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Marathon Maniacs News Letter – January 2008 

January Highlights

• 43 new members for the month of January (816 total members) • “pigtails” continues her ultra mastery at the Tiger Mountain Fat Ass ultra • Amy Yanni is off to a great start in 2008, winning the Running From an Angel and the Zoom Yah-Yah Indoor Marathon • Shawn Lawson wins the Bridle Trails 50km

Rich Menzel and Ric Hart with a Southern Belle (First Light Mobile Marathon) Andrew Edwards and Phil Min

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The Marathon Maniacs…At the Races

January 13 First Light Marathon: Paul Ahnberg, Bryan Baroffrio, Cowboy Jeff Bishton, Kevin Brosi, Boonsom Hartman, Angela Ivory, Rob Klein, Al Kohli, Rich Menzel, Phil Min, Peggy Shashy, Adam Tomlin. Ric Hart’s Race Report: I'm really looking forward to this marathon for numerous reasons. First, another state in my 50 states quest and my 9th state, one more and I can join the club. And next I get to see my brother Ed and his girlfriend Bobby. My good friend Rich will be coming with me and he will get his 10th state (drat, before me). And he will see a member of his seal team from Vietnam that lives only 10 miles from my brother. And as a Vietnam vet myself I'm looking forward to meeting him as well. We will fly into New Orleans spend the night at Ed's then drive the two hours to Mobile, get our bibs, etc., at the expo. It can't be too big of an expo as there will probably only be 350 or so in the full. Then do the tourist thing in Mobile. My training hasn't impressed me at all, I wasn't able to get as many miles in as I think I needed. The wood smoke with this cool winter weather drives my asthma crazy. So even though this one is fairly flat I don't have, lets say, great competitive expectations. The race tours the downtown area then heads due north in a loop, with foothills of up to only 220' by the profile in the northern most ten miles. But I've run too many marathons to not know that some races really gild the lily so to speak. I'm originally from N.O. so I'm looking forward to showing Rich around the French Quarter and whatever sights we have time for. We left the last day open for just that reason, to tour and enjoy the day after the race.

Paul Ahnberg, Peggy Shashy, Ric Hart and Kevin Brosi Phil Min, Cowboy Jeff Bishton and Kevin Brosi

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So travel day finally arrives and I'm starting off sleepy after tossing and turning all night. It's a red eye flight, Rich shows up we toss our luggage in the trunk laughing about only having a small gym bag apiece for 4 days (as opposed to gals packing), but that way we can bypass the luggage carousel nightmare. My brother picks us up at the airport and we drive to his place and meet his girlfriend Bobby and warm greetings. I get a bed in a spare room and Rich is more than happy with an air mattress in another spare room. The next morning early we four head out to Mobile, Alabama. It’s a 3-hour drive and goes easy as I printed out the directions, thank you map quest! A quick check into the motel which is sort of a bed and breakfast, built in 1862 when things were going well for the south. It has period furniture a grand lobby, and wrought iron balcony all for $100 and only a block away from the starting line (ain't the computer grand). Then we head out for the USS Alabama battleship in Mobile harbor for a tour, after all we are guys and veterans. The ship is so large we could have spent all day there. Rich's friend Ron meets us there, then after the battleship we go tour a submarine next to it. Rich and Ron enthralled Ed and I with them guiding us through the sub as they were on just such a sub in 'Nam. Things such as explaining the hatch that they flood to let frogmen like them go to the surface in the dark to an inflatable raft to do a mission. I might add from the bottom of the ocean as much as 140' to the top.

Boonsom Hartman Al Kohli Rich Menzel After the tour we say goodbye to Ron and hurry off to dinner. It’s a private dinner that Peggy Shashy organized for the Marathon Maniacs club, we just qualified so were looking forward to this a lot. A dozen maniacs were there and I was fortunate enough to sit next to Chuck "Marathon

