Wanderers have kept out of trouble and been very busy this summer. Bob Reynolds packed his bags and headed up to the Catskills in late July for the infamous Escarpment Run, a 30k mountain climb which passes itself off as a trail race. Bob did his usual outstanding job finishing in 16th out of 200 runners. Bob filed this field dispatch with Wanderers HQ.

"The Escarpment Trail Run delivered on all its promises. It was an adventure in Catskill wilderness hills with plenty of rocks and roots and interesting people. I'm amazed that no one has taken a wrong turn out there in the midst of their delirium and run off a cliff. When we weren't up in the clouds, the views were excellent. From the first hill that was 3.5 miles long and climbed 1,700 feet to the final 4 downhill miles that I rappelled down with cramping legs in a pedestrian 45 minutes, you could not let your concentration lapse for even a moment or you risked tripping into the rocks."

"It was a true old-time race with an open house at the race director's home the afternoon before where guys and girls who have run the trail year after year reunited. There were no awards, just a hearty handshake of congratulations when you finished and "see you next year". If you wanted a t-shirt they were available for $10. That's my kind of race."

"I finished the 18.6 trail miles in 3:45. I've run 30 miles on the road faster than that! That was good for 16th place out of 200 starters. I expected to be closer to 10th place but the competition was full of guys that do 50k and 50 mile races throughout New England. I don't know if I will return for a second trip up the mountains because I'd have to become a fearless downhill runner to improve much on my time... but I'll think about it!"

Surprisingly, Bob's was not the most extraordinary performance by a Wanderer at the race, nor for a runner from Bob's hometown of Erdenheim. That honor went to Paul Muessig who was born in Erdenheim, "I grew up on Church Rd right down the street from the elementary school." Living now in Wallkill, N.Y., Paul returns to Philadelphia occasionally and ran in the Wissahickon Trail Classic in June and has become a correspondent member of the Wanderers. Paul filed the following race summary to Wanderers HQ:

"I broke my little toe Friday a week ago and then ran the 30 K Escarpment trail race two days later. I didn't realize how bad the toe was till the first severe downhill. The swelling is now gone and the color resembles a normal toe." Paul, who is 58, finished 57th in a time of 4:20:03, 35 minutes behind Bob, but not bad for a guy with a broken toe! Visit to Escarpment Run web site by going to escarpmenttrail.com.

Meanwhile, back in Pennsylvania on August 5, Wanderers were grabbing honors at various triathlon races. Jennifer Martin became part of history when she competed in the inaugural She Rox spring triathlon in Philadelphia. In her race notes, Jennifer said:

"This was the inaugural year and it was a FANTASTIC event, super well organized and really fun. The Schuylkill was actually quite pleasant to swim in! Please pass the word to anyone who might be considering a tri for the first time – This would be an great introduction to the joys of the sport."

Jennifer finished the race (1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike and 5k run) in 1:44 and placed second in her age category.