July 31. At the Milbridge Days 5K, new Crow Eric Rudolph was third in 16:50. Young Crow Ty-Daniel PR'd with 22:44 and old Crows Bill Pinkham, Robin Emery, and Tom Miller won their divisions. Younger Crow Nora H was 2nd female in the 1-mile.

July 25. At the grueling Escarprment 30K Trail Run from Windham to North Lake, NY, out of 150 finishers, Peter K. was 4th overall and Pete P. was 16th. To give you an appreciation of the flavor of the event, here's the official course description:

THE TRAIL... is viewed by many as an exaggeration of the term. It is extremely rocky and a runner must expect to navigate over boulders, downed trees, gullies and hidden roots the entire distance. Contestants must be prepared to deal with any of the forest's natural barriers, such as bees, slippery rocks, porcupines, black bears (not probable, but possible) and anything else that can be found in the forests of the Catskills. There are numerous places where runners must climb hand over fist to scale a rise, conversely, extremely steep downhill sections add not only challenge to the course, but also a high degree of unwelcome danger. There are sections of the course that travel along cliffs. If you're not careful, you could fall to your death. Very few runners go the distance without taking at least one painful spill. Most runners take many. Believe me, you're going to take a flop or two, or more.

July 24. At the Fort Knox Bay Festival 5K in Bucksport, Mike Bunker won with 14:54, the first sub-15:00 5K in Maine this season. Phil L.was third with 15:52, and Ty-Daniel D. cotninues his improving streak of 5Ks with a 22:50. [Ellsworth American: At Fort Knox Bay Festival, Bunker Wins 5K Run]

July 23-25. At the Jay Challenge in Jay, VT, Crow associate and July 4th relay team member Jenny Johnson, won the first woman and second overall in the three day event which included an off-road marathon, a 60-mile mountain bike race and a 26-mile paddle. Jenny also was a member of this year's Cabot Trail team, the Maine Road Hags.

July 22, In evening heat and humidity at the Nike Run Hit Wonder 10K in New York's Central Park, out of 4805 finishers Evan was 6th overall, Judson 12th, and chaperone Gary A took 34th.

July 21. In observance of the Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour du France, five bikers including Dr. Dave did a time trial from the Park Visitors' Center to Cadillac Summit. Dave's time was 31:24 and Ed followed 2-1/2 min. after.

July 17. At the Tremont Trot 4-miler, Bryan Sharkey finished first with an even 22:00. John Murphy was 15th and new Crow Genell V. was 17th followed by a number of the usual Crow stalwarts including Tom Kirby, Bill Pinkham, Craig Murphy, and Robin Emery. In the heat att the Pat's Pizza 5-miler in Yarmouth, Clay Conrad was 11th. [Sharkey takes a bit out of Trot: Craig Crosby in the MDIslander]

July 12-14. At the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, CA, 58-year-old Mike Brooks completed the 135 mile climb from 282 feet below sea level to 8360 feet at Mount Whitney in 46:17:10, finishing 39th out of a field of 72. Mike did this run to benefit Camp Sunshine. After completing the ultra, Mike continued up to the summit of Mount Whitney.

Mike writes: I got the urge to do the Badwater ultra after crewing for Mike Smith in 2002. I filled out an application that was more like a runner's resume for the 2004 race and was lucky enough to be picked for one of the 80 or so slots.

My first job was to assemble the best team to help me finish the race. The team consisted of Bob Brainerd from Maine my coach, trainer and he is a triathelete. Carl Hunt from CT. ultrarunner . Walt Prescott from NH , ultrarunner, pace and crew person at Badwater 2002 and 2003 and ultrarunner. Mike Smith from IN , Badwater finisher 2002 ,crew person 2003. Andy Velazco from GA , orthopedic surgeon, 2003 Badwater finisher, crewed Badwater 2002. These five people are all very close friends of mine who gave up their time and worked under extremely hard conditions to help me at Badwater.
The crews would be with me supplying food and drinks, moral support and much more constantly for over 85 hours . They would pace me from mile 17 until the finish. They put up with my vomiting, diarrhea and hallucinations. They also kept me motivated, taped my feet, treated my blisters, changed my shoes and socks etc...

