure to altitude (+2)
• Blood? Like you have any left? (+3)
  

3 - Running attire:

• You don't need bleach to keep your socks and T-shirts white (-1)
• All your running socks are tobacco brown (+1)
• Your children empty your socks and pan for gold (+2)

4 - Conditions on the run:

• You've fallen and scraped your knee on the sidwalk (-1)
• You've gotten dirt in your mouth or up your nose (+1)
• You don't fall. If you did, you'd be dead (+2)
  

5 - Distance:

• Three miles a day is enough for anybody (-1)
• You've detoured in a race to top a peak or see what's over the next ridge (+1)
• You've detoured to see what's over the next mountain range (+2)
• You've crossed three or more county lines during one run (+3)
  

6 - Timing your runs:

• You time your workouts (-1)
• You record your times (-1)
• You don't. The extra weight of the calendar is a nuisance (+2)

7 - Running vs. work:

• You can get in your run at lunch (-1)
• You have missed a meeting at work because that loop was a little longer than you thought(+1)
• You have missed more than a day at work because that loop was a little longer than you thought (+2)
• You use your sick time for those mid-week mountain runs (+3)
• You use all your vacation time to travel to trail races (+4)
  

8 - Running through hazards:

• You stubbed your toe once on a curb (-1)
• You have had to pull cactus thorns from your shoe or a yucca spine from your shin (+1)
• You don't bother pulling thorns or spines out unless they've still got a cactus or bush attached (+2)
• You don't bother to detach the rattlesnake from your body unless it's impeding your progress (+3)
  

9 - Directions:

• You have all four of your routes memorized (-1)
• You carry a topo map (+2)
• Who needs a map - you're prepared to bivouac (+3)
• You can live for a week on the contents of your fanny pack (+4)
  

10 - Run duration:

• You rarely run more than 30 minutes (-1)
• You have gotten so lost that someone had to come looking for you (+1)
• No one really expects you back until next month (+2)
  

11 - Weather and your favorite run:

• When it's raining, you run on your treadmill (-1)
• There are times you can't do your favorite run because of mud or high water (+1)
• There are times you can't do your favorite run because of falling rocks, wildfire, avalanche
• danger, or flash flood warnings (+2)
• There are times you go on your favorite run despite falling rocks, wildfire, avalanche danger, or flash flood warnings (+3)
• There are times you go on your favorite run because of falling rocks, wildfire, avalanche danger, or flash flood warnings (+4)
  

12 - Peeing on the run:

• You look around for a gas station restroom (-1)
• You can pee anywhere you want on the run (+1)
• You can pee anywhere you want, and in fact must do so to mark and defend your territory
• from other trail animals (+2)
  

Score Yourself:
(<>) Sasquatch speaks of you with awe.

28 Reasons for Running Ultra's

Creative Responses to the question "Why do you run ultras?" or "Why would you want to do that to your body?"
If it gives me happiness and a sense of fulfillment and harms no one, how could I not do it?
You now how some people say, "life is passing way too quickly". Well, during a long ultra you can really slow things down--TIME CRAWLS!
You do a lot more harm to yourself by not exercising than you do by running ultras. Why would you do THAT to yourself?
It's crazy... but other than that, it's kind of fun.
"It curbs my violent tendencies" (especially effective when said while holding a knife, axe or chainsaw)
Any idiot can run a marathon, but it takes a special kind of idiot to run an ultramarathon!
It's no more foolish than chasing a little white ball around a big lawn and trying to hit it into little tiny holes!
I'm running from my fat ass but it's right behind me so I gotta keep running.
If we didn't run like this, how would we know how far we could go?
I do this because it is the only thing I have found (outside of S&M perhaps) that gives me such incredible pleasure and incredible pain that I feel completely connected to my own existence.
Because I'm a bad person and deserve pain, and running a 100 miles is my penance. I know, there is some deep psychological disorder but at least it seems like a healthy outlet for those feelings.
"If you have to ask, you'll never understand".
"I've got dangerously low cholesterol, and the food you eat during an ultra is generally very high in cholesterol. That's why I feel better after a race."
My mother abused me by constantly dropping me on my head.
What? You mean everyone doesn't do this!?
It gives me the chance to practice singing Alice's Restaurant till I get it right.
Don't worry, it only seems kinky the first time.
The drugs, I do it for the drugs.
Because I get to show off my cute butt in those sexy tights.
Hell, I spend $50 to run a marathon and all they have at the aid stops is water.
My wife refuses to tie me down and take a whip to my legs.
The devil made me do it.
To those who know, no explanation is necessary .... To those who do not know, no explanation will suffice.
I do it for the fame and fortune and wild sex from all those ultra groupie women.
How else am I going to reach the finish line, duh?
I just went out to jog a mile and I forgot to stop.
It is just so beautiful- the trails, the sky, the feelings throughout, the joy at finishing.
I haven't found anything else that gives me such a feeling of pride.