Jim Weil

This article by Barry Spitz first appeared in the Marin Independent-Journal of January 31, 2012.

JIM WEIL

Of all the many traditions associated with Marin’s fabled Dipsea Race, likely the most enduring is complaining about the head starts. Runners in the first Dipsea, in 1905, groused about them, and runners in the 102nd Dipsea, on June 10, will be griping as well. For 44 years now, setting these head starts has been the bailiwick of Jim Weil.

Weil, 68, grew up in Mill Valley. His second grade teacher was Edna Maguire, in the year today’s Edna Maguire School opened. Weil was running cross-country for Tamalpais High when a teammate, Bob Hope, won the 1960 Dipsea. Weil entered his first road race, Bay to Breakers, in 1967, but found his niche in long trail races. Weil has run dozens of Dipsea and Double Dipsea races, and won the heavyweight (over 200 pounds) division in the latter. (Weil is six feet, six inches tall.) In 1979, he won a silver buckle for finishing the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in under 24 hours.

In 1977, Weil witnessed firsthand the chaos at the Dipsea, when a record field of more than 2,000 runners caused such a massive finish line backup that official results were never produced. He heard threats to kill the Dipsea from those who considered it out of control. So Weil phoned Jerry Hauke, the lead race official who lived just a few blocks away in Mill Valley.

“I walked over, knocked on his door, told him I wanted to help, and the door opened wider,” says Weil.

For several years, until Bob Knez and Merv Reagan came on board, Hauke and Weil operated as a two-member Dipsea Committee. “I was in charge of the competition side of the race, things like timing and head starts, and Jerry was in charge of the event side, permits and volunteers and the like. We got along great, each respecting each other,” Weil says. “Our first year together, 1978, the police had so little to do they were sitting around drinking coffee.”

From the very first Dipsea, slower runners were set off ahead of the stars to give every entrant an equal chance of winning. Until 1965, these head starts were individually assigned by a handicapper who personally knew every entrant’s ability. But in the early 1960s, entries tripled with a burgeoning crop of new runners. So the head starts were changed, based strictly on age. When women were officially admitted in 1971, gender also became a factor. No longer did every starter think they had a chance to win, only those tops in their age group.

Early formulaic handicapping was rather crude. In 1965, there were just four start groups, and all the top 20 finishers had either no head start (called “scratch”) or the maximum of 15 minutes. In 1966, six of the first seven finishers ran scratch.

“When I took over the handicapping in 1978, I didn’t do anything with it at first because I had so much else to deal with,” says Weil. But when he did, it was with passion. He certainly had credentials for the job. Weil holds an undergraduate degree from MIT, and a doctorate from the University of California, both in mechanical engineering. He is an aficionado of horse racing, where handicapping moves billions of dollars, and went to the track almost every single day for years. And he loves the Dipsea. Weil began meticulously plotting graphs of the fastest Dipsea times by age and gender.

“I used two main principles in assigning head starts. One was to maximize competition for first place, not for the top ten or the 35 black shirts. The other was to base them on actual times in the Dipsea Race, not on national road race marks,” says Weil. To make the head starts even more precise, he began sending runners off at one-minute intervals, a step previously considered logistically impossible.

“I knew that people would be upset with me as handicapper, and I have certainly taken verbal abuse,” Weil says. “But a single person has to do them, with integrity, free from committees, politics and intrigue.” (While interviewing Weil in San Anselmo, I introduced him to a passing Dipsea runner who instantly responded, “So you’re the troublemaker!”) But many Dipsea veterans appreciate Weil’s efforts.

“I’ve been a friend and admirer of Jim Weil for 30 years,” says Kentfield’s George Frazier. “He’s one of those fun, funny, smart, successful people who makes everything he touches better. That’s especially true of the Dipsea, where he brought an organizational zeal and a sense of professionalism to what had been a less structured operation. His handicaps will always be a lightening rod for criticism, as every runner feels that he or she not only needs more handicap minutes, but deserves those minutes. Jim’s methodology has proven itself over the years, as the race has nearly always been won by the strongest age-group runner in the field.”

While plotting the age/time graphs, Weil has gained a unique perspective of top performances.

“I once considered Homer Latimer as the greatest Dipsea racer of them all, but now, undoubtedly, it’s Sal Vasquez,” Weil says. “Melody-Anne Schultz also has a strong case, but no one had Vasquez’s fire.”

In 1986, after Vasquez had won four successive Dipseas, Weil came up with the idea of a “winners penalty,” inspired by the extra weight added to winning horses. Vasquez promptly finished third. Over the years, the penalty rose to a high of four minutes, which Weil, in retrospect, now considers too much. Today, each of the three previous Dipsea champions loses one head start minute.

Weil also started the auction for coveted Dipsea Race entry places. Now 100 places are reserved for the highest bidders, with the money going to a scholarship fund.

