Click here to view photos from the 2012 Junior Carlsbad

The Junior Carlsbad is a running event for kids 12 and under, and loads of fun for kids and adults.

Timothy Wells was the first place runner in the Age 12 race, with a time of 5:18 for one mile:

My nephew Alex, in his last Junior Carlsbad. Way to go Alex!

Jason Gomez ran 5:06 for one mile, and nearly broke the age group record, to finish first in the Age 11 race:

My younger nephew Nick set a PR in the Age 11 race. Good run, Nick!

My daughter in her first Junior Carlsbad. Photo by Alice Daer.

Click here to view photos from the 2011 Junior Carlsbad

One of my favorite events to watch each year is the Junior Carlsbad a running event for kids 12 and under. The looks of determination and joy on the kids’ faces are so genuine and inspiring.

Competitors in the Age 10 race:

My nephew Alex set a new PR for the mile. Way to go Alex!

My younger nephew Nick competed in the Age 10 race. Good run, Nick!

Samantha with excellent knee lift as she approaches the final turn.

Quest Club celebrated the holidays and a successful year of running with its annual Holiday Party. New this year were an “Ugliest Race Shirt Contest” and “Race/Running Photo Sharing” from club members’ first year of running or 10+ years ago.

*** Click here for the 2008 Quest Club Holiday Party photo gallery ***

As 2008 drew to an end, Quest Club celebrated the holidays with a club trivia challenge and the traditional white elephant gift exchange…

*** Click here for the 2008 Quest Club Holiday Party photo gallery ***

On February 29 at 2:00 PM, twelve runners, two drivers, and two assistant drivers from Quest Club embarked on a 26 hour journey, taking a circuitous 182 mile route from downtown Wickenburg to Mesa Riverview Park as part of the 2008 Myomed Ragnar Relay Del Sol. The team completed the course in 26:05:57, 55th overall, and 3rd among teams in the Mixed Sub Masters division.

Van #1
Helice Agria
Mary Orr
David Daer
Ann Marie Hubbard
Steve Lindstrom
Julie Egea

Driver: Fred Moore
Assistant Driver: Nikki Simmons

Van #2
Jennifer Jensen
Inge Harper
Susan Williams
Patty Beckman
Theresa Tornquist
Lee Williams

Driver: Steve Tornquist
Assistant Driver: Pat O’Donnell

Volunteers
Kay Martin
Lyle Langlois
Keith Orr

*** Click here to view Quest Club photos from the 2008 Myomed Ragnar Relay Del Sol ***

Quest Club celebrated another year with lots of food, friends, fun, and a white elephant gift exchange. Click here for the 2007 Quest Club Holiday Party photo gallery.

Defending women’s champion Meseret Defar came up a bit short in her attempt to break her world best time for 5K at the 2007 Carlsbad 5000. Nevertheless, Defar became the first woman to successfully defend her Carlsbad 5000 Invitational crown. In a scene reminiscent of Frank Shorter’s 1972 Olympic Marathon finish, an invited runner from Kenya who had fallen behind the pack mistakenly cut the course, and wound up crossing the finish line ahead of Defar. In the men’s masters race, former multiple world record holder Henry Rono, now 55 years-old, continued his comeback from alcoholism, by placing second in his age division.

Click here to view photos from the 2007 Carlsbad 5000.

Click here to view Quest Club photos from the 2007 Carlsbad 5000 and 2007 Junior Carlsbad.

It’s hard to believe another year is coming to an end… Quest Club celebrated the holidays with many familiar faces, and a few new ones. Click here for the 2006 Quest Club Holiday Party photo gallery.

On a sunny and chilly Saturday morning, Tempe Town Lake hosted the 2006 edition of the RYKA Iron Girl 10 Mile and 5K Run / Walk. Similar to last year, the 10-mile course took two laps on bike paths around the Town Lake. Quest Club was well-represented in the overall and age group standings, in both the 5K and 10-Mile events (click here for race results).

2006 Quest Club Iron Girl Photo Gallery

What better way is there to watch 4th of July fireworks in Phoenix than from the roof of a high rise in the Camelback Corridor? Friends and teammates were treated to a 360 degree view of the city, and close proximity to a couple downtown Phoenix fireworks shows…

Images from the 4th of July, 2006

Meseret Defar from Ethiopia, the 2004 Olympic champion at 5000 meters, set a pending world best for a road 5K at the Carlsbad 5000, on April 9. The quaint beach town of Carlsbad, north of San Diego, had another marvelous day for running. The masters’ races were run early in the morning under overcast skies. By noon, as the invitational competitors lined up to race, skies were clear and a gentle breeze blew from the north.

