Interurban Runners Club Newsletter

May/June 2016
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WEEKLY RUNS

Thursdays: 6:30 p.m. at the Weyerhaeuser Campus at 33663 Weyerhaeuser Way S., Federal Way. Meet at the giant flag pole, run varying distances, and then regroup for dinner at Time Out Ale House at 34525 16th Ave. S. in Federal Way. Contact Larry Coyne for more information at 253-653-4456 or [email protected].
 
   
  
Saturdays: 7:30 a.m. at the Cedar River Trail for distances of 4 to 14 miles. Contact Rick Garrison for more information at 253-638-0476 or [email protected].


UPCOMING
EVENTS 
 
SPRING SOCIAL SAT., JUNE 11 
Hosts: Larry and Laura Coyne
When: Saturday, June 11. Cocktails start at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is between 6 and 6:30 p.m. The party ends whenever the last ones decide to leave.
Details: The menu will include barbecued chicken and pork ribs, plus the club will provide a couple of appetizers, plates and silverware. Members are encouraged to bring more appetizers, a side dish or dessert. Laura is in charge of the campfire so if you want to bring makings for s'mores, feel free to do so. There are plenty of long forks for cooking the marshmallows. Don't forget to bring your own beverages (alcohol, soda, etc.). Please bring lawn chairs.
It's a great event for new members to meet other members, and reacquaint with old friends.

Directions:
From I-5, take Exit 143 toward Federal Way (if northbound, take left off ramp onto 320th Street; if southbound, take a right off ramp onto 320th Street). Drive down 320th Street for about five miles. When you hit a "T" at the end of the road, turn left onto Hoyt Road. Turn left onto SW 340th Street; there's a Chevron station and a Walgreens store at the intersection. Take an immediate left onto 38th Place SW. Go one block and turn right onto SW 338th Place. Go one block and turn right onto 37th Avenue SW. It's the last house on the right, gray with white trim. Click here for the map.


THE TEANAWAY TRAIL RUN SUNDAY, JUNE 5 
Join fellow IRCers for The Teanaway Trail Run 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon Sunday, June 5. Hosted by Larry and Laura Coyne.
   
A number of IRC members are headed to the Teanaway Valley, outside of Cle Elum, to participate in The Teanaway Trail Run on Sunday, June 5. Some will be heading over Friday, June 3 and camping at the Teanaway Campground near the start for all race distances. The run is on dirt trails through dense ponderosa pines and dirt logging roads. Click here for the website for full details such as course description, registration and driving directions to the start. 
If you have never visited the Teanaway Valley, it is a beautiful setting on the east side of Cle Elum. Ponderosa pines dominate the landscape and wildflowers are abundant throughout the valley and surrounding hills. There are views of the Cascade Mountains dominated by Mt. Stuart. Larry and Laura Coyne will be camping along with other IRC members and will put up IRC signs to direct you to their campsite if you would like to camp with them and other IRC members. The campground is primitive; there are pit toilets but no running water or electricity. It's very spacious with lots of room to set up an RV or pitch a tent. Cle Elum also has a number of lodgings if you don't wish to camp. For more information, please contact Larry at [email protected] or call 253-653-4456.
 
Directions to the Teanaway Campground:
From I-90 eastbound, take exit 85 and turn left at end of exit. At the "T" turn right onto Hwy 970 and follow that for about 6.5 miles and then turn left onto Teanaway Road. In 7.3 miles turn left onto W. Fork Teanaway Road, then go about one mile to the campground entrance on your left just after the fire station and before the bridge. Cell phone service is spotty the farther you go up the valley so it's recommended that you print the driving directions to the campground or start of the run. Click here for the map.

 
60 Seconds With Pete 
Meet Longtime IRC Member Pete Grove 
When and why did you start running?
I first started running at age 15. I ran because my older brothers did. I wanted to do whatever they did growing up. Besides, when you have four older brothers you learn to run real fast or get the crap beaten out of you.
Why did you join the IRC?
I joined the IRC because Mike Salazar said there would be beer. Need I say more about that?
What's a favorite memory of an IRC event?
My favorite IRC event is the first Chili Feed and Underwear Run at my house. Thanks for the memories Mike Salazar, John Kokes and Digger Carlson.
What are your favorite ways to exercise now?
Now I mostly run (slow), and try to keep up with Alan Sofinowski on my bike and cross-country skis. 
Rattlesnake Hills Wine Run 
By Marianne Moore 
     The Rattlesnake Hills Wine Run occurred May 14 in the Rattlesnake Hills wine region in Zillah, Wash., just outside of Yakima. I was expecting some snafus from the race organizers since it was an inaugural run. Nothing major, just some poor course marking causing people to run an extra three-quarter mile, and most of the wineries opening AFTER the run was over. As a result, it turned out to be a "real" half marathon with no 15+ minute breaks sipping on wine and munching on crackers and cheese as I had envisioned.
     The course goes through orchard and vineyard roads with minimal traffic. Ninety-five percent of the course consisted of long hills of gradual incline/decline and nice views of surrounding desert mountains. The finish line was at Silver Lake Winery, which had plenty of wine and sweets. I chose an Eastern Washington event in hopes of a guaranteed sunny and dry run. It was dry, overcast, 75 degrees and didn't start to rain until early afternoon. Then it poured. Well at least it was dry during the run. All in all it was a good time and I was glad to get a change of scenery. Also, I can tone down my half marathon training since I just ran one. Strava app recorded 14.1 miles.
Marianne Moore: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Jason Moore: 2 hours, 18 minute

Below: Beautiful wine-country scenes from Marianne and Jason's half marathon in the Rattlesnake Hills.
 
