Chips Apparel

Hey Chips!
The new warm-ups and running apparel has arrived, and they look GREAT!  If
you placed an order or you want to make a purchase, please come to Tuesday
Night workout on March 25th!
If you can't make the pick-up/purchase date on March 25.  There will be
other opportunities.
In order to support the BCRC team, we encourage all members to wear the
uniform during a race (and black shorts).
Warm-up Jacket (unisex XS-XL) ­ $34.00
Warm-up Pants (unisex XS-L. They run big) - $20.00
Women¹s Shimmel (S-L. Run small)) - $23.00
Men¹s Sleeveless Crews (S-XL) - $15.00
Men¹s Singlet (S-XL) - $15.00
Women¹s Singlet (S-L) - $15.00
White Short Sleeve Tech Tee ­ (unisex XS-XL) - $11.00
Black Long Sleeve Tech Tee- (unisex SX-XL) - $12.00
Questions?  Ask Jen, runnerjen@sbcglobal.net
Go Chips!

Chips Uniform & Apparel

Dear Chips,

I have attached pictures of the new official Chips warm-ups and technical tees. All clothing will be in black EXCEPT the short sleeve tech shirt. This will be WHITE.

All clothing is unisex (XS-XL). The warm up pants run big. I recommend women sixes 0-4 get the XS in everything (unless you have a large chest and big biceps!!)

The warm-up jacket will have our signature BCRC logo in the corner and "Buffalo Chips Running Club" written on the back. - $25.00

Warm up pants will have no logo on them - $20.00 (Again, these run BIG..a 5'11" man with a 32-33 waist, is a Med.)

The LS tech tee will be rather plain - just the BCRC signature logo in the corner of the shirt. - $10.00

The SS WHITE tech tee will have "Chips Racing" on the front like our uniform tanks and shimmels. - $10.00

There is no easy way to get everyone's order, so I am going to ask for sizes and do a big pre-order of everything. If you could please e-mail me at, Runnerjen@sbcglobal.net with the apparel you want and your size, I can get this order started and have the Chips outfitted and looking suave by early spring.

******PLEASE NOTE, THE COSTS ARE A CLOSE ESTIMATE!!!!*************

Thanks for getting back to me within the week,

Jenny Hitchings

PS - Let me know if you need the racing shimmel or tank. I also have some white BCRC tanks and shorts from years past ($5.00!)

New Chips Apparel (PDF)

Chips Women's Performances at CIM 25 years of excellence

This 2007 version of the CIM saw new PRs by Chips Kirsten Schneider (2:52) and Jen Hitchings (2:54) joining a tradition of Chips women's impressive times at our hometown marathon and leading this year's herd of female finishers.

In the program booklet for this year, there is a summary of the "top 75" women's times over the history of CIM, and the second fastest on that list is by our own Eileen Claugus (2:40:04) back in 1985.  Third on the history record is another Chip, now living in Hawaii, Jeannie Urness (2:41:08).  The very top listing, Linda Somers, did train some with the Chips and was a Chip for a brief period in her early career before getting signed on for a real "professional support" contract.

However another way to reflect on excellence is not just by the very best single performance (PR), but on the overall continuity of excellent performance, and Chip Women account for 49 of those top 75 recorded female times and of those 49 top times, 22 were produced by just THREE of our club's female icons of distance:

Chris Iwahashi-8 of the 75 with course PB of 2:45:29 and average finish time of 2:53:08

Theresa McCourt-7 of the 75 with course PB of 2:50:10 and average of 2:54:04

Connie Kondo-7 of the 75 with course PB of 2:51:04 and average of 2:57:30

I might further note that the very last listed female on this year's top 75 list...who will be displaced by those super times for Kirsten and Jen...is June Hill-Falkenthal.  June was a "Chip" for all her strong running years, and she also WON the Sacramento Marathon (precursor to "Cowtown") one year with her PR of just seconds over......3 hours.

