A Snail's Pace Running Club All Chapter Newsletter

SNAIL TALES A SNAIL’S PACE RUNNING CLUB ALL CHAPTER NEWSLETTER

10th Annual Salt Creek Stampede

August 2019 Issue

02 – New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2

03 – New Product Arrivals

04 - Upcoming Races/Events CALL FOR NEWSLETTER ARTICLES! 05 – USATF / A Snail’s Pace Team Articles and or photos (decent quality resolution) of your recent running

06 – Member Spotlight Kawika Tarayao, FV Chapter adventures or events for the newsletter are encouraged. Please submit any material that is inspirational, scenic, unique, fun, or just worth 07 – Club Finances mentioning to your respective chapter’s newsletter editor. 08 - Snail’s Cup Series Brea – Larry Blizzard / [email protected] 09 – Memberships Update Fountain Valley – Jenny Gardelle /[email protected] 11 – Club Races Mission Viejo – Linda Jung / [email protected] 12 - Brea Chapter Monrovia – Jenny Welch /[email protected] All Chapter stuff – Bob Morris /[email protected] 17 – Fountain Valley Chapter

23- Mission Viejo Chapter This month’s head editor – Jenny 28 – Monrovia Chapter Contributing editors – Linda, Jenny, Larry, & Bob Fresh Foam Beacon v2 Now available at all ASP stores

The updated Fresh Foam Beacon v2 provides a cushioned underfoot feel in an extremely lightweight package. The addition of a new Ultra Hell construction delivers a sleek rearfoot fit. The updated engineered mesh on the forefoot is a premium, cleanly designed double jacquard mesh that provides a predictable, breathable, comfortable fit with a wearable aesthetic. Underfoot on the outsole of the shoe are strategically placed rubber pods for targeted durability in high-abrasion areas. New Product Arrivals at all ASP Stores Upcoming Races and more

USATF Grand Prix Race (sold out) https://smc.goconqur.com/

September 14 15% discount code: SNAILS https://www.thealoharun.com/long-beach/

September 21 CLUB RACE Discount code: Surf10Snails www.motivrunning.com/surf-city-10miler/

September 29, 2019 Discount code: ASP19 www.ryansreach.com/dove-dash-race

October 12 USATF National Masters Championships http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2019/USATF-Masters-5-km- Cross-Country-Championships.aspx

October 12, 13 CLUB RACE/USATF Grand Prix Race $15 discount code for marathon/half marathon: SnailsPace15 https://www.motivrunning.com/run-longbeach/

November 9 Discount code: SNAILSRUNRIV for the following discounts •$10 off all ½ Marathon Entries (Individual, Vets/Military Category, Team) •$10 off all 10K Entries (Individual, Vets/Military Category, Team) •$5 off all 5K Entries (Individual, Vets/Military Category, Team) •$2 off 1K and 1/2K kids races New this year: $10 Pet Entry which includes bib and edible “medal” for your four- legged friends! http://missioninnmuseum.org/mission-inn-run/

November 28 CLUB RACE/USATF Grand Prix Race 15% discount code: SNAILSPACE19 https://turkeytrot.com/ CLUB RACE 10% discount code: ASNAILSPACE https://tustinhangarhalf.com/ Join A Snail’s Pace USATF Team - #33-0403 and contribute to our Grand Prix team points when participating in So Cal USATF Grand Prix races (many are our Snail’s Cup races)! More info about the GP Series and to register with USATF, to to: https://www.scausatf.org/ Don’t forget to select A Snail’s Pace #33-0403 as your Club affiliation when joining USATF.

Below are the Grand Prix standings after four races. At the end of the year the top three in each age group receive gold, silver & bronze USATF medals based on their best four Grand Prix races. (There are 5 more races.) Those highlighted in YELLOW are Snail's Pace members.

