Alas, between Celtic Solstice, Awards Night, and Christmas, I neglected to post any sort of recap!
Here's what's been going on:
Celtic Solstice
As always, a very fun event and a great race up front. This is one of Dave Berdan's favorite races, and he's pretty used to winning when he toes the line. But it's tough to continue to win year after year, particularly as his focus has moved away from shorter races. Erik Anderson came out to play this year and took the win in a stellar time of 25:14, ahead of Dave's 25:36. There were obviously a lot of people racing so I won't recap everyone's result, but want to recognize a couple of people.
Justin Gerbereux showed up. Totally surprised by that, didn't know he was even running! He finished in 31:36, which I thought was pretty darn good. And how about Eileen Fleck?! Didn't know she was running, either, and she blazed to a 32:40 finish for 11th woman! That's incredible. Great race by Jon Miller, another fine result for Sara Damiano, and of course our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week that week went to Patty Stott, who ran a HUGE PR (40:57)!
Of course the race would not be possible without the amazing efforts of all the volunteers and staff at Falls Road, so many thanks!
Awards Night
With the postponement from the week prior, it gave me a whole 'nother week to think about what I was going to say, and well, you were there - it was pretty obvious I nailed it. It's a fun night of high energy, plenty of pizza, and delicious desserts. It was even cool that a few people actually dressed up!
When it was all said and done, our 2013 Most Outstanding Performers were Melissa Majumdar and Nate Brigham. Melissa won the Resolution Run 5k on 1/1, then Club Challenge, Shamrock 5k, and in the summer won her first multisport race. She set a number of PRs along the way and really seemed to enjoy running this year. Nate ran a pair of half marathons, going from a 1:10 in March to a 1:08 in October, a fast 5M, and ran two marathons. It was a great year for Nate.
Our Coach's Awards went to Carly Page and Andy Sovonick, and Most Improved went to PJ Anderer and Sara Breedlove. Our Comeback of the Year Awards went to Sara Damiano and Joel Gladfelter. Now that Ke$ha seems to be behaving, we renamed her award to the Amanda Bynes Award and gave that to Kaylyn Peck, and the Bert & Ernie Award went to Nick Klastava and Dan Miranda.
The Brita Grothe Best Ass Award went to Kris Simms, who couldn't be in attendance because he was polishing up his glutes, and the Performances of the Year went to Carly Page's 3:02 at Richmond and Conrad Laskowski's 24:49 Downs Park 5 Miler.
We also honored some of the pioneers of our running community with the induction of the inaugural class of Hall of Famers. These included: Alyssa Godesky, Arjun Majumdar, Ben Ingram, Brennan Feldhausen, Chrissie Ramsey, Denise Knickman, Joel Gladfelter, and Melissa Majumdar. These folks have all brought so much to our group and I was excited to recognize them for their efforts.
Christmas Lights Run
On Thursday the 19th we had our annual Christmas Lights Run. An enormous group met in the Harbor at 6:30pm to run north. We did a ceremonial "hot lap" around the Monument, and continued up Fallsway to Hampden to see the 34th Street lights. A short stop there and we were back on our way down St. Paul, running past the Mercy Hospital lights before ending in front of the Power Plant to see the 8pm lights show. It was a great run with a terrific turnout (over 30!) - pace was chill and the weather was awesome. I think this is the 3rd or 4th year of doing this.
Headlamp Run
Although overshadowed by Christmas week (many people were already out of town) and the Christmas Lights Run, a small group did make it out for the Fed Hill Runners Headlamp Run. Named in honor of Collin Anderson, this tradition recognizes the shortest Monday of the year by us running with bright/lighted clothes and hats and stuff. It was fun.
Coming up this week we'll get to check out ALL the #TWSSChristmas photos (and vote on our favorites!) and it's NEW YEAR'S WEEK which means everything that happened this year gets wiped clean and I get to start over with a brand new spreadsheet!
Showing posts with label Awards Night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Awards Night. Show all posts
Friday, December 27, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Awards Night 2k13 - Video
Sorry for the delay, but here it is..... I'll also post the video to Facebook.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Awards Night 2k13
AWARDS NIGHT 2K13
The biggest names. The brightest stars. Catch all the glitz and glamour LIVE on Sunday night from the Falls Road Running Store in Mt. Washington.
What started in 2007 with a bunch of people crammed into my cousin's kitchen as a way to recognize the achievements of the team has blossomed into an annual evening of celebration and fun awards.
As I mentioned in the email, the Running Store closes at 4pm on Sunday, but due to the Ravens' 1pm game (and Packers) we'll look to assemble more in the 4:30 range. At least that's what time I will plan on being there with the pizzas. Red Carpet coverage can be found on the E! Network beginning at that time.
If you haven't already RSVPd (or signed up to bring something) here's the link to do that:
Typically the show lasts about 2 hours but if you need to roll early, that's okay. We'll fill out our 2014 goals cards as per usual and make fun of some of the silly things that happened in 2013.
There's also still time to nominate your compatriots for awards: Awards Nominations
And stay tuned to see who wins the biggest award of the evening - the Brita Grothe Best Ass Award!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Sunny and 75
Boy, it sure would have been nice if it had been sunny and 75 on Thanksgiving weekend. Alas, it was far from it. With temperatures below freezing (and in some cases, hovering around the low to mid 20s), it made for the coldest Thanksgiving in recent memory.
Of course a little cold and some wind never stopped anybody from racing!
There were some great Thanksgiving Day performances, including Graham Peck's win at the Gobble Cobble. He ran 21:09 for an unknown distance that was probably about 4 miles. PJ Martinez was 3rd, then Denise Knickman took the ladies' title with Erin Feldhausen finishing 4th. Then Denise and Erin helped out at the end too - troopers!
Many thanks to the folks who got up early (some after a very late night) to help out: Alyssa, Brennan, Erin, Michaela, Bob V, Andrew Hill, Kelly, Britany, Erik T., Meg D, Pete, Amy, Karen, Jim, PJ, etc.
In New York, Terry and Molly Decker ran the Notre Dame Turkey Day 5k. The official starter for the event was none other than US Olympia and Notre Dame alum, Molly Huddle. The Deckers even got mentioned in the local Elmira newspaper, which, if you're wondering, charges to read their content. Don't worry, I was able to read the article thanks to a free trial.
Elsewhere in the Empire State, Alex Battaglino took 2nd and Diane Heiser was 10th at the Cardiac Classic 5k. Alex's 16:02 was a fine time on a cold day, and for Diane it was a return to some running after many months off due to injury. Even MORE elsewhere in New York, Dan Miranda and Sara Damiano ran the Townwide Fund of Huntington 4 Miler. Dan finished in 22:03 and Sara came in at 27:49.
The Catonsville Turkey Trot 5k (XC) lured runners in with big prize money (not often seen on this day). Since money will only ever attract a few fast runners and has virtually no impact on registration of the masses, the race did at least reach 500 people. Apparently it was a very challenging course and it was a cross country run. I was surprised to see Dave Berdan not in the top spot, particularly when I didn't recognize the top two runners but I did know the 4th place guy. But according to Dave, his lack of fitness combined with his poor XC running skills right now required him to use a massive kick just to move from 6th to 3rd in the last 600m. Becky Parks finished 2nd among the women, and we saw Alyssa Doyle's name in there as well!
Down in Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Amy Flashenberg and Conrad Laskowski ran the Turkey Chase 10k, their first race of the weekend. They ran it in 55:25. Then on Friday evening they headed up to NJ and on Sunday the pair ran the Navesink Challenge 5k. Conrad ran with his sister around 22:30 and Amy finished just under 25 minutes on the undulating course.
Shouts also to Kyle Smits, who once again ran the Pequot 5M in Connecticut. I always remember to look out for this result for him! As competitive racing has become less of a priority for the family man/dentist, it's good to see he's still able to mix it up. He finished 13th in 27:41. And of course Patty Stott ran the Tel Hai Turkey Bowl 5k with a FEVER, for which there was no cure other than massive amounts of cowbell. And I spotted Alix Brusewitz running the Bel Air Turkey Trot, Ryan Stasiowski won the Towson one, and Alli Bosslet, sister of the great Melissa Bosslet-Majumdar, ran the Palatine Turkey Trot 2M.
Once the races were done on Thursday, the focus became Saturday's final fall marathon in the area - the NCR Trail Marathon. 26.2 miles of out and back on the NCR (definitely not my thing!). Patrick O'Rourke decided somewhat late in the season to do this one, and good thing he did. He won the whole darn thing, running the race largely by himself as he cruised into a 2:47:07 win. Dave Ploskonka was awarded 2nd, although I'm still trying to sort out the finish. It appears as if the guy in 3rd was closing in on Dave right at the end, and caught Dave off guard. It must have been a photo finish or something and Dave was awarded 2nd with a 2:55:13.8. It's Dave's 2nd fastest marathon and a mark of validation for his 2015 Boston plans. Johnny Lyons was 19th in 3:06:46, and Ed Jablonski ran 3:25:40. Running an amazingly even race with a little pacing help from Brennan in the first half, Sara B in the back half and PJ towards the end was Bryn Burkholder. Bryn placed 7th among the women in a new PR of 3:20:44!
