• After Party and Campbell Relays
• Before Party and Campbell Relays
• Larry Visak
• Thanksgiving Weekend
• Three Things for all Striders
• BigL's and Thanksgiving
• Parc Run
• Marvellous Marathons
• Our Amazing Frenchman
• Big Sur River Run 10k and campout
• New Members AND Business Cards
• Firetrails AND Rock'n'Roll Half
• Goodluck on Firetrails 50 miles
• Jean wins Trailblazer
• Charles does Wasatch
• Clambake Run and Picnic
• Mt Whitney Expedition Report
• Elvira, Charles and Robin run San Francisco Marathon

• New Board Appointed
• Western States was tough this year
• Good Luck on Western States
• June Newsletter Available
• 25 Years at "Last Chance"
• Forest of Nisene Marks Half Marathon
• Western States Training
• Bay To Breakers
• Spring Picnic
• QuickSilver - 25k, 50k and 50m
• Miwok 100k
• Boston Marathon
• The Relay
• Striders New Running Shirt
• Volunteers Appreciated
• Great turnout at Club
• 7 Striders at "Cool"

The Party 

December 10, 2006

The Holiday Party was just super. We had a very nice turnout of Striders and their guests at St Edward's Church Hall in San Jose. Splendid catering was provided by Janine and her crew. And lots of Striders helped to make the evening a success. Peggy and Penny organized the party, Bill arranged the Church Hall and most of the raffle prizes. Jean and Robin provided video/photo entertainment. Steve provided holiday music. Santhi helped get the tables decorated. Mark and Patrick organized the "Big L Awards". And most of all I want to thank everybody who came and made it such a nice evening. As usual, the White Elephant game provided lots of laughs - and of course a gift for everybody. If I forgot to thank you - please email and I'll update this web page.

Our Guest of Honor was Jerry - a Strider of 25 years standing (and running). Jerry's recently moved to the Auburn Area and the board decided to give Jerry a "Big L" for his long and solid contribution to the club. Jerry's athletic achievements are many - something like 100 marathons and many many ultras. He organized the "Last Chance" Aid Station for at least 10 years and was involved in many Striders functions and runs over the years. The "BigL" Awards were presented to: Strider of the Year - Robin Achievement - Jean Best Volunteer - Penny Most Improved - Claire Charles S won the draw for the Striders Western States Entry and will be running in his 5th Western States on June 23, 2007. Robin's Photos: click here Agnes' and Jean's Photos: click here

Robin - Strider of the Year

The Campbell Relays

I'm really delighted to report that we had a nice time on Sunday morning after the party in Campbell Park. Penny and Peggy organized "The Inaugural Campbell Park Christmas Relays" and 20 folks turned up to run on a cold wet morning. And another dozen family members and friends came to cheer them on. And the weather even changed and the sun came out. Everybody's a winner of course - especially The Leukemia Society for whom more than $1000 were raised. Good eh?

We had 5 very gallant teams:

• The Pommier Family - Jean, Max, Alex and Greg
• The Candycams from Willow Glen High - Jackie, Vianni, Michelle and Marin
• The Fantastic Four from Willow Glen High - Kristina, Clarabel, Kari and Sandra
• The Mixed Team - Wendy, Shahram, Jack and Maureen
• Stevens Creek Striders - Mike S, Robin, Emily and Alice

And family members included Anna, Anna's mom, Agnes, Andrew and of course Penny and Peggy. Thank you all for coming. Fun wasn't it? More photos: click here.

The Party & Western States Entry 

December 4, 2006

Well it's almost party time. Saturday December 9 is the night.

And it's still not too late to decide to join us: click here

I am delighted to report that 3 Striders won places in Western States in the public lottery last Saturday. Jean, Peggy and Christina were all lucky enough to be allocated places. Eileen also entered the draw and was quite happy when her name stayed in the hat - another year to train for such a test.

Charles didn't get a place in the draw. However Striders have an entry in return for doing the aid station at "Last Chance" - mile 43. We raffle this entry at the Party on Saturday night, and under the rules of the Striders Western States draw, Charles will win by default. If you wish to enter the draw please email Mark: president@stevenscreekstriders.org before Saturday.

Jean and Peggy will be running Western States for the first time. Quite a challenge. And it'll take a lot of long runs between now and June 23 to be strong enough for the event. There are training weekends on the trail in February and at the Memorial Weekend. However that's just the tip of the training ice-berg. Good Luck to everybody.

The Campbell Relays

Don't forget Sunday December 10 is the Campbell Relays. Come and support your club mates Penny and Peggy to raise money for Leukemia Research.

This cause is very close to our hearts. Penny's husband Andrew lives with a serious form of Leukemia. Peggy's mother was diagnosed last year with Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer disease.