25-29 35-39 45-49 55-59 65-69 Rod Robey 2377 Bob Morris 2143 Nicholas Spector 2201 Kristin Soiseth 875 Hamilton Blake 1767 Jakob Herrmann 934 Jeff Ambos 1421 Ed Avol 753 Raul Arcos 1538 Roosevelt Cook 853 Juan Ramirez 846 Si Ho 1341 Dona Mcbride 654 Aaron Perry 1429 Leilani Rios 836 50-54 60-64 70+ 30-34 40-44 Kevin Carr 1412 Faith Morris 1767 Joe Ogata 1956 Lindsey Carter 1460 Jacques Sallberg 1807 Gwendolen Twist 1627 Miguel Hernandez 1397 Dennis Wilson 1442 William Sumner 1599 Marquis Bowden 1431 Curtis Ludlow 1508 Ted Moreno 1232 Mary Nickles 841 Bob Norton 1085 Kelvin Mejia 765

Team scores after 4 races. Here's the Overall Top 5 Standings to date. Top 5 receive cash at end of year! Men Races Score Women Races Score Team Score

Rod Robey 4 2377 Faith Morris 3 1767 Cal Coast Track Club 19579 Nicholas Spector 3 2201 Ashlee Powers 2 1728 A Snail's Pace Running Club 19467 Bob Morris 3 2143 Gwen Twist 2 1627 Whittier Warriors Track Club 8482 Joe Ogata 3 1956 Rachel Miura 2 1593 Temecula Valley Time Machine 3774 Jacques Sallberg 2 1807 Lindsey Carter 2 1460

2019 So Cal USATF Grand Prix Schedule

• 09/09/19: Grand Prix – Santa Monica Classic 5K / 10K • 10/13/19: Grand Prix – Jet Blue Long Beach Marathon / Half • 11/28/19: Grand Prix – Dana Point Turkey Trot 5K / 10K • 12/14/19: Grand Prix – Holiday 5K Ugly Sweater Run • 12/15/19: Grand Prix – Holiday Half Marathon Member Spotlight

Kawika Tarayao Fountain Valley Chapter

Where are you from originally and when did you move to So Cal? Born and raised in Corona del Mar / Newport Beach. What got you started on running, when, where, etc.? I only really started running in the past 1-2 years. I became interested in a new sport out of Sweden called Swimrun that involves racing across a chain of islands by swimming between them and running across each one. I’ve been swimming my whole life and needed to get serious about running to be competitive. What has been your favorite race and why? The most beautiful race I’ve ever done was a 28-mile Swimrun through the Nuuksio National Park in Finland. The lakes were crisp and clear and the trails through the forest were technical and serene. What is the coolest place you have gone for a run? I really loved running from the base town of Halls Gap to the summit of the Pinnacles in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia. Tons of elevation gain and amazing natural structures. What are you training for now and how is it going? I have the Otillo Swimrun World Championships in Sweden in 2 weeks, consisting of 42 miles of trail running and 10km of open water swimming across 25 islands. I am feeling stronger and more prepared than ever right now. Do you have any races that interest you? I would really like to run any of the Vacation Races Ultra Marathons (Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, or Zion). What are your current running goals? I’m working on my endurance to complete ultra-marathon distances. What is your best running tip? Run with A Snail’s Pace running club meetups. Everyone is amazing, friendly, and inclusive. My running has improved significantly since I joined! Why do you run? I like competing in endurance races and how good I feel at the end is directly related to how much I run. Any other hobbies or interests? I coach CrossFit, Lifeguard at Newport Beach, and surf. What do you like most about being a member of A Snail’s Pace Running Club? The people I’ve met through the Meetups and the coaching that I have received has really jump started my running development. Club Financials

June July

ASPRC Membership BR 128 BR 127 FV 83 FV 83 MO 27 MO 28 MV 183 MV 177 Total 421 Total 415 MeetUp Membership BR 1,186 BR 1,202

FV 1,116 FV 1,125 MO 427 MO 428 MV 1,167 MV 1,174 Total 3,896 Total 3,929 Treasury Report BR $3,256.63 BR $3,174.63 FV $1804.92 FV $1422.11 MO $2,620.86 MO $2,540.69 MV $1889.59 MV $1894.70 Snail’s Cup Series Pride of the Valley 5K POV POV CLUB Chap ELITE Chap STAFF Chap Total Total Total Sue Zihlmann FV 1033 Donna Mills-Honavar MV 1024 Bob Morris MV 959 Luis Gasca FV 920 Kelvin Mejia MV 939 Eduardo Guapilla SCP 926 Barbara Eckes MV 918 Juan Ramirez MV 905 Alejandra Peralta SCP 615 Pat Herr MV 877 Hamilton Blake MV 875 Victor Gambone MV 872 Teri Tran MV 808 Faith Morris MV 778 Rod Robey FV 774 Justine Dellinger MV 712 Terese Chang BR 677 Vickie Jackson FV 613 Marie Puffpaff FV 585 Than Duong MV 514

