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!!!
For those who were curious, yes I dropped a Rihanna reference. Anyway, it's beginning to feel a lot like summer out there. The sun is intense, the humidity is high. I've been told that these are the days that make you a better runner come the Fall season, but it's a bitch...
Chris kicked it off on Friday morning at the NPC-50K National Police Challenge 5k at the U.S. Secret Service Training Center in Laurel. He could probably give us a race recap, but then he'd have to kill us! He clocked a 17:43 for 5th overall and 1st Master honors.
Saturday was the Musical Madness 5k, put on by Greg Schuler and Reservoir HS. Mark paced the way for the men, winning in 16:39. Dave had a good race despite not feeling great, grabbing 5th in 17:50. Phil, returning from a long layoff, showed he hasn't lost much fitness, finishing 6th in 18:19 and winning his AG. Tunde was right on his tail in 18:24. Bobby was able to hold off his girls with a 19:23, but I think his days are numbered. Mick won his AG again in 19:41.
In the ladies race, we swept it on dominating fashion. Jess took top honors in 19:01 as she continues to drop her times and return to college form. Tiffany clocked a solid 19:30 and Emily ran a 90+ second PR with a 19:41 for 3rd. Dorothy was the 1st Master and beat the rest of her AG by 5+ minutes!!!
Happy Musical Madness postrace crew
On Sunday, Suzy had an early start with the Pros at the Columbia Triathlon. She turned pro last year and has an amazing training regiment, while juggling her job as a PE teacher. The weather was far from ideal, with wet roads and a chilly breeze. She finished 9th in the Pro division in 2:14:42, which included a 21:30 swim, 21.6 mph average on the bike, and 41:24 on the tough 10k course. Awesome job Suzy!
Keith rolled down to VA to HOORAH his way through the Marine Corps Historic Half. He finished 10th in 1:21:02.
Meanwhile, in Finland, the Stenholms both participated in the Finnish National Duathlon Championships. Reports showed Sari on the podium and Pekka finished with an AG bronze. Not sure of distances or times as I can't comprehend the website. I could certainly go for some of that Finnish cold air right about now...
Last weekend was light on the racing front as the spring season winds down, but there were a few highlights...
In Maple Lawn, the Maryland Half Marathon kicked off the weekend. Reports indicated the course is slightly long, closer to 13.5 miles, and is quite hilly. Nick led the way on the men's side as he continued with his steady diet of racing, running 1:24:04 for 6th overall and 2nd in his AG. Keith wasn't far behind, finishing 8th in 1:25:09. I think he needs a break...anyone agree? Maurice showed his endurance, finishing 2nd in his AG in 1:32:51.
In the women's race, Caroline took off from the gun and never looked back, WINNING the race outright in 1:32:29. Awesome job Caroline!!!
Caroline starts her celebration just a tad early
The first annual Wine in the Woods 5k took place in Centennial Park on the Police Pace course. Madison, despite stopping twice with stomach issues, managed to snag the W in 17:44 and won two free tickets to the Wine Festival this weekend. Hopefully he actually uses them!
Finally, the Hills of Milltown 5k closed out the weekend. Dave ran with the young guns and finished 4th on an extremely tough course in 20:04.
Meanwhile in Finland, Pekka raced in the Finnish National XC championships in Helsinki. Not sure of his final time as I can't read the website but he played it off as a bad race. He is racing the Duathlon Nationals this weekend. Good luck big dawg!
As the spring racing season comes to an end, there's always a small group that continues to pour it on...
Not much action last weekend, except out in Frederick. The Frederick Half Marathon, the first race in the MD Double (Baltimore being the other), went off with a bang in chilly conditions on Sunday. I've always envisioned the course being extremely hilly and slow. However, it didn't seem to be the case (though I know there are lots of rolling hills with some good climbs towards the end).
Our newest recruit,Nick Grossi,rocked it with a top 10 finish, 1:18:03 for 8th.Mick, our ageless grandmaster, continued his remarkably consistent 2013 campaign, winning his AG with a time of 1:27:45. Tunde took on 1:40 pacing duties with Dan Miranda of Falls Road and they nailed it...1:39:56! Shout out to local superstar, Dave Berdan, who ran an incredible PR and won the race outright in 1:05:40!!!
