May/June 2017

May began with the 2nd annual Spring Hops 5K, hosted by the Howard County Striders. The cross country race follows a similar course as the Striders' Run Through the Grapevine 8K, but the race is beer themed rather than wine themed. Runners were rewarded with a complimentary beer from Red Shedman Brewery, which was located at the start/finish line. On the men's side, Racing Team members Eric Schuler, Mark Eagles, and Jason Tripp swept the top three spots. Yasuo Oda, Rachel Collins, and Tammy Liu Hermstein all took home age group awards. Racing team members who were looking for a longer race on the same day made a slightly longer trip out to Frederick for the annual half marathon. Craig Lebro took 2nd overall in 1:17:02 while Julia Roman-Duval was the third female finisher in 1:19:48.

Spring Hops 5K Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
8	Rachel Collins	26:41	3rd 35-39
9	Tammy Liu Hermstein	26:50	1st 50-54
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
1	Eric Schuler	20:21
2	Mark Eagles	21:04
3	Jason Tripp	21:48	1st Master
18	Yasuo Oda	25:06	1st 55-59

Frederick Half Marathon Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
3	Julia Roman-Duval	1:19:48	1st 30-34
16	Noel McCracken	1:33:09
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
2	Craig Lebro	1:17:02
6	Kevin Ford	1:18:06
17	Ed Wilson	1:23:36	1st Master

Racing team members started strong in June with the Baltimore Ten Miler and the Bel Air Town Run 5K, both fast and competitive races in Maryland. In Baltimore, Eric Schuler took third overall, while Jason Tripp, Ed Wilson, and Tunde Morakinyo each earned an age group award. Amanda Beal took 2nd place overall in Bel Air (running a new PR) while Rachel Collins, Mark Loeffler, and John Chall won age group prizes.

Baltimore Ten Miler Results:

Pl	Name	Time	Notes
3	Eric Schuler	55:17
16	Jason Tripp	1:00:39	1st 40-44
26	Ed Wilson	1:04:18	1st 50-54
27	Tunde Morakinyo	1:04:27	2nd 50-54

Bel Air Town Run 5K Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
2	Amanda Beal	18:59 (PR)
6	Rachel Collins	21:24	3rd 35-39
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
12	Mark Eagles	17:20
15	Mark Loeffler	17:38	1st 35-39
52	John Chall	20:05	1st 50-59

Morakinyo, Tripp, Schuler, and Wilson at the Baltimore Ten Miler

The Howard County Striders hosted a Women's Distance Festival 5K on June 24th. Julia Roman-Duval took first place in 17:03, Noel McCracken was 2nd in 19:39, and Rachel Collins took 4th overall in 20:57.

Other notable race results:

• Mark Loeffler won both the NASA Goddard 10K and 2M (one week apart), running 37:18 and 11:04 respectively
• Beth Hannon won the Maryland Half Marathon for the third year in a row, running a PR 1:27:32
• Mark Landree, competing in the MD RRCA Grand Prix series, took 9th place at the Germantown 5M, running 29:03 (PR)
• Tammy Liu Hermstein ran both the Hills of Milltown 5K and the AFCEA 5K, running 24:21 and 22:24, respectively
• In the marathon: Kevin Ford ran 2:52:12 at the Vermont City Marathon while Adam Wytko ran 2:59:36 at the Youngstown Marathon (4th overall and 1st in his age group)
• Amanda Beal won the Dawson's Fathers Day 10K with a PR 40:11

April 2017

April was a busy month for the Howard County Striders Racing Team. Many team members competed in some of the biggest races of the year this past month, with many setting new PRs. The month began with the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, one of the most competitive races in the area. Julia Roman-Duval led the women's team, placing 16th overall and 9th among American women while setting a new PR. Ed Wilson set a grand-master's racing team record and picked up an age group award, running a PR 1:00:44. A few more racing team members competed in the Cherry Pit Ten Miler on the same day in Annapolis. Amanda Beal led the women's field with a winning time of 1:04:27, which was also a new PR. Adam Wytko took 3rd overall while Mark Landree placed 6th overall and was the first masters runner.

