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#SRCBROOKS 2019 So-Far Update!

Once again thanks to Brooks Running for keeping our children shoe’d and warm! Be it dirt, grass, mud, gravel, or the occasional foray onto concrete, the Beast B-Teamers have been everywhere in 2019!

Somer Kreisman


In 2019 I finally joined the trail running and racing party. My first race ever—the Fort Ebey Kettles Trail Run half—was the ugliest race I’ve run (in a while). Being absolutely new at something is both exciting and terrifying. During the warmup I asked my training partner how the course was marked, like how do you know where to go at a split. I think he laughed. My only goal when the gun went off was 100% self-extraction. Based on the scant training I had done for this, I knew anything beyond nine miles was going to be a mystery. Sure enough, at Mile 9 four women blew past me like I was standing still. I probably was.

The good things that happened from this experience was that I was able to finish under my own power, I didn’t get hurt, and I learned where I needed to really lean-into training. I needed to focus on both ascending and descending hills, getting more distance on trail under my belt, breaking in my trail shoes before racing in them, and running without headphones.

Over the next two months I put in all that work and more. The second trail half came around, the Deception Pass Half, and it turned out there was still more lessons to learn. This race was the first—and unfortunately not the last—time I would get lost on course. Somehow with a bonus mile and plenty of anxiety, I managed to finish fourth. Next lesson: maps. Read them. I would go on to relearn the need for this lesson in June at the Cougar Mountain Series 8.2 miler.

I retreated back to my comfort zone on the road in March on familiar course, the Kirkland Shamrock Run. This brought more success. I was able to win on the lady side for the third time, but lost to a guy wearing a leprechaun hat, so there’s that. I ran the Big Backyard in June, and it is the fastest 5K I’ve done in three years. Maybe there is something to be said for all this newfound trail strength.

Currently, I’m still below-average at downhill running and map reading. I’m hovering around 30 MPW, and for the first time in a long time I’m excited about the training and racing I’m doing. Next up is Oregon Coast 30K.

Outside of running and racing, I’ve been able to volunteer at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival and the Cougar Mountain Series with my SRC teammates, as well as at the Rock n’ Roll Expo with Brooks, and a Brooks PR event. Giving back to the running community I get so much from has been both fun and fulfilling.

2019 results through June:
-23F: Tunnel to Viaduct 8K, Feb
-8F: Fort Ebey half, Feb
-1F: Kirkland Shamrock 5K, March
-4F: Deception Pass 1/2, April
-3F: Snohomish Women’s Run 13.1, May
-16F: Beat the Bridge 8K, May
-2F: Cougar Mountain 5.1, May
-2F: Big Backyard 5K, June
-LOST: Cougar Mountain 8.2, June

Katelen Phelan


2019 was my year to finally go after my goal of a Boston Qualifying (BQ) marathon time. My goal marathon day was the Jack and Jill Downhill Marathon along the John Wayne Trail on July 28th. This was a lofty goal, since my prior marathon time was 25 minutes slower than the current qualifying time for my gender and age group. Along the way I raced quite a few tune up and fun races (Bridle Trails 5 miler, Redmond Rain Run half marathon, Blooms to Brews Marathon, Carnation Run for the Pies 5k, and a couple Cougar Mountain series races). I got a 3+ minute PR at my half marathon in January, cut 15 minutes from my prior marathon time at Blooms to Brews in April and had a 43 second PR in my 5k time on July fourth at Run for the Pies (I also won a pie!). When my July marathon race rolled around, I had to cut 10+ minutes from my April marathon time. All the nervous energy and uncertainty that I felt at the start of my April marathon was gone. I knew my body better and how to maximize race day success. My approach was: get to bed early, download Podrunner episodes that compliment my goal race pace in bpms and add to podcast cue, get dropped off at the start to maximize sleep, get into bathroom line early before race, use handheld water bottle with attached pouch full of energy chews, request cheers and support from loved ones/friends along the route. How it went down: smooth cruising to start, so smooth that I toned it down a bit once I realized, a boost of energy at halfway where Thomas (my fiancé) cheered me on, and then I picked up the pace a wee bit to stay on track. At mile 21 I was anticipating Herb Sitz would be on the trail to run alongside me (only if race officials approved). This gave me a mental goal to focus on when I was no longer amused by the gravel trail and bridge crossings. I found Herb (race official-approved) with 4.5 miles to go. He reminded me a) I needed to pick up my pace to make that BQ time, b) that I shouldn’t be able to talk if I’m trying my hardest, and c) that it would all work out. I then felt the most pained finish of my life thus far, rolling in 2:13 mins faster than my necessary Boston Qualifying time and a new marathon PR!

I took a lot of rest from running after that race to recover and do some traveling. To gear up for cross country and to enjoy time with Seattle Running Club folks, I ran the Backcountry Rise 20 miler at Mount St. Helens this past weekend. The views were stellar, while my trail running fitness was suboptimal. Volunteering as an SRC Brooks runner was a blast so far this year. There’s nothing like cheering on fellow SRC folks mid-race and bragging to other runners at a race that you know those people who just placed in the top 10. As a volunteer, this happened at Bridle Trails, the one and only Tunnel to Viaduct, Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series, and White River 50-Miler (the day before my BQ). While the bulk of day-to-day runs are on my own, I cherish the Monday Flying Lion Brewing runs, Wednesday workouts and tempo runs I’m able to make. I continue to become a stronger runner and that is only possible with the right gear, mindset, support and ambition.

Olin Berger

Races

  • Bandera 100k: 9:59:51, 13th OA
  • Chuckanut 50k: 4:05:42, 5th OA
  • The Canyons 100k: 10:17:46, 6th OA
  • White River 50 mile: DNF
  • Cougar Mt. 14.5 mile: 2:02:06, 10th OA
  • CCC-UTMB 100k: DNF

It’s been a busy year. And not one is which I’ve been that happy with performance; correlation? I’m not sure, but it does look like a full schedule. There’ve also been some rough conditions. A freezing, sleepless pre-race night at Bandera. Snow at Chuckanut. Heat in the Canyons. Injured for White River. And a mix of pretty much everything at CCC.

I am certainly trying to appreciate context when thinking about my races and goals this year. I haven’t achieved a lot of the goals that I set out for myself. But they’ve been admittedly lofty goals. After all, even Joe Creighton cannot achieve 100 push-ups in Week 1 of his “100 Push-ups” training program (please ask him about it). But, remove those high level goals from consideration, and I’ve been able to run in some very beautiful places and experience a large range of courses, competition, and community in this sport. It’s been a rough year, but varied and exciting. Certainly enough to keep my interest. I’m ready to see what the remainder of the year will bring at the TNF50, Cougar 50k, and Deception Pass 50k.

Of course, the highlight of any racing season has been representing the team at Aid Station 2 for the Cougar Mt. Trail Race Series. No finer place for PB&J and a drink in Western Washington.

Katy Gifford


The first half of 2019 was marked with many new experiences. I moved to the Seattle area in January 2018, and had yet to truly experience all this area has to offer, especially WINTER! I was fortunate that I still travel to Northern California frequently, so I was able to maintain some semblance of training. But, unfortunately, when winter really hit, I was unable to get the quality of running that I should have. I’ve since learned that it is, indeed, possible to run in snow; I need more acclimatization!

I was very happy to finally run Chuckanut 50k in March; it had been on my radar for quite some time. Great race and people! In mid-April, I ran Lake Sonoma 50M. This was my seventh finish and is probably my favorite race; amazing crew and volunteers. The best part of LS50 was running with my running partner since 2014; this was her 10th LS50 finish!

In late April, I ran Canyons 100k, to ensure I had a qualifier for Western States (6 years of tickets for 2020!). I took it easy early, knowing it was going to be a long day. Unfortunately, at about Mile 26, my knee started to bother me; IT pain perhaps? I walked a bit, and ran when I could. There was a lot of runnable section of the second half that I needed to walk. I had finished every race I started prior to this, and I really didn’t want a DNF that day! I power hiked and made my way back to the finish before cut-off and under the WS Qualifying time. My fourth Canyons finish and continued my 0-DNF trend! The race crew and volunteers are top-notch here; highly recommend!

An added bonus race (WS Qualifier) was Siskiyou Outback 100k. It was the inaugural year, and it was tough! Beautiful first half, very difficult second. I was extremely happy to finish!

Between racing, I had the opportunity to get to know more SRC members and other runners in the community. What I really love about the running community is that it’s just that – a community! So much camaraderie, no matter where you are. Everyone has been so welcoming. Volunteering at Tunnel to Viaduct, RnR Expo, the PR Invitational, and trailwork really gave me the best opportunity to make new connections.

