December 2005

The following are excerpts from the HFTC newsletter. (Don)

* * * * * 2005 OFFICERS * * * * *

Stan Zapf, President, 915-204-5686,

Chris Rowley, V.P. Operations, 915-833-8109

Antonio Aun, Treasurer

Ruben Rosales, V.P. Membership, 915-564-7520

Claudine Garcia, V.P. Walking, 915-821-2080

Mark "Iron Balls" Balsiger, V.P. Multisports, 915-727-1645

Anita Pussman, Newsletter Editor, 915-820-1983, fax 915-577-9558

Mark Dorion, Guest Speakers and Trail Run Coordinator, 915-581-9241

Juan Gonzalez, Promotional Activities, 505-882-5004

Mitch Pickens, Photographer, 915-351-7025

Luis Zaragoza, Coordinator Runner of the Month, 915-543-2017

Art Oaxaca, Publicity, 915-598-8934

THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Time to Eat!

December 20th is the most looked forward to (meeting) of the year. Great food (courtesy Half Fast), Officer elections, and a good oi' time conversing with each other, actually getting to speak complete sentences instead of only 3 syllable phrases like you do when you run. This year the food we'll be serving will be pizza with salads, and partysub style sandwiches. Not just pizza, salads and sandwiches, but Andre's pizzas, salads and sandwiches. At Andre s, there are people who can DO things. People who hand toss pizzas! People who create garden fresh salads. People who make party sub sandwiches so succulent it'll make your mouth water! One of the advantages of being a Half Fast member is that this meal is included with your membership fee, so leave your American Express at home and go ahead and sneak your own booze in! If you can, please RSVP me at 204-5686 so I get an idea of how many to expect. Remember the banquet is being held at Andre's @ 3233 N. Mesa. You're welcome to come at 6:30. We'll start eating after elections at 7:00.

It looks like this year's presidential election is another really close one. We will really need each and every one of you to be there for your vote. I'm thinking this will be a harder decision than last year's. You won't want to wait `till the Jan. / Feb. edition of Fast Tracks to read about it, you'll want to be there in person.

I've held the presidency position the past 3 of 4 years and I thank you for allowing me the honor to serve you. I hope you've enjoyed the articles (us authors) have come up with for the newsletter. I know Mark Balsiger has really poured out his heart & bike into "Ball's Briefs" I know there can't possibly be any other place in the country that gives you that kind of angle on tri news. Thanks to Mark, this has been the best source to let you know what's happened and what's coming up. And Mark has a really nice looking dog to!

Thank you to, Mark Dorian, for providing us with so many opportunities on LDR trail events and ultras. I've also enjoyed your articles, especially "Step up to the plate" which tells it like it is We really do need people's involvement & support Members, you obviously enjoy running, so run the events or help run the events! Either way your participation is greatly appreciated. Mark, also thank you for the guest speakers you did arrange. Most of those speakers had such notoriety they should have been paid an appearance fee. I've been thinking perhaps we could ask our own humble members to come share their stories as guest speakers, even as being recognized as runner of the month.

If you have any ideas or concerns for the club please present them at the December 20th meeting. What can we do to inspire others to join our club? We offer such a nice opportunity in the newsletter for anyone to submit their ideas or columns into, even advertise their business in. So far no one has taken me up on picking the wrong 6 numbers for the lottery, and I've been 100% in picking those wrong 6 numbers. For only $.25 /set, I'll guarantee the wrong set of numbers helping you to eliminate what could be the right set. I'd say the hardest job in the track club is the editors, and we owe a BIG THANK YOU to Anita Rockett, or you wouldn't be reading this at all. I've also enjoyed the "Hey Mom" articles son Chris writes. 2000 miles away but involved with the club, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Tony Aun, your duties as treasurer have been treasured. Ruben Rosales, your duties for membership will be remembershipped. Thanks to both of you.

All of the other 2005 Officers, Race Adventures, and every member of the club, without you we wouldn't be the club we are now. Thank you! Let's make 2006 the best ever. Come sign up for another year and enjoy the party!

