History of the Tidewater Striders, 1997-2001

1997
by Randy Cook
Introduction
A “race feedback form” was given to the members at
the races so they could tell their likes and dislikes. Pearl
Ibarra instituted a point system to recognize volunteers at
the end of the year. The Tidewater Striders was the first
RRCA club to have a wheelchair division in some of its
races. A 25th Anniversary Party for the Striders was held.
Youth runners Aspen Foster and Katie Keally achieved All
American status in 1997.
Several new initiatives were put in place to get feedback
from the members and to increase volunteer participation.
Club Operations
The first Board Meeting of 1997 was called to order by
President Betty Belknap on January 20.
The following offices were filled by secret ballot:
President: Ray Ochs
Vice President: Mike Hillinch
Secretary: Pearl Ibarra
Treasurer: Dan Edwards.
The Board members were: Tom Bashara, Chris Catoe,
Bret Dattke, Dan Edwards, Blair Fackler, Pete Gibson,
Mike Hillinch, Pearl Ibarra, Ray Ochs, Jacqueline Spitzli,
Bill Spruill, and Paul Steele.
In 1997, the Shamrock Tune-up Series was moved to Fort
Story from Northwest River Park, near the North Carolina border. The move proved to be very successful as the
participation in the 10K races increased three fold and the
longer races increased about 25% over the previous year.
The race schedule had 62 races. “The club had $64,000 in
the bank and a working budget of $101,000,” according to
Ray Ochs in The History of the Tidewater Striders. In the
January edition of The Rundown, Ochs mentioned several
initiatives which allowed the club members a better line
of communications to the Board. One of those would be a
race feedback form.
In February, the Board discussed plans to celebrate the
25th Anniversary of the Tidewater Striders. Also, a lively
discussion was held concerning moving the club’s mail-
box from Chesapeake to Virginia Beach. By a vote of 8-2
the board elected to keep it in Chesapeake.
Ochs noted that a new point system created by Pearl Ibarra to recognize volunteers, went into effect in 1997. The
Awards Banquet was a big success with more than 125
Strider members in attendance. A new Strider logo appeared in The Rundown and on race flyers. The March issue of The Rundown mentioned that the Elizabeth River
Run 10K was the Eastern Regional 10K Championship,
the Neptune Festival 8K was the Eastern Regional 8K
Championship, and the Breezy Point Triathlon was the
USA Triathlon Mid-Atlantic Regional Sprint Championship for 1997. At the March Board Meeting, Ochs reported
that the RRCA Annual Convention would be in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. However, since it was the same weekend as the Breezy Point Triathlon, the Board decided not
to send a representative. Tommy Holland proposed to hold
summer track meets for interested club members and in
exchange the Board gave him a Golden Runner number.
Also in 1997, the club displayed the T-Shirt designs for the
Elizabeth River Run 10K at the Shamrock Sports Fest, and
had the runners vote on their favorite one. The Shamrock
Marathon was televised on ESPN, in April.
The May issue of The Rundown mentioned that the Board
members would be wearing dark blue polo shirts at the races so they could be recognized if any members had questions for them. Ochs noted that the bad weather affected
the Elizabeth River Run and lowered the participation to
a low of 1563; an amount not seen in over 10 years. The
Women’s Distance Festival would be blessed with good
weather in 1997; however, there were over 180 finishers
and 250 attended the after race beach party. Unfortunately,
the third race of the summer series in July was canceled
due to lightning. The events averaged 190 participants and
nearly 80 new members joined the club. On May 16th, the
movie “Prefontaine” was brought to the Naro by Running
Etc. It was a documentary about one of the greatest American distance runners.
On June 11th, a group of “elite” runners led by Dave McDonald and Dave Coulter addressed the Board to discuss
team competition, and how to promote competitive run-
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The new members of the 1998 Board were Tom Bashara,
Chris Catoe, Dan Edwards, Pearl Ibarra, Deanie Nelson,
and Barbara Mathewson.
Ray Ochs stressed the importance of getting more of the
Strider races accurately certified so that state records could
be set. At the time, only a few courses were certified.
Newsletter
R. P. Kale and Margaret Duffy brought back the Strider
Profiles with at least 2 profiles a month.
Dr. Scott Banks and T. Roy Jarrett, III wrote an excellent
article in the March Rundown on “Stretching and WarmUp: What Really Works?”
Nancy Clark, MS, RD wrote monthly columns titled, “Nutrition News.”
Running Etc arranged for Prefontaine to be shown at the
Naro in Ghent. Photo courtesy Running Etc Wall of Fame
ning. Taco Bell became the sponsor of the 1997 Women’s
Distance Festival. Three new time machines were purchased at a cost of $800.00 each.
The Membership Chairperson reported that the club
reached 1500 members as of July 22nd; up from January’s
total of 1387. The club continued to add new areas. The
August President’s column in The Rundown announced
that a new Wheelchair Committee had been formed and a
Grand Prix for the Wheelchair participants would probably be in place by next year. This would be the first Wheelchair Division of any running club that was part of the
Road Runners Club of America (RRCA).
On September 20th, the Striders held a 25th Anniversary
Party/Meeting. The October 20th Board Meeting had a
lively discussion concerning which volunteers should be
invited to the Volunteer Appreciation Brunch on November 2. There were 230 members who had helped the club
in some capacity, but it was finally narrowed down to the
80 who were invited. The point system that would soon go
into effect would simplify matters.
The Striders nominated Jerry Bocrie, Dave Harrison, and
Betty Belknap for the RRCA 2,000 Hour Volunteer Award.
Ray Ochs was nominated for the RRCA Race Director
of the Year for the Neptune Festival 8K. Betty Belknap
was nominated for the RRCA Rod Steele Award and Paul
Steele chose three issues of The Rundown for submission
for the RRCA Outstanding Newsletter for a large club.
Golden Runner numbers were given to James Dennis (the
DJ), and volunteer coordinators Kim Hux and Mickey
Webb.
The May issue of The Rundown published the results of
the member survey. Some of the more interesting results
were:
• The majority of the members were in the 40-59 age
group.
• The majority live in Virginia Beach.
• The preferred race distance is the 10K followed by the
5K.
• The average member participates in 11-25 events a
year.
The cover of the October Rundown had a photo of 11 past
presidents who attended the 25th Anniversary Party. Those
in attendance were Sonja Whitley, Jerry Bocrie, Ray Ochs,
K. E. Morgan, Betty Belknap, Randy Cook, Mike Fuller,
Dave McDonald, Mel Williams, Bob Jennings, and Bill
Simmons.
The October newsletter congratulated Valerie and Benson
Porter on the birth of their son, on September 26, 1997.
Also, to Deanie Nelson and Barry Eldridge for their marriage on September 27, 1997.
Running
• The Open Men and Open Women’s Teams placed 1st
and the co-ed team placed 2nd at the Hampton Bay Days
10K.
• The Open Men and Open Women placed 1st at the Mulberry Island Half Marathon.
• The Open Men’s Team was 1st at the Army 10 Miler.
• The Strider Open Women and Masters Women won
their divisions at the Pomoco Half Marathon, on December 7.
• The Striders Masters Women’s Team won the Shamrock Marathon. Team members were Peggy Frederick,
Darcy Mahler, Dixie Levinsky, Diane Caracciclo, B. J.
Samuels, and Susan Hall.
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• The Striders Masters Women finished 2nd in the Shamrock 8K. Team members were Barb Mathewson, Joey
Hallock, Jeanne Kruger, Suzanne Stansfield, Jeane
Bowers, Evie Thompson-Lakey, and Kathy Manke.
• The Striders Open Women’s Team won the Shamrock
Marathon. Team members were Nancy Delaney, Theresa Hanner, Elizabeth Ware, Ellen Bollinger, and Karen
Pica.
• The Striders Open Women’s Team placed 2nd in the
19th Annual Elizabeth River Run. Team Members were
Monica Allard (3rd overall in 40:24), Bee Andrews,
Nancy Delaney, and Sheri Segal.
• The Strider Open Men’s Team placed 1st in the Sentara Bay Days 10K, on September 13. Team members
were Muluye Muluneh (32:04 and 3rd overall), Michael
Mann, Dave McDonald (32:46 and 1st Master), Mike
Colaiacova, and John Lomogda.
• The Open Women’s Team also won the Bay Days 10K.
Team members were Amy Chadwick, Sheri Segal, Lisa
Buckman-Lewis, Jeanne Kruger, and Dorothy Winn.
• The Striders Open Men’s Team won the Mulberry Island Half Marathon on October 4. Team members were
Michael Harrison (1:09:41 and 1st overall), Patrick
O’Rourke, and Muluye Muluneh.
• The Striders Open Women also won at Mulberry Island. Team members were Laura Booth (1:28:23 and
1st overall), Lisa Buckman-Lewis, Jeanne Kruger, and
Deborah Kopecky.
Walking
In his History of Walking in the Tidewater Striders, Jordan
Levitin noted that at the July Board of Directors Meeting, Secretary Pearl Ibarra stated that no one had stepped
forward to chair the Walking Committee. Three potential
candidates would be contacted and a notice put in The
Rundown. Members of the Board questioned the merits of
the Walking Committee. The secretary recorded:
“It was noted that there was little or no participation, and walking as a competitive sport had declined for various reasons. Ibarra pointed out that
the Walking Committee was a standing committee
prescribed in the constitution and to eliminate the
committee would require a vote from the general
membership.”
Levitin remarked, “Organized walking in the
Tidewater Striders had reached the lowest point
in its history. In the December issue of The Rundown, a list of coordinators and volunteers needed included the following: Walking Committee
Chair. Qualifications: Enthusiastic walker desiring to promote the benefits and fun of walking.
It can be a very fulfilling task that is appreciated
Stote Farnham and Allen Lester toast their 2nd and 3rd
Place finish among Men 50+ at the Conchman Triathlon
in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Rivals and
friends such as these are the real reason we run and tri!
