|
A lucky 7 in Striderland
(Central Iowa) for 2001
by Cal Murdock
** Roosevelt wins Boys State XC Title
Alan Webb runs a 3:53:43 and closer to home Des Moines Roosevelt wins the state cross
country boy1s championship. High School running doesn1t get any better. Roosevelt
finished 7th in 1998; 5th in 1999 and 2nd last year but rising to the top required
beating Iowa City High, winner of 8 of the last 10 titles. Mid-season Roosevelt beat
City High by 3 points in a Decorah meet, 5 days later they lose to the same team
in Ames by 4 points. The stage was certainly set and the Roughriders easily won as
team depth lead the way. It was also a banner year for CIML boys with Dan Taylor
of Ft. Dodge capturing first individual at state (coached by former Drake Relays
Marathon winner Jeff Wubbena). Ankeny, SE Polk, Valley and Ft Dodge placed 3rd through
6th in the team race.
** He's here, there & everywhere
As with most volunteer endeavors, the whine of "please help" is too often
a rallying cry. So it's refreshing to see a 'Just Do It' attitude displayed proudly
by Carl Voss. When the classy Gray's Lake renovation was nearing completion, Carl
lost no time in creating a Memorial Day hit, Loop the Lake 8k. The matching bookend
summer holiday, Labor Day saw Carl bring new life to the 19th Capital Pursuit, topping
700 finishers in the 10 mile and 5k, the best Pursuit since the mid-80s. While big
races are nice, Carl doesn1t stop there as he organized a wonderful after work corporate
team event and a winter holiday stroll through the lights of Waterworks Park. To
top it off Carl founded the pride of the Capital Striders club, the high school cross
country scholarship program.
** Iowa's Distance Classic does it again
A few years ago Dam to Dam had made a surge from 1584 to 2001 finishers for its 20th
year celebration. Iowa's distance classic didn't rest for year 22 as a new record
2305 finished the 20k placing it squarely behind the largest 20k in the nation, the
Chicago Distance Classic by less than 200. While there are few 20k races in America,
the honor to be the largest would be a nice touch for Iowa. Dam to Dam isn't just
about size, Iowans consider it their 'marathon' for the year, a worthy accomplishment.
The year 2001 version saw ideal weather, a down to the wire men's finish, Bonnie
Sons scoring her 5th wome'1s victory, over 700 record finishers in the 5k, a new
youth one mile run and the always popular tot trot.
** Master of the Roads
While he has always lived in the northeast Iowa town of Cascade, Phil Kauder is no
stranger to Central Iowa running. The mid-80s produced the greatest crop of road
runners in Iowa history, including Phil, the youngest of that group. Phil, a student
of history and running knew his year had come, he turned 40 celebrating it with all
of Striderland. He set Iowa master's records at the Drake Relays Half-Marathon running
a 1:12:56, at Dam to Dam 20k he scored a 1:06:52 and to top it off a Capital Pursuit
10 mile victory in 53:40. He didn1t stop there as he finished the season running
a 2:34:39 marathon. Four long distance races, four all-time Iowa records.
** Just for the joy of it
Let's see . . . November 17th usually means a cold blustery day in Iowa, think again.
The 23rd edition of Living History Farms Race was greeted by a 56 degree sunny day
at the start and it just got warmer - - - - unbelievable! The farm ended the 2001
running season on a high note. 3137 finished the race displaying the best field of
runners in Striderland along with some of the craziest. Winner Dmitry Drozdov loved
it, saying, "It's good spirit". Living History Farms, a mere 575 finishers
10 years ago, understands the value of play, at any age.
** Drake & Madness continue their traditions
When these two races were born, many baby boomers were heard to say, 'Don't trust
anyone over 30'. Times change, now everyone trusts these two favorites. The 33 year
old Drake Relays On-the-ROADS signals the beginning of the race season and the 30
year old Midnight Madness signals the middle of summer. Both have tried every distance
in the book: 3 mile, 5k, 8k, 6 mile, 10k, 9 mile, 12 mile, 20k, half-marathon, 15
mile, 25k and marathon. Regardless of the distance, trust the 59,203 finishers that
have come to love these over 30 year old races.
** 23 hours down & 1 hour to go
It's hard for many runners to understand what an equalizer race is, in fact it's
harder to understand running 24 hours, but no one would expect the brainchild of
Dave Hurd and Mark Movic to follow the norm. So on a
wonderful fall day in late October a few dozen runners start the run of a lifetime,
most opting to run 'just' 6 hours but a few trudge on for another 18 hours. This
isn't exactly a spectator sport but it's hard not to feel the emotion of seeing runners
break 100 miles of running (4 did!) - - move over Iowa-ISU football games, the equalizer
is here.
|