In 1992, Weil retired from the organizing Dipsea Committee. The Committee has the power to adjust Weil’s proposed head starts, but has done so only rarely, and never more than one minute.

“Still, each change troubles me,” Weil says.

Knee problems have ended Weil’s running days. But he’s looking forward to marrying Sandra Eastburn this spring, moving into a condominium in Novato the two just bought, fully retiring from his engineering consulting work and continuing to handicap the race he loves and cares for and knows so well.

John Medinger

(This article by Barry Spitz first appeared in the Marin Independent Journal of November 25, 2011.)

JOHN MEDINGER

Some things never change at the Quadruple Dipsea race. It will be cold and dark when the last finishers arrive. The fourth and final crossing, from Stinson Beach back to Mill Valley, will feel harder than the previous three combined. There will be blood, sweat and tears aplenty. And John Medinger will be sitting in his lounge chair in Old Mill Park, somehow masterfully orchestrating it all. He’s directed every Quad, and tomorrow’s race will be his 29th.

Medinger was raised in Salem, Oregon. He earned degrees from Oregon State, then MIT. In 1974, he began running to get in shape for AAU basketball; he stands six feet, four inches. His first race, Bay to Breakers, came a year later. Medinger did his first marathon in 1978 and owns a personal best time at the distance of two hours, 48 minutes, 41 seconds, at New York City in 1983.

But his real strength proved to be ultramarathoning, races longer than 26.2 miles. (The Quadruple Dipsea, at 28.4 miles, qualifies.) Medinger ran his first in 1980 and has now completed 138 ultras. Thirteen have been 100-milers. In 1999, he won outright the Hunter S. Thompson Fear & Loathing 50K in San Francisco.

The Quadruple arose almost by chance. The seed was planted in 1978 when, on a lark, Mike McKenzie and Hans Roenau became the first runners known to have completed four consecutive crossing of the Dipsea Trail. McKenzie arrived first, after Roenau stopped to pick blackberries. Medinger picks up the story.

“The Quad Dipsea started as a fun run in 1983. There weren't a lot of races back then. I was pretty much a neophyte at ultra running and went to a social gathering where one of the ultra veterans--Bill Casteel, long since deceased--suggested that everyone host a fun run on trails in their neighborhood. I lived in Mill Valley at the time, so the Quad was born. In 1985 we made it more of an official event. The rest is history. This year the race filled to capacity in 13 days. It is the 17th straight year it has sold out.”

Despite the brutal nature of the Quad—9,200 feet each of steep uphill and downhill--the 250 entrant-limit set by park managers is always oversubscribed because of the meticulous preparation and hard work by Medinger and his team of volunteers. They put in long hours surmounting the many hurdles to gain permits, securing sponsors, marking the course, providing well-stocked aid stations no matter what the winter weather, setting up a tent in Old Mill Park and filling it with hot soups and other treats, keeping everyone safe and more.

Medinger describes the highlights of his long Quad tenure:

“The incredible friendships I've made through running over the years, the finish line camaraderie, where everyone is happy, tired, sore and excited for everyone else.”

And there are the self-described “lowlights”:

“Seeing Mt Tam State Park – one of the best parks anywhere in the world – with insufficient funding, and dealing with the increasingly bureaucratic permitting process that has resulted from this. Also, in a completely different vein, having to say ‘no.’ The race fills quickly these days and I get inundated with sob-stories from folks wanting in. And on race day, there's always a handful who miss the intermediate cut-off time (four hours at halfway) and I have to tell them their race is over when they want to continue. But the volunteers, including me!, want to go home and it gets dark by 5 p.m.”

The Quad isn’t the only race Medinger founded. Another was the Epiphany Ultra, named because it was held around his January 6 birthday, the Day of Epiphany in religious calendars. The race began 33 years ago in San Francisco, and a mile was added to the distance to match each of his birthdays. In 2002, it mercifully dropped from 50 miles to 51 kilometers (32 miles). Medinger turned 60 in 2011, and the race, now in the Oakland hills, is going to remain at 60 kilometers. He is also the founder and race director of the Lake Sonoma 50-miler, has been on the Board of Trustees for the prestigious Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run since 1992, and was one of the original directors of the San Francisco Marathon.

Medinger recently retired from a long career at Chevron, where he did investment banking, and moved to Ukiah with wife Lisa. Together, they publish “UltraRunning Magazine” and run a small vineyard under the label Twin Palms.

“It makes me sound like one of those 1% folks that everyone is complaining about, when, politically, I'm on the other end of the spectrum,” Medinger laughs. “I don't really race anymore due to bad knees and incipient old age. But I still do about 30-40 miles per week; I like to eat!”

