Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1981)
Racers are leaving the track and ... Hitting the road The jogging craze is here to stay. Everyone from the toddling infant to the wizened great grandmother is taking to the streets in new shorts and run ning shoes. One tremendously popular offshoot from this jogging man ia is road racing. "I don't think it (road racing) is just growing; I think it’s actually exploding,” says Dr. William McChesney, father of distance star Bill McChesney. "I’ve run all the Butte to Buttes since the day they started, and I think there were 300 people in the first one. Last year there were 6,000." Road races like the Butte to Butte run held each July by the Oregon Track Club have become commonplace in the Eugene area. The reasons people run in them are nume rous. “The thing I like best about road racing is the camaraderie that you find,” says McChesney, who has been involved in road running for about eight years. "I think it’s that feeling that the running community seems to have. Everybody is con cerned about everybody else, yet they really don’t care how fast the other person runs." McChesney’s wife, Marsha, explains that "to me it’s social, as well as the physical fitness part of it. We’ve met an awful lot of really nice, interesting people." Paul Blint, a graduate geo graphy student at the University who has been running road races for over 10 years, finds running to be excellent therapy. "It’s just a good feeling to be physical and not mental all the time," Blint says. "It helps me to keep in shape and keep the weight down." Blint also enjoys the competi tive aspect. "One of my motiva tions, in racing, is beating as many people as I can. I don't go around bragging about it, but it’s self-satisfying in that respect.” Others, like Marsha McChesney, find satisfaction from within. "I really compete against myself more that other people, trying to better my times," she says. Her style apparently works, as she holds the Ame $20.95 PLUS 200 FREE MILES! f or v,.o.nipi»*tL* dn.i > 1 ^-li‘ ^Kendall FordE23 V.illt'v Rivt-r Ccntfi fuy.rMc ^47 ?IS I rican record in the 3,000 meters for her age group (51). It wasn’t always that easy, however. “When I first started, I couldn't go around the whole block,” she said. “That’s the thing for a lot of women my age, they think Gee, I can’t do it.' But you've got to start somewhere. William McChesney offers some words of advice to those just beginning to run. "I'd buy a darn good pair of shoes, with good support to them," McChesney says. “I had shin splints and bad ankles and Achilles (problems), all from a bad pair of shoes. "The second thing I’d say is just to go slow. I think most people that get into it buy a new pair of shoes and go out and try to be Lasse Viren. You can’t do that. In fact, I’ve found that it takes about two to three years of distance running background before you’re really comfortable even being competitive in a road race. It just seems like it takes the body that long to attune to it, no matter who you are.” Another important considera tion for beginners is that some people simply aren’t suited to be runners. "If your personality fits it, fine. But if it doesn’t, something like swimming or riding your bike or Continued on Page 7B I II II I I \ Parts A Service Open Sat. by Appointment Parts and Labor All VW Beetles, Pre 72 Buses, and All Type 3’s SPRING TUNE-UP SPECIAL Engine oil & filter (if needed) • Chassis Lube • Adjust Carburetor with Fuel Analyzer • Cylinder Compression • Check and Replace Ignition Points • Adjust Valve Clearance • Adjust Fan Belt • Inspect and Adjust Brakes • Check Radiator Coolant and Add (if needed) • Replace Spark Plugs Parts and Labor 1972 and Later Buses, Rabbits, and Dashers 69.95 DISK BRAKE SPECIAL ’75 to ’79 Rabbits & Sciroccos NEW ROTORS, PADS, LABOR 1980 WE CARE AWARD OF HONOR WINNER Our mechanics are registered Volkswagen technicians and certified by Niase. VOEESTEDT VOLKSWAGEN 20 Coburg Road • 485-6111 Due to the already low price of thle special, no additional dlecounta will be given. Good through May 31st CulturalForuni photo Gallery in the mam — photography shows University community are now Deinq acceptec for summer show ers are asked to representing the » 2, EMU is May 2 Information Forum. 686- 4373. located featuring the L Portfolios to be rev Interested phr flve mounted photos i to Suite Deadline For more Cultural submit it work
