Current membership in Tamalpa Runners.

A current USATF card designating your club affiliation as Tamalpa (Club #100). You can signup online at the PAUSATF Website.

A shirt of some kind that says "Tamalpa", preferably the current men's singlet or women's uniform top (available in bra, tank, tee, or long sleeve styles.)

Highly recommended: Let us know which XC races you plan to run. This helps the team captains and your teammates as well plan their schedules so that we can have complete teams at as many races as possible, especially the ones closer to Marin. (Five Tamalpans make a team for open divisions and men's masters; four for men's seniors; and three for all other divisions. ) The main thing is to avoid defaults - that's why slow runners are so much more desirable than no runners!

To navigate to the signup page, click on "RACE" at the top of this page, then "Team Signups" in the drop-down menu. Next, click on either the men's or women's Cross Country page. If you don't know the password, request it in an email to any team captain listed on page 2 of the Gazette. Once you are logged in, you will be able to add your name to any blank line, and type Yes, No, or Maybe for each event. Click on "Save" when you're done. This is not a hard-and-fast commitment, just an indication of your intentions. If you want to go back and change something later, just repeat the same procedure.

Please contact your team captain by email or phone if you have questions or would like to carpool to a race.

August TCRS

The August TCRS on Sunday the 10th saw participation numbers slightly down for the race, probably due to conflicting vacation plans for many club members. It certainly couldn't have been due to the course, as it's a pleasurable 5.2 mile mix of flat bike path and slightly challenging fire trail that rewarded the racers with a gorgeous view from atop the ridge. Race day weather was nearly perfect, with cool temps in the shade of the bike path, and slightly warmer conditions on the hill. TCRS newcomers Jim Sorensen (national-class Masters miler) and Mark Churchill (32 minute 10k guy) battled it out for much of the race, with Jim prevailing over the last mile or so on the bike path, in a strong time of 31:27. Teen phenom Jacque Taylor won the women's race handily in a fine time of 37:42, over second place lady Karen Steele, who edged out Liz Shortino for the runner-up honors. There were 73 finishers overall. Complete results can be found here, and Craig Stern took quite a few photos during the race, which can be viewed here. Next month's club race will be held on Sep. 21st, at the Bahia/Rush Creek course in Northern Novato.

July Golf `n Race TCRS

The third consecutive running of the July San Geronimo TCRS once again proved to be a popular affair. Mild weather conditions made for good racing, and Mark McManus continued his dominating ways by holding off a contingent of younger runners, who seem to be increasing in numbers at recent club races. Peter Kissin finished in the runner-up position, nearly two minutes back. An exciting women's race saw Courtenay Brown triumph over a game Laura Schmitt. 92 finishers enjoyed the two loop course around the San Geronimo Golf Course, and many participants and their families partook in the post-race dinner festivities at the golf club's banquet hall. For complete results, go here. **And a notice about next month's club race - The race date, Sun., August 10th remains the same, but the location has changed due to permitting issues. The new location will be a familiar course, in Samuel P. Taylor State park , at the Tocolomah/Jewell Trail location. (West end of the park) Click here for info and directions.

"Four On The 4th" Race a Success

The Tamalpa Runners and race director Jason Jacobson report that the inaugural Novato "Four On The 4th" Fourth of July races went off smoothly, with over 100 participants in the 4 mile road race, and "Mayor's Cup" One Mile run/walk. Jason thanks the many Tamalpan volunteers and racers who participated on race day, and invites everyone to return next year to this well-organized event. For complete 4 Mile race results, click here.

Western States 100 Cancelled Due To Fires

The 35th running of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run was unfortunately cancelled by race organizers a few day before the scheduled start on June 28th, due to the hazardous conditions on, and near the course as a result of the many wild fires that are plaguing Northern California. Alternate race scenarios, including several different variations of the race course were considered, but the unhealthy air conditions prevented any possible substitute race solutions. Race organizers have announced that all runners who were on the Official Final Start List will be given an automatic entry to the 2009 event. For more comprehensive news on the cancellation of the event, go here.

