Division winner's plaque

John Jurczynski: focused, steady, persistent. These qualities helped Jurczynski win the 2004 John Marino Competition. At mid-season Jurczynski was very low in the standings, having raced only once, the Sebring 12 hour which he won with a record-setting 237 miles.

In July and August Jurczynski raced every event possible and raced well: first at the Saratoga 24, tied for first at the Tinbutt 12, first at the New England 12, and seventh at Boston-Montreal-Boston (and RAAM qualified!) By the end of August, Jurczynski was in second with 140.40 points, just 2.90 points behind JMC leader Jim Trout. Sam Baugh, last year's JMC winner, was less than a point behind Jurczynski. John Guth was leading the Men's 50+ division.

JMC medal for 5 or more difficulty points

Jurczynski and Baugh both entered the Tejas 500 RAAM qualifier. Baugh had calculated that he only needed to beat his rival by 30 minutes to win the overall JMC. Jurczynski had recurring knee problems this year and after 300 miles Baugh had an hour's lead. Jurczynski was just riding to finish, but then Baugh started vomiting blood. After several hours of severe discomfort Baugh withdrew. Jurczynski persistence paid off; he won the Tejas 500, his fifth victory of the season.

Trout and John and Nancy Guth raced the 24-hour. They were joined by Chris Hopkinson, who had won the Sebring 24 with 431.8 miles. Hopkinson planned to race the Texas 24, spend a week riding the RAAM course, and then race at the Furnace Creek 508. Hopkinson won the Texas-24 with Trout taking second and John Guth third. Hopkinson raced the 508 the next weekend and earned enough points to move him into fourth in the men's senior division and sixth overall.

No JMCers chose to race the last event, the Brazil 500, so with the 508 the season came to a close.

The first weekend in October, Trout, Jurczynski, Baugh and the Guths all came to Cleburne, TX for the Texas Time Trials.

Racers earn JMC points based on the difficulty rating of an event multiplied by the rider's average speed for the event. Each event in the JMC is assigned a numerical value, or difficulty points (DPs), of between 1 and 8, based loosely on multiples of 12 hours, i.e.,:

• 12 hour races and double centuries 1 difficulty point
• cross-state record (125-299 miles) 1 DP
• 24 hour races 2 DPs
• cross-state record (300-474 miles) 2 DPs
• all RAAM Qualifiers 3 DPs (roughly 30 - 36 hours to win)
• cross-state record (475+ miles) 3 DPs
• Boston-Montreal & RM 1200 4 DPs (roughly 48 hours to win)
• RAAM 8 DPs

At the end of 2004 the top men (more than 100 JMC points) are:

	Jurczynski, John, 47, Holderness, NH	185.80, 1st overall
	Guth, John, 51, Stafford, VA	180.41, 1st, males 50-59
	Trout, James, 34, Seattle, WA	174.98, 2nd, senior division
	Baugh, Sam, 46, Clinton, MO	139.53, 3rd, senior division
	Loomis, Russ, 52, Williamsburg, MA	116.81, 2nd, males 50-55
	Hopkinson, Chris, 36, Gloucester, England	112.23, 4th, senior division
	Knutson, Ken, 55, Tracy, CA	108.66, 3rd, males 50-59

Nancy and John Guth looking relaxed after the Sebring 24 in February

Eight women raced this year including three riders in the mixed tandem category, which made a resurgence this year. Setting the example for both women and men is this year's overall female champion for the third consecutive year, Nancy Guth. She took first place with 163.68 points (good for fourth overall among the men!). Guth rode six events: the Sebring 24, the National 24, the Saratoga and New England 24s, the Last Chance 1200K and the Texas 24. Her average speeds continue to impress and this year was no exception despite grueling conditions at her 4 DP event, the Last Chance.

This year's crop of new riders turned in some eye-popping performances. The tandem team of Catharina Berge (her first JMC year) and her riding partner, Mark Patten (second in the JMC '01) achieved impressive average speeds in their two events, the Davis and Texas 24s. Karen McKee averaged over 18 mph in her lone event at the Michigan Nationals and is a force to be reckoned with if she chooses to continue competition next year. Chris Hopkinson made us all take notice with his performance. This Englander had a very impressive season, scoring over 100 points in just three races. He won the Sebring 24 and the Texas 24. The week after Texas he rode 900 miles of the RAAM route, riding backwards from Guymon, OK to Hope, AZ. He then raced the 508, taking tenth!