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Junkie" Engle. This is the guy that ran 52 marathons last year, one each week. He raised quite a lot of money for charity also. A very humble, nice guy, I had a ball talking with him. Morning came all too soon, another restless night for me. Sixty years old and I still get as excited as a little kid at all this. So we all stroll to the start, meet one of the Maniacs, Babs. A short gab and we are off, the race isn't chip timed but everyone is over the starting line in less than a minute I'm sure. We run a bit in the downtown area in sort of a loop for several miles then head due north. I can tell that something is in the air that my asthma doesn’t like so I resign myself to not being able to race about 5 miles into things. We got to see some of the down and out neighborhoods in town, don't they all have such. And then grandeur homes in the suburbs. Live oak trees line many of the streets and in some cases create arch ways actually touching in the middle of the streets. Oh yes and covered with Spanish moss hanging like beards (or the band ZZ top, if you are younger than myself). After the half marathoners leave us it gets less crowded, but I always had someone next to me to chat with. If you don't like nonstop talk, don't line up near me at the start. The city of Mobile reminds me very much of the city I was born and raised in, New Orleans. But I've spend my adult life in the NW and feel like a resident of both places so its like old home week to be down here. Any way we run pass a really peaceful lagoon area in a park, that’s a man-made lake with little islands for paddleboats and picnics in the summer. Then we hit the hills that start at about mile 10 and end about mile 20. Another great thing is that this race is a loop, no retracing the same stuff. The hills aren’t steep by NW standards and go from Mobiles sea level to all of 220'. Sort of rollers up and gently down, I expect to pass a lot of the locals in what are probably tough hills to them. And sure enough I do, they are walking them, almost funny. Oh and did I say Rich and I are only wearing shorts and our marathon maniac singlets? But many of the southerners have on tights or leggings and heavy sweatshirts and never strip them off. We started out with temps in the forties and ended in the low sixties, actually kind of warm for me. And as luck would have it it was dry and overcast. The weather could not have been kinder to us. I passed a gal at about mile 20 and did a double take when she said "hey Ric". Who could know me here? It was Betty who was sitting on my right at the Maniac dinner. We gabbed and for the rest of the race took turns passing each other. I had given my brother my camera to take the race pictures that will probably accompany this article and he was indeed there at the finish taking pics of everything in sight and did a bang up job of it. The finish line was well attended even when I came in as a back of the packer. Food was plentiful and good, chili, soup, ice cream, plenty of good stuff. And one of the best parts is that the race is for the benefit of Le Arche Mobile, a home for the mentally challenged. And I liked the way they were so incorporated into things. They made the wooden finishers medals, helped at water tables, and even did the framed drawings that were the awards for the winners and age groups. Even placing them on the winners was a very touching thing. I rate this race a true ten out of ten and highly recommend it to you all. I can't really think of anything the race directors could have improved and that is a first for me. Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon: Linda Ambard, Robert “Not So Great” Britain, Pamela Brulotte, Alan Countryman, Lora (AZ Runnergirl) Eklund, Bob English, Jean “Mama Jean” Evansmore, Eddie Hahn, Claude Hicks Jr., Tom Hosner, Ed Indvik, Etienne Jaulin, Gene Jochen, Kathy Kass, Danny Lyon, Jo “Coconutboy” Mahoney, Sherry “MMM” Mahoney, Maniac Mel, Cyndie Merten, Little Leslie, Jerry “Geronimo” Nairn, Don Pemberton, Jeanette Quintana, Silver Rivas, Ray “McGyver” Shaw, Jeff Veneble, Christopher “Hollywood” Warren, Troy “Industrial Bellybutton” Windsor, Catherine “Aunt Fun” Wyman.

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The Maniac Pasta Dinner at Beppo Di Buca Maniacs McGyver, Hollywood, Eddie Hahn, Maniac Mel and Alan Countryman Rockin’ and Rollin’ with Dale Shoup…his race report. The weather returned to normal this year. About 42F at the start and 65F by the time I finished. As Frank Shorter said before the start, "It was no-excuses weather!" Only the individual athlete was responsible for his performance today. Consequently there can be no excuses other than my own mistakes for my weak performance. I got my maximum mileage up over 50 for several weeks before the marathon but my training pace has stayed relatively slow. My Parrot prediction and Lasso 800's have stayed in the 3:45 to 3:50 range so I did not expect to beat 3:45. However my body still remembers my previous usual 3:30 pace, so the first couple miles were at about 8:05 pace. I figured this was foolish and slowed down to about 8:15 to 8:20 for the next 4 miles. My HR monitor was stuck at 50 to 55 and beeping constantly. Either the battery is dead or the strap is too corroded to work properly, so it was useless. Nevertheless I started to worry that my pace was unsustainable. My breathing was too hard and my legs were starting to protest so I tried to relax and let my pace slow down to about 8:30 to 8:40. I was passed by the 3:40 pace group just before the half so I was still a little ahead of my expected pace. Cher and her sister Rowene were waiting for me at mile 13, so I took off my HR strap and gave it to her. There were so many people around (mostly passing me) that I didn't hear the beeping, but no doubt some of the other runners were happy to have it silenced. My mental concentration started to slip. I allowed my pace to slow some more and accepted the steady onslaught of people passing. My pace fell to 8:50 then 9:00 and finally 9:10 as I approached mile 20. The 3:45 pace group had passed and I only briefly gave chase. At about this point I developed an urgent need for a port-a-potty, however there were none at either the 35K water stop or the 20 mile water stop. Consequently I had severe cramps approaching mile 21 and I had no confidence I would find any relief there. I saw my chance as the course made a turn. On the far

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side of the intersection was a JB's Restaurant and hoped that it was open. Fortunately it was open and they let me use their restroom. The pit stop cost me about 4 minutes so my mile 21 split was 12:56.