In the relays, Cory Donovan and Jack Flowers won the overall relay competition in a few ticks under 2:48. Cory's 1:28 split gave Jack a deficit to overcome, but boy did he! Mr. Peck and Denise combined to take the co-ed title and finish I believe 4th relay, and then Suzanne Hurst and her husband were supposed to run, but an injury took him out of contention so she ran with her friend Caitlin. Together they were 8th overall team, but had they been registered as an all female team they would have won!
Big ups to all the spectators, including Brennan, Sara B, Dusty, Meg D, Pete, and PJ.
The final race I noticed from the weekend was my brother and sister, Kevin and Meghan McGrath, who once again ran the Navesink Challenge 15k. Way to go guys!
Our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week went to Patrick O'Rourke!
And as a reminder, AWARDS NIGHT 2K13 is THIS SUNDAY, December 8th. I know the Ravens (and Packers) have a 1pm game, so we will look to assemble around 4:30pm at the Falls Road Running Store. If you plan on attending please RSVP and if you want to sign up to bring something, use this little form I made! Awards Night RSVP
Of course a little cold and some wind never stopped anybody from racing!
There were some great Thanksgiving Day performances, including Graham Peck's win at the Gobble Cobble. He ran 21:09 for an unknown distance that was probably about 4 miles. PJ Martinez was 3rd, then Denise Knickman took the ladies' title with Erin Feldhausen finishing 4th. Then Denise and Erin helped out at the end too - troopers!
Many thanks to the folks who got up early (some after a very late night) to help out: Alyssa, Brennan, Erin, Michaela, Bob V, Andrew Hill, Kelly, Britany, Erik T., Meg D, Pete, Amy, Karen, Jim, PJ, etc.
In New York, Terry and Molly Decker ran the Notre Dame Turkey Day 5k. The official starter for the event was none other than US Olympia and Notre Dame alum, Molly Huddle. The Deckers even got mentioned in the local Elmira newspaper, which, if you're wondering, charges to read their content. Don't worry, I was able to read the article thanks to a free trial.
Elsewhere in the Empire State, Alex Battaglino took 2nd and Diane Heiser was 10th at the Cardiac Classic 5k. Alex's 16:02 was a fine time on a cold day, and for Diane it was a return to some running after many months off due to injury. Even MORE elsewhere in New York, Dan Miranda and Sara Damiano ran the Townwide Fund of Huntington 4 Miler. Dan finished in 22:03 and Sara came in at 27:49.
The Catonsville Turkey Trot 5k (XC) lured runners in with big prize money (not often seen on this day). Since money will only ever attract a few fast runners and has virtually no impact on registration of the masses, the race did at least reach 500 people. Apparently it was a very challenging course and it was a cross country run. I was surprised to see Dave Berdan not in the top spot, particularly when I didn't recognize the top two runners but I did know the 4th place guy. But according to Dave, his lack of fitness combined with his poor XC running skills right now required him to use a massive kick just to move from 6th to 3rd in the last 600m. Becky Parks finished 2nd among the women, and we saw Alyssa Doyle's name in there as well!
Down in Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Amy Flashenberg and Conrad Laskowski ran the Turkey Chase 10k, their first race of the weekend. They ran it in 55:25. Then on Friday evening they headed up to NJ and on Sunday the pair ran the Navesink Challenge 5k. Conrad ran with his sister around 22:30 and Amy finished just under 25 minutes on the undulating course.
Shouts also to Kyle Smits, who once again ran the Pequot 5M in Connecticut. I always remember to look out for this result for him! As competitive racing has become less of a priority for the family man/dentist, it's good to see he's still able to mix it up. He finished 13th in 27:41. And of course Patty Stott ran the Tel Hai Turkey Bowl 5k with a FEVER, for which there was no cure other than massive amounts of cowbell. And I spotted Alix Brusewitz running the Bel Air Turkey Trot, Ryan Stasiowski won the Towson one, and Alli Bosslet, sister of the great Melissa Bosslet-Majumdar, ran the Palatine Turkey Trot 2M.
Once the races were done on Thursday, the focus became Saturday's final fall marathon in the area - the NCR Trail Marathon. 26.2 miles of out and back on the NCR (definitely not my thing!). Patrick O'Rourke decided somewhat late in the season to do this one, and good thing he did. He won the whole darn thing, running the race largely by himself as he cruised into a 2:47:07 win. Dave Ploskonka was awarded 2nd, although I'm still trying to sort out the finish. It appears as if the guy in 3rd was closing in on Dave right at the end, and caught Dave off guard. It must have been a photo finish or something and Dave was awarded 2nd with a 2:55:13.8. It's Dave's 2nd fastest marathon and a mark of validation for his 2015 Boston plans. Johnny Lyons was 19th in 3:06:46, and Ed Jablonski ran 3:25:40. Running an amazingly even race with a little pacing help from Brennan in the first half, Sara B in the back half and PJ towards the end was Bryn Burkholder. Bryn placed 7th among the women in a new PR of 3:20:44!
In the relays, Cory Donovan and Jack Flowers won the overall relay competition in a few ticks under 2:48. Cory's 1:28 split gave Jack a deficit to overcome, but boy did he! Mr. Peck and Denise combined to take the co-ed title and finish I believe 4th relay, and then Suzanne Hurst and her husband were supposed to run, but an injury took him out of contention so she ran with her friend Caitlin. Together they were 8th overall team, but had they been registered as an all female team they would have won!
Big ups to all the spectators, including Brennan, Sara B, Dusty, Meg D, Pete, and PJ.
The final race I noticed from the weekend was my brother and sister, Kevin and Meghan McGrath, who once again ran the Navesink Challenge 15k. Way to go guys!
Our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week went to Patrick O'Rourke!
And as a reminder, AWARDS NIGHT 2K13 is THIS SUNDAY, December 8th. I know the Ravens (and Packers) have a 1pm game, so we will look to assemble around 4:30pm at the Falls Road Running Store. If you plan on attending please RSVP and if you want to sign up to bring something, use this little form I made! Awards Night RSVP
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Awards Night 2012
We held our 6th Annual Awards Night (#TWSSAwards) on Sunday, for the first time after Celtic Solstice since the first year. As usual we had a big crowd out to the festivities and plenty of food - although it looked like the 8 pizzas I picked up went pretty quick. I reduced my order from 10 to 8 because I didn't want to bring any leftovers home, and we probably could have used another pie.
2012 was another banner year for the members of our team. Countless PRs, 60 wins, and immeasurable amounts of fun. As always, be sure to check out the link to the 2012 Spreadsheet on the right hand side for all the year's results, top ten lists, wins, PDAWs, attendance, etc!
Our 2012 MVPs probably came as little surprise to anyone - Conrad Laskowski and Megan DiGregorio. Conrad kicked off the year by literally running circles around me at the Charleston Marathon. He then went onto win Club Challenge, finish 2nd at the prestigious Leap Day 4k, finish 2nd in 15:09 at Shamrock 5k, and then run a 2:36 marathon at Virginia Beach. Somewhere in there he ran a 4:29 indoor mile. Following his 2nd marathon in 2 months he took a somewhat forced hiatus, but when he reemerged in the fall he crushed, getting stronger with each run and winning the Downs Park 5M (25:30) and running a 1:09:10 half marathon in Philly. He was also our first finisher at USATF Club XC in 33:11.
Meg D also excelled at two marathons this year, her first two, to be exact. After finishing 2nd at Club Challenge, she won the Shamrock 5k in a PR of 17:35, before going onto win her first ever marathon in 2:59 (NJ Marathon). Meg continued to race well through the summer, and in the fall was preparing to run the NYC Marathon. Some achilles problems limited her training, but when NYC was canceled she decided to give Richmond a go, and even split her way to a 3:01:50. She also won the Westminster Main Street Mile and was our wins leader for the year.
Our Coach's Awards went to Carly Page and Dustin Meeker. Carly stepped up in a major way as one of the primary organizers of the ladies contingent, but also ran some excellent races. An 18:26 5k, a 39:33 10k, and a 4:57 mile were among her accolades. She managed all this while completing her PhD, which is pretty incredible. Dustin is a leader by example. He sets the tone to work hard and commit to a plan, and under his wing he had many followers this year who went onto accomplish great things. He was also the driving force behind our USATF Club XC team, and one of the captains at Club Challenge this year.
Performances of the Year, as always, were tough to decide. There were some truly incredible performances, and any one of them would have been deserving. The Top Male Performance went to Ed Aramayo's 3:56.99 1500m at the Loyola/Hopkins Meet way back in April. Ed had an amazing stretch of track racing this year, getting under 2 minutes in the 800 (1:58) and 4 minutes in the 1500, but really pulled out the stops at the 33rd St Track when he broke 3:57. Among the other performances considered were Conrad's 15:09 5k, Brennan's 32:59 10k, Dusty's 51:53 10 mile, and Steve's 1:12:51 half.