I’m looking forward to the rest of 2019; new experiences and time with our community!

Tyler Vasquez


This year, I wanted to race with more of a sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the trails, friendship, and my body to push through. Through friendship, being mindful, and grit, I was able to have a zest for each race that I took on. This zest had many shapes in sizes but in all the zest allowed for an immense amount of gratitude for the ultra running community.

Chuckanut 50k had the theme of friendship. I was able to run the course and share the ultra-community with my friend Aaron who came up from San Diego. We ran the trails of Larrabee State Park strong, and I was able to PR this course by 1 hour and 10 mins. In addition to setting my own personal record, the ultra-trail running community welcomed Aaron full heartedly.

Yakima Skyline Rim Races had the theme of mindfulness. My dear friend Adam and I were embarking on the back to back (50k and 25k). In order to do this, we needed to be mindful of every aspect of the weekend. Quantity of sleep, warming up, food intake, and ease of the self-critic and ego during the race. We both understood that these races were about finishing, not placement and that is what we did. We both finished the races. To top it off, I finished 30th in both races.

Sun Mountain 50miler had the theme of grit. This race was a test for my overall fitness. I wanted to see if I could hang with the fast people. I ran the first 20 miles with the top 10 participants, but as day went by my miles and my lactic acid began to build up. I bonked and walked from mile 20 to 31. This experience gave me the confidence to head into my 100-mile race with a sense of humility.

San Diego 100miler combined all these things. Aaron and Adam made an appearance at my 100miler and were my team. I was eternally grateful for their effort and sacrifice to help me accomplish this goal. Lessons were learned, grit surfaced, and memories were made. During this race, I was able to learn how running and being a part of the ultra-community has aided in my overall development of myself as a whole person.

Races and Ultra Runs
Chuckanut 50k 5hrs 16 min- 5k of Vert
Yakima Skyline 50k- 6 hours 37 min- 10k of Vert
Yakima Skyline 25k- 3 Hours 4 min- 5k of Vert
Sun Mountain 50miler- 10 hours 37 min 7500k of Vert
San Diego 100miler- 29 hours 34min 14k of Vert
Timberline Trail- 41+ Miles 10k of Vert

Next up
CIM- BQ Attempt3
Ironman St. George Utah- May 2020

Trisha Steidl


The first half of 2019 was full of fun and challenging races. Things started off well as I managed to defend my masters title and represent SRC and Brooks well at the US 50k Trail Championships in California. After some “roller coaster” training and racing, I found some level ground so-to-speak and was able to finish off the first half of the year with a couple of wins. While it wasn’t my own race, I had a ton of fun pacing a friend for 50 miles of her 100 mile race!

I also spent a good chunk of time volunteering at the Bridle Trails Running Festival, SRC aid station at the Chuckanut 50k, working with young athletes at the Brooks PR Invitational, and helping out at our club’s Cougar race series. Giving back to my club and our community, especially when it’s alongside my teammates, is not only helpful to those putting on and participating in local events, it’s also nourishing to the soul…and fun!

So far this year I’ve enjoyed training, racing, and volunteering with many of my teammates. The best part of being a SRC-Brooks Team member is having awesome teammates to cheer on and who support one another. I’m thankful to Brooks and the Seattle Running Club for providing this opportunity to our club and, specifically, for their support of me and my goals over the years. That support means more to me than I can effectively convey. Here’s to a great second half of the year!

RACES THROUGH JUNE 2019:
US 50k Trail National Championship (FOURmidable 50k) – 7th woman, 1st master (overall women’s masters and age group)
Mercer Island Half Marathon – 6th woman, 2nd master
Whidbey Island Half Marathon – 2nd woman, 1st master
Vancouver Marathon – 10th woman, 2nd master
Rhody Run 12k – 6th woman, 1st master
Whistler 30k – 1st woman, 1st master
Fragrance Lake Half Marathon – 1st woman, 1st master

Tyler Cox


In 2019 I wanted to really dive into trail running and racing. I started off running my second 50k ever at the Chuckanut 50k, and it went far better than I could have expected as I placed 8th overall and actually felt strong the last 6 miles (a flat gravel path likely helped with this). The next month I followed that up with a trip out to Yakima for the Yakima Skyline 25k. The course follows a ridgeline for much of it and was more scenic and rugged than I expected. In May I trekked out to Winthrop to run the Sun Mountain 50k. This may have been a bit too ambitious of a racing schedule for me as a newbie trail/ultra runner, as I felt gassed at Sun Mountain, but thankfully still held on for a 2nd place finish. The race finishes by a lovely lake, which was the second nicest body of water I’ve jumped in this year.

This summer I spent more time running trails along the I-90 corridor and volunteering with Seattle Running Club than I did racing. I had a blast volunteering and watching some high schoolers run faster than I ever will at the Brooks PR invite and got my first taste of a 50 mile race at the White River 50 Miler SRC aid station. To close out summer I took on two last big endeavors. The first was the Volcanic 50k, and wild and awesome race that takes you all around Mt. St. Helens. I was afraid of the heat going in, but a relatively cool day helped propel me to another 2nd place finish. I then found a divine river to go cool off in, making this the nicest body of water I’ve jumped in this year.

Finally, I challenged myself, and somehow survived, a 2-day trail run around the Wonderland Trail. I saw gorgeous terrain and found my legs have more strength in them than I previously thought.

Jenny Easterberg


Once again, the first half of this year had many fun running and racing experiences! I have had a great time on both familiar trails and a good number of new ones as well.

I ran several of my favorite races, such as Eldrith’s 25k at the start of January, where I placed 2nd for the women. My biggest venture was running the inaugural Tiger Claw in May, which was a grueling 22 miler and a total body test. This race certainly pushed me way out of my comfort zone. I have also already done 3 Ragnars this year simply to get out and truly soak in the experience of a 30 hour team race. Very fun to meet people from all over the country. The same goes for the volunteering I did with Brooks at the Seattle R&R marathon expo. So many interesting people of all different backgrounds who came to our beautiful city to experience the wonderful running community we are so fortunate to have.

The highlight of my running and racing remains the sharing of my recovery story of surviving an eating disorder. I love to give hope and inspiration to anyone who struggles with chronic illness. I will say it again that people still find it difficult to believe I went from a wheelchair to podium finishes. I couldn’t have done this without the support of the running community and SRCBrooks. Brooks, a nationally known running company, supports the most modest of runners and continues to impress me daily by providing encouragement and sponsorship to everyday athletes. I never thought my survival story would be powerful enough to make my dream of being sponsored come true, but here I am. Hence I am a firm believer that sharing my recovery story is paramount and that anyone who truly desires to accomplish something can indeed do so despite the odds.

That being said, my biggest running accomplishment this year was doing a solo run down into the Grand Canyon to Phantom Ranch and back out in roughly 4 hours. Not the fastest but certainly an epic adventure. I learned about pacing, hydration, and fueling in such a dry and rugged climate. Most importantly, I took the time to thoroughly enjoy being in the moment. It was a true test of body, mind and spirit. Such a challenging yet truly amazing experience!

For the remainder of the year I plan to stick closer to home and enjoy the glorious fall the PNW provides. Many more adventure stories to come, just ask! Fun running to all and see you on the trails!

Rob Bond

Photo Credit: ironadventureworks.com
Ups and Downs. Lots and lots of ups and downs. The first half of 2019 involved more training in the mountains than I have ever done before. The big goals were the mountainous Catamount 50k and White River 50 mile so I had to head to the hills. The King County Trailhead Express bus to Cougar Mountain was to be my chariot to get me there. The year’s racing started on the dirt with a repeat victory at the Bridle Trails 50k race. The soft dirt and friendly faces on that 5 mile loop made it seem like a nice rust buster. It’s the only 50k I know that deliberately runs through sunset. This turned out to be great as no one could see my grimace on the second half. 50k is too long for rust busting.

The Trailhead Direct doesn’t start running until April 20th, so the only thing to do to pass the time was train on some roads for the Boston Marathon. Like most of the Seattle running community, I celebrated the opening of the new Route 99 car tunnel by running the Tunnel to Viaduct 8k. It was quite an experience to run through a loud echo-y tunnel with thousands of other runners. I’ve also never ran up such a long, steep slope entirely underground. After that, me any my trusty Brooks Hyperions had a string of PRs and 2nd place finishes with the silver spot at the Lake Sammish Half, the Love em’ or Leave em’ 10k (I left em’), and the Cambridge Spring Classic 5k. Gotta love the consistency, but I’ll admit finishing 2nd three races in a row was a little frustrating. No danger of that in my next race, however, as I ran my 5th consecutive Boston Marathon on April 15th. It’s my hometown race and it means a lot to me to travel back and run that course. It wasn’t the PR I was hoping for, but I had a good solid day and saw a lot of friends and family along the way.