Cherry Blossom Ten Miler Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
16	Julia Roman-Duval	58:09 (PR)
22	Beth Hannon	59:53 (PR)
29	Caroline Bauer	1:01:08
40	Tori Berard	1:02:56
75	Kelly Westlake	1:04:47	2nd 40-44
99	Noel McCracken	1:06:02 (PR)
310	Tammy Liu Hermstein	1:13:25 (PR)
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
38	Carlos Renjifo	52:32
40	Andrew Madison	52:49
50	Kevin Ford	55:22 (PR)
55	Mark Buschman	55:49
78	Mark Loeffler	57:33 (PR)
149	Ed Wilson	1:00:44 (PR, RTR)	2nd 50-54
216	Tunde Morakinyo	1:03:05

Cherry Pit Ten Miler Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
1	Amanda Beal	1:04:27 (PR)
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
3	Adam Wytko	59:36
6	Mark Landree	1:01:03 (PR)	1st Masters

Racing Team Members at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

The next big race was Clyde's 10K, organized by the Howard County Striders. The racing team had a strong showing at the race. Eric Schuler and Luke Janik led the men's field, placing top two overall while Noel McCracken took second place among women. Mark Landree ran a PR for the second week in a row, while picking up the first place prize for his age group. The hillier course prevented any one else from running a PR, but many team members won age group awards.

Clyde's 10K Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
2	Noel McCracken	41:18
13	Rachel Collins	46:30	3rd 35-39
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
1	Eric Schuler	34:35
2	Luke Janik	35:12
5	Craig Lebro	35:48
8	Adam Wytko	35:56	1st 35-39
11	Mark Landree	36:20 (PR)	1st 45-49
12	Mark Eagles	36:50	1st 20-24
13	Mark Loeffler	37:20	2nd 35-39
15	Tunde Morakinyo	38:56	1st Grand Master
19	Brian Shadrick	40:24
30	John Chall	41:47	2nd 55-59
37	Yasuo Oda	42:21	3rd 55-59

The racing team followed Clyde's with another competitive local 10K at Pikes Peek. The net downhill course and pleasant weather led to several PRs and many fast times. Carlos Renjifo led the men's team, placing 6th overall, while Caroline Bauer led the Striders women, placing 7th overall.

Clyde's 10K Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
7	Caroline Bauer	37:40
30	Linda-Lou O'Connor	43:47	3rd 45-49
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
6	Carlos Renjifo	31:31
17	Kevin Ford	33:30
20	Luke Janik	33:54 (PR)
24	Mark Loeffler	34:35 (PR)	2nd 35-39
33	Ryan Bull	35:46
36	Adam Wytko	35:53	3rd 35-39
37	Mark Eagles	36:09
44	Tunde Morakinyo	37:07	1st 50-54
67	Brian Shadrick	38:54 (PR)
104	John Chall	40:42	2nd 55-59
119	Yasuo Oda	41:41	3rd 55-59

Racing Team Members at the Pikes Peek 10K

Several racing team members made the trip to Boston for the 121st Boston Marathon. Runners dealt with warm, sunny conditions but still managed to run fast times on the prestigious course.

121st Boston Marathon Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time
80	Beth Hannon	2:59:33
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time
228	Eric Schuler	2:42:08
1135	Conrad Orloff	2:57:37
1465	Ed Wilson	3:01:09
2311	Jason Tripp	307:02

With so many fast races in April, many of the racing team members will probably take some time off. But you can still catch some of them out running at the Howard County Striders Spring Hops 5K or the Frederick Half Marathon.

March 2017

The Striders Racing Team had a handful of big races in March as the spring racing season got underway. Many runners competed in the annual Shamrock 5K in downtown Baltimore. The St. Patrick's day themed race attracts top racing talent with its fast downhill course and cash prizes. Carlos Renjifo led the men with a second place finish in 15:25 while Caroline Bauer led the women with a third place finish in 17:37. Beth Hannon, Amanda Beal, Kevin Ford, and Mark Loeffler all ran PRs, while many received age group awards for their performances.

