Stories

Ed's Birthday Party! We had a great time at Ed's birthday party. Rosalie prepared great food and many others brought dishes. We sang Happy Birthday to Ed. Ed's birthday gift was a contribution in his name to Food for Others. Thanks to all who made the party such a great success! (Don't believe the scurrilous rumors about the conduct of this reporter. He did not "pass out." He was just napping.) Photo Collages: One, Two, Three.

Ed passed on the following:

Rosalie and I really enjoyed the festivities on New Year's Eve as I entered a new age group.... The photo collages indicate everyone was having a good time. Please convey our thanks to VHTRC runners and their friends for a wonderful evening. Food for Others appreciates the $307 contribution.... Now if I can get some good training miles on the trails in 2004, I'll compete valiantly for VHTRC, in my new age group that is.

Tai Aon Yaon 50k -- Fat Ass 50k: President Clapper was busy with other affairs of state, so our computer generated results were delayed a bit. But now we have them. ...Tai Aon Yaon 50k Results

Schwartzbard Finishes Second; Knipling Takes Age Group Honors at Hellgate 100km: There were 44 finishers at the first Hellgate 100km. Aaron Schwartzbard was second overall. Gary Knipling won his age group. (Ok, Gary was unopposed, but that's pretty good for an old man.) Report by Tom Corris | Keith Knipling's Elevation Chart | Report by Jaret Seiberg | Hellgate Results | Hellgate Web Site (Be sure to read other reports on the Hellgate site, including Aaron's and Gary's.)

Picture of the Week: The Picture of the Week was submitted by one of our New Hampshire members.

Our Ambassador to New England: Gary Knipling has selflessly taken on the role of VHTRC Ambassador to New England. To fulfill his duties, he makes frequent trips up there and promotes friendly relations with the natives. He recently sent photographs from his official travels. Judging from Gary's reports, there is a serious dearth of men in New England since he seems to only meet ladies. These pictures show: Gary With Some Friendly Natives | Gary Receiving a Gift from a Native | Native Women at Work

Another Honor for Bethany: Bethany Hunter has been named the Female Trail Runner of the Year by Trail Runner Magazine. Bethany had several big achievements during the year including setting the course record at MMT, finishing the Tuscarora Trail, and more recently winning JFK. Congratulations to Bethany!

Bethany Hunter Wins JFK 50: The weather was fair, the day beautiful, and the course tough as 828 people finished the 41^st JFK 50 Miler. VHTRC member Bethany Hunter was the women's winner in a time of 7:20. Dave Mackey was the overall winner in 5:55. (Running Times Article on Mackey.) Seventy-five year old race founder Buzz Sawyer (right) finished in 13:34 -- only 24 minutes slower than what he did 40 years ago. Many old friends were there including Joe Trask and Art Moore each from Ohio and Joe Lugiano from North Carolina. Another flash from the past was former champion and current VHTRC member, Bridget Brunnick, who finished in 8:24. Senator Max Baucus finished, as did the Reston Furbutts. Remember Ferdinand the Bull who just wanted to smell the flowers? Well Bill Van Antwerp decided JFK was supposed to be "fun" but the Furbutts got 8th out of 24 teams anyway. Most importantly, it was the birthday of club membership chairwoman Brenda Davidson. What a lucky girl! She spent her big day crewing! And thanks to Mike Bur for the Knob Creek Aid Station. Poem by Tom Corris | Photos | JFK 50 Miler Web Page | Results | Team Results | Baltimore Sun Story.

Honoring Vets on Veterans Day: On Veterans Day, a small group of VHTRC runners toured Washington's memorials that are dedicated to "those who served." The course included the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and saying hello to President Abe. (The Lincoln Memorial is not, strictly speaking, a memorial to veterans, but it has Lincoln's Gettysburg Address which, even if not really written on the back of an envelop, has a lot to say to and about Vets.) The day brought thoughts of the various experiences of many Vets. It seems that all the cool Vets of this reporter's era now have pony tails. Of course, this reporter was pretty much just a REMF. ...A Few Photos

Great Day at Stone Cat Run: A large contingent of VHTRC runners invaded the North for the G.A.C. Stone Cat 50 Mile and Marathon on Saturday, November 8. The weather was sunny and dry, but very cold. Gilly, Jeff, and all the G.A.C.'ers were fantastic hosts with a great course, wonderful aid stations, and post run refreshments. Only Marty Lindemann and Bryon Powell finished the 50 miler. Others did the marathon or the undocumented 37 miler. Pictures | Stone Cat Results | Report by Tom Corris

