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Destry Johnson’s DNS

Destry & SRC at Emerald City
Destry (2nd from right) and the SRC squadron at the Emerald City Open
Photo: Win Van Pelt
I had dedicated the second half of 2012 to the preparation for and the successful execution of…the 2012 New York City Marathon. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

Having run the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon every year since the inaugural 2009 race, I was excited to put down a solid half time in June of 2012. Unfortunately, the course had been changed from a one-way course to a loop course with much more difficult terrain. It wasn’t exactly a fast race before and the changes certainly didn’t make it any faster. I knew the course had been altered going into the race, of course, but I hadn’t scouted it out in detail. I knew the race…sorta, kinda…it was to head down from Seattle, cross Beacon Hill and then head back up around the stadium area to finish at Seattle Center. I took off and cruised through about the first half of the race on pace, but I slowed in the second half as the hills caught up with me. Boy, make sure you scout your course: Lesson Learned…again. I’m supposed to be older and wiser now, aren’t I? There was much carnage on the course and I didn’t fare too bad over all, finishing in 8th place with a time of 73:29.

August came before I knew it and that means the Seafair Torchlight 8k. Torchlight is one of my favorite races, hands down, even though I think the older course(s) were much, much better than the current version. It’s summer time, the race is in the evening, the course rolls through the parade route…it’s just all good. Well, until that last climb at the finish. They should change that…REALLY should change that. Anyway, I had been ramping the mileage up in August and I came into the race tired and ran my slowest time ever. At least it was still fun and I didn’t get lost like many of the 5k leaders did. Many of them ran 10k or more as they were still heading South when the 8k racers looped back toward Seattle Center! To top it all off I ended up with the flu the next day – honestly, who gets the flu in August?!

In September I decided to run the Joint Base Lewis McChord Half Marathon. I figured it would be a good way to gauge my fitness and probably run a decent time. The day was beautiful, with Mt. Rainier majestically rising in the east as the sun came up. The course is excellent, with just a few rolling hills. It’s definitely a PR course. With all the training and 100+ mile weeks I was unable to hang on for a real fast time, however, and finished 2nd in 71:50.
Destry @ Emerald City
Emerald City Open
Photo: Win Van Pelt
Having missed some of my favorite cross country races due to training or preparation for the JBLM Half, I was anxious to at least run in one cross race before New York. Seattle University’s Emerald City Open provided the opportunity and the shock and awe of the differences in training for 8 or 10k versus the marathon became evident quickly. Slow and steady didn’t win the race for me, but I did finish in 12th place with a 26:44. My ankles were sore for days due to my marathon training on mostly roads and paved trail.

In late October I recall watching the news coverage of a tropical storm-then-hurricane named Sandy as it decimated various areas in the Caribbean. “Glad I’m not headed that far South when I go East in a few weeks,” I remember thinking. Well as fate would have it, Sandy crashed into New York one week before the 43rd running of the New York City Marathon. “This is NYC,” I thought,” no way a storm will keep them down for a week. If there is one city on earth ready for anything, it’s NYC. Right?”

Monday and Tuesday more details became available: it had been a real whopper. No power, no gas, flooding, all three local airports closed until further notice, beaches gone, houses gone, a crane dangling in shambles from a Manhattan skyscraper. I had prepaid for some of my hotel stay, no refunds. I had paid for our airfare with points, no refunds. I had logged 1,251 miles from July 1st to the Tuesday before the race. Do I check in for my flight at 6:30AM Thursday if Newark is open?

I had been fortunate enough to qualify for the sub-elite group and thus had some good contacts with the NYRR association. Tuesday I called the elite/sub-elite coordinator to find out more information. I learned that the race coordination center was up and running, trying to rebook elite athletes from all over the world on flights later in the week. They had been told by the mayor’s office that the race would go on: the city needed the 370 million dollars the race brings in. Perhaps I would go after all. Wednesday I called again to make sure I wouldn’t be displacing any recently made homeless locals if I was to travel to NYC. I was assured that there was plenty of room and they wanted my business. Newark had just reopened. “OK,” I thought, “it’s on!”

As our plane turned in on final approach to Newark runway 22L, we had a view of Manhattan. Everything looked normal from the air. Once we landed and got inside the airport we found it sparsely populated. The van ride to midtown took us by lowland marsh areas where you could see storage containers and supply sheds near radio/TV towers that were in shambles, 3 mile gas lines, a traffic jam at the entrance of the Lincoln tunnel like I’ve never seen before and as many dead signal lights as one can imagine. You think traffic is crazy in Jersey? Try it without any traffic lights! Finally we arrived in Manhattan and everything seemed…fine. People were out, Times Square was bright and everything seemed normal. After dinner that night we walked down past Times Square toward 34th where the power was still out at the south end of the island. It was a very odd site indeed to see half of New York City bright and bustling behind us and then an imaginary line marked where power stopped and we looked down into a forest of cold, dark skyscrapers. Apocalyptic movies came to mind.

