Last Saturday featured the Striders' 37th Metric Running Festival, formerly the Metric Marathon and 5k. The event was pushed up to September from November in hopes of better weather and to reel in those in the middle of fall marathon training. The weather was....well...summer like with the humidity and proved to be the demise for several of us. The 5k was eliminated and replaced with a two-person relay, each running 13.1k (or 8.14 miles).
In the full Metric, Kyle Stanton took off from the start and never relinquished the lead, running a very comfortable 1:36:29, despite taking off for 5 days before the race due to a bad ankle sprain. Mark was 2nd, making a comeback to the racing scene after a 4-month hiatus, clocking 1:37:52. Adam ran a great race, running with Mark and Kyle for the first 4 miles or so, running a PR on the course, finishing 3rd in 1:38:58. Nick had a good one as well, also PR'n in 1:45:52 for 6th. Jason was 7th in 1:48:11, as he sets his eyes on yet another Baltimore Marathon in a week and a half. Tunde ran 1:51:20 for 12th.
In the ladies race, Kelly had a nice debut at her longest race distance ever, finishing 3rd in 2:03:07. Robyn wasn't far behind, grabbing the top Master spot and putting in a nice kick after being told there was wine at the postrace party (total lie) in 2:04:06 for 4th. Dorothy crushed her AG again, finishing 8th in 2:11:12.
In the relay, John and Weems won the Masters crown in 1:49:04. Tiffany and Lisa (member of -PR- Racing Team) couldn't quite keep up with the Falls Road ladies, but ran strong in 1:54:19. Kendra and Mick were 3rd in the open mixed division, despite the fact Mick aggravated his hamstring and had to walk for about a mile, but still managed to shuffle across the line.
Here's some finish line pics (courtesy of Mike Fleming):
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| Mark (2nd) |
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| Adam (3rd) |
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| Nick (6th) |
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| Jason (7th) |
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| John (1st Masters relay team) |
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| Tiffany (2nd Open Women relay team) |
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| Tunde (12th) |
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| Kelly (3rd) |
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| Robyn (4th) |
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| Dorothy (8th) |
Sunday (9/22) featured a couple winners. Jeremy made an appearance at the Savage 7k, winning in 24:39 as he continues his comeback. In Stratford, CT, Kevin ran the Fall Frolic 30k as he tapers for the Baltimore Marathon, winning in 1:57:52.
Now to this past weekend...
Adam, a week removed from the Metric Marathon, was at it again at the Akron Marathon. He (and I) believed he was definitely in PR (sub-2:44) shape for this one. Not sure about the course or the weather, but he fell a bit short, running 2:51:45 for 20th. Keith re-entered the results at the Bachman Valley Half in Westminster, running 1:25:31 for 3rd on a very tough course. Over in Germany, Seth was able to avoid chugging down pre-race beers at the 40th BMW Berlin Marathon. Wilson Kipsang set a new world record at 2:03:23. Seth had a tough summer with injuries and a long bout with the flu but finished in 2:51:15, only a few seconds off his PR on this course from 2011.
Finally, there was the Race For Our Kids 10k in Baltimore which has a nice little pot of winner's $$$. Chris led the way in 36:44 for 5th and 1st Master. Dave grabbed top grandmaster in 37:15 and Maurice won his AG in 38:04.
This weekend features the Ragnar DC relay from Cumberland, MD to DC then Baltimore Running Festival next weekend. Time to roll out!!!
