News

May TCRS - Northridge Course in Mill Valley - May 11th

The third race in a series of progressively tougher TCRS runs takes place this Sunday, May 11th, at the Northridge course in Mill Valley. With a similar amount of climb, descent, and mileage to the Dipsea, this course is always a good indicator of how Dipsea racers will fare a month later. For race info and directions, go here. **NOTE: Race organizers are putting out the call for a few volunteer course monitors for this race, as the course features a fair number of turns and trail junctions. If you are not planning on running, but would like to help keep the racers on course, please contact Jim Myers at: jamesfsmc@pon.net , and he will assign a location for you. We'll see you Sunday at 9am!

April TCRS at Mt. Burdell

Dipsea hopefuls got a chance to burn their lungs and pound their legs at the always popular(?) Mt. Burdell TCRS April club race. The 10k trail and fire road course, with a little bit of pavement 1/2 way though the race served as a reminder that we still have work to do before June 8th rolls around. George Dombroski showed that he likes TCRS courses that run in north Novato, as he won his second Novato TCRS in the past year. Newly minted Master Wayne Best finished in a strong second place, 42 seconds behind George. Karen Steele showed off her hill muscles by taking the women's race, a comfortable 1:16 ahead of Christina Lachman. 107 runners completed the course. Results can be found here. Bernie and Edda once again graciously opened their home for a post-race brunch, enjoyed by a few dozen tired and hungry runners.

March TCRS and Runner of the Year Awards

Sunny skies and plenty of short steep hills were the order of the day in the March TCRS club race. 121 racers were challenged by the constantly undulating terrain, as well as the slightly sadistic climb in the last 1/2 mile of the race. Local triathlete Adam Zastrow ran strongly on the hills, to easily outdistance second place finisher Brad O'Brien. Jacque Taylor showed that she's in good pre-season Dipsea shape by trouncing the women's field by over 2 1/2 minutes. Home Girl Karen Steele took second place for the ladies. For complete race results, go here. Following the race was the annual Spring Tamalpa Runners of the Year awards breakfast, with many prizes and awards being doled out to deserving recipients. This years reward for running in at least 5 TCRS races last year was a nice pair of racing socks with the Tamalpa Runners logo on them. Many thanks to Brad O'Brien, Steve Shapiro, Frank Ruona, Dave Pinto, and the many voulunteers who helped make the awards presentations and breakfast a great time.

Way Too Cool 50k

Perfect running weather and mostly dry trails at this years edition of The Way Too Cool 50k contributed to some fast times run by a slew of Tamalpans and other racers as well. An impressive 29 runners finished under 4 hours, with Oregonian Todd Braje winning the race in a fine time of 3:32:13. 2007 Quad Dipsea champ Erik Skaggs led for much of the race, before finaly falling a bit off the pace in the last 5 miles. His second place time was 3:34:17. First-place woman, in a new course record time of 3:55:22, was Susannah Beck, also from Eugene, Oregon. Susannah bested Ann Trason's mark of 3:56:55, which had stood for 13 years. Most impresssive! In case you haven't heard of Susannah Beck before, she was the 4th place finisher in the 2000 Women's US Olympic Marathon trials, so she definitely has some credentials to her name! Top Tamalpan finisher was Mark McManus, in a sizzling 3:43:48, good for 10th place overall. Mark's time would have won this race outright at least 4 times in the past. A fast field, indeed. Also having a stellar performance was Roy Rivers, who broke Mark Richtman's 50-59 age group record with a great 3:53:50. Other Tamalpans who had notable performances were Heather Levine-Chesler (8th woman overall), Gary Wang, Dave Bronstein, and Bernie Hollander. Congratulations to all Tamalpan finishers at this always-popular event. For complete race results, click here. For Tamalpa-specific results, go here.

Saturday Morning Mountain Home Inn Run Website

Tamalpan Roy Rivers has created a neat website dedicated to the Saturday morning Mountain Home Inn fun run, complete with beautiful photos and comments about recent Saturday runs, and some miscellaneous other adventures. If you want to see how we enjoy our Saturday mornings on the mountain (and occasionally elsewhere), click here.

