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IntroductionA “race feedback form” was given to the members at the races so they could tell their likes and dislikes. Pearl Ibarra instituted a point system to recognize volunteers at the end of the year. The Tidewater Striders was the first RRCA club to have a wheelchair division in some of its races. A 25th Anniversary Party for the Striders was held. Youth runners Aspen Foster and Katie Keally achieved All American status in 1997.Several new initiatives were put in place to get feedback from the members and to increase volunteer participation.

Club OperationsThe first Board Meeting of 1997 was called to order by President Betty Belknap on January 20. The following offices were filled by secret ballot:

President: Ray OchsVice President: Mike HillinchSecretary: Pearl IbarraTreasurer: Dan Edwards.

The Board members were: Tom Bashara, Chris Catoe, Bret Dattke, Dan Edwards, Blair Fackler, Pete Gibson, Mike Hillinch, Pearl Ibarra, Ray Ochs, Jacqueline Spitzli, Bill Spruill, and Paul Steele.In 1997, the Shamrock Tune-up Series was moved to Fort Story from Northwest River Park, near the North Caro-lina border. The move proved to be very successful as the participation in the 10K races increased three fold and the longer races increased about 25% over the previous year. The race schedule had 62 races. “The club had $64,000 in the bank and a working budget of $101,000,” according to Ray Ochs in The History of the Tidewater Striders. In the January edition of The Rundown, Ochs mentioned several initiatives which allowed the club members a better line of communications to the Board. One of those would be a race feedback form.In February, the Board discussed plans to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Tidewater Striders. Also, a lively discussion was held concerning moving the club’s mail-

1997

by Randy Cook

box from Chesapeake to Virginia Beach. By a vote of 8-2 the board elected to keep it in Chesapeake.Ochs noted that a new point system created by Pearl Ibar-ra to recognize volunteers, went into effect in 1997. The Awards Banquet was a big success with more than 125 Strider members in attendance. A new Strider logo ap-peared in The Rundown and on race flyers. The March is-sue of The Rundown mentioned that the Elizabeth River Run 10K was the Eastern Regional 10K Championship, the Neptune Festival 8K was the Eastern Regional 8K Championship, and the Breezy Point Triathlon was the USA Triathlon Mid-Atlantic Regional Sprint Champion-ship for 1997. At the March Board Meeting, Ochs reported that the RRCA Annual Convention would be in Colorado Springs, Colorado. However, since it was the same week-end as the Breezy Point Triathlon, the Board decided not to send a representative. Tommy Holland proposed to hold summer track meets for interested club members and in exchange the Board gave him a Golden Runner number. Also in 1997, the club displayed the T-Shirt designs for the Elizabeth River Run 10K at the Shamrock Sports Fest, and had the runners vote on their favorite one. The Shamrock Marathon was televised on ESPN, in April.The May issue of The Rundown mentioned that the Board members would be wearing dark blue polo shirts at the rac-es so they could be recognized if any members had ques-tions for them. Ochs noted that the bad weather affected the Elizabeth River Run and lowered the participation to a low of 1563; an amount not seen in over 10 years. The Women’s Distance Festival would be blessed with good weather in 1997; however, there were over 180 finishers and 250 attended the after race beach party. Unfortunately, the third race of the summer series in July was canceled due to lightning. The events averaged 190 participants and nearly 80 new members joined the club. On May 16th, the movie “Prefontaine” was brought to the Naro by Running Etc. It was a documentary about one of the greatest Ameri-can distance runners.On June 11th, a group of “elite” runners led by Dave Mc-Donald and Dave Coulter addressed the Board to discuss team competition, and how to promote competitive run-

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ning. Taco Bell became the sponsor of the 1997 Women’s Distance Festival. Three new time machines were pur-chased at a cost of $800.00 each.The Membership Chairperson reported that the club reached 1500 members as of July 22nd; up from January’s total of 1387. The club continued to add new areas. The August President’s column in The Rundown announced that a new Wheelchair Committee had been formed and a Grand Prix for the Wheelchair participants would proba-bly be in place by next year. This would be the first Wheel-chair Division of any running club that was part of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA).On September 20th, the Striders held a 25th Anniversary Party/Meeting. The October 20th Board Meeting had a lively discussion concerning which volunteers should be invited to the Volunteer Appreciation Brunch on Novem-ber 2. There were 230 members who had helped the club in some capacity, but it was finally narrowed down to the 80 who were invited. The point system that would soon go into effect would simplify matters.The Striders nominated Jerry Bocrie, Dave Harrison, and Betty Belknap for the RRCA 2,000 Hour Volunteer Award. Ray Ochs was nominated for the RRCA Race Director of the Year for the Neptune Festival 8K. Betty Belknap was nominated for the RRCA Rod Steele Award and Paul Steele chose three issues of The Rundown for submission for the RRCA Outstanding Newsletter for a large club.Golden Runner numbers were given to James Dennis (the DJ), and volunteer coordinators Kim Hux and Mickey Webb.

The new members of the 1998 Board were Tom Bashara, Chris Catoe, Dan Edwards, Pearl Ibarra, Deanie Nelson, and Barbara Mathewson.Ray Ochs stressed the importance of getting more of the Strider races accurately certified so that state records could be set. At the time, only a few courses were certified.

NewsletterR. P. Kale and Margaret Duffy brought back the Strider Profiles with at least 2 profiles a month.Dr. Scott Banks and T. Roy Jarrett, III wrote an excellent article in the March Rundown on “Stretching and Warm-Up: What Really Works?”Nancy Clark, MS, RD wrote monthly columns titled, “Nu-trition News.”The May issue of The Rundown published the results of the member survey. Some of the more interesting results were:• The majority of the members were in the 40-59 age

group.• The majority live in Virginia Beach.• The preferred race distance is the 10K followed by the

5K.• The average member participates in 11-25 events a

year.The cover of the October Rundown had a photo of 11 past presidents who attended the 25th Anniversary Party. Those in attendance were Sonja Whitley, Jerry Bocrie, Ray Ochs, K. E. Morgan, Betty Belknap, Randy Cook, Mike Fuller, Dave McDonald, Mel Williams, Bob Jennings, and Bill Simmons.The October newsletter congratulated Valerie and Benson Porter on the birth of their son, on September 26, 1997. Also, to Deanie Nelson and Barry Eldridge for their mar-riage on September 27, 1997.

Running• The Open Men and Open Women’s Teams placed 1st

and the co-ed team placed 2nd at the Hampton Bay Days 10K.

• The Open Men and Open Women placed 1st at the Mul-berry Island Half Marathon.

• The Open Men’s Team was 1st at the Army 10 Miler.• The Strider Open Women and Masters Women won

their divisions at the Pomoco Half Marathon, on De-cember 7.

• The Striders Masters Women’s Team won the Sham-rock Marathon. Team members were Peggy Frederick, Darcy Mahler, Dixie Levinsky, Diane Caracciclo, B. J. Samuels, and Susan Hall.

Running Etc arranged for Prefontaine to be shown at the Naro in Ghent. Photo courtesy Running Etc Wall of Fame

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• The Striders Masters Women finished 2nd in the Sham-rock 8K. Team members were Barb Mathewson, Joey Hallock, Jeanne Kruger, Suzanne Stansfield, Jeane Bowers, Evie Thompson-Lakey, and Kathy Manke.

• The Striders Open Women’s Team won the Shamrock Marathon. Team members were Nancy Delaney, There-sa Hanner, Elizabeth Ware, Ellen Bollinger, and Karen Pica.

• The Striders Open Women’s Team placed 2nd in the 19th Annual Elizabeth River Run. Team Members were Monica Allard (3rd overall in 40:24), Bee Andrews, Nancy Delaney, and Sheri Segal.

• The Strider Open Men’s Team placed 1st in the Sen-tara Bay Days 10K, on September 13. Team members were Muluye Muluneh (32:04 and 3rd overall), Michael Mann, Dave McDonald (32:46 and 1st Master), Mike Colaiacova, and John Lomogda.

• The Open Women’s Team also won the Bay Days 10K. Team members were Amy Chadwick, Sheri Segal, Lisa Buckman-Lewis, Jeanne Kruger, and Dorothy Winn.

• The Striders Open Men’s Team won the Mulberry Is-land Half Marathon on October 4. Team members were Michael Harrison (1:09:41 and 1st overall), Patrick O’Rourke, and Muluye Muluneh.

• The Striders Open Women also won at Mulberry Is-land. Team members were Laura Booth (1:28:23 and 1st overall), Lisa Buckman-Lewis, Jeanne Kruger, and Deborah Kopecky.

WalkingIn his History of Walking in the Tidewater Striders, Jordan Levitin noted that at the July Board of Directors Meet-ing, Secretary Pearl Ibarra stated that no one had stepped forward to chair the Walking Committee. Three potential candidates would be contacted and a notice put in The Rundown. Members of the Board questioned the merits of the Walking Committee. The secretary recorded:

“It was noted that there was little or no participa-tion, and walking as a competitive sport had de-clined for various reasons. Ibarra pointed out that the Walking Committee was a standing committee prescribed in the constitution and to eliminate the committee would require a vote from the general membership.”Levitin remarked, “Organized walking in the Tidewater Striders had reached the lowest point in its history. In the December issue of The Run-down, a list of coordinators and volunteers need-ed included the following: Walking Committee Chair. Qualifications: Enthusiastic walker desir-ing to promote the benefits and fun of walking. It can be a very fulfilling task that is appreciated

by the club. I will provide assistance in any way that I can. If interested, contact Paul Steele or any board member.”

