Some Penn Relays Reception Photos I Stole From Al Gore's Intertubes

I was not able to attend the Penn Relays or the Reception last night as my daughter qualified for the Dallastown Invitational 1600.  So I had to watch her instead in a downpour.  I'm not complaining.  In fact, there wasn't anywhere else I would rather have been.  I'm proud of everything my daughters have achieved, even while being excellent students and even better human beings.  I'm blessed far beyond anything I deserve.  (Daughter the Elder didn't hit another PR, but the deluge had a lot to do with it.) Good luck to the Lions in Saturday's races. Watches and wheels. Watches and wheels.

Photo from Michael Gross.

Phil Passen, Larry Mangan and Ryan Foster.

Yeah, that's Phil Passen again! With Coach Groves in Penn Relays attire.

Gosh Phil, I must have stolen all of these from you! Michael Syrnick and Sam Masters.

I'll buy a drink to the guy that will name everyone here in the comments!

"A Very Good First (2) Day(s): Wheels and Watches

An Update on the Penn Relays Quest for hardware:

1. Mens Championship of America Sprint Medley Relay - Returning Champions! Update: 2 in a Row!  3:18.47 Aaron Nadolsky, Brandon Bennett-Green, Brady Gehret (45.6), Casimir Loxsom (1:50.0)
2. Mens Championship of America 4 x 800 - My favorite event  (Longest standing Event Record at Penn)
3. Mens Championship of America 4 x 400 - The Quintessential Track Event. Update: Qualified for today's championship of America!
4. Womens Championship of America Distance Medley Relay - A School Record Coming? Update:  3rd Place and a School Record! 

   11:08.41

   Rebekka Simko (3:23.0), Ijeoma Iheoma (52.8), Marta Klebe (2:09.8), Kara Millhouse (4:42.8)

5. Womens Championship Javelin - PSU is Javelin U. Update: Lauren Kenney First Place

   48.99m (160-8)  And a Watch!  Laura Loht  3rd 46.09m (151-2)

6. Women's Championship Hammer - Leading Thrower in the Big Ten!  Update:  Melissa Kurzdorfer  for the Win! And a Watch!
   

   62.53m (205-1)

7. Mens Champiopnship Shot Put - A strong duo. Update: Joe Kovacs Champion 19.94m (65-5),  Logan Caldwell 11th 17.22m (56-6)    
8. Womens Championship of America Sprint Medley Relay - 8th 
   

   3:55.19

   Dynasty McGee, Kirsten Nieuwendam, Ijeoma Iheoma, Marta Klebe (2:11.0)

"A Very Good First Day"

Here's some updates on the Watch List of PSU entries in the Penn Relays:

1. Mens Championship of America Sprint Medley Relay - Returning Champions!
2. Mens Championship of America 4 x 800 - My favorite event  (Longest standing Event Record at Penn)
3. Mens Championship of America 4 x 400 - The Quintessential Track Event.
4. Womens Championship of America Distance Medley Relay - A School Record Coming? Update:  3rd Place and a School Record! 

   11:08.41

   Rebekka Simko (3:23.0), Ijeoma Iheoma (52.8), Marta Klebe (2:09.8), Kara Millhouse (4:42.8)

5. Womens Championship Javelin - PSU is Javelin U. Update: Lauren Kenney First Place

   48.99m (160-8)  And a Watch!  Laura Loht  3rd 46.09m (151-2)

6. Women's Championship Hammer - Leading Thrower in the Big Ten!  Update:  Melissa Kurzdorfer  for the Win! And a Watch!
   

   62.53m (205-1)

7. Mens Champiopnship Shot Put - A strong duo.

And in addition there were plenty of PR's on the track at distance night!

