Paper: The Dallas Morning News
Title: Area team enters world's largest road relay
Date: August 23, 1996

Carrollton runner Jim Proctor, 41, had seen the annual Hood to Coast relay while living in Portland. Trey Howse witnessed the world's largest road relay during business trips to the area.

   Both aspired to participate in the 195-mile relay. So, naturally, they teamed up after getting to know each other running around White Rock Lake."It's a different sort of thing," said Proctor, the team captain. "I've run 12 marathons or so. But a relay is cool. You have the individual effort, but you have a team to rely on."

   Proctor sent in the $480 non-refundable entry fee last January. Howse reserved the last four rooms in Seaside, where the race ends, in May. Proctor secured a pair of mini-vans in May as well.

   In the meantime, they began recruiting their running buddies, who, in turn, recruited their friends. By mid-June, they had commitments for a 12-person team and had to turn away a few stragglers.

   Their team, Texas Road Kill, will join more than 10,000 other distance runners - including a team of 10 Houston runners - in the 15th annual Hood to Coast Relay on Friday and Saturday.

   The area team consists of a core group: Proctor, Howse, Doug Dodge, Amy Keene, Teresa Winford and Nancy Scholberg. The others are Deanna Crosbie, Wayne Johnson, Gary Goodnight, Tina Santico, David Lodeesem and Kris Flabiano.

   They range in age from 29 to the early 40s. Most are in their mid-30s. By contrast, the youngest Hood To Coast runner was 9. The oldest was 87.

   Hood to Coast is the longest major relay in North America. The course begins at Timberline Lodge atop Oregon's tallest mountain, Mt. Hood (elevation 6,000 feet). It finishes along the Oregon Coast.

   There are 36 legs, ranging from 3.9 miles to 6.9 miles, with easy to extremely hard terrain. Each Texas Road Kill member will run three legs. The distances are not grueling. However, the relay continues through the night.

   "I've done a couple of marathons, and this seemed like something unique for my running resume," Howse said. "Some teams are serious. Some are lighthearted. We're somewhere in the middle. We know we won't win, but we want to give it our best effort."

Area triathletes in Cleveland

   Several area triathletes will be participating in the International Triathlon Union's Triathlon World Championships in Cleveland this weekend.

   The juniors include Dallas' Quenby Swinson, 17, a senior at Hillcrest High School; Elizabeth Whitehead, 17, a senior at Fort Worth Country Day; and Danny Hernandez, 19, a sophomore at Baylor.

   Area age-group participants include: Plano's Dawna Hall, 24, who recently moved to the area from San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Roanoke's Mark Jones, 34, the 1995 national and world age-group champion for 30- to 34-year-old men; and Fort Worth's Bev DeHart, who qualified for the world duathlon championships last year and is making her first world triathlon championship appearance.

   The junior and age group competition will be Sunday following Saturday's professional competition. The two-day event involves more than 2,500 athletes from 70 countries.

International flavor

   Steve Goodman of Dallas will be among 16 area triathletes participating in the Timex Ironman Canada Triathlon Championship in Penticton, British Columbia, on Sunday.

   The race draws approximately 1,600 athletes from 35 countries and is considered one of the most scenic and challenging triathlons in the world. It consists of a 2.4- mile lake swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile run, which must be completed in 17 hours.

   The race serves as a qualifier for the prestigious Ironman World Championship held in Hawaii every October.

   Debbie Fetterman, a Dallas-based free-lance writer, covers running for The News. Her column appears Friday