## Glacier to Glacier \'99![](media/image1.wmf){width="6.833333333333333in" height="2.0395833333333333in"}

This story was supposed to be about the 1999 River-to-River Relay race.
However, with this year\'s cool temperatures and gusty winds, I would
suggest the title at the top of this story! I suppose it could have been
worse; it could have rained like it did on the trip down to Carbondale.
Does it sound like we liked it? Well, we didn\'t like it, we loved it.
This race is great, rain, shine, cold, hot, or whatever.

For the uninitiated, this race is an 80 mile relay race with eight
runners that starts on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi river valley
(southwest of Carbondale, IL) and finishes in the town of Golconda on
the Ohio river. At each of the 24 exchange points (each runner runs
three segments), the current runner transfers a baton to the next runner
on the team. The course runs mostly through the Shawnee National Forest
in extreme southern Illinois.

For the last several years a team of Argonne runners has been entered in
this wonderful weekend event. This year our two women/six man team was
named \"two does and six bucks\" and included (in running order): Laura
Miller, Laurie Culbert, Richard Page, Brian Ward, John Schlueter, Chuck
Jonah, Steve Rose, and Karl Grimm. Our time, not that it matters, was 11
hours and 10 minutes. As you can readily figure, this is not exactly a
scorching pace.

From getting up at 4 AM to leave at 5, for a starting time of 6:45, to
eating dinner at 8 or 9 PM, the day went by in a flash. Some people may
think being in a van with eight people (that need a shower) for that
long a time may not be fun, but they obviously have not been involved in
this race. The day really seemed short, and, when it was over, I
wondered where the time had flown.

The majority of the teams in the race (240 team limit) are there for a
good time and not out to set any records; this is essentially an 80 mile
party. A lot of the team names are cute, but border on being lewd. (I
would mention a few names, but this is a family oriented newsletter.) I
wonder how much time is spent on finding team names that are close, but
do not surpass, team naming rules (if there are any). In this light, any
suggestions for naming the Argonne team for next year would be
appreciated.

The locals really get involved in the race. For example, in Cobden local
groups have coffee, fruit, etc. for the runners. In addition, all along
the course there are packets of people, sitting on their lawns, cheering
each runner as they pass. At the end of the race (Golconda), there is a
festival that features a country music band and all sorts of good stuff
to eat. The little old church ladies that were selling homemade peach
cobbler looked like characters out of a Twain novel. In fact, most of
the small towns in that area of Illinois look like they have not changed
much from Twain\'s day.

Every year one of the race highlights are the Jesus bikers. They are
dressed all in black leather and work the same exchange point every
year - one across from a little church along side a graveyard out in the
country. Somehow seeing bikers wearing leather and all sorts of
religious symbols does not seem out of place in that area. Furthermore,
the team with the pretend false teeth, that made them look like they had
never heard of a dentist, also was a hit. One of the guys in that group
kept introducing one of his female teammates as his sister AND his
wife - very funny. As you can tell, competition is not a large component
of this event.

From Friday, when we left for our motel in Carbondale, to Sunday when we
returned, it was a wonderful \"lost-in-enjoyment\" weekend. For any
runners wanting more information on this particular race, including team
names and results, the web site is: rrr.olm.net (or just talk to any one
of the team members, they will probably give you an earful).

Karl Grimm

Great Western 30 K

On Sunday May 2 at 8 AM, I lined up for the start of the 1999 version of
the Great Western 30 K. It was one of the best days we have had so far
this year for running. The skies were blue, the temperature was mild,
and there were gentle winds from the east. I had never run this race
before but decided that it would be a good training run for a spring
marathon. I think that many of the other runners had the same idea.
Although this race is much smaller than the National Heritage Corridor
Classic (NHC) 25K which is held every fall, the races have many
similarities. The NHC is used by many runners as a tune up for fall
marathons. I think there are fewer spring marathon runners, but many of
them were our for this race.

The Great Western 30 K starts at the LeRoy Oaks Forest Preserve in St.
Charles. As the name suggests, the race is run mostly on the Great
Western bike trail. Similar to the NHC, the race is an out and back
course, and the majority of the race is run on limestone. Personally, I
like running on limestone much better than on asphalt because it is much
easier on the joints. There are about 10 water stops along the course
and all are well stocked with water and Gatorade. This year there were
probably about 300 runners at the event which I found to be a rather
comfortable number -- not so many that you get run over and not so few
that you are running by yourself.

The finish of the race is also very nice -- not only because it feels
good to stop running after 18.5 miles. The race finishes with a 0.25
mile downhill, so runners can \'coast\' into the finish chute. A first
for me at this race was that by the time you got out of the chute, they
handed you a computer print out with your finishing time, place, place
in age group, pace, etc. All finishers also get a nice medallion to
remember the event by. The long sleeve T-shirts are indeed \'finisher\'
shirts because you have to show your computer printout with your
finishing time to claim your shirt. Also, the finish area had plenty of
food and drinks, although nothing extravagant. (There was water,
Gatorade, bananas, oranges, cookies, pretzels, bagels, etc.)

