## They Saved the Best for Last![](media/image1.wmf){width="6.833333333333333in" height="2.0416666666666665in"}

Now I know how Moses felt wandering around alone in the wilderness of
Israel looking for the ten commandments. No, this is not a story about a
religious experience, it actually is a story about the 2000
River-to-River Relay Race. Read on, if you are wondering how this
introduction is related to running.

For the uninitiated, the River-to-River Relay 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 teams are stagger-started in
groups of about 40 or so because of the large number of teams involved
(240 team limit, each one with its own van). The course runs mostly
through the Shawnee National Forest in extreme southern Illinois.

For the last six years a team of Argonne runners has been entered in
this wonderful weekend event. (Our group usually leaves Argonne at noon
on the Friday before the race, does the race on Saturday, and gets home
on Sunday afternoon.) This year our four women/four man team was named
\"Four Does and Four Bucks\" and included (in running order): Corrie
Patterson, John Schlueter, Debbie Schlueter (John\'s wife), Chuck Jonah,
Laurie Culbert, Karl Grimm, Laura Miller, and, last, but not least, Don
Bohringer.

The majority of the teams in the race are there for a good time and not
out to set any records; this is essentially an 80 mile outdoor party. A
lot of the team names are cute, and some are even better, something I
call lewd-cute. In this light, our group has decided to change our team
name next year to \"16 Cheeks to the Wind\".

Now to the \"wandering around in the wilderness\" part. Our team, mainly
due to a late starting time and rather warm running conditions, was the
very last team to finish the race. Towards the end of the day we were
running alone, except for maybe another team way off in the distance.
When we went through an exchange point, they closed it! This posed many
problems (i.e., running in darkness, flying bats, etc.), especially for
our last runner.

Our time, not that it matters, was 12 hours and 10 minutes. (The team
that finished first had a time of 7 hours and 26 minutes.) Because they
stagger-start the teams, we were not the team with the slowest time.
That particular honor goes to a team named the Angry Beavers: they took
longer than 13 hours to finish the race - no wonder they were angry. The
weather was more scorching than our pace. Needless to say, we went
through a lot of water/gatorade and sunscreen.

From getting up at 5 AM to leave at 6, for a starting time of 8:15, to
eating dinner at 10:30 PM, the day was totally fun. 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, or with this group of people.

The locals really get involved in the race. For example, partway through
the race, in a town named 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 eats. However, by the time we
got there they were dismantling the finish area, the food was mostly
gone, and all the bands were already at their next gigs.

Every year there are old traditions and new highlights. One of the
traditions is the Jesus bikers. They are dressed all in black leather
outfits and work the same exchange point every year - one across from a
little church along side a graveyard out in the country. Another
tradition upheld this year was the Grimm/Miller exchange blooper. The
new highlight this year was the flashing incident - it happened, and
that is all I am going to say about it. The only problem was that I
missed it!

From Friday, when we left for our motel in downstate Marion, to Sunday
when we returned to ANL, it was a wonderful weekend. For any runners
wanting more information on this particular race, check-out the race\'s
web site \"rrr.olm.net\" or just talk to any one of the team members,
but I must warn you, they will probably tell you much more than you want
to know.

Karl Grimm

This was my third River to River race with my Argonne Running Club team
members. This year our team was made up of 4 does and 4 bucks. The run
is a 80 mile trek across the state of Illinois from Kelly's Hill in
Shawnee National Forest, next to the Mississippi River, all the way
across the state to the town of Golconda on the Ohio River. Race
organizers have limited the number of teams to 240 (8 persons/team), of
which they send out in waves of 40 teams out ever half hour starting at
6:15 AM and ending at 8:45 AM. Each team member runs a +3 mile leg and
hands off to the next team member until you have 24 total exchanges.
This adds up to about 10 miles per runner, but as most of us know it's
easier to do one 10 mile run than do three 3.3 mile runs.

We didn't start this year until the 8:15 AM time slot, so finishing
before dark proved to be an insurmountable task. The day started out at
60°F, but by noon it was 80°. It took us 12 hours and 10 minutes to do
the course, and this year I was the anchor. I started the last leg after
sunset, so a flashlight proved invaluable. A saving grace was the cooler
temperature of 45°F, but knowing that I was running through small farm
roads with dogs barking and bats flying over my head did not make me
feel secure. This is not my favorite feeling knowing that I had 3.5
miles to go, but the last half mile made the whole experience
unforgettable; church bells ringing which indicating that, in this case,
last runner of the whole race was arriving in town. My team mates
escorted me the last 100 yards as we approached the finish line, and
there were \~150 cheering people; what a natural high.

