Running Side Trips

Side Trips will include news from running clubs, individual achievements and notes from area road races. Please feel free to submit notes to be included on the page by e-mailing the information to admin@clinesrunningcorner.com.

Read about the latest running news.

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Funds and runs will help expenses for runner's 5-year-old
who is recovering from a lawnmower accident

By Fiona Green

Sergio Hernandez, 38, is a familiar figure on the D/FW racing circuit. A top age-group runner, Hernandez, from Granbury, is one of the most pleasant, down-to-earth people you will meet. He has instilled his healthy lifestyle in his two boys, 10-year-old Cesar and 5-year-old Jack (pictured left), who enjoy a variety of activities including soccer and, of course, running. Jack would often accompany Sergio to his races around the Metroplex and participate in the kids' fun runs, always finishing with a big smile on his face, proud of his achievement. Cesar and Jack were both typical, active boys until a freak accident on Friday, April 13 changed their lives forever.

Jack had been riding on the back of a lawnmower. When the mower was put into reverse, he fell off and before the driver could do anything, Jack's leg had become entangled in the blades. Frantic, his parents rushed him to the hospital, horrified at the sight of their young son's badly injured leg. Later that day they heard the news that is every parent's worst nightmare; Jack's leg would have to be amputated below the knee.

For three weeks Rita, Jack's mother, stayed by her son's side at the Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, reassuring him that things would be okay. It is a situation nobody can be prepared for. Spending hours on end in the hospital left her with plenty of time to think, to reflect on what had happened and what the future might hold. While the thought scares her, she knows she has to stay positive for a young boy who needs her now more than ever. Sometimes words are not enough to console her young son and all she can do is hold Jack's hand to comfort him and look forward to a time when their lives might once again return to some semblance of normalcy.

Over the past few weeks the family has learned that they have to take things one step at a time. Prior to the accident, Rita had been working as a waitress and had just been offered a management position. Everything has now been put on hold as she adjusts her life around Jack's needs. For now, her son is totally dependent on his caregivers. To get around, he uses a wheelchair or a walker. Asked how he is coping, Rita explained that he has good days and bad. The past few days were tough as he was on heavy pain medication and slept a lot. Since, he has felt a little better and was keen to go outdoors. His mother doesn't know what tomorrow will bring.

Jack was allowed to return home in early May. He'll be visited by a nurse three times daily to teach Rita how to care for Jack and give him his medicine. Once Rita has learned how to do this, the family will be on their own again. The transition to home living will not be an easy one, and Rita is already anticipating what changes need to be made to accommodate her son's needs. It will be a long fight but she understands that they have no choice but to get on with it and deal with the situation as well as they can. Her family is strong and they will get through this together. Within the next few weeks Jack will be fitted for a prosthetic leg. This will require more rehab sessions and more hospital visits.

Jack misses his friends and looks forward to starting school with them in the fall. Despite everything, he is still just a young boy who wants to have fun with his friends.

The running community is like a large, extended family. When tragedy strikes a member of our family, everyone is affected. Although we cannot change what happened to Jack, we can help change his future. On learning of Jack's story, two pillars of the running community offered to organize events to help defray Jack's mounting medical bills. The first,  a 5K run organized by Dave Holtsford, will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 at the Lipan School, 211 N. Kickapoo Street, in Lipan. The event is sponsored by the Lipan Go Far running group, which promotes fitness for kids. The involvement of the kids in this program has caused their parents to get active, and the interest in Lipan has been tremendous. There is no entry fee but organizers ask that runners consider donating to Jack's medical fund. For further information, please contact Dave Holtsford at 254-646-2778. The second event, the Race for Jack 5K, organized by Jeph Abara, will take place at River Legacy Parks in Arlington on Saturday, June 23. Please see flyer for further details.

If unable to attend these events but would still like to help, please consider donating to Jack's medical fund. Donations can be made by sending a check to Community Bank Granbury Christian Jack Hernandez fund, P.O. Box 580 Granbury TX,76048.      .
All contributions large or small, are greatly appreciated. 

