Happy New Year to ya=ll. Should have had this newsletter done weeks ago, but ran into some problems, you know the standard excuses, kids sick, too busy trying to shop for Christmas, no motivation to sit at the computer and put the newsletter together. I do apologize for it being so late. But here it is FINALLY!!!

Anyway, this is a time to reflect back on the past year. It has been good for some and not so good for others. We made it through the Millennium without many computer glitches. We=ve had some unexpected deaths, some divorces, a couple of marriages(within our running circle), babies, and even some babies on the way (and NO it isn=t me!!) Several of us have been plagued with injuries and vow to make 2001 a better running year. Can=t get any worse for those of us who have been fighting with chronic injuries. HERE=S TO RUNNING INJURY FREE IN THE YEAR 2001!!!!

Officers: I would like to state that there is no rhyme or reason as to how our officers take office. When I became President I told Karen Pelton-Foley-Yokley I would take it over if she was tired of the position. She jumped at the chance. The same applies for any and all positions. If anyone out there would like to take over any of the current positions, just let us know. I think all current officers will remain if no one seeks their position, but don=t be shy if you really want to take one over.

Editor: Your current editor, me-Joanie Dergan, is formally resigning. I have decided 4 years has been long enough, and I think someone else can do the job justice. I have lost my motivation to be creative and make the newsletter interesting. Sorry for that. So, I am pleading to all 160+ members, please have it in your heart to take over the newsletter so it can continue to be published. I will be happy to help with the transition, but believe me it is not that difficult, if you don=t have 3 kids tugging at you and whining when you are working on it.

Here=s to running without injuries and setting personal goals this New Year.

Wasn=t Manna from Heaven and isn=t bread a carbohydrate? Can this be bad for us as some Aexperts@ claim. When I speak of the fruits of life I really do mean fruits-can we live without them? Carbs seem to be in all the recent articles and getting bad rap. Let=s look at the science behind it all. Our bodies utilize food (fuel) in a system known as ATP 90 which in English means unless your body is really weird you need a lot of carbs, about 50-60% especially if you are an athlete. All carbs are made if simple sugars. They just come in different sizes such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The first two make up simple sugars, the latter complex carbs Total calories and macronutrient ratio will always determine how these nutrients act in the body. Quantity always precedes quality. Carbs. Are definitely not bad but they are misunderstood. If you are a diabetic you know about Glycemic index, if you aren=t, you should study more about it. It does appear to play an important role in fat loss and pre-workout endurance, there are some new forms of carbs. In the sports supplements industry. One such type of carb. Is amylose resistant starch. The resistant carb. Is released four times slower than regular carbs and is used in some products to slow overnight carb release to help maintain healthy morning blood sugar levels. This appears to be the next frontier in insulin regulation. There are many theories to this complicated carb issue. Keep it simple by eating 50% carbs for athletes and maybe slightly less for weight loss. Remember carbs are fruit & vegetables, whole grains and beans. Balance your diet by combining carbs with a protein or fat and know that calories do make a difference.

TOPEKA TO AUBURN 2 MARATHON January 20, 2001. 
11 am start from Popeye=s. 
Volunteers needed, will receive a sweatshirt. 
Contact Mark Barbee 272-3704, or Joanie Dergan 234-5458.

TOPEKA TO AUBURN PRACTICE RUN
Sunday Jan. 7, 2001
10 am from Popeye=s

There will be 3 sag vehicles, Joanie, Wes, & Frank. Anyone wanting to run the course, show up and be ready. All are invited, even if you don=t want to run the whole thing you can still come and run part of it.

3. New construction on various parts of the South Lawrence Trafficway path continues at a rapid rate. The chances of having an unobstructed path in April are not very good.

In early October my wife Nancy and I ran the St. George (Utah) Marathon. I ran well enough to finish second and won a very unique prize for my efforts: A trip to Japan to take part in the Ibigawa Marathon. The following is a journal of our trip.

Our trip started early Wednesday, November 8th, when we left for KCI at a little before 5:00 AM. This was the start of a true marathon as we spent the next 26 hours plus traveling to Ibigawa, Japan. This little journey included the drive from Topeka to KCI, ample time to check in at KCI, a flight from KCI to Chicago O=Hare, a 3 hour layover at O=Hare, then a 12 hour flight from O=Hare to Tokyo-Narita, a 3 hour layover in Narita, an hour and a half flight from Tokyo to Nagoya, a one hour wait in Nagoya for the other members of the St. George delegation (arriving from LA), and finally a two hour bus trip to Ibigawa (you should be out of breath by now, I know I was).

