Stories

UR Cover Girl: Lisa Demoney, daughter of Ed and Rosalie, is on the cover of this month's Ultrarunning Magazine. If you want to see the photo, go to the Ultrarunning Web site and scroll down to December 2002. (You will note that Bethany Hunter was on the April cover that same year. There, unlike on the copy you paid for, the photo is in color and there is no mailing label on top of it. Let's see, you subscribe to UR, why??

Fat Taffy Kiss 50 km: It was wet. It was muddy. It was fun. A lot of people had a lot of fun at the VHTRC's annual Fat Ass 50, this year named "the Fat Taffy Kiss 50 km." A report, results, and pictures are now available.

Horton Takes Seniors Title at JFK: On a cold, windy day, many VHTRC members joined 862 finishers of the 40th JFK 50 miler. David Horton held off Scott Mills to add another JFK title to the many he already has. Fellow Lynchburgher, Bethany Hunter was second woman. Ian Torrence was third overall. The early start worked out well, at least for this reporter. Running toward the head of the pack on the AT as the sky reddened to the east, brought the feeling of the starting quarterback -- on the JV team. On the tow path, one could see the leaders as they ran past. As usual, JFK was an opportunity to see old friends. Chris Scott joined me in my 20th finish, just as he had for my 10th. Unfortunately, Rebecca Moore's comeback was halted near the end of the trail section by a nasty fall. While she had to drop, she had come back a long way and was ready. The JFK Web site has the results and the age group awards.

JFK Nepotism report: Tom Davidson of Jackson, Wyoming, finished his first JFK in 10:36. His mother, Lucia, finished her first JFK in 11:12. The photos available at this point are dominated by Davidsons. If you have pictures of some of the other 800+ participants, pick the best ones and send them on in.

Ancient Oaks 100 Miler: Former VHTRC member Monica Scholtz won this 100 miler in Florida. (Not "won the womens division," won the whole enchillada.) Mike Bur was the top male finisher. Ed Schultze finished in sixth. ...Results

Multimedia Presentation on the Massanutten Ring Run: Barry Lewis has done a piece for Greenworks on the Massanutten Ring Run. Be sure to listen to the perceptive comments by Chris and Anstr. VHTRC Page on the Massanutten Trail Run

Marge Burley Wins Division at Florida Triathalon: On November 9, Marge Burley finished the Florida Triathalon in Panama City Beach. Her time of 12:56 was first in her division and qualified her for the Kona Ironman. ...Results

Clapper Seventh at the Stone Cat 50 Miler: Joe ran in 8:21 at the GAC's Stone Cat 50 Mile in Massachusetts. Joe reports that it is a very fast course and that the GAC'ers were very hospitable. Also, the results are here on the GAC Web site Joe sent me pictures of him finishing and savoring his victory. These pictures are clearly fake. The Stone Cat 50 was, supposedly held in New England (I can't spell the name of the state it was held in), in November. These pictures have trees with green leaves and a guy without a shirt. They are clearly fakes.

Bridge over Troubled Waters: Steve Gass arranged for some of us to help the PATC build a bridge across Wolf Run on the Bull Run Trail. Mainly, we carried two telephone poles what will be the major supports of the bridge. When finished, this bridge will cross the one stream that always gets your feet wet. This will also cut about 20 yards each direction off the Bull Run Run course. Pictures: Carrying the Log | Placing the Second Log

Lakefront 50 Miler: Keith Knipling was 12th at the Lakefront 50 Miler in Chicago. Bill Wandel was 25th. It looked pretty cold to me. Results | Keith's Photos

Potomac Heritage Trail Run: It was a cool but beautiful day for the Potomac Heritage Trail Run held on November 2. About 50 people started the run. Several took shorter or "different" routes. At the end, there was hot food and cold drink. Thanks to Larry who organized it all, and to Jean and Dan who staffed the aid stations. It was another great event. Photos | Potomac Heritage Trail Run Page

JFK Training Run: On Saturday, October 26, a small group of us did about 20 miles on the JFK course and the south part of the Quad State (a "Tri-State"). It was a nice day with the trees just starting to turn colors. The obligatory collage | shot of the towpath | JFK Web Site

Peyton Finishes: Peyton completed his unsupported run of the C&O Canal Towpath at 4:30 AM on Wednesday, October 16. The Updates | Story on Peyton's site.

