Arizona 6 Day Race Update (72 Hrs.)
Posted by planetultramarathon on April 5, 2007
A few seconds before the clock hit 72 hours (12:00 M.S.T. Wed.– this
race started precisely on time!), the halfway point of the 6 day,
legendary California multi-day runner and all-around nice guy John
Radich hit 200 miles.
For those who may not know John’s name, he has been a high-caliber
ultrarunner for about 30 years, with good finishes in the Trans-Europe
race, several Sydney to Melbourne (1,000+Km) finishes, 430 miles in 6
days, high Badwater placings, and the list goes on.
=20
Some local backers in southern Arizona are proposing a two person,
multi-day match race between the speedy, youthful-looking Radich and the
old and slow Mark Dorion.
=20
OTHER AZ 6 DAY 72 HOUR SPLITS:
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2. John McGuire, 48, CO 155 mi.
3. Ron Vertrees, 69, CA 125 mi.
(other runner results in next update)
Note– impressive performance=3D
**Arizona Cross (1W)– age 10 (!) 50.25 mi.
=20
The community support in the sleepy-border town of Douglas has been
phenomenal, with the race making the headlines of the local paper, a
cheering crowd of 50+ crowding the start-finish area at the halfway
point, and many locals of all ages ( including athletes in wheelchairs,
elementary kids, senior citizens, former US Olympians, etc.) coming out
and walking and jogging laps with the runners.
=20
There is a very international feel to the race, with more espanol
(spanish) being spoken in the Park than English, and some helpers coming
across from Mexico to assist the runners. Several race workers are
conversing in Farsi.
Each lap is 3/4 of a mile and has some ROUGH, bumpy grass and dirt
sections. The weather thus far has ranged from 40F to 81F, with less
than 20% humidity at this 4,000′ altitude site.
The 15th Street Park itself is quite shady and pretty– I believe
with an all-paved, smoother course in the future this could blossom into
a bigtime event.
=20
BIG NOTE: As the runners circle the course in Douglas, they are all
well aware of the world road record pace that WOLFGANG SCHWERK is
keeping up in the 7 day race in Greece. Schwerk hit the 48 hour point
with over 420 Km (260+ mi.), which is more than the 413.5 Km split of
Yiannis Kouros at the Dec. 2005 Across years race outside Phoenix.
Several expert international track statisticians concur that Schwerk
had the ultra “PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR” in the world last year with his
41 day win at the New York Self-Transcendence 3100 mi. (5000Km).
***Caveat: The above statistics are accurate to the best of my
knowledge, but there may well be a typo or three.
–MD