Potomac Heritage 50km: Kerry Owens and her excellent helpers carried on the tradition of the Potomac Heritage 50k in fine fashion. A large crowd ran on the trails in Rock Creek Park and on the Potomac Heritage Trail in gorgeous weather. Photos: Starters | Collage One | Collage Two | Potomac Heritage 50km Page | Kerry's Report and Results

Furnace Creek 508: This is Joe Clapper's report of "Team Salamander" at the Furnace Creek 508 ultra bike race in the great Mohave Desert in California. As VHTRC President Joe said, "I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this write up until our president finds those weapons of mass destruction." Photos: Collage | Long Road | Sunrise | Sunset

Retirement Trip: Here is Anstr's report of his retirment tour to the great state of Wyoming where there are more electoral votes per voter than any other state, but it doesn't matter because Wyoming always votes Republican anyway.

Both Course Records Fall at Masochists: In perfect weather, both the men's and women's course records were improved at David Horton's Mountain Masochists 50 Miler. Dave Mackey won in 6:48:31 while VHTRC member Bethany Hunter was the winning woman in 8:14:47. VHTRC member Sean Andrish was second, 10 minutes behind Mackey. Many VHTRC people finished. Thoughts on the Mt. Masochists Trail Run | Photos by Brenda in collages: One | Two | Three. On David's site: Results | MMTR Page.

Tussey Mountainback 50 Miler: Jaret Seiberg ran this event in Pennsylvania. Read his report. This was, apparently, a dirt road run, not a trail, but what is wrong with that? We will all be on dirt roads, not trails at David's run this weekend!

Congrats to Mike Bur! Mike finished the Last Great Race when he finished Angeles Crest. No wonder the women all love him! AC Results | Last Great Race

Odyssey Adventure Double Ironman: Ed Schultze reports: "Two...VHTRC club members went down to Lake Anna Virginia and completed the Odyssey Adventure Double Ironman this past weekend. I worked real hard to 'anchor' our team and almost got to be the last one in. Aaron Schwartzbard on the other hand, had the nerve to be among the top finishers. I am not sure when Aaron finished, but I thought he might have been the second fastest swimmer and probably in the top five for the bike segment. Anyway, he finished in great form- way up front and by the time I got in, he looked fresh, had changed and was looking as if he could run another race. It was a tough event and the running was all on a road."

Arkansas Traveller 100 Miler: On October 5, Kevin Black, Jay Finkle, and Mike Dobies finished the Arkansas Traveller 100 Miler in the Ouachita National Forest, Perryville, Arkansas. ...Results

The Bear: David Horton and Peyton Robinson finshed the Bear 100 miler in Idaho on September 26-27. Bear Results. Meanwhile, Peyton will start a trek of the C&O Canal on October 12.

Big Schloss Fat Ass/Belly: All reports are that Steve Platt and Amy Bloom put on a great the Big Schloss Fat Ass/Belly on September 27. Results

The Ring September 6 saw the second edition of the Ring, a 71 mile circuit of the Massanutten Trail. There were 12 starters and nine finishers.

Wasatch 100: On September 6-7, several VHTRC runners finished the Wasatch Front 100 in Utah. Tom Nielsen, Russ Evans, Mike Bur, Jeff Holdaway, Brian McNeill, and Susan Baehre finished. Mike completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. (The finishers list is sort of hard to find.) Also, see Russ Evans's Pictures.

VHTRC Womens Half Marathon: Kirstin Eddy set a course record in repeating her victory of last yeat at the VHTRC Womens Half Marathon Trail Run, on September 13. The trail was wet but not muddy as 162 women finished the eleventh version of this popular event. Results and pictures are now available on the WHM Report Page.

Knipling Second at Superior Trail 100: In news slow to get to VHTRC news headquarters, Keith Knipling was second at the Superior Trail 100 Miler held on the Superior Hiking Trail in northeastern Minnesota on September 6-7. Results.