John Guth trying to find energy to start the Texas 24 in October

The 12- and 24-Hour Divisions proved to be popular. Opportunities for participation were ample, with seven 12- and seven 24-hour events on the schedule across the nation. These included three new events: Tinbutt, Saratoga and New England. We are talking with event organizers and hope to add one or two new 12/24s in 2005.

John Guth led the way for all men in the 24 Hour Category with a narrow 23 mile edge over Jim Trout, while Nancy Guth took the crown for females with a comfortable total of 1075.

Looking at the 12 Hour Category shows John Jurczynski capturing the Male and Overall leadership with 679 miles. For solo female riders, Elizabeth Wicks led the way with 294 miles.

Division Winners
Solo Males-Traditional Frame

• John Jurczynski: First Senior Male and overall champion, first in the 12-hour mileage competition with 679 miles. Second last year, Jurczynski's perseverance paid off!
• John Guth: First 50-59 Male. Second in the men's 50+ division last year, Guth's consistency paid off. He was second overall, less than six points back, and first in the 24-hour mileage competition with 1,196 miles.
• Jim Trout: A proud new father, Jim took the mid-season off, but still won the senior male 24-hour mileage challenge with 1,173 miles.
• Jim Solanick: Only raced two 12-hour races, but these were good enough for first place in the men's 50-59 division; 440 miles.
• James Cartwright: First 60-69 Male. Category champion five years running and never seriously challenged. He also won the men's 60-69 mileage competition with 752 miles.
• Lew Meyer: First 70+ Male. All alone in his category but his race times are competitive with younger racers.

• Nancy Guth: Overall Female Champion, first Female 50-59 and women's 24-hour champion with 1,075 miles. Three consecutive years as overall female champion and no sign of letting up!
• Christine Graham: First Senior Female. Her first year in the JMC, she also won the women's senor 24- and 12-hour divisions. Great way to start!
• Elizabeth Wicks: First 60-69 Female. This is Wicks' fourth consecutive JMC and first championship! She also won the women's 60-69 12-hour division.

• Larry Graham: First Senior Male and first in the 24-hour challenge with 1,117 miles. Role model for recumbent racers - bring it on.
• Dave Balfour: A strong Midwest rider, this is his first year in the JMC. He took first in the 50-59 Male group.

• Mark Patten/Catharina Berge: This team led a resurgence of tandem riders and averaged 18.67 mph for their two 24s, covering 896.22 miles.
• Mike and Nancy Myers: Very strong riders, they rode two 12s to win that category with 393.59.

Most popular JMC events of the 2004 season were

• Sebring 20 riders
• National 24-Hour 20 riders
• Saratoga 12 riders
• New England 11 riders
• Tejas 12/24/500 9 riders
• Davis 12/24 8 riders
• BMB 8 riders

Final JMC Standings as of October 18
2004 Events and Difficulty Points: Sebring 12/24 (SE, 1/2), Heart of the South 500 (HS, 3), Davis 12/24 (DA, 1/2), Devil Mountain Double Century (DM,1), Eastern Sierra (ES, 1), Race Across Oregon (OR, 3), National 24 Hour (MI, 2), Terrible Two (TT,1), Grand Loop (GL, 1), Saratoga 12/24 (SA 1/2), Rocky Mountain 1200 (RM, 4), Tinbutt 12 Hour (TB, 1), New England 12/24 (NE, 1/2), Boston-Montreal-Boston (BM, 4), Adirondack 540 (AD, 3), Texas Time Trials (TX, 1/2/3), Furnace Creek 508 (FC, 3)
DPC: Difficulty Points Completed. Maximum allowed is 12, after which a competitor's best 12 are used, and prorated if necessary.
*Completed three DP event and eligible for overall championship.

12 HR COMPETITION (Best three)

24 HR COMPETITION (Best three)