Bloomsday 2007 Stories: Spokesmanreview.com

Spring blooms big time

Maybe spring was just waiting for Bloomsday.Under cloudless skies, more than 43,300 people completed Spokane's annual road race and civic party, about 3,000 more than last year, said Jerry O'Neal, a race official and spokesman. Given the occasionally snowy spring, Sunday's sunshine left everyone elated.

Attire, attitudes provide a running commentary

From Superwoman to Uncle Sam, from green Mohawks to the Blues Brothers, Bloomsday has a way of bringing out the whimsical side of participants.

Art of the run

Three buses pull up to the DoubleTree Hotel in Spokane on Friday afternoon before Bloomsday weekend. A camera crew jumps out of each and starts filming as the other passengers pour out behind them.

Korir after 4th Bloomsday title

Defending champion John Korir, the only three-time men's winner of the Lilac Bloomsday Run, will return to Sunday's 32nd annual running of the 12-kilometer event in search of another title.

Sole-enhancing opportunities

Andrew Coleman had narrowed his choice of running shoes to two styles of Brooks - Adrenalines and Trances.

City in full bloom for run Sunday

The 32nd annual Lilac Bloomsday Run is Sunday, and many Bloomies will arrive in Spokane today. You'll notice bigger crowds in shops and restaurants, particularly those serving the pasta dishes that have become a Bloomsday tradition.

Mind over muscle over hills

For many Bloomies, slogging up the course's legendary hills becomes a feat of endurance.Try completing Bloomsday with muscles that don't always perform.

Interloper to elite runner, she led way for women

More than 40 years ago, Kathrine Switzer was the only woman running in the Boston Marathon � and she had to sneak in and avoid aggressive race officials just to finish.

97-year-old takes it in strides

The Bloomsday bug bit Victor Rogers in 2001. He was 90. This week the 97-year-old Kennewick resident and oldest 2008 registrant hopes to walk the 7.46-mile course for the seventh time � regardless of the weather.

Fond memories of Bloomsday remain

Kim Jones, after dabbling in track as a sprinter in high school, had pretty much resigned herself to recreational running back in 1982, when she first saw television coverage of the Lilac Bloomsday Run.

Bloomsday entries already setting pace

It's a sure indicator that spring is around the corner when Don Kardong, founder and race director of Bloomsday, gathers his troops and kicks off another Bloomsday season.

Ditched Bloomsday garb finds home

On Monday morning, Geiger Corrections officials wondered what to do with the thousands of pounds of discarded running gear collected by an inmate work crew following Sunday's Bloomsday.

SPRING IN THEIR STEPS

Mbarak Hussein had heard about the notorious hills of the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run. But after twice finishing in the top five of the Boston Marathon � a race also known for punishing hills � the 42-year-old runner from Albuquerque, N.M., didn't think the short, little race in Spokane was anything to worry about.

Sprint to the finish

Nothing that happened on Sunday was unfamiliar to John Korir. The sights, the sounds and the feeling of crossing the Bloomsday finish line first � he'd seen it and done it all before.

Scenes from the course

Two trailers were piled with an estimated 8,000 pounds apiece of discarded sweatshirts, flannel shirts, fleece hats and gloves after the chilly start to Sunday's run.

Sounding the pavement

Officially, 28 groups of performers � including belly dancers and bluegrass groups � received formal invitations this year from the Lilac Bloomsday Run committee to rally the 40,000-plus racers expected to ply the 12-kilometer course.

Friends keep injured teen in race

One of the largest contingencies of Bloomsday runners belonged to Tom's Team, a grass-roots group formed in recent weeks to help sustain 17-year-old Tom Everett's spirits.

ELITE WOMEN

First, Kenyan Edna Kiplagat held her ground. Then she pulled away.Kiplagat and Teyba Erkesso essentially ran stride-for-stride for the first five-plus miles of Bloomsday. Erkesso tried to gain some separation on Doomsday Hill, but Kiplagat kept her bright orange running shoes right on Erkesso's heels. When the two reached the top of the hill, it was Kiplagat's turn to make a move, pulling away from Erkesso to win the elite women's race in a time of 38 minutes, 52 seconds. Erkesso finished the 7.46 miles in 39:22, holding off third-place Emily Chebet by five seconds.

Kids get their day at the race

Walking with 3-year-olds can be a bit like herding cats, but it's all par for the course at the annual Marmot March � the kiddie version of Bloomsday minus the miles, the crowds and the pressure of a stopwatch.