George Parrott

Youth Chips National Qualifying Meet Results

John, here is some information for posting to the Chips email on the results of the National Qualifying Meet this past weekend in Fresno's Woodward Park:

On November 25th at the USATF Region Qualifying meet for the National Junior Olympic XC Championship this December in Kansas, the Buffalo Chips Youth Running and Racing Team had the best results in the history of this storied program.  Of the 5 Teams we took to the competition we had the following results, with the top 3 teams qualifying to the National Championships (Note: our region is one of 15 in the US and encompasses Northern and Central CA and Northern Nevada):

Midget Girls (11-12 yrs. old)   2nd Place Team (3 in the top 20)

Youth Girls   (13-14 yrs. old)  1st Place, Regional Champions (5 in the top 14)

Youth Boys   (13-14 yrs. old)  1st Place, Regional Champions (7 in the top 19)

Int. Girls        (15-16 yrs. old)  2nd Place Team  (8 in the top 15)

Young Women (17-18 yrs. old)  1st Place Regional Champions  (8 in the top 13)

Additionally, we had 2 youth place 1st in their age divisions 3 place 2nd and a total of 11 runners finish in the top 5 positions.  With the top 20 finishers and top 3 teams earning a berth to the National Championships, and the top 20 finishers earning medals, the Chips Youth garnered a total of 39 individual medals, 3 Region Champion Plaques and are taking a total of 46 youth to the National Championships.  (3 additional youth qualified but will not be making the trip). 

Congratulations YOUTH CHIPS!!

Weekly News Update

Run to Feed the Hungry, 2007

A good hunk of the herd turned out to support this year's annual Thanksgiving Day race.  First Chip home in the 10K(36:09) was High Dunger, Mr. Blue.  Mary Coordt was our first female over the 10K (37:14) finish line.  Thanks also to the many volunteers who helped make this event a great start to the holiday.

 

CIM, 2007

Ready, set, go?  Best wishes to all those running this weekend's 25th annual CIM.  If you're NOT running but want to partake in the action, consider volunteering at the Chips' booth on Friday or Saturday, or assisting at the aid station on Sunday. Contact John Blue <BuffaloBlue@sbcglobal.net> or Jamie Frink <jamiefrink@yahoo.com> if you're interested in helping. 

 

Club News….2008 Buffalo Chips Club Running Trip….

 

Our sister club in England, the Stockport Harriers, have picked out an event for June 2008 that they want us to join with them in an international travel experience.  This running holiday allows participation by runners/walkers of every level of fitness and racing inclination, as it is ….

 

 

The above names are the eight small towns that host individual stages of this race series which involves a running/walking event EACH DAY from 6 June to 14 June.  The small towns represent a sequence of villages along the North Coast (NORDSEE) of Germany !!!  Two of the venues involve being transported out to island villages to run courses those days on these off-shore islands !

 

General outline:  We will have 8 days of running events from 6-14 June; entrants may do all of the events (ranging from 5k to 14 km in distance) or select some subset if they do not want or cannot do them all.  We plan to arrive in Germany and transport to the race area to join with our British sister club travelers and probably 2-3 Swedish runners on or about 4 June.  On 15 June we will leave the race venue hotel to travel to Berlin (3 nights) and then to the Bavarian Alps (2-3 nights) to enjoy the real beauty of the “Sound of Music.”  We will spend our final couple of nights near Frankfurt before our return to Sacramento.  Projected travel time: 16 nights; air, bus and train transfers and hotels with breakfast daily; dinners included for about 10 nights.   Total cost ESTIMATED at about $3500/person double occupancy, race entry additional depending on how many of the stages one selects.  E-mail Parrott (gparrott@csus.edu) to reserve a spot.  I will need expressions of interest by February with first deposits by 15 March ($500/person initial deposit).  Final exact costs will be confirmed by 15 February so that all may plan accordingly.

Endurance Expo 2007 - Oct. 20 in Auburn!

The Auburn Endurance Capital Committee invites you join us in celebration of the many Auburn events of 2007, at the Endurance Expo. With vendors and athletes from the cycling, running, horseback riding, skiing and paddling community, we’ll have something for everyone!

Date: Saturday, October 20, 2007
Time: 2 pm to 8 pm
Location: indoors - at the Gold Country Fairgrounds, in the Armory Building in Auburn, CA - Endurance Capital of the World!
For more information visit: http://www.AuburnEnduranceCapital.com

- Meet the Champions
- Free posters & poster signing
- A Rockin' Multi-media show
- Vendors, Exhibits, Samples
- Clinics and speakers
- Free climbing wall
- Delicious food
- Endurance Sports Bar
- Raffle and Silent Auction (with "Train with a Champion" packages)
- Complimentary Valet bicycle parking
- Fun Run
- Fun road and mountain bike rides

Awards Committee & Annual Awards categories

Message #1:
We would like you to come forth to be on the Awards Committee. For those of you who are power-hungry, possess a seething desire to affect the self-esteem of friends and foe, and/or been fired, demoted, or reprimanded due to inappropriate displays of a warped sense of humor, then the Awards Committee is right for you! To be part of this elite cadre of the finest Chips, contact Gina Adams at Sparkle71710@yahoo.com.

