This page was begun 6/25/98, so give me a few epochs to get it really cookin'.

And, for now and forever, these listings are in no particular order, other than how fast I can think them up in my mind. It is not a "hierarchy of influence" or anything like that. Just to clear that up.

Without further ado, the most serious and introspective page in my whole collection:

My parents. For driving 5 miles into town every night in the fall and spring to pick me up after practice; for doing this with little to no whining; and generally for expecting so much of me that I could hardly keep from having a nervous breakdown by the time I graduated college.

My high school coach, Mr. Berry. He has a very strange and morbid sense of humor, which I liked right away, and he told me on several occasions of my great capacity for mental toughness during a race and my overall endurance. This set the stage for the inevitable ultra-transition.

My college coach, Mr. Kline. He and I do not have a good relationship now, but one thing that he did do for me was he got me used to the idea that some people run *very* far for little other reason than for the enjoyment of it. Due to his training methods, however, I spent half my college career injured. Yes, I am bitter.

DRS - Dead Runner's Society. I may have gotten some of these benefits earlier, as I actually subscribed in '93, just after I learned about email. Unfortunately, I did not fall into the group right away, and unsubbed. I rediscovered DRS in '96, and quickly made friends and gathered lots of great advice about everything having to do with running. I attended the DRS world conference in '97, and met many of the people I had been talking with for months. It was through DRS that I found out about ULTRA and IUS-L, which then became my focus as I "outgrew" DRS. Still, many thanks to those whose names are at the tip of my fingers: Ben Maynard, Jason Mayfield, Tedd Glenn, Scott Larcher, Ray Scott, Jim Puckett, and many, many more.

ULTRA/IUS-L. I first joined ULTRA, and stayed on for several months, but ended up on IUS for the livelier conversations. The conversations from this list and the advice I have given and received is immense. It was here that I posted about my adventures discovering the new world of ultras, and my joy at giving up pavement for good. I found comraderie in the obsessive personalities that do so well in ultrarunning, and found out a little more about my own masochism and obsessive traits and how they are connected to running. No individual names here, as they deserve their own spaces.

Eric Robinson. Eric has helped me immensely in my budding ultra career: by being the reassurance I needed in the summer of '97. I was concerned that I didn't have enough time/mileage to do a 50k that was 6 weeks away. Eric answered my call for advice and and soothed my mind by outlining his training schedule, which averaged 6-8 runs a *month*. I was able to quickly get out and do a 20-miler, and then a 25, and then, eventually, the race itself. I am now showing my gratitude, in part, by pacing Eric at Hardrock this year - an event that has already proven to be the pinnacle of excitement and drama this summer.

Gregg Heinrichs. Met me at my first experience with ultras: volunteering at Ice Age and Kettle Moraine. He gave me insight into how great most average ultrarunners are, and showed me the spiritual side of being physically competent. He also ran with me for a good segment of my first ultra, Dances with Dirt.

Jason Hodde. Jay gave me some of my first technical advice on running and training, and I met him at Ice Age, as well. I am continually impressed as I read through his account of his '97 Grand Slam, which he was about to start when I met him at Ice Age last year. At the time I was totally oblivious to what he was about to do...

Karl King. Creator of great caloric products!

Kevin Setnes. Supplier of great ultra products!

Stan Jensen. With Stan's website, I've gotten information on so many races, places, and faces... a great place to kick back and read for hours.

Kevin Sayers. The archived advice files from years of Ultra and IUS. Invaluable. And, Kevin is a really great guy. :)

Matt Mahoney. Matt's website was actually the first I frequented for my ultra info, and I still check back on it from time to time. He is also a proponent of low-mileage training, so his experiences have been interesting for me to hear.

Stephen Simmons Geez, I don't think I can say enough here. Steve is an ideal ultrarunner in many ways: he is tough, dedicated, and obsessive. He doesn't let little things like inconvenience or discomfort stand in his way when running a race. The most common thing I've heard him say about racing (when he was having problems just getting to the race site, period) is that if he was at the start line at the right time, he would finish the race. And its true - he nearly missed AC this year because of transportation problems, but he made it to Wrightwood on time for the race, and finished faster than last year.

I haven't figured out his specific motivation yet, but it seems to be similar to one of my favorite quotes, from Plato: "self-conquest is the greatest of all victories".

Ernst Baer I first met Ernst over Memorial Day weekend in 1998. He came into the Brown Bear in Silverton after a 60 mile run in the area, and ordered a double shot of whisky. I asked him if that was typical post-run fare for him. Such it began.... Ernst took me out on one of my first runs in the San Juans - up over American-Grouse pass, down in American Basin, and almost up Handies (but I wussed out). It was a long run, but it was a blast, and the start of a long friendship. He has the heart and soul of an adventurer, and a mind and body of someone half his age, and the humor of someone who has only begun to live.

Emily Loman Where to begin? Emily is a wonderful person, an incredibly talented runner, funny, down to earth, cute as all get out, and tougher than the bagels at Hardrock aid stations. More on her later, and some photos, too.

....(to be continued)