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Club News Featured Member Information Race Reports

SRC Member Race Reports – May 2018

Once a month 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!

First-placers, mid-packers, sweepers, we want to hear all the tales of heroism, zeroism, and everything in between.

You racing this June? Probably! And let me state here that starting now, what I’ll *also* allow as a “race report” are bomb tales about taking down those sweet sweet Strava CRs!

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hand it off to the BOSS HOSSES of MAY of 2018!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

😋Flavorful Race of the Month!😋

Ellen Lavoie

Member #: 1738
Race name: Lake Hills 50k (solo version)
When was this race? 5/6/18
How did you place?! I almost won…2nd place overall!
Race website: http://nwtrailruns.com/events/lake-hills-50k-relay/
*Your* website URL: elgranola.wordpress.com
Race report:

Ten out and backs on a flat as a pancake (ok a fluffy pancake) of a 5km course. My goal was to a PR and indeed it was…by less than 10 minutes – I’ll take it! In a small field I managed a 2nd place overall finish coming in a smidge under 6 hours.

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

Images: Yutaka Suzue, Yutaka Suzue, Taryn Graham

Shoeless Joe Sez!

Shout out to recently-departed Rufus for insinuating that I don’t put ladies #1 in my life because last month I had Trisha Steidl at the bottom of the report list, while I was actually merely posting them in the order in which they were submitted! Thanks Rufus, a true blue wingman!

“I managed a 2nd place overall finish coming in a smidge under 6 hours.”

“a smidge under 6 hours” is also how long it took me & Ellen to finish a round of mini golf and 8 rounds of oyster shooters at Flatstick Pub at a #srcbrooks party last year. Congrats Ellen! Fluffy pancakes are great, but any course that has “10 out and backs” in its course description is the opposite of that. You are #1 in my life!


Trisha Steidl

Member #: 328
Race name: Rhody Run 12k
When was this race? 5/21/2018
How did you place?! 2nd woman overall, 1st masters woman
Race website: http://www.rhodyrun.com
Race report:

This race has become an annual tradition for the Steidl household. We run this even if we just came back from across the country, have an injury, are sick, just raced a marathon, whatever. No excuses! The setting is beautiful and I love the small town feel and cheering.

I didn’t come into the race with big expectations as I learned just a couple weeks before the race that my hamstring was partially torn. Long story short, it had already been healing for quite awhile and in this race I could feel another step in a positive direction of healing as I was finally able to run uphill with some semblance of strength (which was good because this course is pretty hilly).

I was happy to run to a 2nd place finish, continue my streak of finishing as the top masters woman, and represent SRC on the podium!

As always I got to meet new people, reconnect with long time friends, and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere.

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“I learned just a couple weeks before the race that my hamstring was partially torn”

Whoa! I also tore my hamstring! (High five) But….back in November 2017, and I can still taste the pudding I ate all day for about 3 months while I did *not* race 12Ks.

“top masters woman”

One thing that’s becoming more and more frequent an occurrence is me passing a teen in a race cause they went out too fast and their friends seem to invariably witness it from the side of the course and will laugh at their friend getting passed by a “old masters runner” and I’ll yell out “joke’s on you teens; I’m not masters yet!” And I’ll usually hear them muttering to themselves something like “Look at his eyebrows, no way he’s not 45 years old!” and I’ll just shake my head and feel sorry for them.

“woman”

You’re #1 in my life, Trisha!


Ryan Parker

Member #: 1548
Race name: Sunflower Marathon
When was this race? 5-5-2018
How did you place?! 4th Place
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: https://www.strava.com/athletes/7278262
Race report:

Beautiful course, nice weather, sunflowers in full bloom, a good friend stride for stride with me the entire way. I ran about as fast as I could reasonably have hoped given that I didn’t do much marathon-specific training and have been dealing with injuries this winter and spring. Other than a brief bout with quad cramps around mile 21 I felt great the whole way. The post-race grain and vegetable bowls were fantastic too. I highly recommend this race.

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

Based on your glowing review, allow me to be the first to congratulate whichever family member of yours organizes this race!

“The post-race grain and vegetable bowls were fantastic too. I highly recommend this race.”

Maybe it’s just the 12 year old in me, but if I’m going to run a trail marathon (someday! once this psoriasis clears up!), and I’m presented with a grain and vegetable bowl on the nicer side of the finish line, my reaction would likely be along the lines of:


Aaron Roche

Member #: 1960
Race name: Joe Hourigan Memorial Midleton 5 Mile Road Race 2018
When was this race? 3 May 2018
How did you place?! 36/594, 1st American! (1/1) 🤣
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: rocheam.com/move.html#MidletonAC5
Race report:

“Hijacking this space to direct traffic to the full recap on my website.

Tl;dr
– I raced patiently and wise
– 600 runners from various athletics clubs in Co. Cork in Southwest Ireland for a local race starting at *8pm!* on a Thursday night!
– Spectator friendly event. The course is woven through the countryside on roads that are lined with stone walls, spotted with cow poop, and are closed to traffic during the event. Locals come out from behind their walled compounds to cheer the racers passing by. I couldn’t get any of my cousins to stick around during the race, although the various Irish folks cheering us on was helpful enough.
– The entry fee for this race was €10.95! (That’s pronounced “ten Euro ninety-five” or super effin’ cheap!)
– For 11 quid you got: a pre-race gala and post-race party with food and drink, a tote bag with the race logo that contained a Mars bar, a banana, and postcards about the local sponsors and cubs. Chocolate milk was handed out by local dairy farmers at the finish. I passed on that last option. NAF of cow’s milk, but I appreciated the gesture!”

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

Our 1st international submission!

“I couldn’t get any of my cousins to stick around during the race”

Aaron Roche: “Hello cousin, please watch me race?”

Aaron Roche’s red-headed cousin: “Naw cuz, yous shorts are a holy show! I’m knackered, gonna leg it to the pub and git on the tear Guinness Tayto Hurling Jameson Murphy*. Gonna be a craic, don’t follow me” (throws cigarette at Aaron)

*I’m Irish, I can make this (good) joke

“…that contained a Mars bar, a banana, and postcards about the local sponsors and cubs.”

Was always a Les Lancaster man myself

Congrats Aaron, that singlet looks pretty swank on ya.


Dan Myers

Member #: 1627
Race name: Kal’s Knoya Ridge Race 2018
When was this race? May 24
How did you place?! 40th
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: lol
Race report:

Things are good up here! I miss the banter of The FLB 5miler. No Bodhizafa up here. 🙁 As I write this, I am 40 minutes from starting a 1/2 marathon but I destroyed myself on Thursday in a race that was a 4.4k climb over 5+ miles. Wish you all would come up for a race. ❤ to the SRC peeps. Gotta warm up now, but sexting with you was a good start.

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

……interesting race report, Dan!

“❤ to the SRC peeps.”

Good to hear you’re still alive Danny, though possibly barely functioning without the all-powerful Bodhi. That pic of you looks like after that Lincoln Park XC workout in 2015 when we made you walk to Beveridge Place. In your honor, here’s a random guy on the internet who’s really fired up about that thicc Bodhi head. Cheers!


Brett Walton

Member #: 1581
Race name: Ski to Sea
When was this race? May 27, 2018
How did you place?! 6th in the downhill run
Race website: SkitoSea.com
Race report:

Sprinting 8 miles downhill, as you do for the Ski to Sea running leg, is a great way to get a gnarly pump going in your calves and quads. Two days later I still can’t use stairs like a normal person.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s):
Brett Walton, Ski to Sea 2018

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“…a great way to get a gnarly pump going”

Lookit this guy, looking like a 1989 brah from California. In his honor:

My Best Guess at This Dude’s Top 5 Mountain Dew varietals

5. Mountain Dew Supyrnova Iced Arctic Storm
4. Mountain Dew Call of Duty Xtreme Gamer Alliance Squadron Blue Edition #3
3. Mountain Dew, original
2. Mountain Dew 5% Swole
1. Mountain Dew Baja Blast


Aaron Roche

Member #: 1960
Race name: UW Bothell Husky 5k
When was this race? 19 May 2018
How did you place?! 5 places and 56s ahead of Samir Rahman
Race website: https://www.uwb.edu/alumni/events/5krun
*Your* website URL: http://www.rocheam.com/move
Race report:

It was a typical 5k. Nothing too extraordinary to report. Actually, it was about 150m or so short of the full 5k. It was fairly hilly for a road race at that distance and was probably a sub-18 effort, though the 17’39” finish time is probably a tad misleading.

Btw, did I mention I beat Samir? By 56 seconds? Okay he had a rough week, but when you talk smack, are you allowed to make excuses??

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“150m or so short of the full 5k”

How’d you know the nickname my high school XC coach gave me?!

“Btw, did I mention I beat Samir?”

Yeah you did, way to bring out the welcome wagon for one of our newer members! I see you’re also posing with a guy in a CNW shirt who’s developing a pretty nice neard, but instead of teaming up with Samir to think of all the different words that rhyme with “neard” and getting that freestyle* ready, you’re making fun of your teammate! #kissesnotdisses #teamsamir

*”Next to Samir I peered at a weird neard that nobody feared

He ran for a club that nobody cheered”

#justkidding #friends #friendly #rivals #alllove #src❤️cnw


Categories
Club News Featured Member Information Race Reports Uncategorized

SRC Member Race Reports – April 2018

Once a month we’d like to showcase the races for members courageous enough to spend a few minutes filling out a Google Form, and until the boxes or $ starts rolling in, we would like to *NOT* promote Run Gum!

First-placers, mid-packers, sweepers, we want to hear all the tales of heroism, zeroism, and everything in between. Let’s celebrate the old fashioned written word to combat this sport’s descent into selfies, IG stories and GoPro madness (that said, selfies, IG stories, and GoPro madness are all happily accepted as part of your reports). I’ll try to provide incisive commentary on races if I feel the urge. #SorryNotSorry if it’s not very witty or informative or useful in any way.

You racing this May?

Submit Your Race Report!

Let’s hear from our inaugural reporters, who raced like BOSS HOSSES this April of 2018!
🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

Martin Criminale

Martin Criminale Yakima Skyline 50k 2018
Member #: 1348
Race name: Yakima Skyline Rim 50k
When was this race? 4/21/18
How did you place?! 2nd – Men 50-59
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: Link
Race report:

Okay, so this race is not 100% up and down, it’s just about 90% up and down. But luckily most of that flat 10% is rocky. I got what I wanted, a hard 50k. This course took me a little more one hour longer than the Chuckanut 50k for reference. This really fast (because, you know, anyone faster than me must be REALLY, REALLY FAST) guy from MT beat me by 12 minutes. He has beaten me before and I didn’t like it this time either. Amazing views, you could see Mt Adams, Mt Rainier, some mountain that I forgot the name of, and lots of rocks. The tallest plant on this course is about 3′. I fell three times and broke one trekking pole. There is no shade. But there was wind, strong enough to move me sideways on the last descent when both of my feet were off the ground. But there was pizza and beer at the finish. And each time I fell some nice person stopped for a minute to see if I was okay. Each time I lied and carried on. The overall winner ran in a button down shirt. I’m sore today. I should buy more button down shirts.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s): Martin Criminale Yakima Skyline 50k 2018Martin Criminale Yakima Skyline 50k 2018 Martin Criminale Yakima Skyline 50k 2018 Martin Criminale Yakima Skyline 50k 2018

Shoeless Joe Sez!

Well, he was #FIRST! so I guess we should start this whole thing off with the club president huh?

“The tallest plant on this course is about 3′.”

I’ve always been kinda interested in running this race, but I’m always wary of reg’ing for races like 9 months in advance when I can’t be sure I’ll ever be healthy for more than 2 weeks at a time. But 3 feet tall plants? COUNT ME IN FOR 2019!

“But there was pizza and beer at the finish.”

This put a smile on my face. I fondly remember back when I was 16 years old, my dad gave me my first sip of beer when the waiter’s back was turned. And I was all “NO THANKS lol 🤢🤮😂” Once I hit my 30s though, something flipped in my brain and now I can easily split a beer with my dad with relatively few problems at reasonably-priced eateries.


😋Flavorful Race of the Month!😋

Spencer Gaddy

Member #: 1874
Race name: Boston
When was this race? 16/4/18
How did you place?! I lost
*Your* website URL: Link
Race report:

I spent the winter gearing up for the Boston Marathon by running cold, dark, and wet ovals during SRC Wednesday Workouts, then logging steady miles by the waterfront on weekends. Fortunately the weather for the race was just as shitty as during the training, so I was ready. As I sheltered from the rain during my morning duties (doodies) in the porta-john on marathon Monday, I thought to myself “It’s nice and dry in here, how long can I stay?”

I shed my warmups and rain cape just minutes before the start as the rain came down, looking forward to running if only for the warmth.

I settled into my rhythm in the first few miles and used the first 6 mostly-downhill miles to easily run at race pace. Through 15 miles I focused on hydrating, eating and running steady but to not expend any unnecessary energy. At mile 16 I was expecting a big downhill and used it not to go faster but to rest for the upcoming ‘Newton hills’.

When the rolling hills came around mile 17 I felt strong, but was careful not to immediately expel all the energy and strength I had worked to save. Over the top of the hills around mile 21 I put in a bit of effort to get back up to speed over the hills. At this point of the race I was reacquainted with my marathon legs, the legs that will not go faster, the brain and heart say “sub 6 minute pace” but the legs say “I don’t know how to do that”. As I struggled to find the speed I knew my legs had, I was snapped back to the moment by another runner yelling ferociously at himself as if vocalizing his motivation would help. A crowd member yelling “F#CK Yeah Seattle!” at me renewed my focus on the race as I drained the rest of the fast out of my legs to push through downtown Boston and cross the finish line in 2:44:58 (chip).

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“duties (doodies)”

Nice 😎

“I drained the rest of the fast out of my legs to push through downtown Boston and cross the finish line in 2:44:58 (chip).”

Full disclosure: I’ve run workouts with Spencer a few times. He’s a former competitive cyclist, so naturally much of our conversation during rest periods is me making spectacularly-broad negative generalizations about PNW cyclists and him politely going “……yeah, I guess” til the next interval starts. All that to say (no offense Spenc), I had *no* idea this guy could run a 2:44:58 in those atrocious conditions. Until I can manage to beat that time, I will shut up (to him, on Wednesdays, at the Garfield High School track) about idiot cyclists.

A performance this strong simple *has* to be my first-ever Flavorful Race of the Month!®™©, even though he lost.


Joe Kelly

Member #: 1938
Race name: Oiselle Tenacious Ten Mile
When was this race? 4/21
How did you place?! I won
Race website: Link
Race report:

I decided two days before the race to sign up for the ten miler (there was also a 10k) because I wanted to do a nice long tempo. I got to Gas Works Park about 45 minutes before the start and immediately had to use the facilities. Those were the cleanest port-o-potties that I have ever seen (I guess that’s what happens when a group of women organize the race – nice work Oiselle!). After a quick warm up, I headed toward the start line to be greeted by Aid Station #2’s Olin Berger who was there cheering on his girlfriend.

Because the 10k had some decent prize money, there were quite a few elite women and Club NW dudes (one of those jokers decided to go shirtless on the 45 degree morning) so I grabbed a spot about 5 rows back. The 10kers were blazing form the start (a couple of sub 31 dudes and a sub 34 female – damn fast!) so I settled in just under 6 minute pace with what seemed to be a mixed pack of 10 milers. At 5 miles, where the two courses split, our pack was down to two – 2 time Olympian Kara Goucher and me. According to her Wikipedia page, all of her PRs are faster than mine except for the 1500. We clipped off a couple 5:50s while passing the dude in second and closing the gap with the leader. I started pulling away at the first hairpin turn around mile 7, much to the dismay of the predominately female field who wanted to see the Oiselle star take the overall W. I overtook the lead with a little over a mile to go and cruised into Gas Works with an 18s victory. Goucher ended up in 5th overall about 30s back. She thanked me for my 3 miles of “pacing” and gave me quite the high five.