Photo courtesy of TriDuo
by the club. I will provide assistance in any way
that I can. If interested, contact Paul Steele or any
board member.”
Multisport
The weather proved to be ideal for the Breezy Point Triathlon as it would see approximately 550 participants.
This would be the largest field to date, Ochs noted in his
History of the Tidewater Striders.
Running Etc. hosted a “first-timers” triathlon clinic on
January 29th with a panel of top triathletes to share their
training secrets and answer any questions.
Ada and Allen Lester had monthly columns in The Rundown on training techniques, good locations to train on the
bicycle, and how to improve your swimming techniques.
Pearl Ibarra reported that both the Open Men’s Triathlon
Team consisting of Cole Fackler, Ray Ochs, and Blair
Fackler, and the Open Women’s Triathlon Team consisting of Mimi Fackler, Lauren Fisk, and Jessie McDaniels
won by large margins at the Outer Banks Triathlon on September 9.
Youth Program
At the April Board Meeting, Dan Edwards reported that
there would be a running camp at Camp Lejuene, North
Carolina for the youth runners. Tim Webb became a coach
for the New Energy Youth Team.
New Energy Team members participated in two National
meets and placed 8th at the National level. Aspen Foster
and Katie Keally were named All-Americans.
The Tidewater Striders and Running Etc. sponsored the
Seventh Annual Youth Grand Prix.
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New Energy Runners in 1997: Some of the runners included are: Back Row: Kyle Foster, Matt Keally, Ryan Kent and
Ernie Buchanan. In the front are Kristen DiCarlo (327), Aspen Foster (311), Katie Keally (313), Amanda Boswell
(309), Laura Edwards (312), Lindsay Kent (334). We apologize to those we weren’t able to recognize.
Photo courtesy Running Etc Wall of Fame
Several Youth members excelled in summer meets. They
included Kristin DiCarlo, Sarah DiCarlo, Laura Edwards,
Aspen Foster, Katie Keally, Lindsey Kent, Megan Kent,
Erica Lowe, Marissa McCain, April Orleans, Rose Orleans, MacKenzie White, Ernie Buchanan, Kyle Foster,
Ryan Kent, Mathew Keally, and Jason Lowe.
son, and Kim Steele. The Virginian-Pilot ran a story on the
winners in the first week in June.
Key Awards for the Year – from the Awards Banquet
Peggy Murphy was chosen the Volunteer of the Year.
Miscellaneous
In May, Ray Ochs reported that health fairs were held at
Virginia Beach General Hospital, Oceana, and Dam Neck.
The following Striders helped to man the booths: B. J.
Samuels, Barb Mathewson, John May, Pearl Ibarra, and
Ray Ochs.
Ray Ochs presented Presidential Awards to the following
Strider members.
Mailings were sent to all area track coaches to help recruit
new members.
In May, 16 volunteers “reblazed” a portion of Long Creek
Trail by cutting back debris. The Tidewater Striders Annual Picnic/Social was held on August 10th at Dam Neck
and was attended by 142 members. Thanks went out to B.
J. Samuels, Chris Catoe, and their committee.
• Rick and Sharon Brown
• Paul and Sylvia Steele
• Mike and Pam Robinson
• Demo and Elaine Eleftherion
The October 2nd General Meeting was held at DePaul Hospital, in the Price Auditorium. The guest speaker was Anna
Pittman and the topic was Yoga, Flexibility, and Running.
• Doug Dugroo
• Dan Edwards
• Deanie Eldridge
• Pearl Ibarra
• Chris Catoe
• Betty Belknap
Scholarships
In 1997, the Striders increased the amount of money given
for a youth scholarship from $500.00 to $1,000.00. The
Scholarship Committee consisted of Chuck Lollar, Sheri
Segal, Mimi Fackler, Blair Fackler, Ed Brinkley, and Tom
Bashara. They had a very difficult task to narrow down the
eight nominees to five finalists. The winners were Megan
Kaminisky, Adrienne Parker, Danny Tepovich, John John-
The Seventh Annual Striders Golf Tournament was held
at the Stumpy Lake Golf Course. The winning team was
John Roadman, Kenneth Royall, Mike Fuller, and Patti
Fuller. Longest drive winners were Melissa McNaull and
Kenneth Royall. Closest to the pin winners were Melissa
McNaull and Robert Read.
October 21st was the First Annual National Run to Work
Day, and RRCA clubs were encouraged to look for creative, fun, and zany ways to support this event.
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1998
by Dave Harrah
Introduction
On the National level, the “National Distance Running
Hall of Fame” was established on July 11th, to honor those
who had contributed to the sport of distance running. Many
of those who were inducted had achieved great success as
runners, but some were enshrined for their ability to bring
fame and recognition to the sport. Inductees for 1998 were
Joan Benoit, Ted Corbitt, “Boston” Bill Rodgers, Frank
Shorter and Kathrine Switzer. 1998 would prove to be a
fantastic year for our “Striders” with a lot of action and
many highlights.
Club Operations
The Strider leadership began their year by holding the Annual Board of Director’s installation dinner on January
19th, returning to the ever popular Steak & Ale (located
near JANAF Shopping Center).
The following key Officers as Board Members were confirmed:
Ray Ochs – President
Pearl Ibarra – Vice President (also Audit/Banquet/
Teams)
Barb Matterson – Secretary (also Election)
Dan Edwards – Treasurer (also Youth Programs)
Tom Bashara - Scholarship
Chris Catoe - Board
Deanie Eldridge - Membership
Blair Fackler – Publicity & Public Relations
Mike Hillinch – Programs (also Publications)
Kevin Kendall - Constitution
Steve Scudder – Triathlon (Multisport)
Bill Spruill – Board.
Other key chairpersons within the club as Standing Committee Chairs were:
K.E. Morgan – Advisory
Pete Gibson – Awards/Grand Prix
Jim Resolute – Walking.
The Board of Directors monthly meetings shifted to the
offices of “Heileg, McKency, Fraim and Lollar, P.C.,” on
Newtown Road. The meetings during 1998 were held on
the third Monday of the month and were open to all club
members.
Early in the year, Rick and Sharon Brown decided to step
down from many of their finish line duties (both had been
involved in providing critical volunteer support since the
mid 1980’s).
Of historical note early in the year was correspondence
exchanged between President Ray Ochs and Board Member Mike Hillinch concerning “Policies and Procedures”
(established 1997) and refining the morale and “image” of
the Board of Directors. As a result, the Board established
a working schedule which reminded them that an existing
Constitution Chairperson was to ensure that all changes
were to be distributed at the end of the year to all Board
members and that new Board members would receive copies. At the time, there existed 21 policies and procedures.
A review and update to these policies and procedures were
to be conducted every five years.
The “Adopt-A-Highway” program continued as a wonderful community service by the Striders with over 35 people
participating in March and over 65 bags of trash collected.
Ray Ochs commented in the April Rundown that “we managed to clean both sides of Shore Drive from the West to
the East entrance of Fort Story. When finished, the road
looked fantastic for the 26th running of the Shamrock
Marathon”. This program would be conducted many times
throughout the year with great success and much appreciation from the City of Virginia Beach. So much so that
Vice Mayor Will Sessoms presented a “City Certificate of
Commendation” to the club, which was accepted by Rich
Hildreth (Committee Chair).
The membership committee started a new membership
drive where gifts could be earned and discounts given
based on how many people one could sign up! Membership for the year peaked in August to 1700.
R.P. Kale – Race
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The annual picnic was held again in August with approximately 140 members attending and was one of the biggest turnouts in club history (to date). The volunteer party
in November was also a huge success with over 70 club
members attending to take a dinner cruise. The organizer
for this event was Vice President Pearl Ibarra.
The fall General Meeting was held at De Paul Hospital’s
Price Auditorium. A superb presentation was given on
“running safety” followed by the monthly general meeting where nominations were taken for the 1999 Board of
Directors.
NOTE: As a result of a re-design of the Strider’s logo in
1997, window decals with the newer more rectangular design could be seen all over Hampton Roads on all types of
vehicles. GO STRIDERS!!!!
Newsletter
The Rundown continued to be the “outreach” document
to the entire membership community. This monthly news
source, edited by Paul Steele with assistant editorship
from his wife Sylvia, was a continuation of over eight
years of painstaking work to produce a quality newsletter
that many would laude as the “BEST running club newsletter in the country.” In future years this would become
reality. Unfortunately, Paul decided to step down and, with
that, “up stepped” Evie-Thomson Lakey as the new editor.
Along with the standard fare of Board minutes, news articles, nutrition sections, race results/applications and advertising, The Rundown continued to highlight “Strider
Profiles”. Many club members were extremely happy
to see their individual story and picture provided to the
masses. The following members were profiled: Michael
Harrison, Barb Matterson, Phil Pasqualino, Cindy Hinkle,
Michael Mann, Suzanne Stansfield, Cinda O’Dell, John
Price, Edward Jefferson, Dorothy Winn, Priscilla Jaffee,
Rock Eason, Karen Miller and Ann Hirn.
Running
The Grand Prix Series continued to be a very popular
grouping of races offering friendly (and sometimes not too
friendly) competition within age groups. Grand Prix races
for 1998 included:
• Cross Country Challenge 5K
• Shamrock Marathon/8K
• Churchland Challenge 5K
• Elizabeth River Run 10K
• Pungo Strawberry Festival 5K
• Women’s Distance Festival 5K
• Striders 1 Mile (Track)
• Neptune Festival 8K
• Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) 10
Miler
• Turkey Trot 10K
• Distance Series 20K.
The following are some key races during the 1998 season.
Unfortunately, results of some club races were not listed in
The Rundown, thus unavailable for this history:
• The Distance Series (affectionately referred to as
the “Winter Tune Up” Series) continued its popularity as a training tool for the Shamrock Marathon. The
20K-25K-30K top men’s winner was 40 year old Bill
Bustin with a combined time of 4:43:09 and top female
runner was Bee Andrews with an outstanding 5:15:19.
