KEVIN'S GOSSIP
1. Adam Polakowski ran 6:39 for
his first 50-mile road race at the Nifty Fifty in Rhode Island in November, at
7:30 pace for the first half, and 8:28 pace for the second half, right out of
the Pete Stringer mold. I hope he is not hooked. To keep things in
perspective, Bill Riley ran a 6:41 ten years ago at age 55 and thought he
should retire from such races immediately afterward! As well as Adam ran,
it did not break the CCAC record of 5:57, set by Don Bates and me long
ago when we ran 50 miles in Texas two years in a row.
2. Our runner in exile (Lauren
Heyl of Vermont) has challenged Sean Doherty and Dave Baker in one of the
Grand Prix races this winter. I see Sean and Lauren real close, but, sorry
Dave, you'll have to narrow that 47 second gap with Sean.
3. And speaking of Lauren, she
and Christine Pratt-Gorrill have pledged to do an Ironman by the time they
turn 40, only 18 months away. Never count those talented and gritty women
out!
4. Karen Zunti won her age
division at the Bay State Marathon in October in 3:20. She had a bad hip so
she couldn't run much, but she biked, roller bladed and swam to make up for
it. If it were winter, she would have added cross-country skiing,
too!
5. Skip Michaelson
is still bothered by a bad knee. Nevertheless, I have a feeling he'll be
ready for Boston, 5 months away.
6. Congrats to Ken Gartner on
his 2:39 at the Cape Cod Marathon in Falmouth on October 28th. It is the
fastest marathon by a Master's CCAC member ever. I think my 2:43 is
second on the CCAC list, but that was run years ago on the Boston course
(with 21 down-hill miles).
7. Bob Brewster has been
spotted running with Christine Pratt-Gorrill, Mike Herlihy, and Sean Doherty.
When I see him running with Adam Polakowski, then I'll know he's in top shape.
Another comeback is coming on.
8. Larry Spencer is running
well on Friday nights in the 33 minute range. He has a goal of
31:30.
9.` And where oh where is Jack
Klim? It gets dark by 4:00 now, so he can't be working late! Jack has
been finishing only 9 seconds behind Larry; the gap may be
narrowing. Remember, more miles means more beer without weight
gain.
10. Mike Naughton is running
sub-30 minutes again for 5 miles, and looking like a young pup, particularly
when he arrives on that Harley Heritage Softtail with the 80 cubic inch
engine. What a beautiful bike! My guess is that he can't remember his age, so
he thinks he's 30 again. I know his weight never changes.
11. Larry Belliveau is fishing
quite a bit, so don't look for any speedy times soon. Fishing and running are
a tough combo, and I don't mean the surf-casting kind of fishing.
12. Alison Byland was part of
the Women's Open Team winning combo at the Cape Cod Marathon Relay on October
28th.
13. Let me give credit where
credit is due. Shawn Horan (the golfer) and wife Lori Horan (runner)
team up well. Shawn watches the kids while she gets her runs in, whether it be
mornings or nights. Thanks, Shawn (and some of you other guys out there), for
being a team player.
14. Doris Carter, wife of
American age-group mile record holder Scotty Carter, passed away recently,
after a long and very heroic bout with lung problems. Don't be shy about
calling Scotty; he's a great guy, and that mile record belonged to Doris,
too! Scotty holds the M70+ record at 5:32
15. Brian Kelly is retiring
from teaching in March. (I didn't know he worked!) With all that time on his
hands (look at Bill Riley), Brian should once again become the chiseled
athlete he once was. No pressure, Brian!
16. Paul Fendler just
celebrated(?) his 10th anniversary of not running a marathon in a race, even
though he's in better marathon shape than 99% of the runners out there. You'd
think by now he would have forgotten about those post-marathon sore
quads?
17. Bill "Buck" Lord will be
celebrating his 1st anniversary of "no fall marathon". He trains with Paul
Fendler. Come to think of it, this is my 2nd "no fall marathon" anniversary
after 26 years. I also train with Paul. What am I saying here?