For the Women, the award went to Christa Wagner's 39:42 Pike's Peek 10k. Christa was a contender for the MVP award, as she set personal bests in every distance she ran. But it was her 10k that stood out among all of them. I ran with her in that race and she executed her race plan to perfection. The other performances that were nominated were: Carly's 4:57 Westminster Mile, Meg McNew's 18:01 5k, Sara B's 1:08:17 Club Challenge, and Meg D's 2:59:44 Marathon win.
I'll add a tab to the spreadsheet with all the awards, but here were a few of the highlights:
Brita Grothe Best Ass Award: Chrissie Ramsey. Chrissie started the petition to reclaim her title last year, and was disappointed when she didn't win. She made sure to work really hard for 2012 to fend off the challengers.
David Letterman Top Ten Award: Brennan Feldhausen. Brennan appears in the Top 10 of all but two road events. The 5 Mile category (which he didn't run and honestly is redundant since I have 8k) and 10 miles. Truly remarkable considering how little he ran this year, largely due to the Orioles' success.
Newcomers of the Year: Tim Burns and Sara Breedlove.
Did I have a Comeback of the Year Award? I can't remember. Shoot, I like that one.
2012 was another banner year for the members of our team. Countless PRs, 60 wins, and immeasurable amounts of fun. As always, be sure to check out the link to the 2012 Spreadsheet on the right hand side for all the year's results, top ten lists, wins, PDAWs, attendance, etc!
Our 2012 MVPs probably came as little surprise to anyone - Conrad Laskowski and Megan DiGregorio. Conrad kicked off the year by literally running circles around me at the Charleston Marathon. He then went onto win Club Challenge, finish 2nd at the prestigious Leap Day 4k, finish 2nd in 15:09 at Shamrock 5k, and then run a 2:36 marathon at Virginia Beach. Somewhere in there he ran a 4:29 indoor mile. Following his 2nd marathon in 2 months he took a somewhat forced hiatus, but when he reemerged in the fall he crushed, getting stronger with each run and winning the Downs Park 5M (25:30) and running a 1:09:10 half marathon in Philly. He was also our first finisher at USATF Club XC in 33:11.
Meg D also excelled at two marathons this year, her first two, to be exact. After finishing 2nd at Club Challenge, she won the Shamrock 5k in a PR of 17:35, before going onto win her first ever marathon in 2:59 (NJ Marathon). Meg continued to race well through the summer, and in the fall was preparing to run the NYC Marathon. Some achilles problems limited her training, but when NYC was canceled she decided to give Richmond a go, and even split her way to a 3:01:50. She also won the Westminster Main Street Mile and was our wins leader for the year.
Our Coach's Awards went to Carly Page and Dustin Meeker. Carly stepped up in a major way as one of the primary organizers of the ladies contingent, but also ran some excellent races. An 18:26 5k, a 39:33 10k, and a 4:57 mile were among her accolades. She managed all this while completing her PhD, which is pretty incredible. Dustin is a leader by example. He sets the tone to work hard and commit to a plan, and under his wing he had many followers this year who went onto accomplish great things. He was also the driving force behind our USATF Club XC team, and one of the captains at Club Challenge this year.
Performances of the Year, as always, were tough to decide. There were some truly incredible performances, and any one of them would have been deserving. The Top Male Performance went to Ed Aramayo's 3:56.99 1500m at the Loyola/Hopkins Meet way back in April. Ed had an amazing stretch of track racing this year, getting under 2 minutes in the 800 (1:58) and 4 minutes in the 1500, but really pulled out the stops at the 33rd St Track when he broke 3:57. Among the other performances considered were Conrad's 15:09 5k, Brennan's 32:59 10k, Dusty's 51:53 10 mile, and Steve's 1:12:51 half.
For the Women, the award went to Christa Wagner's 39:42 Pike's Peek 10k. Christa was a contender for the MVP award, as she set personal bests in every distance she ran. But it was her 10k that stood out among all of them. I ran with her in that race and she executed her race plan to perfection. The other performances that were nominated were: Carly's 4:57 Westminster Mile, Meg McNew's 18:01 5k, Sara B's 1:08:17 Club Challenge, and Meg D's 2:59:44 Marathon win.
I'll add a tab to the spreadsheet with all the awards, but here were a few of the highlights:
Brita Grothe Best Ass Award: Chrissie Ramsey. Chrissie started the petition to reclaim her title last year, and was disappointed when she didn't win. She made sure to work really hard for 2012 to fend off the challengers.
David Letterman Top Ten Award: Brennan Feldhausen. Brennan appears in the Top 10 of all but two road events. The 5 Mile category (which he didn't run and honestly is redundant since I have 8k) and 10 miles. Truly remarkable considering how little he ran this year, largely due to the Orioles' success.
Newcomers of the Year: Tim Burns and Sara Breedlove.
Did I have a Comeback of the Year Award? I can't remember. Shoot, I like that one.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Awards Night Recap
While Awards Night was the highlight of the weekend (and, the year, in my opinion), we did have some race performances that I should have highlighted:
Dave Ploskonka got his revenge on the Hellgate 100k, a race he withdrew from in 2009. The conditions were favorable, but this is a tough race. The race starts at 12:01am, which means the first 7 hours are run in complete darkness. The roads were tough enough to drive through the night, I couldn't imagine having run the trails. Dave moved up steadily through the field during the race, ultimately finishing 11th overall and 9th male in 13:11:16. Alyssa Godesky, meanwhile, was racing on the heels of an extremely successful, and long, triathlon season. Unsure of both her ultra fitness, and her trail running skills, she was not sure what to expect. After a pre-race dinner of Wendy's, her stomach was unsettled throughout the first half, and while she didn't look bad, she was uncomfortable. At the mile 42 point, Carly Page joined her for the remainder of the run, and the two laid waste to the competitors in close proximity. From the last aid station (7 miles to go) they passed 4 or 5 runners, including the woman who was in 4th, and put serious time into them. Alyssa's second straight fast finish earned her the "Coffee is for Closers" Award on Sunday night. It also landed her in 4th in 14:32:40.
In other trail racing news, Lisa Ievers tackled her a) first ever trail race and b) first run over a marathon in the Tashka 50k, somewhere in Georgia or Alabama or something. She took a few spills, and absorbed a pretty banged up ankle, but walked away with the W in 5:08:30, well ahead of the next female finisher. Not a bad first attempt!
Out in Washington State, US Club XC Nationals were going on, with men racing 10k and women racing 6k. Cool to see some names of old mixing it up again, along with some newer faces of the sport (including local, Matt Centrowitz, 4th in the men's race). GRC sent a team and had some solid performances. Former Baltimore resident, and dentist, Kyle Smits, ran 35:46 for 299th. Yikes. That would be a top 10 time in a lot of races around here! Julia Webb, expectant mother, ran 21:53 in her race.
The Annapolis Striders put on their Anniversary Run 15k, which PJ Anderer (this year's Ke$ha Award winner) finished 42nd in. And down in DC, Alex Waldt and Baltimore turncoat, Liz Laseter, placed 15th and 6th in their genders, respectively, in 28:25 and 31:01.
That led to this week's Purple Drink Athlete of the Week: Dave Ploskonka, and the NOS Button award went to Alyssa. Carly took home a very well-deserved KC Masterpiece Award.
Then it was onto the 5th Annual Awards Night. Major thanks to Jim, Karen and Pete for obviously all they already do, but particularly for them bringing alligator bits and turducken. It was a great feast! The attendance was great, and I was pretty proud of myself for being marginally better organized for this year. Here's a rundown of a few of our marquee awards:
MVP (M): Dustin Meeker
MVP (F): Denise Knickman
Most Improved (M): Pete Mulligan
Most Improved (F): Alyssa Godesky
Comeback of the Year (M): Kris Simms
Comeback of the Year (F): Chrissie Ramsey
Breakthrough Performer (M): Pat McLoughlin
Breakthrough Performer (F): Diane Heiser
Performance of the Year (M): Joel Gladfelter's 2:51:21 Miami Marathon (17 minute PR)
Performance of the Year (F): Chrissie Ramsey's 1:14:57 Philly Half (1:33 PR, qualifies for Olympic Trials)
And of course, we can't forget about the Brita Grothe Best Ass Award, which went to New Becky Parks, who also won some other awards, like the Ed Aramayo First Loser Award, and a few other awards involving whining.