• The Cross Country Challenge 5K (GP) was won by
Michael Mann in 16:07 with Deb Kopecky in 19:43.
• The Run For Independence 5K, on March 7th, was won
by Tommy Holland in 15:06 and Leslie Willis in 18:44.
• The 4th Annual Falcon 5K run, on March 14th, saw a
repeat performance by Tommy Holland, who ran an
outstanding 15:10 for men’s first place. Top female of
the day was Valerie Plyer in 18:28.
• The all popular Lions Journey For Sight (16th running)
5K was run in March with Bryan Mordecai running an
outstanding 16:11 and Dorothy Winn taking top honors
in 21:33.
• 1998 marked the 26th running of the Shamrock Marathon (GP) and 8K. Over 5000 runners were in attendance with six state age group records broken, four
of them by some of the FASTEST Striders at the
time. The Marathon was won by Michael Harrison in
2:27:52. State age group records broken included outstanding runs by Sheri Segal (40-44) in 3:00:32, Jeanne
Kruger (50-54) in 3:15:39 and Mel Williams (60-64)
in 2:56:46. Setting a new state age group record for
the 8K (age group 15 to 19) was Pam Edwards with
a time of 29:48. NOTE: A Tidewater Striders Men’s
team took First Place in the Shamrock 8K. Team members consisted of Pete Gibson, Dave McDonald, Bill
Hart, Steve Frisk and Jeff Long. Two Women’s teams
also garnished First Place honors. The Marathon team
consisted of Sheri Segal, Bee Andrews, Lisa BuckmanLewis, Laura Booth, and Cinda O’Dell. The Ladies 8K
team consisted of Nancy Delaney, Leslie Willis, Kendall Tata, Elizabeth Ware and Pearl Ibarra.
• The 11th Annual Churchland Challenge 5K run (GP),
held on April 4th, saw Pete Gibson take first for men in
16:21 and Deb Kopecky haul in the female honors in
19:27.
• One of spring’s most popular races (with a field of close
to 1000), the 20th running of the International Azalea
Festival 8K (sponsored by the Optimist Club of Nor-
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A reunion of Tidewater Striders in San Diego for the
inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. Enjoying a mexican
dinner in Old Town San Diego are Ray Emerson, Bill
Kingsley, Jacinda Raiche, Rob Levinsky, Dixie Levinsky,
and Bee Andrews. Photo courtesy of Bee Andrews
folk), resulted in some fast times to say the least. Top
male running honors went to Gary Sullivan in 26:27
and top female was Amy Chadwick in 31:09. The top
Military Team finishing was USS Leyte Gulf.
• The Elizabeth River Run 10K (GP), held May 2, was
(and still is) one of the most competitive races in the
region. Five Tidewater Strider teams were fielded. The
“A” Team (as it was affectionately called) ran strong
enough to capture the First Place crown. Team members
were Dave McDonald (33:28), Pete Gibson (34:14),
Reuben Beauchamp (35:31), Bill Hart (36:19) and Rob
Levinsky (36:56). The Strider’s Ladies team finished
first. Outstanding runs by Bee Andrews (39:54), Leslie Willis (39:02), Barb Mathewson (40:50) and EvieThomson Lakey (44:37).
• The YMCA Independence Day 5K at Mount Trashmore
on July 4th was run in HOT weather, which matched
the HOT competition. Top male honors went to Billy
McLaughlin in 15:42 and top female was Nancy Delaney in 18:50.
• The heat of August did not stop Pete Gibson from winning the 20th Annual Run for Sight 5K in 16:00. The Ladies top honor was captured by Kendall Tata in 19:02.
• The Naval Base OPEN 8K was a popular race held on
the biggest Naval Base in the world, and in 1998 it was
held on August 8th with Mark Manny leading the field
in an outstanding 26:10 to capture the men’s title. Top
female went to Nancy Delaney in 31:29.
• Today it’s called the “Strider Mile,” but in 1998 it was
the “Charlie Falk Showcase Mile” (GP). Run in the
dead heat of summer on August 15th, the top Male Miler
was Mike Nestor in 4:46. Top female in this 4-lap 440
was Pam Robinson in 5:31.
Striders celebrate the completion of the bridge and overlook construction along Long Creek Trail in Seashore
State Park, now called First Landing State Park.
Photo courtesy of Chris Catoe
• A great fall race, the Virginia Beach FOP 10 Miler
(GP), saw 300 runners of all abilities toe the line. Winning overall male was John Lomogda (who you might
see at Running Etc. these days) with a fine 54:13 and
top female went to Kendall Tata in 1:04:08.
Out of area running was also popular with our members.
Presented is just a few as listed in The Rundown during the
1998 season:
• Jane Seymour with a 3:46 and Peggy Frederick with a
3:34 (1st AG) at the Charlotte Observer Marathon.
• Rob Levinsky with a 3:00:53, Mel Williams with a
3:02:30 and Sherry Celesia with a 3:58:53 at the Disney marathon in Orlando.
• Nancy Delaney with an impressive 2:57:47 at the Boston Marathon.
• Pat Ewell and Mel Williams won their respective age
groups at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington
DC. Mel continues the streak!!!!!!!
Walking
In his writing of the History of Walking in the Tidewater
Striders, Buddy Levitin states that “Vice President Pearl
Ibarra reported that Jim Resolute expressed an interest in
becoming the club contact for any interest in the area of
walking.” As a result of his volunteerism, Jim was listed
as Chairman of the Walk Committee in the service directory of the newsletter.
Multisport
It should be noted that Ada and Allen Lester were very
instrumental during these years in providing great articles
in The Rundown under the title of “Transition Zone”. Their
interesting and factual articles included stories from different triathlons, training tips, and coverage of “out of
area” competes, etc. You know them today as the club’s
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Enjoying the awards ceremony at Mako Mike’s for the Outer Banks Triathlon are: Front Row - Allen Lester, Ada Lester, overall female winner Nancy Lewis, Troy Lewis, Laura Hill, Joe Polinski; Back Row - Joe Gould, Bernie Thompson, Eddie Hill, Kevin Hupp. Mostly hidden is Joe Gould’s grandson. Photo courtesy of TriDuo
great photographers, managing their business “TriDuo”,
and as current “Rundown” editors.
30-34 Male
Allen Walther (92)
Awards
Doug Dugroo and Pearl Ibarra were chosen as Volunteers
of the Year for 1998. Additionally, Pearl placed fourth in
the National RRCA Rod Steele Volunteer of the Year competition. Don & Ken Martin, and Paul and Sylvia Steele
also received National RRCA Volunteer recognition.
35-39 Male
Fesshaye Haile (116)
• 1998 President’s Awards were presented to Dan Edwards, Rick Brown and Mike & Pam Robinson.
• Winners of the 1998 RRCA 2000 Volunteer Hours Recognition Award were Jerry Bocrie, Dave Harrison and
Betty Belknap.
• President Ray Ochs was named RRCA Race Director
of the Year for Virginia (Neptune Festival).
1998 Grand Prix Award Winners (with total points earned)
were:
Overall Male
Pete Gibson (132)
40-44 Male
Tom Blanchard (64)
45-49 Male
Jim Duffy (111)
50-54 Male
Hans Tall (132)
55-59 Male
Mike Brownley (152)
60 & over
Mel Williams (200)
Overall Female
Debbie Kopecky (133)
Open Master Female
Barb Matthewson (167)
19 & Under Female
Katherine Hirsch (67)
Open Master Male
Rob Levinsky (117)
20-29 Female
Amanda Yeates (157)
19 & Under Male
Jeremy Dow (87)
30-34 Female
Lisa Buckman-Lewis (130)
20-29 Male
John Lomogda (54)
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The Striders donated $6000 to First Landing State
Park. Presenting the check to Fred Hazelwood, Director, Seashore State Park, are Chris Catoe, Adopt-a-Trail
Coordinator. Ray Ochs, Strider President and BJ Samuel
(Publicity Chairman), Photo courtesy of Chris Catoe
Miscellaneous
The Tidewater Striders raised $6000 for the “Long Creek
Bridge Project.” Heading up the fundraiser was long-time
Strider Chris Catoe and BJ Samuel. The initial goal was
set at $3000. Club President Ray Ochs presented the check
in September to the District Manager at First Landing/Seashore State Park.
Many New Energy runners competed at the AAU National Cross Country Championships in Knoxville; above
is shoeless Kyle Foster in the 3K.
Photo courtesy of Evie Foster.
35-39 Female
Cinda O’Dell (137)
40-44 Female
Dixie Levinsky (110)
45-49 Female
BJ Samuel (135)
RRCA National “Run To Work Day” was held nationwide
on October 20. Tidewater Strider member Monica Allard
presented a great example in the December Rundown to
show success of this fantastic idea. “Corporate Landing
Middle School’s Staff participated. Our group gathered
at 6:30a.m., to prepare for the 2.5 mile run to the Middle
School in Virginia Beach, where we work together with
1700 students. Not only did we have staff participation,
but also our PTA President and several others from our
Partners-In-Education at Dam Neck Naval Base.”
It was a great year for the club and as December rolled
around, thoughts of Christmas presents and Holiday cheer
filled everyone’s minds. 1999 was just days ahead and a
new chapter in the history of the Tidewater Striders.
50 & over
Sheila Bailey (139).
Scholarships
Five $1000 scholarships were given in 1998 to:
• Matthew Bruckner
• Mary Clifford
• Adrienne Parker
• Danny Tepovich
• Brian Walsh.
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1999
by Dave Harrah
Introduction
On July 10, 1999, the National Distance Running Hall of
Fame inducted four new members into its second class.
