July 15, 2004

Track North Web Site

Beaton Classic is Cancelled

Rob Marcolini provides us with this unfortunate information:

As you probably know by now, the beaton classic for 2004 is cancelled due to the lack of a race director (again!). you should notify your readership immediately of this and impress upon them the importance of this event and their valued participation in it both as participant and volunteer. with all the people who read this site it should be stated that sometimes its not enough just to man feed stations or do finish line times. people have to get behind the scenes to do the planning and not be so intimidated thinking that its a daunting process (it only is when there are not enough people involved) or think that there is always going to be the same people to do that for them. we had such a great turn out of participants last year and its very disappointing to have it cancelled for this year. this is a wake up call and (hopefully) people will respond. its too late for this year lets hope its not the last. vince you can post this message as is or just relay it any way you want. thank you for all the work that you do for us.

rob "the commodore" marcolini
sudbury canoe club

Click Here for Results

Locals Compete in Peterborough's 1/2 Ironman

July 11, 2004

Five area men tackled hot and humid conditions in Peterborough this weekend as they competed in the Subaru Half Ironman Triathlon on Sunday. Once again Kyle Guembel had an excellent outing coming in third overall and Kerry Abols followed only 5 minutes later in 7th overall and first in his division. I believe this was Mike Coughlin's second shot at this distance and Mike will relate his experience below. Steve Matusch raced Dragon Boats on Saturday in Sudbury and competed in his first 1/2 Ironman on Sunday. Some people would call that loony. We just call it being a Rock!! Steve did very well actually beating his coach's time in the running section. Steve will elaborate below. David Busch had the roughest time of the bunch spending lots of time getting intimate with the course. But he finished an event successfully that few attempt. Good going guys!

Mike's Run:

I went to Peterborough this past weekend for a chance to test my fitness over the half ironman distance. When my fitness forgot to show up, I was left to test some other skills, such as

Fixing a flat: As luck would have it, I got my first race puncture while having one of my worst bike rides. What a great chance to practice changing a tube! I didn't break any speed records, but I managed and learned a few tricks for next time (if you ride your bike enough this WILL happen, so it is good to practice!)

Dealing with mental distractions: This race seemed to be full of mental distractions - aggressive swimmers, packs on the bike and oppressive heat on the run. Not having a good day just made these things more annoying. In each case, I found that focusing inward and enjoying the simple motions of swimming, biking and running was the best way to deal with these things.

Continuing to run when you want to stop/collapse/puke: My run was better than last year, but the heat was just as bad (maybe worse). This made it tough for my stomach to process the gel I was eating and there was a point where I thought I was done. I managed to convince myself not to stop and walk, and within 5-10 minutes I was back to my normal level of suffering. Learning that these awful sensations pass is a great lesson, especially for those training for an Ironman.

Congratulations to Kyle Guembel and Kerry Abols who both raced hard to top 10 overall finishes, Steve Matusch who has improved on his swim and bike and who beat his coach on the run for the first time (ouch), and Dave Busch who hung on in the run to finish on a very tough day and learned that maybe you need more than just 1 gel to finish a 5-6 hour race.

Mike

 

Steve's Run:

Hi Vince! As the only Rock!! in attendance (I think) I’m submitting a race report for the Peterborough half-Ironman.

The mass start was a new experience. Wow! - 550 adrenalin loaded racers into the water in one big bunch. I don’t know who thought that this was a good idea, but I’m sure that the Royal Lifesaving Society would not approve. There was lots of accidental punching and kicking between me and adjacent swimmers for about the first 10 minutes. I got one really solid boot (or maybe an elbow) to the right side of my face but fortunately didn’t lose my goggles or any teeth. After what seemed to be a very short swim I crawled out of the water feeling really, really good! – not nearly as tired as at Muskoka! I had already my goggles off and my wetsuit down to my waist when a very nice spectator yelled to me that there was a second lap to go… Doh! Back into the water.

The cycle was wonderful – totally calm, clear and warm. As usual I got passed by a whole bunch of people on the bike - sometimes by whole pace lines of 7 or 8. And no, I’m not kidding about the pace lines - it seems that this “no drafting” rule is rather loosely enforced for us middle of the pack types. One of the nice things about these “out and back” races is that you get to see all of the faster racers coming back from the turnaround. At about the 30k point I saw Sudbury’s own Kyle Guembel ripping up the course in first place by a very healthy margin. And a few minutes later, Mike Coughlin came barreling by looking really solid.

The run leg was absolutely the nastiest half-marathon that I’ve done. It was bloody hot! I have new sympathy for all of the Rocks!! that ran the Boston marathon this year. On the way out to the turnaround it was bearable because we had a bit of a headwind. But after the turnaround it became slight tailwind – just enough so that the stagnant air would travel along with you. For the whole last 8k, I would accelerate, get dizzy, slow down, repeat. Nasty, nasty, nasty – but at least I didn’t end up walking. A lot of people did.

