Allie Whitelaw ran the Leading Ladies Marathon in Spearfish, South Dakota coming across the finish line with a time of 3:21:14 which is a PR of 25 minutes.
So happy with this race! Stuck to my plan and was able to run on the fast side of my paces and really finish strong! Such a great course and a beautiful day! 4th place overall and 2nd in my age group and finally a Boston Qualifier!!! Thank you Jamie!
Cynthia Morris ran the Standhope 60k which is in the Pioneer mountains Idaho (Sun Valley) finishing this race distance in the time of 12:32.
This ended up being the hardest run I have ever done and the longest time ever on my feet. Coach Jamie worked with me on hill climbs but the only way to be ready for this would have been to train there. Idaho trail makers apparently don’t believe in switchbacks as there were 4 unbelievable climbs straight up and straight down the other side. Poor course marking left a lot of people lost including me adding an additional 1.3 miles (some added 4-5 miles) combine this with elevation starting at over 8000 ft and climbing to 11000 ft, multiple river, stream, mud bogs crossings and down trees and it was the toughest race ever. When I got lost the trail just ended and going back down the horrendous climb I had just came up was not an option. I could see where other people had slid down a steep ravine in soft shale. One slip and it would have been all over with. I decided at that point I may stop at the 20 (21) mile aide station. When I r eached that aide station, I had decided there was no way I was posting a DNF on here! I continued on. My husband said i would be lucky to do 20 min miles and I scoffed. I became tickled pink when I went UNDER 20’s. There were many 30 plus min miles as I would take 10 steps and have to stop and catch my breath (lol). What is a little tachycardia among friends! I started throwing up at mi 35 but had no choice but to get myself out of there. Since I was way past what I thought my finish time would be I tried to push as my husband and granddaughter had been waiting at the finish all day. The aide station people were the best did everything for you as you came in, take and fill your water bottles, even poured my powder in for me. one guy told me it was an “AFDE”. I stared at him as i couldn’t talk–it meant all f—- day event. That was an understatement.) It was a 2 hr drive on a bumpy windy dirt road back to motel. I had severe altitude sickness and had to stop every couple of miles to puke. It was awful. I never in my wildest dreams thought that would happen. Husband said it was because of the amount of time and the exertion over that time at high elevation. I will do more ultras but not at that elevation or with 11000 ft of climbing. Save those for the young bucks. I am very proud of myself for finishing. Of 89 starters only 64 finished. There was only one lady older than me and a 51 yr old lady that trains and lives up there that killed it. As my husband said “there are lots of women ultra runners but not a lot of old women ultra runners”. Can’t decide if they are just smarter than me! I met some awesome people on the trail (one a federal,prosecutor from manhattan). All the people at the finish were great with lots of support for all the children! It really was a special event!
Dominic Worsley ran the Race The Train 14 miler in North Wales finishing this race event in the time of 1:53:42
You get to race an old steam train up a mountain and then as the engine returns you climb two steep mountainsides running through rivers, scrambling up slippy rocks and wading through mud to try and beat the train back! Amazingly good fun! Other than the first mile all off-road on steep hillsides on very narrow sheep tracks where you had to really watch your footing and overtaking was pretty impossible or quite hair raising! I was pleased with my performance. It started at 2pm and I didn’t really fuel or drink right for an afternoon race – I hadn’t done one before. Personally I was pleased to finish the last 3 miles at a faster pace passing quite a few people and only getting passed by one!! Felt strong and maintained my form so all the body weight training has started to pay off I think. All in all a really enjoyable day!
James Beckett ran the Race The Train 14 miler in North Wales finishing this race event in 1 hour and 43 minutes and 28 seconds.
My first trail race but in Wales (I live in USA) and against a train. Up and down tonnes of hills, on cambers and single sheep trails and they untouched countryside. A special time. With mum and dad on the train! This may spur my first ultra trail race..
Siobhan Donegan ran the Falmouth Road Race which is a 7 mile race in Falmouth, MA finishing in the time of 53:30 which is a 4 minute PR.
I ran the Falmouth Road Race about a month after another hot and hilly Vermont race in which I struggled. Consequently, my plan was to fit in more training sessions during the hottest time of the day, and listen to my body on race day, altering my pace accordingly if needed. The race was exhilarating because it draws runners from all over the world, the competition is fierce, crowd support is over-flowing and the course is unique and very challenging. I ran steady miles through the first 3 miles of hills and then just tried to maintain a consistent and challenging pace through the final 4 miles which were flat with some rolling hills. I ran 53:30 with an average pace of 7:38. 12th in my age division. In general, I felt good about this race and my consistent paces. I was incredibly inspired by the performances of so many masters/senior women in this race — impressive athletes all around! Hugely competitive races like this one serve as a strong reminder of what people can accomplish as lifelong runners. It definitely left me feeling like I want to keep trying to run smarter and get faster.
Tom McCray ran the Perk Up Half Marathon in Pennsburg, PA finishing in the time of 1:48:40.
Today I finished my 5th half marathon and my first in the summer months. I was very nervous at the start because it was a new course and my first time I’ve run a half without a taper week. I decided to run the Perk up half back in May (before joining RC) as a tune up once I learned I got into Chicago. I wanted a challenging half without the stress of the big crowds, at the halfway point of my training and lots of hills to test my fitness. This race delivered it all and just for fun it added some heat & humidity.