Images from the 2006 Carlsbad 5000

Carlsbad 5000 information and results

Quest Club was represented in both the Junior Carlsbad on Saturday, and the various adult 5K’s on Sunday. Mary Orr left town with an age group award, by placing 3rd in her division.

Quest Club pics from the 2006 Carlsbad 5000

I must admit to approaching this event with a bit of trepidation. After 143 days without rain, the Phoenix area was drenched by a chilly, day-long downpour the day before the Valley of the Sun Half Marathon. Add to that the uncertainties of a new race route, the 6:15 AM starting time, and the overall logistical difficulty of coordinating a road relay. It had the potential to be a cold, wet, unpleasant morning.

What a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. The rain moved out a few hours before race time. The air was clear and cool, with a light breeze. On the horizon, the Four Peaks wore a dramatic blanket of snow.

Quest Club entered three relay teams. The Quest Gold team took first place in the co-ed division, and was the first team to finish overall, in 1:25:08. The Quest Blue team finished 3rd overall and was the first all-women’s team, in 1:33:11. The Quest Red team finished 5th overall, and was 3rd in the co-ed division, with a time of 1:42:02. Patty Beckman ran the full half marathon in 1:41:46, a nine minute PR!

Images from the 2006 Valley of the Sun Half Marathon

In its heyday, the Runner’s Den 10K was one of the premier road races in the US, as competitors from all corners of the globe cranked out hundreds of sub-30 minute performances during the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Its position on the calendar still makes it an ideal early season indicator of fitness.

Quest Club walked away from the 28th annual Runner’s Den 10K and 5K with a slew of age group awards, a few PRs, and the overall female title in the 5K. The new red uniforms were a big hit, too.

Runner’s Den 10K results

10K results for Quest Club:

23 40:53 2/44 123 Daer, David 40 Tempe, AZ 37:33(’90)
70 47:04 9/30 539 Van Newkirk, Scott 37 Phoenix, AZ 44:54(’00)

30 48:04 6/43 40 Beckman, Patty 36 Paradise Valley, AZ
105 57:07 22/43 297 Kullander, Melissa 36 Scottsdale, AZ

Runner’s Den 5K results

5K results for Quest Club:

20 18:43 3/26 216 Gray, Michael 41 Phoenix, AZ 18:25(’03)

1 18:50 1/17 639 Simmons, Nicole 27 Mesa, AZ
3 20:08 2/40 198 Garcia, Lisa 42 Scottsdale, AZ Event P/R!
4 20:23 1/29 1711 Maurer, Kate 34 19:30(’99)
7 22:15 2/29 666 Agria, Helice 30 Phoenix, AZ
15 24:12 2/4 845 Waters, Courtney 19 Mesa, AZ Event P/R!
65 29:42 1/2 1304 Martin, Kay 69

The big news this year was Haile Gebrselassie’s new world record for the half marathon distance. Even among the locals, this race generates more interest than just about any other running event in town. Quest Club was well represented in both the marathon and half marathon. Even a couple “Braveheart” warriors and an Imperial Stormtrooper took part in the activities.

Photos from the Weekend: 2006 P.F. Chang’s RNRAZ Quest Club pics

P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Arizona Web site: P.F. Chang’s RNRAZ info and results

Results for Quest Club and friends:

Marathon

Shyman Scot M 48 Phoenix AZ 1890 658 554 M_45-49 62 Marathon 8:06 3:32:28 3:32:05 48:57:00 1:42:34 2:39:31 565
Van Newkirk Scott M 37 Phoenix AZ 3531 1938 1416 M_35-39 248 Marathon 9:09 4:00:21 3:59:39 52:13:00 1:50:15 2:56:01 659