The last 1000m – when I knew for sure that I was going to finish – felt fantastic. I passed 3 people on the way in and crossed the line at 5:11:22 – not quite the 4:59:59 that I was hoping for but as a first timer on this distance I’ll take it with a big smile! And let me tell you, those cold showers next to the finish line were like heaven on earth.

P.S. I finally beat Mike C’s split on the run. But since he had a rough day, gloating (too much) would be inappropriate!!! J

Steve Matusch

 

Our Western Rock!! competes in Calgary Marathon

Martin Parnell Writes:

Hi Vince and all Rocks,

One year ago was my first Marathon and it was in Calgary. That was a great experience and the return visit was even more enjoyable. This time I decided to run the race with out falling over or almost collapsing at the 25km mark. A group of us from the Cochrane Red Rock Runners Club (the OTHER club) decided to run together and enjoy the sites.

The day started off cloudy with the sun only came out now and then. Over 1000 runners headed out at the starters gun at 7.00am.The first part of the race was through the Stampede grounds and then on to the Zoo, there we met one Siberian Tiger that was happy to see us and growled as we went past. The Marathon continued along the Bowriver west to Bowness Park about 18km from Calgary. On the way back we stopped in Millennium Park and had Alberta Beef on a bun, excellent for fueling. The final push took us back into Calgary's down town core and the finish line.

The group of us completed the course in 4hr 14min 01sec (full results on marathonguide.com) and not a minute too soon. As we were heading to the vehicles the clouds opened and with thunder and lightning in the background a huge hail stone storm hit the city and the runners left on the course. It lasted about 10 min but these things are unbelievable. The photo shows my nephew Jon, 11, who completed the YMCA Strong Kids Marathon, great stuff.

I'm now in full recovery mode. The next race is an Olympic Distance Triathon in London, England on August 1st. Race report to follow. All the best to fellow Rocks, Martin

Click Here for All the Results

July 18, 2004

Friendly Massey Marathon and Spanish River 1/2 goes This Sunday

EVENTS SCHEDULE:

Saturday
11:00 am - 10:00 pm: Registration at Massey and District Arena
11:30 am: Cycle Tour of route.
12:00 noon: Beer Garden: Sponsored by Labatt's
Breweries Limited
1:00 pm: Fun Run registrations
1:30 pm: Presentation by Theresa Laurenti from "Interconnections for Living Excellence"-

3:00 pm: 2K Fun Run
3:30 pm: 5K Fun Run
4:00 pm: Fun Run, Awards and Prizes
5:00 - 8:00 pm: PRIMO Spaghetti Feast - Cost $5.00
6:00 - 9:00 pm: Local Entertainment

Sunday
5:00 - 5:30 am: Registration at Massey and District Arena
6:00 am: MARATHONS START
8:00 am: Pancake breakfast
10:30 am: 1/2 Marathon Awards Ceremonies
12:30 pm: Full Marathon Awards Ceremonies

Click Here for Web site Access

The Ian McCloy Island Swim is set for Sunday July 18 at 10:20 for kids and 1030 (approx) for the longer distances.

The water is at 68 degrees but 6 of us swam around Meda Island today and were fine. still not sure on the 2-mile.

We will meet Monday at 6 p.m., Wed at 6 p.m. and Sat at 9:30 a.m. this week. Markers are to be set out Wed night.

Babysitting volunteers are welcome. Remember if you want to swim with us you MUST help in some capacity.

We also need timers for the actual race. Bring your bathing caps, too. We are trying to cut costs on the caps this year.

Yours in swimming, Laura

 

Blueberry Relays Coming to Delky Dozzi

 

New Event for the Blueberry Festival

Saturday, JULY 24 9:30 A.M. TO 11 A.M.

BLUEBERRY RELAYS
DELKI DOZZI Memorial PARK, 3 Mary Street SUDBURY
________________________________________________________________
FAMILY WALK (1 km or 2 km) 10 AM

2km RELAYS (1 TO 2 PEOPLE PER TEAM walking or running 1 km x 2) 10:30 AM

SPONSORED BY SUDBURY PHYSIO CENTRE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL CAL OROK, EVENINGS, 522-2368
Daytime, call Stephanie at 523-1656
________________________________________________________________

The Event Organizers are Still Looking for Volunteers

For More Info including Registration and Volunteer Info, Click Here for "Word"document

This August, a team of Canadian Relay Runners and adjunct University of Toronto professor Kirsty Duncan will run for a star down the Dream Trail-- from Sudbury to Toronto over six days (August 7th-12th) in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation ® of Toronto.

NOTE: I will be asking Sudbury Rocks!! Runners to assist as marshals in the event -AND- I am also looking for Rocks!! runners to assist Kirsty Duncan in her run. Our group will pace her in 11 mile sections for 2 days until she gets to Parry Sound. (44 miles a day).

We welcome all runners to send off our long-distance athletes with a 5 km fun run in Sudbury (the ‘Kick-Off to The Dream Trail Run’, August 7th, 2004).

Contribute to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and help fulfill the special wishes of children who have life-threatening illnesses.

5 km Fun Run

Saturday, August 7th, 2004 (10:00 a.m.)