If anyone would like to send Jack a card offering him words of support and encouragement, please send this to Jack Hernandez, 4006 Diann Dr., Granbury TX, 76049

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See Archives for previous notes, reports, etc.

Kolin Styles knew running was his forte as a freshman in Holliday
and he is proving it as he and older brother Koby have won overall titles at different distances, but at the same events

Note: Kolin Styles began making his mark in the DFW area in 2011 when he won the LGRAW’s Bold in the Cold 5K and his brother Koby won the 15K. Kolin, from Holliday, lives in Weatherford and works for Luke's Locker. Koby is the cross country and track coach at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls. The brothers, who grew up in Holliday, nailed another double in 2012 at The Cowtown. Kolin won the marathon, his second attempt at the distance, and Koby won the 50K ultra. Kolin's most recent overall win was April 28 at the Aledo AdvoCats Run, Walk or Crawl 5K. Here is a look at Kolin’s running career.

Kolin Styles, right, and his brother Koby, shown after winning the 5K and 15K at the LGRAW Bold in the Cold in 2011.

Kolin Styles, 25 was introduced to long distance running when he attended Holliday High School as a freshman. Running was a natural step for Kolin as he came from an athletic family and had an older brother, Koby, running. He said it was because of Koby that he started running. Kolin enjoyed an envious high school career. When he graduated, Kolin had been selected an All- State runner twice, three-time District Champion in cross country and track & field. Regional Champion in cross country and track & field. He also was a state medalist in both sports. In high school, Kolin was a multi-sport athlete, but always knew he had something going in the sport of running.

Kolin received a cross country scholarship to East Central University in Ada, Okla. He got the opportunity to become teammates with his older and younger brothers (Koby and Kendall) while attending ECU. In 2008, Kolin transferred to Tarleton State University and was a South Central All Region selection in cross country and also was a Lone Star Conference Track and field Championship medalist four times in the steeple, 10K and 5K.

Kolin is currently attending Tarleton State Kinesiology Graduate Program and will be graduating on May 12, 2012. Kolin plans to continue to run competitively and work at Luke’s Locker in Fort Worth.

“I feel like these past 6-8 months have really gone well for me as for as running,'' he said. ``If I haven’t been given the opportunity to work at Luke’s Locker, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today. I never thought about competing in marathons till I started working in the store. My co-workers are so supportive and it’s easy to be motivated when you work with the people that I get to. It’s the feeling like you’re on a team again.”

Kolin won the 2012 Forth Worth Cowtown Marathon in February with a time of 2:37, but initially he was second overall. When Kolin received the news that the guy who won the marathon was disqualified for running with his friend’s bib number, he was shocked and excited at the same time. He had made his marathon debut in December, 2011, at the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon, where he finished seventh overall and first in his age group with a 2:34.

“It was unfortunate for the guy to be disqualified after winning the marathon. But again, I know the work that I put in and the effort I gave, I was just the runner who finished behind him. It’s one of those situations where you have no control over,” he said.

Kolin plans to compete in triathlons and 5Ks in the DFW area, but will soon begin training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon. Kolin is also planning on running the 2013 Boston Marathon with some of his running buddies and is excited about it because it’s finally a race where they’re all training for the same goal.

Kolin's personal bests: marathon -- 2:34; 15K -- 49:30; 10K -- 32:00; 5K -- 14:50 on the track and 15:18 on the road; 1,500 meters -- 4:01.

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Boston and Gansett --two marathons in three days while while sleeping in car for six consecutive nights

By Thomas “T.O.” Okazaki

Holding the Gansett medal.

T.O.'s bed for six nights was in a rental car.

T.O. and his Boston Marathon medal.

So, do you think it is hard to run a marathon? How about qualifying and signing up for the Boston Marathon? What about doing two marathons in three days in two different states? Do you think you could do all that while sleeping in a rental car for six straight days? Sounds pretty crazy right, but that is what I did! Hello, my name is T.O. I am a Marathon Maniac, a proud member of the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers, in Grapevine and this is my story!