Friday came and I needed to go for a little run and pick up my packet at the runner’s expo. With breakfast came the worst effect of the storm we personally experienced: the hotel restaurant was out of wheat bread. As I ran up to Central Park I saw the now infamous crane dangling from a skyscraper. Our hotel was located two blocks away. Central Park was closed due to trees and branches being down, but it was a fraction of the devastation the Puget Sound saw last winter when an inch or so of ice covered everything. That afternoon we took the bus down to the runner’s expo, picked up my race packet and headed back to the hotel. My number for the 43rd running of the New York City Marathon was active! “It looks like I’ll be running this thing, after all,” I thought. At 5PM when we returned to the hotel I stopped by the elite runners suite to make sure everything seemed to be coming together. It looked like everyone who planned to run was going to make it in and the race really was a go! Thirty minutes later as my wife and I got ready for dinner we heard an announcement on the news: “There is a rumor that the New York Marathon has been canceled; press conference to come momentarily.” I couldn’t believe it, the mayor had gone on world news just a few days ago essentially begging runners from around the world to still come, and spend our money, in New York. The NYRR association had told me 30 minutes earlier that everything was coming together…and now it’s canceled?! I rushed up stairs and found the NYRR folks and many runners watching the news amongst murmurs. Nobody could believe it, including the NYRR employees there with the elite athletes. There had been no advance notice to any of them.
Destry & Amy Hastings
Destry & Amy Hastings
I think there were decent arguments to be made either way for both going ahead with the race or canceling it. What is unbelievable to me is the indecisiveness of the mayor’s office and it’s inability to communicate in an effective manner and timeline. I’m only speculating, but I do not think Rudy Giuliani would have handled the situation as Bloomberg did. He would have made a decision early and sold people on it with facts and data. That’s what clear leadership does. We were heading out to dinner Friday just after the news as two large groups of runners were arriving…they hadn’t heard the race was canceled until they got into the lobby of the hotel. One included about 15 folks from Japan and another was larger than 30 from Australia. I’m sure they would have preferred even more than me for a firm decision to be made earlier in the week. It’s certainly the truth that any of us traveling to NY for the marathon and were put out both financially and with our time have it much better than those who lost everything due to hurricane Sandy. But the mayor didn’t have to cause more problems with his indecisiveness.

With the race now canceled my wife and I had some time on our hands. We had heard of people volunteering in various areas, but reports were that there were too many people trying to help and the vast majority just stood around for hours as there wasn’t anything to do. As we walked through the city we realized the best thing we could do was to support local business, as many were not being patronized as they normally would. We went to a couple Broadway shows, ate good food and enjoyed ourselves. We also decided to leave Sunday afternoon instead of Wednesday afternoon.

Sunday morning I thought I’d go for a run. I mean, I had planned on it anyway! When I got to the lobby of the hotel Sunday morning I was greeted by droves of runners. Some wearing their number, some wearing their number upside down. Apparently all the runners in attendance for the NY marathon were going on a Sunday run too. The experience was quite surreal, as ran around the island I would see two runners here, fifty there, a few thousand running here and there in Central Park. Even down in Battery Park there were hundreds of runners. Nearly everywhere I turned I saw runners. It was awesome – every day should be like that America! Interestingly enough, one of the runners out and about in Central Park was Edgar Martinez’s wife Holly, who had organized an impromptu marathon around the park. I had the opportunity to meander over and chat with Edgar for a few minutes after the crowds died down. He not only is one of my favorite baseball players of all time, but one heck of a nice guy!
Destry & Edgar Martinez
Destry & Edgar Martinez
In all, I’m not sorry my wife and I took the trek out to New York for the non-marathon. I feel as though I supported various businesses, both large and small, including Rupert’s Deli, in the process. My heart goes out to those victims of the storm and I hope my donations go to good use as they rebuild and get back on their feet. And like Arnold Schwarzenegger always says, “I’ll be back.”

Second half of 2012 race summary

Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon: 73:29, 8th place
Seattle Torchlight 8k: 26:49, 9th place
Joint Base Lewis McChord Half Marathon: 71:50, 2nd place
Emerald City Seattle U 8k XC Open: 26:44, 12th place
New York Marathon: DNS…well, nobody did

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Club News Cross Country Featured Race Reports

Brooks Team 2013 Update

Brooks Team 2013 Update
Each Brooks Team member has accomplished a lot this year. Some are fantastic race highlights, particularly on the trails. Beyond racing, their efforts show that they are deeply involved in the local running community, giving back in many different volunteer ways and also being wonderful ambassadors for the sport, for SRC and for Brooks. Here is what occurred for members in the second half of 2012:

Travis Boyd

Travis BoydI volunteered for the second time in 2012 at the Cougar Mountain Race Series on October 28th. I also enjoyed running with and helping the Kamiak High School Cross Country team for speed workouts during the week and watching the boys team take first place at the conference and regional meet.

I ran several cross country races this season. My first XC race of the year was at Sundodger where I ran 25:39 for 8k and got 24th. Then at the Western Washington Classic on October 6th I ran 32:19 for 10k and got 26th place. At my next race, Emerald City on October 13, I finished my highest place of the year at 5th place. On October 27th I hit the roads and raced the Snohomish River Run Half Marathon in
Everett, WA and placed 1st in a time of 1:09:09.

