#500. WHO: Michael Trunkes
WHEN: 1991 Mita New York Games, Wien Stadium, New York City
SUBJECT: His description of his 14:49 5,000m race
WHAT HE SAID: "They made a move with about 800 to go and I went with them.   But when they surged again with less than 600 to go, the track seemed to slant uphill and I just didn't have it."
COMMENT: He should be working out at the East 6th Street track, where there is a mountain near the start of the backstretch.

#499. WHO: Gordon Streeter
SUBJECT: Teammate David Newcomb at the Boston Marathon 1999

WHAT HE SAID: "In the last 3 miles, I was feeling really bad and I was telling Dave to just go ahead.  He kept quiet and stayed by me.  Then he finally took off and finished a few seconds ahead of me.  Later, he told me that he was feeling just as bad and couldn't even talk.  It was because he got tired of hearing me talk that he finally pushed on ahead."
COMMENT: So which is more important? Nagging or interval training?

#498. WHO: Randy Ehrlich
WHEN: Thursday workout, May 27th, 1999
SUBJECT: The birth of a triathlete
WHAT HE SAID: "People become triathletes by default.  Type A persons who have time on their hands are not always able to run 100 miles a week without injury.   They necessarily have to cross train, and they become triathletes in the process."
COMMENT (from Audrey Kingsley): "I'm glad that I'm not a Type A personality."
COMMENT (from us): "We're glad that Audrey thinks she is not a Type A personality."

#497. WHO: Sarah Gross / Karel Matousek
WHEN: Thursday workout, May 27th, 1999
SUBJECT: Foreign language lesson
WHAT KAREL SAID (upon approaching Aubin Sullivan and Sarah Gross): "Hi, Aubin."
WHAT SARAH SAID: "What about me?"
WHAT KAREL SAID: "Oh, I did say hello to you."
WHAT SARAH SAID: "Ah, I see.  In Czech, 'Hi Aubin' means 'Hi everybody'"

#496. WHO: John Gleason
TO WHOM: Carsten Strandlod
SUBJECT: Offer to fulfill a lifelong fantasy
WHAT HE SAID: "You can come to my fire station in the Bronx, ride in my fire truck and blast the horn."
COMMENT: For the record, John made sure that he checked for eligibility, "You are over fifteen years old, aren't you?"

#495. WHO: Odin Townley
SUBJECT: Odin and partner Laurie Davidson finished 3rd place in the combined 91-100 age group of the 1999 Spring Couples Relay (running-biking-rowing), just 20 seconds ahead of the next couple
WHAT HE SAID: "It must have been my Viking rowing heritage."
COMMENT: ... and that "take no prisoners" attitude.

#494. WHO: Jeff Kisseloff, Westchester resident
WHAT HE WROTE: "Living up here, I've discovered the joy of local races, where they don't herd two thousand runners into an area the size of a postage stamp, offer interesting race courses and wonderful refreshments afterwards. It's amazing that there's a world outside the NYRRC, and after 20 years of the NYRRC attitude of 'You're lucky we're even putting these races on for you,' it's made racing fun again."
THE SERMON: "I still run in my CPTC colors, of course, but I urge everybody to go to www.raceentry.com and give the local races a try, especially those run by the Taconic Road Runners Club. They do a great job."

#493. WHO: Mette Strandlod
SUBJECT: What she will miss most about the Central Park Track Club
WHAT SHE SAID: "I will miss the annual club softball game."
EXPLANATION: She showed up at the 1998 game in a skirt with no shoes.  Although she had never played softball before, she went on to score two runs.

#492. WHO: Unknown female runner
TO WHOM: Eve Kaplan
WHEN: 1999 Avon 10K race
WHERE: Starting line
WHAT SHE SAID (after looking at Eve's uniform): "Hey, you guys have a great website!"
COMMENT: We won't be really successful until someone says, "Hey, I know you!  You are Eve Kaplan!  I've seen you on your club website!"

#491. WHO: Audrey Kingsley
QUESTION: Do timekeepers get a workout too?
WHAT SHE SAID:  "I had to set a PR in the across-the-field sprint in order to call out the time when they finish the 1000m's."

#490: WHO: Tony Ruiz
SUBJECT: The Clark Kent disguise kit
WHAT HE SAID: "When I was young, I used to go to races in ugly shorts, beaten-up shoes and retro-John Lennon glasses.  I was hoping that people would take me lightly, but they knew who I was after a while."

#489. WHO: Stacy Creamer / Audrey Kingsley
WHEN: May 20th, 1999, two days before the Avon 10K race
SUBJECT: Race strategy
WHAT STACY SAID: "I'm going to run the first 5K within my comfort zone until I get to East 102nd Street.  I will then make a strong push from there on.  People tend to go out too fast in this race and they tend to die after the hills."
WHAT AUDREY SAID: "Yes, you're quite right.  That is where I die."
COMMENT: This race is supposed to have about 30 women with personal bests of under 33 minutes for the 10K distances.  Obviously, there will be a large lead pack going out extremely fast and this will have the effect of pulling the other runners along at speeds faster than they should be doing.  So be careful out there!  It is alright to be in 100th place after the first mile, but you can easily finish in 50th place in the end --- and it is probably much more fun!

