Team RunnersConnect has a stellar weekend with 3 Personal Bests leading the way

Peter Willacy ran the East Cheshire 5k and finished this distance in the time of 22:00.

My splits were a bit erratic due to nature of the course with the first and last km slightly downhill and a slight climb up to 2km through three which was undulating and levelling out into 4km.

Because the race started in waves (over 900 runners!) I was set back behind a large group of runners but this helped to slow down first km, though it was just under 4min which was probably too quick even though it didn’t feel it. After that I struggled with the gradual incline and in the last km even though it was 4.08 I just felt a lack of strength in my running.

Shay Higley ran the Pocatello Idaho Marathon (10k) and finished with a time of 43:11. This was a PR by 1 minute 27 seconds!

The course is mainly downhill with a couple thousand feet elevation drop. Year over year I shaved off 11 minutes 2 seconds from my 10k time and 1 minute 27 seconds from 10k race on June 1st, 2024, my goal was 43 minutes and I came in at 43:11. I was 4th place overall, 1st in masters (49) and age group. Ran in ASIC Metaspeed Sky at a 6:54 minute mile pace. I’m now at 22 months of running with no previous running experience.

I believe now that I am winning races and keep placing in the top 5 that I should win every 5-10k race I enter (I won my Dash for Down Syndrome 5k race last week with 437 runners). When I placed 4th I’m happy but angry, angry with myself knowing if I lost my man boobs, muffin top, kangaroo pouch and thunder thighs I could easily be 39 minutes right now and won this race. I guess I have motivation to beat these young guys. Having lost already 54 lbs, just another 25-30 more to go.

Bruno Ackermann ran the Sarnerseelauf 10k and completed this race event in the time of 43:35, which was a PR!

My first-ever 10km race – a mixed bag really. Hot & humid and pretty hilly amid beautiful scenery in the heart of Switzerland. I felt good and strong, so I settled into goal pace pretty much from the start. In hindsight, it was a big mistake…because the first 3.5km were more or less uphill. From 3.5km to 4.5km it was downhill (5% grade) and from 4.5km to 5.5km uphill again (5% grade). This uphill was very tough, especially the beginning. Going into a 5% uphill immediately after a 5% downhill was very hard. It took me almost the entire uphill section to get into a reasonable rhythm again. The remaining distance to the finish was a real fight. I was able to keep my goal pace but couldn’t speed up at all. In the end I missed my goal time by about a minute. I guess I should have started a bit slower for the first 3.5km to be able to attack that uphill in the middle of the race and to be able to speed up towards the end.

So, I didn’t achieve my goal, which leaves me disappointed. On the other hand, I came in 86th (698 runners) and 13th in my age group (71 runners), which leaves me pretty satisfied, considering that I have been running “seriously” for only 2.5 years.

After all, I had a great 10km training block the last few weeks/months and I hope I can carry the value of it into my next marathon block. And I’m going to run this 10km race again next year and will be better prepared for those hills.

Darci Whitney ran the Run 4 the River Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:51:15.

I smashed my knee Thursday morning at work and had an egg-sized contusion on it. I made the last-minute decision to run the race knowing I could stop if running caused me any pain. My knee was still swollen, but no pain throughout. This was my first time doing this point-to-point race. The last 10 miles is on the Mohawk Hudson bike path. Mostly flat. I wished there was more shade because it was sunny, humid, and quite warm. Stayed fairly steady. I’m not used to long, flat stretches so that was a challenge for me. The race had a fantastic after party with good food options and a live band. Based on all factors I was happy with my effort. A couple of execution things to work on in the next month. Finished 2nd in the F50-59 age group!

Mario Ortiz ran the 21K MUNI Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 1:39:03. This was a new personal record by 3:07.

First time I have run a standalone HM under 1:40 so it is a PR for me for the distance. I have run this race/course a total of 7 times before which is at 5000ft altitude and has some long and short hills, and this result beat my previous best time by 4m55s from 2019. At the start of the race there was a lot of traffic which slowed me down quite a bit, but I think this helped me get the PR as I felt strong in the second half of the race, which was 2 minutes faster than the first half.

Katie Palmer ran the Jay Peak 53.1k Ultra (50k), finishing this distance in the time of 6:50:20.

I barely made the cut off for the third lap and made the tough choice to call my race at 22 miles. I was on the puke train for mile 7 and 20–and my god those climbs seemed bigger than last year AND longer….it was very wet and it made no difference the slope you were on. Both sections of the Long Trail were tough! Those climbs are hard and my couple training runs on the LT made a difference. My body held up really well; my legs felt good and my hips were fine. 7,400 ft elevation gain during my run. I have no doubt my fitness could have completed a third lap but my nutrition was so off.

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