Larry Jewell

Time now for a marathon preview. Preparations for a race that draws between 1800 and 2200 runners is extensive. Kent Perkins, the director of St George Leisure Services, heads up that preparation each year. And there will be some new things surrounding this year's marathon, mostly fine tuning kinds of things. We're trying to get more exposure national. Well, nationwide somewhat, but regionally. And we're trying to get more exposure right here in our own area. So there'll be a lot of signs and banners, a lot more volunteers assisting this year. Just a refinement of a lot of different things at the finish line. A few new sponsors in the race. In addition to the coverage by KDXU of the St. George Marathon, there will be a regional television special involving the marathon. So plenty of excitement. But the field is smaller this year, down from the 2200 of last year to between 1900 and 2000. The recent more races. We still get a number of people from a great number of distances, but it has diluted our numbers. Our numbers are a little smaller this year, primarily because there are just more races. Extra excitement last year surrounded the St. George Marathon because it was a qualifying race for the Olympic trials. The Olympics are over and that aspect is gone. Has that taken some of the luster off the race? Oh, I think it has a little bit. There were a number of people who came specifically to qualify for the race. However, the Olympics has helped in the sense that it's kept that marathon fever alive. And so the people are coming back this year here primarily because they feel like it's a great race to be here, to be a participant in. Most of the runners from southwestern Utah are stalwarts. 55 to 60 runners from Iron and Kane and Washington county have been here before mostly, but there are plenty of new people from around the area. Oh, incredible numbers of new people. We get calls every day from all over the United States. We have runners from literally from all over the United States. And we get a lot of calls from Georgia for some reason, Texas, New York City. We have people calling us from New York City all the time. So we feel really good. We feel like our race has become more of a regional and national kind of race, and preparations begin early for a St. George Marathon. We're beginning now for next year's race and looking at some of the things we know we can do that perhaps we won't be able to do this year, publicity wise. We just received forms from some of the national magazines asking us to identify our times and our dates for next year as well as who won this year's race, which hasn't even come off, of course. So we find that we are preparing in terms of publicity primarily for next year's race. And we've been at it for a long time on this one. Kent Perkins, the director of St. George Leisure Services, join us for another marathon preview. And remember, marathon coverage takes place Saturday morning of this year's St. George Marathon. Time now for a marathon preview. One of the first time marathoners this year is a man who is known for distance racing and for selling running shoes, St. George native Tom Segmiller. Tom Segmiller is finally going to run a marathon. I have always been going to run them every year. In fact, I have even been in shape to run them like three years ago. But when you're selling the shoes and involved in it, I just haven't ever quite had the time to do it. And this year I decided I'd better just get out and get in shape and run one. Now, Tom has participated in every St. George Marathon, but not as one of the contestants, not as one of the runners. This is a brand new experience. 26 miles. Furthest I'd run up till this year was 17 miles. And you know, then I'd run 13 half marathons. But I had never run a marathon. No. Now obviously Tom Segmuller has been familiar with runners, although he's never run a St. George Marathon or any marathon. He must know something about what goes on with the runners. Tom, the fears going into the race. The thing that I'm concerned about is that when you get out there and they always talk about hitting that wall, I guess that scares everybody because you never know if you're in good enough shape. But I'm a little worried that being as thin as I've got gotten and preparing to run, if perhaps I may run out of the blood sugar and the energy that I need to finish it effectively. But I, you know, I feel that the training that maybe with excitement of the race, hopefully that'll pull me through and the preparation for the race this year, for this St. George Marathon, I really didn't run hardly at all this whole last year. And then just a couple of months ago I decided to start running a little bit and then I'd have to lay off a week for various things, have to go to a sports show or something. So about the last month and a half, I've got fairly serious and I've got in quite a few 10 mile runs and a couple of 15s and a couple of 20 mile runs. And so I've got quite a bit of running in since then, but I really haven't ever gone more than 45 miles in one particular week. First time marathoner but veteran distance runner Tom Segmiller, St. George native join us again for another marathon preview. And remember, coverage of this year's St. George Marathon begins Saturday morning. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the first time marathoners is a veteran distance runner, Tom Segmiller, who also happens to sell shoes for distance runners. Segmiller is taking his first shot at a full fledged marathon after participating in every St. George Marathon on the sidelines well, let's talk about shoes. Shoes are important, socks are important, but they are not the only important items. Shorts are important because you've got to make sure you don't get chafed in those particular areas as are the tops. But the most important thing as far as protecting the knees, the ankles, the backs, and just the general well being of the runner is in having the proper shoe. And most of the runners don't have to run very long before they realize that themselves. As a man who deals with athletic shoes, how do you help the first time runner? How do you match up the shoe to the first time runner? It depends a little bit on whether a person is light or whether he's heavy or whether he pounds the road real hard. But primarily when the person comes out for his first pair of shoes, I try to have him try on and wear the shoe that is the most comfortable those first two or three miles that he starts to run. If he hurts all over, he may quit right there. But if he can get a shoe that is comfortable enough to make him, at least in his mind, think that he feels better, generally he'll keep on running. And so I try to aim for a shoe that is very comfortable right off the bat. Now, matching the shoe to the veteran runner is a different challenge. The veteran runner you have to handle very carefully because most of them think they know an awful lot and some of them do know an awful lot. And so it's good to learn from them and at the same time stay up on the technical features of the shoes so that you can help them on some of their questions. But primarily I try to point out the new things they may not know about what a particular shoe is supposed to do for a particular certain type of problem or correction and then listen to what they tell you and then try and basically do what they want to do in the shoe that they choose. Now for Tom Segmuller, a veteran of half marathons who is going into his first marathon. The beginning as a distance runner came about in a strange manner. Tom ran the quarter mile and the half mile in high school, none of the extensive distance distance stuff. And how did he begin distance running? Back in my high school years for various sports injuries, I had my knees operated on and they were great for about 10 years out of high school. And all of a sudden, one year as I was hiking up a hill, I could hardly drag my leg behind me. And I could tell that they'd not been getting enough exercise and they hurt so bad I couldn't hardly walk or jog on them. And I decided to run through it and I started running until finally they felt real good. And the better my legs felt, as soon as they felt real good, I quit running for a while and they never have really started to hurt since though. So for my knee injuries and pain, I felt a lot better as I've run and exercised them. So that was the reason why was to stop sore legs. Veteran distance runner, but first time marathoner Tom Segmiller of St. George, join us for another marathon preview. And remember, marathon coverage of this year's St. George Marathon begins Saturday morning. Time now for another marathon preview. One of the participants in two St. George marathons, in fact the last two, is a local businessman by the name of Terry Tucker. We asked Terry about his feelings about marathons. Yes, I could quote myself, I was quoted in St George magazine saying it was really dumb that nobody in their right mind had run to, but I did. It's an interesting and it's a challenging experience, Larry. I enjoyed the challenge of it and it's more demanding than anything else I've ever tried to do, put it that way. So why did he ever run a marathon in the first place? Stupidity, I guess. The challenge, saying I've done it, one of those things. I'd never run, never been much of an athlete per se in high school or anything, but it was something that I thought I could do because it was something that takes, I think, more determination than talent. Terry, how did you start running? I started because a couple guys in town were calling me and asked me if I wanted to run. And it bugged me enough, so I got started. And now I go out most every morning by myself and run for 5 to 10 miles, just depending on how I feel and what I'm doing, how much time I've got. Now some people say distance running is addictive. Are you hooked? My wife thinks so. So that's Terry Tucker, but he's not running this year after running two St. George Marathons and being hooked, according to his wife. Now there is a good reason I had to prove somebody wrong. Dale Larkin, last year when