After the Boston Marathon, I transitioned to the mountains for some dirt practice. Volunteering at the Chuckanut 50k Aid Station showed me what real speed on the trails can look like, so I spent a lot of time practicing hills in the Issaquah Alps. I had a great spring training with my friends and going on adventures in the woods I ran a great race to set the Course Record at the Stowe, VT Catamount 50k in June. The course, people, and beer were all wonderful. The big test of the summer came at White River. It was my first crack at a 50 mile race in 3 years but I had put together a really solid block of training including a few Cougar Mountain trail races, of course. Race day was a beautiful one at Crystal Mountain. I was having a great time running on some amazing trails. I tried to push for my familiar 2nd place, but I made a mistake with my nutrition and ran out of water up the second big climb. The last 2 hours were pretty miserable but I held it together and finished in 7th. Rare are the days where everything goes right, but it was still quite an adventure. I hope to be back in the future. Up next, it’s back to the roads to train for the California International Marathon.

Thanks to the King County Metro Trail Head Express for the rides!

Results
Bridle Trails 50k – 3:34 – 1st
Tunnel to Viaduct 8k – 25:42 – 5th
Love ’em or Leave ’em 10k – 32:20 – 2nd PR
Lake Sammamish Half Marathon 1:09:10 – 2nd PR
Cambridge Spring Classic – 15:38 – 2nd PR
Boston Marathon – 2:32:45
Catamount 50k – 3:46:52 – 1st CR
Cougar Mountain 20 miler – 1st
White River 50 mile – 7:49 – 7th

Adam Hewey


2019 has been a year of growth and getting back to what I love to do. Last February I did in my MCL while ski racing which derailed my entire race season. I cobbled together a few good races at the end of the year but also appreciated the time to let my body recover.

2019 started off great with a 4th place at the Capitol Forest FA 55k. It was great to be back running an ultra after such a long break. I followed this up with a fun trip to Whidby Island and the Fort Ebey trail Marathon. It was fast! It was fun! I got 2nd place!

Next up was a volunteering gig at the Chuckanut 50k with the SRC crew. I brought my daughter and we had a blast cheering on runners and feeding them while chatting it up with teammates.

2018 was the first year since 2008 in which I did not run a 100 mile race. I was antsy so I signed up for the Badger Mt. Challenge 100 Mile in Richland, Washington. The race started on Friday morning, my divorce finalized on Thursday before I left town to drive to Richland. I ran light. I ran happy. I ran smart. I ran to a 4th place finish. It felt great to be back. It was fun to know I was running not only for myself but also for the team SRC Brooks.

The rest of the spring was a mix of recovery blending into training. I also put in a crazy amount of time planning and organizing the two races I put on: Needles 50k and Cascade Crest 100 mile.

July started with putting on Needles 50k and ended with my running White River 50 mile. Needles went great, White River not so much. I blew up tremendously and managed to glue the wheels back on for the final 12 miles to finish in my slowest WR50 time ever. Lessons were learned and fun was had. It was comforting to commiserate with fellow SRC Brooks runners at the finish festivities.

August is filled with Cascade Crest 100 prep. I am on the board of directors and hold two positions on the race committee. Luckily, the race went really well for the 21st running of this classic event. Again, the SRC Brooks members were out in force pacing, crewing and volunteering. GO BLUE!

All those months of training and racing lead to the race I’m most excited about. My marquis 100 mile of the season The IMTUF 100 in Idaho. Gulp. The race starts next Saturday at 6:00AM. I am not sure if I have done enough or too much training. I have questions which only the course and weather will answer. Tonight I will pack and tomorrow I’ll drive to Idaho and see what happens.

Huge thanks to Brooks for supporting the SRC team. I have become enamored with the Brooks Caldera for trail runs and races. I have put in hundreds of miles in the Launch and Ghost on the sidewalks of Seattle. I have worn my blue kit with pride.

Joe Kelly


I had big racing aspirations coming into 2019 but unfortunately my body had other plans. I entered the year ready to improve upon my strong 2018 Chuckanut 50k performance and then race my first 50 miler at the Tillamook Burn. Instead, a nagging Achilles injury from the fall XC season limited my training for over 4 months. I managed to get to the start line for Chuckanut but stomach issues lead to an epic scream vomit and a DNF. I subsequently took a couple weeks off to heal and slowly worked my way back into shape. My new goal race was the White River 50. I spent most of the summer rocking my Caldera’s (my new favorite trail shoes) all over the Cascades and Olympics. Highlights include a win at Cougar #2, a double out and back to Kendall Katwalk, and Mt. Townsend with SRC Brooks teammate Rob Bond.

White River started out great as the weather was pretty ideal. Unfortunately, the rest of my first 50 miler didn’t go as planned. I was plagued with leg cramps for the entire second half and finished over an hour slower than expected. I was disappointed with the time but happy that I was able to tough it out.

This fall I plan on running as many SRC XC as I can as well as the Philadelphia Marathon in November. This will be my first road marathon in over 3.5 years so it’ll be interesting to see if I can regain any of my speed back!

Kristi Houk


2019 has proven itself to be a year of rediscovering the joy of running. I have taken this year to step back from an uptight and anxious competitive mindset to heal not only body but also, mind. I have spent the majority of the year spending an ungodly amount of hours in rehab for my brain and body after a traumatic collision with a van the previous summer. After said event, I decided that running is a gift and not granted. I would choose to find joy in running regardless of times, progress, and pride.

I have found myself with a lovely group of runners who value not only running but also commitment, sportsmanship, volunteering, and beer. Seattle Running Club has put no pressure on my performance but rather has been my biggest fan. SRC keeps me motivated, excited, and thrilled to be running. I love the camaraderie I feel with my teammates; acceptance, love, encouragement, and amazing conversations are normal and consistent traits I experience. I have found volunteering to be fun as well. I do enjoy being bossy and loud as my Kindergarten teacher background kicks in. Getting people oriented and excited at races has been a blast. I have volunteered at all the Cougar Mountain Trail Races and the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival as well.

Race wise, I am loving to explore my options with trails. I ran the Cougar Mountain series this year with bated breath and nerves. I, though wanting to call myself a trail runner, am a novice when it comes to the techniques (and sometimes etiquette) of trail running. Nevertheless, wipeouts, bee stings, and blisters did not stop me from completing all the short series and…..winning it! I feel such pride to represent my team in trail racing (especially the Cougar Series) because trail running is a world of its own. Grit and determination are more important than times or speed. Despite my budding love for trail running, I do often find myself running road races. I took many weekends competing in several road races including the Viaduct race, St. Patrick’s Day Dash, Whidbey Island half marathon, Rhody run, Mt. Si relay, Hood to Coast relay, and many others.

Here is a look into my world of racing for 2019:
Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 1/12/19 1st F 10 miler
Viaduct Race 2/2/19 10th F 8k
Sam 6k Corporate Challenge 3/10/19 1st F 6k
St. Patrick’s Day Dash 3/17/19 13th F 5k
Whidbey Island Half Marathon 4/14/19 1st F Half Marathon
Mt. Si Relays 4/28/19 No Brain, No Pain mixed masters team 1st masters team, 3rd overall
Cougar Series #1 5/11/19 1st F 5.3 miler
Rhody Run 5/19/19 3rd F 12k
Big Backyard 10k 6/2/19 1st F 10k
Cougar Series #2 6/8/19 1st 8 miler
Zintel Canyon 4k 6/29/19 1st F 4k
Yukon Do It Half Marathon Summer Series 7/7/19 1st F Half Marathon
Cougar Series #3 7/13/19 4th F 10.8 miler
West Seattle Float Dodger 4th F 5k
Cougar Series #4 8/10/19 3rd F 14.5 miler (1st PNTF open woman)
Chief Seattle Days 5k 8/18/19 1st F 5k
Hood to Coast Relays 8/24-25/19 3rd Open Women’s team: Team Joha
Alki Sunset Run 9/6/19 1st F 5k

Upcoming Races:
I am planning to participate in as many XC races as I can this season. In addition, I plan to run the Seattle Sounders 5k, the Don Diablo 35k (in Mexico), the Burien Brat Trot, and a myriad of other fun runs in the area (the more the merrier)!

Thank you for supporting the SRC elite and keeping us well dressed, shoed, and championed. I love Brooks and appreciate their efforts in keeping their local athletes supported. If anything, I use my running shoes to help herd my wild group of kindergarteners. My Ks are the fasted in Seattle…watch out!