Kathy Kass Pamela “ACDC” Brulotte Gene Jochen on his way to a PR sub 3:00 marathon! I felt much better after my pit stop and now felt like I could pick up the pace and started to pick other runners to catch and pass. I was passing a lot of other runners but my pace was still over 9:00. Then I decided to target runners that had passed me and were slowly pulling ahead. This worked to intensify my focus and my pace improved. In fact the last mile was at 8:40 pace again and I was passing other runners like mad. So in spite of my overall weak performance I felt good about my finish. The Elite Racing folks have almost all the bugs worked out in spite of the size of the event. The biggest problem is the crush of humanity at the finish as both the half and full marathons finish in the same area. There is not much space between the two finishing chutes where 30,000+ runners and their families have to pass. There was plenty of water on the course with stops just about every mile. There were a lot of bands on the course, but I never stayed in one area long enough to really enjoy them. I guess it is more for the walkers. Anyway I recommend the marathon to anyone willing to put up with a major event. Walt Disney World Marathon: Quicksilver-Runner, Karen Carpenter, Tim Collins, Mark Cook, Mike Dooley, Lauri “The Kid” Fauerbach Adams, Paul Friese, Jeff “Q” Giles, Larry Herman, Harry Hoffman Jr., Christine Humble, Scott Insley, Chester “Southernmost Walker” Kalb, Ron Knecht, Rick Korecki, Jeff Krueger, Josh Liebman, Stevie Ray Lopez, Edward Lyell, Craig MacBean, Dave MacBean, Tamara Mackey, Dotty Maddock, Lori Manna, Tammie Massie, Dana Mosell, Aaron Pendergraft, Zander Ross, Wendi Schulte, Jon “Not So” Swift, Thomas Tan, Fiona Wayne Wright

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Thomas Tan Stevie Ray Lopez having a great time through the Magic Kingdom…and with “The Kid” in hideous Maniac Yellow! Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon: The race summary from marathonguide.com. Amy Yanni, 53 of Rapid City SD, the winner of the 2008 Running From an Angel Marathon, was the first female finisher in 3:37:02. Yanni, who had five marathon victories in 2007, recorded her second of the 2008 season with the win. Cindy Lewandowski, 45 of Sartell MN, who had three top-three finishes in 2007, finished second in 3:42:10. Andrea Gelle, 22 of Lakeview MN, was third in 3:55:21. January 19 Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass 34M: Eric “Trail Scat” Barnes, Linda Barton, Rob “Rattler” Hester, Shawn Lawson, King Arthur Martineau, Jess Mullen, Van “pigtails” Phan, Tom Stoltz, Steve Stoyles. An excerpt from participant Russell Cheney: "Of my 240-some marathons and 40-some ultras, yesterday had the finest selection of certain items: MUD: Thin mud, medium mud, thick mud, very thick mud, mud on top of ice, mud on top of snow, mud below ice, mud below snow, mud mixed with ice, mud mixed with snow, plain mud that stained, plain mud that didn't adhere, sticky mud, very sticky mud, slippery mud, lubricated sticky mud. Going as fast as I could down the Trench of Doom my legs and feet weirdly felt more and more awkward and unstable; I looked down at my feet: sticky mud had adhered in broad layers on the SIDES of my shoes (up to two inches on each side), causing them to become like clunky snowshoes, except heavier. WEATHER: If there was a name for it, I think we had it. BEAUTY: So many sections were SO beautiful! On the upper loop as I was entering that extensive section of new-growth conifers with all their bright-green

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symmetric branches it started snowing heavily: it was like a real-life three-dimension painting by an unbelievably talented artist. I had to stop several times just to begin to absorb it." Diamond Valley Lake Marathon: Yolanda “Walking Diva” Holder, DEO, Jon “Coconutboy” Mahoney. From marathonguide.com: In the women's division, Kimber Hall, 34 of Wildomar CA, was the winner in 3:44:49. Sherry Mahoney, 43 of Vernon BC, who was the runner-up in 2007 and winner of the 2007 Loop The Lake Marathon, finished second again in 3:47:13. Brenda Corona, 46 of Escondido CA, who was third in 3:49:49. January 26 Pigtails Run: Bill “Hot Rod” Barmore, Steve Barrick, Eric “Trail Scat” Barnes, Linda Barton, Valerie Beyer, Barb Blumenthal, Jim Boyd, Adrian Call, May Cheng, Peter Corduan, *tc, Nathan Greene, Mary “mph” Hanna, Jane “camelback” Herzog, Rob “Rattler” Hester, Bruce Hoff, Jill Hudson, Dean Kayler, James Klarich, Kurt Lauer, Shawn Lawson, Tim “pumped2run” Lawson, King Arthur Martineau, Rich Menzel, Little Leslie, Jess Mullen, Monte Pascual, Brian Pendleton, Maniac #3 tp!, Cliff “quack quack” Richards, Ray “McGyver” Shaw, Tom Stoltz, Linda Walter, Steve “Marathon Freak” Walters, Christopher “Hollywood” Warren, Olaf Weckner, Karen Wiggins, Prez Steven Yee, Guy Yogi

