Once again, my friend Bill Wenmark conquered the Bataan Death March in White Sands, New Mexico. Congrats to Bill and all his friends!

Here is a note/race report from Bill after the awesome accomplishment by him and his friends…

“First and foremost thanks to my ALARC friends who got me to Bataan in 2009.  After that experience there was no question I would be returning this year.

This year I was joined by Ken Chlouber, Tom Bryant, Rachel Van Sloan, and the always inspirational Burt Carlson.  We also saw Doug Thomas and Carol Zazubek too.  Ken went for the Civilian Heavy, 35# pack for 26 miles for his first Bataan march.  Tom was running his first marathon and first Bataan since 1996 after having had both of his knees replaced last March.  Rachel is a tremendous athlete and wanted to do Bataan…and Burt increased his marathon count to 312…at 84 years young.

(Tom Bryant, Ken Chlouber, Bill…keeping warm)

We all camped at the same location as last year.  This year I stayed in the back of my Suburban.  It was great…we hooked up our coffee pot, and space heater and had a warm place to have some great coffee each morning.  Ken and Burt stayed in their tents.  Tom and Rachel were in their trucks.  It was cooler this year, hitting 28-30 in the mornings.

I decided to be the “domastique” for the guys during the run.  Rachael did not need anyone…she ran GREAT….she finished 3:44:46, 5th in the women’s event.  Tom did not need my help…he finished great at 7:12:06 hours.  I went with Ken and then Burt during the day and finally finished with Burt at 8:55:55, chip for Burt was 8:50:14.  I went back out for about 2 hours looking for Ken.  He had thought he would do about 10 hours.  WELL….not only did he not need 10 hours…he powered through the Civilian Heavy to the finish line at 8:08:13….WOW…he finished first in his age group and set the course record for 70 and over.  Absolutely tremendous effort for everyone…

(14 mile mark.  Joe is an 18-year veteran of the Army. He flies UAVS from a Humvee. The bag piper is from England…he stopped at every aid station and played his pipes for 10-15 minutes.  Of course, Bill and the World famous Burt Carlson.)

It was also a great day…very cold in the morning…and then warming to a delightful 60 with a very light and cool wind from the north…nothing like last year.

I had a great day…for my 99th marathon…felt great.  Average pulse for the day was 100….Hmmm do you think the living room at 10,125 feet helped????  Grandmas Marathon in June will be my 100th Marathon.

Here are a few pictures to enjoy.  I will be retuning again next year (March 27,2011)…it is a very special place, event, and experience.   -Love, Bill”

Twelve years ago I ran my 2nd marathon ever … in Napa Valley, California. Last weekend, Kelly and Michelle, my 2 daughters ran their 3rd marathon…together…in Napa Valley.

(Joan, Michelle, Kelly, Kimberly)

That March weekend in 1998, I never dreamed that 12 years later I would be watching my kids run the same course I ran. Michelle brought her friend Kimberly along with her (Kimberly’s first marathon), and my friends Joan and Lori joined us from Indiana. Joan ran the marathon; Lori ran her first comeback 5K after a year-long injury.

Our original plan was that Kelly, Michelle, and I would run together. However, I ended up cheering from the sidelines on this one as I was still recovering from my recent 100-mile race. It actually worked out great because I was able to focus on making their race a fun, memorable experience.

The only thing missing from this weekend was my son Daniel. A couple of my friends asked me when he planned to join us in a marathon. So I asked Daniel that same question this morning…to which he replied, “That would be…Never.” Some might say he’s the smartest one of the whole bunch!

Michelle, Kelly, and Kimberly have decided that for them a marathon every other year is a good plan. So, we’ve set our sights on Big Sur in 2012. Daniel had better look out…Never say never!