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2023 SRC-Brooks Team mid-year update

Here’s what our SRC-Brooks Team has been up to in the first half of 2023!

Kristi | Dave | Barrett | Katelen | Trisha | Aaron | Bergman | Erik | Adam | Chris

Kristi Williams

This year I wanted to try to run something new and different than my typical race schedule. This came in the form of a marathon in the Tri-Cities and my first trail 50k on Vashon Island. I sprinkled the winter with some of my typical races like the Bridle Trails Running Festival ten miler (which I managed to break 7 minute pace on and secure a repeated win), Alexander’s Hope 5k (a strong third place finish), and for the first time ran The Honeywagon Half Marathon (a win despite the horrendous wind) all the while trying to ramp up the miles, read articles on running ultras, and try not to get injured.

 I am not a super motivated long distance runner, thus in order to inspire me to run the longer distances required to convince my body that I could do a 50k, I signed up for a marathon in Kennewick with the hopes of running well enough at tempo speed to secure a top three finish. The race went off with a bang with a smooth 6:55 to 7:10 mile pace, when all of a sudden I got misdirected by a water station volunteer and proceeded to run part of the course backward. Now, I know what you’re thinking…you should have studied the map! Yes, I did take time to do this important step, but at mile 18 when your brain cells start to cease to operate and someone who is a part of the race says to go a certain way, I didn’t argue. To say the least, after a 7 minute hiatus at another water station and a call to the race director, I wasn’t disqualified but instead told to run 26.2 miles based on my Garmin and call it good. So with some new course creation and a 26.33 total distance, I managed to secure a win! A month later, the 50k loomed over my head and I was, for the first time in a while, nervous and slightly giddy. I chose this race because it was very controlled in the sense it was tenish mile loops, had aid stations (which I didn’t end up using because I decided just to carry all my food/water), and was on an island…therefore I would hit water or a road at some point and therefore would not end up lost somewhere for days on end (I am, to those who know me, very directly challenged). To my shock, running that distance was surprisingly enjoyable! I found even near the end of the race where I sort of forgot how to run and experienced some intense hunger which I didn’t know how to deal with since I don’t tend to run long enough for the sensation to occur, I was still smiling and finished the race with a women’s win and a fourth place finish overall.

In addition to an already race rich year, I have been running the Cougar Mountain Trail Short Series and have been finding success in that venture despite post 50k legs. Yet, let’s not forget cross country in the fall and how different that training is compared to long miles on mountains. So, squeezing in 5ks like West Seattle 5k (second women), Zintel Canyon 4k (first women), Bill Burby 5k (first women), and West Seattle Float Dodger 5k (5th women) to remind myself what it feels like to run fast and hurt will help in the transition to my favorite running season. 

Volunteering for Seattle Running Club has also been a fun feature of the year as well. I helped out at the food shack at Bridle Trails Running Festival making and cutting up many Nutella and peanut butter tortilla rolls. I attended the Brooks PR Track meet making massive jugs of gatorade and organizing merch. Lastly, I volunteered at all the Cougar Mountain Race Series races directing traffic, handing out race numbers, and cutting up watermelon and bananas.

I love all the time I get to spend with my teammates and appreciate all the support that Brooks has so graciously given us. I have found a new love with the Catamount 2s, have been super impressed by the new Hyperion Tempos, and have gotten more compliments than anything I have ever owned with the Glycerin Cereal design shoes (many of my kindergarten students started noticing Brooks as a shoe brand after I wore them to school one day and asked if they come in their size). The first part of the year has flown by, but I am excited to see what the fall and winter months bring for me and my teammates! GO SRC!

PC: Somer Kreisman

Dave Messenheimer

The first half of 2023 has included lots of miles, lots of trails, and lots of fun times running with other SRC members.  Racing performances have included a win in the 2 person-relay at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival (a must-do event!), a second place at the Little Backyard Ultra 6 hour race in Olympia (~37 miles), and top finishes at the Cougar Mountain Trail series. In July, I joined fellow SRC member Chris Tremonte in a beautiful run through Alpine Lakes to the top of Alta Mountain (see picture). The Brooks Cascadia has seen me through all these trail adventures, and in style with the Sasquatch collection! On top of racing achievements, I’ve also racked up all time records for distance in a day, vertical in a day, and vertical in a week!

As important as the running accomplishments have been this year, getting to volunteer with SRC and Brooks has been equally enjoyable. We’ve helped maintain trails and performed some heavy blackberry removal in Cougar Mountain, and volunteering at the Cougar Mountain Trail races has really helped me feel at home in the Seattle running community. I really enjoyed helping set up at the Brooks PR Invitational in June and it was inspiring to see so many fast high school runners. Being part of the SRC-Brooks team has been an honor so far this year, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities it has granted me, not just for the actual running but the amazing people I have met and gotten to share time with.

Barrett Gray

This year’s racing started out at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival which is always a blast! I ran on a 50k relay team with my teammate Trisha and SRC member Natalie. We each ran two laps for 10 miles total, and I was proud of myself for running even splits, even though it got pretty dark during the second lap. I then turned my focus to ultras. I raced Chuckanut 50k in March and accomplished my goal of placing top 10 with a time under 4:30:00 for a 7th place finish! It was a fun speedy course with a little bit of everything, and it was so great to see some of my teammates at one of the aid stations. In May, I raced Tillamook Burn 50 miler in Oregon where I battled for the podium and managed to place 3rd by only 34 seconds. It made for an exciting race, and I got a PR for the 50-mile distance! My legs felt strong for this one, but I experienced a couple bonks during the race, which I fortunately came back from but it really highlighted the importance of nutrition and hydration for these long races.50 miles seems to be my distance for the year. I raced Silver rush 50 in Leadville, CO in July, and it was one to remember! It was my first time running a high elevation race, with the entire course being between 10,000 and 12,000 ft. I got there a week early to acclimate, but my lungs could still really feel the elevation on the climbs, so I made sure to take those easy and focus on making up time on the flats and downhills where my lungs felt great. After bonking in my last 50 miler, I really focused on my nutrition and was able to get in the most calories I’ve ever had during a race and my energy levels felt good the entire time. I didn’t have many expectations for this race so was super happy to get another 3rd place finish! My entire family, my partner, my coach, and some Colorado friends came out to support me which made the experience even more meaningful. I couldn’t have done it without them!

Katelen Phelan

This 2023 year on the Brooks Team has been like no other. I’ve had two solid race personal records (PRs), volunteered for several running events with Seattle Running Club folks, bagged a race due to illness, and paused on running due to injury.

January 2023 started off strong with trail runs and running community comradery. I volunteered at the bib pick up and raced at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival. I did the 5-miler, earning a new course PR and women’s 1st place win. A week later, I planned to race the Orcas 25k trail race, but I was recovering from being sick, so I enjoyed a non-race weekend on Orcas Island instead. In March, I had a few friends running the Chuckanut 50k and I happily supported them at the Seattle Running Club Aid Station with SRC-Brooks Teammates. Throughout this time, I was tuning up for my focus race of the year. 

That big race was the Boston Marathon (for the first time). A friend knew my PR streak over the past year and encouraged me to go for a PR at Boston. The idea sounded absurd and challenging, but other running friends encouraged me to go for it. Soon, I was training to not just race the Boston Marathon (a dream deferred since 2020 cancellations) but to get a PR. I consistently ran most days and dug deeper into my speed work. One week before the Boston Marathon, I felt a sharp pain in my left shin. I got an x-ray and was cleared to keep running/racing. On race day, my shin was okay and I cruised through the course in my Brooks Hyperion Elites, focused on fueling well, maintained my goal pace, and rode the energy of quick runners alongside me and enthusiastic cheer squads on the sidelines. My goal time was 3:12 (hh:mm), 3:10 (as a stretch goal). I finished with a solid 3:08 a ~9 minute marathon PR!

Since the race, my shin pain resurfaced. I got an MRI, and a stress reaction (early stress fracture) was detected. The injury has forced me to rest from running, focusing on cycling and strength training instead. It’s been 3+ months since my marathon and I am still building up to running without pain. Fortunately, I’ve been able to stay somewhat connected to the Seattle Running Club through volunteer opportunities at the Brooks PR Invitational and Cougar Trail race aid station, as well as attending the SRC Member Party and monthly SRC-Brooks Team meet ups.

Trisha Steidl

I decided to take on a new, scary challenge this year – train for and race a 24-hour race. There was a lot to teach my body and mind in order to be properly prepared for this big event and I learned so much throughout the process. Ultimately, things out of my control ended up impacting my target race performance, but it was still a good experience. I learned things that will help me with all of my running going forward as well as for my next 24-hour event. More important, I got to reconnect with a friend and make new ones as I joined a new community of ultra running folks. I look forward to the opportunity to use this knowledge and these experiences in my future training and racing.

RACES:

Tiger Mountain Fat Ass 25k: really more of a fun, reunion, non-event, training run, which was even more fun since I hadn’t run on Tiger Mountain in many months; I think I was the 2nd woman, but I honestly don’t recall for sure because I wasn’t treating it as a race

Bridle Trails Relay: with my awesome SRC teammates and friends Barrett Gray and Natalie Roberts each of us running two consecutive laps (~10.4 miles); not sure what place we were as that wasn’t the focus and we only had three people while competing against teams of five or six

Dizzy Daze 12-hour: this was one of the most painful race experiences I’ve ever had, made slightly more tolerable by having so many friends join me throughout the event; First Overall and tied the overall CR and set a new women’s CR by 2 laps (6.4mi) with 73.6 miles total

Lake Washington Loop FKT: with the support of my husband and several friends, I ran around the lake as part of my training for the 24-hour and improved (by a very small margin) the time I previously had for this route

Six Days In The Dome: on an oversized, indoor track around an ice skating rink, I didn’t get bored for a second and I ran my first 100 miles and earned my first buckle; 6th woman, 103.33 miles

While it wasn’t my race, it was just as important as my own race. I had the privilege of pacing my good friend, Yitka Winn, for the last 22 miles at the Cascade Crest 100 mile race where she got her 4th win!

Big thanks to Brooks for the awesome gear that I’ve used throughout my training and racing so far this year! Comfortable, durable, looks good, and works well. Can’t ask for much more than that!

VOLUNTEERING:

Bridle Trails registration, May Cougar Mountain registration and food tent, June SRC/Cougar Mountain trail work party, June Cougar Mountain AS#1, NWTR Seward Park event finish line, Cascade Crest 100 mile water jug filler upper and other miscellaneous, pre-race prep, White River 50 mile Buck Creek AS

Volunteering is something I would do whether I was on the SRC-Brooks Team or not. I believe it is important to give back to our community and I enjoy doing so. These races can’t take place without the help of many volunteers and it’s oh-so-fun to support people going after their goals!

I’m looking forward to the second half of the year with more racing, pacing, training with my SRC-Brooks and SRC teammates, and volunteering!

PC: Somer Kreisman

Aaron Roche

For the first half of 2023, being part of the SRC-Brooks running community has empowered me to pursue new *AND* continuing opportunities. I volunteered. I fundraised. I coached high school athletes. And I competed in my first Chuckanut 50k! I also face-planted while ice skating and from early through late May I was sidelined with my first running-related injury in five years!

As the world has progressed beyond some of the restrictions related to the Coronavirus Pandemic, I feel it has enabled our team and the club, at large, to get together more often. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the added opportunities to connect and hang out in social settings.

January through March stats. Volunteering: one event for a total of 4hrs. Training and competing: 90hrs across 685mi (1,103km). The first event of the year was our club’s annual Winter Running Festival at Bridle Trails in Kirkland. I was a volunteer for this event and worked in the legendary aid station! It was a blast being part of the crew serving up warm beverages and snacks to the runners.

Training and racing-wise, I dived straight into training for my first 50k – the iconic Chuckanut 50k! I put in some strenuous climbs and treacherous descents while wearing my original Catamounts and a handful of training runs in the trails of the Cascades while wearing a pair of the Cascadias. On race day, it was the Catamount 2s that helped me navigate the route in the Chuckanuts for a well-deserved, first-time 50k finish.

April through June stats. Volunteering: two events for a total of 7.5hrs. Training: 66hrs across 515mi (830km).

Upon completion of the Chuckanut 50k race and training cycle, I set my sights on Memorial Day weekend’s Ski-to-Sea. I was recruited to join “The Buff Gandalfs:” a band of misfits, ski bums, and has-been cyclists trying to rekindle the glory of their youth! I had planned to bring my aging body to their squad as an expert in downhill running for the 8-mile running leg.

My aging body had other plans, however! The Achilles tendon on my right side began to flare up during training in early May. I mostly ignored the pain and did self-massage to keep it at bay until I heard a “pop” during a long run, which left me with a swollen ankle. It stayed that way for an entire week! “Welp,” I thought. “We had a good ride.”

It had been five years since my last running-related injury. And I was long overdue. So, I put my body in the care of some expert Physical Therapists – Kate Bailey of KBWell and Linn Zhang and Kristen Hicks at Vida’s Ravenna clinic. They helped me navigate my injury in record time – thanks to my care team, I was back up and running in exactly three weeks!

Despite the absolute bummer of being sidelined by an injury, I kept my head high and stayed involved in the running community. I helped coach one of my Cleveland High School athletes to districts in the high jump and two others to PRs at the metro meet. Once again, I helped out at the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series races in May and June. And I had a fun time walking in Seahurst Park and taking photos of my teammates during the May team run.

Now that I’m fully back on the grind, storming into the month of August, I have my steely gaze directed toward November’s New York City Marathon! My partner Anna and I are fundraising for cancer research leading up to the race – more info here! Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, since June, we’ve raised over $6,000! It’s been a real thrill to have the support of the SRC-Brooks team and the Brooks running family to help amplify my message of running and community.

Breathe. Hydrate. Eat your veggies. And Run Happy!

SRC and SRC-Brooks skwad at the Chuckanut 50k finish line. Bellingham, WA. March 18. 2023. Photo courtesy of Anna Smu.
The Brooks Team May run through Seahurst Park. Burien, WA. May 18, 2023.

Bergman Umana

So far so good!

I participated in two ra ce events, Lake Sammamish half marathon and the Sun Mountain 25k trail run, these two went great for me and exceeded my own performance expectations.

For the lake Sammamish half, I finished it in 1:24:13, which was a whole two minutes faster than last year and a new PR. This PR was surprising since I was recovering from a small foot injury. I wore the Hyperion Elite 3 and felt great the whole 13.1 miles.

Sun Mountain was a bit out of my comfort zone, I’ve been doing most of my running on roads for the last 3 years. But 6 weeks before the race I began doing more trails and quickly fell in love with the challenges and settings that trail running comes with. The day of the race I felt sturdy and even with all the wrong turns I managed to finish strong and quicker than expected. I wore the Calderas 6 in the Rooibos colors, this shoe is a bit bulky, but it did the trick for me.

Now I’m just looking forward to doing more trail running, and excited to run the Backcountry Rise 20 miler along with Chris.

Erik Barkhaus

I’m finally used to writing down 2023 instead of 2022 so that signals to me that we are very much halfway through the year. As always there were ups & downs and changing plans, but when sitting down to write this, positive experiences came to mind first and that is certainly a good sign! Perhaps the biggest change in my running this year has been moving south of the city to Burien right next to Seahurst Park, one of the hidden gems of the greater Seattle area. I’ve been able to design runs that take me from my front steps to dense forest then to beachside trails all in a matter of minutes. Perhaps the only downside is no 100% flat days when you want to get the good parts of the park. The daily dose of hills took some getting used to, but we are, after all, trail runners.

My first race of 23′ was as it should be, Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival, the longtime rust buster of many a Seattle area trail folk. Coming off my first ever 50k race in December, I was relieved to be doing something more familiar and being less concerned with sustenance strategy & route finding. Bridle Trails is a unique race in that all distances and relays start together and the use of the same 5 mile loop can make for a muddy merry-go-round of near constant action at the finish. So long as you come prepared with layers and warm beverages, I’d call it one of the better spectating events coupled with the fact you might not be too far from home once it’s over. I managed a 2nd place showing in the 10 mile, relieved not to have grossly overestimated my fitness and managed balanced splits. The real highlight of the show was a stare down with a horse at which point the pack yielded (as you’re supposed to). 30 secs felt like an hour when you’re in race mode but it was a reminder to be prepared for anything and 30 secs isn’t worth a kick in the face.