MultisportThe weather proved to be ideal for the Breezy Point Tri-athlon as it would see approximately 550 participants. This would be the largest field to date, Ochs noted in his History of the Tidewater Striders.Running Etc. hosted a “first-timers” triathlon clinic on January 29th with a panel of top triathletes to share their training secrets and answer any questions.Ada and Allen Lester had monthly columns in The Run-down on training techniques, good locations to train on the bicycle, and how to improve your swimming techniques.Pearl Ibarra reported that both the Open Men’s Triathlon Team consisting of Cole Fackler, Ray Ochs, and Blair Fackler, and the Open Women’s Triathlon Team consist-ing of Mimi Fackler, Lauren Fisk, and Jessie McDaniels won by large margins at the Outer Banks Triathlon on Sep-tember 9.

Youth ProgramAt the April Board Meeting, Dan Edwards reported that there would be a running camp at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina for the youth runners. Tim Webb became a coach for the New Energy Youth Team. New Energy Team members participated in two National meets and placed 8th at the National level. Aspen Foster and Katie Keally were named All-Americans.The Tidewater Striders and Running Etc. sponsored the Seventh Annual Youth Grand Prix.

Stote Farnham and Allen Lester toast their 2nd and 3rd Place finish among Men 50+ at the Conchman Triathlon in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Rivals and friends such as these are the real reason we run and tri!

Photo courtesy of TriDuo

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Several Youth members excelled in summer meets. They included Kristin DiCarlo, Sarah DiCarlo, Laura Edwards, Aspen Foster, Katie Keally, Lindsey Kent, Megan Kent, Erica Lowe, Marissa McCain, April Orleans, Rose Or-leans, MacKenzie White, Ernie Buchanan, Kyle Foster, Ryan Kent, Mathew Keally, and Jason Lowe.

Key Awards for the Year – from the Awards BanquetPeggy Murphy was chosen the Volunteer of the Year.Ray Ochs presented Presidential Awards to the following Strider members.

• Rick and Sharon Brown• Paul and Sylvia Steele• Mike and Pam Robinson• Demo and Elaine Eleftherion• Doug Dugroo• Dan Edwards• Deanie Eldridge• Pearl Ibarra• Chris Catoe• Betty Belknap

ScholarshipsIn 1997, the Striders increased the amount of money given for a youth scholarship from $500.00 to $1,000.00. The Scholarship Committee consisted of Chuck Lollar, Sheri Segal, Mimi Fackler, Blair Fackler, Ed Brinkley, and Tom Bashara. They had a very difficult task to narrow down the eight nominees to five finalists. The winners were Megan Kaminisky, Adrienne Parker, Danny Tepovich, John John-

son, and Kim Steele. The Virginian-Pilot ran a story on the winners in the first week in June.

MiscellaneousIn May, Ray Ochs reported that health fairs were held at Virginia Beach General Hospital, Oceana, and Dam Neck. The following Striders helped to man the booths: B. J. Samuels, Barb Mathewson, John May, Pearl Ibarra, and Ray Ochs.Mailings were sent to all area track coaches to help recruit new members.In May, 16 volunteers “reblazed” a portion of Long Creek Trail by cutting back debris. The Tidewater Striders An-nual Picnic/Social was held on August 10th at Dam Neck and was attended by 142 members. Thanks went out to B. J. Samuels, Chris Catoe, and their committee.The October 2nd General Meeting was held at DePaul Hos-pital, in the Price Auditorium. The guest speaker was Anna Pittman and the topic was Yoga, Flexibility, and Running.The Seventh Annual Striders Golf Tournament was held at the Stumpy Lake Golf Course. The winning team was John Roadman, Kenneth Royall, Mike Fuller, and Patti Fuller. Longest drive winners were Melissa McNaull and Kenneth Royall. Closest to the pin winners were Melissa McNaull and Robert Read.October 21st was the First Annual National Run to Work Day, and RRCA clubs were encouraged to look for cre-ative, fun, and zany ways to support this event.

New Energy Runners in 1997: Some of the runners included are: Back Row: Kyle Foster, Matt Keally, Ryan Kent and Ernie Buchanan. In the front are Kristen DiCarlo (327), Aspen Foster (311), Katie Keally (313), Amanda Boswell

(309), Laura Edwards (312), Lindsay Kent (334). We apologize to those we weren’t able to recognize. Photo courtesy Running Etc Wall of Fame

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1998

by Dave Harrah

IntroductionOn the National level, the “National Distance Running Hall of Fame” was established on July 11th, to honor those who had contributed to the sport of distance running. Many of those who were inducted had achieved great success as runners, but some were enshrined for their ability to bring fame and recognition to the sport. Inductees for 1998 were Joan Benoit, Ted Corbitt, “Boston” Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter and Kathrine Switzer. 1998 would prove to be a fantastic year for our “Striders” with a lot of action and many highlights.

Club OperationsThe Strider leadership began their year by holding the An-nual Board of Director’s installation dinner on January 19th, returning to the ever popular Steak & Ale (located near JANAF Shopping Center).The following key Officers as Board Members were con-firmed:

Ray Ochs – PresidentPearl Ibarra – Vice President (also Audit/Banquet/Teams)Barb Matterson – Secretary (also Election)Dan Edwards – Treasurer (also Youth Programs)Tom Bashara - ScholarshipChris Catoe - BoardDeanie Eldridge - MembershipBlair Fackler – Publicity & Public RelationsMike Hillinch – Programs (also Publications)Kevin Kendall - ConstitutionSteve Scudder – Triathlon (Multisport)Bill Spruill – Board.

Other key chairpersons within the club as Standing Com-mittee Chairs were:

K.E. Morgan – AdvisoryPete Gibson – Awards/Grand PrixR.P. Kale – Race

Jim Resolute – Walking.The Board of Directors monthly meetings shifted to the offices of “Heileg, McKency, Fraim and Lollar, P.C.,” on Newtown Road. The meetings during 1998 were held on the third Monday of the month and were open to all club members.Early in the year, Rick and Sharon Brown decided to step down from many of their finish line duties (both had been involved in providing critical volunteer support since the mid 1980’s).Of historical note early in the year was correspondence exchanged between President Ray Ochs and Board Mem-ber Mike Hillinch concerning “Policies and Procedures” (established 1997) and refining the morale and “image” of the Board of Directors. As a result, the Board established a working schedule which reminded them that an existing Constitution Chairperson was to ensure that all changes were to be distributed at the end of the year to all Board members and that new Board members would receive cop-ies. At the time, there existed 21 policies and procedures. A review and update to these policies and procedures were to be conducted every five years.The “Adopt-A-Highway” program continued as a wonder-ful community service by the Striders with over 35 people participating in March and over 65 bags of trash collected. Ray Ochs commented in the April Rundown that “we man-aged to clean both sides of Shore Drive from the West to the East entrance of Fort Story. When finished, the road looked fantastic for the 26th running of the Shamrock Marathon”. This program would be conducted many times throughout the year with great success and much appre-ciation from the City of Virginia Beach. So much so that Vice Mayor Will Sessoms presented a “City Certificate of Commendation” to the club, which was accepted by Rich Hildreth (Committee Chair).The membership committee started a new membership drive where gifts could be earned and discounts given based on how many people one could sign up! Member-ship for the year peaked in August to 1700.

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The annual picnic was held again in August with approxi-mately 140 members attending and was one of the big-gest turnouts in club history (to date). The volunteer party in November was also a huge success with over 70 club members attending to take a dinner cruise. The organizer for this event was Vice President Pearl Ibarra.The fall General Meeting was held at De Paul Hospital’s Price Auditorium. A superb presentation was given on “running safety” followed by the monthly general meet-ing where nominations were taken for the 1999 Board of Directors.NOTE: As a result of a re-design of the Strider’s logo in 1997, window decals with the newer more rectangular de-sign could be seen all over Hampton Roads on all types of vehicles. GO STRIDERS!!!!

NewsletterThe Rundown continued to be the “outreach” document to the entire membership community. This monthly news source, edited by Paul Steele with assistant editorship from his wife Sylvia, was a continuation of over eight years of painstaking work to produce a quality newsletter that many would laude as the “BEST running club news-letter in the country.” In future years this would become reality. Unfortunately, Paul decided to step down and, with that, “up stepped” Evie-Thomson Lakey as the new editor.Along with the standard fare of Board minutes, news ar-ticles, nutrition sections, race results/applications and ad-vertising, The Rundown continued to highlight “Strider Profiles”. Many club members were extremely happy to see their individual story and picture provided to the masses. The following members were profiled: Michael Harrison, Barb Matterson, Phil Pasqualino, Cindy Hinkle, Michael Mann, Suzanne Stansfield, Cinda O’Dell, John Price, Edward Jefferson, Dorothy Winn, Priscilla Jaffee, Rock Eason, Karen Miller and Ann Hirn.

RunningThe Grand Prix Series continued to be a very popular grouping of races offering friendly (and sometimes not too friendly) competition within age groups. Grand Prix races for 1998 included:

• Cross Country Challenge 5K• Shamrock Marathon/8K• Churchland Challenge 5K• Elizabeth River Run 10K• Pungo Strawberry Festival 5K• Women’s Distance Festival 5K• Striders 1 Mile (Track)• Neptune Festival 8K

• Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) 10 Miler

• Turkey Trot 10K• Distance Series 20K.

The following are some key races during the 1998 season. Unfortunately, results of some club races were not listed in The Rundown, thus unavailable for this history:• The Distance Series (affectionately referred to as

the “Winter Tune Up” Series) continued its popular-ity as a training tool for the Shamrock Marathon. The 20K-25K-30K top men’s winner was 40 year old Bill Bustin with a combined time of 4:43:09 and top female runner was Bee Andrews with an outstanding 5:15:19.

• The Cross Country Challenge 5K (GP) was won by Michael Mann in 16:07 with Deb Kopecky in 19:43.