Tony Rossman, past president of the Western States Board and long-time friend, says of Medinger:

“In the more than quarter century since John and I first ran the Quadruple Dipsea together, he has become a leading legend in the ultramarathon community….His two greatest legacies have been to take the reins of “UltraRunning Magazine” and transform it from a vernacular newsletter into a spectacular journal of record, and to grow the Quad Dipsea from a collection of a few running buddies on the trail into one of the nation's most popular and competitive ultras.”

As to the future, Medinger says, “My only remaining running goal is to get to 100,000 miles lifetime. I'm at about 97,000 miles at the moment, and will get there in the summer of 2013 at my current pace.” That’s only 100 Quads short.

2011 Quadruple Dipsea

You can rewrite the all-time Quadruple Dipsea race record on page 259 of "Dipsea, The Greatest Race." In the Quad's 29th running, on November 26, 2011, Leor Pantilat, 27, of San Carlos, destroyed the course record, and all potential rivals, with a sensational 3:48:58. That took more than three minutes off the old standard set by Erik Skaggs in 2008. Pantilat covered the first Mill Valley-Stinson Beach crossing in 52 minutes, the Double in 1:48, the Triple in 2:46. The mark may stand a while as future Quad racers will likely again be barred from the Muir Woods Road between Hauke Hollow and the Mailboxes and directed onto the significantly slower adjacent trail, which has been washed out for years but is now finally repaired and reopened.

Gary Gellin, 43, was runner-up, a distant 21+ minutes back in 4:10:05. Alaskan Mattias Saari arrived third in 4:12:45.

Cedar Bourgeois, 35, also from Alaska, paced the women with her 4:59:18, good for 18th place overall. Her halfway split was 2:23. Kimberly Holak (5:06:29) and 51-year-old Luanne Park (5:10:04) followed.

Greg Nacco was first over-50 in 5:09:37, and Charles Savage the first over-60 in 6:09:31.

Larry Castano, nursing an injury, did not start, ending a streak of 25 consecutive finishes. Doug Arnold completed his 25th.

Weather conditions were perfect; cool, clear and dry. Full results at www.run100s.com.

Jack Kirk Remembrance

Drow Millar, who made such a beautiful DVD about Jack Kirk, just forwarded this wonderful recollection from someone who knew Kirk well. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

http://dipseademon.com/The_Dipsea_Demon/Home.html

My name is Karen Haley. My grandparents, Ernie & Edna Haley, owned the property that abutted Jack's in Mariposa.

We knew Jack well. As a child, I grew up spending every summer with Jack Kirk. He let me on his property -- not a luxury he afforded many people! He let me swim in his creek. He walked with me and talked with me. He taught about birds, trees, flowers and stars. He ate every Thanksgiving dinner with our family.

He was always running. He told me that he didn't run with his legs, but rather he ran with his arms. He was a huge part of my childhood. The people of Mariposa had some kind of beef with him -- I never knew the story and I never really cared, because he was such an important person in my life.

I used to take him to church with me when I was about 6 or 7 years old in the early 1960's. We were Seventh-day Adventists. He would hold my hand, look straight ahead, and not speak to anyone. But he loved going to church with me.

It was never difficult to find Jack -- I would walk down Ben Hur Road in Mariposa, stand on the bridge spanning the creek on his property, and yell, "Jack?!" He always emerged from the bushes.

Jack Kirk WAS my childhood. My life wouldn't have been the same without him. Now, as I Google his name, I see he was a famous racer. Well, I didn't know much about that as a child. All I knew was, he was a kind, strange man who taught me about nature. -- Karen Haley

First Flight of Dipsea Steps

The renovation of the first flight of Dipsea steps was completed a week ago, and the steps are fully open to use. The opening steps are now concrete, followed by a long section of wooden steps as in the past, then another set of concrete steps before the unchanged topmost 33 rock steps. The handrails are improved. Step plaques--which are sold out--have not yet been installed. Also coming is a boulder on which a plaque will announce that the Dipsea Trail is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

There should be essentially no impact on running times, or on passing. At the very top, the steps are angled right, which might help one second.

So how many steps are there now? I counted 316 in the first flight, an addition of three. With 222 steps on the second flight, and 150 in the top flight, the total is now 688 steps. When Jack Kirk coined his immortal line, "Old Dipsea Runners Never Die, They Just Go to the 672nd Step," there were 671 steps.

2011 Dipsea

2011 Supplement to the Centennial Edition of “Dipsea, The Greatest Race”

101st Dipsea

June 12, 2011

In some ways, the 101st Dipsea seemed a throwback to earlier years. For one, at least 15 runners toed the start line with a reasonable chance of winning. This is how it was before 1965, when handicaps were still assigned individually. But the shift that year to handicapping by age changed things, and only top age-graded runners then had any chance of winning. In many recent years, just a handful of entrants really were contenders to win. And there was also, as in the distant past, high drama over who would the Team Trophy. In the end, Jamie Berns Rivers, 60, emerged as the 13th runner ever to win more than once, and the 34-year win streak of the Tamalpa Runners team was finally broken.