Andiamo: Harry Bruell won his second VHTRC event in row by leading 21 people across the finsish line at the Andimao on October 12. Anita Walker was the first woman. Harry won the Massanutten Trail 71 Miler in September. Results, a report, and pictures of the Andiamo are now available.

Saraniero Finishes Ironman: Rob Saraniero finished the Ironman world championships in Kona on October 19. His time was 12:21:37. Results are on the Ironman Web site.

Many Great Performances at Masochists: Derrick Carr lead a large field of VHTRC people at David Horton's Mt. Masochists 54 Mile Run on October 19. Derrick was seventh in a very strong field. Bethany Hunter was second woman, just 23 seconds out of first. Scott Mills and Robin Kane tied for 19th place. Scotty won the 50-59 age group and Robin the Clydesdale division. Meanwhile, John DeWalt won the over 60 age group. There were many other VHTRC finishers. Sean Andrish won the event and Courtney Campbell was second. Sean lives in the Leesburg area so he is sort of a local. All reports are that David put on yet another great fall run in Lynchburg. ...Mt. Masochists Web site | Results | Report by Brian McNeill

Bay Bridge Marathon: Prasad Gerard was 28th and Lucia Davidson won her division at the Baybridge Marathon in Virginia Beach. I understand someone was going to do the Masochists-Bay Bridge double.

Women's Trail Half Marathon: Jeanne Christie's report on the run is now available. Additionally, Tom Corris sent very good pictures that are now on like. Check them out on the photo page. They are the top two choices now. WHM 2002 Report Page

TEAM VHTRC at VentureQuest: Joe Clapper reports:

"We came in 9th overall, out of 93, and 2nd masters. For most of the race we competed like a single animal of prey: Derrick was the brain, Scottie was the strong mid section that carried the team, and I was the ass end.

"Derrick and Scott were especially outstanding when they carried me in a firemen's carry for the last 3 miles and passed two teams in the process.

"However, I took the leadership role when we got to beer drinking."

It looks to me as if they did a lot of push ups. These pictures come from Kristen Burke who explains that the team was asked questions and, when they missed them, they had to do push ups.
VentureQuest Web site | Pictures by Kristen Burke

John Dodds Finishes Arkansas 100 Miler: In what has to be John's four millionth long run this year, he finished Arkansas in under 24 hours. I did not see any other VHTRC finishers but did see several big names in trail running including Anne Trason who got third overall. ...Results on David Blaikie's site | Read John's Report

Vermont 50 Miler: New England VHTRC members Deb Reno and John Prohira finished the Vermont 50 Mile run on September 28. John Prohira's report is now available. ...Vermont 50 Web Site

That Benign Trail Marathon: We have read all the "whining" about the "benign marathon," aka the Blue Marsh Trail Marathon in Reading, PA, that John Dodds sucked so many people into a couple of weeks ago. Here are the pictures courtesy of Gena Bonini. First, a picture of the group of VHTRC runners. Second, a picture of Gena Bonini and Laura Kulsik finishing with some guy. (You won't care who the guy is.)

Greenway Trail Run: Michele Burr and Linda Wack arranged a great training run on the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail on Saturday, September 28. We ran the entire length of the trail and saw several deer, box turtles, etc. We did not see any "bares." Many know of this great trail, but if you don't, you need to go discover it. Photos: Collage One | Collage Two | Trail Web Site

Wasatch Front 100 Miler: On September 8, Ian Torrence led the VHTRC contingent with a fourth place finish at Wasatch. Ian also completed the Vermont Grand Slam in the quickest time ever recorded. (Dan Barger holds the record for the traditional OD Grand Slam.) Other VHTRC finishers were Jeff Holdaway, Greg Loomis, who also did the Slam, and Peyton Robinson. Congrats to all The results are well hidden on Wasatch Web site.

Haliburton 100: Ed Schultz reports:

At least five VHTRC members participated in the Haliburton trail race this weekend [September 7-8]. I have not seen the results yet but I am pretty sure Monica Scholz won the women's race. [Editors note: Monica was a member but is not currently.] This after finishing Badwater a few weeks ago. Kevin Sayers as usual finished up front, finishing his fifth 100 miler of the year (he made time to go swimming in the lake between the first and second out and back as he was just having fun while the rest of worked so hard to stay out in the forest longer). John Prohira accompanied by car loads of fellow Rochester runners, finished strong and was followed by Brian MacNeil finishing his first 100 miler. Brian had a great race. He was strong and determined the entire time and sprinted in the last 4 miles. I came in close to the end and the VHTRC contingent earned a 100% completion rate. Haliburton Forest is a beautiful course surrounded by lakes in a remote section of Canada. Helen the race director did a wonderful job all around, the volunteers were great but we did not get to see the wolves they advertise.