Marlene Farrell

Marlene Farrell Pigtails
Image:Trisha Steidl

I ran a lot of trails this summer for the joy of it and also to stay injury-free. I enjoyed a couple months of not racing until I ran the Cougar Mountain half marathon trail race and came in first with a time of 1:56:09. I also helped with timing after my race. I raced with the SRC cross country team at three races this fall, Sundodger, Emerald City and PNTFs. My highest placing was at Sundodger, where I finished 2nd in the Women’s Open race in a time of 22:02. I kept my racing fun by inserting three low-key races into my late fall. As a giant candy cane I ran and won the Leavenworth Pumpkin Run 6.5k. I also won the Turkey on the Run 12k in Wenatchee and set a new course record for the Pigtails Marathon in a time of 3:02:09. I love doing events for good causes and ones in which I see a lot of friends. Now that it’s winter, I am focused on cross country skiing, ski coaching and ski racing. Come spring I hope to run the Sunflower trail marathon and one or more Cougar Mountain races.

My main volunteer efforts this year were my springtime running club for 75 elementary kids and my assistant coaching for the high school cross country team. I hope to continue both endeavors in 2013, with the hope of sharing my love of running, providing kids with a healthy after-school activity, and helping kids of all ages work toward running and fitness goals. I also write a blog for RunWenatchee.com (and occasionally for SRC) to share stories and inspiration about running. I was only able to volunteer at one SRC race, but I am taking over the coordination of the Brooks team, in terms of updates, apparel needs and hopefully organizing for Brooks team members to make a strong showing at certain events in 2013.

Max Ferguson

Max Ferguson Box CanyonMy summer started out phenomenally, following another disappointing Vancouver Marathon (3rd time, still haven’t gotten it nailed!). I chronicled the early portion of the summer in a blog post for the SRC. After a week long break following my victory at the Cougar Mountain 13 miler I began my build up for my upcoming assault on the Cle Elum 25k CR. I held a steady diet of long runs along the Wonderland Trail encircling Mt. Rainier. After months of phenomenal training and preparation, Cle Elum was cancelled at the last minute due to smoke. Using my fitness, I traveled to Mt. St. Helens and, despite a very scary dehydration situation, managed to squeak under six hours for the Loowit Trail. This sets an official FKT, and beats the winning time run a week prior at the Mt. St. Helens 50k. I will return next summer, and, with better knowledge of the course, hope to bring that record under five hours.

My fitness was at an all time high leading into XC season. However, my quickness seemed to have faded a bit over the summer. XC season flew by in a lactic haze, the only lasting memory being a slightly disappointing 35:53 at PNTFs, and a more uplifting 5th place at the NW regional XC meet.

This left me with one last race for the year before I was able to curl up in the fetal position and endure some much deserved R&R, Amica Seattle Half Marathon. Placing 3rd last year, I had high hopes for finishing top 5 regardless of who was there. The race went out brutally hard, and I was relegated to ‘hanging on’ for 10 miles until I FINALLY began to feel a smidgen of competitive juices. Rallying, I managed to hold off several other runners, and gain on the rest of the field. I finished 9th in 1:13:59. Not quite the time I wanted, or the place, but, given how poorly I felt before and during the race, I feel it is a testament to a base of fitness I had hidden away for months on end. The culmination of this year is a very real new year’s resolution to not train for road marathons for a full two years, and focus on the trails. My success there is hard to ignore, and I hope to add to the ever growing list of top finishes and course records I have been amassing off the roads.

Destry Johnson

Sunday morning I thought I’d go for a run. I mean, I had planned on it anyway! When I got to the lobby of the hotel Sunday morning I was greeted by droves of runners. Some wearing their number, some wearing their number upside down. Apparently all the runners in attendance for the NY marathon were going on a Sunday run too. The experience was quite surreal, as ran around the island I would see two runners here, fifty there, a few thousand running here and there in Central Park. Even down in Battery Park there were hundreds of runners. Nearly everywhere I turned I saw runners. It was awesome – every day should be like that America! Interestingly enough, one of the runners out and about in Central Park was Edgar Martinez’s wife Holly, who had organized an impromptu marathon around the park. I had the opportunity to meander over and chat with Edgar for a few minutes after the crowds died down. He not only is one of my favorite baseball players of all time, but one heck of a nice guy!

In all, I’m not sorry my wife and I took the trek out to New York for the non-marathon. I feel as though I supported various businesses, both large and small, including Rupert’s Deli, in the process. My heart goes out to those victims of the storm and I hope my donations go to good use as they rebuild and get back on their feet. And like Arnold Schwarzenegger always says, “I’ll be back.”

Read more about Destry’s 2012 racing season…

Trisha Steidl

In August I raced the Cougar Mountain Half. Unfortunately somewhere on/near DeLeo Wall I smashed my right heel down on a rock and bruised it severely. Two minutes later I did the same thing in the same place, causing an immense amount of pain, leaving me unable to run normally. I ran as best as I could for the remainder of the race, which got me a 2nd place finish. After the race I wasn’t able to stand on my right foot. Long story short, I fractured my heel and, not too surprisingly, wasn’t able to run much. It’s been almost five months since then and the past three weeks finally put me back closer to my normal mileage and training. I’m still not 100% as my body adjusts to a new way of running and getting stronger, but there has been a lot of positive movement over the past couple of weeks and I look forward to getting back in shape and doing some racing again.

