4/20/2024

Race For The Parks 10K and 5K

Hudson, Ohio

10K

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  53:46

Overall Place:  28th Place / 132

Division Place:  2nd Place / 13

Terri Bednar

Finish Time:  58:20

Overall Place:  43rd Place / 132

Division Place:  2nd Place / 8

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  1:07:11

Overall Place:  78th Place / 132

Division Place:  6th Place / 14

5K

Steve Zenar

Finish Time:  25:59

Overall Place:  21st Place / 210

Division Place:  3rd Place / 8

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  27:25

Overall Place:  33rd Place / 210

Division Place:  2nd Place / 7

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  41:01

Overall Place:  160th Place  / 210

Division Place:  13th Place / 14

Race Recap by Steve Zenar:

I had a nice run at Race for the Parks 5k & 10k this morning. It was a little chilly and a few wet spots on the course but a beautiful sunshiny day to run around the lake. I tried to take it a bit easier than last weeks 5K as I have been experiencing some shin pain but the leg seemed to hold up. I finished 3rd in my age group. This race is always a local favorite run for me and I must say I loved the swag this year.  Now to decide what the next race will be.

4/20/2024

Forget The PR 25K Trail Race

Loudonville, Ohio

Finish Time:  4:17:13

Overall Place:  17th Place

Division Place:  3rd Place

Race Recap By Josh Keane:

What an outstanding morning! Beautiful weather, beautiful challenging course and my longest run since October. Forget the PR did not disappoint. The 25k had a couple of bonus miles and I was thrilled to finish in 17th place overall. The almost 3,000 ft. Of elevation gain was brutal but the views more than made up for the pain!

4/20/2024

Madhatters Grand River Canoe And Kayak Race

Madison Township, Ohio

8.5 Mile Downriver Race

Scott Orlando

14′ And Shorter Kayak Class

Finish Time:  1:13:30

Overall Place:  4th Place / 118

Division Place:  1st Place / 24

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

The Madhatters Grand River Canoe And Kayak Race is an 8.5 mile downriver race open to canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards.  Racers compete in various classes based on type and size of boat.  The name of the race comes from the long standing tradition of participants wearing crazy and unusual hats while paddling.  Awards are presented to the paddlers with the best hats as well as the fastest overall paddlers, the fastest paddlers in each boat class, and for age groups in some of the larger boat class divisions.

I have competed in this race several times always using my Liquidlogic Intuit 13.5 kayak.  Because this  is an early spring race the weather for this race is typically less than ideal often being cold and raining.   This year the temperatures were cold lingering in the low 40’s but no rain for once.  Instead we were challenged with extremely windy conditions with gusts as high as 40 mph.  If you know anything about paddle sports than you know wind and kayaks don’t mix well.   I would have gladly traded the rain of the past for the gusting winds of this year.

I got to the race what I thought was very early knowing that parking is limited and the race was once again sold out.  I was surprised at how many people had the same plan as I did.  I was lucky to find a parking space close to the kayak drop off area.  Racer’s boats are staged based on drop off time and 3 boats are launched every minute in a staggered start until every boat is launched.  I try to be one of the the first groups launched and was lucky enough to be up towards the beginning.

My start was a little slow and deliberate as I entered my kayak and secured my spray skirt.  I always prefer to take a few extra seconds to make sure I am set up before heading down the river.  I think in the long run it really helps.  6 members of what appeared to be Coast Guard assisted with launching boats into the water which was nice.  They steadied the boats, pushed them off the bank and even held your paddles for you.   Once all tucked in I was headed down the river.  Being this was the first time I was in a kayak this year I didn’t know exactly how I would feel.  I was counting on my endurance to carry me where my lack of practice in a kayak was limited.  I had been training inside on a row machine so I was hoping that would help.   The first half mile my heart rate jumped up fast, but after about 20 minutes I settled down into a consistent steady cadence and felt better.