• Womens 3000M SC  -   Emily Giannotti 2nd Place College Division 10:28.82,   Abbie Benson 5th Place College Division 10:35.5,  Natalie Bower 2nd in Championship Heat 10:14.27, Lindsey Graybill 7th in Championship Division 10:29.97.
• Mens 5000M  -  Kyle Dawson 6th in Championship Division 14:04.36, Vince McNally 8th in Championship Division 14:06.94, Chris Cipro 19th in Championship Division 14:30.43, Matt Fischer 24th in Champuionship Division 14:38.42,  Alums: Dennis Pollow Jr 6th in Olympic Development Division 14.26.68.
• Mens 10000M  -  Tom Luff 18th in Championship Division 30:36.77 Alums: Tyler McCandless 10th in Olympic Development Division 30:33.64.

Hoist a Cold Molson in Honor of the Penn Relays Distance Night

I spent a few Thursday nights watching the distance races at the Penn Relays over the years, sometimes followed with a marvelous Cold Molsons Party late into the evening.  Penn State will be well represented this year in the Penn Relays, including some strong quartets in the Championships of America Races.

1. Mens Championship of America Sprint Medley Relay - Returning Champions!
2. Mens Championship of America 4 x 800 - My favorite event  (Longest standing Event Record at Penn)
3. Mens Championship of America 4 x 400 - The Quintessential Track Event.
4. Womens Championship of America Distance Medley Relay - A School Record Coming?
5. Womens Championship Javelin - PSU is Javelin U.
6. Women's Championship Hammer - Leading Thrower in the Big Ten!
7. Mens Champiopnship Shot Put - A strong duo.

May you all win Wheels and Watches!

Penn Relays Reminds Me of Food

Too bad everything does!

The Penn Relays started in earnest yesterday with the first day of the Decathlon.  Nittany Lion Anya Uzoh got off to a good start in the first three events and was in second place at the time, but I lost track after that...   Now I found it!  He had the best 400M of the day and is in second place after the first day with 3615 points.

There's nothing better than gambling your insides on all the food carts outside Franklin Field during the Carnival.  Which brings me to this great listing of the best hot dogs near Minor League Baseball Parks (and the best hot dogs near Major League Baseball Parks.)  Just for fun!

Although my 2 favorite hot dogs of all time are from Jimmy's in Easton Pa, and The Original (the Dirty O!) in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.

Happy Birthday Coach Harry Groves!

We don't need to get him anything because all he wants is to hang out along the bricks at another Penn Relays, and they start tomorrow! Happy Birthday, Coach.

Wheel!

I know I skew toward the distance events, but I'm trying more and more to include even sprinters into the mix.  No one could omit a Championship of America Penn Relays Wheel won by the Sprint Medley Relay Quartet of  Aaron Nodolsky, Brady Gehret, Cas Loxsom and Ryan Foster. What's even better is a photo on the victory stand with Coach Groves at his 66th Penn Relays.  Congrats and on to the 4 X 800!

Steve's Shisler's 1985 memories.

Randy Moor'e 1985 memories.

Penn Relays!

Michael Syrnick brings us this great Friday photo of the events at Penn.  Let's hope his boss doesn't find out he wasn't "cough, cough" sick at all!  The 13 lanes (counting the "inside" first four lanes, and the practice straights) look great, don't they?

PSU has had some good showings already, with a 2nd place from Anya Uzoh in the decathlon(over 7,000 pts. for the first time), and a third place from
Brittney Howell in the heptathlon on Wednesday.  Karlee McQuillen won the javelin (158'4") for the second year in a row and Jane Swenson won the shot put (52'6").  Several PSU relay quartets are in the mix for Championship of America Wheels.  Cheesesteaks, jerk chicken, poorly home-made t-shirts, 17th century bathroom facilities and no parking!  Penn Relays is the greatest.  Coach Groves is attending his 66th out of 67th straight Penn Relays. 

"Last Chance" and the Holy Grail!

There were several great performances this weekend at the "Last Chance" meet in Notre Dame.  PSU Men's 4 x 400 Relay squad won the race with a splendid 3:07.27.  Aaron Nodolsky, Lionel Williams, Brady Gehret and Casimir Loxsom set the PSU School Record with the effort.  Both Gehret and Loxsom had sub-46 second splits!  (Casimir also had a sub-1:46 effort in the 800 M the night before in the Distance Medley Relay.)