Deserving of such prestigious recognition was Johnny
Kelley (who ran Boston 61 times), Nina Kuscsik (who
was the very first “official” female winner of the Boston
Marathon in 1972 (3:10:26)) following the AAU’s 1971
repeal of its prohibition against women in marathons. The
other two Legend runners were Billy Mills and Francie
Larrieu-Smith. The Tidewater Striders Running Club had
greatness also, noting that 32 members ran the Boston
Marathon. The club, although solvent and strong, wasn’t
without issues concerning races and awards. Older runners
wanted more awards and elite runners would want prize
money and better prizes. The club would stick to recognizing everyone equally. Volunteers would take a “hit” as
well, but the depth of volunteers in the club would always
allow its directors and leadership to move on conducting
successful races throughout the year.
Club Operations
In January, the Board was officially recognized for the
year and confirmed:
Ray Ochs – President
Pearl Ibarra – Vice President (also Audit, Banquet and
Teams)
Barb Matthewson – Secretary (also Awards and Elections)
Dan Edwards – Treasurer (also Budget and Youth Programs)
Tom Bashara – Scholarship
Chris Catoe – Community Service
Deanie Eldridge – Membership
Don Greene - Board Member
Mike Hillinch – Publications (also Scholarship)
Kevin Kendall – Constitution
Steve Scudder – Triathlons (also Military)
Bill Spruill – Marketplace.
Other key chairpersons within the club as Standing Committee Chairs were:
K.E. Morgan – Advisory
Pete Gibson – Awards
BJ Samuel – Publicity and Public Relations
R P Kale – Race Committee
Bill Buckman - Merchandise
Mickey Webb – Volunteer
Jim Resolute – Walking
Doug Dugroo – Website
Bee Andrews – RRCA 2002 Convention (added in
June).
The 1998 membership drive for active Striders to each
sign up someone for new membership proved to be a viable and successful program. At the end of 1998, there were
approximately 1700 total members and at the end of 1999
there were 1823 (an increase of 123). Analysis indicated
that 53 current members had signed up 66 new members.
Membership cost was $20 Individual, $38 for two year individual, $14 youth, $160 Golden Runner and $100 Youth
Golden Runner.
In was announced in the June Rundown that the Tidewater Striders had won the bid for the 2002 Road Runners
Club of America (RRCA) National convention. Bee Andrews would be the “Convention Chair” with the event
being held in conjunction with the 2002 Elizabeth River
Run 10K.
The Board of Directors at the July meeting voted to discontinue the designation of a “Tidewater Strider of the Decade.” Although neither the constitution nor the by-laws
of the club documents a “Strider of the Decade” award,
such an award was previously bestowed twice since 1972:
Jerry Bocrie (1970s) and Charlie George (1980s). As club
functions expanded throughout the 1990’s, the club became increasingly dependent on volunteer involvement.
The “SOTD” award would continue as the “Volunteer of
the Year” and “President’s” award.
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• Shamrock Marathon
The Striders continued with training for race data entry and results, and had five people who could perform
these tasks. The club also increased the number of people
who could run the finish line phase of races. The technical “Race Director” computer program (utilization of this
function started in 1998) was being used in 1999 by Demo
Eleftherion. The new program was used for tabulating race
results.
Strider General Meetings remained popular with three interesting meetings worth mentioning. On February 10th,
Lori Tubbs, M.S. RD, gave a presentation on “Fueling for
Fitness in the New Millennium.” On May 19th, Tim Willis, a visually impaired athlete spoke to the meeting group,
and on September 29th, Bee Andrews spoke on the 1999
RRCA National Convention. All meetings were held at
DePaul Hospital.
1999 was a good year for Bill Buckman and the “Marketplace,” with the introduction of many new items and marketplace booths at many more events than in past years.
A complete inventory of Strider-owned equipment was
conducted during the year with copies presented to the
President and Treasurer with a copy to the Executive Race
Director.
1999 also saw the club step up the process of certifying
more race courses, thanks to the work of John Price and
Mike Robinson.
Newsletter
The Rundown was selected as the 1998 “Outstanding
Newsletter, Large Size Category” in the RRCA Regional
Journalism Competition. It was quite evident that the Striders had a distinctive newsletter that was creative, reflected
club dynamics and showed that the contributors put in a
lot of time, heart and soul. The newsletter continued to entertain and present such valuable information to our community including nutrition notes, the “Transitional Zone”
(edited by Ada and Allen Lester), youth news, Board of
Director’s minutes, race results/applications including
coverage of out of area races, and much more.
The July issue was dedicated to “Women and Running”
and centered around the Women’s Distance Festival 5K
run/1 Mile held on the 10th.
Recognized in various issues during the year in “Strider
Profiles” were Ada and Allen Lester, Grove Calvert, Kendall Tata, Bill Hart, Michelle-Smith-Harden, Monica Allard and Bill Buckman.
Running
1999 was a year of fierce competition with a fantastic lineup for the all popular Grand Prix Series:
• Distance Series 25K
• Cross Country Challenge 5K
• Churchland Challenge 5K
• Elizabeth River 10K
• Alltel 10K
• Women’s Distance Festival 5K
• Strider 1 Mile (Track)
• Neptune Festival 8K
• Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police 10 Miler
• Turkey Trot 10K
• Distance Series 20K.
Highlights of the 1999 racing season include:
• From the Race Director of the Distance Series, Betty
Virok. “We had a total of 201 athletes complete all three
of the events, which is 36 more than the existing record.
We had an average of 319 runners finish each of the distance races and we averaged 79 runners in each of the
10K races”. Capturing the title of top male runner with
a combined time of 4:18:15 was Michael Harrison. The
ladies winner was Debbie Kopecky in 5:21:59.
• The Cross Country Challenge 5K run (GP), on February 13th, in cold conditions saw John Lomogda take the
men’s crown in 17:23 and Nancy Delaney pace the ladies in 20:51. The race was held at Mount Trashmore’s
famous “mud-a-rama” course and also started the year
long “Intra-Club Team Challenge”.
• The Run For Independence 5K was (and is) a fun little
race held at Independence Middle School in Virginia
Beach. Held on March 4th, Danny Tepovich topped the
male field with a fine 16:02 and Mary Davison captured
Open female first place with a 19:03.
• The 5th Annual Falcon 5K was held on March 13th
and Billy Edwards dominated the men’s field with an
impressive 15:40. Leslie Fedon Willis took top female
with a time of 18:32.
• In March, the Shamrock Marathon (GP) produced
some 4500 runners of all abilities. The weather was
good enough to see seven new state records set, of
which three were from Tidewater Striders. In outstanding fashion, Pat Ewell (female 65-69) ran an impressive
4:49:12. Mel Williams broke the state mark, male 6064 in 2:54:45 and Cokey Damon (male 80-84) cruised
in at 5:09:36. The Master’s 8K Strider’s men’s team
finished first. Team members were Pete Gibson, Dave
McDonald, Bill Hart, Frank Schreier, Steve Frisk, Jeff
Long and Larry Coley.
• The Churchland Challenge 5K (GP), ran on April 3rd,
saw Patrick Comstock take the Male Open with a 16:50
and Debbie Kopecky hammer out an 18:50 for female
honors.
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• As the racing season heated up, Billy Edwards was
making a statement at the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office 5K,
on April 10. He posted an impressive 15:44 to take top
male and Leslie Fedon ran an 18:09 to take first female.
• The all popular Journey For Sight 5K (in its 17th year)
saw some fast times with overall male winner Pete Gibson in 16:30 and top female Nancy Delaney in 19:05.
• For the running of the 1999 Elizabeth River Run 10K
(GP), the Striders fielded an elite open team, an elite
master team, a star studded veteran’s team, a “B” master’s team filled with three worn out Boston Marathoners and a high quality mixed team. With conditions that
were near perfect, the men’s open, master and mixed
team came away victorious. The Strider’s Open men’s
team was led by Billy Edwards (2nd overall with a
31:51), Mike Harrison (5th overall with a 32:34), Dave
Coulter (2nd 30-34, 7th overall in 32:47), Lanny Doan
(1st master, 8th overall in 32:54), John Piggott (3rd 3034, 12th overall in 33:19) and Al Walther (4th 3-34 in
35:40). Pete Gibson and Dave McDonald, who came to
the finish line together, led the Master’s team.
• The Alltel 10K (GP), ran on June 5th, saw Matt Glynn
finish in 33:06 and Nancy Delaney continue her deadly
racing in 39:20.
• The typically hot YMCA Independence Day 5K race
was won by Biren Bay in 15:53 (open male) and Monica Allard in 20:01 for female honors.
• The Women’s Distance Festival 5K had just shy of 300
toe the line for some fine competition. Winning the
Men’s open title was Muluye Muluneh in 15:53 and top
female in the Open category Debbie Kopecky in 19:35.
• In October, many Striders competed in the Norfolk
Half Marathon, which was won by Michael Harrison
in 1:12:45 and Missy Foy in 1:22:07.
• The Turkey Trot 10K (GP), in November, was again
a tremendous success with over 1000 runners (setting
a record). This race helped raise nearly $7000 for the
club scholarship fund. The men’s race was won by Billy
Edwards in a time of 32:19. First place in the women’s
division went to Mary Davison in 39:34.
• The winner of the 1999 (first year) Intra-Club Challenge series was team “Saving the best for last.” Members were Richard Raehl, Ryan Kent, Melvin White,
Lindsay Kent and Bob Williams.
Some “On the Road” (or out of area) performances:
• FAT ASS 50K, Shannon Swords with a 3:53 and John
DeCarlo with a 5:21.
• Myrtle Beach Marathon – Gina Pitrone with a nice
3:39:31 and Bryan Davis in 3:18:21.
The 2000 draft session for the Intra-Club Team Challenge was serious business as each team selector analyzed the available runners and made their selections.
Teams are recorded on the whiteboard. From left to right:
Mike Fuller, Bee McLeod, Dave McDonald, Jeremy Dow,
Jim Ross, Paul Guizard, Jim Murphy. What a great way
to meet more members and have some fun competition
where participation can affect the event as well as speed.
Any volunteers available to revive this event?