POV Store Total SCP 1541 MV 959 FV MO BR

Don’t see your points listed? Send your finish times to: [email protected] include whether or not you wore the Club uniform. And if you’ve never submitted Club race times before add your date of birth so the age graded Snail’s Cup points can be calculated. Next Club race please remember to write down your finish time on the results clipboard at the Club canopy. Snail’s Cup Series Top Twenty Races Total Avg Races Total Avg Net Avg Net CLUB Chap STAFF Chap Ran Pts Pts Ran Pts Pts Pts Pts Si Ho MV 8 6243 780 Bob Morris MV 8 6687 835 5160 860 Barbara Eckes MV 7 6126 875 Robert Mignosa FV 7 4742 677 4152 692 Luis Gasca FV 7 6037 862 Bob Norton FV 6 3827 637 3827 637 Hamilton Blake MV 8 6022 752 Jason Durarte MO 3 2911 970 2911 Victor Gambone MV 7 5907 843 Alejandra Peralta SCP 4 2813 703 2813 Davea Carr FV 6 5245 874 Eduardo Guapilla SCP 3 2651 883 2651 Pat Herr MV 6 4909 818 Veronica Lopez SCP 3 1873 624 1873 May Fong-Chih MV 7 4728 675 Michelle Montiel FV 3 1796 598 1796 Marilyn Broady BR 5 4646 929 Holly Pellitteri FV 2 1695 847 1695 Marie Puffpaff FV 8 4458 557 Diana Rosette SCP 2 1374 687 1374 Mike Schwartz MV 5 4282 856 Missael Ocampo SCP 2 1200 600 1200 Kyra Ytzen MV 6 4189 698 Jenessa Reyes SCP 2 1154 577 1154 Joanna Pallo MV 6 3947 657 Peter Vu SCP 2 941 470 941 Diane Wilkenson BR 5 3873 774 Lucas Matison MO 1 937 937 937 Ashley Macy MV 6 3657 609 Tiffany Costello FV 1 883 883 883 Grace Innis MV 5 3637 727 Hailey Anderson BR 1 789 789 789 Vickie Jackson FV 6 3485 580 Kyle Beals MO 1 764 764 764 Greg Beck MV 4 3439 859 Noelle Stewart BR 1 720 720 720 Faith Morris MV 5 3432 686 Jennifer Logan MO 1 653 653 653 Rod Robey FV 5 3375 675 Jenny Bradley FV 1 587 587 587

Races Total Avg Net Avg Net ELITE Chap Total Total Ran Pts Pts Pts Pts Store Juan Ramirez MV 6 5898 983 5898 983 Points Races Donna Mills-Honavar MV 7 6681 954 5791 965 SCP 13,547 5 Kelvin Mejia MV 10 8911 891 5480 913 FV 13,544 8 Kevin Broady BR 5 5162 1032 5162 MV 7,646 9 Julie Ertel MV 4 3936 984 3936 MO 5,265 3 Erik Tavera MV 4 3668 917 3668 BR 1,509 1 Karine Parry MV 4 3392 848 3392

Don’t see your points listed? Send your finish times to: [email protected] include whether or not you wore the Club uniform. And if you’ve neverr submitted Club race times before add your date of birth so the age graded Snail’s Cup points can be calculated. Next Club race please remember to write down your finish time on the results clipboard at the Club canopy. Membership Updates

