Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1998)
TI he CI ac I< amas P rìnt O'Brien and Stones dash off to Boston Marathon as a way of “staying active” and soon found himself entering into 5 and 10K races. His first marathon was in Seattle in 1995. “That was an interesting experi ence “ he says, as his original intent was nothing more How do you spend your Mondays? College faculty than to finish the event, “just to say I had run a mara members Dick Stones and Tim O’Brien spent a Monday thon.” in April with 11,498 others, running 26 miles in Boston. Once the race was underway, however, he found the The Boston Marathon is the pinnacle of running, sort going a lot easier than he’d anticipated and finished in art f of the Mt. Everest for marathoners worldwide. It’s the ***** impressive time of 3 1/2 hours. O’Brien quickly realized world’s oldest annual marathon, and qualifying to enter that his time was only twenty minutes above that the race can be more of a challenge than the 26.2-mile Talk about karma; as Dick Stones was crossing the needed for Boston. So, with confidence flowing, “I gave run itself. For men aged 18 to 34 this means proof that they’ve run a certified marathon in under 3 hours, 10 finish line in Boston, Tim O’Brien was about to do the myself the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon minutes during the preceding year. Women in the same same. O’Brien is completing his first year at the col during the following year,” he says. His determi age group must post times of three hours, 40 minutes in lege. He teaches nation paid off. order to qualify. For each increasing five years of age horticulture and is O’Brien’s next entrants are allowed the luxury of an additional five rumored to be the marathon was a youngest instruc minutes of time. year later, again in Dick Stones has been a German and English instruc tor on campus. Seattle. “It was a Stones, tor at the college for nine years. He began running Like nerve-wracking O’Brien spent a twenty-five years ago while living in Salt Lake City. last few miles,” he “I’d always been active in sports but never really com Monday in April recalls, as he was his mitted to anything,” he says. That is, until he was “en fulfilling keeping a close eye couraged by some people to enter a race”. The experi dream as well. on the time he The spectators ence of that 10K event seemed to whet his appetite for needed to cross the competitive running and he hasn’t stopped since. Bos play a major role in finish line during ton was Stones’ 48th marathon and his third this year. O’Brien’s memo the race. He quali His first marathon, in Salt Lake City, was memorable ries of the mara fied for Boston with for the pain, but he professes that the more marathons thon. He says he nine seconds to he does, the easier they become. was completely “in spare. An injury “The more I run, the faster I recover,” he says. awe” as he was kept him from run Not content with a mere 26 miles of agony, Stones running the final ning in the 1997 has also competed in five ultra marathons, ranging from one-half mile. contest; fortunately “You can see the SOK to 50 miles. But the Boston Marathon was special. JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print the Boston officials “The whole city and more turns out for this event,” finish line as you Horticulture Instructor Tim O'Brien (left) and German Instructor effuses Stones, who was overwhelmed by the more than are running past Dick Stones display proudly their medals signifying completion of allowed him to bleachers packed the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annual event of its kind. postpone his entry one million spectators lining the route. until this year. Stones was impressed with the management of the with people, cheer O’Brien’s next running goal is to complete a mara marathon and seemed especially intrigued by the mod ing you on,” he said. Like many others, O’Brien views ern timing methods. Prior to the start of the race each a this marathon as “the race that separates the recreational thon in under three hours. With his track record this looks computer chip was placed in each entrant’s shoe, which runners from the serious runners.” Like Stones, he re a fait accompli. In the meantime he can be found in vealed that a big part of the mystique of Boston lies in the volved in more leisurely pursuits including big-wall rock provided accurate times over the course. climbing and canoeing. Now that he’s surpassed this long-time goal, what does challenge of qualifying. For Dick Stones and Tim O’Brien, Mondays will never While Stones had 47 marathons under his belt before the future hold for Stones’ running career? “Foreign coun tries,” he