Photo courtesy of Bee McLeod
• Colonial Half Marathon (Williamsburg) – Rueben
Beauchamp in 1:20:12 (1st AG), Nancy Delaney in
1:26:20 (1st AG/1ST Overall Female), Michael Harrison
in 1:12:29 (1st Overall Male), Jeanne Kruger in 1:36:24
(1st AG) and Mel Williams in 1:25:53 (1st AG).
• Army 10 Miler. The Striders Women’s team placed
second in the Open Women’s Division; very impressive since there were 537 teams and 18 team Divisions.
Members of this power team were: Cinda O’Dell,
Sheri Segal, Bee Andrews, Debbie Kopecky and Barb
Mathewson with total time of 4:34:37.
Walking
Quoting Buddy Levitin in his Tidewater Striders Walkers
History “Beginning in 1999, a disclaimer appeared in The
Rundown stating it is published monthly by the Tidewater
Striders, a non-profit educational and recreational organization for running and triathlon enthusiasts. Opinions expressed in The Rundown are not necessarily those of the
editor or the Tidewater Striders Board of Directors”. The
Rundown disclaimer had ignored the constitution and bylaws of the very organization to which it was beholden.
Seven years earlier, by establishing a standing committee for walkers and defining the duties of the committee,
Striders had officially recognized walkers.
Multisport
Ada and Allen Lester continued their outstanding writings
in the “Transition Zone” of The Rundown and addressed
such topics as triathlon coverage, training and swimming,
proper nutrition, First Landing State Park notes, Breezy
Point Triathlon tidbits, bike “gearing” and the 2000 Olympic Triathlon.
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Another road trip for New Energy, this time they traveled to Illinois for the AAU National Cross Country Championships. Runners in this picture include Kyle Foster, Drew Midland, Aspen Foster, Liam Arocho, Alex Yerkes, Kristen
DiCarlo, Sarah DiCarlo, Lindsay Kent, Ryan Kent, Marise McCain, Sean McCain, Heather Murdoch, & Ian Murdoch. Photo courtesy of Evie Foster.
The Breezy Point Triathlon was again a great success under the guidance and leadership of Betty Virok. A co-ed
team comprised of Glenn Houseman, Mimi Fackler and
John Lomogda competed with Glenn pulling third fastest
swim split of the Division.
A few brave Striders managed to venture north into the
rolling hills of Maryland to tackle the 5th Annual Spud Triathlon. Leading the pack with a combined swim-bike-run
time of 2:01:28 was John Dill.
Youth Program
The Tidewater Striders, in conjunction with Sentara
Healthcare, announced an attempt to increase race participation by high school and middle school students in the
Year 2000 Elizabeth River Run. The Tidewater Striders/
Sentara Healthcare Youth Challenge would be modeled after the Lilac Bloomsday Run; a 12K ran annually in Spokane, Washington.
The USATF Junior Olympics completed the season. Thirteen runners had qualified earlier to compete in this event
that had 3000 youth runners from 48 states. Andrew Midland gained his first All American status by finishing in the
top 25 of his age division. NEW ENERGY RUNNERS
AGAIN RANKED IN THE TOP 1/3 NATIONALLY.
Awards
Recognized by RRCA for 2000 Hour Volunteer awards
were Don & Ken Martin and Paul Steele.
Tidewater Strider Volunteers of the Year for 1999 (awarded in 2000) were Deanie Eldridge and Chris Catoe.
1999 Youth Grand Prix Award Winners (with total points
earned) were:
The 1999 Youth Cross Country season finished in December with two National events. In November, New Energy
hosted the AAU and USATF state meet at Mount Trashmore. Over 150 youth runners from Virginia participated
in this event.
The Region 3 USATF meet was held in Spartanburg, SC.
Twenty five runners participated in the various races (3K,
4K and 5K) and more than half placed in the top twenty.
Twenty-six runners participated in the AAU National
Cross Country race, ran on December 4. Andrew Midland
(11-12) and Chris Lyons (15-16) received medals for placing in top 25 nationally.
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Girls 6 and under
Colleen Adams (42)
Girls 7-8
Mary Margaret Peter (16)
Girls 9-10
Lindsay Kent (40)
Girls 11-12
Kristen DiCarlo (29)
Girls 13-15
Amanda Boswell (35)
Boys 7-8
Trevor Nichols (12)
Boys 9-10
DJ Jester (45)
Boys 11-12
Drew Midland (36)
Boys 13-15
Ryan Kent (38).
Adult Grand Prix winners were not listed in The Rundown.
Scholarships
Three $1000 scholarships were awarded in 1999 to:
• Kevin Rhue
• Adrienne Parker
• Danny Tepovich.
Miscellaneous
The club raised over $4000 for cancer in the annual Relay
For Life. There were 40 registered participants from the
Striders in the actual event. The club won Second place in
the most decorative campsite competition (there were 300
registered teams competing). Forty Strider participants
helped man the track during the 24 hour relay event.
The Summer Series at the Botanical Gardens was a great
success with over $10,000 in give-always distributed. Special mention went to Mike and Pam Robinson as Directors
of the series. Sixty new members were gained during the
four Tuesday night events.
Jackie Tugman competed for VMI in Cross Country.
Photo courtesy of Running Etc Wall of Fame.
The year had a tremendous moment of sadness with the
passing of long time Tidewater Strider Tom Bashara. In
recognition of his running history and association in many
capacities with the club, the scholarship program was established in his name.
Tom Bashara leads a pack of runners in an unknown race
before his battle with cancer began.
Photo courtesy of Running Etc Wall of Fame.
Not sure if these are the ones but one Summer Series
Benny LeBon (496) and his wife asked if they could borrow the leftover bananas. “Borrow? As in return them?”
“Yes, we’ll bring them back next week.” They returned
them the next Tuesday as banana bread to share with all.
Photo courtesy of Mike Robinson
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2000
by Dave Harrah
Introduction
The new decade and millennium arrived. Taking the reins
as new president, Bee Andrews stated in the January Rundown, “A Strider member for more years than I care to
admit, I will freely admit that I think we have the BEST
running club around. Our membership is strong, dedicated
and enthusiastic about the sport. The caliber of our new
Board of Directors, and the fresh ideas and their willingness to get the job done is impressive. The events we put
on every weekend of the year with the dedicated efforts of
our Executive Director and our volunteers are first class.”
Club Operations
Installation of new Officers in January included:
Bee Andrews – President (also Publicity and Public
Relations)
Rob Levinsky – Vice President
BJ Samuel - Secretary
Dan Edwards – Treasurer/Budget (also youth)
R P Kale – Executive Director (also Race Committee).
The Service Directory of the Rundown listed the following additional Board Members:
Chris Catoe
Deanie Eldridge (also Membership, Walking Chair in
March)
Mike Hillinch (also Programs, Publications, Scholarship)
Pearl Ibarra (also Audit, Banquet, Teams)
Barb Mattewson – (also Awards/Grand Prix)
Raymond Ochs
Mel Williams – (also Advisory, Constitution).
Other Chair Positions were:
Peg Murphy – Elections
Jim Murphy – Elections
Bill Buckman – Marketplace
Jeanie Kruger Williams – Nominations
Ada and Allen Lester – Triathlon
Jim Resolute – Walking (Chair January to March, then
committee)
Rich Hildreth – Adopt A Highway.
This was the year for the creation of a new award, the
“Jerry Bocrie Founder’s Award.” The award was voted
and passed by the Board of Directors to honor an individual whose accomplishments far exceeded local levels
and extended to national and international stature. The accomplishments to gain nomination for this award included
evidence of running performance, promotion of running
endeavors, or a combination of the two, meriting consistent national, and possibly international recognition. The
recipient of the award would receive lifetime Golden Runner status and be recognized each year (as awarded) at the
Annual Awards Banquet. The award idea was thought of
and presented by our “old friend” Mel Williams.
At the March Board of Directors meeting, Rod Whibley
reported that he had met with the race committee concerning a reduction in membership fees. Based on that meeting, Rod submitted written materials for a Board analysis. BJ Samuel made a motion that was seconded by Mel
Williams to reduce Golden Runner membership dues from
$160 to $145. The motion was defeated by a vote of four
in favor, five opposed and one abstention.
In May, four Tidewater Striders members had the honor of
representing the club at the 2000 Road Runners Club of
America (RRCA) convention in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Rob and Dixie Levinsky, Karen Miller and Bee Andrews
attended. This was significant in the planning stages for
the Tidewater Striders and the City of Norfolk hosting the
2002 convention.
A “Back of the Pack” Recognition Program was proposed
by Charlie Johnson which was designed as a means of encouraging “mid- to back-of-the-pack” runners. Two runners would be randomly selected to receive a special prize.
For the year 2000, they would be called “Penguin Awardees”!
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE CLUB: For the first
time ever, the Board of Directors and a few other members
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involved in key areas of operations participated in a professionally run two-day strategic workshop. Six key areas
were identified for the Striders Club future success: race
execution, annual calendar, volunteers, new programs/initiatives, sponsorships and web site.
Newsletter
The Rundown continued its “award winning ways” providing the Tidewater Strider membership excellent coverage
of all facets of the sports of running, walking and triathlon.
Under the continuing editorship of Evie Thomson-Lakey,
the monthly newsletter carried the standard format of Editor’s notes, Presidents Corner, full page calendar of events
covering two months each, letters from the membership,
the “Transition Zone” (Multisport enthusiast), runner’s/
walker’s race results, out of area race results and those all
valuable race applications. There was also a recipe or two
and advertisements.
Honored in Strider Profiles for the year were: Diane Haupt,
Jerry Meltsner, Bryan Davis, Terri Hounslow, Sherry Celesia, Steve Spiers, Ally Ralston and the McCain Family.
Mike and Pam Robinson announcing results of Predict
Your Time at the Summer Series. Pam and Mike directed
the race series for a decade, the Striders’ most popular
event. Photo courtesy of TriDuo.com.
in 17:26 and Bee Andrews capture the women’s crown
in 20:00.
• The all popular Run for Independence 5K, run in
March, saw 236 finishers with John Johnson taking the
Men’s Overall in 16:26 and Elizabeth Andrews as Top
Female Open in 18:53.
