Keep Boston pure by disallowing charity runners

The Boston Marathon is known as the granddaddy of them all when it comes to distance running, and it should remain pure.

The Boston Marathon allocates 20 to, 25 percent of its overall entries to charity runners. These are people who just have to collect enough donations and they're in. No running a previous marathon at the qualifying pace. In a way, charity runners are buying their way into Boston.

Even after running a qualifying time, non-charity runners have to go through the Boston Marathon registration lottery, and they may not make it in even after all of that.

But charity runners don't have to worry about running qualifying times. In fact, many are first-time marathoners who may not have even run a 5K in the past.

This would be like a weekend golfer entering the Master's Tournament by collecting enough donations even though he shoots well over 100, when par is in the low 70s.

It would be like a flag football team being able to participate in the NFL playoffs because it collected enough donations. Or a sandlot baseball team being in the major league playoffs leading to the World Series just because they met the donation threshold.

I don't have anything against charity races, but they should be kept out of Boston. There are numerous other marathons, such as the Rock N Roll Series and the Nike Women's Events, that cater to charity runners.

Anything less, and it cheapens the accomplishments of non-charity runners who had to qualify for Boston and then register through the lottery.

Don't call me a 'jogger'

As a long-time runner, it really gripes my goat when someone asks, "So you're a jogger?"

Even when I respond, "No, I'm a runner." They then ask, "So how far do you jog?"

The word "jogger" typically is emitted by someone who doesn't run or even jog. They are sedentary or otherwise of the couch potato sort. They may mean well, but they also may not realize that some runners take the word jogger as a downright insult.

Let me jog your memory a bit about word meanings.

Merriam Webster's dictionary defines jog as "to run or ride at a slow trot" or to "go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace; trudge."

On the other hand, the dictionary defines runner as "one that runs; racer." Taken further, run is defined as "to go faster than a walk; specifically to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step."

Springing steps so that both feet leave the ground versus trudge. There definitely is a difference.

A jogger just dabbles in the sport; a runner is serious about going fast.

I think I need to get a t-shirt that says, "I'm a runner, NOT a jogger." Maybe then it will jog their memory.

 

Has the Central Valley reached the race saturation point?

Has the Central Valley reached the saturation point with running races? The answer may be "yes."

Take a glance at the calendar of events, and you'll see a myriad events. Some are perennial favorites, others are newcomers. Yet in any year, some will survive and others won't.

Many local groups think that putting on a 5K is an easy way to make money for their charity. That's the furthest from the truth, and you're lucky to break even the first year. These are the one-and-done types of events where their hopes of raking in some bucks didn't come to fruition.

Then there are the annual events, such as local turkey trots. Many continue to thrive with little promotion.

Yet still other events continue, but may have seen their heyday. Race organizers are trying to teach an old dog, so to speak, a new trick. This may mean new swag, bigger and glitzier finishers' medals, or other incentives. But these all cost money.

Will the race director each into his or her profits or pass the costs onto runners. And how big of an increase will runners pay before they refuse and just won't register. After all, there are tons of races out there from which to choose.

Just look at all of the half-marathons that have popped up the past few years. Events that once boasted a 5K and 10K now have a 5K and a half-marathon.

Some races, such as Disney Runs and the Nike Women's Half-Marathon, appear to be immune. With prices nearing $200 for a half (yes, we said a half), they still sell out in a As in a matter of minutes or have had to go to a lottery.

But other local races that increased their registration fees to cover the add-ons have seen registrations drop off.

As with any small business -- and these races are a form of small business -- a number will go under every year, with new ones starting out to replace them. And as in business, only those with strong business plans and the flexibility to meet changing consumer p
references will survive.

Modesto city leaders:Open your eyes to the marathon

The city of Modesto continues to look for the next great sporting event that city leaders hope will put the town on the map.

There has been the Amgen Tour of California multi-stage bike race and this year, the SuperKarts USA races Aug. 1-3.

Wake up city leaders!

All you need to do is look right in your backyard at the city's largest sporting event that's been going on for five years now. Unlike Amgen, it's not fickle and won't leave town just because another town offers more money or race organizers want to go to more populace areas along the coast.

In case you haven't guessed it, the city's largest sporting event is the Modesto Marathon. This year it's planned for March 23.

Not only does the event involve more than 3,000 runners, but many of these runners are from out of town and stay overnight in a hotel. They also eat dinner, pumping more money into restaurants.