Dave Ploskonka got his revenge on the Hellgate 100k, a race he withdrew from in 2009. The conditions were favorable, but this is a tough race. The race starts at 12:01am, which means the first 7 hours are run in complete darkness. The roads were tough enough to drive through the night, I couldn't imagine having run the trails. Dave moved up steadily through the field during the race, ultimately finishing 11th overall and 9th male in 13:11:16. Alyssa Godesky, meanwhile, was racing on the heels of an extremely successful, and long, triathlon season. Unsure of both her ultra fitness, and her trail running skills, she was not sure what to expect. After a pre-race dinner of Wendy's, her stomach was unsettled throughout the first half, and while she didn't look bad, she was uncomfortable. At the mile 42 point, Carly Page joined her for the remainder of the run, and the two laid waste to the competitors in close proximity. From the last aid station (7 miles to go) they passed 4 or 5 runners, including the woman who was in 4th, and put serious time into them. Alyssa's second straight fast finish earned her the "Coffee is for Closers" Award on Sunday night. It also landed her in 4th in 14:32:40.
In other trail racing news, Lisa Ievers tackled her a) first ever trail race and b) first run over a marathon in the Tashka 50k, somewhere in Georgia or Alabama or something. She took a few spills, and absorbed a pretty banged up ankle, but walked away with the W in 5:08:30, well ahead of the next female finisher. Not a bad first attempt!
Out in Washington State, US Club XC Nationals were going on, with men racing 10k and women racing 6k. Cool to see some names of old mixing it up again, along with some newer faces of the sport (including local, Matt Centrowitz, 4th in the men's race). GRC sent a team and had some solid performances. Former Baltimore resident, and dentist, Kyle Smits, ran 35:46 for 299th. Yikes. That would be a top 10 time in a lot of races around here! Julia Webb, expectant mother, ran 21:53 in her race.
The Annapolis Striders put on their Anniversary Run 15k, which PJ Anderer (this year's Ke$ha Award winner) finished 42nd in. And down in DC, Alex Waldt and Baltimore turncoat, Liz Laseter, placed 15th and 6th in their genders, respectively, in 28:25 and 31:01.
That led to this week's Purple Drink Athlete of the Week: Dave Ploskonka, and the NOS Button award went to Alyssa. Carly took home a very well-deserved KC Masterpiece Award.
Then it was onto the 5th Annual Awards Night. Major thanks to Jim, Karen and Pete for obviously all they already do, but particularly for them bringing alligator bits and turducken. It was a great feast! The attendance was great, and I was pretty proud of myself for being marginally better organized for this year. Here's a rundown of a few of our marquee awards:
MVP (M): Dustin Meeker
MVP (F): Denise Knickman
Most Improved (M): Pete Mulligan
Most Improved (F): Alyssa Godesky
Comeback of the Year (M): Kris Simms
Comeback of the Year (F): Chrissie Ramsey
Breakthrough Performer (M): Pat McLoughlin
Breakthrough Performer (F): Diane Heiser
Performance of the Year (M): Joel Gladfelter's 2:51:21 Miami Marathon (17 minute PR)
Performance of the Year (F): Chrissie Ramsey's 1:14:57 Philly Half (1:33 PR, qualifies for Olympic Trials)
And of course, we can't forget about the Brita Grothe Best Ass Award, which went to New Becky Parks, who also won some other awards, like the Ed Aramayo First Loser Award, and a few other awards involving whining.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
It's About To Go Down
5th Annual AWARDS NIGHT is happening THIS coming Sunday, December 11th, from 5pm, at the Falls Road Running Store. It is one of my favorite nights of the year, a time when we get to praise our success and joke at our misfortunes (mostly mine). Who will bring home some of our favorite awards, such as the Terence Baptiste Lateness Award and the Most Outstanding Performer? Most importantly, which of our favorites will earn the most coveted award: The Brita Grothe Best Ass Award? Find out LIVE Sunday night! The Red Carpet event will be televised on E! starting at 4pm. We'll also be tweeting live with the hashtag #TWSSAwards so if you're watching Fuse TV you can see your tweets come up on the screen.
Here's what to expect, whether you're an Awards Night virgin, or a gristled veteran:
The store is open until 5pm, so you're welcome to arrive a little early, do some shopping, pick up your Celtic Solstice stuff. We'll probably kick things off with a brief meeting of sorts to discuss 2012, singlets, races, that kind of business. This should also allow for those going to/watching the Ravens game to get there. Then we'll get going with awards.
I expect about 40 people to come - so RSVP if you haven't already please!
I'll bring pizzas and sodas, but if you have dietary considerations, you may want to plan to bring something. I'm talking about you, gluten-free people. Eileen will probably prepare some incredibly elaborate-yet-seemingly-simple salad. People often ask, "what can I bring?" I would suggest perhaps a dessert type food, or something that goes well with pizza. However, if someone wants to volunteer to bring plates/napkins, and possibly a thing of plastic forks, that would be very cool. I just feel like I'll forget that, and I don't want to have to leave the BBQ to drive around Catonsville looking for them, only to get a traffic light violation ticket in the mail a month later...
Awards are usually wrapped up around 7pm, maybe just after. Also if you feel like bringing adult beverages, go ahead! Just be sure to drink responsibly.
And as usual, we will be doing Notecards again! This is where I urge you to update your contact info: email, address, and birthday if I don't already have it. And, of course, 2012 GOALS. These goals can be running related, personal related, whatever - the point is they are YOUR goals. Share with me only what you feel comfortable sharing. I like to know what everyone has planned for next year so we can help you achieve!
See you Sunday!
Here's what to expect, whether you're an Awards Night virgin, or a gristled veteran:
The store is open until 5pm, so you're welcome to arrive a little early, do some shopping, pick up your Celtic Solstice stuff. We'll probably kick things off with a brief meeting of sorts to discuss 2012, singlets, races, that kind of business. This should also allow for those going to/watching the Ravens game to get there. Then we'll get going with awards.
I expect about 40 people to come - so RSVP if you haven't already please!
I'll bring pizzas and sodas, but if you have dietary considerations, you may want to plan to bring something. I'm talking about you, gluten-free people. Eileen will probably prepare some incredibly elaborate-yet-seemingly-simple salad. People often ask, "what can I bring?" I would suggest perhaps a dessert type food, or something that goes well with pizza. However, if someone wants to volunteer to bring plates/napkins, and possibly a thing of plastic forks, that would be very cool. I just feel like I'll forget that, and I don't want to have to leave the BBQ to drive around Catonsville looking for them, only to get a traffic light violation ticket in the mail a month later...
Awards are usually wrapped up around 7pm, maybe just after. Also if you feel like bringing adult beverages, go ahead! Just be sure to drink responsibly.
And as usual, we will be doing Notecards again! This is where I urge you to update your contact info: email, address, and birthday if I don't already have it. And, of course, 2012 GOALS. These goals can be running related, personal related, whatever - the point is they are YOUR goals. Share with me only what you feel comfortable sharing. I like to know what everyone has planned for next year so we can help you achieve!
See you Sunday!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Rock of Ages
That seemed to be the theme of the weekend, with Dallas "Run the Rock" Marathon and Las Vegas "Is This Really A" Marathon, or is it a party?
In local racing, Dan Miranda and Eileen Fleck took respective wins at the Jingle Bell 5k in Ellicott City. Dan ran 16:43, a good 40 seconds up on 2nd place, and Eileen ran 19:12. That's Eileen's 3rd 5k victory in a month, and a good end to her all season. For Dan, he it was also a nice little diversion from his last two weekends of racing long stuff.
At Brian's Run 5M, Chrissie Ramsey finished 4th in 28:51, which she said afterwards was the result of her racing stupidly. Obviously not a bad time, but slower than the average pace of her half from two weeks ago. Andy Thivierge, also two weeks off his own big race at Philly, slotted in at 37th in 31:14.
Then it was down to the National Harbor for the Hot Chocolate 5k/15k. Yes, we heard this was an absolutely feces expo, but we'll dismiss that for the time and just mention Christa Wagner's awesome 15k race. She finished 32nd in 1:03:03, which is under 6:50 pace, and a huge result for her.
In Palm Beach, Lee DiPietro returned to the site of some of her lifetimes palmares, as she finished 2nd at the Marathon of the Palms in 3:18:09. Apparently it was a challenging day down there, with wind over 20mph and temps in the mid 70s.
At Dallas White Rock Marathon, PJ Anderer rocked a 28 minute PR, running 3:35:38. His plan was to go out with the 3:30 group, but that plan was scratched when there WAS no 3:30 group, just a 3:25. He knew by going out with them it could be a suicide mission, but he threw caution to the wind (which there was a lot of in TX) and took off guns-a-blazing. Threw the half in 1:41:30, he was well ahead of pace until 17, when the 3:25 group caught and passed him. The last 5 miles were a grind, but he got it done, and was rewarded with a great new PR.
In nighttime action, David Lee took on the Las Vegas Marathon. This year's race started at 4pm, with the half starting at 5:30pm, and the newly designed course kept runners closer to the action, rather than taking them out to the desert. David started out hot, keeping the 3:10 goal in sight through the half, but around 20 he must have been feeling it, as his pace slowed. He was able to pull it back though, and finish at 3:23:43, a 1 minute PR for him.
Great job everyone, nice to see marathon season was extended by a week. And for our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week - PJ Anderer - it was a great end to a year he went into with no expectations!