• The Run For Independence 5K, on March 7th, was won by Tommy Holland in 15:06 and Leslie Willis in 18:44.

• The 4th Annual Falcon 5K run, on March 14th, saw a repeat performance by Tommy Holland, who ran an outstanding 15:10 for men’s first place. Top female of the day was Valerie Plyer in 18:28.

• The all popular Lions Journey For Sight (16th running) 5K was run in March with Bryan Mordecai running an outstanding 16:11 and Dorothy Winn taking top honors in 21:33.

• 1998 marked the 26th running of the Shamrock Mara-thon (GP) and 8K. Over 5000 runners were in atten-dance with six state age group records broken, four of them by some of the FASTEST Striders at the time. The Marathon was won by Michael Harrison in 2:27:52. State age group records broken included out-standing runs by Sheri Segal (40-44) in 3:00:32, Jeanne Kruger (50-54) in 3:15:39 and Mel Williams (60-64) in 2:56:46. Setting a new state age group record for the 8K (age group 15 to 19) was Pam Edwards with a time of 29:48. NOTE: A Tidewater Striders Men’s team took First Place in the Shamrock 8K. Team mem-bers consisted of Pete Gibson, Dave McDonald, Bill Hart, Steve Frisk and Jeff Long. Two Women’s teams also garnished First Place honors. The Marathon team consisted of Sheri Segal, Bee Andrews, Lisa Buckman-Lewis, Laura Booth, and Cinda O’Dell. The Ladies 8K team consisted of Nancy Delaney, Leslie Willis, Kend-all Tata, Elizabeth Ware and Pearl Ibarra.

• The 11th Annual Churchland Challenge 5K run (GP), held on April 4th, saw Pete Gibson take first for men in 16:21 and Deb Kopecky haul in the female honors in 19:27.

• One of spring’s most popular races (with a field of close to 1000), the 20th running of the International Azalea Festival 8K (sponsored by the Optimist Club of Nor-

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folk), resulted in some fast times to say the least. Top male running honors went to Gary Sullivan in 26:27 and top female was Amy Chadwick in 31:09. The top Military Team finishing was USS Leyte Gulf.

• The Elizabeth River Run 10K (GP), held May 2, was (and still is) one of the most competitive races in the region. Five Tidewater Strider teams were fielded. The “A” Team (as it was affectionately called) ran strong enough to capture the First Place crown. Team members were Dave McDonald (33:28), Pete Gibson (34:14), Reuben Beauchamp (35:31), Bill Hart (36:19) and Rob Levinsky (36:56). The Strider’s Ladies team finished first. Outstanding runs by Bee Andrews (39:54), Les-lie Willis (39:02), Barb Mathewson (40:50) and Evie-Thomson Lakey (44:37).

• The YMCA Independence Day 5K at Mount Trashmore on July 4th was run in HOT weather, which matched the HOT competition. Top male honors went to Billy McLaughlin in 15:42 and top female was Nancy Del-aney in 18:50.

• The heat of August did not stop Pete Gibson from win-ning the 20th Annual Run for Sight 5K in 16:00. The La-dies top honor was captured by Kendall Tata in 19:02.

• The Naval Base OPEN 8K was a popular race held on the biggest Naval Base in the world, and in 1998 it was held on August 8th with Mark Manny leading the field in an outstanding 26:10 to capture the men’s title. Top female went to Nancy Delaney in 31:29.

• Today it’s called the “Strider Mile,” but in 1998 it was the “Charlie Falk Showcase Mile” (GP). Run in the dead heat of summer on August 15th, the top Male Miler was Mike Nestor in 4:46. Top female in this 4-lap 440 was Pam Robinson in 5:31.

• A great fall race, the Virginia Beach FOP 10 Miler (GP), saw 300 runners of all abilities toe the line. Win-ning overall male was John Lomogda (who you might see at Running Etc. these days) with a fine 54:13 and top female went to Kendall Tata in 1:04:08.

Out of area running was also popular with our members. Presented is just a few as listed in The Rundown during the 1998 season:• Jane Seymour with a 3:46 and Peggy Frederick with a

3:34 (1st AG) at the Charlotte Observer Marathon.• Rob Levinsky with a 3:00:53, Mel Williams with a

3:02:30 and Sherry Celesia with a 3:58:53 at the Dis-ney marathon in Orlando.

• Nancy Delaney with an impressive 2:57:47 at the Bos-ton Marathon.

• Pat Ewell and Mel Williams won their respective age groups at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. Mel continues the streak!!!!!!!

WalkingIn his writing of the History of Walking in the Tidewater Striders, Buddy Levitin states that “Vice President Pearl Ibarra reported that Jim Resolute expressed an interest in becoming the club contact for any interest in the area of walking.” As a result of his volunteerism, Jim was listed as Chairman of the Walk Committee in the service direc-tory of the newsletter.

MultisportIt should be noted that Ada and Allen Lester were very instrumental during these years in providing great articles in The Rundown under the title of “Transition Zone”. Their interesting and factual articles included stories from dif-ferent triathlons, training tips, and coverage of “out of area” competes, etc. You know them today as the club’s

A reunion of Tidewater Striders in San Diego for the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. Enjoying a mexican dinner in Old Town San Diego are Ray Emerson, Bill

Kingsley, Jacinda Raiche, Rob Levinsky, Dixie Levinsky, and Bee Andrews. Photo courtesy of Bee Andrews

Striders celebrate the completion of the bridge and over-look construction along Long Creek Trail in Seashore

State Park, now called First Landing State Park. Photo courtesy of Chris Catoe

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30-34 MaleAllen Walther (92)

35-39 MaleFesshaye Haile (116)

40-44 MaleTom Blanchard (64)

45-49 MaleJim Duffy (111)

50-54 MaleHans Tall (132)

55-59 MaleMike Brownley (152)

60 & overMel Williams (200)

Overall FemaleDebbie Kopecky (133)

Open Master FemaleBarb Matthewson (167)

19 & Under FemaleKatherine Hirsch (67)

20-29 FemaleAmanda Yeates (157)

30-34 FemaleLisa Buckman-Lewis (130)

great photographers, managing their business “TriDuo”, and as current “Rundown” editors.

AwardsDoug Dugroo and Pearl Ibarra were chosen as Volunteers of the Year for 1998. Additionally, Pearl placed fourth in the National RRCA Rod Steele Volunteer of the Year com-petition. Don & Ken Martin, and Paul and Sylvia Steele also received National RRCA Volunteer recognition.• 1998 President’s Awards were presented to Dan Ed-

wards, Rick Brown and Mike & Pam Robinson.• Winners of the 1998 RRCA 2000 Volunteer Hours Rec-

ognition Award were Jerry Bocrie, Dave Harrison and Betty Belknap.

• President Ray Ochs was named RRCA Race Director of the Year for Virginia (Neptune Festival).

1998 Grand Prix Award Winners (with total points earned) were:

Overall MalePete Gibson (132)

Open Master MaleRob Levinsky (117)

19 & Under MaleJeremy Dow (87)

20-29 MaleJohn Lomogda (54)

Enjoying the awards ceremony at Mako Mike’s for the Outer Banks Triathlon are: Front Row - Allen Lester, Ada Les-ter, overall female winner Nancy Lewis, Troy Lewis, Laura Hill, Joe Polinski; Back Row - Joe Gould, Bernie Thomp-

son, Eddie Hill, Kevin Hupp. Mostly hidden is Joe Gould’s grandson. Photo courtesy of TriDuo

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MiscellaneousThe Tidewater Striders raised $6000 for the “Long Creek Bridge Project.” Heading up the fundraiser was long-time Strider Chris Catoe and BJ Samuel. The initial goal was set at $3000. Club President Ray Ochs presented the check in September to the District Manager at First Landing/Sea-shore State Park.RRCA National “Run To Work Day” was held nationwide on October 20. Tidewater Strider member Monica Allard presented a great example in the December Rundown to show success of this fantastic idea. “Corporate Landing Middle School’s Staff participated. Our group gathered at 6:30a.m., to prepare for the 2.5 mile run to the Middle School in Virginia Beach, where we work together with 1700 students. Not only did we have staff participation, but also our PTA President and several others from our Partners-In-Education at Dam Neck Naval Base.”It was a great year for the club and as December rolled around, thoughts of Christmas presents and Holiday cheer filled everyone’s minds. 1999 was just days ahead and a new chapter in the history of the Tidewater Striders.

35-39 FemaleCinda O’Dell (137)

40-44 FemaleDixie Levinsky (110)

45-49 FemaleBJ Samuel (135)

50 & overSheila Bailey (139).

ScholarshipsFive $1000 scholarships were given in 1998 to:• Matthew Bruckner• Mary Clifford• Adrienne Parker• Danny Tepovich• Brian Walsh.

Many New Energy runners competed at the AAU Na-tional Cross Country Championships in Knoxville; above

is shoeless Kyle Foster in the 3K. Photo courtesy of Evie Foster.

The Striders donated $6000 to First Landing State Park. Presenting the check to Fred Hazelwood, Direc-

tor, Seashore State Park, are Chris Catoe, Adopt-a-Trail Coordinator. Ray Ochs, Strider President and BJ Samuel

(Publicity Chairman), Photo courtesy of Chris Catoe

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IntroductionOn July 10, 1999, the National Distance Running Hall of Fame inducted four new members into its second class. Deserving of such prestigious recognition was Johnny Kelley (who ran Boston 61 times), Nina Kuscsik (who was the very first “official” female winner of the Boston Marathon in 1972 (3:10:26)) following the AAU’s 1971 repeal of its prohibition against women in marathons. The other two Legend runners were Billy Mills and Francie Larrieu-Smith. The Tidewater Striders Running Club had greatness also, noting that 32 members ran the Boston Marathon. The club, although solvent and strong, wasn’t without issues concerning races and awards. Older runners wanted more awards and elite runners would want prize money and better prizes. The club would stick to recog-nizing everyone equally. Volunteers would take a “hit” as well, but the depth of volunteers in the club would always allow its directors and leadership to move on conducting successful races throughout the year.

