1998 Philadelphia Marathon /
Rothman 8K

This photo album was compiled lovingly by Kevin Arlyck.   Here in his own words ...

To the Editor: Below is my attempt at commentary that replicates your inimitable style.  I thought it would be too great a shock for the web-addicts if all of a sudden the captioning changed.  Though I would prefer that the wording remain as is, it's quite apparent that you've reserved the right to mangle everyone's writing anyhow.  Let it be known, however, that I have retained multiple, notarized copies of this document and am prepared to mount a vigorous defense of my good name and reputation should you engage in any gross alterations.

Rothman Institute 8K

Photo 1 Here's Kevin Arlyck at the start, looking positively serene.  Or perhaps we should say vacuous, seeing as how he left his club singlet at home because he thought nobody wore them for out-of-town races (as Jud Santos would say, "Loser!").

Missing photos: The photographer for the 8K didn't know what Stacy Creamer, Stuart Calderwood, Audrey Kingsley, and Jonathan Federman looked like, so she couldn't take pictures of them.  She also happens to be Kevin's girlfriend, which helps to explain why there was a whole series of shots of him on the roll, taken at different angles and points during the race.  But you are spared the agony (or boredom) of that oeuvre.

Photo 2 After the race, the 8K crew (l-r Stacy, Stuart, Jonathan, Audrey, and Kevin) takes a moment to revel in the knowledge that, while their pain is over for the day, it has only begun for those in the marathon.

Photo 3 Audrey looks puzzled and alarmed.   "Hey, you're not Roland!   Put that contraption away!"

Photo 4  Stacy is beaming after her terrific PR.  She's also excited about the thought of just how many sourdough-raisin bagels Stuart (not pictured) can buy with the $100 he received for winning the masters division.

Photo 5  Secret training tips: Kevin gets in a quick warm-down with his girlfriend's three-year-old nephew. 

Philadelphia Marathon, Mile 14

Photo 6  Samantha Peale looked focused at this point in the race.   That is, until she was ambushed by an orange-clad photographer she had never met before.  His words of encouragement must have rung false as he gleefully snapped away.

Missing photos: Due to the photographer's technical ineptitude and the overzealousness of certain teammates, there are no pictures of Fasil Yilma or Bola Awofeso at mile 14.  Basically, Fasil was too strongly backlit and Bola
was lost in a sea of rabid orange escorts (whose sheer raucousness caused the photographer to panic and misfire). Sorry.

Philadelphia Marathon, Mile 25

Photo 7  Audrey and Stuart look like they're having a hard time keeping up with Fasil, whom they joined at mile 23.   The whole scene has a nice, soft-focus, 1970s action-show sort of feel to it, kind of like Charlie's Angels.  Who gets to play Sabrina? (Editor's note: Sorry, Kevin, but I can't help but interject here to say that neither Fasil nor Stuart are likely to campaign hard for the role of Sabrina ... P.S. I probably have the role of Charlie sewn up since I never appear in any photos ... )

Photo 8  Fasil up close.  Needless to say, he was concentrating very well at this point.

Photo 9  Audrey is aiming for the event record of the most gratuitous miles logged by running the last 800m with Bola.

Photo 10  Bola up close.  Audrey's foot is visible in the original uncropped photo, but she gets enough press as it is.

Photo 11  Samantha coming down the stretch, accompanied by her boyfriend, John, who is sporting the club colors.   "I thought it was smart to put him in something where I could pick him out easily at 23, in case I was blind with pain."  The irony is that, given the "fashion" sense of certain club muckety-mucks, she was lucky she wasn't blinded by the sight of him wearing the jacket.

Final note: there were several other CPTC runners in the marathon, but due to an apparent systems failure in the Global Surveillance System's Advance Warning Network, the photographer was not aware of their presence (despite his extreme diligence in repeatedly scrolling all the way down to the bottom of the Club News page to see who was running).   Apologies to all.