The opening May weekend is typically rife with awesome racing action. Some are hitting their peak while others are getting their seasons ramped up, but with good spring conditions, fast courses and good competition - big races abound! Of course we earned it after 3 straight days earlier in the week of the hardest rain I've ever seen!
We kicked things off Friday night down in College Park. For the 6th year I got to head down to the ol' alma mater and "race" the Alumni Mile. And by that I mean I technically covered 1609 meters. We've been fortunate to have terrific weather every year for this event, and it makes for an enjoyable night. The foursome of myself, Conrad Laskowski, Tom Stott and UMD coach Danielle set out at Conrad's easy pace (my race pace) and for two laps, held it together. Then Tom made a move, and the race was on. I got my doors blown off. Conrad was racing Sunday so he kept the effort to a minimum and let Danielle cross the line first. Scott aka Scotty had a solid day running 5:27. I ran 5:32. Ha! It could have been worse I suppose. Denise Knickman ran well, scooting under 6 minutes.
In the actual Terp Twilight Meet, we were treated to some very fast racing from our friends at GRC. They brought a stellar squad and lit up the otherwise quiet track. Our own Chrissie Ramsey took the women's 5000m (field of 3) in a solo 17:04.82.
Saturday was the Fiesta 5k in Baltimore. Dan Miranda suffered an untimely injury in his run-up to Boston, and wasn't able to compete as a result. He's been staying in shape by riding his bike, but went out on Saturday and cruised to a 2nd place finish in 17:42! Evan Burros was 3rd in 18:15 and Cory Donovan, in his 3rd straight weekend of racing, was 7th in 18:33.
In evening action, as evidenced by the photograph two posts down, Andy Sovonick had a great win at the Frederick 5k. He ran 16:31, easily outdistancing 2nd place.
Alyssa Godesky had that Cali swag going at Wildflower, one of triathlon's most iconic events. As I mentioned in the email, this year was a unique situation: due to some serious drought conditions, the normal swim venue was all dried up, forcing the race to migrate a couple of miles away to a lake that had some water left in it. This meant a 1.2 mile swim followed by 2 mile run to get to transition, then the 56 mile challenging bike course. Race organizers didn't want to make the total run mileage 15, so they took 2 miles out of the half marathon at the end, so the final run was about 11 miles. With that lengthy explanation, onto the race. Alyssa posted a half iron swim best (29:12) and rode a strong bike leg. She's a consistent racer and there isn't a weakness in any of her disciplines, so her speedy run put her in 16th in the women's pro field at 5:08:43.
The sun went down and the moon came up, and then the sun rose again and it was Sunday.
Pennsylvania racing was plentiful with Steve Febish covering the Pittsburgh Half course in 1:16:02 and Megan DiGregorio racing in Philly at the Broad Street 10 Miler, crossing in a new personal best of 1:01:34 (and 17th!)
We were expecting some fireworks out in Frederick at the half marathon, with Dave Berdan and Conrad racing, along with a couple of GRCers and a Pacer. In the end it was Dave with a comfortable margin of victory in 1:07:17 - well off his insane 1:05:40 best there, but a great tuneup ahead of Vermont City Marathon. Conrad, racing for the 3rd time in 5 weekends, said he just felt "empty" as he finished up in 4th at 1:10:03. Jon Miller had a big race on the heels of his awesome Pike's Peek last weekend. Jon ran 1:23:24 for 30th place, which I mistakenly announced as a 6 minute PR but he reminded me it was more like 20 seconds or something.
Some big results you might have missed in the box scores: Carly Page ran the Frederick Half Relay with her friend, and they crushed as usual. At the Race for Hope 5k, Terence Baptiste finished 8th in 17:52 and Brennan Feldhausen showed off his fine form as he burnt up the streets of DC, running a 22:07. Angela Vavasori ran an excellent 1:49:12 at the Flying Pig Marathon.
And in multisport action, Christa Wagner was 2nd and Amy Horst was 4th at the Devilman Sprint Duathlon in New Jersey. Chilly, windy conditions down in the flat south Jersey landscape made for a tough bike, but both ladies rolled the runs pretty hard.
So many fine choices but there could only be one Purple Drink Athlete of the Week, and that went to Jon Miller!
Don't forget to check out the post below for Sunday run plans.
Showing posts with label Frederick Half Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frederick Half Marathon. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
PJango Unchained
The P is silent.
As the very, very lengthy email pointed out, this weekend was chock full o' incredible performances. I actually wonder how many times I used the term "incredible" - someone want to check on that for me?