Club OperationsIn January, the Board was officially recognized for the year and confirmed:

Ray Ochs – PresidentPearl Ibarra – Vice President (also Audit, Banquet and Teams)Barb Matthewson – Secretary (also Awards and Elec-tions)Dan Edwards – Treasurer (also Budget and Youth Pro-grams)Tom Bashara – ScholarshipChris Catoe – Community ServiceDeanie Eldridge – MembershipDon Greene - Board MemberMike Hillinch – Publications (also Scholarship)Kevin Kendall – ConstitutionSteve Scudder – Triathlons (also Military)Bill Spruill – Marketplace.

1999

by Dave Harrah

Other key chairpersons within the club as Standing Com-mittee Chairs were:

K.E. Morgan – AdvisoryPete Gibson – AwardsBJ Samuel – Publicity and Public RelationsR P Kale – Race CommitteeBill Buckman - MerchandiseMickey Webb – VolunteerJim Resolute – WalkingDoug Dugroo – WebsiteBee Andrews – RRCA 2002 Convention (added in June).

The 1998 membership drive for active Striders to each sign up someone for new membership proved to be a via-ble and successful program. At the end of 1998, there were approximately 1700 total members and at the end of 1999 there were 1823 (an increase of 123). Analysis indicated that 53 current members had signed up 66 new members.Membership cost was $20 Individual, $38 for two year in-dividual, $14 youth, $160 Golden Runner and $100 Youth Golden Runner.In was announced in the June Rundown that the Tidewa-ter Striders had won the bid for the 2002 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) National convention. Bee An-drews would be the “Convention Chair” with the event being held in conjunction with the 2002 Elizabeth River Run 10K.The Board of Directors at the July meeting voted to dis-continue the designation of a “Tidewater Strider of the De-cade.” Although neither the constitution nor the by-laws of the club documents a “Strider of the Decade” award, such an award was previously bestowed twice since 1972: Jerry Bocrie (1970s) and Charlie George (1980s). As club functions expanded throughout the 1990’s, the club be-came increasingly dependent on volunteer involvement. The “SOTD” award would continue as the “Volunteer of the Year” and “President’s” award.

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The Striders continued with training for race data en-try and results, and had five people who could perform these tasks. The club also increased the number of people who could run the finish line phase of races. The techni-cal “Race Director” computer program (utilization of this function started in 1998) was being used in 1999 by Demo Eleftherion. The new program was used for tabulating race results.Strider General Meetings remained popular with three in-teresting meetings worth mentioning. On February 10th, Lori Tubbs, M.S. RD, gave a presentation on “Fueling for Fitness in the New Millennium.” On May 19th, Tim Wil-lis, a visually impaired athlete spoke to the meeting group, and on September 29th, Bee Andrews spoke on the 1999 RRCA National Convention. All meetings were held at DePaul Hospital.1999 was a good year for Bill Buckman and the “Market-place,” with the introduction of many new items and mar-ketplace booths at many more events than in past years.A complete inventory of Strider-owned equipment was conducted during the year with copies presented to the President and Treasurer with a copy to the Executive Race Director.1999 also saw the club step up the process of certifying more race courses, thanks to the work of John Price and Mike Robinson.

NewsletterThe Rundown was selected as the 1998 “Outstanding Newsletter, Large Size Category” in the RRCA Regional Journalism Competition. It was quite evident that the Strid-ers had a distinctive newsletter that was creative, reflected club dynamics and showed that the contributors put in a lot of time, heart and soul. The newsletter continued to en-tertain and present such valuable information to our com-munity including nutrition notes, the “Transitional Zone” (edited by Ada and Allen Lester), youth news, Board of Director’s minutes, race results/applications including coverage of out of area races, and much more.The July issue was dedicated to “Women and Running” and centered around the Women’s Distance Festival 5K run/1 Mile held on the 10th.Recognized in various issues during the year in “Strider Profiles” were Ada and Allen Lester, Grove Calvert, Ken-dall Tata, Bill Hart, Michelle-Smith-Harden, Monica Al-lard and Bill Buckman.

Running1999 was a year of fierce competition with a fantastic line-up for the all popular Grand Prix Series:

• Distance Series 25K• Cross Country Challenge 5K

• Shamrock Marathon• Churchland Challenge 5K• Elizabeth River 10K• Alltel 10K• Women’s Distance Festival 5K• Strider 1 Mile (Track)• Neptune Festival 8K• Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police 10 Miler• Turkey Trot 10K• Distance Series 20K.

Highlights of the 1999 racing season include:• From the Race Director of the Distance Series, Betty

Virok. “We had a total of 201 athletes complete all three of the events, which is 36 more than the existing record. We had an average of 319 runners finish each of the dis-tance races and we averaged 79 runners in each of the 10K races”. Capturing the title of top male runner with a combined time of 4:18:15 was Michael Harrison. The ladies winner was Debbie Kopecky in 5:21:59.

• The Cross Country Challenge 5K run (GP), on Febru-ary 13th, in cold conditions saw John Lomogda take the men’s crown in 17:23 and Nancy Delaney pace the la-dies in 20:51. The race was held at Mount Trashmore’s famous “mud-a-rama” course and also started the year long “Intra-Club Team Challenge”.

• The Run For Independence 5K was (and is) a fun little race held at Independence Middle School in Virginia Beach. Held on March 4th, Danny Tepovich topped the male field with a fine 16:02 and Mary Davison captured Open female first place with a 19:03.

• The 5th Annual Falcon 5K was held on March 13th and Billy Edwards dominated the men’s field with an impressive 15:40. Leslie Fedon Willis took top female with a time of 18:32.

• In March, the Shamrock Marathon (GP) produced some 4500 runners of all abilities. The weather was good enough to see seven new state records set, of which three were from Tidewater Striders. In outstand-ing fashion, Pat Ewell (female 65-69) ran an impressive 4:49:12. Mel Williams broke the state mark, male 60-64 in 2:54:45 and Cokey Damon (male 80-84) cruised in at 5:09:36. The Master’s 8K Strider’s men’s team finished first. Team members were Pete Gibson, Dave McDonald, Bill Hart, Frank Schreier, Steve Frisk, Jeff Long and Larry Coley.

• The Churchland Challenge 5K (GP), ran on April 3rd, saw Patrick Comstock take the Male Open with a 16:50 and Debbie Kopecky hammer out an 18:50 for female honors.

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• As the racing season heated up, Billy Edwards was making a statement at the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office 5K, on April 10. He posted an impressive 15:44 to take top male and Leslie Fedon ran an 18:09 to take first female.

• The all popular Journey For Sight 5K (in its 17th year) saw some fast times with overall male winner Pete Gib-son in 16:30 and top female Nancy Delaney in 19:05.

• For the running of the 1999 Elizabeth River Run 10K (GP), the Striders fielded an elite open team, an elite master team, a star studded veteran’s team, a “B” mas-ter’s team filled with three worn out Boston Marathon-ers and a high quality mixed team. With conditions that were near perfect, the men’s open, master and mixed team came away victorious. The Strider’s Open men’s team was led by Billy Edwards (2nd overall with a 31:51), Mike Harrison (5th overall with a 32:34), Dave Coulter (2nd 30-34, 7th overall in 32:47), Lanny Doan (1st master, 8th overall in 32:54), John Piggott (3rd 30-34, 12th overall in 33:19) and Al Walther (4th 3-34 in 35:40). Pete Gibson and Dave McDonald, who came to the finish line together, led the Master’s team.

• The Alltel 10K (GP), ran on June 5th, saw Matt Glynn finish in 33:06 and Nancy Delaney continue her deadly racing in 39:20.

• The typically hot YMCA Independence Day 5K race was won by Biren Bay in 15:53 (open male) and Mon-ica Allard in 20:01 for female honors.

• The Women’s Distance Festival 5K had just shy of 300 toe the line for some fine competition. Winning the Men’s open title was Muluye Muluneh in 15:53 and top female in the Open category Debbie Kopecky in 19:35.

• In October, many Striders competed in the Norfolk Half Marathon, which was won by Michael Harrison in 1:12:45 and Missy Foy in 1:22:07.

• The Turkey Trot 10K (GP), in November, was again a tremendous success with over 1000 runners (setting a record). This race helped raise nearly $7000 for the club scholarship fund. The men’s race was won by Billy Edwards in a time of 32:19. First place in the women’s division went to Mary Davison in 39:34.

• The winner of the 1999 (first year) Intra-Club Chal-lenge series was team “Saving the best for last.” Mem-bers were Richard Raehl, Ryan Kent, Melvin White, Lindsay Kent and Bob Williams.

Some “On the Road” (or out of area) performances:• FAT ASS 50K, Shannon Swords with a 3:53 and John

DeCarlo with a 5:21.• Myrtle Beach Marathon – Gina Pitrone with a nice

3:39:31 and Bryan Davis in 3:18:21.

• Colonial Half Marathon (Williamsburg) – Rueben Beauchamp in 1:20:12 (1st AG), Nancy Delaney in 1:26:20 (1st AG/1ST Overall Female), Michael Harrison in 1:12:29 (1st Overall Male), Jeanne Kruger in 1:36:24 (1st AG) and Mel Williams in 1:25:53 (1st AG).

• Army 10 Miler. The Striders Women’s team placed second in the Open Women’s Division; very impres-sive since there were 537 teams and 18 team Divisions. Members of this power team were: Cinda O’Dell, Sheri Segal, Bee Andrews, Debbie Kopecky and Barb Mathewson with total time of 4:34:37.

