Sacramento Running News

Christopher Tori Smith (photo courtesy Washoe County)

Christopher Smith, the driver awaiting trial for the killing of Robert and Linda Mathis in Incline Village on December 30th of last year, has been arrested this past Sunday for allegedly assaulting a man in the restroom at ATT Park, during a Giants game.

According to reports, Smith approached his victim and started hitting him, knocking him to the ground. Smith allegedly continued attacking the man even after he had fallen to the ground.

Smith fled the scene but was captured by police who have stepped up patrols in response to prior violence at the park.

There is no information as to a motive for the assault. Smith is being held for battery, vandalism, and public intoxication.

Smith’s court date for the death of Robert and Linda Mathis is scheduled for next May.

Robert and Linda Mathis were local race directors, who managed a large calendar of road and trail races.

You do know that registration for the Boston Marathon opened yesterday, right?

The question on everyone’s mind is “will the new qualifying standards slow down the process?”

Due to growing demand, they phased in a rolling registration process for the 2012 race, and then tightened the qualifying standards by five minutes for the 2013 race.

The new standards still aren’t as tight as they were back in the glory days of American running, but it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

After a few run-ins with way too much litter on the trail, I was inspired to write an essay about it for Ultrarunning Magazine.

You can read it in the September issue, which should be in your mailbox by now.

You’ve got a few hours to kill so you find your way to a favorite trail. You lace up your shoes, grab a water bottle, and disappear down the single track. Fir needles and dirt crunch under your feet as the troubles you took home from work slip your mind. You relax into the run and your breaths come easier.

Then you round a bend and see something crumpled on the ground next to the trail: the spent wrapper of an energy gel. Instinctively, you touch the pocket in your shorts and feel for the gels you’ve packed along for the run. You no longer feel so much a part of nature as you feel a part of a dysfunctional family.

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Lindsay Tolefson on her way to the win. (Photo credit: Camron Shahmirzadi)

The Rebels XC Challenge kicked off the local adult cross country season yesterday in Granite Park, and competitors enjoyed picture-perfect weather and a challenging course.

The winding trails through Granite Park do not yield a particularly speedy course, but as typical for a PAUSATF cross country race the times were fast and the competition fierce.

The event stuck with the usual PA cross country format, with separate races for women, masters men, and open men, with the women running 5K and the men 7K.

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