Congrats Mister Crisman :)

Slugs,
Below note from Mark Crisman, who finished his 100th marathon/ultra in Austin last Sunday.
Congrats Mark! It's been a BLAST getting to know you.
Happy Days,
Hitman.

All-

In the grand scheme of things what I'm about to share
with you pales in comparison with what truely is
important in our world today such as the gift of life,
family and friends.

I, like many of you, have relied on my love of running
to deal with the stresses that life challenges each of
us with. I've witnessed absolutely incredible mental
and physical feats by individuals who from at first
glance seem nothing but ordinary but in reality
possess unbelievable inner fortitude, drive and desire
that the common man will never achieve.

Last Sunday, I completed the Austin Marathon which was
my 100th marathon or longer. This was only possible
due in large part to my good fortune to be associated
with most of you. Your encouragement over the years
was the catalyst that enabled me to reach this
personnel goal.

I want to thank my wife Nikki and my daughter Calley
for understanding my sickness (running) and supporting
me even when I can hardly walk and limped around for
days like 90-year man after every run. Of course, it's
understood that I receive no sympathy for my
self-inflected injuries.

Dann, thanks for constantly pushing me past my own
perceived limitations and providing miles of good
conversation and friendship.

Phil and Stacy, thanks for promoting our sport and
giving so much for so little in return and always
having cold Coors readily available at the end of a
brutal run.

Chong-Pin, thanks for exposing me to the Korean
culture and sharing many miles of running. I can
never fully repay you for your hospitality.

Team Slug (da hit man), thanks for making running fun!
I wear the Team Slug truckers hat with pride! I will
return to the Delaware coast one day.

Paul and Tony, thanks for kicking me in the ass when
running just wasn't doing it for me.

Jared, thanks for sharing my 100th and walking up the
damn hill at the 25 mile mark. I look forward to a
flatter, faster Houston course next year.

Thanks to all and look forward to sharing the road and
trail with you soon,

Mark

Congrats to Alisa Springman...

...of Mercersburg, PA; who won the 2007 RBC50K. She has been accepted into the 2008 Badwater Challenge.

Good Luck from all the Slugs.

Full list of entrants at: http://www.badwater.com/2008web/2008roster.html

Crazy Horse Ale being replaced???

Yes, the rumours are true! This is good stuff...with limes...
happy days from key west,
flatfoot freddie

Somebody call the Guv-ner of Florida...

...because when da'hitman and i; end up in the same state, for any amount of tyme, nothing good can happen. it'll be a miracle if i don't up in the brig before the end of the month; especially with runnin' man ratcheting up the rhetoric concerning the resurgence of the boggy bayou stomp. there be alli-gators down here, and da'hitman AND runnin' man don't seem to understand that antagonizing alli-gators by slogging through their swamp is NOT a good idea.

anyway; jimmy buffet's taking the edge off, and 'dem grapefruits looking good, and tasting mighty fine fer breakfast, with a tad of rum soaked in. hope all in slug-land are keeping warm tonight.

keepin' da'hitman outta trouble, flattest foot freddie

Asteroids, and The Planet Earth...

From the AP Wire Services:
The largest asteroid in more than 20-years missed earth early Tuesday
morning.
The asteroid, dubbed TU24, is two-thousand-feet wide and passed 334-thousand
miles from Earth a little after 3 o'clock in the morning. The city-block-sized asteroid
moving at a speed of 6 miles every second has 60 times as much energy as the
largest hydrogen bomb during the cold war. The next one that is expected to
pass as close or closer than TU24 will not occur until 2027 according to
scientists.


Tonight I was out in the cool evening air. It was very dark, and as I slogged along the sky kept drawing my attention. It seemed more expansive tonight, more incredibly, inconceivably huge. Tonight running in the dark, i felt small, and helpless, and lonely. And I thought about this huge rock that just came hurtling by our little planet. And I started thinking about life, and time. You see there is a rock coming, the size of a city block, at six miles a second; that is going to hit our fragile Planet Earth. Life as we know it will change forever. This is a fact. The only question is whether or not we'll be here when it happens.