Half Marathon

Daer David M 40 Tempe AZ 21404 313 266 M_40-44 30 Half Marathon 6:56 1:30:47 1:30:44 21:04 42:17:00 1:08:33 1015
Daer Jeff M 39 Scottsdale AZ 22666 1747 1249 M_35-39 223 Half Marathon 8:18 1:51:39 1:48:46 23:53 48:16:00 1:20:25 1114
Shafer Susan F 54 Phoenix AZ 23019 2053 615 F_50-54 14 Half Marathon 8:27 1:53:41 1:50:48 24:14:00 49:40:00 1:22:37 860
Beckman Patty F 36 Paradise Valley AZ 23947 2062 620 F_35-39 99 Half Marathon 8:28 1:53:44 1:50:52 26:35:00 53:15:00 1:25:47 1708
Sommer Laurie F 43 Phoenix AZ 24014 2248 702 F_40-44 120 Half Marathon 8:32 1:56:36 1:51:51 26:35:00 54:36:00 1:29:34 221
Orr Mary F 61 Phoenix AZ 24272 3390 1248 F_60-64 3 Half Marathon 9:00 2:02:33 1:57:48 28:22:00 57:32:00 1:32:04 1890
Callahan Stacey F 36 Phoenix AZ 26960 3529 1306 F_35-39 216 Half Marathon 9:02 2:04:44 1:58:19 27:40:00 55:58:00 1:32:21 221
Chalmers Josie F 63 Billings MT 23490 4485 1795 F_60-64 7 Half Marathon 9:21 2:06:55 2:02:23 26:42:00 56:11:00 1:34:03 449
Lindstrom Stephen M 58 Phoenix AZ 36063 4573 2735 M_55-59 107 Half Marathon 9:22 2:07:33 2:02:48 28:22:00 57:33:00 1:36:45 1326
Hildebrant Lea Ann F 46 Phoenix AZ 25476 6454 2914 F_45-49 248 Half Marathon 9:56 2:16:35 2:10:10 28:22:00 57:36:00 1:36:46 892
Hildebrant Peter M 45 Phoenix AZ 21195 6452 3540 M_45-49 484 Half Marathon 9:56 2:16:35 2:10:09 33:50:00 1:08:26 1:52:05 68
Kullander Melissa F 36 Scottsdale AZ 31839 9536 4842 F_35-39 856 Half Marathon 10:56 2:36:29 2:23:17 36:26:00 1:15:42 2:05:49 14
Martin Kay F 69 Phoenix AZ 8137 10335 5374 F_65-69 8 Half Marathon 11:14 2:51:37 2:27:17 31:34:00 1:06:34 1:49:57 1890
Langlois Lyle M 75 Phoenix AZ 32021 13422 5876 M_75-79 8 Half Marathon 12:49 3:02:50 2:48:01 24:08:00 50:04:00 1:23:25 1890

Quest Club celebrated the holidays in style with its annual Holiday Party. It was nice to see friends and teammates, both old and new, in a social setting away from running. A new twist was a dice game that I am unable to describe in a few words…

Photos from the party: 2005 Quest Club Holiday Party pics

The first weekend in December was a busy and successful one on the roads for Quest Club.

On a sunny and mild, but unseasonably warm Saturday morning, the women of Quest Club captured four age group awards at the 2nd Pacific Trail Iron Girl event. The 10 mile course consisted of two loops around Tempe Town Lake. Laura Clarke-Steffen led the way, in 4th place overall, and 1st in her age group. Helice Agria, Sue Shafer, and Mary Orr also picked up impressive age group award loot, which included color-coordinated Iron Girl sling bags and visors. Paula Case and Laurie Sommer also represented Quest Club in the 10 mile race.

Photos from the Iron Girl race: 2005 Iron Girl Quest Club pics

Iron Girl race results: 2005 Iron Girl results

Results for Quest Club:

4 Laura Clarke-Steffen AG 47 Phoenix AZ 1:16:49 1:16:40 7:40 3201
8 HELICE AGRIA AG 29 PHOENIX AZ 1:17:35 1:17:27 7:45 3334
18 Susan Shafer AG 54 Phoenix AZ 1:21:41 1:21:33 8:10 3136
21 Paula Case AG 42 Phoenix AZ 1:22:17 1:22:09 8:13 3113
41 Mary Orr AG 61 Phoenix AZ 1:26:13 1:26:04 8:37 3078
46 LAURIE SOMMER AG 43 PHOENIX AZ 1:26:42 1:26:35 8:40 3071

Sunday morning was also sunny, and about 10 degrees cooler than Saturday, nearly ideal for a long race. Quest Club was well-represented in the 18th Runner’s Den / Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon in downtown Scottsdale. Both Lyle Langlois and Kay Martin won their respective age groups, a mere 4 weeks after completing the ING NYC Marathon. Kay also set a new half marathon PR!