WalkingQuoting Buddy Levitin in his Tidewater Striders Walkers History “Beginning in 1999, a disclaimer appeared in The Rundown stating it is published monthly by the Tidewater Striders, a non-profit educational and recreational organi-zation for running and triathlon enthusiasts. Opinions ex-pressed in The Rundown are not necessarily those of the editor or the Tidewater Striders Board of Directors”. The Rundown disclaimer had ignored the constitution and by-laws of the very organization to which it was beholden. Seven years earlier, by establishing a standing commit-tee for walkers and defining the duties of the committee, Striders had officially recognized walkers.

MultisportAda and Allen Lester continued their outstanding writings in the “Transition Zone” of The Rundown and addressed such topics as triathlon coverage, training and swimming, proper nutrition, First Landing State Park notes, Breezy Point Triathlon tidbits, bike “gearing” and the 2000 Olym-pic Triathlon.

The 2000 draft session for the Intra-Club Team Chal-lenge was serious business as each team selector ana-lyzed the available runners and made their selections.

Teams are recorded on the whiteboard. From left to right: Mike Fuller, Bee McLeod, Dave McDonald, Jeremy Dow, Jim Ross, Paul Guizard, Jim Murphy. What a great way to meet more members and have some fun competition

where participation can affect the event as well as speed. Any volunteers available to revive this event?

Photo courtesy of Bee McLeod

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The Breezy Point Triathlon was again a great success un-der the guidance and leadership of Betty Virok. A co-ed team comprised of Glenn Houseman, Mimi Fackler and John Lomogda competed with Glenn pulling third fastest swim split of the Division.A few brave Striders managed to venture north into the rolling hills of Maryland to tackle the 5th Annual Spud Tri-athlon. Leading the pack with a combined swim-bike-run time of 2:01:28 was John Dill.

Youth ProgramThe Tidewater Striders, in conjunction with Sentara Healthcare, announced an attempt to increase race partici-pation by high school and middle school students in the Year 2000 Elizabeth River Run. The Tidewater Striders/Sentara Healthcare Youth Challenge would be modeled af-ter the Lilac Bloomsday Run; a 12K ran annually in Spo-kane, Washington.The 1999 Youth Cross Country season finished in Decem-ber with two National events. In November, New Energy hosted the AAU and USATF state meet at Mount Trash-more. Over 150 youth runners from Virginia participated in this event.The Region 3 USATF meet was held in Spartanburg, SC. Twenty five runners participated in the various races (3K, 4K and 5K) and more than half placed in the top twenty.Twenty-six runners participated in the AAU National Cross Country race, ran on December 4. Andrew Midland (11-12) and Chris Lyons (15-16) received medals for plac-ing in top 25 nationally.

The USATF Junior Olympics completed the season. Thir-teen runners had qualified earlier to compete in this event that had 3000 youth runners from 48 states. Andrew Mid-land gained his first All American status by finishing in the top 25 of his age division. NEW ENERGY RUNNERS AGAIN RANKED IN THE TOP 1/3 NATIONALLY.

AwardsRecognized by RRCA for 2000 Hour Volunteer awards were Don & Ken Martin and Paul Steele.Tidewater Strider Volunteers of the Year for 1999 (award-ed in 2000) were Deanie Eldridge and Chris Catoe.1999 Youth Grand Prix Award Winners (with total points earned) were:

Girls 6 and underColleen Adams (42)

Girls 7-8Mary Margaret Peter (16)

Girls 9-10Lindsay Kent (40)

Girls 11-12Kristen DiCarlo (29)

Girls 13-15Amanda Boswell (35)

Boys 7-8Trevor Nichols (12)

Boys 9-10DJ Jester (45)

Another road trip for New Energy, this time they traveled to Illinois for the AAU National Cross Country Champion-ships. Runners in this picture include Kyle Foster, Drew Midland, Aspen Foster, Liam Arocho, Alex Yerkes, Kristen DiCarlo, Sarah DiCarlo, Lindsay Kent, Ryan Kent, Marise McCain, Sean McCain, Heather Murdoch, & Ian Mur-

doch. Photo courtesy of Evie Foster.

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Boys 11-12Drew Midland (36)

Boys 13-15Ryan Kent (38).

Adult Grand Prix winners were not listed in The Rundown.

ScholarshipsThree $1000 scholarships were awarded in 1999 to:

• Kevin Rhue• Adrienne Parker• Danny Tepovich.

MiscellaneousThe club raised over $4000 for cancer in the annual Relay For Life. There were 40 registered participants from the Striders in the actual event. The club won Second place in the most decorative campsite competition (there were 300 registered teams competing). Forty Strider participants helped man the track during the 24 hour relay event.The Summer Series at the Botanical Gardens was a great success with over $10,000 in give-always distributed. Spe-cial mention went to Mike and Pam Robinson as Directors of the series. Sixty new members were gained during the four Tuesday night events.The year had a tremendous moment of sadness with the passing of long time Tidewater Strider Tom Bashara. In recognition of his running history and association in many capacities with the club, the scholarship program was es-tablished in his name.

Jackie Tugman competed for VMI in Cross Country. Photo courtesy of Running Etc Wall of Fame.

Not sure if these are the ones but one Summer Series Benny LeBon (496) and his wife asked if they could bor-row the leftover bananas. “Borrow? As in return them?” “Yes, we’ll bring them back next week.” They returned

them the next Tuesday as banana bread to share with all. Photo courtesy of Mike Robinson

Tom Bashara leads a pack of runners in an unknown race before his battle with cancer began.

Photo courtesy of Running Etc Wall of Fame.

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2000

by Dave Harrah

IntroductionThe new decade and millennium arrived. Taking the reins as new president, Bee Andrews stated in the January Run-down, “A Strider member for more years than I care to admit, I will freely admit that I think we have the BEST running club around. Our membership is strong, dedicated and enthusiastic about the sport. The caliber of our new Board of Directors, and the fresh ideas and their willing-ness to get the job done is impressive. The events we put on every weekend of the year with the dedicated efforts of our Executive Director and our volunteers are first class.”

Club OperationsInstallation of new Officers in January included:

Bee Andrews – President (also Publicity and Public Relations)Rob Levinsky – Vice PresidentBJ Samuel - SecretaryDan Edwards – Treasurer/Budget (also youth)R P Kale – Executive Director (also Race Committee).

The Service Directory of the Rundown listed the follow-ing additional Board Members:

Chris CatoeDeanie Eldridge (also Membership, Walking Chair in March)Mike Hillinch (also Programs, Publications, Scholar-ship)Pearl Ibarra (also Audit, Banquet, Teams)Barb Mattewson – (also Awards/Grand Prix)Raymond OchsMel Williams – (also Advisory, Constitution).

Other Chair Positions were:Peg Murphy – ElectionsJim Murphy – ElectionsBill Buckman – MarketplaceJeanie Kruger Williams – Nominations

Ada and Allen Lester – TriathlonJim Resolute – Walking (Chair January to March, then committee)Rich Hildreth – Adopt A Highway.

This was the year for the creation of a new award, the “Jerry Bocrie Founder’s Award.” The award was voted and passed by the Board of Directors to honor an indi-vidual whose accomplishments far exceeded local levels and extended to national and international stature. The ac-complishments to gain nomination for this award included evidence of running performance, promotion of running endeavors, or a combination of the two, meriting consis-tent national, and possibly international recognition. The recipient of the award would receive lifetime Golden Run-ner status and be recognized each year (as awarded) at the Annual Awards Banquet. The award idea was thought of and presented by our “old friend” Mel Williams.At the March Board of Directors meeting, Rod Whibley reported that he had met with the race committee concern-ing a reduction in membership fees. Based on that meet-ing, Rod submitted written materials for a Board analy-sis. BJ Samuel made a motion that was seconded by Mel Williams to reduce Golden Runner membership dues from $160 to $145. The motion was defeated by a vote of four in favor, five opposed and one abstention.In May, four Tidewater Striders members had the honor of representing the club at the 2000 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) convention in Peachtree City, Georgia. Rob and Dixie Levinsky, Karen Miller and Bee Andrews attended. This was significant in the planning stages for the Tidewater Striders and the City of Norfolk hosting the 2002 convention.A “Back of the Pack” Recognition Program was proposed by Charlie Johnson which was designed as a means of en-couraging “mid- to back-of-the-pack” runners. Two run-ners would be randomly selected to receive a special prize. For the year 2000, they would be called “Penguin Award-ees”!STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE CLUB: For the first time ever, the Board of Directors and a few other members

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involved in key areas of operations participated in a pro-fessionally run two-day strategic workshop. Six key areas were identified for the Striders Club future success: race execution, annual calendar, volunteers, new programs/ini-tiatives, sponsorships and web site.

NewsletterThe Rundown continued its “award winning ways” provid-ing the Tidewater Strider membership excellent coverage of all facets of the sports of running, walking and triathlon. Under the continuing editorship of Evie Thomson-Lakey, the monthly newsletter carried the standard format of Edi-tor’s notes, Presidents Corner, full page calendar of events covering two months each, letters from the membership, the “Transition Zone” (Multisport enthusiast), runner’s/walker’s race results, out of area race results and those all valuable race applications. There was also a recipe or two and advertisements.Honored in Strider Profiles for the year were: Diane Haupt, Jerry Meltsner, Bryan Davis, Terri Hounslow, Sherry Ce-lesia, Steve Spiers, Ally Ralston and the McCain Family.

RunningThe 2000 Grand Prix series lineup included:

• Distance Series 25K• Cross Country Challenge 5K• Shamrock Marathon• Norfolk Sheriff’s 5K• Elizabeth River Run 10K• Alltel Communications 10K• Women’s Distance Festival 5K• Charlie Faulk 1 Mile (Track)• Neptune Festival 8K• Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) 10

Miler• Turkey Trot 10K• Distance Series 20K.