#488. WHO: Peter Gambaccini
WHERE: An article about "Stretching" in May/June issue of New York Runner
WHAT HE WROTE: "One NYRRC member we know is amassing trophies and having the finest road racing campaign of her life at age 39.  Yet when she bends at the waist, she cannot touch her toes; her fingers barely touch her knees.  Does this inflexibility matter?  Or would some of her third-place age group awards be first if she was a little more diligent about stretching?"
COMMENT: Actually, we have photographic evidence that Stacy Creamer can touch the ground with her hands (albeit with bent knees).

#487. WHO: Jose La Salle
BACKGROUND: Timekeepers at the track workouts must yell out the splits as runners go by.  At the May 18th, 1999, Jose was yelling so hard that he was losing his voice.
WHAT HE SAID: "I'm losing my voice fast.  When I get home tonight, I'll have no voice left to yell at my kids."

#486. WHO: Frank Handelman
SUBJECT: Running logs
WHAT HE SAID: "When I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I enter the mileage."

#485. WHO: Tyronne Culpepper
SUBJECT: Utica Boilermaker 15K, 1999
WHAT HE SAID: "I am going up there to run this race, even if my wife divorces me."
COMMENT: Please refer to his comment about the Boilermaker 15K, 1998

#484. WHO: David Monti
WHEN: In the June 1999 issue of New York Runner, he contributed an article about his experience at Eric Kamaiyo's 10000-feet high training camp in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya.  To feel what the Kenyans feel in the training, he went out on a run with them.  After a grueling run, Simon Biwott asked him, "How do you like the training today?  If you stay six months, you will run 2:10."
WHAT HE WROTE: "I just smile and sip my tea, and enjoy my moment as a Kenyan."

#483. WHO: Sarah Gross
WHEN: Spring Couples Relay 1999
SITUATION: As she jogged through Central Park while this run-bike-rowing race was going on, she received two offers to do next year's race.  More precisely, two runner-types wanted her to do the bike leg.  One of them said, "How come you didn't tell me that you would do this?  We could have been doing it right now."
WHAT SHE SAID: "I thought guys are supposed to ask gals for dates, not the other way around."

#482. WHO: Bola Awofeso
WHEN: Road workout, May 13th, 1999
SUBJECT: Pacing strategy
WHAT HE SAID: "I think I better pick up the pace, because I need to go to the bathroom."

#481. WHO: Fasil Yilma
WHEN: Women's Half Marathon, May 9th, 1999
SITUATION: When Audrey Kingsley went by Fasil Yilma, she said that she was feeling bad.
WHAT HE SAID: "But you look good, and that's all that matters."

#480. WHO: Jose La Salle
SITUATION: After volunteering as a timekeeper at the track on 5/11/99, he found J.R. Mojica credited with the job instead.
WHAT HE ASKED (RHETORICALLY): "Do all Puerto Ricans look like?"
ANSWER: No.  We submit this photo of Jose as evidence of his essential uniqueness.  The mis-crediting was the result of the credit-titler's temporary insanity.

#479. WHO: Craig Chilton
SUBJECT: His 1999 London Marathon time of 2:39:47
WHAT HE SAID: "I am going to keep my split times stored on my watch forever."

#478. WHO: Kevin Arlyck
SUBJECT: Alternate training while injured
WHAT HE SAID: "I  took up cycling because I couldn't run; I've since taken up swimming, as well, because cycling was giving me a knee problem (my seat was too low, apparently).  So I've decided that triathletes are actually runners (or cyclists, or swimmers) who were forced by (inevitable) injury into cross-training, and simply got hooked.  And now that I've invested heavily in the equipment needed for these other sports (bike, helmet, tight shorts, swim goggles, extra towel, plastic soap dish, etc.), I fear that I, too, may be reluctant to give them up when I resume running.  But where to find the time for all three?  Stacy Creamer once suggested, as a way to fit in all the necessary weekly mileage for marathon training, that I run to work a few days a week.  Well, I've adapted this idea to my current condition, and am developing a plan for a multisport training commute this summer: biking from my house in Park Slope to downtown Brooklyn, swimming across the East River, and then jogging to work at Union Square.  I figure I'll be ready for an Ironman by early fall."
COMMENT: While this seemed like an attractive idea, Kevin was taken aback when Ramon Bermo explained that he gets up at 430am every day to get his training in.  FORGET IT!  Of course, when someone makes that kind of claim, one might be skeptical.  We asked Sra. Juana Bermo about her husband's training habits, and she said, "Yes, he gets up at 4am!"

#477. WHO: Ross Galitsky / Roland Soong
WHEN: May 9th, 1999, right after this website caught up with Thomas Pennell's escapade in Bermuda
WHAT ROSS SAID: "I was really impressed that you found Thomas Pennell's triathlon result.  I didn't even know his exact time."
WHAT ROLAND SAID: "Frankly, I am disappointed in you.  You knew that he did a triathlon in Bermuda and yet you wouldn't tell me anything."
COMMENT (from Stuart Calderwood): "Wait a minute, guys.  I KNOW I have heard this conversation before ..."