Also, read John Prohira's report.
...Haliburton Web site

Six Added to Massanutten Trail Finishers List: Harry Bruell led five others to finish the 71 mile Massanutten Trail. The runners had beautiful weather and excellent support from the dedicated volunteers. Results and a preliminary report are now available. Also be sure to see the injury to VHTRC President for Life Chris Scott. Photos are now available.

Quad State Quad Buster Cancelled: Ok, we wussed out. And it didn't even rain that much. We had three excuses: (1) Tired from the WHM; (2) It was going to rain and thunder a lot; and (3) Chris couldn't run. Real reason? We enjoyed ourselves at Chris's going away party.

Rock Creek Park Training Run--Sept 21 It was warm at the training run. The run saw the return of two names from the past. From the recent past was Russ Evans, on his third trip back from injury. He reported that he was good at the end and had no soreness. Also at the run was David Powell, a name from the old days. Among David's many claims to fame was a win at OD. WHM veteran, Heidi Dickens showed up and almost got a Scotty. Her whining "Are we there yet" never included a nasty word, so she missed joining the elite group of female Scotty winners. She could have had an easy Scotty by using the Colleen gambit -- the "F word" used to modify "JFK," but Heidi didn't stoop to that. It was warm, however. We also saw four deer.

WHM Training Run and Mens Cheerleading Tryout: On Saturday, August 31, we had a great turn out at the last practice run for the Women's Half Marathon. The day began with the male cheerleading squad practicing its form and rhythm. The crowd was amazed. We took the obligatory group photo and then we were off to run on the beautiful trail. We finished with a social hour and admiration of the best blood award winner.
Collage One | Collage Two | Scenes of the first practice run | WHM Home Page

Pikes Peak Marathon Report: Phil Silas's report of his adventure at the Pikes Peak Marathon is on Joe Malinowski's Lake Ridgerunners Web site.

Leadville Results: Ian Torrence was the first VHTRC finisher. Other VHTRC finishers included: Mike Bur, King Jordan, Stuart Kern, and Greg Loomis. The results are on the Leadville Web Site. Congratulations to all the finishers!

Bruell and Knipling Boys Do Well at Catoctin: It was a beautiful day. No humidity and not too hot. But the rocks and the logs are still there. (Could someone donate a chain saw to the Maryland park service?) As usual, Kevin Sayers and his wonderful volunteers did a fantastic job. Harry Bruell led all VHTRC finishers in second place behind winner Howard Nippert. Keith Knipling was fifth and Derrick Carr was seventh. Dispite reports to the contrary, Gary Knipling was not in the top ten, but he was 11th -- pretty good for an old guy. Karen Shively was the first VHTRC woman finisher. (I hear she is working on her spelling.) Results are now available on the Catoctin 50 km Web site | Pictures on the VHTRC site

Flashes from the Past: Jack McGiffin reports that he and Keith Brophy finished the Pacific Crest Trail 50mile/50K on August 10. This is a beautiful, tough trail run in Oregon. Jack and Keith are VHTRC members from the old days. Jack was in the UK for several years, but now lives in Oregon. Keith lives in Michigan, having attended Michigan or Michigan State -- I can't remember. (Does it matter?) We hope to see them in this area soon. Mt. Hood Pacific Crest Trail 50 Web site.

Catherine's Fat Ass: On Saturday, July 27, Peyton and Jeff held the third running of Catherine's Fat Ass, a low key, tough run in the Massanutten Mountains south of Route 211. As is normal for a Fat Ass run, the results are creative, if not down right weird. "Results" | Catherine's Fat Ass Web Site.

