e-XTRA
e-newsletterApril 2012
In This Issue
Introducing Meghan Hicks
Between the Lines
Word on the Street
Subscriber of the Month
Marathon & Beyond
 
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Meghan HicksMeghan Hicks:
M&B's New Trail Columnist


Marathon & Beyond magazine welcomes Meghan Hicks, the newest member of our M&B family. An accomplished trail runner, Meghan will be writing our "On the Trail" column. Meghan is a Park City, Utah-based trail runner and writer. She is also the Senior Editor at iRunFar.com and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine. Meghan ran track in high school and at a Division III college, then spent her early and mid-twenties road running. She ran her first ultramarathon in 2006 and hasn't looked back from trail running. While Meghan has podium-ed at the Marathon des Sables, The Coastal Challenge, the Grand Teton Trail Marathon, and a number of other trail and ultra-distance races, she's more of a top 10%-type runner and considers those finishes her lucky days. She loves using running to adventure within the world's wildest places.

Author_AndersonBetween the Lines:
Malcolm Anderson

In our 2012 March/April issue, Malcolm Anderson
wrote an article entitled, "Why Do People Run 100 Marathons?" We caught up with Malcolm before he
left to go run the London Marathon.


Malcolm tells us how he got started running and where his running has taken him.

Like many people, a few years ago I decided that I needed to get back into shape. Work and raising a family (two kids), consumed almost all my time, in between which I grabbed some sleep and kept eating. It's a familiar story told by many. I went home to New Zealand to visit my family and friends and said to myself that this was THE time to get active again. 

 

So going home was the turning point. What better way to get up and moving again than running? My first run in New Zealand was a simple 10-minute jog along the beach. To look at me when I finished it, you'd think I'd just run across the Sahara Desert in record time. Every part of me was aching, I was barely breathing, and my pride shattered. "How had it come to this," I asked. But I went back the next day, and the day after that, and I started feeling less pain and even started to enjoy it.  

   

I've now run 45 marathons and ultras, and some of my closest friends are runners in other countries. And because of my writing I've been very lucky to have run in different parts of the world. I have lots of favorite races, with no single race standing out. A South African friend whom I jammed guitar with had close friends who lived in Durban. As a result they were hosts for me (and ran with me) as I ran the 56-mile Comrades Ultra, and we've been friends ever since. Another runner in the UK encouraged me to apply and run the Brathay 10 marathons in 10 days challenge in England, so I did that, not knowing whether I could complete the challenge or not. It was an amazing experience. My first race after the 10 in 10 was a 5K run close to where I live. It was the first race my boys Callum and Jack, who were quite young at the time, ever ran with me. It was a thrill to run with them and see their sense of satisfaction after the race.

 

Malcolm is the founder of Run for Tomorrow - a nonstop marathon relay around the world that will be held in 2013.   

Run for Tomorrow is a continuous relay-style run around the world by a core team of experienced marathon runners. Each member of the team runs a marathon distance and passes the baton to the next runner. Through 30 countries and for 200 days, the baton never stops moving.

 

Knowing the difference that physical activity, and running especially, has made to my life and the lives of others, the goals of Run for Tomorrow are to heighten awareness of the need for physical activity, get people up and moving, and raise funds and volunteer support for several causes. These include diabetes, heart and stroke, children and youth, and poverty and education. There are lots of details to take care of course, but we have a great team of advisors, including Jeff Galloway, Dave McGillivray, Marshall Ulrich, John Stanton, and runners from the US, UK, and South Africa who have already committed to being on the core team. All of us involved in Run for Tomorrow have a strong desire to "give back," and we think the global run will get enormous exposure and really make a difference in people's lives. We're always interested in hearing from people or organizations who want to be core sponsors as we develop Run for Tomorrow. If you would like to know more about it, please click here to visit our website. 

 

Run for Tomorrow starts in London, England, in April 2013. We head over to North America, then to Oceania and South East Asia, up through Africa and into Europe, before finishing back in London with our own Run for Tomorrow marathon later in 2013.

 

When I look back on who I was, say six years ago, I never would have imagined I'd be doing what I do now. And now I can't imagine what my life would be like if I weren't involved in the distance running world either. I think because we all know how running has improved our own lives, we're always looking for ways in which we can inspire and encourage others to be more physically active. I'm pretty sure we can all think of people we know that have taken up running partly because we run, and we get some joy in seeing how they seem better for it. That's why we believe in Run for Tomorrow, too. I don't know if I'll ever reach 100 marathons like the Messengers, but I do know that I never take for granted the fact that I can run. My father died of heart disease at age 52, and my older family members have a host of health issues. Our health is our greatest asset, so running helps me look after it - and look after it for my boys as well. And if what I do rubs off on them in even just a little way, then that's a good thing, too! I guess, in that sense, I'm running for my tomorrow but for my boys' tomorrow as well.

Adirondack
Word on the Street
Adirondack Marathon
September 23, 2012
Schroon Lake, New York


Our race motto is "The most beautiful 26 miles 385 yards you will ever run." If running marathons is your thing, sign up for the Adirondack Marathon and get ready for a tough but rewarding 26.2-mile run around Schroon Lake during the fall foliage when the scenery
is at its peak, and the cool weather is ideal for long-distance runs. The Adirondack Marathon begins on Main Street in beautiful Schroon Lake Village. The first half of the race is known for its steep hills through the woods north of the lake, but the second half is equally challenging with its long, gradual inclines.