Alex Bowns


2019 has been a fun one for mixing up my running and other outdoor activities. I’ve done a good mix of running between the trails, roads, and track. Along with that I’ve been staying active with skiing and cycling too.

I took a long break from racing during the start of 2019, getting in some skiing while I took it easy on my legs. After some time off, I hopped in last minute to the Viaduct 8k race in February. I ended up having a great run despite not feeling very prepared. Most importantly my legs had no aches or pains and I felt mentally refreshed from my break.

After the Viaduct run, I decided I was ready to slowly build up my fitness. After a few months of light training and staying injury free, I ran the 14 mile Cougar Mountain race. The week before some SRC members and myself volunteered and went out and cleaned up the trails so they were in great shape. I ended up winning the race and felt great on my new Cascadia trail shoes. I hadn’t ran in many trail shoes before so it was really noticeable feeling the extra grip on big descents.

Feeling pretty fit and healthy I thought it’d be fun to hop in a half marathon and see what I could run. I signed up for the Evergreen Half in Snohomish in June. I was running by myself but my fiancee was out on her bike pacing me through the whole run. I had never ran a half before so I knew I was going to get a PR, but with the help of my fiancee, I broke 70 minutes! Right after the run I hopped in my car and drove to the Brooks PR invite to volunteer. I thought I was fast and then I saw those high schoolers, they can fly!

Knowing I was pretty fit, I thought it would be fun to go to the track and run a 10k. So at the very end of June I went over to the track and ran a time trial by myself. I ran even splits and broke 32 minutes! Another PR since I had never ran a 10k on a track before. After that, it was time for me to take another break so I could recover my legs and focus on my wedding (which went perfectly!).

So here I am now at the start of September, feeling mentally refreshed and very strong in the legs. I’m about to start my 12 week training cycle for the California International Marathon where I have a stretch goal of running an Olympic Trials qualifying time. Here’s to the next pursuit!

Categories
Race Reports

CCC-UTMB 2019: Melted Blocks of Cheese

The CCC-UTMB experience was awesome and terrible and I highly recommend it. It’s really hard. It’s really beautiful. It makes a small sport feel like a big deal. There was a good three-hour period during this race during which I had embraced the freedom of quitting competitive running forever and doing anything that doesn’t involve brutalizing your body for a period of time longer than most Netflix binges. I ended up dropping around mile 44 probably more beat up than I have ever been in a race. I was ready not to race again for a long time.


A few hours of hanging out in Chamonix post-drop started to change things. The energy in the town is immense. Thousands of runners and running fans (it’s a thing!) from all over the world are really excited to be there and it’s hard not to get some of the #stoke rubbed off on you, even if you’re feeling like a Garbage Patch Kid. It’s gorgeous; one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Stunning views that impress even as you consider taking up a new life as a Swiss cowherd to avoid having to continue a race. It’s huge for a sport that usually considers a big scene being at least 10 people hanging out for a while after a Cougar Race and it’s cool to feel like part of something big even while relishing the sport’s weird niche. It’s immensely motivating to talk to runners from around the world and trade stories and race suggestions. One of the highlights of the local cuisine involves melting and eating a giant block of cheese. What more do you need?

Dropping is always a bummer, but injuries happen. My takeaway from this race is how exciting and beautiful this sport can be, even on a miserable day. It makes the prospect of a good day sound like something really incredible.

Categories
Featured Member Information Race Reports

SRC Member Race Reports – August 2019

Once a month (lol) we’d like to showcase the races for members courageous enough to spend a few minutes filling out a Google Form, and until we get that sick shout-out from the CEO himself on Twitter or, preferably, Instagram® or Bumble, we will *NOT* promote Run Gum!

I wanna hear your tales! Your submission can be as brief or long as you’d like! Better believe I’m deleting any references to Run Gum though, unless I forget!

Are you racing or have you raced in September? I did! Eighty minutes behind Evan Williams at Backcountry Rise (spoiler alert)! If so, send me a report! Fat Glass is coming up in like 10 days; I’ll accept pretty much any report of *any* activity at that den of sin!

Here’s an incomplete list of “races” I accept:

  1. Real races! (road, track, trail, relays, obstacle courses, 100 meter races in Oregon where you’re attempting to break 11 seconds, bike races at Seward Park cause you’re tired of hanging with your run friends)
  2. Not really races(?) (stair climbs for cancer research, color runs, certain Mario Kart levels, short sprints vs your friend Doug to the local Fleet Feet to not buy Run Gum)
  3. Strava CRs! (no bikes)
  4. Strava CR attempts! (definitely no bikes)
  5. Short distance personal records running away from teens who you think might have just seen you get turned down asking for an job application at QFC.

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hand it off to AUGUST’S 2019’s *two* boss hosses….and me!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

Tyler Cox

Member #: 2086
Race name: Volcanic 50k
When was this race?: 8/3/19
How did you place?:I lost
Race website: Volcanic 50
Race report:

How many races can you do where you get to run around a whole volcano?? Possibly more than I think, but I still thought this race was cool.

Started off conservatively which was good as I got lost in the first boulder field and was only saved by a pack of 5 who actually seemed to know what they were doing and went the right way.

The race director warned of bees and sure enough I found some willing to sting me before the first aid station!

Managed to hold it together and pick some people off in the second half. I credit my ‘heat training’ that consisted of sitting in a sauna a couple times and sweating off a few gallons of water.

Ended up finishing second and had a blast!

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“How many races can you do where you get to run around a whole volcano??”

NO idea! Four?

“Possibly more than I think, but I still thought this race was cool.”

Fine, I’ll do this myself…

Damnit!

“I credit my ‘heat training’ that consisted of sitting in a sauna a couple times and sweating off a few gallons of water.”

Replace “sauna” with “library bathroom” and “a couple times” with “every Taco Tuesday” and “few gallons of water” with “Rockstar Juiced” and you have my heat training before Backcountry Rise 50k the other day where I…finished 81 minutes behind Evan Williams 🤪

I met Tyler during the 2018 XC season and was immediately endeared to him because he laughed at my jokes. Not to brag but I pretty much destroyed him in all XC races last season (by a LOT….and he’s like half my age 😎), but I don’t think I’ll ever beat him ever again in a race that doesn’t involve an NES controller.

“Big” Joe Creighton

Member #: 1028
Race name: Cougar Mtn 14.5 Mile
When was this race?: 8/10/19
How did you place?:I lost
Race website: I made this site with Derek:)
Race report:

I didn’t make it to the start line in time to hear what epic events or races Uli Steidl had run in the days leading up to this race, otherwise I might have been more confident during the middle miles on a #moist Cougar morning. As it is, I ran behind Evan Williams for about 2 miles (way too close, for way too long), and after he inevitably pulled away to hopefully not cut the course in any way, I found myself all alone in 2nd, running terrified of an #old German, the Smog Strangler, and a couple orange singlets.

I had no climbing legs this day, so I tried to and successfully made up for it with perhaps my best-ever hour-long stretch of downhill & flat trail running. My two minute lead over Uli only shrunk to like 90 seconds by the end of the race and you better believe I’m rocking my “2nd place” coffee mug at work to the delight of all the guys in the office who think they’re *really* clever.

Evan on the other hand beat me by 6 minutes and I believe had already done his cool down jog and showered by the time I’d hit the finish chute. I’m mostly certain he didn’t cut the course.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Shoeless Joe Sez!

I ain’t gonna comment on my own comments to my own race (I’m not a *loser*), so let’s look at the six strava login page background photos!

Hate when this one comes up, this 17 year-old ass looking kid reminds me of a cross between Andrew Miller, who dropped me at Gorge 50k in 2013 like a sack of potatoes as a 16 year old, and the #teen “comedians” at QFC who think it’s funny to point out to random strangers that I’m only buying milk and toilet paper, like they’d care (they don’t).

No way this woman uses strava, this is the company trying to convince us what their core demo–cyclists–looks like. I see (and smell) your core demo on every commute to work, strava!

We’re getting closer! Guys looking like they’re dressed for the Tour de France when really they’re just riding 15mph to work in slightly-too-threadbare (and always WHITE!!) kits that leave little to the imagination as they roar past me.

Nice ass crack, Mark!

Oh look, swimmers!


What % of strava users are primarily swim loggers? Are these literally the only two?

My favorite. Woman on the left with the “you’re not really going to use *that* photo of me are you?!” look on her face while the guy on the right looks spectacularly non-Samoan but seems to have stolen all of The Rock’s arm tattoos.

Consider me #inspiredtorun!