I had friends running the Yakima Skyline 50k so I couldn’t stick around for the awards. I Irish goodbye’d out of there and hightailed it to Ellensburg.

Oiselle did a great job organizing the race and I felt pretty great for most of the run. Definitely a win-win.

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“I got to Gas Works Park about 45 minutes before the start and immediately had to use the facilities.”

When I proposed this feature for the site about 3 years ago, this is more or less the exact example sentence I used for what people could be telling us about their races.

“…and a sub 34 female”

Mel Lawrence. On my interview bucket list. (‘sup, Mel.)

“At 5 miles, where the two courses split, our pack was down to two – 2 time Olympian Kara Goucher and me. According to her Wikipedia page, all of her PRs are faster than mine except for the 1500.”

Oh man, I *really* hope you told her this at some point during the race.

“Goucher ended up in 5th overall about 30s back. She thanked me for my 3 miles of ‘pacing’ and gave me quite the high five.”

Right right, congrats on the hand contact, but did you hand her an SRC membership form or not? I still don’t see her name on our member list.

“I had friends running the Yakima Skyline 50k…”

Nice #humblebrag about having friends. 😒


Max Ferguson

Member #: 1247
Race name: Yakima Skyline 50k
When was this race? 4/21/18
How did you place?! 4th
Race website: Link
Race report:

Regret is not a meal best served cold. Thats revenge. However, regret could be a tex-mex dish served in a curiously expensive food emporium adjacent a Yakima winery. This is a story of the latter.

5:00 am 4/21/18. I awake without the grogginess of pre-evening drinks at The Brick, or of the reefer the cooks at the bar were smoking that evening. The air is cold in Roslyn, the drive to Yakima is longer than I’d like, and the gas station coffee is sufficient. No regrets have yet to occur.

7:00 am 4/21/18. The Italian rimpiangere phase of the race. I manage a nice pre-race constitutional. As does Grete. I regret not bringing more poop bags.

8:01 am 4/21/18. The Albanian keqardhje phase of the race. The race starts. I regret somehow being in the front. For some ungodly reason it is holy ultrarunning scripture to run a near army crawl pace from the gun. I regret this is the only sport I’m half decent at.

8:03 am 4/21/18. The French katua phase of the race. We hit the first uphill. I start walking, the rest of the field behind me does not. I regret taking a prerace dump wishing I could instead crop dust these sand baggers. I do not regret not running more section line repeats. This portion of the race blows goats.

8:35 am 4/21/18. The German bedauern phase of the race. The lead group hits the ridgeline. I begin running. The rest of the leaders seamlessly transition from running up a 60% grade to picking wildflowers at a pace befitting a 90 year old. I do not regret making up all the distance they put on me on the climb with near zero effort. This pacing is Donald Trump-level consistent. Oscillating wildly between extremes.

9:15 am 4/21/18. The Welsh yn ofid phase of the race. After completely destroying ourselves for no reason, then erasing all forms of competitive pace on the flats once more. The lead group hits the first climb. For the first time all day I am running some uphill. I think to myself I am going to “wreck some fools” in an hour or so. I might regret this line of thinking.

9:45 am 4/21/18. The Polish zal phase of the race. I notice my legs are already sunburned. I regret not wearing sunscreen. This will not get better in future phases.

10:15 am 4/21/18. The Spanish lamentar phase of the race. The descent into Buffalo Road has completely decimated what feeling my feet never had. I regret believing any rockplate is worth a damn.

10:25 am 4/21/18. The Dutch betreuren phase of the race. The lead group hits the Buffalo Road aid station. My plan is to run the entire climb out of the aid, then coast on good good good vibrations to a victory. I regret bringing my Nathan softflask, it literally takes multiple people and several minutes just to put the cap on.

10:27 am 4/21/18. The Cebuano ikasubo phase of the race. The cap is not on the softflask. I dont regret the moisture from the leaking bottle at this point in the race. It is nice and cooling. I blame Rob Krar.

11:00 am 4/21/18. The Scottish Gaelic aithreachas phase of the race. I just successfully ran nearly that entire climb. Somehow I’m farther behind Mike Wolfe than when I started the climb. I am also in a world of hurt. I regret that my race plan only had one step to it.

11:30 am 4/21/18. The Corsican rigrettu phase of the race. I am yet farther behind Mike Wolfe. Catching second now seems a desperate proposition. I trip no less than 4 times on this descent and still to this day don’t know how I didnt eat a face full of tumbleweed. I regret not picking my feet up better. This is going to be a very VERY long next hour.

11:55 am 4/21/18. The Afrikaans spyt phase of the race. I am staring up at the final climb. 2nd and 3rd are not far away. They are walking. I however am in full cramped leg lock mode. I am walking sideways up the climb. This is not as efficient. In fact, one could say it’s both stupid, and stupid looking. I am regretting not doing like ONE additional section line repeat.

12:40 pm 4/21/18. The Sudanese kaduhung phase of the race. I have made it to the top of the final climb. I leaked time to both remaining podium positions like a colander. I dreamt of running this final ridgeline with Walmsley-esque form. Unlike Letsrun.com, those dreams are not a reality.

12:20 pm 4/21/18. The English regret phase of the race. I finish the descent back to Umtaneum Canyon. My feet are hamburger. Thinking of this makes me wish I’d eaten a hamburger since the last aid station. Or a gel. Or anything. I arrive at the parking lot and realize we now need to run a quarter mile around it to the finish. To be clear here, my legs cannot move. Running is as much an option for me now as Joe Creighton modeling for L’Oreal. Attempting to hobble to the finish line I regret checking over my shoulder for anyone hot on my tail. I think my best race strategy at that point would be to throw my leaky soft flask at them.

12:27 pm 4/21/18. Finish. I somehow do not regret running the race.

12:28 pm 4/21/18. I regret not bringing a glass for the keg.

6:32 am 4/22/18. I awake. Instantly I regret trail running being the only thing I’m passably competitive at. I should have focused on something less painful like competitive oil painting, or poetry jams.

8:00 am 4/23/18. A friend emails me a link to a race in Idaho. I spend 2 hours investigating it. I have yet to learn from all the phases of these damn races.

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“As does Grete”

You still trying to get this dog over?

“Running is as much an option for me now as Joe Creighton modeling for L’Oreal.”

Another crack like that and next time I’m not gonna spend 20 minutes fixing all your formatting/grammer/spelling issues!,

“Instantly I regret trail running being the only thing I’m passably competitive at.”

“Most Burner Accounts on the LetsRun Message Board” not a competition anymore?

“I regret not bringing a glass for the keg.”

Their post-race keg was “cupless”?? Allow me to use this opportunity to promote the Cougar Mtn Summer Series, which includes Flying Lion Brewing kegs (made-specifically-for-us Cougar Mountain Kolsch available May 12th, post-race!) and hands out drinkin’ hardware when you cross the finish line.

I love Max enough that I read most of his report, but I understand if many of you just don’t have the time. So, tl;dr: he took a nice pre-race dump and got 4th overall.


Martin Criminale

Martin Criminale Chirico 10 Peat 2018

Member #: 1348
Race name: Chirico Tenpeat
When was this race? 4/25/2018
How did you place?! 2nd Overall
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: Link
Race report:

This race is a challenge by choice. You can do 1-10 laps of the Chirico Trail up to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mt. I tried to do all 10 in 2014 and failed, this time I made it and surprised myself with 2nd place. It’s always on a Wednesday to avoid the weekend hiker traffic. This year it took me TEN HOURS to finish, but on reflection, it would have taken me over 10 hours back in 2014 if I had been able to finish…the event is put on by the Seattle Mountain Running Group Facebook Group (Jess Mullen specifically) and is a massive community effort. Officially there is no aid, no timing, no nothing; but we had the best aid station I have ever experienced, digital timing and loads of support including two event photographers. Wow.

Did iRunFar interview you before or after the race?: No
Race image(s): Martin Criminale Chirico 10 Peat 2018 Martin Criminale Chirico 10 Peat 2018 Martin Criminale Chirico 10 Peat 2018 Martin Criminale Chirico 10 Peat 2018

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“Martin Criminale”

You again?

“This race is a challenge by choice. You can do 1-10 laps of the Chirico Trail up to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mt.”

As someone who once ran back and forth on Madison St from Lake Washington to Puget Sound like 4 times, and then shuffled through the world’s saddest “cooldown” just so I could be closer to 35 total miles, I am officially forbidden from snarking on how dumb this sounds. We’re all equally sad and bored with life.

“It’s always on a Wednesday to avoid the weekend hiker traffic.”

And look at that start line photo! How do all these people get off work?! If I tried to pull a stunt like this, I’d be fixing typos on my LinkedIn by noon pm.


Ryan Parker

Member #: 1548
Race name: Top Pot 5k
When was this race? 4-29-2018
How did you place?! 11th place overall
Race website: Link
*Your* website URL: Strava
Race report:

This was my first race since Thanksgiving so it was painful! My only goals were to run hard, show Samir Rahman who’s the boss, and eat some donuts after. Mission accomplished!

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“who’s the boss”


Get it? 😀

(Thanks for this paragraph Ryan. Your dollar is in the mail.)


Trisha Steidl

Member #: 328
Race name: Whidbey Island Marathon
When was this race? April 22
How did you place?! 3rd woman overall, 1st masters woman
Race website: http://runwhidbey.com/run/
Race report:

I didn’t want to run it because I had been dealing with a hamstring injury since Chuckanut and my left leg hasn’t worked normally since, but I knew I could and you never know, maybe today my L leg would surprise me and finally feel ok.

Warmed up, got to the start line, saw there were three fast women there (prizes only go to top three), and almost asked the race folks to drive me to the finish (it’s a point-to-point course). Note: In the past 6 years, the winning time has only been “fast” the two years I’ve run this race.

Gun went off, we ran across the bridge (beautiful), my L leg reminded me that it didn’t like to move normally, but it was just fine enough to not drop out on the other side of the bridge where my friend was standing, taking photos.

L leg finally felt warmed up somewhere between mile 6 and 7, giving me a glimmer of hope.

11 miles in I was 3:30 behind places 1-3 (they were all together). I did some in-race math (not usually a good idea)…That meant that by the end I would be at least 10 mins behind. That was a frustrating prospect.

Most of the rest of the race was spent feeling discomfort and pain move from area to area of my L leg and trying to get it to move with some semblance of normalcy (that glimmer I felt earlier was truly just a glimmer). I also learned that my L leg had zero ability to push off going uphill. The course is very hilly. These two things are not a good combo. (Running an easy effort up a hill in a marathon because your leg doesn’t work and not because you’re dead tired is excruciatingly frustrating.)

Around mile 15 a lady passed me near the top of a hill. That was irritating. Fortunately, there was a downhill right after and I “took off” (taking off is a relative term). Around mile 19 she passed me near the top of another hill (the 5th of 5 in a row). Fortunately, again, there was a downhill soon after and I, again, “took off.”

At mile 20, I figured I only had a little over 6 miles left, so I might as well finish the darn thing (this decision was made harder every time I saw my friend driving by in her van…I really wanted to get in that van).

A little later I could see the 3rd place lady far in the distance and was determined to catch her. I still had 5-6 miles to catch her and since she had been so far ahead, I though I had a pretty decent shot. I caught her with a few miles to go and then was determined that “hill lady” wasn’t going to catch me since I was now in 3rd place.

My L leg felt terrible and I continued to use all the mental strength I had to get it to move into the strong headwind we were now running into.

I could see 2nd place’s (and fellow SRC teammate’s) pink calf sleeves up ahead. Unless she died hard, I wasn’t going to catch her, but you never know what might happen in the last 1.5 miles of a marathon, so I had to stay on it (and I was sure hill lady wasn’t too far behind).

I finished in 3rd place, not that the announcer mentioned anything as I came in and crossed the finish.

It was probably the most mentally taxing race of my life and also high on the list of the most disappointing. What I was proud of was a) how mentally strong I stayed despite all the discomfort in and lack of my leg working and b) to work my way up to 3rd on a bad day made the experience sting just a little less.

Yep, some rough days are really rough. We’ve all had ’em. They’ll make us stronger, even though they suck donkey balls in the moment (especially when that moment lasts a few hours). Keep at it!

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

Shoeless Joe Sez!

“I had been dealing with a hamstring injury since Chuckanut and my left leg hasn’t worked normally since…”

I feel like my left leg/hamstring hasn’t worked normally since about 2013!

High Five

“It was probably the most mentally taxing race of my life and also high on the list of the most disappointing. What I was proud of was a) how mentally strong I stayed despite all the discomfort in and lack of my leg working and b) to work my way up to 3rd on a bad day made the experience sting just a little less. Yep, some rough days are really rough. We’ve all had ’em. They’ll make us stronger, even though they suck donkey balls in the moment (especially when that moment lasts a few hours).”

As my ankles cry and gray chest hairs threaten to clog up my drain during my Tuesday and Friday night baths, I’m reminded that I might agree to suck on a donkey’s balls if it meant I could pull off one more 3rd place in a marathon! Never don’t be proud of fighting to the end!


Categories
Club News Featured Race Reports

#SRCBrooks 2017 End of Year Recap!


Image: RunIceland

The #SRCBrooks Beast B-Teamers Killer B’s L’il Beasts™ wrapped up 2017 in typical style. We had a Marathon Olympic Trials qualifier, jaunts up the mountains of Iceland, local marathon titles, and the typical batch of CRs from Keith Laverty!

Once again thanks to Brooks Running for keeping our beautiful kids shoe’d and warm! Stay tuned for the announcing of our brand-new team for 2018!

Sophia Liu


Image: MarathonFoto (we think)

The second half of the season started with a focused 14 week training for the Berlin Marathon. For a tune-up race, I ran a traditional local competitive half marathon–Labor Day Half–in preparing for the Berlin Marathon. My training went pretty well and this race was a confidence boost. I finished first in 1:16, but unfortunately the course was half mile short so I couldn’t claim a half marathon PR.

Berlin is famous for good racing conditions but this year we weren’t as lucky. It rained pretty hard before and during the race. Accounting for the long trip and last minute low back injury, I finished in 2:48:30 (29th female) which was one step forward. Although I had a ~2mins PR, I believe I am in 2:45 shape, so what was next?

I decided give CIM another try and shoot for under 2:45. I didn’t give myself any break, post-Berlin. Directly into 8 weeks of condensed training for CIM. With a good race conduction, consistent training, and a little bit of luck (finally), I did it with a time of 2:42:50 and I qualified for the Olympic trials.

I am not a U.S. citizen and running for China still means more obstacles to overcome, but i believe in it. Thanks to all my Chinese and American friends to support me along the journey! 2018 we are looking forward for more to come…

Steph Grimm


Image: RunIceland

The second half of 2017, I was singularly focused on Run Iceland, the 5-stage, 110K trail race that doubled as Thorin’s and my honeymoon. My goal was not lofty: I wanted to finish without injury and to really focus on enjoying each day’s journey by not constantly measuring my race performance by my typical standards. Iceland made the latter goal extraordinarily easy. The landscape is beautifully rugged, oftentimes otherworldly, and the trails take you through it all: along glaciers, beside waterfalls, up grassy bluffs, across black sand beaches, through rivers and above crater lakes. It was stunning and running in that country was pure joy. Day Two’s Mountain Stage became the favorite run I have ever done. A 2,500′ climb rewarded us with views of the sea and the Vatnajokull glacier. Despite being a poor climber, I couldn’t stop smiling on the single-track traverse and the descent. By the end of the 110K, I had completed my first-ever marathon, made friends with athletes from ten countries, and fallen completely in love with staged races. My RunIceland necessities: the Cascadia jacket, Cascadia GTX, Huma gels. Thank you, Brooks and SRC for a runtastic 2017.

Trisha Steidl


Image: Takao Suzuki

2017 finished up much better than it started. I’m finally in a place where I can take care of myself, which means my fitness is progressing.