After winning in 2007, Jamie had been punished with a Winner’s Penalty of four lost head start minutes in 2008 and three in ’09. Last year, when the Winner’s Penalty was softened to just one minute lost for a win during the previous three years, she limped in, injured, near last among the Invitationals. Jamie then stayed below the proverbial radar scene; neither she nor husband Roy Rivers, the 2008 champ, raced at all during 2011. So although many identified her as a possible winner, her fitness level was unknown.

Three-time winner Melody-Anne Schultz led the maximum, 25-minute head start group through early checkpoints. Hans Schmid, 71, starting three minutes later, overhauled her on Dynamite and was first to Cardiac. (Computer-generated splits at Cardiac, a bonus since chip timing was introduced in 2006, were missed this year when no recording mat was placed there.)

Jamie, in the 20-minute handicap group, crested the course’s high point 59 seconds after Schmid. No one else was near; third place Schultz reached Cardiac a distant 2:11 later. Rivers caught Schmid as she descended Steep Ravine two steps at a time, to his one. At the tape, she stretched her victory margin over runner-up Schmid to 23 seconds.

Brian Pilcher, the 2009 champion who sat out a year due to injury, waged a Race-long duel with Roy Rivers and ended up third, 44 ticks back of Jamie. That was less than his one-minute Winner’s Penalty. The other two runners with a Winner’s Penalty in 2011, Roy Rivers and Reilly Johnson, were both strong candidates to win, and both experienced problems. Rivers faltered in the last mile and came down the final straightaway slowly, on very wobbly legs, in ninth place. (It was still more than enough for the Rivers’ to win the Alan Beardall Family Trophy.) Johnson, now age nine, had stomach woes early and gamely struggled in 90th overall.

Scratch runner Alex Varner arrived 50 seconds after Pilcher, clinching the Best Time Trophy. His actual time was 49:09. Varner became the fourth man to win three successive Time awards, joining Mason Hartwell, Mike McManus (who did it twice) and Mark McManus. Debbie Rudolf is the lone female to “three-peat.” No one has been able to win this prestigious award four years in a row.

Andy Ames, a Colorado runner admitted directly into Invitational, was fifth. Another Colorado star also placed into Invitational in his debut, Chuck Smead, fared less well. Smead, a four-time winner of the Pikes Peak Marathon and a PanAm Games marathon silver medalist, had winner’s credentials, and was sixth to crest Cardiac. But he then tired, fell in the Swoop, and ended up 20th.

Sissel Bernsten-Heber, also thrice a Best Time winner, returned after several years away to claim sixth place.

There was a splendid battle for Women’s Time honors. Julie Nacouzi, the teen who won the Runner Section in 2010, appeared to have taken the trophy when she hit the line seven seconds ahead of fellow nine-minute handicap starter Chris Lundy. But Liz Gottlieb, with eight head start minutes, crossed 39 seconds later, in 17th place, to grab the title. It was Liz’s third Time award, tying her with Lundy and Bernsten-Heber, behind the four of Debbie Rudolf and Peggy Smyth. Nacouzi did win the female High School Trophy; Johnny Lawson repeated on the male side.

But there was no more dramatic contest than that for the Team Trophy. The newly formed Tamalpa Runners had entered their first team in 1977 and won every year since. Indeed, they had rarely been even remotely challenged. In 2010, a group enjoying Tuesday evening runs out of Muir Beach’s Pelican Inn for more than 20 years decided to enter as the Pelican Inn Track Club. Several had current or recent Tamalpa affiliations. Their challenge came up just short. But in 2011, the Pelicans placed five runners among the top 12, including new recruit Don Stewart (8th), winner of the DSE Practice Dipsea, and Tamalpa’s legendary streak was snapped.

Julian LePelch, 10, arrived 30th, five seconds behind his father Patrick, to become the youngest boy to win a black shirt. Peter Carter, 12, had held the honor. Other 10-year old boys had finished higher—for example, Vance Eberly winning in 1969, Michael Boitano winning in 1972 and Tommy Owen placing fourth in 1973—but all in the pre-shirt era.

--There were several changes in the head starts. Women ages 52 and 53, and seven-year-old boys, gained one minute. Girls of eight lost two minutes.

--Oddly, of the 27 runners who had won ten or more black shirts, only three—Steve Stephens (now with 23), Jamie Rivers (now with 14, most of any woman) and Schultz (12)--added to their collection. Christie Patterson Pastalka and Roy Rivers joined the 10-shirt club. It was Christie’s first black shirt in 18 years, the longest gap between shirts by a woman. The overall record is 24 years, by Roy Kissin.