My second race of the year was Snowshoe Nationals held in McCall, Idaho. This race presented quite a challenge as I had never officially raced in snowshoes before and the course was 5000 ft starting elevation plus a healthy amount of climbing, but I was able to do some workouts in the shoes and used skinning/uphill skiing to prep the body for the mile high beating. The constant change of the snow footing based on where the trail was positioned in the sun and the hills delivered on the promise of a challenge. My foray into a new running discipline ended in a 3rd place finish behind some highly decorated snowshoers, including Joe Gray, a mountain running US & World Champ who put on a masterclass in churning snow into victory. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I can’t wait to jump in another snowshoe race once I admit to myself that it’s not so much my hip flexors are tight, they are in fact weak little rubber bands that become tight when I skip my exercises.

My next race was the Lord Hill 20 miler, which was to be my final tune-up before Chuckanut 50k, the big finale of my first training block. Like Bridle Trails I lucked out again with weather cooperating, eliminating one of the trickier variables in those early winter races. Unlike Bridle Trails however , I was not intimately familiar with the course but that’s the job. The race itself went off without a hitch and I found myself enjoying one of those days where you actually felt pretty decent from start to finish. No falls, no sustenance failures, perfect layering decisions, my only regret perhaps not just going for the full 50k option,  if only I had the foresight to know Chuckanut would end in an injury and DNF. Fast forward to July I am now running consistently and excited to ramp up harder workouts and racing in the fall. My advice to you all and my future self, should I lose sight of it as we sometimes do…..take the time for the little stuff, selfcare, stretching, rolling rest etc….and don’t forget to enjoy the little runs in between “the big stuff.” 

Adam Hewey

Nothing feels better than giving back. This year I decided to take a step back from running races to concentrate on volunteering for races. It felt great!  After winning my age group at the Polar Bear Plunge for New Years while wearing my Team SRC/Brooks gear and Brooks Launch, I ate some chili and started planning out my year of service. 

I am the Seattle Running Club Aid Station Captain for the iconic Chuckanut 50K in Bellingham. A wonderful day in the Chuckanut Mountains helping runners with other Team SRC/Brooks teammates. This is a great bonding experience for the team and totally worth the time and effort to organize.

Next up was working the Shy Bear Aid station for the Cougar Mountain Series. Wheelbarrowing all the supplies for an aid station over a mile into the woods is an act of sacrifice and also a lot of fun. I did a lot of travelling in June and put many miles on my Brooks Ghosts while running to keep my sanity. Both are showing a bit of wear. 

July is all Cascade Crest 100 Mile! I am the Assistant Race Director and put in massive amount of time and energy to bring this race to life each year. This  year we had a great showing of local runners. The majority of the locals wore Brooks shoes as did most of the volunteers and staff. 

I am proud to give back and proud to do it while wearing the Team SRC/Brooks logo.

Chris Hoffman

As I transition into my late 50’s, I have found I need to focus on overall health and managing recovery. Putting in lots of training miles and recovering from races doesn’t come as easy anymore and the impact of putting in those miles often outweighs the benefits. I am generally okay with that (not that I have a choice😊), but I have had to listen more to what my body is saying and diversify my training with different activities and put quality miles over quantity to stay healthy. That said, I still enjoy racing and doing my best to stay competitive as I age. The good news is that as I get older there are fewer competitors in my age group! With that in mind, I kicked off the year with a 1st in age class finish at the Bridle Trails Running Festival in the ten-mile race. That was a nice start to the year and although I haven’t been able to replicate that finish in races since then I have been able to bag solid age group finishes at the June Leavenworth Skyline 27-kilometer and the July Cougar Mountain 10.8-mile races. One notable highlight being that my 2023 splits in the 10.8-mile Cougar race were significantly faster than in my 2022 race. Maybe my approach to running fewer miles is paying off?

While running fewer miles may be working, I have done my best to stay very active volunteering. I am in my second year of coordinating Cougar Mountain Trail work parties and have enjoyed organizing and attending those events with my fellow SRC members. I also volunteered at the Bridle Trails race, the SRC Chukanut 50k aid station along with several SRC-Brooks team members, and at the July Cougar race.

Brooks has been an amazing partner for SRC, supplying the team with the shoes and apparel that allow us to run and look our best. It’s an honor to wear their products, especially since they are such a positive and inclusive presence within the running community. While I will always choose trails over roads, I have to say the Hyperion Max is my new favorite for my daily runs since it is very comfortable and cushy, and incredibly light. 

I’m looking forward to logging more miles in my Brooks shoes as I prepare for the Backcountry Rise and Perpetua coast races later this summer and fall!

PC: Somer Kreisman

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2022 SRC Brooks mid-year updates

Read on to see what SRC’s Brooks team has been up to in the first half of the year!

Adam Hewey

This year started off with horrible weather! The solution? A race in Arizona!

February I ran the Elephant Mt. 50k just outside of Phoenix. Sun, huge cacti and desert running was just the ticket to dry off after such a winter. I ran well in my Brooks Catamounts and finished with a smile on my face and only a few cramps in my calves.

I have been racing for twenty years. This year I decided to give back more and focus on volunteering. I was the aid station captain at the Chuckanut 50k, worked Two Cougar Mt/SRC races, Bridle Trails 50k, White River 50Mile and was the Assistant RD again at Cascade Crest 100 Mile. 

My racing may have taken a step back but my heart is full. I have been enjoying running socially and feeling less pressure to perform. The redesigned Brooks Cascadia has been my best friend on big trail runs and the Brooks Launch still has my back and feet on in city commutes.

PC: Somer Kreisman – @somerrunner

Katelen Miller

Putting Fitness to the Test

The first half of my 2022 race calendar was full of surprises. I raced the January 29th Tukwila to Alki Half with expectations simply of logging miles, competing with a friend, and exploring my current fitness. Unexpectedly, I got a 2 minute half-marathon personal record (PR), 20k PR, 10 mile PR, and 15k PR! A few weeks later I had low back and nerve pain due to excessive gardening and a weak core. While wallowing in my upset about the back pain and it’s impact on my training, I volunteered at the Chuckanut 50k with the Seattle Running Club Aid Station. The weather was cold, the snacks were plentiful, and the runners were inspiring! I was getting cautiously optimistic about my early April 50k.

Come spring, I had two big races: the Gorge Waterfalls 50k and the Eugene Marathon. Fresh off the back/nerve injury, I was nervous, so felt grateful for the support I got from friends and family. The Gorge Waterfalls 50k course was stunning! I finished with a ~45 minute PR and fueled consistently throughout. The Eugene Marathon on May 1st was yet another PR and Boston qualifier for me! I raced it in the speedy Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 shoes, cut ~ 10 minutes off my time, and somehow got a half marathon PR in the mix. Summer volunteering looked like Cougar Mountain trail work and race day registration help. I also got to lead several runs at Greenlake as a part of the Brooks Mobile Tour. My favorite Brooks Running shoes this spring have been the Adrenaline GTS (road) and Catamount (trail).

Chris Hoffman

The two themes for first half of 2022 for me were recovery and staying local. I spent time in early 2022 recovering from a cardiac ablation, which is a fairly minor procedure, but it sidelined me for a couple weeks. The good news is I haven’t had an atrial fibrillation episode since the procedure; I was able to slowly resume running and felt good as I trained myself back into shape. Just as I was at a high point in my training, I got the dreaded COVID in May which knocked me down pretty hard, even with two vaccinations and two boosters. I had to drop out of a planned 50k and had a lingering cough that made running no fun. 

My local activities included volunteering at several local races and events, including the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival, the Chukanut 50k, several Cougar Mountain races, and the Brooks Run Club Mobile Tour. My biggest news on the volunteering front was taking on the role of coordinating volunteers at Cougar Mountain work parties. We typically maintain trails one week before each of our Cougar Mountain races, but this year we were also able to help King County Parks remove over 900 pounds of Blackberries. This, and working with all the Seattle Running Club’s committed volunteers, is a really rewarding way to give back. 

My racing also had a local flavor. I started the year off running the Yakima Skyline 25k, which is a great race to use as an emergence from the winter doldrums. I was only 16 minutes slower than the last time I ran it in 2015, which, as a guy in my middle 50’s I will definitely take! I followed up that by running three of the four Cougar Race series, running identical times in the 10-mile race in May and July (at least I didn’t get slower!) and taking third – and winning a little cash prize – in the men’s masters race at the 14-mile race in August. Not a bad start to 2022. I hope to get at least one long race in before the end of the year and I’m looking forward to hitting the trails in the Cascades this fall.

PC: Somer Kreisman
PC: Matt Hagen

Trisha Steidl

At the end of October, I had PRP injections in both of my hamstring tendon insertion points. What I thought was going to be a few months of recovery and progressing back to normal training ended up being a few months completely off from running and a much longer progression that still isn’t fully back to normal.

Fortunately, I was able to skate ski during the winter in addition to doing a whole lot of PT exercises, which was helpful for re-building my aerobic capacity as well as gaining lots of leg and core strength.

During this time, I enjoyed volunteer at the registration table at the club’s Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival in January and at the SRC aid station at the Chuckanut 50k in March.

In May I joined the SRC trail work party at Cougar Mountain and, the following weekend, was able to run the Cougar Mountain Trail Series 5 mile race, wearing Catamounts. While I can’t say it felt great to race with so little running under my belt, it was nice to be back out there with my teammates and the camaraderie races bring.

My big goal this summer was to climb all five Washington state volcanoes in five days or less. That meant focusing in on hilly climbs, so I took my trusty Cascadia 16s up and down Mt. Si and Camp Muir, climbed Mt. Baker/Koma Kulshan two days in a row (one day wearing my Cascadia 15s), and did some other steep hikes and runs off the Cascade River Road, wearing a variety of shoes, including the Adrenaline GTS. I wasn’t sure I had done enough training as it was the least amount of running I had done in over 15 years, but in July I was able to make it happen! 

During my recovery after the volcanoes, I volunteered at the Brooks Mobile Tour at Green Lake. I got to facilitate a track workout and trail running cool down for one group, take another for a stroll around the lake, as well as introduce folks to some of the awesome, new(er) Brooks shoes – Hyperion Tempo, Glycerin 20, and Caldera.

I’m now finally getting back into more focused running training. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’m slowly progressing back to mileage that is more normal for me and it feels good to get back at it. 

Part of this progression included deciding a little more than an hour before the start of the Cougar Mountain 14.5 mile race – which was also the Pacific Northwest Track & Field association trail championships! – to represent my club. I ended up 3rd woman overall and 1stmaster! I also volunteered at the food table shortly after finishing my race, which is a fun way to give back and chat with others about how their races went.

I’m looking forward to racing more later this year and, hopefully, getting into a place of good enough fitness to go after some big running goals.

HUGE thanks to the Seattle Running Club and Brooks for their wonderful support of me and my goals!

Barrett Gray

My main running goals this year were to run my first 50-mile trail race and to run my first FKT (fastest known time), and I have accomplished both those goals so far this year! I started the year running some shorter trail races around the PNW. I raced with some teammates at the local Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival, where I won the 5-mile race. My work then took me to Oregon for part of the spring where I ran a couple races. I placed 3rd in the Mastondon 10 milerand placed 1st in the Peterson Ridge Rumble 20 miler, where the top 3 women finished within a minute of each other. I spent most of the race in 3rd place but paced myself well and was able to pull ahead in the last few miles. It felt good to run a smart race! I then had a blast racing the Sun Mountain 50 miler in May, where I finished as the 1st female and ran over an hour faster than my time goal.

In addition to racing, I have started to explore the world of FKTs this year. I set my first FKT up Mount Teneriffe in June by running the fastest known female ascent time. I then decided I wanted to go for a longer FKT and did the Cushman Six Peaks route in the Olympic mountains with a friend in early August. The route linked up six peaks over 23 miles and involved trail running, bushwhacking, and rock scrambling. We finished in just over 12 hours and set the overall FKT by over 4 hours.

I have also had a blast volunteering with my teammates at SRC events this year and have done a little of everything. I did trail work at the Cougar Mountain trails in preparation for the May SRC race, I helped with registration and at the food tent at the June Cougar race, and I helped at an aid station at the August Cougar race. I always enjoy giving back to such a supportive running community through volunteering! 

Kristi Williams

It feels good to be back at it! After endless hours of pelvic floor therapy, lots of lifting and alternating pool running with actual running, I finally am back in tip top shape! In fact, with the addition of lots of B.O.B. stroller jogging with a baby in tow, my strength and stamina have reached new heights. Now when I run, I feel grateful for having a body that literally went through the ringer and proud of what I accomplished both mentally and physically. 

I have been racing quite a bit with some notable mentions including winning the Whidbey Island Half Marathon, winning the Cougar Mountain short series with a second place open women finish for the PNTF 14.5 mile trail championships, winning the San Francisco 10k, winning the Bill Burby 5k on Vashon Island, and winning a few races put on by Sammamish Running. Though I have truly enjoyed being back in the saddle in the racing world, the role of lactating mother has had its difficulties when trying to figure when and where to pump prior or after races. Often hiding in my car, I find myself taking care of this seemingly natural thing, but often feeling alienated because of it. It makes me hope that in the future, there will be a place for mothers to go to pump at race events!

Footwear wise, I have found a new love in the Brooks Hyperion Tempo. This shoe is so versatile in that it can be used not only for workouts but also for racing. I have raced a variety of distances in the Hyperion Tempo ranging from 5k all the way up to half marathon and found that, regardless of the distance, my feet were happy and well taken care of! On the trail side of running, I have grown fond of Brooks Catamount for trail racing, but still stick to the Brooks Caldera for my weekly ventures into the woods. For my daily run or jog with Felix, I stick to the ooey gooey cushioned world of the Brooks Glycerin. I thoroughly enjoy the ahhhh inducing result of these squishy shoes! 

Though racing is a focus for me, volunteering for SRC has been just as fulfilling and fun! I love helping out at the Cougar Mountain Series with registration, food tent, and parking. It fills me with joy seeing all the runners full of excitement and anticipation of the race ahead! In addition, I volunteered at a Brooks running club event where I ran with fellow athletes who got the opportunity to test run the glycerins and the new cushioning system they recently developed. It is was fun to talk shoes, give prizes, and share my knowledge of Brooks and their amazing shoes!

I am truly grateful to be a part of Seattle Running Club and indebted to Brooks for investing in local athletes who not only play hard, but work hard with jobs, families, and lives outside of the running world. I have found, in this newly embarked role as parent and working mother, that balance is necessary for happiness and success. Running is a part of me as much as the blood that runs through my veins and I will always make sure that I find a moment in time to engage in what I love and share about it to anyone who will listen. 

Alex Kylyukh

So far this year, I have run more miles than I initially believed I could. Why? You may ask.

The first reason is that I got new running shoes and running clothes. I used to find every possible excuse not to run in cold or rainy weather. This year, I learned I could change that with proper running gear. I now have pants, a fleece, a running jacket, gloves, and running hats. I wear a tank top and shorts when it’s too warm outside and hydrate myself more. I bring a headlamp and wear bright-colored clothes when it’s dark. And when I get bored, I start switching things up, like getting new running shoes or running in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

The second reason is my dog, who loves to run even more than I do. When I run slow, the dog pulls me and helps me to speed up. When I don’t feel like going outside to run, the dog never forgets to remind me to put my shoes on and take us out. 

The third reason is that I joined a club and made more friends who run. I volunteered at races, set up aid stations, wheelbarrowed supplies, and helped maintain trails. We ran at parks, on tracks, beaches, and trails. We’ve had adventure runs when it was too hot to run. After some of our weekly workouts, we grabbed dinners, ate ice cream, and even went swimming at the beach. Running is much more fun when doing it with others or in a group or community, so I’m glad I joined one this year.

Lastly, I ran more this year because I started working with a running coach. I find it valuable to work with someone who helps me set my running goals, plan my runs and workouts and keep myself accountable. In addition, the coach provides personalized feedback, which is sometimes critical and honest but offers the opportunity to learn, grow, and adjust the course as needed.

I intend to continue running as I have been through the rest of the year and beyond, and I can’t wait to continue to learn and share the new lessons learned.

Aaron Roche

For the first half of 2022, my running adventures as part of the SRC-Brooks team have been quite rewarding! I’m now on my way to chasing down some exciting goals for the second half of 2022. As always, I appreciate the support of those on my team and for Brooks Running who provide our gear and shoes that allow us to pursue our passion.