Baker Lake 50k is a PNW classic I’ve wanted to do for awhile, but my work schedule didn’t allow for it. I finally got the opportunity to take part and it was great! It’s a fun race. I love out-and-back courses because you get to see everyone and cheer them all on. I enjoyed that to the fullest. I also felt continued mental progress in this race – being able to stay positive and focused rather than go into the downward, negative mental spiral I sometimes can get into during races. Fun to experience both mental and physical fitness improve! (Shoes: Brooks Mazama)

PNTF was a blast! I’m finally old enough to run both the masters and open races! I’ve been excited about this prospect for a few years now. On the day, it was snowing and cold and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to handle running two races within 20 minutes (or a little less), especially because I wasn’t used to racing such a short distance. I had so much fun racing and being there for my team! It was by far not my best or fastest racing on that course, but I ran steady for both and was able to help my team. It actually felt strange not lining up again on the start line for the men’s race (but I’m really glad I didn’t have to do another 10k on top of the 12k I had already done!). (Shoes: Brooks Mach 17 Spikeless)

The Regional XC championships were in Portland and the weather turned out to be pretty decent. Again, I felt out of my realm at such a short distance (and only one opportunity to race this time), but tried to get and stay uncomfortable the whole time. I placed well here, but was frustrated to find out too late in the race that the next masters woman wasn’t much ahead of me. Since we ran with the open women at the same time, it was difficult to tell (even though masters wear numbers on their backs showing their age group) because there were so many bodies in close proximity. I was still happy with my consistent, uncomfortable effort and could tell I felt significantly better than I did at the PNTF races. (Shoes: Brooks Mach 17 Spikeless)

I did not expect to win the Seattle Marathon. The new course is hillier than before and the purpose of the race for me was to get a road marathon under my belt since it had been 2.5 years since I last ran one. Around mile 14 is when I got competitive. I was told that I had significantly moved up on the 1st and 2nd place women, so I knew I had a chance. It was fun running down the women ahead of me and keeping the woman behind me at bay. I didn’t know I would win until I crossed the finish line in first. It was a very cool experience to win again after 6 years and especially as a masters runner. (Shoes: Brooks Asteria)

Representing my club and Brooks this year has been a real treat. I do my best to be a great ambassador for both and appreciate their continued support of me.

Oct 7: Baker Lake 50k – 1st, set masters CR by almost 10 mins
Nov 5: PNTF XC Masters Championships 6k – 3rd and PNTF XC Open Championships 6k – 3rd for the SRC women’s team
Nov 18: Regional XC Championships 6k – 3rd master, 2nd for the SRC women’s open team
Nov 26: Seattle Marathon – 1st, CR (but only b/c it’s a new course)

Keith Laverty


Image: Takao Suzuki

For the first time since songs like “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO were topping Billboard charts, I finally reigned back my race schedule a bit to focus on training – although with bigger distances. I raced four times with a gradual build-up to the hyper-competitive TNF 50-mile in San Francisco.

The first-time event, Backcountry Rise Trail Runs 20-mile, was surprisingly a beast of a course with almost 5,000’ of gain, just north of Mt. St. Helens. The first half of the course was mostly in windy, cold conditions in exposed sections and no avoiding wet overbrush as if going through an automatic car wash. I was able to re-take the lead with only a few miles to go and snag the victory.

The GOAT Run Marathon and Baker Lake 50k races were ideal tune-ups, setting new CRs in both events. It was the strongest I’ve ever felt at the end of a 50k and finished the last 1.5 miles at ~5:35 pace. I wore the Mazama 2 for all three build-up races and it delivered yet again on comfort, grip and speed.

The grand finale of the year went out guns blazing as expected like a XC race with a stacked and deep field. We zoomed through a memorable sunrise, ocean views, plenty of hills with 10,400’ of gain and capped it off by finishing across the Golden Gate Bridge while trying not to take out tourists or photo bombing their photography. I had a bit of a rough patch from mile 25 to 37 but I was able fight back and finish relatively strong over the final two hours in 24th place overall in 7:20 flat. This was another great learning experience to take with me going forward.

For a deeper race analysis, check this link: https://teamrunrun.com/north-face-50-mile-san-francisco-race-report-keith-laverty/?platform=hootsuite

I also volunteered at this year’s Cascade Crest 100 and Cougar Mountain 50k.

Thank you again, Seattle Running Club and Brooks Running!
2017 2nd Half of Year race results:
1st – Backcountry Rise 20-miler (2:50:49 – CR)
1st – GOAT Run Marathon (2:55:38 – CR)
1st – Baker Lake 50k (3:44:46 – CR)
24th – TNF 50-Mile Championship (7:20:00)

Ellen Lavoie


Image: Takao Suzuki

My fall started off with a completion of the entire Iron Horse/John Wayne trail that spans over 300 miles from the Idaho/Washington border west to N. Bend. I ran across the state with support from friends and family for an OKT (only known time) of the former railroad line in a record time of 9 days.

After rest from racing (and running!) for a few weeks after the Iron Horse OKT, I was back to the grind and finished out the year with a couple of short races. The first was a post recovery 5 miler at the NWTR annual Reindeer Romp on December 2 nd and came out with a middle of the pack finish. Next was the elusive (to me) and feared 10 km distance in another NWTR race at Seward Park that brought my finish closer to the front of the pack.

As the year closes, my running mileage is finally ramping up so that I may concentrate on ½ marathons as “short distances” and a variety of long distances including 50 km, 50 miles, and 100 km with another OKT attempt thrown in for a weekend in April (stay tuned).

I’ve enjoyed another year on the team with a great group of fellow athletes on the team and look forward to continuing to represent not only Brooks Running but the Seattle Running Club in both tame and crazy running adventures.

Joe Creighton

It’s been tradition for the me these past few years to conclude my year of running with self-immolation in the form of cross country. Similar to how lifting large quantities of weight and shaving your chest makes it easier to take your shirt off at the beach or the in-law’s house, running consistently horrific workouts and races all autumn makes it easier to log miles and misery in the spring & summer.

Sadly, if my tale of autumn 2017 running was a book, people would complain loudly about the dissatisfying ending. In short–since the story sucks–I pulled the ol’ hamstring 10 days before the big whiskey-soaked trip to Kentucky for the National Championships in Lexington. I stopped running and crossed my fingers that I’d have enough juice to complete 10 kilometers, and reminded myself that, worst-case scenario, I’d still have a couple sips of Heaven Hill BiB and Stagg Jr with Paul Mannino to keep me warm afterward.

Fast forward to no warmup in sub-freezing temps on race day (not wanting to waste any miles), and mile 2ish later my hamstring tapped out. I was mentally prepared for this to happen, but it was no way to end a year. While I limped back to the start/finish and got made fun of by CNW coaches, I was mentally distracted by watching some of the fastest #bros in the country wrapping up their seasons and by trying to figure out how the hell I was going to spin this conclusion as a positive for my highly-anticipated #SRCBrooks recap.

Proud of my teammates and team, we rallied that night and spent our precious few hours in Lexington……..drinking Buds and Natty Daddys with a bunch of other thin weirdos at an Airb&b house party. I continued my brief trip’s win streak by being roped into a Boat Race with my teamamtes and causing us to lose because I can’t chug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Images: Paul Mannino

Two days later I had revolting bruises all along the back of my leg, to match the ones on my heart. As I type type this, I’m still chair-ridden and not running. But I will run again, and I will soon hate it again. For now I rest and savor my extra hour every day, occasionally swelling with pride at big-mile runs my friends are doing.

Summer’s still a ways off. This trial will make it all easier when it’s here. (repeat to self)

Olin Berger

I wrapped up 2017 with my first international race, the Ben Nevis Ultra, part of Salomon’s Skyline Scotland race series. This was a surprising race in a literal sense. From a length of 100k when I signed up, the course ended up growing to 120k by the time of the start. I was also not expecting knee-high bog, route finding over mountain passes, and minimal support. It was not my greatest race performance, but it was a fantastic adventure involving stunning views of the Scottish highlands and summiting the highest peak in the U.K. I managed to finish 11th overall, though finishing itself was an accomplishment given the +60% drop rate. I have taken the rest of the year off from racing, gearing up towards the Sean O’Brien 100k and IAU 50 Mile Ultra Trail World Championships in 2018.

Along with volunteering at SRC’s trail races, I was fortunate to be able to volunteer at Northwest Trail Runs’ “Moran Constitutional Relay” a great race on Orcas Island. I’m looking forward to another great year of racing and helping with races in 2018!

Jenny Easterberg

I have had an absolutely wonderful 2017 year of trail running and racing! It has been truly a dream come true to be sponsored on a renowned running team like SRC, especially one with so many amazing and talented runners.

While I started out a bit rusty and creaky way back in January, I challenged myself to see how many races I could do in the year (30 so far), including ones that deviated from my usual half marathons. I must admit my new favorite is racing back-to-back half’s on weekend mornings in the summer, which I find incredibly fun and is now a staple of my weekend activities whenever possible. This past month in December I even tried a Saturday 35k followed by a Sunday 30k and very pleasantly surprised myself by placing 1st for the women in both, and winning the second overall. And I had a fun challenge running two very different races in the same weekend!

I will say that the Northface Endurance Challenge marathon was by far the most challenging (hence the name) yet most fun marathon I’ve ever run. I was able to both podium finish and PR in my marathon time. The most unique run I was given the opportunity to do this past year was the Grand Canyon and it was beyond stunning.

I was also given the wonderful opportunity of volunteering at multiple SRC races and it was an honor to be there cheering on my teammates, and feeding them Pizza post-race! I always strive to be an outstanding representative of SRC and Brooks, both on the trail and off. I’ve had some outstanding wins as well as some surprising losses, but both prove good ego checks and reminders to never take anything for granted, and to appreciate each and every opportunity. You can look for me and my Brooks Calderas out there on the trails next year! Happy running!

Categories
Featured Race Reports

#SRCBrooks 2017 So-far Season Report!


The squadron known as the #SRCBrooks Beast B-Teamers have had a busy year racing our wonderful trails &….paved roads, all the while stepping into the grime of the running community and getting their hands dirty with volunteer work, be it race volunteering, digging blackberry root balls out of the ground at Cougar Mtn, or offering to give Keith Laverty a couple hours of babysitting so he can go hit the trails. We all give a shout out to Brooks Running for allowing us to do all of this in fresh kicks and cool gear that can’t be found anywhere else. But enough from me, let’s hear from the team themselves!

Keith Laverty

The first half of the year started off with a significant event… my wife, Elisa, had given birth to our baby boy, little Luke, born on January 2nd. New year, new baby! From this point forward, somehow, this event had also sparked some extra daddy power into my training and resulting in perhaps, my strongest and most consistent string of performances in a row.

Maybe this is because I have a new found purpose, or really making use of the time I have to train, to really count. Or maybe, it’s been those few extra hilly training runs with a stroller that has elevated my training. With all that said, it’s been a fun first six months of 2017, racing 10 times. Of those 10 races, 3 of them were new Road PR’s, 4 of them were setting new CR’s and 2 races running under the previous Course Record (Smith Rock Ascent, Mt. Hood). All the hill running combined with speedwork seemed to translate well into the roads, especially on the hilly course like the Rhody Run in Port Townsend.

Giving back to the community is ever so important for our sport, our trail systems we use and for our peers. So far, I’ve volunteered with SRC at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival in January and a trail work party at Cougar Mountain.

I finally took a crack at the muddy Chuckanut 50k this year, which so happened to also be arguably the fastest men’s field ever for the race with big names sprawled all over the entry list and a world championship spot up for grabs. So I knew I wanted to go into it well prepared while also running my own race. Rocking the upcoming Brooks Mazama 2 trail shoe, these shoes were dynamic enough to feel fast on the 12+ miles of flat and nimble and sturdy enough to handle the technical Ridge Trail and the Chinscraper. I ran just smart enough to be able to close the final 10k feeling good to finish in 9th place.

I capped off the end of Spring/early Summer with two local trail races. At Rainshadow’s Beacon Rock 25k, I shaved off 14 minutes from my 2014 time to take the win in 1:58. Experience + course knowledge paid off this time around. Then going into GoBeyond’s Mt. Hood 50k, with only 2,700’ of elevation gain, I knew this had the recipe of a monster 50k PR opportunity – and that is exactly what happened in the new PureGrit 6 trail shoe. Thank you again to SRC and to Brooks for continuously making my feet happy and my running happy.

2017 1st Half of Year race results:

1st – Orcas Island 25k (2:19:39)
1st – Valentine’s Day Dash 10k (33:07)
1st – Fort Ebey Kettles Marathon (3:25:51)
9th – Chuckanut 50k (4:03:13)
1st – OAT Run Half Marathon (1:22:05)
4th – Oiselle’s Tenacious 10k (32:13)
4th – Smith Rock Ascent 15-Miler (1:46:09)
1st – Rhody Run 12k (40:02)
1st – Beacon Rock 25k (1:58:40)
2nd – Mt. Hood 50k (3:22:06)

Stefan Redfield

2017 is flying by: This year’s heavy rain lead to anti-depression training which in turn lead to a couple solid early efforts with PRs in the Half Marathon (1:12:00 for 3rd) at Mercer Island and trail 10 miler (58:45 for 4th). Both races are becoming annual events for me, and both races nail my weakness against hills in a mid race panic attack kind of way. I loved them, and can’t wait for next year. To conclude the early year road racing I finally was able to make it to the Beat the Bridge where I ran my fastest 8k in recent years. Pre-race tensions were heightened lining up next to Garret Heath, it was fun to latch on to the front pack even if only for a couple of minutes.

Those early longer efforts built up a good base for my later spring/summer races where I focused on shorter, faster events. Hopping back onto the track, I was happy to race for Team SEA in the Seattle vs Portland 3k at the Portland Track Festival, helping the team take its first victory over our southern rivals. Rolling with that I finished up the summer attending several Club Northwest All Comers meets in Shoreline, hitting a season best in the 5k of 15:14 and racing my first 1500 since my collegiate days; once again Heath and I squared off, lined up against a squad of Brooks Beasts (A Teamers) and various talented individuals. I was unable to attain an Olympic A standard of 3:36 in what was perhaps my best opportunity to do so, instead running a relaxed 4:09. In all seriousness, the 1500m is a special race for me and that heat gave me a real taste for it again. This track season made me extra sentimental and In 2018 I am aiming to put effort into speed work and getting back to my 1½ k roots.

The season has been stellar for spectating as well. Before/after racing the Portland Track Festival I was able to watch heat after heat of world-class races. Although I have been in the sport a long time (for my age) I have never seen anything like it. The excitement was boosted by watching my teammate Caroline Austin qualify for her first USATF National meet in the Steeple Chase, an excellent cherry to an impressive season. The Brooks PR Invitational in June was a highlight and one of the most exciting track meets I have attended; the talent level of those high school athletes is simply amazing. Off the track I also was very proud of my friend Olin Berger winning the White River 50k to punch a ticket to the Ultra Trail World Championships, a very sweet accomplishment.

Cheers to 2017 so far, I look forward to ending it with a fast paced Cross Country season and if you are a SRC member reading this, I hope you come out and join me and the rest of the team!

Ellen Lavoie

In The first 1/2 of 2017, I’ve spent my races and training time getting ready for another FKT attempt of the cross Washington Iron Horse/John Wayne Trail. I’ve focused on leaving my comfort zone and trying some distances I had not done before. I’ve had a great time racing, volunteering, and hosting SRC Thursday night runs while representing both the club and Brooks in this whirlwind nearly eight months that have flashed by.

Late March was My first major race and first 50 miler at the Badger Mt Challenge in the tri cites. Fifty miles, of which 35 of those were in rain, wind, and frigid temperatures. I finished the race with a middle of the pack ranking in less than favorable conditions. The next big race was the 100km event at Lumberjack Endurance Races on the beautiful Kitsap peninsula. Destined to have a year of challenges, Lumberjack did not disappoint. Known for mud, mud, and more mud, this year was the muddiest “they” said! I realized that was true when at one point I stepped and one leg ended up deep down into black gooey mud up to my knee!

The last eight months have also been spotted with “short” races with distances from 5k to 20 miles. Two SRC Cougar races, one 20 and the other 14.5 miles ended in 1st place age group wins. In addition, the 14.5 miler gave me a 2nd place USATF masters win!