we were getting ready, bet me 50 bucks that I was hooked enough on running that I would run this year. And so I asked him point blank, I said, now, that means that if I don't run, I collect 50 bucks. And he said, yeah. And so since he's got more money he needs and I don't have as much as I need, I thought that was a good way to make $50. Now, in spite of not running in the race, Terry Tucker will be running one of the aid stations along the way. Is it tough not preparing for a marathon? Up until about three, four weeks ago, I didn't have any feelings at all. It was just one of those things I wasn't going to do. And now it's getting to me a little bit when I see everybody else getting ready and running their last big long run and stuff like that would like to be there. One of the mistakes I made last January, I had a pull the leg muscle, went over and watched the finish of the half marathon that they ran in January. And it was frustrating to be there and try to figure out where you'd be, you know, because of the guys you run with before when you finish line. So I'm glad I'm not going to be at the finish line. I don't know if I take that now, when he's $50 richer, when will that third marathon take place? I'm not sure, Larry. Right now we're talking seriously about getting ready to run the Vegas marathon in February. St. George Marathon veteran Terry Tucker join us for another marathon preview. Marathon coverage of this year's St. George Marathon begins Saturday morning. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the veterans of this year's St. George Marathon is Enterprise resident Richard Truman, who has literally run races on both coasts, plus run almost all of the St. George Marathon from the beginning, or at least back in 1979. What are the benefits for a runner who enjoys running in different areas? A person does have time to look around and see things, smell the fragrances, hear the sounds, and it's just great. I do a good share of my training, at least in the summer. Early in the morning, right out through the hills, I get an old dirt road that goes out through what they call the north hills here, north of Enterprise, and that's where I do my running. I'd much rather do it out there than on the highway. Sightseeing. Benefit from running. What about the challenge of the St. George Marathon, particularly? Biggest challenge I have, and I think probably it's the same with most people, is just holding back at the first. You know, you start off on a slight downhill and the excitement of the crowd and everything is just built up to that moment kind of gets to you. And everybody wants to kind of run a sprint now. That's what I find. The biggest challenge to me is to just hold back and, and run the first couple of miles at a fairly relatively slow pace and then pick it up a little bit from there. With all of the St. George Marathons, with experience in the Boston Marathon and the Deseret News Pioneer Marathon, which marathon sticks in your mind the most? The most fun I've ever had in a marathon is up in the Avenue of the Giants, mainly because of the. Oh, you're running in the redwoods. You have a canopy of redwoods over you all the time. You're in the shade, it's cool. And then the crowd up there, it's quite unique. There's a lot of people that watch and then they have, I think they had four or four orchestras, different bands that were playing along the way, really up tempo type music, you know, and really it would pick you up when you came by. Just a lot of fun. St. George is good because of the scenery and it's a good, fast downhill course. And then of course, the finish, the crowd is great also. Okay, let's talk about the St. George Marathon. The most memorable marathon experience for the St. George Marathon and Richard Truman. Well, last year stands out in my mind. Not because it was a lot of fun, because it was in a downpour. We about drowned. I was numb for the first three miles after standing around in the rain for a half hour waiting for it to start. But probably other than that, probably the year before that, when I set my fastest time, I really felt good. Everything seemed to come together for me that day. And just one of those times when you feel good. St. George Marathon veteran Richard Truman of Enterprise, join us for marathon coverage this Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the veterans of this year's St. George Marathon is Enterprise resident Richard Truman. How did it all begin for such a veteran runner? How did marathon running begin? I have a nephew, Carl Truman, who was running marathons. He had competed in two of them. And he came to my house one night and says, uncle Dick, why don't you get in shape and run a marathon? I thought that was the silliest thing I'd ever heard. I told him I was too old to do that sort of thing. This was in 79. I was 45 at the time. And I told him that I didn't think I could ever run that kind of distance. And he said, oh, there's people older than you that run marathons. And I thought about it for a while and finally decided I'd give it a try. And