Message #2:
In search of new Annual Awards categories. Some that have been offered include: "Biggest Cherry-Picker" and "Most likely to stray off course." Don't hold back. All suggestions, no matter how unconventional, will be considered. They don't even have to be running related. Send all suggestions to Gina Adams at Sparkle71710@yahoo.com.

Message #3:
Actively soliciting stories, embarrassing moments, quirky personality traits, or anything humorously shameful or joyful about yourself and/or fellow Chips. These will be held in the highest confidence by the Awards Committee (note the integrity of the Awards Committee by the selection criteria above). Send all emails to Gina Adams at Sparkle71710@yahoo.com.

REWARD 007-07-06

One thousand dollars ($1,000) reward is offered by the American River Parkway Safety Coalition for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the physical assault upon Satendar Singh at Nimbus Flat State Recreation Area near Hazel and I-50 at approximately 8 p.m. Sunday, July 1, 2007.


The victim reportedly was punched once in the face by a person described as being of Russian decent. The victim’s head hit the ground and he started bleeding heavily. Officials are looking for a dark green four door sedan and a red Mitsubishi with a red Department of Motor Vehicles registration sticker showing in the rear window with the number “7”

*************************

If you have any information regarding the suspect or the vehicles please contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department at (916) 874-5115

**********************

This reward offer shall be paid upon the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. The reward offer shall expire January 10, 2008. The maximum reward is $1,000 per incident.


To claim the reward, contact American River Parkway Safety Coalition, c/o Save the American River (SARA) P.O. Box 277638, Sacramento, CA 95827 or e-mail riverwatch@comcast.net


The American River Parkway Safety Coalition was established in 2000 for the purpose of improving communications between recreational parkway users and law enforcement. It offers rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for selected crimes committed on the bike trails, waterways and adjacent land from Discovery Park to Granite Bay, and encourages stiff penalties for persons convicted of crimes committed in these areas. The Coalition organization members contributing to the reward are Save the American River Association (SARA), Buffalo Chips Running Club, Sacramento Wheelmen, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) River City Padders, Inc., and the Lake Natoma Community Task Force.


Issued July 6,. 2007

Weekly News Updpdate (sortof)

New World Records….

27 June…(Courtesy of Race Results Weekly)

Haile Gebrselassie added two more world records to his illustrious collection at the Golden Spike Grand Prix tonight in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Knocking off consistent 67 to 68 second laps, the 23-year-old Ethiopian set a new mark in the one hour run, covering 21,285 meters over the course of 60 minutes to break the previous best, 21,101m, set by Mexican Arturo Barrios in La Fléche, France, on March 30, 1991.

"Today is just a fantastic day," said a beaming Gebrselassie, who said he knew just beyond the half-way point that the record would fall.

En route, the two-time Olympic 10,000m champion also broke the world record for 20,000m, covering 50 laps in 56:25.98, well within the previous 56:55.6 also set by Barrios.

16-17 June, Oslo…(Courtesy of Race Results Weekly) New Women’s 5k WR

MeseretDefar produced a staggering 14:16.63 world record in Oslo, Defar returns to action again in the 5000 at Ostrava. Although the 23-year-old Olympic champion hasn't promised to take her record down even further, she hasn't fully dismissed the possibility either. Defar pulled a Kenyan woman to a 14:22, which was also under Defar’s previous WR of 14:24 at the Oslo meet.

On the HOME FRONT….

Shriner’s8k hosts solid herd of Buffalo….