Expiring this Month

TABBI & KARIM ABDOLLAHI RUNMV (7/19) RYAN ALLEN RUNMV (08/19) JOHN CERECEDES RUNFV (7/19) JIMMY ANDRES RUNBR (08/19) BILL ASHER RUNMV (08/19) angela chin RUNMV (08/19) MIGUEL CHAVEZ RUNMO (07/19) ANTHONY CIAMBRONE RUNMV (08/19) MARIE CHIANG RUNBR (07/19) john darbyshire RUNMV (8/19) MIKE DIETZ RUNMV (7/19) ANTHONY DOVER RUNBR (08/19) BARBARA ECKES RUNMV (07/19)FAM THAN DUONG RUNMV (08/19) JOHN FERRERI RUNMV (07/19) Elaine Guanga RUNMV INDV (08/19) savanna hanchett RUNMV (8/19) Tammy Fogarty RUNMV (07/19) glen hatton RUNMV (8/19) TOM FROST RUNMV (7/19) LISA HENRY RUNBR (8/19) DANA HOLDER RUNMV (7/19) KENT HULETT RUNMV (08/19) FRANCISCA MARTINEZ RUNBR (07/19) LISA JUNG RUNMV (08/19) JACQUELINE SCREETON RUNMV INDIV (7/19) SAM KOTOB RUNBR (08/19) KAREN SHAW RUNBR (07/19) MARK KUPFER RUNBR INDIV 8/19 CHAD WEUVE RUNMV (07/19) JILL LAU RUNMV (8/19) RANDY WOODWORTH RUNMV (7/19) Lisa Ledger RUNMV (08/19) CHRIS & DINA YELLEY RUNMV INDIV 7/19 JULIAN MANRIQUE RUNMV (08/19)FAM DAVID/DI MCLEMORE RUNMO (08/19) NANCY M MILLER RUNMV (08/19) DISA MOYER RUNBR 8/19 LIANN AND MIKE RINALDI RUNMV (08/19) GILBERT/LUCY SALAZAR RUNBR (08/19)FAM CATHY/KEN SHARGAY/ATTERHOLT RUNMV (08/19)FAM JEFF SMITH RUNMV (8/19) MADISON SPACH RUNMV (8/19) MIKE WHELAN RUNFV (08/19)

Time to renew your membership if you see your name listed above.

It’s easy to renew your membership by coming in to any ASP Store, or do it online at: www:asnailspace.net 2019 Snail’s Cup Race Schedule Fountain Valley  Mission Viejo  B r e a  M o n r o v i a ALL Races and Dates are tentative, and subject to revision. Email suggestions for additional Club Races to: [email protected] Chapter Sponsor Date Race Location

FV September 21 Surf City 10 Sundown Huntington Beach

FV October 12 & 13 Long Beach Marathon/Half/5k Long Beach

MV November 28 Dana Point Turkey Trot 10k/5k Dana Point December MO 14 & 15 Holiday Half Marathon/5k Pomona

Look for the ASP Club Canopy at each Club Race (usually near the Finish Area). Warm-up & -down with your ASPRC Teammates. Bring a chair and some refreshments to share! Have FUN!! Don’t forget to write down your finish time on results clipboard at the canopy. Brea Chapter News

Next Brea Club Monthly Meeting Come run with your friends in the Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019 ASP running club! All locations Location: Round Table Pizza, Brea invited to join. 732 N Brea Blvd, Brea, CA 92821 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM August Meeting Summary

• Welcome to our new members! • Irene & Nathaniel – Nathaniel is currently training for his 1st race, which will be the Long Beach Half. Irene is running to help support Nathaniel with his training.

• Dan, Jamey, & Betty – Academy members joining us for the first time. They have all just completed the Bolsa Chica Tiki 5k. Betty just joined the club also!

• Upcoming races: • 9/7/2019 - Live for Summer 5k: This is the inaugural run at the new Los Angeles Raging Waters. Race includes a 1 day ticket valid through the end of the 2019 season.

• 9/9/2019 - Revel Big Bear: Join the team is this Boston Qualifying race from the mountains of Big Bear to the foothills of Redlands.

• 9/21/2019 - Surf City 10 Sundown: Come spend your evening running down a traffic free PCH in this club race! Features 10 mile, 10K, and 5K distances. Use discount code SUNDOWN for $10 off.

• 9/21/2019 - DC Batman 5k: Celebrate 80 years of Batman in this fun 5k, starting and finishing under the Bat Signal shining on the LA Courthouse. Use discount code RACEGRADER For $10 off!

• 9/29/2019 - Biofreeze LA Dodgers 5k/10k/fun run: Run in and around Dodger's Stadium with an additional run through Elysian park for the 10k.

• 10/26/2019 - Surfing Madonna: Featuring 1k/5k/10k/12k distances. All distances run along the sand at low tide, starting and finishing at Moonlight Beach. Use discount code SMR2019 for 10% off. Brea Chapter News

• Upcoming events: • 9/8/2019 - Bowling night: Join your Snail friends for an afternoon of bowling. We'll meet at 4:00. $13 for 2 hours. Check meetup for more details!

