Rage Race Report:
2005 Scandia Run
Photo by Al Whalen's nice friend...
Like “The Babe”
pointing to the fence at Wrigley in the 1932 World Series,
12 runners at the 2005 Scandia Run put their game faces on
and called their own number before they even toed it up.
But even after
all the smack at the DAC, the only safe bet was that after
this year’s Scandia Run, someone was going to walk off with
what was tucked safely away in the truck of K.C. Taylor’s
tightly secured vehicle (e.g. he left his P-Diddy CD playing
with the windows rolled down during the race).
The other safe
bet was this thing was going to be settled on a sultry morning
on one of the fastest 10K courses you’ll find anywhere.
Keep in mind that
a $60 pot is about as serious as these running junkies ever
get having bet five bucks a piece (…we’re talkin’ their own
money here) on predicting their own finishing times, all of
which would test each runner if they were to come closest
to…and beat (a controversial “no sandbagging” rule put on
the table the night before not without a lively debate).
As the runners
warmed up, you could sense the pre-race jitters were about
as thick as the smell of mint in the air, blown in from the
fields bordering the course, reminding runners that it’s Scandia
time. The course is fast so you’re supposed to run fast here,
but the heavy air on this particular day seemed to make my
legs feel like lead. I hate it when that happens.
If the mint doesn’t
conjure up the traditional spirit of this race, the t-shirts
will. The pattern emblazed on everyone’s chest has changed
only in color over the last 31 years. The volunteers, entry
fees, sponsors, race organization and post-race refreshments
have never forgottten what keeps the runners coming back all
these years.
Boz (Todd Bosworth)
and K.C. seemed hell-bent to run away with the cash with a
spirited pace through the first four miles. But on an out
and back course, the rest of us get a chance to look into
their eyes after the turnaround cone. As I expected: These
two dudes don’t blink. Come race time, they’re all business,
baby. And it didn’t look any different today. Worse yet, you
could almost see dollar signs flash in their eyes, making
the rest of us feel like we’d been duped into some pyramid
scheme. Bad news for the rest of us…and especially me, because
I was not only way behind them at that point, I’d need a miracle
on the last 2.2 miles if I was going to beat my number (38:20).
Nobody was doing worse than me…or were they?
I decided that
while they were very nice guys, it was getting awful close
to “I hate those guys” time. But first, I was fully engaged
in my own two battles: The first was trying to avoid the invisible
gorillas that hang out near the turnaround cone every year
ready to jump on unsuspecting runners backs with 2.2 miles
to go on this easy-to-overcook-on-the-first-half course. The
second battle I wished was imaginary. His name: Mr. Josh Masterson…recent
winner of the 2005 Circle the Bay 30 Kilometer Run, who was
doing much more than keep me honest over the first four miles.
And if I wanted any cash, I’d have to go negative on the inward
half. But if I thought I had it bad, Josh had it worse. He
predicted his finish at 38:04.
Then, to my surprise,
I had avoided the invisible gorillas this year and started
to pick up the pace and put some distance between me and Josh.
I hit mile four
in 24:54, and it was time to do the math, baby.
I knew I needed
something inside of 37:10 at the six mile mark if I was going
to actually give a rip this time whether or not K.C. knows
where he left his car keys.
So…if I could coax
a couple of 6:05’s out of my parakeet quads, I might get myself
back into the ballgame. I put my head down, and didn’t do
too much else. When I looked up and saw Ed Spinney, I knew
I must have picked it up. I caught my split at mile 5 and
it was too slow, but not bad: 6:09.
I reset my mindset
again for another six-oh-anything, and finally caught Boz
with a 6:03.
We crossed mile
six at 37:06…and now, I need a 1:13 finish to come under my
predicted time by a second. Fortunately, Mr. Bosworth decided
to throw down a gauntlet for an impromptu 100 meter interval
at the end of a 10k…always fun….especially when you’re dying
like I was. As you might expect, we both “Flintstoned” the
shoot. (Translation: Flintstoned…as in “bam-bam”…get it?).
I tried to explain
myself afterwards:
“Etiquette, schmetiquette.
I’m talkin’ Boz, Rage, the clock and the flipping cash. It
doesn’t get any better than that, baby. If Todd and I aren’t
duking it out on the last stretch, Whalen would have been
buying our next Sunday round of post-run coffee. Now, Al is
a nice guy and everything, but who would you rather have to
buy you a cup of coffee?”
What are you drinking,
Todd?
Race Notes:
A special thanks
to Jack Spaulding, who immediately recognized that the real
Joan Taylor is actually much better looking that the dude
who was wearing her number.
An extra special
thanks goes to Joan Taylor for designing the entry form for
the predicted times, which collected the following quotes
to the following question on the entry form:
“Would really
love to beat…but really must kick _________ ass!” And, the
race for the most popular responses to this question is no
surprise: Bosworth (4), followed by Taylor (3).