Great Eastern: Several VHTRC runners did well at the Great Eastern 50 km. Aaron Schwartzbard was second overall, Barry Lewis was third, and Monika Bracken was the third woman. Age group winners were Linda Wack, Vicki Kendall, and Jim Cavanaugh. A lot of other people ran the event. ...Results

Sublett Finishes Cascade Crest 100: Russ Evans reports: "I just got a voice mail from Bill Sublett. He completed the Cascade Crest Classic 100 Miler on August 24 in 30:42! He said the course was beautiful and he had a lot of fun, but it kicked his butt. After a fitful night of sleep, he is heading to Seattle for some sightseeing. Results

VHTRC Photo of the Week: Steve Pero sent this picture from Johnathon Whitehead's Wild River 50K held last weekend in Maine. (He sent the picture to Gary Knipling and me. Not sure why he picked us!) Steve said of this picture:

I thought you two would enjoy this photo taken at a great run we had here in the Whites this past weekend...this is a photo of two of the best looking trail babes we have. The guy in the middle is Rick Kerby, MMT finisher this year who came up with his wife to run with us. Sue was running all day with her shorts pulled up and when I took this picture (with Rick's camera) I asked Deb to do the same and stand with Rick...Rick decided to do it also.

Derrick Carr Sixth at Leadville: Scott Mills reports that Derrick was awesome in very tough conditions -- cold and rain. He was second in his age group in 20:10. Only 39 of the 400 starters were under the 25 hour limit for the frying pan belt buckle. Mike Campbell finished in 26:58 and Mike Bur in 27:25. Leadville 100 Miler Web Site | Result Updates | Runner's Numbers

More Bonus Miles at the Catoctin 50km: Kevin Sayers and his dedicated volunteers put on another great Catoctin 50km on August 9. It was a humid, stale day with little sun or wind and a ton of perspiration. Howard Nippert and Serge Arbona blitzed the course for the furst two places with Harry Bruel and Tom Nielson third and fourth. Fifth overall and first woman by a mile (or two) was Michele Burr. Several other women had good days including former-slow-runner Vickie Kendall and always fast Terry Ottina. Meanwhile, this reporter led a group off course down a hill to a paved road that was not supposed to be there. Sorry about that. (Ok, I was talking!) As usual, the post-race social hour made it all worthwhile. Photo Collages: One | Two | Three | Four -- Catoctin Web Page

Seeing Purple Again: On July 26, Peyton Robinson and Jeff Reed put on another great Catherine's Fat Ass 50km on the Massanutten trails south of Route 211. These trails are beautiful, yet little used. The weather was warm, but not brutal. Dispite that, some including this reporter, lost it on the infamous purple trail which is not bad, other than that it comes at the wrong time, goes on forever, and is all up (except when it is down but then you are (or "I was") cramping). Harry Bruell, "king of the rocks," bested Derrick Carr for the "win." Joy Blitz was the first woman (sorry for missing her on the finishers list) and VHTRC "most improved female runner" Vicki Kendall, was second. At the end, there was plenty of fluid and grease replacement available. A big thanks to Peyton and Jeff for all of their work on this fun but tough event. (Normally, I would also thank the volunteers. But they appeared to be having entirely too much fun. They should give thanks that they did not have to run!) Results are on Peyton's site. Peyton also promises pictures soon. I took a few: Collage One | Collage Two.

Badwarter: Bill LaDieu finished Badwater in 52:49. That's over two full days in the heat! Those Syracuse guys are tough! So are the women. Women got first, third, and fifth overall in the race. Results | Badwater Home Page.

Vermont 100: Many VHTRC runners finished the Vermont 100 Miler. Father/daugher duo, Ed and Lisa Demoney, were among the finishers. Top VHTRC finishers were Kevin Sayers and Prasad Gerard. Results (ignore that it says "2002"). NEW! Read Jaret Seiberg's report.

Volunteer Party: It was quite an event. Fun with a surprise or two. The VHTRC awards were announced, we met Furbutt's Alaskan cousin, and somone tied the knot. Only downer was that Gary was not there. We toasted him anyway! Be sure to read the full report on the party and check out the pictures. NEW! Bunny Runyan adds her response to Volunteer of the Year Award to Gary Knipling's thanks for the James Moore award.

