Our teammate Hank Schiffman was at the awards ceremony of the Whiteface Uphill Bike Race one year, and heard that a woman, Louise Voghell, had completed both the foot race and the bike race up Whiteface. In one of those searing moments that endurance athletes sometimes come to regret, he put together in his mind a weekend of such epic proportions, such daring, such oxygen debt, that he had to try it. So he did. And then he did it again the next year.
SATURDAY
Hank’s weekend of aerobic delights started in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire on June 19, where he joined the 900 people lucky enough to win a spot in the Mount Washington Road Race, which was serving as the 2010 US Mountain Racing Championship. This is the grandmother of Northeastern mountain races – up the tallest mountain in the region: mighty 6,288 foot Mount Washington. Straight up. 7.6 miles straight up, without a break, with an average tilt of 11.5% and plenty of 18% grades. Cat Hill is 0.25 miles of 3.7% grade. You start in lush green arboreal forest dodging moose and wind up in a genuine Alpine fantasy land, dodging rocks and stepping over Hieracium pilosella. Even 2:15 marathoners trudge up this monster at eight-minute mile pace, and running is barely faster than walking. David Greenberg also completed the race, making him sunburned, blistered and creaky.
But Hank mountain-goated up the course in solid time, second in the 60-64.
So we find Hank standing exhausted on a desolate mountain peak that is home to 231 mph wind gusts and is equidistant from Lewiston, Maine and Canada. The time is 11:45 AM and he is 200 miles of twisty road and one wet lake from part two of the aerobically epic weekend: the Whiteface Uphill Cycle Race, starting at 5:30 PM that same day. Five point seven five hours away.
The night before the race, Hank had left his car on top of the mountain and climbed down around ACL-busting Tuckerman’s Ravine, where skiers often dodge spring well into June. Hank climbed into his auto, somehow stopped his quads from shaking, and drove, blessedly mechanized and with allspeed, across the states of New Hampshire and Vermont, boarded a ferry to slide across Lake Champlain into New York, and arrived at the Whiteface start line between ten and eleven minutes before the gun, his bike still in expensive lightweight pieces in the trunk. He got it together, mechanically and mentally, and set off with the peleton, requesting all his oxygen and hemoglobin to join in the adventure.
While shorter than Washington, the 3,500 foot Whiteface climb requires that you do it on a bicycle, which is surprisingly little faster – for most people – than running. Hank again got to the top in good time, seventh in his age group, after losing some zip after an initial, euphoric and, in the end, questionable move through the pack.
After whizzing down Whiteface, chasing the ghost of Ingemar Stenmark, Hank disassembled his wheels, threw them in the back and headed down the Thruway toward sleep, which would not come until 2 AM, back in the thankfully mountain-free and sea level borough of Manhattan.
SUNDAY
Waking after a few hours of no doubt excellent sleep, Hank found his way uptown to the start of the Father’s Day Five Miler for his third trip to lactateville. After consuming mass quantities of liquids, Hank decided to eschew a warm-up or anything else that could use up what carbohydrate remained. He was looking for a nice quiet race, no need to risk a blowup after the hours of abuse he had already inflicted on his legs. So he settled in at 6:40 pace, much slower than usual, which turned to 6:50 and then 7:00 pace and then he started looking forward to a well-earned finish line experience. But, this being Manhattan where nothing comes easily, Hank found one more obstacle in the form of a known rival in the 60-64 from Taconic Road Runners. Even with lactic acid created in three states forming vast if diffuse lakes in his legs, Hank raced for position. The two sprinted for the line and Hank may have tied him by gun time but chip time told a different story, and Hank was seventh.
The weekend over, Hank retreated and called it a 900-mile adventure well done, but probably not to be repeated.
Hank has been with the team for three years, putting up a best age-graded result of a national class 81.7% at the Scotland 10K last year. As with most of us, injury prevention is one of his main goals (despite evidence to the contrary), so he prefers the short intensity of Tony’s Tuesday nights to the longer miles of Thursday nights. Recognizing, however, the need for sustained effort in training, he does tempo work on his bike, rocketing up the Hudson like an A train.
While Hank regularly wins NYRRC cross country races, he puts down winning a Central Park scored race for the first time as a major goal. This is probably just a matter of time since he took second this year at Coogan’s.
Hank joined us after spending at least five years with Greater New York, citing the stability and camaraderie at CPTC as a prime attraction. That sense of team paid off last year in the NYCM when the wall of orange got him back on pace toward the end and a 3:25 finish. The masters team is particularly appealing to Hank, as he views us correctly as a wonderful group of people. In particular, Hank cites Sid Howard as an inspiration – “Sid is the metric,” he says. “If I think I am fast, I think of Sid – he is the real deal.”
Which brings us to wish Sid speed, luck and challenges met at Masters Nationals July 22-25. After he ripped off a series of 400s on Tuesday including at least a 70, I think he is ready.
No doubt Yumi Ogita was ready for the Father’s Day five mile race since she won her age group by 21 seconds. If you consider her age group to be 1-100. Yumi won this 1,826 woman race outright with her 85.6%/31:30. Sometimes it takes some experience to race well on hot days with 80% humidity.
The heat and humidity of the summer has slowed some of us but not all of us. Wanda Wang Shulman set a 52 week age graded PR at the Mini 10K with her 77.6%/42:34.
Speed is just a number, but wins are forever, and we found success in June in the age groups. Yasuhiro Makoshi has won no fewer than four races since my last report, with his best a 84.9%/30:01 at the Gay Pride Run. Margot Sheehan won the 50-55 at the Japan Run by a commanding 1:07 with a 73.8%/30:08.
The most prestigious win went to Judith Tripp at the Mini, where she won the 60-64 with a big 82.2%/50:17. Even better, the club went 1-2 as Deb Barchat finished just astern of Judith at this mammoth 5,193 woman race.
Out of Central Park, the great Birger Ohlsson found his way off a track and speared down the Ridgewood road mile course in 4:36. No, no one beat him. Fellow track star Anselm Lebourne has the best age graded track result: a stunning 95.2%/2:03 effort. Tom Fitzpatrick is second with an 88.4%/4:23 1500.
Finally, in the shared dream category, Michael Rennock not only won the 50-54 at the June 26 five miler by almost two minutes, but he got paid $100 prize money for it. Let’s see… $100 for 30 minutes work is $200/hour, or $10,000 per week, which equates to $520,000 per year. I am going for a run now.
Team Championship Standings as of July 4, 2010
First Place: M 50+, W 50+
Third Place: M 40+, W 40+
Fourth Place: W60+
Tenth Place: M 60+
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