Rather than go through each and every one, I'm going to just do some highlights:
Frederick Half Marathon
Dave Berdan gets the W in a new PR of 1:05:40. Absolutely unreal when you consider his previous best performance came a couple of years ago at PDR (1:05:50) when he later went onto crush the Baltimore Marathon. If you haven't read his race recap, do it. It's really good. Especially the part about fighting the negative thoughts late in the race. Dave had a bogey on his heels the whole day, and then toasted him in the last mile. Great job Dave! Dan Miranda and Ed Jablonski ran the 1:40 and 1:45 pace groups, and Carly Page ran the relay with her friend. Looked like a fun day out in Frederick!
Broad Street 10 Miler
Steve Febish ran 51:50 for 19th place. That is some next level ish. Just two weeks ago Steve dusted off the cobwebs at Pike's Peek, breaking 32 minutes. He had been running for maybe 6 weeks or so following a pretty long period of injury time. The way he whipped himself into shape is nothing short of amazing, and this race is easily a contender for Performance of the Year. I also noticed Rodney Taylor ran, I didn't see his name on the awful results page earlier.
Flying Pig Marathon
PJ Anderer went big, and it paid off. 1:33 through the first half led him to nearly evenly split the race. He finished with a 13 minute PR of 3:07:59 and qualified for his first trip to Boston! PJ is the epitome of what our group is about. He shows up to virtually every run and comes ready to put in work. Everyone sees him working and he encourages and spurs on those around him. It's been a pleasure to watch him improve over the past couple of seasons.
Fiesta 5k
I didn't even realize this was on Saturday, but when I checked the results I saw we took the top spots for men and women, with Dan Miranda getting the overall win (16:39) and Sara Breedlove winning for the ladies in 18:33. It's the fastest she's run since 2002. Sara is another one who hits the track every week and just works hard. Matt Franco was 2nd in 17:01 and Nick Klastava was 8th in 17:51. All 4 are TNT regulars, so it comes as no surprise that TNT works! Sara earned this week's Purple Drink Athlete of the Week.
Port to Fort 6k
Not a whole lot to say about this race, but worth pointing out that Denise Knickman was 3rd after a late night of wine drinking. Jen Sheely continued her reign of 4th place finishes.
Elsewhere, Collin Anderson ran 1:15:33 at the Provo Half Marathon. A truly exceptional performance, he still did get beat (see: crushed) by a 20 year old Mormon girl. In Collin's defense, the race was at 5500' altitude with a net elevation loss of 900', so the course was still slower than it would have been at sea level, even if it was flat.
Ben Ingram rolled the Lincoln Half Marathon, starting at 6:10s and working down to 5:45s to finish in 1:17:31. Kevin and Meghan McGrath represented for TWSS at the Long Branch Half Marathon relay. Dave Ploskonka ran another marathon (at New Jersey) and so did Britt Kern (Pittsburgh).
I missed them in the email, but Patty Stott, at 27 weeks pregnant, ran 27:29 for 5k in DC, and Patrick O'Rourke got the win at the Dulaney Lionheart 5k.
And of course Friday night was the Maryland Alumni Mile, where Greg Jubb took home his first title as an eligible participant, using his massive kick to take down two-time defending champ Conrad Laskowski. Denise also ran here.
As the very, very lengthy email pointed out, this weekend was chock full o' incredible performances. I actually wonder how many times I used the term "incredible" - someone want to check on that for me?
Rather than go through each and every one, I'm going to just do some highlights:
Frederick Half Marathon
Dave Berdan gets the W in a new PR of 1:05:40. Absolutely unreal when you consider his previous best performance came a couple of years ago at PDR (1:05:50) when he later went onto crush the Baltimore Marathon. If you haven't read his race recap, do it. It's really good. Especially the part about fighting the negative thoughts late in the race. Dave had a bogey on his heels the whole day, and then toasted him in the last mile. Great job Dave! Dan Miranda and Ed Jablonski ran the 1:40 and 1:45 pace groups, and Carly Page ran the relay with her friend. Looked like a fun day out in Frederick!
Broad Street 10 Miler
Steve Febish ran 51:50 for 19th place. That is some next level ish. Just two weeks ago Steve dusted off the cobwebs at Pike's Peek, breaking 32 minutes. He had been running for maybe 6 weeks or so following a pretty long period of injury time. The way he whipped himself into shape is nothing short of amazing, and this race is easily a contender for Performance of the Year. I also noticed Rodney Taylor ran, I didn't see his name on the awful results page earlier.
Flying Pig Marathon
PJ Anderer went big, and it paid off. 1:33 through the first half led him to nearly evenly split the race. He finished with a 13 minute PR of 3:07:59 and qualified for his first trip to Boston! PJ is the epitome of what our group is about. He shows up to virtually every run and comes ready to put in work. Everyone sees him working and he encourages and spurs on those around him. It's been a pleasure to watch him improve over the past couple of seasons.