The lack of my own running allowed me to focus more energy on my team. The men finished 3rd and the women 6th in their first WAC XC Championship. My top guy, Erik Barkhaus, also won the conference meet and, thus, earned the Athlete of the Year award! The teams went on to finish 16th and 23rd respectively at the toughest regional championships in the nation, which was held on the same course as the 2011 Club Nationals race. Again, Barkhaus ran very well, finishing 15th in the Region. This earned him all-region honors. The team did our annual volunteering at Cougar Mountain, which gave SRC 60+ hours of work time to go towards our requirements to be able to host the Cougar Series. We have some pictures posted on our SU XC/T&F Facebook site.

Lance Thompson

Lance ThompsonI had a spring full of strong 5km races and 2nd place at the Cougar Mountain 5 Mile Race. I placed 3rd in the Cougar Mountain 8 miler. In the early summer, I had the first of a few injuries that kept me from racing the second half of the year. I then ran as a volunteer pacer helping those who wanted to break 3 hours through the first half of the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in Seattle. I volunteered for a work party at Cougar Mountain, and also volunteered during the Cougar Mountain 50K as an aid station worker.

Wendy Wheeler Jacobs

After completing my racing season with a 100 mile endurance run in July, I focused on volunteering. In July I worked the first and last aid stations at White River 50 Miler.

In August I managed the marking for the Cascade Crest 100 Mile. I also participated in the WTA hike-a-thon, covering 250+ trail miles in the month to raise money for this cause. I swept the course for one of the Cougar Mountain races.

In September to October I volunteered my time on the “Tribute to the Trails” 2013 calendar, a fundraiser for the WTA. I was elected president of the board for the WTA and now lead the strategic planning effort for that organization. I will be working registration at Bridle Trails. I put in a lot of back-country mountain miles in the fall, mostly in the Goat Rocks Wilderness region, exploring trails there in between forest fires.

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Club News Member Information Misc

Tribute To The Trails 2013 Calendar

2013 Tribute To The Trails

It’s that time of year again, folks. Time to decorate your home & office walls with some of Glenn Tachiyama’s stunning race photography. From here in Washington down to Northern California and out to Logan UT, the 2013 Tribute to the Trails calendar highlights the very trails and that we here in the Pacific Northwest get to experience all year long.

The calendars will be ready to ship on November 16th and will cost $23 online* or $20 in-store. ALL profits from this calendar are donated to the Washington Trails Association, helping ensure we’ll have these trails to enjoy for many years to come.

For more information, please visit their FaceBook page. Online orders will be possible at Zombie Runner. In-store orders and pickup are possible at our partner stores, Fleet Feet Seattle as well as The Balanced Athlete in Renton (The Balanced Athlete is now accepting pre-orders).

*online orders include $3 in PayPal processing fees

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Club News Featured Media Race Reports

White River 2012 Wrap Up

White River 2012 Wrap Up
All photos: © John Wallace, III
The White River 50 Mile remains the crown jewel of Pacific Northwest ultra racing, and 2012’s race was one for the ages. We had a record number of people toe the start line (as well as the finish line). We had Ellie Greenwood, arguably the greatest North American female ultrarunner of all time not named Ann Trason, training-running her way to within 8 minutes of the course record. We had ultra-noob Sage Canaday, in only his 2nd ultra ever (and FIRST 50 mile) shatter the very legitimate course record by 9+ minutes and put the rest of the world on notice that he is very very very much for real.

The list of names who have run this course is a veritable who’s who of ultrarunning lore, and it’s to the credit of the McCoubrey’s, all of our volunteers each and every year, and of course the 50 beautiful miles of Cascade goodness. Each year this race grows, whether it catches the eyes of new trail runners who’ve heard nothing but good things or veteran trail runners who want to test their mettle against this race’s history. For those two groups and everyone in between, it’s extremely rare and difficult to leave White River disappointed or regretful. It’s a microcosm of ultrarunning’s overall community. As low-key or rugged as you make it. Epic trail running with friends followed by a relaxed and celebratory buffet of like-minded community support and acceptance. And good burritos!

We congratulate everyone who took this race on in 2012 and either look forward to seeing you again in 2013 or personally introducing you next year to one of the best trail races in the country. We have a hunch you’ll like it.

Results

All 275 finishers (easily a new record!)
Also check out RealEndurance.com for lots more race history and statistical information.

SRC Member Shout Out!

Thank you and congratulations to those that have become members of our club and help support our continued growth! We hope you enjoyed yourself out on the trails and we appreciate your continued support!

Chris Bellevie -      14:24:51       Angel Mathis -    11:37:19
Karlee Coble -        11:34:45       Kyle McCoy       
Bradley Dutkiewicz -  10:08:59       Priya Naik -      10:48:23
David Entz -           9:29:40       Van Phan -         9:56:59       
Boram Kim                            Jonathan Symmes -  9:55:27
Peter Kline -         14:35:08       Ken Turner -      11:24:49
Glen Mangiantini -    11:22:00       Jimmy Vitelli -   11:50:09
Andy Martin -         11:11:46       Sophia Walker -   10:01:15 
Arthur Martineau -     8:39:36       Ben Wenter -      10:40:47
Tim Mathis -           9:59:07

Perspective

Greg CrowtherGreg Crowther, former SRC president and one of the rare sub-7:00 finishers (only 16 ever), gives his thoughts on the historic performance by first-time 50 miler Sage Canaday.
>>Read More

Finish Line Images

Our own John Wallace was there at the end capturing what many consider the best moment of the race: crossing the finish line! Below is a sample, click here for the rest.
2012-07-28 at 15-10-222012-07-28 at 15-10-322012-07-28 at 15-11-082012-07-28 at 15-15-24

Glenn Tachiyama’s traditionally excellent images (start line, Corral Pass, Sun Top) are available.
Takao Suzuki also has a massive and great set of start line and mid-race images on Facebook.

