August Odds and Ends
- By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist

I'm calling this my odds and ends of August column. It's a hodge podge of running thoughts and current events.

Motorists by now should be noticing packs of young runners traversing their neighborhoods as they get ready for cross country season.   It's a sign that school is back in session and fall is around the corner.

For me it brings back memories of high school and college. At Livonia Stevenson, X-C was a huge turning point in my life. I went from an average athlete to one of the school's first All State performers. It introduced me to kids from other schools and brought with it a whole new set of friends.   Running on a X-C team has a level of excitement and cohesiveness that track can't offer.

At Cass Benton Park in Northville, it is wonderful to see hundreds of kids in matching team uniforms and warm ups running up and down the hills almost every Saturday morning.   Recently, an error was made in laying down a wood chip trail right across the runner's X-C path.   It appears that a compromise has been worked out with Hines Park officials to accommodate the nature trail and the runners.

Have you noticed the lack of award ceremony attendance at a number of the larger races?   Several race directors have given up on calling out names with few people showing up to collect their prize. Some races have gone to an award tent and letting runners just pick up their award once the results are posted. Others prefer to mail awards out after the race so discrepancies can be resolved.

The Jazz Fest Run has the best awards ceremony of all the events I work on.   I don't know if it was the venue, the music or the beer but people stayed for awards and cheered enthusiastically.   Unfortunately, I have to announce that this year's Jazz Fest Run has been cancelled. Budget cuts and the Labor Day parades stretched police resources making it too difficult to ensure a safe course.

Last Saturday's Crim 10 mile run is one of the most popular and competitive in the country. Over 7,200 ran the 10 mile and another 6,000 plus participated in one of the eight other events despite rain that drenched the 5 km and one mile races.

It was impressive to see nineteen year old Fabiano Joseph from Tanzania run away from the field and beat last year's champion, Linus Maiyo.   After Joseph, the Kenyans took the eight out of the top ten places.   On the women's side, Alevtina Ivanova from Russia was more than a minute ahead of a stellar international field.

A week ago a number of Michigan residents took on the challenge of competing in the Pikes Peak Marathon.   The course climbs over 7,000 feet to an elevation of 14,000 feet.

Several Michigan residents placed in the top ten of their age group:   Helmut Linzbichler, 63 of Harbor Springs, 1 st in 5:43:40, Albert Saplys, 57 of Warren 2 nd in 5:52:30 and William R Andresen, 44 of Ironwood, 10 th in 5:08:13.

Contact Doug Kurtis at Detroit Free Press, 600 W. Fort St. Detroit, 48226