This incredible team gave me the confidence I needed to take on Badwater and Mt Whitney. Another motivating factor was the goal of raising $25,000 for Camp Sunshine and knowing that if I finished Badwater, I would raise even more money.
My "dream team" and I all met in Las Vegas July 10th 2004 and proceeded to Furnace Creek, Death Valley, CA for what turned out to be a most memorable four days of challenging myself.

The first challenge was the Badwater Ultramarathon. This race is 135 mile footrace from Badwater, 282 feet below sea level to Mt Whitney ending at 8,400' . These two places are the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. There is no food or water on the course you have to supply your own.
I had the 8:00 am start on Monday July 12th . There are three starts 6, 8 and 10 am each consisting of about 25 runners. It was about 85-90 degrees at the start . By mile 13 I was already in trouble suffering from the "runs". I had been taking in drinks with too much sugar, this continued to bother me for the next 6 hours or so.

By 28 miles into the race a temperature of 123 degrees had been reached as we traveled over the rolling asphalt road through Death Valley. At mile 42 I took my longest break of the race at a motel in Stove Pipe Wells. I spent about 15 minutes in the pool trying to cool down my body. Then I had a pasta dinner as Andy partially retaped my feet in an effort to prevent blistering. In less than an hour I was back on the course starting up a 5,000 feet climb for 18 miles. Around mile 53-- I "blew lunch" in front of my crew and lost my pasta dinner and anything else that was in my stomach. The guys were great about putting up with my disgusting bodily functions, keeping me hydrated and moving forward.

Reaching Town Pass summit at mile 59 and starting the 8 mile downhill towards Panamint Springs I knew that I had the hottest portion of the race and one of the Mountain ranges behind me.

I ran the first 17 miles without a pacer, but had someone with me from that moment on At about mile 70 I started another mountain climb to Father Crowley's 5,050', reaching the 90 mile mark on July 13th AT 2:30 PM. 30.5 hours into the race, I had climbed 2 mountain ranges and descended a long downhill to find a flat stretch of road ahead of me. This took me to mile 122 where I would start another long climb up to 8400' to Mount Whitney Portals and the finish line.

Darkness arrived for the second time around mile 112 (about 36 hours into the race) this brought on some hallucinations, I was seeing things that I now know were not there. There are miles of the race that I don't remember, but as Bob started pacing me at mile 122 (at 1215AM) up toward Mt Whitney portals I was again hallucinating in 3D. When I would stop, the asphalt road would move, becoming 3 dimensional and mosaic. This was not a frightening hallucination, just worrisome that I would lose my balance and fall.
With Mike Smith there with the SUV, moving it just ahead by 1/2 mile at a time, and Bob there to encourage me and keep me moving forward, I knew that if I didn't stop too often or for too long, I would "buckle". To receive the coveted "Badwater belt buckle" would mean that I would need to finish this in under 48 hours.

Forty Six hours and seventeen minutes after starting out at 282' below sea level, I crossed the finish line with my crew of 5 at my side. I was exhausted, filthy and in pain but I was happy as hell. After a few pictures were taken with my crew and with the race director I called my wife at work to share my victory with her. we then headed to Lone Pine CA for a shower, some food and some sleep.
Three of my crew members Andy, Walt and Mike S headed back to Las Vegas that afternoon to fly to Vermont and run in the Vermont 100 mile trail race.

I hadn't told many people this, but I was hoping that if I finished the 135 mile of Badwater I would then be able to climb Mt Whitney. This would take me from the lowest point in the US to the highs point in the continental US. At 8:30 that evening we (Bob, Carl and myself) started out on this journey. At about 9:30, 1 hour later we realized we had taken a wrong turn and had to back track, this cost us an hour of precious time.
The first part of the trail was easy with many switchbacks (Z's) and brook crossings, where the worst that could happen is you would get your feet wet if you fell off a log.

In my training for Badwater I had used trekking poles in the hopes that this would help me during the difficult parts of the race, however, the poles were not allowed into the race this year. My training did pay off now as I used the poles to help me keep my balance and saving my knees and back from the jolts of jumping off rocks.