H2V Ultramaniacs Kaiser, Shaka, Maniacles, Macon, Fong, Craven, Waro and Essenberg Yours Truly 50km: “Rattler” and Michelle Barnes Hilo To Volcano 50km: Tom Craven, Mark Essenberg, Jeff Fong, Nick Kaiser, Johnny “Shaka” Landeza, Larry Macon, Les “Maniacles” Omura, Wyatt Waro

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http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2008/01/21/sports/sports01.prt

OBSSESSION CONFESSION…by Les “Maniacles” Omura

I am a maniac. Really, I am a Maniac. And I am not alone.

Many people have hobbies that dominate their lives. For some it is fishing or golfing while for others it is hiking or surfing. For many these interests move beyond the average hobby becoming passions or obsessions. Collectors share a common bond. Whether they collect stamps, wines, baseball cards or vintage automobiles, their common interests bond these collectors. I collect marathons, and I am serious.

I started in 1994 with an innocuous goal of running the Great Aloha Run. It was quite a challenge, as I had never run longer than eight miles. My partners and I trained for months and successfully completed the eight and a quarter mile run from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium. It was difficult but we persevered. Bolstered, we decided to continue our training and attempt the Honolulu Marathon ten months later.

There is a saying, "Want to win a race, run a mile. Want to experience a life changing event, run a marathon". Crossing that finish line on Kalakaua Avenue at my first Honolulu Marathon was an epiphany. I was hooked and literally took the line and ran. The Honolulu Marathon became an annual event but I soon discovered that a change of scenery was good. I started to venture to the neighbor islands with my compadres Johnny and Alfredo. Hilo, Kona, Volcano and Maui host marathons each year and soon became annual events. We also discovered that there are numerous marathons each weekend on the mainland and looked for those that fit into our schedules and gave them a try.

It was at one of the races that I met others like me. I am a Marathon Maniac! I belong to an online group of runners, www.marathonmaniacs.com. We are bonded by our common passion. We collect marathons. The Maniacs are represented at almost every marathon. There are currently about a dozen Maniacs from Hawaii and over seven hundred worldwide. The Maniacs are a diverse group of people who are bonded by a passion to complete marathons. Finishing times are not crucial for many of our members though there are many accomplished among us. Sam Thompson ran 52 marathons in 50 states in 50 days as a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina (doing so months before Dean K). It is not unusual to see a Maniac at the top of a leader board in local runs. However, most Maniacs are average "Joes". Few have the typical lean bodies of the elite runner. Looks belie the ability and determination of these older veteran runners.

The Marathon Maniacs have criteria for membership into the club. Stars are awarded based on levels of achievement. The minimum qualification for membership is completing three marathons in three months. Running a marathon in back to back days is also acceptable. These Maniacs begin at the one star or Bronze level. Those who complete 52 marathons or 30 states or 20 countries in a calendar year achieve the highest or ten star Titanium levels. There are a few who reach this goal each year.

My sixty plus lifetime marathons are moderate in the Maniac realm. Part time Hawaii resident, Robert Lopez will finish over 60 runs in 2007 alone. The quest for more stars drives some Maniacs to lofty goals. I hope to reach the century mark in a few years. After all, I am a Maniac!

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*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***** The new and improved Maniac database is up and running. Muchos gracias to Programmer Brian Pendleton for creating and administering the database and Marc Frommer for answering member’s e-mails and troubleshooting. Please offer suggestions on how the Insane Asylum and bulletin board can be improved. If you continue to have problems logging on to the database, please contact Maniac #9 (Marc) (marc@marathonmaniacs.com). January 27 Yours Truly 50km (Cedar River): Eric “Trail Scat” Barnes, Michelle Barnes, Rob “Rattler” Hester, Tim “pumped2run” Lawson, Jess Mullen, Rich Nelly, Monte Pascual, Brian Pendleton, Mel Preedy, Steve “Marathon Freak” Walters, Jon Yoon

Programmer Brian Pendleton “pumped2run” and “Marathon Freak” Jess Mullen

Noteworthy Accomplishments / Promotions / Omissions / Maniac Stuff: Please let the Prez know if you reached a higher Maniac level and want the recognition in the Newsletter!