Rattlesnake Trail 50K: Several VHTRC runners finished the Rattlesnake Trail 50K in West Virginia. Bill Gentry was the first VHTRC finisher. Also finishing were Alan Gowen, Vicki Kendall, and Pam Gowen. Results

Moonlight Run West: Chris Scott, the co-inventer of the Moonlight run concept, submits this report from the left coast:

"Was up in Bishop/Lone Pine this past weekend [July 12-13], to do some of Deb Askew's running madness. She has the whole summer off, and gets in some terrific training in the mountains. Did 13 on Friday to about 12,800, another 11 on Sat to about 12,500, then on Sun/Mon, started at Horseshoe Meadows at around 10,000, and hiked thru the day and night (hitting one pass at 12,600 and another at 11,800), and used the full moon to light our way to Whitney's summit in time for the sunrise and moonset on opposite horizons. Including the trip down from the summit to Whitney Portal, we logged 42 miles in about 20 hours (including about 2 hours hang time on the summit waiting for and enjoying the sunrise). Attached fuzzy shot is from my camera, the lens of which was smudged for most of that trek. Incredibly awesome trip, with the moonlight reflecting off granite walls to light the path. Massive and humbling. Damn tiring, too..."

Change of Command: MMT second place finisher Robin Kane has taken command of the US Coast Guard Cutter Legare. (The ship is named after a lawyer. Hugh Swinton Legare was the 16th Attorney General of the United States.) Read Joe Clapper's report of the ceremony.

Knipling Boys, Dobies, DeWalt, and Deb Pero Finish Hardrock: Keith Knipling finished in 17th place in 35:47. Gary was 29th in 39:36. Mike Dobies was just behind Gary in 31st, 39:48. John DeWalt and Deb Pero also finished. The story of the event was the 60 year olds. Four finished. Alfred Bogenhuber, 64, was in 12th place, Gary is 60, John DeWalt is 67, and Hans Dieter Weisshaar was the last official finisher. He is 63. The results are at the live updates. The VHTRC contingent was composed of Keith and Gary Knipling, John DeWalt, Mike Dobies, Dennis Herr, and Deb and Steve Pero. (Marty Szekeresh is a former VHTRC'er.) Bill VanAntwerp and Bunny Runyan were there to crew. The training period for the run was documented in Keith Knipling's Web reports. ...Hardrock Home Page

Browntown Loop: Twenty-one people showed up at 4 AM on July 4th for the Browntown Loop. The trail was wet, the park was green, and the runners had a great deal of fun. Anstr's Collage | At Devil's Stairs Overlook | Crossing Skyline Drive (latter two photos by Mike Broderick)

Mills Wins Western States Seniors Title: Scott Mills finished in 21st place in 20:14 to beat everyone 50 and over at the Western States 100 in California. To no one's surprise, the overall winners were Scott Jurek and Ann Trason. There have been several drops among the VHTRC contingent. Other VHTRC finishers were Mike Bur, Marge Burley, Kevin Black, Prasad Gerard, Rich Shear, and John Prohira (sorry I left several of these out before). Original Grand Slammer Tom Green also finished. All this information is thanks to the Western States Webcast.

Nielsen and Hunter "Ultrarunners of the Month of May": The American Ultrarunning Association has named Tom Nielsen and Bethany Hunter Ultrarunners of the Month of May for their performances at MMT. More Bethany publicity. Check out Sports Illustrated.

River to River Training Run: Bob Coyne and Jaret Seiberg put on a training run across Montgomery County to Fletchers Boathouse. Read Mike Broderick's report and check out the photos: Photo Collage One | Photo Collage Two

Massanutten Declared "National Recreation Trail": The VHTRC played part in this designation. We built a small section, we maintain the Short Mountain stretch, and we endorsed the NRT designation last December. Perhaps most importantly, we actually use the trail. Department of Agriculture Press Release

Mohican: Janet Vincent and Brian McNeill finished the Mohican 100 Miler. (That's two 100's for Janet so far this year). ...Mohican 100 Web site

Bighorn 100: Karl Knipling finished the 50km at the Bighorn trail races in Wyoming. John Dodds and Jean Heishman finished the one hundred miler. John finished with Susan Donnelly who has run MMT several times. ...Bighorn Web site

Anstr's Run und Fest: Well, there was just a fest (no run) and it was fun. At least I had fun. Thanks to all who came. There is a lot of beer left over. (Darn, I hate it when that happens.) Highlight of the party was the annual hula hoop contest again won by Michele. Anstr, trying to relive days of past glory, failed miserably. Photo Collage

Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon: Terry Ottina ran a 4:00:52 at the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on June 21. She was 68th overall and 15th in her age group. Web Site with results

Laurel Highlands: Evan Sandt reported on the Ultra list that Ian Schoutten and Marcia Peters, both Buzzards, won Laurel Highlands. Vicki Kendall further reported that she, Farouk Elkassed, and Margie Hughes finished together in 20:02. Graham Zollman finished in 19:38.