It was born here in Modesto and wasn't some idea from a national organization, such as Temecula-based SuperKarts USA.

In the case of the SuperKarts races, the city will have to fork out $268,000 to entice the event. And in their overly optimistic view, city leaders think they'll net $50,000 profits. But that's a big risk they're taking with taxpayers' money.

In the case of the Modesto Marathon, the event does not get any city subsidies.

Plus the marathon, the half-marathon and the 5K enhance the city's image as being out of shape, lethargic and the nation's most dismal place to live (as Forbes ranked Modesto). Modesto was rated as the nation's most unfit city in the nation in 2004 by Self magazine.

Someone needs to pour a bucket of cold water over city leaders to wake them up to the Modesto Marathon and what it brings to the city.

If you'd like to participate, either as a runner or a volunteer, visit www.modestomarathon.com.

Women-only races promote gender discrimination

Many women want to have their cake and eat it too.

They want to be able to run in women-only races and ban men. Yet they also want to run in co-ed races when they feel like it.

These women-only races, such as the Tinkerbell Runs, Nike Women's Marathon and Diva Runs, are all the rage and are growing by leaps and bounds.

Many of these races even say in the rules that there will be no age-group awards for male participants.

But do they charge men less to enter because they don't receive all of the race benefits? No.

Men pay the same registration fees yet are treated as second-class citizens.

Imagine the public outcry and uproar if some men wanted to have a men's only race.  NOW (National Organization of Women) and every other women's rights group would be up in arms.

But it's OK if women want women-only races because it's a sisterhood thing. I think not.

Discrimination is disrimination, plain and simple.

If we allow this gender-based discrimination to occur in road races, what next?

Why do cities that issue parade and other permits to these race organizers allow this type of discrimination?

If women want to continue with these female-themed races, fine, let them. But they need to make the rules the same for both genders.

The simple solution is to create men's categories the same as women's.

If women can earn medals three deep in 10-year age groups, then men should be able to, also.

Globe-trotting adventurer Adrian Crane profiled in local magazine

Contentment Health, a slick-covered feature magazine published in Modesto, has spotlighted Adrian Crane with a feature and cover shot.

Crane has led a life that Indiana Jones would envy, having tried to summit Mt. Everest twice (he'll make his third attempt in May), summitting the highest point in every state in just 101 days and many other notable feats.

He's also a veteran of too many ultra-marathons (longer than 26.2 miles) to count.

Unfortunately, the magazine article falls short and is mostly fluff with few details of what could be a riveting tale of adventure and trekking.

Titled "A big life of adventure," the article just teases readers, leaving them clammering for more.

The subhead also is misleading, calling Crane a life-long Modestan when he actually was born in England and still has that stately British accent.

Despite the article's shortcomings, cheers to Crane, who truly is an inspiration.

The Central Valley's bike-friendly community

The League of American Bicyclists every year ranks cities as to their bike friendliness.

Do they have enhanced bike lanes or bike paths that allow cyclist to commute or ride safely?

Do they encourage workplaces to provide showers and lockers for bike commuters?

Do they provide safe and secure places to lock bikes outside of businesses?

Do they have an all-round positive bike culture?

Davis was the only California to receive the platinum - or top - rating. Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore., were the other two that received the platinum status.

Several Bay Area cities received gold or silver status.

Fresno was the only Central Valley city that received any type of recognition, and it received bronze status.

How ironic, when the city of Modesto last year applied to be a Bike Friendly Community when it was seeking to host the 2013 Amgen Tour of California. Could it be city leaders only did so to try to attract the bike race?

Does Modesto actually think that painting a few green blocks on a few bike lanes within the city will earn them even bronze status?

Check out the green paint at the intersection of Scenic and Oakdale, heading south on the El Vista bridge.

They painted the same green blocks near Nedham and College, heading east on Nedham.

Otherwise, it's the same disfunctional system of unconnected bike paths, start-and-stop bike lanes, bike unfriendly stop lights (no bike activation pad or easily accessible push buttons) and otherwise dangerous riding conditions in Modesto.

Try finding a bike rack near Dick's Sporting Goods. Good luck.

Let's keep underwear UNDER running clothes

I'm all for making 5K runs fun and putting a different twist on something that could be mundane.

After all, the Undy 5000 sounds a lot more fun than Run Against Colon Cancer.

