T h e s t r i d e r
In this issue: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? CRAG CREST WAS CANCELLED! (still) TOO MUCH SNOW! Also, “History of Mary’s Loop Run”
THANKS to Tommy E., Conrad, and Karla for contributions ~
NEXT ISSUE à (practically) anything anyone in the running community sends in! (maybe even anything from non-runners, depends …)
Bogie Dumitrescu sends this message: I am thinking of running ( slow30ish -mi/day) the Kokopelli trail in the beginning of October, but i have a low clearance car so i am not sure i can get in all the places where i need to drop off water and a small tent. Anybody has done this before and has some ideas ? Anybody would want to join me ? Any company that could help me? Thank you so much. Contact him at [email protected]
Great job, Chris Sovacool! 2nd place overall in the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon near Portland Oregon in 2:43. That's bookin'! Congrats to Strider Ryan Sullivan, winner of the San Juan Solstice 50-Miler! Great job Whit Blair, 5th overall, and Lexi van Roekel, 6th place woman. Other locals who completed this big challenge were Max Robinson, Nick Krueger, Jake Gottschalk, Marc Kenney, Clarissa Tofel and Kyle Stone. Bravo!
Closer to home, Geoff Williams and Kirsti Garcia were the Turkey Flats winners
Silverton Alpine 50K: Tracy Thelen 14th woman 6:51:30, Jill Allison 7:35:59
Silverton Alpine Marathon: Adam Byerly 6:17:18
Kendall Mtn Run (the next day): Kevin Koch 2:03:35 11th, Austin Anderson 2:06:52 14th,
Tyler Coleman 2:57:41, Rachel Cambray 3:10:42, Makayla Moran 3:11:02,
Mandy Moran 3:11:02, Tracy Thelen 3:28:32, Adam Byerly 3:40:11. Scott Hollmaier 3:48:56,
Corey Maas 4:26:00, Jill Allison 4:52:52
Bravo Tracy, Jill and Adam for going back to back!
MMS Directors meeting, May 23: 6 directors were present.
– the MMS financials are good. Memberships? Also good. MMS again will assist at the “Tour of the Moon” (bicycle event). MMS members did assist at the Debeque bicycle gravel-road race, which had over 200 entrants. The Kokopelli Classic (Klassic?) has, after several years under the auspices of Mesa-County Search& Rescue, been cancelled by that organization. It was suggested that “we” (MMS) consider stepping in, or up … but re-named “Mary’s Loop”. Conrad is not only a(n) MMS member, he belongs to the WHITWORTH NUTS (group of enthusiasts of antique English cars).
With our former BLM-liason person gone, we now have a new representative: NICK KRUEGER – it was suggested that “adjutant” is a better position-title.
MMS Directors meeting, July 18: again, 6 directors were present. (This # changed by the addition of a NEW MEMBER OF THE BOARD during this meeting). MEGAN SAND was “elected” a member of the Board – the Editor forgot how many board members we had and said that their title was “Board Member #8”. No, they are “Board Member #9” for now.
Karla summarizes: 1) Richard Boston from the Friends of Highline Lake State Park discussed the possibility of hosting a 5k at Highline. We gave him some questions to take back to their board and discuss. I will email him and let you all know when he has some more information for us. 2) We will offer to time the Kokopelli 5k race at Snooks on September 23 for $200 plus $2.50 per bib. 3) We have adopted the categories of Men, Women, Non-binary, and Participant for any races that will ask a participant's gender. In addition, we have adopted the new policy that was sent to board members earlier today. Final draft with minor revisions will be on the website ASAP. 4) Megan Sand has been voted as the newest board member - Welcome Megan! 5) The next board meeting will be Tuesday, September 19 at 6:30pm.
Also discussed at this meeting was the purcha$e of a chip-programming unit for about $1k à this will pay for itself in a short time – (previously, it was “a bit more difficult” to program the chips.) 800 chips were also purchased. The Board also discussed/considered sending two members (KN & TE) to an Innovative Timing Systems training event next February. (Almost) every race we’ve put on this year so far has had a record turn-out! Mike Jones “is back” at BLM. Onward! Until next Meeting September 19 ~
The M M S Directors are:
KARLA NEPHEW -- President (& Jaguar-Timing-System).