And, look out for BEARS on the course! The Pace BEARS, that is. Our pace leaders will help you reach your marathon goals with the help of their Adirondack backwoods experience - they have all run hilly marathons at a pace considerably faster than their Pace Team effort. In true "leave the driving to us style," you can leave the decisions and math calculations to someone else and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. Pace Bears are part runners, part counselors, part storytellers, and traveling in a group will make the journey fly by.

New in 2012, we have added a two- and four-person relay. Four-person relay legs will consist of two 5-mile and two 8-mile legs. So, if you are making your fall marathon plans, click here to check out our website. See you in September!
Howl 2010 Talk on the Trail
Howl at the Moon 8-Hour Ultra  
August 11, 2012
Danville, Illinois

by Marc Reddy, Founder and Race Director
The Howl at the Moon got its start in 1991 with 42 runners and walkers taking part at a little city park in Danville, IL. I had just gotten into ultrarunning, and right away I loved it. Even more, I enjoyed the bond that ultrarunners seemed to have. My wonderful little brother Mike, who loved and studied wolves, worked as a naturalist before he passed away. This race was and still is my way of honoring Mike.
 
In 1993 we moved the race to beautiful Kennekuk Park because it got too large for the location we were using. It has now grown so large that we fill up the 300 spots within two to three weeks. The loop course is 3.29 miles of trails, crushed rock, and a little bit of road.
 
The Howl is the largest timed event in America and could be even larger, but we feel 300 is a perfect number. For the last five years, the Howl has been run in memory of Scott Hathaway and in honor of Rob Apple. Rob has logged over 800 Howl miles. In 2010 we honored 20 Howl runners and walkers and admitted them into the Howl Hall of Fame. The Howl is one of the only Ultra events with a walker division. For more information, please click here to go to our website.
Gentry_pig
Subscriber of the Month:
Paul Gentry - "The Medal Guy"

 

Who is Paul Gentry?   

That depends upon who you ask. Marathon runners tend to be Type A personalities, and we chase one goal after the next. My first big goal was to have a 45 record with my name on it. It took 12 years to get on the radio with my music, and by then it was a CD. I've since produced a successful piano record and landed on a couple of movie soundtracks, where my music can outlive me. I also wanted to have a career in the Navy, where I saw the world for 20 years. Now looking in the mirror, at over 50, the question "Who was Paul Gentry?" might be more suitable. If you can find me on the front page of a Google search in 50 years, I can die happy.

 

You are now known as "The Medal Guy" throughout the marathon community. Tell us how it all started and what it has become today.

It started in 2002 when I received a finishers' medal with a design far too busy to be attractive. It looked like someone's nearsighted grandma had designed it. Fine for a quilt, but not a medal. I was a Marathon & Beyond subscriber and knew that Rich Benyo also had written running books, and I thought I might follow that path. I wanted to point out the best medals so that others didn't have the same disappointing experience I had at that finish line.

 

Eventually I figured out that with medals that were changing every year, the Internet was a better option, so in 2007 I started a website for finisher medals - 262medals. A couple of years later, my idea came full circle after contacting Rich with my Top 25 medal series idea. I'm quite happy with our yearly articles thus far. Given the quality and depth of each Marathon & Beyond issue, I like to think that I've been in several "books." Sometimes it's the simple ideas that work - showing marathoners the best medals that are out there, and watching the overall medal quality in the field improve as races strive to attract medal chasers.


What makes a "top" marathon medal?

If you have a creative medal that represents your community, you've won half the battle. Selecting the right manufacturer is critical as well. Using local connections is great only if they can capably pull off your idea. There are so many things a race committee has to consider, including cost. Talking to race directors who have the higher quality medals can help. But the bottom line is that the medal needs to be a tangible reminder of the race - every time I look at my Big Sur medal, I think of Hurricane Point.

 

Do I choose races based on the medals? It's certainly a major consideration. I research the finisher medals by contacting the RDs before I commit my resources to it. The bottom line is that if they don't hand out decent medals, I have to wonder why not? We train, we spend, we train and spend some more, and we definitely deserve a quality reminder. Most marathons do a good job on their medals; they're proud of their communities and want the runner to be reminded of their experience. T-shirts wear out, medals don't.


Do you personally choose races based on the medals? What medal are you "going for" now? How do you display your medals?

Two medals have put me on a plane - Flying Pig and Route 66 - but honestly I am not as obsessive as many medal chasers I've met. This year I vowed to go local, so my best mementos will likely be Portland's minted coin medal or Newport's glass one. Next year, I am considering running Surf City or one of the Florida marathons. I can count four or five in that state that have top-notch medals. The finisher medals from these marathons will be displayed like all the rest of my keepsakes, in chronological order across the wall of my den on four custom made hangers from Allied Medal Displays. My ultimate goal is that marathons create medals that my children won't be tempted to throw into a shoe box after I've crossed the final finish line!

Upcoming Marathon & Beyond Events
Illinois Marathon Expo: April 26-27, 2012
Flying Pig Marathon Expo: May 4-5, 2012
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