Twilight Relays

Twilight Relays meet director Jason Jacobson reports that 32 schools from all over the Bay Area are signed up for this years edition of this great event. The San Rafael Twilight Relays will take place this Saturday, March 8, 2008 @ 4:30 pm @ San Rafael High School. The Twilight Relays is a fun and special running experience. Relay teams compete in unique relay distances at night, under the lights at the beautiful San Rafael High School all-weather track and field facility. There is a $5.00 entrance fee. Races include: Girls and Boys Sprint Medley Relay --Girls and Boys Distance Medley Relay --Coed 4 x 200 Meter Relay --Coed 4 x 800 Meter Relay. This is a chance to come out and watch some of the best track athletes in the Bay area in action! Jason is also looking for volunteers to handle some of the timing of the events. If you would like to help out, contact Jason at Jason.Jacobson@qar.com . For more info about the event, click here. Hope to see you on the 8th!

February TCRS - Hamilton Field

A large turnout of 122 adult racers competed in the February Hamilton Field TCRS, with 22 more kids participating in the special Kids 1 and 2 mile races. Mark McManus continued to dominate the flat TCRS races, winning easily in a speedy time of 23:53 on the roughly 4.4 mile course. Always strong TCRS stalwart Brad O'Brien finished second about a minute and a half later. The women's race was a very competitive affair, with the top 5 finishers completing the course within 25 seconds of each other. Liz Shortino returned to the winner's circle with a fine 30:24, just 10 seconds ahead of Christina Lachman. Complete race results for the race(s) can be found here. Also *very* good to see was the return of Tamalpa's own Don Ritchie, who has been absent from the TCRS scene recently. Don has been focusing his energies on battling pancreatic cancer instead of racing. (What's up with that, Don? Heh.Good to see you out there.) Next month's club race on March 30th in South Novato will feature the Tamalpa Runner of the Year awards breakfast following the run. Be sure to be there!

Tamalpa Runners Couples Relay

Fifty-seven couples participated in the 2008 edition of the Tamalpa Runners Couples Relay, on Sunday, February 10th. For the first time in recent memory, a married couple took the top prize, breaking the streak of non-married, or "couple for a day" teams that have dominated the event in recent years. Deb and Jon Rushman won comfortably in a fine combined time of 22:29, 21 seconds in front of the second place team of Kelsey Ripp and Rian Nernandez. For complete results, click here. Thanks go out to race director(s) Russ and Marilyn Kiernan, and the many volunteers who helped put on the event. Russ has announced this will be his last year directing this popular race, race creator Barry Spitz has tentatively signed on to direct the race in 2009.

Roger's Super Bowl Race

The 23rd running of Roger Gordon's Super Bowl Handicapped 7 Mile trail race took place on a beautful sunny morning, following nearly a week of dreary rainy weather. Although there were a few muddy spots, and the occasional 60 second rain "spritz", the course was enjoyed by all. We even got to see a rainbow while traversing the Blithedale ridge "Roller Coaster"! Numbers were down for this year's edition, with only 54 entrants, as opposed to the usual 80-100 racers. The previous week's rains no doubt kept some of the fair-weather weenies away. The champion of this year's race was long-time Super Bowl race participant Mitch DeShields, who had arguably his best race in years. It's amazing how a fair handicap can motivate runners in this race! Mitch had a comfortable 1:33 lead over second place finisher Max Perry, who also benefitted from a decent handicap this year. Last year Max finished sixth from last, with a not-so-charitable handicap. He took full advantage of his added minutes, as well as experience from last year to improve to the runner-up position. Dave Leipsic also ran very well to garner the third place spot. The top 24 finishers all won a bottle of wine, supplied by Roger Gordon. All runners also enjoyed the traditional post-race breakfast at Roger's, as well as the good-natured heckling and abuse supplied by emcee George Frazier at the awards ceremony. A big thank you goes out to Roger and his band of volunteers for the race - Jim Myers, Dave Waco, Eve Pell, Cindy Goh, Jamie Berns, Roy Rivers, Arthur Beckert, Dimitris, and Dave Covey. For race results, go here.

