Sacramento Running News

Things have changed for women runners!

There are a couple of recent articles about women runners of note that are delightful in their juxtaposition, in what they say about women’s running.

First off was a New York Times article about women’s running pioneer Dr. Julia Chase-Brand.

On Thanksgiving Day, Dr. Julia Chase-Brand, 69, plans to run a 4.75-mile race in Manchester, Conn., where the presence of women will be plentiful and unremarkable. Fifty years ago, when she and two other women ran there the first time, it was a widely publicized act of civil disobedience that became a pioneering moment in female distance running in the United States.

Not only was she pushing against the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) prohibitions against women competing in road races, she was fast. Starting a block behind the rest of the runners (to avoid race officials), she still managed a 33:40 for that run.

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Today’s Bee has a nice article on Quad Dipsea champ Caren Spore. The story, by Sam McManis, talks about Spore’s history and  training for Way Too Cool 50K.

It’s nice to see local runners getting some coverage!

If you’ve been reading race reports here you’ve noticed I am constantly amazed by the racing dominance of a handful of local masters women.

Sam McManis profiles these local speedsters in today’s Sacramento Bee. The article is titled: 40-It’s the new fast. Be sure to check it out! Try not to be intimidated.

Local runner and writer Sam McManis has an article in today’s Bee about ultrarunner Karl Meltzer’s planned 45-day run of the 1,840 mile long Pony Express Trail.

I know some folks would think this is crazy (my mother, for example), but I’d love to take on something like this! It would be hard to think of something more fun than spending days on the run.

He can do this, of course, because he’s being sponsored by Red Bull in this adventure. I’m not sure who would underwrite the undertakings of a mid-pack runner such as myself. Sadly, I’m not as good looking as Dean Karnazes or as fast as Karl Meltzer.

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I’ve been traveling a lot to some beautiful parts of the United States, and I’ve had some really nice runs in some wonderful places.  (e.g., This morning’s run next to the Vermillion River in Western Montana.)  However, I have never seen anything as nice as what we have in Sacramento and the surrounding area.  The American River Parkway is a treasure.  The multi-use trails in the foothills spoil us.  In our area, different user groups have banded together to advocate trail development, protection and maintenance.  In other parts of the US, I find myself sharing the beauty with speeding cars and trucks.

Yesterday, the Bee’s Sam McManis had an excellent article and description of one of those local multi-use trails:  The Olmstead Loop trail.  His story includes an account of a somewhat tense interaction with horseback riders that brought back memories of several encounters of my own with horse people.  One time stands out in my mind.  While running with a friend near Cool we came across a horse and rider.  The rider demanded that we get off the trail so she could pass.  At that moment, we were surrounded by an ocean of poison oak. A testy conversation followed.

Most of my encounters with horsemen and women have been fine.  Most of these horses are amazing animals.  However, some riders give me the impression that their horses have no business being on a multi-use trail.  Is it too much to ask for folks to only bring horses that are well trained (or at least well socialized) onto these trails?

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