For me today wasn’t about time or a PR, but a mental break from the weekly long runs. I’m very excited that I accomplish all my race goals… 1. A relaxed start (I’m the guy that always start too fast), my goal for the first 5k was 25:22 and I ran 25:24. I think the fear of overheating kept that fast start in check. 2. Conquer the hills. I felt strong on the hills and even with a total elevation gain of 844ft I didn’t need to stop or walk. 3. Fast finish, sorry Coach I didn’t execute the last 3 miles as plan. My last 5k was 25:42; however, mile 12 was my fastest mile split at 7:58. Plus I reeled in several runners that probably started too fast, but instead of passing I tried to be a good member of the running community – made sure my fellow runners were okay and offered words of encouragement before moving on. Miles 10 & 11 were slower than plan because of the small talk, but it was the highlight of the race for me:-)
4. Tested everything I’m planning to wear and eat for Chicago. Everything passed except my water bottle belt. Stupid thing just unfastened when I was going down a steep section. Mile 8 should have been my best split since it was all downhill.
Overall, I’ll happy with the outcome and confident that I’m ready for the next 8 weeks of training & my first sub-4 hour full.
Grant Hughes competed in the Riding Mountain Triathlon 10K in Wasagaming, Manitoba finishing in the time of 40:54.
I ran this race as part of a team triathlon. Although not a PR, it was a course PR for me – 12 seconds off last year’s time in more challenging conditions. Arriving at the race location at 7 a.m., it was 22C and muggy. The race was supposed to start at 9, but a thunderstorm rolled through at about 8:40, delaying the start of the race by 15 minutes. The rain cooled things off for a bit, but about 10 minutes before our biker returned to transition, the sun came out, making it hot and humid. The weather said 25C, feels like 30 something by the time I was finished. The running course is fairly hilly (rolling hills and some steep ones in the last mile and a half) and consists of some paved trail, some single track trail, some gravel trail (with mud in spots), some freshly paved trail that used to be a broken up old road that they re-surfaced the centre portion (about one lane width) and some regular paved roads. On the new pavement, the re was some spots with mud, making for some slick spots. Overall, we did really well, placing first in the team competition, 11th overall (as if we were one person – there were some pretty fast guys out there) and I was fourth overall for the run (out of fairness, I was fresh not having swam and biked).
Cary Morgan ran the Porter’s Half Marathon in Draper, Utah coming across the finish line in the time of 1:43:58.
It was downhill for the first 4 miles, flat with a few rollers thereafter, which trashed my quads. It was also 75 degrees already by the 7 AM start time. I figure that by the time I finished it was in the low 80’s. It was hotter than what I like and I suffered for it. I had to stop and walk for at least 1-2 minutes during the race. Due to travel early in the week, I moved my “Michigan” workout to Wednesday. I don’t think I had fully recovered from that workout by the gun-timeSaturday morning. Having said that, this was the second fastest 1/2 marathon I’ve ever run (PR is 1:43:30 several years ago). It was faster by 1 minute over the prior two 1/2 marathons I have run so far this year.
Mike Sheridan ran the World Masters Athletics Championship marathon in Lyon, France finishing this race in the time of 3:10:25.
It was the World Masters Athletics Championship 2015 – Men’s Marathon This was my first race representing my country (Great Britain & Northern Ireland). The race was a 4 lap course around a wooded park with many twists and turns and a few undulations which sapped the legs. I got to the halfway point in 4th position (by age category M65+) in a time of 1:29:41, but by then a calf injury that I sustained two weeks earlier had flared up and I gradually lost time over the second half to finish in 3:10:25 and 5th position (age category). Not quite what I wanted on the day but still my 3rd best marathon result and I would have finished in the top 20 in the V55 & top 10 in the V60 category with that time. Great coaching and support from Coach Sarah to get me to that level, and such a shame that our plans were thwarted by an untimely injury.
Jenn Putnam ran the Giddy Up & Go 10K in Edmond, OK finishing this race distance with the time of 1:19:31.
This is my first time back running in over a month. I was going to downgrade to the 5K, but my girls kept me motivated and I finished the 10K with no problems! Slow, but finished 🙂
Javier Llerena ran the Bear Creek Trail Race – Brazen Racing which was a half marathon in Briones Regional Park finishing in the time of 2 hours and 47 minutes.
This is a PW for me. Very hilly half marathon, I felt very fatigue. I couldn’t do my best. My legs felt very heavy.
Jason Sonnek ran the Shawn Silvera Memorial 5K in Minnesot coming across the finish line with a time of 18:26.
Despite a costly wrong turn in the first half mile and sweltering heat/humidity, I won the race in a time that’s above average for me! 18:26 for 5K, even splits of 5:57, 5:57, 5:57 and 0:35 Time wasn’t as fast as I hoped, but I won the race (field of ~300), so I can’t complain. Oppressive heat/humidity: I was *dripping* sweat after my two mile warmup jog and the wooded trail felt like a tropical jungle. First half mile wasn’t marked well, so the other leaders and I took a wrong turn that cost me at least 10 seconds. After that mix-up, I figured a PR was unlikely, so I decided to make this a speed workout. Held my pace for 3 miles and put the hammer down for the last tenth, finished at ~5:15 pace. Last year, I ran 19:08 in similar conditions and felt far worse at the end, so I think we can chalk this up as a victory (literally) for me and RunnersConnect!