--Tanya Fredricks of San Anselmo won the Runner Section. Her actual time was 1:03:38 (12hc). Runner-up Sarah Bamberger, who bicycled to the start from San Francisco, was next overall across the finish line, 27 seconds back.

--Lori Cohen, running despite battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), received a prolonged and moving standing ovation when presented with the Norman Bright Trophy. Her husband and three daughters stood beside her on the podium.

--Leon Sivertson, long the Race’s data manager, received the Jerry Hauke Perpetual “Red-Tailed Hawk” Award. Roy Harvey, 85, finished 1,275th with a time of 2:13:42 and was presented the Jack Kirk “Dipsea Demon” Award.

--Phil Smith, who won the Dipsea in his debut in 1961 and then completed the next 49 in a row, decided to sit out this year. Smith’s ended streak of 50 straight finishes is topped only by Jack Kirk’s 67.

--Thirteen days later, Jamie Rivers came back to also win the DSE Walt Stack Double Dipsea. She ran 2:18:18, with 41 head start minutes, to finish 2:10 ahead of runner-up Alex Varner. Varner’s 1:39:29 (scratch) was the fastest actual time since 1987. Sarah Bamberger, 12th, had the fastest women’s time, 2:04:14.

--The first flight of Dipsea steps in Mill Valley was closed for renovation immediately after the Double Dipsea. All 280 wood steps were to be replaced with concrete steps, as on the third flight rebuild four years earlier, with the topmost 33 stone steps left intact. The Dipsea Foundation again sold step plaques to finance the project, and all were sold. The plaque for the very first step was auctioned at the Dipsea Dinner. Trevor Schultz paid $1,500 to honor wife Melody-Anne Schultz, inducted into the Dipsea Hall of Fame as its 25th member that same evening.

-- Hannah Berman, William Cooney, Daniel Milechman, Rachel Skokowski and Benjamin Vogensen were awarded college scholarships at the Dinner.