Videos

New course record holder Sage Canaday uploaded this video with footage from before, during, and after his amazing race:

Race Reports

Josh Barringer – 10:47:34
Sage Canaday – 6:16:10
Mark Cliggett – 10:44:50
Jennifer Edwards – 9:21:38
Ellie Greenwood – 7:40:02
Jayme Helgeson – 12:47:16
Adam Hewey – 7:48:00
Tim Mathis – 9:59:07
Greg Norrander – 7:55:08
Jacob Puzey (mostly writing about Sage Canaday) – 7:10:52
Dan Ripple – 13:47:26
Spencer Vaughn – 8:44:26
George Williams – 9:54:51
Karla – Volunteer perspective (from Corral Pass)!

Did you run White River? Send us your race report via our Facebook page, or link to it in the comments here, and we’ll add it to the list!

Facts & Stats & Minutiae & Menudo

There were 184 first time White River 50 finishers.
There were 91 repeat offenders, led by Dave Dutton and his FIFTEENTH finish (two 6-year consecutive streaks ’94-’99, ’07-’12), William Emerson (#11), James Kerby (#10). Glen Mangiantini (#8 – all consecutive [’05-’12]!), Van Phan (#8 – 6 consecutive [’07-’12]), Arthur Martineau (#7 – all consecutive [’06-’12]).

There were 47 new course PRs!
Most time off PR: Bradley Dutkiewcz 3:03:41 (13:12:40 – 10:08:59)
Least time off PR: Seth Wolpin 2:27 (10:05:33 – 10:03:06)
Most time over PR: Dave Dutton 4:07:45 (12:54:16 – 8:46:31)
Least time over PR: Marie Boucher 0:39 (11:04:40 – 11:04:01)

We totaled 79 DNS (“did not start”) Forty were before bibs assigned, 39 after.
There were 40 DNF (“did not finish”)

Oldest Male (under cutoff): Scott Flett, 64 11:34:15 (6min54sec PR!)
Oldest Male: Charles Rose, 65, 14:51:38 – (first-ever White River 50 finish!)
Youngest Male: Trevor Farris, 17, 13:08:20.

Oldest Female: Liz Kellogg, 63 11:04:52 – (Liz was also 11min9sec under the then-female 60-69 age-group record. The record was ultimately broken by Gail Forshaw, 62, with an 11:04:40 [11min21 sec under].)
Youngest Female: Three 24 year-olds: Yitka Winn 9:53:34, Carley Feuerborn & Ashley Earle 12:20:49.

Categories
Club News Member Information

White River 50 Call for Volunteers

Hello Seattle Running Club!

Curious about ultramarathons?
Want to give back to trails and your running community?
Injured and wish you could run, but want to be a part of the event anyway?

This weekend is a big race, the White River 50 mile endurance run. It’s on Saturday, July 28 near Crystal Mountain. See the event webpage for details. This events benefits the club.

Camp Sheppard is being transitioned from a Club Northwest Aid Station to a Seattle Running Club Aid Station.

It’s the first one at 3.9 miles so runners get a lasting impression all day long on the great service we provide.

Runners generally pass through the aid station between 6:15am – 7:30am.  You’ll need to be there a little bit early to set up and a little bit longer to break down the station. Then you’re pretty much done for the day and can hang out at the start/finish area, mingle with all the runners, volunteer for other positions :).

Email john@seattlerunningclub.org if you are interested in heading up this aid station. I need a captain and 2-3 other intrepid volunteers.

There is one other position – an additional sweeper for the 2nd half of the course.  A nice 25 mile scenic run with just 1 big climb.  2nd half sweep goes from 1pm-7:30pm.

Volunteers receive a t-shirt, parking day pass, and BBQ ticket for after the race.

Come out and represent the club, get your volunteering in, and enjoy a great day watching great performances.  And don’t forget, White River 50 supports the Seattle Running Club with a sizable donation each year.  We have to earn that contribution!

Thanks everyone,

John Wallace
White River 50 Volunteer Coordinator

Categories
Club News Race Reports

More racing news from the SRC/Brooks racing team

Here’s a long-overdue continuation of the previous “racing news” post….

Travis Boyd welcomed daughter Julia into the world on April 12th and is looking forward to summer road races.

Max Ferguson was disappointed with his showing at the Vancouver Marathon (23rd, 2:47). However, he notes, “My build-up to Vancouver did yield some fantastic performances! I set a new course record at the Yakima Skyline 25k in 2:15, narrowly winning in a kick at the end. I also ran a 15 second PR at the St Patricks Day Dash, running 19:15, and finishing 16th in easily the deepest field in years.” His summer and fall plans include the Langley Half Marathon (where he will defend his title), Chuckanut 30k, Cougar 13, Tomahawk Twilight Meet, some cross-country races, and the Amica Seattle Half Marathon.