#476. WHO: Ross Galitsky
SUBJECT: Complete fame
WHAT HE SAID: "When I was between jobs, I thought about putting my resumé on line.  Then I realized that prospective employers looking for it with a search engine will find out that I am responsible for these famous sayings."
COMMENT: For diversion, please go to www.altavista.com and try typing in "Ross Galitsky", "Stacy Creamer", "Audrey Kingsley" and so on.

#475. WHO: Nicole Begin
SITUATION: During the week of May 9th to May 15th, 1999, this photo of Nicole appeared on the front page of this web site.  When she first saw this photo, she was quite surprised.
WHAT SHE SAID: "When was this photo taken? I wasn't aware of it at all!"
COMMENT: The best surveillance is the surreptitious kind.

#474. WHO: Ross Galitsky
WHAT HE SAID: "I wish they would close down all the health clubs in town.  I am convinced that I can be a good athlete if no one else can train."
COMMENT: Ross let his guard down with these words, after prefacing his presence with, "I have nothing to tell because nothing is going on in my life."
COMMENT (Post-publication) Ross said, "I thought everything that we say on the jog down after the Thursday workout to 59th Street is held confidential?"   Sorry, we checked our files and we found no such contract ...

#473. WHO: Angel Marrero
WHEN: Thursday workout, May 6th, 1999
WHAT HE SAID: "I haven't been to a workout for three years.  I can't believe you guys are still here."
COMMENT (from Sid Howard): "We'll still be here in another forty years."

#472. WHO: Jonathan Federman
WHERE: East 6th Street Track
WHEN: The 2000m run in the workout of May 4th, 1999, where he was followed closely by a teammate for 4 of the 5 laps.
WHAT HE SAID: "If you are going to bail out, please let me know beforehand."
COMMENT: The Delphi oracle commands, "Know thyself."  The Central Park Track Club oracle commands, "Know thy teammate(s)."

#471. WHO: Brian Denman
SUBJECT: Coaching instructions, in the form of an offer that cannot be refused
WHAT HE SAID: "If you do this next 400m correctly, it will be the last one today."
COMMENT: ... but if you don't do it correctly ...

#470. WHO: 'Kelly Brown'
SITUATION: One week after the Boston Marathon, the following photo appeared on our home page with the caption: "El Clickmaster: DNF Boston Marathon '99"
WHAT HE WROTE: "I have definitely learned more from my DNF's than DFF's. I hope Ramon is inspired to a PR in Long Island by your recognition of his Boston efforts. It takes a smart webmeister to recognize that a DNF commentary can be inspirational, and not just Damned Not Friendly."
COMMENT: One week prior to that caption, we posted a public warning to the effect that if Ramon Bermo should launch an attack on visitor counter # 30,000, then we would never stop reminding him of his Boston result.  As it turned out, he clicked 223 times to claim # 30,000, twice no less.  We merely handed him his just rewards.   (P.S. Personally, the webmeister can testify that there is no shame in DNF ...)

#469. WHO: Stuart Calderwood / Tony Ruiz
SUBJECT: Bragging rights
STUART: "My best time over four miles was 19:57.  But that was in the first four miles of a five mile race.  I would have gone under 25 minutes, but for the fact that the last 400m were done on soft sand with no traction.  I ended up with a time of 25:10."
TONY: "Yes, the 25 minute mark is an important barrier."
STUART: (pause) "You are saying that because you've broken that barrier before.  That is why you are saying that it is what distinguishes the good runner from the mediocre runner ..."
TONY: "Yes, I ran 24:45 once.  It was inside Central Park no less.   Even with that time, I finished fourth in that race.  But I am proud of it."

#468. WHO: Brian Denman
SUBJECT: His description of Mary Rosado's 100m performance at the 1999 Penn Relays
WHAT HE SAID: "When the race began, Mary was actually leading.  When she got to about 60m, she panicked because no one else was around.  So she started to look around, left and right.  That was why she finished second."
COMMENT: As experienced as Mary is, she is not a 100m sprinter.  She entered this race based upon the belief that the event may be removed from future programs if there were insufficient entries.

#467. WHO: Paul Sternberger
SUBJECT: His own profession as art historian, specializing in antiques
WHAT HE SAID: "I'm just a dumpster diver."
COMMENT: Except at the dumpster inside the East 6th Track, where people are known to have 'dumped' a lot of stuff.

#466. WHO: J.P. Cheuvront
SITUATION: Although he was registered to run the 1999 Boston Marathon, he got sick that weekend with a 102 degree fever and missed the race.  When asked about his future plans, this is what he said.
WHAT HE SAID: "I am going back to this triathlon thing now."
COMMENT: ... did someone mention 'endurance'?

#465. WHO: Bola Awofeso
TO WHOM: Unnamed teammate
SUBJECT: Complaint Department
WHEN: April 27th, 1999 workout at the East 6th Street track, on a windy evening.
WHAT HE SAID: "Hey, you are too skinny to shield all the wind for me."
COMMENT: We didn't think that was the original intent of the concept of 'teamwork'.