There were many places where it would've been easy to get off track but we managed to keep on the trail. When we stopped to eat, drink or just take a break we would turn off our headlamps and look at the millions of stars above us, this sight was spectacular and I will never forget it. As the sun came up we were surprised to see the many drop offs that we didn't know were there in the darkness. This is not a technical mountain climb, but there were many 500' and 1000' drop offs as we traversed the 96 switchbacks to trail crest. On our way up we met Marshal Ulrich and Art Webber on their way done. They too had finished Badwater and climbed to the summit of Mt Whitney, Webber to write the name of a fellow Badwtaer finisher, who had passed away, in the log book at the summit. Ulrich had also climbed Mt Everest 1 month prior to this. Art was staggering and looked in bad shape but they continued on. Ulrich mentioned that it had been "a tough night on the mountain."

The three of us continued on totally exhausted but enjoying the spectacular views that daylight was bringing to us. We were now at 12000' of altitude and there were large areas of snow. This was quite a contrast from the desert heat of 123 degrees!!!

As we reached trail crest we thought that we were almost to the summit when we spotted an "8" painted on a rock indicating that we still had 3 miles to go. As far as elevation goes these 3 miles are relatively easy but the trail was only wide enough for 1 hiker to walk through at a time and there was a sheer drop off of hundreds of feet. This along with the fact that I was exhausted and dizzy, from the lack of oxygen at this altitude, made me concerned about one of us tumbling down the mountain. Even the spectacular views couldn't ease my mind about this.

With about 1/2 mile to go we reached a snowfield about 60-80 yards long that was easy to pass because there was a 3-4' deep path that was created by other hikers before us. A short time after crossing this I almost "lost it" I was bent over my poles, totally exhausted, both mentally and physically, I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I tried to pull myself through this moment of self pity. I then straightened up and followed my crew to the summit, arriving at 10:15 AM--13 hrs and 45 minutes after entering the trail. We half heartedly celebrated having summitted, knowing that we had to hike back down, and were even more tired than when we started. We ate, rested, signed the log book and headed back down after about 45 minutes.
The skies were now cloudy and all that I could think of was " a violent thunderstorm is not what we need being above the treeline!!!

We were a sorry sight descending that mountain, I noticed other hikers looking at me strangely and wondering "what happened to this old man?" One of my crew members would explain what I had been through an this was all it took to answer their questioning looks.

Going downhill is supposed to be easier than going uphill but I was moving very slowly, being very cautious about possibly falling. On occasion I would fall back only to be caught by either Bob or Carl. I slipped many times and did actually do one good "face plant" but somehow managed to avoid going over the edge. The fear of needing to be helicpotered out passed as we went down the infamous 96 switchbacks, now seeing places that we had missed in the darkness the night before.

The last 3 miles seemed endless. As it started to get dark again we thought that we about 10 minutes from the trail head but we didn't actually get there until 9:20PM. At this point my feet hurt so badly that I wasn't sure I could make it the car. WHAT CAR!!!
As Bob went ahead to get the car he arrived to find it gone!! After asking around we discovered that for a reason still unknown to us, the car was moved to another parking lot!!

Exactly 85 hours and 20 minutes after starting the Badwater Ultramarathon at 282' below sea level I had achieved all of the goals that I had set for myself, except for one.
I had not only finished the 135 miles but I "buckled", summitted Mt Whitney and returned. I had run, walked and crawled from the lowest point in the Western hemisphere to the highest mountain in the lower 48 states.--This was a total of 157 miles including the 11 miles back to the portals.

I will never do this again. I regret having put my crew members in danger on the mountain, knowing too that I couldn't have done it without them. We have all agreed that doing the mountain climb after Badwater was a dangerous mistake--so the mountain..never again. Badwater Ultra.......Maybe.

The one goal that has not yet been reached is raising the $25,000 that I had hoped I could raise for Camp Sunshine. I will continue to work towards that goal and hopefully reach it in the near future. The website www.runningonthesun.org will be open for another year for donations. There is also more info there regarding the race and Mt Whitney.

Thank you Andy, Bob, Carl Mike S and Walt for all that you did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

July 11. Terry D. writes: On Sunday Tom Kirby, Bill Pinkham and Ty-Daniel Davis ran in the Canoe Hullabaloo 5k Road Run in Old Town. Tom came in 6th overall with a time of 21:09, Bill finished 15th overall with a time of 23:30 and Ty-Daniel finished 19th a time of 24:00, there were 40 runners in all. The course was an uphill run most of the way. The weather was nice for a Sunday morning run.