Shamrock 5K Results:

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
3	Caroline Bauer	17:37	3rd overall
4	Beth Hannon	17:51 (PR)	1st 30-39
	Amanda Beal	19:01 (PR)
	Linda-Lou O-Connor	20:38	1st master
	Tammy Liu	21:28	1st 50-54
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Notes
2	Carlos Renjifo	15:25
3	Andrew Madison	15:36
11	Kevin Ford	16:19 (PR)
18	Ryan Bull	16:45
19	Craig Lebro	16:45
21	Mark Loeffler	16:56 (PR)
23	Adam Wytko	17:00
28	Jason Tripp	17:12	2nd 40-44
29	Mark Eagles	17:20
41	Brian Shadrick	18:07	3rd 40-44
50	Tunde Morakinyo	18:30	1st 50-54
80	John Chall	19:27	1st 55-59
95	Yasuo Oda	20:02	2nd 55-59

Racing Team Members at the Shamrock 5K

While some Striders member stuck to the shorter distances, those training for spring marathons like Boston chose to race longer distances. At the Rock & Roll DC races, Eric Schuler and Kelly Westlake ran the half marathon while Ed Wilson ran the full marathon. Eric finished 11th overall in 1:11:14 (PR) to place 1st in the 20-24 age group. Kelly ran 1:29:42 and won first place masters. Ed finished in 3:16:50. Caroline Bauer and Linda Lou O'Connor traveled to Virginia Beach to run the Anthem Half Marathon. Caroline won the race in 1:19:55 (PR) while Linda-Lou ran 1:35:30 to win the 45-49 age group. In the Tim Kennard River Run in Salisbury, Tori Berard finished 3rd in 1:05:16.

Eric Schuler finishing the Rock & Roll DC Half Marathon

April promises to be a busy month for racing team members. Runners will compete in the Cherry Blossom 10M (April 2nd), the Boston Marathon (April 17th), Pike's Peek 10K (April 23rd), and the Clyde's 10K Howard County Striders.

February 2017

Racing team members began February with the annual Penguin Pace 5K. The yearly event supports the Bain Senior Center in Columbia, MD, which also serves start and finish for the race. The Bain Center also hosts the post-race brunch provided by the Elkridge Furnace Inn, a race sponsor. The racing team cleaned up the awards at the Penguin Pace, sweeping the top 3 overall awards on both the men's and women's side. Many racing team members also won age group awards. Performances by racing team members are highlighted below. Click here for full results

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Award
1	Caroline Bauer	19:06	1st overall
2	Beth Hannon	19:32	1st 30-39
3	Amanda Beal	20:24	2nd 30-39
5	Linda Lou O'Connor	22:06	1st 40-49
6	Tammy Liu Hermstein	22:47	1st 50-59
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time	Award
1	Andrew Madison	17:08	1st overall
2	Adam Wytko	17:37	1st 30-39
3	Mark Loeffler	17:56	2nd 30-39
5	Mark Landree	18:14	2nd 40-49
10	Mark Eagles	18:55	2nd 20-29
13	Brian Shadrick	19:17
14	Tunde Morakinyo	19:24	1st 50-59
16	Ed Wilson	19:53	2nd 50-59
20	John Chall	20:35	3rd 50-59
35	Bobby Gessler	22:35	1st 60-69

John Chall and Tunde Morakinyo, Penguin Pace 50-59 age group winners

Adam Wytko and Mark Loeffler, Penguin Pace 30-39 age group winners

Brian Shadrick went up to Druid Hill Park in Baltimore for the Cupid's Crush 5 Miler. He placed 8th overall in 33:27 and won first place masters.

Brian Shadrick

The racing team wrapped up February with their most important race of the year: the RRCA Club Challenge 10 Miler! Each year, the racing team represents the Striders against all other running clubs in Maryland and DC. The women's team, not bothered by the strong winds, took home a collection of trophies. They won the overall, under-40, and grand-master team awards while placing 2nd in the master's division. On the men's side, the grand-master's team finished 2nd, just 5 points behind the winning Montgomery County team. They placed 3rd in all other divisions (overall, under-40, and master's), losing to rivals Georgetown and Falls Road running clubs in each division. Julia Roman-Duval was victorious individually with a winning time of 1:00:04. Andrew Madison led the men's team, placing 8th overall in a time of 54:05. Click here for all individual and team results.

Women's Results
Pl	Name	Time
1	Julia Roman-Duval	1:00:04
4	Caroline Bauer	1:02:03
9	Beth Hannon	1:03:48
11	Tori Berard	1:04:09
16	Amanda Beal	1:06:03
45	Linda-Lou O'Connor	1:12:14
69	Tammy Liu Hermstein	1:17:17
Men's Results
Pl	Name	Time
8	Andrew Madison	54:05
10	Eric Schuler	54:17
11	Carlos Renjifo	54:20
23	Kevin Ford	56:25
28	Mark Buschman	57:00
34	Luke Janik	58:13
37	Craig Lebro	58:40
42	Mark Loeffler	59:23
44	Adam Wytko	59:26
51	Jason Tripp	1:00:12
54	Ryan Bull	1:00:27
92	Ed Wilson	1:04:41
112	Tunde Morakinyo	1:06:14
151	Yasuo Oda	1:09:31
152	John Chall	1:09:28

Racing team members at the RRCA Club Challenge 10M

Finally, the racing team welcomed Luke Janik as its newest member. Luke currently attends Northeastern University in Boston where he competes with the school running club. He is currently working a Co-Op in the Maryland area for several months.

