Monthly Archives: July 2022

7/23/2022 Scott Orlando Blazing Paddles Kayak Race Cleveland, Ohio

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7/23/2022

Blazing Paddles Paddlefest

Cleveland, Ohio

6.8 Mile Kayak Race

Fast Sea Kayak Class

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:08:49

Overall Place:  9th Place

Division Place:  3rd Place In The Fast Sea Kayak Class

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

This was my second time participating in the Blazing Paddles Paddlefest.   The Paddlefest featured a 14.2 mile race, 6.8 mile race, 3.2 mile race, plus 3 and 5 mile races for paddleboards.   A recreational float was also offered for non competitive paddlers.   This year’s event sold out with 100 paddlers in the competitive races and over 500 in the recreational float.   I competed in the fast sea kayak class of the 6.8 mile race.   The new course configuration added a section heading North a half mile rounding a buoy then heading south back past the start line.  I was a little skeptical of the new course knowing that 500 recreational paddlers would be released on the river after the start of the competitive races.  Thy smartly held back the start of the recreational paddlers until the competitive racers rounded the buoy and passed the start point heading South.  This made for a huge crowd and a lot of energy as we crossed back past the start area.   The river was calm with few waves and there wasn’t much current.  It did rain off and on during the race but it was light and not a factor.   I wasn’t sure where I was in the in the positioning until we hit the South 4 mile turnaround buoy.  From there I could count the kayaks ahead of me that made the turn.  Several kayaks ahead of me continued on the 14.2 mile course which did not turn.   I realized I was in 3rd place in my class an in contention of getting on the podium.  This gave me some motivation and energy to push hard through the up river section to the finish.  I could see the 2nd place kayak in my division just ahead of me.   I was able to make up some ground but not enough to catch him and finished just 30 seconds behind with a finish time of 1:08:49 which put me 9th overall and 3rd in my class.   The event was well organized by Share The River and North Coast Multisports.   This was the largest paddle event I have ever attended.  I have never seen so many paddlers in the water at one time which was an amazing site.   The course was really fun passing so many downtown Cleveland Iconic landmarks including the Terminal Tower, the casino, Progressive Field, The Guardians on the bridge,  the historic fire fighting barge that helped put out the historic river fire that the race is named after, and of course the spot of the river fire.  The fire fighting barge had all of its water cannons blasting creating an arch that we paddled under which was pretty awesome.   All participants received nice t-shirts and a sticker.  Winners received race themed hats and a print of the downtown river area.   It was great to see so many of my kayak friends from Performance Kayak and other teams that I often race against.   This was no doubt one of the largest paddling events in Ohio and I expect it to only get bigger next year.   If you are a competitive or recreational paddler put this event on your calendar for next year!

7/17/2022 Scott Orlando, Veronica Neubert, And Russ Neubert Lake Metro Parks Pirate Triathlon Fairport Harbor, Ohio

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7/17/2022

Lake Metro Parks Pirate Triathlon

Fairport Harbor, Ohio

2K Kayak, 20K Bike, and 5K Run

Scott Orlando

Finish Time 1:22:24

Overall Place:  3rd Place

Division Place:  1st Place

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  1:30:20

Overall Place:  10th Place

Division Place 2nd Place Overall Female and 1st Place In Age Division

Russ Neubert

Finish Time:  1:31:18

Overall Place:  11th Place

Division Place:  3rd Place:

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

This was my first time competing in the Fairport Harbor Triathlon since 2019.   The 2020 race was cancelled and illness kept me from competing last year so I was eager to get back to this race.   This race usually has a large field because it offers both a swim and paddle triathlon.   The paddle triathlon field was smaller this year compared to years past but there was still plenty of competition in the 2K kayak, 20K bike, and 5K run race.   With storms threatening all night and into the morning I chose to paddle my Stellar S16 Multi Sport sit in kayak instead of my faster Stellar SR or Stellar S18 surf ski. Paddling parallel to the waves in a surf ski can create stability issues so I felt the more stable Stellar S16 would be a safer option.  There were several top competitors that chose to paddle surf skis.  I had a clean start and surprisingly I was able to keep pace with them.  I finished the 2K kayak just 30-45 seconds behind the fastest kayakers.  I was the fifth kayak out of the water behind two relay team kayakers and two solo competitors.   My first transition was deliberate and went well.  I wasn’t super fast in transition but I also had little wasted effort or time.  Other then the hill out of the beach park area the bike course is pretty flat.   I am only average on the bike and ended up getting passed by a few racers.   By this time the course was a mix of swim and kayak racers so it was hard to know who you were really competing against.  After a decent bike leg it was  back to transition for the run.  Another good but not excellent transition and I was off for the 5K run.  The run starts with a steep hill which takes your lungs and legs away.  Experience at this race taught me to manage the hill not attack it so I kept an easy pace up the hill looking to recover at the top.   It took about a half mile to settle into my run cadence where I started making up time on other racers.   I passed several swim triathlon racers and two known paddle triathlon racers.  At this point I knew I was close to being one of the top paddle triathlon finishers.   I pushed hard and increased my pace catching up to another runner who I didn’t know which race he was competing in so I pushed harder and caught him.  With about a half mile to go I passed him.  I think he tried to run with me but I heard him behind me give out a gasp and I knew I had broken him and he would not challenge me.   I finished the run with negative splits for all 3 miles.  Not knowing where I place I headed to the timing station and entered my bib number.  I was pleased to see I had finished 3rd overall and 1st in my age division.  I was even 2 minutes faster then my 2019 finish time.  3rd place overall was me best result ever at this race.  The last runner I passed did happen to be in the paddle triathlon so I was happy I beat him.   The race did not give out awards for top 3 overall so I received a trophy for winning my age division.   The race was well organized by Lake Metro Parks.  Participants received pirate themed tech shirts and finisher medals.  I also won a prize of a tire inflator kit which was a bonus.   Team ER member Veronica Neubert walked away with a trophy for fastest female kayaker and for winning her age group.  Russ Neubert also went home with a trophy for 3rd place in his division.  It was a great day of racing and seeing a lot of friendly familiar faces.  The rain held off long enough for everyone to finish and for awards to be presented.

7/17/2022 Ken Frankenbery I’ll Make Them Pay 5K Cleveland, Ohio

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7/17/2022

I’ll Make Them Pay 5K

Cleveland, Ohio

Ken Frankenbery

Finish Time:  21:31

Overall Place:  73rd Place / 476

Division Place:  1st Place / 15

Race Recap By Ken Frankenbery:

After my spring 5K I wanted to find a bigger race to motivate me. I trained hard and had a solid race with a finish time of 21:31.  I finished 1st In my age group and 73rd overall out of almost 500 runners. The top 9  runners all finished in the 15 minute range.  Even though I only took 4 seconds off my spring time, I was happy to be healthy and racing!

7/16/2022 Nancy Wardell Andrea Rose Teodosio 5K Akron, Ohio

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7/16/2022

Andrea Rose Teodosio 5K

Akron, Ohio

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  29:25

Overall Place:  67th Place

Division Place:  4th Place

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the Andrea Rose Teodosio 5K Run in Akron this morning! The light rain felt pretty nice too! I placed 4th in my age group with a pace of 9 minutes and 29 seconds per mile and an overall time of 29 minutes and 25 seconds which is showing improvement, so I’m happy with that.

7/9/2022 Russ Neubert, Scott Orlando, Veronica Neubert Headwaters Adventure Triathlon Mantua, Ohio