And so when I get to thinking about these things and looking at the sky, I start to consider actions I've taken in my life, and how I've treated my family and friends. I've made mistakes, and I'm sorry for them. Further, I know that I don't tell them often enough that I care about them, and love them.

So tonight my friends, I want to share how much I appreciate the kindness that each of you have shared with me over so many years. Life, and time is precious. Please, please, take care of yourself, your family and friends. Make sure they know how much you care about them. In the end, nothing else will matter.

Happy Days,
john.

Wise Pokey Say,

" As with anything Team Slug, everything for us is a nonevent and as far as Ranger Rick is Concerned, we were never there."

Booty Rumble; Shake it, but don't Break it???

Okay guys here's what I came up with for the Booty Rumble nonevent in June:

Shake it, But don't Break it, it took 9 months to make it!
TSI presents the 2008 Booty Rumble 25K/50K Saturday June 21st, 2008

Team Slug is proud to offer a nonevent in the Delaware Heat in June. That's Right on June 21st, TSI is going to make history by bringing the Big, the Wide, the Flat, the Teenie, the Tiny, and Even the Broken Hineys to the first state for a Booty Rumble. For those desiring a fast trail run without going the full Ultra distance we offer the 25K and for those desiring a challenge and a crack at owning a world famous black slug shirt we will also have a 50K. Entry is limited to 15 or less. Remember this is a nonevent, Ranger Rick needn't know all the details. Cost is nothing for both 25K or 50K, although is you want a Rumble T-shirt and/or a teamslug shirt you'll need 10 US dollars a piece. Designs for the Rumble T-shirt will be made public sometime in the future, after consultation with Rumpshaker Slug to make sure we accurately capturing shaking it and having a good day. The course used is the same as RBC and Fattest Butt.
--
Pokey Slug...
e-mail threats to...
jtkrizzo@att.net

Congrats to All R.R. finishers!!!

And looking down the list,

2008 Rocky Raccoon Finishers

, I see da'slugs were well represented. Congrats to each of you, there's no doubt that finishing the hundred is an incredible athletic, and emotional, accomplishment. I don't want to go through all the names, as many of the slugs stay undercover (until the beer gets here), and i don't want to miss anyone.

Special congrats must go out to TSI Exec Board member King Slug, who reports,

When I started my last 40 miles I was nauseated. In fact, I was in Oh-No land. I made it 66 miles and was not able to keep anything down. I was a bit panicked but I just said that a 24-hour finish was not going to happen today. I pulled to the side and into the woods where no one could see me. I lay down and took a nap. I guess I slept about 25 min., I got up, and threw up for my 5th time and only had dry heaves from there out. I know this is strange and sick. Imagine being the guy or gal that heard this in the woods late at night. Blahhh Blahhh Blahhhh!

p.s. Perverse, Unsubstantiated Rumours are that The King Slug borrowed Catra's sunglasses in da' middle of da'nite... It's good being King.

Hope all are well in Slug-Land,
happy days from key west,
flattest foot freddie

Permits, Parks, and Ranger Rick.

For the Sluggos without access to the ultralist. Kind of long, but I believe all will appreciate it. Hey, enjoy the Super Bowl; and have some hot wings for me.

This being Superbowl weekend and I've just recovered from a visit to Costco where everyone seemed to be shopping for eats for tomorrow's game and since I've been fascinated in the past here on the list by correspondence having to do with Barkley and park closures, I thought it would be timely to share the following correspondence. I did label it NUC so I suppose not too many people will read it, but it's funny.
Jennifer Aviles
Tucson
The Dam

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania. This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to the response letter.

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity: Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the
Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted.

The Department t herefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2006.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further u nauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price, District Representative and Water Management Division.

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 12/17/02 has been handed to me to respond to.

I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane, Trout Run, Pennsylvania.

A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials "debris."

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to
said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued.

(Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)

I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed
during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment
(Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response toyour dam office.