AZRunning.com – David Daer's Photo Journal

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