Rand's Web Page
Tom's Outdoor Nationals
| Tom qualified for NAIA Nationals in outdoor racewalking again this year. I drove to Lincoln and picked up Derrick so we could watch Tom compete. First I got a tour of Derrick's Apartment. |
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| We drove to St. Louis and on to nearby Edwardsville Illinois where the meet was held. We were able to visit with Tom for a little bit before his race. He didn't seem too nervous. Above is the start of the race. To the right is the first turn. |
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Tom had made significant gains on the field by midrace. |
| He seemed to be passing people on a regular basis. |
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He hunkered down to a personal record time (at a judged meet) of 24:35 for 5000 Meters (walking!). That was good enough to be named All-American. |
| We left right after Tom's race and drove 13 1/2 hours to Crane Lake. We tried to stop at a motel but from Duluth to Orr, every one was full. We slept a little in the car in Orr to wait for daylight. When we arrived at Sand Point we found a high water situation. If it gets any higher, there will be a lot of docks under water. |
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Grandpa's garden and brush piles were islands in the flood. Derrick and I had our own water problems. When we turned on the water, we had a burst pipe in the wall behind the kitchen sink. Cutting it out was harder than repairing it. We also found the water heater elements were burned out (even though they looked OK on inspection). |
| We did a lot of hiking. Derrick took a few scenic shots. You'll have to check out his web site to see them (hopefully). |
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The lagoon trail was under water at the back of the lagoon. Derrick and I made an alternate path further back into the woods to get around the high water. No matter how far we went back in the woods, there was water going further. We crossed the water when it was narrow enough to make a log bridge. |
| On Sunday we paid a visit to the Brantners. June and Jerry were up with a couple grandkids. They had been fishing with no bites earlier in the day. The kids were fishing off the dock while we chatting and hit a string of luck catching two bass, a northern and a walleye. We also got to hear the tale of how John Adams was fined $1000 for being up before customs opened without a Remote Area Border Crossing permit. |
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Marge was up with Mike and family. We got some visiting in there as well. |
| Derrick's ride home was Katie and her mom who were at a shower put on by the Bakkens in the cities. We got up early Monday to get Derrick there. |
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