The Dumb Shoe Award
A piece of PWRD history
Above is a photograph of the prestigious Dale Schwab Shoe Award, also known as The Dumb Shoe Award. Named for the group's founder and the first Dumb Shoe of the group, The Dumb Shoe Award honors the most spectacularly stupid achievement of the year by a PWRD member. Distribution of the award was suspended after 2007, making Darrin Roberts (current PWRD "Map Guy") the reigning Dumb Shoe of the group.
Another competition that has since been retired was the annual Ugliest T-Shirt Award. To protect the innocent, all photographic evidence of past award winners has been destroyed.
If you want to hear tales of the achievements that earned these awards over the years, just come have a beer with Dale (yes, the namesake of the Dumb Shoe) at the bar after any Tuesday run.
CONTROVERSY and the dumb shoe award
In July, 1997, Bill Wolfe was awarded The Dumb Shoe, and immediately lodged a formal protest. Arguably, his protest had some merits. Had his actions occurred during a normal training run, there would be no story. However, the rules committee determined that the award would stand because this story took place during the Pittsburgh Marathon.
Bill Wolfe ran (unregistered) the marathon with "Dollar" Bill Donovan for 24 miles, moving along at a PR pace. But then he stopped. He walked to Point State Park (where the race ends anyway). (There is, in fact, some rumor that his total mileage was well over 26.2 with this route.) But the part of the story that secured his Dumb Shoe victory was that he actually stopped at the Harp & Fiddle on his way, but DIDN'T HAVE A BEER. (This was something neither of the Wolfe brothers had ever been known to do.)
Should we reinstate the annual Dumb Shoe or Ugliest T-Shirt Awards? Come to our next run and let us know!
PAst Dumb Shoe Award Winners
2007 Darrin Roberts
2006 Ellen Lamar
2005 Susie Oresic
2004 Brad Meyer
2003 Cynthia Sanchas
2002 Russell Davis
2001 PWRYB Cincinatti
2000 Dana Klein
1999 John Millea
1998 Al De Pietro
1997 Bill Wolfe
1996 Ed Heath
1995 Dale Schwab (2nd-time winner)
1994 Lyn Miller (with Ken Krynski)
1993 (Debbie Lampo)
1992 "Dollar" Bill Donovan
1991 Dale Schwab