See you Tuesday night,

Stanley Zapf

Balls Brief

HICCUPS! That's been the theme of the last three months. Uncontrollable and involuntary upsets in the normal processes of breathing (or in this case, timely reporting of multi-sport events) have left me very behind and holding onto an enormous volume of results, facts, and antidotes that in many cases have been rendered stale by the simple passage of time. It all started with my dog getting lost on the eve of one column's deadline (a variation on "my dog ate my homework), then the attack of the kidney stones, followed by Anita letting her fascination with cowboy themes so captivate her that she ran my western flavored yarns twice. And most recently, a long hospital layover when, due to a reckless moment in a bike race, your teller of tales hit a pothole that resulted in landing so hard on the saddle that Flip Lyle was instantly provided with an unending repertoire of derriere jokes The removal of the consequent infection resulted in some interesting anatomy changes that could make me the only double uh, `fast' " member of the "Half Fast Track Club. So, due to the restraints of space, this column will be more a recapping of a season than a chronicling of the individual dramas of the past three months that made for as exciting season as has ever been known in the history of southwestern multi-sport.

The big news is of, of course, that the 2005 Southwest Challenge Series is now history. Twenty-two age group champions were left standing after the dust of twenty-five battles had cleared. All total, fifty-five individuals will be climbing the podium at the Formal awards dinner on December 10 and accepting the gold, silver, and bronze accolades that were won with a year's accumulation of gallons of sweat, hours of dedication, and deep and determined reaches into their individual souls.

First up, Alberto Lugo combined two late season wins to nip one of the most fierce competitors in the Southwest, Clay Moseley of Los Alamos, to stand atop the field with the Elite Male title. Our favorite son, Bobby Gonzales, allowed himself to be distracted this year, and instead of doing the required eight races was gallivanting all over the country, Consequently, the Gonz has gone big time and anyone that brings page 18 of the December issue of TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE to the awards dinner may just get an autographed copy. Or, just call him and ask to get on his Christmas card list. Chances are it will be the same shot!

Getting back to business at hand, amongst the mere mortal age groupers, youngster Dagoberto Cedillos led 20-24 from the beginning of the season to the end and took the gold over his very game competitor Enrique Garibay. The problem with being this young is these two have a LOT of time ahead to stare at each other from either end of the starting line while trying to out-psych the other. Leah Geer, benefited from Tiffany Stewart's mid-season departure to Wichita State and won the right to wear the winner's wreath in the ladies 20-24. Carolina Carreon ruled the women in 25-29. Mighty hard to outswim those UTEP lifeguards! On the men's side, Ephraim Ford rolled like a tank through 25-29.

Shanna Armstrong, Lubbock wonder woman, 2004 UItraMan champion, and a pedaling phenomenon with her 3200 mile odyssey to garner the 2005 Race Across America co-championship, can now also claim 30-34 female honors as SWCS champ. Shanna made a tough act to follow for Julie Ford, who stood up for silver with some very strong performances of her own. Men's 30-34 was the stage for a sensational rookie year for Esteban lopez. He started slow, but with the coaching of Alberto Lugo picked up an unstoppable head of steam midseason and in the end, snatched the title from the "never say die" Timo Friederich.

Laurie Mauderly, ladies 35-39, aced her exam with an unblemished record of ten wins in eight races. And no, this was not an uncontested bracket. Kerry Buehler (2nd) and Terry Hijar (3rd) hung in there gamely, making sure that Laurie had to earn every point.

The age group from hell, men's 35-39, was as bloody as they come. In the end, Cid Lopez was just too fierce. Almost every triathlete is weaker in one of the three disciplines of swim, bike, and run. However, Cid is that rare talent that brings a solid, complete game to every race and simply ground down perhaps the strongest group of competitors in recent SWCS history. Cudos to Steven Hall, Falko Schoenweiss, Salvador Perches, and Jaime Dispenza who all had to be content to learn from the master this time around.