• Congratulations to Dianne Wen, August's Snail of the Month. "Thank you for "encouraging" me to run OC Half last year after a tough, painful Surf City. I almost quit but you kept me on the right path - plus you bring fun to every run and race!"

• Spirit Miles – Congratulations to Yen for earning her 400 mile bar.

• Spirit Points – We had a tie between Anna and Tina this month and had to resort to a coin toss, with Tina being Spirit Points winner of the month.

• Congratulations to this month's raffle winners! Brea Chapter News

Race Results

7/13/2019 Terrain Race – Inland Empire Bob Bell Not Timed 5K Becky Bell Not Timed 5K Larry Blizzard Not Timed 5K 7/13/2019 The Peak 50K, Marathon & Half Marathon Yen Darcy 9:26:48 Marathon 6/29/2019 Cirque Du Griffith Yen Darcy 11:47:12 38.8 Miles 7/20/2019 Space Race 5k Alica Flores 0:44:11 5K Becky Bell 0:29:31 5K 7/27/2019 The Harding Hustle 50K Yen Darcy 9:49:04 50K Armando Alvarez 6:47:37 50K 7/28/2019 San Francisco Marathon Peter Fan 1:55:50 1st Half Brea Chapter News

Race Calendar

Good luck to all of our runners!

Race When Who's running? Nancy Briseno, Dennis Chang, Scott Boyer, Yesim Erez, Becky Bell, Bob Bell, Randy Franz, Sandra Nunez, Santa Rosa Marathon 8/25/2019 Oscar Perez, Vladimir, Jelena Figueroa, Mel Hunkin, JImmy Andres, Raul Guererro, Terese Chang Surf City 10 Sundown 9/21/2019 Marie Chiang, Becky Bell, Bob Bell Scott Boyer, Yesim Erez, Ricarda Benz, Marie Chiang, Jimmy Andres, Larry Global Energy Run 9/22/2019 Blizzard, Todd Schroeder, Randy Franz, Jennifer Juarez Urban Cow Half Marathon 10/6/2019 Adrian Trimino Larry Blizzard, Susan Guererro, Yesim Erez, Becky Bell, Bob Bell, Diane Jet Blue Long Beach 10/13/2019 Wilkinson, Kristin Soiseth, Jared Pon, Marathon/Half Marathon Nathaniel Sandoval, Irene Sandoval, Terese Chang, Ana Bergner Chicago Marathon 10/13/2019 Keven WIlliams, Maria Balderas Surfing Madonna Beach Run 10/26/2019 Beck Bell, Bob Bell 5K/10K/12K Whittier Spooktacular 5K 10/26/2019 Kristin Soiseth Yesim Erez, Becky Bell, Raul Guererro, Revel – Big Bear 11/9/2019 Jimmy Andres Rock 'N Roll Las Vegas 11/17/2019 Becky Bell CIM Marathon 12/8/2019 Adria Trimino Pasadena Half Marathon & 5k 1/19/2020 Marta Garcia Surf City Marathon 1/31/2020 Yesim Erez, Larry Blizzard Brea Chapter News

July Highlights

7/6/2019 - Saturday distance club 7/24/2019 - Wednesday evening run! speed training. Get your Yassos in!

7/27/2019 - The Half Marathon 7/31/2019 - Club pub run from Academy conquers Wild Cat Hill for Noble Ale Works to The Phoenix their 6 mile run! Club and back! Fountain Valley Fountain Valley ChapterChapter News News

Monthly Meeting Notes July 10, 2019 Round Table Pizza

Upcoming club races: - 9/21 Surf City 10 Sundown, 10 mile/10k/5k (SNAIL'S CUP RACE

Upcoming club event: - 8/31 Angel Game vs. Red Sox

Other runs and fun events: • ASP FV Store Staff Run Every Thursday 5:30 pm • Weekly runs (see details and RSVP on FV Chapter Meetup site) Tuesday Night Speed Training with Coach Fier. Warm-up @6:15 pm • Tuesday Night Hill/Sunset run at Harriet M. Wieder Regional Park @ 6:30 pm • Wednesday Night Fun Run at Roundtable Pizza in Fountain Valley @ 6:15 pm • Friday Morning Snails at El Moro Trails @ 6 am • Saturday Morning Bolsa Chica Wetlands Run @ 8:00 am at Slater & Graham • Sunday Morning Back Bay Run @9:00am near Muth Center • Sunday Morning Cameo Shores Run @8:00 am. Led by Dave Parsel and Pat Copps • Good Form Running Clinic—held quarterly at ASP Fountain Valley Store • Join our group on Garmin (Snails Pace)

