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Camas Post Record
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Camas marathon runner earns ‘Six Finisher’ medal
After moving back to his hometown of Camas in 2000, Gary Abrahamsen decided to get into better physical shape. After watching the television show, “The Biggest Loser,” he turned to his wife and said, ‘The contestants run a marathon at the end of their weight-loss journey. Why can’t I do that?’” But Abrahamsen soon realized his effort to complete a 26.2-mile run would have to start with something much less ambitious — a short walk down the street. “I was 230 pounds or something like that,” he said. “I started by walking one block, then running one block. The next time, I ran the two blocks. Then I ran one mile, then another mile added onto that — just a little further each time. It’s like blowing up a balloon. At first, it’s kind of tough to blow up, but as you blow it up a little bit more, it gets a little bit easier and a little bit easier. The challenge is to blow it up enough but not break it.” Nearly a quarter of a century later, Abrahamsen’s health journey has led him to places and accomplishments he never could have imagined back in 2000. On April 15, after completing the Boston Marathon, Abrahamsen, 64, earned the prestigious “Six Star Finisher” medal given to runners who complete six Abbott World Marathon Majors’ races. “It means a lot,” said Abrahamsen, a network engineer for the Camas School District. “It means you’ve spent many years of your life trying to accomplish something that if you looked at it years ago, you would say, ‘That’s too big to accomplish.’ But by just taking it apart, day to day, week to week, month to month, step by step — even though I got turned down for certain races or didn’t get picked for the lottery — all of the things that go into it to try to get there, that’s what I appreciate.” Introduced by the Abbott World Marathon Majors — a championship-style competition for marathon runners — in 2016, to honor the runners who complete the six major annual marathons in Boston, London, Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago and New York, the Six Star Finisher medal has been given to around 11,000 runners over the past eight years, including Abrahamsen’s wife, Satomi Sano, who earned her medal in 2023, after finishing the Tokyo Marathon. “We didn’t even think about doing the Six Star until my wife ran in Boston (in 2018),” Abrahamsen said. “We’re standing around in the cold for my ‘spousal conciliatory’ 5-kilometer run, and we were talking with a lady, and she was talking about the ‘Abbott Wall.’ We were like, ‘What are you talking about? What is this thing?’ I could see the twinkle in my wife’s eye, and I thought, ‘Uh oh, here we go.’ She started to go on this journey, and I (followed) right behind her. She was the start of it. There was almost a palpable feeling of, ‘This is something I have to do.’” Abrahamsen completed the Berlin and New York marathons in 2021; the London Marathon in 2022; and the Tokyo and Chicago marathons in 2023. “It’s a combination of being really physically worn out and mentally giddy,” Abrahamsen said of marathon running. “Once you cross that line, you forget about any kind of pain you’ve had or any kind of problems you have. … To be able to set a goal, to be able to do the little steps and sometimes the big steps to get to that goal, and then once you finish that goal, the success you feel lasts a longer time than you would realize. That’s something you can’t take away. You’ll never be able to take away the fact that I finished that race.” Abrahamsen has lived in Camas his entire life, with the exception of an eight-year stint in Tokyo, where he and Sano were married. He began running in 2000, and after six months of training participated in his first 5-kilometer run. Several years later, at the age of 58, he ran his first marathon. Since then, Abrahamsen has completed five more marathons and numerous shorter races, and has run on behalf of a variety of charities, including Gold Ribbon Network, Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. “I don’t feel like I’m 64,” said Abrahamsen, who now weighs 175 pounds. “I look at people the same age, and it’s almost like they’re a slave to their age. They’re like, ‘I’m retired now, I can sit and relax.’ To me, that’s almost the opposite of what I would want to do. Movement is key to life, I think. If I stayed at 235, what would I be like now? I don’t know. I feel pretty good. I don’t have some of the ailments other folks my age might have. I feel pretty good.” Abrahamsen and Sano almost always run together, three times a week, and cover an average of 14 miles a week, sprinkling in longer runs when they’re training for a race. “It’s become kind of a health journey as we get older, making sure that we’re taking care of ourselves,” said Abrahamsen, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2017, about 15 years after his wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer. “I can’t think of anything (better) when it comes to being married or part of a couple where you really spend a lot of time, just the two of you, doing something you both like to do, having a common subject that you’re spending that much time with. We have that,” he said. “I think one of the reasons we run together is we both have the same accomplishments, so there’s the ability to talk about a race afterward — things we saw, things we did, how we felt, good things, bad things. It’s a bonding experience.” Abrahamsen and Chicago resident Lisa Le were selected to run the Boston Marathon on behalf of Health Imperatives, a nonprofit with a mission to improve the health and well-being of low-income and vulnerable families and individuals in