RUNNING / BARBIE LUDOVISE : TransAm Race: It’s the Ultra-mate

Everybody has their own definition of athletic masochism--one man’s marathon is another man’s walk around the block.

Consider the recent issue of UltraRunning magazine, the publication that caters to those on the looooooong run. UltraRunning lists races on road, track or trail throughout the world. A few selections from the June issue:

--The Pikes Peak Marathon, Aug. 25. Up and down Pikes Peak, elevation 14,110.

--Alaska Mountain and Wilderness Classic, Aug. 11. Point-to-point wilderness race over an undefined route through the Brooks Range of Alaska. Mountain and river experience required. No support allowed; you carry all your food and equipment. Distance: 110 to 160 miles.

--Mount Elbrus, Soviet Union, Aug. 28. Five-day run including an ascent of Mount Elbrus, tallest peak in Europe (18,481 feet).

But ultrarunners are really humming about this one: the TransAm ‘92, a two-month long stage race from Huntington Beach to New York City.

Remember Race Across America, the transcontinental bicycling race? Same idea here. The race starts June 20, 1992, and averages 45 miles per day. Sixty-four stages total.

The entry form includes this in its personal waiver: “ . . . I realize that this event entails many risks, including, but not limited to, exposure from extreme weather, severe weight loss, overuse injuries, interference by local officials, collisions with vehicles, primitive living conditions, and loss or theft of personal belongings . . . “

But hey, what a way to see the U.S.A.

Not surprisingly, David Warady’s already getting psyched for the event. Warady, from Huntington Beach, is Orange County’s resident ultra-ultrarunner, a man who attempted to run across Death Valley in the heat of the summer last July. (He dropped out because of heat exhaustion at 38 miles).

Warady, a 34-year-old systems manager for McDonnell Douglas, figures he’s put in as many as 200 miles a week in training, and that includes speed workouts. The race would all be “easy miles,” Warady figures, so he’s definitely interested. He says he’ll probably enter a six-day race in Sacramento in December for a test run.

Of course, not everyone sees the TransAm as an interesting challenge.

Fred Shufflebarger, a veteran ultrarunner, had these feelings on the subject:

“It’s nuts! It’ll ruin you! And for what? Why don’t we try to cross the United States on our hands and knees? Or swim around the world?

“Days and days of mindless activity? It’s a lesson in weariness! It’s crazy! Insane! And what real athlete could afford to do it? The only one who could afford it would be some rich, retired old fart in a motor home, and he probably couldn’t do it, either.”

Warady’s mother wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea, either.

Said Warady: “I mentioned it to my mom and she said, ‘I’m sitting here scratching my head, David, and the only thing that comes to mind is, bizarre! ‘ “

Add Bizarre: Warady was featured in the March 26 issue of The Globe. The supermarket tabloid’s angle? How Warady lost 46 pounds by eating peanut M&Ms.;

“A-MM-AZING!” the headline screamed. “David Warady stays in tip-top condition by chomping down on more than 300 tasty M&M; candies each day, and incredibly, he’s lost 46 lbs. on his bizarre chocolate diet!”

A set of before and after photos showed Warady go from “pudgy David (186 pounds)” to “slimmed-down Dave (140 pounds) who eats 10 bags of peanut M&Ms; a day.” The latter photo featured a smirking Warady holding a huge bowl of the colorful candies, with a hundred or so empty bags at his feet.

Although The Globe mentions Warady’s running, it doesn’t draw a connection between his high mileage and weight loss. Guess that had nothing to do with it.

The Fourth of July offered plenty of opportunities on the local road racing scene. At the Huntington Beach Parade 8K, 26-year-old Raymond Acosta of South Gate won in 24:43, followed by Derrick Powers of Temple City (25:02) and David Schumacher of Costa Mesa (25:11).

Torrie Pleasant, 23, was the women’s winner in 29:03, followed by Costa Mesa biathlete Sue Davis (29:37) and Susan Edwards, 40, (30:19). Rick Dystra set a course record in the wheelchair division in 19:53.

At the Run in the Parks race in Laguna Niguel, Randy Hoyles Jr. of Barstow won the 10K (31:58), followed by Enrique Alvarez (32:09) and Eric Squires (32:38). Costa Mesa’s Kathy Smith won the women’s race in 35:17, followed by Nancy Hunsaker of Laguna Niguel (39:11) and Frances O’Neil (40:18).

John Grouln won the 5K in 15:29, and Nancie Long won the women’s 5K in 19:28.

Local road racing star Steve Bishop, 31, of Los Alamitos, won the 13th La Palma ADP 5K in 14:21. Laura Held, 30, was the women’s winner in 18:42. The 10K winners were Rick Scintalan (32:11) and Bobbi Tomkins (40:19).

Race Schedule:

Saturday: Orange County Blue Angels Cross-Country 10K. Huntington Beach Central Park, 8 a.m. Information: 891-5529.

Thursday: Summer Shadow Run Series. Three miles. Fairview Park, adjacent to Estancia High School, Costa Mesa. Starts 6:30 p.m. Information: 540-2368.

Villa Park Fun Run. One and three miles. Villa Park High School, 6 p.m. Information: 589-3930.

Readers with information on Orange County runners or running events may write Barbie Ludovise at The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626 or call 966-5847.