Right away I knew it was going to be a tough day on the river.  Immediately the strong wind gusts were pounding on my kayak pushing it in every direction.  Even though there was a decent river flow and the water was at a good level the wind was punishing.  I was constantly dropping my head down to keep my hat from blowing off.  The wind was also so strong it was pushing my paddle back into my body as I tried to extend it on my catch which is the phase of the stroke when the paddle enters the water.  This was some of the toughest paddling I have ever experienced because of the constant battle with the wind.

About a mile into the race I saw a few people on the bank of the river.  One appeared to be a safety spotter while the other was a woman walking downriver.  I thought she was with the safety spotter until I made the turn around the bend and saw her kayak upside down in the middle of the river caught up in some rapids.   Rule one of the river is you help anyone is distress.  Luckily everyone was safe and by the time I approached the kayak a couple of other participants had already secured the kayak so I was able to proceed without stopping.

The wind continued to howl and push my kayak around.  I was very conservative the first half of the race.  The second half of the race I was feeling more confident and started pushing harder.  There was a strong kayaker ahead of me who started in an earlier heat that seemed to be reading the river well and choosing good lines staying in the deeper faster water so I was able to key in on his line which made it easier for me to navigate.   I typically really enjoy the scenery of the cliffs high above on either side of the river and often spot bald eagles and waterfalls but this year I was more focused on trying to keep my kayak pointed straight and get to the finish.

The last big turn of the course was the worst.  The river opened up creating a wide swirling mix of water with headwinds that made the kayak feel like someone put on the breaks.  Once past that section it was one more turn and then to the bank of the river for the finish.  Once again the very helpful Coast Guard crew was there to assist paddlers out of their boats.  I had 2 of them steadying my kayak and 1 on either side helping me to stand up out of it.  That was a real luxury for kayak racing.  I lost a few seconds trying to unsnap my spray skirt, but once out I sprinted the 25 yards to cross the timing mat and rung the bell to officially end my race.

After the race I immediately headed to the awaiting shuttle to return back to the start to pick up my car and change into warm dry clothes.  Once I changed it was back to the finish area to pick up my kayak and wait for results.  Parking is very limited at the finisher area and I was fortunate to find a spot.   Because there is a staggered start results are not finalized until the last participant is off of the river.  After a long wait the race director announced that the website the timing company was using crashed and awards would not be presented.  This was probably a good decision to wait until all of the results could be updated and finalized.   They announced awards could be picked up later or they would be mailed.  Race participants received custom finisher medals and t-shirts.  Once the results where posted I found out I finished in a time of 1:13:30 which was 8 minutes faster than last year.  Finish times at this race are highly dependent on the river flow rate, water depth, and weather so it is a little difficult to compare results from one year to another.  I placed 4th overall out of 118 in my kayak class and 1st out of 24 in my age division.  The race was very well organized as usual by Lake Metroparks.   It was fun catching up and seeing so many kayaking friends that I often race against.

4/15/2024

The Boston Marathon

Boston, MA

Kristi Quesenberry Gunyula

Finish Time:  3:19:51

Overall Place:  6856th Place / 25546

Division Place:  156th Place / 1610

Brad Hain

Finish Time:  4:47:05

Overall Place:  21661st Place / 25546

4/14/2024

The Ohio State 4 Miler

Columbus, Ohio

Josh Keane

Finish Time:  40:56

Overall Place:  2508th Place / 8452

Division Place:  134th Place / 334

Lisa Keane was unable to compete due to an injury but she represented Team ER, cheered for Josh and took lots of great race pictures.