#464. WHO: Audrey Kingsley
SUBJECT: The fact that she did not wear her computer chip at the 1999 Boston Marathon meant that her result was not available immediately on the marathon web site.  This left a gap in the result section of this web site, which caused Audrey great elation.
WHAT SHE SAID: "I eluded the Global Surveillance System (TM), and the only known splits are stored inside my wristwatch."

#463. WHO: Scott Willett
SUBJECT: Balancing the priorities with respect to his physical well-being
WHEN: April 22nd, 1999
WHAT HE SAID: "I was feeling hungry on my way up to the workout and I wanted to buy something to eat.  Instead, I ended up buying a roll of bandage to wrap up my hamstring.  That just goes to show you how bad it was."

#462. WHO: Noah Perlis
SUBJECT: His prospects at the 1999 Penn Relays
WHAT HE SAID: "I am going to win my first Penn Relays medal ever.   (pause)  We are the only team entered in the masters mixed team relay."
COMMENT: ... but you can still be disqualified for lane violation, dropping the baton, etc.
POSTSCRIPT: In fact, due to a combination of lightning bolts, a virtual teammate and an act of goodwill on the part of himself, Noah did not run that race.

#461. WHO: Alayne Adams
SUBJECT: Upon winning the 1999 Skaggs-Walsh 5K race in Queens, she was offered the opportunity to do the Freihofer 5K national championship race.
WHAT SHE SAID: "I hate 5K's!!!"

#460. WHO: Kevin Arlyck
SUBJECT: Alternate training while recovering from a running injury
WHAT HE SAID: "I've been biking the last two weeks.  It just does not do it for me.  I don't understand those triathletes."

#459: WHO: John Sargent
SUBJECT: His futile attempts to convince the race officials at the Crescent City Classic 10K that he was capable of running a sub-49:59 10K, in spite of the fact that he has never ran a 10K race.
WHAT HE SAID: "I told them that I ran the Thursday night workouts with the 38-40 min 10K group in Central Park, but they didn't seem too impressed..."
COMMENT: But did you tell them that all this is documented on the web site ... ?

#458.  WHO: (multiple persons)
WHAT WAS SAID: "So maybe we can't beat (insert name of other running club), but we have a better web site!"
COMMENT: ... on which we can publish defeatist comments like these?

#457.  WHO: Roland Soong
WHAT HE SAID: "It is a shame that Trevira withdrew their sponsorship of the twosome races.  They built themselves a great brand name over the years.  Even today, several years after they stopped sponsoring the race,  people still refer to the race as the Trevira Twosome."

#456.  WHO: Frank Schneiger
WHERE: New York City Marathon Expo, 1999, amidst all the sports drinks and food products
WHAT HE SAID: "I don't care how it tastes.  Is it a good substitute for training?"

#455. WHO: J.P. Cheuvront
SUBJECT: His prospects at the 1999 Boston Marathon, after having won his previous marathon in Delaware in December 1998
WHAT HE SAID: "I am just going to take it easy for the rest of my life."

#454.  WHO: Audrey Kingsley
SITUATION: Four days before the 1999 Boston Marathon, she was asked for a performance prediction to be published exclusively on this web site.
WHAT SHE SAID: "I will make no predictions.  And you can print that."
POSTSCRIPT: Nor would she make any postdiction either --- see #464)

#453. WHO: Luca Trovato
SITUATION: Upon learning that Brady Cain has a personal best of 20:09 in the 200m.
WHAT HE SAID: "Mr. Cain, may I shine your shoes, please?"

#452.  WHO: Raphael Devalle
SITUATION: During the week April 11 to April 18, 1999, a photo of Mary Spera and Liane Montesa from the Millrose team appeared on the front page, with the footnote, "This prime space is available for rent at reasonable weekly rates."
WHAT HE ASKED: "So what is the price?"
ANSWER: The price is not measured in dollar terms; it is measured in terms of the quantity and quality of information that you can offer about yourself, your friends and family.
FOOTNOTE: The following offer from Alan Bautista is unacceptable: "Information?  There is plenty of information around here.   We'll even make something up for you if we have to."

#451. WHO: John Sargent
WHEN: Start of Nike Town Run For The Park 4 miler, 1999
WHAT HE SAID: "Where is the special Central Park Track Club baggage area?"
ANSWER: Right by the non-existent CPTC club house.  Where else?

#450. SUBJECT: Indoor track etiquette
WHAT WAS SAID: "No spitting on the track!"
ADDENDUM: Say "Please"?
FOOTNOTE: The names of the principals have been withheld for their own protection.

#449. WHO: Stuart Calderwood
SUBJECT: How to 'control' Alan Ruben at the road workouts
WHAT HE SAID: "I knew that if anyone came up on him, he would just run even faster.  Therefore I stayed 20 meters behind him, so he would be content not to do anything more."
COMMENT: Who is controlling who?