The following Race coverage is provided and is not all inclusive:• The January 1st Jennifer Braun 5K run (378 brave fin-

ishers) was won by Matt Keally with a time of 15:55 (Overall Male) and Diane Haupt in 18:52 (Overall Fe-male).

• The Distance Series saw only two of the three races run. The 30K was cancelled due to extreme bad weath-er (ice on the course and snow).

• The Cross Country Challenge 5K (GP), held in Febru-ary, saw Tom Cary walk away with the Male Overall

in 17:26 and Bee Andrews capture the women’s crown in 20:00.

• The all popular Run for Independence 5K, run in March, saw 236 finishers with John Johnson taking the Men’s Overall in 16:26 and Elizabeth Andrews as Top Female Open in 18:53.

• The Shamrock Marathon (GP), held on March 18th, was its 28th running. With winds out of the Northeast at 20 plus MPH and gusts up to 30 plus MPH along with temperatures around 40 degrees at race time, it was a very challenging day! The Tidewater Striders fielded teams in seven of eight divisions, and placed first in three. The Women’s Open 8K team placed first with solid running from Mary Davison, Kendall Tata, Bee Andrews, Debbie Kopecky, Leslie Fedon and Cinda O’Dell. The Women’s Masters Marathon team won their division with great running from Sheri Segal, Leisa Ensel, Evie Thomson-Lakey, Marlene Walker, Jane McNaught and Mimi Fackler. The Men’s Masters Marathon team won their division with some solid run-ning by Fesshaye Haile, Bill Hart, Rueben Beauchamp and Chuck Lollar.

• The Norfolk Sheriff’s 5K (GP), ran April 8th, resulted in the “handlebar-mustached” Dave McDonald taking Men’s Overall with a 16:22. Diane Haupt fought off Bee Andrews to win top female in 19:09.

• The 21st Annual International Azalea Festival 8K, on April 28th, saw Martin Snyder pull off a victory in the Men’s Division with a 28:35 and Kendall Tata take fe-male top honors in 30:48.

• Elizabeth River Run 10K (GP). Despite high tempera-tures and humidity, the Open Women’s Team emerged victorious with a first place finish. Team members were Kendall Tata, Diane Haupt, Mary Davison and Moni-

Mike and Pam Robinson announcing results of Predict Your Time at the Summer Series. Pam and Mike directed the race series for a decade, the Striders’ most popular

event. Photo courtesy of TriDuo.com.

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ca Allard. Strong individual performances were given by Billy Edwards (33:50), Mike Harrison (34:10) and Mark Shea (38:44).

• The 4th Annual Alltel 10K (GP), run on June 3rd, saw hot temperatures as Mike Harrison beat out a strong field to take men’s honors in 35:08 and Kendall Tata continue her dominance with a 40:13.

• The Annual 4th of July 5K, at the Mount Trashmore YMCA, saw Alex Clayton win top Male in 16:27 and Kendall Tata win in 18:45.

• The Woman’s Distance Festival 5K (GP) was won by Muluye Muluneh in 15:58 and Kristine Wilson as top Female in 18:37.

• Muluye and Kendall Tata would continue as outstand-ing runners for the year, both winning at the Naval Sta-tion 8K, on August 5th. Muluye would take the lead and never look back with an excellent 26:12 and Kendall would do “what she does” in 31:01.

• With over 50% of the Grand Prix races complete, the Charlie Falk Mile saw Mike Nestor run an outstanding 4:45 and Kristine Wilson run a fine 5:27 on the track.

• Strider Masters dominated the competition at the Hampton Bay Days 10K. Four teams were sent to compete with the Peninsula Track Club and Colonial Roadrunners. Strider Master Women placed first with members Sheri Segal, Cinda O’Dell, Monica Allard, Karen Miller, Becky Bean and Jeanne Kruger Wil-liams. The Strider Master men bested their rivals also taking first place. Members included Mark Donahue, Dave McDonald, Larry Ormond and Mike Fuller. The Strider Grand Master Men’s team also finished first with members Jeff Long, Rod Whibley, Larry David and Larry Coley. Finally, the Strider Senior Men (60 plus) finished off the competition to take first. Those members included Mel Williams, Chris Catoe, Ewin Ottinger, Michael Jackson and Ed Jefferson.

• The Tom Bashara Memorial Scholarship 5K, run on September 10th, was won by Brad Wilson in 16:57 and Kendall Tata in 20:44.

• The Virginia Beach FOP 10 Miler (GP) was won by Mi-chael Harrison in 55:20 and Kristine Wilson in 1:06:29.

• The Turkey Trot 10K (GP), always a very popular race held on Thanksgiving morning, was won by Alex Clay-ton in 32:47 for Male and Heidi Grimm in 38:35 for Female.

• To wind down the year, the Distance Series 20K saw Dai Roberts bust out a 1:07:40 and Megan Brenner lead the females in 1:22:55.

• The 2000 Intra-Club Challenge Competition was won by the “Old Guys and Young Dudes.” Team members were Brad Beaty (10 years old), John DiCarlo (50),

Mike Jones (11), George Kent (56), Rob Levinsky (43) and Sean McCain (10).

• On October 15th, half-dozen members of the Tidewa-ter Striders Open Team ran against one of the deepest fields in the country at the Army 10 Miler. There were nearly 700 teams entered and the Tidewater Strid-ers Open Team finished 1st among Open teams and 3rd overall. Team members included Billy Edwards, Larry Doan, Mike Colaiacovo, Dai Roberts and Mike Mann.

• Of note, Strider member and Virginia Wesleyan stu-dent, Jessica Scott (age 19), completed the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 9th in 3:54:03. This was Jessica’s first marathon. She placed in the top 8% for females, finished 310 out of 3,710 women and in the top 17% overall out of 7,660 runners.

WalkingWalking had taken an increased interest to many. Quoting Deanie Eldridge in The Rundown “A core group of us have been training together for about a year and a half. We’ve walked in the rain, snow, wind and cold and completed the Shamrock and Chicago Marathons in 1999. And we’ve just come back from the Myrtle Beach Marathon. What we do may be deemed power walking, race-walking or just plain ole’ walking for hours on end to keep in shape, meet our training goals, and believe it or not, having fun! What we do isn’t easy, and our discipline and drive is as strong as any runner preparing for a big race.”The Walking Group trained each Sunday morning starting at 6:30 a.m. at various locations.

MultisportThe very first Striders program of 2000 was held at Inlet Fitness on April 9th and the topic was “Triathlon Training” presented by Jerry Frostick. Forty-nine people attended the session. During the year 2000, the Striders were proud to announce the creation of the Triathlon Grand Prix Se-ries. The establishment of this series would not have been possible if not sponsored and Final Kick came through to make that happen. For the inaugural year, the multi-sport competitive races included:

• Breezy Point Triathlon• Bay Sprint Triathlon• Braveheart• Colonial Beach Triathlon• Outer Banks Triathlon• Sandman Triathlon.

The proposal to establish this Grand Prix was presented at the February Board of Directors meeting by Ada Lester and Ty Whitaker with an 8-1 vote to carry. The vote also included the Tidewater Striders becoming a USAT (United States of America Triathlon) registered club.

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Fifty-two Striders were ranked by USAT. John Dill earned USAT All American honors for 1999.Two Tidewater Strider Triathletes completed the Ironman World Championship at Kona, Hawaii, on October 14th. Jill Riblett had a total time of 11:07:57 and Max Carroll had a time of 11:11:25.Bee Andrews continued to get the recognition she de-served as an outstanding Duathlete. Not only did Bee take the top spot in her age group and USAT All American Honors, she was also named an Inside Triathlon Magazine All American Duathlete.

YouthThe 2000 Tidewater Strider Youth Grand Prix races in-cluded:

• Independence Middle School 1 Miler

• Pembroke Meadows Elementary 1 Miler• Creeds Elementary 1 Miler• Alanton Elementary 1 Miler• Greenbrier Fitness Fest 1 Miler• St. Matthews Elementary 1 Miler• Charlie Falk 1 Mile (Track)• Larchmont RAT race 1 Miler• All American 1 Miler• Turkey Trot 1 Miler.

(Individual race results were not available in The Run-down)William-Jesse Leggett, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Parkside and former youth runner and race walker with New Energy, was one of nine Americans competing for places on the Olympic Team for Sydney Australia. Billy finished 8th in the 50K event in Sacra-mento, California.Alex Clayton of Tallwood High School and the New En-ergy youth running club medaled 5th in the Intermediate Boys 1500 meters at the USATF Junior Olympics in Buf-falo, New York.At the AAU National meet in Orlando, Florida, Liam Aro-cho finished 7th in the 3000 midget (11-12) age Division.

AwardsAt the annual banquet in February, Cokey Daman received a special award for his continued running excellence and status as Top Masters aged 80-84 in the WORLD! In ad-dition, the Virginian Pilot showcased Cokey on the front

Part of the New Energy team that competed at AAU Cross Country Nationals. L-R Coach Lawrence Peter, the Scott family with their runner, Danielle, Mary Margaret Peter behind Maddie Peter, Coach Laura Peter, Marilyn Ertel

behind Hunter Ertel, Jennifer Jeffers behind David Jeffers. Photo courtesy Jennifer Jeffers

Scott Beeler, Joe Polinski, and Wallie Polinski at the Bay Sprint Triathlon, unfortunately 2000 was the last year of

this fun event. Photo courtesy of TriDuo.com.