A special note
to the folks who beat their predicted finish times:
Al Whalen, Carol
Holt, Toni Harms
Here’s how everyone
did:
|
Predicted:
|
Actual:
|
|
Al
|
36:30
|
36:17
|
|
K.C.
|
36:55
|
37:59
|
|
Josh
|
38:04
|
38:54
|
|
Rage
|
38:20
|
38:16
|
|
The
Dina
|
38:30
|
40:30
|
|
Boz
|
37:30
|
38:19
|
|
T-Bone
|
40:00
|
40:56
|
|
Harms,
B
|
40:00
|
41:59
|
|
Canale
|
41:00
|
41:52
|
|
Stark
|
48:00
|
53:07
|
|
Holt
|
56:45
|
55:22
|
|
Harms,
T
|
58:45
|
57:11
|
And that’s The
Truth. The Rage
2003
Scandia Run by Todd Bosworth
You
have to get up early on race day when you have a two year
old at home and 25 mile drive to Junction City.
I
was really looking forward to this race to redeem myself after
what I considered a very poor showing at the Coburg 5 miler
a few weeks ago. I thought I'd smoke the master's field but
was passed by Ramon, the Rage and Kyle Gee in the last 1/2
mile. I died. A good minute slower than what I wanted.
I
vowed to cruise Scandia at 6 minute pace. I'll go out easy,
try to keep Steve Dinatale in sight and I should be okay.
My
wife wondered if 6:30am was early enough to get us out the
door by 7:00 and we decided it was.
We
woke up Weston, packed him in the car and took off. With a
little extra time heading down Willamette I told Shelly I
thought I'd get a latte at Starbucks at 18th and Pearl. She
said "great, I'll change Weston while you're in there." It
as 7:15.
As
I walked out of Starbucks Shelly greeted me at the front door
with a "you have the keys, right?"
"Why
would I have the keys, you said you were staying in the car
to change Weston? You're kidding, right? No? Damn!" I'm in
my shorts and singlet. My extra key is in my wallet, in my
bag with my phone in the car and the keys are in the ignition.
It's
7:21 and we're trying to figure out what to do. I thought
of our Civil War Relay experience. You know what I mean, right
Coop? Why don't we call Triple A (as we did at the CWR) and
Shelly says we're not members anymore, we never used it.
I
called a few friends and made contact with our dear friend
Vicki, who also happens to live 2 minutes away. She says she'd
be glad to help. She'll put on some clothes, come get me and
drive me to our house to get a key. Cool!
I
wait, 7:25, 7:29. Where is she? 7:32 and here she is. 9 minutes?
Let's go!
I
crawl through the window, and the alarm is announcing "an
intruder in the bedroom!" I turn it off, get the keys, reset
the alarm and I'm out in less than a minute.
Down
Willamette we race at 27 miles an hour. Should I offer to
drive? It's 7:42.
I
jump out, yell "thanks Vicki," run the last block and Shelly,
Weston and I are off in a flash.
I
wait for the green light at Jerry's onto Hwy 99 and instead
run the red light.
7
miles to Junction City and Shelly says her watch reads 7:57.
We might make it. My watch says 8:01 and I doubt it.
Shelly
drops me off on main (Ivy Street?!) in JC and I see a crowd
as I run to the start.
It's the walkers and they're two minutes from starting, so
I'm about 3 minutes late. Pretty amazing actually.
No
number but I start my watch and take off. I see the back of
the race turning the corner onto Dane Lane. I catch the pack
and weave in and out, pass the mile mark in 5:49, weave more,
second mile in 5:53, more weaving and comments from friends
like, "what are you doing here?" "Sleep in, Boz?" Yeah, yeah.
I pass the 3 mile mark in 17:42 and I feel pretty good considering.
I
hate the next mile with the turn around and all. More comments.
Yeah, yeah. It's strange to run a race like this. Running
and passing everyone. Mile four 23:54 and I'm losing a little.
I regroup, concentrate on my form and feel okay. Around the
corner and back onto Dane Lane and I see my lovely wife and
son in the baby jogger doing the Scandia walk. "Hi!". I must
be feeling better. Mile five and 30:12. Losing a little even
though I am keeping my arms moving well. Last mile in 6:15
and I really thought I was going faster. I click off at 37:42.
The official clock says 40:40 and they whisk me through the
shoot.
Not
bad, been a little under this week, but a minute-fifteen improvement
over last year.
So
where is everybody? Let's see, Al Whalen PRs in 36:59, Dino
at 36:35 (I think he averaged the same pace at the Coburg
Half!), Mark Kalen is happy with his 38:29. KC breaks 38 by
a few seconds. The ageless Gene Solomon clicks 38:23 on about
11 miles a week. There's Brian Stockdale, T. Bone and Kyle
Gee. Cool.
Is
that? It is! Mike Logan. The Rage on the comeback trail! He
ran 38:21. Impressive! I tell him my time and he congratulates
me but mentions he beat me. Officially of course.
We'll
see Mike, we'll see...
http://www.goodrace.com/2003_Scandia_Run_results.htm
And
that's the truth.
Todd
Bosworth
A water
and aid station is set up at the corner of Love Lake Road
and Dane Lane.