On your mark, get set . . .

Running might be the last thing on some folks' minds the morning after Cinco de Mayo. But for an estimated 50,000, today marks a different holiday � the Bloomsday Run.

Runners check out scene at check-in

For Bloomsday, more than 40,000 runners run the same course � and also pick up their race number in an organized frenzy that for some is almost as fun as the race itself.

Collegiate team event debuts

There are certain things expected at every Bloomsday � Kenyans favored to win the elite races and Saul Mendoza finishing first in the men's elite wheelchair race.

New metal sculptures to greet runners

There'll be some new, madcap characters at every mile marker on the Bloomsday course this year."Beehive Betty," "Louis Legstrong" and "Stroller Mom" will be among seven brightly colored metal sculptures created especially for the race by Annie Trunkle-Smart, aka Blowtorch Annie.

Bloomsday regular readies for 31st

SANDPOINT � Thirty years ago, as he neared his 49th birthday, John Howard quit smoking and started running a mile a day. Two weeks later he was running Bloomsday.

Deep fields emerge

One defending champion will look to hold onto his title and a highly decorated field of women will challenge for top honors in the elite fields at Sunday's Bloomsday.

These Bloomsday training tips will help end come sooner

We're 13 days to Bloomsday and we all know what that means.In less than two weeks, downtown Spokane will be oozing with a smug horde of shorts-wearing nincompoops who will pound the pavement in a transparent effort to make gravity-impaired sloths like me feel bad.

Still time to sign up, shape up for Bloomsday

Procrastinators, listen up: There's still time to get in shape and get in the race. We're talking Bloomsday, the 12-kilometer Spokane rite-of-spring to be held May 6.

Blind runner left breathless by offers to be his Bloomsday guide

Judging by their physiques, they might look like the odd couple when they run races. But Bryant McKinley, a blind runner who was seeking a Bloomsday running guide, said his new partner is a perfect match.

Bloomsday run helpers needed

Organizers of the upcoming Bloomsday run are seeking volunteers to help with check-in, T-shirt distribution and other tasks on race weekend, May 5 and 6.

Blind Bloomsday runner needs hand

Wanted: Avid, level-headed runner willing to guide blind athlete in Bloomsday. Tortoises need not apply.

Bloomsday check-in, trade show moved

One major change will mark this spring's Lilac Bloomsday Run: Check-in and the trade show will be in the new Spokane Convention Center Group Health Exhibit Hall.

Fit for Bloomsday gets kids moving

There are a few more weeks of bitter winter weather ahead, but area elementary schools are already planning of a new season of the Fit for Bloomsday ... Fit for Life.

In brief: Online registration for Bloomsday open

Online registration for the 31st Lilac Bloomsday Run is open and those who sign up by Feb. 18 have a chance to win a trip for two to one of Seattle's most popular races.

Bloomsday runner who died won co-workers' hearts

Richard R. Bloch's friends waited at the finish line for as long as they could Sunday. The 47-year-old man didn't arrive, so as the weather turned bad, the friends, who all worked at the Kampgrounds of America headquarters in Billings, left for home.

A few Bloomin' hitches

The chip went off without a hitch, although it rubbed some people the wrong way. That was the feedback Don Kardong, Lilac Bloomsday executive director, received about Sunday's 30th Bloomsday run.

Ochichi wins sprint to end

Isabella Ochichi didn't expect to have to sprint to the finish. Not that it mattered. Ochichi, a 26-year-old Kenyan, held off a furious late surge from Ukrainian Tetyana Hladyr to win Bloomsday's women's elite race in her first appearance Sunday, finishing the 12,000-meter course in a time of 38 minutes, 38 seconds, the second-fastest in Bloomsday history.

Mass appeal

The used sweat shirts were almost as popular as the new T-shirts. During Sunday's Lilac Bloomsday Run when the temperature stalled at 48 degrees, the sweat shirts traditionally flung into trees and onto curbs became a hot commodity. ( Read the full story )

Bloomsday Away gives troops in Kyrgyzstan a taste of home

Jeremiah Camp never thought he would win Bloomsday, especially while stationed at an Air Force base in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, where the course is flat with not a pine tree in sight.

Bloomsday runner dies after collapse

A Bloomsday runner from Billings died Sunday at a hospital after being taken from the course in an ambulance. Witnesses say a man who appeared to be between 35 and 40 was running with his wife and collapsed about 11:15 a.m.