The event starts at 9am - bib pickup from 8.00am. Teams of 4. Everybody runs 4.5 miles. Prizes in lots of categories.

More information : click here

Well the Thanksgiving Relays at De Anza Track were a great success. Jean's boys are following in their father's very fast foot steps. Thanks everybody for coming. And Thank You, Michael F for organizing the event and the prizes. Photos: click here

And the folks who went to Yosemite had a very nice time - Mike D, The Mills', The Williams' and the Poje's. Yosemite was cold, crisp with some frost. Reminded me of Scotland. Beautiful. Photos: click here

And another amazing performance by Jean. This time in the brutal Quad Dipsea. Placed 5th. The first five finished within 5 minutes of each other - Jean was beaten into 5th by 1 second! Results: click here. And a more detailed account by Scott the blogger: click here. And Jean's son, Max did a very impressive 38:39 in a 10k in Golden Gate Park on Sunday. Placed 20th overall from 1340. And he's only 14. Max can RUN like the wind. Results: click here.

And lastly, thanks to everybody who nominated Striders for "BigL Awards". The Awards Committee met on Monday 11/27 and voted. Patrick was the chairman of the committee and so he's the only person who knows the results. The Awards will be presented at the Holiday Party on Saturday Dec 9.

The Party and Campbell Park Relays

Don't forget the events for the weekend of December 9 and 10.

1. Holiday Party. Please tell us if you'd like to attend.
   More details: click here.


2. Campbell Park Relays.
   Please register to run in this event. More details: click here.
   
   Penny and Peggy are organizing a relay race in Campbell Park in December. All proceeds will be donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This cause is very close to our hearts. Penny's husband Andrew lives with a serious form of Leukemia. Peggy's mother was diagnosed last year with Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer disease.

We'd like all Striders to do something about each of the following things:

1. Holiday Party. Please tell us if you'd like to attend.
   More details: click here.


2. Big L Awards.
   Please nominate your favorite Striders for the annual awards: click here


3. Campbell Park Relays.
   Please register to run in this event. More details: click here.
   
   Penny and Peggy are organizing a relay race in Campbell Park in December. All proceeds will be donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This cause is very close to our hearts. Penny's husband Andrew lives with a serious form of Leukemia. Peggy's mother was diagnosed last year with Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer disease.

Thanksgiving Holiday

We've some fun fixed for Thanksgiving. On Thursday morning, we'll have "Turkey Relays" at De Anza College Stadium at 8.30am. This is fun for the family - run by Mike F. Striders, families, friends, uncles, aunties, grandparents - everybody welcome. And prizes to dazzle and amaze. Followed by breakfast at Hobees of course. Photos from 2004: click here

We have a trip to Yosemite for the rest of Thanksgiving. Turkey Dinner on Thursday of course and some trail running/walks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Details: click here.

Every year, Stevens Creek Striders make awards to club members for acheivement during the year. Anyone may nominate any Strider for an Award. You can do this anonymously on-line, by mail, or at club on Saturday morning. The Awards are called the "Big Ls" after Lirio, the Strider who invented the tradition.

To vote for your favorite Strider: click here

Thanksgiving Holiday

We've some fun fixed for Thanksgiving. On Thursday morning, we'll have "Turkey Relays" at De Anza College Stadium at 8.30am. This is fun for the family - run by Mike F. Striders, families, friends, uncles, aunties, grandparents - everybody welcome. And prizes to dazzle and amaze. Followed by breakfast at Hobees of course. Photos from 2004: click here

Some mugs with their prizes in 2004.

We have a trip to Yosemite for the rest of Thanksgiving. Turkey Dinner on Thursday of course and some trail running/walks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Details: click here.

We're being joined at club on Saturday by our friends from PARC - Palo Alto Run Club. And we're going to have breakfast at Hobees. And MetroSport are giving us (and our PARC friends) 25% discount. And we've got a special visitor to speak to us about the 2016 Olympic Bay Area Bid.

We'll be joined on Saturday at club by Kelly Krueger, who is a liason for the committee which is hoping to put in a bid for the Bay Area to be the U.S. candidate for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games. She is interested in meeting with local run clubs to talk about the bid and to also possibly have prospective or current Olympians or Paralympians talk about what the games mean to them.

Strider Jean is a man of many hats. And another of his hats is "Silicon French". Jean will be moderating a panel discussion at Menlo College on Thursday November 9 about:

The Bay Area is really unique; let's play outdoors. Details: click here

There's been some really good marathon running going on at Striders. Four Striders ran in Silicon Valley Marathon on Oct 29 and two Striders ran in the Chicago Marathon on Oct 22. And some very good results.

