1983 Barathon, vol. 1

TCHOUPITOULAS BEER RACE A BIG SUCCESS
by Bryan Roberts
(Originally appeared in "Tchoupitoulas New Orleans: The Official Newsletter of the Tchoupitoulas Social Aid & Athletic Club," Vol. 2, No. 1, July 1983.)

Hard running, a thirst for beer, and the magnanimous hospitality of John Stuhlman all combined to make the First Annual Tchoupitoulas Beer Mambo and Bar-A-Thon a smashing success. The event was held to commemorate the departure of Gebre Yesho and Rob Dugan from our club in the heart of the subtropics to the cooler climate of Chicago. The race was such a success, in fact, that hopefully someone else will leave soon so we can have another one. And now for the details.

The race started and finished at John Stuhlman’s wonderful bar and restaurant, Hillary’s. The course was approximately 10,000 meters in distance accurately measured by Ronnie Brinkman’s car. The course included stops at five bars where each runner had to drink a glass of beer before continuing on to the next bar. Included on the route were such high-class night spots as Frankie and Johnnie’s, the F & M bar, and Audubon II…. The race, as earlier mentioned, finished at Hillary’s where each runner had to chug one last beer in order to officially be over the finish line. Time was officially kept by a digital clock kindly provided by N.O.T.C./Tchoupitoulas member Chuck George.

Kent McDonald took an early lead in the race, followed by Oliver Marshall. Kent continued to lead throughout the race, with Oliver staying about one block behind, thus preventing Kent from using shortcuts to any advantage. Behind Oliver [were] Joey Provenzano and Willie Stamm, followed in turn by Jeff Hanusch, Jerry Hardouin, and more than a dozen other Tchoupitoulas drinkers/runners. Finally, with about a half-mile to go, Oliver surged past Kent and broke the race open into a wild dash for the final beer at Hillary’s. Kent closed the gap in the final moments, however, only to lose by TWO SECONDS in the final stretch of drinking. Final times: Oliver in 36:02; Kent a close second in 36:04.

Following the race, a post-race party got underway at Hillary’s with beer and pizza kindly donated by John Stuhlman (who, incidentally, ran an impressive 48:04!). Clever trophies and awards were then dispensed to anyone lucky enough to get one. Categories included 1st Swedish runner to finish, 1st Italian to finish, 1st runner with dark socks, etc. The final times are listed below. And now for the good news. A second beer race WILL be held in early October as a Tchoupitoulas Oktoberfest race. The race will again be invitational only, limited to Tchoupitoulas runners or their pals. Look for details in late September. Until then, keep running AND drinking!!!

1) Oliver Marshall, 36:02.
2) Kent McDonald, 36:04.
3) Joey Provenzano, 41:01.
4) Willie Stamm, 42:35.
5) Jeff Hannusch, 42:35.
6) Jerry Hardouin, 43:36.
7) Ron Brinkman, 44:00.
8) Toby Meltzer, 44:05.
9) Greg Hamilton, 44:15.
10) Mike Benoit, 44:42.
11) Ray Ward, 45:40.
12) Rob Dugan, 46:19.
13) TuTu Man, 47:26.
14) John Stuhlman, 48:04.
15) Larry Shirley, 48:21.
16) John Peterson, 49:23.
17) Chuck George, 52:01.
18) Louis Harkey, 52:46.
19) Howard Heno, 55:55.
20) Bob Thieler, 59:59.
21) John Jorgensen, 62:32.
22) Stephen Johnson, 64:19.