Caitlin Lane also lit the track on fire on Friday night with her come-from-behind victory in the mile with a 4:38.47 time over the distance.  This places her second all-time at PSU, behind only Bridget Franek, now running for Nike.

But the Big News is I have finally found my Holy Grail!  This is all thanks to our Official Photograph Supplier and Friend of the Group Walt Chadwick.  For two years we have scoured the digital and film archives all over the world.  (Actually I just kept pestering everyone I knew to find them.)  But we have finally come up with museum-quality prints of the 1985 4 X 800  PSU victory at Penn Relays (7:11.17!).  These will be unveiled at the next Harry Groves Golf Outing and Reunion Friday Night Reception.  We will also have an extensive catalog of vintage PSU prints to peruse of both Men and Women PSU Tracksters. This is just a hint of the black and white goodness that was that epic run...

Penn Relays 2010: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Unofficial journalist Steve Shisler updates Saturday's action at Penn (with some extra useless comments from someone who only watched it on the computer!)

If you still need an un official report from Penn I'll give a brief review:

Saturday at Penn was the biggest mob scene ever with 54,000 fans in attendance.  Beth and I were there early to watch Alex run for State High in the 4x400.  He did a great job and brought the stick home for a nice 3rd place finish. It's almost as nerve racking to watch your kid as a parent versus running there, but not quite.

Usian Bolt was clearly the attraction of the day and had the fans going wild just doing a few striders on the infield more than an hour before the actual race.  When race time finally arrived the buzz was at a fever pitch.  A chant (I'm not sure if it was "U-S-A" or "Ja-mai-ca") broke out right at the star of the USA vs World 4x1. The starter had to bring the guys up and then scold the crowd to be quiet so the runners could hear the gun.

Jamaica delivered and won the race in 37.90 with Bolt being clocked in 8.79 for his anchor split.  What struck me as odd was the fact that Bolt then proceeded to take a solo victory lap.  I pretty sure there were 3 team mates who brought the stick around the track to him, but perhaps Bolt ran the 37.90 by himself.  The fastest human of all time appears to have never seen a camera he doesn't like. (The Ugly)

The Penn State women easily won the ECAC heat of the 4x200 which I believe awards watches for the victory.  3 of the 4 ladies came back late in the day and finished 4th in the Championship of America 4x400. (Fawn Dorr and the gang = The Good)

The Oregon Ducks without Andrew Wheating easily took the 4xMile title. 

The 4x800 has been hyped for many weeks as the race to watch on Saturday and it certainly delivered although not with the result we were cheering for.  PSU got out very strong on the first 2 legs with Freshman Cas Loxsom running an excellent 2nd leg in a 1:46.58 split.  Ryan Foster anchoring got the baton just off the lead in 3rd place behind Virginia and Oregon. The anchor leg turned out to be a repeat finish of the Indoor NCAA 800 final as Andrews of Virginia out sprinted Wheating of Oregon with Foster in a strong 3rd place finish for PSU. (Virginia and Oregon passing PSU in the last 100 meters = The Bad)

The 1985 4x800 record lives on through the Silver Anniversary.  It's kind of like a fine wine, it gets better and better with age. (Remember to turn the bottle 1/4 turn every few months and keep the temperature cool!)

Signed,

The Un-Official Correspondent

Early Action at the Carnival

Our unofficial correspondent Steve Shisler sends us an update from Friday's action at the world's greatest Relay Carnival:

Here is an update from my unofficial duties from Penn.

It was a beautiful sunny day at Franklin Field.  State High's boys 4x100 team of Dan Taylor, Jeremy Gilpin, Alex Shisler and Alex Kenney ran 44.58 for a fourth place finish in their Large School heat despite some less than ideal handoff's.

The Penn State women's 4x200 of Shavon Greaves, Caitlin DeFusco, Fawn Dorr, Aleesha Barber won their trial heat and qualified for the ECAC final Saturday missing the Championship of America final by 1/100th of a second. (Fawn Dorr ran amazing legs of both the 4 X 200 and the 4 X 400!)

