The 21ST ANNUAL KENTUCKY 50 MILER:

THE CHEROKEE ROAD RUNNERS’ GRAND TRADITION

By

Pete Schuler, Race Director

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This year’s December 4th Kentucky 50 Miler was different in several respects: ultra runners were treated to a new course which featured less traffic, better scenery, and more hills than racecourses offered in years past. Notably absent in this year’s race were the marathon runners, many of whom, thanks to Phil Jones and Kathy McCarthy, ran their Kentucky 26.2 mile event six weeks earlier to celebrate the resurrection of the Louisville Marathon. That event catered specifically to the desires, goals, and needs of marathon runners, matters which differ significantly from the concerns of ultra runners. By focusing on the 50-mile runners in this year’s event, the race’s atmosphere took on a more exciting and adventurous quality, one that I can recall from the early years in the history of our race.

Our ultra runners were able to hear from Tom Riddle and Boyd Sigler at the pre-race meeting at our race headquarters, the Breckinridge Inn, on the evening before the race. Both men are veterans of the Kentucky 50 Miler, each having run in the first annual race in 1979. In that year, runners ran from Frankfort to the Butchertown neighborhood in Louisville. Runners had to be self-reliant in the early years of the race. Boyd told this year’s race participants that in the early 80’s, he was forced to stop at a gas station along U.S. Highway 60 to procure a can motor oil. The oil was applied to his upper arms to reduce chafing! Tom did very well as the race’s unofficial historian. It addition to sharing some interesting and inspiring stories with the runners, Tom completed this years race with his brother, Jeff.

This year’s event featured unusually warm weather for the second year in a row. The temperature climbed into the mid-60’s under partly cloudy skies. Slower runners experienced some scattered showers late in the afternoon.

Last year’s men’s champion, Tom Possert, was unable to participate in this year’s event due to the fact that he was accepted as a team member in this year’s ECO-Challenge in Patagonia, Argentina. (The ECO-Challenge race committee did not check with me prior to selecting their race dates to see if it conflicted with the Kentucky 50 Miler!) Another runner from Ohio, John Nichols, carried the day with a time of 6:48:17. John was runner-up in last year’s race.

A newcomer to ultra running captured the women’s crown. Prior to our race, Susan Talbot had never run a step further than a marathon. Spectators paying close attention to the women’s race wondered if Susan would hold on to her lead, as well as the blistering pace that she set around the 31 mile mark. Close on her heels was last year’s runner-up and Louisville’s best known and most successful ultra runner, Anong Pustow. Susan never let her guard down, winning in 7:26:42. Anong went on to place second with an excellent time of 7:41:51.

Also running this year was Louisville’s "Running Man", Jose Wilke. Running an easy pace while "tapering" for his 14th 100-mile race in 1999, Jose encouraged runners along the way. Just a few weeks ago Jose established at 13 the new American record for the most 100-mile races run in a one-year period. Without a doubt, Jose is one of the greatest endurance athletes in the world. We are lucky to have him as a member of our running community.

Local runners Javier Cendejas, Mark Stim, and Dannis Hughbanks also turned in strong performances.

At age 56, Nick Karem is another veteran of the early years of the race. Nick finished in good form this year, bettering the time he ran last year on a much tougher course.

As those who love ultra running know, this sport is much more than just running a fast time or placing high on the finisher’s list. The Kentucky 50 Miler has always been a great adventure for those who have attempted it. Runners develop strong emotional attachments to the race itself, the course, the participants, and the volunteers. It has something to do with overcoming adversity, about pushing one’s limits. The feelings grow from helping and encouraging others overcome tough challenges. Chip Schwartz, from Ohio, Dottie Duncan, of Illinois, and Randy Whisnat, who hails from Virginia, didn’t know each other before the race. They finished together arm-in-arm in 13:05:15, ecstatic about having met the challenge, having seen the beauty of the course, and having experienced the friendliness of the volunteers. The threesome told me that they were now friends for life having run this race together. Another runner, Rosemary Evans, from Florence, Kentucky, told me that running our race was one of the greatest experiences of her life. This is the grand tradition of the Kentucky 50 Miler. It’s unlike any other running experience that I know of.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Cherokee Road Runners for sponsoring this race continuously since 1981, two years after its inception. Runners from across the United States leave this race and tell their friends and families back home how great our running community is in Louisville, how beautiful they find our state, and what a top rate running club we have. One of the things that drew me to the Cherokee Road Runners is that it is such a great volunteer organization.

And speaking of volunteers let me graciously thank those who sacrificed their Saturday to make this race a success. Please forgive me if I have left anyone out: Len DeMoss, Melissa Hall, Diane Ernst, Celia Wallenhaupt, Barbara Martin, Diana Okon, Greg Zahradnik, Ben Franklin, Stu McCombs, Charlie Scott, Rosie Scott, Jim Moyer, Vanessa Armstrong, Marty Jones, Richard Gibbs, Bill Pustow, Nathalie Kearns, Jim Whaley, Joan Wood, Bill Blankenstein, Susan Brown, Brenda Gutman, Kathy Fenton, Joe Harpring, Linda Wilhelms, Jim Schorch, Brenda Spivak, Marilyn LeBourveau, Dick Keith, Jack LaPlante, Jeff Skora, Bob Dorzback and Armand Judah. Thanks also to Tim Curtis and his staff for letting us use the great facility at E. P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park. We thank the folks at the Breckinridge Inn also for their hospitality for our runners.

Next year’s race is : December 2, 2000. Start training now, and join us as we continue in this great tradition.