A Weekend to Remember

As we honored our Nation's veterans, there was plenty of battles taking place on the pavement...

In Baltimore, we had a small contingent take part int he McVETs 5k/10k.  Carlos ran a solid 15:33 in the 5k, winning his AG.  Shortly thereafter, he took to the roads again for 3rd in the 10k, running 33:14.  Chris was 6th in 36:36 and top Master.  Maurice was his AG, crossing the finish line in 40:57 for 14th.

Meanwhile, in PA, Adam had a huge day at the Bob Potts Marathon.  The course runs on the York County Heritage Rail Trail.  According to the race recap, Adam led most of the race before being overtaken.  He was able to push through some rough patches, running a big PR of 2:44:12 for 2nd.  I believe this is his second qualifier for the elite team!  WAY TO GO ADAM!

Up in Burlington, VT, Mark ran as part of the elite runners in the Vermont City Marathon.  Temperatures were in the low 40s with strong, gusty winds, making it feel close to 30 degrees and a driving rain for most of the race.  He missed a PR by 45 seconds, but still ran a good time of 2:34:09 for 7th...just missing out on the $$$...

On Monday, Memorial Day, before everyone headed out for BBQ and drinks, several team members toed the start line at the Remembrance Run 5k in Columbia.  It was a humid morning and overall the times looked slower than previous years, but we still got at it.  Steve led the way for the men, finishing 4th in 16:53.  Peter made a rare racing appearance and took the Masters crown in 17:13.  Nick was right behind and clocked a PR of 17:20, good for 7th.  John was 2nd in his AG in 19:21.

John doing work

In the ladies race, Emily and Tiffany ran together and finished 3rd and 4th, respectively.  Emily just missed a PR in 19:43 and Tiffany ran 19:45.

Tiffany and Emily looking strong

 We have a lot of people running in The North Face Endurance Challenge 50k on Saturday.  Good luck to everyone!  Also, don't forget the 4.09mi Run Benefiting the Be Strong Stay Strong Fund, for a local runner who was injured at the Boston Marathon.  Please consider supporting this great cause!!!

A Weekend to Remember

As Memorial Day came and went, I'm reminded of how great of a country we live in.  No matter of your political or ethnic background, America would not be the place it is today without the sacrifice of those who have and are currently fighting for the land of the free and the home of the brave...

The holiday weekend kicked off on Saturday in the Windy City of all places.  Keith Levasseur and Caroline Bauer competed in the Soldier Field 10 Miler....Home of DA BEARS!  The winning time was sub 50 minutes!  Keith clocked a 1:00:17 for 36th and Caroline ran 1:09:50 for 41st on the women's side.

Phil Lang was our lone representative at the McVet's 5k in Baltimore on Sunday.  He ran with the young guns, crossing the line in 6th overall with a time of 17:40.  He still has some speed!  In OC, Bobby Gessler and his girls led the way at the Seashore Strider's Masser 5 Miler.  Bobby led the GM division with a 32:57.  Julie was the 1st overall female in 34:13, Becky was 3rd in 35:21, Katie won the 20-24 AG with a 36:29, and Amy took the 14-19 AH crown with a 36:58.  SSSWEEEPPP!!!

On Monday morning, Memorial Day, the humidity made it feel like a rainforest out there.  That didn't keep our crew from partaking in the Rotary Remembrance Run 5k.  In the men's race, Peter Keating led the way with a 17:26.  Our newest lady member, UnSong Ostrowski, proved my hypothesis correct (see below), WINNING the women's race with a PR performance of 18:53.  A summary of the results:

Peter Keating 17:26 6th

Steve Olenick 17:42 7th
Jason Tripp 18:04 11th
Phil Lang 18:40 13th

Michael Mbugi 18:42 14th
Tunde Morakinyo 18:50 15th
John Chall 19:29 18th

UnSong Ostrowski 18:53 1st
Robyn Humphrey 20:00 3rd
Janeth Scott 21:39 9th
Dorothy Beckett 22:55 15th

Great performances in unseasonably warm conditions!  Pictures from the race can be found here.

Hot Weather Does Not Stop Solid Performances at Remembrance Run

The Racing team put some solid performances in at today's Remembrance Run, put on by the Columbia Rotary Club. Mark Buschman took top honors, just edging out Karsten Brown to finish first in 16:30. Pete Keating put in a valiant performance as well (17:21), but was 2 seconds shy of first place in the masters category, behind Striders veteran and consistently solid performer Doug Mock. Joe Hanle rounded off the men's contingent, finishing first in the 50-54 age group with a solid time of 19:16.

The race for top female was even more hotly contested than the men's race. Stefanie Commins, who is getting back into racing shape after taking time off to give birth to her second child, finished a close second to Falls Road's Diane Heiser, with a time of 19:05. The amount of time separating the two was less than 4 seconds. Robyn Humphrey took the top female master award with a time of 20:10, and Dorothy Beckett finished first in the 50-54 category with a time of 22:23.

Pictures of the race are available here and full results can be found on the Striders website.

Quotes from the field:

"Hot and Hilly....yet fun!!!!!...strangely..." (Spoken like a true runner)