From owner-ius-l@AMERICAN.EDU  Wed Sep  4 20:02:58 1996
From: TrailPatty@aol.com
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 21:50:03 -0400
To: ius-l@AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: Run On The Sly 50K/50M

The Run On The Sly held on September 1st serves as a fund-raiser for El
Dorado County Search and Rescue and is a memorial to Barbara Schoener. The
course starts and finishes at Fresh Pond (Sly Park) in Pollock Pines, CA (50
miles east of Sacramento) and travels through trails and logging roads in the
Sierra Nevada foothills. I would guess 80 percent of the 50K is shaded by
ponderosa pines--I'm not sure about the 50M. An absolute gem of a run!

Said hello at the start to list members Ken Reed and Richard Pon, met Mr.
Runfofun Chuck Chandonia, and met Ultra Fred (Fred Leibes) who I've seen at
previous runs, but didn't realize it was our own Ultra Fred. Saw Stan Jensen
and Mike Palmer from afar.

Run On The Sly is a spectacular run. When I arrived in Pollock Pines on
Saturday, the temperature was 97 or so and hot (for me anyway), so I was
preparing to face the heat, complete with rock salt, electrolyte tablets and
my special heat hat. What a pleasant surprise to be running under a canopy of
towering ponderosa pines for at least 20 miles! I just kep yelling, "Wow,
this is too good to be true!"  People were beginning to look at me sideways.
Even that seemingly never-ending downhill stretch from (according to the map)
15.5K to 35K? was shaded by trees. Talk about too much of a good thing,
though. I love the downhills, but my ankles were crying "uncle" on that
sucker and my legs were begging to change direction, preferably up.  But then
I especially enjoyed the undulating trails along the lake--my favorite kind
of trail, continually moving up and down. But I had to really concentrate so
as not to trip and do a face plant while enjoying the awesome/breathtaking
views of the lake at the same time!

The course was extremely well-marked with flowing red, white & blue streamers
and aid stations were well-stocked with great volunteers. At the finish we
were treated to all you could eat hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken,  watermelon,
cookies, chips and drinks--even Mountain Dew! They even had a live band
playing Elvis & Orbison-type tunes and all the tired runners automatically
started moving to the beat.

Many thanks to Race Directors Margie Lopez and Bob Read for their tremendous
efforts in making the Run On The Sly a FIRST CLASS RUN! I know what I'll be
doing again for Labor Day Weekend next year!

P.S. Addendum--50K Mileage Creep
Anyone else notice that a mile or two is casually being added to 50Ks here in
NorCal. Pt. Reyes was a 33+ mile 50K and I understand the Run On The Sly 50K
is really 32+ miles. Do you suppose it's a subtle plot to eventually start
"ultra" events at 35M, then 40, 45 and 50 for those who have said all along
that "real" ultras start at 50M? What a great idea for a confidence builder
to get people (like me) to do more than they think they can--You think it's
amazing that you've just completed a 31- mile run and then you find out you
really ran 35 miles! And on and on...You think you're running 35 miles, but
then you find out you really ran 40 miles!

Pat Wellington
Back in San Francisco enjoying the refreshing morning fog
TrailPatty@aol.com
wellingtonpm@cooley.com