Patrick and John ran in Chicago. Very good running indeed. John achieved a sub-3hr finish. This is the second time that John's achieved this goal. And Patrick did 3hr 14min - a very good result considering he's coming back from injury. A sub-3 marathon awaits Patrick soon.

In Silicon Valley Marathon, Robin did a PR of 3:40 - 25 seconds quicker than last year and his second Boston qualifier. Tom and Terry who coach San Jose Fit finished in 4:29 and 4:30 and looked very happy. Christina lead a blind runner - Sharlene - to a very respectable 6hr 31min finish.

I'd like to thank Dennis and Penny for running with me for 8 miles each. Having someone to run with really adds to the enjoyment of the event. And Penny's encouragement during the last 3 painful miles is really appreciated.

A new feature of SVM this year was Pace Groups. The "Flag Men" were provided by PacWest Athletics. From about mile 14 on, I was always within sight of Mike - the 3:40 pacer. Mike did an amazing 3:05 in Chicago and is running next week in New York. Thanks for your company, Mike.

Silicon Valley Photos: click here. Results: click here.
Chicago Results: click here.

Fall Newsletter is Available

October 28, 2006

"What's Afoot" - the Newsletter of Stevens Creek Striders has been published. You should be receiving a copy by email. And Robin will have printed copies at club on Saturday. Please let Penny or any Board Member know if you haven't received your copy.

Jean has been running in Paris. What a guy he is! He sent me the following email:

Another good one, one week after Fire Trails. Compared to 50 miles, 20 flat kilometers felt very short! ;-) I managed to get on the podium of this very competitive and international race. 37th overall (out of a ~19,000 field) and 3rd Masters. I even managed to beat all the girls, including Kenyans and Russians! ;-) And a PR on this distance.

What can I say. Jean - you are:

 AMAZING 

Congratulations. Vive La France.

Result: click here.
Photo: click here. Regardez: en francais.

Lots of good running at the Big Sur 10k on Saturday Oct 21.

The event takes place in Pfeiffer State Park, Big Sur, California. There are about 3 miles of paved roads inside the campsite and these are closed for the event. By running them all twice, the whole thing makes a good 10k race. It's "kind of" flat - rising and falling as it climbs and descends the valley. It's very beautiful in the Redwood Forest on a bend of the Big Sur River. Paradise. Some of us camped on Friday night and others drove down from San Jose on Saturday morning. The event starts at 10.00am - so it's not an early start. This year they had about 1000 runners and walkers (there's also a 5k walk).

We were joined by Jim - a "part-time Strider" and friend of Robin and Ali. Jim ran for Striders in this year's relay. Eileen and Dave joined us from Arnold, California. Eileen's a member and has helped at the aid station at Last Chance the last couple of years. Bill, Robin, Larry and Peggy ran as usual. And Mike D and Mike S joined us this year. Thanks for running everybody. And Ali took the photographs.

A feature of the race is the entertainment. 3 Amigos serenade at the bridge at the top of the course. A pipe band lies in ambush at the bottom of the course near mile 1. I'd like to believe they are to boost your uphill performance on mile 2, however they reincarnate at the end to propel you over the finish line. A string quartet at mile 2 (and mile 4 - remember you're running in circles) complete the musical inspiration along the way. Then in the finish area there is a jazz band.

After the event and cool down, we had a pancake brunch in our campsite. Most enjoyable. And then we drove home up Highway 1 and over Bixby Bridge - following the course of the Big Sur Marathon. One of the most beautiful ocean drives in the world.

Photos: click here. Results: click here.

Striders are really pleased to welcome 4 new members to our regular attenders on Saturday Mornings. And we welcome a couple of 2006 babies who are now awake and watching our activities from their Strollers. Of course it's the parents who do the hard work of pushing them over the various trails!

Anyway, Emily and Taryn have been with us since the summer and have both "debuted" in local events. Taryn did a spectacular 1:32 in the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in San Jose. Taryn's a really good athlete. Emily ran the San Francisco Marathon "runSFM" in July. It's not too easy to run with Striders because some of the trails are steep. You'll get used to it, Emily. Believe me.

And Ann-Marie and Eileen have both recently joined us. Eileen's finding the running tough and is in doubt about Robin's encouragement: "If it doesn't kill you, Eileen, it'll make you stronger". She still thinks it will kill her. Ann-Marie's walks with Ali at the moment, and might start running later in the year.

So Welcome to Striders. We hope you enjoy the running, the breakfasts at Hobees and our social gatherings. Welcome.

Photos of Striders AND our 4 new friends at club today: click here

An unusally active weekend for Striders members on the First Weekend in October. The weekend got off to a good start with about 20 at club on Saturday morning. This included new-comers Jennifer and Ann-Marie. Welcome to Striders, we hope you'll decide to join us. Running and walking's fun - and a great way to start the weekend

The turnout was especially good, as we had 10 members running Saturday in the Firetrails in Oakland, and 6 members saving their legs for the San Jose Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon on Sunday Morning.