The Northwest Trail Runs winter series ending in January gave mea 3rd place masters win throughout races ranging from 4km-5 miles.

The majority of the remainder of the year will be running the and then recovery following my FKT (and first) attempt to run the entire 300-ish mile Iron Horse/JWT.

By the end the year I’ll be picking up in training and racing some 1/2 marathons as speed training for the next year.

Sophia Liu

2017 first half of year was not as smooth as I would like. At the end of 2016 I should have take some time off to recovery from a relatively successful year but I did not, so I entered 2017 with goals and foot injury (peroneal tendonitis).

With Boston marathon in the calendar, I still managed train through the injury with multiple 100 mile weeks to prepare for Boston. My A goal is to run 2:47, but I only ran 2:57. Although weather did not help for setting the goal initially, I think over training is the main reason I fell short.

The next couple months, my foot injury seemed to calm down a bit and with that I was able to run two marathons in May and June: BMO in 2:54 (8th female) and Seattle RnR in 2:50 ( 2nd female). Seattle RnR was very close to my PR (CIM 2016), considering the course and unexpected restroom break, this was a step forward. For shorter distance, I had an awesome opportunity to run as a member of Team China for Bolder Boulder 10k in international competition. I have also set a new 5K PR at Big Backyard 5K, which is also my 1st time to break 18 mins and set a new female course records (17:54). For trails, I under performed a bit, besides Bridle 10 miles (1:07:44, 2nd female) I have not run another race. I did have some time during the bolder boulder 10K weekend to run mountain trails in Boulder with Brooks Launch which is surprisingly good for the Rocky Mountains. Hopefully I could devote more time on the trails later this year.

Training gear: I love the new team kit, the teal blue is beautiful.
Shoes: Brooks Hyperion is my go to racing flat from 5k to marathon distance.
Volunteer: I have participated in bridle trail running festival, chuckanut 50K, brooks PR invitation as well as cougar mountain trail work party so far. This is a great opportunity to give back to our club and our running community.

Steph Grimm

I admire people who have a never-ending love affair with running. I imagine they wake up everyday, yawn and stretch, and lace up their Launch 4s while whistling. Sometimes I love running. Sometimes, I hate it. I start “getting it out of the way” or “putting it off” until later in the day. I feel ungrateful. I have legs that work, most of the time. I live in a beautiful place for training. However, this year has been a struggle for me.

I started the year focused on preparing for September’s Run Iceland trip. My plan was to push myself farther outside of my comfort zone from five-mile races to ten-milers. I know, I know, that’s basically a sprint for all you ultra runners, but a reach for someone whose long runs have been 10-11 miles. I was excited about running with my coworker and friend, Katie, who is a legit marathoner. We ran our easy days and pre- and post-workout runs together. I opened up in February at an extremely muddy Lord Hill and managed a second-place finish. The real win was falling ZERO times thanks to my Brooks Mazamas. In March, I ran a favorite of mine: NW Trail Run’s Redmond Watershed Preserve Spring Run for Fun, finishing first female in the ten-er. The Squak 12k was memorable mostly because my husband somehow managed to lose our car key out of his ZIPPED shorts pocket. Thanks to SRC teammate, Jo, we were able to hitch a ride back to Seattle to get the spare.

My favorite race of the year was the Yakima Skyline 25K. I had a goal: to finish. I realize that sound rather un-ambitious for someone who considers herself a competitive runner. And yet, finishing can be a great goal. One, I am terrible at climbs/hills. I’m not just saying that. Ever since I fractured my femur in college, my mechanics have changed and my butt does not like to assist me in running. My hamstrings fire first, then my QL, then maybe my ass gets in gear. Two, 25K is the farthest I’ve ever run, let alone “raced.” Three, my mental toughness was not where it was last year. So, my goal was to finish. Once we finished the first ridiculous climb and started running along the rim, I actually enjoyed myself! Descending to the turnaround point, I saw teammates Jo and Jenny, and the hubs crushing it…inspiring! Long, long, story short: I finished! I was super thankful for SRC-member Jim and his red shirt; he (or the back of his shirt) kept me company for most of the miles.

Since Yakima, my motivation has plummeted. I changed jobs and no longer have Katie to run with (and wake me up) mid-workday. I have been giving myself a lot of leeway in adjusting to my new schedule, and I am just not in it to win it right now. Buuuuut. I have been loving volunteering: It was absolutely awesome to be able to watch the talent coming out of high school at the Brooks PR invitational; and we have done a lot of work digging drainage ditches and clearing trails at Cougar with the King County Parks and Rec department.

Coming up next: Run Iceland! I am super excited to explore a new country in my Cascadia 11 GTXs!

Brett Winegar

I began the year with a crisp, cool, Bridle Trails Winter Festival 10 miler. I finished second there…and re-strained my calf. Two weeks off and I was back running, cautiously. This calf strain had plagued me since last October and it had definitely hampered my training. The Chuckanut 50K was coming up and I was feeling hopeful but unsure. “You know what, what’s the worst that can happen!! I bet I’ll crush it!” Well, that didn’t happen. At 21 miles I was bonking and wondering why I was in such a hurry all those miles earlier. By the time I reached the last aid station, there was 10K to go. At this point I was no longer calculating running pace…I had become a speed walker and the math I was now doing was all new to me as I dialed my body and mind into walker mode…”running’s overrated,” I thought to myself. A little over an hour later I crossed the line, finishing my first 50K in a total time of 5 hours and 27 minutes.

I shook it off and focused on the year to come. And you know what, it’s been a pretty solid year of trail running for me!

Lorde Hill Half – Second Place!
Rattlesnake Ridge Half – Third Place!
Sun Mountain 25K – Disqualified (I took a wrong turn but I will be back next year for this one!)
Cougar Race #1 – First Place!
Cougar Race #2 – Second Place!
Cougar Race #3 – PNTF Open Champion!! (second overall)
Cougar Race #4 – PNTF Open Champion!! (second overall)

I did some volunteering at one of the cougar races pouring beer for all those thirsty finishers. I’ve also had some good training on the trails at Cougar Mountain, Bridle Trails, the Watershed, and out in the North Cascades including a really great 31 miler along the PCT from Rainy Pass to Hearts Pass with a couple buddies.

I’ll be heading out to Mazama for an 11 mile race at the Cutthroat Classic this weekend, which I’m really looking forward to. After that, I’ll be zeroing in on the Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon. I competed in this race last year (placed 5th) and I’m hoping I learned a thing or two that will produce a better performance this time around. After that, and if I’m still healthy, I plan to jump into a cross country race or two, probably PNTF.

Trisha Steidl

Due to my work schedule, I’m unable to race much during the spring. In light of this, my first race of 2017 was the Rhody Run in Port Townsend. This race is a tradition in the Steidl household and we’ve only missed it a couple of times since we started racing it back in the early/mid 2000s. This was also my first race as a masters runner – finally! I won the masters division, but ran a personal worst due to untimely changing of my nutrition. Ultimately the nutrition change has greatly paid off, but (pro tip) I highly recommend not making significant changes within a couple of weeks of any race or big adventure during which you want/need to be on top of your game. The Hyperion were great shoes for this race.

The 10+ miler at the Cougar Mountain Trail Series was also a PNTF Championship. I raced this mostly as a way to practice for my race the following weekend. Since I hadn’t raced much earlier in the year, I thought it would be smart to practice my pre-race routine. It was a bonus to race with and see so many of my Seattle Running Club teammates and friends. I ended up 4th overall and won the PNTF masters race, winning a cool 200 bucks! I wore the Mazama trail shoes for this race and was impressed with the traction they provided.

I was fortunate to win an entry to the McCall Trail Running Classic through the Tribute to Trails Calendar. I chose to race the 20 mile option. The race takes place at altitude and on beautiful trails in McCall, ID. I wouldn’t say I went into the race fully prepared as my longest run up to that point had only been 2-2:30 hours and I knew/hoped the race would take me 3:30-4 hours, but I stayed tough and snagged 2nd place woman, won the masters category, and squeezed in under 4 hours. After how great the Mazamas were at Cougar the previous weekend, I decided they would be the perfect shoe for this race as well and wasn’t disappointed! This is a race I definitely want to go back and do again! You can read my full race report here on FB.

In addition to these races I’ve been involved in some great volunteering opportunities. I had a blast at the Seattle Running Club trail work party at Cougar Mountain at the end of June (I love giving back to the place I started trail running!), helping out at two of the Cougar races and White River 50, as well as helping to maintain trails that are a part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (and the Bigfoot 200 mile) that aren’t usually otherwise maintained.

My awesome SRC-Brooks gear has taken me to a lot of cool places outside of my races and trail work. I put together a three-day trip at the end of June to go to Mt. Rainier and run to Camp Muir as well as on the Wonderland Trail. We experienced some interesting weather and had a lot of fun adventuring as well as relaxing together. I climbed part-way up the Emmons route on Rainier (wearing the Cascadias; had to turn around so I could get back for dinner plans that night – poor planning on my part), and to the summit of Mt. Adams (wearing the PureGrit) with my husband and my dog, Forest. I’ve also gone on many training runs on the beautiful trails surrounding the greater Seattle area.

Jenny Easterberg

I have had an absolutely awesome 8 months of running as a member of the SRC Brooks competitive team so far, and am going to share with you the highlights.

First and foremost, it is such an honor to be on the SRCBrooks Team with such a great group of people! It is my dream to be a sponsored trail runner and I feel I am living it to the fullest. As you know I try to run a race almost every weekend just for the pure fun of it!

As a thank you for this opportunity, I chose to give back by volunteering at the SRC Cougar Mountain race series, and it was so much fun! I’m a waitress for my day job, so I took my superb skills as a server and used them to cater to a wide variety of pallets at the post-race snack tent at each of the races. I will tell you what I witnessed: my appetizer selection was by far the most popular and continuously depleted; pizza became as decadent as lobster regardless of race distance run; some runners loved the shots of pickle juice, whereas gauging from the reactions of others, I might as well have offered them a shot of pee or poison; and whoever came up with oreos topped with peanut butter is pure genius! Cheering on these weary but determined souls was the highlight of the race series. My two personal goals for running this series you ask: run the whole long series PR’ing wherever possible, and win it for the women. Both missions accomplished!

It is truly a pleasure to represent Seattle Running Club and Brooks in all of my training runs and races this year. I set a personal record as to how many races I’ve run this year so far, 21, 17 of which I placed in the top two for the women. I also set at least two course records that I’m aware of (Taylor Mountain, and Cougar 26.6) which I’ve never done before so those were super exciting for me!!! I am quick to thank my amazing Brooks Calderas, which I pretty much live in.

As always, I share with other runners and racers the story behind why I run the way I do, and I invite them to come run with me and with SRC. Brooks is beyond amazing for helping us to have such a stunning team of great people and competitive runners. I am so excited for the rest of the year with this awesome team!

Olin Berger

I started 2017 hoping that the symbolism of rebirth and a new beginning would apply directly to a sprained ankle I had suffered towards the end of last year. It held true for a few 100 mile training weeks and I felt prepared to take my second shot at the 100 mile race distance, heading down to Texas for the Rocky Raccoon 100 to redeem a less than thrilling first attempt of the distance at 2016’s Cascade Crest 100. Instead, I logged my first ever DNF and learned that sand gives no quarter to weak joints.

After a couple months of anguish and impatience, I was ready to test my ankle’s capacity again at the Gorge Waterfalls 100k. In terms of pacing I ran possibly my smartest race ever, but that failed to compensate for my ability to miss a turn on the second half of an out-and-back course, leading to a 25th place finish, but confirmation of a healed ankle.

Deciding that my previous mishaps proved I needed someone more responsible to be in charge of my running, I began working with a coach. He earned his paychecks by helping me to a repeat victory at the White River 50 Mile, my first time under seven hours at that race, and a spot on 2018’s Team USA for the IAU Trail World Championships in Spain. I used the Brooks Launch for this race, my favorite shoe, which held true even on the trails.

Other than racing, I tried to be a staple at SRC’s aid stations at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival and the Cougar Mountain Race Series. I am looking forward to my first international race at the Ben Nevis 120k in Scotland in September and, especially, continuing my training for the World Championships in 2018.

Joe Creighton

My 2017 started with ignominy as I selected the world’s worst year to bribe Jim McCue into being my 50k Pairs teammate at the 2017 Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival. How could we have known that two other teams were also going to arrive, both hungry for course records? Long story short, about 3 hours later we set a course record, but as the 3rd pairs team that day to do so, could only manage a bronze finish, in 3:04:03. Two and a half minutes behind gold’s 3:01:25 and 10 farting seconds behind silver’s 3:03:53. Fortunately, the net result was meeting Dan Sloat, Josh Kaplan, and Karl Augsten, who have since been providers of much mid-year (and hopefully future) runspiration. Jim and I do not speak anymore, and he has only rubbed salt in the wounds by moving to West Seattle and slowly stealing all my neighborhood Strava CRs.

I applied salve to my ego and entered a local road 10k in April because I felt that distance was my best hope for a confidence-building distance PR (ie, the softest/easiest). The clockwise Lake Union loop at Oiselle’s Tenacious Ten did the trick as I pulled a 33:39 out of my ass, a time most people would never believe I could run if they’d ever seen my form and stride length. The Brooks Asterias have been my go-tos for anything near oxygen-debt pace. They are great for all occasions, except maybe church and job interviews. They tell passerby and #teens you that you know how to run fast without you having to actually TELL passerby and #teens that with actual words and come off like an insecure douchebag. (I’m not insecure).

Cougar Mtn has definitely felt my racing shoes’ footsteps over the years, but lately I’ve become, along with Olin Berger, more known for providing sustenance and cheer for racers at Aid Station #2. This year we took on three of the four race dates (May, July, and August), wheel-barrowing in PB&J & water jugs and even, in July, carting out Derek Reiff’s iPad for Seinfeld fans to soak up the laffs as they struggled with their gel packets. The facts are this: we probably by ourselves coaxed at least 3-4 people to consider joining our club/team/squad this summer, all without the need for any #hashtags. I don’t know if any racers were peeking at my shoes (I don’t judge), but if so they likely saw me rocking some well-worn Launch 4s. These shoes are so well-worn my girlfriend (who does judge) has requested I leave them in the garage and never bring them in the house ever again because the Febreeze stands NO CHANCE.

In June, I answered Evan Williams’ clarion call to take over the Washington Brewers Festival 5k out at Marymoor Park, taking 3rd on a rare *long* course behind Evan’s repeat 1st and, (sigh), Dan Sloat’s 2nd. I *did* beat Josh Kaplan’s 4th though for a bit of Bridle Trails redemption, so he definitely had the best view of my trusty Asterias and #calfhair. As you might expect, the Brewers Festival website has no idea how to display results on their site, so you’ll just have to take my word that I ran about 16:45 on a course that was prob closer to 3.25 than 3.1mi long. The beer fest afterward was pretty cool too! I tried to convince the Georgetown Brewing bros that my 3rd place finish probably earned me a future pony keg of Bodhi or something. They were polite about it.

The emotional & physical peak of my year was the White River 50m, but my advanced age reared its ugly head and I had a slight injury scare at probably the worst time to have an injury scare before a 50 miler, leaving me with no training peak and a way-too-long forced taper. With last year’s DNF haunting me for the past 12 months, I settled on simply enjoying the day and finishing, and definitely accomplished one of those goals. Afterward at the cabin, after the world’s most painful-to-eat pulled pork sandwich, I redeemed myself fully with an overall 2nd place finish in the official Mile High High Mile. In Asterias, no less!

While the world and less-metaphorically my home and surrounding states slowly burn, the rest of my year looks like it will be the annual Fat Glass 50k, the ying yang of XC pain caves and XC camaraderie, and periodically donating to various natural disaster charities. This late in the year it’s not unusual for me to feel as weathered as my face appears, so who knows what I’ll be able to pull off on those grassy loops, but thanks to Brooks and SRC I’m ready to enter that cold darkness. Vivez la torture and lung burn. #Resist

Categories
Featured Race Reports

2016 #SRCBrooks Team Updates

Our #SRCBrooks team has been enjoying the summer and early-autumn months with races of all distances and all around the world. We have seen 50 miler debuts, 50 miler wins, 100 miler debuts, and Stefan Redfield is even considering a race longer than 10 miles! Read more about their adventures below!