Strong to the finish

Last year, Gilbert Okari dominated the first two miles of the Bloomsday course, but all that earned him was a second-place finish. He didn't make his push until after Doomsday Hill this year, turning a two-man race into a 32-second blowout win over the final three miles in the 30th Bloomsday's elite men's race.

Race day vignettes

Ginny Warden, the oldest of 124 perennials who have participated in all 30 Bloomsdays, had announced Bloomsday 2006 would be her last. But after walking the course in less than 2 � hours, the 86-year-old South Hill resident has taken a never-say-never approach to 2007.

Monkey business as usual

To a man dressed in an enormous, shaggy gorilla suit, a sunny Bloomsday is a bad Bloomsday. So when a light rain fell and a cool breeze rustled through the runners and walkers in the lilac section � the last group to start before the strollers � those dressed in costumes seemed happiest of all.

Mendoza wins ninth straight men's wheelchair title

Another year brought another Bloomsday men's wheelchair title to Saul Mendoza, but the ninth straight one meant a little more. It breaks Craig Blanchette's record of consecutive race victories, which he set from 1987-94.

Revelers party to the finish

There is a common theme among the spectator parties that line the Bloomsday course: Everybody has a beverage. Be they mimosas from a champagne glass in Browne's Addition to coffee at a house on Lindeke Street, there is often more hydration for spectators than for participants.

Volunteers keep the race running

Their T-shirts may be a different color, but the volunteers who keep nearly 45,000 Bloomies running smoothly are as big a part of the event as the runners.

Event for kids sets active tone

Tiffany Degenhart got the runner's bug in 1986 when she competed in Junior Bloomsday as a sixth-grader. She's now married with children of her own.

Beef up for Bloomsday run

Nothing like zinc-, iron- and protein-loading before Bloomsday. The Washington State Beef Commission is making it convenient to do just that by giving out beef appetizer samples at the Bloomsday Trade Show.

Streets to be closed for Bloomsday Sunday

Don't forget that many downtown streets will be closed Sunday morning for Bloomsday. Government Way, Fort George Wright Drive, Pettet Drive, Maxwell Avenue and Broadway Avenue will also be closed along the Bloomsday race route.

Changes help racers keep pace

Bloomsday is keeping up with the times. And it's going to help racers in the long run. For those who haven't been paying attention, every Lilac Bloomsday Run registration packet will contain a 1 1/2-inch wide electronic chip and an ankle strap this year.

Bloomsday on TV, online and in print

Elite field still runs deep

The defending champions aren't returning, but that won't leave the elite field short of storylines and possibilities for Sunday's 30th Bloomsday. The women's race boasts a loaded field and the typical Kenyan contingent headlines the men's race, both on a new Bloomsday course.

Volunteers keep Bloomsday humming

They are the epitome of efficiency. Each weekday, a dozen or so reliable men and women, many retired, sort through Lilac Bloomsday Run registration forms, input information, double-check the data and fill envelopes with a bib tag and computer timing chips.

Warming up with some Bloomsday nuts and bolts

The inquiries range from the specific to the general. Then again, with more than 50,000 participants expected at the 30th annual Lilac Bloomsday Run on May 7, there are bound to be questions.

Bloomsday elites outrun ages

Go ahead Bloomsday athletes. Brag a little. Your time last year was less than your HDL cholesterol level. Your IQ is higher than the time it took you to walk the course.

Born in '77, Bloomsday sprouted a grand tradition

The conversation was as brief as a seven-story elevator ride, yet long enough to get the idea off the ground. David Rodgers, Spokane's mayor at the time, was sharing a City Hall elevator with Don Kardong, fresh off his fourth-place finish in the 1976 Montreal Olympics marathon.

Bloomsday runners
to wear time chips

For its 30th year, there's a fresh start and a stunning finish for Bloomsday. Three major changes in the annual event, which will be held May 7, were announced Monday.

The road hardly traveled at all

My deepest apologies to anyone looking for closure. I won't be able to provide you with a finish time for my Bloomsday grudge match against the man who lost 470 pounds.

Miles of smiles

The Bloomsday odyssey has been conquered again. For the 29th year, regular people from Spokane and beyond ran, walked or wheeled the 7.46-mile course � some tackling major obstacles such as physical disabilities, some just trying to better their times.

