Wickham Park FAQ Q. What is Wickham Park? A. A marathon and 50, 100, and 200 mile fun run held on Memorial Day weekend in Melbourne, Florida. The 100 and 200 are staged 50 miles per day with a 12:30 cutoff each day (7:30 AM to 8:00 PM). Q. What are the prizes? A. There is a $10,000 prize for setting a world record (male/female) in the marathon, 50, or 100 mile in one day. Everyone else gets nothing. Q. You mean if I won the 200 mile race I would get nothing? A. Well, actually when Mark Henderson won the 200 mile race in 2001, he won a rock. Q. You mean he ran all that distance for a lousy rock? A. Well, actually it was a lump of concrete that sort of looks like a rock. Florida doesn't have any real rocks. Q. What will I get if I win the 100 mile fun run? A. A DNF in the 200. Q. What will I get if I win the 50? A. Two DNFs. Q. What about the marathon? A. I'll give you three guesses. Q. Is the course hard? A. No. It's flat, near sea level, and you never go more than 3.75 miles between access to all your gear. What could be easier? Q. If the course is so easy, then why has nobody else besides Mark Henderson finished the 200 or 100, or run under 11 hours in the 50 mile since the first race was held in 1995? A. Everyone else was a weenie. Q. But your entry form says "no weenies". A. Do you think I have time to do background checks on everyone? If someone has run a 5:55 50 mile split in a 100 km (like Mark Dorion), or won Badwater twice (like Bill Menard), or finished a Grand Slam and Hardrock (like Robert Youngren), then I have to believe they're not weenies. Q. So what happened to them? A. Mark Dorion ran the 50 miler in 11:57 and the others all weenied out after the marathon. And none of them ran that faster then 5:21. Q. If it's hot and humid and I don't run fast, will you refund my entry fee? A. I'll refund double your entry fee if you're not satisfied for any reason. What other race gives you a guarantee like that? Q. Do you give out T-shirts? A. No, but we supply trail gators to all runners. Q. Do they come in my size? A. They come in all sizes up to 12 feet. Q. How do I tell a coral snake (poisonous) from a king snake (non-poisonous)? A. "Red on yellow, kill a fella". Another way is to remember we don't have any king snakes. Q. Is it true that copperheads smell like cucumbers? A. From: Blade Norman To: ULTRA@LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU Subject: copperheads or cucumbers? Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 21:07:09 -0400 Ok, This one is probably going to sound pretty stupid, but I've just got to ask. This past week when I was relaxing in florida (Prior to RTTH) I had the chance to visit with my parents. I think it was on tuesday, I was talking with the Col.(dad) and I mentioned how there seemed to be a shitload of copperheads this spring, out on the trail where I do my evening runs. I've seen at least 6 this year and almost stepped right on one about 3 weeks ago when I jumped over a downed log. Anyway, the Colonel said that when he was a boy in boarding school(this was in the 30's) they had to pick huckleberries as part of there normal chores. (this was in Ky.) He told me that they always checked for the smell of freshly cut cucumbers, as they started picking on the next bush, because copperheads liked to hide in them and they(the snakes) gave off the scent of cucumbers. Fast Forward to today: So, I just got in from my run. On the way back up the trail... sure enough I see a copperhead right beside the trail.(what luck!) I stopped and tried to smell cucumbers. Nothing.... I looked around and picked up a suitable stick. Then I pinned the snakes head down and carefully grabbed it by the back of the head. Copperheads really are beautiful snakes...This was a nice one of about 2 1/2 feet. I sniffed it up one side and down the other trying to smell cucumbers. All it smelled like was a lizard, maybe. I sure couldn't smell any cucumber!? I'm begining to think that the Colonel was pulling my leg, but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. I figure if anyone has ever heard of this before, it will be someone on the loon list. So how about it? Has anyone ever heard that Copperheads give of the scent of cucumbers? Shut up and smell it, Blade Norman Q. Is it safe to kiss rattlesnakes? A. From: "Rich Schick" To: Subject: RE: copperheads or cucumbers? Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 07:02:53 -0400 An interesting little anecdote from the world of snake bites. If you review snake bite cases in the United States you will find a cluster of Rattlesnake bites to the face in college age men. The story of this statistical aberrancy is that someone demonstrated on TV that one could kiss a copperhead because it has a very slow striking speed. Well, this seemed to provide an irresistible opportunity for some young males to test their testosterone levels. When copperheads were used it proved a successful endeavor for all but the slowest or most hesitant of participants. However, as often happens, A few details were omitted as the challenge was passed along and number of courageous young men pitted themselves against the much swifter pit viper, the rattlesnake. This proved to be a no contest match up with the rattler emerging victorious in all encounters. This is yet another example proving the axiom "you don't have to be smart to go to college". Rich Schick Richruns@atl.mediaone.net Q. What is the biggest wildlife threat? A. The gopher turtles might embarass you by passing you. Q. How should I train for Wickham Park? A. Practice racewalking. You will be doing a lot of it. When Adam Bookspan won the 50 in 1999, he walked every step of it. Q. What about riding an exercise bike in a rubber suit under heat lamps in a sauna? A. That's only used for wimpy races like Badwater. The really extreme runners train by living in Florida and turning off their air conditioners. Q. What if I trip and fall? A. You'll be glad to know that most of the course is on soft sand. Q. Is the course well marked? A. Over half of the turns are clearly marked with arrows scratched in the dirt. And I also give you a map, so you couldn't possibly get lost. Q. It says that if I get lost, then I have to run the lap again. Would you really make me do that? A. Yes. Q. What is "shiggy"? A. A place where you might be running a bit slower than your planned marathon pace. Q. Can I qualify for Boston at Wickham Park? A. Do you mean "can" or "may"? There is a difference.