January 2017

The Striders Racing Team began the new year with the annual Striders Resolution Run 8K in Columbia. Unlike past years when the prediction run was held on New Years Day, this year's event was held on New Years Eve. Several racing team members participated before enjoying their new years celebrations. Yasuo Oda was the closest team member to the winning time, finishing only 18 seconds before 3:00pm.

Racing Team Member	Finishing Time
Jason Tripp	2:58:08.39pm
Eric Schuler	2:59:13.81pm
Bobby Gessler	2:59:18.80pm
Noel McCracken	2:59:19.00pm
Yasuo Oda	2:59:42.64pm
Tammy Hermstein	3:00:30.77pm
John Chall	3:00:55.26pm
Kelly Westlake	3:01:52.21pm

Maryland road races are few and far between in January, but Caroline Bauer traveled to Florida to participate in the Key West Half Marathon. She placed sixth overall and second among women, running a time of 1:23:06.

The racing team got a rare opportunity to dress up in non-running clothes to attend the annual Striders Banquet. Several racing team members received yearly awards at the banquet.

Award	Recipient(s)
Most Improved Runner of the Year - Female	Caroline Bauer Rachel Collins Beth Hannon
Most Improved Runner of the Year - Male	Mark Landree
Senior Grand Master Runner of the Year - Male	Mick Slonaker
Grand Master Runner of the Year - Male	Tunde Morakinyo
Master Runner of the Year - Female	Kelly Westlake
Master Runner of the Year - Male	Jason Tripp
Runner of the Year - Female	Julia Roman-Duval
Runner of the Year - Male	Eric Schuler

Racing team members at the annual banquet and awards ceremony

The racing team welcomed two new members to the team in January. Amanda Beal, a former runner at the University of Pittsburgh, joined the Elite Team after running qualifying times at Clyde's 10K and the Down's Park 5 Miler. Adam Wytko rejoined the Development Team after taking some time off due to injuries.

The Racing Team will begin February with the Striders Penguin Pace 5K on February 5th at the Bain Center in Columbia, MD. They will also compete in the RRCA Club Challenge 10M on February 26th at Howard Community College.

HoCo at the A10 (Where the A stands for Awesome)

A couple weeks ago the Striders stepped up at one of the first major events of the Fall racing season, the Annapolis 10 Miler.  It's a challenging course and weather tends to be a factor, but it's a great chance to see how everyone's summer training has progressed.  The results were quite impressive:

Striders women swept the top three spots at the Annapolis 10 Miler a few weeks ago.
1st:  Caroline Bauer - 1:00:44
2nd:  Alex Wang - 1:02:33
3rd:  Beth Hannon - 1:05:29

Awesome job ladies!  That Caroline and Alex have run under 60 minutes before in a ten miler is a testament to the challenging conditions.  That just makes it all the more impressive!

Not to be outdone, the Striders men also had a top finisher in Andrew Madison, who claimed second in the men's race with a conveniently timed 55:55.

AG Domination:
Our masters weren't about to let the young guns have all the fun.  Linda-Lou O'Connor (2nd), John Chall (2nd), Ed Wilson (1st), Tunde Marakinyo (1st) and Conrad Fernandes (3rd) all rocked their respective age groups, taking top three honors.

Great job everyone!  If this is any indication, the Fall racing season is sure to be a fast one.

Fast Times at the Pike's Peek 10k

Several Striders toed the line on April 24th at the Pike's Peek 10k in Rockville, MD.  It's one of the fastest 10km races around, with a favorable elevation drop and a lot of strong local competition.  For the Striders who didn't run Boston, and at least one who did (Conrad Fernandes is bonkers) this race was a great chance to snag some fast times to round out the Spring racing season.

Another Team Record Falls:
Julia Roman-Duval lowered her own racing team record while running a PR of 34:21.  On the women's side, she lead the race from the gun and took the victory by a margin of almost 3 minutes.