NEW: • Join us for our first-ever Fall to Winter Run Series (see calendar on next page). • Also, join your fellow Snails at Knott's on Sept. 13. Fountain Valley Fountain Valley ChapterChapter News News

New event: Fall to Winter Run Series • Begins Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Surf City 10 Sundown club race and ends Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands club run (see calendar below for details and available points). • You earn 1 point per selected club run and 2 points per selected race. • At the end of the series the winner will receive a prize. Fountain Valley Fountain Valley ChapterChapter News News

Name Event Time Comments Marie Puffpaff Pride of the Valley 5k 40:24 OC Fair 5k 44:56 Roseanna Uman OC Fair 5k 50:46 Tiki Beach 10k 1:40 Luigi Giovanni Salt Creek Stampede 1:04 3rd place Luis Gasca Pride of the Valley 5k 20:16 3rd in AG Salt Creek Stampede Rob Sternberg Tiki Beach 10k 56:00 3rd in AG Sue Sternberg Tiki Beach 10k 58 Sheri Wilson SOB 15k 1:36 Franky Anaya Surf City 5k 22:43 Gayle Dwyer Cypress 10k 1:16 OC Fair 5k 42:50 Tiki Beach 10k 1:12 Shannon Cook Apollo 11 5k 36 Cypress 10k 1:16 OC Fair 5k Robert Mignosa Salt Creek Stampede 2nd place Fountain Valley Fountain Valley ChapterChapter News News

Join Robert Mignosa and fellow Snails for a fun night at Knott's.

The park is otherwise closed, so no wait lines. Fountain Valley Chapter News Fountain Valley Chapter News Mission Viejo Chapter News

SNAIL’S PACE MISSION VIEJO CHAPTER MEETING AGENDA August 7, 2019 1. Welcome- Justine ❖Welcome everyone- introduce myself. Inspirational words: "Tough runs don't last BUT tough runners do." By Pinterest ❖Introduce any guests/new faces, thank everyone for participating in the Stampede, announce 2020 officer nominations are coming up in November. 2. Vice President's report- Judy ❖Upcoming races/fun runs, etc. 3. Treasurer report- Meg (acting for Ashley, who was away for her daughter's gender reveal party! It's a boy! Congratulations, Ashley!!!) ❖Budget/expenses, membership 4. Newsletter Editor's Report- Linda ❖ Call for articles/photos 5. Meetup Guru's report- May ❖Saturday runs updated through September ❖Races featured in the last newsletter have been added to Meetup calendar ❖Reminder to RSVP for Meetup events 6. Social Chair- Faith ❖ Spirit Point winners, mileage pin winners, birthdays 7. Race results, raffle winner 50/50- Justine Adjournment Mission Viejo Chapter Race Results

Name Event Time Comments

John K. Salt Creek 1:06:57 Than D. Price of the Valley 5k - Warm at the end!! Than D. OC Fair 5k Fun Race - Good times! Si Ho San Francisco Full 4+ Stop for pics too much Si Ho HB July 4th 5k 22:23 PR May Chih El Toro Chargers 5k 24:37 PR & 1st in AG May Chih Apollo 11 58:26 Ran with nephews May Chih SF 5k 38:26 Shake out for ultra May Chih SF Ultra Under 12 hrs First ultra Barbara Eckes Pride of the Valley 24:48 5k 1st pl. Victor Gambone Pride of the Valley 5k 25:11 2nd place AG Faith Morris Pride of the Valley 5k 30:21 3rd AG :) Jules Dellinger Pride of the Valley 5k 30:20 5th age Melody San Fran Half 2:31:20 Beat OC by 13 min. Lillian Bertram Revel Mt. Hood 3:45 BOSTON QUALIFIER! Hamilton Blake Surf City 5k July 4th 21:28 PR Hamilton Blake Pride of the Valley 5k 22:12 Hamilton Blake Salt Creek Stampede 50ish minute Most improved time Mike Schwartz Surf City 5k 23:28 Kyra Ytzen Run Thru Parks 10k 1:06:20 4th AG Kyra Ytzen Pup Cup 5k Pat Herr 4th of July Ventura 39:32 1st AG Pat Herr Pride of the Valley 40:26 1st AG course record! Teri Tran Mag El Toro 5k 29:28 1st AG Teri Tran Mag Pride of Valley 28:50 2nd AG Larry Isaacs Run Thru the Parks 10k 56:01 Mission Viejo Chapter Race Photos