July 11, After Judson hosted a pacing run from the 15K to 25K marks on the MDI marathon cousres, Gary made thius report:

Judson's run.....report
Posted by g on July 10, 2004 at 11:31:19: In Reply to: Sat., 7/10: Daily Log posted by Editor on July 10, 2004 at 01:24:22:

A break away was staged by Hubbell almost from the start, he stayed well away from the peleton until the 5km mark. After being signaled by the team support vehicle (Judson) that he could likely not be caught, The trailing group lead almost exclusively by Graves, put chase. The single file draft, now containing Torrey, Sharkey and Allen started pushing in earnest for the catch. Hubbell had a 1+ min advantage. The break was brought back into the peleton at with approx 1 km to go but the efforts of the chase group started to splinter their ranks as the sprinters positioned themselves for a final desperate surge up the finishing climb. Allen briefly came beside Graves only to be crushed by the awesome power of the team Crow rider. The stage was won by Graves who now has a 32 sec advantage overall and will wear the yellow jersey in Stage 2 tomorrow over the hills of Lac du Eagle.

Sorry I couldn't resist. For those that weren't there this AM this is the language we used througout this run making it extremely difficult to run and laugh! Viva Lance!

Superb donuts too!! and a pleasant 41:34 10km effort for me after a tactical 22:57 opening 5km followed by upbeat 18:37 final.

July 4. After the event-filled weekend Gary posted this query:

a few did all three events Hash, Cranberry, Relay and or 3K...chime in
Posted by g on July 04, 2004 at 18:24:00:

John M.
our president Judy B.
others?

your one way ticket to the looney bin is now redeemable .....in a word impressive! Please tell us what you were thinking and if it was worth it.laugh!

Great weekend...just a fun time everyday
Posted by Judy on July 04, 2004 at 19:02:11: In Reply to: a few did all there events Hash, Cranberry, Relay and or 3K...chime in posted by g on July 04, 2004 at 18:24:00:

I had a tiny worry about doing a hash and then running a race, but who am I kidding, I do this all for a good time. The hash trail was super, over the causeway, through the woods. The mandatory beer regroup kept us all closer together than before, the tricky false trails did the same. Cranberry Race was so good. I especially liked the popsicle sticks at the end; and the 5 yr age classes meant lots of awards. The funniest part was waiting at the dock for the ferry back to SWH...thirty people standing about all with granite rocks lining the seats and in their laps. And then the rely today. Leah Rae and I enjoy morning running, and getting the first leg was super...cool, not so much traffic. Wandering through Cooksey Drive to Seal Harbor, checking out the latest in rocky coast landscaping. Did you know that spraying sugar water on woodland mosses keeps the mossy groundcover bright green? Cheaper than spray paint they say. But I digress. Run on!

Re: a few did all there events Hash, Cranberry, Relay and or 3K...chime in
Posted by John on July 04, 2004 at 19:58:28: In Reply to: a few did all there events Hash, Cranberry, Relay and or 3K...chime in posted by g on July 04, 2004 at 18:24:00:

I was thinking this is what I love about summer! I've got two hashes under my belt, I've done Cranberry, got to run with Frank again, then I ran two legs for the relay (HOT) Dashed off to Molasses pond, went for a swim with Patrick and Steve Calder. Survived putting in a dock with Steve also. Then off to Bah Harbor for the Fireworks. All and all a full weekend.

July 4. Headed by Mike Bunker's 8:43, Crows running for Team Fred Merriam took the top four spots at the Walter Hunt 3K. Young Crow Ty-Daniel ran 6:45 pace and younger Crow Nora H. made her debut at the distance in 19:38. [Bangor Daily News: Bunker honors Fred Merriam with Hunt Memorial triumph]

good quality racing
Posted by bunker on July 04, 2004 at 14:50:06: In Reply to: Crows go 1 - 2 - 4 in Walter Hunt 3k.... posted by Phil L on July 04, 2004 at 11:14:04:

I've still got my arm band on, good idea PHIL.

mike= 8:43, claton = 8:51, sharkey = 8:58, phil = 9:00 to make up the top 4 spots

good 5 pack at the mile, then people started falling off, Claton could smell the blood of the weak and made a surge where he successfully dropped the field, even me. AAAhhhh S@$#, He's gonna make me work, i thought, and he did, until I finally was confident to start my drive for the finish about 500 meters out and found myself feeling pretty good, had an awesome kick even for me today, I wasn't sure if I would be able to catch Claton but the kick sure saved the day, clay pulled me through the time though, great racing clay.