I recently ran and survived the record heat of 89F at the 116th Boston Marathon on April 16, finishing in a time of 3:41:20. As I crossed the finish line, my hands started to tingle from running too fast and too hard in the afternoon heat and under a cloudless sky. I saw lots of runners cramping or throwing up!  Some fainted and collapsed to the ground while scores of others were being carted off in either a wheelchair or a stretcher. The sounds of sirens of ambulances continued to echo through the city streets as I headed for my rental car.

I was very pleased with my finishing time. Last year, I ran Boston while recovering from a knee injury, so I felt a great deal of satisfaction, catching so many of the runners who had started ahead of me, even some in the first, red-colored wave who were given a 20-minute head start!  Running a marathon two days earlier in Narragansett, R.I. at the Gansett Marathon had actually helped.  My upper legs muscles needed time to loosen up during the first couple of miles anyway. 

Starting out slowly at about 9:30/mile pace and taking it easy until 5 miles was a good strategic move as the heat and hills slowly took their toll on runners later in the sizzling heat. This is especially true at Boston where there is such dramatic elevation loss in the early miles, luring and enticing marathoners to go out way too fast early and end up paying for it later at the Newton and Heartbreak Hills from miles 16 to 21.

The airfare this year to Boston was very expensive, especially if you wanted to fly in on the more popular dates and times close to race day on Monday. So, I ended up coming in much earlier and later than I wanted for a total of six days.  Since I was going to be stuck in New England for so long, I decided to run another marathon in another state for number 27  to help reach my goal of doing all 50 states and also for the challenge of doing two marathons in three days with Boston being the second of the two.  I enjoy doing back-to-back marathons anyway! It is a form of training that helps me to build both speed and endurance. So, I chose to enter the Gansett Marathon, scheduled only wo days before Boston.

About three years ago, The Gansett Marathon was created in response to all the runners who were being shut out and frustrated by the early closing of registration for the Boston Marathon due to the huge popularity and demand for entries for that race. Gansett is the only marathon in the world, besides the Olympics, where the only way to gain entry is to qualify. The race uses the same qualifying standards as Boston, so the entry field was stacked with fast runners. Only five of the 107 runners finished the marathon in over 4 hours this year!

Narragansett, Rhode Island is only about an 1-½ hour drive south of Boston. After picking up my race packet for Boston early Friday afternoon, I hit the road to try and get there before sundown and pick up my race packet. I took a short stop in Foxboro, MA, to take a photo of Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.

I had already carbo loaded at noon at an Olive Garden Restaurant in Framingham, MA, a small suburb community just west of downtown Boston, before the Boston Marathon packet pick-up. I love Olive Garden because if there is a long line to wait for a table, you can just walk straight to the bar and order a meal there. I would return to this same restaurant two days later on Sunday to double carbo for the Boston Marathon on Monday. Because the Boston Marathon race starts at 10:00 a.m., much later than a regular marathon, eating this extra carbo meal helped me avoid a possible bonk at around noon during the race, when I normally might have a lunch.

When I first planned this trip, I knew there would be no way I could afford a hotel room, especially in downtown Boston. All the hotels know that 25,000 runners will coming, so I would not be surprised if the rates might not be bumped up even higher just for that weekend. As a Marathon Maniac, I already spend a lot of my racing dollars each year for  entry fees, so whenever I travel alone I usually try to sleep in a car as much as possible. I have become quite good at it over the years, camping out at races, at events out of town, especially those that I fly to out of state! My previous car-sleeping PR was four days for the 2010 Big Sur Marathon in California. This time I would be shooting for six consecutive days!

It was a clear, cool, sunny Saturday morning in southern Rhode Island for the 3rd Annual Gansett Marathon. What a contrast in size of the two races, with this one having only 107 finishers, while the Boston Marathon having reportedly 25,000 registered runners! Gansett was a throw back to a simpler time of racing; few frills, very intimate and runners doing a race just for the pure joy of racing and competing. Get a race number, lace up your running shoes and go!

