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Profile: George Williams
Intro
January 12, 2009
Trivia question- Name the SBAA members who fit the following: (1) accomplished baker, potter and hiker.....and will not confirm if he/she has an auto; (2) runs an average of 50 miles per week; (3) has a first place in the nation performance for a 50 mile race; (4) seriously seeks to beat a world record for the marathon; (5) has devoted a year plus to studying lemurs in Madagascar.
Answer to all of the above.....our talented, hard-working, weird (his term), indefatigable and always unpredictable webmaster George Williams.
Big Sur Marathon, 2005
Name:
George Williams
Age: 50
(2009)
Nicknames:
Hmm, not really any. My brother
(and hence my niece) call me "Gork", when in college they used "Gwand Wobbley Wabbit" (I ate a lot of carrots in those days).
Nowadays Chrystee calls me
"Jorje".
Hometown:
Durham, NC
Employment:
I'm not exactly employed... I
write an open-source program which lets people create and modify
fonts.
Family: I'm
single myself. A brother in upstate NY, a sister in NY city, and
nomadic parents who wander at whim between Charleston, SC; Durham,
NC, Sautee-Nacoochee, Ga.
Other
sports, hobbies, interests, etc.: I
do a lot of yoga and pilates. I bike everywhere (almost). I make
pottery. I bake all my own bread. I used to hike a lot, but I'm more
likely to be running on the trails now. I used to study lemurs in the
wilds of Madagascar.
Most Prized Possession: Um.
Nothing really comes to mind. My body?
Favorite
Food: Sushi. But I'll let you
pick which.
Favorite Movie: Life of
Brian
Favorite Spectator Sport: I'd
much rather do than spectate. The only sport I have watched in the
last year was soccer, so faut de mieux: soccer.
Car I'd Love to be Driving:
I'm quite happy with my bike, thank you ever so very much.
My
friends describe me as: I don't
really know. Maybe "weird".
My
trademark expression is: "Good
heavens."
If money were not a consideration, I would
love to: Get the Magratheans to
build a planet for me.
In the
next 5 years, I hope to: Find
someone who'll put up with me.
In the
next 10 years, I hope to: Keep
running, figure out what I want to do next in life.
Personal
accomplishments: I've run (or
at least run/hiked) a 50 mile race. I've biked 200+ miles in a day. I
wrote one of the first WYSIWYG web editors in the early '90s. I have
spent almost a year in Madagascar studying lemurs (not all at once).
Personal
fact that will surprise my friends: My
font editor has been translated into 13 languages.
Favorite Running Shoes: Brooks Glycerines
Favorite Distance and PR (post collegiate): Hard to say. Something long. Half marathon maybe?
Best Race and Why: SB Wine Country Half marathon, 2008. Everything just seemed to go smoothly, and I set a PR.
Worst Race and Why: Law day 15K, 2003. It was raining. I was cold. I got a stress fracture in my pelvis. I finished the race (1:03:01), slowed, and found I couldn't walk. It took me about a year before I could run again.
Average Weekly Mileage (last 12 months): ~50
Favorite Local Race: Pier to Peak
Most Memorable Running Experience: The White River 50 miler, I came in second in my age-group but first in the nation for my age-group. I love the contradiction.
Favorite Place to Run: More Mesa
Glory Days PR: Hmm. I wasn't running at the time most people would have set their PRs so I'm still hoping. Currently I'm proudest of a 37:05 10K (2006), a 58:02 15K (2007), an 83:03 half marathon (2008). I'm not proud of any of my marathon times, and times for the ultras are somewhat meaningless as each course is so different. Still I'm proud to have finished second overall in a 50K which was closer to 60K, and I'm proud to have been second in my age group in my 50 miler.
Realistic Running Goals for this Year: a sub-3 hour marathon.
Wildly Optimistic Running Goals for this year: a sub 2:55 marathon
Lifetime Running Goals: I want to break a world record. Not a current world record, mind you (that's probably impossible for me), an old one. The first 26.2 mile marathon was won with a time of 2:55:38. That seems tantalizingly close to being breakable... And since it was the first, of course that set the world record (even if it didn't stand for long).
Local
Running Heroes & Why: Jim
Kornell and Shiggy who are always faster than I even though they are
older. Rusty Snow who is just amazing. Mike Swan who told me how to
race 50 miles. Chrystee who always seems cheerful. Drea, in whose
footsteps I wish I could follow.
Personal
Training Tips: I tend to run
more than I should. And harder. Rusty has used me as an example of
what not to do. So my best training advice is that you should ask
someone else.
Why I
Run: I just like to move. I
like to find out what my body can do. Running is fun. Racing is
exciting. Trail running is beautiful.
I
love runners who: Run.
Really run.
I don't care for
runners who: Walk.
Suggestions
for local races: I'd like to see
more half marathons. Maybe Night Moves could change from a 5K to a
half marathon.
Suggestions
for SBAA: They should get a new
webmaster.
My
views on: Every one should bake
their own bread.
Add Anything: The dreaded Lousepedoodle flies in ever decreasing circles through the Gunpat of the Cludge.
Favorite
Quote: Ceci ne doit étonner
personne. Les Américains, ces premiers mécaniciens du
monde, sont ingénieurs ... de naissance.
--
De la Terre à la Lune, Jules Verne
SBAA
Member since: 2003 I think,
though it might be 2002.
By Joe Howell
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