Shier Law Runners keep running after two decades at Klondike Road Relay
While the average age of the team is over 50,
By Marissa Tiel on September 12, 2017
While the average age of the team is over 50, the Shier Law Runners show no sign of slowing down.
The masters team finished fifth overall at the Klondike Trail of ‘98 International Road Relay last weekend, with individual runners posting top times on their legs.
Their final time of 13 hours 40 minutes and 31seconds cemented them as the fastest masters team for the sixth straight year.
Leg 2 runner Don White, who has been with the team for more than 20 years, says that everyone is a runner and they’ve always stayed together.
“At this point, it’s because we’re all mutually slowing down,” he said with a laugh this morning.
There was a time, more than 20 years ago that the team, then known as the Pepsi Road Runners, was a top contender, said Tom Ullyett.
Of a pool of about 20 runners, White says they’re able to field a team of 10 based on who is healthy, around and is without family commitments.
With so many years of Klondike Road Relay experience under their belts, some of the runners have run the same leg multiple times.
Next year, if White successfully finishes leg 4, he will have completed the Senator’s Cup twice.
When deciding who runs which leg, the team will look at injuries and assign those less healthy to run legs 2, 3, or 7.
That Dave Brook won leg 7 suggests that his injury didn’t bother him too much, says White.
And while the team is within the masters division, they remain competitive with the open categories as well.
“We end up inviting new people, but the new people are younger and faster,” says White.
They had top 20 finishes on eight of the legs, including five top 10 finishes. Brook won leg 7 and Dominic Bradford was second on leg 1.
This year’s team included: Dominic Bradford, Jerome McIntyre, Don White, Tom Ullyett, Jeff Larson, Richard Zaidan, Bill Matiation, Brent Langbakk, Dan Shier and Dave Brook.
The team will keep coming back year after year.
“There’s a friendship for sure,” said Ullyett. “That is probably the glue of our team.”
“The group is there and we’ve been doing it for years,” said White. “It’s an eyeopener for everybody and it’s still an enjoyment.”
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