Here’s a brief, month-by-month summary of the histrionics.

January through March stats. Volunteering: two events for a total of 7hrs. Training and competing: 100hrs across 780mi (1252km). 

Highlights!

• Winter Running Festival at Bridle Trails in Kirkland. For the second year in a row, I worked as a volunteer parking lot attendant before racing and winning the 2-lap, 10-mile race.
• Meeting up with our new pals in the Seattle Running Collective for a group run in Magnuson Park.
• Training for my A-race of the season – March’s Lake Sammamish Half Marathon. I did the bulk of my runs in the cushy Glycerin 19s and the reliable Ghost 14s. The workouts were split between the zoomy Hyperion Elites and the Tempos.
• Another volunteer outing with the team! The Chuckanut volunteer squad returned to Bellingham for our annual visit to the SRC aid station. I don’t recall the exact pair of Brooks trail runners I was wearing at the time, but they did not keep me warm!!

April through June stats. Volunteering: 3 events for a total of 9hrs. Training and competing: 90hrs across 690mi (1115km).

Highlights!

• Solid training days with my main dude Johnny in the build up to his marathon.
• Enjoying the cherry blossoms during runs along the lake.
• Flying down to Eugene with my other run buds for the Eugene Marathon weekend.
• Running the last half mile with Katelen as she finished her epic, 20-minute P.B. in the marathon!
• May trail work par-TAY at Cougar Mountain. Teammate Alex and I ran half of the short series course and trimmed and cleared some obstructions from the trail.
• Volunteering at COO-gah May races! Here, I helped by volunteering at aid station #1! It was fun supporting the event *AND* keeping warm for a change.
• Global Running *Week*. This was another opportunity to hang out with our pals in the Running Collective.
• June trail work party! There was a lot more to clear this time around from the recent storms that came through the region.
• As for training and competing, I hopped in the Fall City Days 10k for a fifth-place finish. I ran about a minute faster than my last time there in 2018.
• It was back to the track! For workouts and for actual races!! For the first time, I made it up to Shoreline for a Club Northwest All-Comers meet. I went full-on dual meet style and raced the 1500 and doubled back in the 3k. 4:32.5 in the 1500 and 9:55 in 3k.

• After a quick trip down to SoCal for my cousin’s high school graduation, I was back at the last all-comers in June. I won’t bore you with the deets here. I got a race report for that one up on my workout webblog. Anyway, long story short, I did the damn thing – 16:36.77. It was another super fun and rewarding evening at the All-Comers meet.

Super fun and rewarding! That is the underlying theme of all of my endeavors with the SRC-Brooks team. One half of 2022 down and another half to go, full of potential! Thanks for the love!

Breathe. Hydrate. Eat your veggies. And Run Happy!

PCs: David Jaewon Oh, Emilia Bajkowska Photography.

Jenny Easterberg

The first half of 2022 has actually felt somewhat more normal compared to the previous couple of years. The highlight for me has been finally getting back into a regular running plan with actual race goals. After having mono in December, and then Covid in January, my return to fitness has been a painfully slow process. Through this I have learned to have an incredible amount of patience with myself. I realized I lost touch with my inner runner, and now have been focused on tapping into my why and what really drives my passion of running. It isn’t about speed or placement in a race at this point in my recovery. It is simply about getting out and enjoying the process of a run; the mental, emotional and physical aspects. There are so many components that factor into what being an athlete really feels like!

I have also had a superb time this year being on the other side of the finish line by volunteering. It’s great to have an opportunity like the Cougar Mountain Series to volunteer at. I have honed my cheerleading skills nicely at this point! It is always a true pleasure to give back to the running community because I know at some point these roles will be reversed and soon someone will be there cheering for me as I run through the aid stations and finish line.

Dave Kwiatkowski

The first couple of months of the year started with some wins for me. In January, I ran a 5K time trial with the club, running a 16:35 which was one second from my PR from high school. In February, I ran a new overall and unsupported FKT of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. I ran this 50K in 3:06:46, beating the previous supported time by about 2 ½ minutes. It has since been reclaimed by Ben Brown, but records were meant to be broken! After this, I focused more on the marathon.

In March, I volunteered at the Chuckanut 50K and witnessed some tough and fast athletes running on a beautiful course in Bellingham, WA. This gave me some extra motivation for my marathon training, and it was going super well; I had some of the best workouts I ever had. Everything was looking green for a 2:35:00. However, my races did not go as well as I hoped. In March, I ran the crowded Cherry Blossom Half in 1:16:41 and was not satisfied with my result. In April, I ran the Boston Marathon and had a blast with my family! It was an experience I’ll never forget. It was like running through a parade! That being said, with nutrition problems, I bonked at mile 16 and my pace fell off considerably from my goal pace and finished with a 2:43:25. Once Boston was over, I was psyched to get back into ultra training.

Once I recovered from Boston at the end of April, I got the overall and unsupported Burke-Gilman Trail out and back FKT, which was 40 miles in 4:37:13. I ran it as a progression run, averaging 7:25 pace for the first half and 6:30 pace for the second half. Next, I had a blast cleaning up the trails on Cougar Mountain with the Seattle Running Club. At the end of May, I reached a new personal best of 37 yards (37 hours in 154.1 miles) in the Capital Backyard Ultra. I ran 4.17 miles every hour on the hour until “I forgot how to run.” I finished the first half of the year with a long recovery in June!

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2021 SRC Brooks Year-end Review

The SRC-Brooks Team is comprised of 10 current Seattle Running Club members – 5 men and 5 women – who exemplify a commitment to MUT (mountain, ultra, trail) running and racing, volunteering, and leadership within the local running community and the Seattle Running Club as well as being positive ambassadors for the club and Brooks. 

Read on for a review of 2021 from this year's team, in their own words!

KristiChrisJennyKatelenAdamTylerRoseAaronTrisha

Kristi Williams

Wow, what a year it has been! I feel like I have literally run the gamut of all potential emotions a human can possibly experience. Fear, excitement, and stress started my year with the knowledge, a short few months prior, that I was pregnant with my first child. Every woman’s experience is unique and special in this bizarre experience of creating life, but to say the process was flawless for myself would be a bit of a stretch. I had issues from the very beginning with preeclampsia, a detached placenta and a slow growth baby which culminated in the birth of a four pound preemie with extreme jaundice, anemia, low blood sugar levels, and negative RH factor syndrome. Trust, support, and faith in the doctors, neonatal nurses, family, and friends enabled me to see the light in the otherwise dark situation my husband and I found ourselves in. Running, my ultimate stress relief, was not feasible during this time and was truly missed. Though I got to volunteer more at the Cougar Mountain races than I have ever had, my heart belonged with those out on the trails. I was able to run through the first six months of my pregnancy and even compete in cross country last season, but this important aspect of my life was no longer safe for the baby, so I had to stop something that is so important and vital to me. 

After the six week period post birth (where doctors essentially forbid women to run because their bodies are healing from the trauma associated with birth), I was cleared to run but found myself plodding along at fifteen minute pace, urinating all over myself regularly, and wondering if I would be able to run again. I did what many women do as they desperately try to get back at what they love, started too quickly and injured myself. Frustration, anger, fear, and other powerful emotions flooded my body at this time. I struggled accepting my current state postpartum and truly questioned my ability to run competitively again. Yet, with the support of other running mothers, a month of pool running, and eleven weeks of pelvic floor therapy, I started to feel like myself again. The final test came in August when I ran a Cougar Mountain 5k and managed to secure a victory, when my esteem was rebuilt and feelings of joy, elation, and pride in myself came back again. Since that pinnacle event, I have run a few small road races, another Cougar Mountain race, and participated in cross country. Though I am still a far cry from my former running self, I am revived with hope for my running future and lucky to have a small six month old baby boy, named Felix, who is now in ideal health. 


Chris Hoffman

Like many, I had high hopes for a return to “normal” in 2021. My expectations for normal included a full race schedule and staying healthy. However, as runners know (especially us older types), we have to be flexible and adapt to the situations we are given. For me, the three common themes of the year were starting fast, taking time to heal, and re-prioritizing.

Starting fast. Remember my high hopes? Well, in early 2021, they were a bit of a reality. I ran in the St. Patrick’s Day 5k Dash at Green Lake. The 5k distance isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse, but it presented a chance to race early in the year, and I grabbed it. I ended up running a petty good race: 51st overall and 8th in the 50-54 division with even splits. In April, I headed east to run in the Ancient Lakes 25k. The race was a blast and the scenery was pretty amazing too. I was worried about my fitness but felt great the whole race, pushed hard, and finished 3rd in the 50-59 division and 12th overall. I debuted the Brooks Catamount and I have to say they are my new favorite shoe – a nice mix of nimble and comfort. I may have pushed a little hard because on my next run after the race I felt a familiar twinge in my left calf muscle.

Taking time to heal. The twinge I felt on that run turned into a more serious issue that put my running on hold for a while. I tried hard to be patient, put in the rehab work, and stayed active by hiking, which didn’t aggravate the injury. Slowing down for a bit was nice with some time to recharge and take an adventure long on my bucket list. I was fortunate to join a 16-day private rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. Our time on the water was magical, slowly opening up the secrets and the gifts that the river has to offer. One of those gifts included a midnight hike up and a sunrise run down the Bright Angel Trail. That experience marked the highpoint of my running year. I really felt like I was in a dream and had to pinch myself; the views were that unbelievable and something I’ll never forget. I retuned from that trip fully healed, inside and out! The river magic worked for me as returned to Seattle and a month later ran in the August Cougar Mountain 14.5 Trail Race and came in first in my age division and 20th overall.

Re-prioritizing. As summer transitioned to fall, I had hoped to run in the Three Sisters Skyline 50k and the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon. I was feeling good and went on some long trail runs to set myself up for good races. However, on one of those runs – The High Divide Loop in Olympic National Park – I just felt off. My heartrate was all over the place and I didn’t have my normal energy. After the run, I returned to our basecamp and my heartrate was still irregular and I felt lightheaded. Long story short, the Atrial Fibrillation I have previously experienced returned in a dramatic fashion. After extensive testing and consulting with my cardiologist, I am going to have an ablation procedure, which should address the electrical misfiring in my heart. The silver lining in all this is that besides my electrical issues, my heart is in good shape. I have running to thank for that (my cardiologist said I have the heart of a 41-year-old. Yes!). My priorities definitely shifted this fall – from racing to taking care of myself – which gives me a chance to take a step back and reflect.

Looking back, running this year gave me a lot; it wasn’t what I expected or what I hoped for, but I will take it and be forever thankful for it. Looking forward to 2022, I have the same hopes I had for 2021: to stay healthy and race. However, I have learned to take what running gives me and that’s usually exactly what I need.


Jenny Easterberg

Going into 2021, I had no idea what to expect after the year of Covid 2020. Being in long-hauler Covid recovery, my running took a back burner while my body healed and as I focused more on work: coaching at the high school and coaching at the boxing gym. The fall 2020 XC Season got bumped to spring of 2021 so I got to do a solid 8 months of coaching in 2021 alone. It was so incredibly fun and really wonderful to give the high school kids both their XC season and spring track season. I have viewed it as a year of service. Covid taught me to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life. It also taught me not to take anything for granted, especially my health and my family.

The highlights of my year: lots of coaching; a road trip to Arizona in January to seek out the sunlight and long runs in the desert; and my 10 year recovery/sobriety birthday in July that I celebrated on the Olympic Peninsula. I have my sights on several races and running adventures for 2022, and can’t wait to see what next year brings.


Katelen Miller

The year of ‘we’ll see what happens’. Back in the spring of 2020, I was hopeful that by 2021 the pandemic would be smoothed over and my originally planned big races (Boston and the Oregon Coast 50k) would be in the books. Alas, by early 2021 I lost faith and got impatient patience with all the uncertainty and resigned myself to once again push these goals further into the future. Someday soon I will re-qualify for the Boston Marathon and race it with a true crowd of spectators cheering me on. Someday soon I’ll do another 50k trail race. 

But some incredible things did happen in 2021. I turned 30 and am now in a new age group for races. I rang in this new decade with a dirty thirty ‘13-mile going on 30’ trail run with Seattle Running Club (SRC) members Bryan Hamilton and Aaron Roche. I got to run with teammate Trisha Steidl more frequently than before AND have the honor of her as my wedding officiant this past July! I am now a married woman with a new last name to see on race signups- Katelen ‘Miller’. 

This year I hit up local Washington trails with close SRC buds like Mariangela, Aaron, TJ, Bryan, Trisha, Anna, and Amie. Thanks to them, SRC Wednesday Workouts, and pent-up energy from not marathon or 50k training, I seem a bit speedier at Cougar races too! I ran the June Cougar Mountain 14.5-mile race and got a ~17-minute PR. In October, I ran the Cougar 7.6-mile and surprised myself by getting 3rd place in the women’s race and ~7-minute PR. Thank you Kristi and Mariangela for setting the pace! 

PC: Aaron Roche
PC: Aaron Roche

This year I also had the pleasure of volunteering with great SRC folks at the Cougar Trail Work party in May, the June Cougar Trail Run, Brooks PR Event in July, and the White River 50M. Volunteering with a joyful group is a wonderful time! After having ran White River once, I especially enjoyed being of assistance at SRC’s Buck Creek aid station for White River. Some truly heartfelt moments between runners and their loved ones happened there, which I got to witness. Think: small children running with their parent and a significant other sweetly greeting their runner who had a tough race day. 

My favorite Brooks Running shoes this year are still, the Adrenalines for my weekly street miles (got to have that support). For trails, I’ve been loving my pair of Catamounts in the Blue/Nightlife/Biscuit color. I’ll be ending this year with a 6k cross country race in Portland, OR and 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day in Camas, WA. If a December race strikes my fancy, I just might jump in. 

A huge thanks to my biggest running (and life) support crew this year: My husband Thomas and these lovely fellow running friends: Aaron Roche, Mariangela Cruz De Jesus, and Trisha Steidl. Extra thanks to Aaron for the great pictures he snapped of me running this year!


Adam Hewey

I came into 2021 in mid pandemic shape which means I lost all my endurance. The year turned around quickly when I got chosen in the Hardrock 100 lottery! Suddenly I had 6 months to get into trail beast mode. I downloaded the entire Game of Thrones catalogue of audiobooks onto my phone, dusted off my Brooks Calderas and Launches and started training hard. 

First race of 2021 was Badger Mountain Challenge 50 Mile in Richland, Washington. I had done the 100 miler there in 2019 and really enjoyed it and was thrilled to be back to in person racing. The race was a fitness test in which I scored a C. Still had fun though. July found me in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado at 10,000 feet. I had one singular goal and that was to finish the Hardrock 100 for the 5th time. I wasn’t racing, I was finishing. This was a whole new strategy for me and if was amazing. I fell in with a friend who was doing the same and we ran/hiked the first 40 miles together. From there my pacers took me up and down 13,000 foot passes and back to Silverton and the finish. I wore the Brooks Caldera 3 for the first half then switched to the Caldera 4 for the last 50 miles.

Post Hardrock I became very busy recovering and putting on races. Needles 50k was the week after I returned then planning for Cascade Crest 100 took my attention for the rest of August. 

In September I jumped into the Middle Fork Half Marathon on a whim. Half Marathon Trail races are super fun! I decided to use the Brooks Catamount as the trails at Middle Fork are not very technical. Right shoe for the day! I had a blast racing and got 3rd

My last race of the year (I think) was the Cougar Mountain 7.6 mile. This race is a Seattle Running Club race. I had been volunteering at the previous Cougar Mountain series races and it was fun to actually run it this time. I again donned the Catamounts for the buttery trails at this race. I had a blast red lining such a short distance and chased a fellow SRC member all the way to the finish. I snuck into the top 10 which was pretty good for a guy turning 54 the next day. 

I had a great time being a SRCBrooks team member again this year. I love sporting my SRC and Brooks gear at races big and small. The remodeled Cascadia is my new favorite shoe! The Cascadia was my first trail shoe and it’s fun to see it come full circle back to my feet. 


Tyler Vasquez

Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is not a sometimes thing, but an all time times thing.” When correlating this to my 2021 running experience, “Running has been a sometime thing and not an all the time thing.” COVID-19 Pandemic has brought a large amount of ups and downs which led to running races to be put on the back burner and running to becoming an outlet. 