Running
The 2000 Grand Prix series lineup included:
• Distance Series 25K
• Cross Country Challenge 5K
• Shamrock Marathon
• Norfolk Sheriff’s 5K
• Elizabeth River Run 10K
• Alltel Communications 10K
• Women’s Distance Festival 5K
• Charlie Faulk 1 Mile (Track)
• Neptune Festival 8K
• Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) 10
Miler
• Turkey Trot 10K
• Distance Series 20K.
The following Race coverage is provided and is not all
inclusive:
• The January 1st Jennifer Braun 5K run (378 brave finishers) was won by Matt Keally with a time of 15:55
(Overall Male) and Diane Haupt in 18:52 (Overall Female).
• The Distance Series saw only two of the three races
run. The 30K was cancelled due to extreme bad weather (ice on the course and snow).
• The Cross Country Challenge 5K (GP), held in February, saw Tom Cary walk away with the Male Overall
• The Shamrock Marathon (GP), held on March 18th, was
its 28th running. With winds out of the Northeast at 20
plus MPH and gusts up to 30 plus MPH along with
temperatures around 40 degrees at race time, it was a
very challenging day! The Tidewater Striders fielded
teams in seven of eight divisions, and placed first in
three. The Women’s Open 8K team placed first with
solid running from Mary Davison, Kendall Tata, Bee
Andrews, Debbie Kopecky, Leslie Fedon and Cinda
O’Dell. The Women’s Masters Marathon team won
their division with great running from Sheri Segal,
Leisa Ensel, Evie Thomson-Lakey, Marlene Walker,
Jane McNaught and Mimi Fackler. The Men’s Masters
Marathon team won their division with some solid running by Fesshaye Haile, Bill Hart, Rueben Beauchamp
and Chuck Lollar.
• The Norfolk Sheriff’s 5K (GP), ran April 8th, resulted
in the “handlebar-mustached” Dave McDonald taking
Men’s Overall with a 16:22. Diane Haupt fought off
Bee Andrews to win top female in 19:09.
• The 21st Annual International Azalea Festival 8K, on
April 28th, saw Martin Snyder pull off a victory in the
Men’s Division with a 28:35 and Kendall Tata take female top honors in 30:48.
• Elizabeth River Run 10K (GP). Despite high temperatures and humidity, the Open Women’s Team emerged
victorious with a first place finish. Team members were
Kendall Tata, Diane Haupt, Mary Davison and Moni-
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ca Allard. Strong individual performances were given
by Billy Edwards (33:50), Mike Harrison (34:10) and
Mark Shea (38:44).
• The 4th Annual Alltel 10K (GP), run on June 3rd, saw
hot temperatures as Mike Harrison beat out a strong
field to take men’s honors in 35:08 and Kendall Tata
continue her dominance with a 40:13.
• The Annual 4th of July 5K, at the Mount Trashmore
YMCA, saw Alex Clayton win top Male in 16:27 and
Kendall Tata win in 18:45.
• The Woman’s Distance Festival 5K (GP) was won by
Muluye Muluneh in 15:58 and Kristine Wilson as top
Female in 18:37.
• Muluye and Kendall Tata would continue as outstanding runners for the year, both winning at the Naval Station 8K, on August 5th. Muluye would take the lead and
never look back with an excellent 26:12 and Kendall
would do “what she does” in 31:01.
• With over 50% of the Grand Prix races complete, the
Charlie Falk Mile saw Mike Nestor run an outstanding
4:45 and Kristine Wilson run a fine 5:27 on the track.
• Strider Masters dominated the competition at the
Hampton Bay Days 10K. Four teams were sent to
compete with the Peninsula Track Club and Colonial
Roadrunners. Strider Master Women placed first with
members Sheri Segal, Cinda O’Dell, Monica Allard,
Karen Miller, Becky Bean and Jeanne Kruger Williams. The Strider Master men bested their rivals also
taking first place. Members included Mark Donahue,
Dave McDonald, Larry Ormond and Mike Fuller. The
Strider Grand Master Men’s team also finished first
with members Jeff Long, Rod Whibley, Larry David
and Larry Coley. Finally, the Strider Senior Men (60
plus) finished off the competition to take first. Those
members included Mel Williams, Chris Catoe, Ewin
Ottinger, Michael Jackson and Ed Jefferson.
• The Tom Bashara Memorial Scholarship 5K, run on
September 10th, was won by Brad Wilson in 16:57 and
Kendall Tata in 20:44.
Mike Jones (11), George Kent (56), Rob Levinsky (43)
and Sean McCain (10).
• On October 15th, half-dozen members of the Tidewater Striders Open Team ran against one of the deepest
fields in the country at the Army 10 Miler. There were
nearly 700 teams entered and the Tidewater Striders Open Team finished 1st among Open teams and 3rd
overall. Team members included Billy Edwards, Larry
Doan, Mike Colaiacovo, Dai Roberts and Mike Mann.
• Of note, Strider member and Virginia Wesleyan student, Jessica Scott (age 19), completed the Walt Disney
World Marathon on January 9th in 3:54:03. This was
Jessica’s first marathon. She placed in the top 8% for
females, finished 310 out of 3,710 women and in the
top 17% overall out of 7,660 runners.
Walking
Walking had taken an increased interest to many. Quoting
Deanie Eldridge in The Rundown “A core group of us have
been training together for about a year and a half. We’ve
walked in the rain, snow, wind and cold and completed
the Shamrock and Chicago Marathons in 1999. And we’ve
just come back from the Myrtle Beach Marathon. What we
do may be deemed power walking, race-walking or just
plain ole’ walking for hours on end to keep in shape, meet
our training goals, and believe it or not, having fun! What
we do isn’t easy, and our discipline and drive is as strong
as any runner preparing for a big race.”
The Walking Group trained each Sunday morning starting
at 6:30 a.m. at various locations.
Multisport
The very first Striders program of 2000 was held at Inlet
Fitness on April 9th and the topic was “Triathlon Training”
presented by Jerry Frostick. Forty-nine people attended
the session. During the year 2000, the Striders were proud
to announce the creation of the Triathlon Grand Prix Series. The establishment of this series would not have been
possible if not sponsored and Final Kick came through to
make that happen. For the inaugural year, the multi-sport
competitive races included:
• The Virginia Beach FOP 10 Miler (GP) was won by Michael Harrison in 55:20 and Kristine Wilson in 1:06:29.
• Breezy Point Triathlon
• The Turkey Trot 10K (GP), always a very popular race
held on Thanksgiving morning, was won by Alex Clayton in 32:47 for Male and Heidi Grimm in 38:35 for
Female.
• Braveheart
• To wind down the year, the Distance Series 20K saw
Dai Roberts bust out a 1:07:40 and Megan Brenner lead
the females in 1:22:55.
• The 2000 Intra-Club Challenge Competition was won
by the “Old Guys and Young Dudes.” Team members
were Brad Beaty (10 years old), John DiCarlo (50),
• Bay Sprint Triathlon
• Colonial Beach Triathlon
• Outer Banks Triathlon
• Sandman Triathlon.
The proposal to establish this Grand Prix was presented
at the February Board of Directors meeting by Ada Lester
and Ty Whitaker with an 8-1 vote to carry. The vote also
included the Tidewater Striders becoming a USAT (United
States of America Triathlon) registered club.
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• Pembroke Meadows Elementary 1 Miler
• Creeds Elementary 1 Miler
• Alanton Elementary 1 Miler
• Greenbrier Fitness Fest 1 Miler
• St. Matthews Elementary 1 Miler
• Charlie Falk 1 Mile (Track)
• Larchmont RAT race 1 Miler
• All American 1 Miler
• Turkey Trot 1 Miler.
Scott Beeler, Joe Polinski, and Wallie Polinski at the Bay
Sprint Triathlon, unfortunately 2000 was the last year of
this fun event. Photo courtesy of TriDuo.com.
Fifty-two Striders were ranked by USAT. John Dill earned
USAT All American honors for 1999.
Two Tidewater Strider Triathletes completed the Ironman
World Championship at Kona, Hawaii, on October 14th.
Jill Riblett had a total time of 11:07:57 and Max Carroll
had a time of 11:11:25.
Bee Andrews continued to get the recognition she deserved as an outstanding Duathlete. Not only did Bee take
the top spot in her age group and USAT All American
Honors, she was also named an Inside Triathlon Magazine
All American Duathlete.
Youth
The 2000 Tidewater Strider Youth Grand Prix races included:
• Independence Middle School 1 Miler
(Individual race results were not available in The Rundown)
William-Jesse Leggett, a graduate of the University of
Wisconsin Parkside and former youth runner and race
walker with New Energy, was one of nine Americans
competing for places on the Olympic Team for Sydney
Australia. Billy finished 8th in the 50K event in Sacramento, California.
Alex Clayton of Tallwood High School and the New Energy youth running club medaled 5th in the Intermediate
Boys 1500 meters at the USATF Junior Olympics in Buffalo, New York.
At the AAU National meet in Orlando, Florida, Liam Arocho finished 7th in the 3000 midget (11-12) age Division.
Awards
At the annual banquet in February, Cokey Daman received
a special award for his continued running excellence and
status as Top Masters aged 80-84 in the WORLD! In addition, the Virginian Pilot showcased Cokey on the front
Part of the New Energy team that competed at AAU Cross Country Nationals. L-R Coach Lawrence Peter, the Scott
family with their runner, Danielle, Mary Margaret Peter behind Maddie Peter, Coach Laura Peter, Marilyn Ertel
behind Hunter Ertel, Jennifer Jeffers behind David Jeffers. Photo courtesy Jennifer Jeffers
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Female 30-34
Michele Lawson (40)
page of the Sports Section, citing his accomplishments of
two National Age Group awards and more. Cokey was always an inspiration.