Iridium (4 star) Maniac: Steve Stoyles (4 marathons/ultras in 4 weeks) Gold (3 star) Maniac: Elizabeth Jones (4 marathons in 37 days) Silver Maniacs (2 star): Kathy Kass (8 marathons in 12 months) Another Maniac on the cover of Northwest Runner – Doug MacLean

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New Members for the Month of January

1/01 – Spencer Albin #774 (Bellingham, Washington): The first Maniac initiated in 2008, Spencer completed the Bellingham Bay, Seattle and the Last Chance Marathons to qualify for Bronze level in the Insane Asylum. He has 12 marathons and ultras to his credit in 4 states and Canada. 1/0 2– Kelby Marks #775 (Bogota, Colombia):Currently living in Columbia where no marathons are being held, Kelby had to drag his family on a vacation to the United States in order for him to run his first marathon. He managed to qualify for the Insane Asylum as a Bronze member by going on a Northwest vacation and completing the Christmas and Last Chance Marathons. Now he’s convinced that family vacations go hand-in hand, just like Bert and Ernie and Abbott and Costello. Now he feels inspired to create a marathon in Colombia and when he does, he says all of you Maniacs are invited. 1/02 –Dick Whicker #776 (Danville, Indiana): Dick has run over 30 marathons in his career and it wasn’t until he read MM Dennis Duria’s blog that he even knew that the Marathon Maniacs existed. He is a 2 star Silver Maniac by running 4 marathons in 3 months, which took place during the last quarter of 2006. Another achievement that Dick is proud of is the fact that he qualified for the 2007 U.S. Duathlon Team and participated in the World Duathlon Champuonship in Gyor, Hungary.

Kelby Marks Dick Whicker (with Dean K.) Meg Burtch

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1/02 –Meg Burtch #777 (Bellevue, Washington): Another newly initiated Maniac whom made the Last Chance Marathon their final qualifier, Meg timed for entry correctly as she requested #777. Her previous two races included the Ron Herzog 50 km and the Birch Bay Ghost Marathon to induct her as a Bronze level member. 1/02 –Hoa Pham #778 (Seattle, Washington): Hoa has participated in quite a few of the Pigtail races and now has finally qualified to be a Bronze level Maniac. Her best Maniac streak of 3 in 3 months included the Portland, Las Vegas Marathons and finally the Pigtails Flatass 50km. 1/03 –Michael Ernst #779 (Salem, Oregon): Michael has run a total of 8 marathons in 7 states and was a “Goofy Challenge” finisher in 2007. In late 2007, he completed the Philadelphia and Seattle marathons on consecutive weekend to ensure him Bronze level membership in the Insane Asylum. 1/03 – Vivian Doorn #780 (Seattle, Washington): Thank heavens for “pigtails” in putting on her races as Vivian is another newly initiated Maniac whom ran the Flatass as her final qualifier. Coupled with the Nike Women’s and the Seattle marathon, she is a Bronze level member. Vivian has 6 lifetime marathons and 1 ultra in 4 states and Canada.

Hoa Pham Michael Ernst Vivian Doorn 1/03 – Brock Gravery #781 (Seattle, Washington): Brock’s marathoning career started back in 2002 with the Seattle Marathon and since that time has truly graduated from the 26.2 mile level to mainly participating in ultra level distances. He’s completed numerous 50 milers (Mt. Si, Capitol Peak, White River) and

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100 milers (Cascade Crest, Western States, Hardrock). From his recent racing history, it doesn’t look like he’ll be going back to marathons anytime soon. He is a 3 star Gold level maniac with his best streak of 16 races in one year.

1/04 –Paul Greshaw #782 (Grandville, Michigan): Paul is a Bronze level Maniac by finishing the Ice Age 50 miler and a few weeks later the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City. But his grandest achievement may be running the length of the state of Michigan, 400 miles in a span of 12 days as a fund raiser for the Michigan Special Olympics. 1/04 – Ralph Herr #783 (Ephrata, Pennsylvania): Another Maniac from the great haven that is Pennsylvania, Ralph comes in as a 4-star Iridium Maniac by having run 2 marathons in 2 days. 1/04 –Bruce Hoff #784 (Renton, Washington): Maniac #350 Jake Lin sponsored Bruce’s membership into the Insane Asylum. Bruce’s stats include running 9 marathons and ultras in one year, making him a 2-star Silver Maniac. He has completed numerous ultras from 50km, 50 miles and some 100 mile races. 1/04 –Q #785 (Seattle, Washington): “Q” comes in as a Bronze Maniac by having completed the Maniac requisite of 3 marathons in 90 days (Bizz Johnson, Ron Herzog 50km and the Birch Bay Ghost Marathon). Now don’t you wish you knew the secret identity of “Q”?