Penn State had a strong showing in the Men's Distance Medley with a team of Samuel Borchers (2:56.96), Lionel Williams (46.74), Sam Havko (1:52.02), Vince McNally (4:07.76).  Borchers ran a very competitive leadoff 1200 leg to handoff in 2nd.  Williams flew through his 400 leg keeping PSU in second behind the Oregon Ducks.  Oregon broke away from the field on the 3rd leg and by the time Olympian Andrew Wheating got the stick for the Ducks on the anchor, no one had a chance. (Sam Borchers and Lionel Williams both ran great legs in the DMR)

It's off for another day at the races and there seems to be a lot of buzz in the air about the men's 4x800 and Penn State's chances to bring home another title in that event. (Official group representative Harry Smith relates Coach has received thousands of birthday greeting and is psyched for the upcoming golf outing.)

Signed,

The Un-Official Correspondent

Thankfully I'll be able to watch the 4 X 800 on Flo Track.  I may even run on the treadmill during the event for a little extra push, possibly even breaking 9:00 for a mile!  (I wish I was kidding.)

Happy Birthday Coach!

In a world increasingly governed by the politically correct, I'm happy I received the tutelage of someone allergic to the concept. " Telling it like it is" is a lost art, except in one corner of all of our experiences.  Coach Groves always told it like he saw it and never sugar-coated it in any way.

After running my best collegiate race and placing the highest I ever placed for the Nittany Lions, Coach Groves called me out in flowery language, likening me to a part of the female anatomy.  And he was of course correct, I should have won the race, not placed third.  It took me a number of years to realize it, but he was absolutely right all along.  (He did later compliment most of my race!)

So I figure for 80 years now the world has been blessed with a realist of the highest quality, a vanishing breed likely to be soon gone except for him and a few of us he coached.  I salute him on this monumental day.  I hope he cries again for the Championship of America 4 X 800 on his birthday (4/24/30).  Thanks, Coach.

Generation 1.0 at The Penn Relays

Steve Shisler sends us this great pic of his dad Earl Shisler at the 1948 Penn Relays in the 4 X 400.  Friday will mark Generation 3.0 at the Penn Relays for the Shisler family when Steve and Beth's son Alex runs in the 4 X 400!


Also here's a pic of Leonard Black, father of Barbara, Steve and Gary,  winning a race at Franklin Field in 1951 (before they invented colors, as my daughters say!).  Third Generation Martha Baskwill just started Junior High Track, so there is still time to work toward Penn!

And finally, here's a program entry from  1948 showing a certain entrant from Trenton Central High in the 4 X 800!

Memories of the Penn Relays Marathon (RIP!)

I previously related some of my experiences of the marathon (mostly of following other teammates to the finish line despite my PR in 1979!).  I also talked a little bit about the 1982 finish where Bill Kvashay was directed through the campus at the entrance to the Stadium, thwarting his 2:17 or 2:18 time and a Olympic marathon trial berth.  Certainly the longest 300 meters of his career!  That same race saw Barb Black enter the stadium with the whitest complexion I have ever witnessed.  Take a white sheet of paper and bleach it and you still wouldn't quite capture the whiteness.  Her PR placed high in the field despite the agonizing last miles, and she soon regained her normal color!  It is a testament to her fortitude that she continues marathons to this day.

Here's some more memories of the 1982 Penn Relays Marathon from Hall of Honor inductee Harry Smith:

I have no (good) memories of Penn Relays. I ran the marathon there in 1982!

But seriously, my memory of training and running with the Wolfe bothers (Al and Jeff) who guided Bill Malchano, Geoff Root, Jim Sellers and me all through to personal bests that year was a good memory!  Brad Althouse ran also but he decided to take off at mile 2 and we reeled him in between halfway and mile 15 as he had the proverbial bear on his back already from going too hard too early
We took the "leisurely" 6 minute pace through 5 (31:00) and 10 (61:30) as well as the halfway (1:19:20) as we started to pick it up a bit after 10 and even more so after the halfway marker.  I recall that my second 10 mile segment was 54:50 (which I only calculated well after the race) knowing I came through 20 miles at 1:56:20.

