Paper: The Dallas Morning News
Title: Hazbens aiming to master  Hood-to-Coast relay race
Date: August 25, 2000

The Hazbens, a who's who of the area's elite masters runners, might be past their prime physically, but they're still looking for glory. The team of 12 men will be vying for the Masters title at this weekend's annual Hood to Coast adventure run relay.



  "We won't get anything other than self-satisfaction," said team coordinator Dave Wylie, who helped organize the team but will be staying home with a broken leg. "It's the principle of winning."



  Numerous area teams will be joining the Hazbens, including Texas Road Kill, the team that helped create the event's local popularity.



  Hood to Coast, the largest relay in North America, starts at Oregon's Mt. Hood and continues 195-miles to the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Seaside, Ore. The event set a record by registering its capacity 1,000 12-person teams in 2 1/2 weeks.



  The Hazbens are making their second appearance. The team roster changed slightly after last year. The entire team now consists of runners 40 and older. And Wylie said he replaced himself with someone faster (Bob Smeeby) in hopes that the team could win the Masters title.



  The winning men's masters time last year was 20 hours, 17 minutes, 22 seconds. If the Hazbens achieve their 6-minute per mile goal, their time this year will be 19:24. Wylie said it appears reasonably achievable to at least beat last year's master's winners.



  Last year, the Hazbens realized they could have challenged for the title. They were on schedule to beat the winning masters time until a miscommunication resulted in a 90-minute delay. Further, they had one team member who was under 40, which dropped the entire team to submasters. They wound up in a division with predominantly younger runners.



  The team learned a few things last year. For example, this year the team will not be sharing sweaty, smelly reflective vests. They'll make sure the two vans each have food and drinks.



  Jeff Roth, one of the area's most dominant runners in the early '90s, handled the leg assignments. Each team member runs three times. Distances vary from about 3.5 miles to 8.2 miles.



  Terry Marcott, the Masters champion at the White Rock Marathon, will cover the most ground. His three runs will total about 19 miles. Dave Savage, the lead runner, must fly seven miles straight downhill. Roth said he gave Savage two short easy legs afterwards because that initial descent will trash his legs.



  The camaraderie of the event far outweighs any pain or sleep deprivation, Roth said.



  "It's a road trip," he said. "We're 12 guys with wives and kids. We're getting out of this 100-degree heat. We're going up there to drink beer. Unfortunately, we just have to endure some pain by running first."



  Additional members of the Hazbens are: Ted Larson, Steve Mudgett, Tom Munyan, Don Nelson, Ed Ostrovich, Mike Parsons, Mark Roman and Robert Rose.



  Half Marathon



   Michelle Byrne placed ninth among the women at last weekend's U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Parkersburg, W.Va. She collected $400 for finishing the challenging, hot course in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 50 seconds. She did so despite running a fever during the race. Dallas pediatrician William Moore placed 22nd overall in 1:08:26. And, Riva Rahl, who is completing her residency in Internal Medicine at Parkland Hospital, set a personal best, finishing in 1:21:20.



  This Race is For You II



   The Fort Worth running community will pay tribute to Dallas running legend James Thruston by hosting a race in his honor on Thursday. The race will, in effect, be an extension of the Trinity 5000. The 5K will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Trinity Trails across the river from the Tandy Center parking lot in Fort Worth. The cost is $10.



  "Besides the effort to raise money for James, we would like to show Tarrant County and Fort Worth's concern and respect for James," said Dave Hilprecht, vice president of the Fort Worth Runners Club.