Tomorrow some people will be hitting the track for various workouts. We are relabeling TNT as "WTW" or Winter Track Warriors for the time being. 6:30pm still the meeting time. Ed will be doing shorter stuff to get his turnover going ahead of his indoor race this weekend, while Tristram appears to be doing 1mi-3mi-1mi.
AWARDS NIGHT is Sunday, 5pm, Falls Road Running Store. If you haven't RSVP'd, please do so!
In local racing, Dan Miranda and Eileen Fleck took respective wins at the Jingle Bell 5k in Ellicott City. Dan ran 16:43, a good 40 seconds up on 2nd place, and Eileen ran 19:12. That's Eileen's 3rd 5k victory in a month, and a good end to her all season. For Dan, he it was also a nice little diversion from his last two weekends of racing long stuff.
At Brian's Run 5M, Chrissie Ramsey finished 4th in 28:51, which she said afterwards was the result of her racing stupidly. Obviously not a bad time, but slower than the average pace of her half from two weeks ago. Andy Thivierge, also two weeks off his own big race at Philly, slotted in at 37th in 31:14.
Then it was down to the National Harbor for the Hot Chocolate 5k/15k. Yes, we heard this was an absolutely feces expo, but we'll dismiss that for the time and just mention Christa Wagner's awesome 15k race. She finished 32nd in 1:03:03, which is under 6:50 pace, and a huge result for her.
In Palm Beach, Lee DiPietro returned to the site of some of her lifetimes palmares, as she finished 2nd at the Marathon of the Palms in 3:18:09. Apparently it was a challenging day down there, with wind over 20mph and temps in the mid 70s.
At Dallas White Rock Marathon, PJ Anderer rocked a 28 minute PR, running 3:35:38. His plan was to go out with the 3:30 group, but that plan was scratched when there WAS no 3:30 group, just a 3:25. He knew by going out with them it could be a suicide mission, but he threw caution to the wind (which there was a lot of in TX) and took off guns-a-blazing. Threw the half in 1:41:30, he was well ahead of pace until 17, when the 3:25 group caught and passed him. The last 5 miles were a grind, but he got it done, and was rewarded with a great new PR.
In nighttime action, David Lee took on the Las Vegas Marathon. This year's race started at 4pm, with the half starting at 5:30pm, and the newly designed course kept runners closer to the action, rather than taking them out to the desert. David started out hot, keeping the 3:10 goal in sight through the half, but around 20 he must have been feeling it, as his pace slowed. He was able to pull it back though, and finish at 3:23:43, a 1 minute PR for him.
Great job everyone, nice to see marathon season was extended by a week. And for our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week - PJ Anderer - it was a great end to a year he went into with no expectations!
Tomorrow some people will be hitting the track for various workouts. We are relabeling TNT as "WTW" or Winter Track Warriors for the time being. 6:30pm still the meeting time. Ed will be doing shorter stuff to get his turnover going ahead of his indoor race this weekend, while Tristram appears to be doing 1mi-3mi-1mi.
AWARDS NIGHT is Sunday, 5pm, Falls Road Running Store. If you haven't RSVP'd, please do so!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Input Needed
Time to make democracy work for YOU!
We need some input on the following things, you are welcome to put your thoughts in the comments, or shoot me an email:
1. Awards Night, Sunday, December 11th, at Falls Road Running Store. The past few years we have always held this event on this Sunday, at the Store, and we provide pizza and drinks and stuff. The Ravens play at 1pm that day (at home), I know the World Champion Packers play at 4:15. We usually hold this event at 5pm, when the store closes, and it lasts about 2 hours. I always try to accommodate the most number of people, but also realize that it's never going to work for everyone. Let me know whether you're able to make it or not so I have an accurate head count.
1a. On the subject of Awards Night, if you have any cool stories from your year of training or racing that you would like to remind me of, OR you have a story about one of your teammates that I should not forget, tell me! Additionally, if you want to nominate anyone for an award, do that too.
2. Singlets. We need to get new ones. We have tossed around a number of ideas, but we are looking to get something that is more unified. The ones we have now are a mish-mash of colors and brands. The things we need to discuss are what kind do we want to get, paying for them, design. So put on your thinking caps.
3. Weekend Long Runs Through Winter. It makes it much easier to get through the winter with scheduled long runs to look forward to. Obviously not all of us run the same distances, or speeds, but we are trying to come up with a meeting place each week, and then a route of 12-14 miles that everyone would know ahead of time, and then ways to add on for those who need to go longer. We'll probably organize one, maybe two trips down to Club Challenge course, and rotate a few other meeting spots.
4. CHERRY BLOSSOM lottery is open. This isn't typically a race any of us gets particularly pumped for, other than Zero (#8 straight!), but if you're planning on doing this one, let me know and maybe I'll enter a team if we have enough!
We need some input on the following things, you are welcome to put your thoughts in the comments, or shoot me an email:
1. Awards Night, Sunday, December 11th, at Falls Road Running Store. The past few years we have always held this event on this Sunday, at the Store, and we provide pizza and drinks and stuff. The Ravens play at 1pm that day (at home), I know the World Champion Packers play at 4:15. We usually hold this event at 5pm, when the store closes, and it lasts about 2 hours. I always try to accommodate the most number of people, but also realize that it's never going to work for everyone. Let me know whether you're able to make it or not so I have an accurate head count.
1a. On the subject of Awards Night, if you have any cool stories from your year of training or racing that you would like to remind me of, OR you have a story about one of your teammates that I should not forget, tell me! Additionally, if you want to nominate anyone for an award, do that too.
2. Singlets. We need to get new ones. We have tossed around a number of ideas, but we are looking to get something that is more unified. The ones we have now are a mish-mash of colors and brands. The things we need to discuss are what kind do we want to get, paying for them, design. So put on your thinking caps.
3. Weekend Long Runs Through Winter. It makes it much easier to get through the winter with scheduled long runs to look forward to. Obviously not all of us run the same distances, or speeds, but we are trying to come up with a meeting place each week, and then a route of 12-14 miles that everyone would know ahead of time, and then ways to add on for those who need to go longer. We'll probably organize one, maybe two trips down to Club Challenge course, and rotate a few other meeting spots.
4. CHERRY BLOSSOM lottery is open. This isn't typically a race any of us gets particularly pumped for, other than Zero (#8 straight!), but if you're planning on doing this one, let me know and maybe I'll enter a team if we have enough!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Some Cut
I probably should have just included last weekend's race results in with this weekend's, at this point, but I want everyone from last week to have their moment in the snow.
USATF Club XC Championships were held in Charlotte, and we had a few folks compete down there. In the men's open, Ben Ingram finished 268th in 34:18. Good time for this time of year and considering his light training of late. Julia Webb was 52nd in the women's open (6k) in 21:14. We were hoping she'd make it out here this weekend for CS, but alas she is back in Oregon. In the men's 45-49 race, Thomas Stewart was 60th in 39:14, and in the men's 50-54, Dave Berardi was 30th at 37:11.
In the Rocket City Marathon, Lisa Ievers went BIG. 3:17:17 for 8th place woman. That's a 4.5 minute personal best, and she did this with a nagging side stitch from mile 1, which caused her to stop and try to walk it out a few times. Impressive!
At the Magnus Gluteus Maximus 50k, Alyssa Godesky found herself passing what she thought to be the 2nd place girl late in the race, only to get re-passed by what she thought was the first person. Turns out it was the 1st girl, who had gone off course. They ran it in together and Alyssa did the sportsmanlike thing and didn't contest the win.
Following the terrific, 3rd Annual Christgiving celebration, a few people were in action on Sunday. Dustin Meeker and Alex Battaglino left at the ungodly hour of 5:30am to race the ungodly early 7:30am Jingle All the Way 10k. Dusty finished 5th in 33:21, a season best. Alex, meanwhile had stayed out at Festivus until midnight and consumed a number of adult beverages from what I saw. His time of 33:42 for 8th was made more impressive by that fact.
At the Baltimore Jingle Bell 5k, Joel Gladfelter finished 2nd in 17:39. Joel has really had a terrific year, this was race #19 for him. Megan DiGregorio was 3rd for the ladies in 20:14, and apparently after a picture of her racing in her new Asics Noosa shoes was sent to the Asics guy, she received some real cool swag this week!
And our final competitor, who didn't even mention his race at Awards Night MMX, Mellow Mike Baudendistel finished 5th in 59:05. That's on 10 mile PR pace for Mike and great news for Club Challenge in a few months. It also earned him his first Purple Drink Athlete of the Week award for the year.
I would be remiss to not mention some of the highlights of Awards Night MMX as well, which included our Most Outstanding Performers: Ed Aramayo and Megan McNew; our Performances of the Year: Alyssa Godesky's 21h42m Old Dominion 100 miler and Dave Ploskonka's 16h19m 100 mile victory; Most Improved: Pat McLoughlin and Melissa Majumdar; Comeback of the Year: Denise Knickman and Joel Gladfelter and Coach's Award: Eileen Fleck.