The Undy 5000 is a nationwide series of 5Ks put on by the Colon Cancer Alliance to bring attention to colon cancer. It's similar to the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell Run franchise. 

And I have no problem with drawing attention to colon cancer, which is one of the largest killers of U.S. residents.

But when people literally run around in their underwear in an event sponsored by a laxative manufacturer, that's where I draw the line. 

The Undy 5000 in Sacramento, Calif., wasn't just bordering on being tasteless. It was totally tasteless.

Back when school kids actually played on the playground, there was a chant, "I see London, I see France, I see someone's underpants."

Showing one's underwear was a no, no back then, and it should still be now.

Everywhere you looked around Land Park, March 3, were people wearing their undies on top of black running tights. Sure there were boxers. 

I'm sorry, but seeing people trot around in tighty whities (a.k.a. Jockeys) or lacy bikini panties is way overboard.

On top of it, the event was sponsored by a laxative.

If you're a regular runner (pardon the pun) and eat the recommended five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables every day, you're anything but constipated. 

In fact, runners suffer from the other extreme at times dubbed "runners' trots." A laxative is the last thing on their minds.

And who wants to wear a commemorative piece of clothing from an event sponsored by a laxative? Maybe a proctologist.

As its name implies, underwear is made to wear UNDER clothing. I think the Undy 5000 should keep it that way.

Regional USA Track & Field honors two Modesto runners

Jon Olsen (right) receives the PA USATF male ultra-runner of the year award.

Much like they do in their respective races, Modesto residents Jon Olsen and Barbara Miller have been on a tear, this time on the awards circuit.

Olsen was named the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field's male ultra-runner of the year at its awards ceremony, Feb. 19, in Berkeley.

Among Olsen's accomplishments during 2012 were placing seventh overall at the IAU World 100K Championships in Seregno, Italy; winning the North Coast 24-hour Endurance Run and setting a pending 12-hour track record at the Desert Solstice Track Race, Dec. 15, in Phoenix.

In Italy, Olsen also was the second U.S. finisher, covering the 100K (about 62 mile) course in 6:48:51, or about 6:35 per mile.

Olsen recently was selected as one of six members of the USATF National 24-Hour Team, which will compete at the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 24-Hour World Championship, May 11-12, in Steenburgen, Netherlands.

PA USATF honored Miller for the best age-graded performance among PA women last year. She age-graded 96.76% with her 1:47:38 at the Clarksburg Half-Marathon in November.

Age grading is a formula that takes into account your time and age to project what you would have run if you were in your prime—your 20s and sometimes into your 30s, depending on the distance.

Miller also was reocognized as the top woman within USATF nationally in the 70-74 age group with her time of 23:47, run in the Women's Fitness 5K last summer in Sacramento.

Merced Road Running Series:A group of sweet races

There's a new race series in the valley.

Actually, it's not super new—it started last year, but it's still relatively new.

The cool thing about this three-race series is it has the state-of-the-art technology of big races but the friendliness of local events.

The second annual Honey Bun Run 5K and 10K, held Feb. 10, took runners through the streets in and around downtown Merced.

Traffic control was right on, with more than 160 volunteers—mostly Buhach High School students and their parents—directing runners and keeping cars off the course. Merced police also patrolled the route.

The course itself was well marked with cones delineating the route. Yellow safety tape also stretched across a few intersections that possibly could have confused runners.

Timing involved chip timing using the Chronotrack B-tag, the thin RFID tag on the back of the bib. Results were posted promptly.

A person near the finish line announced runners on the PA system as they approached, just like in big races.

How did he do that? He'd call out the bib number to a computer operator next to him, who would read out the runner's name.

To show the small-town friendliness, people cheered on the last few runners as they crossed the line. There also were snacks, homemade breakfast burritos and an awards ceremony for medal winners.

The Honey Bun Run was the first in the Merced Road Running Series.

The Livingston Feet for a Cure is April 14, followed by Storm the Castle in Atwater a few months later. They all have both 5K and 10K courses and benefit local groups.

Turlock resident wins the Super Bowl...10K run, that is

Only hours before one of Turlock's most celebrated sports stars took the field, another Turlock athlete was collecting her bling.

 

Turlock runner Kimberly Cloud won the women's division of the Super Bowl Sunday 10K run in Sacramento, Feb. 3, with a chip time of 38:18.4.

