Monthly Archives: June 2024

A Soggy But Successful Spring Fair

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By Paul Showalter

The 98th Spring Fair was a soggy success. While mother nature kept the park wet all day, the kids (and parents) made the best of it. With reimagined games, 2,400 sq. feet of tents, new food options, and a fabulous volunteer team, the day went off without a hitch. A new addition to the Spring Fair, the “Recycling Parade”, was a big hit with the kids. This was an event created “by kids for kids” by Sara and Sofia Cakici. 

The Rosenbaum’s (Darcy, John, and Benton) once again dug into their bag of tricks and tools and transformed the park into a magical playground for kids. New games like the “Bull Ringer”, “Hole in One” and the “Frog Flinger” were well received by participants as well as old favorites like the “Axe Throw” and the “Bean Bag Toss”.

Inside the community center, the Women’s Club bake sale sold out of all their goodies; we played numerous games of “Prize-A-Bout”, with kids winning baked goods and other prizes (I served as the event’s MC which I enjoyed immensely); we had face painting, cotton candy, popcorn, a huge prize table area, and plenty of seating for people buying lunch (those soft pretzels were tasty). 

This event, like every event at Lyon Park, could not happen without a large group of volunteers. Pat Schuck did an amazing job managing the kitchen and Kim Franklin and Sharon Showalter pitched in to be event cashiers. Many other neighbors stepped up to help and it was appreciated.

We had more than 16 high school volunteers with us on Friday and Saturday. One of your neighbors, Grace Abbott, volunteered for five hours on Friday night and then spent the entire day on Saturday helping with setup, running games, face painting, and then cleaning up. We even had a crew of elementary school students (Alex Peters, Benton Rosenbaum, Zev Keller, and Alexys & Alejandro Linder) running games and painting faces. All volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the rainy day to make sure everyone had fun. We are truly blessed to live in such a wonderful neighborhood.

If you have a rising sophomore, junior or senior who wants to volunteer in the community, have them reach out to LyonParkEvents@gmail.com.. 

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Local Kids Triathlon Club turns 20!

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By Melissa Merson

Lyon Park is home to Arlington’s award-winning school-based youth triathlon program, now celebrating 20 years of teaching the swim-bike-run disciplines of triathlon. The before-school program for 3rd–5th graders at Long Branch Elementary School runs for 10 weeks each Spring. The training encourages children to have fun while participating in physical activities.

“Twenty years ago, triathlon was a new Olympic sport,” according to Melissa Merson, club founder and head coach. “Since then, we’ve trained hundreds of kids of all abilities in our program, which is a national role model for youth sports. We are grateful to Long Branch Elementary, its PTA, and the Lyon Park sponsors who have helped us to ensure no child ever is turned away.” 

The program’s USAT-certified coaches train kids for The Arlington Triathlon in Memory of Anne Viviani. The race is officially sanctioned by USA Triathlon. Arlingtonian Anne Viviani was one of the best triathletes in the world. She represented the U.S. in 37 world championships and three times won the long-course world championship and nine other national titles. Anne died tragically in 2018 while driving home from the USA National Duathlon with her husband Donn. A deer struck their vehicle, killing her instantly. Anne’s funeral at the Lyon Park Community Center drew hundreds of mourners from around the world. Anne’s family members will be presenting medals to the finishers.

The Arlington County Board has issued a proclamation honoring the Arlington Triathlon Club’s 20-year milestone. The Arlington Triathlon draws youth ages 7–15 from across the metropolitan Washington area. Spectators are welcome at the race, which is part of USA Triathlon’s Virginia-Maryland State Youth Triathlon Series. 

For information on race sponsorships contact: arlingtontriathlonclub@gmail.com. Please support the club by purchasing a meal at Troy’s Italian Kitchen all day Sat. June 8th (you are welcome to carry it to join the club lunch in the park at noon.)  Lyon Park kids enjoy 20% off race registration until 6/6 for the triathlon on Sunday, June 9th at W-L Pool. Use code LongBranch20 when you register at:  https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Arlington/ArlingtonTriathlon. 

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It Takes a Community to Survive an Ultramarathon!

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By Adam Rasmussen

In May, I completed my first 100-mile trail running race, the Massanutten Mountain Trails (MMT). While it is one of my greatest personal achievements, it is also an accomplishment for the community that welcomed, encouraged, and prepared me for this race. Ultramarathoning is a highly competitive sport with athletes breaking records all the time. And like many other competitive sports, corporate sponsorship has influenced the culture surrounding the elite races. Despite this, the sport remains highly accessible and encouraging for newcomers of all ages and paces at the local level. 

I’ve been a trail runner for 10 years, but never ran more than a half marathon until I decided to take the plunge into ultramarathoning last year. An ultramarathon is a run that is longer than 26.2 miles. The most common race distances in the US are 50K, 50 miles, 100K, and 100 miles.

Most runners, including myself, begin with a 50K (31 miles). That may seem daunting to most of you reading these words. I wasn’t sure I could do it either. One of the many things I learned at my first ultra last year was that I should be confident that my fellow participants and the volunteers staffing the aid stations would have my back. When I developed severe cramps in both calves due to low electrolytes, I lost track of how many runners passing me offered to pick me up, supply salt capsules, and words of encouragement. Friendly volunteers at the aid station filled my water bottles and asked me what I needed to continue, and I finished the race.

I no longer need the help of the ultramarathon community to simply survive a race. Still, I depend on them for advice on the best places and races to run, and for inspiration to push myself beyond what I thought was possible.

That takes me back to MMT. I completed the 100 miles because I trained the last 4 months and because I had a crew and pacers from the community who knew what I needed to cross the finish line. This happened despite serious physical and mental challenges. While I didn’t know it at the time, I broke my big toe 20 miles into the race. What I did know, around mile 80 (~1 a.m.), was that my left calf was in excruciating pain as I faced one of the steepest climbs of the course. When I reached the top of the ridge I couldn’t run. It took me almost two hours to hobble 3.5 miles—by far my low point in the race.

My pacer was having none of my talk about quitting at the next aid station. She and the rest of my crew committed their weekend to ensure that I finished this race, and I wasn’t about to let them down. Fortunately, the ibuprofen I had taken finally kicked in and I was able to pull it together mentally to finish the race. I have no doubt that the ultramarathon community running the aid stations, staffing my crew, and providing pre-race strategies were responsible for me finishing this race and the 10 other ultramarathons I’ve run in the last 14 months.

Even if ultramarathons are a trail too far for you, there are many opportunities to enjoy recreational and competitive trail running in the DC region. I would start with Virginia Happy Trails Running Club (https://new.vhtrc.org/). They offer weekly recreational runs for the slow and the fast and free ultramarathon distance events and competitive races throughout the year. I started with Sundays in the Park, which offers a different experience each week of 7–10 miles in Rock Creek Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail, sometimes meeting right here in Arlington at Roosevelt Island. I also recommend volunteering to staff an aid station at a VHTRC event so that you can experience what it’s like to participate before committing to the training. 

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