Highland Sky 40 Miler: Clark Zealand and Anne Riddle were the winners. VHTRC finishers included Harry Bruell (4th), Tom Nielson (1st master), Bethany Hunter (2nd female), David Horton (1st Senior), Michele Burr, Linda Poteate, Billy Lese, Anita Walker, Jim Cavanaugh, Alan Gowen, Wayne Lapham, Tommy Trask, Mary Deppa, Maria Bertacchi, and Bill Wandel. The event received rave reviews for everything but the cutoff times. All agreed that it was as "long" as a 50 miler. (There were several VHTRC DNFs.) Results are on the IPlayOutside.

Leapfrog Adventure: On June 13-14, Bill Sublett, Russ Evans, Gary Knipling, and I did a leapfrog run (three guys run, one guy drives the vehicle during each five or six mile section) on the AT in the Shenandoah National Park. It was hard and beautiful. Took us about 37 hours. Saw two bears and many laurels in bloom. We also saw many northbound thru hikers. Check out some of the pictures in collage 1, collage 2, and collage 3.

VHTRC Dominates at Kettle Moraine 100 Miler: Keith Knipling reports that Kerry Owens was second woman overall and first open woman in a time of 23:40 "or so" at the Kettle Moraine 100 Miler. Keith was ninth overall and first open (under 40) man in 21:58. They had a good time and excellent weather until 2:00 AM, when it "poured a very cold thunderstorm" the rest of the race.

Old Dominion (old version): Mike Bur finished in 23:35. He reports that the mud on the trail parts of the course was really bad. The men's winner was Joe Kulak of Colorado in a time of 17 hours flat and the woman's winner and second place overall was Francesca Conte in a time right around 20 hours. Paul Ammann also finished in the 26 hours range. There were 28 starters and 14 finishers. Old Dominion Web Site

Swims and Triathalons: On June 7, Kevin Sayers swam the Bay Bridge swim for the ninth time in a row. Marge Burley was third in her age group at the Blackwater EagleMan Triathlon (the results are here).

Carr Wins Sauratown Trails 50 mile: Derrick Carr beat MMT 2002 champion Tim Lee to win the Sauratown Trails 50 mile in North Carolina on May 31. Other VHTRC finishers were Quatro Hubbard, Graham Zollman, and Anita Walker. Sauratown Trails 50 Web site.

VanAntwerp is Solo Team at Relay for Life: Bill VanAntwerp did the 20 hour Relay for Life in Reston as a one-person team. He did 51 miles in the face of a number of interruptions for weather and ceremonies. The event raised a lot of money for charity.

Bear Sightings: Two club members had separate bear sightings this weekend in the Shenandoah National Park. Russ Evans reported: "I was 'stumbling around' in SNP with Jeff Holdaway this morning, and 5 minutes into our run, we hear this 'Waaaa!' crying repeatedly. It was a very small bear cub about fifteen feet off the ground clinging to the side of a tree." Then the next day, Bill Sublett reported: "I saw two [bears] on my run in Shenandoah today. The first was a cub off the side of the trail on the climb from Skyline Drive up to Hawksbill. He ran away when he saw me but the other one practically walked up and posed for a picture. I was headed down White Oak Canyon from Skyland and he was walking up the trail sniffing at things on the ground. I looked up and saw him when he was about 30 feet in front of me. He saw me too but he didn't take much notice of me and kept on walking."

"Old Dominion:" The first of two events using the name Old Dominion occurred over Memorial Day weekend. VHTRC member Clarence Wilson finished the 100 miler while Mike Bur (fourth), John Dodds (fifth), Billy Lese, and Gary Glaser finished the 50 miler. Memorial Day OD Results

VHTRC Takes Top Two Places at Capon Valley 50km: Scott Mills reports that Barry Lewis won the event and Derrick Carr was second. Karen Shiley was the second woman. He also reported that it was muddy. (What else is new?) It appears from the results that Scotty was the first senior. Vicki Kendall was the first senior woman. ...Capon Valley Web Site (Photo at right courtesy of Evan Sandt)

Nielsen and Hunter Win Muddy MMT 100: Despite very wet weather, 71 runners of the 117 starters finished the 2003 MMT 100. Both the men's and women's championship were hotly contested. Everything you want to know about the event is linked from the report page

Gernand does Double Sierra Club: Carolyn Gernand did the Sierra Club 80K (50 mi) from Carderock to Weverton on the C&O Canal Towpath on Saturday, May 3, and then turned around and went back for 100 miles in 31:43. Her 50 mile split was 12:35. Carolyn helped James Moore on his C&O quest two years ago. Now she has done her own C&O accomplishment. The second half was unassisted, except for Peyton, who just happened to see her while on his second training run of the year, gave her a candy bar. Congratulations, Carolyn!

