At 4:00 a.m. this morning, it was a balmy 47F with a stiff breeze 
from the south and a lovely full moon lighting the roads in this 
City surrounded by the Niagara Escarpment - perfect conditions for 
an early morning run.  However, by the 9 a.m. race start, the cable
on the temperature elevator had snapped and the mercury had lurched 
to a stop at 15F, with a windchill of -5F, depending on which part 
of the block you were in.

Fifteen brave runners lined up to face these cruel conditions for the
second annual Ascension Breakfast Club 6 Hour Run.  The course is
comprised of the block surrounding the Church of the Ascension in 
downtown Hamilton.  And while lying on the lower slope of the Niagara 
Escarpment, and circumnavigating the lovely 19th century gothic 
limestone church with its towering steeple, the course will probably 
be more remembered by the participants for its unrelenting cement 
sidewalk, the surprising amount of elevation loss and gain crammed 
into the short course (.236 mile/loop), and this, year, the 20 to 
30 mph winds with which they had to contend for half of each loop.

As a consequence of these conditions, plus a time of year more likely
to attract the diehard runner, it is unlikely that this event will ever
attract a much larger field.  Like many of the participants,
internationally know Canadian multi-day champion Michel Careau was using
the event to qualify for the standings in the international Yours Truly
50 Km, directed this year by Tero Toyryla of Ultrajuoksija magazine in
Finland.  "It's good to be able to kill two birds with one shot", Careau
volunteered.  (50 Km splits are recorded in the results).

The race was founded as a fundraiser for the Ascension Breakfast Club,
a program that provides breakfast for neighbourhood children on their way
to school.  Preliminary indications show that close to $1,000.00 was
raised.

Ascension Six Hour Run
Hamilton, Ontario - 22 February 1997
(results with 50Km splits, distance in kms)
1. Luke Hohenadel       4:10    68.78
2. Ryne Melcher         4:20    66.88
3. John Lehmann         4:36    64.60
4. Ron Gehl             4:45    60.80
5. Ed Ciesielski        5:06    58.52
6. John Cookson         4:57    57.38
7. Alfred Koehn         5:33    54.34
8. Bruce Hilton         5:36    53.96
9. Michel Careau        5:35    53.20
10. Helen Malmberg      5:48    51.68
11. Jim Glen            5:45    51.68
12. Sherry McLean       5:54    50.92
13. Joe Cleary          5:54    50.92
14. Gord Harthun                44.84
15. Taylor Harthun              22.80