Once we arrived in Ibigawa, at 11:30 PM local time and late, we were rushed into the town hall for a semi-formal ceremony to introduce our delegation to the Ibigawa city officials and our host families. Our delegation included the 4 winners from the St. George race (the top men=s and women=s overall and over age 40 runners that accepted the prize) and their spouses as well as a city council member from St. George. Several official proclamations were read and each couple was introduced along with their host family. Bows were exchanged and then we were dismissed as abruptly as we had arrived; the Japanese do not like to be late.

Upon our dismissal, Nancy and I were sent off with Katsuyoshi and Miyo Hayashi, and I do mean sent off with. We had barely met these people and we jumped into their car and rushed off into the darkness away from the only people we sort of knew at all for thousands of miles and we couldn=t even talk to them because they spoke very little English and we knew even less Japanese.

Once we were at the Hayashi=s house little more than the necessities were taken care of since it was so late. The first necessity was to leave our shoes inside the entry way and put on a pair of slippers. This was the custom in private homes and some public buildings. We took a quick tour of their home and got lessons in how to use both the bath and the toilet. These lessons were needed.

The bath included two rooms, one to change in and one to wash in. The washroom was sort of like a combination shower, sauna, and spa. Their custom is to wash up outside of the tub in the open area of this room where there is a drain on the floor, then to soak in the tub. Usually the entire family bathes without changing the water in the tub. Generally the men of the household go first (hoo-ahh), then the women, unless there are guests in which case they get the honor. In our case since we wanted to shower in mornings instead of the evenings like they typically do, so we just skipped the tub. The toilet was in a separate room and was just as unique to us as the bathing tradition. We were fortunate in the sense that our family had a western style commode, which wasn=t the case with every host family. However it was as high-tech as I think things can get. First of all the seat was heated. Secondly it included a bidet feature. Finally to operate it there was a control on the wall that had at least a dozen buttons. I stuck with the one that flushed for fear of hitting the wrong button at the wrong time. Yes, there was paper for those less adventurous souls.

Our final lesson for the night was in how to make our beds. We slept on futons that were stored in a closet during the day. These were different from what we might expect in that they did not have a frame that the mattress rested on. Instead you placed the mattress on the floor and then spread some heavy blankets over it. It was sort of like glorified camping. It was actually very cozy and we slept very well that night, although I=m sure we probably would have in much less favorable conditions.

The next morning brought my first opportunity for a run in Japan. To make sure I didn=t get lost our host, who we were now calling Kats (pronounced like cots) decided to accompany me on his bike. We started off and he immediately sped away from me. This confused me and I didn=t know whether he thought I actually ran that fast or he was trying to get away. I soon found out what was going on though, when I caught back up to him as we climbed up the side of a mountain for most of the next mile. The rest of the run was uneventful except that it gave me my first chance to see what rural Japan was like.

The word rural hardly seems to apply by our standards, at least in this area. The homes were often right next to each other and seldom more than a hundred feet apart. The fields were very small as well. Most were less than a 100 yards long. Although the area was very agricultural I don=t recall seeing any farm implements. Farming appeared to be a very different vocation than it is in Kansas.

After the run and a shower it was time for breakfast. This included a bowl of miso soup, some fish, scrambled eggs, sausage, some fruit and Japanese pickles. Yes, pickles, made from a root that=s similar to a radish. They seemed to eat these with about every meal. The miso soup was good although it seemed a little strange for breakfast. It was similar to vegetable soup. When I listed some fish, I did so to indicate it was plural. In fact it was easy to count how many fish because they were still fully intact. To eat these fish (they looked like big sardines) you removed the head, and then ate everything remaining but the end of the tail. They were cooked and warm and tasted fine, but it was a little hard to overcome the sight at first.

Our first stop was a marketplace where we had an opportunity to buy some souvenirs and a chance to try more Japanese foods. The best food we sampled were the roast chestnuts that were sold buy many of the vendors. The worst was a pickled plum that Nancy warned me to not even try. I heeded her advice but got cornered into trying one later and I=d have to agree with her first impression. I guess it=s something that even most of the Japanese don=t like.