Destry Johnson lists the following 2012 race results thus far:

* PLU Invitational, 5k on the track, 2nd place, 15:32
* UPS Shotwell Invitational, 5k on the track, 4th place, 15:39
* Captain Jack 8k in Kirkland, 1st place, 25:49
* Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, 35th place, 39:10
* Myself, Lance Thompson, Chris Tremonte, Zach Little, Dave Martin ran the Briefcase 5k Relay (name: Honey Badgers) and won in 15:03 (Chris, Zach and Dave are not SRC team members)
* 45 minutes later I ran the open Fremont 5k and won in 15:45
* Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon, 8th place, 1:13:29

Lance Thompson at the Cougar 5 MileLance Thompson (in white shirt) at the Cougar Mountain 5-mile race. Photo courtesy of The Balanced Athlete.

Lance Thompson reports,

It’s been a fun Spring of Racing so far. I worked my way up to 7th place in 15:58 at the Top Pot 5K. This had a pretty good field of people to race with. The following weekend I ran the American Lung Association’s fund raising Fight for Air 5K, winning in 15:48. I then battled through the trails to finish second at the Cougar Mountain 5 miler.

I ran with five friends, including fellow SRC runner Destry Johnson, to victory in the Briefcase Relay during the Fremont 5K. Each runner races one thousand meters while carrying a briefcase full of five food cans, which are donated to Northwest Harvest. We broke the course record, running a 15:03. An hour later, Destry pulled out the victory in 15:45, while I managed 5th place in 16:11.

Trisha Steidl at the Cougar 8 MileTrisha Steidl (#470) at the start of the Cougar Mountain 8-mile race. Photo courtesy of Northwest Trail Runs.

The women on the team have also continued to race since my previous post. Marlene Farrell reported on her trip to the USATF Half Marathon Championships in a separate entry. Trisha Steidl offers the following update:

[After the Rhody Run] I then had a week off from racing and today completed three weeks in a row. That’s a big deal for me since, in the past few years, I rarely even had the opportunity to race that much period, much less this often!

Unfortunately I can’t say I felt good for any of these races. I don’t know if it’s because I’m finally able to train and my body is adjusting and adapting to all the demands I’m placing on it or if there’s something more to it….

Race #2 was the XTERRA Lord Hill 10K (-ish) put on by Northwest Trail Runs. I’d never been to Lord Hill before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. I was looking forward to experiencing something new and different and not having any expectations of what I “should” be able to do on the course. It poured the night before and I found my shoe choice wasn’t ideal for the slippery sections. However, it wasn’t nearly as muddy as I anticipated it might be.

After the half-marathoners split off from the 10K (maybe 20 mins into the race), I found that the guys in front of me I had been “competing” against thus far weren’t in my race. That meant I had no idea where in the field I was. Fortunately there is a short out-and-back section and there I saw I was 3rd overall. I also saw that there was a guy that was moving up the field, currently in 4th. I knew it was more motivating to him to beat the chick ahead of him than it was for me to beat the guy behind me, so I tried to stay focused on finishing in the top 3 overall (yes, it’s a small race, but I still thought it would be pretty cool and it gave me a goal to focus on when my feet were slipping and my quads were yelling at me going uphill). I did get to chase a coyote part-way through the race. It jumped out onto the trail in front of me and kept looking back. It was a little disconcerting because I was alone and know coyotes send one of their pack out to lead prey towards the whole pack who then attack all together. Fortunately it turned out OK. The last few minutes of the race are twisty turny and then pretty much straight down. My shoes were no help on the muddy twists and turns and I knew the guy behind me was catching up. I also knew that the final down was pavement and that I could haul ass down it. Good thing I love running downhill, because I had to haul ass! I heard the 4th place guy get right behind me, but I knew I had at least 2 more gears I could shift. I let it get close, then, as we were about 70m from the finish, I shifted into another gear to keep him at bay. I had one more gear if needed, but fortunately I didn’t need it. I only beat him by a second (or less), but that’s all it takes!

I definitely enjoyed the challenge he presented me and I’m sure I pushed him to hurtle towards the finish line a little faster than he might otherwise have run – good stuff. Being new and fresh to me, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and everyone putting on the event was extremely friendly. Fun to earn a “W,” get 3rd overall, and, a few days later, find out I set the course record by quite a bit. Cool! I definitely would like to race out there again. It’s a beautiful area with a couple sections that remind me a lot of some places I ran and raced in New Hampshire in 2009, which brought me positive memories during the race.

Race #3 was 10,000m on the track as a part of the USATF/PNTF Northwest Region Open Track & Field Championships held at West Seattle Stadium. I didn’t decide to do this race until two days beforehand, figuring that racing on the track would be more fun than the tempo run I would otherwise have run on my own at the same time on the same day.

The short story on this one is that I was hungry before we started, it was windy, there were only two women (my friend Kristi Houk and me), and the start got pushed 40 mins later than originally scheduled. None of this set me up for an ideal day, but my plan was to stick to doing a tempo, so it was low-key anyway.

