FLAT FIVE EVENT RECEIVES AMEREN UE GRANT (added 4/18/08)  

Ameren UE gave the FLEET FEET Runner’s Club a $150 grant to sponsor the 2008 Flat Five.  The majority of the proceeds from this race are donated to running-oriented charitable causes.  The proceeds from the 2007 race benefited the Disabled Athlete Sports Association and 2000 Feet.  The FLEET FEET Runner’s Club will use the Ameren UE grant to attract additional entrants to the 27^th Annual Flat Five that will be held in August of 2008.

MARCH 2008 NEWSLETTER (added 3/13/08)

Click here to download the March newsletter.

CUIVRE RIVER STATE PARK RUN (updated 3/6/08) 

Saturday, March 1st, 2008 

A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT MAN (added 2/12/08)

It was a cool day last winter when I spotted a man in the checkout line at Schnucks.  This was nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that he was wearing a Boston jacket.  I couldn’t resist striking up a conversation with him.  I asked him his name and he said, “I’m Lou Berra and this is my wife, Lori.”  I said, “My name is Mike McNicholas and this is my daughter, Katie.”  Little did I know a friendship began that I will cherish as long as I live. The conversation was short, but we exchanged numbers and started to train together soon thereafter.  It only took one run for Lou to tell me that I was crazy.  He had a habit of letting you know what he thought.

That first run together was a six miler. At about the five mile point, I cranked it down and finished hard.  He stayed on my heels because you couldn’t drop Lou.  The first thing he asked was, “Do you always run like this?”  I said, “I’m not really sure, but how fast was that last mile?”  The fact that I didn’t wear a watch and didn’t keep track of mileage drove him nuts.  You see, Lou was scientific and methodical about his training and I didn’t have a clue about mine.  He forgot more about running than I will ever know.  During many of our runs, the topic of conversation was his knowledge and preparation versus my lack of either.  I remember him shaking his head at me a lot.  He had all the hi-tech gear and knew how to use it, but I would give him trouble and tell him that all that extra weight just slowed him down.   I said, “That Garmin must weigh an ounce or two and that converts to about 45 minutes lost in a marathon.”  Again, he would just shake his head.  In a moving moment at the funeral home, Lori handed me a box containing Lou’s Garmin Forerunner and said she would like for me to have it.  He will always run with me and it will be impossible to drop him now.  Everyone who knows us knows that Lou’s getting a big kick out of this.  “Thanks, Lori.” “You can’t imagine what an honor this is.” 

But seriously, his favorite thing to talk about was his family.  He was a loving husband and father and talked constantly about his wife, Lori, and kids, Tory and Alexis. They were his world and he was truly dedicated to their happiness.

He was a top-notch firefighter and in any aspect of life you wanted Lou on your side.  One thing was for sure, you wouldn’t be let down.  He once received the Medal of Valor for diving into a frigid swimming pool to attempt saving a child’s life.  Not even his closest friends knew.  That’s just the way he was, humble and selfless.

Lou taught me so much in a short period of time.  He taught me a lot about running, but even more about what it is to be a truly good man.  I will carry these lessons with me as long as I live.  In closing, I thank the Lord for putting a chill in the air that day last winter that forced a man to pick up his Boston jacket on the way to the grocery store with his wife.  You are dearly missed, but never forgotten.

Love you man,

Mike

          I received this tragic news Saturday, January 19^th – our friend and training partner Lou Berra died suddenly in his sleep at work at West St. Louis County Firehouse.  Lou was a paramedic there.  He was 49.  It’s presumed that he died from a heart attack, but we don’t know for sure yet.  There was an autopsy done but we don’t know the results.  I’m not sure many of you guys got to meet Lou.  I met Lou thru Mike.  Lou, Mike, & Lou’s Australian friend Pete and I were planning on going to St George’s marathon in Utah this fall.

          Lou’s wife, Lori had the full fireman’s funeral.  I went to the visitation that Saturday evening which was well done.  Lori had 2 easels full of race medals, race certificates, race pictures, and lots of pictures with Lou on his road bike on display at the funeral home.  Lou did lots of Crit bike races.  She also had his bike, running shoes, shorts and favorite singlet on display.  Lou did a lot of riding although I didn’t get to ride with him.  You might have seen Lou running at CC Lake.  He lived and breathed this running stuff – just like you and I.  He 1^st started doing marathons in 2000.  His PR was 3:10 at Boston, in 2002.  He was training for New Orleans, which is the end of February, and was just getting to the taper portion of his training.  He was hoping to match his effort from Boston 2002 at New Orleans, then get a PR at St George, or even break 3 hrs.  He was really excited about the prospect of doing St George, based on the race reports about it via all you FF runners club members that have done it before.