There was lots of funny stories told, and we had probably our largest group to date. The 12 pizzas I ordered were about 5 too many. Thanks to Falls Road for hosting, and thanks to all you guys for the incredibly unnecessary gift - I appreciate it!
Up ahead this weekend of course is Celtic Solstice, so I expect some great performances here, presuming the course is not re-directed due to road conditions.
USATF Club XC Championships were held in Charlotte, and we had a few folks compete down there. In the men's open, Ben Ingram finished 268th in 34:18. Good time for this time of year and considering his light training of late. Julia Webb was 52nd in the women's open (6k) in 21:14. We were hoping she'd make it out here this weekend for CS, but alas she is back in Oregon. In the men's 45-49 race, Thomas Stewart was 60th in 39:14, and in the men's 50-54, Dave Berardi was 30th at 37:11.
In the Rocket City Marathon, Lisa Ievers went BIG. 3:17:17 for 8th place woman. That's a 4.5 minute personal best, and she did this with a nagging side stitch from mile 1, which caused her to stop and try to walk it out a few times. Impressive!
At the Magnus Gluteus Maximus 50k, Alyssa Godesky found herself passing what she thought to be the 2nd place girl late in the race, only to get re-passed by what she thought was the first person. Turns out it was the 1st girl, who had gone off course. They ran it in together and Alyssa did the sportsmanlike thing and didn't contest the win.
Following the terrific, 3rd Annual Christgiving celebration, a few people were in action on Sunday. Dustin Meeker and Alex Battaglino left at the ungodly hour of 5:30am to race the ungodly early 7:30am Jingle All the Way 10k. Dusty finished 5th in 33:21, a season best. Alex, meanwhile had stayed out at Festivus until midnight and consumed a number of adult beverages from what I saw. His time of 33:42 for 8th was made more impressive by that fact.
At the Baltimore Jingle Bell 5k, Joel Gladfelter finished 2nd in 17:39. Joel has really had a terrific year, this was race #19 for him. Megan DiGregorio was 3rd for the ladies in 20:14, and apparently after a picture of her racing in her new Asics Noosa shoes was sent to the Asics guy, she received some real cool swag this week!
And our final competitor, who didn't even mention his race at Awards Night MMX, Mellow Mike Baudendistel finished 5th in 59:05. That's on 10 mile PR pace for Mike and great news for Club Challenge in a few months. It also earned him his first Purple Drink Athlete of the Week award for the year.
I would be remiss to not mention some of the highlights of Awards Night MMX as well, which included our Most Outstanding Performers: Ed Aramayo and Megan McNew; our Performances of the Year: Alyssa Godesky's 21h42m Old Dominion 100 miler and Dave Ploskonka's 16h19m 100 mile victory; Most Improved: Pat McLoughlin and Melissa Majumdar; Comeback of the Year: Denise Knickman and Joel Gladfelter and Coach's Award: Eileen Fleck.
There was lots of funny stories told, and we had probably our largest group to date. The 12 pizzas I ordered were about 5 too many. Thanks to Falls Road for hosting, and thanks to all you guys for the incredibly unnecessary gift - I appreciate it!
Up ahead this weekend of course is Celtic Solstice, so I expect some great performances here, presuming the course is not re-directed due to road conditions.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Our Rain Never Evaporates
Fairly quiet weekend on the racing front (this past weekend) but a solid one nevertheless, with a huge half marathon PR, and a 1-2 finish at a 5k...
Alex Battaglino and Ed Aramayo raced under pseudonyms at the Jingle Bell 5k in Columbia. The pair ran together and separated themselves from the rest. Ultimately, Alex took the win in 16:28 with Ed at 16:30.
Doug "the Ripper" Ripley finished 9th at the Frozen Slopes 6k at Derwood. To run 28:35 for 6k means either it was incredibly, incredibly difficult, or very long.
And our final runner of the weekend, and our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week, was Joel Gladfelter. He ran the low key yet randomly competitive Nittany Valley Half on Sunday, and recorded a PR (1:24:08, previous best was 1:26:48). He finished 21st.
As you are all aware by now, this weekend is a super busy weekend of fun and festivities!
Saturday morning - if anyone is available to help out in the morning at the Fells Point Figgy Pudding 5k, please let me know. I think right now I have 3 or 4 people able to help, but could use 2 more. The race starts at 9am at the end of Broadway square, so if you could be there by 8:30 that would be awesome. Should be done by 10:30 and have you on your way.
Saturday evening - Christgiving at the Majumdar's! Followed by Festivus.
Sunday evening - Awards Night MMX at Falls Road Running Store. I've gotten RSVPs from a good number of folks now. As always, I will be passing out index cards. You know the drill. It's not for me, obviously, but rather for you. I just hold onto them until the next year. Also it's a good chance for me to update information such as DOBs, addresses and emergency contact info, as it (believe it or not) comes in handy every once in a while.
Alex Battaglino and Ed Aramayo raced under pseudonyms at the Jingle Bell 5k in Columbia. The pair ran together and separated themselves from the rest. Ultimately, Alex took the win in 16:28 with Ed at 16:30.
Doug "the Ripper" Ripley finished 9th at the Frozen Slopes 6k at Derwood. To run 28:35 for 6k means either it was incredibly, incredibly difficult, or very long.
And our final runner of the weekend, and our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week, was Joel Gladfelter. He ran the low key yet randomly competitive Nittany Valley Half on Sunday, and recorded a PR (1:24:08, previous best was 1:26:48). He finished 21st.
As you are all aware by now, this weekend is a super busy weekend of fun and festivities!
Saturday morning - if anyone is available to help out in the morning at the Fells Point Figgy Pudding 5k, please let me know. I think right now I have 3 or 4 people able to help, but could use 2 more. The race starts at 9am at the end of Broadway square, so if you could be there by 8:30 that would be awesome. Should be done by 10:30 and have you on your way.
Saturday evening - Christgiving at the Majumdar's! Followed by Festivus.
Sunday evening - Awards Night MMX at Falls Road Running Store. I've gotten RSVPs from a good number of folks now. As always, I will be passing out index cards. You know the drill. It's not for me, obviously, but rather for you. I just hold onto them until the next year. Also it's a good chance for me to update information such as DOBs, addresses and emergency contact info, as it (believe it or not) comes in handy every once in a while.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
We Fly High
So high, you KNOW this...
What a weekend! As per usual, we had a few champions. Dusty Meeker won the Annapolis Cold Turkey 10k, running a 33:43 solo, while Alex Battaglino won the Towson Turkey Run "5k" in 14:54.
Also running the Cold Turkey race were Erik Westlund (7th, 37:31) and Jared Jaskot (22nd, 40:46).
In the Philly Marathon, Andrew Beef Jaffe was 57th in 2:43:28, while John Eisenhardt finished in 3:28:25. Patty Sweeney-Stott ran the half there and clocked a 1:53:44.
But the weekend's big race was Ford Ironman Arizona. As many of you have heard, I, Ryan McGrath, did in fact race there. The conditions were challenging for all and I noticed a good number of people crashed out on the bike course when the winds and rain were whipping. But our very own Clairebear Lears was a true champion out there, gritting it out on the bike. Her swim was unreal - way quicker than I ever thought she would swim, and her run was a blazing 4:35. Total time was 13:35:56, and we were super proud of her strong finish.
This earned Claire the honor of Purple Drink Athlete of the Week!
I'm sure there are many people in racing action this weekend, but since a bunch of the races are taking place outside my normal realm of race results searching, I'll need some help - so if you race, you gotta let me know!
Finally, if you haven't responded to Arjun or Melissa re: Christgiving at their house (Sat 12/11) please let them know if you're going and what you plan on bringing. That weekend is a big one for activities, as Awards Night MMX will be that Sunday around 4:30pm at the Falls Road Running Store.
What a weekend! As per usual, we had a few champions. Dusty Meeker won the Annapolis Cold Turkey 10k, running a 33:43 solo, while Alex Battaglino won the Towson Turkey Run "5k" in 14:54.
Also running the Cold Turkey race were Erik Westlund (7th, 37:31) and Jared Jaskot (22nd, 40:46).
In the Philly Marathon, Andrew Beef Jaffe was 57th in 2:43:28, while John Eisenhardt finished in 3:28:25. Patty Sweeney-Stott ran the half there and clocked a 1:53:44.
But the weekend's big race was Ford Ironman Arizona. As many of you have heard, I, Ryan McGrath, did in fact race there. The conditions were challenging for all and I noticed a good number of people crashed out on the bike course when the winds and rain were whipping. But our very own Clairebear Lears was a true champion out there, gritting it out on the bike. Her swim was unreal - way quicker than I ever thought she would swim, and her run was a blazing 4:35. Total time was 13:35:56, and we were super proud of her strong finish.
This earned Claire the honor of Purple Drink Athlete of the Week!
I'm sure there are many people in racing action this weekend, but since a bunch of the races are taking place outside my normal realm of race results searching, I'll need some help - so if you race, you gotta let me know!