Led by Samir ?, running with his Chips singlet, but not on the PAUSATF role at around 27:30, Brad Lael was the first fully “official Chip” to cross the line. Full results are not yet posted, but here is our best summary so far…by possible scoring teams…

Men¹s Seniors
205 Gary Lotspeich 35:44 M 58
157 Bob Fredenburg 33:09.0 M 54
280 Jim Fischer 39:46 M 67
372 Laurence White 45:21 M 62

Men¹s Super Seniors
173 Ernest Takahashi 0:33:58 M 62
238 Doug Braasch 0:37:46 M 67
260 Joel Contreras 0:38:54 M 63

Women¹s Masters
108 Jenny Hitchings 0:31:03 F 43
209 Gina Adams 0:35:55 F 45
168 Carol Parise 0:33:47

Women¹s Seniors
242 Christine Iwahashi 0:38:01
328 June Montuori 0:42:28.0
360 Nova Poff 0:44:21 F 70

Women¹s Super Seniors
246 Barbara Miller 0:38:10 F 67
353 Cynci Calvin 0:43:45 F 61
380 Barbara Rinker 0:46:07 F 61

non-PA-USATF
60 Eric Johnson 0:28:58 M 33
339 Steven Polansky 0:43:13 M 61
316 Maggie Ward 0:41:40 F 60
478 Patty Payne 0:52:27 F 54
497 Jan Stevens 0:55:05 M 72
362 Steve Scott 0:44:31 M 54

PA-USATF but unattached
139 Tim Coughlin 0:32:12 M 46

PA-USATF but different team affiliation
166 Cynthia Bosco 0:33:42 F 44

no team
48 Brad Lael 0:28:22 M 42
85 John Blue 0:29:47 M 43
229 John Feeney 0:37:16 M 47
57 Edward Randolph 0:28:51 M 37
409 Linda Hall 0:47:41 F 63
525 PO Adams 1:05:43 F 82

Western States 100, Saturday…and Sunday 23-24 June…

Running clearly the best executed effort to date, Chip Erik Skaden moved through several of the wanna-be-elites in the miles from 49 to 85 to once again claim second overall and a new PR of 16:36 on this very tough course. Chip John Nichols turned in perhaps the best run of his long running resume for a just over 20 hour finish. IMPRESSIVE. Chip Mark Lantz earned the “hero of the day” award for toughing it out through some very frustrating side issues to once again finish “under 24 hours.” Jeffrey Barbier cruised in around 26 hours with Grant Carboni having a bit of breathing room under that 30 hour level. Steve Harrold and Christine Flaherty easily beat that final cutoff line too. Also in the finisher group at 27:30 territory was a “Nick Ham” who is a Stockport Harrier from our sister club near Manchester !!! Congratulations Nick and ALL WS 100 finishers and those who did not finish but took that incredible challenge as far as possible “on the day.”

Upcoming….This one is fun in a sadistic kind of way, and you can experience the first 4 miles of the Western States 100 without having to do the remaining 96…and enjoy a great view from the top of the tram line…

Squaw Valley Mountain Run

The mountain run info is atwww.squawmountainrun.com. Need to register by July 4 in order to get the lower rate.

Also ….July 4^th5 Miler in River Park…a Chips community contribution event !

Ultra Grand Prix Standings…

First in open men: Erik Skaden, 5^thGrant Carboni.

Second in Master’s Men: Mark Lantz, 6^thJohn Nichols.

Second in 60-69 Men: Ernie Takahashi

Teams: Men, Women, Mixed, Overall…BUFFALO CHIPS RC

Congratulations are certainly in order for this TOTAL DOMINANCE of the ultra running turf of the Pacific Association !

Which Chip has the fastest marathon time so far in 2007?

Mark Murray sez:

Congratulations to Kirsten Schneider who ran 2:55:15 this morning at Grandma’s, to move atop the Chips leader board for the year in the marathon. Her time was less than a minute faster than Mary Coordt’s 2:55:40 at Napa, and Ed Randolph’s 2:56:09 at Boston.

I believe that is a PR for Kirsten, who ran 2:57:23 at the CIM. Something tells me that the crowd of folks looking to go under 2:50 at CIM this year just got bigger.

Chips Glamor Boy!

If you subscribe to Ultrarunning Magazine, you'll likely notice your fellow Chip Erik Skaden gracing this month's cover! Congratulations Erik and good luck at this year's Western States 100!
John

Weekly Workout News

Coming to CSUS on 6-9 June…NCAA Division I Track and Field CHAMPIONSHIPS

The headline says it all; CSUS will host for the last time in this contract cycle the major national championships in collegiate track and field. Ticket prices are most reasonable for the quality and access provided in this competition, so don’t be disappointed that you missed this wonderful event totally open to all of us to attend.

