Run for the history book
In the article by John Borgmeyer titled “Run for your life” [May 4] about ultramarathoning, he says that, “ultrarunning evolved in the 1970s as a response to mainstream marathoning.”
This makes it appear that the idea of running ultramarathons was born in the 1970s. That’s far from the truth!
According to Tom Osler, who is an American ultramarathoner and former Runner’s World writer, in his book Serious Runner’s Handbook, ultramarathons have a very long history. We humans have probably been doing them since the dawn of man.
Osler says that ultramarathoning was very popular in the late 1800s in Great Britain and the United States in the form of six-day races. Folks called it “pedestrianism” then. (It paid well, too!)
In more modern times, one of the greatest names in our country is Ted Corbett, now in his 80s. He set an American record in the 24-hour run (134.7 miles) in 1973 while in his early 50s. Corbett was also the first black person on a U.S. Olympic marathon team.
Robert Carter
Monticello
Pooling the facts
In assessing the health of the surface waters of the State [“Uncharted waters,” June 22] there has been some misunderstanding of the statistics provided. Careful interpretation is necessary to maintain the credibility of environmentally concerned citizens.
Scientists on the staff of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) do a good job of monitoring water quality across the State, but are only able to assess the health of approximately 26 percent of the 50,000-plus total miles of rivers and streams. Of those monitored streams, the DEQ reported in their latest 305B report to Congress that 45 percent did not meet State water standards. Unfortunately this information is frequently misinterpreted as applying to the total stream miles in the Commonwealth. The majority (74 percent) of Virginia’s streams are not monitored and no determination or statement can be made as to their condition.
It is important for interested citizens to have an accurate idea of the integrity of their local surface waters. Programs such as Virginia Izaak Walton Save Our Streams (Va SOS) offer citizen stewards access to that knowledge as well as providing supplemental data to help DEQ do its job better.
Virginia needs to invest more in natural resource protection. Our State currently makes the smallest public investment in the environment in the nation. That is a shameful distinction. In addition to reevaluating our fiscal commitment, we also need to establish a sustainable public policy that assures legislators and the public that our investment is being used effectively and efficiently. The day will come that there will be a powerful and diverse constituency working collaboratively for the stewardship of our unique natural blessings.
Jay Gilliam
jay@vasos.org
The writer is a coordinator with the Virginia Save Our Streams Program.
More than words
In response to Rich Lowry’s piece subtitled “Abortion: The right that dare not speak its name” [Right Turn, June 22], I am writing in defense of women’s right to choose abortion—yes, that’s A-B-O-R-T-I-O-N.
I am the mother of one blessedly healthy boy, as well as of two babies lost to miscarriage. As such, like the carrier of a bumper sticker I’ve seen around town, “I love babies, born and unborn.”
However, I also know that there are circumstances in which bringing a child into the world can be more harmful than aborting the child. I think of a friend whose fetus was so deformed that major organs were missing. I think of loving mothers I know, whose birth control failed, who could not have borne another child without being in physical and emotional danger. I think of victims of rape and incest. For a woman in such a situation, the greatest desire would be for the pregnancy never to have happened, a wish which cannot be attained. Abortion is not a happy choice; it is the last resort, in such cases.
So Lowry misses the point when he claims that we who are pro-choice are “embarrassed” to use the word abortion. Most of us feel compassion for those women and couples who face that agonizing decision between carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term and having an abortion. But until an alternative to these two paths be found, I for one support—with no embarrassment—a woman’s right to either choice.
Cora Schenberg
Charlottesville
CORRECTION
In our profile of Patricia Kluge [“C-VILLE 20,” June 1], we misidentified her husband as Bob Moses. He is Bill Moses.