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Team Santa Fe Newsletter
February 2004
P.F. Chang Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
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January 11 2004
Phoenix, AZ
http://www.rnraz.com/
Lisa Barnes
Overall: 1675 out of 9882 finishers
Division: 98 out of 819 finishers
Time: 3:56:20 Pace: 9:01
The P.F. Chang Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon was the largest
first-time running event in history. The event was very well organized and
also a lot of fun since there was some type of music at every mile along the
course. There were aid stations with water and Gatorade every two miles
along the course. Both the marathon and half-marathon started in downtown
Phoenix and finished in downtown Tempe. The marathon course traveled
through Papago Park which added some rolling hills and a lot of headwind.
My husband Todd and I decided in October that we would spend some time
running and train for the marathon. We both are primarily cyclists and do
some trail running, so we knew we had a challenge in front of us. The
morning of the race turned out beautiful with warmer than normal
temperatures, so it was nice to not be miserable once we turned in our warm
clothes to the gear check area. The race went really fast due to all the
people along the course. It was very motivating to have so many people
cheering you on. There were also lots of little kids along the course who
would give you high-fives as you ran along. Todd did an awesome job and had
a finishing time of 3:25. I had a finishing time of 3:56 which was a little
off from my goal, but still a good race.
Many thanks to our sponsors. I used Thor-lo socks for all my training runs
and the marathon. My Polar Heart Rate monitor, my CW-X tights, shorts, and
tops, and my Montrail shoes were valuable during many of my training runs.
Mt Taylor Winter Quadrathlon
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February 14, 2004
Grants, New Mexico
http://mttaylorquad.org/
Kim Bear, 1st age group
Jan Bear, 3rd age group
Place No. Name Ca Bi B Bikeu Runup Skiup Shoeu Halfw Shoed Skidn Rundn Biked Final
===== ===== ========= == == = ======= ======= ====== ====== ======= ====== ====== ======= ====== =======
MALE 45 - 49 DIVISION
3 100 Jan Bear 7 48 M 57:27 56:01 38:28 27:05 2:59:01 10:47 19:51 43:53 35:04 4:48:35
FEMALE 40 - 44 DIVISION
1 3 Kim Bear 19 47 F 1:07:08 1:22:40 43:17 33:30 3:46:33 16:04 25:12 1:01:21 37:19 6:06:27
This was our 16th visit to Grants, New Mexico in the 21 years the race has
been held. It is one of the original multi-sport events in the US. It begins
with road cycling at 9Am for the soloists and 10AM for teams. Racers start
with a thirteen mile road bike ride on paved road. The course winds through
the streets of Grants and begins the 1,800 foot climb from desert cactus to
ponderosa pine. Transition number one begins at the end of the paved road;
bikes are parked and racers must run the next five miles on gravel roads.
The road generally starts out dry but usually turns to snow pack and this
year there was snow, ice and mud for the last half of the run. This part of
the course climbs 1,200 feet in elevation. Transition number two is where
runners then turn to cross-country skis to challenge the next 1,200 foot
climb of the mountaineering ski course that covers two miles. During the
final yards of this course you must face the notorious "Heart Break Hill"
that lies waiting for weary racers. Finally the transition to snowshoeing is
reached with one mile remaining to climb on snowshoes. You gain 600 feet
to reach the 11,301 foot summit of Mt. Taylor where you can see for over one
hundred miles on a clear day. At this point you are half way and must turn
and go back to repeat the four events and race the 22 miles back to the
Start/Finish line.
For the fifth year in a row, Danelle Ballengee (of Dillon, Colorado) took
first place in the Women's Solo Division. This was Ballengee's seventh win
in the last 11 Quadrathlons. She shows no sign of stopping. "After doing it
for years and years and years," she said, "sometimes it's like, man, I don't
want to hurt out there. And you have no choice but to hurt out there because
it's just a tough course. But, you know, I love it." This woman wins Eco
Challenges!
Jan and Kim Bear showed up for a cold Quad. This is a race that remains
challenging year after year. We feel like Danelle, we just wish we were as
fast! Kim ended up coming in first in her age group and Jan came in third in
his. It was a Happy Valentines!
Team Santa Fe sponsor gear included Sealskinz socks which worked well to
keep the feet warm and dry in all four events. The Litespeed Classic's
bicycle powered us on the pavement while Bolle sunglasses protected our
eyes. Of course our Litespeed's had Terry saddles which added comfort as we
climbed. It was cold, but bright so Dermatone sunscreen protected our faces,
ThroLo's were the sock of choice and AXO bike shoes were used for the bike
and Montrails for the run. During the x-country ski and snowshoe we used
Leki poles and during the shoeshoe our Crescent Moon snowshoes. The tights
and shirt used during the whole event were CW-X. Boulder Bars were used for
nutrition and carried in our CamelBak's with plenty of fluid.
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