Margie is Tough at Badwater On July 24, Margie Schlundt finished the Badwater 135 Mile run in 46:31:16 to earn the coveted belt buckle for running under 48 hours. The Badwater course runs from the lowest spot in the United States, Badwater in Death Valley, to the base of Mt. Whitney, California, the highest spot in the lower 48 states. On one of the days of the run, Death Valley was the hottest spot in the nation. Pictures of Margie Finishing | Badwater Web site | Web cast | NPR Story

Vermont 100: Many VHTRC members finished the Vermont 100 Miler on July 20. Leading VHTRC finishers were Ian Torrence and Sue Johnston. Mike Campbell's Report | John Prohira's Report | Results | Vermont 100 Web site

Anstr's Run und Fest: The annual Run und Fest, this year on two different days. The Fest was on June 29. A good group showed. The Old Anstruther Brewery's latest batch played to good reviews. For those not wanting to drink beer, there was Coors Light. Gary, as usual, made it easy for the rest of us guys. The run had been held on June 23. Here are some photos of the run: Participants | Scenes from the Run | Why you don't run on the Potomac Heritage Trail upstream from Potomac Overlook Park 1 | More Rocks

SCAT Award: Chris Scott reports: "Before Anstr got too ripped at his Annual Fest, he received special recognition for his work for the Club. Prez-for-Life Chris had the honor of presenting the Furbutt SCAT Award to Anstr for his Sustained Contribution towards Advancing Trailrunning. While the Club generally earns its outstanding recognition in the trail community through its many spectacular events, much of its daily evidence owes gratitude to Anstr for not just the presence of the VHTRC website, but also the unique personality it conveys. For his continuous work at promoting the Club specifically and trail running generally, Anstr received both a small baggy of freshly-acquired Massanutten scat, as well as framed artwork of the Club’s mascot, Furbutt. Upon receiving the SCAT Award, Anstr’s acceptance speech proved that we had in fact given him recognition a few beers too late… Thanks, Anstr, for all you’ve done for the Club…!!!"

And thank you to Chris's brother Pete for the wonderful rendition of Furbutt. I really appreciate it. --Anstr

Delaware 50 km: Several VHTRC members ran the first Deleware 50 km but on by the Trail Dawgs. Jaret Seiberg has submitted a Delaware 50K report.

Western States Photos: VHTRC member and now-left coaster Scott Rafferty has several good pictures from Western States on his Web site. Besides the picture linked to above, Scott has a good picture of John Hayward. Derrick finished 23rd in 20:19. Scott came in about an hour later and lost to fifty-year-old Rae Clark by only 12 minutes. Rae had been training for the 50 and over course record -- 18:44 but Scotty almost beat him. (See the Sacremento Bee article.) Greg Loomis finished in 23:24, John Hayward in 26:06, and Paul Blackman in 29:36. Scott Jurek and Ann Trayson won. Western States home page | More WS Photos

Gary Sees the Bear, New Photo: We have all seen the picture of the alleged bear, but here, from Bill VanAntwerp (or was it Russ) is the picture of Gary after seeing the bear. He was happy!

Flowers for Gary: Chris and I ran the Jeremy Run loop on Saturday, June 22. We recorded all the flowers for Gary. Here they are.

Crossing the Chesapeake Bay: Margie reports: Stan Duobinis successfully completed the 4.4 mile swim across the Chesapeake Bay on June 16. In a classic picture that was not captured on film, he collapsed on the beach as he exited the water. His time was 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 15 seconds.

Dedication of the Massanutten Trail: On June 22, the Forest Service dedicated the Massanutten Trail. Much of this trail was built with volunteer labor, much of it by the Massarock Crew who cut the ribbon to officially open the trail. The dedication ceremony was a celebration of the partnership between the volunteers and the Forest Service. It was held in a small clearing on the trail just to the east of the Crisman Hollow Road. The VHTRC had a small, but important role to play in the completion of the trail as we opened a section south of Moreland Gap two years ago. Chris Scott and I represented the VHTRC at the ceremony. Information about the Dedication.

Bur and Shiley Excel at Mohican 100: Mike Bur led through 38 miles and was in the top four until he added 40 minutes to his time by getting lost. He finished in 10th place in 22:41. Karen Shiley won the women's division in 23:50. Other VHTRC finishers included John Prohira and Tommy Trask. ...Mohican 100 Web site. Report by John Prohira.

Heishman Wins Bighorn 100 Miler: Jean Heishman was the first woman at the Bighorn 100 Mile run in Wyoming. Among Jean's many contributions to trail running, both she and Larry to two aid stations at MMT -- Milford Gap and Elizabeth Furnace. ...Bighorn Results. Jean finished the OD Ride in 18:59 the previous weekend. She was 14th out of 24 starters. ...Old Dominion Ride Web Site

Volunteers Party: Everyone had a good time at the annual party for VHTRC volunteers on June 8. New this year, were runner of the year awards. Michele Burr was the female runner of the year and Scott Mills was the male. Keith Knipling was the most improved runner and Bill Van Antwerp, in a very competitive category, was the volunteer of the year. Entertainment was provided by the Hasbeens, and a lot of crazy VHTRC members. I got a bunch of pictures and am selling the negatives for a lot of money.