#448. WHO: Alan Bautista / Luca Trovato
BACKGROUND: There are many dual-career runners on the club who run sprint as well as distance races.  So at what moment in time do you know what your true calling is?   On one early morning, Alan and Luca were literally exhausted after a tough track workout.  At that point, there came the suggestion to jog half a mile to get coffee.
WHAT THEY SAID:  "What?  Are you crazy?  Let's walk instead."
COMMENT: The ability to turn down gratuitous mileage is a sign of the true sprinter ...

#447. WHO: Sarah Gross
SUBJECT: The choice between running the 1999 Queens Half Marathon or the Queens 5K.
WHAT SHE SAID: "As much as I prefer the half marathon, I am going to have to run the 5K which is a NYRRC scoring race.  I am a team rep, so I can't go around telling people to run the 5K while I do the other race."
COMMENT: She was trying to do the hard sell on Carol Tyler, who prefers the half marathon because it is "less painful" then the 5K.  Huh?   Excuse us?

#446. WHO: Harry Morales
SUBJECT: Boston Marathon 1999
WHAT HE SAID: "I'm going to run Boston this year, because I don't know if this opportunity will ever come up again."
COMMENT: What is this?  Time to write his final testament?  This man still has years and years of running ahead of him.

#445. WHO: Aubin Sullivan
TO WHOM: Julie Denney
WHEN: April 1st, 1999 Thursday road workout
SITUATION: Upon starting out in a group and seeing someone broke away in front
WHAT SHE SAID: "Don't follow him!  He'll never last.  Watch him bail out soon."
COMMENT: True to form, that was exactly what happened.  The most important rule about the workouts is to know your fellow runners well.  Specifications of pace (e.g. marathon pace for 42 minute 10K runners) are just false advertising.

#444. WHO: Kevin Arlyck
SUBJECT: Desperation note (4/1/99)
WHAT HE WROTE: "I have been told by my doctor to stop running for at least two weeks because of what is probably a stress fracture in my right leg.  Therefore, I need to stop procrastinating and finally buy a bike."

#443: WHO: Stacy Creamer
TO WHOM: Carsten Strandlod
WHEN: Backwards Mile 1999
WHERE: Delacorte Oval, Central Park
WHAT SHE SAID: "When I saw you (in the orange jacket) from afar, I thought you were a traffic cone."

#442. WHO: Louis Aragon
SUBJECT: Bola Awofeso
WHAT HE WROTE:

Rien n'est jamais acquis à l'homme Ni sa force
Ni sa faiblesse  ni son coeur Et quand il croit
Ouvrir ses bras son ombre est celle d'une croix
Et quand il croit serrer son bonheur il se broie
Sa vie est un étrange et douloureux divorce
     Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux.

COMMENT: The above has generated several queries such that we felt that we have to publish a dummy's Q&A guide.
Q: Who is Louis Aragon?
A: Louis Aragon is not a member of the Central Park Track Club.  He is not the subject of the song Louie Louie either.  He is a French poet, whose work mixes a sentimental lyricism with the terrible and fascinating realities of the 20th Century (especially the horrors of the Second World War and the romance of Communism).
Q: What is this poem about?
A: Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux (which means "There is no blissful love") is one of the most famous poems of Aragon.  Unfortunately, the fame was not necessarily because people were flocking to read the works of a militant poet.   Rather, the poem was popularized after Georges Brassens set it as a song that was sung by that immensely talentless whisperer Françoise Hardy, among others.  The poem is about the ambiguity of human actions and their meanings.   One image says that when one opens one's arms in an apparent expression of freedom, the shadow cast on the ground is in fact that of a cross of suffering.
Q: What is the relevance to the photograph here?
A: In all likelihood, Louis Aragon has no idea who Bola Awofeso is.  But if you look at the photo, you must surely ask yourself, "Is this man relaxing himself by stretching his arms, or is he being crucified?"  That was precisely the point of the poem.
Q: Is this typical fare for a running club website?
A: Who ever said that this was a typical running club website?

#441. WHO: Tony Ruiz
TO WHOM: Eve Kaplan
SUBJECT: Her third place age-group award at the 1999 Run for the Rainforest 5K
WHAT HE SAID: "That is one more award than I've got this year."
COMMENT: But how many races did he run?

#440. WHO: Bola Awofeso
SUBJECT: The reason why he did not registered under Central Park Track Club at the 1999 Run for the Rainforest 5K
WHAT HE SAID: "I was trying to hide."
COMMENT # 1: Does anyone think that this person can really be inconspicuous anywhere?
COMMENT # 2: He should be expecting a visit from certain people (see #429 below) about this matter.

#439. WHO: Audrey Kingsley
SITUATION: On Sunday, March 28th, 1999, a group of people went for an easy run.   Their peace and tranquillity were abruptly disrupted by a photographer, who took this photo of Alayne Adams, Audrey Kingsley, Craig Chilton, Tim Evans and David Newcomb.   In protest, Audrey had these words to say.
WHAT SHE SAID: "We can't get away from you, and I'm not even racing today."
COMMENT # 1: What has that got to do with it?
COMMENT # 2: When Audrey read the above description, she challenged the correctness of the phrase "an easy run."  She said, "It was not easy running with those guys.  I had to work long and hard."
QUESTION # 1: If they are said to be so unhappy, then why are they beaming from ear to ear?
QUESTION # 2: What happened to the sixth man Stuart Calderwood?   Did he peel off to the side of the road when he saw the photographer, or did he really prefer the soft surface of the dirt path?