January TCRS - Tennessee Valley

The first race in the 2008 TCRS racing season kicked off in typical fashion, under sunny skies, and crisp, clear conditions. Batbileg Bor returned to the winner's circle, out-racing a game Josh Babiak, and managing to run to a new course record of 19:03, five seconds under Jake Schmitt's old standard. Jacque Taylor cruised to victory in 22:31, 20 seconds ahead of second-place Anna Bretan. 170 racers enjoyed the mildly hilly course down to the ocean and back. For race results, click here. For some race photos taken by Dave Waco, go here. Next month's race returns to the levees of Hamilton Field, on February 17th. We'll see you there!

Tamalpa Youth and Teen Event

Tamalpa Youth and Tamalpa Teens are cordially invited to attend the 2008 Olympian Track and Field clinic to be held on Saturday, February 9th from 9 am to about 4 pm. Adults are also invited to attend. Where: Logan High School in Union City (we will car-pool over there) What is it: This is a learn-by-doing clinic. Olympic stars of the past and present guide you through various workouts and teach fundamentals of track and field. Most events of track and field are covered, including distance running.
Featured Athletes and Coaches:
Billy Mills--Gold Medal winner in Distance
Dick Fosbury--Gold Medalist in High Jump
John Carlos--sprint champ
Lee Evans-- 400 meter champ
Andre Phillips--400 Hurdle champ
Jim Hines--100 meter champ
James Robinson--800 meter champ
Eddie Hart--sprint champ
Wyomia Tyus--sprint champ
Ray Kimble--triple jump champ
Joe Newton--top high school cross country coach
Hal Connolly--5 time Olympian in Hammer throw
Mac Wilkins--4 time Olympian in Discus
Ed Seese--National Pole Vault Champ
Mike Powell--World Record Holder in Long Jump
Suzy Powell--US record holder in Discus and more....
This is an amazing lineup of Olympic champions!
Cost: this clinic is free to current Tamalpa members and includes lunch. Non-members--$10 if 12 and under; $25, if 13 and up. We will be limited to "30" participants (includes youths and adults). For more info or to reserve your spot: contact Craig Stern: cjstern1@verizon.net Craig will be sending in reservations on January 31st--so please respond by then.

New Years Day Run

Rougly 70 folks showed up for the first run of the year on the mountain on New Years Day, no doubt encouraged by the sunny skies and aspirations of a strong year of training and racing. The Deer Park School in Fairfax was once again the meeting point, which afforded the runners many enjoyable trail options to explore. Happy New Year, and good luck to all in 2008!

Christmas Relays

Tamalpa was represented by a great turnout of 15 different teams in varying age divisions at the recent Christmas Relays around Lake Merced in San Francisco. (249 teams total) This always fun event was blessed with cool and fast running conditions, and notable performances were turned in by the Tamalpa Junior Boys (pictured), and the Tamalpa Senior Men, who both won their respective divisions. The Senior Men continued to be on a roll from their earlier success at the National XC Meet a week earlier, and broke the existing course record for their age group by a few seconds. Congrats to the age group winners, as well as all Tamalpans who participated! Complete Relays results can be seen here.

Senior Men Take 2nd at Club National XC

Big Congratulations to the Tamalpa Senior Mens Team for taking second place this morning in Ohio. Brian Pilcher was Tamalpa's top runner and eighth in the 50-59 individual standings. Tamalpa Results below. For full results see Club National XC Results.

2. Tamalpa Runners

6 M50 Brian Pilcher, 51, Ross, CA 37:56.2
15 M50 Mark Richtman, 52, Novato, CA 39:03.6
16 M50 Tom O'Reilly, 50, Corte Madera, CA 39:11.3
19 M50 Roy Kissin, 50, Larkspur, CA 39:26.5
32 M50 Michael Radcliffe, 50, Mill Valley, CA 40:24.2
41 M50 Jim Howard, 53, Applegate, CA 41:00.3
Total Time = 3:16:01.7 Total Places = 88

Tamalpa Christmas Party Another Success

Tamalpans enjoyed yet another Holiday blowout at the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club on Dec. 8th. Included in the festivities were plenty of wining, dining and dancing. Tamalpa traditions included the infamous Tequila Den, the viewing of yet another fine Tim Amyx Tamalpa Year in Review video, and the awarding of a Tamalpa Lifetime Achievement award, this year the honor going to a very deserving Dave Waco. Congratulations, Dave! Many thanks go out to party coordinator Dave Pinto, and the many Tamalpans who volunteered their time and energies to bring us yet again another great time. Happy Holidays to all, and have a fantastic 2008!