Coming to the Ultra Community, 23-24 June, Western States 100 Miler

Dennis Zilaff is back coordinating the club aid station at Devil’s Thumb for this most distinguished of U.S. Ultra running events. Greg Soderlund reports that NBC will be televising this race again nationally, so…we can all be on “national TV” for our aid station excellence. Contact Dennis to be part of this wonderful experience. Our services are provided from about noon to about 5-6 pm on Saturday 23 June.

Workouts for 21 May to 2 July:

NOTE: The “experiment” of formally staging Saturday runs from Panera has been deemed less than successful. Hence subsequent Saturday workouts will return to staging directly from UNIVERSITY PARK.

Note: Sunday LONG RUNS will always start at 7:30 a.m. if the preceding Saturday had an official high temperature in Sacramento of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

The staging locations for the Sunday Long Runs are:

Fish Hatchery…off Hazel and Hiway 50 to the east of Sacramento. Parking lot is on the West side of Hazel. Generally runs are upriver and around Lake Natomas with extra distance via extensions to Beal’s Point.

Rescue….Take Hiway 50 to Cameron Park Drive and then turn to the north on Cameron Park Drive to Green Valley Road intersection. Park in the shopping area on the SouthWest corner of Green Valley Road and Cameron Park Drive (near the donut shop). Arrive early and buy at least one donut at the shop for justified access to their toilet before the run. The course is marked every mile for a 10.6 mile and 17.6 mile course. There is water at about 2.5 miles and again at about 10 miles of the 17.6 mile format. Carrying water is recommended on this course.

Bella Bru…at the corner of Arden Way and Fair Oaks Blvd. right at the Western edge of Carmichael. It is only about 800m from that parking lot area to the parkway at William Pond Park (13 mile point). Starting here opens up the section of the bike trail from the 13 mile mark to the 20-21 mile point for great out and back runs.

Panera…901 Howe Ave. Again, arrive early and get a coffee or ??? in exchange for toilet access before your depart. It is only about 300m from their door to the 6.5 mile mark on the bike trail. Most times we run “upriver,” but some of us enjoy the downriver direction once in a while too. NEVER run downriver from this point as a “single/solo female” runner.

Don't forget! Running Shoe Recycle Drop-Off

Running Shoe Recycling Drop-Off at CHIPS Tuesday Night Workouts on May 22 and 29, 2007

Dear Chips,

Any of you CHIPS out there that have old running shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers that have been piling up, please bring them to CHIPS Tuesday Night Workouts on May 22 and May 29, 2007. Molly Hitchings, a CHIPS family member, is starting an athletic shoe recycling program with McClatchy HS classmates, and they will be collecting your old shoes at the workout.

What To Bring:
Relatively clean and dry adult size and kid size running shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers. Please tie the pairs of shoes together so that we can more easily and quickly sort them.

What Not To Bring:
No dress shoes, boots, flip-flops, sandals, hiking boots, or kids’ shoes with lights. No wet or muddy shoes — they cause the other shoes to get moldy.

What Will Happen With Your Old Shoes:
We will sort the shoes, and donate the clean, re-usable shoes to local organizations that will provide them to homeless and needy people. The shoes that are not reusable will be shipped to a Nike recycling facility via Nike’s Re-Use a Shoe Program. Those shoes will be ground up and used to make athletic surfaces, including tracks, weight room flooring and playground surfaces. If you have any questions, send an email to Molly, Jenny or Andy Hitchings at runnerjen@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for your support!

Avenue Of the Vines 1/2 Marathon

The inaugural Avenue Of The Vines 1/2 Marathon in Lodi this last Sunday was truly a nice event. Fleet Feet Stockton put on a memorable race that will surely fill to capacity next year. This 1/2 did a big loop around the Woodbridge Winery vineyards, and though it was a little warm and the head winds were a bit of a nuisance, it was pretty, quiet and FLAT! At the end of the race, finishers received a commemorative wine glass that could be used for wine tasting, a nice lunch (if you like to eat lunch at 10:00) and music to eat, drink and stretch to on the winery lawn.

