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Seattle Marathon
December 3, 2001
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
The "weather gods" smiled favorably on the runners at
the
Seattle Marathon on Sunday, November 25, 2001. At the 8:15 a.m.
start near the Space Needle, the temperature was about 40 degrees
and did not rise above 44 degrees on this drizzly day. The air movement
didn't exceed 10 mph, so we really lucked out. Three days later
a wet snowfall, the first of the season, would have ensured running
with cold, wet feet.
The near ideal weather likely was a factor in the course record
that Uli Steidel, 29, of Seattle and Germany ran. Uli has run
the present "new" course three consecutive times and
has won it all three times. This year the graduate chemistry student
at the University of Washington ran his best Seattle time of 2:24:37.
Those of us who were well behind him going in the opposite direction
on the I-90 floating bridge and later on the out-and-back section
saw Uli run alone with a commanding lead. It was inspiring!
In second place was David Ruggles 36, of Kingston, Ontario, who
ran a commendable 2:36:23 and held off Michael Little, 25, of
Bremerton, WA, (2:37:17).
Another repeat winner was Joan McGrath, 39, of New Westminster,
BC, who won the women's race for the second year in a row with
a time of 2:49:25. In second place was Anne Jensen, 34, of Kirkland,
WA (3:08:56)......just ahead of Heather McLaughlin, 29, of Spokane
WA (3:10:50).
Jerry Martin, 53, of Greenacres, WA (near Spokane) has won the
wheelchair division at the Seattle Marathon many times in the
past, and this year was no exception. He won again with a 2:49:54.
David Whedbee, 34, of Seattle cranked his wheelchair with one
hand to a 3:30:44 finish. I don't have the name of the third place
finisher, but he exhibited considerable courage. He competed with
a regular wheelchair because his racing wheelchair was in the
shop for repairs.
On the out-and-back sections, I saw many of my running friends.
Those who received age class awards are listed below:
3:21:20 Larry Carroll, 61, Liberty Lake, WA, 1st 60-64M
3:34:06 JimBoyd, 59, Seattle, 1st 55-59M
3:34:37 Roseann Bacon, 42, Yakima 4th 40-44F
3:35:31 Trish Hruby, 44, Everett, 5th 40-44F
3:36:41 Herb Allen, 59, Bainbridge Island, 2nd 55-59M
3:39:41 Gunhild Swanson, 57, Spokane, 2nd 55-59F
3:49:23 Keith Wood, 72, Seattle, 1st 70-74M
3:49:51 Mae Palm, 61, Whistler, BC, 1st 60-64F
3:52:26 Lori Kory, 45, Spokane, 5th 45-49F
3:56:51 Judy Fisher, 58, Auburn, 4th 55-59F
4:00:23 Mel Preedy, 68, Ravensdale, 1st 65-69M
4:01:53 Chris Ralph, 50, Kirkland, 2nd 50-54F
4:22:25 Lynn Yarnall, 51, Edmonds, 5th 50-54F
4:28:29 Jack Swanson, 67, Spokane, 3rd 65-69M
Age class information was extracted from a chronological listing
of finishers by sex, so there may be errors or omissions.
The marathon walk started at 7:15 a.m., and the first to finish
was our good friend from Salem, OR, Eb Engelmann, 59. He racewalked
the course in a great time of 4:44:07. Recently he ran the Double
Crossing of the Grand Canyon with a group of runners. He can still
run on trails, but current physical problems limit his running
on the roads.
My running was comparable to recent marathons. A cramp of my
right hamstring appeared after four miles of running and prompted
a brief stop and massage. I repeated this ritual at mile markers
and as needed. I also walked the steepest grades from then on
until I finished. My time was 4:47:13, two minutes slower than
the previous week on a flat course at Tulsa, OK. I finished 1,307
of 1,670 overall and second of four in the 70-74M division.
Some fellow Yakima Hard Core Runner's Club members and other
Central Washington participants are listed below:
3:09:13 Kenneth Yager, 33, Selah
3:10:55 Eric Hansen, 34, Yakima
3:19:48 Ron Hayden, 46, Kennewick
3:40:52 Terry Cliett, 42, Selah
4:37:36 Rich Rees, 34, Selah
4:41:59 Casey Rice, 40, Yakima
4:44:35 Nathan Nelson, 28, Yakima
4:44:35 Timm Burke, 24, Yakima
Recently, cheating by a few runners has gotten publicity in the
newspapers. The
Seattle Marathon directors had virtually eliminated the opportunities
for cheaters by the use of electronic chips and activator mats
at the start, the 13th mile and at the finish. The 13 mile mark
is at the farthest point from the start/finish on the back side
of the Seward Park Peninsula. This should foil anyone looking
for a shortcut.
We knew a lot of runners in the Half Marathon. Lynne Werner,
50, a well-known ultrarunner from Seattle, ran with her daughter
Lauren Olsho, 27, who was visiting from Madison, WI. Both finished
in 2:08:37. Lenore and I met Ron Skar, 48, of Portland at the
starting line. He was wearing a YAKIMA
RIVER CANYON MARATHON shirt, so we introduced ourselves. Ron
had fainted after he finished our race and required facial stitches
as a result of his fall. We are pleased that he has fully recovered
and will be back at our marathon on April 6, 2002. Denny Brooks,
44, of Lacey ran a 1:59:21. He maintains the well-known website
www.ontherun.com and provides
us the website for our marathon.....http://www.ontherun.com/yrcm.
We have received many compliments for our website and appreciate
Denny's efforts. Courtney Jones, a long-time friend from Ellensburg,
ran a 2:15:36.
Our Seattle Marathon weekend began on Friday, November 23, when Lenore and
I spent the day in the registration area passing out packets to the marathon
runners. We enjoyed this activity because it gave us the opportunity to see
many friends and acquaintances as they picked up their race numbers.
Our house guests for Saturday night were Salem, OR, participants,
Eb Engelmann and Fenny Roberts (4:42:13) and Vancouver, WA, runner
Jim Sheer (4:42:07). They added to the festive mood to make the
Seattle Marathon weekend another memorable event.
Written by Bob Dolphin
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