A PR and Impressive Age Group Performances:

Carlos Renjifo was the first Strider to finish, with his blistering 31:35 performance good for 6th overall and 1st in his AG.  Kevin Ford was next in 33:26 en route to a huge (30+ second) PR.

Carlos heel-striking like a boss.

Kevin and his aerodynamic beard.

Our speedy grand-masters Tunde Morakinyo (3rd in AG) and Mick Slonaker (1st in AG) both ran great!

Tunde, trying to think back to happier times.

Mick keeping his eyes on the prize... probably.

In the Masters category Tammy Liu Hermstein knocked out a solid 42:51 (5th in AG), while Conrad Fernandes crushed a 38:45 after having run the Boston Marathon only 6 days prior!  Awesome job everyone!

Conrad taking himself very seriously.

Tammy closing out a great performance!

(Here are the rest of the Results)

More Pics:
There were several individuals who were kind enough to take photos along the race course and put them up online.  Here are a few of the photos that I grabbed from the PP web site.

(If you'd like these removed, please reach out to me)

HoCo Striders In Boston!

The Boston Marathon draws some of the best runners from all over the world to one place so that they can run gradually downhill for a really long time, then uphill for a few brutal miles, and then downhill again once their legs are completely thrashed.  Boston is truly its own beast, and there's nothing quite like the journey from Hopkinton to Boyleston Street.  With Spring marathons the weather can present a unique challenge...will we get 35 degrees with wind and rain, or 80 degrees of muggy sunshine?  That's to say nothing about the weather during the months of Winter training leading up to the race.

Taking all these factors in stride, many of our Striders worked their butts off this year to prepare for Boston and we are proud of them!  This year it was a pleasant start which developed into a warm finish.  Despite this, several Striders knocked out impressive performances and even a PR on this difficult course.

On the Men's side, Andrew Madison held on after a quick start to lead the team in at 2:37:11 (good for 80th overall).  Mark Buschman (2:46:34) and Conrad Orloff (2:46:46) cruised in with respectable times, especially considering the former battled injuries all season and the latter struggled with illness in the days leading up to the race.  Ed Wilson (3:04:20), Conrad Fernandes (also 3:04:20), and Sean Costello (3:25:02) rounded out the Mens' performances.  Great job guys!

Beth Hannon blazed the trail for the women, setting a PR in 3:09:20 (209th female)!  Tiff Hevner rocked a 3:20:14, while Noel McCracken brought home a 3:23:27.  Kelly Westlake (who holds a sub-3:10 PR) toughed out a 3:31:41 to bring the Striders home.  Hats off to our awesome ladies!

It's wonderful that the Striders can send a strong contingent of runners to this historic race each year.  Congratulations on keeping up the tradition everyone!

Runners (and Cherry Blossoms) in the Wind

Spring 2016's weather so far has proven volatile.  About a week before the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in DC it was apparent that we were in for a cold, windy race morning.  With steady winds at 20+ mph and gusts up to 40mph, the going was definitely tough in several sections of the race.  Competitors experienced some of the worst winds in the final two miles while making their way back from Hains Point.

Despite the sub-optimal weather conditions, many Striders came out to throw down impressive performances against stiff competition.

Team Competition:

Julia Roman-Duval (95th overall - 58:30) and Caroline Bauer (117th overall - 59:25) led the Striders women with crazy sub-hour performances.  Beth Hannon (64:18), Alex Wang (64:18), Tiffany Hevner (69:04) rounded out this impressive team.  Somehow they were the only open ladies team, so they won!  With performances like these it's likely they would have run away with the victory anyway.

Carlos Renjifo lead the men in with his 26th place finish in a time of 53:14.  The Striders men stacked up three more runners in 54th (Kevin Ford - 56:11), 63rd (Eric Schuler - 57:10), and 64th (Ryan Bull - 57:13).  The unofficial results have this group in second place!

Additional Notes/PRs:
Julia and Caroline were the 4th and 5th American women across the line, respectively, and both achieved PRs.

Beth Hannon and Mark Loeffler both achieved PRs, running 58:42 and 64:18, respectively.