2002 Race Photo by C. Eberhart
2002
Scandia Run Video Clips
Click
for Video of Race Leaders at Mile 1. Also,
an exclusive 10k Truth
feature...click for Video of Vanilla
Thunder at Mile 1 (Rage encourages him with the comment
of "Sack of hammers, baby!") This
year's Scandia race results can be found at http://www.goodrace.com/2002_Scandia_Run_Results.htm
Photos
from the 2002 Scandia Run
The
Valley South Athletic Club put on the 28th Annual Scandia
Run & Walk on August 10, 2002 in conjunction with Dari-Mart
and Junction City Parks & Rec. This USTAF certified 10K
course, out and back with a middle loop, was the final race
of Ben's summer trifecta during his month long 10KTruth indoctrination
with Uncle Vanilla Thunder, (receiving additional running
smack from Rage and T-Bone, of "we're
chick magnets...keep running and you can be a chick magnet
too" fame).
T-Bone
parks his classy set of wheels in downtown Junction City before
the 28th Annual Scandia Run.
"The
Truth hurts right now." - Kyle Gee (38:27)
This stretch
even had Bosworth (39:02) panting.
Ben heads
toward the 5-mile marker through a litter of paper cups.
T-Bone
(39:55) at the finish flashes the victory sign to "Uncle
VT" (41:39) and Ben (39:39).
Rage
Race Report: 2001 Scandia Run
If
you are looking for a fast 10k course, look no more, baby.
This one, billed locally as a "Roadrunner's Classic," most
certainly is. Looking back in our race archives here at 10kTruth,
I couldn't believe that we have never covered this race.
The Finish
Line awaits.
Every
runner has their course and I would venture to guess that
in the 27 years this race has been run, it has produced more
personal bests than any course, any distance, anywhere. This
race pumps out more sub-40s than St. Georges pumps out sub-3:00s.
The key difference is you don't need a parachute on the first
half of this course. It is as flat as they come…not a bump
in it. That's what I like best about it. It's one of those
"spare me the violin and just
gimme the number" courses. No excuses here, baby.
I
think another reason why it produces fast times for so many
runners is that it comes right on the tail end of the summer
running season. It's usually the second weekend of August,
and runners are coming fresh off several races, such as the
Butte-to-Butte, Coburg
Half/Five Miler and local All-Comers
meets. With this kind of backdrop, it's no wonder that folks
show up for this one in really good shape.
Ray Hughes
checks his watch at Mile 1 (4:42).
Why
is it called Scandia, you might ask? The race is part of Junction
City's (Oregon) annual "Scandanavian Festivale", a celebration
of heritage where you thankfully can't find a single swoosh
on any of the wooden shoes adorning some of the patrons. (Okay,
so maybe there's a pair of polysorb insoles smuggled into
a few pair).
As
much as I wanted to run it, The Rage would be sitting this
one out (sore knee). While I would not be tested on the course
this year, it would give me another opportunity once again
to offer my insight, analysis and witty one-liners (along
with some cool telestrating with Dwight up in the booth),
and to watch Coop.
I
hoofed it out to mile #1 and waited for the runners to come
by. It was perfect running weather…cool and overcast, and
the leader (Ray Hughes) made an early statement with a 4:42
first mile….ouch!
Kyle Gee
likes what he sees (5:50).
Just
about a minute later, Kyle Gee crossed mile one at about 5:50,
heading for what I suspected might be (you guessed it) a P.R.
Kyle was having a breakthrough year, reminiscent of the one
I had in 1999. He had been hot on my tail for the last couple
of years and I now find myself in the role of pursuer. He
looked completely in control as he glanced at his watch.
Ray Hughes
records his split at Mile 3.
Odis Sanders
in familiar territory, running alone at Scandia.
Coop
turned in a solid first mile, but the look on his face indicated
he felt like he left some on the table.
At
mile 3, Hughes continued to lead and Odis Sanders, the amazing
42 year old, was running in the top 10, as usual.
Kyle Gee
gears up for the second half.
Coop hugs
the line and drops a pair.
Hughes
approaches Mile 5.
Sanders,
a couple minutes back.
Kyle Gee
says hi on his way to a 36:18.
Kyle
came by, relaxed enough to say hello, as I snapped his picture.
His 37:11 (P.R.) at the Butte-To-Butte told me he would be
at least a minute faster here. He was well on his way, as
he crossed mile three well under 18:00 minutes, putting him
in great position for the second half. What an incredible
year he was having. He also broke 5:00 in the mile at the
All-Comers meets.
Coop smells
the barn.
Coop
followed shortly thereafter, while he was running strong,
his hair looked terrible (see finishing
photo). I was going to say something, but decided against
it, having learned to keep my course commentary focused and
to the point following the Run for the Shamrock earlier this
year.
The finish
line comes to life.
Coop
says, "Enough with the
camera thing, okay Rage?"
 Kyle
finished in 36:18 and Coop finished in 42:41. Hughes won it
in 30:31 with Sanders finishing 6th in 33:09.
It
was fun to watch, but I rather would have been running. I'll
be back…and that's The Truth.
Mark
Kalan says, "That ain't workin'...That's the way to do
it...."
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