Kelly, celebrating her birthday, started off the day with a 2nd place overall finish with a near PR of 1:24:57! Pretty amazing considering she's been battling a sore calf for the past few weeks! Happy birthday Kelly! Emily also ran a great race, crossing the finish line in 1:28:54 and grabbing her second qualifying time for the elite team!
Happy postrace crew...rumor has it Michael ran slow to accompany a cute chick??? Say whhaaa?!
Lots of races to choose from next weekend.... Saturday: Wine in the Woods 5k, MD Half Sunday: Hills of Milltown 5k, Preakness 5k
Still a week behind, but I'll catch up eventually...
Last Saturday, we had a couple nice performances in some lower key races. Adam won the Glen Mar 5k handily in 17:30. Maurice was 30th at the Sole of the City 10k in Baltimore, grabbing the top Master honors.
Keith, a week removed from Boston, laced up the racers on Sunday for the GW Parkway 10 Miler and met his pre-race goal of under an hour, crossing the line in 59:24 for 14th overall.
Meanwhile, in Rockville, a large group of Striders woke up at the crack of down for the Pike's Peek 10k. This race is known to be fast and always gets about a dozen or so African runners to blaze sub-29 minute times! This year, the weather was a tad on the chilly side, but we had a slight tail/cross wind while strolling down Rockville Pike on the point-to-point course. We had new team records on the men's and ladies side.
Madison led for the way, going out in 5:00 for the first mile and was able to hold on for a 30+ second PR from his UMBC days, running 31:21 for 27th and nabbing the team record . Mark was right behind, clocking nearly a 40 second PR in 31:33. Carlos, in only his second return race, crossed the line in 32:06. Chris won his AG in 34:54; it's good to see him healthy again! Tunde, at age 49, ran a PR, breaking 37 for the first time with a 36:57. Weems, still on the mend, finished in 38:32. Bobby also broke 39; 38:54 and earned himself a spot on the elite team...CONGRATS BOBBY!!! Mick was right behind him, running 39:11 for 3rd in the competitive 60-64 AG while John was right on his heels in 39:18.
In the ladies race, Kellyset a new team record with a stellar 37:04! That's sub-6:00 pace and she's a Master! Way to go Kelly!!! Jessica had a big day, running a new PR of 38:17. Tiffany was next with a huge PR of 39:36, also qualifying for the elite team!!! Dorothy crushed her AG, finishing in 42:17 after telling me on the ride down how tired she was.
The Party Bus crew...all smiles post Pike's Peek
Another great weeks on the roads. Catch us if you can...
Just another delayed post...work travel and beer kept me from my duties once again this week.
Last Sunday marked the first big time local race of the Spring season....Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
This has always been a staple race for many of us as the course is fast, the competition is world-class, and compared to other races, this one is very affordable and surprisingly not too much of a hassle to get to (once you get off the Metro).
As we stepped off the top stair of the escalator onto the Mall, the air was brisk and the sun had not yet rose about the horizon. I know I had personally under-dressed and immediately began to feel my body using tons of energy to keep my skinny frame warm. However, once the sun did come up shortly before 7am, it did warm up just enough to make most of us decide to ditch the winter hat, armwarmers, and gloves.
The gun went off a few minutes late and thousands of runners blazed down the road to the Arlington Memorial Bridge. This race is notorious for tons of people going out way too fast and paying for it the second half, despite the flat terrain. On the men's side, I knew this was my year to have to lead the team due to injuries and despite being the first Strider to cross the line (53:33), I was disappointed with my performance, as I had tightness in my knee which forced me to slow down quite a bit from Miles 6-9, it was was a small PR. However, the rest of the team picked up the slack. Carlos, in his debut comeback race, executed his pre-race plan to perfection, going out in 5:20 and holding 5:20-5:30 pace the rest of the way, finishing 36th in 54:13. Kevin, running his first non-Club Challenge 10 mile race of his career, had the race of the day, crushing his PR by 80 seconds, running 56:10. Seth had high expectations this year after crushing this course last year, and ran very well considering his lack of speedwork, finishing in 56:57 (67th). Steve ran with Kevin and Seth for a majority of the race but faded a bit in the last few miles, but ran a PR nonetheless in 57:21. Craig followed shortly behind in 58:08, then Keith who ran the course as a last minute hard workout for Boston (58:25). Maurice led the Master's team as he continues to get back into top form, finishing 2nd in his AG in 63:17. Tunde, also on the comeback trail, wasn't far behind in 64:00. Weems crossed the line in 64:25 and John in 66:51. Bobby, running the race as a 'medical runner', stopped several times to assess runners having difficulty and with his cell phone, ran 68:35. Impressive, Doc!
