10/11/2020

Towpath Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K

Valley View, Ohio

Marathon

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  3:33:23

Overall Place 6th Place

Division Place 1st Place

Christine qualified for the Boston Marathon!

Amy Stumpf

Finish Time:  3:37:17

Overall Place:  10th Place

Division Place:  2nd Overall Female Masters

Amy qualified for the Boston Marathon!

Half Marathon

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:40:34

Overall Place:  37th Place

Division Place:  5th Place

10K

Loretta Harland

Finish Time:  57:50

Overall Place:  20th Place

Division Place 1st Place

Race Review By Scott Orlando

This was my first time running the Towpath Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K Race in Valley View, Ohio.  In a time when most marathons are being cancelled the stars seemed to align perfectly for this race.  The COIVD safety protocols were approved to allow the race to happen, the weather was near perfect, and the runners were ready to take on the Towpath Trail.   As race time neared it dawned on me that I have only competed in two other half marathon events as a regular runner of the Akron Half Marathon and once at the Buckeye Half Marathon.  This got my nerves going a bit as I made my final race day preparations.  When I approached the start line my thought process was to run run an enjoyable pace and not worry about my finish time.   I was in the very last heat of half marathon runners so I was expecting the course to be fairly full.   The gun went off and I was well on my way.  I hit the first mile marker running at a 7:09 pace which felt fine at the time but I knew I didn’t want to try to maintain that pace the entire race.  The next few mile markers went by and I slowed down but not to my planned race pace.  I was feeling very strong and smooth.  I knew I could maintain the pace for 8 or maybe 10 miles but probably not 13.1 so I kept backing down the pace.  When I hit mile 10 I realized according to my GPS watch that I was surprisingly trending towards a personal record so I decided to go for it and rev up the pace.  Each mile of the last 3 was stronger than the next.  I knew to hit a personal record I had to be faster than a 7:40 mile pace.  My GPS watch was feeding me data that included my average pace which now had me approaching the finish at an average pace of 7:33 per mile.  I knew I had a chance so I increased speed again.  As my watch notified me that I was at 13 miles I quickly realized that the mileage was not accurate and in sink with the course markings and I had some work left to do.  When I finished my GPS had me at running 13.45 miles at a 7:29 average mile pace.  Of course the official standings and timing are what really counts and I finished the course in 1:40:34 just off of my pace for a personal record.  I felt strong the entire race and am very happy with my performance.   The race was well organized with plenty of hydration stations.  The course was mostly flat and fast with a few bridges to add some elevation changes.  The fall foliage and canals made for beautiful scenery and a wonderful run.   It was great to see other Team ER members Christine Churpek and Amy Stumpf out on the course doing so well and achieving Boston qualifying times.   Loretta Harland was out there on the 10K course winning her division but I never actually saw her.