We were officially deemed the last team to finish, but not the slowest
by any means. The important consideration was my team saved me a can of
cold beer. We found out later that \~20 teams had dropped out for one
reason or another, so either we are or just a driven group or...

Don Bohringer

Dead Treads

Is it time to say sayonara to your sneakers? Even if your athletic shoes
appear to be in good condition, you may need a new pair to prevent
injuries. Worn-out shoes could cause your feet, ankles, legs, or knees
to start to bother you, even if you haven\'t changed your exercise
routine. If you\'ve worn your running or walking shoes for about 15
miles per week for 6 to 8 months or for 100 hours of workouts, it\'s
probably time to shop for some new aerobics or cross-training shoes.

British Championships

I saw a note in the last Running Club Newsletter to the effect that I
had been overheard to say that \"just 50 years ago my cross-country team
won the all-British race\". Well, I did make such a remark, but with an
addition which is important. We won the British \"UNIVERSITIES\"
championship, not the national cross-country union championship. We did
not enter the latter race, and certainly would not have won. We did
compete in the Scottish cross-country union championship, and took
second place. The team which won that race had finished third in the
British race so we would have been fourth at best, and probably much
worse.

Tom Braid

Be Moved by the Challenge

For our runners who enjoy the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, here is the
perfect race for you! On Saturday, June 24, The Symphony Spirit 5 K
run/walk will be held in Grant Park in Chicago. The men's race begins at
8:30 AM and the women's at 9:00 AM. Live musicians will serenade you at
the 1 and 2 mile markers, as well as the finish line. Proceeds from this
race will benefit the Educational and Community Engagement Programs of
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. If you would like an entry form, please
contact John Schlueter.

Feeling Young?

Exercising regularly can make your 'real age' as much as 9 years
younger.

Red Dresses Return June 21^st^

Well, it is that time of year again: time for the annual Red Dress Run.
This will be the third year for this extra special event. This year's
run will be held on Wednesday, June 21^st^. Runners and walkers should
assemble at the Argonne pool for the noon start.

This year there will two \"best dressed\" winners, one for best dressed
female and one for best dressed male. There will also be some raffle
winners. The four prizes last year consisted to two \$20 gift
certificates to Victoria Secrets\' and two \$25 gift certificates to any
\"Let us Entertain You\" restaurant. This year, the prizes should be
similar. As before, only contestants in a red dress will be eligible for
the prizes. Contestants in a red T-shirt and red shorts do not qualify!

If you want to get a feel for the types of outfits that are worn, check
out pictures from the two previous Red Dress runs; they are on the
Running Club homepage.

For further information, contact either Karl Grimm or Laurie Culbert.
This is one of our most popular events, come strut your stuff and check
out everyone else.

Beat the Heat

Again this year, the Argonne Running Club will sponsor three morning
runs during the summer months. On June 14, July 12, and August 16 our
morning runners will meet at the North Gate Trail Head of Waterfall
Glen. There will be a 4-mile running course and a 2-mile walking route
on the forest preserve trails. At the conclusion of the run, there will
be juice and muffins available for a snack before heading into work. I
encourage you to join us for these informal runs to get your day off to
a running start. Contact Paul Eident for further information on these
runs.

Help Needed

The ARC is always in need of volunteers to help out at our monthly fun
runs. Very little work is actually involved, but we don't want to rely
on the same people for all our races. If you can help out, please
contact Karl Grimm.

Cool Down

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:
JASchlueter@anl.gov; Phone: 2-3588. ARC president: Karl Grimm, Bldg.
208, Rm. A205A, 2-6721, b23921@ra.anl.gov. ARC webpage:
chemistry.anl.gov/ARC/ webmaster: Chuck Jonah, Bldg. 200, Rm. B157,
2-3471, CDJonah@anl.gov. For membership information, contact Paul
Eident, Bldg. 200 Rm. L175, 2-3579, eident@anlchm.chm.anl.gov.