As a community driven individual, I have used the running community and running in general to remind me why I appreciate the trails, roads, and urban greenways. It has reminded me that Seattle is a city that has the infrastructure to promote a healthy relationship with running and that races do not need to be the key driver for me to run. Whether connecting Volunteer Park, Interlaken Park and the Arboretum on a 5 mile run, or connecting the Arboretum and Seward Park on a longer run; running has connected me with Seattle’s infrastructure which has reconnected my love with this city and community.

Tyler Vasquez

In 2021, I finished 4th in the Fort Ebey Half Marathon and also ran competitively through the Cougar Mountain Trail race with finishes of the 14.5 miler and the 8-mile race. What I appreciate the most about being on the Brooks team is the camaraderie that my other teammates have shown me on the trail. I believe that being a part of the team has opened up lifelong friends. When I noticed my relationship with running ebb and flow it was the text from other Brooks teammates that got me to appreciate what Seattle has to offer by foot. The Seattle Running Club is more of a club, but a community of like-minded individuals that motivate each other to push through the ups and downs and commune around running!


Rose Hoonan

This year I stuck to trail races, running and volunteering at most of the Cougar Mountain series. I kicked off the season with a 5 miler win. In the 7 and 14 mile races, I soaked in the lovely PNW forest for the last time, as I moved to San Francisco this fall. The city delivers on hills and a short trip to Marin for some of the most fun trail running I’ve done. I joined a local running store’s weekly trail runs and am starting to get to know the vast trail network in the Marin Headlands. I capped off my 2021 racing with the Mt. Tam 30k, taking 3rd place female. It was a beautiful, sunny November day filled with 4k of climbing around Muir Woods, Mt. Tam, Muir Beach, and parts of the Dipsea trail. 

rose hoonan

Aaron Roche

The second half of my second season competing with the SRC-Brooks Team was about as normal as things could get while running and racing and volunteering in a pandemic. Here’s a brief recap on the highlights of a relatively ordinary four and a half months!

Favorite Volunteer Opportunity: White River 50-mile, Buck Creek Aid Station – I joined about 6 or so clubmates to support this aid station — at about halfway to the finish, we greeted runners with twice as much energy and excitement than what they had just seen the previous 27.2 miles!

Favorite Shoes: Hyperion Elite 2s! Yeah they gotta carbon plate. And yeah they got super bouncy and cushy foam! When 90% of your competition is wearing Vapor this or Meta that — even on the XC course?!, you gotta go with the SPECIAL SHOES to make sure you level that playing field, bby! Bonus: these shoes totally saved this vegan runner’s bacon after some seriously hard races and workouts. Spikes are still faster. Heh. 

Favorite Race: Cross country has been grand. The Cougar Mountain 7.6-miler was a pretty good day. My *FIRST EVER RACE* at Seward Park was a Seafair, Pirate par-TAY boat-load of fun. But nothing, nothing beats racing down Broad Street, in Philadelphia, to thousands of spectators, for the first time in twelve phlippin’ years! Smash that P.R. alarm, team!!

At the end of June, I put together a mid-year report. This can be enjoyed at your viewing leisure, here.

Photo credits: Heather Gonzalez (@bonfirestardesigns), Marathon Foto, Helen Sherk @ WednesdayNightRunners.com, Nick Danielson, Anna Smukowski.

From Top left, clockwise: Brooks P.R. invitational volunteer swag! White River aid station goodies. Cougar mountain October runners + volunteers. Chuckanut Aid Station stock photo. Aid station gear for Aid Station #2 at Cougar May race. Brooks P.R. invitational. SRC runner at the W.R. aid station. Cougar May: Aid Station #2 co-captain, Tyler V. Center: White River 50.
From Top left, clockwise: Hyperion Tempos, Cascadia 16s!, Glycerine 19s — midnight edition!, Mach Spikes 18 (in action for their 3rd xc szn!), Glycerine 19s — gray!, another pair of Hyperion tempos because they’re such an excellent trainer *AND* racing flat , Hyperion Elite 2s (in action at Broad Street Run!), Ghost 14s Carbon Neutral!
Emerald City Open XC, Broad Street Run final kick for the finish, 3000m Steeplechase @ Seattle Masters Classic, mountain trail racing! at Back Country Rise in July, chasing down 2nd place at Cougar October’s 7.6-mile race, thumbs way up across the finish line in a brand spanking new 10-mile p.r. at Broad Street Run, noshing on another gold medal at the Seattle Masters Classic, finish at Cougar October. Center: next to the timing board at Seattle Masters Classic.

Trisha Steidl

What an interesting year. Races weren’t in full force at the start of 2021, though that changed as the year progressed.

I wasn’t in a place to race anyway as an issue with my right hamstring and a nerve became so inhibiting that I could not train normally. In mid-March I had a hydrodissection to help heal this issue. This meant taking about six weeks off and to progress back into full running again. 

Fortunately, during much of this time I was able to cross country ski. Taking skate ski lessons earlier in the year was a blast and opened up a new-to-me opportunity to cross train. I found it also benefitted my running significantly.

At the end of May Uli and I finally climbed Mt. Baker (wearing my trusty Cascadia 15s*) for the first time with our friend Dan. It was a beautiful, peaceful day and fun to finally climb my “hometown” mountain.

With the trails being fully open this summer, unlike last year, I took full advantage of getting out into the mountains. 

I organized a group to learn about mountaineering, culminating with a Mt. Baker climb (yes, in my Cascadia 15s again) in mid-July. This was after the heatwave we experienced in our area and let’s just say the conditions on the mountain couldn’t have been more different from what we experienced in May.

Rewinding a little bit, I was honoured to pace my friend and SRC teammate, Chris Chamberlin, at his first Western States 100 Mile race. He had a super strong race and finished 16th! I also had the privilege of coaching him for this event, which made the whole thing even more special.

Racing at Cougar (PC: Heather Gonzalez)
Post-pacing at Western States 100
Heading down from the Mt. Baker summit. I’m the second person, leaning to the right. (PC: Marcelo Suarez)
After my solo Glacier Peak FKT

In mid-July I climbed Glacier Peak once with Uli (in the new Cascadia 16 GTXs) and again a couple of weeks later on my own (wearing the same shoes), taking a couple of hours off of the women’s unsupported FKT. It was a really cool experience to do something that long and remote on my own and my first time summiting a glaciated peak solo.

In August I won the PNTF Masters Trail Championship at the Cougar 14.5 mile race, my one race of the year. A week later, Uli and I ran The Northern Loop at Mt. Rainier, setting the mixed gender FKT in the process. A week after that, I had the privilege of pacing my friend Yitka Winn. She notched her third win at the Cascade Crest 100 Mile race!

On back-to-back weekends in late September, I set women’s unsupported FKTs on The Northern Loop and at Shriner Peak. For all of these experiences, I was wearing my Cascadia 16s and, of course, comfortable Brooks apparel.

In October I took advantage as much as I could of heading out to the trails to enjoy the fall foliage, often with my SRC teammates. This was important to me both to enjoy the season and time with friends, but mostly to get in as much fun running as I could before I was to have PRP injections in both of my hamstring tendon insertion points, which meant I’d be out of running likely for the rest of the year. 

About a week out from my PRP injections, I ran one final FKT on Amabilis Mountain. I had wanted to run this since cross country skiing there in early April. It was such a different experience (and so much faster for me) on foot! How fun to have a run time and ski time on the same route!

Throughout the year I volunteered at one of our club’s trail work parties at Cougar Mountain, three of our club’s Cougar Mountain races, and at the Brooks PR Invite. It’s always so fun to help out and give back to the community that has given me so much.

Big thanks to the Seattle Running Club and Brooks for the support again this year. It’s a great honour to represent the club I have been a member of for so long and our local running shoe and apparel company. 

Here’s looking forward to more exciting things in the coming year once my hamstring/nerve issue is fully healed!

*I have 17 years of mountaineering experience. I do not recommend that most people wear trail shoes to climb glaciated mountains.

Uli and me immediately before starting The Northern Loop
Categories
Club News Featured Race Reports

2015 #SRCBrooks Fall Updates

Summer had led to fall, and the #SRCBrooks squad is still going strong, circling the state and beyond in races of all distances. You could find them at Cougar Mtn, in Utah, along the downtown streets of Seattle, and you could find a big chunk of them at the White River 50 Miler in late July. Keep reading to find out more!

Arthur Martineau

My first race of the summer was the White River 50 mile. I used it, as I do every year, as a warm up to Cascade Crest. My goal was to run hard but even. I had a good 1st half. I was on track for a PR but felt like I was running with much less effort than in previous years. Right after the mid-point Aid Station I started having some G.I. problems. They lasted for about 20 miles. I was forced to walk a lot but with roughly 7 miles to go, they finally went away. I had a lot left in my tank so I flew past about a dozen people and finished with a PR.

The weekend after White River I hosted my annual Cascade Crest 100 training weekend up at Snoqualmie Pass. It is three days of running on the course. Participants run 30-75 miles. My results for the weekend confirmed my fitness was better than any previous year. I was psyched for my upcoming big race!

My summer goal race, Cascade Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run is at the end of August. I spent a lot of time running in the summer heat, while being extremely over dressed. In previous years I felt the heat from mile 24 to 39 really hurt my time. I wanted to be more than ready this year. Ten days out it was forecasted to be very hot, then 4 days out that all changed. It turned out to be the worst August storm in history. I heard a lot of people lost power.
Arthur Cascade Crest
At the start it was just warm enough to be comfortable and that continued until the Sun set behind the mountains. Then everything changed! About an hour after dark while I was climbing to the top of a ridge, the sky opened up. The rain and wind tried to force every living creature to seek shelter. I didn’t hide in any of the warm tents that were posted every five miles or so along the course. I fought some severe winds From No Name Ridge to Thorpe Mt., but I didn’t give up. I could have used an extra jacket because the one I had on wasn’t quite thick enough. I was eating as much as I could, more than I can normally eat during 100 mile. It takes a lot the extra energy to stay warm when its 38 degrees, windy, and you’re soaked to the bone. That was energy that could have been used to run faster. I lost over an hour during the night. There were a lot of sections on the course where I had to slow down do it the slippery trail conditions. As the Sun came up, the weather seemed to improve, but I was also coming down off the higher peaks. I heard runners behind me had heavy rain well into the afternoon. I finished, in a light drizzle, with my canine pacer Lola that I picked up with 50 miles to go and my three kids that always run the last 200 yards, in a PR time of 22:20. At the finish the Race Director gave me an award for finishing 10 years in a row. It’s a green jacket that says 1000 miles on the sleeve. I love it!

I jumped into a bonus race after a short recovery from the 100 miler. I ran the Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon. This is the most beautiful marathon I’ve experienced to date (and I’ve run a lot of them). It has more elevation change than you see in races twice its length. Just remember, if you’re going to enjoy the incredible views, you’ll have to earn them! The climbs are long and steep. I ran very hard the entire race. My fueling was better than my legs could handle. About half way into the race my calves started to cramp, so I tried not to use them for a while. The cramps went away. A few miles later my hamstrings started to cramp, so I stopped using them for a while. This strategy worked well for five or six miles. With 5 miles to go I had to stop three times for about 7 miles total because my whole leg would cramp, there were no muscles left to propel me toward the finish. I ended up limping down the last hill, with a cramping leg. I finished 3rd in my age group, seven minutes faster than my goal time.

Trisha Steidl

My third quarter has been focused on figuring out a long-term, nagging, hamstring injury that has been bothering me for 1.5+ years. We’re on a positive path of getting things figured out, which also means I’ve had to back off regular training so it can heal properly (and more quickly!). Thus, I haven’t done much racing.

I did run and win the Labor Day 4 mile race on, you guessed it, Labor Day. I won this race a couple of years ago as well, so it was nice to be back and represent SRC and Brooks at this big, well-known event.

While I haven’t competed in any other races, I have been leading the SRC Wednesday Workouts, always wearing my awesome Brooks gear. We’ve got a huge group of wonderful people who have shown up for the XC workouts this year. The energy from this group is phenomenal and makes training fun, even on dark, rainy nights.

I do hope to be able to race XC by the end of the season. Right now my focus is on my health and my family with a focus on ramping up for next year on what I hope will be a 100% healthy hamstring.

Evan Williams

End of summer, start of fall. Amidst the much appreciated temperature drop, I’ve continued racing well! I’m closing in on 3000 mi for the year and the last 500 or so will be during the second half of club XC season. Not the easiest November and December ahead.

White River 50 mi (7hrs 28mins). Something like that. I’m not sure many people care about the precise minute time of a 50 mile race. The first third went well, the middle third was a disaster calorically, and the last half marathon was splendid (I literally ate my way back into the race). Thanks Mom and Dad for the strong stomach genes. I won an age group award, but I can’t remember what place that was. I guess all the details wash away relative to the colossal feat of being a finisher. It was fun! First 50 miler.

Evan at the USATF Trail Half National ChampionshipsSundodger 8k (27:45). This was the XC season opener. Despite feeling worse than ever before at the start line (no breakfast, barely a warm up, a couple hours of sleep), I snuck across for a 6 second PR. Being the chief organizer for the XC team really takes a toll on race day performance. Ooof.

PLU 8k (27:32). Yeah! This was a harder course than Sundodger, but I hit a groove and paced it well. PR again! Sloppy, rainy, muggy, fun XC race. The real deal. Couldn’t find my Mach spikes, but the spikeless version held onto the mud turns just fine.

Lake Padden Trail Half Marathon & USATF Championships (1:32:46). 10th place! I DNFed this last year because of a weird knee pain at mile 7. This year, I had a faster mile 7 split, no knee pain, and the determination to hold onto the second half. Couldn’t be happier. Brooks Pure Grits feel like old friends that know how to climb and descend on their own.

Claire Giuliano

Claire ArizonaIt has been a hot, hot, hot training block in Arizona with temperatures often above 100F which doesn’t make for the most pleasant long runs. I also started a graduate program so it has taken great effort to remain focused on my running goals. My next race is the Phoenix half marathon over Halloween weekend; if temperatures are forgiving then I hope to make a new PR in the distance. Even though life is busy, running is my reprieve, and it has been exciting to gain fitness. Even during weeks when I am overly sleep deprived, I have still been able to hit satisfactory splits during my workouts and long runs. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures so I can test my fitness – hopefully right around the corner!

Keith Laverty

There’s something about the late summer/early fall season that always draws me in as arguably my favorite time of year to run. I raced four times and felt very strong all four times that included a hometown road race and one of the most memorable post-race celebrations.

With the Angels Staircase race being canceled this summer due to the devastating forest fire, I decided to hop into my Woodinville hometown, Columbia Winery 10k. And although my focus had been on longer mountain running, it turned out my legs had enough speed to run for my fastest time on the course (33:20) and 3rd time win at the event. Thanks to Brooks Running for putting up the race prize!

Coinciding with a friend’s wedding in San Francisco, I learned about a new race, the Calistoga Trail Ramble, nearby in Napa and hopped into this last minute too. 10 miles of rolling hills, technical sections and flat, speedy straightaways, I was able to pick up the win and a solid prize money payout. This checked off my bucket list item of getting one very large, over-sized check!

Returning to some PNW trails, I competed in the first ever Baker Lake Classic 25k, point-to-point course, put on by Northwest Endurance Events. I felt great and blazed through solo along a scenic, lakeside trail for the win.

Keith TNFOne week later, I tested my lungs and flew out to compete in Park City at TNF Endurance Challenge – Utah Marathon. The race begins at the lowest elevation of about 7,000′ and climbs to over 10,000′. My strategy was to forget about the elevation and just get out there to compete. I started out breathing harder than usual on the first climb but told myself to relax and control it. Despite some late-race falters with my lower abdomen, I fought on to win by 16 minutes in a new course record. Later on, with an energetic crowd demanding at the podium…I went crowd-surfing. Great times!

3rd Quarter results:
Columbia Winery 10k – 1st, 33:20
Calistoga Trail Ramble 10M – 1st, 1:11:40
Baker Lake Classic 25k – 1st, 1:47:31
North Face Endurance Challenge – Utah Marathon – 1st, 3:47:07

Katie Bates

Katie BatesI have been hitting the dirt in some high altitude training sessions throughout the Cascades. I have also been training in various states while traveling. No matter where I go, the soft rooty trails of the PNW are my favorite. Any section of the Pacific Crest Trail is hard to beat! I have been digging the Brooks Ghosts while doing my local training runs along Lake Washington and save the Cascadias for the longer days in the mountains. I am in love with the shorts, which never chafe!