Rebecca Sullivan and Terri Mico of the ladies 40-44, had a catfiqht the entire season with Rebecca proving a little more durable by grindinq out an impressive twelve grueling races. Gary Fields was top dog in the populous men's division of 40-44, edging one of the region's best triathlon coaches, Mark Mico of Albuquerque.

Las Cruces long time legend, Mary Wells (4549), had her hands full with Hawaiian transplant, Naomi Finson, but in the end prevailed in a very exciting series long battle. Mary also distinguished herself by winning the USATF New Mexico Championship for 2005. Coming in third, was Kathy Ritz. We'll get to her in a moment and hold onto your heart when you hear this story.

In the tightest race of the series, our own Felix Hinojosa barely nipped Kathy's husband, Chuck Ritz, to take the 45-49 trophy by only on quarter of one point! This was one of the few contests that had to wait for the last race of the season to be decided. El Paso's own Hawaii Iron Woman, Nancy Call, simply outlasted Terry Latham, whom I'm sure Nancy will agree was her toughest local competitor to date. This was another one going almost to the wire with Nancy prevailing in the end for the 50-54 crown. Scott Darling, who is now an El Pasoan, having relocated from Alamogordo, had a similar experience in the men's 50-54. Scott had to hang with his fingernails as he was tip against Carl Armstrong of Clovis, New Mexico who set an endurance record of SEVENTEEN races. It was a "grind your opponent to pieces" strategy that almost worked.

Neither lost dogs, kidney stones, nor bicycle seats wedged into nether regions, were enough to stop your chronicler here from taking the 55-59 honors. Miguel Sanchez of Albuquerque made a game run with a little bit of the Carl Armstrong strategy, but such an ambitious race schedule takes its toll on us old men. Butch Ferguson, retuning to the sport after a year off because of a rebuilt knee, showed a lot of moxie in nipping out the fiercely contested third place spot. This was another last minute, last race nail-biter for a spot contested by four very capable and veteran contenders.

The regal duo of Flip Lyle and Carole Cook continued their reign as King and Queen of multi-sport in the Southwest with yet another age group crown for both of them in 60-64. Now this next one was perhaps the most fun to watch. In 65-69, Ken O'Connor, John LeRoy, and Dr. Richard Park, engaged in a year long slugfest that might have been the ultimate rendition of "Grumpy Old Men". Grumpy here refers only to their competitive natures. This was as evenly matched as it gets, with no smart bettor daring to touch this one with a ten foot pole. In the end, Ken O'Connor gave his own meaning to "Ironman" and finished behind only Carl Armstrong in number of races completed at sixteen.

The big boys, as in Clydesdales, had a heavyweight bout of their own going on with our home boy, Arnold Ceniceros, narrowly taking a back seat to Joel Beer of Albuquerque. Karen Williams of New Mexico ruled the Athena division with a sound season victory over Rheda and Kelli Brown.

Not all the season awards are for getting to finish firstest with the mostest. Each year the series acknowledges those competitors that most exemplify everything good in our sport that we all take as the example to model ourselves after. The award bears the name of three Southwestern athletes that are no longer with us, but whose lifetime trails helped make this sport more a cornerstone of our character than a mere weekend pastime. This year the "Frances Stevens/Ray Duffy/Peqye Marshall" Sportsmanship Award for the first time is being presented to both a female and male. The strength of character and optimistic courage of this year's two heroes transcends one's comprehension and inspires all who know them to want to be better human beings. Kathy Ritz was in Junel of this year diagnosed with acute breast cancer. Within days of this staggering diagnosis, Kathy toed the line and finished second in her age group at the Frances Stevens triathlon White Sands. After having a lump removed she finished first on the Fourth of July Farmington triathlon. In the ensuing weeks and months she was in and out of radiation therapy. When she was out she was at the start line of races in Albuquerque, Lubbock, White Sands, and Roswell. In mid summer she was so burned from her treatments that she had to dismiss her doctors and extend the treatments. After this setback she still showed up for six more races. This made nine times after the diagnosis that Kathy Ritz refused to give up. She never finished lower than third place and even garnered one win and three seconds. She finished third in 45-49 for the series, but first in the hearts of her family and her husband, Chuck, whom, she actually inspired to enter the sport himself. Her 12th race was her best yet. At the end of October, Kathy Ritz, traveled to Phoenix, Arizona and completed her first half ironman. Consisting of 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of pedaling, and 13.1 miles of running, that's 70.3 miles of guts and courage and heart.