Laurel Highlands: VHTRC finishers included Sue Johnston (winning woman), Byron Powell (fifth man), Deb Pero, Susan Baehre, Chris Scott, John Weitzel, Bill LaDieu, John Dodds, Gena Bonini, and Brian McNeill. Results are on the Laurel Highlands Web Site. Deb Pero has some pictures at her photo site. Race reports: by John A. Dodds, by Chris Scott, and by Brian McNeill

"Old Dominion" Reports: Chuck Jackson, who is a sports correspondent for the Northern Virginia Daily, has sent me three articles that he wrote about the 100 mile run that was held in Woodstock over Memorial Day weekend. While there was some controversy over this event, these reports shed some interesting light on the situation. Chuck sent these to me a few days ago. The delay in posting them is mine. (Chuck helped out at the Woodstock Tower aid station at MMT.) Thanks Chuck. "Old Dominion Reports": Preview, Report, Sidebar, and Results from the event age.

VHTRC Members Finish Kettle Moraine: Ed Schultze reports that Kerry Owens, John Dodds, Jaret Seiberg, and he finished either the 100k or the 100 miler at Kettle Moraine in Wisconsin on June 1-2. Ed noted that, despite a very low overall finishing rate, the VHTRC contingent had 100%. Ed said that it was hot. In a separate message, John Dodds corrected Ed to say that it was very hot. (Ok, John did not use the word "very." The VHTRC Code on Morality and Family Values prevents us from using the word that John used.) Results are now on the Kettle Moraine Web site. Anyone who read John's report of his run at MMT will marvel that he was back out there. He obviously has not been taking his medication. NEW! Report by John Dodds joins the report by Jaret Seiberg

Gary Finally Sees a Bear! Well, they say it finally happened. I have received two reports that Gary Knipling, the great outdoorsman who has only seen bears in Yogi the Bear cartoons, saw a real bear last weekend. He was participating with Bill Sublett, Bill VanAntwerp, and Keith Knipling in their annual leap frog journey of the Appalachian Trail in the Shenandoah National Park. Gary saw the bear just north of Big Meadows. Keith and Bill V. also saw the bear and are stiking with the story. If you doubt that there is a bear in that picture above, here is a digitally enhanced version that proves conclusively it was either a bear, or a smudge on the camera lens. I am sure we will hear all about this at the volunteers party. Gary claims that this was the second bear he saw on the run, but he has no corroboration for the other one and, in his deep longing to see a bear, anything that wass dark and moved was going to be a bear.

Lee and Fenstermacher Lead Largest MMT Field: Tim Lee and Courtney Fenstermacher led 131 starters at the 2002 MMT 100. The weather was great, there were no serious mishaps, and the runners enjoyed the aid stations and course markings that MMT is famous for. Results, reports, photos, updated all time lists, and much more are all linked from the MMT 2002 Report Page.

Massanutten Trail Hike: Wil Kolhbrenner has reported:

Joyce and Jim Maw, from Hopewell, VA, completed the first thru hike of the Massanutten Trail today [May16]. Five and half days for the 71 miles.

Chris Scott and Anstr Davidson are claiming to be the first to have run the trail all in one shot.

Carr and Mills Star at Capon Valley: Derrick Carr's second place was just a minute behind the winner and Scott Mills won the 50 and over age group at the Capon Valley 50 Km Run. This event has quickly become a popular spring run. Numerous VHTRC members finished. I hear it was muddy! Results and photos are available on the IPlayOutside site. The photo to the right is used with permission of IPlayOutside.

Scott and Demoney Humble Trayson at Miwok 100 Km VHTRC members Chris Scott and Ed Demoney finished the Miwok 100 Km in Marin County, California on May 4. Chris was just under 13 hours and Ed was just under 16. Anne Trayson did not finish. Need we say more?

Promise Land 50km: The big news for VHTRC folks at David Horton's Promise Land 50km was in the women's 40-49 age group where Susan Baehre and Deb Pero took the top two spots. Steve Pero won the 50-59 age group. The results are on David's Web site.

