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

The Twilight Zone

This past weekend featured the premier local race of the summer...ROCKVILLE TWILIGHTER 8k

This is easily one of the most competitive local races which includes many local elites, college runners, and several African-born speedsters.  The pre-race warmup revealed cooler temperatures then normal due to a light drizzle and overcast but after we completed two miles on the course, it was apparent that the humidity was going to be a factor.

The race start got delayed about 10 minutes due to the police having trouble clearing the roads of traffic.  In the men's race, team captain, Carlos Renjifo, led the way per the usual crossing the line in 19th place in 25:57.  Mark Buschman and Andrew Madison followed in 26:40 and 27:00, respectively.  Jason Tripp kept his age group winning streak alive barely losing to the first Master, but winning the 40-44 age group with a time of 28:20.  He also earned a spot on the elite squad with this awesome performance!

Samantha Matthews led the way for the ladies, finishing in 22nd in 31:57.  Vicki Lang continued her comeback coming in 3rd in the Master's division, running 34:31.

A summary of the results:

Carlos Renjifo 25:57 19th
Mark Buschman 26:40 29th PR
Andrew Madison 27:00 42nd
Kevin Ford 28:00 56th PR
Craig Lebro 28:14 59th
Jason Tripp 28:20 62nd (1st, M40-44)
Dave Berardi 29:13 80th (3rd, M50-54)
Phil Lang 30:11 104th
Tunde Morakinyo 31:01 127th 
Chris Chattin 31:24 136th
John Chall 31:56 145th (2nd, M55-59)

Samantha Matthews 31:57 22nd 
Vicki Lang 34:31 34th (3rd Master)
Janeth Scott 35:55 43rd (2nd, F50-54)

Nice hair Craig!

Dave running with the young guns as always.  I used to be that guy
who would have to outrun him at the end of the race.

Vicki battling the humidity...

Meanwhile, out west in Garrett County, Bobby Gessler took part in the Salem Challenge 5k.  He indicated that the course was long (3.4 miles) and quite hilly.  However, he ran 22:04, good for 10th overall and first Master.

Sunday morning included the Rosaryville Trail Runs in Upper Marlboro.  Keith Levasseur, training for the Leadville 100 in a few weeks, placed 2nd in the 50k, crossing the line in 3:56:27, winning the 30-39 age group.

With her fantastic performance, Vicki Lang joined the team!  WAY TO GO VICKI!!!

Weekend Recap

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.