My plan was to run the first three miles at a slower pace, the next two faster, the final mile faster again. Somewhere between miles two and three my left calf started to slightly cramp up, so I slowed the pace a bit and decided to run the first four slower with the final two faster. Slowing it down calmed down my calf and, fortunately, I didn’t feel it again during the race. The final two miles I did speed up and it felt good to do so. Kristi lapped me with about 8 or 9 to go and I used that opportunity to stay with her. The faster pace didn’t feel any harder and actually felt better on my legs. So we ran together for the final two-ish miles and then I ran my last lap a little faster and on my own.

It was a good mental experience to be on the track for 25 laps again, especially with no incentive (no time goal, no real racing, etc.). I’ll state that I was 2nd, rather than last. It simply sounds better and, technically, it’s true. I even have a medal that proves I was 2nd at the Championships.

Race #4 was the Cougar Mountain 8 Mile race – one of our own! I haven’t run this in quite a few years, back when it was 7.5 miles, but I’m extremely familiar with the trails.

The race itself was put on wonderfully and the runners competing and volunteering were great. I, on the other hand, felt terrible. My legs and body never felt good, I was never able to get into race mode, and I felt so terrible that I wanted to quit many times during the race. It’s only 8 miles, though, and I was in the lead, so I couldn’t very well drop out. (If only Uli hadn’t found me chatting it up with Greg and Phil beforehand to tell me the race was starting in a mere 20 seconds. Seriously though, thanks Uli. I thought I still had a couple minutes until the start!)

…My hope coming in was to run 61 minutes. I ran 63:33. While I know it’ll be tough, I think it’s possible to run sub-60. Hopefully I’ll get to try again next year.

My hope with these four races was to go 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st and maybe set a CR or two along the way. I think I made those goals happen, despite not feeling well, so I feel fairly good about that. It was important to me to race and get used to what that’s like again. My goal this year is to run a new 5K PR. That’s going to be tough, but I know it’s possible. Now I need to take some time to take care of my body, figure out if anything serious is wrong (and, if so, fix that), get some good training in and really go after my goal. I also need to find a flat, fast 5K to race and have as my goal. I should probably get on that.

Categories
Club News Race Reports

Spring racing news from Brooks/SRC team

I have put out a call for racing news from the members of the 2012 Brooks/SRC competitive team, and some responses have started to trickle in….

Marlene Farrell writes,

I have raced three times this spring. I did the Wenatchee Half Marathon on April 21st. I came in 1st. It wasn’t a super fast time for me (1:23:21 but I think the course is long) but I had a faster 2nd half, so I was happy about that.

I ran a low-key uncertified 5k called Run 4 the Nurses on May 12 in Wenatchee. I got a 17:57, for first place. I was psyched to win a handmade decorative belt a la WWF (made by a nursing student who used to make saddles)!

I ran the Red Devil Challenge 25k trail race yesterday, June 3rd, in Cashmere. It has somewhere in the vicinity of 4000 feet of elevation change. I came in 1st woman with a time of 2:18. I was happy with my result, given I was handicapped with only one contact in (and I have bad vision) because of minor eyelid surgery on Friday. One contact made foot placement on the descent a bit tricky. It was a beautiful course and I highly recommend it to SRC trail runners looking for a tough but runnable mid-distance trail race.

And I have the half marathon championship on June 16th, in conjunction with the Gary Bjorkland Half in Duluth, MN. Will give you all an update after that.

Trisha Steidl writes

I haven’t raced as much as I would’ve liked because of the track season, but I did represent SRC well last weekend at the Rhody Run. I finished 2nd woman, running a minute faster than last year. My [Seattle University track and field] team had a great season. We had far more medal winners (top 3) than we ever have in the past and our first distance event conference champion (Erik Barkhaus, who ran for us at XC Club Nats, in the 10,000m; he also earned the Most Valuable Athlete award for the 2012 Track & Field season).

Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs reports the following races done as preparation for the Angeles Crest 100 on July 21:

  • 3rd Master, 6th Female at the Peterson Ridge Rumble 40 mile
  • 2nd Master, 4th Female at the Capitol Peak 50 mile
  • 2nd Master, 6th Female at the MacDonald Forest 50K
  • 1st Female at the Soaring Eagle 50K

Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs at Soaring Eagle
Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs winning the Soaring Eagle 50K. Photo courtesy of Evergreen Trail Runs.

Categories
Club News Featured

Uli Steidl Wins Masters At 2012 Boston Marathon

Uli Steidl at the 2012 Boston Marathon
His brand-new Masters career is off and running! SRC’s own Uli Steidl (pictured above on Saturday before the race) braved the heat en route to a 2:23:08 finish at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Despite being about two minutes back at the half marathon mark, Uli took the Masters lead at about mile 23.5 and never looked back. He stated after the race that he didn’t know he had the Masters win until after the race.

Uli also finished 15th overall and was the 5th American finisher.