In the ladies race, our top 2 finishers both ran over two and a half minute plus PRs, that's right....150+ seconds!!! Kelly led the way, finishing as the second Master in the race in 62:20. I saw her at the finish line and she was smiling as usual, but I could sense she was hoping to run even faster than she did! Caroline, also running Boston in two days and in complete beast-mode with her training, rocked it once again with a 64:04. She doesn't agree with me, but I know she is capable of a sub-3:07 marathon right now. Robyn had a heck of a day herself....WINNING her AG with a 65:35 performance...A-MA-ZING!!! Vicki, also on the upswing, had another great performance after telling me days before the day she didn't think she was even in shape to race 10 miles (typical Lang), running 70:51. Finally, Dorothy finished 2nd in her AG in 72:14!
In the team competition, the Men's 'A' and 'B' teams finished 2nd and 5th, respectively, losing to Potomac River. The mixed Master's 'A' and 'B' teams took 2nd and 4th, respectively. Great job everyone!!!
Meanwhile in Annapolis, Adam opted for the low-key Cherry Pit 10 Miler put on by the Annapolis Striders. He finished 4th in 58:24, winning his AG (and hopefully a pie?).
Here's some finish line pics courtesy of Issel:
Mark
Carlos
Kevin
Steve
Tunde
Caroline
Weems
Robyn
John
Vicki
Dorothy
Post-race group shot
Steve and Carlos with their pregnant wifeys post-race
On a chilly, windy morning in DC, we sure packed a punch out there! (Un)official results (known PRs in bold):
Mark Buschman 53:33 Carlos Renjifo 54:13 Kevin Ford 56:10 Seth Geoghegan 56:57 Steve Olenick 57:21 Craig Lebro 58:08 Keith Levasseur 58:25 Maurice Pointer 1:03:17 Tunde Morakinyo 1:04:00 Weems McFadden 1:04:25 John Chall 1:06:51
Kelly Westlake 1:02:20 Caroline Bauer 1:04:04 Robyn Humphrey 1:05:35 Vicki Lang 1:10:51 Dorothy Beckett 1:12:14
Sorry in advance if I missed anyone! Races of the day go to Kevin on the men's side with nearly an 80 second PR. Carlos, in his comeback race, ran a tremendous race as well! On the ladies side, Kelly and Caroline destroyed their PRs by 2:30+...AMAZING LADIES! Also, Robyn brought home GOLD in the 45-49 AG! DDAMMNNNN
Who thought we would have a weekend where ULTRAmarathons dominated the headlines??? Well, this past weekend it was...
In southwest Virginia, Keith partook in the Terrapin Mountain 50k. The race featured roughly 7,500 ft elevation gain and the same in loss over the 31.1 miles. He gave me a brief race report which included 'sore' legs...big surprise there! He ran a tough race crossing the finish line in 4:34:21 for 5th. I believe this race is one of the first in a big race series down in the Lynchburg area. Shout out to the Club VP, Donnie, who reportedly ran a heck of a race.
Up north, several Striders toed the line at the HAT 50k held in Susquehanna State Park. This race was flat in comparison to Terrapin Mountain, with roughly 4,800 ft elevation gain/4,800 loss. The course consisted of a 'short' 3.6 mile loop followed by two 13.7 mile loops which includes a variety of terrain: roads, grass fields, single-track trails, and loose gravel. Yours truly gave it the ole college try, going out with the lead group of guys. Like an amateur, I carried no hydration and only two gels. This meant I had to stop at every aid station to get Gatorade or water. At the end of the first big loop, I did something I've never done in a race before...eat food. I tried to grab things I considered easy on my stomach. However, as I departed, I grabbed a few Fig Newtons which were a big mistake. They dried my throat out immediately after consumption. I underestimated the fact that though you are moving slower due to the hills, your body is still burning a boatload of calories. Anyway, it was a great experience but I wouldn't recommend the postrace lactic acid build-up on anyone. I came in 4th in 4:08:47. The race of the day went to Caroline. She took 35 minutes off of last year's time as she used the race as her last long run before Boston in a few weeks. She finished 5th in the women's race which included a stacked field, clocking a 5:03:22.