#438. WHO: Kim Mannen

SITUATION: During the week from March 21 through 27, 1999, the above photo of Kim appeared on our home page with the caption "I can only get out of the office one day per week, so I better make the most of this."
WHAT SHE WROTE: "That's too funny. I actually showed it to my boss and he appreciated it.  Anything else you can do??"
COMMENT # 1: We don't know about what else we can do for you, but as many others will tell you, there is plenty that we can do to you.
COMMENT # 2: But we can definitely offer your advertising client some value-added free ad exposure.  There will be several hundred impressions, which are attentive, "eyes-on" viewing as opposed to mere opportunities-to-see (OTS). Furthermore, we will refrain from commenting on your ads, even though we have a nasty reputation in the industry on such matters (see example).

#437. WHO: Michael Trunkes
WHAT HE SAID: "I've been looking at this web site.  You must have put in a lot of effort."
COMMENT: As long as people keep talking away (like you do), it really does not take that much effort on our part.

#436. WHO: Harry Morales
WHEN: 1999 Powerbar 20 Miler
SITUATION: Look at this photo of Harry before the race and note that handkerchief around his neck.  Once he started to race, he got hot under the collar and handed the contraption off to a teammate spectator, with these words.
WHAT HE SAID: "Don't worry.  I didn't blow my nose in it."
COMMENT: That is very reassuring indeed.

#435: WHO: Kevin Arlyck
SUBJECT: The trophy that he received with Audrey Kingsley for third place two-person coed relay team at the 1999 Powerbar 20 Mile Relay
WHAT HE WROTE: "The cheesy plaque I received is my first (and last?) piece of NYRRC hardware, and I will treasure it forever."
COMMENT: Wrong.  You will get many more trophies because your best years are still ahead of you, especially if you follow Colin Frew's tip in #434.

#434.  WHO: Colin Frew
SUBJECT: His fond memories of his Central Park Track Club experience
WHAT HE WROTE: "You guys made me so welcome in the brief three months I have been a member.  I even managed to get an age-group trophy and 2 team medals in that time!"
COMMENT: More importantly, he learned how to win trophies --- show up in a race with a strong likelihood of cancellation due to a northeasterly up the coast and one week before a prize-carrying team-scoring race.

#433. WHO: Brian Denman
WHEN: Opening speech at the indoor track workout three days before the 1999 National Masters Indoor Championships
WHAT HE SAID: "If you are not ready now, you never will be!"

#432. WHO: Karel Matousek
WHEN: Indoor track workout, March 16th, 1999
WHERE: The Armory
SITUATION: After running three slow 1000m's, he came to this conclusion.
WHAT HE SAID: "I ought to undergo some kind of physical therapy ... or the other."
COMMENT: A man of principles.

#431. WHO: Raphael Devalle
WHAT HE SAID: "This web site has a cult status around here."
COMMENT: Hmm, that's odd because we don't seem to remember handing out flowers at Port Authority ...

#430. WHO: Eve Kaplan
SITUATION: When Eve became the first volunteer to sign up as timer for the track workouts in Spring, she was told that she might receive a prize.
WHAT SHE SAID: "Just as long as it is not a pair of black East Bay rain pants."
EXPLANATION: This is better appreciated by all those people who have been following the long, long saga of Eve trying to give away a pair of black East Bay rain pants.   So she does not want to start all over again.

#429. WHO: Ramon Bermo
SUBJECT: Attachment to a notice that he wants to see posted on this website.
WHAT HE WROTE: "You either post it on the website or I'll have to talk to all those mean-looking, big, thick, muscular triathletes who show up at the Thursday workouts about this!!! Your choice!"
COMMENT: Yes, we know who you mean (see photo)

#428. WHO: Eden Weiss
SITUATION: In the April 1999 issue of Running Times, there was a photo on page 58.
WHAT HE SAID: "When you saw that photo, did you do a double take?  Like ... this guy is not anyone on the club right now, but he sure looks familiar.  Well, that was me eighteen years ago."
COMMENT: Eden is probably better known to you as in this photo at the 1997 club party.

#427. WHO: Joe Henderson
WHERE: The chapter titled 'Finding Shoes That Fit' in his book Best Runs
WHAT HE SHOWED: A photo of Geoff Buchan running barefoot in the New York City Marathon while holding his ill-fitting shoes in his hands and looking despondent.
COMMENT: There was no caption, but that picture is worth a thousand words ...

#426. WHO: Herb Schon, at-large Central Park Track Club member living in Santa Fe, New Mexico
SUBJECT: The Day-Glo orange Pearl Izumi Orange jacket
WHAT HE WROTE: "I can't even go to the neighborhood grocery store without being noticed."