Bonnie Day Memorial Web Page: Joe Malinowski has put up a memorial Web page for Bonnie Day. Bonnie died when she fell at the Dogwood 50km on the Massanutten Trail near Shawl Gap. Bonnie was a member of the Lake Ridge Ridgerunners and participated in the VHTRC Women's Half Marathon and the Eagle Run. Bonnie was a good friend to several VHTRC members. The picture above is courtesy of the Lake Ridge Ridgerunners.

Dogwood 50km: The April 20 Dogwood was rerouted at the last minute because of a lightening-caused forest fire Friday night near the Tuscarora trail just after Powell's Fort Camp. The new route made for a 34 mile run. Derrick Carr and Robin Kane tied for the win in about the same time it took Derrick to run BRR (7:18). Other finishers were Tom Nielsen, Joe Clapper, Bill Wandel, Carolyn Gernand, and Alan and Pam Gowen. Alan finished 11th after a year of enforced inactivity due to an injury. (Based on reports from Scott Mills and Alan Gowen). Results are on the Dogwood Web Site

Massanutten Trail Circuit Report Available: On Monday, April 8, Chris Scott and Anstr Davidson finished the 71 mile Massanutten Trail completing what they believe is the first run of the entire trail in one shot. Read reports by Chris Scott and Anstr Davidson.

Umstead 100 and 50: Read Jaret Seiberg's Umstead 100 Miler report. It looks as if most people did the 50 at Umstead on April 6-7. Results are on the Umstead site

Three do the BRR/BAA Double: Two Canadian Mercenaries, Steve Burrows and Paul Raymond celebrated joining the Five Star Club, by running both the Bull Run and the Boston Marathon. Steve completed Bull Run in 69th overall with a time of 9:32:40 and Boston - 6598 overall with a chip time of 3:38:27. Paul completed Bull Run 96th overall with a time of 9:57:30 and Boston - 7863 overall with a time of 3:44:00. The pair had driven over 2800 km. to complete in both races. John Dodds also did the Bull Run Run 50 / Boston Marathon double. John was 35th at BRR in a time of 8:48. Then John was 6488th at Boston in a time of 3:40:47 (3:35:11 chip time). Any others do this feat? John Dodds's BRR Report

Lewis and Burr Win The 2002 BRR: Barry Lewis and Michele Burr led a field of 289 starters and 254 finishers in the tenth battle of the Bull Run Run 50 Miler. The weather was a bit warm. Pictures, results, and updated all time data are now available at the BRR 2002 Report Page. Note: I will e-mail the original of your picture for free. See the instructions on the picture page.

Mills Wins Age Group at HAT Run: East Coast trail running's annual rite of spring, the Hinte-Anderson Trail Run was held on March 23. Many VHTRC members joined 320 runners on the starting line. The weather was a bit cold but sunny. Scott Mills won the 50-59 division. Karen Shively was fourth woman, Robin Kane was ninth overall. Amy Bloom tied for fifth woman and Susan Baehre was eighth. Barry Lewis won with Courtney Campbell in second. Thanks to Jeff and Phil for another great event. Prelimiary results are on the HAT Site.

Probst Wins Division at U.S. 50k Road Championships: At the GNC 50k on March 23 in Pittsburgh, Frank Probst was 21st overall and first in the 55-59 age group. Meanwhile, Bill LaDieu was 23rd and 2nd in the 50-54 age group. ...Results

Fairfax County 40 Miler: Several VHTRC members participated in the Fairfax Cross County 40 Miler Fat Ass on March 10. Read Jaret Seiberg's report of the event. ...Run Web Site

Coyote Fourplay: Chris Scott and the JABOYS pulled off another orgy of running in the mountains and hills around Ventura, California. The weather was cool and the breeze a bit brisk, but the views were fantastic. Pictures and a Report and Results.

Catawba Run-Around: Keith Knipling put on the Catawba Run-Around to rave reviews. Pictures on Keith Knipling's site.

VHTRC Members on Ultrarunner of the Year Lists: Ultrarunning Magazine, the magazine you don't need much time to read especially when your own name isn't listed very many times, has named VHTRC club members Monica Scholz and Sue Johnston as the fourth and eleventh ranking female ultrarunners of 2001. Ok, they don't live around here, but we got their ten bucks so it counts! In related listings, the Bull Run Run was the fourth largest 50 miler in the country and MMT was seventh largest 100 miler. Regretably, Michele Burr's amazing win at the Vermont 70 Miler did not qualify as the performance of the year since Michele was the only runner entered in the race. (Everyone else did the 100.) Congratulations ladies! You prove that the VHTRC is the best running club for women in all of Virginia--even if none of you live in the state!