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page of the Sports Section, citing his accomplishments of two National Age Group awards and more. Cokey was al-ways an inspiration.Key awards for the year:• 2000 Charlie George Volunteer of the Year to Rob

Levinsky• 2000 President’s award to Mel Williams• RRCA 2000 Hour awards to Demo and Elaine Elethe-

rion and R P Kale.2000 Grand Prix Award Winners (with total points earned) were:

Male OverallDai Roberts (40)

Male MastersLarry Omerod (40)

Male 1-19Justin Dandar (20)

Male 20-24Michael Peeler – (20)

Male 25-29Brandon Johnson (35)

Male 30-34Charlie Schindler, Jr. (35)

Male 35-39Bryan Mordecai ((30)

Male 40-44Rob Levinsky (24)

Male 45-49Dean Beatty (32)

Male 50-54Joseph Verdirame (32)

Male 55-59George Kent (24)

Male 60-64Mel Williams (40)

Male 65-69Chris Catoe (40)

Female OverallMary Davidson (40)

Female MastersJeanne Kruger Williams (24)

Female 1-19Lindsay Kent (20)

Female 20-24Yumi Iwasaki (20)

Female 25-29Julia Tippett (27)

Female 30-34Michele Lawson (40)

Female 35-39Christine McCain (25)

Female 40-44Susie Rowley (32)

Female 45-49Dixie Levinsky (27)

Female 50-54Barb Mathewson (20)

Female 55-59Ann Hirn (20)

Female 60-64Betty Munden (20)

Female 65-69Pat Ewell (20).

ScholarshipsThe 2000 Scholarship committee reviewed ten applica-tions. Selected from the ten were the following:• Kevin Rhue - Tom Bashara $1500 scholarship• Katherine Hirsch - $1000• Adrienne Parker - $1000• Brad Sorgren - $1000• Ashley Whitaker $1000.

MiscellaneousThe Jennifer Braun Run 5K Into The Millennium was a huge success with 382 participants raising over $15,000 to help families and children in need.Some 60 Tidewater Striders participated in the Relay For Life on June 9 and 10. As a community, South Hampton Roads exceeded goals by raising over $1.6 million dollars with some 10,000 participants. For its part, the Striders organized into four teams that raised over $10,000 (double 1999 efforts). Relay officials recognized “hands down” as the first place winner in the Healthy Picnic competition (thanks to Deanie Eldridge and BJ Samuel).Attending the July General meeting was Olympian and author, Jeff Galloway promoting his marathon training programs.The First Annual Tom Bashara Scholarship 5K run/walk was a great success. A total of $2,780 was raised at the race and stimulated an additional $5000 contribution to the an-nual endowment fund.

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2001

by Dave Harrah

IntroductionAs the months of 2001 were slowly etched into history, the Strider organization experienced an exceptional growth in every facet of its operations. Unfortunately, the year was shattered for everyone with the tragic September 11th terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York. Reality strikes when you have been there to run the New York City Marathon, or to just visit, and have stood there look-ing up at those two huge buildings. President Bee Andrews summed it up in her message to the membership in The Rundown, “I had planned on a WOW column following the Inaugural Rock N Roll Half marathon. To steal a quote from a good friend, “we are waking up to a very different world today.” To all who had family or friends affected by the tragedy on September 11th, my heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with you. We live in the best country in the world, second to none. And the words UNITED WE STAND have never been truer.” Being an athlete in our community took on new meaning…we couldn’t run, walk, bike or swim without having a passing thought about those tragic moments. Our convictions and dedication to our sports remained obvious, but were overshadowed by Sep-tember 11. Many Striders ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October and one noted there was absolute silence for more than a mile as the runners trekked past the devastated Pentagon. A few sobs could also be heard.

OperationsThe installation of Officers for the 2001 Board of Direc-tors included:

Bee Andrews – President (also Publicity and Public Relations)Rob Levinsky – Vice President (also Teams)BJ Samuel – SecretaryDan Edwards – Treasurer/Budget (also scholarship and Youth)RP Kale – Executive Race Director (also Race com-mittee)

Other Board Members included:Mike Hillinch (also Publications and Scholarship)

Kevin HuppCharlie JohnsonBarb Mathewson (also Awards until May and Grand Prix)Karen Miller (also Programs)Brian Sagedy (also Marketplace)Rob Whibley (also Audit)Mel Williams (also Advisory and Constitution)

Committee Chairs included:Pearl Ibarra – BanquetPeg & Jim Murphy – ElectionsMartin Snyder – MembershipJeanne Kruger Williams – NominationsAda and Allen Lester – TriathlonDixie Levinsky – VolunteerDeanie Eldridge – WalkingMary Beth Marshall – Awards (May to December)

The Tidewater Striders were very pleased to announce early in the year its agreement with Elite Racing to work together on some of the production aspects of the Inau-gural Rock N Roll Half Marathon to be held in Virginia Beach on Labor Day weekend. The Striders would be providing support services in three primary areas: course certification/Timer and Mile Marker team, Volunteer team and Water station team. Quoting President Bee Andrews in The Rundown, “We are thrilled they have decided to put on an event of this magnitude in Virginia Beach and look forward to being a part of its success this year and in years to come. We are particularly pleased that Elite Racing has recognized the strengths of the Strider organization and our volunteer capabilities.”In 2001, the Awards Committee presented the Board of Directors some changes designed to recognize and reward more of our most dedicated volunteers. Awards will be presented for Race Volunteer of the Year and for Club/Community Service Volunteer of the Year. Three awards will be given in each category: Gold, Silver and Bronze. In

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addition, the following awards were approved for this year in addition to the Grand Prix Series Awards:

• Jerry Bocrie Founder’s Award• Tidewater Striders Appreciation Award• Outstanding Male and Female High School Cross

Country Runner Award• Tidewater Strider Outstanding Male and Female Per-

formance Award• Race Volunteer of the Year Award• T-Shirt of the Year Award• Race Director of the Year Award

NewsletterThe standard format carried over from 2000 with a nice ad-dition. Mel Williams and David Branch, who for years had presented the membership with “Coach’s Training Tip of the Month” brought us a new column titled, “Training with the Tidewater Striders.” Mel and David wanted to high-light the training programs of various club members who had achieved a degree of success for their gender or age in sport competitions associated with the club. The very first athlete selected was Dai Roberts, a Wales transplant (Brit-ish Navy) who was dominating in every distance from 5K to Half Marathon. The August issue featured Mary Davi-son, Deanie Eldridge (walker) in September, Perry Lange (triathlete) in October, Mike Stoop (Bayside High School track and field) in November and Chris Catoe in Decem-ber.

RunningThe following was the Grand Prix schedule for 2001:

• Distance Series 25K

• Cross Country Challenge 5K• Shamrock Marathon• Run For the Gold 5K• Elizabeth River Run 10K• Alltel 10K• Women’s Distance Festival 5K• Tidewater Striders 1 Mile (Track)• Trigon Neptune Festival 8K• Virginia Beach 10 Miler• Turkey Trot 10K• Distance Series 20K

The following race highlights are provided and are not all inclusive of the full race schedule:• The Distance Series 25K, ran on January 6th, was domi-

nated by Dai Roberts with a time of 1:26:09 and Mary Davison in 1:46:36.

• The race results for the combined distance series (20-25-30K) saw Mike Harrison take the Male crown with a combined time of 4:27:18 and Lisa Buckman-Lewis win the Female title in 5:35:19.

• The Cross Country 5K (GP) was won by Dai Roberts in 17:15 and the Female title went to Mary Davison in 20:29.

• March 17th saw the running of the Shamrock Marathon (GP) with Mike Harrison capturing Male Open title in 2:26:35 and Lisa Buckman-Lewis winning top Female honors in 3:08:48.

• The Run For the Gold 5K (GP), a new Grand Prix race, was held on April 14th with top Open Male Dai Rob-erts continuing his domination of early season races in 15:47 and Mary Davison following suit for top Female in 18:58.

Ben Vaughan, Jeff Douglas, Martin Snyder, Craig Humes, and Curt Aasen running on an abnormally warm

day at the Distance Series in Fort Story. Photo courtesy of TriDuo

The first Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon came to Virginia Beach and masses of runners came along also! Finishers crowd the boardwalk after they completed the 13.1 miles.

Photo courtesy of TriDuo

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• The Run For Independence 5K was held on March 3rd with Dai Roberts again dominating with a time of 15:36 to capture the Men’s Open and Patrice Malloy finishing in 19:37 to take the top female spot.

• March 12th was the 23rd running of the Elizabeth River Run 10K (GP) with 1935 finishers. The Strider teams won all five of the divisions they entered and also the head-to-head battle that pitted the Striders best Seniors (60+) against the Colonial Road Runners best seniors.

� In the Open Women – Mary Davison, Diane Haupt, Sheri Segal, Jamie Cornish and Lisa Buckman-Lewis. � In the Master’s Women –Cinda O’Dell, Dorothy Winn, Evie Thomson, Susie Rowley and Julie Tip-pet. � In Mixed Team – John Adams, Dave Coulter, An-drea Kirchmer and Julie Tippet. � In Men’s Open – Dai Roberts, Mike Mann, Mike Harrison and Charlie Schindler. �Master’s Men – Dave McDonald, Larry Ormerod, Reuben Beauchamp, Mike Fuller and Craig Ruet-zel. � Senior Men – Mel Williams, Ed Brinkley, John Munday and Chris Catoe.

• The Tom Bashara Memorial 5K, run on May 19th, saw Dai Roberts again dominate taking Male Open in 15:46 and Kendall Tata tale Top Female in 19:33.

• The Alltel 10K (GP), on June 9th, featured Dai Roberts continuing his hot running, taking Top Male in 32:43 and Mary Davison take Top Female in 40:28.

• The YMCA Independence 5K, at Mount Trashmore, saw Matthew Keally win Top Male in 15:42 and Almee Gibbs garnish Top Female in 18:55.