Lots of good running guys at Firetrails on Saturday. Really great performances in the 50 miler by the Jean, the two P's, Charles, Christina and Tom. And good running in the Marathon by Patti, Steve and Rob. And "tough luck" to Amanda - 50's a long way - you were brave to take it on.

Steve - apologies - I didn't take your photo, but snapped your result. Tom - apologies - Ali and I had gone before you finished. Jean - apologies - you finished before we got there!

Jean (rookie of the run) was third in his first ever "50". Amazing. 8:54/mile pace over a tough 50 miles.

Then on Sunday, we saw the inaugural San Jose Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. Easily the biggest running event ever staged in the city. The organisers claimed to sell out all 15,000 places - however the race results say 8291 total in race with 58% women and 42% men. Anyway, a big event with a huge and impressive number of volunteers.

Claire was predictably first Strider home in 1.28, with Taryn not far away at 1:32. Robin did 1.43, Kathy 1.48, Terry 1:50 and Mike S 1.55. Good Running Everybody. Claire's first competitive run since the birth of Liam is very impressive. Claire, you beat me by 1 minute/mile and I was really trying! Taryn's 1.32 is fantastic in her first ever Half. We haven't seen Kathy for a while and she achieved a PR of 1.48 and said "Oh, I haven't been training". Gosh!

So it's been a great weekend. Two newcomers to club - welcome Ann-Marie and Jennifer. 10 Great Ultra runs, including Jean's "Rookie comes third". 6 Half Marathon Results including Kathy's PR, Claire's awesome 1.28 and rookie Taryn's 1.32. Perfect weather, marvellous company. What could be better?

Robin

Photos:
By Agnes: click here.
By Robin: click here.

Results:
Firetrails: click here.
Rock'n'Roll: click here.

Event Web Sites:
Firetrails: click here. Results: click here.
Rock'n'Roll: click here. Results: click here.

Peggy had this to say afterwards:
"This photo was taken just before I hugged Penny in deep appreciation for getting me through the last 8.5 miles. I had severe legs cramps which hit suddenly. I could not walk easily, let alone run. Penny chose to stay with me, seeing me through a painful and somewhat scary stretch. Penny is a woman of such caring, support, and strength, and I am proud to be considered a friend of hers.

Penny, thank you for keeping me going, in all ways. I've learned from your gentleness, courage and strength."

At least 6 Striders are taking part in the Dick Collins' Firetrails 50 on Saturday Oct 7. This is a very tough 50 mile endurance run in the Oakland Hills. Finishing under 11 hours will qualify for Western States. The following Striders are "in the frame" for Saturday (alphabetic order, of course).

• Amanda - running her first 50
• Charles - "fresh" from Wasatch 100
• Christina - only 2 weeks after Rio Del Lago 100
• Jean - running his first 50
• Peggy - did AR50 earlier this year
• Penny - did AR50 and Miwok100k this year

Congrats are in order for Christina doing Rio Del Lago two weeks ago. She finished just over 29 hours. Christina managed this very long event for the second consecutive year. Helping Christina, by pacing her over the last 55 miles, was Tom. Great Work, Christina and Tom.

I ran on Sunday near Mission Peak. These are tough hills and our heroes are facing a 50 mile challenge of similar terrain. It'll be hard.

Good Luck, Everybody.

Robin

PS
If you're running and I forgot to give you a mention,
please forgive and drop me an email.

PPS
New Member Taryn's running her first ever Half Marathon on Sunday in the first ever San Jose Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. Good Luck, Taryn. I'll see you at the finish (you'll be there before me).

Jean - "Strider of the Year 2004" is not only the fastest athlete in Striders, he's one of the best middle distance runners in the Bay Area. Another amazing performance at the Microsoft Sponsored "Trailblazer 10k" saw Jean win an emphatic victory, with a winning margin of 2 minutes. Jean covered the 10k distance in 34.16 - 5min 30sec/mile pace.

Jean - I don't know how you run so fast. C'est formidable.

Other spirited Striders performances in the event were Charles who did 43.33 and was little disappointed to be one second over 7 mins/mile. Robin was very pleased to finish in 47.15 and Hazel did a very credible 77mins. Elliot from Spartans Track and Cross Country Club was very pleased to come 20th in the 5k event. Elvira was going to run, however was detained in Germany on business and didn't make the event.

Trailblazer starts and finishes at the Microsoft Campus in Mountain View. The trail leads along the levee beside Stevens Creek at Moffett Field and proceeds into the Baylands. We ran past Shoreline Golf Links, Shoreline Boating Lake, Shoreline Amphitheatre and back along Stevens Creek Trail to Microsoft. The course is fast and almost level. A real fun event with perfect weather.