Maurice surfaced in the race results, first I've seen since Club Challenge. He ran the BRRC White Hall 15k and came in 8th in 60:28, winning the Master's crown. Hoping to see more of him as Spring rolls along...
In related news, our team captain, Carlos, is BACK! I had the pleasure of running with him in his first workout back yesterday and he was able to clock 5:15-5:25 during our 5xMile workout. I guess he's not as out of shape as I thought he would be!
With temperatures already soaring into the 90s in early June, there is no doubt that the summer is here. Along with it have come some blazing fast times by our men and women.
At Damien's Run this past weekend, the line was filled with a number of "bounty hunters", aiming to score some prize money and potentially a $500 bonus for breaking the course records (Men - 14:32, Women - 16:37). Both races saw the records broken, with finishing times of 14:23 (Abiyot Endale) and 16:35 (Teszata Desalage).
Behind the leaders, there was a strong contingent of Striders, with some outstanding performances:
-- Jeremy Rea, who has just recently begun to do track work again, ran a solid race (16:56, 6th).
-- In his first race as a master, Jason Tripp (17:33) began his winning streak with a convincing victory over fellow Strider master runner, Mike Colaiacovo (10th, 18:23)
-- Craig Lebro made it under the 18-minute barrier (17:53)
-- UnSong Ostrowski, suffered her first defeat of the year to a record-breaking winner, but still ran a very strong 18:46, good for 2nd
-- Kelly Westlake ran a great race, finishing less than 10 seconds behind UnSong (18:56) and taking the award for first female master.
-- Robyn had a tough day, but still managed to run a 19:27, which is nothing to frown at
-- John Chall and Dorothy Beckett took the grand master awards, with times of 19:01 and 22:08, respectively
-- Bobby Gessler finished 2nd in the grandmaster category (19:46)
Photos from the race are available here and full results are available on the Striders website.
The racing week kicked off on Friday with the Armed Services 5k+. This is a race for NSA employees and contractors who work down at Fort Meade. Not sure if the results are top secret classified, but in any case we got the inside scoop. The course was way long, somewhere between 3.35 and 3.4 miles. Keith Levasseur took 4th in 18:44 while John Chall took the GM crown, finishing 8th in 20:30.
Saturday morning presented the Musical Madness 5k, put on by the Reservoir High School band and directed by fellow Strider Greg Schuler. On the men's side, Tunde Morakinyo was the first master to cross the finish line, taking 6th in 18:27. Bobby Gessler was 9th in 19:54. The ladies race was swept by our speedy trio of Robyn Humphrey, Caroline Bauer, and Pat Wilkerson, who took 1st (19:27), 2nd (19:45), and 3rd (19:47) respectively. Way to go ladies!!!
Top 3 overall: Robyn, Caroline, and Pat
Finally, Conrad Orloff was spotted in his first race since running a great race at Boston on Sunday. He won the Run for Coffee 5k in 16:47.
I also heard from Carlos late last week. He is in Sydney, Australia for vacation. His plane arrived Saturday night so when he woke up, it was Mother's Day. No surprise to me, he stumbled onto a race going on just a minute from his hotel. Here are some of his words about his experience:
"Got out the door this morning with no clue where I would be going.