18. Janet Jordan had an
interesting race this fall. She ran a 50 mile trail run in 12 hours. Brian
Kelly did the same thing on a bike in 12 hours. And he didn't get any
flats!
19. I think it's time for
our Friday night group to challenge the Falmouth group, especially since
Mike Naughton is flying. Our depth in the 31-32 minute range just might make a
difference. After all, there is only one Ken Gartner.
20. Hats off to Joe for 3
solid years as CCAC President. He kept us solvent, and having fun.
It's too bad they just had the mayor's election in NYC. Joe could have been
right in there.
21. Great to see Phil Wright
back in shape and to see him and Barry Merrill leg to leg at the John Gray
Five Miler in September. Phil coaches soccer at Nauset High, which is
admirable, and he also is quite the social animal after races, which is more
admirable.
22. George Gomes pulled off a
great first-time Ironman in Florida with an 11:18 in November. His splits
were 1:18 (2.4 mile swim), 5:38 (112 mile bike), 3:59 (26.2 mile run),
and 0:23 transitions. My triathlete operatives say it was an impressive
debut. And Seko can definitely do even better in the running portion in
the future.
23. And speaking of
Ironman, grizzled veteran Mike Parker completed the "Big" One in Hawaii.
It was very windy, but our Cape winds helped him in that regard. I would
love to see George Bent try one, which might have a chance of quieting Steve
Edwards!
24. Don Bates and I have talked
for years about a running version of an Ironman, all in one day, with minimum
rest breaks: run 400, 800, 1600, 5000, and 10000 meters. There would be
certain standards to meet so you can't "hot dog" it in the short intervals.
Combine your times, have some food and drink, and call it a
day.
25. What to Mark Suprenant and
Mark Sugarmeyer have in common? They haven't been seen at a race in quite some
time. The are marked men.
26. Bob Eckerson is doing the
Walt Disney Marathon again and he hasn't missed one. What the heck is his
fascination with Minnie? Or is it Pluto?
27. Vin Smith has
wheel-measured his Grand Prix course for December 16th at 4.4 miles. No
problem for our math people to figure out pace, but what about the other 99%
of our club. I know, we'll just call it a Short Five
28. There was quite a turn-out
at the Sandwich Turkey Day race, with some 800 runners and walkers and no
entry fee (just bring 10 items of food for the Food Bank). Maybe Boston could
try this some day, and some other races, too. Or how about no trophies, and
use the trophy money to buy food for Food Banks. Personally, I'm tired of
seeing too many trophies given away.
29. Ken Gartner ran 25:41 to
finish 2nd Master at Manchester, CT, on Thanksgiving Day, in a big race with
12,000 entrants and 1,643 men 40-49. Good for $100. There initially was some
confusion in the scoring, when Jackson Kipng'ok of Kenya ran 23:37 and claimed
that HE was over 40 and was 2nd master; in 1994, Jackson finished 3rd at
Boston in 2:08:08 and claimed at that time to be only 21. We hope the race
officials get that one straightened out! The first master was Andrey Kuznetsov
in 23:31.
30. Mile repeats have started
in Hyannis on Monday nights after a 3-year hiatus. We meet at the Sea Street
Beach parking lot at 5:30 and do 3 repeats on a well-marked and well-lighted
Old Colony Road, with an adequate rest interval. Mike Herlihy is there with
me, Dan Baker, Mike Parker, and Lori Horan, so far.
31. XTRA, XTRA; I just ran
with Sean Doherty on a Friday night at 7:20 pace; he was hardly breathing.
Dave Baker was with us, too, but that's another issue. Sean also ran with
Christine Pratt-Gorrill at 5:15 a.m. that same week, and to top it off, he ran
with Bob (still has the shirt on) Brewster one evening. All that I can say is,
watch out! Oh yes, he even bought some new shoes.