A-a ron, SRC Social Media 😽

Member #: 1960
Race name: Northwest Trail Runs Somer Blast; Half ‘thon
When was this race?: 8/17/2019
How did you place?: I lost
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: rocheam.com/move
Race report:

Tl;dr Ran a trail half, came 2nd, decided that’s better than coming 1st, still gettin’ those illicit DMs bay-BEE! #spinstercatmom #livingthedream #roastme

This was my first race since a disastrous marathon debut back at the end of April, so I had pretty low expectations. In this new training cycle, I feel like I’ve restored some balance to my life. I had time to take Sulley to the vet for her annual check-up, was able to do some house cleaning, and had even gotten around to responding to all those DMs and Hinge requests that had been stacking up all of 2018 and well into ’19. Bah, the struggles of being a cat mom, hobbyist runner, and a social media addict. Any-hoo, life was starting to feel normal and running was fun again.

Rewind to this past weekend – or probably two months ago, depending on when Joe actually gets to this. I got to the watershed in plenty of time and saw a bunch of my SRC pals who were prepping for their races and/or volunteering. Shout-out to the Northwest Trail Runs staff and volunteers for another well-organized event. 🙌

At about 9:35am, Kati started the race via her countdown; there are no guns allowed in the watershed – just horses, and people, and I guess MTB’ers? But definitely no pets, 🚨🚨🚨*GUY WITH A PET OUT THERE! I SAW YOU!* 🚨🚨🚨

So, yeah, to the race: I got out with a group of two other dudes – Bill, the winner from two years ago and again this year and Virgil, a French-looking dude who was totes side-eyeing me before the race and was wearing a bicycle kit *AND* a hydration belt. “No fucking way was I going to lose to that guy,” I whispered under my breath. Well, as fate would have it, biker bro set the pace for the first three miles. See, I know it was three miles because his watch beeped at every fucking mile. Fuck I hate that so much. *SILENCE YOUR WATCH* and have some gah damn respect for nature, d00d!

Bah, we wound up passing him just before the first aid station at about mile 4. Bill bolted ahead and I just tried to stay somewhat collected despite being furious by those GD beeps at every mile!! *Run, run, run* 8 miles later, I was still in 2nd and I started to ham it up with anyone and everyone whose path I crossed – thanks for the fly-by high-five, Dustin! I saw Somer K on the final stretch to the finish, flashed her a wink and a smile [yeah, no, I’m not that cool] and tried to get to the line under 1h27mins.

Meh. Finished in 1h27’05. Came second. Which I think can be more satisfying than coming first. And absolutely more satisfying than not coming at all. 🔵 🔵 Not bad for the first race back. #seattlerunning

Have fun with this one, Joe.

Love,
A-a ron

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“…had even gotten around to responding to all those DMs and Hinge requests that had been stacking up.”

(looks at watch)

(looks up Hinge)

“Bah, the struggles of being a cat mom, hobbyist runner, and a social media addict.”

“🚨🚨🚨*GUY WITH A PET OUT THERE! I SAW YOU!* 🚨🚨🚨

I really don’t understand Pez dispensers….the candy is awful, the plastic will never biodegrade, only loser man-child collectors keep this business model afloat and how in the hell have they never had a line of pro wrestling dispensers? It’s kinda weird that a half marathoner would bring one out to Redmond Waters—OH WAIT I now see you said pets. Nevermind.

“I got out with a group of two other dudes”

They have names, you know.

Bill, the winner from two years ago and again this year and Virgil, a French-looking dude…

“French-looking dude”? So, he looks white? Let’s see what he looks like:

Definitely looks more Czech to me.

“…who was totes side-eyeing me before the race and was wearing a bicycle kit *AND* a hydration belt. ‘No fucking way was I going to lose to that guy,’ I whispered under my breath.”

Let’s see what *Virgil* had to say about the race, and if he was as concerned about you!

“This was a trail Half Marathon. Not too hilly and very runnable. Came in 3rd with a time of 1:28:22. Temp was around 65* so very comfortable. GU Roctane sux!

Well, a little less color than your report, (sigh), A-a ron, but also a bit less mean-spirited about everything until the abrupt lane change into extreme hatred of Gu Roctane (which must have given him the shits the way he slammed it amirite?)…and you better believe I noticed Roctane and Roche sharing the same first three letters…🤔

“…tried to get to the line under 1h27mins. Meh. Finished in 1h27’05.”

Well this was mildly anti-climactic.

“And absolutely more satisfying than not coming at all. 🔵 🔵”

You already made this joke. #seattlerunning

Archived Member Race Reports

Categories
Featured Member Information Race Reports

SRC Member Race Reports – July 2019

Once a month (lol) we’d like to showcase the races for members courageous enough to spend a few minutes filling out a Google Form, and until we get that sick shout-out from the CEO himself on Twitter or, preferably, Instagram® or Bumble, we will *NOT* promote Run Gum!

Winners, losers, and everyone in between (even you Masters runners!), I wanna hear your tales! Your submission can be as brief, or *long* as you’d like! Better believe I’m deleting any references to Run Gum though!

Are you racing or have you raced in August? I did! Six minutes behind Evan Williams at Cougar (spoiler alert)! Maybe you raced (and lost) to a smug-looking guy in jeans riding an e-bike? Maybe you set a PR running to the corner market for more Epic bars? Here’s an incomplete list of “races” I accept:

  1. Real races! (road, track, trail, relays, obstacle courses, 100 meter races in Oregon where you’re attempting to break 11 seconds, bike races at Seward Park cause you’re tired of hanging with your run friends)
  2. Not really races(?) (stair climbs for cancer research, color runs, certain Mario Kart levels, short sprints vs your friend Doug to the local Fleet Feet to not buy Run Gum)
  3. Strava CRs! (no bikes)
  4. Strava CR attempts! (definitely no bikes)
  5. Short distance personal records running away from teens who you think might have just seen you get turned down asking for an job application at QFC.

In order to increase the rate of submissions from its current rate of 0.4 per month, I’d like to offer the following perks to reporters!*

  1. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and buy you a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  2. I’ll buy you a haircut at Sports Clips (I have a gift card a “cool” sarcastic teen gave me last year)
  3. Marshall’s shopping spree ($12 limit)
  4. I’ll send Ginger Runner youtube comments until he agrees to check out my Pliny The Elder bottle collection and do a Shoeless Joe interview.
  5. I’ll race in my favorite Big Dogs shirt at whatever the next Rainshadow Running race I’m allowed to enter the lottery for.

*Perks will not be honored

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hand it off to JULY 2019’s *two* boss hosses!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

Joe Kelly

Member #: 1938
Race name: White River 50
When was this race? 7/27
How did you place?! I lost
Race website: whiteriver50.org
Race report:

Cliff Notes:
– Great first half
– Leg cramps the whole 2nd half
– Shoeless Joe ass slaps
– Scream vomit

This was my first 50 miler and I got crushed. The race started off great as the weather was cool and cloudy and I was cruising through the early flat section with fellow SRCers Rob Bond and Olin Berger. Some guy with huge delts took it out fast from the gun…we thought he probably wouldn’t sustain it but the joke is on us because he beat us all. I completed the first climb comfortably and reached the out and back section just as Shoeless Joe was getting there to cheer us on. Rob had already gone through there so he missed out on a nice ass slap. The ridge section was mostly fine except for when I ran through a left turn and got confused for about 20 seconds. When I went back to the trail I noticed a long line of pink flags pointing me in the right direction. This is probably when I should have noticed that it wouldn’t be my day.

I finished the ridge section and started to feel some leg twinges on the downhill – NOT a good sign at mile 21 of a 50 mile race especially since i had been very diligent about my food and liquid intake. I cruised down to the Buck Creek aid station where I was greeted by my wife and a boatload of cheerful SRCers. I reloaded with food and drink and headed on my way knowing the 2nd half would be a challenge with my leg cramp situation (thanks Parker!).

My legs immediately locked up as I started the climb – great, only 22 more miles of this! I did my best Tin Man impersonation up to the Fawn Ridge aid station where I started to feel nauseous. I grabbed some Coke and sat down in a chair but my body was immediately like, “Nah!”, and I violently scream vomited again (this also happened on Chinscraper at Chuckanut). SRCer Paul Young who also happened to be at this aid station had some good commentary during this episode. Post puke, I ate a ton of PB&Js and watermelon and was on my way. I continued Tin Man climbing all the way up to Sun Top but fortunately the stomach was fine. I was able to run most of the way down to Skookum with some stops for calf cramps. At this point, I was singing some TLC but modified the words to be “Don’t go racing ul-ltras, stick to the shorter trail races you’re used to.” I struggled through the Skookum Flats, getting passed by a ton of runners, including a 60 year old Shoeless Joe doppelganger and Adam Hewey with a mile to go. I got another ass slap from Joe and then finished (yeah!). It was over an hour slower than I wanted but it felt good to not DNF. To add insult to injury, the second zipper on my pack broke mid-race (the first one broke a week prior).

