By Nella Letizia

When Wendy Shuttleworth received a letter last November from University Recreation saying the WSU 100K Relay and Solo would not continue in 2001, her first reaction was "Oh, good, I don’t have to run it this year." Last April, the research scientist in Molecular Biosciences ran all 62-plus miles solo, the first time she’d attempted to do so in the race. She learned a few things.

Two blisters can feel like they’re covering the whole foot.

It’s a very long walk from Colton to Pullman.

Some hallucinations are real. Somewhere around the town of Johnson, she and Howard Grimes, an associate professor in Molecular Biosciences and her companion on part of the last stretch, swear they saw a cougar in the field. But after 50 miles of running at that point, it could have been a unicorn, too.

And WSU 100K fans won’t let you quit. Shuttleworth finished the race last after 13 hours, seven minutes and 33 seconds. The course officially closes at 7 p.m., but Tom Sanders, a race volunteer and University Publications and Printing director, drove out to look for her. When he found her at Bishop Boulevard, with just half a mile to go, he relayed the information to race officials, who delayed closing the course until Shuttleworth’s arrival a few minutes later.

"They were kind enough to wait for me," she said.

That memory held fast when Shuttleworth’s running friends raised a hue and cry over their letters, explaining that University Recreation could not organize the 2001 race because of stretched resources from the new Student Recreation Center opening this year.

Shuttleworth began quietly asking what would need to happen to resurrect the WSU 100K. Some said she would be crazy to get involved in directing the biggest relay race this side of the Cascades, which last year drew about 900 runners from primarily eastern Washington and northern Idaho. One friend, Sonia Hussa, Community Relations and Event Planning director, said she could direct it as long as she had lots of help. So Shuttleworth, who likens herself to a terrier, jumped in.

"We have to have a go," she said. "That’s why I couldn’t let it go, not without a fight. At least we can say we tried."

So the race is on, set for Sunday, April 8, winding from the WSU campus and Pullman and extending southwest to Wawawai, along the Snake River, up Steptoe Canyon, and through Colton and Johnson to finish at Hollingbery Fieldhouse, as it has done for the last 11 years.

And help has arrived from all directions. Former race director Marty Mullen, along with contributing much encouragement, kept a large, "fantastic" file that contains the list of all contacts from years past, so Shuttleworth didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. Conferences and Professional Programs director John Thielbahr and conference manager Kelly Newell have been very supportive; CAPPS is handling budget and entry forms for the race.

"I wouldn’t be able to even consider taking on the (WSU 100K) if it were not for their help plus many of my running friends, who are taking on aspects of the race," Shuttleworth said.

Along with help came suggestions. One involved changing the relay race to a marathon—26 miles rather than 62 plus—and breaking it up into 4-mile legs. The WSU 100K’s current legs vary from 4-9 miles; the longer legs can be a stretch for the usual jogger, Shuttleworth said. But a marathon format would have meant starting completely from scratch, and breaking from a decade of tradition.

"We decided to stick with the 100K, which is nice because we don’t want the race to die," she added.

Directing such a production as the WSU 100K while being a protein biochemist at the same time is its own marathon. By day, Shuttleworth splits her time between updating and revising one of the biochemistry labs and studying the enzyme that is the target of the weed killer Roundup, called EPSP synthase. By night, when most are relaxing after work, she’s still at it.

"Boredom is not an issue here," she said.

Nothing about this year’s WSU 100K is boring; in fact, it’s got people talking. When Shuttleworth first started working on this year’s race, rumors flew. First, it was definitely cancelled, and then it wasn’t. A friend brought back one interesting rumor that makes her smile.

"‘It’s that female runner with the funny accent who’s putting it on,’" recalled the England native.

More than that, Shuttleworth also has an enjoyable history with the WSU 100K that dates back to the first year, 1990, around the time she also began working for the university. She joined a relay team but remembers seeing solo runners and "being absolutely awestruck" by their endurance. After that, Shuttleworth kept having a feeling that one day she would try the same challenge.

Ten years later, she and Mary Ann Clute of Spokane were the only female solos to run the race. Shuttleworth and Clute ran much of the way together. Then the distance began to take its toll on Shuttleworth, and she lagged behind. At Colton, she stopped running and began walking all the way home.

But WSU 100K fans won’t let you quit. Just before the Stadium Way hill and into the homestretch, a group of WWAMI students at Sella’s spotted her and began yelling her on. "‘It’s OK, Dr. Shuttleworth, it’s only half a mile to go!’"

"Organizing the race, it’s got to be easier, eh?" the newly minted race director asked, half hopefully. "At least on race day it will be."