 

Not far behind her was Trish Frisella of Modesto, who ran 39:52.8, good enough for first in the female 25-29 age group and sixth female overall.

 

View an interview with the team from Turlock on Channel 10 news. (You have to wait for the commercial before the actual news clip begins.)

Market will dictate which half marathons will survive

Everywhere I look, there’s a new half-marathon popping up.

The event has been billed as the fastest-growing distance in the United States, and it seems like that growth has hit the Central Valley.

But with the proliferation of 13.1-milers, have we reached a saturation point?

The Avenue of the Vines in Lodi was one of the very first 13.1-mile races in the Central Valley six or seven years ago.

Shortly after, the Eye-Q, now Two Cities Marathon, added a half distance.

Four years ago, the Modesto Marathon unveiled both a half and a full marathon distance.

That’s when the flood gates seemed to open.

And some race promoters evidently believe that the Central Valley can handle a few more.

Take a look at Rina’s Run, which traditionally had been a 5K and 10K in May. This year, it’s a 5K and half marathon.

The inaugural Peace Officer’s Memorial Run in Modesto in September 2012 will be repeated agains this year.

The St. Joseph’s Half in October in Stockton is now in its third year, and Exeter added the Hell of a Half.

Then there’s the Pleasanton Half, Waskally Wabbit Half, End of the Trail Half and Eye Q California Classic Weekend Half. I'm sure I forgot a few.

That doesn’t even count any of the half marathons in Sacramento, San Francisco or along the coast.

Half marathons cost more to produce and therefore, charge more for registration.

In this economy, runners are being very judicious with their money. There's a finite pot of dollars to go around.

With more half-marathons chasing the pot, it will be diluted out.
 

As in any capitalistic society, market forces will dictate. Runners will vote with their registration dollars.

The popular and fiscally strong events will survive, and the less popular ones, such as the Modesto Midnight Half, will disappear.

Modesto's own Jon Olsen runs another for the record books

Modesto's own Jon olsen ran 100.17 miles in 12:29:37 to become the second fastest American to run 100 miles on the track.

He did so in the Desert Solstice Track Race, Dec. 15-16, in Phoenix.

That's 100 miles in less than 12 1/2 hours for a 7:29 pace.

The record for 100 miles on the track is 12:27:00.7, set by Bernd Hienrich in 1984.

"This is history in the making, a truly special moment in American ultrarunning," according to the Facebook page of Aravaipa Running, which hosted the race.

Olsen, a teacher at Prescott Middle School, is an international ultra-marathon runner, having been part of the U.S. team that took silver in the World Ultra Running Championships earlier this year in Italy.

He's already qualified for the 2013 U.S. National 24 Hour Team, which will participate in the 2013 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 24-Hour World Championship in Steenburgen, Netherlands, May 11-12, 2013.

In addition, Olsen won the Modesto Marathon in 2010 and 2011 and nearly missed a three-pete this year.

Barbara Elia goes for 100th marathon

Modesto's Barbara Elia, who turned 68 in October, will be going for her 100th marathon Dec. 2 at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento.

Elia has been compared to the Energizer Bunny in that she just keeps going and going and going.

She can be seen logging miles on the roads around Modesto during the summer's heat or the winter's fog.

Elia is an accomplished ultra-marathoner, having completed three times the Badwater Ultra, a 145-mile run through Death Valley during the heat of summer.

She also is a veteran of several Western States 100-mile endurance runs as well as CIM.

Good luck Barbara.

New York mayor the king of flip-flops

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg should be crowned the king of flip-flops.

After super storm Sandy slammed the Big Apple , Bloomberg announced the ING New York City Marathon was still on for Nov. 4.

During the week, criticism began rolling in, especially from Staton Island residents, who still were without power.

They wondered why the mayor was allotting all of those resources to mostly out-of-town runners when locals were still struggling.

The New York Road Runners Club, which produces the event, said they had already made contingencies and that no resources would have been diverted from the storm survivors.

Nevertheless, Bloomberg did an about-face Friday, Nov. 2, cancelling the marathon. In a joint statement issued by the city and the Road Runners, he said the race was supposed to be a unifying event but was turning divisive.

Thousands of runners were already in the city and had already picked up their bib numbers. They had spent millions just traveling to the city, since getting to New York is no cheap matter.

Now Bloomberg is facing their wrath. Most runners said cancelling the marathon was the right call. But they were upset about the timing, since the mayor initially said it was on and they had adjusted their plans accordingly.

