It’s 2011: Let The Cheating Begin
You know by now how much I abhor the swapping of bibs. Last year, another runner and I spent the better part of two weeks getting two runners in our age group disqualified from the Soldier Field 10-Miler results. It moved me to second place and got me in position to be a contender on the CARA Runners Choice Circuit, at least for one year. It just keeps on happening. I really don't get it. The latest ridiculous result is Char Green of Romeoville, who "won" the women's 60-64 age group at the March Madness Half Marathon on Sunday in Cary with a 1:33. I don't think so. Recent results show Char ran a 2:19:38 at last year's off-road Naperville Half Marathon and a 5:10:23 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Two years ago, she ran a 2:06:42 at the Magellan Half and a 2:12:00 at the Las Vegas Half. Nancy Rollins of Evanston, ranked in the top two or three nationally in that age group, would not have run a 1:33. When will this nonsense stop? Probably not any time soon.
Wiley, Aubert Best at March Madness
The starting gun went off and the rain began on Sunday as the cultish March Madness Half Marathon in Cary wrote itself another chapter on the Chicago area running scene. This one featured wind and rain and some nice first-place performances by Rob Wiley, 35, of Gurnee, in 1:10:35.68, and Jacqui Aubert, 24, of Crystal Lake, in 1:24:50.22. Second and third on the men's side went to Archie Bareikis, 24, of Oak Forest, in 1:13:03.87, and Mac McCulley, 26, of Volo, in 1:13:36.00. Second and third women were Sanya Syrstad, 45, of Glen Ellyn, in 1:28:10.31, and Maria Cristi Homorozan, 36, of Chicago, in 1:28:57.65. A lot of people I know were racing. Hats off to all of you! I'd like to especially recognize new 80-year-old Bob Scott of Naperville, who ran a 2:23:29. That is absolutely awesome. Neither rain, wind, snow or anything else can stop this race. If you haven't done it, do it sometime. There were 1,038 finishers this year.
Carrigan, Druien Lead Strong Naperville St. Paddy’s
The St. Paddy's Day 5K in Naperville on Saturday (March 12) had a large field with 1,784 finishers, and the men and women were led by some mid-season performances as Ryan Carrigan, 22, of Naperville, won in 15:20, and Amber Druien, 25, of Woodstock, paced the women in 18:17. Runners-up were Luke Demmel, 21, of Aurora, in 15:58, and Lydia Wong, 22, of Chicago, in 18:31. Finally, the third-place finishers were none other than former Olympic Marathon Trials runner John Weigel, 37, of Naperville, in 16:31, and Heather Hillman, 40, of Naperville, in 20:57. That's some nice runnin', and here's a special salute to John Weigel, who has been to the mountaintop a few times. If you look at the results sections from Chicago Athlete and Race Time, you'll see there were some other strong races last weekend. One notable performance was in the Spring Sprint 5K in Lisle, where Lois Gilmore, 80, of Janesville, WI, ran a 30:52. She would have won several much younger age groups. Way to go, Lois!
Thousands in Madison's Shamrock Shuffle raise tens of thousands for youth programs
With most of the press in Madison focusing on politics, Robyn Perrin and Clint Thayer of Focal Flame Photography picked up the fun assigment and produced this story on the Shamrock Shuffle.
Ride like a Belgian
Dave Schlabowske, one of the area's lead cycling advocates, has leaped upon a new way to release his passion for European cycling; the spring classics in particular.
Since the famous Tour of Flanders is slightly out of geographic reach, Schlabowske has organized a an alternative ride, to Belgium, Wis. He offers the details on the 90-mile outing, Saturday morning, on his Over the Bars in Milwaukee blog.
Ethan Allen sale could impact Lapham Peak trails
Town of Delafield - Most of the skiers, runners and hikers who paused to catch their breath atop Gut-Buster Hill at Lapham Peak probably haven’t noticed they were standing on a piece of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Sumo wrestler sets record in Los Angeles Marathon; McRunner guy hits a PR
A sumo wrestler who tops 400 pounds and a guy from Illinois who ate almost nothing but McDonald's food through his last month of training set new marks in the Honda Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday.
Anybody else think the torrential rains that fell might have been a sign?
Chicago cycling advocates say get doored, be counted
The Chicago-area Active Transportation Alliance has started a campaign to prevent bicyclists from being hit by car doors opened by motorists.
Part of the effort is focused on persuading the Illinois Department of Transportation to include dooring incidents in its crash statistics. At present, only crashes involving moving vehicles are recorded by the state.