1. Jamie Rivers (60), Mill Valley, 1:07:34 (20hc) [:23 margin]

2. Hans Schmid (71), Greenbrae, 1:09:57 (22hc)

3. Brian Pilcher (54), Ross, 55:18 (7hc)

4. Alexander Varner (25), San Rafael, 49:09 (scratch) fastest time

5. Andy Ames (48), Boulder, CO, 54:28 (5hc)

6. Sissel Bernsten-Heber (47), Mill Valley, 1:01:32 (12hc)

7. Roy Kissin (54), Larkspur, 57:43 (8hc)

8. Don Stewart (50), Sebastopol, 56:00 (6hc)

9. Roy Rivers (54), Mill Valley, 57:06 (7hc)

10. Diana Fitzpatrick (53), Larkspur, 1:05:36 (15hc)

11. Iain Mickle (50), Sacramento, 56:38 (6hc)

12. Gus Gibbs (25), Mill Valley, 50:40 (scratch) 2nd fastest time

13. Julie Nacouzi (17), Santa Rosa, 59:48 (9hc) 2nd fastest woman, 1st HS

14. Brian Gilliss (31), San Francisco, 51:49 (1hc)

15. Chris Lundy (40), Sausalito, 59:55 (9hc)

16. Johnny Lawson (16), Forest Knolls, 54:18 (3hc) 1st male HS

17. Liz Gottlieb (35), San Rafael, 59:34 (8hc) fastest woman

18. Jared Barrilleaux (26), Petaluma, 51:43(scratch)

19. Steve Stephens (67), San Anselmo, 1:09:44 (18hc)

20. Chuck Smead (59), Masca, CO, 1:02:47 (11hc)

21. Karen Steele (53), Novato, 1:06:48 (15hc)

22. Wayne Best (43), San Rafael, 54:49 (3hc)

23. Mark Richtman (56), Novato, 1:01:02 (9hc)

24. Stephen Donahue (33), San Francisco, 53:04 (1hc)

25. Heather MacFalls Tanner (32), Menlo Park, 1:00:18 (8hc)

26. Melody-Anne Schultz (69), Ross, 1:17:23 (25hc)

27. Tomas Pastalka (64), Belvedere, 1:07:27 (15hc)

28. John Litzenberg III (41), Glen Ellen, 54:40 (2hc)

29. Patrick Lepelch (48), Mill Valley, 57:42 (5hc)

30. Julian Lepelch (10), Mill Valley, 1:03:47 (11hc)

31. Christie Pastalka (63), Belvedere, 1:14:53 (22hc)

32. Tim Wallen (47), San Francisco, 56:58 (4hc)

33. Mark Helmus (57), Davis, 1:03:00 (10hc)

34. Alison Zamanian (41), Orinda, 1:03:06 (10hc)

35. Thomas Iseler (48), Washington DC, 58:14 (5hc)

36. Jamey Gifford (33), San Francisco, 54:15 (1hc)

37. Danny Dimeo (24), Sacramento, 53:47 (scratch)

38. Mike Lopez (53), Mill Valley, 1:00:48 (7hc)

39. Ty Strange (50), Santa Rosa, 59:52 (6hc)

40. Brad O’Brien (49), Novato, 58:54 (5hc)

41. Alan Reynolds (47), Sausalito, 58:04 (4hc)

42. Mimi Willard (47), Kentfield, 1:11:18 (17hc)

43. Frederick Huxham (15), Ross, 58:26 (4hc)

44. Lauren Creath (18), Corte Madera, 1:03:28 (9hc)

45. Clayton Hutchins (15), San Anselmo, 58:31 (4hc)

46. Chris Knorzer (42), Rocklin, 57:32 (3hc)

47. Preston Sitterly (63), Sonoma, 1:09:33 (15hc)

48. Chris Hauth (41), Mill Valley, 56:41 (2hc)

49. Johnny Rutledge (40), Forest Knolls, 56:54 (2hc)

50. Paul Breimayer (52), Novato, 1:01:56 (7hc)

Team Pelican Inn Track Club: Jamie Rivers, Varner, Stewart, Roy Rivers, Gibbs

1,328 finishers; cool and overcast at start and finish, sunny and mild mid-course

Dipsea Race Single Age Records

Before the 2010 Dipsea Race, Jim Weil, the Dipsea handicapper for the past 30-plus years, prepared this table of Single-Age records; i.e., the best times achieved in the Race at each age, male and female. Two new records set in 2010 (so not reflected in the table) are: Russ Kiernan's age 72 time of 1:14:32, and Melody-Anne Schultz's "off-the-chart" 1:12:38 for women age 68 (almost nine minutes below the previous mark!). Below the main list are some additional older marks, faster in time but not necessarily superior due to a shorter course. Weil uses these records to establish the head starts.