Salt Creek Stampede Photo credit: Mike Schwartz, Si Ho Mission Viejo Chapter Race Photos

Salt Creek Stampede Photo credit: Mike Schwartz, Si Ho Monrovia Chapter News

WEST HIGHLAND WAY By Grant Linsell The West Highland Way is a walking path in Scotland that is 96 miles long. We ran it in five days. It was great.

It turns out that you can pay a company to plan your trip, book your lodging, and move your luggage from cute tiny Scottish inn to cute tiny Scottish inn. We used Gemini Walks because our friends Hunter & Stephanie used them last year and had a great experience… also, they have a whole page on the website devoted to dogs of the Way. Our trip was split roughly evenly over the five days with some days being a bit under 20 miles and some days being a bit over 20 miles. The length of each day depended more on the isolation of the route and the availability of lodging than on the difficulty of the running. The most technical and difficult terrain actually occurred on the longest day. Many people do it in eight to ten days so we were roughly covering two normal segments in one day. Just when I was feeling smug about going so fast, we got passed by a guy doing it in three days a nd carrying all his own camping gear while he ran — at least he took our photo for us before he blew past us down the hill and out of sight.

Looking down into Inveroran - snapped by a fast Spaniard

Traveling like this is wild. It allowed us to experience places that, while technically accessible by car or train, were not places we would ever consider going. In one “town,” the only things there were an inn, our B&B, and a campground. In another, the ONLY thing was the inn where we stayed (well, and sheep… many, many sheep).

DAY 0 - GETTING TO THE START Our flight from LAX to Glasgow (through Dublin) was a mess. Long story short, we got to (had to) spend the night in Dublin instead of Glas gow before going to the start. When we finally landed in Glasgow, we got a fancy but inexpensive bus to the city center, walked around for a few hours, had lunch, drank a pint, found the train station, and took a perfectly on-time but inexpensive train north to the suburb where the Way starts, Milngavie. It is pronounced “Mul-Guy” for some reason. That night, we had an amazing meal in an adorable and modern little restaurant. Scotland is not just haggis with neeps & tatties (whatever the hell those are).

Start of the Way in Milngavie Monrovia Chapter News

DAY 1 - MILNGAVIE TO BALMAHA (20.3 MILES) Running out of town is fun and easy. We were amazed how quickly we felt like we were in the country. The trails were great and we had to constantly remind ourselves to slow down in anticipation of the many miles ahead. About seven miles in, we came upon the Glengoyne Disti llery and simply had to go in since it is right off the path. We bought some whisky and came out of the shop to a few raindrops. This was the beginning of HOURS OF POURING RAIN. Thankfully, it was the first day so it was easy to keep our spirits up.

As the rain let up, we came upon a sign: LEFT 2.5 mile shortcut, RIGHT 3.75 miles over the big-ass hill. Of course we went right. We always choose right and it’s always the right choice.

Conic Hill

We had no idea that this “hill” was a huge tourist attraction in one of the most popular national parks in Scotland. Just after we crested the summit, we saw a line of hikers stretching down into town and our progress slowed quite a bit while bobbing and weaving through the crowd. Popping out into the parking lot, our B&B was only one block away and across the road from the beautiful Loch Lomond. Our luggage had been delivered so we cleaned up, went in the HOT TUB, and tried to dry out our gear. An important tip, do not try to dry wet trail shoes with a hair dryer. The stench produced is both long lasting and powerful. Monrovia Chapter News

DAY 2 - BALMAHA TO INVERARAN (23.4 MILES) Almost the entire day was spent winding around the East shore of Loch Lomond. While it was stunningly beautiful and lush, it was also stunningly rocky and rooty. It was by far our slowest and most difficult day. We ran about seven easy miles then had two of the most technical and impossible miles of trail running I’ve ever done. We got to the point where we would celebrate ten feet of actual running. With about five miles left, we came upon a surprisingly fancy inn. Since we were hurting and frustrated, we pulling in and got half a pint of beer and some chips. That was a good decision as the last five miles went much more smoothly with a very slightly elevated blood alcohol level. Thankfully, the weather improved dramatically from the previous day and we only got wet during the last hour of running. The tiny town of Inveraran consists of the B&B where we stayed, a campground with an amazing restaurant, and the Drovers Inn, which opened its doors in 1705 (JS Bach was 20 years old). Having a drink at a bar which has been there for more than 300 years was a great way to end a very tough day.

