Wanderers' Summer Trail Race Wrap-Up: We Did Great!!

The following is a report of various trail races by Wanderers this Summer.

Double Trouble (June 25): 15K or 30K, take you pick! This classic Ron Horn trail race allows runners to decide how far they want to run after the first 15K. Matt Palombaro, Chris Verry, Polly Jansen, Laura Fanelli, and Ken Evans all opted for the 15K, and these mighty Wanderers certainly brought home the hardware. Matt finished 18th overall in 1:12; Chris Verry finished 7th in the 18-29 age group in 1:15; Polly finished 2nd in her age group (30-39) in 1:27, and Laura finished 3rd her age group (18-29) in 1:33. Barbara Gorka and Chris Moore finished the first 15K loop and decided they wanted more fun, so they went around a second time. Barbara had more fun that she could handle, getting stung up her nose by a bee! Chris negative split his second loop, finishing the 30K in 2:42, 7th overall and 4th in his age group (30-39). Barbara positive split her second loop, finishing the 30K in 3:16, 6th female overall and 3rd in her age group (40-49). Approximately 275 runners finished the 15K, and another 84 whackos finished the 30K. Official web site: pretzelcitysports.com

Half Wit Half Marathon (August 13): A record number of runners showed up at the starting line of this challenging trail half-marathon, and most of them (486) actually finished. After a summer of consistently hot and humid weather, race director Ron Horn could not have been more disappointed that the heat and humidity had broken, and that there was not a drop of mud in sight. A respectable group of Wanderers and friends competed for one of the treasured Half-Wit trophies (in the shape of a horse's ass). Chris Moore, 7th overall and 4th in his 30-39 age group, finished in 1:46. Veteran trail runner Bob Reynolds finished in 1:49, good enough for 13th overall and first in his 40-49 age group. Chris Verry was 5th in the 18-29 age group, completing the course in 1:55. First female Wanderer and 1st female in the 18-29 age group was Monica Ranly, in 2:02. Barbara Gorka finished in 2:13, 2nd in the 40-49 age group. Other finishers include Polly Jansen, in 2:18, Laura Fanelli, in 2:23, and Dennis Crowne, in 3:06. Thanks to Chris and Polly for collecting all the trophies and distributing them to their half-witted Wanderers who did not stay for the awards ceremony! Official web site: pretzelcitysports.com

Stumpy's Trail Marathon (September 10): Scheduled for an easy week from their Ultra Training, Barb and Chris went looking for something a bit different. Barb has been in contact with another Mid-Atlantic running club, the Trail Dawgs, known for their Ultra Running. Hoping to learn from their wealth of experience and knowledge, Barb and Chris ventured to White Clay State Park in beautiful tax free Delaware. (Gas prices a laughable $2.39) The event: Stumpy's 5th Annual Trail Marathon. With rumors of minimal water stops, an unknown length, and a race motto of "It's not a trail race unless somebody gets lost", they lined up at a painfully early 7:00AM, not sure what to expect. Despite all the nervous anticipation, this motley crew of trail and ultra runners turned out to be one of the most gracious groups of runners you'll ever find. The mostly shady trails were very friendly ranging from grassy fields to single track and gravel path. There were some hills, but nothing worse than Valley Green dishes out regularly. Chris ran with a group of four runners narrating every turn and undulation, one local spinning yarns of Badwater and the Western States 100. (Some of the hardest ultra races imaginable if you've read Dean Karnazes book).

Chris, feeling way too good about the friendly pace, responded when, about 22 miles in, a youngster made a break. This turned out to be some poor decision making. A mile later, having caught the youth, Chris quickly became aware that this 4:07 miler had a lot of gears Chris will not ever know. Suffice to say that's how it ended. Chris finished a respectable 2nd overall in 3:54, just a couple of minutes behind the winner.

Barbara, whose fear of getting lost kept her up half the night, was relieved to find that she had cheerful and chatty company for most of the run. Her group kept a steady pace until about 19 miles, when three different groups merged, re-formed, and separated. Barbara stopped to tie her shoelace, made a turn, and suddenly realized she was running completely alone, with no runners visible ahead or behind. Directionally-challenged Barbara spent the final 10K in hyper-focus mode, constantly looking for the next arrow or flour marking to guide her back to the finish line. Never hitting the wall and passing a couple of people along the way, she was delighted to learn that she was second female overall, finishing in 5:04.

Dispelling all the rumors, the trail was well staffed and well marked, although they informed us at the finish that the course might really have been 27 or more miles. That said, we strongly recommend this club and their collection of races throughout the year. See traildawgs.org for their races from 5K to 100miles.

Hope to see you all out on Thursdays.

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