Stefan Redfield

Stefan Redfield running a rainy 5k around Greenlake, it seems

After a full queue of racing for the first half of 2016 my focus moved back to building a good schedule to get more miles per week + integrating more strength training. As my fast teammate Erik Barkhaus sagely advised, 15 more minutes a day can move you from a 50-mile week to 65; I’m trying to find those 15 minutes.

That being said, the 2016 XC is mid swing and nothing is more exciting than leaves on the ground and mud under the spikes! Sundodger 8k was a fine opener for me, getting to run in a fat pack for the first time this year and bumping down into the sub 26 minute 8k range for the first time since diving into “adult cross country.” My next opportunity at the Emerald City 8k could be best defined as “uninspired,” but I have learned to accept bad races over the years and to keep eyes up. At the very least it was a good to experience the sensation of ice-skating around muddy turns in prep for the end of the season races.

All and all, it has been a mellow Q3, but I am very much looking forward to our next 2 races here in Seattle for the PNTF and Regional 10k XC championships! That followed by the Seattle Half Marathon will surely have earned me a temporary slumber in Valhalla for the winter.

Steph Grimm

Steph Grimm at the Enchantments

In August, I managed to close out the series as the 8th female in the 14.5-mile finale, squeaking out the win in the women’s short series. There were many talented ladies who consistently finished ahead of me in races, but alas, they missed a race, leaving me the victor and with a new long run in the books. The next week, a few friends and I tackled running/hiking the Enchantments, which was absolutely stunning…and tough. My Cascadias were awesome and I managed not to fall once.

While I had a stronger training summer last year and have started slower than usual these first two cross country races, I am excited to finish the season strong at PNTF and Regionals before closing out the year with the goal of 5K road PR! Thank you, Brooks, for a great year!

Evan Williams

Evan Williams at Bridle Trails

July/August – I took a break! For one week. Then I laced up my Pure Grits and spent a lot of time adventuring around the Cascades instead of stressing about races. Speed runs/climbs on Mount Stuart, Shuksan, and a variation of the Whittier Ridge-Lakes Loop (just north of Mt St Helens) were piles of fun (and rock). What a fantastic way to spend the summer. Picking one’s way on thin trails chopped into the sides of cliff faces with a water bottle in one hand and a coiled half-rope on the back. Beers waiting in the car upon return.

September/October – I made a real training plan for the first time in a while. I decided to queue up some organized mileage to get ready for a big effort at the Leavenworth Half Marathon. A hip injury, out the blue, four weeks before the race dismantled my training plan and I was left worrying about how much shape I would retain after hardly running for the final month.

I got a confidence boost with two weeks to go when I realized faster, better form running didn’t hurt so much and I jumped in the Sundodger XC 8k for a 1 min 20 sec PR. More injury followed.

The half marathon went well enough. No pain on race day, 1:14:56 (not a PR…the streak is broken!), but a win, beautiful course/weather, and a prize hydroflask growler from Icicle Brewing. The best non-PR ever.

I raced once more, at the Emerald City XC 8k, but my real focus has been solving the minor issues in the injury recovery process and getting back to my normal work commute pattern. It’s going well. The rest of the year looks bright! Mileage is increasing again. Legs are feeling good.

Sophia Liu

Sophia Liu at the Beijing International Marathon

With relatively success first half of 2016, my 2nd half of the year as SRC Brooks member is going full speed. I have to say training is going well, after Full marathon PR (2:51:45) almost half an hour PR in white river 50mile (8:44,female 5th) and 2 minutes PR on a relatively hilly course in Vancouver RnR half marathon (1:22, female 4th) was the highlight of my recent races. In addition, I run my first home country marathon in September. With the race condition being hot and humid plus air quality issues, I still managed to run under three hours and became the 1st Chinese female to cross the finish line was considerably successful home run for me. Right now I am training for Seattle Marathon and the goal is to break 2:50 hopefully end the season with a cherry on top.

Recent race results:
White River 50 miles: 8:44 (5th female)
Seattle 10K 38:26
Iron Horse half marathon 1:24 (2nd female)
Labor Day half marathon 1:24 (4th female)
Beijing International Marathon 2:59 (8th female, 1st Chinese female)
Vancouver RnR half marathon 1:22:24 (4th female)

Keith Laverty

Keith Laverty

Coming off a fairly aggressive spring race schedule, the summer months included a little more time to relax by exploring new terrain and new trails in the Olympic National Park, and later on, in the Mt. Shasta wilderness.

In between these adventures, I did gear up once again for a harder race course that was both technical, and pretty far, the Squamish 50K (sporting the Brooks Mazama trail shoe) in British Columbia. It was fun, hot, hilly and maybe a little less fun, once I realized my body was depleted of sodium and electrolytes in the final several miles, resulting in some shocking leg cramps. An S-cap donated to me helped me stumble to the finish before fading back to 5th place in the final two miles, after running between 1st and 3rd place all day. I highly recommend this challenging, well-organized race and I hope to return one day to get it just right.
Keith Laverty
Shortly after Squamish, I suffered a 4-week long injury to my kneecap and super tight IT bands. All while moving from Seattle to the quieter, but still very hilly, Bainbridge Island. For my regular work commute, I opted for my own two legs to run to work instead of my VW Jetta. Despite the injury misfortune, I very luckily won a free entry into the week-long Max King Trail Running Camp near Mt. Shasta in the final week of September.

Besides fan-boying a little over Max King and his impressive, versatile running background, the camp really helped me reset, relax and reflect why I got into trail running in the first place. I made several new friends in the community, did some trail maintenance, learned more about map & compass work, and went on an epic 28-miler on the PCT and Castle Crags wilderness. There was one point where Max thought I got ahead of him (I was actually behind taking a quick bathroom nature break), so he went off to chase me down, while I was chasing him. Endless chasing!

The GOAT Run, or the Great Olympic Adventure Trail run was a point-to-point 14-miler that I was raced on my injured knee. With a little bit of Aleve and adrenaline, I was able to cruise on through for a new course record, finishing at Lake Crescent near Port Angeles. Another race that I would recommend for a weekend getaway on the Peninsula.
Keith Laverty
July-September race results:
1st overall, Carkeek Warmer (18:28 – CR)
1st overall, Summer Eddy 8M (54:42 – CR)
5th overall, Squamish 50K (5:40:17)
1st overall, GOAT Run 14M (1:23:39 – CR)

Alison Smith

Post-race hydration at Fat Glass with SRC-Brooks teammate Steph Grimm

Post-race hydration at Fat Glass with #SRCBrooks teammate Steph Grimm

The late summer and fall has been all about building a base of consistent training and strengthening relationships with the Seattle-area running community. Beginning in July, I’ve enjoyed the longest consistent ache-and-pain-free period of training I’ve had in quite a while (although I should probably knock on wood for writing that!). In August I celebrated the one-year anniversary of my time with SRC, which provided a moment for reflection and a re-commitment to racing purely for the fun of it. Rather than fill up an overly busy race schedule, I’ve stuck with several of the SRC favorites: so far, the Fat Glass and the Sundodger and Emerald City cross country races, each of which have been fun, challenging and muddy adventures. Looking ahead, I hope to keep increasing my mileage enough to try out my legs on longer, more ambitious trail races… I’ll keep you posted on that!

 

Olin Berger

Olin at White River 50 width=

The past few months held my biggest win (in terms of largest race) and biggest race (in terms of miles) to date. I was thrilled to cut 30 minutes off of my previous time at the White River 50 miler and to win the race outright.

Less thrilling was experience at my first 100 miler, the Cascade Crest 100. A beautiful course, but I ran it like a 50 miler, crashed at mile 70, and ended up walking the rest. However, I did finish and came away with a lot of lessons for my next 100.

White River 50 Mile: 1st Overall (7:06)
Cascade Crest 100: 26th Overall (24:41)

I hope to close out 2016 by defending my 2015 win at the Deception Pass 50k.

Dustin Hinkle

Dustin Hinkle

Taking a quick break outside Buckingham Palace

Traditionally, my training/motivation wanes during the shorter/wetter days that come at the end of the year. This year, my training waned at the height of summer, but for a very different reason: my wedding and honeymoon. Running brings so much joy to my life, yet it is very often an individual joy. This summer I focused more on the social joy that came along with finding a kick-ass running partner to spend the rest of my life with.

We did get in some pretty cool runs on our honeymoon, though. In London, my wife and I ran along the Thames, past Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and around Hyde Park. I loved wearing my SRC gear throughout the UK and Ireland. More people called out “Seattle!” than I would have ever imagined.

I have been ramping up my training again. Instead of fearing the shorter days ahead, I feel energized and motivated to finish the year stronger than ever.

Ellen Lavoie

Ellen Lavoie

A happy 3rd place finish at the Hamster Endurance Runs 24 hr race with the amazing race director Kelly Krieger in the background. Photo credit: Gretchen Walla

For training I run 4-6 days per week in varying distances from 2-25 miles depending on what I’ve got coming up. Over the summer and into the fall I did some crazy training as I was gearing up to attempt to a solo run, with crew support some 300 odd miles in 6-7 days on the Iron Horse/Milwaukee (also known as the John Wayne) trail at the end of September. My training included many long back to back to back runs followed by a 24 hour race the second week of August to be followed up by a tough mountain 50k race Memorial Day weekend. I’ve had a mix of gnarly trails, mellow trails, and easy flat trails for training lately! My cross training in the past few months has been mostly just gym strength and conditioning type training. I’ve spent a great deal of time this past summer and into the fall volunteering at races to bring some cheer and encouragement to others when I’m not competing (and even then I hope I bring cheer!). In late July I was the captain of the ship floating at the SRC-sponsored aid station at White River 50 Mile Run and had a ball seeing all the familiar and new-to-me faces coming through just past their ½ way point for the day. I am still in love with the Brooks PureGrit running shoes whether it be on single track trails, packed dirt, or pavement. They have done a great job comforting my footsies after many many miles in a row!
Ellen Lavoie

Day 1 on my Iron Horse Trail solo run…a sandwich break.

I had a couple of big races this summer…the Hamster Endurance Runs 24 hour of which I finished with a 3rd place finish. Only three week after Hamster I ran the Bunker to Bonneville 50k on still-tired legs as training for the Iron Horse trail and only managed a middle of the field 13th place female finish. That one was a tough one as it has fairly significant elevation gain and at only four miles into the race many of us (actually I think most of the racers!) were attached by very angry bees of which I ended up with at least 6-7 stings.

Since I was gearing up for my epic solo run on the Iron Horse trail, I’ve tried to refrain from too many short distance races so I could concentrate on long slow runs. A few shorter races recently: Carkeek Sizzler with NW Trailruns gave me a 6th place female finish in the 4.2 mile race. The Interlaken Ice Cream Dash with NW Trailruns gave me a stinging 19th place female finish in a large-ish field.
Ellen Lavoie

Day 5 on my Iron Horse Trail solo run…being silly.

All my long distance races this year lead up to a solo run on the entire Iron Horse/Milwaukee (John Wayne) Trail that spans from N. Bend, WA east to the Idaho border in Tekoe, WA. I started off on my run on Sept 24th from N. Bend with my tiny crew (my boyfriend) and a car full of food and supplies. After 7 days of running long days of 10-14 hours with daily mileage from 21-45 miles, I ended up at the Idaho border in time for a reception from trial enthusiasts at a gala benefit for the John Wayne trail. My original plan was 300 miles but after skipping some dangerous for running road sections and (some temporarily) closed areas of the trail I wound up with a total of 200 miles (give or take a few tenths!). It was a massive undertaking and I am planning on attempting it again next spring except will logistically plan the road sections better. It was a massively great experience that can be followed on my blog.

My last long race of the year was the 20 mile option on 10/30 at the final Cougar Mt. race for 2016 finishing with a 12th place female placing. It was a tough one and I came out realizing my legs were maybe still a little fatigued from 200 miles in a week. After a couple of short 5-10 km races in November, my plan is to take a short break in December from competing in order to finish the year injury free!

Martin Criminale

Martin Criminale

July 16 – Eiger Ultra Trail E101

This was a 101km trail race in Switzerland. It packs more vertical into 100 km than Cascade Crest does in 100 miles. For this reason it is a UTMB qualifier which is my main goal in 2017. I got to run this with several friends and my sister which was a real treat!

This race was my first ultra after a lingering injury that lasted over one year and it was great to be back. We had perfect weather and I stopped countless times to marvel at the view and take pictures.

As is usually the case when your race pace exceeds your fitness, I had a low spot around km 60-80 but I recovered and finished VERY strong. My friend and I ran the last 6 km pretty much flat out which totally surprised me and let us pass quite a few runners.

Results
11th – Men 50-59
120/600 – Overall (Almost 40% dropped! It’s a tough course for sure.)

My race report

August 21 – Super Tunnel Marathon
Martin Criminale
I have always wanted to run this event, it’s down the John Wayne Trail from the Hyak parking lot all the way to North Bend. Obviously it’s a fast course so I’m not surprised that I got a marathon PR… more importantly I nailed my pacing and nutrition and was able to accelerate the entire time. That has never happened to me before.

Results
2nd – Men 50-59 (Missed the win by 5 seconds! I just couldn’t accelerate any more.)
16th – Overall

My race report

September 11 – Pine to Palm 100 Mile Endurance Run

This was my 2nd 100 ever. Again, all part of my “master plan” to hopefully run UTMB in 2017. 🙂

Once more I had a super low point just past the middle of the race (it was very hot) but again I recovered well and finished in great spirits. And this run, although very tiring, did not beat up my body! I think I am finally getting used to longer distances.

Results
3rd – Men 50-59
31st – Overall (50% dropped! It was a hard day.)

My race report
Martin Criminale
As a bonus, I also recently ran the famous rim-to-rim-to-rim route in the Grand Canyon. With my sister! What an amazing way to check an item off your bucket list. And we had perfect weather.

Stone Cold Stephen Walston

Stone Cold running his 1st 50 Miler

I finished White River 50 (my first race that distance) in July, coming in just under 10 hours. It was a perfect day weather-wise, the course had plenty of spectacular views. And it couldn’t have been more well-supported. There was plenty of pain to go around that day, but I forgot about it pretty quickly (beer and barbecue helped). I wore the Brooks PureGrit 4 which held up fairly well.

Since then it’s been off the trails and back on the roads for me, though I did join in for a rain and mud-soaked Emerald City 8k two weeks ago at Woodland Park. Between SRC cross-country training on Wednesday nights and getting back into weekend/tempo runs on weekends, I’m gearing up for the Seattle Marathon on Thanksgiving weekend. The Brooks Launch 3 has been a reliable shoe for interval and tempo runs, and Transcend has been fantastic for my usual after-work easy runs during the 60/70 mile weeks.

Trisha Steidl

2016 hasn’t gone the way I had hoped when I planned out my goals for the year. For one reason or another, this has been the least successful or productive year of running I’ve ever had. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been in good shape, it just hasn’t resulted in anything to get too excited about.

Running the entire Wonderland Trail in 24 hours or less was my main goal for the year. Logistics prevented me from being able to make this happen, which was extremely disappointing. I had put all of my energy and focus this year on this goal and then wasn’t even able to start.

I thought of what else I could do that would be easier logistically. There are plenty of other mountains to run around in the PNW and Mt. St. Helens had been on my list since 2004. I wasn’t really trained for something this short in distance, but I knew I was in decent shape, so I decided to go after the FKT! I was excited to go somewhere new to me and tackle the challenge of racing without really racing.

As we started off, I was unsure exactly what the day had in store. I had done information-collecting as much as possible, but nothing is the same as experience. Many of my friends had posted incredibly scenic pictures from their runs here the week before. I couldn’t wait to see in person what they had posted! Unfortunately we were greeted with clouds, fog, and rain – at least it wasn’t windy! I was bummed, but there was a goal to shoot for, so I put myself in a focused mindset.