32. Larry and Myra Belliveau
are keeping the Chatham Harbor 10K in place. After all, it is one of the
all-time Cape classic races, and a challenging one, too. We should continue
to look for local race directors for this race, and for the John Gray
races, also. Plus, where else could you see a John Linnell run 10K in fishing
boots.
33. Just had a running
flashback to Boston 1986, the first year that John Hancock took over the
sponsorship:
2:33 Jeff Mello 27,
2:47 Kevin Petrovek 35,
2:49 Will Mason 45,
2:50 Dave Daggett 32,
2:53 Andy Leighton 30,
2:54 Bill Riley 49,
3:11 Bob Borglund 57,
3:14 Court Bird 46,
3:14 Dick Lynch 50,
3:17 Ron Pokraka 47,
4:27 Johnny Kelley 78.
34. There will be a 10K road
race in Centerville on Sunday, March 17, 2002. Big party to follow. Process go
to the Chips House, a home for brain-injured but physically healthy adults in
Centerville.
35. Our ageless wonder from
Fort Myers in the winter, the recently-mentioned Bob Borglund, is running a
half-marathon in December in Tampa, getting ready for another Boston, no
doubt. Bob has already entered the Boilermaker next July. This race will be a
CCAC Grand Prix some day. It may be the first time they ever run out of
beer.
36. Bill Masterson just
finished another Manchester Road Race as 5th M60+, although slightly injured.
He has run the 4.748 mile course almost every Thanksgiving since
1979.
37. Ken Gartner tells me he's
doing the Ottawa Marathon in May. He's chasing the money, now that he finished
as 2nd Master at Manchester.
38. New member from off-Cape
(Maura Mulligan) is running Boston again.
39. Mike Wallace just bought
some shoes and is out there in his travels still planning to qualify for
Boston somewhere. He wants a flat, fast, short course with a tailwind and some
downhill, and 48 degree weather (dry). Molly, his daughter, is still quite the
soccer player.
40. Van Morrill is continuing
to do well in the Friday night runs, getting him name in the paper from time
to time.
41. Same goes for Rob Swanson,
who is also at the Wednesday night workouts on a regular basis. He's our
Minister of Motion.
42. Rob Fessler runs short
stuff like a deer, but long stuff like a doe. Too many fast twitch muscles,
Rob, and I know you have no control of that kick of yours.
43. New member Nancy Cantella
just ran her first half-marathon in Boston in October. No problem. The
February 24th race may be her next one. She trains with quite the group of
runners, but let her tell you about that when you meet her.
44. Don (the quiet one) Foss is
back running after a back ailment. He is so talented!
45. Vin Smith and Will Kadunc
finished the Mohawk Valley Marathon this fall. My question is: did you both
sleep in the car the night before?
46. Cathy Klim has "threatened"
(or shall I say, "shown interest in") racing indoors this winter with
me, Paul Fendler, and others.
47. Kathleen Thomas is
pain-free as we speak. I told here she is in a very small minority of the
running population. She'll be doing all the winter Grand Prix races, and when
you see her, ask her how pain-free feels. (It felt like 37:19 at Harry's Five
Miler.)
48. Don't forget. Call me to
get a seat on the team bus to Boston. It fills fast. Only 134 days to go at
this writing (508-775-8877, ask for Kevin).
49. And if anyone sees Don
Bates, tell him they still sell beer over in Hyannis; it is just a SMOKING BAN
at Harry's
50. I would love to see Dave
Daggett soon, and his son, Ben, who is probably as tall as Dave is by now.
Sorry, Dave, but I just had to make sure you read this. After all, I did print
your 1986 Boston time up above.
51. And finally, I know I've
said a lot, and yet nothing, too. Bill Ferguson and Bob Smith will lead
our club in fine fashion in 2002.
52. I have no movie to
recommend. Go see "The Nutcracker," because I'm sure you've all seen Harry
Potter by now--was he a club member at one time?
.