The cost of the race was \$22 if pre-registered. I plan to run this race
again next year, and would recommend it you have been putting in your
miles over the winter and early spring months. I\'m sure it would be a
painful experience for runners who are behind on their training! Hope to
see you at the Great Western in 2000!

Avon\'s Breast Cancer Walk

In last month\'s newsletter, I mentioned that Ginger Warren was going to
walk the 60 mile Avon Breast Cancer Walk between June 18^th^ and 20^th^
to raise money to fight breast cancer. I have since found out that
Kristi Wood is also going to walk at this event. Both of these walkers
are trying to raise \$1700 and could use your support. If you would like
more information about the event, check out the web-site:
www.avoncrusade.com/thewalk/

Run the Mountain

The next Argonne Running Club fun run will be held on Wednesday, May 19,
1999 at noon. The start and finish of the race will be the lobby of
Bldg. 360. The run will feature a trip up and down the ZGS ramp, so lace
up your shoes and join us for the climb. Refreshments and a raffle will
be held at the bottom of the hill after the event. For all of our
walkers, there will be a 2 mile course as well.

Red Dress Reminder

I know that it isn\'t easy for most of us to wake up in the morning,
look in the closet, and pull out our favorite red dress for a fun run at
noon. That is why I\'m giving everyone a reminder that this may be the
time to start looking for the attire that you will need for the ARC\'s
second annual Red Dress Run. Those of us who ran last year have a leg up
on the competition in knowing what type of outfits work best. For those
of you who didn\'t run last year, here are a few tips. Dresses that show
some leg definitely have an advantage over those that are full length or
tight fitting. A breathable fabric also seems to be advantageous after a
mile or so. For runners who are used to running with hats, it seems like
bonnets work well, but be sure to attach them well as they tend to fly
off. I\'ve also noticed that many guys tend to underestimate their dress
size: most of us just have to face reality -- we\'ll never fit into a
size 6. Make sure you have your red dress handy on June 16 for the Red
Dress Run -- it\'s a lot of fun, and you can only win the valuable
prizes if you\'re dressed in red.

Did You Pay Your Taxes?

Special thanks goes to Aziz Uras and Paul Eident for coordinating the
ARC\'s March fun run. They did a great job with the 1040 theme: raffle
prizes were wrapped in tax forms and were useful for tax-paying runners.
The weather for the race was nearly ideal, although a little windy -- it
felt good to run in shorts after a cold winter. There were plenty of
healthy (and not so healthy) snacks at the conclusion of the run. It was
good to see that Aziz and Paul came up with a new course for the event,
which seemed to work out well. The Running Club has many traditional
routes for our fun runs, but it is always good to see some creativity
and a new course. (It is more challenging that one may think to come up
with a 3 M course that stays off of roads with significant traffic.) The
new 1040 course ended with the uphill near lodging and challenged
everyone who ran the race. As always, the Running Club is looking for
new themes, ideas, courses, etc. for our fun runs. If you have any
ideas, or would like to volunteer to work at an event, contact our club
president: Paul Eident.

Track Workouts

Track workouts continue every Wednesday at 6:15 PM. Several ARC members
run with the North Central College Track Club at the North Central
Track. Even if you have missed the first month of workouts, you can
still participate. Workouts last about an hour. There are runners of all
abilities, so don\'t feel that you have to be a track star to run the
workouts. There is no weekly charge to use the track, but if you become
a regular, you should pay the \$40 membership fee to their Track Club.

Quote

\"How did I know you ran a 4:30 mile in high school? That\'s easy.
*Everyone* ran a 4:30 mile in high school.?

Frank Shorter

Cool Down

Jean Smith found the following comic. I\'m always looking for comics,
quotes, etc. to include in the newsletter. Thanks Jean!

PS. What division is Dale Alexander in?

The Argonne Running Club Newsletter is edited by John Schlueter. Please
send your stories, photos, tips, race reports, race entry forms,
comments, etc. to me. Mail: Bldg. 200, Rm. A185; Internet:
schlueter@anchx4.chm.anl.gov; Phone: 2-3588. ARC president: Paul Eident,
Bldg. 200, Rm. L175, 2-3579, eident@anlchm.chm.anl.gov. ARC webpage:
chemistry.anl.gov/ARC/ webmaster: Chuck Jonah, Bldg. 200, Rm. B157,
2-3471, CDJonah@anl.gov. For membership information, contact Karl Grimm,
Bldg. 208 Rm. A205A, 2-6721, b23921@ra.anl.gov.