For a period of several hundred years prior to the mid 1800=s, Japan was broken into fiefdoms. A samurai warrior built the Hikone Castle that we visited as the seat of one of these fiefdoms. It took over 20 years to build the castle and grounds, which were completed in 1622. It was surrounded by a double moat that stretched along the 2.5 mile perimeter and included a temple and several other buildings. When we entered the castle buildings we had to remove our shoes and go sock footed, carrying our shoes around in a plastic bag. In addition to providing a history lesson the castle also offered a bird=s eye view of the surrounding area since it set atop a high bluff.

At this dinner we met the Hayashis= daughter, Mari and her fiancé, Jes. We also learned that a Japanese tradition is to never pour your own drink but to always make sure that your friends= drinks are full. Jes was very entertaining because each time I=d start to top off his beer, he=d stop me, say, AJapanese style@, and down the rest of his drink. We had an extremely good time and made it to bed rather late that night.

Our second day was devoted to race business. We started with a tour of the marathon course. It was a good thing we got a look at it too, because it was one of the toughest marathon courses I=ve seen. It starts at about 150 feet in elevation. Then it follows a river up into the surrounding mountains topping out at around 800 feet elevation. The climb isn=t just one up and down trip either. There are several points where it goes back down then climbs again.

I decided to take a short run to check out this high-tech treadmill. After a short search for running shoes that could fit me I was ready to go. The machines were only able to run at 3 speeds with the video so I chose the middle setting to start with. This turned out to be much too slow so I stopped and asked them to try the high setting. I soon found out this pace was a little too fast and after about 30 seconds I had to ask the technician to shut it down so I wouldn=t fall off. Later I found out that this setting ran at about 4 minute mile pace. I=m not sure who uses that setting but whoever it is, they=re a stud.

Next on our agenda for day two was a rather formal lunch with city and marathon officials. Many proclamations were read again and some gifts were exchanged between the city official of Ibigawa and Suzanne, the St. George city council member with us. Each of us also received some gifts. These included a coat, a hat, some lapel pins, a small blanket for the women and for the men a little drum that I think has something to do with Buddhism. We also exchanged several toasts and through the course of this learned that Acheers@ in Japanese is Akampai@.

When we got back to the Hayashi=s home we had a little time before supper so I decided to try to teach Kats how to play cribbage. I had brought him a cribbage board as one my gifts. This was certainly difficult even though one of the interpreters, Yoshi, was there to help me communicate. After a couple of hands I was worried that it was hopeless, but after about 6 hands he seemed to have things down pretty good. Of course it was sort of a modified version of cribbage; I guess Japanese rules cribbage. Yoshi kept giving me a hard time, saying that I was changing the rules as I would explain the different ways to score points. I hope the cribbage board doesn=t become something that only collects dust. Regardless, it was fun trying to teach them how to play.

That night=s supper was sukiyaki. This was rather ironic since as a kid I would always refuse to eat this when my mother would fix it. Fortunately I=m a little less finicky now. However they did add a new twist to this. Apparently true sukiyaki is served on top of a raw egg. Our host gave us an out when he asked if we=d rather not have the egg to which we both accepted. Then Yoshi, the interpreter, reminded me of the American saying, Awhen in Rome do as the Roman=s do@. Feeling a bit shamed into it I went ahead and tried the raw egg thing. It wasn=t bad, but I might recommend trying

to find the hottest piece of meat from the skillet to cook your egg with if you=re ever in this situation. As always there was also plenty of sake and beer so at least I could wash it down. This was definitely not my traditional pre-race meal. We had to cut things short this night (thankfully) because we were expected at pre-race concert being held at the town auditorium.

We got to the concert just in time to catch the main attraction. This happened to be a guy that=s kind of the Don Ho of Japanese running. Apparently wherever the big race is on any given weekend this guy will be there with his western style guitar and plenty of songs. Of course we couldn=t understand much of what he sang except occasionally when he sang something in English. Even then though it was difficult to understand.

They got all nine of us in the St. George delegation up on stage and introduced us. Then they had Suzanne, the St. George city councilwoman, say a few words. We thought we were off the hook, but then the mike ended up in my hand. Nancy still thought she was safe but after they had asked each of the winners from St. George to speak they started in with the spouses. It was sort of fun and the spotlight was in your eyes anyway so you couldn=t really see whom you were talking to. After we got off stage we waited a little longer then headed home so we could turn in early since the next day was the race.

