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Capital City Marathon
May 16, 1999
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
My wife Lenore (the other half of the Dolphin Marathon Team) and I
find the Capital City Marathon at Olympia, WA, to be especially
enjoyable because of the social aspects of the event. We visited
with more runners and their families at the Sunday, May 16, 1999,
marathon than at any other race. The talkfest started at packet
pickup in Sylvester Park on Saturday and continued the next
morning
at the same park where volunteers attached plastic chips to all
runners' shoes with velcro tape.
Just prior to the scheduled 7:30 a.m. start under overcast skies,
we gathered at the starting line near the Capitol for further
visitation. Without warning, the gun went off a few minutes
prematurely, causing a wild scramble to get rid of excess clothes,
kiss loved ones, punch wristwatches, cross the starting line, and
get into the race.
On the course, there were countless greetings and brief
conversations
with many as they passed me. One that was especially memorable
was
in crossing paths in the eighth mile with Mike Dutton, 29,
Marathon
Achiever of Seattle, our adopted grandson. Mike is a comeback kid
in marathoning as he is increasing his training miles and dieting.
This was his first marathon in a year as he kept his Capital City
streak alive. After the race he brought us up to date on his
family---wife Diane and our great grandson Miles (as in miles and
miles to run.)
In the fifteenth mile I passed a young fellow and found out that
he was David Massulo, 13, of Fort Lewis, WA. He was running his
first marathon and would finish with a time of 4:20:57 to take
home
a second place trophy. He was the youngest runner in the race by
six years. When I told him that I was one of the oldest, he said,
"Cool!"
In the last 10K as I was having my usual wall and leg cramp
problems,
three friends had kind words as they passed me to run the final
miles. It was good to see these three---Frank Fleetham, Ray Wold,
and Lynne Werner, even if I couldn't run with them. I passed 20
miles at 3:00 and had time to finish under four hours, but my body
held me to a 4:03:04 (9:18), 244th of 388 and second of six in the
65-69M age class.
The race was won by Phil Jasperson, 32, of Olympia in a repeat
performance. His time was 2:28:44. Karen Steen, 34, also of
Olympia
won the women's division in 2:52:21 and placed tenth overall.
Another front runner was our friend Jeff Giesbrecht, 30, of
Vancouver,
BC. Re ran a PR 3:00:08 for 20th overall and fifth in his age
class.
Congratulations to a fellow Yakima Hard Core Runners Club member,
Terry Cliett of Selah, who ran his first marathon in a time of
3:27:04.
Lenore saw him cross the finish line just ahead of our friend Mel
Preedy. However, with the "chip" adjustment Mel's fantastic time
of 3:26:59 (1st in 65-69M group) listed him as finisher #76 and
Terry as finisher #77.
Our longtime friend Ron Nicholl, 56, director of the Marathon
Achievers, was on hand to run his first 26.2 mile marathon in two
years (in 3:36:05). In the past two years he has concentrated on
running ultramarathons---averaging 16 per year. A Western States
100 Mile Endurance Run finisher, he has completed over 200
marathons/
ultras. One of his most recent accomplishments was completing the
Iditasport 100 Mile ultra on February 15, 1999, at Big Lake,
Alaska,
in 39 hours and 38 minutes (8 hours ahead of the race cutoff
time!)
He accomplished this feat by pulling a sled with supplies and
running
on river and road ice in sub freezing temperatures!!
As a volunteer at many races, Lenore meets other runners' family
members who also help out. The Capital City Marathon was a
"reunion
day" for her, too. Waiting with her at the finish line was Verna
Kartes, a coworker at Fred Willet's March Pacific Rim 24 Hour Run
in Longview. Her daughter Jodi Kartes from Lake Oswego, OR, ran
the marathon in 3:40:49. Diane Bemrose from Gresham, OR, had
worked
with Lenore at the Columbia River Gorge Marathon in May 1998 and
at
the Autumnn Leaves 50's Ultra at Champoeg State Park in Oregon
last
October. Her husband Richard ran this marathon in 4:07:45.
The Dolphin Marathon Team enjoyed all aspects of the Capital City
Marathon and looks forward to the race on May 15, 2000, by which
time the "running half" of the team will have had a birthday to
move him on to a new age division--safe from Mel Preedy's
competition
for 3 years!!!
Written by Bob Dolphin
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