said, hoping to use marathons as an excuse to tackling Heartbreak Hill in Boston, O’Brien had just be the same. The 103rd Boston Marathon will be held third see more of the world. He also spoke of completing the two. He started running when he was an undergraduate Monday in April in 1999. What will you be doing? LYNN ELSEY Staff Writer stultifying Death Valley-to-Mt. Whitney run, which takes place in the sizzling heat of the California summer. Why does he run? “The more I run, the better I feel both mentally and physically,” he explains. He then adds a confession: “Each race gets easier.” Which could be words of encouragement to the potential marathoners among us—or fear to those he’s competing against. Diverse wildflowers enliven the Native Garden usually above looks very similar in structure to that of the Oregon 3000 feet in el Iris, but the Del Norte Iris colors itself a livid orange evation. But, be that immediately distinguishes it from the light purple cause of our un Oregon Iris. Although you cannot braid steel-cable seasonably warm strong rope out of this iris’ leaves, it does have some weather and low unique qualities. For instance, the Del Norte Iris derives its common name elevation, we get the opportunity to from a small county in northern California (Del Norte see them bloom County), where it is native. This plant is another example ing all in one of the interesting and divergent flora that occurs in the southwest Oregon / northwest California corridor. early flush. Del Norte Iris grows naturally only within this isolated In the center of the rock garden area of the planet, and it also has the uncommon tendency the Oregon Iris, to change its flower color from plant to plant. Some plants Iris tenax, ap produce a light blue bloom, and some a tiger-orange dis pears at first play, as we see here in the Native Garden. It is the tiger glance to be boil orange that is the more commonly occurring, but the odd ing out of the ball-blue ones do occur, and they confused and confounded brick wall that early botanists for many years. In the wooded area, between the Pauling Center and the sits behind it. Or egon Iris has a Barlow parking lot, there is a wonderful flush of White palm-sized light Fawn Lilies, Erythronium oregonum. Take a walk back purple flower there and look for the clusters of nodding white flowers TIMOTHY BELL / Clackamas Print with three petals, about eight to twelve inches off of the ground. These flow Del Norte Iris flowers open their tiger-striped petals in greeting. They are but and an assort ers are extremely delicate, both in appearance and in one of many Iris varieties that make the Native Garden their home. ment of petal-like impactibility, so please be careful to stay on the edge of reproductive parts the patches and not walk through the center of the area in inserted in its center. Its petals come decorated with a bloom. The name Fawn Lily comes from the plants’ oval SLADE SAPORA shaped leaves, which are mottled in color, like the mark white patch lined with thin black stripes. Contributing Writer Oregon Iris leaves were recognized by Native Ameri ings of a young fawn. Fawn Lilies have six white petals that bend and curve cans as an extremely strong source of fiber, and small ropes As spring swings into high gear, it becomes difficult to were braided from these leaves. It is reported that a rope backwards, ending in pointed tips. The flowers are soli keep track of all its many minions, mainly the wildflowers. the size of your little finger would be strong enough to use tary and seem to be dozing off as they tend to nod over As you stroll through the Native Garden you can’t help but in an Elk snare. This lends to its Latin name Iris tenax, and face the ground at the end of their slender stalks. All notice the rock garden vibrantly blooming in a diverse as tenax meaning strong, or “tenacious.” The name “iris” is of this makes them an easily recognized and appreciated derived from the Greek goddess who flashed her messages native wildflower; one that we are fortunate to have in sortment of shapes and colors. such proliferation. Located directly below the windows of the chemistry across the skies in the form of rainbows. I hope you take the time to stop and smell the Native Another interesting Iris located in the rock garden, is the lab, the rock garden hosts some of our most unique and spectacular native plants. Many of these plants would be Del Norte Iris, Iris innominata. Look to the very north Garden this week. It is quickly waking up from its long , seen blooming later in the year in their natural habitats, end of the rock garden for its tiger-like bloom. Its flower winter sleep. Enjoy. Wednesday, May 6, 1998