The winners’ awards were their body weight in wine, and the age division winners received a double magnum of cabernet with the words, “Age Division Winner” etched on the bottle. Fellow Chip, Kirsten Schneider, won the women’s race in 1:26 and took home her body weight in wine (they wouldn’t believe she was 150 lbs.!!) and a 3 liter bottle of wine that really did weigh as much as her.

Other Chip “Magnum” winners were, Brad Lael (1:19), Jenny Hitchings (1:27) Ernie Takahashi (1:38), and Barbara Miller (1:46). I know there were other Chips out there, but I’m not certain of the names. Sorry.

As we loaded my car with 3 cases of wine and 2 double magnums, Kirsten and I couldn’t do anything but chuckle. Okay, this was worth the $55.00 entry fee. Let’s party!

Running Shoe Recycling Drop-Off

Running Shoe Recycling Drop-Off at CHIPS Tuesday Night Workouts on May 22 and 29, 2007

Dear Chips,

Any of you CHIPS out there that have old running shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers that have been piling up, please bring them to CHIPS Tuesday Night Workouts on May 22 and May 29, 2007. Molly Hitchings, a CHIPS family member, is starting an athletic shoe recycling program with McClatchy HS classmates, and they will be collecting your old shoes at the workout.

What To Bring:
Relatively clean and dry adult size and kid size running shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers. Please tie the pairs of shoes together so that we can more easily and quickly sort them.

What Not To Bring:
No dress shoes, boots, flip-flops, sandals, hiking boots, or kids’ shoes with lights. No wet or muddy shoes — they cause the other shoes to get moldy.

What Will Happen With Your Old Shoes:
We will sort the shoes, and donate the clean, re-usable shoes to local organizations that will provide them to homeless and needy people. The shoes that are not reusable will be shipped to a Nike recycling facility via Nike’s Re-Use a Shoe Program. Those shoes will be ground up and used to make athletic surfaces, including tracks, weight room flooring and playground surfaces. If you have any questions, send an email to Molly, Jenny or Andy Hitchings at runnerjen@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for your support!

Runners World Comrades article

Did you see that Runners World ran an article in the June issue on the Comrades? It's written by Amby Burfoot (didn't we see him there)? It is an extensive and well written piece about the race and his experience (pg. 70).

I think it should be posted on the Chip blog but don't know how to do it myself. The article is on the RW website at http://www.runnersworld.com It brought back many memories. Abe

Running Shoe Recycling Drop-Off

Running Shoe Recycling Drop-Off at CHIPS Tuesday Night Workout on May 15, 2007

Dear Chips,

Any of you CHIPS out there that have old running shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers that have been piling up, please bring them to CHIPS Tuesday Night Workout on May 15, 2007. Molly Hitchings, a CHIPS family member, is starting an athletic shoe recycling program with McClatchy HS classmates, and they will be collecting your old shoes at the workout.

What to Bring:
Relatively clean and dry adult size and kid size running shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers. Please tie the pairs of shoes together so that we can more easily and quickly sort them.

What Not To Bring:
No dress shoes, boots, flip-flops, sandals, hiking boots, or kids’ shoes with lights. No wet or muddy shoes — they cause the other shoes to get moldy.

What Will Happen With Your Old shoes:
We will sort the shoes, and donate the clean, re-usable shoes to local organizations that will provide them to homeless and needy people. The shoes that are not reusable will be shipped to a Nike recycling facility via Nike’s Re-Use a Shoe Program. Those shoes will be ground up and used to make athletic surfaces, including tracks, weight room flooring and playground surfaces. If you have any questions, send an email to Molly, Jenny or Andy Hitchings at runnerjen@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for your support!

Weekly News Update

Reported by Cheri Alvarez (substituting for Parrott)

Rain, wind, cool, wind, wind, cold, rain, wind - weekend's events

This weekend was weather induced weekend from coast to coast, starting with American River 50-miler (Saturday) with MANY CHIPS participating int eh drenching event. Working the finish line really gives you an appreciation for what the runners look like and go thru. To see the adulation on the face when the cross the finish was truly heart felt...!! The adulation was either from finishing the 50miles, getting out the mud or just plain getting out the rain & cold...and boy was it rainy & cold!!! From the finish line perspective...wet puppies come to mind, but happiness across their faces were great to see.