Hells yeah!!
Posted by Clay on July 04, 2004 at 15:14:15: In Reply to: Good job, M, C. & P! posted by bb on July 04, 2004 at 12:26:09:

Awesome race!!! Felt strong but still lacking the turn over. We all had some monster races today! It was great!!! Mike and I always have the same race, I power through it and then mike uses his mad sprinting skills. Also, good job Phill!!! Along with anyone else who ran today, it was a great race!

More from the other end at Walter Hunt
Posted by Brian on July 04, 2004 at 14:09:59: In Reply to: Crows go 1 - 2 - 4 in Walter Hunt 3k.... posted by Phil L. on July 04, 2004 at 11:14:04:

Nora's weary from the heat and a lot of driving around afterward trying to catch up with the aborted relay, so she's asked me to report for her on her race today.

I don't mind because I was pretty proud of her, She's had quite a few 1-mile races and a couple of 2Ks in Ellsworth. Since this winter she's anticipated Walter Hunt as her move up to 3K -- enough so that she declined to join her mother on vacation this week so she wouldn't miss it. So see how much of the following matches any of your memories of your first time at a new distance.

Even though we started out near the back of the pack with people who looked plainly overdressed and had their race numbers pinned on the backs of their shirts, we got sucked out a little too fast -- maybe 1200m pace. But after 400m or so, we settled down into a nice smooth cadence. Already a few people were dying around us.

Near the steep part of the hill, Nora got a slight side stitch, but a brief backing off on pace let it subside. The heat surprised her some too, so we shifted to the right side of the course to take advantage of the few shade tree overhangs. Just before the mile mark, lots of kids were pulling over and walking. Nora began to doubt she could maintain the pace for the same distance again and she suggested taking a walking break. I advised against, told her she should just shorten her stride as much as she needed to but to keep turning over. She did. Lots of people on the bridge cheered and took photos.

Once we turned onto Main St., the crowds fired her back up and she began to make up some ground she lost to the heat and side stitch. I pointed out two kids about 50m ahead -- a girl a year or two older and a boy about her age -- and told her I thought she was going to be ahead of them at the finish line. With beads of sweat streaming down her face, she said she didn't think so. I said that was okay too.

When we made the right onto Harlow, we passed several adults. This excited her but the little boy seemed to be holding his lead. Then we turned onto the pedestrian bridge just before the finish -- about 100m to go. The boy was about 25m ahead running without company and I told her again that she could get him. "No I can't," she said. "Yes, you can," I said. And rather than argue, she just floored it, dropped me completely and outkicked him (much to his surprise) at the line. It wasn't very sporting, but it was very impressive. 20 low was her finish time and both my time and hers should register somewhere on the roster of Team Fred Merriam.

After a cup of water and a slice of watermelon, she said 3K was longer than she imagined, but that it didn't seem that bad afterward.

My thoughts
Posted by Nora on July 05, 2004 at 08:28:15: In Reply to: Nora & Brian, you made my 4th! Nora, once your rested give us your thoughts! posted by Chris on July 04, 2004 at 14:48:42:

: Well Chris,I think if I had to run it again I could run it faster then 19:38.I don't have any more thoughts now.

July 4. In the 2nd annual Round-the-Island relay, Eve's women's team, Purple Mountain Majesties, soundly outran the men's Star Strangled Striders. Despite valiant (and prolonged) efforts by Kevin, Gary, and John M. on the early legs, the Striders conclusively ran out of team at the southwest end of the island. Demonstrating their superior depth, organization, and stamina, the PMMs then carried both batons victoriusly to the finish at Jack Russell's Brew Pub in Bar Harbor. Here's how the news broke on the message board (Note both the distress of the men and the graciousness of the women in response).:

Well, nobody at Kelly town road, So Eve's Team is in control now.
Posted by John on July 04, 2004 at 10:56:24:

They have the Bud Baton. Gary ran 20 plus miles with no water, he gets the Camel award!

sooo a DNF for team Star Strangled Striders.......
Posted by g on July 04, 2004 at 11:35:02: In Reply to: Well, nobody at Kelly town road, So Eve's Team is in control now. posted by John on July 04, 2004 at 10:56:24:

See, the tortoise and the hare fable is true....we had a huge lead and the slow steady Purple Mtn Majesties patiently gnawed away and will win...congrats to the ladies team! Kevin, John and I did our best to get the stick around with John and I running two legs each. We covered 5 legs but needed 3 more.....to get it done, To the victors go the spoils...in the back of Tom St Germain's white van is ice cold beer in a cooler for you girls...enjoy. See you in 2005 for a rematch.

