Nothing too strenuous. I think 4 by 100s should do the trick for a Monday. Here are four items worth noting:

1. A couple of 180 Energy Runners scored victories Sunday in the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. Claudia Kassen of Des Peres won the women’s division, finishing in 3 hours, 9 minutes, 49 seconds. Actually Kassen, 50, also won the master’s division as well, since she was the top woman over age 40. Quite a feat to beat all those whipper snappers. Thomas Whalen of St. Louis finished first in the men’s master’s division and third overall in a field of more than 1,000, in 2:44:00. Whalen is a running fool. He completed the Marine Corps Marathon just three weeks ago in 2:47:25.
2. St. Louis has produced another triathlete on the rise. Jillian Petersen a graduate of Francis Howell High, finished third to fellow St. Louisan Sarah Haskins in the International Triathlon Union event last weekend in San Francisco. The top international triathletes skipped the event, just one week after a World Cup event in Cancun. Still, Petersen has been rising steadily among Americans. She routinely was finishing in the top 20 in similar events earlier in the season. She’ll be an athlete to watch if she can maintain her status in national-calibre events next season.

3. The St. Louis Partnership for Girls and Women in Sports attracted more than 200 girls to its first event, Ready, Set, Play! in September. Photos from the day _ which included clinics in basketball, tennis, soccer and running _ capture the mood of the day.

4. Jill Indovino, director of Girls on the Run, wanted to say thanks to all who participated in their fund-raiser, which netted $8,500 for the organization. Girls on the Run promotes self-esteem in girls in grades 3 through 8 via training for a 5K. The group also has given away more than $15,000 in scholarships this year.