4/13/2024

Kent Black Squirrel 5K

Kent, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time: 22:38

Overall Place: 40th Place / 337

Division Place: 3rd Place / 11

Asad Khan

Finish Time:  23:45

Overall Place:  51st Place / 337

Division Place:  4th Place / 337

Steve Zenar

Finish Time:  24:45

Overall Place:  63rd Place / 337

Division Place:  3rd Place / 11

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  25:34

Overall Place:  74th Place / 337

Division Place:  6th Place / 11

Gretchen Snyder

Finish Time:  26:07

Overall Place:  81st Place / 337

Division Place:  3rd Place / 21

Terri Bednar

Finish Time:  26:10

Overall Place:  83rd Place / 337

Division Place:  1st Place / 19

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  29:12

Overall Place:  129th Place / 337

Division Place:  4th Place / 21

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  30:18

Overall Place:  139th Place / 337

Division Place:  1st Place / 16

Christine Churpek provided course support and took pictures of all Team ER members.

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I was a windy morning in Kent, but still completed the Black Squirrel 5K!  Congratulations to all of the Team-ER members that were there and ran, and also to those that placed! I finished the race in 29:12 with a pace of 9:25 and took 4th in my age group.

Race Recap By Steve Zenar:

I had a great morning running the 2024 Black Squirrel 5K. As per previous years this was a well organized and enjoyable race with a wonderful awards ceremony (always love the warm bowl of chili after a cool run ). It was also wonderful seeing a sea of green Team ER shirts – Go Team-ER!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

It was a cold and windy morning for the annual Black Squirrel 5K in Kent, Ohio.  This year’s race was much larger than last year’s race field with almost 500 competitors pre registered.  Of those registered 337 crossed the finish line.  I think the cold temperatures and strong winds kept many of the pre registered racers from competing.

I have competed in this race several times over the years.  The race takes place at the Kent State Recreation And Wellness Center.  Pre race activities are all inside and the indoor track is a great place to warm up for the race.  The course is hilly!  It race starts at the Recreation And Wellness Center, loops around the campus, and then finishes back at the Recreation And Wellness Center.

My goal heading into the race was to finish in the top 3 in my age division.  I knew there was at least one very fast runner competing in my age division so it was likely I was competing for 2nd or 3rd place.  The race started and we were off towards the campus.  From the start I felt like I was working really hard.  It was very challenging running into the strong wind gusts.  At the first mile marker I was a bit discouraged that my watch was feeding me data saying that my first mile split was 8:02.  That is at least a minute off of my normal first mile spilt and I felt like I was working really hard.   The second mile featured some more nasty hills and once again I received a slow mile split of 8:17.  I felt like I was exerting a lot of energy and effort.  I was able to pass a runner that appeared to be close to my age group if not in it.  At that point I felt pretty confident that if I maintained my position in the race field I would be on the podium.  During the turns in the final mile I was able to look over my shoulder to determine if anyone was making a push from behind to challenge me.  Luckily no one was so I was able to maintain my pace and cruise into the finish.  My finish time was 22:38 placing me 3rd in my division and 40th overall.  My time was about 34 seconds slower than last year but understandable with the challenging running conditions.  Results have me averaging a 7:18 mile pace which is far faster than the 8:11 mile pace my watch calculated.  I think I may have started my watch early waiting for the gun start.  This would explain the slow mile splits.

Overall the race was once again very well organized.  The indoor post race celebration was very nice and included a buffet of bagels, fruit, granola bars and chili.  Race results were immediately posted which is always nice.  I love the mini race bibs that the timing company used.  Often race bibs are large and cumbersome.  The awards ceremony was well done although the sound system they always use makes it very difficult to hear.  It was great to see so many of my teammates and running friends receive medals.

I was a little bummed that the race organizers decided not to offer awards for the team competition divisions that they offered.  This was a little frustrating to me because I spent a fair amount of effort recruiting our team members to register for the race to be included in the team competition.  After the race I asked the director of about the team awards.  He said they cancelled those divisions due to lack of participation.  I went back and checked and there were only a few teams register for the male and female teams but the coed team division had 7 teams registered with a total of 49 individuals registered for the coed teams so I would have liked to have seen them at least present the coed team awards.