ANDY WINNEFELD – Vice-President (& frequent medical insight).
TOM ELA – Membership (among many other things). ROSCO BETUNADA – Secretary, NL.
LARRY INGRAM -- Calendar, Race Director Consultant. MARTIN WIESIOLEK -- Web Site &. SHERYL DOUGLAS (former President). CONRAD COLE – Treasurer & Purchaser of Stuff.
MEGAN SAND – (New) “Board Member #9”
For submissions for next newsletter: Email articles to [email protected]
Doesn’t have to be a ‘submission’! Let me know of O-missions, etc.
or ‘regular’ mail to MMS, c/o Betunada, 230 Sunset Hills, Grand Jct., CO 81503
MESA MONUMENT STRIDERS website: http://www.mesamonumentstriders.com –
www.facebook.com/pages/Mesa-Monument-Striders/282653486288
C A L E N D A R
(phone #s, if any, are 970-area unless otherwise noted)
Saturday, July 29 Grand Mesa Ultras 30K/55K/50-Miler
Mesa Top Trailhead on CO Hwy 65 on Grand Mesa Gorgeous courses, cash prizes, great support and fun people! Sign up: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=101661
Head up river for this Friday evening race. Take your mtn bike and race it on Saturday.
Lucrative prizes! Friday, August 4, 6:30PM NEW CASTLE DIRTY DOZEN TRAIL RUNNING RACE VIX Ranch Park, New Castle 10k singletrack course with approximately 1,100 feet of climbing https://newcastletrails.com/race
Thursday Aug. 17 – MMStriders Peach Ice Cream Thursday Evening Run (in lieu of an annual picnic) – see “Group Run(s) – Thursday”
Sat Aug 19 Just Peachy 5K, 8:45 a.m. Peach Bowl Park, Palisade, grandjunctionsports.org/just-peachy-5k
August 26, Saturday, Mary’s Loop 8-MILE Striders will be hosting this year's Mary's Loop Race. Main Kokopelli trailhead parking, Loma Exit off I-70. Race day sign-up
Saturday Sep. 9 - Tour of the Moon. Bicycle Tour. Striders will commit to providing a sag wagon crew again. If YOU can help, contact Mr. Ela !
Sept. 23, Kokopelli 5k – at Snook’s Bottom, sponsored by Mesa-County Search & Rescue. Watch for detailz
Also On that same date 9/23 you can race trails on Grand Mesa again at the Grand Mesa Nordic Council 2nd Annual Run for Snow 10K on the County Line Trail System. Details coming.
Oct. 7, Holy Family 5k – this is a “long-running” well-attended event – watch/wait for more details ~
Group training run every Monday, 6 PM
Monday continues to have a "no drop" group that will ensure you don't have to run alone.
7/31 Mary's Loop Trailhead, I-70 Loma Exit 8/7 Devil's Canyon Trailhead
8/14 Pollock Canyon Trailhead, run Flume Canyon Loop 8/21 Pollock Canyon Trailhead, run Pollock Bench Loop
We will rotate through these four locations in this order through the season. For all but Mary's Loop, take Colo Hwy 340 south from Fruita across the river and turn right at Kings View Rd. Follow through the subdivision and onto the gravel road. Devil's Canyon parking is soon after on the left, Pollock parking is a couple of miles further on the left.
We run in all conditions. Like the Thursday night group, this is casual and all abilities are welcome with various distances to choose from.
Tom 970-773-3124
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MORE running websites:
sjmr.club ( SJMR ) San Juan Mountain Runners, 631 S. 2nd Street, Montrose, CO 81401
Yes, kids, this long-time-in-existence group of running crazies are our nearest neighbors – consider checking out their events, if you haven’t done so already.