Sex	Age	Lname	Fname	Year	Act time	Adj time
(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)	(f)	(g)
F	5	Boitano	Mary Etta	1968	1:28.19	1:31.10
F	6	Boitano	Mary Etta	1969	1:21.04	1:23.41
F	7	Boitano	Mary Etta	1970	1:17.12	1:18.42
F	8	McGowan	Megan	1990	1:09.21	1:09.21
F	9	McGowan	Megan	1991	1:05.32	1:05.32
F	10	McGowan	Megan	1992	:58.09	:58.09
F	11	McGowan *	Megan	1993	:59.13	:59.13
F	12	Ottenheimer	Elizabeth	2000	1:01.14	1:01.14
F	13	Rudolf	Debbie	1974	:56.10	:58.30
F	14	Roger *	Alesandra	2004	:58.19	:58.19
F	15	McConnell *	Amy	1987	1:00.41	1:00.41
F	16	Roger	Alesandra	2006	:59.27	:59.27
F	17	McWalters	Teresa	2002	1:01.26	1:01.26
F	18	Fish	Nicci	2003	1:00.39	1:00.39
F	19	Flowers	C. M.	1981	1:03.15	1:03.53
F	20	Wollenberger	Carolyn	1986	1:02.22	1:02.22
F	21	Holmes	Kimberly	1991	1:00.41	1:00.41
F	22	Callinan	Christine	2003	1:03.25	1:03.25
F	23	Potts	Caron	1987	1:01.47	1:01.47
F	24	Eschen	Andrea	1981	1:00.21	1:00.57
F	25	Holbacher	Katy	2000	1:00.02	1:00.02
F	26	Fagan	Liz	2002	:59.56	:59.56
F	27	Duncan	Amber	1997	:57.03	:57.03
F	28	Lundy	Christine	1999	:56.05	:56.05
F	29	Fagan Gottlieb	Liz	2005	1:00.38	1:00.38
F	30	Hagans	Anna Marie	1991	:58.41	:58.41
F	31	English	Patricia	1984	:56.38	:56.38
F	32	Smythe	Peggy	1984	:58.11	:58.11
F	33	Berntsen-Heber	Sissel	1997	:57.00	:57.00
F	34	Smythe	Peggy	1986	:57.25	:57.25
F	35	English	Patricia	1988	:55.49	:55.49
F	36	Smythe	Peggy	1988	:55.47	:55.47
F	37	Smythe	Peggy	1989	:57.19	:57.19
F	38	Waldear	Debbie	1988	:57.04	:57.04
F	39	Lagunas	Rosemarie	2001	:56.52	:56.52
F	40	Scott	Gail	1986	:58.19	:58.19
F	41	Scott	Gail	1987	:58.24	:58.24
F	42	Lagunas	Rosemarie	2004	1:00.34	1:00.34
F	43	Fitzpatrick	Diana	2001	:58.56	:58.56
F	44	Waldear	Debbie	1994	:58.51	:58.51
F	45	Colman	Joan	1989	:59.33	:59.33
F	46	Fitzpatrick	Diana	2004	1:01.22	1:01.22
F	47	Rabinowitz	Judy	2005	1:01.36	1:01.36
F	48	Andersen	Gabriele	1993	:59.12	:59.12
F	49	Helvestine	Heidi	2003	1:01.19	1:01.19
F	50	Helvestine	Heidi	2004	1:02.51	1:02.51
F	51	Matson	Shirley	1992	:59.22	:59.22
F	52	Matson	Shirley	1993	1:00.34	1:00.34
F	53	Matson	Shirley	1994	1:03.25	1:03.25
F	54	Berns	Jamie	2005	1:05.41	1:05.41
F	55	Schultz	Melody-Anne	1997	1:02.39	1:02.39
F	56	Berns	Jamie	2007	1:04.05	1:04.05
F	57	Schultz	Melody-Anne	1999	1:01.51	1:01.51
F	58	Schultz	Melody-Anne	2000	1:04.33	1:04.33
F	59	Matson	Shirley	2000	1:05.59	1:05.59
F	60	Matson	Shirley	2001	1:08.25	1:08.25
F	61	Schultz	Melody-Anne	2003	1:03.36	1:03.36
F	62	Schultz	Melody-Anne	2004	1:06.03	1:06.03
F	63	Matson	Shirley	2004	1:08.23	1:08.23
F	64	Schultz	Melody-Anne	2006	1:09.00	1:09.00
F	65	Azevedo	Margaret	1980	1:26.08	1:27.00
F	66	Schultz	Melody-Anne	2008	1:11.59	1:11.59
F	67	Stickle	Edda	2009	1:29.22	1:29.22
F	68	Pell	Eve	2005	1:21.25	1:21.25
F	69	Pell	Eve	2006	1:24.13	1:24.13
F	70	Meyer	Heidi	2007	1:42.48	1:42.48
F	71	Garnett	Susan	2009	1:48.40	1:48.40
F	72	Tuinzing	Els	1994	1:52.59	1:52.59
F	73	Kambur	Joanne	2008	1:56.59	1:56.59
F	74	Kambur	Joanne	2009	1:58.46	1:58.46
F	75	Tuinzing	Els	1997	1:56.07	1:56.07
F	76	Tuinzing	Els	1998	2:10.39	2:10.39
F	77	Tuinzing	Els	1999	2:08.32	2:08.32
M	6	Venne	Stefan	2007	1:23.12	1:23.12
M	7	Pitts	Stephen	1993	1:18.46	1:18.46
M	8	Zalan	Daryl	1995	1:10.47	1:10.47
M	9	Boitano	Mike	1971	:58.53	1:00.47
M	10	Boitano	Mike	1972	:56.37	:58.27
M	11	Boitano	Mike	1973	:56.22	:58.11
M	12	Boitano	Mike	1974	:52.54	:55.06
M	13	Carter	Peter	1992	:57.30	:57.30
M	14	Bunnell	Reed	2006	:54.07	:54.07
M	15	Hansen *	Brad	1994	:53.01	:53.01
M	16	Elijah	Ron	1969	:48.00	:49.33