Brock Gravery Bruce Hoff Angie Vlach and Gene Simms 1/04 –Angie Vlach #786 (Chehalis, Washington): Angie first heard about the Maniacs back in August 2006 during the Hood to Coast Relay and met the Bronze criteria by running the inaugural Tacoma City Marathon and the week later the Capital City Marathon. But like a few members, she put it off and now really

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wants to be a Maniac. She claims from other Maniacs she’s met that she has to be crazy to have run all of these marathons and hasn’t tried to get a “yellow shirt” yet. Well Angie, better late than never! 1/04 – Gene Simms #787 (Chehalis, Washington): A friend of #786, they decided that they should join the Maniac clan together. Besides, Gene says that he hasn’t been able to get a “yellow shirt” biking so this would work for his wardrobe. Like Angie, his Maniac streak consisted of finishing the Tacoma City and Capital City Marathons, thus making him Bronze. 1/07 – Randy Graves #788 (Edmond, Oklahoma): Randy recently completed the Bronze Maniac qualifier by completing the Lewis and Clark, Route 66 and the Honolulu Marathons within 3 months. But he’s truly blessed to be able to run as he is a quadruple bypass surgery survivor and is excited about improving his level status in the Insane Asylum in the upcoming months. 1/09 –Mark Seaburg #789 (Hopkins, Minnesota): This past October Mark ran marathons four consecutive weekends (Twin Cities, Whistle Stop, Des Moines and Marine Corps) to qualify for 4-star Iridium status. His lifetime totals include 50 marathons and 4 ultras in 11 states. 1/09 – Mitchell Chan #790 (La Mirada, California): Having met Maniac #2 last month in California and wanting to become a Maniac, Mitchell has run over 30 marathons in his lifetime. He enters as a 4-star Iridium Maniac with his completion of the Death Valley and Las Vegas Marathons on back to back days.

Randy Graves Mark Seaburg Mitchell Chan

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1/10 – Charles Oatman #791 (Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada): Charles first marathon was back in 2002 in Ottawa and since that time has run an additional 33 marathons, in 14 states and 2 Canadian provinces. He is a 4-star Iridium Maniac by finishing the Dayton and Akron Marathons on back to back days. Having already completed the Goofy Challenge in 2008, Charles goal is 15 marathons this year. 1/11 –Eric Johnson #792 (Raleigh, North Carolina): Eric has met a few Maniacs the past three months and having fulfilled the criteria, wanted to become one himself. His first marathon was back in 1993 and has completed 41 marathons in his lifetime in 33 states. His goal is to complete the 50 state circuit in 2008. By completing the Breakers and Mystic Places Marathon in 2005 on back to back days, Eric comes into the Insane Asylum as a 4star Iridium Maniac. 1/15 –Dana Sherrod #793 (Plano, Texas): Dana is also gunning for the 50 state completion as she has run 38 marathons in 37 states. Her best Maniac streak was finishing 13 marathons in 13 states in one year, thus earning her the coveted 5-star Ruthenium level in the Insane Asylum. 1/15 –Adam Tomlin #794 (Bessemer, Alabama): Adam recently completed his Bronze Maniac qualifier with the First Light Mobile Marathon. His two other marathons were the Marine Corps and Rocket City. He is looking forward to his next marathon, the Country Music in Nashville. 1/15 – Michele Keane #795 (SandySprings, Georgia): Michele says “I have officially done it… I am indeed a Marathon Maniac!” Yes Michele, after your completions of the Harpeth Hills Monkey, Rocket City and the Disney World marathons, you are certifiably Bronzed in the Insane Asylum. Michele has 28 lifetime marathons run in 18 states.

Charles Oatman Eric Johnson Adam Tomlin

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1/15 –John Teyhen #796 (Cibolo, Texas): John and his wife Deydre (whom will be initiated next) have been “bitten by the bug” and want to become Marathon Maniacs. And with having done 8 marathons in 8 states in one year, John is a 2 star Silver Maniac. He has run 35 marathons in 29 states. 1/15 – Deydre Teyhen #797 (Cibolo, Texas): The second half of our next wife and husband Maniac combo, Deydre is also a 2-star Silver Maniac with her 8 marathons in 12 months. Deydre is just a little behind husband John in lifetime marathons and states (25), no doubt she’ll put on an incredible “surge” and catch up to him! They are also members of the 50-states club. 1/16 – Stephen Faigen #798 (Washington DC): Stephen wants in on our exclusive, obsessive group and he’s got the stats to be certifiably Iridium. Having done 25 marathons in his lifetime (all in different states), he’s a 4-star Maniac having run marathons in 9 states in 12 months. 1/17 – Jennifer Leng #799 (Bellmore, New York): Jennifer has qualified for Bronze Maniac induction with her 3 marathons in 3 months (Marine Corps, New York City and Walt Disney World). She has run 6 lifetime marathons in 5 states. 1/18 – Christine Tucker #800 (Medford Lakes, New Jersey): A member of the Pineland Striders and friend of Maniac El Hamersly, Christine lifetime count is 26 marathons all within 3 states. Last November, she completed the Philadelphia and North Central Trail Marathons on consecutive weekends to qualify for Bronze level in the Insane Asylum.