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“Cliff Notes:”

#wellactually, it’s called CliffsNotes

Little known fact, about 80% of my college application essay was about my love of CliffsNotes. Only UC Santa Cruz accepted me. I ended up graduating from Chico State in 5 years. Now I’m here.

“- Great first half
– Leg cramps the whole 2nd half
– Shoeless Joe ass slaps”

Sounds like every White River 50 I’ve ever run

“- Scream vomit”

gifofsomeonelookingconcerned.gif

“…through the early flat section with fellow SRCers Rob Bond and Olin Berger.”

Look forward to their race reports…😒

“…and I violently scream vomited again (this also happened on Chinscraper at Chuckanut)”

dudeseriouslygotoadoctor.gif

Seriously though, thanks for reminding of the album I had on repeat during *my* first White River back in 2009

“At this point, I was singing some TLC but modified the words to be ‘Don’t go racing ul-ltras, stick to the shorter trail races you’re used to.'”

aboutoutoftimeherejoe.gif

“getting passed by a ton of runners, including a 60 year old Shoeless Joe doppelganger”

“I got another ass slap from Joe”

Thanks for alerting me to the fact that think I should maybe, umm, stop slapping guys’ asses.

“To add insult to injury, the second zipper on my pack broke mid-race (the first one broke a week prior).”

Way to bury the lede, Joe.

(Slaps ass, *hard*)

Evan Williams

Member #: 1305
Race name: The Escarpment Trail 30k
When was this race? July 28, 2019
How did you place?! 4th
Race website: http://escarpmenttrail.com/bs/
*Your* website URL: threeleftturns.weebly.com/
Race report:

The flat sections have the trickiest footing. Then, there are hands-required climbs and cliff jumping descents (except no water to land in). It’s in the east (Windham, NY), where “switch back” is not part of trail vocabulary. The weather was also humid and 92F by the second half of the race. Dick Vincent is the race director, who taught Steve Faluotico how to run, who taught me how to run. It’s becoming an annual pilgrimage, even though I haven’t “figured out” this race yet.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“The flat sections have the trickiest footing.”

This sort of reminds me of a brief time a few years back when I tripped and fell about 3 times in 2 weeks whilst street running on sidewalks around #WestSeattle #RoadBoy #CNW

“…hands-required climbs and cliff jumping descents (except no water to land in).”

I don’t have much to make fun of or joke about in this race report of what sounds like the world’s worst race for someone like me, so I’ll just remind/inform everyone that I beat Evan fair & square* in a 10 mile race in April of this year, down in Bend.

*Ok fine, Evan wore jeans and a long-sleeve Carhartt shirt that seemed to absorb every drizzly drop of rain that fell that morning…

Pic: Liam Pickhardt

…while I exposed my hairy shoulders and thighs and beat Evan by 2 mins and 5 secs, aka the length of time required for me to chug a beer during a boat race.

Archived Member Race Reports

Categories
Club Events Race Reports

White River 50 – 2019 Race Report

I signed up for this year’s White River 50 hoping to redeem my previous performance, which had started as a bid for a third win in a row and devolved into equal parts getting passed on climbs and squatting in the woods. Then, a couple months prior to the race, as I was throwing the training plan into high gear, I blew a hamstring and only started training again about a week before the race. Of course, I planned to race anyway for fear of losing the moral high ground needed to tease Joe Creighton about his previous DNF. Fortunately, I pay someone smarter than myself to manage my training plan and he strongly suggested I consider the health benefits of not running 50 miles on a recent injury. I’m somewhat proud of my progression as a runner that I actually took his advice.

I also learned a couple things about a DNF at White River that I hadn’t really known before:

  • The first half can be much more enjoyable knowing you don’t have to run the second half.
  • The disappointment of not completing the race lessens as you look into the hollow-eyed stares of runners contemplating the climb to Suntop as you contemplate which gummy bear flavor pairs best with Rainier.
  • Grinding down your body with physical misery isn’t always as fun as hanging out with your friends talking about those in physical misery.
  • You can still be a winner (First place DNF!)
  • The plot of everyone’s favorite 1988 Tom Cruise vehicle “Cocktail” makes as little sense after 20 miles as it does after 50.

So, redemption is on the table for next year. But, if that doesn’t happen, at least I know there’s nothing to fear in the DNF corral.

Categories
Featured Member Information Race Reports

SRC Member Race Reports – June 2019


Once a month (lol) we’d like to showcase the races for members courageous enough to spend a few minutes filling out a Google Form, and until we get that sick shout-out from the CEO himself on Twitter or, preferably, Instagram®, we will *NOT* promote Run Gum!

Winners, losers, and everyone in between (even you Masters runners!), I wanna hear your tales! Your submission can be as brief, or *long* as you’d like! Better believe I’m deleting any references to Run Gum though!

Are you racing in July? Cougar? Maybe you ran in a town called Carlation and won a pie? Or you ran next to someone who won a pie? Maybe you set a personal 400m record running away from an angry crow mother? Here’s an incomplete list of “races” I accept:

  1. Real races! (road, track, trail, relays, obstacle courses, chasing that teen around the track after his friend Todd dared you to race him)
  2. Not really races(?) (stair climbs for cancer research, color runs, certain Mario Kart levels)
  3. Strava CRs! (no bikes)
  4. Strava CR attempts! (definitely no bikes)
  5. Short distance personal records running away from dive-bombing crows

In order to increase the rate of submissions from its current rate of 0.3 per month, I’d like to offer the following perks to reporters!*

  1. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and buy you a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  2. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and you can see what happens when I offer to buy a random #teen a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  3. We’ll go to the nearest Target and I’ll ask the nearest non-male cashier if they have “condoms for virgins” and if so “I’ll buy 3.”
  4. I’ll email Ginger Runner over and over until he agrees to check out my Pliny The Elder bottle collection and do a Shoeless Joe interview.
  5. I’ll race in my favorite Big Dogs shirt at whatever the next Rainshadow Running race I’m allowed to enter the lottery for.

*Perks will not be honored

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hand it off to JUNE 2019’s kind sir whose report reads like he composed it during his (spoiler alert) mile 7 poo break!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

Paul Young

Member #: 1824
Race name: Grandma’s Marathon
When was this race? 6/22/2019
How did you place?! Who cares?
Race website: grandmasmarathon.com
*Your* website URL: paulheartsdolphins
Race report:

This was my second time running Grandma’s Marathon. It’s in Duluth, Minnesota, which is upcountry Minnesota. I think Duluth is Anglo for Grandma??? It sounds like doula. Which reminds me of Paula Abdul. Um, oh the race. Well, I ran pretty poorly in my first attempt (2:55), but it was a fun time after the race in what was known as the “tents,” where all the upcountry folk and hill people come to town and jive. Anyway, I’ve been “training” at altitude so I thought I could come back to this race and find some redemption and run sub-2:40, that was my A GOAL. The B goal was to finish without projectile vomiting right before the finish like last time…unless I was close enough to the line to get it on video. Yeah, this race has cameras from the left, right, and center as you cross the finish line. I really appreciate this about the race.

Anyway, the race itself was pretty good. I ran 2:36 and 34 seconds. That’s about 6 minute pace. I went out a bit faster though, 5:50s because I knew I needed to bank some time for bathroom breaks. I took a wee leak at mile 2 and then a quick squat at mile 7. Nothing else eventful happened as it was a road race, point-to-point, net elevation loss (ie no elevation), aided by a massive tailwind. I think a headwind would have been better as it was a bit warm (60s? that’s hot for Duluth). For reference I got 138th place, but 8 of those were women. Also, I didn’t wear the 4%.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“This was my second time running Grandma’s Marathon.”

Weird flex, but ok, continue.

“It’s in Duluth, Minnesota, which is upcountry Minnesota.”

I admit my SAT geography score wasn’t great, but when did Minnesota become a country? Is this like the Alaska or Texas or Utah thing where the state that no one likes acts all put out and continually threatens to secede from the rest of us and use dogecoin as a currency and start their *own* Ninja Warrior franchise? I only know one guy from Minnesota but I don’t speak to him anymore and I don’t care to end the feud just to ask him to clarify this for me (screw you, Patrick!).

“I think Duluth is Anglo for Grandma??? It sounds like doula. Which reminds me of Paula Abdul.”