Local Chip, Eric Skaden breezed in at the 1st place person overall with a time of 6:22:19!!! Next Chip was the Ultra Runner of the Year, Mr. Mark Lantz with a time of 6:31:41. These two amazing guys were acting like this was just a run around the block...amazing men!! Next Chip was Herb Tanzer, all the way from Colorado with a time of 7:51:30., followed by Grant Carboni (8:20:07), Bill Finkbeiner (8:42:01), the awesome Ernie Takahashi (placing 3rd in his age division) with a time of 8:46:06, Rena Schumann (first chippette) with a time of 8:49:17, John Nichols right behind (8:49:17), Linda McFadden (9:13:10), Howard Ferris (9:47:24), Therese Iknoian (9:53:30), Christine Flaherty (10:02:06), Diane Vlach (10:33:11), Ken Crouse (10:56:47), Jessica Wagner with her VERY first 50 miler (10:56:05), Barbara Elia (11:01:38) who also placed 3rd in her age group, Eric Ianacone (11:15:34), and I am sure I missed a lot of others, and I do apologize - shivering and freezing at the finish line, but in total AWE of all of you!! But I do have to mention one special person...Gloria Takagishi...this was the 28th "running" of AR50, and Gloria has done ALL 28 AR50s. She is the ONLY person in the US (possibly the world) to complete consecutively a 50 mile race.

And a HUGE, HUGE thanks to Jon Thomas and Dennis Scott for manning the Chips aid station at Sunrise. I know they suffered thru the rain too...and it was POURING, almost monsoon at times!!! And Thanks to all the Chips that help to make that a wonderful aid station!!!

Run Rocklin 5K & 12K (Sunday)

Wind was everywhere, but at least there sun!!! Gusts don't even describe Sundays weather...wind blasts are more like it!!! But the youth Chips turned out in force for this race. And my deepest apologies to the Youth Chips as I only recognize a few of you!! But here we go...Jeroen Keukenkamp (18:40 for 5K), James Dietler-Bennion (19:00 for 5K), Nathan Paddeck (46:54 for the 12K, 1st in his age division and 10th overall!!!), mom Lili Paddeck (27:18 for 5K...WAY TO Lili!!!!), Susan Frazier (58:44 for 12K), and mom Linda Frazier (59:31 for 12K). I sort of recognize some of the other names, but again I apologize for not catching all the names!!

Boston Marathon (Monday)…Chips running Boston

Another "blustery", wet & COLD day...this time on the East Coast. The word from my "contact" was that is nasty on Sunday (cold, windy, rainy), but race day was bearable...according to the times, the overall winners were slow, but our Chips group looked good (on "paper" at least)!! Finishers include Mr High Dunger John Blue 3:09:06, the Honorable Lloyd Levine (3:10:03), the young (18yrs old!!) Joe Krtil (3:03:05), the ever awesome and speedy Ed Randolph (2:56:09), Chris Iwahashi ((3:52:06), Cynci Calvin (4:21:25), Barbara Ashe (4:27:09), Dennis Early (3:09:35), Steven Polansky (4:35:11) and Dr. Jim Fischer (5:16:37).

I will leave all the details of Boston to Parrott to fill in, as he was a course volunteer someplace out there!!

Congrats to all this weekend...it was definitely not a heat weekend, but unfortunately it went in the other direction...weather wise!!!

On to Parrott's news posting...

PAUSATF Next Event in the ROAD Series:

04/29 New Balance Excelsior Zippy 5K San Francisco

Coming in EARLY May: Race For The Cure 5k –Please enter and wear your club singlet!

Club members note: Safety is always an issue when running on the streets or trails. Be ALERT to the environment around you. We are approaching a time when there will be more snakes out and about on the parkway, and there are always other “critters” including skunks that might consider YOU an alien in their space! Do not “zone out” when you are running alone.

Summer Training Warning: Check your sunscreen for proper and approved protection against UVA skin damage. After a recent visit to my dermatologist, I was given a handout on the currently tested and approved sunscreens, and NONE OF MY LAST YEAR’s products had proper UVA protection, though they all “claimed” that effect.

The ONLY ingredients currently meeting UVA protection standards are the following:

Zinc dioxide
Titanium dioxide
Avobenzone

According to the recommendations of Kaiser Permanente 2007.