I cannot wait to put in a little sweat equity at the next Cougar event and give back to the community! Find me climbing up Chuckanut at the Bellingham Marathon and then trying to sneak into some Turkey day races to earn my grub!

Rachel Johnson

My racing since the Boston Marathon has been sparse however productive. A few injuries and illness have kept me on the sidelines. Of note however are the Portland Marathon on October 4th which brought a marginal result however I ran a consistent pace throughout running an average of 7:20min/mile pace. I’m looking forward to the next marathon and achieving a new PR. I recovered quickly and have had very strong training runs since. I also competed in the Salomon Valley to Peak mountain run and met some great competitors at that race finishing 4th in my age group. I completed this race solo while most completed it in stages as teams of three or four so I was happy to finish strong at this race. Lastly I participated in the White River 50 Mile Endurance run. Unfortunately I suffered an ankle injury at this race however was still able to complete 27 miles. I am proud of my teammates as there were great finishes at this race by my fellow SRC Brooks teammates.
Rachel Johnson
My focus this quarter has been high intensity mountain running and I have sought out as much elevation as possible. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of several mountaineering trips this quarter as well including Mt. Shuksan in the North Cascades, Mt. Olympus, and a single push summit attempt of Mt. Rainier which contributes greatly to my training. I’ve also continued to pursue rock climbing with a passion and have climbed routes from the Enchantments to the North Cascades and up into British Columbia Canada. Mountaineering and rock climbing have become passions of mine so I hope to integrate these pursuits into my running and training. I believe it will strengthen my running even further.

Looking forward I hope to increase my speed for the marathon and continue to seek out mountain running challenges in the Northwest and beyond.

Olin Berger

Olin White RiverThis quarter was solely focused on the White River 50 Mile and the culmination of a spring and summer that involved my highest mileage totals to date. Sadly, that mileage converted into both race-ready legs and a case of plantar fasciitis. Being the highly intelligent runner that I am, I decided that the benefits of completing the White River 50 outweighed the potential negatives and ran the race anyway. Fortunately, my training pulled through and I was able to achieve a respectable 7:36 for 8th place overall, chasing teammate Evan Williams (6th overall). Unfortunately, the 50 miles were not the panacea I was hoping for and I took the following month of August off to recuperate. I have been slowly getting back into race shape in the past two months and am looking forward to the upcoming Lake Padden Trail Half-Marathon in October, my first attempt at the New York Marathon in November, and the Deception Pass 50k in December.

Martin Criminale

This quarter I competed in my primary goal events for the year, The Rut races in MT and the Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon here in WA.

My goal for 2015 was to compete in as many US Skyrunning events as possible and after the Angels Staircase 60k (also a US Skyrunning event) was cancelled due to a forest fire, these were what was left within a reasonable travel distance that is.

In MT I ran both the Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer and The Rut 50k. I got 3rd in the VK and 2nd in the 50k. Turns out MT has some fast Masters runners! And I have to admit, the elevation (we were never lower than 7,200′ and topped out at 11,100′) didn’t do this sea level dweller any favors. 🙂 That said it was a blast! Sure, these climbs were super hard but it was everything I expected and everything I could hope for. And the weather was fantastic.

At Crystal Mountain we again had incredible weather and the course was unchanged from last year which meant it was again just as hard. 🙂 Here I managed to win my age division and took about 15 minutes off of my 2014 time which I am very proud of especially since I was not 100% healthy.

Skyrunning events have to meet certain requirements. A vertical kilometer has to gain no less than 3,000m in no more than 5k total distance. And like all Skyrunning events, they all have to take place above 2,000m.

Skyrunning means you are frequently running where there is no actual trail, the course simply takes the most direct line from bottom to top or vice versa. At times you are running through a meadow, straight up or down a ski slope or scrambling up or down some massive scree field. Some hills are so steep the race promoter install fixed ropes! I have learned that flat running is my biggest weakness but I sure love this kind of challenge and seem to do relatively well when the course gets tough.

I wore my Brookis PureGrit 3 shoes for the VK and the marathon and my Brooks Cascadia 10s for the 50k. As always, the PureGrit provided awesome traction and the Cascadia provided the protection for the longer run. Which was especially nice when I was bounding down scree slopes! My Brooks shorts did just what they were supposed to do, be comfortable.

Here is my The Rut Vertical Kilometer race report.
Here is my The Rut 50k race report.
Here is my Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon race report.

Here are some VK pictures.
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Here are some 50k pictures.
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Here is a Crystal Mountain picture.
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Matt Hong

Matt Hong at White RiverWhat a Summer for running! In July I had what I like to call “The Greatest Running Month of My Life” which included adventure runs through London, New York City, and the Enchantment Lakes (30 mile unsupported solo). All my Brooks gear was a big contributor to this explosion of Run Happy. In addition, I won the Cougar Mountain 20 – which put me at 3 Cougar wins in a row. I ended the month with the classic Washington Ultra – the White River 50. There I experienced the highest highs and lowest lows of ultrarunning and beat my PR on the course by just under an hour – taking 23rd place in 8:31. It was my best performance in an ultra to date.

In August I ran the fourth race in the Cougar series and finished in fourth place – breaking my streak of wins but still won the overall Long Series by 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was a tough race for me as the cumulative damage of all the other long races leading into it finally caught up with me.

In September I ran at the Sundodger XC meet and a had a lot of fun running with the team although my performance was not what I would have liked it to be. All those college kids are so fast!

The Brooks Pure Grit 3 was my go to shoe all summer.

Lance Thompson

My late summer/fall began with the Labor Day Half Marathon. After a nagging injury kept me from racing in the summer, I built up consistent training. Many workouts were related to the Half Marathon, so I signed up for the Labor Day Half. I then realized it’s actually been nine years since I’ve raced the distance.

Wanting to maximize my chances to go fast, I brought out the Brooks T7s for the race. Many think of the shoe more as a 5K-10K racing flat, but I figured it would serve me well over thirteen miles as well, and it turned out to be a great choice.

Once the race was underway, I settled into a great pack with Nicholas Bowden and Gabi Kliot. It was a great feeling to trade off the lead, and move up in the race as a peloton feeling strong the whole way. I finished 7th, in 1:14:45, which is about where I hoped to be at that stage in my training.

Lance SundodgerSince then, I’ve ran a few Cross Country races. At the University of Washington’s Sundodger invitational, I moved up among the college athletes to finish in 27:06. Then at the Emerald City Invitational, I dropped 25 seconds off my time from last year to finish in 27:40 on a very tough course.

Earlier in the summer, I helped with an aid station at the Cougar Mountain half marathon & marathon race. It’s always great to see how much fun everyone has at those races regardless of the pace they are aiming for or how their race plan is going.

I look forward to the races and events throughout the rest of the year.

Derek Reiff

Q3 started off with a bang, settled into a whimper, and is just about to the light at the end of the tunnel. Sort of.

It started wonderful, but hesitant. I was healing up from an overtraining injury (I suspect) that started about a week after running the Boston marathon.
Derek White River
But! a week after the second quarter ended I toed the starting line (albeit further back in the pack) at the White River 50 miler. I ran in my Cascadia 10s (again! my favorite shoe of all time) and not enough clothing. (I should’ve thrown on my a pair of Brooks arm sleeves.)

The race went better than expected, but came crashing down again as I tried to run a few days after. (I was feeling cocky that I was “up for running” the Tuesday after; my knee injury was back, but on a different leg!) I write a lot more about it here: http://derekr.net/blog/white-river

The past three months have been spent running about every other day, 4-9 miles, waiting for the pain to go down to zero. Right now I’m about a 1 out of 100 on that pain scale, but so close to zero.

I switch between Cascadias and Ghosts, Ghosts and Cascadias. I love these shoes.

Bonus Points: rallied two more friends for the Brooks fanwagon—Ghosts and Glycerins win favor in the midwest.

Destry Johnson

Summer running is my favorite, primarily because of the long days. It’s just a bit easier to put in those extra miles when the sun is still up…or it’s still light out…or it was light out not too long ago but is still warm. I’m feel like running faster in the summer and my Brooks PureFlow fit the bill and are, of course, awesome to train in! They are a great combination of support and agility and I put in many great miles.

Destry TorchlightMy first race of the 3rd quarter of 2015 was the Seafair Torchlight 8k. I’ve been fortunate enough to win the event 3 times in the past and tell Chris Francis over at KIRO what a great race Seattle can put on and how great a club Seattle Running is! Could I do it again? Well, no, unfortunately my 26:16 was only good enough for 6th this year. That’s ok though, the event is always fun. It starts at Seattle Center and goes down the parade route so kids want to high-five you and everyone cheers. Then, you get to run on the Viaduct (not much longer!) and finish back at Seattle Center. Brooks was a major sponsor for this event again, and I got an awesome Brooks Pirate hat… that my son promptly put on his head an wore proudly.

The following race I entered was the Pacific Lutheran University cross country invitational on October 10th. The first PLU invite cross race I participated in was waaaay back in 1993. Yeah, I’m that old. The race is no longer held over at Fort Steilacoom but is now held on the old PLU golf course. This make for much better restroom access pre and post race, but there aren’t any hills. Instead there is fun rolling terrain that can be very, very muddy. That’s the way it was this year and I was slipping and sliding all over even with spikes. I also managed to get enormous blisters on both heels, so that wasn’t fun. Oh well, such is cross country. Next up: more cross country! Stay tuned friends and remember: Run Happy!

Categories
Club News Featured Race Reports

2015 #SRCBrooks Summer Updates

The 2015 #SRCBrooks team have been beating the heat by lacing them up and toeing the start lines. From everything to 4Ks to 78 milers, you can see these faces and legs all over the region, racing up a storm!

Matt Hong

Matt Hong at CougarIt’s been an exciting 2nd quarter! I ran the 2015 Boston Marathon on April 20 in 2:54. I had my first overall win of my life at the Cougar Mountain 10 Mile on May 9th (1:24:46). My first ever trail run was the cougar 10 Mile in 2010 where I took 41st and was more than 20 minutes slower. It’s fun to see the progress year over year. I followed that up with a 5th place finish at the Brooks Trailhead 15k (58:29) on May 30. In June I continued the Cougar Long series with the 14M on June 13 where I also took 1st (1:56:50). I will continue to focus on the trail next quarter with the 3rd and 4th races in the Cougar Series. I would love to win the overall series and it would be amazing to win all 4 races. I am also running the White River 50 in between the final two races in the Cougar series. My go to shoe all Summer has been the Pure Grit. Love it! All my races and some of my adventure runs are documented on my blog: https://whatsnextmatt.wordpress.com

Eric Bone

After a period of more consistent training, I’ve been enjoying feeling like I’m getting into decent shape. I still have lots of room for improvement, especially in the speed department, and I’m hoping to raise the bar further for cross country season. I did do a bit more racing and had what I considered some successful runs:

June 3 – Club Northwest All Comers Track Meet #2 I ran the 3000m race as a fitness test. I hadn’t been doing a lot of speedwork and was just hoping to run around 10 minutes, so I was pleased to run a fairly consistently-paced 9:46.

June 13 – Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series race #2 I had been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to jump into one of the Cougar Mountain Series races, and I felt the 5k would not be too long, plus I love short, fast trail races. My goal was to break the course record of 19:52, and I decided the best approach would be to start out at around 6:00/mile pace, so that I’d have some buffer for slowing down up the hills. When I got to the hills after a mile into the race, my legs felt quite tired, and I felt like I was perhaps slowing down too much, but the downhill after the climb out of the aid station allowed me to take back some time on the way into the finish, and I finished in 19:29.
Eric Bone at the U.S. Ultra-long Orienteering Championships
June 27 – U.S. Ultra-long Orienteering Championships I love the ultra-long distance race format in orienteering, and I went into this race with my sights set on a gold medal. What I was less sure about was how I would do against the Australian competitors who were also racing. The weather would peak over 100F in Idaho City, where the race was held, although fortunately the race was run in the cooler–but still hot–temperatures of the morning. The race went out fast, and I felt tired early on. I had good position within the U.S. field, but Kerrin Rattray from Australia was too fast for me to keep up. Midway through the race, I caught up to Kerrin when he had a small navigation problem on one checkpoint. From that point on, we ran more or less equal, trading the lead as we split onto different route choices and then came back together again. I did a great job of hydrating and taking electrolytes during the race, and I felt good later in the race, while it seemed like Kerrin was starting to struggle. I threw in a surge on a long, downhill leg to the 21st of 25 checkpoints; I made a break here, which was extended when Kerrin had a bit of trouble locating the checkpoint. I continued my surge through the final few kilometers of the race, extending my lead at the finish to 5 minutes, and finishing just under the 2-hour mark. I was happy to have not only won the gold medal, but win the race overall.

Lance Thompson

My first race while working back into shape following a winter injury was the Nordstrom Beat the Bridge 8K in May. I was alone between groups until right before the third mile, as Nick Bowden caught up with me while I was just catching the next runner in front. We were then able to have a solid last two miles picking a few more people off. I finished in 11th at 27:08, which was about where I expected to be with my fitness level.

It was a fun event and a great way to help raise awareness for juvenile diabetes research.

Since then, I’ve unfortunately had a strained hamstring issue that has delayed further racing. It is now coming under control, and I look forward to racing later this summer and throughout the fall.

Trisha Steidl

My second quarter provided me opportunities for learning. Even though I’ve been running for quite some time, I’m still much better at coaching others than coaching myself.

The quarter started off fairly well with a 3rd place finish at the Rhody Run in Port Townsend in May. This is one of Uli’s and my favourtie runs and we’ve only missed it once since we started running it. It’s never easy to get there because it’s usually the weekend of the outdoor track & field conference meet, but we make it work. It’s fun to catch up with friends, race a tough, awesome course, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

June started off with a surprise win at the Shore Run 10k. This race usually has a fairly competitive field. I don’t know if it was due to the hot conditions, but I quickly found myself alone in the lead. The race goes along Lake Washington, which is beautiful, but it’s also where I do a large number of my easy runs. Being alone, hot, and running into the wind, I found it hard to push myself and ended up with what felt more like a tempo effort. Nevertheless, I got the “W” and I won a badminton set in the post-race raffle! This was one of the single most exciting parts of my entire summer! Last year they raffled off a set as well and I’ve been coveting it since. I was so excited to win. I ran it home and we played a bit and now it’s become a regular part of our fun time!

The Titus van Rijn One Hour race is an interesting one that I did for the first time last year. This year it was surrounded by stress and was on a hot, windy day in June virtually by myself. (Thanks to Glenn Tachiyama for being Uli’s and my water provider, picture taker, timer, and cheerer!) I ended up with the 3rd farthest distance. This was a bit disappointing after almost setting the women’s record last year.

Trisha Steidl at ZermattUnfortunately this was the beginning of the end for me. I had been focusing my summer on the Zermatt Marathon and White River 50 Mile. Long story short, I ended up dropping out at the half-way point of each of those races. While that was extremely frustrating, I know that was the right call. I should never have started either race and I knew it ahead of time. Hope and stubbornness are not always good things. This is where the learning part comes in. I am now working on figuring out what’s wrong and how to fix it. My hope is to have some helpful answers within the month and be able to move forward stronger and smarter.

My feet continue to enjoy my wide variety of Brooks shoes. Training never felt better than in my Adrenalines. Happy feet in workouts and races depend on a mix of the T7, PureFlow, and PureGrit, depending on the terrain and distance.

My variety of Brooks clothing keeps me comfortable no matter how long the race or the weather conditions. I always have just what I need to feel comfortable, whether it’s a recovery day or a race. Currently I’m loving my Epiphany 3.5″ shorts for training and racing. They are so comfortable, I don’t even notice I’m wearing them, which is especially key for ultra-distance races.