Mt. Si Relay and the IRC Dream Team 
By Marianne Moore 
      Participants for the April 24 Mt. Si Relay "IRC Dream Team" were David Litowitz, Sandy Madden, Marianne Moore, Mitch Parker and Dennis Zaborac. The weather was typical for the Snoqualmie Valley during this time of year: various amounts of rain, cloudy, slight breeze, and sun breaks in the afternoon. The route changed slightly from last year, extending more into town than out in the countryside. The team was able to finish the relay in approximately eight hours, 15 minutes.

Below: Mt
. Si Relay "IRC Dream Team" and scenes along the course. From left to right: Mitch Parker, Marianne Moore, Dennis Zaborac, Sandy Madden and David Litowitz.





All's Well That Ends Well 
By Becky Jacobsen

     On May 7 I did the Grand Canyon Half Marathon trail run. The name is a bit of a misnomer because you actually run on a jeep trail located just outside of the national park. I knew that when I signed up in chilly, wet November but I figured we could visit Jake's mom who lives near there and Arizona should be warm and sunny in May ... or so I thought.
     The trouble began a few days before the race when I checked the forecast: Puyallup, 80and sunny; the Grand Canyon, 50 and rain - what the *&%^#! "Well, suck it up buttercup," I told myself as I gamely packed my winter running gear. Then there were a few travel-related issues. Because of a mechanical problem, my 8:30 a.m. flight to Phoenix was delayed until 10 a.m., then 11 a.m., then 3 p.m., then was somehow "fixed" and we were rescheduled for a 9:30 a.m. departure. I was skeptical but we made it. The next leg of the trip was an approximately 4 � hour drive. I thought I might get there before the expo closed and would easily make the packet pickup which closed an hour later so "no worries" ... famous last words.
     Interesting fact - parts of Arizona don't switch to daylight saving time so, depending on where you are, you could be on Mountain Time or you could be on the equivalent of Pacific Time. And here's a fun fact about Jake's truck - the clock automatically switches time zones as you travel. What does that have to do with this story, you ask? Well, Jake and his brother, Les, left from Puyallup the day before to drive down to Arizona where they planned to pick up their mom, meet me for the race and then spend a week at her house. As they traveled through Idaho and Utah the clock switched to Mountain Time and stayed on Mountain Time as they entered Arizona ... can you guess which time zone the Grand Canyon is on?
     Yeah, well, we couldn't guess either. So, as I approached our destination from the south, and Jake approached from the north, we were having little bits of conversation but due to spotty coverage we kept losing signal in mid-conversation. We could never quite figure out the correct time because his truck was on Mountain Time and my iPhone was on "Arizona/Pacific" Time. Consequently, I might have exceeded the speed limit just a bit because I thought it was 4:30 (it was really 3:30), packet pickup closed at 7 and I still had a long way to go. I made it 15 minutes before the expo closed ... whew!
     The next morning, as Jake and I headed to the starting area, we were met with a wintry mix of mostly snow and a little rain. This wasn't the first time I'd run in wet, sloppy conditions and it won't be the last so I decided not to let it ruin my trip. The course was a scenic loop with only moderate elevation changes but it is all above 6,000 feet. The wintry mix eventually turned into an on-again/off-again heavy mist which left the clay soil super slippery and presented some pretty comical-looking traction challenges. Jake provided outstanding race support at the 7 a.m. start and again at the finish line where he met me with warm tea and a dry coat. I was extremely glad to see him because right before I finished the wind kicked up and it began sleeting sideways ... brrr!!
     Jake's mom and Les also came out to cheer me on at the finish, which I really appreciated. Given the conditions, I was pleased with my finish time of 2:19 and even placed fifth of 132 in my age/gender division ... all's well that ends well!

Below left: Becky at the finish area with a dry coat and warm tea, compliments of Jake. Below right: Finisher medal and bib.

IRC Photo Gallery
From top to bottom: Spring Membership Meeting, Clark's Creek Trail Run, and the Blues Brothers Water Station





IRC Board Report
No meeting minutes to report for April and May, 2016.
IRC Board Members and Contact Information

President: Lance Docken 
[email protected]; 253-970-2404
 
Vice President: Larry Coyne 
[email protected]; 253-653-4456
 
Treasurer: John Pontarolo 
[email protected]; 253-850-5386
 
Secretary: Rick Garrison 
[email protected]; 253-638-0476
 
Member at Large/Race Director: John Kokes 
[email protected]; 206-932-9355
 
Membership Coordinator: Larry Coyne 
[email protected]; 253-653-4456
 
Program Manager: Marianne Moore
[email protected]; 253-217-0486
 
Newsletter Editor:
Kathy West
[email protected]; 206-932-9355
 
Webmaster:
John Kokes
[email protected]; 206-932-9355
 
Website:
 
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The Interurban Runners Club is an organization for runners of all ages and abilities. The club provides the opportunity to meet other runners and improve running performances through regular workouts. The club also organizes social gatherings and outings for members and their families and friends. Everyone is welcome!