7/4/2021
Raintree 5K
Uniontown, Ohio
Christine Churpek
Finish Time: 22:08
Overall Place: 3rd Place Overall Female /117
Scott Orlando
Finish Time: 22:32
Overall Place: 14th Place / 117
Division Place: 1st Place / 10
Kris Engstrom
Finish Time: 24:45
Overall Place: 29th Place / 117
Division Place: 4 / 14
Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford
Finish Time: 28:04
Overall Place: 58th Place / 117
Division Place: 5 / 14
Renee Buckus
Finish Time: 34:02
Overall Place: 85th Place / 117
Division Place: 9th Place / 16
Race Review By Scott Orlando
This was my second time competing in the Raintree 5K. The race is run mostly on the fairways and cart paths of the golf course which makes this race a very unique running experience. The course was changed this year and pretty much flipped in direction from last year. The new course added more elevation change particularly at the 2.5 mile mark with a nasty little hill. My goal was to run the course averaging just under a 7 minute mile pace. A half mile into the race I could tell I wasn’t feeling right. I was laboring hard and was surprised that my first half mile spilt was just a 7:20 pace. I knew right away I was going to struggle to meet my pace goal. I managed to pick up the pace some and finished the first mile at a 7:08 pace but well off of my goal pace. I felt tired and my legs felt slow and heavy. I am not sure if maybe I wasn’t fully recovered from the triathlon I competed in the week before or what was going on. My goal quickly shifted to maintaining my current pace and position with the hope to win my age division. I knew another runner in my division was just behind me so I couldn’t let down. 2 miles into the race Team ER member Christine Churpek passed me on a fairway heading off the golf course onto the road section of the course. She was having an excellent race. I was grinding and working hard to maintain my pace. The short steep hill at the 2.5 mile point slowed me down and it took a few minutes to recover but I was able to make a strong push to the finish. In the end I didn’t reach my pace goal but did win my age division. Christine Churpek finished as the 3rd overall female. Team ER members Kris Engstrom, Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford, and Renee Buckus all had great race results. Race awards included pies for age group winners and golf towels for 2nd and 3rd place winners. Race swag included super soft t-shirts, water bottles, Cliff Bars and Quest Bars. The race was very well organized by the City Of Green and made possible by the hard work of Josh Ritchie and Mickey Rzymek.