About a block from my house I noticed that there was a race going on for
Mother's day. I had no clue what the distance was, but I ran alongside
the group of people racing (on the sidewalks) and decided at that point
that I would run a workout of sorts. I didn't go all out, but was
running somewhere in the ballpark of 5:30 pace, avoiding spectators in
the process. The route was very pretty. After I completed the 4k loop,
I skipped the finish line and continued to run the second lap (it was a
two-loop course). I didn't see anybody, which made me think I had run
the wrong way, but I found out later that I had actually been running
the 4k race and not the 8k, which would start a little later. I ran the
second loop and then made the turn and crossed the finish line. My
final time was about 29:15, but the effort was probably more like 28:00
to 28:30, because running on the sidewalks added about 0.15-0.2 miles
and avoiding pedestrians was challenging. When I finished, I heard
someone on an amplifier near the finish urging people running the 8k to
rush to the start. At that point, I was feeling pretty good and figured
I still wanted to run 5-7 more miles for the day, so I went back to the
start, stretched for about 3 mins and started with the racers. The
pace for this race was understandibly faster, but not that out of
control. I found myself still running on the sidewalks, because I
didn't want to disturb the runners that paid for the race (which it
turns out was for Mother's Day). Like the previous race, I took very
long routes to stay out of the way of the runners and had to contend
with oblivious pedestrians, who were not expecting someone to be blazing
at 5:20 pace along the sidewalk. After the first 4k loop (around the
Botanical gardens), I think I was in the top 10 to 15, with the first
female right on my heels. I picked it up a bit to keep picking people
off, but it turned out that the crowds were much thicker in this race,
so some spots I had to come to a complete stop to get past the crowds.
At one point, I saw the leader crossing somewhere around 5k in about
15:59. I reached the same point about 1:50 later. The second loop was
an absolute mess. The crowds were thick and to add to that, the slowest
people were only 3k into the race when the leaders reached 7k. I had
to almost stop on two more occasions and then I said "screw it" and
jumped on the course to run last 2k. The first female had put on a
surge and was about 15s ahead. I pushed to catch her and did somewhere
around 1k to go. At that point, we were all weaving thick crowds of
people. On the finishing stretch, I peeled off to the side and kicked
it in on the grass. I could swear that the first female was still
gunning for me, because I could hear her kicking about 10 feet to the
left of me on the finishing road. I put on a final surge and crossed
the (imaginary) finish line around 28:40. A quick compensation for extra
distance run and stopping for pedestrains, put this effort around 26:50
or so. Felt really good overall. I was going to congratulate the
first female runner, but it looks like she got swept away by reporters.
I ran quick cool-down around a park and back to the hotel. Overall a
great day for a tempo."
For those who are interested in running the Army Ten Miler (ATM) in October, open registration opens tomorrow (May 15th). Based on the website, the field is already half full from priority registration so sign up EARLY!!!
It was quite a busy weekend on the racing front on what I'm calling the official closing of the spring racing season.
On Saturday, Robyn Humphrey started the team off with an easy victory at the AFCEA 5k, finishing 4th overall and the first female by 30 seconds in 19:35. In Columbia, Bullseye Running put on the First Annual Thunder Hill 5k. Adam Wytko took 1st in 16:32 while Phil Lang decided to run his race, finishing 3rd in 17:35. Pretty amazing considering he was up late showing off on the dance floor at Izzy and Kathleen's wedding! Finally, our crazy ultra duo of Keith Levasseur and Caroline Bauer ventured down to Lynchburg, VA to run the Promise Land 50k++. From what I was told, the course is 34 miles and the conditions were brutal. Rain, sleet, wind....just awful! Keith managed 13th on men's side in 5:11:42 while Caroline pushed through for 37th in the women's race.
Sunday featured one of the biggest and fastest local races of the spring....Pike's Peek 10k. Conditions were near perfect and the times were crazy fast. This race gives money to the top 10 overall, as well as top 3 per age group. The top 8 men broke 29 minutes!!! Carlos Renjifo closed out his amazing spring season with another PR, finishing 19th in 31:47. He has been battling a sore ankle over the past few weeks which flared up after the 5k point, in which he completed in 15:35ish! Time to rest up bro! Craig Lebro ran well, finishing 39th in what I believe is a PR of 34:50. On the ladies side, Janeth Scott kept up her tear on the newly-entered grandmaster division, running a 41:55 for 45th. Might need to exchange her navy blue singlet for a royal blue! Fellow GM Dorothy Beckett ran 43:55 for 56th.
We have another busy weekend of racing coming up. I will be on-site in Pittsburgh as Kent and Jason will attack 26.2. I know Keith is running the MD Half on Sunday. Broad Street is also this weekend.
For those who care, our Tuesday night group run is finally (and thankfully) switching from HCC to the trails at Patapsco (Landing Road entrance) at 6pm. Feel free to join us whenever you can.