But the real memory was believing I had missed the entrance to Franklin Field. As I approached the stadium and the finish, after not remembering seeing any other runners since mile marker 21 when I passed one walking it in, I did not realize  the tricks my mind was playing on me (at this point in a marathon) having only "run" one previously and not counting the Nittany Valley Track Club December marathons "just for fun"!  As I started counting the corners as I ran around f Franklin Field knowing that at any moment I would go through a tunnel entrance to the stadium and onto the track to finish to a wildly cheering crowd of family and friends (or about 200 spectators). However, as one approaches Franklin Field from a 5 way intersection, I had not noticed that you go by the open stadium entrance first and make an entire loop around the outside of the stadium prior to entering for the final 300M on the track to the finish line. So I started counting the corners of the stadium. 1 and 2 on that first street and then a long straightaway. So my mind told me pick it up and make it around that corner up ahead you will turn right into the stadium. Well I made that 3rd turn or corner and no one was there directing me into the stadium. So I jogged on down to the 4th corner and that stadium door was closed. Do I turn back or go froward? The last time I heard a place I was in 21st or was it 22nd some 8 miles ago. I knew there were 25 medals to be awarded and my mind told me that no one had passed me in those last miles so not wanting to lose my chance at medaling at Penn, I went forward but this was the long South side of Franklin Field. Now I was tired and my mind told me I was not being allowed into the stadium. But I continued on and rounded what I felt was the 5th turn and finally the opening to the stadium was there with a race marshall directing me to run through the tunnel and finish my 3/4 lap backwards to the finish. 2 hours 37 minutes and 27 seconds was my finish time good for 13th place - so there must have been some runners who dropped out or I passed and lost count (probably both likely happened). The Penn Relays Marathon was "memorable" or at least the last lap outside of Franklin Field is one that I will never forget as I have never run a marathon since!

Regards,
Harry Smith

It's Penn Relays Week!!

We'll start off the week with a bang!  Steve Shisler sends us this short story about his memories of Penn.  I'll repost Randy Moore's memories of Penn later in the week.  And I'll post any others sent my way this week, no matter how short.  The greatest track meet in the world has touched all of us somehow.  This will be Coach Groves' 65th out of 66 straight Penn Relays.  He only missed one the first year in the Army.  When they wouldn't let him come that first year he started his coaching career by forming an Army team for the next year.  Saturday will be Coach's 80th birthday and he'll be celebrating it right where he belongs, along the bricks at Franklin Field.

Penn Relays – The Agony & Ecstasy 

                by Steve Shisler

To say the Penn Relays represent the pinnacle of my running career would be an understatement, but it certainly was a long and winding road.

Growing up as a Track athlete in the Philadelphia suburbs Penn represented a rite of spring.  I was fortunate to run on Pennridge Highs 4x400 in 1980 & ‘81 in the now defunct Bux-Mont League event.  By the time I ran as a Senior I had already committed to running for Penn State as a walk on.  I couldn’t have predicted at that time what the next 5 years at Franklin Field might hold.

As a Freshman 800 runner in ’82 I was happy to grab a spot anchoring the Sprint Medley (in the days when trials were held Friday and finals were held Saturday).  We qualified for the IC4A final on Saturday and if memory serves me right finished DFL.  PSU’s 4x800 was a group of all juniors and ran a school record 7:21 that year but was well off the 7:12 pace of no fewer than 3 teams bested by Villanova.

