The weather was beautiful last week in Boston. A little … too beautiful. While an 85-degree reading on the thermometer might be ideal for that perfect tan, a rousing company picnic or your grandparents’ nudist colony, the best conditions for a marathon are about 25 degrees cooler.
Because of the unseasonable heat, experienced runners at the April 19 Boston Marathon cautioned restraint and a slow pace early to conserve energy. Northwestern senior Ken Kehl blithely ignored the advice, a decision that would resonate around mile 20.
“I hit the wall pretty hard,” Kehl said. “Physically it was exhausting, you just reach for a Gatorade, anything with sugar in it.”
Kehl, a member of the NU running club and a former high school cross-country runner, qualified for the race by posting a time of 2 hours and 59 minutes in last fall’s Chicago Marathon. Although he ran about 15 seconds slower in Boston than he had in Chicago, given the conditions, Kehl said he couldn’t help but be satisfied with his time.
In addition to the impact of the Boston weather, the added difficulties in training for a spring marathon during a Chicago winter also limited the amount of speed work Kehl could do in preparation. He noted that 60 laps or so on the SPAC track each day was neither very enjoyable nor productive.
The Boston Marathon only invites runners who meet certain qualifying standards in various age groups, making it a much more serious affair than the race in Chicago, which featured runners in Winnie-the-Pooh costumes and other garish outfits. Kehl hoped to get a glimpse of some of the top Kenyan distance runners at the starting line, but the enormous pack of other entrants obstructed his view.
“I jumped up and down at the start to try and see over the 1000 people in front of me, but I never got a look at them,” Kehl said.
Now that the marathon is in the rear-view mirror, Kehl has rejoined the running club, working in 5 to 10 mile campus loops around his classes. The running club meets daily in the SPAC lobby at four in the afternoon, and is open to runners of all abilities.
Men’s tennis gets a grip: The men’s club tennis team would surely have brought a grin to the face of “Mr. Cub.” Cubs’ shortstop Ernie Banks made the phrase “Let’s Play Two” famous during the 1960s, reflecting his love for the game of baseball. In that same spirit of sport for sport’s sake, the Wildcats played an extra three matches against Ohio State two weekends ago, giving the Buckeyes a second chance to win the dual meet.
Up 4-2 after the scheduled singles matches, NU captain and president John Etmekjian accepted an offer to continue the meet and play doubles. Although the Cats went on to prevail 5-4, they extended the home contest more to satisfy a desire to play rather than to punctuate a victory.
“It was the end of Big Ten play, and we have maybe only one more match (possibly against Loyola) the rest of the year,” Etmekjian said.
While the Cats may have finished their season, they definitely will need to elect a new president before the end of the year because Etmekjian, a junior, is slated to graduate a year early. Possible successors include current vice-president Geoff Radebaugh and other office holders.
“A few of them will probably try to step up and take over,” Etmekjian laughed.
Sail away, sail away: The Northwestern club sailing team has been leaving competing teams in its wake lately, according to captain Cassie Vinograd.
The team has been so fast, it hasn’t capsized since winning the Big Ten team championship almost a month ago after returning from Spring Break.
“Our season is off to an amazing start,” Vinograd said.
The sailing team built on its conference victory by sending boats to two different regattas two weekends ago, taking first in one race while topping its division and placing a close second in the other.
Pleased by the team’s spring success despite limited practice, Vinograd hopes to achieve similar results during the rest of the team’s upcoming schedule.
