Sacramento Running News

Ranger Ollie sez: “Be careful!”

If you are planning to run on the American River Parkway this weekend, don’t forget that Saturday (July 21st) is Eppies Great Race.

This means the trail will be closed from the Guy West Bridge to Sunrise (figure miles 7.5 to 20) from 6:00 AM until noon.

One option is to run somewhere else and then head over to River Bend Park and watch the finish. Count how many athletes get out of their kayaks and fall down to the ground because their legs cramp 50 feet from the finish line.

Plan accordingly!

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Every year, around late June, I begin noticing a special kind of cyclist on the American River Parkway. Their typical equipment is spotlessly new or, as often, coated with a year’s worth of garage dust.

These riders are strangely intense–hitting curves at speeds testing their abilities, their faces in full grimace. Runners, leisurely cyclists, and elderly bird watchers are often shouted off the pavement as these frenzied cyclists whoosh past.

Usually, after several encounters with these strangely intense riders, I slap my head in remembrance. Eppies! Of course.

And probably adding to their intensity is each day’s installment of Le Tour, waiting at home on the DVR.

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Don’t expect to see many reports on triathlons here, but Eppie’s Great Race is still the big daddy of local, community centered sporting events.  For many locals, this may be the one organized race they compete in all year–either as an “ironman” or as part of a relay team. And the race raises a kayak-load of cash for Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services, to help provide provide “therapeutic recreation opportunities for individuals with mental, physical, developmental, sensory, emotional impairments or special needs residing in Sacramento County.”

As a triathlon, it is odd in that you don’t need to know how to swim.  In lieu of a swim, this event includes a down-stream kayak (or evidently any other floating object) leg.

Once again, the winners of the Eppies Great Race Ironpersons divisions were 39-year old Nicole Young, who finished in 2:02:30, and 51-year old Vic Vicari who crushed the hopes and dreams of competitors half his age by finishing in an astonishing 1:44:24.  Interestingly, the next fastest man was 46-year old Mark Barrett, who was only a minute behind in 1:45:23.   Third and fourth place were 48-year old Jeff Schwing (1:48:21) and 40-year old Nikolas Rechtiene (1:51:48). Where are the fast young guys?

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