Find this page online at www.coolrunning.com/results/99/az/Dec31_Why2K_set1.html
Find this page online at www.coolrunning.com/results/99/az/Dec31_Why2K_set1.html
The time signal was coming in on the shortwave receiver next to the starting line, Friday afternoon, December 31, 1999. The 62 runners were all lined up, rarin' to go, on the 400 meter track with a five-lap race ahead of them. When the "23:58:00 UTC" time signal was broadcast, two minutes before the 'midnight' 0000 hour that the world's GPS's and scientific community base their time-keeping on, the runners were off: A "2 K" race, commencing precisely two minutes before the witching hour. (Medford's afternoon 4:00 PM is the time when the world's UTC ---Universal Time Coordinated--- clocks advance into the next day.)
"Why 2K?", the phrase echoing on everyone's lips for most of a year, became the theme for this millennium's "Why 2K?" race. It brought together Southern Oregon Sizzlers and other Rogue Valley area runners, from ages 8 to 82, for a 2 kilometer track race at Phoenix High School: A track race with a difference, though!
Unlike any 'normal' track race, run in a counter-clockwise direction, these runners commenced in the only fitting way to enter a new millennium, running CLOCKWISE! (Imagine the blasphemy of running COUNTER-CLOCKWISE into a new millennium!). Runners like South Medford High's Perry Custance, who quickly acquired the necessary skill to turn RIGHT in a track race, outkicked Crater High School XC coach Robert Julian, in a blistering 1-JAN-2000 finish (or was it wind-chilling or frost-biting?).
Other local standouts also began this race on 31-DEC-1999 and finished in the new millennium. Southern Oregon University staffer and former student Carl Thomas, along with St. Mary's standout Trevor Coolidge, and Brighton Academy's coach Stan Goodell had to be 're-programmed' so that they would stay on the track. Otherwise, their usual 'track' orientation ---"run fast, turn left"--- might have them shooting off the first turn and racing, lost, off into the City of Phoenix and the Rogue Valley's fog. Or worse, maybe they would become disoriented and run full-speed into the Cyclone fence surrounding the track, 'straining' themselves as they emerged through the fence like so many sausages.
But, what if the race timing was beset with "Why 2K?" woes? What if the clock went berserk at 'midnight', during mid-race? Such hazards were foreseen when it was decided to use the latest technology, "Quartz" watches.... the little grains of quartz dropping from one chamber to another in the three-minute egg timer, as the competitors sought to 'fill each unforgiving ---'quartz'-timed--- minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run'. (Apologies to Rudyard Kipling). The Rogue Valley's fog precluded use of the sundial race timing! Winner Perry Custance's blazing kick brought him home in less than two egg-timers' time. First female finisher Jill Salmon and a host of other youthful competitors finished amongst their elders in 2-3 'egg-timers'. Not far behind Jill were Medford teacher Bonnie Havens and Rogue River High School distance-ace Bobbi Wright. With near egg-timer reliability, the time signal from the WWV, National Bureau of Standards, further attested to the 1999 start and 2000 finish for all of the other competitors, as well.
At the conclusion of the race, the race timing equipment (eight "Y2K Sports watches") was raffled off in a drawing, and eight lucky winners went home with their new "Y2K compliant" wrist watches (3-minute egg 'sand-timers' on wrist bands).
Plans are already well-afoot for the sequel to "Why 2K?". The steeple chase is, by convention, a 3000 meter race. In the 'normal' track direction, the runner encounters the massive hurdle at the water barrier before bounding off the top, to land in the water, emerging with one or two strides on the up-sloping ramp out of the water. "Why 3K?" will be a **CLOCKWISE** steeple chase, though! While entering the water FIRST and then surmounting the barrier will present a considerable challenge, those who begin training for it now should be well-prepared for this challenging event. What with continental drift, the venue has not been finalized, but further "Why 3K?" details should appear in the Southern Oregon Sizzlers newsletter at a later (much!) date.
(Times: All competitors began 31-DEC-1999 and finished 1-JAN-2000). M: Male, F: Female, & age. 1 Perry Custance M18 2 Robert Julian M31 3 Carl Thomas M32 4 Trevor Coolidge M16 5 Stan Goodell M46 6 Todd Ragsdale M30 7 Warren Clarida M17 8 Joe Griffin M39 9 Nathan May M14 10 Kyle Gillette M14 11 Carl Sniffen M47 12 Jill Salmon F20 13 Brian Sniffen M17 14 Doug Naversen M51 15 Bonnie Havens F33 16 Karl Blaeuer M35 17 Bobbi Wright F16 18 Steve Fitzgerald M45 19 John Samuelson M50 20 Nick Asay M18 21 Peter Fish M63 22 John Asay M16 23 Sherman Lamb M49 24 Gary Clarida M50 25 Nicki Wright F40 26 Ray Robison M43 27 Darlene Rambo F44 28 Mike Barrett M61 29 Roy Smith M44 30 Selena Harmon F18 31 Clayton Gillette M43 32 Jim Cox M52 33 Roger Adams M46 34 Brian Benton M40 35 Mike Kirkpatrick M52 36 Ashley Imus F12 37 Bruce Timmerman M49 38 Bill Willits M56 39 Brant Fleetwood M8 40 Mike Marshall M9 41 Jerry Swartsley M59 42 Jak Tompkins M39 43 Tom Willits M43 44 Vickie Tompkins F27 45 Francis Gilbert M50 46 Rick Salmon M51 47 Cathy Salmon F44 48 Mike Geary M11 49 Emily Volk F8 50 Sue Tecmire F38 51 Jaenne Clarida F50 52 Lindsay Clarida F17 53 Trevor Robison M10 54 Jan Fish F50 55 Shirley Crosson F64 56 Marianne Robison F39 57 Daurel Coolidge F50 58 Sandy Geary F37 59 Merrill Barneby M82 60 Karen Gilbert F48 61 June Smith F73 62 Alfred Crosson M66