We tackled the boulder field first. Using a friend’s GPS watch for the first time (to make sure I’d have proof I ran the loop) turned out to not be the best idea. Seeing the watch display my pace being so slow was a mental downer for which I wasn’t prepared. I knew this was a slow section, so tried not to let it get to me, but that on top of not feeling too great on top of it being a dreary day was taking a mental toll I was trying my best to overcome.

Around three hours in, I was heading up a longer climb and realized the watch was either malfunctioning or I was finally getting a groove! My legs were feeling pretty good and I was climbing the hill like it was no big deal. Maybe I could get this FKT after all!
Trisha Steidl

Despite the look on my face, I was feeling good going up this climb.

We finally got to a flat section. I was feeling good and doing math in my head. I figured out that I could still get the FKT, which I had determined earlier wasn’t going to happen. Upon realizing that, I decided to pick up the pace and take advantage of the flat as best as I could. I was running pretty fast, feeling hopeful…and then, all of a sudden, I was on the ground, sliding forward. I realized I had no idea what the side of the trail was like. Was it a cliff? How far down did it go? Was it rocky? I had no idea and I was still sliding!!

I finally came to a stop. Half of my body off trail, with my left arm wrapped up in a small tree, my right leg up on the trail. Uli asked if I could get up. I tried to push off my hands and knees and couldn’t. They all hurt too much and my body was contorted in a way that I couldn’t really shift myself. He came over to me, put his arms around my torso and lifted me to my feet.

Trisha SteidlI didn’t want to look down at what had happened. I brushed the dirt off my hands and saw they were torn up. Fortunately my friend’s watch appeared to be unscathed – whew! The bracelet my mom gave me was fine, too. Uli asked me if I could run. I said, “Yes,” and started to go. I quickly realized running was not possible. In fact, I could barely walk. I finally looked down to see my knees swollen and bruised, with my right knee bleeding a considerable amount.

I was devastated. Seriously?!?! How could this happen? I was finally feeling good; finally going to have my training result in something this year and now I could barely walk?! Uli gave me a big hug and I cried in frustration (and some due to the pain now that the adrenaline was wearing off). To make matters worse, I asked him where we were around the mountain and he told me we were almost exactly half-way. It wouldn’t be shorter to turn around and head back and there wasn’t any way to go over the mountain. We’d have to walk the rest of it. So walk we did. I tried jogging every once in awhile, but that would only last a couple of minutes before my knee would hurt too much.

On the positive side, we got to see two elk up close, then saw a herd of elk as well as a herd of mountain goats. We did get some sunshine along the way and we did circumnavigate the mountain. Unfortunately it took as long to walk/jog the second half as it should’ve taken me to run the entire thing. Little did I know more pain was to come in dealing with the wounds from the fall. In fact, I had to take a majority of the month of October almost completely off from running due to issues arising from that fall.
Trisha Steidl

Beautiful flowers along the trail.

Before those injuries caused me to take time off, I had one of my most memorable experiences which was the last-minute opportunity for Uli and I to lead a group on the Wonderland Trail! How fortunate to be able to run a majority of the trail that had been my goal to run this summer. To do so as a tour guide for people from around the country who came to enjoy the wonder that is Mt. Rainier and the Wonderland Trail was even better.

Looking back, this was the top most positive and fun experience of my summer. With the most laid back approach I’ve possibly ever had in trail running (partially due to knowing I could not fall on my knees again for fear of incurring a potential long-term injury), I ran the biggest back-to-back mileage days I’ve ever done.

The first day was Longmire to Mowich Lake (~35 miles) and the weather couldn’t have been better.
Trisha Steidl

St. Andrews Lake – good swimming spot!

The second day we ran Mowich Lake to the White River Campground (~25 miles). Another beautiful, scenic day. We were so fortunate with the weather. It was a blast to be a tour guide pointing things out, telling stories, taking pictures, laughing together, and helping these new people I was getting to know through tough times. I greatly value the happenstance opportunity provided to me to meet new, wonderful people and go on a journey together, wondering at the beauty of Mt. Rainier together, toiling together, and laughing together.
Trisha Steidl

Seatte Park

We learn the most from our ups and downs. I feel like this year has been relentless in the “down” department and am looking forward to what 2017 must have in store for me!

Here’s a list of the Brooks gear that got me through my adventures:

These shoes kept me going with no problems whatsoever:
Pure-Grit 3 and 4
Mazama

The clothing is so comfortable, I never notice it (which is a great thing!):
Distance Shirt
Chaser 3’ Short
The Just Right Racer really is right. It’s supportive and ultra comfortable.

Happy trails!
Trisha Steidl

Matt Hong

My focus this quarter was visiting as many of the classic NW trails as possible during the Summer. My Brooks Pure Grit 5 and Cascadia 11s were perfect for bagging some epic peaks and Alpine Lakes. This summer I ran up the following for the first time:

Mailbox Peak – everything they say about the brutal incline up the old trail is true! Insane climb to the top with epic views. Loved every minute of it.

Gem Lake / Snow Lake – ran up it early and beat the crowds. Beautiful lakes and peaks. I saw my first avalanche up close but luckily not too close.
Matt Hong
Granite Mountain – It was a beautiful clear day and an awesome run. Great 360 degree views.

Sahale Glacier and Hidden Lake Lookout – It was overcast for most of the day when I ran these two. However, I was able to get above the cloud level on my way up Sahale and was treated to a majestic cloud waterfall.

Kendall Katwalk – Great views and a really unique trail.

I did a few semi competitive races. I took first place at the Access to Justice 5k in my Brooks Racer ST 5s. I also took first rockin’ my Pure Grit 5s at the August Cougar Mountain Trail Series 5k.

I ran the Sundodger 8k open with the Cross Country team and took 275th in 30:50. It’s always fun and humbling to go up against the collegiate athletes.
Matt Hong on the Wonderland Trail
I ended the Summer by completing an adventure run I’ve been dreaming of for a long time – a two-day circumnavigation of Mount Rainier on the 93 mile 22k feet of gain Wonderland Trail. It was the adventure of a lifetime and the hardest thing I’ve ever done in terms of running. I did it solo and I carried all of my own water and food – although I did resupply between day 1 and day 2 when I slept at the National Park Inn at Longmire. I loved how the views of the mountain changed as you traveled around it. I also appreciated the rhythm of running down the switchbacks, crossing a river, running up the switchbacks, and getting overwhelmed by natural beauty – repeated 10 times.

Ethan Linck

Ethan Linck getting high in Colorado

​When I left off with my midyear report in early July, I was still living in western Colorado and about to hit my yearly. This peak coincided with an 8-day stretch where I ran two shorter-distance mountain races in the San Juans on consecutive weekends during 90+ mile
weeks: the Kendall Mountain Run, where I placed 9th in 1:53, and the Kennebec Mountain Run, where I placed 1st in 1:57 to outkick my main training partner by less than half a second for the win. Logging the second-fastest time ever on the 15 mile/+3400’ course (which tops out on a cross country section above 12,000’), I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better race — previously,
only one other person other than course-record holder Eric Skaggs had gone under 2 hours.

I then began a three week taper for the season’s goal race, the Leadville Trail 100 . With my family and friends on hand to crew and pace, it was an unforgettable experience, even if it didn’t turn out how I had hoped. Despite running with restraint and feeling relaxed around 7th place for
the first 50 miles, my stomach ended up turning on me, and I managed to keep less than 400 calories down for the second half, eventually finishing in 22:58 for 38th out of 700+ starters (though half the field would eventually drop).

After 10 days completely off and a few weeks of easy jogging, I began to return to focused training with a renewed emphasis on speedwork. Without any late-season goals in mind, I nonetheless decided to jump into a hilly 5K at my alma mater in Portland on October, which I won (by about a minute) in 17:09. Now, I’m focused on laying down a strong block of training in preparation for next year’s goals and the coming skimo season. Thanks for the support!

Categories
Featured Race Reports

2016 #SRCBrooks 1st Half Updates

Whether it be beer relays, ultra marathons, milers, or bike rides to Woodinville for wine tasting, the #SRCBrooks has been hard at work this first half of 2016, and the results speak for themselves! Keep reading to find out more! Thanks to Brooks for keeping these athletes clothed this year and allowing them to focus their time and energy on their fitness and self discovery!

Alison Smith

Alison (middle) at the Cougar 5 miler

The first half of 2016 has been a bit of a rocky training period for me. In late December, I developed a case of runner’s knee that continued to stifle my training hopes until mid-March, when I began running consistently again and slowly began building up mileage. Since then, my training has proceeded in fits and starts, as I’ve most recently had recurring shin splints that have limited my mileage to exclusively short runs. As a result, I’ve become an expert early-morning cross-trainer at my neighborhood pool and YMCA. 

Despite these aches and pains, I’ve still had some wonderful moments with the Seattle running community and with my SRC-Brooks teammates, particularly participating in the first two races of the Cougar Mountain trail series. Both on and off the trails, the the support and enthusiasm of my SRC-Brooks teammates has kept me motivated and inspired. (Thanks, guys!)

In the coming months, I hope to actually, for real, increase my mileage and develop a more consistent training base from which to compete. I’m hoping to participate in Seattle-area trail races throughout the fall and to continue exploring the local trails.

Dustin Hinkle

Dustin Hinkle

Cedar Mountain 5 Miler – First Place
Spring Eagle Half Marathon – First Place
Pacific Northwest Marathon – Fifth Place (3rd time w/ a sub-3 hour marathon)
Chuckanut Mountain Marathon – Third Place (one week after PNW Marathon; two top five marathon finishes in one week)

Arthur Martineau

Arthur Martineau

My main focus for the first half of 2016 has been trying to find a new balance in my life. The three things that take up most of my waking hours and my mental energy are work, family, and running. My running keeps me sane and stress free. My family lifts me up. And my work tends to wear me down.

This year, to prevent injuries, I’ve moved most of my running to either the trails or the track. I’ve tried to stay off the hard roads as much as possible. My body, at 48 years old, likes running on trails way better. I recover faster and can put in more time/miles on the dirt. The varied surface is good for my legs and my mind. My training has been a lot lighter this year than in previous years, as I’ve taken on more coaching. Hopefully I can find a balance in the second half of the year that will allow for more time on the trail.

I’ve had a good year of youth and adult coaching. A few of my athletes set new school records. I enjoy running the workouts with my distance runners. I love seeing the rapid growth in their abilities. It’s too bad they can’t do more miles with me.

I ran a race called the Starlight Overnight. It’s a fun run that starts just before dark and goes until 5am. It’s a 2+ mile loop. It had a good varied terrain with lots of single track horse trails. I started out quick. I figured I could get in 2 or 3 loops before it got dark. I ran for 3 hours, took a nap, then ran for 3 ½ more hours. It was fun to run a 50k in the dark with so many people on the loop. I could always see the next light to pass up ahead.

I’ve been running the monthly Cougar Mt. Trail Series. I choose to do the long series. So far I’m in the top 5. The last one was the 20 miler in which I took 1st Master (over 40). I love the way they get longer each month. There is 1 more race to go it’s the 26 miler in August.

I have 4 races in the next 2 months. These should really get me in shape. They are 50k, 50m, 26m, and then 100m. See you on the trails.

Trisha Steidl

Trisha Steidl

I have spent the majority of this year training for the Wonderland Trail. My mom passed away in late January and, even before her passing, my plan was to run it in her memory. She was a thoughtful, positive, strong woman. I intend to use that to motivate me through the tough times I’m sure to endure on such a long, hard journey as I know running 93 miles with 25,000’ of elevation gain (and loss) will be, especially since my longest run to date is 50 miles/8 hours.

Since this is a totally new adventure for me, I’ve focused my time on training rather than racing. I’ve made a point of heading out to areas I’ve never been before to get in good, tough training. Of course I’ve utilized the trails at Cougar, Squak, and Tiger. I’ve also run on the PCT and trails off of that on which I’ve never been (like Mt. Catherine) as well as the Teanaway area and even the Austrian Alps for some beautiful terrain at high altitude. It’s been a beautiful and tough journey doing this training. I look forward to doing something that’s, for me, incredible with the fitness and experience I’ve gained.

Hopefully everything will line up – trail conditions, weather, and the necessary support crew. If it doesn’t work out for this year, however, I have a Plan B, C, D, and E, and will certainly focus on making the WT happen for sure in 2017.

I’m extremely thankful for the Brooks gear I’ve received as a member of the SRC-Brooks team. I’ve put so many miles on my trusty Pure Grits! I can’t say enough how much my feet and body love those shoes. It’s incredible how long I can run in those and still feel good. My Adrenalines have been my go-to road shoe for training and my T7s have gotten me through all of my half-marathons and speed workouts (I can’t wait to try the new Hyperion!).

The shirts and shorts I’ve received are so comfortable that they are my #1 go-to for long runs. I’ve never experienced any chafing or really even noticed my clothing on all the long runs I’ve done (which is a good thing). A shout out specifically about the Distance Short Sleeve. That shirt is the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. I wore it the first time on a 6 hour run and it was awesome!

I have raced two half-marathons (Mercer Island Half, where I finished 4th, and the Mother’s Day Half, where I finished 3rd) and the Cougar Mountain 10+ Miler (where I finished 7th woman, 5th PNTF).

The Cougar race in particular helped me learn many things about what not to do leading up to a race. I will conclude with what I posted on Facebook:
Beginner Tips For Racing/Things I Learned Today/Things I Should Already Know
Don’t expect to race well if:
1. You ran three of your longest training days back-to-back-to-back the week before…especially when they’re at 8000-9000′ altitude AND
2. You travelled from another continent less than a week ago AND
3. You ran your first track workout in a few weeks, while dehydrated, a few days earlier AND
4. You haven’t slept normally for several days AND
5. You received tragic news the day before AND
6. You didn’t eat for 8 hours the day before AND
7. Your run the day before was a LOT slower than it felt and then your legs didn’t feel good afterwards AND
8. You’re running a race that’s 1/9th the distance you’re training for AND
9. Your legs feel like cement blocks on the warm up.
When all of these things happen (ideally before you get to #9), that would be a good time to realize that racing may not be the best idea or, at least, that it’s unlikely to go well.
This is likely unsurprising to everyone reading it, but apparently I like to learn things the hard way and I also happen to be very hopeful, despite hope not having proven itself to work yet.
On the positive side, I got to help a guy run a 5 minute PR today! That was 100% worth me taking my focus off myself and focusing on helping him. So cool to see how hard he worked, have it pay off, and celebrate with him afterwards!

Evan Williams

Evan Williams at Bridle Trails

This year, I’ve completed 6 races, worn out 4 pairs of shoes, led 23 group runs from Flying Lion Brewing, watched 7 movies, and called my Mom 10 times. Despite all of this, my mileage was defined by 240+, 5 mi work commutes. The game of balancing standard work hours and marathon-plus training has led to some interesting lessons and experiences – meetings with bosses while wearing 3” split shorts (forgot my pants), happy hour where I’m too smelly to sit near, happy hour preceding a 30 x 400m Wednesday Birthday Workout, eating half of the office donut box myself, swapping ultra stories with a co-worker in the adjacent shower stall…

It has become a beautiful routine and something I rely on to keep my head on straight. My car is getting dusty.

Bridle Trails 50k Relay – As part of a stacked SRC lineup (Greg Crowther, Stefan Redfield, myself, Olin Berger, Ethan Linck, and Keith Laverty), we took down the Klick’s Racing CR at our own Winter Running Festival in January by 8 minutes. Mach Spikeless Flats are a dream at high speeds.

Chuckanut 50k – 3:59:32! Snuck in there under 4 hours. That’s 9 minutes faster than last year.

Boston Marathon – 2:38:23. Big PR in tough race conditions. Smart race plan execution put me in at 99th Male.

Bend Beer Chase Relay – Another 6-person SRC relay victory (Team Sack Lunch), dethroning the previously undefeated Sole Brothers with an across the board domination in speed, flair, and beer consumed. We brought sack lunches for all the other teams too. Lunch! Lunch! Lunch! Thanks Captain Olin Berger.