My sophomore year began a 2 year stretch of frustration.  Some local State High kid named Randy Moore came along as a transfer from Franklin & Marshall and had the nerve to bump me as the odd man out on a 4x800 that was destined for big things.  I was again relegated to anchoring the Sprint Medley for PSU in ‘83, and while it was nice to run a 1:49 split in the trials, I knew I’d be sitting in the stands as a spectator for the Championship of America 4x800 final on Saturday.   Watching PSU take home the Championship that day in 7:19 was bittersweet.  I was cheering the entire time for my running mates but wondered if my shot at the coveted PENNSYLVANIA Relays watch had evaporated in front of me that day.

Surely my junior year in ’84 could be the year.  While Arizona State was coming in with their 7:08 Collegiate Record team and Villanova had John Marshall anchoring their usual stable of horses, we were the defending Champs sporting Super frosh Vance Watson (1983 High School Athlete of the meet, anchoring the Record Setting DMR to victory as well as anchoring the winning 4x800), a pair of 1:47 men in Randy Moore and Kenny Wynn and myself. 

One small problem, I injured my foot 2 weeks before Penn.  Determined not be shut out at the chance for a title, I rode the bike for the next 2 weeks and told Coach Groves I was running at all costs.  John Norwig, our trainer at the time and now the Pittsburgh Steelers Super trainer, slipped me a couple of pills (sugar I’m sure) before we headed to the cow pen but things just never came together for us that day.  Villanova took the title, my season was ended from injury and we went home empty handed.  Coach started calling me the “hard luck kid”.  As twisted irony would have it, I was granted a redshirt season for that spring which gave me 2 more years to run at Penn (how many collegians do you know that ran for their school 5 years straight?).

We arrived at Penn in 1985 healthy and hungry. Wynn was replaced by another State High product, frosh Chris Mills.  We warmed with a 7:17 win at Dogwood and were invited to run at

Arizona State the week before Penn.  Coach took us aside and asked if we wanted to go to Arizona or stay close to home to gear up.  To a man we chose to stay home. While a trip to sunny Tempe was tempting, nothing can replace a Championship of America title and a watch where letters replace numbers.

History shows we made the right decision to stay home and one could say things clicked that last Saturday in April 1985. Track and Field News summarized the race this way:

“Almost as impressive as Arkansas was in the 4x1500 (14:50.2) was Penn State in the 4x800. Each Nittany Lion ran faster than anyone else on his leg, i.e., they started in front and kept increasing their lead. Soph Vance Watson (the outstanding prep athlete here 2 years ago) opened a 2y lead with a 1:49.2. Steve Shisler widened it to 7y with a 1:47.9. Chris Mills ran it to 10 with a 1:48.5 and Randy Moore blasted a 1:45.5 to finish in 7:11.17, the No. 10 time in history (and second fastest collegiate mark ever).”

After the race I found my family in the stands to show them the watch. Knowing I had one more year ahead of me I told my father (an avid track lover long before I came along and Penn Relays participant in 1947 & ‘48) that I’d win him a watch next year.

1986 brought a new challenge for me.  We had a bunch of hard working PA kids who maybe just maybe could give the 4x1500 a run for the money. Coach wanted me to tackle something I’d never done, double at Penn.  Who was I to tell him no.

State High’s Bob Hudson put us in the thick of things with a great 3:46 lead leg.  Edinboro’s favorite son Mark Overheim did yeoman’s work in 3:42 hanging with an insane 2^nd leg by Arkansas’s Gary Taylor (can you say 3:36.2-fastest ever at Penn-to his 3:38.6 from 1985). Penn Hills Cross Country star Eric Carter dropped down and went all out for a fast 3:47 leg to hand me the baton in 3^rd just behind Auburn.  I ran the 1500 race of my life in 3:42 and managed to squeak by Auburn’s team of Americans at the tape for a solid 2^nd place finish in 14:58.71, and an American record.

I heard after the race that while I was trying to get by Auburn in the final 100 meters that Coach Groves managed to put together a string of expletives in new and unheard of ways that would have made a hooker blush. He told me that while he was never happy with 2^nd place, he wasn’t complaining this time.