          I only met Lou 6 months ago, but I did training runs with him over that time.  The last time I saw and spoke to Lou was in the parking lot at CC Lake 2 weeks prior to his passing – a fairly nice day for running.  A bunch of us had done the 10 mile hilly route run that day.  He told me he had seen us coming back down the hill out of the park back on to the lake trail at the end of our run.  He had just gotten off work, and had just finished doing 2 flat loops – 11 miles - around the lake.  He had hammered the last couple of miles of course – doing the last one at around 6:30.  Lou was driven to succeed.  While we were talking on the parking lot, he drew out this training plan that he’d been following that called for a few 70 plus mile weeks, and a few 2 a days, and was telling me he was really feeling confident about New Orleans. 

          He was a really quiet guy, and did not like to draw a lot of attention to himself, although he had accomplished so much – at home & at work and at play.  He lived life to the fullest and never hurt anybody, and was a great example to us all.

          Below is a photo taken Sept 12^th 2007.  This is along side of Jung Station Rd waiting for the Tour de Missouri Pella ton to come racing by.  Lou is on the right.  

          Lou you are missed but never forgotten!   Randy

AL IFFRIG & PEGGY JACKSON AWARD WINNERS

(added 11/11/07)  Peggy Jackson and Al Iffrig were members of the FLEET FEET Runners Club (formerly the St. Charles County YMCA Runners Club) before they passed away.  They displayed determination, a zest for running and were selfless examples to us all.  Each year the club gives the Peggy Jackson and Al Iffrig awards to two club members in recognition of their contributions of time and talent to the FLEET FEET Runners Club.  At this year's Holiday Party, Glenn Ezell and Vicki Vojak won these awards for the second straight year.

HOLIDAY PARTY PHOTOS

(added 12/11/07)   Click here to view Chris Heupel's photos from the December 8th Holiday Party.

"2007 YEAR IN REVIEW" SLIDESHOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

(updated 12/10/07)  Click here to watch Manoj's "2007 Year in Review" slideshow, which premiered at the Holiday Party.

NOVEMBER 2007 NEWSLETTER & MEETING MINUTES

(updated 11/12/07) Click here to download the November newsletter and here to download the minutes from the November meeting.

AL IFFRIG MEMORIAL BENCH INSTALLED ON THE KATY TRAIL

The Al Iffrig memorial bench has been installed on the Katy Trail.  It's located at mile marker 043, just south of the Page Avenue parking lot.  The inscription, "May the wind always be at your back.", was Al's signature closing to the club newsletter.

26TH ANNUAL FLAT FIVE 

The 2007 Flat Five is in the books!  Thanks to all the club members who volunteered or participated.  Results can be accessed from our race results webpage.

MAYOR'S MARATHON RACE REPORT by Dave Bennett

       Recently Joan and I spent a week with Kay McVey and a group of her friends and relatives in Alaska.  The main event of the trip was the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage.  This would make the 50^th and last (pending the approval of Puerto) State plus DC in which Kay has completed a marathon.  There were a total of twelve of us in the group. 
       Six of us ran the full marathon, Kay, her husband Terry, Joan, Bruce Edwards, former Run Club President Bev Ofsthun, and Me.  Bert Neal ran the half marathon, and several others in our group ran the five-mile race and then volunteered at the finish line.
       Nobody had a time goal other than Joan who was planning to try to get a Boston qualifying time if the conditions were good.  Race day ended up being about perfect.  It was overcast with a low of 50 and a high of 62 degrees, with almost no wind.  The point-to-point course is challenging, as you cover a variety of surfaces, including paved roads, asphalt paths, miles of gravel roads, and a short stretch of dirt trail.  You gradually go uphill for the first half of the race, and then go mostly down for several miles.  From that point it’s fairly flat until just before the end.  They thoughtfully put in one steep uphill about a half mile from the finish.  The support was excellent, although it seemed eerily quiet at times during some of the more remote stretches during the middle miles.
       Joan ended up beating her qualifying time by over 6 minutes, and the rest of us marathoners finished between 4:00 and 4:30.
       That night we celebrated our accomplishments, especially Kay’s 50^th state, with lots of fresh seafood and locally brewed beer.
       Our remaining time in Alaska was filled with fishing, train rides, a glacier cruise, and a bus tour of Denali National Park.  Everyone had a wonderful time and I’d highly recommend both the marathon and the Anchorage area as a vacation destination.

MAGAZINE ARTICLES

The FFRC was recently featured in Sauce Magazine.  The FFRC's Saturday morning group runs will be mentioned in the article and highlighted with a photograph taken by Josh Monken at the June 30th run.  In addition, club member Manoj Sood was featured in the Fall 2007 issue (pages 50-53) of Street Scape Magazine.