Near encounter -- but miss is plainly good as a mile, and misses more better than the misters
Posted by Brian on July 04, 2004 at 13:34:00: In Reply to: sooo a DNF for team Star Strangled Striders....... posted by g on July 04, 2004 at 11:35:02:

Heading counterclockwise from the head of the island, looking to reconnoiter, offer the 3K race news and water, we finally came upon Eve's team in Tremont at about 2PM. Might have taken the baton myself had Nora been tall enough to reach my truck's clutch pedal. But even with the light day at Walter Hunt, I wasn't prepared to finish off the last three legs myself and Nora had already done her day's run.

Salud, Majesties! Bragging rights are all yours.

4th Relay Lives...onwards to next year...Eve rules...
Posted by Judy on July 04, 2004 at 18:53:34: In Reply to: Well, nobody at Kelly town road, So Eve's Team is in control now. posted by John on July 04, 2004 at 10:56:24:

nah nah na nah nah...next year boys...maybe we'll see you out there...Tom thanks for the beer...Eve, awesome job getting the crew together, getting good pairings for the legs, running support, and for the awesome hats...I've been wearing my special PMM hat all day...Can't wait for next year.

Had a great time! My PMM hat is off to Eve...
Posted by Chris G. on July 05, 2004 at 04:46:01: In Reply to: 4th Relay Lives...onwards to next year...Eve rules... posted by Judy on July 04, 2004 at 18:53:34:

Had a great time! My PMM hat is off to Eve who did an amazing job of coordinating things, and deserves wave the flag AND the Bud Baton proudly! Sorry there wasn't more competition, but that left more beer for us, although Shannon didn't have any, and, oh yeah, neither did Eve, so I guess it was me that drank it all. Mmmmm...thank you, Tom!

Purple Mountain Majesties rule!

Gary...I've got something that belongs to you!!!
Posted by Eve on July 07, 2004 at 08:39:51:

This is my first opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the MDI relay on the 4th. I think a great time was had by all, and I have to say again, it makes me proud to be in company with these ladies and gentlemen. We had a fantastic group of upbeat folks (at least the ones that didn't stay on Cranberry too long!) who were still smiling and excited even after waiting up to an hour longer than their original start time. I do suppose carrying the load for you guys in the form of a beer tap was very fitting. Nonetheless, we must keep our eyes on the prize...the tradition lives on and we can head into 2005 with the 3rd annual 4th of July Relay around MDI. A great motivator for mileage, but the "Most Majestic Award" goes to Jenny Johnson who carried both batons through two of her own legs and joined in two others for a full 26.2 miles. Good luck in the Jay Mountain Challenge at the end of July.
Other participants:
1st leg-Kevin, Evan, Judy and Leah Rae
2nd leg-Gary, Emily N.,Heather S.,Christy S., Eve & Theresa joined in
3rd leg- Gary,Emily, Eve, Theresa,
4th leg- Jenny J, John M
5th leg- Jenny J, Terrie W., Heather J., John M.
6th leg-Jenny J (TOUGH LEG!)
7th leg-Jenny J, Julia, Rebecca
Final Leg- Chris G. and Shannon (Horton, she thinks).

July 3, At the July 3, Great Cranberry Island 5K, Evan ran 15:19, the fastest local 5K of this season. Judson was second with 15:37. Steve and Kevin ran well under 20:00. Theresa was the top female Crow, followed by respective age group winners Eve, Judy, and Robin. Ty-Daniel, John M., Frank N., and 87-year-old Tom M. rounded out the Crow men's field. To benefit the Cranberry Historical Society, co-race directors Emily Newll and Larry and Gary Allen resurrected this race as a twentieth anniversary of its original running. [MDIslander: Cranberry Rises Again]

July 2. Re the "Light the Fuse and Run" Run, PMS and Leah Rae report:

Bar Harbor Hash House Harriers BHH3
Hash Trash—“The Light the Fuse and Run” Run
Friday July 2, 2004, Southwest Harbor

Despite suffering from a receding hare-line due to the absence of Endor Gurgling Bubbler, who was down with an acute case of Lyme disease, and Hawkeye, our no-show hare-transplant from the San Diego Hash, our 4th of July weekend kickoff hash went off with a bang.