Female 35-39
Christine McCain (25)
Key awards for the year:
• 2000 Charlie George Volunteer of the Year to Rob
Levinsky
Female 40-44
Susie Rowley (32)
• 2000 President’s award to Mel Williams
Female 45-49
Dixie Levinsky (27)
• RRCA 2000 Hour awards to Demo and Elaine Eletherion and R P Kale.
Female 50-54
Barb Mathewson (20)
2000 Grand Prix Award Winners (with total points earned)
were:
Female 55-59
Ann Hirn (20)
Male Overall
Dai Roberts (40)
Female 60-64
Betty Munden (20)
Male Masters
Larry Omerod (40)
Male 1-19
Justin Dandar (20)
Male 20-24
Michael Peeler – (20)
Female 65-69
Pat Ewell (20).
Scholarships
The 2000 Scholarship committee reviewed ten applications. Selected from the ten were the following:
Male 25-29
Brandon Johnson (35)
• Kevin Rhue - Tom Bashara $1500 scholarship
Male 30-34
Charlie Schindler, Jr. (35)
• Adrienne Parker - $1000
Male 35-39
Bryan Mordecai ((30)
Male 40-44
Rob Levinsky (24)
Male 45-49
Dean Beatty (32)
Male 50-54
Joseph Verdirame (32)
Male 55-59
George Kent (24)
Male 60-64
Mel Williams (40)
Male 65-69
Chris Catoe (40)
Female Overall
Mary Davidson (40)
Female Masters
Jeanne Kruger Williams (24)
Female 1-19
Lindsay Kent (20)
• Katherine Hirsch - $1000
• Brad Sorgren - $1000
• Ashley Whitaker $1000.
Miscellaneous
The Jennifer Braun Run 5K Into The Millennium was a
huge success with 382 participants raising over $15,000 to
help families and children in need.
Some 60 Tidewater Striders participated in the Relay For
Life on June 9 and 10. As a community, South Hampton
Roads exceeded goals by raising over $1.6 million dollars
with some 10,000 participants. For its part, the Striders
organized into four teams that raised over $10,000 (double
1999 efforts). Relay officials recognized “hands down” as
the first place winner in the Healthy Picnic competition
(thanks to Deanie Eldridge and BJ Samuel).
Attending the July General meeting was Olympian and
author, Jeff Galloway promoting his marathon training
programs.
The First Annual Tom Bashara Scholarship 5K run/walk
was a great success. A total of $2,780 was raised at the race
and stimulated an additional $5000 contribution to the annual endowment fund.
Female 20-24
Yumi Iwasaki (20)
Female 25-29
Julia Tippett (27)
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2001
by Dave Harrah
Introduction
As the months of 2001 were slowly etched into history, the
Strider organization experienced an exceptional growth in
every facet of its operations. Unfortunately, the year was
shattered for everyone with the tragic September 11th
terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York. Reality
strikes when you have been there to run the New York
City Marathon, or to just visit, and have stood there looking up at those two huge buildings. President Bee Andrews
summed it up in her message to the membership in The
Rundown, “I had planned on a WOW column following
the Inaugural Rock N Roll Half marathon. To steal a quote
from a good friend, “we are waking up to a very different
world today.” To all who had family or friends affected
by the tragedy on September 11th, my heartfelt thoughts
and prayers are with you. We live in the best country in
the world, second to none. And the words UNITED WE
STAND have never been truer.” Being an athlete in our
community took on new meaning…we couldn’t run, walk,
bike or swim without having a passing thought about those
tragic moments. Our convictions and dedication to our
sports remained obvious, but were overshadowed by September 11. Many Striders ran the Marine Corps Marathon
in October and one noted there was absolute silence for
more than a mile as the runners trekked past the devastated
Pentagon. A few sobs could also be heard.
Operations
The installation of Officers for the 2001 Board of Directors included:
Bee Andrews – President (also Publicity and Public
Relations)
Rob Levinsky – Vice President (also Teams)
BJ Samuel – Secretary
Dan Edwards – Treasurer/Budget (also scholarship
and Youth)
RP Kale – Executive Race Director (also Race committee)
Other Board Members included:
Mike Hillinch (also Publications and Scholarship)
Kevin Hupp
Charlie Johnson
Barb Mathewson (also Awards until May and Grand
Prix)
Karen Miller (also Programs)
Brian Sagedy (also Marketplace)
Rob Whibley (also Audit)
Mel Williams (also Advisory and Constitution)
Committee Chairs included:
Pearl Ibarra – Banquet
Peg & Jim Murphy – Elections
Martin Snyder – Membership
Jeanne Kruger Williams – Nominations
Ada and Allen Lester – Triathlon
Dixie Levinsky – Volunteer
Deanie Eldridge – Walking
Mary Beth Marshall – Awards (May to December)
The Tidewater Striders were very pleased to announce
early in the year its agreement with Elite Racing to work
together on some of the production aspects of the Inaugural Rock N Roll Half Marathon to be held in Virginia
Beach on Labor Day weekend. The Striders would be
providing support services in three primary areas: course
certification/Timer and Mile Marker team, Volunteer team
and Water station team. Quoting President Bee Andrews
in The Rundown, “We are thrilled they have decided to put
on an event of this magnitude in Virginia Beach and look
forward to being a part of its success this year and in years
to come. We are particularly pleased that Elite Racing has
recognized the strengths of the Strider organization and
our volunteer capabilities.”
In 2001, the Awards Committee presented the Board of
Directors some changes designed to recognize and reward
more of our most dedicated volunteers. Awards will be
presented for Race Volunteer of the Year and for Club/
Community Service Volunteer of the Year. Three awards
will be given in each category: Gold, Silver and Bronze. In
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Ben Vaughan, Jeff Douglas, Martin Snyder, Craig
Humes, and Curt Aasen running on an abnormally warm
day at the Distance Series in Fort Story.
Photo courtesy of TriDuo
• Cross Country Challenge 5K
The first Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon came to Virginia
Beach and masses of runners came along also! Finishers
crowd the boardwalk after they completed the 13.1 miles.
Photo courtesy of TriDuo
• Shamrock Marathon
• Run For the Gold 5K
• Elizabeth River Run 10K
addition, the following awards were approved for this year
in addition to the Grand Prix Series Awards:
• Alltel 10K
• Women’s Distance Festival 5K
• Jerry Bocrie Founder’s Award
• Tidewater Striders 1 Mile (Track)
• Tidewater Striders Appreciation Award
• Trigon Neptune Festival 8K
• Outstanding Male and Female High School Cross
Country Runner Award
• Virginia Beach 10 Miler
• Turkey Trot 10K
• Tidewater Strider Outstanding Male and Female Performance Award
• Race Volunteer of the Year Award
The following race highlights are provided and are not all
inclusive of the full race schedule:
• T-Shirt of the Year Award
• Race Director of the Year Award
Newsletter
The standard format carried over from 2000 with a nice addition. Mel Williams and David Branch, who for years had
presented the membership with “Coach’s Training Tip of
the Month” brought us a new column titled, “Training with
the Tidewater Striders.” Mel and David wanted to highlight the training programs of various club members who
had achieved a degree of success for their gender or age in
sport competitions associated with the club. The very first
athlete selected was Dai Roberts, a Wales transplant (British Navy) who was dominating in every distance from 5K
to Half Marathon. The August issue featured Mary Davison, Deanie Eldridge (walker) in September, Perry Lange
(triathlete) in October, Mike Stoop (Bayside High School
track and field) in November and Chris Catoe in December.
Running
The following was the Grand Prix schedule for 2001:
• Distance Series 20K
• The Distance Series 25K, ran on January 6th, was dominated by Dai Roberts with a time of 1:26:09 and Mary
Davison in 1:46:36.
• The race results for the combined distance series (2025-30K) saw Mike Harrison take the Male crown with
a combined time of 4:27:18 and Lisa Buckman-Lewis
win the Female title in 5:35:19.
• The Cross Country 5K (GP) was won by Dai Roberts
in 17:15 and the Female title went to Mary Davison in
20:29.
• March 17th saw the running of the Shamrock Marathon
(GP) with Mike Harrison capturing Male Open title in
2:26:35 and Lisa Buckman-Lewis winning top Female
honors in 3:08:48.
• The Run For the Gold 5K (GP), a new Grand Prix race,
was held on April 14th with top Open Male Dai Roberts continuing his domination of early season races in
15:47 and Mary Davison following suit for top Female
in 18:58.
• Distance Series 25K
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The Shamrock Masters 8K starts. Dave McDonald, who is partially seen on the right, finished 14th overall in 27:37
Photo courtesy of TriDuo
• The Run For Independence 5K was held on March
3rd with Dai Roberts again dominating with a time of
15:36 to capture the Men’s Open and Patrice Malloy
finishing in 19:37 to take the top female spot.
• March 12 was the 23 running of the Elizabeth River
Run 10K (GP) with 1935 finishers. The Strider teams
won all five of the divisions they entered and also the
head-to-head battle that pitted the Striders best Seniors
(60+) against the Colonial Road Runners best seniors.
th
rd
ŠŠIn the Open Women – Mary Davison, Diane Haupt,
Sheri Segal, Jamie Cornish and Lisa BuckmanLewis.
ŠŠIn the Master’s Women –Cinda O’Dell, Dorothy
Winn, Evie Thomson, Susie Rowley and Julie Tippet.
• The YMCA Independence 5K, at Mount Trashmore,
saw Matthew Keally win Top Male in 15:42 and Almee
Gibbs garnish Top Female in 18:55.
• The Women’s Distance Festival 5K (GP), held in midsummer on July 7th, had some hot running from Mike
Colaiacovo in 15:53 (Male) and Catherine Casey in
18:41 (Female).
• July 14th saw the one and only road race at Harbor Park
in Norfolk; the Tide’s stadium that opened in 1993.
Titled the “Norfolk Tides Joy Fund 5K”, the race saw
Mary Davison “bust” a 19:23 and Steve Olson take Top
Male in 17:43.
