Last Minute BQ? No Problem!

Let's go back to August 31st, where Phil ran marathon #47 in his quest for 50 by age 50...the Marquette Marathon on the UP of Michigan.  He clocked yet another sub 3 performance, finishing 9th and winning the Master's division in 2:58:47.  #stud

Tunde took on the challenging hills of Ellicott City at the Labor Day 10k and ran a solid 39:20, good for 4th on the men's side.  That same day, Maurice showed his endurance at the Charm City 20 Miler and finished 13th in 2:16:55.

Last Saturday, Adam ran the Bagel 2 Beer Marathon which is a challenging course through Columbia that finishes at Ram's Head Tavern in Savage.  He won it in a training effort at 2:53:27.  He's a freaking machine!!!

Sunday September 8th was the big day for a few Striders...their last chance to get BQ before registration opened for the 118th Boston Marathon at the Lehigh Valley Marathon.  I haven't talked with anyone so I can't speak to the difficulty of the course but I understand it's primarily run on a packed surface trail.  Madison led most of the way but was overtaken by Centennial HS alum, Brian Harvey, who flew past him running 5:10 pace for the last 10k to win in 2:31.  Madison was 3rd in a solid 2:38:24.  In the ladies race, Tiffany showed all of her hard work over the past several months paid off, running a HUGE PR in 3:10:31, while also breaking the top 10, finishing 7th.  Robyn needed a 3:55 to get her BQ and crushed it without a doubt in 3:34:29.  It is also worth noting that Madison's better half, Mairin, killed it in her marathon debut!  Going from no running to Lehigh in 12 weeks, she ran a 3:15:16 to punch her ticket to Boston next year!  WAY TO GO EVERYONE!

Meanwhile at Centennial Park, we had a one through five sweep on the men's side at Police Pace.  Peter won in 17:00, Nick was 2nd in 17:45, Chris 3rd in 17:55 taking top Master, Dave won his AG in 18:12, and Tunde was right behind in 18:15 to round out the top 5.  John finished 18th in 19:45.

The Four Horsemen (left to right): Peter, Tunde, Dave, and Chris

Finally, we had a crew travel to Rockville to take on the Parks Half Marathon.  Mick claims he crashed a bit over the last 5k but still managed a good run in 1:30:46 for 2nd in his AG.  Bobby wasn't far behind in 1:32:57, winning his AG and a little $.  Jess was right on front of Mick and pulled away at the end, crossing the line in 1:30:29, for 15th in the ladies race.  Emily had a successful race, as she continues to recover from recent injuries.

Happy postrace Parks crew (left to right): David, Bobby, Jess, Jack, Emily, and Mick

Maurice ran the Run To Remember 5k and won it in 18:34.

Now to this weekend...

Conrad proved once again that age is only a number, competing with the local young guns the likes of GRC at the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon in DC.  He crushed the course, running 1:15:30 for 11th and top Master.  Looks like sub-2:40 at Marine Corps is looking good!

Caroline decided to strap on her trail shoes as she ran the VA Happy Trails Women's Half.  No clue about the terrain or elevation gain, but her time indicates it was a tough one.  She finished 10th in 1:52:50.  Maurice was at it again, doubling up with a 24:18 at the White Marsh 4 Miler yesterday and 17:58 BRRC Executive Stampede 5k this morning.

In Philly, a few fellas partook in the race formerly known as the Philly Distance Run...the Rock 'N Roll Philly Half.  Craig had a huge day, clocking a PR in 1:16:03.  Tunde clocked a 1:25:12 as he prepares for Baltimore.

Next weekend features the Columbia Metric Running Festival.  If you aren't racing, please help out!!!!

Turn Up the Music...Let's Turn it Up LOUD!!!

Well, I haven't posted in a while so let me recap the past couple weekends:

Our ultra man, Keith Levasseur, competed in the Market Street Mile in Frederick on Saturday, 9/8.  For this guy, it was a quick sprint.  He crossed the finish line in 4:58, a new PR (his first sub 5:00 I believe) and 12th overall.  Kevin Ford made a return to the racing scene, clocking a 1:17:56 at the Montour Trail Half, as he continues to prepare for Marine Corps in six weeks. 