Doomsday decides matters

For two miles, the 29th Bloomsday belonged to Gilbert Okari. For the final four, John Korir showed the form which won Bloomsday 2003, catching and blowing past Okari for a 13-second win, finishing the 12-kilometer (7.

Mendoza already thinking nine

Eight, contrary to the TV show title, will not be enough for Saul Mendoza. Mendoza won his eighth straight men's open wheelchair title Sunday with a time of 26:31, earning $2,000 in the process.

Leghzaoui uses strong finish to win going away

Like so many other Bloomsdays past, the elite female runners essentially ran two races � one before Doomsday Hill, and one after it. Before hitting the 6.

Newcomers surprised by twists, turns

Defining Bloomsday to foreign exchange students is not an easy task, said Lisa Williams, a 15-year participant who works in the athletic department at Eastern Washington University.

Life isn't always easy at top of the hill

The Doomsday Hill vulture wears shinguards. Bill Robinson, the man behind the creepy mask, added the protective gear in 1988, a year after he began standing at the top of the hill.

Fast start requires patience

Wayne Foster arrived first at the Bloomsday starting line � 4� hours early. The 42-year-old showed up at 4:30 a. m. to make sure he would be at the front of the massive pack.

Newcomers are surprised by twists, turns

Defining Bloomsday to foreign exchange students is not an easy task, said Lisa Williams, a 15-year participant who works in the athletics department at Eastern Washington University.

Entertainment around each corner

It started with hula dancers and ended with rock 'n' roll. In between came a course full of snappy punk, cowboy twang, bucket drummers and belly dancers.

Fashion runs the course from superheroes to fish

Bloomsday always brings out people's fashion sense, for better or worse. This year's crowd included one man wearing plastic buttocks, two women wearing red wax lips and a "cowboy" in a foam hat riding an inflated chicken.

Bloomsday: Elite men

Bloomsday: Elite women

Bloomsday bride, groom have 12K wedding march

The bride wore white � white shorts, white running shoes and a white veil attached to her white visor. Then, minutes after her second wedding, 75-year-old Elisabeth Johnson walked her first Bloomsday.

Bloomsday: Wheelchair open women

Bloomsday: Wheelchair open men

It's time to get it going

The trade show is over. The registrations are in. It's finally time to hunker down and run the dang race. Bloomsday 2005 starts just before 9 a.m. today.

7,223 miles, plus another 7.46

A year ago, Brian Kenna was running during his lunch hours. The Spokane accountant hoped to shave seconds off his Bloomsday time, already a speedy 48 minutes.

Getting around on Bloomsday

Bloomsday weekend is in full swing. Here's some news you can use to navigate Spokane's big race. The scheduleThe trade show runs from 9 a.

Bloomies run to the trade show

Gary Bruner played shock jockey Friday afternoon. The Bloomsday volunteer stood at a booth at the race's annual trade show doling out information about the course.

Lagat can really feel at home

The best runner at Bloomsday this year won't be in the race. Moreover, he isn't Kenyan. We'll pause briefly as the tectonic plates do the jitterbug.

Trade show kicks off Bloomsday weekend

Bloomsday weekend officially kicks off today with the start of the annual trade show. The event runs from 11:30 a. m. to 8 p.m. tonight and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Seniors rev up for race

Bob Wilson hasn't done Bloomsday in 25 years, but he's ready to conquer the 7. 46-mile course again � as a walker this time, not a runner.

Wangai, Korir top men's elite field

The return of the past two men's champions as well as the defending women's champion highlighted Tuesday's announcement of the elite fields for Sunday's 29th Bloomsday.

Numbers looking up for Bloomsday with nearly 41,000 registered so far

Early registration numbers for Bloomsday are up almost 1 percent over last year. About 41,000 people had signed up for the annual race by Sunday night's early-bird deadline.

Canadian makes race an annual tradition

Jaroslav "Jerry" Skvaril remembers first hearing about it on the television news in his home in Elkford, British Columbia. Back then, he was better-connected to the Spokane media than to the Canadian channels.

It's only a matter of days before Bloomsday clinics

Sixteen. That's: -- A) The number of pounds you've gained since Thanksgiving. -- B) The number of times you've gone jogging since last May.

O'Reilly heads for Carlsbad

Shocking as it may be to the local running community I have followed in every sense of the word, I am the first winner of Bloomsday 2005.

Bloomsday seeking entertainers

The Lilac Bloomsday Association is calling on bands, singers, dancers, oversized vultures and other entertainers to register for a spot along the 7. 46-mile course.