From owner-ultra@caligari.Dartmouth.EDU Mon Dec 16 15:32:05 1996 From: poninv@sl.geis.com Date: Mon, 16 Dec 96 23:18:00 UTC 0000 To: ius-l@american.edu, ultra@caligari.Dartmouth.EDU Subject: Reflections of a newbie & HST Hi everybody, As an ultra newbie, every event is a first, every run is a course PR, and every race is a new adventure. I'll probably be a "newbie" for another two years, since I figure it would take me at least that long to run all (most?) of the San Francisco Bay Area ultra races for the first time. In 1996 I've run Jed Smith 50k, Quicksilver 50k, Skyline 50k, Run on the Sly 50k, Firetrails 50M, Quad Dipsea, and most recently, Hunter S. Thompson 50k on Saturday. Hunter S. Thompson (HST) Fear & Loathing 50k/50M is a loop course on the city streets of San Francisco. The weather was cool, dry, and clear. We could easily see Mt. Diablo, 40 miles away, from the start on top of Twin Peaks. The course is in the city, in which I was born and grew up in, following the 49 Mile Scenic Drive. The "trail markers" were the signs posted by the city directing tourist and tour buses on the drive. It helps to be familiar with the streets and be "street smart" when you run this one. This is the best way to see the San Francisco! Running the streets dodging traffic and Christmas shoppers, timing the signals at intersections, and enjoying the spectacular scenery and sights of the city was quite a contrast to the single track and firetrails I am use to at the other ultras I have run. It was fun and challenging, not only because of the hills and traffic but because of the ease in which you can miss a turn and go off course. Thanks to Tony Rossman and later Allen Kaplan, I was able to negotiate the course successfully. HST is put on by Hollis Lenderking & Pam Shaughnessy and a small group of great volunteers. The moving aid stations were set up in the back of pickup trucks and the trunks of cars ... filled with cookies, water, power bars, pretzels, soft drinks and other goodies. Looking back over the year, it has become more apparent to me that the fun of running, is not only the competition (with yourself or other runners), but being with others who share the joy of running. And this is made possible throught the efforts of Race Directors and volunteers who put on these events. I can't say enough good things about the people who put in the time and effort to make it possible for all of us to enjoy the experience of running on the roads, on the city streets, on the track, and on the trails in the forests and mountains. Thank you Jim Drake, Terry Claw & Greg Shuster, Will Uher, Bob Read & Margie Lopez, Dick Collins, John Medinger, and Hollis Lenderking & Pam Shaughnessy. All of you and your volunteers have made my first year as an ultra runner a wonderful experience. Happy Holidays! Regards, Richard Richard Pon San Francisco, CA poninv@sl.geis.com (415) 665-5544 01-04 Epiphany Ultra 01-18 Jed Smith 02-08 Eric Robinson Birthday Run 03-02 Napa Valley Marathon 03-15 Cool Canyon Crawl 04-19 American River 05-03 What, Mi-Wok?