West Colorado GIRLS ON THE RUN: gotrwesterncolorado.org
Steamboat Springs: www.runningseries.com – this site should show all you need to know about most (or all!) the Steamboat-area races. Get on their e-mailing list!
rrca.org (road runners clubs of america) and colorado runner: www.coloradorunnermag.com (a recent edition had a promotion of J. Recker’s The Humiliation Tour)
Support the underwriters / sponsors of the MESA-MONUMENT STRIDERS:
The following: Summit Canyon Mountaineering, ALPINE AUTO-HAUS, the FOOT SUPPORT GROUP, ZEALIOS, WEBCREATE.COM, and Dr. Andy Mohler, family practice, have assisted in keeping membership costs lower than they could be. And: they support running in the Grand Valley (& elsewhere). Support them if you can!
ALPINE AUTO-HAUS, 539 BOGART LANE – (970) 248-8004
Consider this auto-repair/servicing shop – especially for your Audi or BMW or VW or MINI ~
FOOT SUPPORT GROUP Foot/gait/orthotics/bracing/modification specialists
“European Craftsmanship – Biomechanical Design” 3212 F Road, Clifton, CO 81520
888-242-3881 or, in the 970 area code: 434-2727
Summit Canyon Mountaineering 461 Main Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Ask about a possible MMS discount ~ (970) 243-2847 The new owners are rumored to be avid runners.
Dr. Andy Mohler, family practitioner – with the Primary Care Partners PC, 3150 N. 12th (G.J., 81506), 245-1220
WEBCREATE.COM – just as it appears: need help with your website? [email protected]
May 27 GARFIELD GRUMBLE
Where’s the mustard?
That is what we heard at the Garfield finish line this year. I supplied 120 hot dogs. Slipping out around 6am to set up the finish line and not wake up the out-of-town runners, I forgot the surplus of mustard in our refrigerator. So, now I have a surplus of mustard, hot dogs and buns. Also forgot to bring a first aid kit. However, Gearhart let me borrow the Search and Rescue kit for the day. We are glad that we did not have to use it. We had great weather for the day! Ask an old timer what it is like when the Bookcliffs are wet. Especially a well-known author.
We must have had an overzealous environmentalist on the summit before race day. The cairn marking the spot to start the downhill was gone as well as the two yellow pin flags. The flags were discovered off the side. This caused confusion for all 47 finishers and slower times while searching for the route. We do have a plan to fix this for future Garfield’s. Everyone finished without mishap. I can sleep again. Over the winter a large boulder came down a gulley and snapped one of our bridges in half. As such, we carried up three 2X6’s and created a new bridge. 2X6’s are a lot heavier than 2X4’s, especially when Gordon hand picks them for durability. We also carried up the other half of my long extension ladder because the one section wasn’t quite long enough to feel safe. The wet spring caused the desert plants to grow tall this year. When they dried out, it looked like a tinder box waiting to go up. So, the finish line (fire) was kept kind of mild this year to keep the wind from starting a disaster.
Traditionally Joe would get the prizes and I get the beer. Summit Canyon usually donates a unique prize and this year was no exception. Matt provided an ear bones headset for safe music while on the run. Seth from Loki donated cool hoodie with Garfield on it in bright colors. Bari was the winner and her sister Brook accepted as Bari had to get back to Gunnison to work. Brook liked it a lot. Not sure if Bari ever found out.
