WS 100 1980s Video Trivia Contest

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Are you a 1980s Western States 100 video junkie?  Have you watched all the videos so many times that you can impress your friends by spouting classic lines even while in a food coma on a 50 mile training run?  Well, here is your chance to show off your knowledge, or an excuse to go watch the videos again.  Below are ten, what I consider classic quotes from Western States videos from the 1980’s.  This was the decade that Western States became famous with the normal people.  There was prize money.  There was the allure and fascination of this crazy run from Squaw Valley to Auburn.  There were dolphin shorts. There were mullets.   There were six years of mainstream media coverage, beginning in 1982 and 1983 with “Desperate Dreams,” 1985 and 1986 on ABC Wide World of Sports, and then 1988 and 1989 by Golden Gaters Productions, with the last one shown on NBC.  Not sure if all of these videos are still available today, but I was fortunate enough to either record most of them myself or get them from friends who recorded them.

Start of 1989 Western States 100

Start of 1989 Western States 100 (photo from WS Archives)

So here’s the deal.  For each quote in bold, you must identify who said it (first and last name) and the year of the race (and, if you want to be a hero, the location and context).

The contest is open until Tuesday, Jan 20 at noon PST.  You can submit answers in up to eleven separate comments (one for each quote and the extra credit) until that time, but only your first submission for each quote stands. You must get the name and year correct on the first try or your answer for that quote is wrong.  Each correct answer is worth 5 points.  If you are the first to submit the correct answer you get a bonus 5 points for that quote so if you know some of them but have to rewatch the videos for others it would behoove you to submit the ones you know immediately to get the bonus points.  You must submit your answers as comments to this post (emails to me will not be accepted), thus everybody else can see your answers and then use them.  If there is a tie in points, then the person who submitted answers sooner will win.  There is one extra credit quote which is worth 10 points and will go only to the first person who answers it correctly (because I don’t know who said it, but I’m sure some Californian will tell us).

Prizes will be awarded to those that score the most points.  These include Sunsweet fruit and limited edition Conduct the Juices t-shirts.  I’ll give out stuff commensurate with the number and quality of responses.

If you have no clue who said these but want to comment anyway, go ahead.

Have fun.

  1. “As the sage Demosthenes Brito once said: Everyday is not the same and that’s alright by me.”
  2. “They say there are three types of runners at Western States: the survivors, the runners, and the racers.  Of that group I’d say that I’m one of the racers.”
  3. “You betcha I am.  I want one of them cougars.”
  4. “No, I run for me. I run me. I run me hard.”
  5. “I like to lead the race from the beginning if possible.  But, I think it’s much more important to lead the race at the finish.  So, that’s my key goal.”
  6. “I’ve been urinating right down my legs and I think that keeps my feet saturated … maybe I shouldn’t do that anymore.”
  7. “Well, I’ll tell you.  I’ve gone up and down to heaven and hell ten times along the way, and right now I’m coming back up.”
  8. “Can anyone believe they can run 100 miles?  I don’t know … I do it tree to tree.”
  9. “These little piggies don’t go to the market.” [Don’t you have money for another pair of shoes?] “No, you know how us dentists are, we barely know where our next 100,000’s coming from.”
  10. [You’ve been smiling since I saw you.] “Well, I like runnin’.”

Extra Credit (10 points to the first person to answer correctly)

“Stay cool, you know that.  Stay cool.  Don’t blow the wad.”

Answers to Trivia Contest posted here.