Strolling Jim: Meanwhile, James and Rebecca Moore finished the 25th annual Strolling Jim 41.2 mile run in Tennessee. This is a regular event for the Moores. James will be back at it at MMT this week!

Promise Land 50km: Derrick Carr and Tom Nielson tied for second in a cool, overcast Promise Land 50 km held on April 26. Promise Land lived up to its tough and beautiful reputation. You could see no distant views through the fog, but the waterfalls, streams, and wild flowers were exquisite. VHTRC men took all of the age group awards with Derrick and Tom wining the 40s, Scott Mills the 50s, and Frank Probst the 60s. On the women's side Kerry Owens was seventh overall. It was good to see King Jordan, Marty Lindemann, and Tom Corris back from injuries. The Roanoke Times carried a story with pictures including one of Wayne Lapham, Laura Pyle (of Alexandria), and this reporter. Pictures here by Brenda Davidson include Scenes at the Finish and Scenes of Bedford. Overall results and age group results are available on David's site. More pictures from Scott Brockmeier and report by Tom Corris.

Delaware Trail Marathon: Terry Ottina finished well at the Delaware Trail Marathon on April 26.

The Chocolate Bunny 50K + If you want to know what the VHTRC is "all about," this is it. Small, low key, crazy, and fun. Read Tom Corris's report.

The Blue Bells: A large group of runners composed entirely of Ed, Gary, Russ, et moi ran for two hours (16 miles) on the Bull Run Trail from Centreville on April 19. We saw the blue bells in all of their glory. We also saw why the BRR course had to be rerouted. There is a big lake/marsh/everglade near the turnaround. At the end of the run, Russ gave Gary a "redneck latte" -- a chocolate Yoohoo. (Yoohoo, the official non-alcoholic drink of Gary Knipling.) All these amazing sights were documented for posterity in the Photo Collage. While we were out running, John Dodds and John Prohira were working on there BRR reports.

Bull Run Run Results: Sean Andrish and Michele Burr were the top winners at the Eleventh Bull Run Run. The weather was beautiful and the trail was surprisingly dry, though there were muddy places and a few wet stream crossings. The results, including results by age group, are now available. The first half of the pictures were up before and now the finish line Photos are available. Report and Results Page

Bill Turrentine and Susan Baehre Lead VHTRC Contingent at Umstead 100 Miler: Bill was 20th and Susan was 26th at the Umstead 100 Miler on April 5-6 in North Carolina. Also finishing the 100 miler were Bill Sublett, Bill Gentry, James Moore, and Jeff Reed (his first!). Bill VanAntwerp, Rebecca Moore, Stan Duobinis, Marge Schlundt, and Lou Jones finished the 50 miler. Russ Evans sent pictures. Photos 1 | Photos 2 | Results on David Blaikie's site | Umstead Web Site

American River 50 Miler: Noelle Olson and Ed Demoney finished the American River 50 on April 5. The AR 50 course goes from Sacramento to Auburn, California. Ed's daughter Lisa was the RD. Some might say that American River is the Bull Run Run of California. Results | AR 50 Web Site

Chicago Lakefront 50k: Keith Knipling finished the Chicago Lakefront 50k on April 5. Results

Another Double: Billy Lese and Farouk Elkassed finished the Frederick Marathon the day after they finished the HAT run. Thanks to Vicki Kendal who reported this information and who ran half of the marathon (and all of HAT).