DAY 3 - INVERARAN TO INVERORAN (21.8 MILES) Sunshine! We had really planned for cool/chilly/rainy and we were continually surprised just how warm it was. The running was so much easier than the day before and we made good time on the old military roads and ancient grazing paths. The day passed quickly and we got to see lots of sheep, lots of flowers, a few cows, and a kilted man playing the bagpipes in the middle of nowhere for no reason we could discern. We crossed the ancient Bridge of Orchy and arrived at the Inveroran hotel, the only thing in the town. It was great to walk ten feet from our room to dinner in the tiny dining room then ten more feet to the lounge where we drank wine and looked though old guestbooks from the last century. Just before turning in, we saw a printed weather report for the next day which called for “torrential downpours” and “periodic hail.” We decided to get an early start to try to get as far ahead of the coming tempest as possible. Monrovia Chapter News

DAY 4 - INVERORAN TO KINLOCHLEVEN (19.6 MILES) We were ready for the weather. We started early, brought plenty of food, and had all our emergency gear packed. As we climbed out of the little valley where we spent the night, the landscape opened to, what we later learned was, the largest “wild” area in the UK. The Way lead through miles and miles of beautiful green rolling hills. We were on a mission to beat the storm and the trail was great quality so we made excellent time. This day was full of the most amazing sights. The mountains started getting tall and as we climbed up the last tough pass (up the Devil’s Staircase), we saw some rain moving toward us from the south. We stopped to eat and take a little rest and the sprinkles started. That lit a fire and we got the ridiculous idea that we could outrun the storm. Well, IT WORKED! The whole day, we only had about ten minutes of soft rain. Since we moved so fast and left so early, we were two hours early to check in to our B&B so we went to a pub, sat in the sun, and ate delicious food. When were were debating a second pint, the promised torrential downpours arrived. We weathered the storm over another beer and averted our eyes from the poor walkers who had not arrived so early scrambling for cover. It was the best day!

DAY 5 - KINLOCHLEVEN TO FORT WILLIAM (16.4 MILES) This was supposed to be the easiest day. It was the shortest and we were almost done. The climb out of Kinlochleven taught us this assumption was incorrect. It was steep, the trail was easy to walk but far too loose and unstable to run, and the midges were out in force. We would alternate between slogging up the hill and sprinting away from the bugs. The first half of the day was pretty miserable. We did get to see a shepherd training sheepdogs though! After we took a little break to watch the pups, the running got much easier and we started to get excited to finish. We even took a short detour to see an iron-age fort at the top of a hill. The final push was all downhill and had some of our fastest miles of the whole trip. The last several miles were on pavement and felt really rough after the long downhill but we made it into town and ran all the way to the end. It was sunny when we finished. Monrovia Chapter News

AFTERWARD 101.5 total miles. 22:30 total time. Through most of the run, we were surprised how easy it felt. There were hard miles for sure, but the entire journey was much easier than we had anticipated. 20 miles per day seemed like a lot on paper but there was no real pressure to hurry while we were running and the easy pace really helped with the distance. If we went too fast, we would both miss cool things on the way and get to our next town too early to get checked into our lodging. As far as the training went, we really weren’t running all that many miles leading up to our trip. I was in the mid 50s per week — this is much less than my normal marathon training cycle and it was much less intense. We were both really surprised how achievable this adventure was. As we ate vegetarian haggis nachos (weird but good) in the Grog & Gruel Pub in Fort William on the night we finished, we were already planning our next similar adventure. Switzerland? The Andes? Norway? For us to be looking ahead only hours after finishing is a real testament to how fun it actually was. With a marathon or long trail race, I need at least a month to think another one is a really “fun” idea. The day after finishing, we took the “Hogwarts Express” (actually called the Jacobite) to Mallaig, a costal town in the northwest. I only mention this because there at the Chlachain Inn, we had one of the best meals in my recent memory. The capstone of this lunch was a “burger” made with alternating slices of fried halloumi cheese and onion rings in a homemade roll. It was perfect.