Sunday, 9/9 started off with the Parks Half Marathon, a low-key but very well run race MCRRC.  What do you know, Keith was out there again, running 1:22:26.  Tunde Morakinyo wasn't far behind with a 1:26:41 for 54th.  THe race of the day went to Kelly Westlake, who won the Master's division, running a PR of 1:24:45.  The Police Pace 5k also took place on Sunday.  Conrad Orloff took the Master's crown, finishing 2nd overall in 17:00.  John Chall ran a solid 19:34 for 22nd.  On the ladies' side, Samantha Matthews and Robyn Humphrey went 1-2 in 19:48 and 19:56, respectively. 

Now to this past weekend, Keith hopped into yet another marathon.  He ran an impressive 2:41:42 at the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, OH.  Good for 2nd in his AG and 9th overall.  On Sunday, the Striders repped it hard at the Rock 'N Roll Philadelphia Half.  Known to be one of the flatter courses, the weather was near ideal and the competition was fierce.  Carlos, a married man for only 8 days, led the way, running a new PR with a 1:09:20 for 29th.  Yours truly ran a 3:30 PR, crossing the finish line in 1:10:17.  This race included a 10 mile PR (53:46) for me as well.  Our favorite international Strider, Pekka Stenholm, visiting this month, met his goal and beat the Finnish National HM qualifying standard by one second, running a 1:16:59.  Jason, after flying from NH to BWI and driving up to Philly the night before after participating in the 200 mile Reach the Beach relay, ran 1:23:20.  Jorge Renjifo, a 4x week runner and certified P90X instructor, also ran a great time of 1:24:00.

Postrace Rock 'N Roll Philly...Striders and Falls Road crews unite!

Finally, the awesome weekend concluded with a pair of races in the Nation's Capital.  In the Navy 5 Miler, Robyn Humphrey and Tacy Powers, swept the Master's titles, running 32:51 and 34:51, respectively.  Conrad, also training for Marine Corps, opted out of the Erie Marathon and crushed the Navy-Air Force Half with a 1:17:35, the 2nd Master.

So who signed up for the 117th Boston Marathon???  I am not.

Rock 'N' Roll Series Discounts on 11/11

In case you are thinking about running a Rock N Roll race next year, a good day to sign up might be this coming Friday, November 11th between 11AM and 11PM PST (2PM and 2AM EST).  You will save $20 on your race entry to most Rock N Roll events (restrictions noted below).

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In celebration of 11.11.11 this Friday, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series will be offering a special incentive to join Rock Nation. For one day only, SAVE $20* when you register between      11am – 11pm PST! Stop, Rock and Run! -  Join runners across the country in sharing your passion for running. On Friday, drop what you are doing and get outside at 11am to walk, jog or run for 11 minutes. RSVP on Facebook for the event today! Bonus Offer: •    Free shipping on all merchandise purchased on the web store on 11.11.11 *Discount is only valid on November 11, 2011 from 11am – 11pm PST. Some exceptions apply. Events not included are San Antonio, Las Vegas, New York 10k, Edinburgh, Madrid, Dublin, Montreal and Lisbon. No other discount codes or promotions can be used in combination with the 11-11-11 promotion.

FLASH: CARLOS RUNS 1:09:54 AT RnR PHILLY!

Just in...

Carlos rock n' rolled his way to a sub 1:10 half marathon earlier this morning along the streets of the city of Brotherly Love!

Official splits:

Carlos Renjifo
Bib: #1055, Race: Half Marathon
Point Time Time of Day Pace
START 00:00:00 8:00:27 am --
5K 00:16:17 8:16:43 am 05:15
10K 00:32:45 8:33:11 am 05:18
10M 00:53:08 8:53:35 am 05:24
FINISH 01:09:54 9:10:20 am 05:24
Avg. Pace 05:20

I believe he beat his half-marathon PR by two minutes AND set a 10 mile PR along the way! AWESOME JOB, CARLOS!!!!!