Ballesteros, Berns Top Tamalpans At Quad Dipsea

Tamalpans once again filled the field at the 25th annual Quadruple Dipsea, held on Thanksgiving weekend. 232 runners managed to finish the double out-and-back course, with 26 Tamalpans crossing the finish line. 25 year old newcomer Eric Skaggs, of Ashland, OR, destroyed the field in his first Quad, becoming only the second runner ever to break the fabled 4 hour mark. Eric's time of 3:53:07 was only 38 seconds off of former Tamalpan Carl Anderson's course record. Not to be outdone, Livermore's Beth Vitalis *did* break Karen Brown's course record by racing to an outstanding 4:39:39, and finishing 7th overall in the race. Congratulations to both of these champions! Victor Ballesteros proved that he is one of the strongest Tamalpa ultrarunners these days by racing to his second consecutive second place finish in the Quad, with a fine time of 4:13:35. Jamie Berns was not able to repeat her winning ways of last year, but still managed to run a gustsy race and finish as first Tamalpan woman, and 7th female overall, despite battling debilitating leg cramps on the fourth leg of the race. Jamie's time was a solid 5:08:07. Way to go Jamie and Victor! For complete race results, go here.

Tamalpa Turkey Trot

Over 240 runners participated in the 7th Annual Tamalpa Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day at the Indian Valley campus of the College of Marin. Race director Jason Jacobson reports that 89 youngsters competed in the Kids 1.05 Mile race, and 155 adults and teens stretched their legs on the 2.82 mile cross-country course. Many thanks go out to Jason and his group of Tamalpan volunteers who ensured yet another successful year for this event. If the race continues to grow at this rate, they'll have to start having a lottery for entries! For race(s) results, click here.

Tamalpans Score at PA XC Championship

A large turnout of Tamalpans at the recent Pacific Association Cross Country Championship races in Golden Gate Park helped secure 5 of the 9 PA team titles for the 2007 XC Gran Prix season. Thanks to all Tamalpans who participated in any of the cross country races this year, and a special congratulations to the teams who won their respective age group divisions in the Gran Prix - Women's Masters and Super Seniors, and Men's Seniors, Super-Seniors, and Veterans. Final divison standings can be found here.

McManus, Gonzalez Take Final 2007 TCRS

One hundred racers enjoyed a cool sunny morning at the final TCRS of the year, the Redwood HS 5k, in Larkspur. Mark McManus, one month into his role as a new dad, (welcome Baby Myles!) showed who indeed has the quickest wheels in the club by winning handily over second-place finisher Jason Jacobson. Mark's time was a relaxed (for him) 16:26. After a number of high 2007 TCRS finishes, Tamara Gonzalez finally broke in to the winner's circle by outlasting a game Linda Sharp. Tammy and Linda both went under 20 minutes, with Tammy running 19:50, to Linda's 19:58. Race results can be seen here, and year-end TCRS standings will posted here shortly. As is tradition, December takes a break from TCRS racing, the next race is scheduled for Sunday, January 20th, at Tennessee Valley. Congratulations to all participants in any of the TCRS races this past year. We'll see you in January!

John Lawson Tamalpa Challenge

The Tamalpa Runners once again hosted this successful PAUSATF cross-country event, with nearly 300 runners taking part in three separate races (Women's, Men's Masters, and Men's Open) on a beautiful morning perfect for trail racing. The race of the day belonged to San Francisco's Jim Sorensen, who destroyed the rest of the field in the men's masters race, with a nearly 2 minute margin on the 4.25 mile course. Brian Pilcher was Tamalpa's fastest finisher of the day, finishing 9th overall in the master's race. Other notable Tamalpan efforts were turned in by Tammy Gonzalez, Linda Sharp, Jon Rushman, Tom O'Reilly, and Don Porteous. Many thanks to race director Ken Grebenstein and the dozens of Tamalpa volunteers who helped make this event the special experience that it is. For complete race results, go here. For some photos of Tamalpans running on race day, click here.