Fitchburg: The firefighters to call if you're stuck in an office tower
Based on results from the Fight for Air Climb on Saturday, the best place to be trapped in an office tower is Fitchburg.
Scenes of the season show the Minneapolis commitment to bike
Those who were surprised when Bicycling Magazine named Minneapolis the nation's top biking city ought to check out this video - a slideshow of winter biking in the cold and snow.
Lapham Peak update: DNR committed to preserving trails
Responding to a report posted yesterday, a reader suggested the state transfer at least some of the land from the Ethan Allen School for Boys to the Department of Natural Resources for an expansion of the Lapham Peak recreation area.
In the current configuration, a section of the blue and black loop at Lapham Peak crosses the property controlled by the Department of Corrections. Skiers and hikers are anxious to maintain access to the trail, in the event the state sells off the Ethan Allen property, a likely prospect given the planned closure included in Gov. Scott Walker's budget.
Zoo Interchange plan reroutes section of Oak Leaf Trail
A small section of the Oak Leaf bike and pedestrian trail would be rerouted in the Underwood Creek Parkway to accommodate a storm water detention pond included in the latest plans for the Zoo Interchange reconstruction.
According to the revised proposal shared at a public hearing Tuesday night, the five-acre pond would be built south of I-94. Officials from the State Department of Transportation said the parkway would be closed at that point, and the trail will be rerouted around the pond.
Contract Extensions Alter Plans for Farris, Gamel
Doug Melvin and the Milwaukee Brewers have been aggressive in locking up their young core over the past year. This gives the organization more stability moving forward and alleviates much of the free agent scrambling that was sure to happen over the upcoming offseasons.
Of course, as one player firmly plants his roots with the Brewers' big league club for the foreseeable future, other players feel the domino effect at the minor league levels.
Training simplified
I enjoyed the opportunity to talk running last night with members of the PaceSetters of the Fox Cities, a group that has been organizing races and group runs for about 26 years.
With several hundred marathons of experience in the room, we shared training ideas and experiences and knocked around the reasons for the big surge in marathon participation. One of the races in their area, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and half-marathon, sold out all 8,000 slots, in February.
Nordic skiing encore: "Cheeseburger in Greenbush"
The Northern Kettle Moraine Nordic Ski Club will break out beer and burgers on Saturday to celebrate the ski season extension delivered with a batch of fresh snow on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, the reprieve cannot be applied to the tax deadline.
Vernon firefighter becomes national weight-loss role model
“I felt horrible. You don’t want to be overweight and you know people look at you. It makes you feel bad. Then you get into this rut: ‘I’m already fat. I might as well have this extra doughnut. I feel yucky. I’m overweight. Why should I care?’”
Summerfest files federal action to protect its Rock 'n Sole
Summerfest may lose its Rock ‘n Sole to the forces of Rock ‘n’ Roll, in a federal trademark battle being fought over the name of the inaugural run in Milwaukee.
Competitor Group Inc., the company behind the expanding Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon and half-marathon series, initiated the fight through a cease and desist letter that directs Milwaukee World Festival Inc. to drop the Rock ‘n Sole name for the half-marathon and 10K scheduled for July 10.
Wright Lecture Series to feature "Creating a Better Bicycle"
Building a bicycle may not be as environmentally friendly as riding one.
As part of the Wright Lecture Series in Madison, a Trek Bicycle production manager will describe the sustainable business practices and parts used by the Wisconsin-based company. Michael Leighton's presentation is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on April 7, in the Monona Terrace lecture hall.
DOT plans to extend Hank Aaron State Trail in summer
The unfinished portion of the Hank Aaron State Trail, from S. 94th Pl. to the Underwood Creek Parkway, will be graded and covered with gravel for use by cyclists and pedestrians in the fall, according to information shared Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Last year, the state opened an extension of the Hank Aaron from Miller Park to S. 94th Pl., leaving the segment to the county line and the Oak Leaf Trail unfinished, pending the reconstruction of the Zoo Interchange.
"Modern Love" reveals revenge in spin class subplot
In a recent New York Times "Modern Love" column, local author and spin instructor Christi Clancy reveals the subplot behind the punishing pace and bad-ass playlist from one of her Saturday morning classes.
It's actually a poignant tale, one that reminded me of a story arc for an episode of "Thirtysomething:" a friend finding and seizing an opportunity to punish the man who done wrong.