Dangerous Ken Ends MacWilliams Streak
Dangerous Ken Merrick
won an exciting race today, emerging from a pack of six to win and end Bryan
MacWilliams unbeaten streak that extended back to last Thanksgiving. 
The
group that eventually filled the top six arrived together at the mile mark i a
relatively slow 6:17. Somebody remarked that anybody who could still talk
without gasping could probably win the race, so the Fossil burst into a round of
"Zippity Doo Dah". The pack, either appalled by his bad
rendition, or perhaps not recognizing such an old song, immediately broke up,
with Merrick and MacWilliams in the lead. As the duo climbed the hill on
Chalybes, the kid let Dangerous Ken get a bit of a lead, figuring that his young
legs could catch Ken on the downhill to the finish. He's
"Dangerous" for a reason, though, and his strong finish was too much
for the lad, as Ken pulled away for a 34 second win.
Meanwhile, right behind Bryan, Abe and
Keyless Bob were having a fierce battle for third place, and gaining fast.
Keyless, running in what might be his last Roxbury before he moves to New
Jersey, finished just four seconds behind the relaxing Bryan, but with Abe just
two seconds off his heels.
Among the women, Marge DeMarrais returned
to her winning ways with a strong 15:58, almost a minute ahead of Pretty Quick
Pam Quist, and in seventh place overall, just a minute forty behind Dangerous
Ken.
How Roxbury almost ruined Bob
Derringer's life
As we mentioned above, Bob Derringer is
moving to New Jersey. This is a good thing for Bob and his family.
He has a better job, and he's moving to a nice part of New Jersey (there really
are nice parts of New Jersey, you know.) Bob, though, almost passed up
this excellent opportunity because he likes the Roxbury Races, and somehow got
the impression that we like him, too. How did he ever get that idea?
After all, we tagged him with the nickname "Keyless." Will he
miss the big climb back up South Street on the High Bridge Road loop? Will
he miss "8:30" races that really start at 8:43? Will he miss the
muddy (or icy) parking lot, or having Mike Abraham beating him in the last mile
for five weeks in a row? Or getting mud on his fast silver racing shoes
when he runs the Jeep Trail Loop? Or the line for the Port-o-Potty?
I don't think these are the things he'll
miss. All the best in New Jersey, boB. Remember your friends and
keep in touch.
Rapid Lynn Zuback in Runners' World
Got your latest Runners' World yet?
(The Fossil subscribed when it was still The Runner's World, published by
a couple of undergraduates at the University of Kansas, before they got rich and
moved to California.) Look closely. There's a short piece in there
by our very won Lynn Zuback, telling her version of how she started
running. She claims that the picture next to her story isn't her,
but our experts can't really tell for sure. Well done, Lynn.
This week's upper picture is Keyless Bob
Derringer, taken last summer while he was wearing his quick silver shoes.
The lower picture is this week's winner for the women, Marge DeMarrais. If
you want to see this week's men's winner, Ken Merrick is on the Roxbury Races
home page. That's him at the bottom, stretching.
The Roxbury Races are now
listed on the Internet both on CoolRunning.com
and on HiTekRacing.com
This week's Roxbury
results