The course was a shrinking double loop, fast and flat, running past quiet New England summer homes and cottages and state park beaches. I kept trading places with a runner dressed up as a giant hamburger. I finally got rid of this “fast” food Whopper at mile 14 when the course turned back into a steady headwind. I ended up completing that race with a time of 3:28:16, a BQ+10! All finishers were awarded a special race patch and treated to a free, delicious pasta meal at the host hotel, which was only a short walk from the finish line and my parked rental car.

My recovery and preparation for the Boston Marathon in only two days began right after I finished Gansett by eating a banana and drinking a bottle of chocolate Boost as soon as possible after the race. Then I had a large pasta meal at the post-race party. One of the first things that I did when I first landed in Boston, was to go buy some bananas, a 12- pack case of Chocolate Boost  along with a case of  bottled water and a bottle of Listerine, to rinse out my mouth so it would be ready available to me throughout the six-day trip.

Also, since I did not have access to an ice bath, I chose to wear a pair of black CEP compression socks after the race. I wore them that night while I slept and all day Sunday. They worked well in keeping the swelling down and helped me recover quicker for another grueling 26.2 miles on Monday.

On the way back to Boston, I stopped at a Barnes and Noble to rest. Along with Starbucks Coffee shops, it is a great place to recharge my smart phone whenever I was not using my charger in the rental car. When at a Starbucks I would simply buy a dessert, tip the cashier and read the daily paper while I waited for the battery to recharge.

For many years I had resisted purchasing a smart phone because of the extra costs involved in having one. Now I wonder why I had waited so long to get one! It has become an invaluable tool to have on trips out of town in finding directions, keeping up with the latest weather conditions, staying in touch with family and friends, and sending back updates of my road trips.

On Sunday, the day before the Boston Marathon, because of the hot weather warnings that were being issued for race day, I went ahead and purchased a cheap bike water bottle at REI and a red bandana at a Walmart along with a bottle of sunscreen. I used the bottle to pour water on my head during the race and soaked the bandana and placed it around my neck to help keep me cooled off and keep the afternoon sun off my neck, just like during an ultra race.

I also decided to carry a credit card in my running shorts in case of an emergency and/or if they happen to start running out of fluids at the aid stations during the race, I could just run into a store and buy a drink and a snack, such as a can of Coke and an ice cream sandwich, at around mile 20, if I needed too.

Fortunately, the race organizers did a fabulous job of doubling up on supplies and emergency personnel. Also the local crowds came out in droves, with many turning on  water hoses and spraying runners as they ran past or offering ice cold, cups of water.

The Red Cross also set up a number of special shower tunnels, along the sides of the course for participants to cool off. These were lovingly nickedname “The Runner’s Wash.” Marathoners go in one end and come out squeaky clean and refreshed!

After going out easy the first 5 miles, my plan was to try and cruise from miles 6 through 16, hit the notorious hills hard between 16 to 21 and save enough in the tank to set up a strong ending for the final 10K, all the way to the finish line.

I spent all day Sunday in Framingham again and slept in my car there again for night #4. I woke up early at about 3 a.m. to drive to downtown Boston to try and find a good parking spot close to both the finish line and the race shuttle buses to the start. Fortunately, parking downtown was free because of the Patriot’s Day Holiday and I ended up finding a great spot only several blocks from the finish! Normally, some downtown parking lots can cost as much as $30 a day in Boston.

It was already getting really warm when my second wave rolled out of Hopkinton. I saw my first runner go down at about the halfway point near Wellesley College. He looked like he went down pretty hard and was knocked unconscious.  I knew then things would really start getting ugly at the Newton and Heartbreak Hills. I saw scores of runners walking by then.

As the temperatures started to soar into the upper 80’s, I kept getting stronger. I was doing a reasonable 7:45- to 8:00-mile pace now. Both the heat and hills were my friends that day, pulling back a lot of struggling runners who had raced eagerly ahead of me at the start. Many would try to seek out small areas of shade created by tall buildings along the side of the course.

There were long well-manned aid stations every mile, staggered on both sides of the course. I took a sip of Gatorade and poured water on my head at every opportunity along with some Succeed capsules every hour to help prevent cramping.