Buzzards Marathon: Think that all Pennsylvania trails are rocky, overgrown, and go staight up the mountain? Well you are right! Harry Smith and the Buzzards put on the fifth Buzzards Marathon on March 10. The course was brutal but beautiful. Check out my pictures, those of John Weitzel, and read the report from a Delaware Trail Dawg. Thanks to Harry, the Buzzards, and Slackerboy Brewery for the great hospitality!

Potomac Overlook Trail Runs: The results and photos from the Potomac Overlook Trail Runs are now available. They are on the Food for Others Web site.

Dennis Herr Finishes the TWOT On February 23, 24 people showed up for the Wild Oak Trail 100 miler. Most were there only do to one of the four 25-mile loops. But Dennis Herr finished all four loops in 34:02, a course record. Nine people started the second loop and ran through the cold night Results 2002 | Pictures | TWOT page.

Probst Kicks Butt at Holiday Lake 50km: Frank Probst, 58, was 12th overall at David Horton's Holiday Lake 50km on February 16. The results are on David's web page. Other VHTRC finishers include John Hayden, who finished just ahead of Frank, Steve Pero, Keith Knipling, Gary Richwine, Kerry Owens, Danny McDonnell, Kevin O'Connor, Chris Rivera, Bob Coyne, Deb Pero, Bill Turrentine, Tom Corris, Gena Bonini, Vicki Kendall, James Moore, and Keith Dunn.

They are all gone but one! On Presidents' Day, Peyton Robinson, Mike Campbell, Tom Corris, and Anstr Davidson joined PATC chainsaw guys Wil Kohlbrenner and Mike Sutherland on the Massanutten Trail between Woodstock Tower and Edinburg Gap. The trail was not that bad, but there were a lot of trees down. But we got them all--all but one. But you can get around it. (We could have gotten that one, too, but it was getting late and we knew that there were higher priority targets ahead. As it was, we got to the end of the trail at 6 PM.) It's still pretty rough out there!

Work Party: Great weather made for good work conditions at the annual VHTRC work party on February 9. Twenty-two volunteers spent a day working on the trails. ...Report and Photos (new photos from Chris Scott added on Monday evening)

Uwharrie 40 Miler: Bob Coyne reports that Kerry Owens was the 2nd woman at the Uwharrie 40 Miler in North Carolina on February 2. Keith Knipling was 14th and Jaret Seiberg was 25th, while John Heywood, Bill Wandel and Bob also finished. The results are on David Blaikie's site.

VHTRC Women Grab Second and Third at Rocky Racoon 100: Greg Loomis was fourth at the Rocky Racoon that was held February 2-3 in Texas. Sue Johnston was second woman and Michele Burr was third in a time that was two hours faster than her winning time last year. Frank Probst was just over 18 hours, and then came Jeff Holdaway (his first sub-20), Kevin Sayers, Bill Van Antwerp, and Grant Holdaway (father of Jeff). The photo above is from Peyton Robinson by way of Michele Burr. This and other photos should be on Peyton's Rocky Racoon site soon. Reports from Mike Campbell, John Prohira, and Bill Van Antwerp (on the Reston Runners site). The results are on David Blaikie's site.

Eighty-five Runners Enjoy Eagle Run XI: In perfect weather, we had another great Eagle Run Sunday. We saw eagles in Belmont Bay, Pohick Bay, from Gunston Hall, and from Eagle Point. At Gunston Hall, several eagles flew right over head. Hot pizza, cool t-shirts, and a post run social hour rounded out the day. The exact eagle count is subject to further review, but it was about 33. The only problem was that the VHTRC leadership bought too much beer for the post run festivities and had to take home the extra. Darn! A big thanks to Gary and his whole family for another great event. Pictures by Chris Scott in the Eagle Run photo album. Especially see Larry Ryan's picture of an eagle in a tree.

Slug Redeye Run 50 Km: A small group started out the New Year at the annual Team Slug Redeye 50 km run. It was cold but clear and the trail was dry. Dan "G-Man" Grayson put on a great event with plenty of food and drink at the one aid station. Not sure who "won." That doesn't matter much at a Slug run. The new course was great--each loop is now about 5 miles. I expect that Dan will have a report. I got some pictures.