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7/9/2022

Headwaters Adventure Triathlon

2 Mile Run, 10 Mile, Bike, and 5 Mile Kayak

Mantua, Ohio

Russ Neubert

Finish Time:  1:49:59

Overall Place:  5th Place

Division Place:  2nd Place

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:54:29

Overall Place:  9th Place

Division Place:  2nd Place

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  1:56:28

Overall Place:  11th Place

Division Place:  3rd Place Overall Female

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

The Headwaters Adventure Triathlon is a race I have competed in several times.  The race is organized by volunteers of the Portage Park District which do a great job managing the event.   Weather conditions were very good.  It was a little humid and there wasn’t much wind with the early morning race start.  I had a decent run to start the race.  It wasn’t my fastest but I am still building my speed back from a calf strain.  My transition to the bike was efficient and deliberate trying not to waste time.  The bike course was challenging as usual with plenty of hills that felt like they didn’t end.  They transition area from the bike to the kayak was moved at the last minute apparently due to an overnight decision by Camp Hi.  The Portage Park District scrambled to create a new transition area in a field near the kayak put in area.  I was a bit worried because the new location had us entering Camp Hi from a dirt access road and then riding across the field to the transition area.  I wasn’t sure how the road bikes would handle the terrain but the ground was very dry and didn’t cause any problems.   I had a smooth transition to the kayak and I was on my way down the river.   Right away I knew the water level would be a problem.  It was very low with high seaweed making for slow, tough paddling.  About a mile into the kayak leg I hit a section of the river that looked to be completely blocked with a tree.  I couldn’t find a clean line and saw a shorter kayak in front of me go up an over the log blocking the river so I went for it.  My kayak was much longer and got stuck on the log.   I couldn’t navigate around the log so I ended up exiting the kayak to free myself.  This cost me valuable time.   I pushed hard on the 5 mile kayak course which was a mine field of fallen trees, shallow areas, and heavily weeded areas.  You had to have intense focus on your line searching for safe passage.  With less then a mile to go.  A fast relay team participant came up the left side of my kayak.  Knowing he was on a relay team I wasn’t concerned with being past so I moved to the right to allow him to get by.  Upon doing so my kayak hit another log just under the water line and the bow wedged in the tree branch.  I was stuck and could not free myself so once again I got out of the kayak.  This allowed two kayaks to pass me one being a person in my age group.   I hopped back in my kayak and paddled as hard as I could to the finish but there just wasn’t enough course left for me to make up the time.  The mistake cost me winning my division by just 15 seconds.   It was a frustrating finish to what was a good race.  I ended up 9th overall and 2nd in my division.   All participants received nicely designed t-shirts and custom finisher medals.   My only criticism of the race is that they need to offer more awards.  This always seems to be a sentiment that comes up each year with many of the participants.  Age groups are every 9 years and only first place division awards are presented.  I would love to see them add 2nd and 3rd place age division awards.  Overall a great race that I will definitely return to next year.

 

7/4/2022 Scott Orlando and Kris Engstrom The Raintree 5K Green, Ohio

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7/4/2022

The Raintree 5K

Green, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  23:14

Overall Place:  11th Place / 76

Division Place 2nd Place / 12

Kris Engstrom

Finish Time:  23:50

Overall Place:  14th Place / 76

Division Place:  2nd Place / 6

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

This was my third time competing in the Raintree 5K.  I really enjoy this race because of the unique course.  Most races are on roads or trails.  About two thirds of this race is run on the fairways of the golf course.  The rest of the course is on the cart paths and a short section on the roads in a neighborhood development.  This year the race field was a little smaller then in the previous years.  I believe because of the abundance of other holiday weekend races in the area.  The weather was great.  The fairways were pretty soggy in a lot of spots from the sprinklers that had been on prior to the start making for slower running conditions.  This was my first race back from a calf strain.  I had been back to running but my calf had not improved enough to incorporate much speedwork into my training.  From the first mile I was slower then my normal 5K pace but this was not unexpected.  I found myself settled in behind another runner that was likely to be in my age division.  Knowing my speed wasn’t back yet I followed him for most of the race.  As we worked our way through some small hills in the last half mile of the race I found myself catching up to him.  Hitting the last two fairways I felt I might be able to catch him.  On the final turn onto the last fairway I passed him.  Not knowing if he would have anything left I made a kick to the finish picking up pace for the last 200 meters separating from him and beating him to the finish.  He was in my age group and my efforts moved me ahead of him on the podium taking 2nd place in my division and 11th place overall.  Turns out he was the same runner I beat last year when I won the division and he finished in 2nd place.   Josh Ritchie and Mickey Rzymek once again did a great job organizing and managing the race.