(Big deal, Bloomberg probably thinks. Most of these runners are out-of-towners and won't be voting in my re-election bid.)

What Bloomberg should have done was cancel the marathon immediately after Sandy rather than waiting.

This would have allowed entrants to cancel their airline and hotel reservations and at least get some of their money back.

(Most airlines were not charging their usual $150 fee for East Coast flights affected by Sandy, so runners would not have been out all that much.)

Now they're stuck in the Big Apple and out the $250-plus marathon entry fee. Like nearly every other running event, the New York City Marathon has a clause in the fine print saying no refunds whatsoever.

You also have to wonder why Bloomberg cancelled the marathon yet allowed the NBA's Knicks-Heat game go on Nov. 3 and the NFL Giants' football game Nov. 4.

Could it be the NFL and NBA bring in more money throughout the season than one marathon?

Or is Bloomberg like most politicians: no brain, no pain?

Another Rock N Roll event pops up

Kind of like the plants in the Little Shop of Horrors, the Competitor Group continues to gobble up races, spitting them out as Rock N Roll events.

The latest is the U.S. Half Marathon 2, which had been held in the spring in San Francisco since 2010.

It now will become the San Francisco Rock N Roll Half, scheduled for April 7, 2013.

Amazingly, the registration for this rebranded event is only $80 through Nov. 30 and $90 through Feb. 15, 2013.

Modesto lobbies for Amgen bike tour leg

The city of Modesto has begun lobbying the owners of the Amgen Tour of California, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, to once again be a host city for the multi-stage bicycle mid-May race.

The city hosted it from 2008-11, but was passed over as a stop last year.

As part of its efforts, the city has created a Website that points out why it should be chosen.

The city submitted a bid before the Aug. 17 deadline.

Last year, race organizes announced host cities in early November and unveiled the route in February.

Race organizers the past few years have followed a trend of asking new cities, such as Sonora, to submit bids. Sonora's proximity to Modesto was the reason Modesto was not chosen last year.

Sonora, as well as Turlock, have also submitted bids for the 2013 race.

AEG, which also owns the Los Angeles Kings and Staples Center, is up for sale, and it is unknown what effect that will have on the Amgen race.

Half-marathons continue to lead race growth

Since 2003, half-marathons have been the fastest growing road race distance, and 2011 was no exception.

Of the 100 largest timed U.S. road races, half-marathons comprised 42 percent, according to figures from Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Running USA.

And the Competitor Group, producers of the Rock 'n' Roll series, had 15 of them.

The top 100 races had more than 1.6 million finishers, and five road races had more than 40,000 timed finishers each.

That compares to 922,500 total finishers in 2000.

The 100th race in 2000 had 3,600 finishers. In 2011, the 100th race had more than 8,000 finishers.

Here are the top 10 timed races:

1. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10K, 55,077

2. Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, 51,303 (Spokane)

3. Dick's Sporting Goods Bolder Boulder 10K, 49,213

4. ING New York City Marathon, 47,133

5. Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12K, 43,954 (San Francisco)

6. Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 35,755

7. Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, 34,789 (Charleston, S.C.)

8. Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, 33,365 (Richmond, Va.)

9. Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half-Marathon, 33,257

10. Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K, 32,442 (Chicago)

View the full list and other statistics at Running USA.

Is German Fernandez going to run for Nike?

Shortly after competing in the1,500 finals at the Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Ore., last month, former Riverbank, Calif., High School running phenom declared he was turning pro.

Now rumors have it that he's joined Nike and the Oregon Track Club to train.

After graduating from Riverbank High School, Fernandez spent four years at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, running cross-country and track.

Although he's graduated, Fernandez still had a full outdoor season of eligibility left because of red-shirting.

He won the 1,500 at the NCAA track and field championships as a true freshman in 2009. But he has since said he believes the 5,000 may be his best event.

Stay tuned.

Area runners take silver at Junior Olympics

A team of four girls from Modesto's Central Valley Roadrunners youth track club took second in the 4x800-meter relay, July 26, at the Junior Olympics in Baltimore.

Team members were Juliette Acosta, Nicole Warwick, Victoreya Maravilla and Meagan Warwick. (Nicole and Meagan Warwick are twins.)

The Roadrunners Youth Girls' team ran 10:04.68, placing behind the gold medal team from Oak Hill Racing, Sacramento, which ran 9:46.17.