Fiesta 5k
I didn't even realize this was on Saturday, but when I checked the results I saw we took the top spots for men and women, with Dan Miranda getting the overall win (16:39) and Sara Breedlove winning for the ladies in 18:33. It's the fastest she's run since 2002. Sara is another one who hits the track every week and just works hard. Matt Franco was 2nd in 17:01 and Nick Klastava was 8th in 17:51. All 4 are TNT regulars, so it comes as no surprise that TNT works! Sara earned this week's Purple Drink Athlete of the Week.
Port to Fort 6k
Not a whole lot to say about this race, but worth pointing out that Denise Knickman was 3rd after a late night of wine drinking. Jen Sheely continued her reign of 4th place finishes.
Elsewhere, Collin Anderson ran 1:15:33 at the Provo Half Marathon. A truly exceptional performance, he still did get beat (see: crushed) by a 20 year old Mormon girl. In Collin's defense, the race was at 5500' altitude with a net elevation loss of 900', so the course was still slower than it would have been at sea level, even if it was flat.
Ben Ingram rolled the Lincoln Half Marathon, starting at 6:10s and working down to 5:45s to finish in 1:17:31. Kevin and Meghan McGrath represented for TWSS at the Long Branch Half Marathon relay. Dave Ploskonka ran another marathon (at New Jersey) and so did Britt Kern (Pittsburgh).
I missed them in the email, but Patty Stott, at 27 weeks pregnant, ran 27:29 for 5k in DC, and Patrick O'Rourke got the win at the Dulaney Lionheart 5k.
And of course Friday night was the Maryland Alumni Mile, where Greg Jubb took home his first title as an eligible participant, using his massive kick to take down two-time defending champ Conrad Laskowski. Denise also ran here.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Strange Clouds
Last week was one of the busiest of the spring racing weekends, with big events scattered all around the Mid-Atlantic. We were well-represented at them, and had some strong results:
Frederick Half Marathon: Nate Brigham was on the hunt in Frederick, looking for a solid showing ahead of Vermont City Marathon at the end of the month. He finished 3rd, running 1:12:23 - by no means a slouch effort - but was a little disappointed that it wasn't a little faster. Others were real pumped with their races, because they hit major league PRs. Terry Decker ran a 5 minute best en route to a 1:23:50, and Jon Miller was about 2 minutes faster than his at 1:30:22. PJ Anderer recorded a PR with his 1:35:34. On the pacer side, Dan Miranda and Brian Benda rolled the 1:40 group to success, Ed Jablonski guided the 1:45 group, Marci Benda the 1:55 folks, and Sara Damiano the 2:00 group.
On Saturday, Dan Miranda went out to Frederick early to run the 5k, where he finished 2nd. Earlier that day, he ran the Fiesta 5k downtown, also finishing 2nd. That's a lot of racing Dan! Sara Breedlove finished 2nd in the Frederick 5k, breaking 20 minutes (19:58 - 40 second season best!).
Broad Street Run: The Broad Street 10 Miler is the fastest 10 miler in America, and with 41,000 finishers this year, one of the biggest events in America, too. A true participation race if there ever was one. But, because it is point-to-point and is net downhill, and commands a fast field, it's also a great place to run some fast times. Even though the winning time was pretty slow, Vince Collins didn't care, he rolled to a 53:55 and 39th place. Mike Mashner loves Philly, and 10 milers, and has run well at this race before. This year was no different as he stormed down Broad St to a 57:35 - a near 30 second PR. Tim Parker also loves this race, and it was good to see him on the proper side of 60 minutes. Tim ran 59:44, which is a great step in the right direction. And Christa Wagner held it down for the ladies, running a 1:09:07. Tonya McCarter ran a great race, running 1:47:21.
New Jersey Marathon: Now, I know the people that put on this race, and it's right in my neck of the woods. Historically not a very competitive event, but for some reason they elected to have an "elite" start 1 minute ahead of the rest of the field. Megan DiGregorio, in her first marathon with a bib number, decided to start in the field, not resting her expectations on running under 3 hours. She then decided to get after it, rolling up the two girls who started in the elite section, and putting some time into them as she won in 2:59:48. What a great debut - breaking 3 hours AND getting the win! Emily Boss ran the marathon as well, running a 22 minute PR and qualifying for Boston (3:39:43). In the half, Conrad Laskowski ran with Amy "Flash" Flashenberg as she broke 2 hours, and Meghan McGrath ran a 1:53:30.
Elsewhere...