#425. WHO: Frank Handelman
WHEN: Upon seeing himself listed on this web site as being in the 55-59 group for the 1999 USATF Eastern Masters Regional Indoor Championships
WHAT HE WROTE: "My age group was 50-54.  Don't age me any more than you have to."
COMMENT: We were only trying to improve your age-group placing (but see saying # 349)

#424. WHO: Alan Bautista, M.D.
WHAT HE SAID: "Drug problem?  I don't have a drug problem.  I can get all the drugs I want anytime."
COMMENT: We'll bet that he enjoys telling this joke all the time.

#423. WHO: Tom Hartshorne
SITUATION: At the 1999 USATF Eastern Masters Indoor Regionals, Tom made an rare excursion into a 200m race as a workout.  After running a 26.18, he had this to say.
WHAT HE SAID: "This is hard work!"
QUERY: Why are his 800m/mile races less work?

#422. WHO: John Sargent, Sid Howard, Raphael Devalle, Ross Galitsky
SITUATION: At the March 4, 1999 road workout (2 days before the Brooklyn Half Marathon scoring race), the workout was four times the lower loop (1.7 miles apiece).  The first loop at marathon pace, the second loop at half-marathon pace, the third loop at 10 mile race pace and the fourth loop at 10K race pace.  There should be two outcomes: either you do it extremely well and on target, or you die like a pig.  Either way, it gives you the feedback you need with respect to your control of pace at this time.  Because there was a scoring race on the weekend, the lead pack consisted of only four non-racing runners.  In the end, the triathlete buried the three 800m specialists (including a current WR holder).
WHAT JOHN SAID:  "I tried to stay with Ross, but he  blew me away.  I ended up over a minute behind."
WHAT SID SAID (DNF'd in 3 loops): "I had to back off when I realized that this guy could keep that pace up for another 10 miles." Later, he also said, "I don't think I can do two hard workouts in the middle of the week anymore.   Look what happened to me at that workout."
WHAT RAPHAEL SAID (DNF'd after 3 loops): "Why doesn't he show up at the track to run an 800m?"
WHAT ROSS SAID: "I guess I should focus on those workouts that no one is there or everyone else is getting ready to race next day."

ADDENDUM: We should point out the Ross began the workout with the comment, "I am injured.  I can't run."  When Aubin Sullivan heard about this, she laughed and said, "Whenever he says something like that, he is up to something.  Like when he says, 'I'm going to take it easy' during a bike ride, he is going to launch an all-out attack."  When she found out that what she said was printed verbatim, she said to the website guy, "I'm going to kill you! I can't believe you printed that."

#421. WHO: Alan Ruben
SITUATION: After the Thursday workout of February 25th, 1999, the group stood around the corner of West Drive and West 72nd Street to chat.  There, someone pointed to a white marking on the road with an arrow and the number 50 and asked, "So is this the turn for the 50K, or the 50 Mile race this weekend?"  Alan Ruben, who would be running the 50K, said  ...
WHAT HE SAID: "It doesn't matter.  They both turn here."
COMMENT: Of all the sayings that ever graced these pages, this one may turn out to be the most momentous.  As it turned out, Alan Ruben won the 50K by 3 minutes over Tesfaye Bekele, who ran an extra mile because he failed to make the turn at that exact spot.  If Tesfaye ran with us last Thursday, he would have known where the turn was.   How shall we say?   Providence.  Manifest destiny. Team support.  Home court advantage.

#420. WHO: Paul Stuart-Smith
SUBJECT: The fact that he did not have club uniform caused the photographer to miss him at the Brooklyn Half Marathon.
WHAT HE SAID: "This is probably the hardest club in town to get uniforms for."

#419. WHO: Frank Handelman
TO WHOM: Sid Howard
SUBJECT: Business advice on how to profitably run Sid's post-workout shuttle service for Central Park Track Club members
WHAT HE SAID: "If you had collected $5 from everyone to whom you ever gave a ride over all these years, you would have no need to work now."

#418. WHO: Sid Howard
SUBJECT: Reminiscence of his first road workouts with the club in 1978
WHAT HE SAID: "The group used to meet at 90th Street and we would do just one loop --- flat out!  There was no structure to the workout, no pickups, no recovery, just flat out for one loop.  It was INSANE!"

#417. WHO: Stefani Jackenthal
WHEN: In the March/April 1999 issue of Women's Sports & Fitness, Stefani recounted her experience at the 1998 Raid Gauloises adventure race.  The race went through unmarked areas of Ecuador.
WHAT SHE WROTE: "The four-letter word heard most often was lost."

#416. WHO: Mark Guralnick
WHERE: In the April 1999 issue of Running Times, Mark tells us about the runner's quilt that his friend Eden Weiss got someone to make out of race t-shirts.  According to the company that made it, Eden was the only person ever to send a placement diagram and tag each shirt for the quilt's design.
WHAT HE WROTE: "That is quintessential Eden: When it comes to running, no detail is overlooked."

#415. WHO: Tony Ruiz
WHEN: Snowflake 4 Miler, 1999
SUBJECT: Mette Strandlod was smiling at the end of the race
WHAT HE SAID: "There is no smiling in running."
COMMENT: This was a variation of "There is no crying in baseball" from the movie A League of Their Own.