Her counterpart is my good friend, John Stermer. One of my fiercest competitors over the years, John and I formed a bond forged in blood, sweat, lung busting striving. Eighteen months ago, John was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Three months later John ran his last race at the Polar Bear, thin as a reed on very wobbly legs. But the man finished and no one wore a bigger smile. John is in a wheelchair now, unable to speak or move, but still hammers out e-mail after e-mail of encouragement to all the runners and athletes he is in contact with. There has been not one word of regret from him. We'll be honored 1o have his presence in probably his last public appearance. A runner of mind boggling ability John's name has also been added to the White Sands duathlon at White Sands in February which will be known to future competitors as the "First Annual John Stermer Duathlon".

The philosopher, Gothe, said, "It's been arranged that trees can't reach the sky". Kathy Ritz and John Stermer obviously never got that particular memo.

Mark "Iron Balls" Balsiger

NOTES... WITH LOVE FROM GEORGIA TECH

Hey Mom (from Chris Rockett)

Hello Mom.

I would share with everyone that I ran a new PR of 3:16:47 in ATIL on Thanksgiving, but I'm sure you were quick to divulge such information since you got back in town. Or did you ever make it back? Last I remember, you were sitting in DFW. (I tried to use as many acronyms in this paragraph as possible.)

So, yeah, it was an alright race, but I still didn't finish like a champ. I lost my energy at mile 23 and walked the uphills (not in short supply, I may add). Damn, I should have resisted ordering that decadent veal ambrosia and stuck with the trusty pasta carb-fest. Speaking of food, I caught a wift of some sort of greasy, fried animal product in those last few miles and I've never hankered for fried chicken like that before.

It got me thinking about the need for some caloric aid around mile 20.1 know some people who cannot stomach even a few crumbs while running, but I fall into a category at the opposite end of that spectrum. After 20 miles of running I crave food, real food, not some fruity, sugary paste extruded from a tube that I nearly pulled my teeth out trying to open. "Easy-tear" notch, my ass. I wish they could squeeze a country fried steak and mash potatoes with white gravy into a gel pack - I'd have those things pinned to my body up and down. Or what about a Camelback filled with potato and leek soup. Yeaaaah.. . that's what I'm talking about. I'd be like a running buffet.

So, if you could have one food given to you at mile 20, what would it be? Taking into consideration the need for it to be swallowed easily, I'm thinking warm buttery croissants would be a good candidate. Hmmm, that gives me an idea... How about combining competitive eating and distance running?!

Quote for the month: "Joggers are above suspicion."

- Heard in an episode of the Brit-com "Keeping Up Appearances"

Rockettman, out...

Editors Note: Oh my, oh my, oh my - does Thanksgiving get any more thankful than being able to run a marathon with (and I say that very figuratively) your son and have your daughter volunteering at mile 15 - right when you really start needing a morale boost?! I cannot tell you the joy of participating in a sport with my kids. Thank God for running!

El Pasoans Do Well At 100 Mile Races

Former El Paso elementary school teacher and UTEP football player Jon Olsen (now living in Moedsto, CA) won the Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Race in northern California Saturday (Sept. 24th) in a course record time of 16 hours 32 minutes. This is the fastest 100 mile time ever turned in by any El Paso native or long-time resident. Mark Dorion ran 16:44 in the Tullahoma, Tennessee 100 Mile/ 24 Hour race 20 years ago.