Michele Burr Wins HAT Run: The rain wasn't too bad, but the mud was a bit of a problem at the Hinte-Anderson Trail Run. (At least the run wasn't one day later!) As usual, Phil and Jeff put on a great event. Michele Burr was the women's winner and there were several VHTRC folks in the top ten. In the men's division Tom Nielsen was third, Evan Sandt fourth, Robin Kane fifth (Scotty had reported that he was sixth), and Scott Mills ninth. On the women's side, Karen Shiley was sixth, and Susan Baehre ninth. Results are now available on the HAT Web site. Many other VHTRC people finished. HAT has a beautiful, runnable, but challenging trail. It is one of the great traditions of East Coast trail running in the spring. It was good to see old friends there. Thanks to Phil and Jeff for another wonderful year. Photo Collages: Runners Finishing and Enjoying the Post run Festivities | Hinte-Anderson Trail Run Web Site | NEW! Report by John Prohira

Six Survive the Tuscarora Trail 252 Miler: As Joe said, the only thing that this run didn't throw at them was the locusts. Otherwise, they had Hell and High Water. The end came late Saturday night with winner Peter Bakwin finishing at about 5 pm and the last survivors finishing well into the dark. As Joe put it, he hurt down to the molecular level. Be sure to see the report and the pictures from Bill VanAntwerp.

VHTRC Work Party: We had great weather and great views at the work party. Twenty-five people worked on the trails in the Massanutten Mountains. We cleared almost 40 miles of trail. A more detailed report will come soon. Pictures of The Workers | The Sunday Run | More Information

Catawba Run-Around: It was long, hard, and beautiful with both mountains and streams. Many VHTRC members were among those who did some running in the mountains around Catawba, Virginia. The weather was good and the views spectacular. Keith Knipling arranged the day of running in Hokie Country. We started and stopped at the Cross Trails Bed and Breakfast. The trail was very slow and some runners added bonus miles to the day's adventure. The highlight of the day was climbing up the Dragon's Tooth, at rock outcropping with a gorgeous view. After the run, many runners went to the Homeplace, an all-you-can-eat, family style restaurant. The day ended with thoughts of rocks and Knob Creek. Since people got spread out, the last five finishers are in most of Anstr's pictures. Anstr's Pictures | Keith's Results and Pictures | Deb and Steve's Pictures

VHTRC Web Site Wins RRCA Award: For the fourth time, the VHTRC Web site has won the RRCA "Topsite" Award. This award is given to three "large" RRCA clubs and three "small" ones each year. The VHTRC is small -- but only in this sense. Thanks to all who have contributed to the site in so many ways. If the VHTRC site is good, it is not because of our computer genius, or that, for goodness sake, we know how to spell. The strength of this site is that it represents the avocation of trail running in the mid-Atlantic region. If you all weren't out there running in the dirt (or snow), this site would suck.

Crown King Scramble On March 15, Noelle Olson finished the Crown King 50 miler in Arizona. Sean Andrish of Leesburg, who won David Horton's Masochists, won the 50km, and his father, Jack, finished the 50 miler. Results

Greg Loomis Wins Sunrise Trail Marathon: Greg Loommis won the Sunrise Trail Marathon in Texas on March 1. Results | Picture of Greg

Torrence and McDonnell at Pemberton 50k: Ian Torrence won the Pemberton 50k in Fountain Hills, Arizona on February 8. Danny McDonnell also finished. Patti McDonnell sent pictures of the course and of Danny and Ian. ...Results | Race Web Site

Virginians Escape Snow for California and the C4P: A large VHTRC crowd joined the usual bunch of crazies at the annual last Coyote Fourplay in beautiful Ventura County, California. Robin Kane and Sue Johnston were the two "winners." Robin defeated several very good runners including Scott Jurek who has won Western States several times. The weather was not perfect by California standards. It cooled off and was overcast by the last day, but it beat snow. (Remember what it is like to just start your car in the morning without having to scrape snow and ice off the window?) This is the only picture of an actual coyote that I got. As usual, Chris got great support from the JABOYs and sponsors Patagonia and Montrail. The highlight of the event was the Saturday night bowling competition compete with official bowling shirts. The winning score for about 40 bowlers was 150 or so. We won't be giving up running soon. Report from Chris Scott | Photos by Anstr | Stan Jensen Photos.

Davidson Wins Half Marathon: Lucia Davidson won her age group at the Williamsburg Half Marathon on February 23. Results

Holiday Lake: VHTRC members took three age group wins at David Horton's Holiday Lake 50 km on February 15. Derrick Carr was second overall and first in the 40-49 age group. Frank Probst was 19th overall and won the 50-59 age group. Sophie Speidel was the first 40-49 woman. Michele Burr, who was third woman and 13th overall reports it was ". . . wet, wet, wet - the road sections of the course consisted of thick, sloppy mud that went into your shoes when you stepped in it and parts of the course were thick red wet clay. Everyone's shoes, socks, and legs were covered with mud and red clay. The people finishing after about 6 hours had to endure freezing rain and the temperatures dropped as the day went on." Results are on David's site.

