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-THE WRC- August 2, 2004 People news, WRR runner rankings, member racing, club activities - WRC to put on 8k race in September, Sunday long run, track, running stretching exercises, marathon historic date questioned |
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Courtney Fulton has headed out to California to do an internship in San Diego. First she was stopping in Iowa to visit friends and family and do a couple races (see results below). While she will be missed, Courtney plans on being back in DC next January. Good luck in CA Court...have fun and wear lots of sunblock! Milestone Reached We don't often mention birthdays for obvious reasons, but this one is a must-mention. Sir Gerry Ives, who has run the Sunday run every Sunday (when we officially counted that is) since 1982, recently turned 65. Are the retirement bells ringing? Happy Birthday Gerry! Blast from the Past Member Johnny O'Donnell reports that Mike Regan, once a prominent WRC member and a top tier DC area road racer, is doing fine in San Francisco and that Mike says hey to all he used to run and compete with. We say hey back Mike, good to hear from ya. New Members in 2004! Charles Manahan, 37, Arlington, VA
We welcome Charles, Jaclynn, Erin, and Dane into the WRC and wish them the best in their running! To recap, here's the latest on new members in
2004 (and a few prospective members):
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WRR Spring Runner Rankings Results - Most recent and back to July 10th |
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Great racing all...and we humbly apologize if we missed anyone. (If we missed your name in a race or missed a race entirely where you ran and you want to see the results here, let us know and we'll update the page. Afterall, all the news that fits, we print. And it'll all fit!) |
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On Saturday, September 18th, the WRC will be putting on an 8k race (WRC Club Challenge 8k) on the C&O Towpath (flat, fast, scenic) from the Carderock Recreation Area. The race will begin at 9 a.m., with onsite-registration-only at 8 a.m. For members the cost will be a discounted $2 and for non-members, $5. Also, a co-ed team competition will take place with 3 needed to score (at least one female). Some prizes will be awarded, refreshments will be served. We welcome all members to run this race...and tell your running friends about it too. It's a good way to see how your training is coming along. For more information go to the race page. Write it on your calendar, come on out, and bring your speed. Track at Washington-Lee High
School
The WRC track workouts are held on Tuesday evenings at 6:20 p.m. Try to show up early to get properly warmed up. Weekly track workouts are given on the weekly email updates sent to members. We meet at the far end of the track, on the same side of the entrance gate, but down where intervals are begun. Bring water or a sports drink! Showings have been strong on recent Tuesdays! For more info on WRC track workouts, the track page says a thing or two. Sunday Distance Run The WRC's Sunday distance run starts at 8 am on M Street (3300 block) in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Distances range between 8 and 16 miles. Many members are gearing up for fall marathon training. Come on out! Afterwards, we regroup at Dean & DeLuca's for refreshments and a sit down, talk alot. Go here for more distance run info and directions This past Sunday, 8 members (Gerry, Tris, Jim, Bryon, James, Emily, Adina, and Diana) ventured to Potomac to test the challenging run along the towpath on the Maryland side of Great Falls...then jumped into the pool to cool off. - Other Stuff - Running Stretching Exercises On this page of the Running Times Website are 8 active isolated stretches from the father/son team of Jim and Phil Wharton. For more information and pictures showing those isolated stretches, check out the site! U.S. Astronomers Question Date of Original
Marathon
Mon Jul 19, 4:28 PM ET Add Science - Reuters to My Yahoo!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first marathon -- a grueling run by a battlefield messenger from the plains of Marathon to Athens -- may have occurred in August heat instead of the comparative cool of September in Greece, astronomers reported on Monday. This finding would offer one explanation for the fabled quick demise of the original marathon runner, Pheidippides, who allegedly managed to gasp out the words, "Rejoice, we conquer," before dropping down dead on his arrival at Athens in 490 BC. Many accounts date the battle of Marathon, against invading Persians, at Sept. 12 of that year, based on calculations made by 19th century German scholar August Boeckh. Like the current astronomers, Boeckh reckoned the date of the battle of Marathon based on the writings of Herodotus, who provided precise descriptions of the phase of the moon around the time of the battle of Marathon. But astronomers at Texas State University figured Boeckh failed to take into account the difference between the Athenian and Spartan calendars, which were a month apart at that point, putting the date of the battle and run at August 12. Both calendars were lunisolar -- based on the lunar cycle but adjustments to stay in step with the solar year -- but they started at different times, according to Russell Doescher of Texas State, one of three authors of "The Moon and The Marathon," in August editions of Sky and Telescope magazine. CALENDARS OUT OF SYNCH Athens began its year at the summer solstice and Sparta started at the autumnal equinox, Doescher said in a telephone interview from San Marcos, Texas. "For that specific year, from 491 BC to 490 BC, there were 10 new moons, or 10 months, between the fall equinox of 491 BC and the summer solstice of 490 BC," Doescher said. "Normally there would be nine ... The Athenian calendar and the Spartan calendar were off by one month." The misfit between the two calendars is important because of communications between Athens and Sparta over the Marathon battle. When Athenians first learned the Persians had landed at Marathon, a messenger was sent to Sparta to ask for aid. The Spartans replied that they could not march before the next full moon, because of a religious festival. Boeckh judged that the festival was Karneia, named for the Spartan month Karneios, and relied on a reference from the Greek scholar Plutarch equating this with the Athenian month Metageitnion. From this he calculated the date of the battle in September. However, Doescher and his colleagues said that in 490 BC, the date of the Karneian full moon would have been a month earlier, in August. This could have been significantly more stressful for Pheidippides, or any runner, the astronomers said in a statement. They said the average maximum temperature in Athens during September is about 83 degrees F, compared with the average August high temperatures along the marathon route ranging from 88 degrees F to 91 degrees F. The men's marathon at the summer Olympic games in Athens is scheduled
for Aug. 29; the women's event is Aug. 22.
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Disclaimer: Club News is designed to inform, enlighten, and sometimes amuse. The WRC is not responsible for one's lack of reading comprehension should it occur.