Runner of the Month: Adam David

Interviewed by Noreene Matsuda

I know you are originally from Boston. What brought you and your family to Southern California?  

My wife Julia has a larger and more consolidated family on the West Coast, compared to my small and somewhat scattered family on the East Coast. When we were thinking about moving out of New York City to raise kids in the future, we chose the West Coast. Luckily, Julia was offered a job in California, which allowed us to move to Irvine. I later found work here in Irvine, too.  

When did you start running? Was there a particular reason why you decided to become more serious about it?  

My girlfriend at the time, now my wife Julia, signed me up for a 5K race back in New York City in 2011. I’ll never forget the name —“Coogan’s Race.” After the race, everyone went to Coogan’s Bar for a free breakfast. They had the best Shepherd’s Pie I ever had, and free beer! Everyone wore a big smile that day, and the rest is history. :) 

What is your favorite running memory, race or experience?  

The Coogan’s 5K was great. However, New York City was my first marathon, and the entire race was amazing. The energy from the runners and spectators was over the top. A few people from my NYC running group and I teamed up with the NYFD. For a nominal fee, we were able to take advantage of their starters’ tent that included a continental buffet and recovery party at the finish. We felt like rock stars! Some guys on quads picked us up at the finish line and drove us to a college campus on the west side so we could take showers and get massages. They also served us, along with our friends and family, a very large meal. 

Some club members gave you the nickname “Money.” Tell us how this got started.  

“Money” or “Lucky” have been new nicknames that came about after gaining back-to-back entries for both the Tokyo and London Marathons last year. Now for 2020, I was awarded an entry to the Berlin Marathon. I don’t know how I did it other than going through the motions like everyone else. I still pinch myself thinking about it. 

What is your favorite post-run treat? 

I love a good egg sandwich with extras like avocado and tomato on a good artisan roll, or a breakfast sandwich from McDonald’s. Another favorite treat is the matcha boba drink at Omomo. It always hits the spot when I’m feeling exhausted.  

You and Julia have two adorable children, Ruby and Jack. How do you manage to include running in your busy schedule?  

The first step was to secure a double stroller. I knew I had to illuminate the basic excuses that come along with running with kids. Lately it’s been really hard to find time, so I make sure I show up to most of the Saturday morning runs while the family is still getting up. 

What are you looking forward to this year—running and non-running?  

This year I’m looking forward to running the Berlin Marathon. I have never been there, and this was where the marathon world record was set. I am also looking forward to my daughter Ruby becoming potty trained. Now this will be a serious game changer! 

Congratulations, Adam! 

SCRR Road Trip - Palm Springs

By Cathy Shargay

Photos by Amy Dayao

It is a tradition for the Tour de Palm Springs biking event and Palm Desert Half Marathon to be held on the same weekend in mid-February, and we’ve had groups make this a reason for a road trip since about 2009. This year, I believe 29 Roadrunners headed out! We had three VRBO houses and some people were in nearby hotels. 

For the biking event, most of the SCRR riders did the 50 mile route, but Greg and Ken did the full, 100 mile century, since they are training for an Ironman later this year. Both routes head out around the windmills (i.e. in an area that could have killer headwinds), but luckily, we had minimal winds and perfect weather. I started out with Margot, Justin, Ken and Bob, and we saw Noreene, Greg, Sherri, Fred and Brad at a SAG stop – sorry we missed the others. The SAG stops went all out on food this year, as in addition to the traditional oranges, dates and PB&J sandwiches, the first stop had meatloaf! Ken said that a later stop on the 100 mile route had really good sausages. 

After the ride, we had a chance to enjoy the amenities of our VRBO rental. One house was huge with 5 bedrooms, a vast backyard, pool, Jacuzzi, pool table, ping pong table, air hockey and a putting green with golf clubs! Bob is definitely the champ at ping pong! We had a fun group potluck dinner, and enjoyed hanging out on the patio. Since it was the night before a race, we weren’t able to party late, and each different house did their own thing. 

At the half marathon, the weather was cold at the start, but was perfect after a few miles. Barbara, Victor and Vicki had good races, while many of the rest of us treated it as a training run (especially after the long rides the day before). Sue Z placed overall in the 5K. Todd and Angelica ran 3 miles before and 3 miles after the half marathon to get their 20 mile training run for L.A. Marathon. Many of the group are shown in some of the photos below which were taken after the race. 

The Coronavirus had an unusual impact on the race! The half marathon medals for both placing and participation, had been manufactured on time, but were held up in China due to the shipping contractor stopping all of their workers from entering China. We expect that the race organizers will mail the place medals, but oh well, no participation medals. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy the events and overall experiences!  There will be interest in continuing the long-time tradition and doing it again next year! 

Atlanta Marathon

By Michelle Ren

This was my first time traveling for a race so I was a little nervous, but I had a great experience. It was nice to get back in touch with my southern roots! I was pleased with the southern hospitality and wonderful food that fueled a fun weekend and race.

I knew the U.S. Olympic marathon trials would be fun and neat to see, but it completely exceeded my expectations and turned out to be so special and life-changing. I was impressed by the stats of the runners: 200 men and 500 women. And it was so great to see thousands of high-spirited, supportive spectators gathered together to cheer on the amazing athletes and bask in the glory of their incredible ability and inspiration. 

I learned that a very small percentage of the runners were competing for a spot in the Olympics while the others were understandably thrilled simply to have qualified and to make it to Atlanta. I had the pleasure of meeting some friends and families of the participants and to share the joy, tears, and thrills with them when their sons, daughters, siblings, and friends passed by. I was exhausted by the end of it all having experienced such mind-blowing greatness and excitement. What a privilege it was to have been a part of this. 

The day of the trials was cold and brutally windy, but us amateurs lucked out as the temperature rose and winds quieted down just in time for our marathon.

The Publix Atlanta Marathon was another great race! It was a fun way to tour the city, one that I'd never been to previously. The course was challenging with many small but seemingly nonstop hills, plus lots of turns to get us through basically the entire city. The first 13.1 miles were lively, as they were combined with those running the stand-alone half, and the second half was pretty quiet and painful after all the hills but overall still awesome. 

I'm writing this the day after the marathon and feel pretty beat up and can barely walk, but I would still recommend this race (either the 13.1 or 26.2!) to anyone who hasn't run it. There were many unique race attributes, like running on bridges, grass, and a school track, and the race and expo were both well-organized and well-stocked with volunteers. I really enjoyed the sights and vibes of the city and the perfect weather.

Thanks for a fantastic weekend, Atlanta! 

Treasurer's Report

By David Paul

Total Cash Balance, Beginning	4809.49
Cash Inflows	358.33
Cash Outflows-First Thursday	315.39
Cash Outflows-RRCA Insurance
Cash Outflows-Banquet
Cash Outflows-Uniforms
Cash Outflows-Social Gatherings
Cash Outflows-Other
Net Change in Cash	42.94
Total Cash Balance, Ending	4852.43