Keith Laverty

Keith Laverty at the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail Half
The 2nd Quarter, as just about every quarter, presented new challenges. For me this time around, it was a matter of overcoming sickness. Shortly after the Gorge Waterfalls 50k, I tested positive for the Epstain-Barr virus or otherwise known as mono from two different doctors. After feeling much better relatively quickly, I again tested positive for a nasty version of strep throat. Long story short, coconut oil (especially), good sleep, a few days staying home from work, hydrating and Vitamin C can solve those problems. Throughout April and May, I must’ve averaged 15 miles/week. With that said, my urge to get outside and compete again was only increasing. I started with a couple smaller trail races to get my confidence back, followed later by the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail Half and most recently, a race down to the wire at the Cougar Mtn. 10.8 mile, which featured USATF prize money up for grabs. Here are my spring results, which somehow “44” was a reappearing number in my times:

Echo Valley Trail 10k near Lake Chelan – 1st place, 40:44
Ravenna Run the Ravine 4k – 1st place, 14:44
Rattlesnake Ridge Trail Half – 1st place, 1:44:42
Cougar Mtn. 10.8 Mile – 2nd place, 1:15:56

My 3rd Quarter race schedule includes the Angels Staircase 35k (U.S. Skyrunning Series) and the North Face Challenge – Utah Half Marathon.

Martin Criminale

Martin Criminale
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/07/ragnar-relay-northwest-passage-ultra.html
This was my first time racing in the new Launch 2 and I freaking loved it! I have found my ‘race shoe’ and am so looking forward to my next road marathon in them. Since I’m not a light person, I have struggled to find a race shoe that gives me enough cushion and this shoe has enough. It also feels much faster than the weight would hint at, I’m not sure what it is exactly (the rocker shape of the sole?) but striding is about as easy as it gets. And it’s incredibly comfy. So glad to have found this shoe.

My injuries from early in the year are 95% healed up and my fitness is about 90% back. I am looking forward to running my goal races this year which are three US Sky Runner events starting in three weeks!

Derek Reiff

Aside from the Boston Marathon, Q2 was full of taking time off of running for injuries! But first, the race report.

The 2015 Boston Marathon
Derek Reiff at Boston
The run-up to the race was a diagnosis of petellofemoral pain syndrome about two weeks after my Chuckanut 50k race. I took nearly two full weeks off—only nine miles total.

With the help of a PT, whether a mental placebo or not, I set out to not waste money + the opportunity and continued on with the race.

It turned out…not bad? I still hit a wall that was worse, mentally, than any other wall I’ve ever hit, but it turned out as a PR.

I ended up bringing 3 different shoes to fit my day-of desires: Cascadia 10, Pure Grit 3, and my T7 racers. After advice from my very-smart sister, I decided on the shoe that would fit my orthotics: the Cascadia 10s. An unusual choice for a road marathon, but it would have to do…and I actually loved them.

Road was wet, so grip was a huge positive. And they’re more comfortable with orthotics, so, point 2!

Boston ended up being a 2-minute PR in trail running shoes closely following an injury! Brutal, but I’ll take it.

The following two months have been a LOT of stretching, another 2 weeks off completely, not enough miles to make this guy happy, and a HUGE race this weekend: the White River 50 miler. I’ll be happily wearing my Cascadia 10s again.

Also, let me put in a request for a stunning Brooks trucker hat to wear while racing the trails!

Brooks converts this year: ~5

Will have more on my blog later on.

Destry Johnson

So the first few months of being 40 didn’t kill me. And I can still run. Even better, my first few races went well and for the second quarter of 2015 I was looking forward to, wait for it… Bloomsday!!! Maybe I’ll be ok after all.

In April I ran the Magnuson series 10k. What a great day and a fun event in the park! I was using it as a tune-up for Bloomsday and pushed through the hilly little course in 33:20, good enough for first at the event. For anyone looking for a low key Seattle run in April I highly recommend this run. On the first weekend of May I was, of course, headed over to Bloomsday! I ran this course first when I was 11 and it really is the reason I first started running. This year was my 27th running of the event, and even including the year I walked with my high school girlfriend I’ve averaged 46:53 for the event. This year went pretty well for me and as I worked with SRC teammate Uli for a while. He pushed past me on Doomsday hill and I finished in 39:45 for a 3rd place Master’s medal! Wahoo, on the Master’s podium at last!

After Bloomsday I worked toward the Seattle Rock n’ Roll 1/2 marathon. It’s not an easy course, but it is fun and Seattle Center is enjoyable afterward. I Ran a great 10 miles… unfortunately its a 13.1 mile race. Struggling through the last few miles I finished in 4th with a 73:52, but wasn’t passed during that window, so that’s something I guess. The day was great, like it always is that time of year, and Brooks does a great job sponsoring the event.

Next up for my old body was a 5k… a downhill 5k. Good idea? Probably not, but the Independence Day 5k in T-Town is lots of fun, if for no other reason that you feel AWESOME fast for at least a mile. I finished 2nd with a 14:58 and was in no way near in that kind of shape. Immediately afterward I went home, walked our neighborhood parade, played soccer with the kids and then ran around setting off fireworks until we ran out. We then promptly walked the neighborhood looking at other people’s fireworks. Busy day and I was a little sore from my too-fast 5k.

My last race of this quarter was one of my favorites (do I say that too much?). The Seattle Torchlight 8k is a real fun event whether you walk it or race it. It starts at Seattle Center and goes down the parade route so kids want to high-five you and everyone cheers. Then, you get to run on the Viaduct (not much longer!) and finish back at Seattle Center. Brooks was a major sponsor for this event again, and I got an awesome Brooks Pirate hat… that my son promptly took from me when I got home. Anyway, I won last year so I was hoping to run well this year again. I didn’t have my legs back, however, and I ran a 26:15 which was good enough for 6th place. Oh well, you win some you get 6th in some…

Overall I’ve still been having lots of fun racing and am loving the Brooks products more than ever. They have been upgrading their products like a forward thinking company should do, and I appreciate that. With that, Run Happy, friends and I’ll see you out on the roads, trails, byways…

Evan Williams

Eugene Marathon – 2:41 (PR) This was my fourth try at a marathon and I finally connected. Even better than the time, was my race plan execution. I started 20 seconds per mile slower than goal pace and finished the last 10k 20 seconds per mile faster than goal pace. I was lucky to have Joe Creighton with me for the first 13.1. The value of a teammate and good friend (of the same pace) is extraordinary. Go SRC!

Brooks Trail Head 10k – 35:09 (PR) A pretty good race, and a win! I was still wiped out from the marathon, but paced myself well and pulled ahead after the two guys in front of me started too fast. I stayed consistent and used the final 3 mi as fast tempo training to get my legs in order for the Fremont 5k.

Evan Williams 5kFremont 5k – 15:46 (PR) Brooks Mach 16 Spikeless, big blue sunglasses, a lot of nerves, and some fast splits. This felt great. I took a big mileage break the week before the race and felt full of energy at the start line. Coming from longer training miles, the 5k was over before it started, which was good – it still hurt. I got a nice look at some of our Club Northwest rivals before XC season in the fall. I’m much faster this year. Pumped!

Miles and miles of trails and smiles – I did tons of elevation and winding trails in preparation for the White River 50 Mi. I ran my first 80 mi week, 90 mi week, and then 100 mi week. It felt great! Everything is coming together.

Finally, my masters thesis is done!

Claire Giuliano

Claire Giuliano at the Snohoomish Women's RunThe second quarter of the year has been focused on my build up for the Vancouver Marathon. I threw in a short 10k for some speed work at the Snohomish Women’s Run and pulled away with second female overall. The Vancouver Marathon proved to be harder than anticipated with a very hilly half and temperatures in the 80s but it felt great to finish my third marathon!

My favorite racing gear in the current warm months include the Brooks Lite Tank, it is breathable and extremely lightweight (hence the name) which is ideal for hot weather. I raced the Vancouver Marathon in the Brooks Launch which was a great lightweight trainer. It was durable for the distance but didn’t weigh me down.

I’m looking forward to transitioning to the trails for the rest of the summer because it’s the best time of the year to be in the mountains!

You can read a full race report of the Vancouver Marathon and the Snohomish Women’s Run at dualnaturerunning.com!

Katie Bates

Katie BatesMy 2nd quarter was derailed by being to eager to return to running post-postpartum. I jumped into the 10.8 mile race at Cougar Mountain on May 9th just 3 months after having a child. I had been running distances greater than this in training. But, all of my runs were on flat ground and at a mellow pace. I did really well in the race. I got 2nd with a time of 1:36:43! But, the next month was a slow rebuild of my very loose joints that suffered greatly during that run. I shared this cautionary tale with my running mom cohort in South Seattle. Since then, I have been loving the Ghosts as a great shoe that provides cushion as a rebuild my strength and improve my fitness. I am still on track to compete in the Oregon Coast 50K in October and plan to use many races before this to hone in my speed. I am lagging on volunteer hours due to surprise visits from family members. But, I remember from last year that volunteer numbers dwindled by the end of the year and so I plan to be a huge help for the remaining events.

Rachel Johnson

Rachel Johnson at BostonBoston Marathon/ April 20th/ 26.2 Miles/ Time: 3:47:56 Gender 5683
It was an honor to be running the Boston Marathon. Going into the race with a 3:04 marathon time made me eager to drop below three hours for this race. Unfortunately temperatures were cold and rainy…some runners managed to still salvage a decent performance, however many suffered hypothermia among other cold injuries. I was riddled with misfortune suffering an ankle injury early in the race and felt the effects of the cold weather in the second half. This race turned into a race of survival. I’m happy to have been a part of the Boston Marathon and look forward to returning in the future.

Sunshine Salutation (Northwest Trail Runs)/ June 23rd/ 10 Miles / 1st Women
This race is a part of the Northwest Trail Runs Tuesday Night Trail to Grill Series. These are shorter races allowing runners to get out and enjoy the trails during the summer months. This was a great race in which I finished first among women and overall thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the event. We ran among the trees at Redmond Watershed and Preserve in Redmond, WA.

Cougar Mountain #3/ July 11th/ 20 Miles/ 3rd Women
The Cougar Mountain races serve as great events to challenge yourself against some of the best runners in the Northwest. I went into this event fresh and finished as the third women overall. A nice aspect of these races is their increasing length. The twenty mile option was a great choice to prepare for future races. I look forward to more races out at Cougar Mountain this year.

Olin Berger

I had a great second quarter of racing, winning two ultras and setting three personal records!

Mt. Si Ultras 50-mile (4/26/15): 1st place overall in 6:10:30
Olin Berger, Mt Si 50 MileMy second 50 mile race and first 50 miler in Washington. A very flat course, so I was hoping to get a pretty fast time. I got worried when I was ten minutes off first place after the first ten miles, but patience paid off and I took the lead and held it after around mile 28.

Redmond Watershed Preserve 12-hour (5/16/15): 1st overall in 78 miles
My second 12 hour race. I was really hoping to crack 80 miles this time around, but had trouble with my legs locking up in the last couple hours. A great course with some definite climb to it, but fun, as far as those things go.

Brooks Trailhead 15k (5/30/15): 2nd Overall in 54:53
A very short race for me. I wasn’t sure how this “sprint” would go, but I felt pretty good holding a relatively fast pace, though I was certainly glad when it was over. Happy to set this PR and not challenge it for awhile.

Bend Beer Chase Relay (6/6/15): 2nd Overall in 7:26:34
A fun, but brutally hot 70+ mile relay in Bend, OR. Felt good about my team’s result given that we only had three runners to first place’s team of six. Next year, we hope to give them a real race for the top of the podium.

Arthur Martineau

Pigtails 200 mile Challenge
The race started on Thursday morning May 21st. It was hot and dry for a day in May but we’ve become used to that lately. On the first day I was able to keep hydrated but I fell way behind on the calories. This didn’t seem to affect me too much because the pace was still easy. I was aiming for around 40-43 hours with 48 hours being the least acceptable goal. The first night was pretty uneventful. After about 24 hours I had to push harder to maintain anything that could be considered “running” while still walking up all the hills. I changed shoes at about 150 miles. Toward the end of the second day I started getting blurred vision and hallucinations. I’ve never had both together before, that was a challenge. The last 50 miles were really hard. I was running but I wasn’t really getting anywhere. It was dark so it was very hard to tell what kind of pace I was doing. I won in 45 hours and 9 minutes. Second place finished nine and a half hours later. I wore the Brooks Launch 2.

Cougar Mt 10.8 miler
This was a USATF race which meant two things, prize money and super fast runners. I tried to find the fast looking Masters runners at the starting line. It easy because they make you wear your age on your back. At the gun we all took off at what felt like a 5 mile pace, not a 10 mile mountain race. I saw a couple runners in my age group and slipped in behind them. One was gone before we hit the woods. I kept the other one in just barely my sights. I didn’t want to go that fast so early. I knew if I didn’t let him get out of sight I’d have a chance in the last couple miles. I caught up to him at about the halfway point and stayed there for a couple miles, actually pushing his pace. I think it was around 7 miles that he started to lose it. I quickly went by and picked up the pace. I passed a lot of runners but never saw the first place Masters (over 40) runner. I finished second in my age group with a course PR of 4 minutes and a small check. I wore the Brooks Pure Grit 4.

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2015 #SRCBrooks Quarterly Report

2015 SRCBrooks Report

The 2015 #SRCBrooks team is off to the races! Below, read (and see) what everyone’s been up to and what’s to come in the summer (hint: lots of Cougar Mountain Series races!).

Derek Reiff

The first quarter being an SRC/Brooks team member went great! (For the most part!)

My year started with a long vacation in Europe.

In Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany, I paired my favorite pair of shoes with my favorite pair of running shorts: fire-red Cascadia 9s & 5″ Sherpas. They were the only pair of shoes that I needed, and I stretched them from smooth bike trails in the Netherlands, a whole lot of cobbled sidewalks everywhere, and the German countryside—and up mountains to a castle or two.

At the Brandenburg Gate, another couple of runners ACTUALLY said “Toll schuhe.” (At least, I’m 75% confident that was the phrase. It actually might’ve been “super schuhe.” Either way, they loved my shoes.)

In Paris, I don’t think I ran past anyone that didn’t glance at my feet. I couldn’t tell if they were offended by the color, or they REALLY liked them.

Cascadias in EuropeBrandenburg Gate
In February, I picked up my mileage to the highest it’s been since college! I ran in Ghosts on the street, Cascadias & Grits on the trails.

In March, I ran my first 50k with thousands of feet of elevation.

It went so much better than I anticipated, and I wore my NEW favorite shoe for trail running and racing: Pure Grit 3. It was Type-1 fun for the first 30, followed by Type-2 fun for the last 20. (Type-1 is fun when it’s happening; type-2 is fun ONLY in retrospect.)

There were some tough spots on the Chuckanut course, but the Grits have enough traction for rocks, mud, and regular-old trail. It was a blast.

Derek at Chuckanut50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama

Now, mid-April, I’m gearing up for the Boston Marathon.

I’m really quite excited for the marathon, but have a bit of a knee issue I’m working through. With luck I’ll be finishing—and with a goal time of 2:48—but I’m preparing for some pain!

I’m optimistic, though, and will be running in T7s!

Evan Williams

Read Evan’s Multi-faceted Spring Report

Rachel Johnson

The first part of the year has gotten off to a great start. I’ve had many training runs and try to get up for Win Van Pelt’s weekend long runs at Cougar Mountain as often as possible. Saturday April 11th 2015 I completed the Squak Mountain Half Marathon 1st in my age group and 8th Overall. This was a wonderful course with many switchbacks built in, allowing for significant elevation gain throughout. The hill climbs during the first half and the winding single track to finish off the race were superb! This was a great race for me as I was well rested and felt strong throughout. It’s giving me confidence as I look forward to my upcoming marathon on the 20th.

Training has been intense and has included early morning destination runs followed by full days of climbing and/or skiing. This has
included Mazama (Methow Valley), Skaha (Penticton, British Columbia), and Frenchman Coulee (Vantage, WA) thus far this year.

I’m looking forward to the Boston Marathon on April 20th and feel very strong going into this race! Beyond that I plan to make as many of SRCs weekend and weekly workout runs as possible while also racing throughout the state this year. I’m leaps and bounds ahead of where I was this time last year so I hope to have a strong cross country season with Brooks Running and the Seattle Running Club!

Claire Giuliano

Claire GiulianoNot much of a report from me as I have been getting over an injury…but I am finally healthy! I have had a great year so far building strength (Pure Barre) and endurance through miles on road and trail. I am looking forward to the month of May in which I will race for the first time in 9 months (!) at the Women’s Snohomish Half Marathon and the Brooks Trailhead 10k.