Washington Beer Festival 5k – Victory. There was no way I was going to get beat in this race. My brother had just won Best Stout, Third Best Pale, and tied for Brewery of the Year the night before for Flying Lion Brewing. SRC! FLB! SRC! FLB! Again, in Mach Spikeless Brooks kicks. Zoom.

Cougar 10.8 mi PNTF Trail Championships – The week of the race, I heard the top entrants were all Club Northwest members to this SRC-managed event. A last-second plan change meant I could race. Uli Steidl and Eric Bone also signed up (SRC) and we came away with a clean sweep: 1 (Uli), 2 (me), 3 (Eric).

Sophia Liu

Sophia Liu winning the Brooks Trailhead 15k

Start of the year 2016, I had three goals: 1) Stay healthy and injury free 2) Drop my marathon time under 2:50 3) Train and race well for White River 50 mile. I am healthy with a few injuries but no major issues, which are reflected in my racing relatively frequent and well.

Open the season with Bridle Trails 10 mile female course record and the win; The Rain Run half marathon female champion; Fragrance Lake trail half marathon 3rd place; Chuckanut 50K 7th female (4:35); BMO Vancouver Marathon female 7th place, although 3:02 was not the result I was looking for. After Vancouver, I gave myself 3 days to regroup then get back at it. I run couple of shorter races before another targeted marathon in Seattle, which included Big Back Yard 5k female winner (18:46), the Shore Run 10k female winner (38:54), Mother’s Day half marathon 2nd female (1:24), Brooks Trailhead 15k female winner (58:37). Six weeks after Vancouver marathon, I ran 2:51, a 3 minute PR, and brought home the female championship in 2016 Seattle RnR Marathon. It is not the goal time yet but one step forward.

Without any break, the coming race for me is White River 50 mile. The preparation has not been smooth, I twisted ankle on the 1st course preview run and strained quads later that week. Although I managed 3rd female finish in Cougar 10-mile race one week after injury, on the same weekend the 2nd white river course preview run did not go well. I was really tired, doubted my ability, and experienced some very low points during that run.

Currently, I am cutting down the mileage 3 weeks before the final test and hopefully feel fresh and ready to battle with the tough female field. White River is a classic PNW Trail race hosted by our club, so I really want to represent our club well, but in the mean time there are a lot I need to learn and improve on the trails.

Keith Laverty

Keith Laverty at the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile

The first half of 2016 has been a blast to be representing SRC-Brooks. One of my goals this year has been to find more competitive races on a national scale (Lake Sonoma, Broken Arrow) and races that were outside my comfort zone and “unlike” of me to enter (Moab Red Hot, Broken Arrow).

Bridle Trails has now become a favorite race of mine to kick off the new year. The 2016 edition was forecasted with icy cold, hard, compacted dirt – prime for any CR’s to go down. For the 2nd time in four years, I had broken the previous 5-mile CR only to get outkicked in the end.

Orcas Island 25K was one I’ll never forget. With winter temps and snowing at the top of Mt. Constitution, I tried to get it all over with as fast as possible to get warm again. This turned out to be the new CR on the updated 25K course (since 2012).

Both Moab Red Hot and Broken Arrow Skyrace 26K were “trail” races of an entire different breed, as I liked to call them: adventure running. Both had national-class competition, courses that sent nearly everyone off-course and lost, and some tough terrain ranging from slab rock, snow fields to glacade, ridiculous climbs, and that thick, red clay mud.

Lake Sonoma was this year’s big, big “A” race. My debut 50-miler in probably the second-most competitive 50-miler in the country, boasting 10,500’ of gain over unrelenting rolling hills. To keep myself from freaking out about how my body would respond after the 35-mile mark, I told myself to stay patient, and to eat a lot. And it seemed to work! Besides going out a touch too fast (which felt like I was really holding back) to the 1st aid station, I executed my overall plan pretty successfully as far as nutrition and pacing. Although the last 10 miles certainly had more power-hiking than the first 10 miles! This was by far, one of the most memorable and learning experiences in my racing career.

One week later, I ran and won the OAT (Olympic Adventure Trail) 12k in course-record fashion in Port Angeles, WA. I was just as nervous for this race as I was for LS50. Would my legs recover in time? Yes, but barely.

Sun Mountain and Trail Factor also went well this year, with only six days rest in between. These courses featured very fast trail, that seemed incredibly easy, after experiences like Moab Red Hot. Both races, I tested out the “go out fast, then run scared” race tactic, and both worked like a charm!

Thank you to my wife, Elisa, for her incredible support at each and every race and making sure I stay strong!

Shoes worn throughout racing and training:
Launch 3 – This has been a great, lightweight trainer. Suited perfectly for the runnable trails of Lake Sonoma and city long runs.
PureGrit 4 – Light and fast!
Ravenna 7 – My staple trainer for training runs and when I need that little extra support.

Race results:
2nd, Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 5M (27:43)
1st, Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass (2:07:35)
1st, Orcas Island 25K (2:11:12)
6th, Moab’s Red Hot 33K (2:20:18)
1st, Hillbilly Half Marathon (1:30:38)
11th, Lake Sonoma 50M (7:13:23)
1st, OAT Run 12K (43:46)
1st, Sun Mountain 25K (1:38:47)
1st, Trail Factor Half Marathon (1:28:11)
14th, The Broken Arrow Vertical Kilometer (48:04)
9th, The Broken Arrow Skyrace 26K (2:42:50)

Stefan Redfield

Stefan Redfield at the Willamette Invite Alumni Mile

1/9/2016 – Bridle Trails Relay Member – Team 1st overall with Course Record
2/14/2015 – UW Open 3k – 8:42 – 34th overall
3/20/2016 – Mercer Island Half – 1:12:24 – 2nd overall
3/26/2016 – Willamette Invite Alumni Mile – 4:28 – 1st overall
4/16/2016 – Fun with the Fuzz 5k – 15:24 – 2nd overall
4/24/2016 – Top Pot 5k – 15:35 – 4th overall
5/2/2015 – Cinco de Mayo Half – 1:12:41 – 1st overall
6/1/2016 – CNW Summer All Comers Meet 5k – 15:13 – 4th overall
6/4/2016 – Bend Beer Chase Relay Member – 1st overall
6/11/2016 – Cougar Mtn Series 8 mile – 54:15 – 2nd overall
6/29/2016 – CNW Summer All Comers Meet 5k – 15:07 – 2nd overall

Steph Grimm

Steph Grimm at Redmond Spring Run for Fun

My first race of 2016 was the Bridle Trails 5-Miler. The trails were in perfect condition and despite never having control of my breath, I was first female and tenth overall with a time that tied the course record (Note: Sophia beasted out through the 5-mile right ahead of me…and then ran five more miles to win the 10 Mile race.).

A little over a month later, I took on the Lord Hill 5-Mile and- hot damn!- was it a hill. This race was where I learned my first lesson about trail racing. I remember looking at the course record for women and scoffing. Of course I would take that down! I was actually proud of this race; despite having to walk a portion of the hill, I felt like I really raced the whole five miles. So imagine my surprise when I ran 42:41, or 8:32 pace. Never in my life have I raced anything slower than 6:40 pace, but I knew I had given my max effort out on the trails. That was when I realized trail running is a whole ‘nother beast. I was still 2-for-2 in 2016 on the gender wins, so I was happy on that front!

In March, I ran the Redmond Spring Run for Fun and won the 5-Mile overall, a first for me! This was not a great race. I felt flat and was way more excited for SRC member, Kate Impastato’s win in the half marathon! The streak continued at 3-for-3. April brought about the first ever races held at Tiger Mountain and I was stoked to run the 5K. My fourth trail race made my biggest weakness evident. I suck at hills. I didn’t always suck at hills. In fact, I used to be awesome. Then I got a nice stress fracture in my left femur, my glutes stopped activating properly (or at all, basically) and my hamstrings and other muscles and fascia that have no business providing certain functions have been compensating ever since. I have been seeing Dr. Nate at Elite Sports & Spine to work on my functional movements and mobility and will be focusing on those things over the next few months. Annnnyway, I did end up with the W in the 5K, keeping my win streak.

THE END OF AN ERA: My lovely teammate, Alison, ended my domination of small trail races when she crushed me in the Cougar Mountain 5-Mile by two minutes after barely training at all! In an attempt to start stretching myself beyond my comfort zone of 800m-5M, I signed up for the short series, which ends at 14.5 miles. The longest long run I have ever done is 13 miles. Youch. A few weeks earlier, Boundary Bay Brewing GM, Janet Lightener, reached out to Trish and asked if she had any women who wanted to be a part of their legendary Ski to Sea team. I raised my hand and waved it around vigorously! So on Memorial Day weekend, I took the timing chip from our downhill ski leg and ran 8.2 miles down Mt. Baker. Our women’s team was not only victorious, but finished in the top ten overall out of 300+ teams. If you’re a masochist, you can read all about my pain here.

After Ski to Sea, I could tell my body was revolting and needed a break. After finishing third female in the second of the Cougar Mountain short series races (8.2) to Jo and Alison, I said goodbye to running for two weeks. I didn’t miss it all. This is okay to say, people. Sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you’re Uli and you haven’t taken two weeks off since 1999. I am just now coming back after running the third of the Cougar series (10.8), which was double the longest run, time-wise, I had done since the last race. My main struggle in 2016 was my complete lack of goals. I thought that was a good thing at first, “Oh, I’ll just really enjoy running and get better at running trails.” Ha! I would never let an athlete count that as a goal. My lack of goals led to unfocused training and ancillary strength training that was not nearly progressive enough.

For the next five months, my focus is on training for the cross country season and increasing my functional strength and mobility. I will finish out the Cougar Mountain short series next month and will turn my focus toward the 6K. I’d like to take on a road 10K before XC starts because, well, I have never done one. GASP! Long term, I am super excited about the honeymoon Thorin and I are planning…in ICELAND!! We are going to run/compete in Run Iceland, a 5-stage 110K race across the country. Run Happy, y’all.

Ellen Lavoie

Ellen Lavoie
Training:

Typically I run 4-6 days per week in varying distances. For the first 5 months of this year I was doing back to back long runs on the weekends but am currently doing a long 20-25 mile run on a weekend day followed by shorter distances varying from 3-10 miles on 4-5 other days. It seems to work better logistically than two long runs on the weekends. My long runs can be anywhere from a flat rail trail to hilly technical mountain terrain, and I generally avoid hard surface roads. In March I started hosting a casual Thursday night group trail run for interested SRC members and the general public. Usually they are held at Ravenna Park but Magnusson and the Arboretum have been scheduled also. Cross training for me includes hiking (usually integrated with running), strength and conditioning type work at a local gym, and hot-styled yoga. I spend almost every other weekend and many summer Tuesday nights volunteering (and very often racing also) at various races, mostly for North West Trail Runs. I’ve volunteered at a variety of SRC races and sponsored Cougar trail maintenance days. I am currently exclusively training in Brooks PureGrit runners whether it be on single track trails, packed dirt, or pavement. I find them the finest comfort and fit I’ve come across in ages. Other training attire: I’m loving the fit, comfort, and ruggedness of the provided Brooks singlet and running shorts. Comfort and durability is key when training and racing are so much an important part of life as with me!

Highlighted races:
As I am gearing towards distances longer than just an average “ultra”, my year started out with a successful 24 hour run at Across the Years in Phoenix (Aravaipa Running), starting the morning of Dec 31 and ending January 1 with a final tally of 71.4 miles and 42nd out of 162 overall. This training run for a 100 miler was a highlight for me for it far exceeded any distance or time on feet I’d accomplished so far. In April I attempted my first 100 mile run at Zion 100 (Ultra Adventures) in Utah in record rainy conditions but failed to make an aid station cut off coming close to the half way mark. I learned a lot from that race and decided to immediately sign up for another 100 – Pigtails 100 (NW Endurance Events)in Renton, WA in May. Pigtails was successful in that I accomplished the elusive 100 mile distance in 31:53 with eight minutes to spare! Coming in as a last finisher was not only humbling but strangely satisfying as there were many DNFs. Having pulled up nearly unscathed, not much a break could be had to prepare for a 24 hour race in the Hamster Endurance Runs in Bellingham in August. All the long distance races this year will lead up to a solo run on the entire John Wayne Trail that spans from Tekoe, WA west to N. Bend, WA that I will be doing in September with a support crew. The run will be not only for personal satisfaction but also in honor of two charities: Friends of the John Wayne Trail in WA and Sober Sisters, in NH (https://www.facebook.com/elgranola32/).

I generally use races of less than ½ marathon as “speed training” as speed is often a difficult feat for long distance runners (I am not exception to this). The following is some shorter distances races so far this year: Carkeek 5 km (NWTR): 7/12, 29:27 (PB at Carkeek), 24, 68 overall; Taylor Mt marathon (Evergreen Trail Runs): 6/25 5:52, 36/50 overall; Ravenna 4 km (NWTR): 6/7, 23:22 13/35 overall; Wilburton 4 km (NWTR): 5/24, 22:47; Coal Miner 5 km (NWTR): 5/7, 28:29 3rd overall and 2nd female; Redmond Watershed ½ mara (NWTR): 3/6, 2:19 (PB), 53/103 overall; Frost Eagle Soaring Eagle Park 5 mi (NWTR): 2/6 49:17, 49/178 overall. Completion of the winter trail series that secured me the 3rd place female masters win; Interlaken Icicle 5 km (NWTR): 1/23, 34:02 44/186 overall.

Olin Berger

Olin at the Bend Beer Chase

The year started off well with a great team relay victory at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival. Not only did our team (comprised mainly of SRC-Brooks Team members) win the race, but we also set a new course record.

I followed up that win with another victory in January, this time a solo effort in the Capitol Peak Fat Ass 50k. Definitely no CRs were set during this muddy slog, but it was good training for later distance races to come.

My next race was the Chuckanut 50k in which I hoped to redeem myself for a late stage blow-up last year. I did not reach my goal of breaking four hours, but was only five minutes off and did manage to snag 9th in a pretty competitive field.

I made up for my disappointment at Chuckanut with a win at Rainshadow Running’s Sun Mountain 100k (my first race of that distance). I also set a course record for this race, but this year being the race’s first, that achievement was somewhat dampened.

Undampened was the thrill of winning this year’s Bend Beer Chase relay put on by Cascade Relays. Again, this team was comprised mainly of SRC-Brooks Team members and we were able to handily secure victory over the local team that had beaten us last year.

Upcoming, I have my two biggest races of the year, the White River 50 Mile and the Cascade Crest 100, my first 100-mile race!

Martin Criminale

Martin Criminale

My year started out with a big break from running. After some surgeries and a persistent injury, I was forced to take an extended break. Never have six weeks felt so long…

By the end of those six weeks the pain from the injury was gone and all my care providers told me it was okay to solely reintroduce running. So I did. Very tentatively. Six more weeks later I got off the treadmill and went for my first outdoor run; with no pain. Three weeks later I went for my first trial run; with no pain. And the last four weekends have been a succession of amazing trail runs, each one longer than the last, all with no pain!

Am I healthy? I’m still not sure. But man is it great to be running again without my body complaining.

My takeaway is that sometimes you need to really rest and not just fake it. And faking it is what I used to do.

It was incredibly frustrating watching races that I had registered for come and go but these last three weeks have been a total turnaround for me and a huge boost I moral. In fact, I am about to leave for Switzerland and go all in at the Eiger Ultra Trail 100k. I’m psyched! And as long as my body doesn’t break down I don’t care about pace. My goal is to finish with a smile. If I can I will consider myself “back” and ready to really train.

Matt Hong

Matt Hong at the Boston Marathon, we think

Knowing I would have a new baby joining the family in July I front loaded my race schedule this year. It has been an exciting six months of running, with a good combination of adventure runs, trail races, and road races.

Adventure run highlights included running to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back, Exploring the red rocks in Snow Canyon State Park in Utah, Summiting peaks in the Olympic National Park and Stuart Peak in Montana.

