"The only reason I would take up jogging
is so that I could hear heavy breathing again." ~Erma Bombeck
"All runners and joggers, even those on the low end of the mileage and dedication scale -- I fall into that group -- quickly develop a certain smugness and sense of superiority.
Some of us try to keep this attitude under wraps, but we all feel we're at least a little tougher, healthier and even smarter than non-runners.
Non-runners sense this and hate us. They yawn and roll their eyes
when party talk gets around to pulse rates and 10K times.
They secretly hope we get shin splints or dog bites.
They believe they use their time more wisely."
~Scott Ostler,
Los Angeles Times Columnist - 10/28/84
The primary goal on my Original Bucket List in the category of Running was to run the Boston Marathon, which I accomplished in 1993. Without listing other individual races as Bucket List objectives, I ran in many races of various sorts with a group of running friends, and specifically ran some fun and different relay races with the Foothill Flasher Running Team (it was once said that this was a Drinking Team with a Running Problem). No unusual runs were planned for my Year 77, so I decided to write my memories of some of the unusual races where I participated.
Alhambra Tavern Race:
In June 1981 I ran with Jarrett and Pat in the Alhambra Tavern Race. It was a 10K run with five stops at local taverns along the way, each one requiring you to drink a beer before proceeding. They billed the race as the “joy of mixing two of man’s greatest pleasures, drinking and running.” It sounded like more fun before the race than it was when you were trying to drink the third and subsequent beers and continue running. It was an interesting run, but I never did it again. In fact, to no one’s surprise, they stopped holding the run a few years later. I’m not sure whether it was stopped by authorities or just died a natural death. The customary waiver of rights on the entry form was somewhat modified for this race as follows:
As the undersigned, I certify that I am in strong physical and mental health. I have trained up to 10 miles a day in preparation for racing. I realize that it is dangerous to run drunk down the street and that the promoters of this race are crazy. However, I will not hold said promoters responsible for accidents, illness, injury or death sustained before, during or after the race. If I am dizzy afterwards, I will either wait until I sober-up or I will have someone else drive me home. I am at least 21 years old (ID will be required before race).
Everyone received a certificate after the race, which read as follows:
Congratulations! You made it! You made a complete blithering idiot of yourself while staggering flat-footed through the streets of our fair city of Alhambra. Heroism like this can only be rewarded by two things: another beer and a Certificate of Public Drunkenness. On this seventh day of June, 1981, Ron Hadfield has proven himself to be a howling lunatic, while indulging in the Annual Festival of Spirits – better known as the Alhambra Tavern Race & Fun Run. This person should immediately be committed to an asylum. If seen wandering the streets, he should be made to report to one of our five local Alhambra chapters of the A.A.: Pizza Pub, The Villa, Y-Not Club, Shakey’s or Cabin Inn. Enjoy the post-race festival. Imbibe a few more spirits and THEN LET SOMEONE ELSE DRIVE YOU HOME! Looking forward to seeing you at next year’s beer run. Always remember our slogan when you’re crowding up to the bar at your neighborhood tavern - “I like to run, but I’m here for the beer.”
Foothill Flashers Running Team:
Most of the running I did after the Alhambra Tavern Race was with members of the Foothill Flashers. Above are a few of the members: Jarrett, Don R, Bill P, Noel, Steve H, Bill Ph, and me. As I have dug through old photos for Year 77 blogs, it's been unbelievable to me how many times I've had some connection with the number seven. Note my race bib number above - 7777!
The Lake Tahoe Relay - Race of the Ages:
The Foothill Flasher running team was formed specifically to run the Lake Tahoe Relay in 1983. The race goes around the lake, a total of 72 miles divided into 7 legs - therefor a team of 7 persons. I ran in this relay in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1999 - a total of seven times. The most interesting (unusual?) of these runs was in 1989 when we organized two teams to compete against each other. There were a number of team members just over 50 years of age, and some of us just under 50. Our 1989 race was billed as "The Race of the Ages." There was much joking about who was going to win the race, and of course there was a lot of pressure on the under 50s team. The truth was that there really wasn't much difference in our ages. I was 48 when the race took place in June and fortunately for me the under 50 team won (by less than 5 minutes after running 72 miles). The (late) 40s Team consisted of Don R, Pat, Steve H, Bill P, Art W, Dennis T and myself. The (early) 50s Team consisted of Jarrett, Noel, John L, John M, Bill Ph, Jim A, and Dick. The team members, not in any particular order, are shown below.
Fountain Valley Mini-Triathlon:
In April 1982 I heard of a “mini-triathlon” that would be held in Fountain Valley. I had not been willing to put in the time to train for a full triathlon, but the distances in this one seemed acceptable: 10K run, 15-mile bike, and 1/4 mile swim in an Olympic-size pool. So Jarrett, Steve D and I signed up. We had a fun time, but the event was a disaster. First, they started the event over an hour late. This is really a “no-no” for race management. When they finally started, the run was the first event. It was an “out and back” course, but the organizers forgot to mark the turn-around point. Once the lead runners realized that they had gone more than 1/2 the distance of the out and back course, they turned around. Others realized what had happened and began turning around whenever they felt like it. No one won this triathlon, of course, but the three of us were just there for the fun of it anyway, so we finished the three events and still had a good time. Rumor had it that the Race Organizer was fired. I never saw an ad for a subsequent Fountain Valley Triathlon.