In Pittsburgh, Dustin Meeker had decided to transition from the marathon to the half, citing tired legs after a full season of training and racing. He ended up 16th in 1:13:16, off his PR, but a good result. At the Maryland Half Marathon in Fulton, David Lee ran a 1:31:41 and Lee DiPietro ran 1:32:47, finishing 4th. Down in Alabama, Lisa Ievers was the 2nd female finisher at the Race for Kids 50k, in 4:54:xx. Meg McNew did the Visitation Cub Chase 5k in DC or something, but since Active.com doesn't work, we may never see the results.
The final event of the weekend was the REV3 Knoxville Triathlon, featuring an Olympic distance race and a Half Iron. Alyssa Godesky used a monster swim (5 minute PR at just over 30 minutes, very good) and a strong bike to set her up for a 3rd place finish in 5:06:21, just a minute off of her best time, which is from the very flat and fast Eagleman course. This Knoxville course was...hard. It was a great result for Alyssa, and since we were in Cheese Territory, Ed Aramayo and his parents came to spectate, which was awesome. They earned the KC Masterpiece Award for their effort.
Our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week went to Meg D, who really earned it!
Frederick Half Marathon: Nate Brigham was on the hunt in Frederick, looking for a solid showing ahead of Vermont City Marathon at the end of the month. He finished 3rd, running 1:12:23 - by no means a slouch effort - but was a little disappointed that it wasn't a little faster. Others were real pumped with their races, because they hit major league PRs. Terry Decker ran a 5 minute best en route to a 1:23:50, and Jon Miller was about 2 minutes faster than his at 1:30:22. PJ Anderer recorded a PR with his 1:35:34. On the pacer side, Dan Miranda and Brian Benda rolled the 1:40 group to success, Ed Jablonski guided the 1:45 group, Marci Benda the 1:55 folks, and Sara Damiano the 2:00 group.
On Saturday, Dan Miranda went out to Frederick early to run the 5k, where he finished 2nd. Earlier that day, he ran the Fiesta 5k downtown, also finishing 2nd. That's a lot of racing Dan! Sara Breedlove finished 2nd in the Frederick 5k, breaking 20 minutes (19:58 - 40 second season best!).
Broad Street Run: The Broad Street 10 Miler is the fastest 10 miler in America, and with 41,000 finishers this year, one of the biggest events in America, too. A true participation race if there ever was one. But, because it is point-to-point and is net downhill, and commands a fast field, it's also a great place to run some fast times. Even though the winning time was pretty slow, Vince Collins didn't care, he rolled to a 53:55 and 39th place. Mike Mashner loves Philly, and 10 milers, and has run well at this race before. This year was no different as he stormed down Broad St to a 57:35 - a near 30 second PR. Tim Parker also loves this race, and it was good to see him on the proper side of 60 minutes. Tim ran 59:44, which is a great step in the right direction. And Christa Wagner held it down for the ladies, running a 1:09:07. Tonya McCarter ran a great race, running 1:47:21.
New Jersey Marathon: Now, I know the people that put on this race, and it's right in my neck of the woods. Historically not a very competitive event, but for some reason they elected to have an "elite" start 1 minute ahead of the rest of the field. Megan DiGregorio, in her first marathon with a bib number, decided to start in the field, not resting her expectations on running under 3 hours. She then decided to get after it, rolling up the two girls who started in the elite section, and putting some time into them as she won in 2:59:48. What a great debut - breaking 3 hours AND getting the win! Emily Boss ran the marathon as well, running a 22 minute PR and qualifying for Boston (3:39:43). In the half, Conrad Laskowski ran with Amy "Flash" Flashenberg as she broke 2 hours, and Meghan McGrath ran a 1:53:30.
Elsewhere...
In Pittsburgh, Dustin Meeker had decided to transition from the marathon to the half, citing tired legs after a full season of training and racing. He ended up 16th in 1:13:16, off his PR, but a good result. At the Maryland Half Marathon in Fulton, David Lee ran a 1:31:41 and Lee DiPietro ran 1:32:47, finishing 4th. Down in Alabama, Lisa Ievers was the 2nd female finisher at the Race for Kids 50k, in 4:54:xx. Meg McNew did the Visitation Cub Chase 5k in DC or something, but since Active.com doesn't work, we may never see the results.
The final event of the weekend was the REV3 Knoxville Triathlon, featuring an Olympic distance race and a Half Iron. Alyssa Godesky used a monster swim (5 minute PR at just over 30 minutes, very good) and a strong bike to set her up for a 3rd place finish in 5:06:21, just a minute off of her best time, which is from the very flat and fast Eagleman course. This Knoxville course was...hard. It was a great result for Alyssa, and since we were in Cheese Territory, Ed Aramayo and his parents came to spectate, which was awesome. They earned the KC Masterpiece Award for their effort.
Our Purple Drink Athlete of the Week went to Meg D, who really earned it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