So Jean's a star again. Rumour has it that he's feeling his way into ultra distances and I'm sure we'll be surprised by his performance in his first 50 miler - scheduled in a couple of weeks. Well done, Jean. You're inspirational.

New President for Striders

September 29, 2006

We're delighted that Mark has agreed to be the President of Striders. Dennis has decided to stand down from the board for personal reasons. Dennis isn't leaving the club, so we'll all have a chance to thank him on the trail for his service to the club. And welcome, Mark. Thanks for taking on this task.

Robin

Photos: click here
Event Website: click here
Race Results: click here

Charles - "Strider of the Year 2003" and club President 2002-2004 succeeded in completing this very difficult event. Charles' time was just under 32 hours and placed 73 from 150 finishers (in a field of around 200).

Congratulations Charles - you're an inspriation to us all.

The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run is held in Utah the first weekend after Labor Day each year. The run stretches from Layton, Utah to The Homestead in Midway, Utah and covers some of the most beautiful scenery the Wasatch Mountains have to offer. There is a cumulative elevation gain of approximately 26,882 feet, as well as a cumulative loss of approximately 26,131 feet throughout the course. This is a premier run that will test the endurance of any runner.

I had the pleasure to train with Charles 3 weeks ago when he was tapering for Wasatch. He was telling me that the opening 5 miles has an elevation gain of 7,500 feet. "The Chin Scrapper". Makes Western States seem tame. So imagine Devil's Thumb times 3 - and that's just for starters. Charles, a vetern of 3 successful Western States made this assessment: "If Western States is 3/10 for difficulty, Wasatch is 8/10". Gosh! What could be 10/10 - Everest?

Robin

A jolly good turn-out of Striders ran the Skyline to the Sea Trail on Sunday September 10. Some ran all the way (30 miles) while others ran the opening 18 miles from Skyline to Big Basin, and of course some ran the closing 12 miles from Big Basin to Waddell Beach.

The runners were joined by family members at the seaside for a picnic and a few games on the beach. Penny and Bill provided their legendary salmon soup and clam-chowder. Don brought his guitar.

Lots of "thank you very muches" are due to Peggy for organizing this. And lots of other folks made big contributions. Penny takes up the story:

Andrew and Peter did a super job with the Aid Station. Penny and Peggy bought the provisions. Bill and Penny did the chowders. Mark, Amanda, Andrew, Patrick, Tom and Penny coordinated a fine effort to conduct a search for a couple who strayed off route.

A mystery ultra runner (maybe a mystery "Mike") set up a surprise aid station table for the 30/18 milers ... so a big thank you our mystery angel too.

Thanks to Rebecca for the photos: click here.

Penny and Robin

Gang about to run

Goofing at the beach

Family fun - Rosie in the sand

It feels right to be writing this report on Labor Day - one week after all the labor done by Striders to climb Mt Whitney. A dozen very enthusiastic members and friends tackled the highest peak in the "lower 48" - the 14,500 foot pinnacle of Mt Whitney. The trail starts at Whitney Portal and winds its way up past Lone Pine Lake and along the ridge which leads to the Summit. It's 13 miles to the top and most of the trail's well above 10,000 foot. So this is quite an undertaking - 25 miles at altitude.

In the party were Striders Dennis, Andrew, Don, Christina, Rebecca, Tom, Peter, Mike and Steve. They were joined by Peter's son, Rebecca's sister and Mike's friend Wanda. They set off before dawn at 4.30am on Monday morning with a plan to turn-back "no matter where" at 12-noon. All our heroes achieved the goal of reaching the summit and returning safely to Whitney Portal. Some were able to maintain the schedule and be back by sunset at 7.30pm - only a 15 hour treck! Last home was almost 23 hours on the trail, returning at 3.15am on Tuesday morning.

I'm sure we'll receive more "tales of the trail" for the web site about this adventure. Rebecca posted her photos on Yahoo Photos, and I've "borrowed" them to share with all the club. Thanks Rebecca, the photos are great. I wish I could have been with you on the expedition.

To enjoy all of Rebecca's wonderful pictures: click here.

Steve has published his photos: click here.

Robin

Elvira, Charles and Robin decided to run the San Francisco Marathon on July 30, 2006. In fact you can run the Full Marathon of 26.2, or the first or second halfs. We decided to run the first half which goes from the Bay Bridge out over Golden Gate Bridge and back to Golden Gate Park. Buses are provided to take us back to the start.

Elvira did really well and achieved 1.48 - much better than she thought she could. Charles did 1.46 and Robin 1.56. Everbody happy, no injuries. Ready to run another day.