Turkey Run:
In May 1983 I ran in a race organized by a running club in Crescenta Valley. We had met several members of the club running on weekends in Griffith Park and they invited a few of us to their run. It was a small deal; just club members and a few invited friends, which maybe totaled 25 runners. They called it the Turkey Run because you had to be as dumb as a turkey to do it. In place of the standard gun at the start, a guy blew a turkey call. The run was in the mountains of Crescenta and was 10 miles on steep dirt trails. After the run, everyone was invited to the house of one of the members where they cooked up a wonderful breakfast, served beer and had a drawing for prizes. I won a nice duffel bag that I have used frequently on running trips. I ran in two subsequent Turkey Runs.
Are You Tough Enough? Relay:
This relay is an interesting race near Santa Barbara, California that we did in February of 1989 and again in 1990. It is a 5-person, 63-mile race beginning at Toro Canyon Park in Montecito and finishing at Nojoqui Falls Park in Solvang. It takes about 9 1/2 hours to run. The name of the race gives a hint of the difficulty and the published rules get even closer. Some of the rules are:
1. No dying allowed.
2. Falling over a cliff is considered an unfair advantage; any runner who uses this ploy will be assessed a five minute penalty and will be airlifted back to the top of the mountain in order to run down it.
3. Bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, skunks and people dressed in camaflouge outfits with guns always have the right of way.
4. Use of profanity, as in “another $(*1=mountain” is encouraged.
5. Crawling uphill is allowed; rolling down is not.
We decided to run our Legs consecutively to get them over all at once. In 1989 I ran Legs 1 and 2, totaling 13.3 miles, and in 1990 I ran Legs 8 and 9, totaling 13.0 miles. The other runners were Jarrett, Steve H, Bill Ph, and Steve D in 1989, and the same guys in 1990 except Bill P ran instead of Bill Ph. Despite the difficult course, these kinds of challenges are part of the fun of doing the road relays and everyone had a good time (after they had completed their Legs).
Eaton Canyon to Henninger Flats Up and Down Hill Race:
In 1985 I discovered the Eaton Canyon run, and what really interested me was that they were forming what they called the San Gabriel Mountain Series, which would be run for the first time in 1986. The series would consist of four mountain runs: the Mt. Baldy Run to the Top, the Mt. Wilson Trail Race, the Mt. Lowe Race and culminating at the Eaton Canyon to Henninger Flats Up and Down Hill Race. Each of these runs have an interesting history relating to exploration and settlement in the San Gabriel Mountains area, and all would be very challenging. The idea of the series of runs, and completing the entire series, appealed to me. The entry form for the Henninger Flats race had a few interesting comments, such as “For you who ran this race last year, I personally think you ought to have your head examined, but it’s good to have you back on the hill anyway.” And at the end of the form, “I hope you do well today. This is a great opportunity to really hurt yourself. May your recovery be in time for next year’s race.” On the reverse side of the race form was listed “51 Excuses Why I ran so Poorly.” The racecourse is a 9-mile up and back dirt road with 1700 feet of elevation gain, and is rated “strenuous.” In recent years I have done several hikes to Henninger Flats.
Mexico Events:
Click Photo to Enlarge - Use Arrows for Next Photo
During the 1980s we did a number of running and cycling events in Mexico. Above photos are from one of them. First photo is Dennie & Alison, Bonnie & I, Merlin & Susan, and Jarrett & Marj. Second photo (race ready) is Alison, Marj, Jarrett, me, Merlin and Dennie.
In February 1980 the above group drove to Tecate in a rented motorhome to run in a 75-mile, 5-person run billed as a "running event, not a race." The rules said the team had to be a mix of men and women, no runner could run more than three times, and the minimum distance one person could run was 5 miles. Of course this meant there were no specific relay handoff points. We had great fun planning the sequence of our runners, who would run what distance, how many times each person would run, etc. When we arrived in Tecate the afternoon before the race it was raining like crazy. The next morning we were informed that a bridge had washed out and the run was cancelled. We were all disappointed, but we were ready for some exercise so we took turns running along the highway to San Diego, picked up Jon & Maridee, and drove to Rosarito Beach for the rest of the weekend. We had a great time despite the rain, the run cancellation, and the motor home getting stuck in the mud in Rosarito Beach.
In May 1984 a group of us went to Mexico again to participate in two, back-to-back, races covering the 75 miles from Tecate to Ensenada.. On Saturday there was a 5-person relay, then on Sunday was an individual bicycle ride. The group was Dennie & Alison, Jarrett & Marj, Pat & Julie M, and Bonnie & I. The running team was Dennie, Jarrett, Marj, Pat and I and for some reason we called ourselves the Cache Valley Cruisers rather than the Foothill Flashers. The four men did the bike ride. Going back and forth to accomplish these two events resulted in us being very well acquainted with the route between Tecate and Ensenada. We had a lot of fun.