Massachusetts. “We are thrilled to have two incredible runners representing Health Imperatives at our first Boston Marathon,” Health Imperatives Chief Executive Officer Julia Kehoe stated in a news release. “We are inspired by Lisa and Gary’s dedication to their sport, and we are humbled by their passion for helping others, serving their communities, and raising awareness about our work.” The news release stated that “Abrahamsen, who works in school administration and witnessed firsthand the impact of a widening wealth gap in his hometown, was drawn to Health Imperatives’ dedication to serving those who have fallen through the cracks of existing healthcare systems.” Runners can qualify for marathons in one of several ways, according to Abrahamsen. The most straightforward method is posting a qualifying time in a race held on a certified course. Otherwise, runners can join a charitable organization’s racing team in exchange for a racing bib or hope their names are picked from a lottery. “I had five tickets to this year’s Boston Marathon, and none of those were picked,” Abrahamsen said. “I lost out on the lottery, I (wasn’t selected for a team), and it looked like no Boston for me. My wife said, ‘Well, why don’t you join the Boston Charity Facebook organization?’ They sometimes post for organizations that may have lost a runner to injury, or need another runner, or something last-minute.” A little over one month before the Boston Marathon, Abrhamsen saw a post on the Facebook page and quickly sent his information in for consideration. Abrahamsen committed to raising at least $7,500 for Health Imperatives in exchange for his racing bib. As of April 18, he had raised $7,403. He carried a list of the names of his donors, sealed in a plastic bag, in his right hand during the race. “My progress has been good, surprisingly,” he said. “Because I’ve worked in the school district for so many years, I know a lot of people. You don’t realize how much people know you and will step up, and it’s been very humbling to see the amount of people that have stepped up.” Abrahamsen said that he “truly believes” in Health Imperatives’ mission. “We’ve grown from a small town,” Abrahamsen said about Camas. “We’re generally thought of as a fairly well-off school district, but we forget about those who aren’t. We don’t have a lot of (students who qualify for) free and reduced lunch here. We’re pretty low when you compare Vancouver or Evergreen. (Health Imperatives is) in that same kind of boat where they’re helping those who have been sort of left behind economically, or from health care standards. Same thing that’s happened here — we forget about that wage gap. We just think of Camas as being this rich town, and it’s not fair to those who aren’t.” To donate to Abrahamsen’s fundraising efforts, visit givengain.com/project/gary-raising-funds-for-health-imperatives-74289. |
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Everett Street Corridor plans move ahead with shared-use paths
Long-range plans to improve safety along Camas’ Everett Street Corridor continued to move forward this month when the Camas City Council’s approved a plan to begin preliminary engineering design for a segment of Northeast Everett Street spanning from Northeast 35th Avenue near the bridge separating Lacamas and Round lakes to Northeast 43rd Avenue, where a signal helps control traffic heading toward Camas High School. During the Camas City Council’s April 15 workshop, Camas Public Works Director Steve Wall and Camas Engineering Manager James Carothers told Council members the preliminary engineering cost for the 35th to 43rd segment of Everett Street would cost $1.6 million and could use $375,000 from grant money as well as possible traffic impact fee funds to help pay for this part of the project. The entire Everett Street Corridor improvement project will eventually create a multi-modal traffic corridor and improve safety for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists along the 1.5-mile, two-lane state highway (state Route 500) known as the Everett Street Corridor that leads from the Lake Road-Everett Street roundabout to the city’s northern limits near Northeast Third Street and connects much of Camas to recreational points along Lacamas and Round lakes, and leads to the city’s North Shore area, Camas High School and a cluster of small businesses — including the Acorn & the Oak, Lakeside Market and L&L Autobody — located between Northeast 35th and Northeast 38th avenues. Wall said this month that the entire project will likely cost between $45 million to $60 million, including $13 million to $18 million to improve the segment of road between 35th and 43rd avenues and $18 million to $23 million to replace the bridge that crosses Lacamas Lake near the Lake-Everett roundabout. City staff are still seeking funding sources for the extensive road improvement project, and Wall has warned that the entire Everett Street Corridor project could take two to three decades to finalize. “There is currently no funding for the bridge,” Carothers told Council members this month. “And most phases will probably take seven to eight years from start to finish.” After Everett Street Corridor business and property owners flooded a Camas City Council meeting in November 2023, to voice concerns that the road improvements would negatively impact their businesses or homes, Camas officials asked city staff to revise their original “preferred alternative,” which called for public acquisition of about five feet on either side of the corridor in its narrowest space — between 35th and 43rd avenues. During the Council’s Nov. 20, 2023, workshop, 19 out of 20 speakers were concerned about the Everett Street project’s impacts to businesses like the Acorn & the Oak, which