(Photo Credits:  Greg Schuler via facebook)

Back in Action! Striders off to a Good Start in 2016

A Strider at the OT Marathon

This year the Striders got to watch as one of our own raced at the Olympic Marathon Trials in LA.  Julia Roman-Duval ran a solid race in hot and largely shade-less conditions, bringing home a very impressive 2:46:47.  That was good for 50th place against the best female marathoners the US has to offer, in weather which caused many strong participants to drop out.  Great job Julia!

RRCA Ten Mile Challenge

A year after a disappointing weather-based cancellation, the Ten Mile Challenge returned with several Striders achieving top performances as well as PRs.

In the team competition the HCS Elite Men, Women, and Combined teams performed admirably.  The Women's team had the top two overall finishers (Julia and Caroline Bauer) who helped drive the team to a second place finish.  The Men's team came in third against some very tough competition (Falls Road put runners in five of the top six spots) and the Overall HCS team also came in third.

Carlos Renjifo bringing it home in 7th as the first Strider

New Strider Eric Schuler takes 8th

Julia takes 1st place at the Club Challenge

Not far behind is Caroline, taking 2nd place in some sweet shades

Hats off to everyone who came out.  The weather was beautiful, but the course was as tough as ever!  Below are a few more photos from the race (credit to Mike Fleming for the photos in today's post).  Enjoy!

Members of the second place Women's team

Members of the 3rd Place Men's Team

Marathon Bonanza!

The year is winding down, but Striders have been hot during this Fall's marathon racing season.  There were many PRs, with the women's open marathon record falling TWICE in just two weeks.

Adam Wytko opened things up in September with a solid 2:53:54 to win the Bagel to Beer Marathon in Columbia.

Linda-Lou O'Connor ran the Wineglass Marathon for 3rd Master in 3:22:51, and toed the line again less than a month later to run the NYC Marathon in 3:33:32.

Noel McCracken also ran the Wineglass Marathon, notching a 3:14:49, good for 17th.

Ed Wilson (3:18:26), Tunde Morakinyo (3:24:44 as a pacer!), Alex Wang (3:12:01, also a pacer) knocked out respectable performances in Baltimore.

Beth Hannon knocked out a solid PR at Marine Corps, running 3:10:44.

A contingent of Striders were also at the Philadelphia Marathon two weeks ago, with Craig Lebro leading the way with a huge PR (2:36:51).  Kevin Ford was next in 2:44:32 (also a PR), while Alex Wang slashed about 5 minutes off of her PR by running 2:45:25.  Alex's time was good for a women's RTR.  Ed Wilson also set a RTR for the Grand Master category, destroying his Baltimore time and running under 3 hours (2:59:32).

The performance of the hour has to be Julia Roman-Duval's Olympic Trials Qualifying marathon performance at the California International Marathon.  She ran even splits for a 2:40:36, which makes her the newest racing team record-holder.  Great job Julia!

Congratulations to everyone who were able to see their hard training to completion this Fall.  Keep up the great work!

Playing Catch-Up, Fall Edition

Apologies for not posting in a while!  The Striders Racing team has been busy since April, knocking out impressive performances and achieving PRs left and right.  Here's a quick review of some of the team's PRs from the past few months:

Tori Bedard (Marathon)
Mark Eagles (Mile, 5k, 8k, 15k, Half Marathon)
Kevin Ford (10k, 26.2k)
Nick Grossi (8k)
Beth Hannon (Marathon)
Tammy Liu Hermstein (10 Miles)
Tiffany Hevner (Half Marathon)
Craig Lebro (10k, 10 Miles)
Noel McCracken (Marathon)
Julia Roman-Duval (8k, 10k, 15k, Half Marathon, 26.2k)
Brian Shadrick (1500m, Mile, 10k)
Eric Shuler (Half Marathon)
Alex Wang (10k, 10 Miles, 26.2k, Marathon)


Congratulations are due for Julia Roman-Duval (8k, 10k, Half Marathon, 26.2k) and Alex Wang (10 Miles), who also set Racing Team Records with their performances.

Fall marathon season is upon us.  Several members have already opened up with some great performances at Marine Corps (Beth Hannon), Baltimore (Ed Wilson, Tunde Marakinyo, Alex Wang) and NYC (Linda Lou O'Connor).  Keep up the great work!

For those who have yet to run their final big race of the year, good luck!

Fast Times in DC

Several of our members turned out for the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.  We are truly fortunate to have an event nearby that draws immense local, national, and international talent for us to compete against.  An incident on the course before the start of the race caused the course to be shortened to 9.39 miles, but the Striders came through with some huge performances despite the last minute change.  Many members almost certainly would have run PRs had the course been regulation length.