In addition, I was able to do some international running adventures. In England I ran to a prehistoric stone circle in Ilkley Moor. I also loved the fantastic network of trails in the Rhine Gorge in Germany – a particular treat was running up the Lorelei Rock.

My go to shoe for adventure racing this year was the Cascadia 11. It has enough protection and support to go long and handles all kinds of terrain. I loved this shoe when running through the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon.

My road racing was mostly focused on the build up for my major race goal of 2016 – completing my first 100 Mile race. As part of a 30 mile training run I ran the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon. During my recovery from my first 100 I ran the Boston Marathon with an Ultra twist. I started alone at the finish line four hours before the official start time and ran up to the starting line. I reached the start in time to begin the race with the rest of the entrants and then ran to the finish following the normal course. My Launch 3s served me well through the entire 52.4 miles.

Trail races were the focus for the first half of the year. I took 5th place at the Bridle Trails 10M in January. In February I took 3rd place at the Frost Eagle Half. At the end of March I raced in the Badger Mountain 100M challenge. This was the main focus for the year and much of my training was focused on strength and ultra distances. I finished in 2nd place in 20 hours and 45 minutes for my 100M debut. It was an experience I will never forget – truly transformative. My Brooks gear was especially important when the distances got extreme and the margins for error small. With varying weather, it was important to have just the right layers and between the Brooks Sherpa shorts and the LSD jacket I was always comfortable. I wore my Cascadia 11s for the first 50M and the Pure Grit 4 for the back half. Both pairs of shoes were just what I needed for that stage in the race.

In May I beat my PR on the Cougar Mountain 10M course by 2.5 minutes – although my time last year was enough to win the race last year and this year the PR only earned me 6th place. As these amazing races grow in popularity the level of competition has risen.

In June I ran the Cougar Mountain 14M and took 6th place. Another great day on the Cougar trails as part of this epic Summer series. For both of the Cougar races I ran in the Pure Grit 4. I love this shoe for going fast on trails – the footing is great and I feel like I’m flying with them on.

Ethan Linck

Ethan Linck at the Yakima Skyline 25k

In the usual arc of my athletic year, I started 2016 with a focus on backcountry skiing and shorter distance trail and road races, slowly building volume and distance to the present. After helping SRC-Brooks cinch the Bridle Trails 50K Relay in course-record fashion, I grabbed 1st at the Geoduck Gallop Half Marathon in Olympia in 1:14, which — given it was my first attempt at the racing the distance — was necessarily a PR. I then focused on logging long hours on skis to prepare for the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse, a classic 40-mile backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen in Colorado on March 26th. I had a bit of a rough race, and my partner and I finished 23rd in 8:53, but it was a beautiful, memorable experience. Back in Seattle, I hit my first two exclusively-running 70 mile weeks of the year, always a benchmark that I’m getting serious about training, and ran the always-hot Yakima Skyline 25K to finish 2nd in 2:21.

During a 6-week stint doing research in San Francisco (I’m a Ph.D. candidate at UW, studying evolutionary biology), I held decent volume, capping my time in the Bay with 1st place at the San Bruno Mountain 1/2 Marathon (1:31, a young CR) and 1st place Rodeo Valley 50K (4:27, definitely not a CR). Continuing my itinerant summer, I moved on to Colorado, where my girlfriend lives and where I’ll be working and training until September. Last week, I managed to grab 6th in the Gothic to Crested Butte 1/3rd Marathon in :53, in spite of relatively limited acclimation to running above 9000’. Now, my focus is on logging higher mileage in the mountains in anticipation of the Leadville Trail 100 in August, which I earned an entry to winning the Leadville Silver Rush 50 back in 2014. Other than a few niggles now and then, I’m healthy and feeling and fit, and will be running a few shorter distance mountain races in preparation for game day. Stats as of 1 July, 2016? 1511.4 miles covered, climbing 226,049 vertical feet in the process.

Stone Cold Stephen Walston

Stone Cold

“Each of his workouts were attended by ten thousand or more spectators…”
-Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Earlier this spring I finally got around to reading Seabiscuit which, despite its equine hero, made its way onto my reading list for Endurance Athletes Who Have Already Read Born To Run™. It’s an inspirational underdog story that shows how the simple joy of running can carry an athlete beyond the expectations of others, and if you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend it. In his heyday Seabiscuit was the most famous personality in the country, athlete or not, and a household name on par with FDR. I imagine it must be surreal to have ten thousand spectators show up to watch you train, even if you are a horse.

At last count, only three spectators have appeared to witness my workouts, but they weren’t fans or journalists. I recently volunteered to participate in a study of running mechanics designed by the exercise physiologists Seattle University. After data collection and measurement of VO2 max on a treadmill I was outfitted with 3D motion sensors and followed around the Garfield High School track in an attempt to understand how the movement of our bodies changes as we get closer to maximum running effort. It’ll be interesting to see the final conclusions.

“We had to rebuild him, both mentally and physically, but you don’t have to rebuild the heart when it’s already there, big as all outdoors.”

2016 kicked off with a bang but promptly slowed to a crawl as a nagging ankle injury flared up during Chuckanut training. With the aid of rest, time, cross-training on the stationary bike and some custom orthotics, the issue has been fortunately quiet since then.

So I was pleasantly surprised when when my first run at Chuckanut ended with a PR for the 50k by about 7 minutes. Attending the course preview arranged by Eric Sach and race director Krissy Moehl definitely helped me plan my strategy – something I never really took seriously as a runner until recently.

Then in May I made it to the West Seattle 5k. This has been one of my favorite races in the city and was my first 5k in about 2 years, and I left with a new PR there as well.

The main event of 2016 will be White River, my first 50-miler and what I’m quickly learning will be a grueling course. Aside from a preview run there earlier in July I’ve really tried to hit the trails at Cougar and Tiger Mountain as much as I can to prepare, and I’ve also been experimenting with different hydration/nutrition strategies. With the relatively cold and wet conditions so far in the northwest this summer it’s hard to predict exactly what I’m going to need. Through all of this I’ve been extremely impressed with the Brooks PureGrit 4 which were with me at Chuckanut and I plan on using at White River as well.

With White River closing in I try not to let nerves get the best of me, however. This past weekend I biked the Burke-Gilman trail to Woodinville, WA and visited some of the local wineries for tastings. Sometimes “cross-training” has to get a little creative, I guess. I was sure to represent SRC all along the way.

But today it’s back to work, and back to training. I think in the end, no matter what I do, a lot of it is going to come down to a heart, with any luck, as big as all outdoors.

Categories
Club News Featured Race Reports

2015 #SRCBrooks Fall Updates

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

Arthur Martineau

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

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

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

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

Trisha Steidl

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

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

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

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

Evan Williams

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

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

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

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

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

Claire Giuliano

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

Keith Laverty

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

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

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

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

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

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

Katie Bates

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

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

Rachel Johnson

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

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

Olin Berger

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

Martin Criminale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lance Thompson

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derek Reiff

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

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

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

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

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

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

Destry Johnson

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

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

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

Categories
Club News Featured Race Reports

2015 #SRCBrooks Summer Updates

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

Matt Hong

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

Eric Bone

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

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

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

Lance Thompson

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

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

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

Trisha Steidl

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keith Laverty

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

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

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

Martin Criminale

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

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

Derek Reiff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brooks converts this year: ~5

Will have more on my blog later on.

Destry Johnson

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evan Williams

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

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

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

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

Finally, my masters thesis is done!

Claire Giuliano

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

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

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

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

Katie Bates

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

Rachel Johnson

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

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

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

Olin Berger

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

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

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

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

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

Arthur Martineau

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

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

Categories
Featured Media Race Reports

#SackLunch at the 2015 Bend Beer Chase

Welcoming Committee
The 2015 Bend Beer Chase. Seventy miles of Bend’s most beautiful high-trafficked roads, hopping from brewery to brewery in a magical land that, based on their lush green lawns and heavily-sprinklered sidewalks, seems not to think much of our region’s drought woes.

#SackLunch Team Start
Olin Berger (left) proposed this race awhile back and I jumped on board once I got the scheduling worked out. Derek Reiff (good beard) is always up for a good run. Brett Walton (Cochese glasses) is somewhat “choosy” when it comes to racing and didn’t want to run but said he’d drive us around, and Evan Williams was too busy planning on setting his 3rd PR in a month back in Seattle. This left the three of us to complete the 12 leg relay race, each running four legs and finishing with anywhere from 21-24 miles apiece. Not ideal (most teams had six members running two legs each) but eh, whaddya gonna do.

#SackLunch, Prerace
The team name was another matter and I don’t remember any of the story behind it, other than we’re all huge Seinfeld (read:Elaine) fans and I think Olin really wanted to get bags from Fred Meyer and make a huge “sack” for us to appear in at check points, the start+finish lines, the after party, the AirB&B driveway, and other general public areas of interest in beautiful Bend, OR.

#SackLunch Sandwich Prep
The evening before the race we stopped in Redmond and Derek finally found the $1.29 baloney needed to complete our lunch supplies for the rest of the field. We would make a bunch of brown bag lunches with actual “edible” lunch items (baloney sandwich and snack pack) and offer them our to opponents in an attempt to pysche them out bribe their friendship. The woman checker at the Grocery Outlet was named Capriola and another was named Baylea, and in case either of you are reading this, Derek is single and easy to get ahold of. We promise he did not consume (much of) the baloney you saw him purchase. Just before we entered the store, we found out Evan ran a 15:46 5k and completed his PR trifecta! Motivation levels +3!

Derek Reiff Start
The goal was to hit last year’s winning time and if last year’s winning team showed up, let’s race! Derek’s stated plan was to go with the leader for the “first few miles” of his 6.47 mile leg and see what happens.
“What if he goes out at five minute pace?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

(He went out at five minute pace.)

#SackLunch First Handoff
Handoff of the day was, not surprisingly, the very first one between Derek and Olin, when we were only two minutes down on the lead and the future still looked bright with promise. Olin took off for his 9 mile leg on the hunt at what appeared to be ~4:15 pace. It was also here that I started to worry about the heat, considering it was 9am, I hadn’t run one mile yet, and I was already moaning to Brett about how tired I was and could I just go sit in the shade over there?

[Ayn Rand Quote]
Highlight(s) of the day was whenever when you were done running your leg and sitting comfortably in the cool car while driving to the next checkpoint, seeing your running teammate suffering along the stretch of busy street, and hooting/hollering for him as you passed, oftentimes while holding out a brown sack of lunch and quoting Ayn Rand. Lowlights of the day would be when you yourself were the guy running on the road while your team drove by and away, them holding out sacks and yelling at you to “Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil! That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter!”

#SackLunch, Team
It was mildly amusing that our fittest-looking guy, 73 inches tall in his skin tight Adidas tank top and the shortest shorts seen in Bend all year, was actually our driver who ran zero miles. While his shorter, balder, back hairier cousin with the elephant legs ran 21.

Elephant Man
Unfortunately the majority of the race scenery looked like this. You were advised to admire the majestic Three Sisters mountain peaks, which proved difficult when you were mostly concerned with not getting hit by the oncoming Ford Excursion on the busy freeway.

Joe First Handoff to Derek

Joe First Handoff to Derek
As a team we took pride in at least *attempting* to use the snap bracelet “batons” as god intended them. This worked well and impressed the women initially at the exchanges, but as heat stroke gradually set in, we got sloppy and form broke, snap bracelets falling to the ground like tears from a frustrated child.

Joe & Olin Trade Off
Personally, my hardest leg on paper was my 2nd one (6th in the overall race), a 6.6 jaunt up highway 126 which featured up close & personal views of the many large trucks Oregonians like to drive at high rates of speed. This was probably also the high-water mark for our team on the day, as Olin ripped it and got us back to around 7 minutes off the lead. Fired up, I ran way too fast considering I would only be halfway done upon finishing the leg, and for my efforts we fell 15 seconds further behind. :\

Brett Brings Derek In
Derek's Brush With Death
Derek's Brush With Death
Derek Reiff, shown here completing his 4th and final handoff, showed tremendous courage in running himself nearly to death so that we could ultimately finish 36 minutes behind first place instead of 38. As of this writing, Derek has not run one step since this photo was taken. Worth it!

After that depressing series of photos, here’s a little extra special NSFW shot for the Derek fans, from earlier in the day when things were only just beginning to descend into hell. If the kids have been put to bed, click the image for the full UNCENSORED action! ;p
Not Our Fault If You Get Fired!

Rollin' Olin
Olin was our MVP and rock for the day. While Derek and I suffered/wilted in the heat and elevation, Olin showed a capacity to just put his head down and suffer. To this day I still do not understand how he held a 6:37 pace for his final 3pm, 6.9 mi leg. I should say that for most of the race, this was the scenery. On the shoulder of a busy road, completely exposed to the worst life has to offer.

Finish Lining

Finish Lining
Bend proved to have that lovely southern hospitality during my final 100m kick, during which a couple bros outside a bar heckled me for reasons unknown to me until I saw these finish-line pictures.

Welcoming Committee
The team that suffers together, appears to also shower together…? 2nd place in 7:26. Thirty six minutes behind the lead team, who were annoyingly 13 minutes faster than the year before.

Brett Hydrating
Brett drove us all over Bend that day, took the photo of the day (Derek/Olin handoff) paced a couple of us late in the race when life was its most dire, and was for the most part not very annoying. He doesn’t like beer though, so the least I could do for him at the after party was agree to get him a sample cup of Kombucha and then make a big deal about it.

Where's Rafe
Nice Light
Olin Holding Our Remaining Sacks
Olin was sad we didn’t win any team-themed awards during the afterparty, and that Derek’s beard not only did not win, but finished behind a guy whose “beard” wasn’t even a real beard. He medicated this sadness by standing in many beer lines and handing out our remaining sack lunches to whomever seemed most inspired and ready to party. A couple witty one-liners later and Sack Lunch are suddenly BFFs with the all-female Hot Messes team.

Derek Snaps Into a Generic Brand Slim Jim
Derek spent most of the post-race festivities throwing up in our host house’s lawn and remaining seated and stoic during the afterparty. He bought a meat stick and actually ate it on the drive back to Seattle the next day, which I thought would raise his moods but didn’t really. Sunday night he stated he has lost those last pesky 6 lbs.

Hot Tub Refueling
You can’t go to 87 degree Bend and not hot tub it up! Last order of business was achieved after a Sunday morning shakeout run with Brett and Olin. I decided blue was the best otter pop flavor.

It’s been real, Bend. Real hot. Next year we’re bringing six, and one of them has bigger calves than Max King.

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2015 #SRCBrooks Quarterly Report

2015 SRCBrooks Report

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

Derek Reiff

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

My year started with a long vacation in Europe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derek at Chuckanut50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama

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

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

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

Evan Williams

Read Evan’s Multi-faceted Spring Report

Rachel Johnson

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

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

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

Claire Giuliano

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

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

There will be much more to share after May!

Caroline Austin

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

Happy Running!

Katie Bates

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

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

Olin Berger

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

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

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

Arthur Martineau

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

Trisha Steidl

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

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

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

Trisha at Gorge 50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama

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

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

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

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

Destry Johnson

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

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

Eric Bone

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Hong

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

Lance Thompson

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

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

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

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

Martin Criminale

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

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

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

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

I followed Bridle Trails with a snow race and my first time running almost an entire event in the snow. Hard! But also a really cool (literally and figuratively) experience. And I got second in my age group.
Here are some pictures.
P1010780
DSC_4412

I wore my Brooks Cascadia 10 shoes for this race and they were fine but it probably didn’t much matter what you wore… 🙂

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

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

On the flats and climbs my fitness was my limiter but on the descents i was able to pass lots of people and this along with the fact that I didn’t slow down at the end meant I still won my age division.
Here are some pictures:
IMG_0952-X3
P1010810

After Orcas my injury flared up again and I had to take some time off. Just as I was coming back a second time I was halted by a hernia and had to withdraw from both the Chuckanut 50k and the Yakima Skyline Rim 50k.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/03/laparoscopic-inguinal-hernia-surgery.html

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

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

Keith Laverty

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

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