• The Norfolk Sheriff’s 5K, on July 21st, had Mark Manny run an outstanding 15:58 in super heat to take the
ŠŠIn Mixed Team – John Adams, Dave Coulter, Andrea Kirchmer and Julie Tippet.
ŠŠIn Men’s Open – Dai Roberts, Mike Mann, Mike
Harrison and Charlie Schindler.
ŠŠMaster’s Men – Dave McDonald, Larry Ormerod,
Reuben Beauchamp, Mike Fuller and Craig Ruetzel.
ŠŠSenior Men – Mel Williams, Ed Brinkley, John
Munday and Chris Catoe.
• The Tom Bashara Memorial 5K, run on May 19th, saw
Dai Roberts again dominate taking Male Open in 15:46
and Kendall Tata tale Top Female in 19:33.
• The Alltel 10K (GP), on June 9th, featured Dai Roberts
continuing his hot running, taking Top Male in 32:43
and Mary Davison take Top Female in 40:28.
Fesshaye Haile and Chuck Lollar are clearing the Rudee
Inlet Bridge during the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marthon. On
the far left is Chad Simpson, another Strider.
Photo courtesy of TriDuo
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Men’s title and Kendall Tata run a blistering 19:36 for
Top Female.
• The Strider 1 Mile (GP), which was run on the track at
Tallwood High School, featured Michael Stoay as the
fastest Male Miler in 4:32. The Top Female was Diane
Haupt in 5:30.
• A large number of Tidewater Striders ran the Inaugural
Rock N Roll Half Marathon, on Labor Day weekend.
Some noteworthy performances include Chris Catoe
(3rd AG) in 1:48:04, Mary Davison (4th AG) in 1:26:18,
Diane Haupt (2nd AG) in 1:31:17, Dai Roberts (1st AG)
in 1:10:56, Sheri Segal (3rd AG) in 1:30:27, Kendall
Tata (5th AG) in 1:32:50 and Mel Williams (1st AG) in
1:29:33.
• The Trigon Neptune Festival 8K (GP), on September
29th, saw Tommy Holland finish first in Open Male
in 25:40 and Kendall Tata take top Female honors in
32:25.
• The Virginia Beach 10 Miler (GP), on November 3rd,
saw John Piggott finish strong with a 56:49 to take Top
Male and Delores Ware finish with a nice 1:04:25 to
take Top Female.
A contingent of Striders, including Ty Whitaker, Ellen
Ruddock, and Mike Villani, competed at the Gulf Coast
Triathlon in Panama City Beach, FL.
Photo courtesy of TriDuo
Multisport
The 2001 Triathlon Grand Prix schedule included:
• Breezy Point Triathlon
• The all popular Turkey Trot 10K (GP), held on November 22nd, had close to 1000 finishers. Taking the crown
as Top Male was Dai Roberts with a time of 33:07 and
Top Female Delores Ware with a time of 36:39.
• The 2001 Intra-Club Team Challenge came to an end
at the Tom Bashara 5K. The top team for 2001 was
“Franchetti and the Guys”. Members were Mel Williams, John Price, Bill Kingsley, Lisa Franchetti, Jimmy Ferber and Glen Ruley.
Here are a few “out of area” races highlighted in The Rundown:
• Boston Marathon in April: Bee Andrews in 3:26:14,
Goody Tyler in 3:39:50, Bill Bustin in 2:47:25, Craig
Hymes in 2:56:39 and John Price in 4:21:59
• Richmond Marathon in November: Dai Roberts (1st
Masters) in 2:30:47
• Marine Corps Marathon in October: Mel Williams (1st
AG) in 3:11:18
• Baltimore Marathon in October: Mike Fuller (3rd Master) in 2:52:22
Walking
In the February Rundown, Deanie Eldridge (Walking
Chairperson) encouraged runners to use walking as a
cross training activity. “Walking enhances the leg muscles
ability to burn fat.” Much-to-do about the Myrtle Beach
Marathon – early in the year – and how it had become a
“walker friendly” marathon.
• Allen Stone Memorial Run Swim Run
• Colonial Beach Triathlon
• Outer Banks Triathlon
• Sandman Triathlon
Ada and Allen’s “Transition Zone” in The Rundown covered such topics as hydration importance, preparations
for the Gulf Coast Triathlon and other Triathlon travels,
USAT competitive rules, flat tire changing, bike shifting
and gearing and Grand Prix tidbits.
The 2001 Breezy Point Triathlon was again a great success
thanks to the hard work of Betty Virok (Race Director) and
her dedicated committee. Over 650 athletes finished the
sprint distance triathlon.
A letter was received and posted in The Rundown about
the Allen Stone Memorial Run Swim Run. “This letter
is to thank everyone for their support of the Allen Stone
Run Swim Run. This event was a great success and could
not have been done without the support of the Tidewater Striders and the City of Virginia Beach. We had 210
participants, 50 volunteers, and we raised $14,000 for the
Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad.”
Virginia had the 6th highest number of competitors at Ironman USA (Lake Placid on July 29). Included among that
group were over 35 athletes from Hampton Roads and 23
Tidewater Striders. Max Carroll and Mel Williams earned
slots to the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, the
mecca event for triathletes.
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• 800 Meter – Mary Margaret Peter (10) placed 8th in
2:57:15
Awards
• The Tidewater Strider President’s Award was presented
to Dan Edwards.
• Race Volunteer of the Year (Gold) was presented to Joseph Hirn.
• Community Service Volunteer of the Year (Gold) was
presented to Dixie Levinsky.
• Outstanding Female Performance Award was presented to Jill Riblett.
• Outstanding Female High School Cross Country Award
was presented to Jennifer Boyd.
The 2001 Tidewater Grand Prix Awards were presented at
the Annual Banquet in 2002 and are listed with total points
earned:
Male Overall
Dai Roberts132
Doug Hamm (123) and Brad Kroll finish in their socks.
Due to rough weather the swim was canceled turning the
event into a run-bike-dash to the finish. Normally this
decision is a race director’s nightmare; due to the recent
events of 9-11....no complaints. Photo courtesy of TriDuo
The 2001 Grand Prix Series had over 240 Striders competing in at least one of the races. In 2000, 13 Striders did
every event and 22 raced the entire Grand Prix in 2001.
Youth
After five months of continued hard work and practice,
16 youth athletes culminated their track season with outstanding performances at the AAU Junior Olympics, held
at Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk State University from July
30 to August 4. Every state was represented with 6,300
plus athletes in Track and Field. Here is a sampling of
some of the Striders AAU Junior Olympians and their respective performance:
• Youth Boys 4 X 800M Relays – Drew Midland, Nick
Oltman, Lance McDaniel and Liam Arocho place 16th
with a total time of 9:22:29
• 3000 Meter – Lindsey Kent (Sub Midget 11yo) placed
12th in 12:03:26
• 3000 Meter – Lance McDaniel (13-14) placed 14th in
10:08:55
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Male Masters
Rob Levinsky
137
Male 1-19
Jeremy Dow
157
Male 20-24
Michael Peeler
102
Male 25-29
Mohammed Chakhte
Male 30-34
Tommy Neeson
148
Male 35-39
Bryan Mordecai
170
Male 40-44
Larry Ormerod
82
Male 45-49
John Price 127
Male 50-54
Rod Whibley
133
Male 55-59
Lawrence Davis
205
Male 60-64
Mel Williams
200
Male 65-69
Chris Catoe220
Female Overall
Mary Davison
Female Masters
Sheri Segal140
150
80
Female 1-19
Colleen Adams
120
Female 20-24
Aasta Pendersen
109
The 2001 Scholarship Award recipients were:
• Pam Comstock (Tom Bashara Award)
Female 25-29
Staci Studer174
Female 30-34
Liz Austin-Minor 133
Female 35-39
Lisa Buckman-Lewis
Female 40-44
Susie Rowley
95
Female 45-49
Evie Thomson
142
Female 50-54
Jeanne Kruger-Williams
$1000
• Ashley Whitaker
$1000
• Jeremy Dow
$1000
• Jeffrey Hedley
$500
• Edward Herbert
$500
Miscellaneous
Results of the first annual Tidewater Striders Speed Golf
Tournament, held at Stumpy Lake on March 24th, saw
Mike Weirich take first place in 60:15. HOW DID THIS
WORK? Mr. Dave “Handlebars” McDonald took the first
swing at 6:15a.m. After that, the runners (golfers?) took off
at three minute intervals. Hitting and running, trying to get
the little white ball in the cup as fast as they could! Yelling “fore,” they ran past each other laughing and breathing
hard. Eleven die-hards participated in this madcap.
172
235
Female 55-59
Ann Hirn 161
Female 60-64
Betty S. Munden
• Kevin Rhue
$1500
Chris Catoe was congratulated by President Bee Andrews
in The Rundown, stating “A very special thanks to Chris
and his committee for coordinating another successful Relay For Life effort. All told, over $9000 was raised by our
four Strider Teams – 53 relayers overall – for the American Cancer Society.”
140
Winners of the 2001 Multisport Grand Prix Series were:
• John Lomogda
• Christine Allgeier
Scholarships
Dan Edwards made a motion at the May Board of Directors meeting to amend the “Scholarship Policy and Procedure” to reflect that the Tom Bashara Memorial Scholarship will be $1500 and that the scholarship committee
can recommend that a scholarship be split or shared in the
event of a tie. The motion was seconded by Mel Williams
and unanimously passed.
Tidewater Strider Bob Callahan, a 51 year old adventurebased counselor from Virginia Beach, was named “Everyday Champion” for the State of Virginia by Wheaties
Energy Crunch. Bob was selected as Virginia’s Everyday
Champion based on his athletic accomplishments as well
as his volunteer services. Bob had finished 75 Marathons,
50 Triathlons and as of 2001, one Ironman World Championship.
L-R: Dai Roberts leads Mark Manny during the Turkey Trot 10K; Kevin Kendall and his son, Konner, warm-up at the
Summer Series. Steve Speirs marks Shannon Ralston for her first triathlon at Tri-Kids. Photos courtesy of TriDuo.
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