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Heard on the Run How hot was it? You've no doubt hear the old joke about the pavement being hot enough to fry an egg. Eleven Shadowchase members experienced that first hand when they ran the Avenue of the Vines Half Marathon, May 18, in Lodi during a heat wave. The 13.1-mile course, run entirely on pavement through vineyards and past dairies, provided little relief from the sun. As one member put it, this half marathon was tougher than the full marathons he'd run before.
Go Western, young man Ultra-marathoner Jon Olsen, who missed out getting into the Western States 100 endurance run via the lottery, got a second chance. Olsen placed second in the Mi-Wok Trail 100K run near Sausalito, May 3. And the first three places in each gender are guaranteed a slot at Western. Olsen ran 8:24:13, beating the likes of Scott Jurek. ShadowChase will once again be manning the 49er Aid Station near mile 92 of Western, June 28-29, and we'll be looking for Olsen to make a hasty trip through enroute to the finish. Also finishing Mi-Wok were Vance Roget, 12:50:23; Linda McFadden, 13:11:44; Leslie Antonis, 14:11:31; Anita Schlenker, 15:50:25; and Barbara Elia, 16:02:26. They climbed 'Heartbreak Hill' and lived to tell about it Several ShadowChase members did the local running community proud as they were among the more than 25,000 competitors at the 112th Boston Marathon, April 21, 2008. To be eligible to even run Boston, they had to meet or exceed the qualifying time at a Boston-qualifying marathon.
  In memory of Javier Del Rio Aug. 18, 1934—April 15, 2008 ShadowChase Running Club lost a long-time member and the Modesto running community lost a premiere competitor when Javier Del Rio passed away April 15. Because of his gracious and warm personality, he was never at a loss for running partners. Most mornings, Mr. Del Rio could be seen running in East LaLoma Park with a pack of usually much younger runners on his tail trying to keep up with him. And he always had a smile on his face. Mr. Del Rio was a regular competitor at local races and dominated the 70-plus age category. He even gave much younger runners a run for their money with his speed. At the 2007 Asparagus Festival 5K, for example, the 72-year-old Mr. Del Rio ran 21:42, or a 7-minute-per-mile pace. That time would exceed the All-America Standard for male runners 70-74 of 23:45 for the 5K. When Mr. Del Rio would walk up to receive his medal at race awards ceremonies, the crowd would cheer his name. Because of his humble nature, Mr. Del Rio didn't run for the accolades. Instead he ran to be outdoors and to be with his running family and to keep healthy. He was named the 2006 ShadowChase Male Runner of the Year. Javier Del Rio—your smile will be missed down at LaLoma Park.  John Souza III These runners are way too cool Four ShadowChasers headed up to Cool, March 8, to run what turned out to be the blazingly fast Way Too Cool 50-mile ultramarathon. Despite some high water crossings created by recent snows, course records fell.
Napa—home of premium wines and marathons A handful of ShadowChase members ran the Napa Valley Marathon March 2, 2008, and produced some premium times, much like the wines the area is known for. In fact, the 26.2-mile route took runners down the Silverado Trail, where many of those wineries are located. They probably didn't have time to do wine tasting then, but they can sip a little cabernet by the fire tonight.
Club honors four outstanding members Find out who was named the ShadowChase Female Runner of the Year, Male Runner of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Most Inspirational Runner by clicking here. The awards were presented at the club's annual banquet, Jan. 26, 2008. 39-plus miles in 2 days "The marathon was a bit ducky, a bit mousy but mostly just plain goofy!" That's how one ShadowChase member described running the Donald Duck Half-marathon, followed the very next day by the Mickey Mouse full marathon at Disney World near Orlando, Fla. For their efforts, a group of only the hardiest (or maybe foolhardiest) ShadowChase members earned the Goofey medal for completing what Disney dubbed the Goofey Challenge. They were: |
