1999 Finger Lakes Trail Fifties

--Diane Sherrer

The electrifying light show was not just in the sky during the Fourth of July weekend.Twin Tiers trail animals

Greg Loomis, Alan Evans and Rob Winkky created their own fireworks at the 11th annual Finger Lakes

Trail Fifties, held Saturday in the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector. Campbell native Loomis set the

trails ablaze by winning his first 50-miler in the phenomenal time of 7 hours, 48 minutes, 32 seconds

(a course record). Factor into that a seven-minute rest stop to eat and change shoes and socks!

Joe Smindak, 38, of Dayton, Ohio placed second in 8:13:50, and 44-year-old Barb Bellows of Ithaca

finished third overall -- and first among women, in 8:17:12 (a course record). "I know my pace, what pace

I can keep, and I have a good base and good training," said Bellows, explaining how she's able to complete

so many ultras, and finish near the top.

Beginning and ending at the Potomac campsite, the 50-mile runners completed an initial 15.6-mile loop,

plus two entire 15.5-mile loops and a final 3.4-mile "baby" loop. The 50K entrants circled the rugged trail

loop twice; the 25K-ers just once around. The 25-year-old Loomis, now serving in the Army in

Framingham, Mass., trained by doing two 30 to 32-mile runs, then ran two, back-to-back marathons:

Vermont City (2:56) and the Nipmuck Trail Marathon (3:58). "I decided that maybe I could do this,"

said Loomis, an exercise physiology researcher. "I've been doing 50-miles per week, and figured I

could do that in one day. I've also been taking days off and doing a lot of kayaking. Then I did 10

days of three-hour stress workouts everyday. I figured that kind of metabolic jump would teach my

body to fat burn." During the first loop, Loomis latched onto Bellows, the grande dame of ultras,

and that kept him at a sensible pace. "It was fun at the beginning, because we were heading out,

and I was in a pack with these young studs, and they were behind me." said Bellows, the eighth

masters finisher at the Boston Marathon. "I ran the loop with Barb mainly, and she doesn't like to

walk as much as I do. But we were running a little slower and that was probably good," said

Loomis. "I ran for two hours feeling kind of comfortable. Then I told myself I'd have to make

myself stop and walk every 12 to 15 minutes, and when I did that, I ran quickly."

Bellows, a veteran of 50- and 100-milers, was an experienced mentor. She saved Smindak from

the cows, and Gave Loomis a pep talk. "Greg had never run a 50 miler, he was rested up, and

he really wanted to get out and really crank it, " Bellows observed. "I was saying to him, the major

things you have to think about in these races is patience, and that you really want to do it. And he

came up with some interesting strategy with walking and sprinting." Loomis employed a walk two

minutes, hammer at 7:20 to 7:30 pace strategy while running most of the race. Other keys to

survival: Loomis ran backwards on some of the steep hills, and on loop No. 2, he put a Camelback

(hydration backpack) on and drank three quarts of Gatorade on the run. "I know in ultras, if you're

not having to urinate, then you're not going to finish. I really wanted to make sure I'd be alright,"

Loomis said. "Also, eat, eat, eat, and more eat! Every time I went through an aid station, I'd grab

3 pretzels, cookies and M & Ms, and some fruit. My stomach must be iron because I ate a lot!"

Loomis recorded incredibly even and swift splits for all loops: 25K (2:22:03); 50K (4:42:31);

75K (7:16:50), then the sub-8-hour finish. But he had moments of self-doubt. "Around the 4 to

5-hour mark, my hip flexors seemed like they'd give out. I had an injury there in college, during

the steeplechase, so I knew it could have been trouble. But it didn't get any worse," said Loomis,

planning a 100-miler in the near future. "Then at six-and-a-half hours, I figured I could break eight

hours and I really started pressing. I made that last hour really uncomfortable, because I was trying

and trying," he added. "Then with five miles to go, I was absolutely hammering! I started to walk

and thought, "Oh my god, I'm not going to make it,' then I'd hammer again. I did it!" Loomis' proud

mom and dad showed up to give their son support during the late stages of the race. His father, Cal,

a legendary master’s runner, could not keep up with his son on the baby loop, and dropped back to

watch Greg finish. "Wow!" said a teary-eyed, proud father, the 11th-ranked 60-69 age-group ace

at the Boston Marathon. "I didn't think he could do that much. He had it in his mind to go out and

break eight hours and he did it!"

The 36-year-old Evans, of Beaver Dams won the 50K in an equally inspiring performance of 4:12:56.

Dennis Mezan, 37, of Fallstom, MD, placed second in 4:19:23, and Rochester's Jason Cavall, 19,

Rounded out the top three in 4:23:04. From the get-go, Evans was the man targeted to beat.

"Before we got to the first aid station, I said, 'That is the guy who's going to win,' even though he

was behind me," said Mezan, completing just his second ultra. "Alan wreaked confidence and his

legs were perfectly sculpted -- not an ounce of body fat on him. And he speaks with confidence;

everything he says you can tell he's very intelligent." Smart enough to sneak past Mezan and Cavall

while they were eating at the "living room" aid station, and get a head start on loop No. 2. Evans ran

the second loop eight minutes faster than he recorded on loop No. 1. "He went out of that aid station

like a rat out of an aqueduct," Mezan said. "We gave him chase, but the second time through, we said,

"Let him go before he kills us." Evans also hung with Bellows and a pack of 12 during the early miles.

Then a pit stop broke up the pack. "I went to the bathroom and everyone dusted me. I thought,

'The party isover!.' But I caught up at a water stop and we all had a great time talking about races

and stuff," said Evans, a Corning, Inc. research scientist. "The race was two miles too long, and it got

painful at the end." Lorrie Marnell, 38, of Locke won her forth-straight 50K women's title, posting

a 5:31:52. Fifty-mile defending champion, Antana Locs, 40, of New York City, placed a close

second in 5:32:35. "It was hell!" said Marnell, referring to the weather. "The first loop was OK

nice and cool, with a nice breeze and shade. But after the start of the second loop, I got tired.

My hip started to bother me, I fell three times-- because of the heat and dehydration. But I'm

happy." In the 25K event, Rob Winkky, 20, of Elmira Heights claimed the men's victory in 2:15:23,

and Fairport's Lydelle Rumsey, 36, won the women's title in 2:55:04.