TWOT 100 Cancelled? Ok, it was. But it will be back next year, I bet! ...More Information.

Bethany Hunter Wins Uwharrie 40 Miler and Mike is Back! Bethany Hunter won the Uwharrie 40 Miler on February 8. Several other VHTRC members finished the event. Most notable, however, was that Mike Morton got second. It is great to see Mike back. Mike has won MMT but his real claim to fame is that he was the first non-Californian to win Western States. Not only did he win, he set the course record and still holds it. Read Jaret Seiberg's report on Uwharrie.

Easterners Kick Butt at Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler: Despite an obvious attempt to suppress them, the results of the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile run in Texas February 1-2, have leaked out. DC area folks took the top two places. Jeff Holdaway, who got fifth, reports:

The DC area cleaned up at Rocky Racoon last weekend taking 1st, 2nd, and 5th. Serge Arbona led from the start and blitzed the field. Didn't get his exact time but it was around 14:40 [it was 14:37.45] . Vassili Triantos looked great as well in finishing second. I managed to push the final 20-mile loop and came in 5th in 18:14. A couple other notable finishes: Mike Broderick, crewed and paced by Michelle Burr, ran his first 100 and finished strong in 22 1/2 hours. Also my 71 year old father, Grant Holdaway, ran 28:16. Heat was a problem for many as temperatures reached the low 70s. About 100 [104] runners started and 70+ [76] finished.

Also, be sure to read Mike Broderick's report and check out his pictures. Results.

Many Runners, Few Eagles, Lot's of Fun at Eagle Run: We had our lowest eagle count in years -- 6 -- at the 2003 Eagle Run on Eagle Run Sunday. But there were a record 102 runners at the event. The weather was cold, the ground hard, much of the water frozen, and the pizza was hot. As usual, Pohick Bay was the old reliable for eagles. This year's run saw a new format as the pizza was at Gunston Hall and everyone passed by Lexington on the way back. The post run festivities were highlighted by an ale supplied by Buzzard Karen Shiley and by the official libation of the Eagle Run, Knob Creek. As usual, Gary worked hard to make the event the great experience that it is. Check out the pictures.

"Colder Than the Shady Side of a ___ ___" It was cold, but fun on the VHTRC Moonlight Run on January 17. Read more about it on the Moonlight Run page and check out the photos.

Bandera 100/50/25 km Trail Runs: John Prohira was ninth in the Bandera 100 km run near Austin, Texas, on January 11. Bill VanAntwerp was 15th. Bunny Runyan's daughter Tina was third woman in the 25 km. John Prohira's Report | Results | Bandera Web Site

Rock Creek Park Training Run: VHTRC history was made as more women than men showed up for the training run in Rock Creek Park on January 11. The club that started as a small group of male, sexist, pigs is now a large club of male, sexist, pigs with many women. It was cold, but clear and very nice for running in the park. The women enjoyed themselves and the men were very well behaved. [Note to Fact Checkers: Anstr wrote this. The claim about being "well behaved" is doubtful. Find corroboration and then erase this note.]

Across the Years: Stan and Margie ran 152 miles at the Across the Years 72 Hour Run in Arizona. They tied for eighth place. Club member Noelle Olson, who moved to Arizona, stopped by to spend New Years Eve with the runners. She reports that it was a wild New Years. ...Across the Years Web site

Team Slug Redeye: A small, determined band of holiday runners started the New Year with a 50 km run at the Slug Redeye. The course was wet and muddy, but rain held off most of the time, and it was not cold. The aid station was big on sausage, peperoni, and kilbsa. We would have been screwed if there had been cholesterol testing. A big thank you to Dan Grayson and the Slugs who helped him. NEW! Here are the results | Collage with a few pictures. Note: Several items that were left at the event and are in the possession of Bagel Bill Sublett, who will take them to the Eagle Run for return to their respective owners (yellow windbreaker, umbrella, traveling coffee mug and a lonely water bottle).

Hunting Season is Here: It is time to try to not look like a deer. Ed Brimberg of the PATC has provided information on hunting seasons in the George Washington National Forest (Lee Ranger District) in Virginia and West Virginia [PDF files]. Hunting information: Virginia | Maryland | District of Columbia.