ULI STEIDL
Split    time  diff  pace    mph
5K      16:04 16:04 05:11  11.61
10K     32:41 16:37 05:21  11.22
15K     49:40 16:59 05:28  10.99
20K   1:06:53 17:13 05:33  10.82
HALF  1:10:36 03:43 05:28  11.00
25K   1:23:46 13:10 05:26  11.06
30K   1:41:10 17:24 05:37  10.71
35K   1:58:52 17:42 05:42  10.54
40K   2:15:30 16:38 05:22  11.21
FINAL 2:23:08 07:38 05:36  10.74

Also, check out a couple graphs made by SRC member Patrick Niemeyer, which show how strong Uli finished relative to the other top finishers. The first graph on the left shows Uli as the baseline (lines below him finished ahead, lines above finished behind). The heatmap graph on the right show, in Patrick’s words, “the fastest legs in the race, color-coded across the top 50 finishers (that is: the reddest cell in column H was the fastest person for the 25k split).” Patrick notes that Uli’s 40k split was the 5th fastest in the entire field. Thanks Patrick!

2012 Boston Uli Delta
2012 Boston Race Leg Heatmap

[Top Finishers at Boston 2012]

Categories
Club News

2012 Brooks SRC team announced

The Seattle Running Club has finalized its 2012 roster of Brooks-sponsored athletes following a competitive application process.  Returning  team members Travis Boyd, Julie Cassata, Marlene Farrell, Max Ferguson, Destry Johnson, Trisha Steidl will be joined by Lance Thompson, John Wallace, and Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs.

Team members were selected according to their running-related achievements and service to the SRC and the running community as a whole. They will be visible as representatives of Brooks and the SRC at various local, regional, and national events this year.

Travis Boyd is a graduate of UW, where he ran track and cross country. His personal records are 14:29 (5K), 30:11 (10K), 1:07:56 (half marathon), and 2:23:23 (marathon).

Julie Cassata spent much of 2011 hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Previous major events included the 2008 Boston Marathon (3:22) and 2010 Umstead 100 mile Endurance run (21:30).  She is the secretary of the SRC in addition to working part-time at SRC partner store Fleet Feet Seattle.

SRC board member Marlene Farrell is a 2-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier with a PR of 2:45:16. Other recent PRs include 1:18:54 for half marathon (Geoduck 2010) and 36:58 for 10K (Wenatchee 2011). One of the perennial leaders of the SRC cross country team, she also coaches middle school and high school runners in her hometown of Leavenworth. She blogs at runwenatchee.org.

Following a 3rd-place finish at the 2011 Amica Seattle Half Marathon, Max Ferguson is looking forward to a full year of racing in 2012. Probable events include the Seahawks 12k, Yakima Skyline 25k, Vancouver Marathon, Seattle Marathon 10k, Salmon Days 10k, Seattle Half Marathon, and a fall marathon. He works at SRC partner store The Balanced Athlete.

At age 37, Destry Johnson continues to compete very successfully in the open division of local road and cross country races, setting PRs of 14:55 (5K) and 1:08:58 (half marathon) in 2009 and coming within 4 seconds of his 12K PR (38:30) last year at Bloomsday.  Target races this year will include Bloomsday, the Seattle Rock ‘N Roll Half, Puyallup City Blast, Torchlight 8K, the New York Marathon, and his usual slate of local/regional cross country races.

Trisha Steidl, head cross country and track coach at Seattle University, remains active as an athlete, winning the Seattle Marathon for the third time in 2011.  She also won the 2011 Bridle Trails and Cougar Mountain 10-mile races.  Previous times include a 36:22 10K, 1:21:53 half marathon, and 2:48:17 marathon. Her activities as an SRC board member include volunteering at many club events (Cougar Mountain, White River) and other events such as Club Northwest’s All Comers track meets.

Lance Thompson has best times of 9:13 (3K steeplechase), 15:16 (5K (15:29), 25:29 (8K), 1:13 (half marathon), and 2:39 (marathon).  He volunteered at a Cougar Mountain race and as a Seattle Marathon pacer last year, and looks forward to more running and racing in 2012.

SRC treasurer John Wallace has not missed a day of running since 1989, ran across the United States in 2004-05, and plans to run one ultramarathon a month in 2012.  “I am a mix of the everyday runner and the every day runner,” he notes. “You can count the number of races I’ve won outright on one hand…. You can count just 86 Americans that have run more consecutive days.”

Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs is well-known as both an athlete and volunteer at running events.  She has helped mark the Cascade Crest 100 course, and raised money for the Washington Trails Association through the creation of Glenn Tachiyama’s trail running calendar. For the past three years, she has been among the top 6 masters at both the White River 50 and Where’s Waldo 100K.  Her 2012 schedule includes the Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series and Angeles Crest 100.

Categories
Club News Featured

Welcome to our new site!

Win at the Enchantments

Wow!!!

We here at Seattle Running Club are very excited about the launch of our new website. Much thought and time has gone into its development. We hope the website will inspire you when you are looking for inspiration.  Connect you when you are looking for a running community.  Inform you when you are looking for training ideas or how to take your game to the next level. Or….ouch…..how do I get healed from that running injury or stay healthy and continue to  enjoy running?   We hope the website will take you places you will want to run someday as well as remind you of the wonderful places you have been.

 I want to offer a big thanks to Joe Creighton, Glen Mangiantini, Julie Cassata, Glenn Tachiyama, Luke Cotner and others who have contributed. Be on the lookout here as we continue to grow. Meet up with us at our events, run for our teams, read our site for news and information, and most importantly, keep running!

Best,
Win