I really didn’t start feeling bad until the last mile and a half, but at that point you know it’s almost over and can start smelling the finish line.  Seeing the huge crowds lining both side of Boylston Street on the final left turn to the finish was all I needed to work hard and empty the tank all the way to the end!

After the race, I was fortunate to discover a fabulous YMCA, just west of downtown Boston in Newton, just off the freeway. For a small fee, you could buy a daily pass and take a shower, along with a free towel.

After learning that I had run the Boston Marathon and just wanted to take a shower without using the rest of the workout facilities, the kind desk clerk admitted me for free! Boy, did that shower feel great!  I hope I didn’t use up all the hot water while I was there.

Although this was one of the hottest marathons out of the 147 marathons and ultras I have done in the past 10 years, I must say it was probably one of the most satisfying. I survived and finish strong amid the worst conditions since the 1976 Run for the Hoses at Boston!

More than 200 participants ended up in hospitals that day and approximately another 2,700 were treated in tents along the course and at the finish. Many runners ended up finishing 20 minutes to an hour slower than normal because of the oppressive heat. I am glad I was not one of them and I only missed another BQ by just another minute and 40 seconds, after running a marathon only two days earlier!

This was my second Boston Marathon and I am looking forward to be going back for number three again next year. Boom!

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Share your race experiences -- good, bad or ugly

Runners, like golfers, usually like to relive their greatest and sometimes not so greatest moments. Most have some interesting stories and experiences that need to be shared. Or maybe there is a favorite race that others should know about and you'd like to spread the word. So do it. Tell your tale on this form. Iinclude some pictures if you want. So, what could be easier except for having me write it for you? If it takes more than one form to complete the report, just number each submission as Page 1, Page 2, etc.. Thanks, Charles Clines. Visit the Favorite or Interesting Event Reports.

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Grunewald takes White Rock's
Executive Director's job

Marcus Grunewald, after serving as race director for the White Rock Marathon for 10 years, has accepted the position as the event's Executive Director, it has been announced. White Rock also has contracted with a new firm, Event Southwest, led by Lear Johnson and Michael Luchsinger, to handle all race operations and logistics. White Rock, after two years at Fair Park, is moving to downtown Dallas for this year's event. See the news release for more details.

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Run For Your Life: Dr. Roger Clifford

 By Chris Phelan, The Phast Times News

(Roger Clifford gave a brief talk at the Plano Spring Scamper on Saturday (pictured), March 31, and ran in the fun run)

Roger Clifford

As we reported in the February issue, on January 28 Dr. Roger Clifford had problems breathing at the half-mile mark of a 5K he was doing. “Everything was fine,” he says now of that day. Looking back on the incident that would happen moments later he says, “I can’t believe I almost died!”

A veteran runner who ran in high school and did his first of many marathons in1999, Clifford has PRs of 17:04 5K, 36:00 10K, and a 2:48 marathon. In 2002, when he decided to get serious about running, his coach was Olympian and Dallas White Rock Marathon Champion Kyle Heffner. Clifford had also played a high level of baseball at one point, as well.

Before the race, Clifford had some coffee and a GU w/caffeine to help his race performance, a normal legal ritual many runners, swimmers, cyclists, triathletes, duathletes and anyone doing an aerobic sport for competition does on race day. He had warmed up for the January Plano Pacers monthly race with a 2 ½-mile run before taking his place on the starting line for the 8:15 gun. Training had been going great. He had recovered from the New York City Marathon in November. In fact, during the race, he says, “I was exerting less effort compared to the runners around me. I thought I’d win (overall.) I definitely would win Masters.”

Then in less time it took to read that last sentence, everything changed.

 “All of sudden, both legs were unusable. I had zero energy, fatigue in both arms, and I was a little off balance.” Clifford stopped suddenly, thinking, “This is systemic.”

Friend and competitor, Bob Smeby was also in the race. Both Masters runners went through the first mile in 5:50. Running alongside Clifford, Smeby sensed something was wrong. Clifford suddenly stopped. Smeby asked if he everything was all right.

