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Trivia: What man or woman has won the most marathons?

SIXTH GRADE. If you're a parent wondering when to get your child involved in organized, competitive running, I have an answer: They shouldn't start before middle school, nor be allowed more than three out-of-school competitions per year. My timeline has been distilled after more than 25 years of watching, talking with and tracking the "careers" of school-age runners, parents and coaches.

Reasons parents cite in getting kids started prior to middle school are health, discipline, self-esteem, sportsmanship, values of competition and such. These parents are, or appear to be, full of good intentions. They're guided, maybe influenced is a better word, by programs developed for older kids and perhaps by their own experiences.

Trouble is, fun is often squeezed out of these youth programs and kids are asked to live up to expectations designed for an older, more-mature group. This is where things get murky and I draw the line.

Oh, I know pre-middle-schoolers, age-groupers, are capable of daily runs, tough workouts, lots of racing and travel. I've seen evidence of that. Some of their times are adult-fast and record-breaking. This isn't about whether they can but whether they should. Children are natural runners, but organizing their running -- telling them how much, how fast and far -- turns what's fun too-serious and that isn't natural.

Yes, there are some age-group kids who adapt and prosper all the way through school. I know some of these kids as adults. They are exceptions and in a few cases, desire waned in college but resurfaced years later. However, for too many age-groupers, there's too much running, attention and focus which compromises the joy so important in activities for youngsters.

I know of at least three instances where parents moved to another school district where they felt their kids would be part of a better team. In two cases I was asked by the parents what I thought of their potential move. I didn't tip my hand because I could tell they'd move anyway. It's wrong to think of kids as pawns to be moved around for best effect.

There are too many examples of parents living through their kids, from age-group to high school, to list here. One in particular, however, still makes me angry. An acquaintance had his child do extra workouts in middle school and through high school embarrassed everybody in earshot as he ridiculed and ripped his child for perceived poor racing. He likely sucked the joy of running from the kid as her college years were a bust.

Coaches, too, that enter athletes in three to four events per track meet are guilty of dulling and sometimes stilling desire to continue at the next level, or at all. Kids have it tough enough dealing with the demands of running without adults adding further stress.

BUSBOY. Mark Bauman, 53, of Flushing, has the fourth-longest consecutive streak at the Boston Marathon with 34 in a row. He started his string as a college student and has survived the famous heat of '76, various physical ailments between races all the while re-qualifying annually. Of 35 men who have run at least 25-straight BAA Marathons, Mark's one of only three who live outside New England or the east coast. Such durability and dedication deserve recognition.

Add that he's run every Free Press Marathon and Old Kent/Fifth Third River Bank 25K. There might not be anyone like him anywhere with such streaks. For all this attention I'm showering on him, he's probably more revered for organizing a bus from Boston to Hopkinton each year.

YOUR PACE OR MINE. Paula Radcliffe's world-record 2:15:25 at the London Marathon in April is astonishing. She managed the pressure and a freak March injury/accident very well and remains a vocal opponent of drugs which cast doubt on all great performances these days. In the weeks before her terrific race, there was haggling over the employ of male pacemakers in the women's-only field.

It isn't illegal to have pacemakers so long as they are officially entered in the competition. The problem in London was the men's race started 45 minutes after the women's, which, on the surface, makes it seem clear the male pacemakers were in a separate race and not part of the men's competition. London organizers played with semantics and said the pacemakers' times would be meshed with the separate men's race. This twist of language appeased IAAF officials who were originally opposed to the idea.

As in many cases like this, Radcliffe said she felt the pacers didn't make much difference. Deena Drossin, who set a new U.S. record behind Radcliffe, said the same thing. Fine. If the IAAF will approve pacemaking like this, they should be OK with men fronting women on the track. Gentle readers, the London pacemaking was a sham and the illegal-aid rules need rewriting.

MUDDER. After coming within yards of completing an undefeated year at Novi High School in '02, Tim Moore has taken his smarts and running talent to Notre Dame. As a prep senior, Tim was state champ in cross- country plus the 1600 and 3200 meters in track, competed in the World Junior cross meet in Ireland and won the Footlocker National Championship in cross.

Tim described his Notre Dame freshman cross season as, "All right. I would've liked to run better at the NCAA meet (63rd place, 12 seconds shy of earning All-America) but I've learned a lot and look forward to applying these new ideas in the upcoming cross season."

In the midst of this past indoor track season (Tim's first; he didn't run indoors in high school), he ran in the World Junior (19 and under) cross qualifying race in Houston in mid-February. Mid-week reports were for weekend rain and a muddy course, and conditions went from awful to even worse.

Tim's account: "I couldn't get up all those short, steep hills (yes, there are hills in Houston, thanks to bayous) fast enough. I was slipping helplessly as the few guys up front with me seemed to fly up them. After losing about 10 meters each hill, I'd pretty easily catch up. I don't know if the slippage was due to something with my spikes, which I noticed were more caked with mud than my competitors' spikes, or my form on the hills.

"On the last loop, it got to a point where I was falling a little and catching myself with my hands going up the hills. This was frustrating, and -- to add insult to injury -- with about 800 meters left, while closing on second and third places, I fell down a hill, sprawled and slid on my stomach.

"This obviously put a bad taste in my mouth. I ended the race with my number torn from my jersey and soaked in mud. It was something I was proud to be part of because it was a dogfight and the course was absurd. The whole thing was thick with mud and could only be climbed with spikes. My dad fell twice while spectating."

The top five finishers qualified; Tim placed fourth. At the World meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, he finished second American Junior, a pleasing 34th overall. Between the two cross races, the modest star won the Big East indoor 5000 meters in a small upset.

ANSWER: Leslie Watson of Scotland, 56. MR