Santa Fe Ski and Shoe
http://www.santafestriders.org/
Santa Fe, NM
January 15 2005
Carl Gable 1:41:06, 5th overall, 5th M40

by Carl Gable

The Santa Fe Ski/Shoe is three races. One can either enter the eleven mile combination event which is four miles of skiing up the Aspen Vista road, and a transition to snowshoes for about 1.5 miles to the turn around. The two shorter events are either a six mile ski or a four mile snowshoe. The event is jointly organized by Santa Fe Striders, Norski Trails de Santa Fe and Team Santa Fe. The main race sponsors are Crescent Moon Snowshoes, Montrail Running Shoes, SealSkinz Waterproof Socks and Dermatone Sunscreen.

This year we were luck to have superb conditions. The first two weeks of January had unusually large amounts of precipitation so the snow coverage on the course was great and the condition of the snow was perfect, which combined with the grooming by Norski Trails de Santa Fe made for a very enjoyable course. The majority or the racers entered the ski/shoe. A mass start of twenty five skiers quickly thinned out and then the hard work began. This is not the typical rolling terrain for a Nordic ski race. This is a hill climb on the way out and a fast double poll descent. The upper portion of the course that was done on snowshoes was windy with some portions of deep snow. This gave the leaders a bit more work. Overall, it was a great day. To top it off, after the race I met some friends and did a four hour ski tour into the Lost Fork drainage. This was a wonderful climb then 2,000 foot powder ski decent through spruce and aspen forest.

A big thank you to the folks that helped organize the race and to the sponsors who were generous with prizes.

Houston HP Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon
www.hphoustonmarathon.com
Houston, TX
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Lisa Carr-Broome, 04:08:31, 2074/5727 overall, 53/238 F45-49
George Broome, 02:14:58, 2889/ 6736 overall, 15/52 M65-69

by Lisa Broome

Approximately 14,000 runners joined to compete in the 33rd annual Houston HP Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon. Starting with the national anthem and a two F-16 fighter jet salute fly by, the gun sounded at 0700 and all runners were off....7,000-plus marathoners and 6,000-plus half marathoners. It was a perfect sunny day for a winter marathon with starting temperatures in the mid 30's and expected high's in the mid 50's. The closed marathon course started and ended at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, weaving its way through many Houston communities which included the Heights, Montrose (where the half marathoner's course turned back to downtown), Medical Center, West University, The Galleria, Tanglewood and Memorial. It was well supported by the people of these communities who turned out in record numbers to cheer the runners on. The traditional Hoopla Brigade volunteers decorated water stops with various themes, providing music and always including a large cheering section. Over 5,000 volunteers participated in planning and executing the events leading up to race day as well as the race itself making the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon a huge success.

Our statistics are as follows:
Lisa "HP Houston Marathon"
Chip Time 04:07:11
Clock Time 04:08:31
Pace 9:25
Placement Overall 2074/ 5727 finishers
Gender 461
Overall Division 53/ 238 (female 45-49)

George "Aramco Half Marathon"
Chip Time 02:12:39
Clock Time 02:14:58
Pace 10:07
Placement Overall 2889/ 6736 finishers
Gender 1835
Overall Division 15/ 52 (male 65-69)

All runners were encouraged to participate in "Run for a Reason" where runners raised money for local charities or a charity of their choice. I elected to raise money for the American Stroke Association (Birmingham, AL Chapter) in memory of my father, Bill Carr. I want to thank my family for supporting me in this race as well as their donations to such a worthy charity.

We want to thank our Team Santa Fe sponsors for their continued support and belief in us. Products we used were Sofsole insoles and running jerseys, E-cap endurolytes and Bolle sunglasses.

The Wall - The 26th Annual Louisiana Long Distance Championship Races; 30K and 10K
http://www.runnotc.org/races/2005/wall.html
East Bank Bridge Recreation Park, Destrehan, LA
January 30, 2005
Barb Dutrow 2:27 5thF 1st Masters F 

by Barb Dutrow

Under overcast and gray skies, with temperatures hovering around 50F, more than 500 runners gathered on top of the Mississippi River Levee for "The Wall". The race began about 15 minutes late, due to the non-delivery of port-o-lets, leaving runners to nicely chill prior to starting. A mass start of both the 10K and 30K runners on the 6' wide asphalt levee path made for some slow first miles. The course is fast, rather flat (we descended and ascended the levee twice), and out and back atop the Levee; there is no shelter from the elements. A stiff, relentless headwind zapped strength until nearly the turn around. Once the hairpin turn was made, my pace picked up 30 sec/mile!

Despite the dreary skies, the run was incredibly scenic. Runner's distractions included Destrehan Plantation, live oaks with hanging Spanish Moss, immense loading docks, tug boats and cargo ships moving up river. Added excitement is that the Mississippi River is at flood stage, and seeing the water about 15' from the levee top on the river side, with the towns about 30' lower on the opposite side, reinforced the fact that without a levee, New Orleans would be simply wetlands! The New Orleans Track Club (NOTC) always puts on great races; miles marked, plenty of aid stations and volunteers, food and water at the finish.

Race results will be posted in a few days on the NOTC website, but are not available at writing time. I finished in 2:27:24 for 5th Female and 1st Masters Female, around 45th overall.

Thanks to Polar Heart Rate systems for keeping me on pace and to Thorlo for Padding my feet.

Frost Bike 50
http://www.jvgolddusters.com/frostbike.asp
Cypress, TX
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Lisa Carr-Broome and George Broome

by Lisa Broome

The 3rd annual Frost Bike 50 is a 45 or 55 mile MS 150 training ride through Cypress, TX which is located 30 miles northwest of Houston. Sponsored by Northwest Cyclery, all proceeds benefited the Jersey Village School Gold Duster Drill Team.

It was a gray, cold (43 degrees) mass start at 0800 from Cy-Fair College of approximately 1500 riders. A great winter training ride on a frosty, windy and wet day, we rode 54.09 miles averaging 17.08 mph thus completing our ride in 3 hours 16 minutes. The 1 rest stop we stopped at was well manned and stocked with delicious home made goodies. A great time was had by all.

Gear used by our Team Santa Fe sponsors included CW-X biking jerseys, Sofsole insoles, Bolle sunglasses, Terry saddles, Camelbak hydration packs, Suunto wrist computer with Polar HRM and Thorlos smart wool socks.