Race Swag included t-shirts and the mini race bibs.  The race advertises performance shirts for all runners registering before the shirt deadline but the shirts provided are actually just standard all cotton shirts.  This happened last year as well.  I made mention of this last year on the post race survey but nothing changed.  There is nothing wrong with offering standard cotton t-shirts but I don’t think they should promote performance shirts in the race descriptions.  I would recommend changing the race description information, or actually provide performance shirts.   Runners that missed the registration deadline to receive a shirt were given the opportunity to purchase a shirt after the race for $5.00.  I don’t understand the extra payment to purchase a shirt when the runners that registered late paid higher race registration fees.  I would prefer to see them give left over shirts for free to any registered runner that did not receive one.   I would also like to see them offer finisher medals for all participants.  They did provide finisher medals for all of the 1 mile fun run participants which was nice.  They do offer a lot of award divisions but with a larger race not everyone received a medal.  The race is a great event and I would recommend for anyone to consider running it next year.

4/7/2024

Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run For Home Half Marathon

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  2:26:54

Overall Place:  157th Place / 208

Division Place:  12th Place / 16

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I ran the 2024 Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run for Home Half Marathon this morning in New Philadelphia, Ohio and it was another beautiful day for a race! I definitely went a little slower today after the 10K yesterday, but completed the run! I finished with a time of 2:26:54 and pace of 11:13 and finished 12th of 16 in my age group, which is fine by me because my legs were wobbly the whole last mile! I received my bonus hoodie for completing the 10K and half marathon challenge this weekend and even received a voucher for the after party celebration this afternoon! Happy running everyone!

4/6/2024

MSK 5K Eclipse Edition

Kent, Ohio

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  N/A

Overall Place:  N/A

Division Place:  N/A

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  N/A

Overall Place:  N/A

Division Place:  N/A

Kevin Christensen

Finish Time:  N/A

Overall Place:  N/A

Division Place:  N/A

Renee Buckus

Finish Time:  N/A

Overall Place:  N/A

Division Place:  N/A

4/6/2024

Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run For Home 10K

New Philadelphia, Ohio

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  1:10:40

Overall Place:  46th Place / 82

Division Place:  3rd Place / 6

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I ran the 2024 Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run for Home 10k today in New Philadelphia, OH and it was a beautiful day for a run! My first race as a 40 year old lady and I can’t complain! I wasn’t feeling great this morning, but finished third in my age group and 46th female overall with a total race time of 1:01:40 and pace of 9:56 per mile. They had tons of goodies and gave key chains for age group awards which was neat! They also fed us pizza so the day overall was an epic win.

3/30/2024

Friends Of The Park Half Marathon and 10K

Coshocton, Ohio

Half Marathon

Josh Keane

Finish Time: 2:16:55

Overall Place:  55th Place / 65

Division Place:  11th Place / 12

10K

Kris Engstrom

Finish Time:  54:11

Overall Place:  9th Place / 47

Division Place:  1st Place / 5

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  1:01:47

Overall Place: 15th Place / 47

Division Place:  2nd Place/ 4

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the Friends of the Parks 10k this morning in Coshocton, Ohio! It was a cooler spring day and I was happy the rain stayed away until after the race was over! I finished the race at 1:01:47 with a pace of 9:57.  I was the 5th female overall finisher!  They didn’t do age groups, but if they did Team-ER would’ve have dominated! Great job to Kris Engstrom and Josh Keane who were out there running too! Loved seeing our members out there giving high-fives as we passed by each other!

This race definitely has some elevation changes, so be prepared for some hills! The volunteers and host were great with directions and giving some yummy snacks, great finishing medals, and great swag! The 10k was definitely a challenge so be prepared.

Race Recap By Kris Engstrom

I ran the Friends of the Parks 10k this morning in Coshocton, Ohio. The Weather Channel got it wrong and the rain held off. Team-ER members Josh Keane and Nancy Wardell ran great today. Josh ran the half carrying the American flag. I finished 9th overall and first in my age division.