Michele Keane John and Deydre Teyhen Steve Faigen

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1/20 – Andrew “Tighurt” Strickland #801 (Macon, Georgia): Andrew went beyond the “call of duty” when qualifying for Bronze level by attaining all 3 criteria mentioned. He considers his best Maniac streak of completing the Walt Disney World and Museum of Aviation Marathons on consecutive weekends. He has completed 4 marathons and 1 ultra in 4 states. 1/20 – Carl Bryan #802 (Fall City, Washington): Carl is one newly initiated Maniac whom enjoys those runs longer than the marathon distance, as witnessed by his Bronze qualifying streak. His 3 in 3 months included the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon, the North Face Endurance 50km and the Ron Herzog 50km. 1/22 – Jack McDermott #803 (Tallahassee, Florida): Jack is one fast Maniac by recently finishing third overall in the First Light Marathon, and he also runs a lot of them each year. He is a 5-star Ruthenium Maniac with his best Maniac streak of running in 14 states in one year. Having two good friends as Maniacs (Peggy Shashy and Paul Ahnberg), Jack has completed 87 marathons and 10 ultras in 31 states and DC. His other “streaks” include running all 7 First Light Marathons and has run 6 consecutive Boston Marathons. 1/23 –Alfred Patrick #804 (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago): The Maniacs sure love adding new countries to their resume and Alfred helps to fill that bill, being from Trinidad and Tobago. In December 2007 Alfred ran the Reggae Marathon in Jamaica, quickly hopped on a plane to another country and the next day finished the Marathon of the Palm Beaches in Florida, thus making him a 4-star Iridium Maniac. To date he has run in 11 marathons. 1/23 – Alan Nabors #805 (Ingleside, Texas): Alan is a Bronze level Maniac in the Insane Asylum by having run the San Antonio, Fiesta and the Arizona Rock and Roll Marathons within the 3 month period. His lifetime totals include 5 marathons run in 2 states.

Andrew “Tighurt” Strickland Jack McDermott Alan Nabors

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1/23 – Sunil Chainani #806 (Bangalore, Karnataka, India): More Global Maniacs, the first of the wave from India, Sunil is part of a running group called Runners for Life, based in Bangalore. While residing in India where weather conditions and lack of races makes it a bit tougher to run marathons, Sunil managed to complete 3 marathons in 3 months recently (Kaveri, Bangalore Ultra and the Mumbai Marathon). His goal for 2008 is to run a sub 4 hour marathon. 1/24 - Rajesh Vetcha #807 (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India): The next newly initiated Maniac from India, Rajesh completed 3 races in a span of 76 days (New York City, Bangalore Ultra and the Mumbai Marathon), thus earning him Bronze level in the Insane Asylum. 1/24 – Bhasker Sharma #808 (Bangalore, Karnataka, India): The third consecutive newly initiated Maniac from the country of India, Bhasker also fulfilled the Bronze level criteria of 3 marathons/ultras in 3 months. It may be a little easier for Bhasker to visit the United States as he has a sister whom resides in Connecticut. Check out his website…http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/DreamerBhasker

1/24 – Aquilino Garcia #809 (Hattiesburg, Mississippi): Aquilino enters the Insane Asylum as a 2-star Silver Maniac by virtue of having run 8 marathons in 1 year. He has run marathons in 10 states and has completed 10 of them.

Sunil Chainani Bhasker Sharma Aquilino Garcia 1/24 –Jimmy Smith #810 (Bremerton, Washington): With his recent finish at the Walt Disney World Marathon and coupled with running the Tri-Cities and California International Marathons, Jimmy is a newly inducted Bronze member in the Insane Asylum. And these are his only 3 marathons in his lifetime!

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1/25 – Marsha White #811 (Gainesville, Florida): Another recent finisher of the Goofy Challenge, Marsha completed 7 marathons in 2007 and is registered for 7 more marathons through May 2008. She is a 2-star Silver Maniac with her best hard core streak of 6 marathons in 6 months. 1/25 – Paul Fouch #812 (Klamath Falls, Oregon): A friend of Bob and Lenore Dolphin, Paul wanted to join the Maniacs before he got too old. Well Paul, nobody is ever too old to join so welcome to the club. Due to time constraints like working construction, helping out at church and visiting with his 27 grandchildren, all at 73 years young, he’ll never to able to run races all over the country. But in 2007, he did manage to run 6 marathons in 6 months to qualify for 2-star Silver Status. 1/25 – John Fink #813 (Spring, Texas): John started his hardcore marathon streak with last year’s Mardi Gras Marathon and continued with the Big D and then the Oklahoma City Marathon (3 marathons in 64 days). And then later in the year he ran 3 marathons in 51 days, the highlight being a PR at the Mississippi Gulf States Marathon. He is a Bronze Maniac with these two streaks.