I Bing’d “thing’s to do in duluth” and the #2 result was “ride a Lime Bike to Wisconsin.” Which reminds me to remind you all that I went to same high school as Aaron Rodgers and I know a couple guys who know his brother.

“Um, oh the race.”

“Anyway, the race itself was pretty good. I ran 2:36 and 34 seconds.”

“That’s about 6 minute pace.”

“…aided by a massive tailwind. I think a headwind would have been better as it was a bit warm.”

Uh huh. Nothing farts up a marathon performance than one of those annoying tailwinds. Turn that wind around and you def woulda been 2:2x!

For real though Paulie, that’s a helluva performance….writing this race report! And your marathon result is one to be proud of as well! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go fall into a Paula Abdul music video wormhole and pretend I’m Keanu Reeves.

Archived Member Race Reports

Categories
Featured Member Information Race Reports

SRC Member Race Reports – May 2019

📸Evan Williams

Once a month (lol) we’d like to showcase the races for members courageous enough to spend a few minutes filling out a Google Form, and until we get that sick shout-out from the CEO himself on Twitter or, preferably, Instagram®, we will *NOT* promote Run Gum!

Winners, losers, and everyone in between (even you Masters runners!), I wanna hear your tales! Your submission can be as brief, or *long* as you’d like! Better believe I’m deleting any references to Run Gum though!

Are you racing in June? Cougar? Probably! Rock & Roll?! (Haha!) Here’s an incomplete list of “races” I accept:

  1. Real races! (road, track, trail, relays, obstacle courses, chasing that teen around the track after his friend Todd dared you to race him)
  2. Not really races(?) (stair climbs for cancer research, color runs, certain Mario Kart levels)
  3. Strava CRs! (no bikes)
  4. Strava CR attempts! (definitely no bikes)

In order to increase the rate of submissions from its current rate of 0.2 per month, I’d like to offer the following perks to reporters!*

  1. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and buy you a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  2. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and you can see what happens when I offer to buy a random #teen a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  3. We’ll go to the nearest Target and I’ll ask the nearest non-male cashier if they have “condoms for virgins” and if so “I’ll buy 3.”
  4. I’ll email Ginger Runner over and over until he agrees to check out my Pliny The Elder bottle collection and do a Shoeless Joe interview.
  5. I’ll race in my favorite Big Dogs shirt at whatever the next Rainshadow Running race I’m allowed to enter the lottery for.

*Perks will not be honored

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hand it off to MAY 2019’s brave soul who obviously spent a lot of time on his report and I can see why so many of you are intimidated to do so yourself!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

Brett Winegar

Member #: 1830
Race name: Sun Mountain 25K
When was this race?05-19-2019
How did you place?! 2nd – by 4 seconds and closing
Race website: Ultrasignup
Race report:

Sun Mountain – finished 2nd by 4 seconds. Don’t know who the winner was but I was so freaking close to catching him…just ran out of distance. He gapped me by a good minute in the first half. There was a CNW guy that was dogging me most of the race. I finally put a couple minutes on him in the last 3 to 4 miles while I was trying to chase down the winner. All 3 of us had a huge gap on the rest of the field.

I was 2:05:32. Times where slower this year but the course had a few little changes that made it a little longer…just a hair under 17 miles total.

It was a very solid race for me – I ran as well as I could on the day.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

📸Evan Williams

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“There was a CNW guy”

Booooo!

“…that was dogging me most of the race.”

I’m….wait what?

“Times where slower this year but the course had a few little changes that made it a little longer”

I used to “dog” races that changed their course every year, but now that Cougar Mtn had to change it a bit this year on account of felled trees, I now have no issues with course changes because I am cool.

In fact the Sun Mountain 50k I ran a number of years ago before lotteries were a thing and I remember multiple junctions of no signage and got frustrated and gave up and stopped “racing” and later wrote a whiny pity-party blog post about it that maybe 3 people read but one of those three was the race director and he apologized and I felt bad and so to make it right I made sure my site was hosted by a shit company that eventually lost my database and of course I didn’t back it up so the whiny post is gone.

Archived Member Race Reports

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SRC Member Race Reports – April 2019

Once a month (lol) we’d like to showcase the races for members courageous enough to spend a few minutes filling out a Google Form, and until we get that sick shout-out from the CEO himself on Twitter or, preferably, Instagram®, we will *NOT* promote Run Gum!

Winners, losers, and everyone in between (even you Masters runners!), I wanna hear your tales! Your submission can be as brief, or *long* as you’d like! Better believe I’m deleting any references to Run Gum though!

Are you racing in May? Cougar? Probably! (No Run Gum at Cougar aid stations, I can assure you) Here’s an incomplete list of “races” I accept:

  1. Real races! (road, track, trail, relays, obstacle courses, chasing that teen around the track after his friend Todd dared you to race him)
  2. Not really races(?) (stair climbs for cancer research, color runs, certain Mario Kart levels)
  3. Strava CRs! (no bikes)
  4. Strava CR attempts! (definitely no bikes)

In order to increase the rate of submissions from its current rate of 0.2 per month, I’d like to offer the following perks to reporters!*

  1. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and buy you a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  2. I’ll go with you to the nearest QFC and you can see what happens when I offer to buy a random #teen a 6 pack of Leinenkugel.
  3. We’ll go to the nearest Target and I’ll ask the nearest non-male cashier if they have “condoms for virgins” and if so “I’ll buy 3.”
  4. I’ll email Ginger Runner over and over until he agrees to check out my Pliny The Elder bottle collection and do a Shoeless Joe interview.
  5. I’ll race in my favorite Big Dogs shirt at whatever the next Rainshadow Running race I’m allowed to enter the lottery for.

*Perks will not be honored

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hand it off to APRIL 2019’s ruthless & rabid reporters, starting off with a familiar face!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

“Big” Joe Creighton

Member #: 1029
Race name: Horse Butte 10 Mile
When was this race? 4/07/19
How did you place?! Who cares, I beat Evan Williams*
Race website: results
*Your* website URL: boyz.exposed
Race report:

TBH I mostly only agreed to join Stefan Redfield and Evan Williams at this race in Central Oregon as I wanted to see Max King’s calf vasculature up close and in person.

My dad mailed me a birthday check, but it bounced, so when my mom wired me my birthday money a few days later, I signed up and found a pair of 1991 Guns & Roses Tour denim shorts to rock. The race sort or requires it of anyone running semi-seriously to wear denim since the inevitable winner every year (King) cosplays as a roided-up Al Borlan in shorts and Salomons. I’m going to wear my full Nike kit that I got on clearance at Big 5 and lose to King by four and half minutes instead of five minutes in daisy dukes? Nahhhhh.

(Shows clerk at Goodwill my handful of denim shorts made for 14 year old girls)
“I’d like to use the change room, please. Also do you guys sell Monster Energy?”

Ten miles and a breakfast of four (4) bananas later, I finished 4th place, seconds behind Stefan’s college friend who wore the (orange 😒) Nike kit he got from Big 5 and somehow still managed to have a wife, so I maintained 3rd overall in the Denim Division.

A few minutes after finishing, the race director congratulated me on being the first Masters finisher.
*Evan raced in full length jeans

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Martin Criminale

Member #: 1348
Race name: REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon
When was this race? 4/27/19
How did you place?! I won
Race website: runrevel.com/rmc
*Your* website URL: martin.criminale.com
Race report:

This is a downhill course and is all about qualifying for Boston. The first half descends, the second half is mostly flat with some short climbs in the last five miles. I started out feeling great! Doesn’t everyone in a downhill road race? But when I hit a hill at mile 22 the wheels came off. Luckily I had enough time in the bank to win my age group and I got a marathon PR. This is a VERY well supported event, there are aid stations every two miles and they all appeared to have toilets. The finish line expo is also pretty good with everyone getting one free beer, piece of pizza, and slice of pie. They also had towels soaked in cold water! That felt heavenly after running the Las Vegas heat.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“This is a downhill course and is all about qualifying for Boston.”

Did Rufus make it this time?!

“The finish line expo is also pretty good with everyone getting one free beer, piece of pizza, and slice of pie.”

Is this was the Seattle Marathon, the halfers would have walked off with an average of 4 beers (Red Hook oh yeah!!) & pizza+pie slices apiece, leaving you marathoners with one warm milk, one cup of limp celery, and one dixie cup of raisins apiece.

“They also had towels soaked in cold water!”

We marathoning in a Mad Max society now? How is “cold water” getting a shout out in a race report?

“(nothing about experiencing Carrot Top’s act at Luxor)”

I know I’m asking for “race reports” but in my mind, the true race experience isn’t relegated merely to between the start gun and finish line; it’s also about describing at length Carrot Top’s set at the Luxor later than evening! *Most* marathoners hit a hill around mile 22 and the wheels fall off, but how many can describe witnessing a yoked Carrot Top pulling his latest wacky inventions out of a steamer trunk a mere 12 hours later?!