M	17	Bunnell	Bob	1967	:48.01	:49.34
M	18	Elijah	Ron	1971	:46.08	:47.37
M	19	Makela	Don	1970	:46.42	:48.13
M	20	McManus *	Mike	1986	:49.53	:49.53
M	21	Elijah	Ron	1974	:44.49	:46.41
M	22	Lowry	Byron	1969	:47.39	:49.11
M	23	Berry	Rod	1983	:47.33	:47.33
M	24	McManus *	Mike	1990	:47.59	:47.59
M	25	McManus	Mike	1991	:46.53	:46.53
M	26	McManus	Mike	1992	:47.18	:47.18
M	27	McManus *	Mike	1993	:48.32	:48.32
M	28	Elijah *	Ron	1981	:48.47	:49.16
M	29	McManus	Mike	1995	:48.06	:48.06
M	30	Dunham *	Dave	1994	:47.49	:47.49
M	31	Dunham	Dave	1995	:47.46	:47.46
M	32	McArdle	Peter	1962	:47.30	:48.53
M	33	Minor	Tim	1991	:49.26	:49.26
M	34	Ryan	Joe	1980	:48.37	:49.06
M	35	McManus	Mike	2001	:50.15	:50.15
M	36	Lentz *	Cliff	2001	:49.58	:49.58
M	37	Lentz *	Cliff	2002	:51.04	:51.04
M	38	Latimer	Homer	1977	:47.56	:48.25
M	39	Latimer	Homer	1978	:49.00	:49.30
M	40	Nelson	Dan	2004	:50.19	:50.19
M	41	Beardall	Darryl	1978	:50.03	:50.33
M	42	Vasquez	Sal	1982	:50.53	:51.24
M	43	Vasquez	Sal	1983	:50.42	:50.42
M	44	Vasquez	Sal	1984	:49.18	:49.18
M	45	Vasquez	Sal	1985	:49.56	:49.56
M	46	Vasquez	Sal	1986	:50.19	:50.19
M	47	Kiernan	Russ	1985	:52.58	:52.58
M	48	Vasquez	Sal	1988	:51.48	:51.48
M	49	Kiernan	Russ	1987	:53.13	:53.13
M	50	Vasquez	Sal	1990	:52.05	:52.05
M	51	Rivers	Roy	2008	:53.23	:53.23
M	52	Rivers	Roy	2009	:55.17	:55.17
M	53	Vasquez	Sal	1993	:52.52	:52.52
M	54	Vasquez	Sal	1994	:53.06	:53.06
M	55	Vasquez	Sal	1995	:53.51	:53.51
M	56	Lyons *	Steve	1997	:58.39	:58.39
M	57	Vasquez	Sal	1997	:54.27	:54.27
M	58	Patterson	Joe	1993	:59.31	:59.31
M	59	Kiernan	Russ	1997	:59.30	:59.30
M	60	Malain *	Bob	1987	1:00.42	1:00.42
M	61	Kiernan *	Russ	1999	1:00.33	1:00.33
M	62	Kiernan	Russ	2000	1:01.28	1:01.28
M	63	Kiernan	Russ	2001	1:01.53	1:01.53
M	64	Kiernan	Russ	2002	1:00.14	1:00.14
M	65	Kiernan	Russ	2003	1:02.34	1:02.34
M	66	Kiernan	Russ	2004	1:01.52	1:01.52
M	67	Kiernan	Russ	2005	1:03.44	1:03.44
M	68	Kiernan	Russ	2006	1:04.56	1:04.56
M	69	Kiernan	Russ	2007	1:05.45	1:05.45
M	70	Kiernan	Russ	2008	1:08.07	1:08.07
M	71	King	Joe	1997	1:09.28	1:09.28
M	72	Dodson	Bill	2007	1:18.24	1:18.24
M	73	Lindquist	Link	2001	1:13.58	1:13.58
M	74	Hirabashi	Sam	2001	1:19.27	1:19.27
M	75	Hirabashi	Sam	2002	1:19.29	1:19.29
M	76	King	Joe	2002	1:24.51	1:24.51
M	77	Hirabayashi	Sam	2004	1:23.38	1:23.38
M	78	Hirabayashi	Sam	2005	1:25.58	1:25.58
M	79	Hirabayashi	Sam	2006	1:30.22	1:30.22
M	80	Hirabayashi	Sam	2007	1:28.30	1:28.30
M	81	Hirabayashi	Sam	2008	1:33.27	1:33.27
M	82	Hirabayashi	Sam	2009	1:36.05	1:36.03
M	83	Harvey	Roy	2009	1:58.20	1:58.20
M	84	Kirk	Jack	1991	2:33.28	2:33.28
M	85	Clark	Al	1999	2:41.25	2:41.25
M	86	Kirk	Jack	1993	2:37.05	2:37.05
M	87	Kirk	Jack	1994	2:06.18	2:06.18
M	88	Kirk	Jack	1995	2:13.28	2:13.28
M	89	Kirk	Jack	1996	3:55.00	3:55.00
M	90	Kirk	Jack	1997	2:16.49	2:16.49
M	91	Kirk	Jack	1998	n/a	n/a
M	92	Kirk	Jack	1999	3:30.48	3:30.48
M	93	Kirk	Jack	2000	3:05.43	3:05.43
M	94	Kirk	Jack	2001	3:30.16	3:30.16
M	95	Kirk	Jack	2002	4:46.09	4:46.09
xF	11	Boitano	Mary Etta	1974	:56.55	:59.17
xF	14	Rudolf	Debbie	1975	:56.59	:58.34
xF	15	Rudolf	Debbie	1976	:59.57	1:01.21
xM	15	LaForge	William	1972	:52.21	:54.04
xM	20	Makela	Don	1971	:48.22	:49.56
xM	24	Hale	Tom	1972	:46.47	:48.18
xM	27	Delgado	Rich	1967	:48.06	:49.39
xM	28	Lowry	Byron	1975	:48.17	:49.37
xM	30	Delgado	Rich	1970	:47.02	:48.33
xM	36	Ryan	Joe	1982	:49.55	:50.25
xM	37	Latimer	Homer	1976	:50.03	:51.13
xM	56	McGrath	George	1975	:58.14	:59.51
xM	60	Bright	Norman	1970	:59.46	1:01.42
xM	61	??? Pre-1999