The San Francisco Marathon (runsfm) is a big event. I believe there were about 10,000 runners. It starts very early at 5.30 on the Embarcadero. They have corrals and wave starts. The event is well organized. Because of the early start, we stayed in a downtown hotel. Although not cheap, the event negotiated a good discount for runners. So lots of runners staying in the hotel and everybody seemed very happy with everything. There were people from all over the States, Canada and even some European runners. Highly recommended.

It's really great running over Golden Gate Bridge. Today was fine and cool with a little fog over the Marin Headlands - very nice running weather. I've run Golden Gate three times. First time it was a beautiful sunny morning in October. The race started before dawn and as we turned at the North end of the Bridge, the sun was rising over San Francisco. On the second occasion it was a clear, rainy, winter morning. And now today was clear and cool. Three beautiful runs I'll never forget.

Photos from today's run: click here

South Tower of Golden Gate Bridge.

The New Board of Stevens Creek Striders met for the first time on Tuesday July 18. The following people have been appointed to serve in the following roles:

Dennis President	Mark Vice Pres.	Patrick Treasurer	Bill Secretary	Peggy Social	Penny Newsletter	Robin Webmaster

Western States was really tough this year and recorded the lowest finish rate for more than 10 years. Just 210 finished from a field of 399 (53% finish rate). None the less some very spirited efforts by all Striders involved. Among the highlights, Roger finished first in his age group and Mark, with Peggy pacing, achieved his 5th consecutive finish. First time pacer Dennis played an impressive role in successfully getting his runner over the finish line with minutes to spare. Although Charles and Christina put in a valiant effort, they were not alone in finding the conditions too tough.

As usual, the Last Chance Aid Station was a great success, thanks to the efforts of Captains Jean, Marsha and Bob. We also said "Good-bye" to our medical team from Utah - Laurie, Lynne, Bob and Fred. Thanks guys for all your efforts (rumour has it that Bob'll be back). And thanks to 30 Striders and friends who turned up to run the aid station.

Jean's photographs: click here. For a longer story, and individual reports click here.

If any Striders would like to send me photos and more details, I'd be happy to publish them for everybody to enjoy.

Campfire on Friday Night. Roger on his way to another first place. Bill, Eileen and Lynne at the Aid Station.

This is one of the big weekends for lots of Striders. It's the Western States 100 mile Endurance Run. We've got:

4 runners - Christina, Mark, Charles and Roger
3 station captains - Jean, Marsha and Bob
2 pacers - Peggy and Dennis
1 sweeper - Steve
30 volunteers for the aid station at Last Chance.

So good luck everybody. Enjoy the weekend.
It's going to be HOT.

And lastly, we're saying "Cheerio" to our medical team - Bob, Laurie and Lynne. Thanks guys for 16 years of service.

History of Striders at Last Chance click here

Photos from Last Year: click here

25 Years at "Last Chance" 

June 14, 2006

How about helping out at the Western States 100mile Endurance Run? Striders have been doing the aid station at "Last Chance" (mile 43) for the last 25 years. We're looking for volunteers for Saturday June 24. This is a fun weekend. We camp on Friday night and the aid station's open on Saturday from 11am-5pm.

Sadly we'll be saying "Cheerio" to our medical team - Dr Bob, Nurse Lynne and Nurse Laurie. These magnificent people have been with us for the last 16 years and come all the way from Utah to participate. Thanks Guys - we appreciate everything you've done over the years.

Jean's the station master for the 3rd consecutive year and is looking for volunteers on Saturday June 24.

To contact Jean: click here
or email: robin@clanmills.com

History of Striders at Last Chance click here

Photos from Last Year: click here

Forest of Nisene Marks Half Marathon 

June 03, 2006

Elvira, Charles, Robin and Jim ran the Forest of Nisene Marks Half Marathon on Saturday June 3, 2006.
Photos click here.

Charles was second in his division and Jim was placed third. Jim's daughter Nadine came second in the 5k. Elvira was delighted with her performance - it's the longest event she's run in the last 2 years. Robin missed out on a place by a minute (hangover excuse again). His last year's time of 1.58 would have earned second place - however 2.13 repeated last year's fourth place.

Elvira was so excited by the thrill of the run, that we decided to run the San Francisco Half over Golden Gate on Sunday July 30. That'll be great fun. We're registered as team #608 "Stevens Creek Striders". Details click here.