that's kind of the way it went. He's been running marathons ever since. There must be a training challenge with Enterprise, with the four seasons and all. A lot easier to run in the spring or fall. You know the temperatures, right? Although summer isn't bad up here. If you run in the morning, most mornings the temperature be right around 50 degrees. That's when I did my training this summer. I'd do it about 6 o' clock in the morning, 50 degrees. That's what Richard Truman considers ideal running weather. He began wrong though. Richard Truman says he began by trying to run extreme distance races. I tackled a marathon the first time I'd ever competed in anything. But I went about it all wrong too because I didn't know or didn't have anybody coach me about the fact that you can do too much too fast and I started running too long distances too soon. I ended up with some pretty bad injuries. I had one that laid me up for 10 weeks and another that laid me up for eight weeks after that experience. What brought him back to marathon running? Just hard headedness, I guess. After I ran my first marathon, I figured that I could do better. I felt like I could do a lot better than that, which I did. It just kept me coming back and trying, trying, trying. I'm still trying to do better. We mentioned Richard Truman is a veteran of marathons. 10 to be exact. This will be his 11th. I've run the St. George five times. I ran the Deseret News twice. I ran the Boston in 1980. It was my third marathon, by the way. I ran Avenue of the Giants in Northern California up in the Redwoods. And then last February I ran the the LA International, which was kind of a preview to the Olympics. We ran it on the Olympic course, ended up in the Coliseum. St. George Marathon veteran Richard Truman of Enterprise, join us for another marathon preview a little bit later and St. George Marathon coverage. Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewellery. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the best female runners in this year's St. George Marathon will be Debbie Zockel. Zocal was named the top female local runner last year by the Spectrum. Well, why did such a pretty young lady decide to get into distance running? I think it's the idea that I really like to eat and I needed some kind of exercise to compensate for what I was eating when the distance running began. Debbie, was the marathon the goal? No, I don't think I ever thought about that. I remember the day when one mile was a long way. But believe it or not, Debbie Zockel is a veteran of 28 marathons all around the countryside. Well, I've done Las Vegas several years and Deseret knew several years, and Honolulu Marathon one year, and it added up to 28. With that much experience in marathon running, which is the prettiest course? Honolulu was exciting, but wet, damp, hot and humid, probably. I would say St. George Desert News has a pretty course, too, but there's different things to see. Las Vegas, boring. It must be all that flat desert in Las Vegas now with that sort of experience, 28 marathons. It must be almost a continuous training situation. The past years, you know, continuously training. I'm saying really loud to everyone, this is it for a while. Maybe next year I'll get ready again. I really need a rest. But I have trained very hard this year. Now, what about the benefit of distance running? What do you see as the benefit for you? Oh, I've had time for myself. I think maybe I found out I was really selfish and I needed that time to be alone or just to run with that continuous training program. What has been the preparation for the 1984St. George Marathon? I've run less for this marathon than ever before, so I'll see if the training paid off. But I've averaged about 50 miles a week. Veteran female marathoner Debbie Zachel join us for coverage of the 1984St. George Marathon this Saturday. Good morning. I'm Larry Jewell reporting. Time once again for a marathon preview. Debbie Zockel, a St. George resident, is a veteran of the St. George Marathon and of marathon running. Believe it or not, Debbie has run 28 marathons. Does she find that she's competitive even against the fellas? Well, I used to say I wasn't very competitive, but there's certain men that I really don't want to beat me. So I guess I'm more competitive than I think. 