On my training runs, the long sleeve has been my favorite piece (I have one with the screwed up logo). I have a picture attached when I decided to wear it up Granite Mountain. There was a 10 degree temperature change from bottom to top and it was the perfect material. I also like how soft it is – I don’t have to worry about any chaffing.

There will be much more to share after May!

Caroline Austin

Caroline Austin Top PotThus far in the SRC singlet I have been having a lot of fun. After a fun full racing cross country with everyone, it was time for me to hit the track. I ran my first steeplechase of the season at the Spring Break Open. Although it was not the race I wanted, I won the event and learned a lot that I will be taking forward with me as I gear up to race at the Mt Sac Relays. Training with everyone on the track at Wednesday night workouts has been a blast, not to mention the energy and support has been wonderful! I am excited to see what this team can do in each of our personal events. My favorite new gear to train in is the Brooks T9 Racer and SRC tank top; it feels comfy and fast. 🙂

Happy Running!

Katie Bates

Katie BatesThe first quarter of my year as a Brooks team member has been dedicated to increasing my base miles, improving core strength, and planning for the rest of the year. I have done many training runs at Grand Ridge, Bridle Trails and Cougar, as well as along Lake Washington, while wearing my Launch, Ravenna, and PureGrits. I have also been an active member of a moms fitness group while wearing #SRCBrooks gear and shoes. My goal is to increase the number of races I participate in throughout the year and peak in October and again in December.

What is next:
Grand Ridge Half Marathon – May 2
Cougar Mountain 14 Mile – June 13
Cougar Mountain 20 Mile – July 11
Angels Staircase 35k – Aug 9
Oregon Coast 50k – Oct 10
Deception Pass 50k – Dec 12

Olin Berger

Q1 Summary
Olin at the Mt Si 50 mileI mainly focused on training this quarter, averaging in the mid-to-high 60s for miles per week and logging my first ever +100 mile weeks. My race results include an overall win at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 50k with a time of 3:33:23, a 17th overall, 5th age group finish at the Chuckanut 50k with a time of 4:21:32, and a 6:11 win at the Mt. Si 50 Mile at the end of April.

Gear Used
I have been putting my arsenal of Brooks shoes to good use, already logging +500 miles on a pair of Glycerin 12s. I have also raced in the Pure Grit 3s and train with the GTX Ghosts, Glycerin 12s, Pure Grit 3s, Cascadia 10s, and the ST Racer 5s. Other gear I use frequently are the Essential 3.5″ split short, Infiniti 3″ split short, Essential SS II top, and LSD Lite Jacket IV.

Upcoming Events
Next on my racing calendar are the Cougar Mt. Racing Series, the Brooks Trailhead 15k, the Cascade Relay’s Bend Beer Chase (with teammate Derek Reiff), and the White River 50 Mile. I may likely add another 50k in May or June.

Arthur Martineau

12-27-14: Loop the Lake Marathon – tie for first in 3:07; marathon PR; Brooks Launch
1-3-15: Tiger Mt Fat Ass 50k – 5:39, course PR, 3rd place; Brooks Cascadia 9 with screws for the ice/snow.
1-10-15: Bridle Trails 50k – course pr in 4:17, 7th place; Brooks Pure Grit 3
2-1-15: West Seattle Fat Ass (75k) – tie for 1st in 7:27; course PR; Brooks Launch 2
2-14-15: Sedro Woolley 50k – 1st place in 3:52; 50k PR; Brooks Launch 2
2-28-15: YMCA Fund Run 6HR – tied for 1st after a 20 mile jog to the start; Brooks Launch 2
3-21-15: Pacific Rim One Day – 1st place, 115 laps; Brooks Launch2, silver bullet jacket, LSD jacket
4-11-15: Rock Creek Ramble 100k – 1st place in 11:33; course record; Brooks Launch 2, compression socks, white hvac hat, SRC blue gloves, blue long sleeve SRC shirt, blue/grey SRC Pure project short sleeve, LSD jacket.
Arthur at WSFA 75kArthur at Sedro Woolley 50kArthur at Pacific RimArthur at Bridle Trails 50k

Trisha Steidl

I’ve had three focus races this winter/spring and one fun race.

Fun race first: Uli and I ran the 50k pairs relay at Bridle Trails again for the first time in 10 years! Our goal was to lower the course record we set back in 2005. Both of us were in good shape back then, so we knew it would be a pretty lofty goal. Despite me having a not-so-great day, we lowered it by 3 minutes!

Focus races: The first focus race for me was the Hillbilly Half-Marathon. This is a hilly, trail half and is the first race in the La Sportiva Mountain Series, so it brings good competition. It ended up being a beautiful sunny day with just a light breeze, so I peeled off a bunch of my layers right before the race started. I finished a solid 3rd place behind a woman who was 11th at NCAA DI XC Nationals a few years back and a woman who won the US Trail Half-Marathon Championships last year – not bad. I wore the PureGrit 3 for this race, especially because there are quite a few big mud puddles along the upper section of the course. I wanted to be sure to not have to worry about traction and the shoes pulled through!

Trisha at Gorge 50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama

The second focus race was the Gorge Waterfalls 50k. This was the main focus of my spring and I was ready to go. I knew there would be good competition and I was excited for the opportunity to compete. It was also the first ultra I have run a) outside of Washington state and b) where I didn’t know the entire course beforehand. That was a strange feeling. I held myself back at the beginning so I wouldn’t overdo it because there’s a huge hill to climb at the end of the race and I wanted to be able to make a strong push at the end. I lead the race from start to finish (minus a few minutes a few miles in where another lady went ahead briefly and then I passed her and never saw her again), winning by 11 minutes over Krissy Moehl. I wore the PureGrit 3 again for this race and those shoes felt incredible! For me to wear a pair of shoes for 5 hours and not even have a blister afterwards is a huge deal. Usually my feet hurt me during races and that ends up travelling up the chain, causing issues around my knees and/or hips. There wasn’t a chance for that to happen wearing these shoes. I love the fit, traction, support, and comfort!

My final race wasn’t as much of a focus race because I was travelling the few days before for work to California and I knew circumstances wouldn’t set me up for having a great race. With that said, I knew I could still run well and it was important to me to get the experience in. I ran the Whidbey Island Marathon, having not run a road marathon in 4 years. It was a lonely race for me as I was by myself for all but the first 3 miles. I was 2nd woman AND 2nd overall – very strange experience to not have any men finishing ahead of or around me. I beat the 1st place guy by almost 6 minutes and the 3rd place woman by almost 20 minutes. It was good to get a feel for a road marathon again, even though my body was tired from travel. I have to gush about the PureFlows. I have worn a lot of different pairs of shoes for road marathons and have always experience foot issues, painful blisters on my right, big toe, and not enough support from the shoe so other areas up the chain would hurt. My feet felt great the entire way! Turns out I got a fairly big blood blister on my right, big toe, but I hardly felt it and was surprised to see the blister when I took off my shoe. This shoe was awesome and makes me even more excited to run another road marathon. Double thumbs up!

As always, my Brooks apparel was super comfortable. I never noticed it during any of my races, which is a great thing. If you notice what you’re wearing, it’s probably not fitting you right. My favourite is the Versatile Shape bra. That thing is supportive, comfortable, and I haven’t experienced any chafing, even during a 5 hour race! Fantastic work, Brooks!

Next up for me is the Zermatt Marathon in Switzerland, which is a combination of road and trail. It starts at about 4000′ elevation and climbs almost the entire time, ending at about 8500′. Three weeks after that is the White River 50 Mile trail race where I’ll be taking on not only the women’s competition, but also some of my male SRC and SRC-Brooks teammates – I’m certainly the underdog in that race! I’m looking forward to racing 50 miles again as it’s been 12 years since I last raced that distance.

Destry Johnson

Destry Debut 5kDestry Brooks TestingMan, 1st qtr over! How time flies…

I was nervous being selected for the Brooks Seattle RC team this year as a was staring the Big 4-0 in the face. Could I still run, let alone race? I wasn’t sure, but then I remembered SRC member Uli Steidl still kicks butt and is a couple years older than me, so I got over it and kept logging miles. My updated Brooks Ravennas and PureFlows keep my feet comfy and the Brooks wet/cold weather outerwear keep me dry and warm. The effort Brooks has made in the last year on their clothing line really shows now and the quality is immediately noticeable. My first race came in early March where I went back to my Alma mater to race a 5k. I’ve been running my season opener there almost every year since 1994 with time ranging from 15:20 to 15:50. This year turned out to be no different when I completed the race in 4th place with a 15:38…take THAT, 40! This was my first race with the new bright yellow T7 racers and they were awesome! In late March I had the opportunity to assist Brooks with shoe development testing at the new headquarters building in Seattle. The folks working at Brooks are dedicated to making the best running shoes on the market and I was pleased to help. Next I’ll be racing at the Earth Day 10k in Magnuson Park as I prepare for the worlds best 12k in Spokane: Bloomsday!

Eric Bone

I started off 2015 injured, and I’ve done no running races–and not a whole lot of training–since receiving my SRC Brooks Team gear.

Most recently on the racing front, I ran unofficially in my own trail run, the “Spring Run for Fun @ Redmond Watershed” on March 8, finishing the 5-mile race in 30:06. I wore my royal blue Brooks Seattle Running Club racing singlet for that race.

Eric Bone's Mach 16 on FacebookBeing eager to use the new gear, I’ve been going for training runs around the neighborhood in the Adrenaline GTS 15 or the Adrenaline ASR, and I took the Mach 16 XC spikes for a track workout, after which I wowed my Facebook friends with a photo of the bold shoe design.

In the off-road and off-trail department, I took a silver and a bronze medal at the U.S. Orienteering Championships and Team Trials the last weekend of March, and I earned a spot on the U.S. Team racing at the World Orienteering Championships in August in Scotland.

I’m looking forward to jumping into some local races, maybe Earth Day 5k at Magnuson on 4/18, Spring Eagle Trail Run on 4/26, and the Cougar Mountain 5k on 6/13. I don’t have any big goal runs on the horizon, as I’m primarily focused on building my training up.

Matt Hong

I’ve had a busy first quarter of the year running for the #SRCBrooks team. My first race of the year was the Bridle Trails 10M on January 10 where I took 3rd place. I used February as a heavy training month and spent a lot of time running trails in my new Pure Grit 3s, roads in the awesome Ravenna 6, and getting used to my first pair of racing flats – the Racer ST5. In March I had two big races. First was the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon on the 7th where my first race in flats paid off in a 3 minute PR (1:18:25) and 12th place out of over 1800 finishers. On March 21 I ran my first 50k at the classic Chuckanut 50k and learned some good lessons – taking 36th place in 4:45:07.
Brooks Team at Chuckanut
Super stoked for next quarter where things begin with a bang on April 20 with the Boston Marathon which I hope to run in about 2:45. Training has been going well and I love marathon time in Boston. In May I’ll begin my goal to show well in the Cougar Mountain Long Trail Running Series by running the Cougar 10. I plan to put some serious mileage on my Pure Grit 3s this summer. Then I’ll run the Brooks Trailhead 15k on May 30 – which will be my first 15k. June will bring the Cougar 14. You can read all about my running adventures on http://whatsnextmatt.wordpess.com.

Lance Thompson

The first part of this year in running has been about getting back in shape. I was out from October to late January with a strained Achilles. It’s always humbling how long it takes for the top fitness level to return, but it is awesome to be back running again. I started with regular runs, then started doing a workout one day a week. From there I progressed to two while slowly building up the mileage.

Rotating several pairs of Brooks shoes has been a big help building the strength and flexibility back into my Achilles and calf. I’ve been rotating between a pair of Ravennas, Ghosts, Glycerins, Launches, Racer STs, T7s, and Pure Flows. The early morning run commute to work was never too cold with the Essential top.

I gave back some volunteer time for all the hundreds of events & races I’ve done in the past by helping at the Arnie Young High School Track & Field meet. As a distance runner who has never had any hops, it was impressive to see great performances in the High Jump while officiating it.

I plan on running Beat the Bridge as my return to racing, then look forward to a great summer and 2015.

Martin Criminale

This year has mostly been an exercise in patience and frustration for me but there was a bright spot.

I came into the year nursing an injury that was extremely hard to shake but slowly building fitness. My goal this year was to run some ‘warm-up’ 50k events to get stronger and then to run the UW Sky Running Series races in August and September.

My first race was the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/01/bridle-trails-winter-running-festival.html

I was going slower than I wanted but paced myself well for my current level of fitness. Unfortunately my back gave out after five laps and I had to drop with one lap left. I wore the Brooks PureGrit 3 and it was fantastic. Light, not too light, and very comfortable.
Here are some pictures.
12
14

I followed Bridle Trails with a snow race and my first time running almost an entire event in the snow. Hard! But also a really cool (literally and figuratively) experience. And I got second in my age group.
Here are some pictures.
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I wore my Brooks Cascadia 10 shoes for this race and they were fine but it probably didn’t much matter what you wore… 🙂

My next race was the Orcas Island 50k.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/02/orcas-island-50k.html

Conditions for this race were WET! Based on the reports of others it was the worst it has been in years with rain all during the previous night and right from the start. And I had fun. 🙂 Again, my pace was a bit slower than normal due to my fitness level but I paced myself really well and never slowed down. I wore the Brooks PureGrit 3 again and where everyone else was sliding around I either had traction or at least felt in control. I was skiing down descents with a big smile on my face.

On the flats and climbs my fitness was my limiter but on the descents i was able to pass lots of people and this along with the fact that I didn’t slow down at the end meant I still won my age division.
Here are some pictures:
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After Orcas my injury flared up again and I had to take some time off. Just as I was coming back a second time I was halted by a hernia and had to withdraw from both the Chuckanut 50k and the Yakima Skyline Rim 50k.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/03/laparoscopic-inguinal-hernia-surgery.html

I will hopefully be able to start running again soon and I am guardedly optimistic that if I go slow, I will still be able to achieve my primary goals for this year which are the US Sky Running races starting in August.

Being part of this team is fantastic and the camaraderie is awesome! I really miss the group runs and the Wednesday night track workouts but for the next few months I’m going to be living vicariously through everyone else.

Keith Laverty

The first three months of 2015 were jam-packed full of new challenges in trail racing, six to be exact. From a humid, jungle run in Nicaragua to my debut ultra in the Columbia River Gorge, I could always rely on Brooks shoes and gear to get me through. I logged most of my mileage in the Brooks Ravenna 5 and 6, often beginning runs at my neighboring Ravenna Park while still finding time in the mountains to train and race with the Brooks PureGrit 3. It’s a great feeling to know I can mindlessly throw on my Brooks shoes without needing to worry about anything going wrong. I’ve been able to rely on the gear which allows me to focus on my training.
Keith at the Hillbilly Half
I spent about five total weeks of this first quarter fighting colds and sore throats (I suppose that taught me to not skip the flu shot next time) which forced my training plan to rely more on the key runs each week and less on building a stronger base. Despite this challenge, I was able to still exceed my goal race plans. The biggest highlight was winning my debut ultra at the Gorge Waterfalls 50K. Taking the advice of my peers proved to pay off: eating a lot at the aid stations and not really “racing” until more toward the second half of the race. Other race accomplishments included taking a very close 2nd place at the Fuego y Agua “25K” (it’s a 33K) on a volcanic, lake island of Nicaragua (Fuego y Agua race report) and a 4th place finish in the very competitive Hillbilly Half Marathon near Olympia. The remaining three races in my schedule all included 1st place finishes at the Fragrance Lake Half, the Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass 26K and the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 5 Mile.

My spring/summer schedule is far from being set in stone but I plan to continue competing in trail and mountain races. A few races I have tentatively planned are the Armstrong Redwoods 30K near Napa, a Cougar Mountain series race and the Angels Staircase 35K. Thanks again to Seattle Running Club and Brooks Running for the amazing support!

Categories
Featured Race Reports

10th Annual Redmond Watershed 12 Hour

Arthur Martineau Recaps His 10th Running of the Redmond Watershed 12 Hour Race
All images courtesy http://www.runners.photos/

This was to be my 8th and final time running the 12 hour. I think I’m actually going to miss it. This race holds a special place in my running heart. The first year I ran it, I was ramping up to run my 1st 100 miler. I did almost 60 miles, gave it all I had, and couldn’t walk right for days. It was the first time I’d ever run that far or for that long, and after the race was over, I knew I could finish that 100 miler. Well, I was pretty sure I could! I’ve improved my distance nearly every year, which is always one of my goals. Last year I was just shy of 75 miles, and I was in the best shape yet due to my training for Western States. I knew that would be a tough number to beat this year.

