Deruiter Performs Miracle

A brave new era dawned for the Wissahickon Wanderers on November 11. That is when the Wanderers entered the trail biathlon age. Jan DeRuiter entered the King of the Hill Biathlon in Lebanon, N.J., which consisted of a two-mile trail run, followed by a 12-mile mountain bike ride, and ending with another two-mile trail run.

With tendon damage in one of his feet due to a freak sailboat accident a month ago, it was amazing that Jan even showed up at the starting line. But the real miracle was Jan’s performance out on the rugged, hilly course.

Here are the incredible statistics:
110 competitors started the race. Only 88 finished. Jan was one of them. And there’s more. With a time of one hour and 46 minutes, he actually finished 24th in the race, a rarified atmosphere rarely experienced by the Wanderers.

Considering his injury and lack of training due to the tendon damage, the result had Wanderer fans shaking their heads in disbelief.

“I couldn’t bend my foot it was so heavily taped,” Jan said. “I had to point my foot sideways while I dragged my ass up the hill. It was brutal.”

Jan’s final advice on the King of the Hill race. “You gotta try it. I had a blast.”

It's daylight savings, and the weekly TRACK WORKOUTS are returning to Chestnut Hill Academy's track. The workouts start at 6:30 pm every Tuesday. The switchover to CHA from the Roxborough track begins Tuesday, March 18. The address is 500 West Willow Grove Avenue in Chestnut Hill.