A few hours later it was time to defend our 4x800 title. While we lost the fastest 800 runner ever at Penn to graduation, we replaced him with workhorse 400 meter hurdler Ray Levitre.  Watson did his usual job of running a great 1:48 lead leg. I kept us in the thick of things with a 1:49 leg. Levitre proved he would be an 800 force for the future and ran 1:48 to give the baton in the lead to Mills who proceeded to stretch the lead with a blistering opening 400. Paying the price in the final 200, Mills held on strong in 1:48 to beat his High School nemesis Mark Fowler of LSU for the win in 7:16.02.

That day capped a career at Penn that just a couple of years earlier I could only dream of.  Best of all I found my father after the race to give him his watch.  At first he didn’t want to accept it but I insisted, after all I already had one.  He wore his watch every day for the next 2 decades until he passed away.  I proudly wear it to this day.

What time is it?   -   It’s Penn Relays time!

Another Brick in "The Wall"

For 64 of the last 65 years, Coach Groves has appeared at the wall along the first curve of the Penn track in Franklin Field in mid-April. Here he is in the early 80's with PSU Track Alumni Golfer Ed Roskiewicz. Ed is always smiling, but Coach probably had just said something "provocative". Joe Clinton obviously missed the comment or something! Some have speculated that one day Coach's ashes will be spread there, but I am of the opinion that:

1. Coach will outlive all of us, (and if I'm wrong),
2. He will be non-flammable.
   

Runners Sent the Wrong Direction!

The recent NCAA Division 2 XC fiasco brought back some scary memories of another Penn Relays Marathon. At the Div. 2 Regionals this past weekend, lead runners were sent the wrong way, well into the race. They backtracked through the woods and rejoined the race at a narrow area. Pandemonium ensued, and the race was called at the 3 mile mark. It was then rerun 2 hours later! Looking at the Map, I wonder how anyone expected an error wouldn't be made!

At the 1982 Penn Relays I was waiting in the stadium for my future wife to finish (she was in the top 5 most of the race!). The lead runners were announced and placed on the scoreboard. Lo and behold, the leader was Bill Kvashay, PSU '79, about to run a sub 2:18 marathon. But he never appeared until the 2:39 or so mark. Virtually no one knows this other than me and Bill, but he was sent through campus at the entrance to the Stadium by a policeman! The Penn Relay officials never even apoligized to Bill. I have seen Bill only once since then, at the PIAA State meet, he coaches a team from out Pittsburgh Wilkes-Barre way. He didn't seem bitter about it at all. He is a better man than I. Addendum: It would have been a time that would have qualified him for the Olympic Trials Marathon in 1984 (the year Alberto Salazar cut thousands of little holes in his shirt to combat the heat, and slumped to a fifteenth place finish in 2:14:19).

Penn Relays Memories:

My first experience at the Penn Relays was in the mid 70's on a Saturday afternoon. We sat in the closed-in end high up in the stands, scrunched between the dueling fraternities (chanting) and the Jamaicans beating their drums and smoking something quite aromatic. The races were being run every 5 minutes like clockwork, as timed by the big P*E*N*N*S*Y*L*V*A*N*I*A clock at the other end of the track. Nothing is quite like Penn Relays, as anyone who ever ran there or just sat in the stands oooohhhing at every 400 meter stud running by knows. My recent expose on the 4x800 relay brought out some thoughts by Randy Moore, the anchor of that relay. His memories are worth $20 as promised in the previous post, provided he golfs with us in May! The memories are actually worth much more than that....(I'm wondering if Randy has a PSU degree in Literature??)