The hares who did bother to show-up, Just Michelle and PMS, who were paranoid about being snared, immediately noted the absence of pretty much all the local FRBs, who were busy preparing for the Cranberry 5K. So with a sigh of relief they welcomed a small, but intrepid, core of virgins and near virgin hashers gathered at Long Pond in SWH. Following the pre-run brief, Just Dan gave the Art-of-the-Trail lecture for the benefit of the mystified virgins, Micah, Ryan, Kristen, and Shannon. On-On, and the pack started up the steep trail away from Long Pond.

Shannon learned a lesson about the ruthlessness of the hares at the first check, naively thinking that nobody would be cruel enough to put a BT at the bottom of a steep hill, while Just Steve apparently forgot to watch for the BT at the next check and ended up halfway to Echo Lake before realizing his mistake. After much stumbling through the woods, avoiding being attacked by startled dogs and campers, and running repeatedly in the wrong direction, the pack carb-loaded at the first Beer Check near Rt. 102, bartended by Just Dan, while awaiting the arrival of Just Steve from his excursion to Echo Lake.

Just Steve eventually showed up at the BC, and immediately set off for downtown Southwest Harbor, while the rest of the pack found and followed the correct trail toward Fernald Point (anyone see a pattern developing here?). Just Ryan valiantly tried to keep pace with Just Shannon while Just Micah and Just Kristen ran along warily watching for false leads. Just Judy adorned with bling bling carefully evaluated all possibilities at each intersection. The incredibly beautiful trail led over the causeway into Southwest Harbor, much to the enjoyment of the pack. Just John saw SWH trails even he hadn’t trod before! The artful hares sent the pack in various directions through Southwest Harbor, eventually depositing them on the STEEPEST hill in the region behind the SWH bike shop. Although the hill was tough, in true hashing spirit, there was beer at the top, served up by virgin assistant Mike (who admitted to being asleep on the job when PMS and Just Michelle came through the BC!)

On-On across Freeman Ridge Rd. and to the On-In at Casa de PMS, where remarkably, despite running twice as far as necessary, the first FRB in was Just Steve. A memorable spread was served up by PMS with the most delicious home-made chili a pack of intrepid hashers could ever hope for (and thanks to Lisa for washing all those dishes!)

Down-Downs:
Demonstration by Just Michelle

Virgins—Micah, Ryan, Kristen (the children and daugher in-law of Just Leah Rae) and Shannon.

Shannon was christened Immaculate Conception, for being both pregnant and a virgin.

Bling blinged Just Judy won the best-costume prize – a great cap - generously donated by Just Chris and the ACG store.

Just Mike and Just Dan in appreciation for bartending at the beer checks.

Just Micah for wearing a triathlon shirt, followed by Just Steve for changing into dress clothes AND wearing another marathon shirt AND being an FRB (in spite of running through every BT).

Just John upheld the Korean tradition and chugged from his NEW SHOES.

PMS for not having better sense than to host the event at his house.

On-On! --Just Leah Ray and PMS

***

After a year-long battle with cancer, Fred Merriam died a few days after last month's Tour du Lac. [MDIslander: Runners remember Merriam] Echoing many runner's thoughts, Mike B. responds:

remember fred
Posted by bunker on July 02, 2004 at 19:54:44:

for the past few days I have not taken my running for granted, it is a special gift that we all share, the desire to better ourselves, no matter what the vice, or what the level, only that we have the desire. Fred lived this way and will always be remembered by me as one of us who was content with not being content, happy with the results but never satisfied, always looking to do more. If the success of one's life is to be measured by the sum of one's friends then fred had all the success that one could hope for, unfortunately I did not know the man as well as I would have liked but he was always someone that was right in the middle of the good stuff, the running stuff, and that's how I want to be when all my PRs have come to settle and new endeavors take over.

hats off to you fred and I'll be running for you on saturday, hope I can make it a good one
mike