The Women's Team Came in 3rd

The Men's Team came in 2nd

We also fielded a mixed Master's Team which took 5th (but sadly with no picture).

Great job to everyone who ran!  Here are the overall performances from the day at CB:

 

Carlos Renjifo	49:01	26th
Andrew Madison	49:27	28th
Kevin Ford	51:35	45th
Jason Tripp	54:50	86th
Akintunde Morakinyo	1:01:21	287th
Mick Slonaker	1:02:23	353rd
Julia Roman-Duval	54:52	18th
Tori Berard	1:00:51	66th
Jess Ivy	1:01:06	73rd
Tiffany Hevner	1:01:54	82nd
Beth Hannon	1:02:22	93rd
Tasha Hogan	1:04:18	147th
Linda Lou O'Connor	1:05:36	174th
Tammy Liu Hermstein	1:08:44	276th
Dorothy Beckett	1:09:20	297th

March Performances

March proved to be a month of many excellent running performances for the racing team.  Notably, a new Racing Team record set for the 5k (Julia - 17:12), and several of our runners set big PRs (Julia, Jess, Tammy, and Mark).  Keep up the good work everyone!

3/1/2015	St. Patrick's Day 5k	Linda Lou O'Connor	20:42	16th	2nd (F45-49)
3/1/2015	St. Patrick's Day 10k	Julia Roman-Duval	35:41	2nd
		Linda Lou O'Connor	43:01	20th	1st (F45-49)
3/1/2015	St. Patrick's Day Double (5k + 10k)	Linda Lou O'Connor	1:03:43	4th	1st (F45-49)
3/1/2015	Tim Kennard 10-miler	Tori Berard	1:02:24	1st
3/1/2015	Reston 10-miler	Tiffany Hevner	1:06:55	5th	1st (F30-34)
3/1/2015	Napa Valley Marathon	Tammy Liu Hermstein	3:30:15	52nd	PR, 5th (F45-49)
3/7/2015	USATF Eastern Region Indoor Masters Championships (1 mile)	Brian Shadrick	4:58	3rd	1st (M40-44)
3/15/2015	Kelly Shamrock 5k	Andrew Madison	15:17	1st
		Carlos Renjifo	15:30	4th	1st (M30-39)
		Craig Lebro	17:04	15th	5th (M20-29)
		Jason Tripp	17:23	25th	1st Master
		Nick Grossi	17:53	29th	12th (M30-39)
		Brian Shadrick	18:25	39th	1st (M40-44)
		Chris Chattin	18:47	47th	3rd (M50-54)
		Tunde Morakinyo	19:43	76th	5th (M50-54)
		Mick Slonaker	19:53	80th	1st (M65-69)
		John Chall	19:55	82nd	1st (M55-59)
		Julia Roman-Duval	17:12	1st	PR, RTR
		Tori Berard	18:23	4th	1st (F20-29)
		Tiffany Hevner	19:32	8th	2nd (F30-39)
		Noel McCracken	19:41	10th	PR, 4th (F30-39)
		Beth Hannon	19:42	11th	PR, 5th (F30-39)
		Joelle Chall	21:21	25th	10th (F30-39)
		Tammy Liu Hermstein	21:28		1st Master
3/15/2015	NYC Half Marathon	Dorothy Beckett	1:40:31	517th	7th (F55-59)
3/21/2015	Whitehall 15k	Linda-Lou O'Connor	1:03:56	3rd	1st Master, PR
3/21/2015	Tri-Mania 1 miler (track)	Jess Ivy	5:21	1st	PR
3/28/2015	UMBC Big Dawg Invite 5k (track)	Andrew Madison	15:46	1st
3/28/2015	Monument Avenue 10k	Tiffany Hevner	39:41	25th	4th (F30-34)
3/29/2015	B&A Half Marathon	Noel McCracken	1:30:58	4th	1st (F30-34)
		Linda-Lou O'Connor	1:32:42	6th	1st (F45-49)
		Tammy Liu Hermstein	1:38:47	18th	2nd (F45-49), PR
3/29/2015	B&A Marathon	Beth Hannon	3:16:42	5th	1st (F30-34)
3/29/2015	Dundalk Challenge 5k	Mark Eagles	17:03	2nd	PR