Oh yeah...ONE MORE THING! If you will be around this Sunday 5/6, please consider helping out at the Junior Striders home meet at OMHS. The meet starts at 12:30pm. Phil and Vicki could use as many people as they can get. If interested, send Phil an email at coachlang@hotmail.com.
This weekend was one of the busiest racing weekends of the year for us. On Sunday, we had a solid showing at the 34th Annual Clyde's 10k. The weather was quite nice, with the exception of the humidity. Carlos Renijifo, going for the first three-peat in Clyde's history, had a hard fought battle with Kyle Stanton and Falls Roads' Dustin Meeker. As the trio passed me near Mile 3, they were making it look easy. Kyle put in a push after hte 108 hill and Carlos didn't have enough in the tank to go with him. The chase pack was quite a sight to watch as well. Kent Werner, Seth Geoghegan, Kevin Ford, Peter Keating, and Craig Lebro were running together as they proceeded up Columbia Road to 108. Kent ended up edging out Seth by 16 seconds for a 4th place finish! However, Seth logged another PR. This makes a 5k, 10 mile, and 10k PR so far in 2012 for him! Also of note was the long awaited return of Steve Olenick to the racing scene. For those who don't know, Steve battled a mysterious knee injury after PRing in the 2010 Baltimore Marathon and was forced out of action for well over a year. Two surgeries later, he's back at it and I expect him to be in the racing team by the Fall!
In the women's race, Unsong Ostrowski ran away from the field early and won easily in 38:49. Allegedly, she doesn't enjoy racing because she gets nervous. Well, that's about to change as we are starting a non-stop stalking campaign to get her on the team. Kelly Westlake ran a great race for 2nd place in 39:48. Former rockstar, Pam Markley, who currently resides in Vicenza, Italy, made a stop in her old stomping grounds to edge out Robyn Humphrey for 3rd place. Pat Wilkerson cleaned house in the grandmaster division with a 41:26 and Janeth Scott, recently turned 50, broke 44 minutes (43:51) for 21st.
Here's a recap of the results:
Carlos Renjifo (2nd) 32:36
Kent Werner (4th) 34:22
Seth Geoghegan (5th) 34:38
Kevin Ford (6th) 34:46
Peter Keating (7th) 34:50
Craig Lebro (8th) 35:52
Steve Olenick (9th) 36:34
Jason Tripp (10th) 36:46
John Chall (31st) 39:19
Tunde Morakinyo (32nd) 39:21
Bobby Gessler (65th) 41:58
Unsong Ostrowski (1st) 38:49
Kelly Westlake (2nd) 39:48
Pam Markley (3rd) 40:08
Robyn Humphrey (4th) 40:10
Pat Wilkerson (7th) 41:23
Janeth Scott (21st) 43:51
Monday was the biggest racing day of the year (in my humble opinion)...the 116th Boston Marathon! What a difference a day makes. The morning low was in the low 60s and the humidity never dimished as the sun went down. To make matters worse, this race starts at 10am, meaning that even if you run a world record time, you'll have to do it during the hottest part of the day!
I received conflicting records about temperatures during the race. Conrad indicated that temperatures reached 90 degrees as he hit Mile 16. Caroline Bauer's recollection seemed a bit more realistic with mid 80s, but either way that's a good 30+ degrees warmer than anyone in their right mind would have wanted it! Conrad, who had been battling some injuries, which included taking a couple weeks off about a month or so ago, was shooting for a 2:44 and ran a fantastic race crossing the line in 2:50. Keith Levasseur ran solid race in 3:02. The fearless Phil Lang, running marathon #45, crushed Mother Nature and ran an amazing 3:10. Adam Wytko struggled with the heat, but was able to gut it out with a 3:29.
On the ladies side, we only had Caroline representing the team. She had been running her butt off this winter with 70-80 mile weeks, several MP runs, and two 50k's just for the hell of it. She was undoubtedly in 3:10 shape, but played it smart and didn't let her adrenaline get to her and just enjoyed the race (as much as one could) running a 3:31.
26.2 results:
Conrad Orloff (207th) 2:50:12
Shawn Young (537th) 3:00:56
Keith Levasseur (581st) 3:02:00
Phil Lang (993rd) 3:10:34
Adam Wytko (2640th) 3:29:48
Incredible job by all, especially the Beantowners! Don't let this year deter you from doing this race again. When the weather is right, it's one of the best running experiences you can have!