28 marathons, that must be an attractive situation. What makes the marathon attractive to participate in? I don't know what makes it so attractive? You know, you think about it right now, it's not so attractive because right now is the time when you have had to have done the training and you have had to wake up at five in the morning and all that kind of stuff that goes with the training. So you're thinking, gee, am I really ready? Was it really worth it? And you have a lot of those kind of thoughts going through your mind right now. But at the end and at the finish, you realize, oh, it was all worth it. And everyone said, are you going to feel bad if you don't beat your time? And I say, yeah, I will. No, no, no. I'll probably feel really good even if I run four hours. Just if I finish now. Four hours obviously is not the goal. She does much better than that. What is the goal this year? Well, I have set my goal at 3:15, but I haven't dared to say that too much. Hopefully, I'll have my best marathon, but you never know with weather or any kind of thing can maybe set you off. What about the feelings just prior to a marathon? A little bit of nervousness, sleeplessness? I usually try to not get too worked up, but I didn't think I was getting worked up. And today I was going up Bluff street to work and I saw 300 staff and I went, oh, no, it's here. I had this cold chill running up my spine saying, gee, I'm not getting worked up this year. I'm not getting worked up. So I think the last 24 hours, it's almost like the night before Christmas. That's kind of the feeling you have. Is it tougher to run before the home folks in the St. George Marathon? No, I like this course. I haven't always felt that great at the end, but it's nice not to have to travel. And you've slept in your own bed and eaten your own food. So I kind of like that. Veteran St. George Marathon runner Debbie Join us for coverage of the 1984St. George Marathon Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the runners in this year's St. George Marathon is a St. George businessman who debuted as a marathon runner last year in St. George. Bob Brushke actually runs for the fun of it, or at least that's what he claims. Have there been other marathons between last year and this year? No. I've run some half marathons out. Oh, in Las Vegas and one in Salt Lake, but I haven't. And one here. Also the half marathon here the year before last. But I Haven't done any other marathons other than the one last year. For those who get into marathon running, oftentimes there's a history as a competitive distance runner in high school. Is there that history in your background, Bob? No, I sure haven't. I was involved in athletics in high school, but I enjoyed running, but I never got into any distance running. How did you get started in running marathons? I just felt that I needed some type of fun and pleasure and activity, and this was an awfully convenient one to start on. I started this about eight, nine years ago just for pleasure, and it just kept increasing and developing until I decided being in St. George, I couldn't pass up trying a marathon. Now, there is an addicting quality to running, at least according to some researchers. Have you found that in your life, Bob? Sure have, Barry. It seems it's funny. You can cuss it and hate it and wish you weren't doing it. And if you lay off for a day or two days, you start thinking something's really missing and you just have to get right back to it again or you don't feel good about yourself or what's going on with you. Are there more injuries now that you've been competing this long or less? Oh, a lot less. First year I kept getting little pains and injuries, but the more you run, the less injuries you get. I think a lot of people will start off too much in the, you know, at first they try to overdo it and start hurting themselves. All those owner second MARATHON I haven't had any really injuries for about a year and a half, and the first year seemed like there was always something hurting, but not now. What the family gives support, although they do not run, right? Bob? No, they really don't. They support me, but they they don't run at all. Now, one of the things that a lot of marathon runners or a lot of distance runners discover is that it helps in other sports. What about you? Running has helped my skiing a lot just by strengthening my legs, my endurance, and just keep me keeping my body from getting too old, too fast. And yes, indeed, Bob Brushke does run for the fun of it, strictly for the fun of it. Just I'm not a competitor in the sense I want to try to beat anybody. I just want to see if I can get out and finish. I guess I kind of in the back of my mind have that I'd like to beat my last year's time. St. George businessman and participant in the St. George Marathon, Bob Brushke. Join us for coverage of the Marathon Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewellery. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the veterans of this year's St. George Marathon is St. George resident Harold Hess, who's not only participated in major marathons in the Intermountain west, but also the Boston Marathon. Does he find that the family gets involved in running now that he's become a prestigious marathon runner? Well, my children have run a few races. My wife tried a little bit. Larry, I really don't advocate or push running on anyone. I think it's a personal thing. A person should exercise and they can do that in any number of ways. So I don't try to push that on them. And in due time, I'll encourage my children to run. One of the unique things about the St. George Marathon is the downhill race. Now, that can be a strain on some for some people. Normally that stress comes about two days later for me, when I feel the soreness. I'm kind of a downhill runner. I enjoy