Western States Training 

May 29, 2006

At least 10 Striders participated in the Western States Training on Memorial Weekend. Thanks to Steve, we know about an amazing bed and breakfast lodge near Foresthill and we stayed there as usual. The place is so nice we don't want to say where it is for fear that we won't be able to book to stay there. Anyway we had a great time. Here's the link to Robin's web site and the weekend photos: www.clanmills.com

You can see we had quite a mix of weather including snow, rain, and brilliant sunshine. Saturday Photos click here

Dennis, Penny, Robin, Peggy, Steve, Christina and Charles ran on Saturday. We started in snow near Dusty Corners and ran to Foresthill. We passed through "Last Chance" of course and on through the three canyons at Deadwood, Eldorado and Volcano. You know the strongest runners - Peggy, Penny, Charles and Christina made it to the end of a hard 28 miles. And the women ran again on Sunday from Foresthill to Rucky Chucky.

The training is well organized and very good value. For only $20 on Saturday, you're provided with transport to the start of the run, and aid stations along the route. You can also register for meals and talks. Steve and Winnie were especially inspired by the talk by Helen Klein. However I understand they found all the talks of value. And of course the informal chats with other ultra-runners makes for a great weekend.

On Monday, Robin and Ali walked from Highway 49 to Placer High School - the last 8 miles of the Western States Trail. Quite stunning scenery climbing from No Hands Bridge into Auburn. Monday Photos click here

Other Striders training this weekend were Charles, Christina and Roger. These three are running in the Western States Endurance 100 mile Race on June 24/25, 2006. Mark will also be running again this year. Best of Luck, guys. You're all looking fit and ready for the challenge.

Bay To Breakers  

May 21, 2006

The Bay to Breakers is the largest footrace in the world and gets about 70,000 runners and walkers. It's in San Francisco and starts at the Bay Bridge and runs across the city to the Pacific Ocean - 7.5 miles away. Hence the name "Bay to Breakers".

Seven Striders were running in the "Palace Guard" who are the human wall behind the elite runners and in front of the herd of 70,000 runners, walkers, costumes, centipedes and weirdo's.

It was a kind of early start, to say the least. We had to be there for 6 to sign-in as volunteers. The gun time was 8am. We met at Penny's at 4.45am (yes that's right - quarter to five in the morning). After the race, we went to Gordon Biersch in San Francisco near the ball-park for breakfast. We met up with a former Strider - Monty and his friends from the Buffalo Chips Running Club in Fairfax, CA. Robin's Photos Click Here.

And Terry and Gary also ran in Bay to Breakers. Terry's pictures of weirdos give you a better idea of some of the lunacy of the event. Fish, Roman Soldiers and of coure naked people! Terry's Photos Click Here..

Ohlone Wilderness 50K

May 21, 2006

And while some of us were having fun in San Francisco, other Striders - Charles and Christina - were doing the Ohlone 50. Tom & Mark were out there checking trail markers for the runners before the race. Steve was also supporting at an aid station. Pity about the weather - hope you had a nice time anyway!

The club has a picnic every spring and as usual we held it in the Madrone Picnic Area in Stevens Creek Canyon. We almost always stop to use the rest room and refill our water bottles at Madrone on our Saturday morning runs. So it's nice to visit the area and just have some fun together. Photos click here.

We had about 20 at the picnic. Of course everybody brought some food and drinks and we were bar-be-cueing on the range. A very nice selection of hot and cold food - and nice fruit, cakes and drinks. After we had eaten, we played baseball. I don't think the Giants need to worry about competition from the Striders! We were also entertained by a video which Jim made about "The Relay" last month. Thanks, Jim. Lots of laughs.

The club board met just before the picnic, so President Peggy was able to announce that Robin and Patrick will be joining the board next season, along with existing board members Peggy, Penny, Dennis, Amanda and Bill. Mark and Jack are stepping down and of course we thank them for the service and effort they've put into serving the club on the board.

QuickSilver Running Club in San Jose put on a very impressive endurance event every year in May. Striders always become involved by both running, and equally importantly, we support the event by providing an aid station at "Dam Overlook" - above Almaden Reservoir. QuickSilver Event Web Site

Bob and Marsha organized the Aid Station and were helped by Penny, Patrick, Mark, Amanda, Steve, John, Michael and Larry. Thanks everybody. I can say as a runner, it is a real pleasure to arrive at the Striders Aid Station. I was also delighted to see all the members in their "Striders" Shirts. Thanks to Mark, everybody now has a club shirt. Very impressive and of course - very nice shirts.

Running this year, we had Charles, Peggy, Dennis and Tom in the 50k. Robin and Rob ran the 25k. Charles was first in his age group(5.33). Friends of Striders - Eileen and Amil were running their first ever 50 mile events. Congratulations to them. Other old friends of the club participating were Winny and Lee. It's great to see all those folks out enjoying the perfect weather and the beautiful scenery in QuickSilver Park. Photos click here.