Finally, if you haven't responded to Arjun or Melissa re: Christgiving at their house (Sat 12/11) please let them know if you're going and what you plan on bringing. That weekend is a big one for activities, as Awards Night MMX will be that Sunday around 4:30pm at the Falls Road Running Store.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I Put On For My City
I already put in the results from Richmond, but didn't give shoutouts to the other weekend performances.
It was the last time Clearwater, FL, would play host to the Half Ironman World Championships. Spider Sillery qualified for the third year in the row, and this would be the first year he'd be healthy enough to complete the race. Finally able to run a little bit, he showed he still has some wheels, running a 1:19:07 and overcoming his 4min draft penalty to finish in 4:11:56.
In Columbus, GA, Lisa Ievers dropped her half marathon PR like it was HOT, running a 1:32:39 (2.5min PR) and finishing 4th overall. Lisa has now accomplished all of her 2010 goals - great work!
Sunday was the Metric Marathon in Columbia, the first time in 3 years the event would actually even be held (past two years were weathered out). Mellow Mike Baudendistel was running the longest race he's ever run, and when that's the case you hope it's not long - but due to a missed turn, he and a group of a few others tacked on about a quarter mile to the 16.3 mile course. Alyssa Godesky finished 11th F, and ran way faster than she thought she would, thanks in part to the company provided by Carly and Jen. The trio, who also performed as Josie and the Pussycats on Halloween, must have looked quite the sight on Alyssa's little hipster bike, running and/or riding alongside her.
Will Knox finished 5th in 17:58 at the Dustin Bauer Memorial 5k at Oregon Ridge, and Tristram Thomas showed he's able to get into shape seriously fast, as he was 14th at the Outer Banks Half Marathon in 1:15:45.
The Purple Drink Athlete of the Week honors went to Melissa Majumdar, for her bold run at the marathon, going for the dough!
I know many are in racing action this weekend, but I think a bunch are out of town races - so if this pertains to you, please drop me an email after your race to let me know the result/name.
AWARDS NIGHT MMX: I threw out a couple of possible dates and heard back from a small number of you. It appears as if those who got back to me have trouble with the Tuesday dates, so as of right now we will plan on holding this year's Awards Night on Sunday, December 12. I've just got to confirm we can host at the store, in which case it would be around 4:30/5pm.
It was the last time Clearwater, FL, would play host to the Half Ironman World Championships. Spider Sillery qualified for the third year in the row, and this would be the first year he'd be healthy enough to complete the race. Finally able to run a little bit, he showed he still has some wheels, running a 1:19:07 and overcoming his 4min draft penalty to finish in 4:11:56.
In Columbus, GA, Lisa Ievers dropped her half marathon PR like it was HOT, running a 1:32:39 (2.5min PR) and finishing 4th overall. Lisa has now accomplished all of her 2010 goals - great work!
Sunday was the Metric Marathon in Columbia, the first time in 3 years the event would actually even be held (past two years were weathered out). Mellow Mike Baudendistel was running the longest race he's ever run, and when that's the case you hope it's not long - but due to a missed turn, he and a group of a few others tacked on about a quarter mile to the 16.3 mile course. Alyssa Godesky finished 11th F, and ran way faster than she thought she would, thanks in part to the company provided by Carly and Jen. The trio, who also performed as Josie and the Pussycats on Halloween, must have looked quite the sight on Alyssa's little hipster bike, running and/or riding alongside her.
Will Knox finished 5th in 17:58 at the Dustin Bauer Memorial 5k at Oregon Ridge, and Tristram Thomas showed he's able to get into shape seriously fast, as he was 14th at the Outer Banks Half Marathon in 1:15:45.
The Purple Drink Athlete of the Week honors went to Melissa Majumdar, for her bold run at the marathon, going for the dough!
I know many are in racing action this weekend, but I think a bunch are out of town races - so if this pertains to you, please drop me an email after your race to let me know the result/name.
AWARDS NIGHT MMX: I threw out a couple of possible dates and heard back from a small number of you. It appears as if those who got back to me have trouble with the Tuesday dates, so as of right now we will plan on holding this year's Awards Night on Sunday, December 12. I've just got to confirm we can host at the store, in which case it would be around 4:30/5pm.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Take a Dirty Picture
Oh....snap
Not a lot by way of racing this past weekend, Crossroads at 95 Challenge featured Megan DiGregorio taking 4th and Denise Knickman taking 6th; Scarecrow Classic 5k saw Louis Foudos take 2nd in 18:26.
On the Emerald Isle, Tom "Scott" Stott was racing his first ever marathon, the adidas Dublin Marathon (actually the marathon is sponsored by Lifestyle, not sure if that's the condom manufacturer or what). Based on the splits, it looked like a challenging run for Tommy Boy today, hitting the half in a reasonable 1:33:57, but that 2nd half humbles us all. Nevertheless, he finished up at 3:34:16. Been there. His wife Patty, however, killed it, running 4:16:03 - way faster than her goal of 4:30! Jan Cook, in his 2nd marathon in two weekends, ran 4:48, and I'm sure he drank mad Guinesses en route.
Claire Lears performed very well at the Pumpkinman Triathlon (half iron) in Vegas. She had one of her best swims ever, and followed the bike with a terrific run. Looks like the bike leg was mad hard.
Army Ten Miler was the big race of the weekend, and Ed Aramayo held it down. He's run a lot this year, and nailed some PRs along the way in the 5k and 8k. Recent workouts suggested he was in shape for a monster performance, and he didn't disappoint. With another year of tremendous weather (seriously, it was gorgeous down in DC), Ed ran a sensible first mile (5:19) and then came through 5 in 26:44. After another 5:19 mile 6, he said miles 7, 8 and 9 were tough. He held on though, and finished 42nd in 54:10, a mere 5 seconds slower than what Ben ran there last year. Joel Brusewitz completely surprised me with his 1:00:11. I feel like he's the type that could not run for a year and then drop a 58, but I also felt there was no way he would run under 1:02. Well, I was wrong. 5:35 first mile, settled in, ended up averaging 6:01. Great job Joel! Dave Ploskonka ran 1:08:28, not bad for not doing any speedwork! Final competitor was Sara J. Spears, who somehow ran a 1:22:29 PR. It was 5 minutes faster than she ran there last year and I think a 2 minute distance PR. Truly great work.
Since I'm an idiot, and haven't been checking my work lately, I realized I forgot to let you know who the Purple Drink Athlete of the Week is in the email. So in case you didn't guess, Cheese earned it this week.
We've got a lot of miscellaneous stuff this week, so read the bullet points:
1) TNT - tomorrow will be RELAY night at the track. It will also be our last "official" track practice for the season. I'll probably keep going for a few more weeks, but workouts will be unstructured.
2) Awards Night MMX - I'd like to start planning this. Tentatively, since Celtic Solstice takes place on Saturday December 18, I think that works out well to do awards following the run. Maybe not right after, but in the afternoon or something. Keep you posted.
3) Miami 2k11 - I also need to start planning, so if you're interested in going, please let me know sooner than later.
4) Celtic Solstice - race is filling up, if you intend on racing, sign up! Whether you plan on racing or not, this race always needs lots of volunteers, so let Jim know if you can help out.
5) Final order of business is Sunday Long Run, Halloween edition. I've received two emails back thus far so I'll make sure to post by Weds or Thurs the plans for the weekend.
Not a lot by way of racing this past weekend, Crossroads at 95 Challenge featured Megan DiGregorio taking 4th and Denise Knickman taking 6th; Scarecrow Classic 5k saw Louis Foudos take 2nd in 18:26.
On the Emerald Isle, Tom "Scott" Stott was racing his first ever marathon, the adidas Dublin Marathon (actually the marathon is sponsored by Lifestyle, not sure if that's the condom manufacturer or what). Based on the splits, it looked like a challenging run for Tommy Boy today, hitting the half in a reasonable 1:33:57, but that 2nd half humbles us all. Nevertheless, he finished up at 3:34:16. Been there. His wife Patty, however, killed it, running 4:16:03 - way faster than her goal of 4:30! Jan Cook, in his 2nd marathon in two weekends, ran 4:48, and I'm sure he drank mad Guinesses en route.
Claire Lears performed very well at the Pumpkinman Triathlon (half iron) in Vegas. She had one of her best swims ever, and followed the bike with a terrific run. Looks like the bike leg was mad hard.
Army Ten Miler was the big race of the weekend, and Ed Aramayo held it down. He's run a lot this year, and nailed some PRs along the way in the 5k and 8k. Recent workouts suggested he was in shape for a monster performance, and he didn't disappoint. With another year of tremendous weather (seriously, it was gorgeous down in DC), Ed ran a sensible first mile (5:19) and then came through 5 in 26:44. After another 5:19 mile 6, he said miles 7, 8 and 9 were tough. He held on though, and finished 42nd in 54:10, a mere 5 seconds slower than what Ben ran there last year. Joel Brusewitz completely surprised me with his 1:00:11. I feel like he's the type that could not run for a year and then drop a 58, but I also felt there was no way he would run under 1:02. Well, I was wrong. 5:35 first mile, settled in, ended up averaging 6:01. Great job Joel! Dave Ploskonka ran 1:08:28, not bad for not doing any speedwork! Final competitor was Sara J. Spears, who somehow ran a 1:22:29 PR. It was 5 minutes faster than she ran there last year and I think a 2 minute distance PR. Truly great work.