This was Jon's second outstanding 100 mile of the year as he placed 19th (19:19) in the highly competitive Western States Endurance Run in June. Jon has also won several 50Km (31+ mile) mountain and trail races this year, including our big Franklin Mountains Race where he defeated former USA Ultrarunner of The Year Eric Clifton (Albuquerque, NM).

Jon first got into running through Mark's Running & Conditioning class (PE 1122) at UTEP in 2001. Early on, a 3-4 mile run at sub-7:00/ mile pace was an effort, but Jon's tremendous athletic talent and mental toughness quickly prevailed. Jon's wife Doobie, a former UTEP soccer standout, has also finished several marathons. Meanwhile, after 200 marathons and ultras and 34 years of racing, Old Mark managed to finish two 100 mile races this year as well. In May, running near Shea Stadium (home of the NY Mets-- Go Mets!) in Flushing, Queens, Mark passed 100 miles in 25:48 enroute to a 318 mile 6 Day race total (6 day races have been held in New York City off and on since the 1880s-- yes, longer than the New York or Boston Marathons!) On September 10th Mark ran in the USA 100 Mile Championships at Olander Park in Toledo, Ohio, having a sub-par race but shuffling in at 22:36:02.

For any El Pasoans interested, we have a series of "All-Comers Trail Runs" similar to series held in Tucson and Santa Fe. The runs are generally 19- 33 miles in length (some dating back to 1989) and are held throughout the winter. Some of these low-key runs attract very fast runners from across the southwest.

In early February, 2006 we will have the 4th annual El Paso Mountain Races and Off-Road Duathlon in our lovely Franklin Mountains State Park. This event features some of the best merchandise awards (plus prize money) of any El Paso area race. The courses are doable by the average person and contain several miles of road.

Mark Dorion

IT WASN'T MY FAULT

Okay, maybe it was. First of all, let it be known I am faithful to my home sports team. Go Miners. I'm originally from Chicago so I am also a Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and (yes I get to claim the White Sox) fan as well. I did make a BIG mistake after the Grapevine 10k however. The race was fantastic (except for the mosquitoes). The: spaghetti meal was excellent. (Though I didn't try any wine). But the time of day the race started led me to a critical mistake.

5:00pm might be an okay time of day to start a race on most Saturdays in the fall, but not with a Miners home football game at 7:00. Racing to get to the game following the race, I just wanted to change into anything, quickly - and go. I totally forgot I should be wearing orange like the other 51,000 attending. So I just put on my new t-shirt I got from the 10k race and was on my way. As I was walking up to the gate, I noticed I was the only one wearing green. I told my son "Watch, I'll bet Marshall's team colors are green!" It couldn't have been a more perfect match. That speed work on the track finally paid off, I knew there was a reason I was doing it. (To save my life)

From now on I urge caution to race directors that if you're going to put on a race immediately before a Miner's game, that you at least choose orange for the t-shirt color. I wouldn't be alive to tell this story had that been the UAB game.

Stan

Holiday Track Club Dinner

Tuesday, December 20th at 6:30PM

Andres Pizza, 3233 North Mesa

Fun, Food & Elections

FREE for Members!

Race Calendar

NOTE: For the latest race calendar changes, updates, and cancellations, go to the El Paso Running Calendar at this web site. (Don)

Don's Running and Walking

-- covering the El Paso walking and running scenes -- 

goulette.fortunecity.com

Don Goulette, RT(R), RDMS
El Paso, TX, USA
Email: goulette@Juno.com

Race Results and Schedules

-- complete race results and running schedules --
www.runelpaso.com

Meetings, Suggestions, and Comments?

December Meeting

Tuesday, December 20, 6:30 p.m., Andre's Pizza, 3233 N. Mesa, El Paso, Tx.

Come early if you would like to order something to eat.

Standard Disclaimer: The information contained within this page comes from the Half Fast Track Club. I try to keep it as accurate as possible but cannot assure that there are no discrepancies. Please call or Email the club to obtain the most accurate information. Donald Goulette - Webmaster.