• The Women’s Distance Festival 5K (GP), held in mid-summer on July 7th, had some hot running from Mike Colaiacovo in 15:53 (Male) and Catherine Casey in 18:41 (Female).

• July 14th saw the one and only road race at Harbor Park in Norfolk; the Tide’s stadium that opened in 1993. Titled the “Norfolk Tides Joy Fund 5K”, the race saw Mary Davison “bust” a 19:23 and Steve Olson take Top Male in 17:43.

• The Norfolk Sheriff’s 5K, on July 21st, had Mark Man-ny run an outstanding 15:58 in super heat to take the

The Shamrock Masters 8K starts. Dave McDonald, who is partially seen on the right, finished 14th overall in 27:37 Photo courtesy of TriDuo

Fesshaye Haile and Chuck Lollar are clearing the Rudee Inlet Bridge during the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marthon. On

the far left is Chad Simpson, another Strider. Photo courtesy of TriDuo

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Men’s title and Kendall Tata run a blistering 19:36 for Top Female.

• The Strider 1 Mile (GP), which was run on the track at Tallwood High School, featured Michael Stoay as the fastest Male Miler in 4:32. The Top Female was Diane Haupt in 5:30.

• A large number of Tidewater Striders ran the Inaugural Rock N Roll Half Marathon, on Labor Day weekend. Some noteworthy performances include Chris Catoe (3rd AG) in 1:48:04, Mary Davison (4th AG) in 1:26:18, Diane Haupt (2nd AG) in 1:31:17, Dai Roberts (1st AG) in 1:10:56, Sheri Segal (3rd AG) in 1:30:27, Kendall Tata (5th AG) in 1:32:50 and Mel Williams (1st AG) in 1:29:33.

• The Trigon Neptune Festival 8K (GP), on September 29th, saw Tommy Holland finish first in Open Male in 25:40 and Kendall Tata take top Female honors in 32:25.

• The Virginia Beach 10 Miler (GP), on November 3rd, saw John Piggott finish strong with a 56:49 to take Top Male and Delores Ware finish with a nice 1:04:25 to take Top Female.

• The all popular Turkey Trot 10K (GP), held on Novem-ber 22nd, had close to 1000 finishers. Taking the crown as Top Male was Dai Roberts with a time of 33:07 and Top Female Delores Ware with a time of 36:39.

• The 2001 Intra-Club Team Challenge came to an end at the Tom Bashara 5K. The top team for 2001 was “Franchetti and the Guys”. Members were Mel Wil-liams, John Price, Bill Kingsley, Lisa Franchetti, Jim-my Ferber and Glen Ruley.

Here are a few “out of area” races highlighted in The Run-down:• Boston Marathon in April: Bee Andrews in 3:26:14,

Goody Tyler in 3:39:50, Bill Bustin in 2:47:25, Craig Hymes in 2:56:39 and John Price in 4:21:59

• Richmond Marathon in November: Dai Roberts (1st Masters) in 2:30:47

• Marine Corps Marathon in October: Mel Williams (1st AG) in 3:11:18

• Baltimore Marathon in October: Mike Fuller (3rd Mas-ter) in 2:52:22

WalkingIn the February Rundown, Deanie Eldridge (Walking Chairperson) encouraged runners to use walking as a cross training activity. “Walking enhances the leg muscles ability to burn fat.” Much-to-do about the Myrtle Beach Marathon – early in the year – and how it had become a “walker friendly” marathon.

MultisportThe 2001 Triathlon Grand Prix schedule included:

• Breezy Point Triathlon• Allen Stone Memorial Run Swim Run• Colonial Beach Triathlon• Outer Banks Triathlon• Sandman Triathlon

Ada and Allen’s “Transition Zone” in The Rundown cov-ered such topics as hydration importance, preparations for the Gulf Coast Triathlon and other Triathlon travels, USAT competitive rules, flat tire changing, bike shifting and gearing and Grand Prix tidbits.The 2001 Breezy Point Triathlon was again a great success thanks to the hard work of Betty Virok (Race Director) and her dedicated committee. Over 650 athletes finished the sprint distance triathlon.A letter was received and posted in The Rundown about the Allen Stone Memorial Run Swim Run. “This letter is to thank everyone for their support of the Allen Stone Run Swim Run. This event was a great success and could not have been done without the support of the Tidewa-ter Striders and the City of Virginia Beach. We had 210 participants, 50 volunteers, and we raised $14,000 for the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad.”Virginia had the 6th highest number of competitors at Iron-man USA (Lake Placid on July 29). Included among that group were over 35 athletes from Hampton Roads and 23 Tidewater Striders. Max Carroll and Mel Williams earned slots to the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, the mecca event for triathletes.

A contingent of Striders, including Ty Whitaker, Ellen Ruddock, and Mike Villani, competed at the Gulf Coast

Triathlon in Panama City Beach, FL. Photo courtesy of TriDuo

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• 800 Meter – Mary Margaret Peter (10) placed 8th in 2:57:15

Awards• The Tidewater Strider President’s Award was presented

to Dan Edwards.• Race Volunteer of the Year (Gold) was presented to Jo-

seph Hirn.• Community Service Volunteer of the Year (Gold) was

presented to Dixie Levinsky.• Outstanding Female Performance Award was present-

ed to Jill Riblett.• Outstanding Female High School Cross Country Award

was presented to Jennifer Boyd.The 2001 Tidewater Grand Prix Awards were presented at the Annual Banquet in 2002 and are listed with total points earned:

Male OverallDai Roberts 132

Male MastersRob Levinsky 137

Male 1-19Jeremy Dow 157

Male 20-24Michael Peeler 102

Male 25-29Mohammed Chakhte 80

Male 30-34Tommy Neeson 148

Male 35-39Bryan Mordecai 170

Male 40-44Larry Ormerod 82

Male 45-49John Price 127

Male 50-54Rod Whibley 133

Male 55-59Lawrence Davis 205

Male 60-64Mel Williams 200

Male 65-69Chris Catoe 220

Female OverallMary Davison 150

Female MastersSheri Segal 140

The 2001 Grand Prix Series had over 240 Striders com-peting in at least one of the races. In 2000, 13 Striders did every event and 22 raced the entire Grand Prix in 2001.

YouthAfter five months of continued hard work and practice, 16 youth athletes culminated their track season with out-standing performances at the AAU Junior Olympics, held at Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk State University from July 30 to August 4. Every state was represented with 6,300 plus athletes in Track and Field. Here is a sampling of some of the Striders AAU Junior Olympians and their re-spective performance:• Youth Boys 4 X 800M Relays – Drew Midland, Nick

Oltman, Lance McDaniel and Liam Arocho place 16th with a total time of 9:22:29

• 3000 Meter – Lindsey Kent (Sub Midget 11yo) placed 12th in 12:03:26

• 3000 Meter – Lance McDaniel (13-14) placed 14th in 10:08:55

Doug Hamm (123) and Brad Kroll finish in their socks. Due to rough weather the swim was canceled turning the

event into a run-bike-dash to the finish. Normally this decision is a race director’s nightmare; due to the recent events of 9-11....no complaints. Photo courtesy of TriDuo

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Female 1-19Colleen Adams 120

Female 20-24Aasta Pendersen 109

Female 25-29Staci Studer 174

Female 30-34Liz Austin-Minor 133

Female 35-39Lisa Buckman-Lewis 172

Female 40-44Susie Rowley 95

Female 45-49Evie Thomson 142

Female 50-54Jeanne Kruger-Williams 235

Female 55-59Ann Hirn 161

Female 60-64Betty S. Munden 140

Winners of the 2001 Multisport Grand Prix Series were:• John Lomogda• Christine Allgeier

ScholarshipsDan Edwards made a motion at the May Board of Direc-tors meeting to amend the “Scholarship Policy and Pro-cedure” to reflect that the Tom Bashara Memorial Schol-arship will be $1500 and that the scholarship committee can recommend that a scholarship be split or shared in the event of a tie. The motion was seconded by Mel Williams and unanimously passed.

The 2001 Scholarship Award recipients were:• Pam Comstock (Tom Bashara Award) $1500• Kevin Rhue $1000• Ashley Whitaker $1000• Jeremy Dow $1000• Jeffrey Hedley $500• Edward Herbert $500

MiscellaneousResults of the first annual Tidewater Striders Speed Golf Tournament, held at Stumpy Lake on March 24th, saw Mike Weirich take first place in 60:15. HOW DID THIS WORK? Mr. Dave “Handlebars” McDonald took the first swing at 6:15a.m. After that, the runners (golfers?) took off at three minute intervals. Hitting and running, trying to get the little white ball in the cup as fast as they could! Yell-ing “fore,” they ran past each other laughing and breathing hard. Eleven die-hards participated in this madcap.Chris Catoe was congratulated by President Bee Andrews in The Rundown, stating “A very special thanks to Chris and his committee for coordinating another successful Re-lay For Life effort. All told, over $9000 was raised by our four Strider Teams – 53 relayers overall – for the Ameri-can Cancer Society.”Tidewater Strider Bob Callahan, a 51 year old adventure-based counselor from Virginia Beach, was named “Ev-eryday Champion” for the State of Virginia by Wheaties Energy Crunch. Bob was selected as Virginia’s Everyday Champion based on his athletic accomplishments as well as his volunteer services. Bob had finished 75 Marathons, 50 Triathlons and as of 2001, one Ironman World Cham-pionship.

L-R: Dai Roberts leads Mark Manny during the Turkey Trot 10K; Kevin Kendall and his son, Konner, warm-up at the Summer Series. Steve Speirs marks Shannon Ralston for her first triathlon at Tri-Kids. Photos courtesy of TriDuo.