Overland Desert to Ocean Relay:
In May 2004 I joined a group of runners that were recruited by Flasher Jim B, and ran in a crazy 126 mile/10 person relay from Borrego Springs, California to Oceanside, California. The name of our team was "This is a Really Bad Idea.” I say it was a crazy run because first of all, it was the run's inaugural year, and their lack of preparation was evident from the very beginning. And secondly, the run started in the desert heat (over 100 degrees at the start) and ran up over Palomar Mountain, with many of the miles on dirt jeep trails, and these particular miles would be covered during the dark hours of night. There was one 14-mile stretch that was a dirt trail and couldn't accommodate the support vans. The organizers had this brilliant idea that each team should have two runners go together for this 14-mile stretch; one running the first 7 miles while his partner rode a bike, and then switching at the halfway point. The idea was that the biker could support the runner by carrying necessary water, first-aid kit, helping with a flashlight, and watching for snakes, mountain lions, etc. Jim B and I were the runners on this stretch. We had actually not thought much about the biking part. We had all been on mountain bikes on dirt trails before and thought the organizers idea was fine. It turned out that the trails were everything bad you can think of; narrow, rocky, sandy, multiple intersections without signs, etc. Much of the sandy part was deep sand; i.e. the front wheel of the bike would sink and, while you could power through some of the areas, in other areas the bike would just come to a halt. As it turned out, the runner was fine; it was the biker that needed someone to help him! I fell over on the bike once before I figured out how to ride in the deep sand. While on the bike, I ran into a cactus that I couldn't see in the dark, and while running, I missed a turn and ran about 20 minutes up a fairly steep hill on the wrong trail. Anyway, as with all the runs I've done, we had a good group of people on our team and despite the difficulties we could all say it was a great experience once it was over. We began the race at 6 pm in Borrego Springs and finished 21 and one-half hours later in Oceanside.
Wasatch Back Relay:
In the summer of 2005, I became aware of the Wasatch Back Relay, which began at Hardware Ranch just outside of Logan and stretched 170 miles along the back-side of the Wasatch Mountain Range before it ended in Park City. Along the route a team of 12 runners, running three separate stages each, would pass seven lakes, go through several mountain valleys ( including the little towns of Huntsville, Morgan, Henefer, Coalville, Oakley, Kamas, Francis, Heber, and Midway), and over three mountain passes, including a 9,000 foot peak before going down into Park City. Since this was in my home territory I was very excited to put a team together and do the run. I talked it up during our Saturday morning runs in Griffith Park and finally had enough interest that I contacted the Race Director in Utah and signed us up for the June 2006 Relay.
For various reasons I had trouble getting the twelfth runner. Art W and Jarrett wanted to do the run but both had injuries and didn't want to run all three stages. I finally convinced them both to come along and split the distance at 1 1/2 stage each. So we had 13 runners on our team, which violated the rules, but we weren't there to win, just going for the fun of it. So I signed up Art White and Jarrett Anderson as one person, using the name Arthur Anderson (probably only my CPA friends get the significance of this).
The Foothill Flashers ran in other relays that were fun but not necessarily unusual
The Jasper-Banff Relay:
This is a wonderful race that I ran in June 1986 and again in June 1987. This race, officially referred to as the Chasquis Invitational Rocky Mountain Road Race, began in Jasper and traveled through the Canadian Rockies, finishing in Banff, 176 miles later. There are 17 stages and without 17 runners several of us had to run two stages.
The Klondike Trail of '98 Road Relay:
We ran the race in September 1988. The relay begins in Scagway, Alaska, goes over the White Pass through British Columbia and on to Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon. The race is 110 miles and the route parallels the Chilkoot Trail over which thousands of gold seekers traveled during the Gold Rush of 1898. The race begins about midnight and takes approximately 14 hours to complete.
The Oregonian Hood to Coast Relay:
We ran this relay in August of 1991. The race begins at the Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon, goes through downtown Portland, and finishes 191 miles later at the little beach town of Seaside. The course is divided into 36 legs varying in length from 4 to 6 miles. Each team has 12 runners, with all members running in successive order; three legs each. It’s an unusual format and a logistical nightmare.
The Cabot Trail Relay Race:
In May of 1994 we went to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia to run the Cabot Trail. The run is a 185-mile, 17 Stage, 24-hour relay race through the rugged Highlands of Cape Breton Island and some of Canada’s most beautiful scenery. Elevation was not much of a problem, but it was hilly, and in places even mountainous terrain. We had eleven runners, so several of us ran two Stages. Our team for this race consisted of Don R, Jarrett, Noel, Pat, Bill P, Bill Ph, Carolyn D, Steve Mc, Julie M, Art V and myself.
