Team 64
John Dodds Training in his Space Suit with his Tire
John Dodds. I began running in the summer of 1997 and ran my first marathon nine weeks later (the Air Force inaugural marathon). Two years later, I ran a marathon in upstate New York that happened to be a trail marathon. I didn't really know what that was before signing up, but on that day is when I became a convert to trail running. Someone up there told me I should try out "Horton's Run" in Virginia, and a couple months later I ran my first ultra: the Mountain Masochist 50-Miler. Since 1997 I've run about 35 marathons, including 8 Boston marathons, and about 35 ultras, including 9 100-milers. I'm now looking forward to going to Badwater with James, Carolyn, and Joe.
James Moore finishes his 1999 C&O Canal run. Wife Rebecca is on the bike.
James Moore. During my twenty years in the military, we were required to run two miles in 18 minutes or less as part of a Physical Training (PT) test. We were tested twice a year. Just before the test most of us, especially me, would go on this one-week training schedule to "gut" out this two mile run. We were rewarded later at the NCO club by putting back all the good beer we had worked out of our system. Somewhere during this time frame I heard of or read about people actually running 6.2 miles. My goal was now set. I started training with one thing in mind, running a complete 10k race. After 10K's came 10 milers, then half marathons and finally a full marathon.
My first attempt at an ultra was the old Massanutten Mountain Massacre 50 miler. I tried it two times and DNF'ed each time. I did not get a chance for a 3rd try because the race was canceled (thank goodness). My first complete ultra was the JFK 50 miler. Since then, I've completed over 120 ultras which include fifteen 100 milers, numerous 50 milers and 50k's and a few multi-day runs.
Running has allowed me to meet some of the nicest folks you will find anywhere. My wife Rebecca and I feel fortunate to be able to enjoy all the nice things running has afforded us. I'm really looking forward to crewing at Badwater. I will be working with two of those nice folks (Carolyn Gernand and Joe Malinowski) I mentioned earlier. Oh yeah, and John Dodds.
Carolyn at the Andiamo 45 Miler
Carolyn Gernand. Started jogging on June 11, 1990, because I wanted to be on my office's "team" that required a 1 1/2 mile run: I didn't know if I could run a mile and a half! Ran half a mile every day for a month, then a mile every day for the second month, then a mile and a half until the team event in September. Decided I actually liked it! Trained for marathons on the W&OD rail-trail. In the spring of 1994, I mentioned at the gym one day that I thought it would be interesting to run the whole 45-mile W&OD trail end-to-end, but that of course that was ridiculous. Another woman said, "My running club does that! They call it the Andiamo!" I contacted the VHTRC immediately and that's how I got into the long distance trail stuff. My "event counts" pale by comparison to others, but here they are anyway: 34 marathons; 46 50Ks; 27 45 - 50 milers (includes the aforementioned Andiamo, 7 times); 2 100Ks; 1 71-miler; 1 totally unofficial 100-miler.
My favorite part is enjoying the run. I like to check out the wildflowers and the rock formations and the birds and other critters. Yes, the faster runners often "scare off" the critters, but sometimes the woodland creatures have started to think it is safe to come back out by the time I get there.
I am definitely at the back of the back-of-the-pack. The last time someone swore to me that she was really, really slow and always finished "last," I checked the event results she mentioned and saw that she finished over an hour ahead of me. My reputation as a walking convenience store comes from my tendency to have everything I might conceivably need to support myself, as I may be "out there" a long time. But my vast assortment of supplies has helped many others on the trail.
I do have some credentials for providing official support, too. I have provided aid station support at several MMT100s and also supported one of James Moore's C&O Canal towpath out & back runs and his Pittsburgh-to-Georgetown odyssey. I particularly love studying maps to find my way into obscure access points; the runner may not know what was involved in getting there, but the other support vehicle occupants certainly do! There do not appear to be too many roads marked in the Death Valley National Park. So I've been studying maps to determine how far away one has to go to get to places that might have something we need. As though I would even consider being unprepared...
Joe Malinowski
Joe Malinowski. I always ran or jogged for fitness while training for high school sports in the early 60s. Really got hooked while trying to earn the coveted "Turtle Trotter Club" t-shirt during my tour in Vietnam in ’69. The requirement was to run 3 miles under 21 minutes when the temperature was in excess of 100 degrees. Of course, we only "trained" one day (hey, it was a war zone!) and we drank all day leading to qualification time. All this for an OD t-shirt that had a picture of a turtle running with a pot (helmet), flak vest and M-16! My God, were we ever drunk!! I wore that t-shirt until it literally fell off of me!
After getting back to "the world" I always found running to be the one thing to bring balance back to my life. The great timing of this new vice coincided with the "running boom". To watch Frank Shorter win the ’72 Olympic Marathon and Bill Rogers winning the Boston & New York Marathons was an inspiration to all of us who were lacing up running shoes back then. I had been running quite regularly and decided to run my first marathon when I turned 30 yrs... Dallas White Rock Marathon. My running took off from there. To date, I have completed 54 marathons (Dallas White Rock: 77-80, Ft. Worth Cowtown: 78-80, Marine Corps: 82-04, DC Marathon: 83-84, VA Beach Shamrock: 89-05, Grandfather Mtn: 02-04, HOPS Tampa Bay: 04, Gasparilla: 05). Turning 50 yrs was another running milestone as I ran my first ultra and the first of 8 JFK 50 Milers and 13 other ultras (Bull Run 50: 98, 00, Andiamo 45.5: 00, 02, 04, Umstead 50/100: "50 miles 01-05", Capon Valley 50K: 02-04). The 100 miler is still an elusive goal, but I learn from every attempt. Crewing Badwater 135 for John with Carolyn & James will definitely be the inspiration to get me there!
The greatest reward over these past years have been the friends I've made along the way. Not to mention running with our daughter Jodi to complete her first marathon and having my wife Kathy be my crew member for life! I'm not fast, but I'm steady and enjoy every step along the way. I have had nothing but Happy Streets, Happy Trails and Happy Times!