Thanks Martin and Randee for helping Chris at the summit aid station. Thanks, Meagan, for taking finish line pictures. I think Meagan got everyone including the three hikers from Denver who joined last minute and helped bring down aid station supplies. Thanks, Martin S, landowner who let us cut across the corner of his property to get to H road to get to Rudy’s property where the finish line is. Remember folks, our permission to get in that way is seasonal. It was a great day! -- Conrad
Garfield Grumble Race Results
1 Bernie Boettcher 51:05 2 Ian Rogers 55:13
3 Brian Glassey 1:00:19 4 Zach Collette 1:04:35
5 Matt Johnson 1:05:10 6 Steve Green 1:05:23
7 Buzz Burrell 1:05:58 8 Jason Keith 1:06:16
9 Sergio Nevaez 1:06:26 10 Levi Hamer 1:07:50
11 Joe Tadie 1:07:58 12 Bari Beasley 1:08:46
13 Tyler Bieling 1:10:44 14 Luca Zoeller 1:10:47
15 CJ Barella 1:11:14 16 Nick Jorenby 1:11:34
17 Cheryl Castle 1:11:38 18 Mark Waltermire 1:13:28
19 Alesky Kovtun 1:16:15 20 Matt Terwilliger 1:22:11
21 Riley Ceglowski 1:22:25 22 Ernie Langelier 1:22:53
23 Megan Volk 1:23:04 24 Mike Burnham 1:25:53
25 Gordon Harbert 1:28:05 26 Katy Laverdiere 1:29:00
27 Steve Ela 1:29:47 28 Adrian Silva 1:29:54
29 Kristen Seidel 1:32:39 30 Jen Gruber 1:33:21
31 Scott Hollmaier 1:33:33 32 Sue Ceglowski 1:40:51
33 Oliver Berg 1:41:13 34 Christi Reece 1:43:45
35 Abby Ceglowski 1:44:45 36 Brook Beasley 1:45:45
37 D Plunketrt 1:47:50 38 Christina Briseno 1:51:38
39 Gearhart Rill 1:57:54 40 Erik Lionberger 2:00:09
41 Sara Friedman 2:00:32 42 James Simpson 2:06:52
43 Owen Simpson 2:10:47 44 Bryan Baird 2:34:32
45 Joe Sutter 2:34:51 46 Gabby Burkett 2:35:03
47 Josh Stanley 2:35:09
The History of (the) Mary’s Loop Run
While I was helping Karla Nephew with timing of this year’s Mary’s Loop, it became evident to me that the history of the run should be told. I bumped into an old shirt in the closet and thought I should wear it. And, the Search & Rescue announcer kept mentioning that this was the 14th annual Mary’s Loop and Kokopelli’s Classic event.
The original idea for the race came from Dewayne Deaver, Denise Shirmer, and Jo-Riley Epps. The first race was held in 1993. They had no shirts, no porta-potties, and no permit. Dewayne worked at the BLM and the event became a fundraiser for the BLM Employee’s Association. The first race T-shirts were for the 1994 event, and the artist for the shirt design was Kathy Voth. (This was the shirt I was wearing). All the race T-shirts were of a picto-graph art motif.
Dewayne was transferred to the Salmon Idaho BLM in 2001. He handed the race off to the Strider’s past president Robb Reece. Robb was running races in the Himalayas at that time. The event helped with funding. It was low key. Prizes were painted rocks. One year he ran out of time, so Jay Krabacher helped me put the event on. Very low key, of course.
Robb was with Mesa County Search & Rescue then. MCS&R was interested in taking the event for a fund-raiser for themselves. So, we handed it off to them with the stipulation that if they ever decided to give it up, that we would take it back. Denise tells me that while she and Dewayne put it on, it was a springtime event – that the Indian paintbrush were out in bloom. I don’t recall when it changed to the fall, but do remember it was after Imogene in slightly cooler weather.
Conrad
June 3, Sat., MIKE-THE-HEADLESS-CHICKEN 5k, Fruita
288 runners (well, some walkers) finished this year’s “Mike.” Winners were SONYA JOHNSON (age 14) and SHANE NIKSIC (31).
Women: Sonya (14th over-all), 20:35 2. Jennis Gillespie (27), 21:04
3. Rylie Gardner (26), 21:12 4. Arianna Kincaid (21), 21:33 5. Taylor Valentine (25), 22:28
6. Lindsay Stansfield (41), 23:33 – MASTERS FASTEST. Of note was that Jeannie Grooms was over-all winner in the age-group 65 à 120 with 28:06. Age groups? “Tough” : e.g. 35 thru’ 50? 51 to 65? Steve Defeyter won the men’s 65 & up ~
Men: Shane, 16:47 2. Hunter Prather (21), 17:07 3. James Roche (36), 17:08
4. Albert Booth (17), 18:31 5. Bryce Flanagan (16), 18:45 6. Dillon Smallwood (28), 18:51
12th place was MASTERS FASTEST Kevin Baker (50!), 20:23 – not too far back was Steven Phillips (56) from Boulder, 20:36.
https://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/mike/page/5k-run
The June 25, TURKEY FLATS LOOP, 9.6 MILE Trail run, up above Glade Park, Results can be found on the Strider’s Web Page.