“I said, ‘Oh, yes,’ hoping it would pass in a couple of minutes.’’ Clifford said he wasn’t sure, that he had a cramp. He told his friend to go on and finish the race. He made it to his car alone after waving off assistance. It took him 10 minutes to walk the half mile to his car. He says it was the longest walk he’s ever done. Smeby circled back around, but couldn’t find his running buddy.

Smartly, Clifford drove straight to a fire station and honked his horn while calling the 911 operator.

“I was still thinking the paramedics would check me out,”  he said. The firemen couldn’t find a pulse or get his blood pressure. By 8:45, he was in the Medical Center of Plano, which contacted his wife. “I should have told the guys at the race to call 911,” he said.
 
Being one of the better Masters category runners in the area, his resting heart should have been between 40 and 60 BPM. Instead, it was 300. He had a shallow heart beat without much blood. His heart was pumping very fast, but weakly. His brain was suffering from a lack of oxygen, causing Clifford’s imbalance and slurred speech.

“I was fine, but with knowledge I had a serious situation.” The problem was in the lower right chamber of his heart, “probably genetic,” he says. Because he was able to survive the attack with three excellent chambers because to his fitness, he “couldn’t accept what the doctors were saying until the third expert opinion, and an MRI.”

Looking back, he says he could have died at one of his previous races. It was lucky the condition struck at the beginning of his race because if it had occurred at the end, no one would have known the correct problem, thinking Clifford was weak from the race.

The condition is known as Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, or ARVD.

Smeby visited Clifford in the hospital the next day when multiple tests were being conducted, with more scheduled. On January 31, three days after being admitted to the hospital, he was released, but knew he would be going back in. On February 17, he had a defibrillator put in his chest to provide a minor electrical stimulus if his heart repeated the episode.

His wife and three kids (8, 12, and 15 years of age) were very concerned. “When I got out, I had to wear an external life vest with a monitor to the defibrillator.” He said it was very obtrusive. When Ethan, the middle child, saw his dad, he was a little shocked. He didn’t tell his classmates, and most still don’t know. “It’s nothing they should know,” Ethan said. “It’s personal.”
 
‘’When he came back, it was really different. He was really weak, couldn’t carry things. He wasn’t running.” But Ethan said he wasn’t worried. (His dad was) only concerned about his running. Running is his life.”

 Soon he was back at his chiropractic practice at work, but only supervising his treatments. He couldn’t do anything physical because of his weakness. But he adjusted fine as did his patients.

A month later over the phone, Clifford reminisced about running track workouts at TNT-Tuesday Night Track. “I can't believe it's been so long! They'll still go down as some of my best workouts ever!” Then put things in perspective. “Yeah, it's a bummer what happened and it totally changed my world upside down. Some doctors even called me ‘A long shot to make it!’ But I did get the device in and every day is a little better. My cardiologist thinks I'll be out running in a couple of weeks! Not sure about racing, but just the thought of running again is so wonderful.”

He wants to make it very clear what caused the symptoms, that running is not to blame. In fact, his running helped him. “I didn't almost die because of running. It's because I had an undetected heart condition known as ARVD. Without that, I'd still be out there running my 100-mile weeks and racing with no difficulties and with no safety concerns.’’

He says previously, he “had no appreciation for cardiac conditions.” Now, he is interested in getting the word about what happened. “I want to get the word out because my experience can probably save lives. There are some symptoms to look for so people know when they should get checked as a precaution, or during runs and races, when certain symptoms need to be considered as giant indicators to stop and get help. James Royal with the Plano Pacers had me talk before the March Race, and the DRC might have me out sometime.”

Clifford’s prognosis is good. “I should have a healthy, normal life expectancy.” He has no race plans for the first time in over 10 years. “At first this was a big loss.” He doesn’t know when he’ll return to racing again for fear of setting off the defibrillator. He might keep his running to low-grade tempo runs.

He’s thankful for all who sent cards, and let him know he was in their thoughts and prayers.

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See previous Runners in the Spotlight on the Archives page