Since I'm an idiot, and haven't been checking my work lately, I realized I forgot to let you know who the Purple Drink Athlete of the Week is in the email. So in case you didn't guess, Cheese earned it this week.
We've got a lot of miscellaneous stuff this week, so read the bullet points:
1) TNT - tomorrow will be RELAY night at the track. It will also be our last "official" track practice for the season. I'll probably keep going for a few more weeks, but workouts will be unstructured.
2) Awards Night MMX - I'd like to start planning this. Tentatively, since Celtic Solstice takes place on Saturday December 18, I think that works out well to do awards following the run. Maybe not right after, but in the afternoon or something. Keep you posted.
3) Miami 2k11 - I also need to start planning, so if you're interested in going, please let me know sooner than later.
4) Celtic Solstice - race is filling up, if you intend on racing, sign up! Whether you plan on racing or not, this race always needs lots of volunteers, so let Jim know if you can help out.
5) Final order of business is Sunday Long Run, Halloween edition. I've received two emails back thus far so I'll make sure to post by Weds or Thurs the plans for the weekend.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Awards Night 2k9
OFFICIAL
Sunday, December 13, 2009
5:00 - 7:00pm
Falls Road Running Store
The store closes at 5 and that's when we'll meet. If you are running Celtic Solstice, you'll be able to pick up your stuff at that time. You'll also be able to make purchases for much needed things!
As I have mentioned no fewer than 5 times, I will be acquiring a large number of pizzas for us on which to dine. I will also bring a few soft drink type bevs. However, it may be nice to bring things such as desserts, or, as Eileen mentioned, a salad. It would also be dope if someone was in charge of bringing paper plates, napkins, and forks probably. I have some here that I'll bring but if one person wants to say AYE that would be aiight.
Just be sure to RSVP either by email or comments below if you haven't already. It's going to be super awesome this year.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
5:00 - 7:00pm
Falls Road Running Store
The store closes at 5 and that's when we'll meet. If you are running Celtic Solstice, you'll be able to pick up your stuff at that time. You'll also be able to make purchases for much needed things!
As I have mentioned no fewer than 5 times, I will be acquiring a large number of pizzas for us on which to dine. I will also bring a few soft drink type bevs. However, it may be nice to bring things such as desserts, or, as Eileen mentioned, a salad. It would also be dope if someone was in charge of bringing paper plates, napkins, and forks probably. I have some here that I'll bring but if one person wants to say AYE that would be aiight.
Just be sure to RSVP either by email or comments below if you haven't already. It's going to be super awesome this year.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Jumpin' Jumpin'
I realized I technically forgot to do a wrap-up post after last weekend's monster weekend. But you all saw the results and should have known that the Purple Drink Athlete of the Week went to Mike Zero for his incredible performance at Ironman Arizona.
This week featured a number of Turkey Trots, so here's what happened:
Laurel Turkey Trot 5k: Brennan has made this event a ritual for his Thanksgiving celebration. He continued his winning ways here and set a course record at 16:52.
Bethesda Turkey Chase 10k: Jake Marren was 18th in 34:59 and Dr. J took 13th in 40:24.
Way Station 5k: OJ Keller returned to racing (as Derek Cougar) and finished 18th in 18:12.
Home Run for Homeless 4M: T. Baptiste has been killing it lately; he took 16th here in 22:24.
Pallatine Turkey Trot 5M: The Majumdars raced in their first race together, and both did pretty well despite some recent setbacks. Arjun ran his ass off to finish under 30 minutes and Melissa thought she might have won but really got 5th.
NCR Trail Marathon: Pete Mulligan, just one week removed from his JFK 50 Miler PR, took on Maryland's most boring marathon. He ran 4:42 and said his legs were dead and he shouldn't have done it. But he did and he's a baller.
Navesink Challenge 15k: Kevin McGrath loves racing these days and tackled these very hilly race at home in NJ. I think he finished around 1:15.
Purple Drink Athlete of the Week: As I mentioned in the email, sometimes this award goes to a person just for getting back out there - and that's why it was awarded to Arjun Majumdar!
As we have finally hit December (and happy birthday to Becky Parks today!) there aren't many things remaining on the calendar, but there are some important ones! Ben and I will be timing the Figgy Pudding 5k on Saturday, December 12th, in Fells Point. We could use some help for the finish line. And then Sunday, December 13th we are having Awards Night! Make sure you RSVP so I can have an accurate count for the pizza!
Oh and as an FYI, one of the categories on tonight's Jeopardy is definitely "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID"
This week featured a number of Turkey Trots, so here's what happened:
Laurel Turkey Trot 5k: Brennan has made this event a ritual for his Thanksgiving celebration. He continued his winning ways here and set a course record at 16:52.
Bethesda Turkey Chase 10k: Jake Marren was 18th in 34:59 and Dr. J took 13th in 40:24.
Way Station 5k: OJ Keller returned to racing (as Derek Cougar) and finished 18th in 18:12.
Home Run for Homeless 4M: T. Baptiste has been killing it lately; he took 16th here in 22:24.
Pallatine Turkey Trot 5M: The Majumdars raced in their first race together, and both did pretty well despite some recent setbacks. Arjun ran his ass off to finish under 30 minutes and Melissa thought she might have won but really got 5th.
NCR Trail Marathon: Pete Mulligan, just one week removed from his JFK 50 Miler PR, took on Maryland's most boring marathon. He ran 4:42 and said his legs were dead and he shouldn't have done it. But he did and he's a baller.
Navesink Challenge 15k: Kevin McGrath loves racing these days and tackled these very hilly race at home in NJ. I think he finished around 1:15.
Purple Drink Athlete of the Week: As I mentioned in the email, sometimes this award goes to a person just for getting back out there - and that's why it was awarded to Arjun Majumdar!
As we have finally hit December (and happy birthday to Becky Parks today!) there aren't many things remaining on the calendar, but there are some important ones! Ben and I will be timing the Figgy Pudding 5k on Saturday, December 12th, in Fells Point. We could use some help for the finish line. And then Sunday, December 13th we are having Awards Night! Make sure you RSVP so I can have an accurate count for the pizza!
Oh and as an FYI, one of the categories on tonight's Jeopardy is definitely "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID"
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tardy for the Party
First, good luck to our many competitors this weekend. Looking forward to seeing some awesome results!
Second, a couple of odds and ends here:
1) Saturday, December 12th, Figgy Pudding 5k in Fells Point. It looks like the race timing will be provided by Wire to Wire, so it would be very helpful if we could get a few volunteers. It's a 9am start time, so we'd probably just need people from about 8:30am til 10:30am.
2) Awards Night 2k9! Last year we held it at the store on a Tuesday. This year we had discussed possibly holding it on a weekend. I'll probably put up a poll, but I want to get some feedback. Our options are to hold it on a weeknight, maybe a Tuesday or Thursday, or to hold it on Sunday, December 13th. This year's awards night is going to be the best awards night ever. Sound off in the comments with your date preference: Tues 12/8, Thurs 12/10, Sun 12/13, Tues 12/15, Thurs 12/17
Awards Night is where we'll go over some things like winter running schedule, winter races, etc.
Keep in mind Awards Night is for everyone, the content isn't too adult so if you need to bring kids, it's cool (as long as we're at the store, I suppose). We're going to have pizzas or some kind of food provided this year, so it will be imperative I get a headcount prior to the night - so RSVP as soon as I let you know the final date!
Second, a couple of odds and ends here:
1) Saturday, December 12th, Figgy Pudding 5k in Fells Point. It looks like the race timing will be provided by Wire to Wire, so it would be very helpful if we could get a few volunteers. It's a 9am start time, so we'd probably just need people from about 8:30am til 10:30am.
2) Awards Night 2k9! Last year we held it at the store on a Tuesday. This year we had discussed possibly holding it on a weekend. I'll probably put up a poll, but I want to get some feedback. Our options are to hold it on a weeknight, maybe a Tuesday or Thursday, or to hold it on Sunday, December 13th. This year's awards night is going to be the best awards night ever. Sound off in the comments with your date preference: Tues 12/8, Thurs 12/10, Sun 12/13, Tues 12/15, Thurs 12/17
Awards Night is where we'll go over some things like winter running schedule, winter races, etc.
Keep in mind Awards Night is for everyone, the content isn't too adult so if you need to bring kids, it's cool (as long as we're at the store, I suppose). We're going to have pizzas or some kind of food provided this year, so it will be imperative I get a headcount prior to the night - so RSVP as soon as I let you know the final date!
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