October TCRS - Jewell Trail

Natalie Simi added another win to her long list of TCRS victories at the October club rcae, held on the Tocolomah end of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Club pres Brad O'Brien took the men's race, using the flat sections of the bike path to his advantage, and pulling away from a game Wayne Patton, who finished 51 seconds behing Brad on the approx. 5 miler. Total number of racers was 72 participants, which is lower than usual for this normally popular TCRS. For complete race results, go here. For some Dave Waco photos of race participants, click here. Next month's Nov. 4th club race will be the last race of the year, and will take place at the traditional Redwood High School location, 5k distance. If you are curious to see how you rank in the TCRS standings before this last race, check it out here. See you on the 4th, and don't forget about the Daylight Savings Time change!

Steve Lyons Track Meet

The annual Steve Lyons Track meet proved to be another fun-filled and exciting affair, with dozens of athletes participating in individual races and relays of varying distances. The highlight of the evening was definitely the new pending world record set in the men's age 50 and over 4 x 1600 meter relay, by the Tamalpa quartet of Brian Pilcher, Roy Kissin, Tom O'Reilly and Mark Richtman in a sizzling time of 19:31.2, 12 seconds under the existing record, previously held by Tamalpans Frank Ruona, Don Porteus, Jim Williams, and Steve Lyons. For complete meet results, go here. For pictures of the record-breaking relay race, go here. Congartulations to our super seniors!

Tamalpa Gazette Removed From Arch Rival, Fleet Feet

At its June meeting, the Tamalpa Board voted to implement an idea which has been discussed off and on for many years: the removal of The Tamalpa Gazette from local running stores. The reasoning is primarily concern for the club’s declining membership, and the possibility that some members may not renew because they can get The Gazette for free at the stores. This change in policy may or may not affect membership renewals, but it becomes effective with the July `07 issue. Tamalpa is fortunate indeed to have as fine a newsletter as The Gazette, which has a storied past and has been under the able direction of Dave Waco for some years now. It is proclaimed to be of significant value to Tamalpa members who receive it, and it has likely motivated many local runners in their initial decision to join Tamalpa. With club dues at a very affordable $20 annual rate for many years now, one would not think that a free Gazette from the shoe store would make much of a difference in a decision to renew one’s membership. However, club records indicate that many runners choose not to renew after their initial year or two as official members, yet remain active in the local running community. It remains to be seen whether the Board’s decision will in any way affect club membership numbers. The new policy, though, is also intended to add significance to being a Tamalpa member, to allow those who make a point of paying their dues feel as though they ARE supporting a special cause in our local running world. Kees at Arch Rival, and Charles at Fleet Feet were both understanding and expressed a desire to maintain a strong relationship between the club and the stores. Both are very willing to have informational fliers about Tamalpa, as well as Membership Applications, available in lieu of the actual Gazettes. The Tamalpa Board encourages feedback from members and non-members regarding this change in policy, and regarding Tamalpa activities in general.

Tamalpa Racing Team Signups

In an effort to bolster team competition and participation, a Tamalpa Racing Team Signup page has been created. (Thanks Gary Wang, Ken Grebenstein and Janet Bowman!) Tamalpa members interested in representing the club at local PAUSATF Road, XC and Ultra Gran Prix races in 2008 are encouraged to visit the signup page, register, and select the races they feel they may be racing in this year. Listing the possible races you may be competing in will help your respective team captains organize teams for the upcoming races, as well as be able to contact you with any pertinent race, travel, or training info. Those listing their 2008 races on the page are not required to *absolutely* have to race in the events they have chosen, but listing the races you are interested in will definitely help motivate others to sign up, as well. Click here to see who has signed up already, or go to the "RACE" menu at the top of the page, and click on the "Team Signups" link. Let's make 2008 the strongest Tamalpa racing season ever!