Here's some pics from Clyde's:
Top 3 men (left to right): Kyle Stanton (1st), Dustin Meeker (3rd), Carlos Renjifo (2nd)
Jason x 4!
The guys model their prizes (mini collapsible chairs and beach mats). Kent, um... takes modeling to a whole new level.
Bobby, Pat, Tacy, and Robyn enjoying the postrace party
More pictures from Clyde's here
Clyde's video, courtesy of Carlos and Issel, located here
I decided to join those racing with a 4:30am buzzing alarm. By 5:20am, I pulled up to the Broken Land Parkway Park 'N Ride and discovered several Striders were on the exact same schedule. The Metro ride was a piece of cake and the crisp, cool air shocked our systems as we crested the (broken) escalator. Sorry to digress; now to the real story:
The conditions were near ideal for this time of the year (unless you were spectating). I didn't hear anyone complain about the wind going around Hains Point. We had several amazing performances which including huge PRs by our team captain, Carlos Renjifo, who blasted across the finish line in 51:43 for 20th place and a 1:37 PR. He ran with the big dawgz and showed he deserves to be in the discussion with the area's elite. This is also a new team record! Seth Geoghegan, our newest (official) member battled through a toe blister (wore a new pair of shoes for race day...what an idiot) to run a 2:00 PR, 56:01 for 49th. Docta Kent wasn't far behind in 56:36. Peter Keating, reportedly only running 25 mile weeks, ran 57:07 for 72nd overall. Keith Levasseur, who I'm guessing ran a 20-30k warmup, had a solid Boston tune-up as he cracked the top 100 men for 96th place with a 58:27. The last of our sub-hour crew was the infamous Jason Tripp, who looked strong the last 150m, clocking a 59:06. Our only healthy grandmaster, John Chall, performed well with a 63:08.
Our ladies squad was quite (grand)masterful as well. I swear they get younger each day! Robyn Humphrey led the way averaging just under 6:30s, rolling through in 64:40 for 56th and 2nd in AG. Kelly Westlake was right on her heels, finishing 65th in 65:18. Ms. Constantcy, Pat Wilkerson rounded out the sub-70 crew with a 67:49, including 3rd in her age group. Janeth Scott ran even splits for a 70:26 followed by Dorothy Beckett in 71:44. Many of the Run 4 Chocolate ladies were also spotted on the course.
Courtesy of Robyn: So Kelly and I are out together, too fast (Kelly's fault) but good thing as at 1.5 miles Joan Benoit Samuelson comes up on my right and I say "Kelly, an American treasure is to our right", Kelly looks to see and she is like OMG, where is Dave Tripp with his camera when you need him? Joan says "Thank you so much", so humble, lovely lady as she powers up and pulls away I say, "now I can die", which got a big smile! A great moment for Kelly and I!
Here's a formatted Striders breakdown:
Place / Name / 5 Mile / Gun Time / Net Time / Pace
20 Carlos Renjifo* 25:51 51:43 51:43 5:11
41 Tom Williams 27:04 55:12 55:11 5:32
49 Seth Geoghegan* 28:19 56:04 56:01 5:37
56 Kent Werner 28:11 56:38 56:36 5:40
75 Peter Keating 29:46 57:26 57:07 5:43
96 Keith Levasseur* 29:29 58:30 58:27 5:51
111 Jason Tripp 29:25 59:08 59:06 5:55
171 Brian Fleming 30:46 1:01:37 1:00:59 6:06
263 John Chall 31:01 1:03:14 1:03:08 6:19
307 Akintunde Morakinyo 32:05 1:04:05 1:04:01 6:25
429 Bobby Gessler 32:25 1:06:06 1:06:01 6:37
On a spring-like afternoon in Charm City, several members of the Striders Racing Team came out with hopes of a PR. As I stood with Issel just around the final turn near the finish line, I wondered who would shoot around the corner first. It was none other than the team captain, Carlos Renjifo, as he powered past a solid Falls Road pack in the last mile to win the race with a new PR in 15:04. Soon after, it was nonstop cheer time as several Striders came cruising in. Most notably, Seth Geoghegan kept his amazing 2012 campaign going with a 15 second PR of 16:20. Pat Wilkerson crushed her goal of sub 20 minutes with an incredible time of 19:38 and took home the women's masters title. She is getting faster with age! This race indicates that many are going to run very well at Cherry Blossom in a few weeks. A summary of the results are as follows:
