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Crater Lake Marathon
August 12, 2000
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
The 25th anniversary of the Crater Lake Marathon in the south-central
Oregon Cascades was given special recognition on race day, August 12, 2000. An
attractive design was used on the T-shirts and the one-of-a-kind finishers'
medals. Awards of steins and wristwatches were given to the first man and
woman finishers of the marathon. Age class winners received commemorative
plaques, and ribbons were given to the 2nd through 5th places in all
divisions.
What most of the runners didn't realize is that Bob and Bev Freirich are
the original, and only, race directors of the Crater Lake Rim Runs, a trio of
races (6.7 miles, l3.0 miles, and 26.2 miles) that began together at 7:30a.m.
They were assisted by directors for each race and have put together a class
event in the face of monumental logistical hurdles. For example, most of the
assistant directors and volunteers had to travel approximately 70 miles from
Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Crater Lake National Park. The four bus drivers came
from Grants Pass, Oregon.
The sad news that put a damper on the festivities this year came to our
attention the night before the race. Two weeks before the Rim Runs, Bev, the
co-director, had a stroke, and her recuperation is still in progress. The
Linkville Lopers Running Club members increased their efforts further to pick
up the slack in the directors' workload. Through technology Bev's presence was
felt at the start of the Rim Runs. By a cell phone call from Klamath Falls,
her voice was amplified through a public address system as she called out the
countdown to the start of the race. As the gun sounded, 420 runners headed up
the first of many hills under clear skies and temperatures in the 60's.
The final results of the marathon were not settled until after the mountain
turn-around in the 25th mile. Michael Bergquist had been leading to that
point, but 400 yards after the turn on a steep downgrade, Rob Shorrock, 39,
passed him and went on to win with a time of 2:56:21. Bergquist, 27, finished
in second place with a 3:00:05. The first woman to finish was Justine Miani,
36, with a time of 3:44:37 for a place of 12th overall.
Phil Weiser of Federal Way had a good run. He passed me at mile 16 and then
went out of sight to finish with a 4:37:21. My race went fairly well. However,
because the air is thin at 6,000-8,000 feet elevation, I walk most of the
upgrades and lose some time. Fenny Roberts and I ran together for 16 miles. My
leg cramps came on early, so she ran on ahead and finished with a
4:41:30....one hour and 15 minutes faster than her time here a year ago.
Hiking the Grayback Mountain dirt road between Miles 22 and 24 was a
challenge. Midway on the steep hill at Mile 23., I passed a fellow whom I
know. He wanted to know if Crater Lake was my toughest marathon. I told him
that it was the hardest one that I run every year, but the Pikes Peak Marathon
in Colorado is tougher (14,000 feet elevation.) Sadly, this runner was
disqualified at the finish line for taking an unauthorized early start. This
is unfortunate since he probably would have been awarded a ribbon in his age
class (60-69M.) Early starts in races require director approval and a time
adjustment at the finish to keep the results accurate and to be fair to other
runners, especially age class competitors.
Coming down from Grayback Mountain, I ran part of the way to the finish
line at Hidden Creek Campground with Rick Worley. I completed the marathon in
4:49:37, a minute slower than in 1999. Although I was the oldest runner, I
wasn't last as I finished in 66th place of 101 finishers (125 starters) and
first in the 70+M division. Rick Worley, a friend from Kingwood, TX, was
running his second Crater Lake Marathon. He has made the Guinness Book of
Records for his megamarathoning in 1997-2000. In 3 years and 3 weeks, he ran
1-2 certified 26.2 mile marathons in each consecutive weekend. As a 50 States
and D.C. Club member, he ran in all of the 50 states and D.C. for each of the
three years. To top it all off, he also ran in all of the Canadian provinces
in 1998. He has promised to participate in our inaugural YAKIMA RIVER CANYON
MARATHON on March 31, 2001. Lenore and I look forward to seeing him then.
Fenny Roberts and Larry Brown of Salem, Oregon, and our adopted grandson,
Mike Dutton from Everett, were our companions at the marathon. Mike is working
toward qualifying for the Boston Marathon. His sub-four-hour race at Crater
Lake is a good training effort for the Skagit Flats Marathon at Burlington,
WA, on September 9, 2000. Larry ran a 2:14:16 in the half marathon and hopes
to run his second marathon soon. Fenny has had a fantastic two years of
marathoning. She has run seven marathons and six ultras since running the l998
Portland Marathon, her first ever. She really excels in 24-hour runs. Her
first was the Pacific Rim 24 Hour Run at Longview, WA, on March 18-19, 2000,
in which she ran 92 miles. At the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Run in West Seattle last
June, she ran 100.75 miles. Shortly after that, at the Cancer 24 Hour Run in
Salem on June 29-30, 2000, she ran a phenomenal 121 miles!! She is planning to
go to an invitational 24-hour run at Toledo, OH, as her next challenge.
At dinner the night before the marathon, we became acquainted with James
Browley and Brian Foster, navy personnel from Moscow, ID. When I learned that
they would be running their first-ever marathon at Crater Lake, I told them
that most runners start out with an easier one. They said they liked the
challenge, and they proved their mettle on race day. At dinner the next
evening, we congratulated them, and they said there would be more marathons in
their future.
In addition to Rick Worley and myself, there were three more 50 States and
D.C. Club members at the finish line when we were there....Jim Sullivan from
Orlando, Florida, Richard DeCample, (basically a neighbor of ours in Renton!)
and Ray Scharenbrock of South Milwaukee, WI. Ray and I cross paths each year
at the Christmas Marathon in Millersylvania State Park, south of Tumwater, WA.
We also saw each other at Rick Worley's recognition dinner prior to the
January 16, 2000, Houston Marathon.
The 25th anniversary of the Crater Lake Marathon was a well-organized and
first-class event. Congratulations to Bob and Bev Freirich and their team for
the yearly efforts of making this scenic marathon one of the best in the
country.
Written by Bob Dolphin
Partial Results of the Crater Lake Marathon
1. 2:56:21 Rob Shorrock, 39, Lake Oswego, OR
2. 3:00:05 Michael Bergquist, 27, Airway Heights, WA
3. 3:10:31 Perry Custance, Jacksonville, OR
12. 3:44:37 Justine Miani, 36, Denver, CO
20. 3:58:08 Michael Dutton, 30, Everett, WA
23. 4:02:22 Richard DeCample, Renton, WA
26. 4:08:18 James Browley, 22, Moscow, ID
46. 4:23:17 James Scheer, Vancouver, WA
56. 4:32:44 Brian Foster, Moscow, ID
60. 4:37:21 Phil Weiser, Federal Way, WA
62. 4:41:30 Fenny Roberts, Salem, OR
66 4:49:37 Bob Dolphin, 70, Renton, WA
67. 4:50:06 Richard Worley, 53, Kingwood, TX
70. 4:54:38 Jim Sullivan, Orlando, FL
78. 4:55:56 Sam Curtis, Keizer, OR
87. 5:22:01 Ultra Al Miller, Deer Island, OR
92. 5:28:32 Richard Andrews, Mukilteo, WA
101. 5:52:55 Ray Scharenbrock, South Milwaukee, WI
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