Marlene Farrell

Member #: 1155
Race name: Horse Lake 25k Trail race and Sunflower Trail Marathon
When was this race? 4/27 (Horse Lake) and 5/4 (Sunflower)
How did you place?! 2nd woman, 1st master’s at Horse Lake and 3rd woman, 1st Master’s at Sunflower.
Race website: Horse Lake
Sunflower
Race report:

Horse Lake had crazy winds (over 30mph) and hail. I’m proud of my result at Sunflower because I really wasn’t recovered from Horse Lake and I made the poor decision of wearing new shoes which made my feet feel like they were on fire. But I loved the wildflowers, as always, at both of these races.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“I made the poor decision of wearing new shoes which made my feet feel like they were on fire.”


You know, I know no one thinks Vibram makes shoes anymore, but they–hold on, let me check…

Ok yeah they still make shoes and let me assure you they no longer pay me to pimp them out, but the airflow you get from some of their models can be, with the right post-purchase adjustments made using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, marginally better than some of these “fancy” or “cool” shoes you can still purchase at actual brick & mortar shops.

Keep a spot open at the Cool Masters Table for me, Marlene! I’m on my way!

Archived Member Race Reports

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Dehydrating at Canyons 100k

It’s taking a while for me to fully appreciate, but slowly sinking into my brain is the concept that ultra racing is pretty hard. I’ve always felt that one of my great strengths lies in a lack of trepidation about taking on any distance or race, as I don’t hesitate to throw myself in the mix and give it a shot. The downside of this method comes about 60% into a race when things start getting rocky and reality comes flying at me with an elbow from the top rope. But, over the last couple years of racing I’ve been learning how to take the hit.

I came into The Canyons 100k off a great training block and joined a field of many other golden ticket-seeking hopefuls with similar skill levels. It was feeling like it could be anyone’s race without relying on missed turns or allergic reactions to take out a front-runner. After the first 50k, the climbing legs had done their thing and I came through the half right on plan in 6th place around 10-15 minutes off the lead. Here’s where I hoped the leaders would fade a bit and I would surge. Instead the heat surged and a Seattle spring had left me unprepared for the California sun. I made it to the turnaround at Rucky Chucky mainly via sponge baths at every aid station. I was getting caught by a few runners at that point, which provided enough motivation to get my legs back under me and tough it out through the final quarter, during which I managed to get back my 6th place spot. It wasn’t the best race, but it’s always nice to finish on and upswing and running instead of dragging myself in just to avoid a DNF. Chalk this one up as experience earned and a stepping-stone towards something better.

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Featured Race Reports

FOURmidable 50k – 2019 US 50k Trail National Championships

After a brief warm up and one last porta potty stop, I did a couple of strides and went to the start line. I chatted briefly with the lady next to me and then the countdown began. Strangely, I wasn’t nervous (unlike one of the ladies standing near me who looked petrified). I don’t know if it was because I have run so many races or because I knew my training hadn’t been ideal, but I knew I was as prepared as I was going to be and being nervous wasn’t going to change anything for the better.

As the race started, I reminded myself that I needed to run my own race. Generally one of my strengths, I didn’t do a good job of that at the 50k championships in August and I was determined to do so this time. Having been warned that people bomb down the first downhill and not wanting to blow my quads up early I kept things calm, but strong. This also meant I ended up being alone.

On the first climb, I caught up to and passed a few guys. Some of the guys and I ended up forming a pack for a few miles. During that time, the guys nicknamed me “The Little Climber.” It was fun to have a group, but I had hoped to be around some women and none were in sight in either direction.

The middle of the race was a jumble of things with none of it being particularly exciting. There was some mud, SO MUCH WATER, and still no women. I continued to play leap frog with one of the guys from the earlier pack. Every downhill he would eventually catch up and pass me and every uphill I would eventually catch up and pass him. It was nice to have that friendly face there, but still no women.

Shortly after mile 17 I was completely alone. Now it was even more important to keep pushing. I had continued to remind myself that I didn’t know what was going on ahead of or behind me. If I didn’t stay focused to keep pushing hard, I might not catch a lady ahead who I couldn’t see who was faltering. And I sure didn’t want anyone creeping up from behind!

This section was ridiculously wet. It had been wet earlier – including the creek crossing I had been warned about around mile 12-13 and the one I didn’t have a clue about that was thigh-high (and, fortunately for me, they put up a rope to hang onto by the time I came through– but that didn’t hold a candle to the amount of water we would encounter on the trails in this section. Every trail was a creek, flat sections were ponds, and there were bridges that lead you over water only to end in another “pond.” At one point (ok, this happened more than once), I exasperatedly said out loud to myself, “You’ve got to be kidding! No more water!” There was more water.

Just before the second-to-the-last aid station, there were people yelling to me that I was the 6th woman. “That’s impossible,” I said in response. I had been in 9th place since mile 2 and hadn’t passed, been passed, or even seen a woman since then. There was no way three women ahead of me had dropped out. They again told me I was in 6th and that the 5th place woman wasn’t too far ahead and she looked terrible. I didn’t think it was true, but if it was, the top 5 earn prize money and if the lady ahead was feeling like crap, I was going to hunt her down and pass her!

More water awaited on the trails, making it that much more difficult to pick up the pace. I was still alone and in some sections I could see 3 or 4 minutes ahead. No terrible-feeling woman was in sight. No man – feeling good or bad – was in sight. No one. It was just me and the creeks, er, trails. At one place, three people were standing next to the trail. I sarcastically asked, “Is it always this wet here?” “NO!!!!” they exclaimed. I laughed as I ran off, tromping through more wet trails.

During the last few miles of this hilly and wet 50k I reminded myself to keep on it because there were two pretty demanding uphills to go, so it was possible that “The Little Climber” could still catch someone. I also had no idea who was behind me and how close they were. I knew Bree Lambert was back there somewhere. She’s a fast, tough masters runner and I didn’t want to get caught in the last few miles and end up not defending my masters title from last year after being in the lead for so long.

At this point, I started to feel hungry and thirsty. The sun decided to show itself a bit and, having chosen to wear a black long-sleeve with tight arms, I couldn’t roll up my sleeves. Go away sun! This section was dry (yes, dry!), open, and I was nearing the end of a long race with steep climbing ahead. I didn’t need to get too warm now.

Finally, I saw a woman ahead! She is a crazy fast runner and was walking, so I knew she was feeling terrible (mad respect for walking it in). After I passed her I wondered, was I in 5th or 8th place now? Who knows? All I knew is that I was going downhill again. That meant the upcoming uphill section was going to be even steeper. And it was quite steep. At one point I tried fast hiking (which I never do) to see if it was more efficient. It wasn’t and it didn’t feel good, so I went back to “running.”

As I neared the finish line, there was a trail to the right and a trail going up. The lady I talked with at the start had told me that the end was convoluted and they made you run around the finish line before crossing it, so I thought I probably had to go to the right. I was trying to break 5 hours and my watch said 4:59, so I was getting close! Fortunately, two ladies were sitting there. “Which way do I go?!?!” “Go straight up!” “Thank you,” I huffed as I pushed up, crossing the finish line in 4:59:14.

Did I finish in 5th or 8th? I had already prepared myself not to get excited. I’m good at counting what place I’m in. No woman had passed me and I had only passed one, so I must have been in 8th. Sadly, nothing was announced as I came in other than my name and that I was from Seattle. What place was I?! Didn’t I just win the masters national championship?! A woman put a medal over my head and I somewhat frantically asked her, “What place did I finish?!” “I don’t know.” Pointing to the lady to her right who was writing on a clipboard she said, “She should know.” I again asked, “What place am I?” “I don’t know,” she replied (what was on the clipboard then?). Finally, a guy I had met the evening before came out of a tent near the finish to congratulate me. He gave me a big hug and I asked him, “Do you know what place I finished?!” He said he didn’t and went back into the tent to find out. He came out quickly and told me I was 7th. 7th?! That wasn’t one of the options. Was he sure? Yes. Was I the first masters woman? Let me check…Yes. Yes!!

Shortly after finishing, Uli came over to me. He finished 2nd master and 13th overall. Walking into the finish area tent, I learned that my teammate, Evan, had finished 3rd overall. Awesome!!! What an incredible showing by SRC! Third place male overall, 13th place male overall and 2nd masters, and 7th place female overall and 1st place masters. Go Team Blue!

Here’s a link to my race photos: https://facchinophotography.zenfolio.com