2008 Tamalpa Women's Racing Team

In an effort to bolster the strength of our women's racing teams, Tamalpa is proud to offer a new FREE racing program for all women members. Our goal is to help Tamalpa women get motivated and inspired to run to their potential, and have an opportunity to experience the excitement of the club-vs-club racing scene. This program is open to runners of all ages and abilities. You don’t have to be a “fast” runner. Some of the benefits include: Free entry fees, coaching, camaraderie, carpooling, and other benefits are provided. To receive them, you only have to commit to racing six races for the entire year. Don't procrastinate......It's fun to run......It's fun to race......Come join the fun! For more info on this program, click here.

Tamalpa Social Events

Dave Pinto, Tamalpa Social Committee Chairman, has been busy planning a schedule of fun Tamalpa Social events for 2008. Activities range from a Tamalpa golf outing, to a multi-sport outing, the Mountain Play, a club picnic, and a Giants-Dodgers game in September. If you have any ideas about a fun Tamalpa social event, or would like to volunteer to help out the Tamalpa social committee, contact Dave Pinto at dpinto@sonic.net. For a calender of, and more info about Tamalpa Social Events, click here.

Tamalpa Business Directory On Line

The Tamalpa Yellow Pages are now available on our Business Directory page. Look to this directory to find Tamalpan business owners offering the goods and services you need. If you are interested in having your business listed, please send an email to the Tamalpa webmaster at webmaster@tamalparunners.org. Be sure to send all the necessary info. Only Tamalpa member owned businesses will be listed.

Tamalpa Runners Outstanding Runner Recognition Program

In 1994 the Tamalpa Runners adopted an Outstanding Runner Recognition Program. The intent of the program was to recognize and reward Tamalpa Runners for both their outstanding individual performances and their contribution to the club’s racing teams. This program was meant to encourage participation by Tamalpa Runners in the Pacific Association Races for the Road Racing, Cross Country and Ultra Running Grand Prix Series. The current program has two parts. The first part is to reward Tamalpa Runners for their participation as a member of a Tamalpa Team at PA Grand Prix Races. The Tamalpa Runners will pay the annual fee to renew your USATF card of $20.00 for any Tamalpa Runner who ran at least seven PA races for their Tamalpa Racing Team in the prior year. These seven races can be any combination of Road, Cross Country or Ultra Races. Contact your Racing Team Captain or Frank Ruona if you qualify and want Tamalpa to purchase your 2005 USATF card for you. The second part of the program is to reward runners for outstanding individual performances in PA races. If you qualify under this part of the program you are eligible to have your PA race entry fees paid for by Tamalpa. We have two categories for this second part of the program. The first category is for Road and Cross Country Racing. To be eligible for this category you have to have run at least a combination of seven PA Road and Cross Country Races, three or more being Road Races, for your Tamalpa Racing Team, and to have run at least one Race in a time equal to or faster than the times listed in the following National Class Age Graded qualifying standard table:

Road Racing

If you think that you qualify for Race Entry Fee reimbursement as a result of running times that meet or beat the times listed in the above table and are interested in pursuing reimbursement, contact your Racing Team Captain or Frank Ruona and let them know. The second category is for Ultra Running. To qualify under this category you must have run at least seven PA Road, Cross Country and/or Ultra Races for your Tamalpa Racing Team and have run at least one PA Ultra Race in a time equal to or faster than the times listed in the following Outstanding Ultra Runner Table:

Ultra

Runners who qualify under this category of the program are eligible to have a portion of their Ultra Race Fees paid for the Ultra Races they run the following year. They are eligible for the average preregistration PA Road Racing Entry Fee (approximately $27.00/race) times the number of PA Ultra races that they run in the following year. Over the past several years this program has been in effect, but very few Tamalpans have been aware of or taken advantage of the program. In December of 2002 we had a meeting of Racing Team Captains and other interested Tamalpa Runners to discuss what we could do to increase the participation of Tamalpans on our racing teams. It was decided that a first step would be to publicize and implement the program that we currently have in place. Any Tamalpans who have ideas as to how to improve our racing teams and our racing program are urged to contact your racing team captain or Frank Ruona and make your opinions known. The Tamalpa Runners have one of the largest running clubs in Northern California. We should do our best to field competitive racing teams.