already have limited parking spaces. “If you take our parking lot, we don’t have a place for our food distributors to even bring us food,” Chuck Stoltz, co-owner of the Acorn & the Oak, a restaurant that sits along Lacamas Lake in the former Lakeside Chalet building, told city officials in November. “I’m not saying nix the project, but think about who it’s affecting. There are so many red flags in this. I don’t see any pros … The project needs major reconsideration.” A special Council meeting in December addressed many of the public speakers’ concerns. “The Council took comments from the public and told us to come back and try to get the roadway, with bike lanes, to fit within the existing right-of-way,” Carothers said. “The original recommendation extended just past the right-of-way and it looked like we’d have to purchase five feet on both sides to make this fit.” The current design for Everett Street between 35th and 43rd avenues calls for two 14-foot traffic lanes, and two 10-foot shared-use paths on either side of the road, separated by two 4.5-foot planter strips. The plan also calls for five small roundabouts along the corridor to help guide traffic coming onto Everett and to provide a place for people to turn around in the more congested, southern part of the road, since the planned road configuration between 35th and 43rd will not allow left-hand turns. Many business owners and members of the public have told City staff and officials they also worry about parking along Everett Street, especially on the southern end near the business corridor and the lakes. “One of the primary concerns was that some business will be impacted, potentially, from a parking standpoint,” Wall told Council members April 15. “We have heard that we need additional parking.” Wall asked Council members if they wanted to approve a small contract for consultants to find out if additional parking in the corridor is a possibility. “It would mean a smaller contract with someone to find sites, find out if it’s feasible,” Wall said. “It (parking) could be along the corridor, near the corridor or down one of the side streets. We would just be looking at all the opportunities for additional parking.” “There are some spots along the road currently where folks park their vehicles, but I don’t have a number for that,” Carothers said, adding that the narrow area along Everett Street near Lacamas Lake, south of the Acorn and the Oak, where many lake-goers park during the warmer months will definitely be impacted by the road improvement project. “There is that little bit of City right-of-way on Everett north of the bridge that transitions into private (parking) for Acorn and the Oak that will be impacted because access will be different,” Wall explained, adding that some business owners had been using city right-of-way property for private parking on their sites and may not have realized it until the Everett Street Corridor meetings and open houses. “That land down there, close to the bridge, is a choke point and busy for parking,” Councilman Tim Hein said. “It’s only going to get worse … I definitely think we should be looking at parking.” Councilman John Nohr agreed, saying the lakes draw people to that area of Camas and that parking is already a problem during the summer months. “People come here for recreation opportunities,” Nohr said. “We know people are going to come. They’re going to park on people’s lawns and we should at least come up with some sort of plan (for parking) there.” Councilwoman Jennifer Senescu had a different opinion when it came to expanding parking in the area. “I feel like, with the improvements we’re making, this (area) will be walkable and accessible by bike and will be a lot more accessible than it is now,” Senescu said. “This may take away some parking spots but there will be more access for walking and biking.” Senescu added that, if the private businesses in the Everett Street Corridor desired more parking, she thought the businesses — not the City — should be responsible for the additional costs. “I think we’re doing a great service using our tax dollars wisely to bring in multi-modal (transportation),” Senescu added. “I don’t know that it’s incumbent on the City to buy private property (for parking). I don’t know that it’s something we should look into.” “I”m not saying we shouldn’t look at alternatives because there might be benefits,” Svilarich said, but he questioned if City officials were basing their decision on the parking solely on the people who showed up to the November 2023 Council workshop and urged his peers to base their parking decisions on possible benefits to the general public and “not because we had a room full of people saying they can’t park there anymore.” Camas Mayor Steve Hogan asked about the possibility of partnering with Clark County, which oversees the parking off Northeast 35th Avenue. “There are potentials there to look for opportunities with the county to improve that (parking lot),” Wall said. “To get better surfacing, lighting and a little better access and potentially an expansion if possible. There may be partnership opportunities.” Wall added that the City is still trying to find funding sources, including possible state grants, for the safety improvements, bridge replacement and roundabout construction. “We’re looking for construction dollars,” Wall said when asked when the first corridor-improvement segment between 35th and 43rd avenues might be finished. “We started in 2023, and — from starting to design a roadway section to getting all the permits and actually getting it constructed — it takes seven to eight years from start to finish, so somewhere in the 2030 range.” To learn more about the Everett Street Corridor Analysis, visit engagecamas.com/everett-street-corridor-analysis. |