Marsha White John Fink Nikki Santee 1/25 – Rick Wade #814 (Tacoma, Washington): Rick qualified for the Maniacs long ago but he had an affinity for number 814 (his birthday) so had to wait for quite a few months. He’s now an official Bronze member in the Insane Asylum by having completed the Mt. Si ultra, Tacoma and Capital City Marathons last year within a span of 2 months.

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1/31 – Nikki Santee #815 (Seattle, Washington): Nikki was so happy to have completed her 3 marathons in 3 months to qualify for Bronze level (Nike Womens, Seattle and Houston). She has run 7 lifetime marathons in 4 states and the Czech Republic. 1/31 –John Lum Young #816 (Maracas St. Joseph, Trinidad & Tobago): Please welcome our second Maniac from Trinidad and Tobago and a good friend of Maniac 804 Alfred Patrick, he found our website while searching for a morning and evening marathon on the same day in close proximity. His best hardcore streak is 4 marathons in 5 months and 2 in 2 days (Reggae and Palm Beaches) to qualify for 4-star Iridium status. John has run 14 marathons in his lifetime in 5 countries.

Alfred (#804) Patrick and John Lum Young Jen Savage is one hard working Maniac! Rhetorical Revelations and W(Rites)…from the Rambunctious Rev Hiya Stevie, or should I say, “Dear Mr. President of Your Very Own Hall of Fame!”

Yee, my friend! Two things! 1! Congratulations! This is great!!! Your own Hall!

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2! Oh geez, I am close ! Membership in good standing for three years!

Steve, I’ve got that almost rock solid cold! Hall of Fame here I come!!!!!! No? What’s this? I must do something else??? Well, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in the nation’s capital! No? How about nine marathons in nine weeks in a row, in the same pair of Ascics! No?

“Run 51 marathons per year for three consecutive years.”

Alright!!! I already have a pretty nifty 45 marathons, just six shy (!), and I did them better: over five consecutive years, which shows even MORE endurance than three years!

What? You mean, run 51 in one year? And then, do that again?? And then, kneebotomy aside, a third time??? Steve, are you actually just trying to start a “Vestibule of Fame?” Sigh.

“Three times a 50-State finisher.” Ohhhhh, no. Sounds like some other club. I’ve seen them in their white singlets: boring! Nothing for bulletin board debate there! Besides, I am not flying to any Iowas when I can run five beauties in California alone, a bunch more in gorgeous Colorado, and best of all, see Yee and Co. in Washington, where there is a pasta salad in Tacoma with my name on it.

(Between you and me Steve, I suspect we’re being infiltrated! No, really. Kick those 50-stater rascals out, I say! Alright, the nice ones, they can stay, but make them wear yellow and black.) “99-100 Mile Finishes.”

I am confused on this one. Is it, first run a 99-miler, and this way build up slow-like to the 100-miler, then go run a 100-miler, and then you’re in? Is that it?

No? You mean, finish… 99 different… 100-milers…{Kienz stared blankly at the paper…. His wife, unable to snap him out of it, dialed 911…}

Oh, I get it! Tony put that one in, didn’t he! Good one, fellas. Now I’ve got one for you. A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar, and…

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No? You’re serious? Steve, I realize you guys think big and all, but Yee! I can see it now: “come to Tacoma and visit the newest tourist attraction, “The MarathonManiac Chair of Fame!” (Hey, Warren, has our buddy been working for the government just a tad too long?)

Maybe you guys are going to chiropractor school, and are trying to develop a new source for clients. (“Hey Action Jackson, You Can Do It! Hey Mel Preedy! Go get ‘em, young fella! Hey Loopy! You’ve had nine whole days off now, back to it!”)

Gentlemen, I’m being serious now. You need to go get some counseling. “333 marathons/ultras.”

NOW we’re talking. Ten more per year, for 28.8 years, and baby, I am in on my 81st Birthday! And…if I plan this right… that 81st birthday will be the day I run my first double: warm-up with my 333rd marathon, then, after

breakfast, knock off my 99th100-miler, on my third life-time trip to Louisiana. The truth is, Tony already told me we’ve got some inductees ready. You people amaze and astound. I bow low… very, very

low. Love ya,

Rev dgkienz@yahoo.com

Maniac Ongoing Discounts • $10 off marathons put on by Bob Green (his next one is the Easter Marathon). • 15% off shoes, apparel at the Balanced Athlete (Kent, Wa); ask for Eric Sach • 10% off any running shoes, apparel at the Foot Zone store (Bellevue location only, ask for Jenny) • discount on BITE sandals (contact Tony at tony@marathonmaniacs.com for details) • More to come in the February 2008 Newsletter and to the web site soon. The President has written…

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It’s still a CAT Club! What MM 685 Erika Van Flein will be getting as a Valentine’s gift (license plate…not the dog!)