#414. WHO: Richard Green
SITUATION: When Sid Howard set his Men 60+ age-group world record in 800m in 2:14.75 on February 26, 1999, he was fortunate enough to have Richard lead out the race at a perfect page.  So what does Richard think?
WHAT HE WROTE: "It was a great thrill!"

#413. WHO: Paul Stuart-Smith
SUBJECT: His photo on the front of the NYRRC April 1999 race entry package
WHAT HE SAID: "I have no idea when that photo was taken.  It must have been some time in the summer, because there are people rollerblading in shorts in the background."

POSTCRIPT: Paul was by no means the only Central Park Track Club member ever to grace the envelop.  Previously, our Stacy Creamer had a hair-raising experience. (technical note: of course, we had to magnify that photo, to Stacy's dismay)

#412. WHO: Jud Santos
Preface: The following story appeared in the December 1998/January 1999 issue of the Central Park Track Club newsletter.  Although this is longer than the typical item on this page, it is a classic piece that deserves immortal fame.

Why More Roadies Don’t Race Track

A True Story by Jud Santos

(unlike almost everything else around here, this article was reprinted with permission from the author)

#411. WHO: Scott Willett
SUBJECT: Excuse for skipping the road workout (2/25/99)
WHAT HE SAID: "I'm going to try to break the course record for 10 x Northern Hill loop by myself."
COMMENT: A dubious honor, to say the least.

#410: WHO: Dan Hamner
WHEN: The Tuesday after Sid Howard set his world record for Men 60+ 800m
WHERE: The Armory Track & Field Center
WHAT HE SAID: "I came here to do the workout because I was inspired by Sid."

#409. WHO: Alan Ruben
WHEN: Two days after he won the Kurt Steiner 50K on February 28th, 1999, which he reported to the CPTC website in person
WHAT HE SAID: "You know, I've never ever sent out an e-mail message."
COMMENT: That's okay.  Just keep winning.

#408. WHO: John Sargent / Brian Denman
WHEN: March 2, 1999 before the start of the track workout at the Armory
SUBJECT: John's most recent 800m race about two weeks ago
JOHN: "I died in that race."
BRIAN: "How did you die?  Did you die because you had no strength?"
JOHN: "I had no strength."
BRIAN: "Or did you die because you had no speed?"
JOHN: "I had no speed."
BRIAN: "So you died every which way."

Postscript: John was quite surprised when he read this, but he said, "But it's all true."

#407. WHO: Alan Ruben
SITUATION: At the Thursday February 25th 1999 workout, coach Tony Ruiz wanted to know why Stacy Creamer was there right after running the Empire State Building Run-Up earlier in the day.
WHAT HE SAID: "It's just a quartermile run."
COMMENT: Actually, it was one-fifth of a mile.

#406. WHO: Tyronne Culpepper
WHEN: At the Thursday February 25th 1999 road workout, coach Tony Ruiz wanted to know if anyone was racing.  Someone said Tyronne was racing the 50K on Saturday.
WHAT HE SAID: "I'm not going to be racing.  It's more like surviving."

#405. WHO: Joey Gonzalez
SUBJECT: His indoor mile debut at the MAC Masters Championships, February 26th, 1999
WHAT HE SAID: "You should have told me that this is hard."

#404. WHO: Harry Morales
SITUATION: At the 1999 Midnight Run, Harry went all out and felt some soreness in his tendon afterwards.  The next weekend, he jumped right into the Frostbite 10 Miler, a race which was turned into a fun run due to icy snow (see Photo).   His tendon gave out after four miles, and he had to walk home in the snow.
WHAT HE SAID: "Even after the twenty years of running, I still do dumb things."

#403. WHO: Tony Ruiz
WHEN: Road workout, February 18th, 1999
SITUATION: Recognizing that he would have difficulty calling people's attention, Tony Ruiz asked Audrey Kingsley to act as the M.C.  Amazingly, people meekly lined up and formed a tight circle. 
WHAT HE SAID: "When you are fast like Audrey, people listen to you."

#402. WHO: Stacy Creamer
WHEN: February 16th, 1999 Indoor Track Workout at the Armory
SITUATION:  The whole world was stunned by the sighting of this Unidentified Flying Object with the shirt in the mouth between the teeth ... we have this terrible thought that this might be the start of a fashionable trend with the whole team doing this around the track.  But have no fear, because Stacy Creamer has already said
WHAT SHE SAID: "I won't be doing that with my jog bra."

#401. WHO: Raphael Devalle
WHEN: February 16th, 1999
BACKGROUND: The fact that there was a MAC Open Indoor Track Championships on Friday night and the 1999 Snowflake Four Miler on Saturday morning  caused some of our dual-career runners to face up to a difficult choice. 
WHAT HE SAID: "Do both!   You 've got twelve hours to recover." 
COMMENT: Spoken like a true champion, right in the heart of Peter Gambaccini, who has the distinction of being the only CPTC person to ever win two races in different states on the same day.