Well hello Mr. Summer...nice to meet you

"Party in the summer and the heat is on..."  Name that artist

Saturday was certainly a scorcher.  It was in the mid-70s and humid as hell as the sun rose.  Unfortunately, The North Face Endurance Challenge races were kicking off.  In the 50k, Tunde participated in his first ultra and ran well given the subpar conditions, finishing in 5:44:44 for 43rd and 5th in his AG.  Caroline battled through the heat, telling me that the race was way harder than it should have been.  She crossed the line in 5:42:26 for 7th and 2nd in her AG.  Tiffany, also running her first ultra, took 3rd in her AG in 6:02:02.

To nobody's surprise, Keith ran the longest race offered...the 50 miler.  The course definitely had some good hills thrown in but he ran a solid time of 7:27:31, good for 7th overall and 2nd in his AG.

The postrace North Face gang...good day for Striders all around!

 Dave ran the Run for Hope - USATF Master's 8k Championships and clocked a 29:43 for 20th.  However, his team took top honors!

On Sunday, the racing conditions weren't much better, but it was one of the popular local races...the Bel Air Town Run.  Chris led the way for the men, running 18:33 for 26th and 2nd in his AG despite dealing with a stomach bug.  Weems and John had a friendly battle, with Weems taking it, 19:10 (39th) and 19:13 (40th), respectively for 2nd and 3rd in their AG.  Mick rocked his AG, running 19:55.  Dorothy had another day as well, winning her AG handily in 21:41.

Finally, though nobody treated it as a race, the Striders put on the 4.09mi Run Benefiting the Be Strong Stay Strong Fund.  All proceeds went to support two local runners that were severely injured in at the Boston Marathon, Erika Brannock and her sister, Nicole Gross.  Over 300 runners participated with several others donating money, raising $8,000 for the fund.  Runners doing what they love for a great cause!!!

The start of the 4.09mi run

The Brannock family nearing the finish line

Whoever said eating grapes was tougher than running through them must have been drunk...

With only a couple weeks left in the Fall racing season, it's now or never to crank out those last ditch PR efforts.  However, this past weekend did not present favorable racing courses...

On Saturday morning, Keith ventured to Lynchburg, VA to take on the infamous Mountain Masochist 50 Miler.  Sources says this is a very difficult, but scenic trail run through the Shenendoah.  This year, post Hurricane Sandy left upwards of a foot of snow on the high (relatively speaking) slopes.  As he always does, Keith battled through, crossing the finish line in 8:37:18, good for 10th.

Sunday presented one of the Striders' big time races, Run Through The Grapevine 8k.  Race director, Jason Tripp, will tell you that this is a fun race but the reality is those non-stop brutal hills will beat you down, no matter what shape you're in.  It was quite chilly at the race start.  There was a sizeable lead pack through the first mile and a half.  I recall spotting the aforementioned Keith in the lead for a bit.  Adam and Steve battled for the top spot all race long, until an unfortunate miscue with a course marshal resulted in a missed turn and top 10 finishes.  Seth returned from the DL after a bust-out spring, running 32:32.

In the ladies race, Donna showed she's right back where she left off pre-injury, finishing 3rd on the women's side behind WRRC studs, Sherry Stick and Jill Krebs.  Sam also produced a top 10 finish, clocking a 38:11 for 6th.

A summary of the results:

Keith Levasseur 32:20 9th
Seth Geoghegan 32:32 11th
Adam Wytko 33:30 14th
Steve Olenick 33:31 15th
John Chall 34:26 21st
 
Donna Wecker 36:30 3rd
Samantha Matthews 38:11 6th
Dorothy Beckett 40:16 12th

 

Now for some pictures....

 

Keith, the day after a 50 Miler...CRAZY!

Seth reppin' Beantown

Adam and Steve hiding their frustration well

John wearing a shirt?!?!



Donna in the zone



Sam staring at the finish line