Pre Race
As usual with family, work and pets vying for my attention all week, I threw my gear together at the last minute, the night before the race. My needs are pretty simple at most races, even more-so at this one with its 5 mile loops. I use an Ultraspire Proton belt to hold my water bottles because my noodle-like arms could never make 12 hours even with the smaller 16 oz size, and it gives me a place to stash a few small items. Also I feel like I run much smoother without anything in my hands. I wear the Brooks Launch for all my runs of 50 miles or more unless it’s muddy. I’d like to be able to wear a little less shoe but my feet are too sensitive. No race drop bag is complete without a few Little Debbie Nutty Bars and peanut buttercups, they’re a nice break from gels. I also had to make sure I didn’t forget my new SRC-Brooks team singlet. This would be my first race as an official Brooks-Seattle Running Club team member.

I rolled up to the race in the family minivan around 5:45 AM. Normally I like to relax before the start, but today I would be shuttling runners from the park and ride to the start. I’ve been shuttling runners since they outgrew the trailhead a few years ago. As with most trail races, parking at the trailhead is pretty limited. The race directors, Chris Ralph and Tom Ripley, are great people and even better race directors, so I’m glad to help out in any way I can. I think every runner should volunteer at a race each year. It’s actually fun, most of the time.

After I finished shuttling there were barely a few minutes to get ready. I hit the bathroom and then went through my drop bag. I had my Blue Steel lube, extra water bottle, gels, salt, snacks, extra clothes for the forecasted rain, but no duct tape. Damn! No time to fix that now. Hopefully I could get some before my nipples started to bleed. I figured I had 6-7 hours to remember to ask at the aid station.

Redmond Watershed 12 Hour

During the last minute race instructions, Tom announced that he and Chris would not be hosting this event next year. There was a simultaneous groan from about 85 runners. Then he announced that the race would continue on and that I would be the new race director, at which point there was an even louder groan but only from about 80 runners. I could really feel the love in the air as most of the runners I passed during day gave me a big congratulation on my new endeavor.

Race Plan
The 5.375 mile loop makes planning really simple for me. I take one bottle and one gel every loop. I mix in some aid station food once in a while, normally a chip or a pretzel, sometimes a piece of fruit. My realistic goal was 70 miles and to keep moving with a strong effort for the full 12 hours. Since this isn’t an ‘A’ race for me, it was also important to stay injury free.

The Running
I love the start of most ultras. Everyone acts like middle-school kids, all hopped up on sugar, laughing and joking around. We all feel we can run forever. We all think today is surely going to be a PR day. And at this race you never know who’s planning on running for 12 hours and who’s just out for a quick 50k before they go about the rest of their weekend. After a few loops, everybody’s race plan becomes apparent. At the start, I held back the best I could but the first two laps were still a little fast, just like in the previous seven years. Some people don’t like loops or timed races but I love seeing all the runners that you never get to see during a fixed distance or non-loop race. I love giving and receiving so much encouragement. Even if it’s just a grunt later on in the race, it can snap you out of a funk and get you back on track. I was the most inspired this year by Bob Stoyles. At 84 years old, he did over 16 miles. I hope I can do that at 84. Another reason I like the 12 hour is it seems to get harder as the day goes on. I love the extra challenge of not having a fixed finish line. After 6 or 7 times up, that small hill now seems like a mountain, and that short loop can seem like it’s twice as long as it was last time. It takes a lot of focus to continue giving more effort for the same result. Then, out of nowhere, the opposite happens and you can’t believe you’re done with the loop already.

Eventually, around 30 miles, I remembered to ask for duct tape. No bloody nipples today! As the day wore on my fitness ran out, somewhere around 55 miles. I did a good job at pacing and fueling, I just didn’t have the training volume needed to sustain the pace. Every year there’s a loop sometime after number 9 or 10 that I give all the extra effort I can muster to try get a faster lap in because I know I’ve been slowing down, only to finish the lap 30 seconds slower than the previous one. This year the last 3 loops were like that. I stopped a few minutes early so I could watch the timing system in action.

The Finish
I accumulated 70.595 miles in 11:48. I finished 1st in the over 40 year old age group. I’m normally rather critical of my performances, nearly always thinking I could have done better, but this year I’m happy with this result and look forward to building on it for my summer races.

I’m excited for 2014 when I can watch all the crazy runners go around and around and around. The new website for the race is wp12hr.com.

Categories
Club News Member Information

Apply for the SRC-Brooks Competitive Team!

Brooks

Dear Seattle Running Club Fans and Supporters,

For 2014, Brooks Running has again generously offered us support with a competitive team. This year the focus of the competitive team will be on trail running and ultra distances and we are thrilled that Brooks is as excited about these activities as we are.

If you would like to submit an application, please download, complete and return this form no later than Friday, March 7th. You can email the application to Brian Morrison, or mail/drop off the application to:

Fleet Feet Sports Seattle
c/o Brian Morrison
re: SRC-Brooks Team
911 E Pine St
Seattle WA 98122

Here are the details

If your application is accepted:

  • You will receive a generous amount of support, which includes several pairs of shoes and clothing.
  • You will be celebrated and promoted on the SRC website and social media platforms.
  • You are obligated to race (always) and train (as much as possible) in Brooks shoes and clothing.
  • You are obligated to be an ambassador for SRC, Brooks, our partner stores, our events, engage others regarding the above and generally present yourself in a professional manner at all times.
  • You are obligated to provide periodic racing and training updates that will be posted on our website and social media platforms.
  • You will be obligated to assist with trail work parties and SRC events.
  • You will be obligated to promote SRC and Brooks via your personal Twitter/Facebook/blog/all of the above on a regular basis.
  • If you were on the team in the past and did *not* meet the above obligations, your failure to do so will be considered in the voting process.

We look forward to supporting you as a runner! Apply today and let Brooks and Seattle Running Club help you meet your 2014 running goals!

Sincerely,
Seattle Running Club

Categories
Club News Cross Country Featured Race Reports

2013 Brooks Team Fall Update

2013 SRC Brooks Team
Our Brooks team members are selected based on their strengths not only as runners but as ambassadors for our great sport. Whether it be racing, volunteering at races, doing trail work, or all of the above, giving back to the running community is what makes one qualified for this team. From the roads to the trails to cross country, from one mile to one hundred, one must represent Seattle Running Club and Brooks proudly. Those members were asked to recap what they’ve accomplished and experienced so far in 2013:

Wendy Wheeler Jacobs

Wendy Wheeler Jacobs
My ulta-running season culminated with the Waldo 100K in August and the Wasatch 100M in September. I have filled out the Fall with some wonderful long day or overnight trail adventures including 2 trips around Mt St Helens (pictured above), PCT section J, and across the Olympic National Park.

I once again managed the course marking and sweeping crew for the Cascade Crest 100, and have volunteered at a few other local races. I am wrapping up production of the 2014 Tribute to the Trails wall calendar, which features Glenn Tachiyama’s well-known trail running photography. These will be available at area running stores and all sales proceeds are donated to the Washington Trails Association to help keep our trails open and maintained. You can expect to see nice photos of club members included!

Keith Laverty

Keith Laverty, Tehaleh Half MarathonThis past spring marked my 10th year of competitive, injury-free running. With a new marathon PR (2:35) under my belt and a solid spring season, I was feeling optimistic as usual. However, like all good streaks: they must come to an end. Starting in early August, I suffered my first serious running injury which has put a damper on my fall road-racing and XC season.

Despite the setbacks, I competed in two 12-person team relays over 190 miles, first by winning the Rocky Mountain Relay in course record time. My 3rd leg, a 1,000 foot elevation gain over 7.5 miles, sounds reasonable enough except when you’ve just awoken from a nap on a cement sidewalk, it’s 3:30 in the morning, the weather is brisk and foggy, and the run finishes at an elevation of 10,400 feet. At the next relay, my team took 5th place in the Mixed Open division of Hood to Coast, the world’s largest team relay. I also tried to take advantage of the summer weather by partaking in a few ‘ol dusty (and often muddy) trail races. With a 1st place finish at the inaugural Tehaleh Trail Half, I won the yearly Evergreen Trail Series. Other results include, 1st at Rattlesnake Ridge 5-mile (27:04), 2nd at Cougar Mtn. 8-mile (53:55) and 1st at Cougar 5k (20:28).

Current plans include the FSRC winter series, Bridle Trails 10-mile, preparing for the 2014 Boston Marathon, enjoying the Brooks gear, and most importantly, running injury-free.

Marlene Farrell

Marlene Farrell at PNTF
Image:Win Van Pelt

My running was focused on medium length trail races this season. It allowed me to train frequently on amazing local trails without the need to get out for really long sessions. I stayed very healthy and enthusiastic about running. I ran the Sunflower Trail Marathon in May, the Red Devil 25k Challenge in June, the Cougar Mountain 20 mile race in July and the Cle Elum Ridge 25k in September. I was pleased to win every race and my highlights were being first overall (men or women) at Sunflower and setting a new course record at Cle Elum by over 26 minutes. Along the way I trained in Brooks Ravenna and Brooks Pure Flow. For the trail races I sometimes wore the Ravenna or else the Racer ST. Now that cross country is underway I am working on speed and wearing the Brooks Mach.

I still write blogs for a local running website out of Wenatchee.

Martin Criminale

Martin Criminale at Cascade Crest 100
In spite of having to recover from a serious injury in early February I achieved two milestones this summer; running my first 50 mile race and my first 100 mile race. My training was a combination of road miles (Brooks Launch) that included several outings with our local Fleet Feet Sports store here in Seattle and trail miles (Brooks Cascadia 8 and PureGrit) by myself, with friends and with the Seattle Running Club at our weekly runs. In both races I wore the Cascadia 8 and loved it! This shoe is comfortable, has reasonable traction and protects the foot extremely well from sharp objects. For both races I also wore the Brooks 5″ Essential Run Short and the Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, both of which were fantastic. Not having to worry about your gear is HUGE when you go long. Thanks for all the support Brooks!

Martin has other updates on his personal website.

Trisha Steidl

Trisha Steidl at PNTFIn July I ran and won the Lord Hill 10K. My hope was to beat the CR I set from the year before. Unfortunately I missed it by a few seconds. Rather than take direct responsibility for those few seconds, I’ll blame it on the late start (I ended up being really hungry by the time we actually started, which was about 30 minutes after the stated start time, partially due to the gate not being opened to the parking lot by the parks folks until much later than scheduled) and the fact that I basically had to walk for a minute or two behind a lady that would not move out of my way early on in the race. Last year there was a coyote that appeared on the side of one of the trails where I was alone and that certainly prompted me to run faster. No coyote this year = no course record this year. Hopefully I’ll be able to run this one again next year and beat the record, with or without the help of a coyote.

The Cougar “Half” (really over 14 miles) in August was an interesting one. I threw up before the race (6 times) and when the gun went off, my stomach was completely empty. I started out in 5th or 6th place and slowly moved up to 2nd/3rd by the bottom of the Wilderness Peak loop. The 2nd/3rd place dance continued for awhile with another lady. As I continued to consume as many gels as possible to make up for the pre-race happenings, I found I was always in a deficit energy-wise. Somehow I managed to be strong on the uphills, but could gain no momentum on the downs. So every up I would catch 2nd and every down I’d go back to 3rd. The Quarry trail was my savior in that it’s a long uphill near the end of the race. There is one short downhill section on that trail and I took full advantage of it and somehow made a big move into first. I ran scared the rest of the way in, assuming my dance partner was going to come up on me at any moment. I ended up winning the race, but the “fun” wasn’t over. I ended the day similarly to how I started in that it was painful and no fun. I fell down a few minutes into my cool down and skidded across some mean gravel stuff and cut up my left leg and knee pretty badly and painfully. At least I got the win!

September brought the Labor Day not-quite-4-miler (instead of the half I originally intended to race). The race isn’t actually called that, but it definitely wasn’t quite a full 4 miles, so I’ve unofficially renamed the event. I ended up winning by about 7 minutes and winning a free pair of shoes for only 24 minutes of work. It was a good call on a morning where I wasn’t feeling very well.

My most recent outing was the PNTF XC race (pictured above). It was my first time racing XC in two years and I had a fun time out on the course. The weather had certainly improved upon the day before when I was out at the Jefferson Park Golf Course in the ridiculous win as we hosted the WAC XC Championships (women were 2nd, men were 4th!) Having a stressful couple of days leading up due to hosting duties, I wasn’t at full capacity for this race, but I gave it what I had on the day and moved up the field the entire time, leading many to believe I ran really fast for the last loop. I simply ran a very even race that allowed me to move from almost last place at the start to 24th.

I’m now looking forward to racing something around the Thanksgiving time and then it’s on to Club XC Nationals in December!

Travis Boyd

This summer my training was focused for the Chicago Marathon by running 110 miles/week on average for the first time ever. My body stayed healthy and I was able to run a few races along the way. I finished in 3rd place at the Run of the Mill 5k in July in 15:04. I finished in 2nd place at the Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10k in 31:03 in August. I won the Overlake Labor Day Half Marathon in September in a personal best of 1:07:47. And I completed my summer/fall season with the Chicago Marathon in October and finished in 27th place in a time of 2:19:56.

Read a brief blog recap about the Chicago Marathon.

Erik Barkhaus

Erik BarkhausTraining in the post-collegiate world has been an adventure so far. I found myself with a few months of summer training freedom before taking on the challenges of balancing a full time work schedule with the demands of heavy training. It always helps me through the rough patches to know that many others have successfully done this and continue to do so every day. I am currently focusing towards Club XC Nationals with the USA Half Marathon Championships soon after!

Greg Crowther

Greg’s update came in the form of a recent blog entry.

Categories
Featured Race Reports

SunFlower Trail Marathon & Red Devil Challenge 25k

Marlene Farrell Red Devil 25kSunflower Trail Marathon, Mazama to Twisp
May 11

On the same weekend as the first Cougar Mountain Series races, I ran a beautiful trail marathon that goes from Mazama to Twisp, called the Sunflower Trail Marathon & Relay, put on by Winthrop Mountain Sports. I won the race, and ended up beating the male competitors too (that was a surprise). Two relay teams did beat me, but they had two people and five people, respectively. My time was 3:22:49 for a slightly-long course with just under 2000 feet of elevation gain. My next competitor was 3:29:37.

It was one of those races where everything came together. I could have had a problem with the heat, but I drank at every mile (when my new Garmin beeped) and I was more acclimated than most, because we had experienced a heat wave in Leavenworth. The elevation was less than I’d been training on, so that
was fine.

I was nervous for a few reasons: 1. It was my first running race of the year; 2. I hadn’t done a marathon since Pigtails in December but the difference was that I had really trained for this one, so more was at stake; 3. I love this race and hadn’t run it in several years, so I had high expectations for myself.

But it all went really well. I was able to have a strong finishing kick (when there are finally spectators again, after a lot of alone time), so I knew I had paced myself well.

The big bummer is I wore my new awesome Brooks team uniform and just checked the race photos and somehow there is a photo of everyone except me! I do think Kay Allen got a photo of my on her iPhone (standing still at the finish).

Red Devil Challenge 25k Trail Race
June 1

This race is 3 years old and I’ve run it every year. I also won it the other years and had a title to defend. Last year the next woman was very close to me so I couldn’t rest on any laurels this year. I was getting over a cold but that didn’t seem to affect me, and in fact it probably made me take last week a little easier, so I was more rested. I felt steady for the long initial climb (2000 ft in 4-5 miles), but I wished I was a little faster. My downhill running felt effortless and light and I was slowed only a bit by the mud patches. There’s still an extra 1000 ft of elevation gain, but it’s done over undulating terrain and I loved it because I enjoy switching from uphill to downhill mode and back again. I never saw the 2 men in front of me, but I think they were ahead by virtue of the uphill and if anything I think I gained on the downhill. I was thrilled to find out that I was over 7 minutes faster than I was last year, proof that my trail specific training is going well.

Hope your running is going well. Hope to see you on the trails…