If your current sunscreen does not have one of the above protection ingredients you MAY be actually exposing yourself to MORE SKIN DAMAGE and potential skin cancer via your extended outdoor fitness workouts. The UVB blocking agent in your current sunscreen protects your skin from surface “burning,” and hence you are outside longer and getting more deep damage via the UVA spectrum. YIKES !

Check your current sunscreen products for effective UVA protection and replace any of those past purchases with new and effective products. READ THE LABELS !

Our workout program for the next “cycle.”

Check out the THURSDAY evening session for “faster feet.” The basic building process for increasing your running speed DEMANDS that you train yourself to get your FEET OFF THE GROUND faster. While Tuesday sessions develop the overall form and running efficiency for holding form, the distances we use on Tuesdays are TOO LONG to encourage you to truly work on “foot speed.” The format of Thursday sessions is focused directly on developing…faster pushoff via shorter units of effort. These Thursday sessions WILL payoff in faster Tuesdays and thus clearly payoff in improved “racing times” at ALL distances, but particularly in the 5k to 10 mile range which is so common in our upcoming summer !

Let’s see a BIGGER turnout on Thursdays !

Weely News Update

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for 14 April, AR 50 Aid Station at Sunrise ! Contact Parrott ASAP, please!

New Chip Jackets, Free for PA-USATF Incentive Participants !

If you earned an award jacket for participation in the PA-USATF running series this past year, contact Johanne Christmas or Gina Adams; they are now “in stock” and ready for final detailing.

IF you WANT one of the new CHIPS JACKETS, but have not/did not earn a free one, they can be purchased for $45 (estimated, confirm directly) with your name embroidered on the front. The only difference between the “earned” and purchased jackets is that the “earned” ones will have “USATF Racing Team” embroidered on the front instead of our personal name….

Way To Cool 50K –Perfect Racing Day (10 March)

After closing entries in less than 8 minutes back in December, the 2007 edition of this most popular 50k trail race in the country went off on a totally beautiful “winter” day.

Top CHIP Finisher was 4^th overall Erik Skaden, followed by Mark Lantz in 19^th place. Jamie Frink, 5:39, seems to be first Chip female finisher, followed by Linda McFadden, Therese Iknoian, June Montuori, Cynci Calvin, and Barbara Elia.

Mark Murray was 33^rd overall in 4:25, Bill Finkbeiner, Ernie Takahashi, John (“I am going to eat your liver” Nichols, Dennis Zilaff, Ken Crouse, Bob Tabler, and Dennis Scott can be seen in the results table as well.

Congratulations to all finishers, even on a wonderful day this is not a forgiving course !

Shamrock Half-Marathon, Sacramento (11 March)

Top female finishers: Kirsten Schneider, Jenny Hitchings, both at 1:24, Megan Schwartz at 1:34, Cynthia Hayes, Linda Frazier, Barbara Rinker, Nancy Mitchum, Maggie Ward. Top males: Ed Randolph, 1:20, Dennis Early, 1:29; also seen Howard Ferris, Ron Hall, George Billingsley.and Bruce Yonehiro. Congrats to ALL finishers and apologies to all those missed in the visual review.

National News…Gate River Run 15k, Jacksonville, Fla, U.S. National Championship

Deena Kastor cruised solo away from the elite women’s field and stayed in front of the later starting men’s division to claim the U.S. national women’s 15km title, and both the women’s big purse and the BONUS $5,000 for the first runner to cross the finish line.

Chasing after her, unsuccessfully but leaving the men’s field in his wake was Meb Keflezighi with fast rising star Ryan Hall second about 15 seconds behind. Meb and Ryan Hall are prepping for London while Deena is tuning up for Boston.

The next “Phase” in our Club Training….Boston Sharpening and Getting Ready to Race - see workouts for more details.

Running Warehouse discount

Buffalo Chips members receive a 15 percent discount off of anything on the Running Warehouse Web site, www.runningwarehouse.com. That includes sales items! Plus they receive free two-day shipping and free returns. If they order before 4 p.m. PDT, the order is shipped out the same day. To receive the discount, click on the Team Discount link located in the upper right-hand portion of the Web site, and enter the code, BUFFCHIPSD, where it says "enter your team code." Hit the return and the discount should appear. You must enter the code FIRST before you start ordering to receive the discount. If you have other questions, e-mail them at info@runningwarehouse.com or call them at (800) 606-9598 in San Luis Obispo.

Vicky Boyd