Place Div/Tot Name S Ag Hometown Gun T Net T Pace ===== ======== ======================= = == ================ ===== 1 1/317 Carlos Renjifo (PR) M 29 Columbia MD 15:05 15:04 4:51 13 7/530 Seth Geoghegan (PR) M 32 Columbia MD 16:22 16:21 5:16 14 6/317 Andrew Madison M 23 Baltimore MD 16:30 16:28 5:18 21 9/317 Craig Lebro M 26 Columbia MD 17:02 16:59 5:28 22 11/530 Keith Levasseur M 33 Columbia MD 17:10 17:08 5:31 25 14/530 Jason Tripp M 39 Ellicott City MD 17:14 17:12 5:32 31 3/253 Phil Lang M 44 Columbia MD 17:32 17:29 5:38 60 2/129 John Chall M 54 Crownsville MD 18:39 18:36 5:59 69 2/69 Bobby Gessler M 55 Ellicott City MD 19:02 19:00 6:07
79 1/146 Pat Wilkerson F 53 Columbia MD 19:40 19:38 6:19 111 1/321 Vicki Lang F 43 Columbia MD 20:26 20:21 6:33 175 8/968 Grace Tran F 34 Columbia MD 21:35 21:31 6:56
The lottery for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler is now open (http://cherryblossom.org/). If you have not received some guaranteed form of entry (volunteer, charity, seeded runner, etc), please make sure to sign up by December 9th. Once the lottery selection process is complete, I will send out a call for people interested in being part of a Howard County Strider team.
This is a retroactive post, mostly because I just found this article in the Washington Running Report: Spring rankings for 2011, compiling results from Cherry Blossom, the National Half Marathon, etc.
Features photos of Carlos Renjifo (ranked in Open Men as #28, when he was 28 years old!) and Peter Keating (#1 for 45-49 y/o men), and a few other Striders, including Mike Fleming (#11 in 65-69 y/o men).
For more details on these rankings, see CAR's previous post, with the digital link to the article. Great job, guys!!! :)
The men's racing team ran well at yesterday's inaugural Father's Day 8k put on by Bullseye Running...
The course was an out and back (with a small loop) around the Lark Brown area. There were several rolling hills along the course including a steep 1/4-1/3 mile incline around the 2.5 Mile mark. The humidity made race conditions quite tough to go along with the challenging course.
The leaders went out at a comfortable pace. At the first mile, the lead pack consisted of Mark Buschman, Doug Mock, Peter Keating, and Mike Colaiacovo. The group went through 2 miles in 11:00 as nobody really wanted to push the pace. As the group hit the hill at 2.5 miles, Mark pulled away from everyone and my Mile 3, he had a 20 second lead. It was a good battle for 3rd between Mike and Peter but Mike was able to kick it in up the small incline to the finish line.
Official results:
Mark Buschman, 1st, 26:53 Mike Colaiacovo, 3rd, 27:40 Peter Keating, 4th, 27:47
On another hot and humid Sunday, the women of the racing team toed the line and ran strong races.
Stefanie Commins, who was running only her second race in 2011, set another season best with a time of 18:54 -- a 13 second improvement over her Remembrance Run 5k time and good enough for second place. Unlike the her race at the Remembrance Run, however, first place was completely out of reach, as the winner clocked an insane time of 16:41, finishing 4th overall!
The real race this time was in women's master category. Newcomer to the racing team, Kelly Westlake, ran a solid effort and worked hard at the finish, just passing fellow Strider, Robyn Humphrey, at the line. The time separating the two was less than quarter second, with Kelly running 19:54.52 and Robyn finishing in 19:54.78. Kelly finished as first master, while Robyn, who tightened up with less than a quarter mile to go, had to settle for second this time.
As a side note, both overall winners ran very fast times, but in both cases, I believe, just missed out on the $500 prize money for setting a course record (14:32 for men, 16:41 for women).
Results are posted here (Link) and pictures are posted here (Link).