Results for the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon: 2005 Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon results

Results for Quest Club and friends:

35 1:28:35 7/70 170 Daer, David 40 Tempe, AZ 1:22:52(’93)
106 1:41:18 8/33 1016 Mendoza, Ed 53
123 1:43:35 29/75 2072 Shyman, Scot 46 Phoenix, AZ 1:34:31(’98)
134 1:44:37 23/57 171 Daer, Jeff 38 Scottsdale, AZ 1:14:34(’93)
139 1:45:32 25/57 752 Van Newkirk, Scott 37 Phoenix, AZ Event P/R!
373 2:39:15 1/1 397 Langlois, Lyle 75 Phoenix, AZ 1:50:50(’95)

20 1:39:56 2/40 437 Lundgren, Suzanne 46 Phoenix, AZ Event P/R!
26 1:41:17 5/43 312 Harkins, Von 44 Phoenix, AZ 1:29:12(’94)
63 1:52:52 1/7 2094 Williams, Susan 55 Phoenix, AZ
210 2:15:47 1/1 461 Martin, Kay 68 Phoenix, AZ Event P/R!

It was a generally nice morning for a Thanksgiving Day race in East Mesa; mostly sunny, unseasonably warm, but without the usual stiff breeze. This venerable 10K, which celebrated its 36th running, reportedly set a record for number of entrants (nearly 2,000 in the 10K, with close to 1,000 more in the non-competitive events, a 2 mile fun run and 1 mile fitness walk). New course records were also established by the men’s and women’s overall winners.

Quest Club was well-represented in the results. For the second year in a row, Laura Clarke-Steffen took home a turkey for winning her age group (although we didn’t get two birds this year). Jeff Daer made a rare appearance in a road race, and passed Tom Turkey in the last half mile to earn a certificate.

Turkey Trot 10K race results at RacePlaceEvents.com: Turkey Trot results

Results for Quest Club and friends:

73 41:10 5/106 409 Daer, David 40 Tempe, AZ 38:12(’93)
172 45:17 5/60 2220 Mendoza, Ed 52
283 48:23 29/105 410 Daer, Jeff 38 Scottsdale, AZ 34:57(’93)
481 54:15 9/19 1613 Steffen, Bob 64 Phoenix, AZ

16 44:00 1/63 343 Clarke-Steffen, Laura 47 Phoenix, AZ 42:40(’04)
23 44:46 6/196 2180 Agria, Helice 29
232 54:43 27/123 2820 Clarke, Ginger 44

The New Times 10K moved to Mill Avenue for its 30th edition. Years ago, this was my first road race, when it started on Camelback near 24th St, and was known as the “North Bank” run.

Results for the 30th New Times 10K: 2005 New Times 10K on Mill results

Quest Club results:

ELITE:
18 14 TRINA PAINTER F 39 36:27 5:52

CITIZENS:
94 1090 DAVID DAER M 40 40:51 6:35 13/265 M4044 TEMPE AZ
352 2251 SCOTT VAN NEWKIRK M 37 46:26 7:29 44/252 M3539 PHOENIX AZ
485 2981 COURTNEY WATERS F 19 48:15 7:46 6/44 F0119 MESA AZ
566 2587 SUSAN SHAFER F 54 49:04 7:54 3/68 F5054 PHOENIX AZ
726 3748 LAURIE SOMMER F 43 50:44 8:10 20/218 F4044 PHOENIX AZ
897 3924 STEPHEN LINDSTROM M 58 52:03 8:23 23/91 M5559
1892 3925 KATHRYN LINDSTROM F 52 59:30 9:35 27/68 F5054

Before the day was over, the folks at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon sent me the following e-mail… I was impressed that they turned results around so quickly for such a large race…

Dear David Daer,

Congratulations on finishing The 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon! You achieved your goal and crossed the Finish Line. We hope you will take the memories of your LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon experience with you forever.

This year’s Marathon was a great success with clear skies and temperatures in the 50s. 33,012 runners finished this year’s marathon, and you were one of them! Your chip time was 3:10:34 and you placed 1396 out of 33,012 finishers. Here are this year’s top finishers:

Top 3 Male Finishers:
1. Felix Limo, 2:07:02
2. Benjamin Maiyo, 2:07:09
3. Daniel Njenga, 2:07:14

Top 3 Female Finishers:
1. Deena Kastor, 2:21:25
2. Constantina Tomescu-Dita, 2:21:30
3. Masako Chiba, 2:26:00

Top Male Masters:
1. Luca Foglia, 2:31:23

Top Female Masters:
1. Colleen De Reuck, 2:28:40

Top Male Wheelchair Finisher:
1. Krige Schabort, 1:29:40

Top Female Wheelchair Finisher:
1. Miriam Ladner, 2:05:27

For searchable Race results, news and photos, visit our Web site at http://www.chicagomarathon.com.

Thank you again for being a part of The 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. We hope you will join us again on October 22, 2006.

Sincerely,
The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Staff
http ://www.chicagomarathon.com