Great running and supporting by members of the club at the Miwok 100k Event. Running were Charles, Roger, Penny and Christina. Pacers were Dennis, Mike, Robin, Tom and Steve. Eric was there supporting and helping out. Well done everybody.

This was Penny's first 100k. After her great 9hr performance at AR50, she felt ready to tackle her next challenge - the extra distance and hills of Miwok. And what a challenge! She did it of course and finished just under 14 hours. Her verdict "I need more training!". Congratulations, Penny.

Charles, Christina and Roger have undertaken the rigours of Miwok successfully in the past. It was great to see them come through the aid station and doing as well as always. Good work and congrats to them.

Here are the photos click here. Of course the photos represent the event as seen by Robin. If other members would like to see their photos on the 'Striders' web site - please send a CD with the photos to Robin.

Some really great running by three club members in the Boston Marathon.

1. John - 3hr 20min (7.39 pace)
2. Penny - 3hr 37min (8.19 pace)
3. Robin - 3hr 59min (9.08 pace)

John qualified for Boston with his first sub-3hr at CIM in Sacramento last December. Penny and Robin both qualified with PRs of 3.37 and 3.40 at the Silicon Valley Marathon in October. Penny was able to match her qualification time, a very impressive achievement. John and Robin were both very happy with their times.

Boston is a very impressive event. It's really well organized with water stops on both sides of the road every mile. The transport to the start in Hopkinton is good and the finishing arrangements at the end are great. Best of all, there are probably something like 100,000 spectators lining all 26 miles from Hopkinton to downtown Boston. The famous "Heartbreak Hill" isn't particularily long, steep or high - however coming at mile 20 is painful. Robin's photos: click here.

Just a great weekend for everybody involved in the relay. Here are the photos:

Dennis's Photos
Thursday Dinner
Saturday Breakfast
Saturday Running
Sunday Running

The team was:

Elvira, Cindy, Bill, John, Peggy and Dennis (van1)
Robin, Steve, Larry, Patrick, Jim and Gerardo (van2)
Rebecca and Tom (volunteers)
Ali, Andrew, Penny, Sig and Tracy (supporters)
Amanda and Mark (new Striders running shirts)

Everybody had a great time. The team was placed 29 from 106 and completed the 199 miles from Calistoga to Santa Cruz in just under 28 hours. A great effort by everybody involved. More information click here.

The Club has a nice new running shirt. And it's been a joint effort between Mark, Amanda, Penny, Robin, Peggy and a few others to get this together. Of course the team running in the relay have added a little pressure to get this done for the start of April. And now they're here. The shirts are good quality "SportHill - Performance Athletic Clothing". They're made from a nice wicking polyester.

The shirts are available in small, medium, large and extra-large sizes. We have both short sleeved ($20.00) and long sleeved ($25.00). You can buy your shirt at any Saturday club meeting.

A big THANK YOU to the folks who've volunteered to help The Relay next weekend. Tom, Rebecca and Ali are doing aid stations for the event. Thanks. And Penny and Andrew are supporting by providing a crash floor for van2. And Sig and Tracy (friends of Penny, Ali and Robin) are helping van1. Much appreciated - thank you.

The club volunteers to do aid stations at some events every year. Here's what's coming up. Please mark your diary and help the club and other runners at these events.

QuickSilver 25k, 50k and 50m.

Saturday May 13, 2006. Reservoir Overlook Aid Station.
Contacts: Bob and Marsha. 2005 Photos

Western States 100m Endurance Run

Saturday June 24, 2006. Last Chance Aid Station.
Contacts: Jean and Agnes. 2005 Photos

We had a great Strider turnout at Cool on Saturday March 11, 2006. Jean and Robin were running in their first ultras. Jean, as you'd expect, did really well and came 5th in his division. We'll get onto Robin's performance later in the story.

Jean, Penny, Peggy, Dennis, Robin, Terry and Christina ran in the Way Too Cool 50k. This event starts and finishes in the village of Cool - a few miles from Auburn, CA. The event is 50km of muddy, slippy trail, streams and a few knee deep river crossings. It's hilly, but not brutal - two steep, short climbs at miles 20 and 26.

The weather was much better than forecast and started dull and threatening rain. Later in the day, it cleared and by lunch-time the weather was sunny and pleasant.

Penny, Peggy and Dennis ran really well. Penny was 3rd in her division with an amazing 5hr 30min. Peggy was 7th at 6hr 4min. Dennis ran close to his personal best for the distance and did a very respectable 6hr 21min.

Other Striders taking part in the event were Jean - running his first ultra. He finished a very credible 5th (4hr 29min). Robin finished in 7hr 21min with Christina and Terry just a few minutes later. Well done everybody.

Robin's photos: click here    Agnes' photos: click here

Running Club

Cupertino, California