running downhill, but for some runners it applies a tremendous amount of stress on the knees. Is it addicting distance running to you, Harold? I would say it is. I would say the thing that's great about running is the fact that it's a tremendous release. And if I go two or three days without running or steaming to be a buildup of stress that I am able to release through running. What about the feelings at the end of a marathon? How does it feel? Tremendous feeling of satisfaction, I would say after having run five marathons, if I could remember the pain and the determination that it takes to finish that race, say in the last two miles, I'd never start another marathon. But the satisfaction of having finished a marathon and meeting a person goal, not winning anything other than just meeting your personal goal, is so tremendous that you reset a goal and go after it again. St. George Marathon veteran Harold Hess. Join us for coverage of this year's St. George Marathon beginning Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewellery. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the participants in this year's St. George Marathon is a veteran of the race. At least two other St. George Marathons. Harold Hess. Also the Las Vegas, the Deseret News Pioneer Day Marathon and the Boston Marathon. Can he compare the four marathons? Well, let's ask. As far as the courses are concerned, St. George and Las Vegas are fair similar. The hills at Las Vegas, however, come early in the course and it's easy to get in trouble down there by running the first portion of the marathon too fast. In Contrast, I think St. George is a Little easier to run and being as the downhill is on the end of the course, probably a little easier. But I would say in total the two are very comparable. Boston Marathon course is a little more difficult than these two, but the difficult thing in Boston is the number of people and therefore quite difficult to get a PR or a personal best on Deseret News, I would say is probably the most demanding course of the four. And then it's run in the heat of the summer. So I would say probably the most difficult marathon course of the before with about the first 11 miles being uphill and then the downhill through Immigration Canyon and of course about the last five miles pretty flat. But there must be some special feelings with the Boston Marathon. Well, it does. The crowd there is really a factor. But I would say also running at home in St. George is a satisfying feeling where a lot of the spectators know my name, the names of the local runners, and that certainly is a help. And I would say it's probably as well a run marathon of the four. Probably the best run marathon as a matter of fact of the four, as far as I'm concerned in getting people across the finish line. How does a veteran marathon runner get involved in distance running? I was reaching that magic age when life began, supposedly, and I decided it was time to do something about, about the physical appearance. So I, about 3 o' clock one morning, decided to start running and went out and run a mad dash for about a quarter mile. And that's been just about three years ago now. After one of the St George marathons, the third, I had witnessed and decided that it might be interesting to try sometime. So at that point in time, after I'd deliberated for two or three weeks and decided to start running, been running ever since. St. George Marathon veteran Harold Hess. Join us for coverage of this year's marathon Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the non runners the this year is a man who participated in his first St. George Marathon last year, St. George attorney Steve Snow. What got an attorney into running a marathon? I guess for a couple of years I'd thought about it. My brother was involved in an aid station several years ago and described to me the excitement of it and that got me thinking and we talked a little bit about it and I guess unlike several others, some friends, basically we ended up in a bet situation and so we bet a little money, which gave me some incentive to train. Now there is a reason, a definite reason for not running this year, at least according To Steve? Well, just laziness, I suppose. I decided to take two weeks off after completing the last marathon. Of course, the training up to that point was rather exhausting and the two weeks turned into about six months. So I'm just really not in shape. I'm running still doing about 10 or 15 miles a week, but you've got to be doing a lot better than that to be able to make it. So I'm looking for 1985. I've got another bet going, so I'll probably do it. Looking at the situation of a first time marathon runner, let's check the thought process from before, during and after. First of all, was there any understanding of what you were getting into prior to the marathon? No. I talked a little with friends. Greg Kemp had run one the previous year and he helped me explain a little bit bit to the training and gave me a training program which was very helpful. But I really up until that point