For breakfast Miyo fixed me pancakes, which I had requested. Nancy chose to sleep in and skipped breakfast. Miyo was almost as nervous about preparing the pancakes as I was about racing. This meal was also the only time I declined to eat whatever was put before me. Miyo had also fried some eggs and fixed some sausage and I knew I couldn=t do that before a hard run, so I asked her to forgive me and passed them up.

Both of our races were unique experiences. Nancy found that she was sort of a moving attraction. As other runners would notice her they would stop and point and say a few words she of course couldn=t understand. She also found that the aid stations were stocked a little differently than they are at most races in the states. They had very few aid stations to begin with, and then for fluids they had very little water and were mostly handing out apple juice or green tea. She got by with the water she could find but found this to be almost as challenging as the hills.

Toward the end of her race she picked up a pacesetter. This little guy decided that he was going to run with her to the finish and keep her company. Once again Nancy couldn=t understand what he was saying and after a while it started to bother her enough that she tried to lose him. No matter what she did though he would always find a way to stay with her. The last few kilometers he made sure she noticed the signs that told how many kilometers remained. This was almost enough to put her over the edge. Fortunately she kept her composure and an international incident was avoided.

She finished in around 4:08. This was her slowest marathon ever, but considering the course, the traveling, the lack of water and the fact that she ran a marathon only five weeks before, I=d say she did very well.

catch up with a good finishing kick. To my surprise though at about 10 miles the leader blew up and slowed drastically. At the same time the second place runner seemed to find a second wind and moved ahead. Eventually I also caught the original leader and ended up finishing second. My time was 1:10:09, which I=ve only bettered once for this distance in the last three or four years.

After the race we headed back to the Hayashi=s and started getting ready to go home. Of course we already had a lot of new things to pack into our bags, but before we got started Kats=s son and our interpreters took us to a mall so we could shop for some more gifts. We found several things including some Japanese snack foods. It was almost embarrassing how much stuff we ended up with. In fact we had to put some of it in a box because we ran out of room in our bags. Hopefully they understood our desire to bring back things to share with family and friends as well as mementos for ourselves.

As in previous years, awards were handmade and given only to 5K participants who were in costume. The overall women=s winner was Alex Vickers, a 15 year old. Unfortunately, she dressed as a runner, which didn=t fool anyone since she obviously IS a runner. No award for Alex, but she wins our respect for her finish. The overall men=s winner was Dave Halferty. But, alas, Dave also forgot his costume. Sorry, Dave, no award for you.

The first male across the line, in costume, was Pat Melgares from Manhattan. He gave Dave a good race, and took home an award. The first female finisher in costume was Mianne Irick. Way to go, Mianne! For the Masters Men, John Oyler won for the second year in a row. We don=t know how much longer that costume of his is going to last, though. A loin cloth, with a feather in a headband is probably only good for two years, huh John? Norma Weiser, who is having a wonderful fall racing season, took home the first place medal for the Masters Women. Marla Rhoden, who lost her costume to a baseball player, and Sheryl Devo both had excellent runs in this age group but were not eligible for awards.

New this year were the boys and girls division, for those 12 years of age and under. We had some very interesting races in these categories. Three girls finished very close to each other: Berry Holston was 51^st overall, Madeline Farron was 53^rd, and Carlene McManigal was 55^th. I don=t know if they could see each other on the dark trail, but it was very exciting to watch them come through the finish chutes!

We hope that everyone had a good time, and that you=ll be back with us next year.

DUES-DUES-DUES-Please submit to Lana Best, and fill out membership form.

Road Runners Club of America #1323, the Sunflower Striders Running Club, of Topeka, KS hereby certifies that it will add the following phrase to its membership application starting with the club=s memberships for 2001, and in subsequent years:

Annual dues for 2001 in the Sunflower Striders Running Club are $15.00, $1.25 of this amount is for a subscription to RRCA=s quarterly magazine, Footnotes for one year.

Tucson Marathon 12-3-00
Sharon Patnode 5:10:57
1^st marathon

Minneapolis
Kay Underwood 4:39:16

Flint Hills Fall Classic
5K
Bob Potter 20:31 1^st AG
Wes Nicholson 30:17 2^nd AG

10K
Dreher Goodrich 47:33 2^nd AG
Noble Merrell 1:09:51 3^rd AG

Cedar Crest Classic
November 4, 2000
Visit the Race Results page.