Berns, Rivers Take Woodminster, Double Dipsea

Jamie Berns and Roy Rivers, Tamalpa's "Dynamic Duo" of Bay Area trail racing, continued their co-dominance of the "Triple Crown" of handicapped trail races, with Jamie scoring the win at the Dick Houston Woodminster Handicap 9 mile trail race on June 15th, and Roy taking the overall honors at the Double Dipsea on June 21st. This makes it eight "Triple Crown" handicapped trail race wins in a row for either Roy or Jamie. (Go here for the stats.) Talk about dominance! Congratulations to these two awesome Tamalpan trail racers, as well as all the other Tamalpans who have pounded the trails of the three handicapped trail races this month. For Woodminster race results, go here. And for Double Dipsea results, click here.

Roy Rivers Wins The Dipsea

Perennial favorite and Heartbreak Kid Roy Rivers finally broke through at the Dipsea today, winning the 98th running of the storied trail race from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Roy (age 51, 6 hc min., 53:23 scratch time) won by over a minute and a half in front of second place Russ Kiernan, who had yet another strong run over the Dipsea course. A surprise third-place finisher was 68 year-old Hans Schmid, running in his first Dipsea Invitational race. Look out for Hans next year! Rounding out the top five were Mark McManus, who took the fastest time trophy for the third year in a row, and former champion Melody-Anne Schultz. Tamalpa once again took the team title. Congratulations to all the participants, now we can relax! Complete preliminary results are now posted on the Dipsea Race website here. (Finish line photo: Alan Dep - Marin IJ)


Great Job, Roy!

Three of the Good Guys...

Marin Memorial Day Races

Under overcast skies, and perfect running conditions, 700+ racers participated in the Marin Memorial Day 10k and 2.5 Mile races. The men's race saw some of the fastest times in years posted, with Phillip Reid leading the way, in a sizzling 29:36. Last years 10k champion, Sergio Reyes was close behind in 29:48. 2008 Women's Olympic Marathon team member Magdalena Lewy-Boulet repeated as ladies champion, winning the race in a fine time of 34:19, 28 seconds ahead of Mill Valley's Clara Peterson. Sixteen year-old Eric Olson, of Healdsburg, smoked the field in the 2.5 Mile race, winning by more than a minute and a half. He will be a definite contender in the Dipsea in two weeks. And as is tradition, the Kids races held after the 10k and 2.5 mi. were very exciting and entertaining for the kids, and parents alike. Complete race results for the 10k and 2.5 mi. races can be found here. Of course, it goes without saying that this great event cannot happen without the *very* hard work and dedication of the many volunteers that contribute their time and efforts towards the cause. Tamalpa extends its sincere thanks and gratitude to race director Janet Bowman for her capable stewardship of the race(s), as well as the many Tamalpan volunteers that have helped out over the past year. Thank you all!

May Mother's Day TCRS - Northridge (Mill Valley)

As per tradition, the May TCRS was designed to be a hilly and tough course, in order to help prepare Dipsea entrants for the challenge that lies ahead next month. This course lived up to the billing. A slightly modified 7.1 mi. route along Corte Madera Ridge and Warner Canyon put 123 racers to the test, with all agreeing that this race indeed is a good tuneup for the Dipsea. Mark McManus proved he is more than ready, powering away to a decisive victory, in a speedy time of 44:59. Former Tamalpan Adam Hersh, also a strong Dipsea contender, placed second, 2:43 behind Mark. In that the race was held on Mother's Day, it was only fitting that Mom Liz Shortino took first place for the ladies, just edging out Karen Steele after a great duel on the hilly course. Liz ran 59:03, to Karen's 59:19. Jamie Berns proved that she is still running strong by placing third in a fine effort of 59:56. Complete race results can be found here. There will be no TCRS in June, the next scheduled race returns to the San Geronimo Golf Course for a fun Friday night contest, on July 18th. We'll see you there!

Tamalpa Summer Youth Running Camp

Jason Jacobson and the Tamalpa Runners once again will host a summer camp for youths age 6-14 who desire to improve their running abilities and overall fitness. There will be four sessions of the camp, June 19, June 26, July 19, and July 17th. In addition to a structured training program, participants will also receive Tamalpa club membership, t-shirt, and free TCRS and Christmas Relays entries. Camp cost is $100.00 per athlete. For more info, and a printable registration form, go here.

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.

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!

News from 2007 and 2006