-Skwilli

running anchor was always nerve racking. you had at least 5 long minutes of waiting and watching while your teammates ran their hearts out. you'd jog around and try to shake loose. but that day, when Millsy had 200 meters to go, it hit me. this is it. i'm not the sophomore this year happy to make the traveling team. i need to bring the baton home - in first - the way my teammates brought it to me. then my heart really started pounding. the crowd roared as Millsy made his move. with Millsy 100 meters away, I saw the long shadow of the teams lined up in the exchange zone - we were the anchor men. we were jammed together Penn Relays style. we were anxious - and ready to pop. i remember thinking here we go. it was D day, except the enemy was a cocky kid named miles irish. how do you compete against someone named miles? my mom should have names me something tougher like, squirrel hill or Julian pike.

millsy came in hard and and i took off. wow, i remember thinking - perfect stick! i ran the first 500 meters on nerves. i remember thinking, "smooth and relaxed". at 500 meters i felt Miles closing behind. 'ok, the race starts here' i remember thinking. 'take it off autopilot'. i knew the first 400 was fast enough but not too fast. at 200 meters to go i saw a shadow again, right behind mine and heard the imperative command 'no ******* way'. i dropped the hammer in a way i'd never done before, and maybe never done after. i just ran. my very own forest gump moment.

the rest is a blur. i don't remember any pain. i don't remember any thoughts or chants like i always did to finish strong. i just ran. everything was silent. i didn't know where the tape was and i think i ran 20 meters too far. I missed the photo op with my arms raised in victory. i didn't care. it was over and we were victorious.

we were all different people on that team. we were all competitive, but on that day we were one. on that day were were the best - best in the world that year. that day we were pure and sublime. and we made Harry cry - which really was something special.

-Randy Moore

Great Performances #2:

Last time we checked in with great performances, Don Ziter braved the wrath of Coach Groves by running a trio of fraternity races unrivaled in modern history. Unfortunately, anyone checking the facts realized I had taken some liberties with the timing of the events. The basic gist of the report was accurate, however. I have since fired all the fact checkers working for the blog! Also, anyone paying attention realizes I incurred brain damage in 1978 when I tore my groin in fencing class, causing me to remember a meet with Villanova that apparently never happened.

Finally, I can report on a great performance without having to make it up! In one of the greatest performances in Penn State History, the 1985 4X800 team of Vance Watson (1:49.2), Steve Shisler (1:47.9), Chris Mills (1:48.5) and Randy Moore (1:45.5) won the Championship of America at The Penn Relays. The time (7:11.17) still stands as the Number 2 All-Time Collegiate mark. At the time, it was the Number 1 ranked 4X800 in the world. The 4-man team was elected to the Penn Relays Hall of Fame in 2000.

I was actually there, in the front row, exactly opposite the start/finish line. It was the best race I have ever watched. (And I watched the Rono/Salazar XC duel in '79 and Craig Virgin in the World XC Champs at The Meadowlands in 1984.) It was either that year, or in 1983 when PSU won its first 4X800 Championship, that Barb Black saw Coach Groves up in the stands with tears in his eyes, asking her not to tell anyone. That lasted about 4 minutes until she found me!

Steve has golfed with us every year but one, I believe. I have pestered Randy to come next year and I have him in the "possible" category along with Larry Mangan. Give them all a shout-out by email to encourage them to come next year. Chris and Vance aren't on my email lists, so anyone out there in "the internets" could help us out by contacting them. Let's get them together for an "after" photo!

And now, what's a great story without a really cliched movie to go with it. Quit complaining, it is only 1:25 long.

Penn Relays Athletes Come Out of the Woodwork!

Another blast from the past has made his presence known. Unfortunately, its another runner who beat me in the 1979 Penn Relays Marathon. Previously, Tim Backenstose and Dave Spears signed up for next year's Harry Groves Memorial Tourney. Don Ziter has golfed with us on several occasions, as has his wife, Lynne (at least she didn't beat me in the marathon!). Now, Brad Althouse has said hello from beautiful Utah. He may not be able to join us next year for golf, but he is interested. His reminisces of our memorable mountain runs are recounted on the message board.

When talking about the 1979 Penn Relays, it must be remembered that PSU won every college individual distance race that year! Tim won the marathon, Alan Scharsu won the 5,000 meters, Bruce Baden won the 3,000 meter SC, and John Ziegler won the 10,000 meters. PSU also accounted for about 1/2 of the first 30 finishers in the marathon. We also won the overall competition at The Cold Molsons, with many other athletes chipping in for the victory.