wondered if it was even humanly possible to run that far. What about during that first marathon? What were your thoughts? Well, it was, I guess crossing the finish line was probably the most. It was the happiest moment probably of my entire life. It was difficult after for me after at mile 19, I, I had some difficulty from that point in. It was rather hard going, but up until the time I thought it was very exciting. It was just a tremendous experience to have had. Taking a look now at the time after the marathon, give it a couple of weeks. What were your thoughts? Well, I used to joke with my wife that it's probably like having a baby that you forget all the pain and then you want to do it again. And that's. I'm really eager to do it in 1985. In fact, I may train and run one. Before the St. George Marathon I was looking. I had signed up for the Avenue of the Giants last year in Redwood Forest in California and I may try to do that one in May. I'm not sure, but it was a tremendous experience and I think it tends to be rather addictive, sadistic and addictive, I suppose, in spite of that. Do you recommend it for others? Yes, I certainly do. The benefits that came from the training were just tremendous. I've never felt better, I've never eaten better. And your body craves good foods when you're going through that kind of training program. And of course I lost £20. Taking a look at the time required, a professional attorney must have been time consuming. The only time I could find a run was early in the morning. But you know, it was difficult during the last couple of months of training to get into the office much before 9 or 9:30, but I had some very understanding partners, so it worked out. It is a real time commitment. Attorney Steve Snow, look for him a year from now. Join us for another marathon preview a little later. And St. George Marathon coverage Saturday morning. Larry Jewell reporting. Time once again for a marathon preview. Each year when the St. George Marathon takes place, there are scores of volunteers who help from the beginning to the end, from before the race until after. Among the most prevalent are members of the St. George Exchange Club. One of those members, Merv Bennion, is one of the organizers of at least part of their efforts. Now, there are a lot of functions that Exchange Club members are participating in. Evan Stapley is going to be driving the van that will lead the pack and have the clock in it. So that's ahead of the lead runner. And then we've got Mark Nielsen, who's one of our members that's going to be driving the camera car. And then, let's see, we're driving the starters up to the beginning of the race. And so we're handling those functions. The Exchangettes are going to have a concession stand at the at the finish line area at the city Park. And then we have quite a group. They're acting as catchers at the finish line. And now Merv Bennion is heading up that group and organizing that catching team, if you will. How did the Exchange Club get involved with the marathon? Well, I think originally the city was looking for some help in trying to put the project on. And they just asked, they asked fellows that just happened to be members of the Exchange Club. And then they kind of drew in other Exchange Club members. And then the club pretty much took it on officially. There's a real special spirit about being a volunteer with a marathon. Example, the catching group. Well, we have no trouble at all about filling the numbers of catchers at the finish line. We've been working out hard, and I think this year we've got what I'd call an all star championship marathon cashing team. That is, if there is such a thing. But it's a good group of men who gather there at the end of the race. Merv, you've been watching from the sidelines. Will you ever run? No, I got my feel of running in high school, so I'm a little smarter than that, I think. But there's a great feeling about participating as a volunteer, no question about it. And you know, you work with these runners at the finish line. And in my opinion, that's the next best thing to running it. You really get an opportunity to feel the exhilaration of having run the race and kind of experience the race vicariously. Now the Exchange Club begins preparations early for the marathon, although most of the preparations are just before. In fact, for our club, we have a standing committee, we have a chairman that is just. It's an automatic position that is filled from one year to the next. And so we were asked by the Parks and Recreation Department to give our input on the evaluation. And so we actually start at that point making some preliminary plans for the next year. But in actually putting things together, aside from just organizing our groups, it is just really in the last month or so before the race that we're actually involved in it. Merv Banion, one of the volunteers from the Exchange Club, one of many organizations involved with the marathon, join us for the next marathon preview and St. George Marathon coverage Saturday morning. I'm Larry Jewellery.