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Nominations needed for 2024 Camas Days Senior Royal Court
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Camas-Washougal is seeking nominations for this year’s Camas Days Senior Royal Court. Community members in Camas and Washougal are asked to nominate an individual or couple they feel is worthy of this honor. The nominee must reside in Camas or Washougal, have a strong history of local volunteer service and be 55 years or older. If nominating a couple, at least one of the nominees must be age 55 or older. The selected members of the 2024 Camas Days Senior Royal Court will be honored at a coronation reception at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, The Outpost in Washougal. On Saturday, July 27, they will have a prominent seat in the Camas Days Main Parade. A luncheon, immediately following the parade, will be held at the Zion Lutheran Camas Church to honor the newly crowned 2024 Royal Court, and members of past Royal Courts. Nominations are due by May 22. Nomination packets will be available at the Camas Public Library, Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce, The Outpost in Washougal, Runyan Jewelers in Camas, Two Rivers Heritage Museum in Washougal, the Washougal Community Center, the Washougal Community Library and Zion Lutheran Church. Nominations should be mailed to GFWC Camas-Washougal Women’s Club, P.O. Box 319, Washougal, WA 98671. All nominations must arrive by May 22 to be included in the Senior Royal Court election process. |
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Early registration for Camtown Youth Festival Flea Market tables available
Early registration for the Camtown Youth Festival Flea Market will be available through May 24. To sell or trade – interested participants can rent a 10-by-10-foot space for $5. Vendors should plan to provide their own table, chairs and canopy. Visitors can then purchase items from the young vendors, or they can trade for toys or crafts at the flea market. This will be the 21st year for the Camtown Youth Festival, which features a variety of games and interactive amusements, arts and crafts activities, entertainment, food, petting zoo, children’s flea and craft market, and child-related information booths. The event is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 1, at Dorothy Fox Elementary School, 2623 N.W. Sierra St., Camas. Pre-registration is required for the flea market tables. The early bird registration fees are $5 per table and are due by May 24. Registration after May 24 will cost $10 per table. For registration the day of the event, a $20 walk-in fee will apply. Please note, commercial wares, food and beverage items will not be allowed. Items must be in good condition and children must have adult supervision present. For more details, visit cityofcamas.us/parksrec and click on the “Special Events” button to find the Flea Market links on the Camtown Youth Festival web page. For questions regarding the Kids’ Flea Market or the Camtown Youth Festival, contact Camas Special Events Coordinator Krista Bashaw at 360-817-7991 or kbashaw@cityofcamas.us. |
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Camas middle-schoolers to perform ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr.’
Camas middle school students from Liberty and Odyssey middle schools will perform “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jr.,” a musical that revives the flying car and “Child Catcher” and the baron and baroness from the classic, 1968 film, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.’ The cast will perform three shows: at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, and at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Joyce Garver Theater, 1500 N.E. Garfield St., Camas. Tickets cost $10, or $8 for students, seniors and veterans, and are available now at camas.hometownticketing.com/embed/all. |
Washington State News
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Mariners fend off Rangers to grab first place in AL West
(Photo credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports)
Ty France and Luis Urias hit two-run home runs as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3 Thursday afternoon in Arlington, Texas, to move past the hosts into first place in the American League West.
Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Smith hit solo homers for Texas, which lost for the fourth time in its past six games.
Mariners ace Luis Castillo (2-4) won his second s
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Columbian Newspaper
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Mariners beat Texas 4-3 to take series and top spot in AL West
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ty France and the Seattle Mariners never left Texas with a win last season. In their first trip to the Rangers’ ballpark this year, they took the series and first place in the AL West from the reigning World Series champions. |
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Tough new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down
WASHINGTON — Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. |
NYT Politics
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The Supreme Court Hints at a Break for Trump
The justices could issue a ruling that would make a trial in the Jan. 6 case unlikely before the election.
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Seattle Times Opinion
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Setting the record straight on how WA growers battle farmworker shortage
Growers nationwide have had difficulty recruiting farmworkers for years. The only option for growers to supplement their workforce is a temporary visa program. |
