Josh…1st masters, time 19:06
Jerry….6th age group time , 26:30

Scott…..

I finished 42nd out of 400 overall and 8th in my age division.

Finish time 22:55

This was a race I was glad to be done with when I hit the finish line. Mid 30 degree temperatures with a mix of rain, snow, and gusting cold winds made for terrible running conditions. The course for this race is always challenging. The second half of the course consists of a lot of head wind and features a steep hill to climb. This is never a good course to set a PR on but certainly a fun way to end the year with one final race.

On thanksgiving, ran the Kent tree city turkey trot in 24:23, placing 14th of 268 females and third in my age group. It’s a full minute over my usual time, which I attribute to the two icy bridges on the way out and then back. 😊.

Between The Portage Lakes 5K

Saturday November 12th 2016

Portage Lakes, OH

Finish Time 23:19

17th overall

2nd in age division

200 dedicated and probably half crazy runners and walkers braved the cold
temperatures, rain, snow, and wind to compete in this year’s Between The Portage
Lakes 5K. This race certainly delivers on the promise of scenic views of the
Portage Lakes through the entire course. I doubt many runners took in the
scenery as they battled the elements. Race time temperature was 35 degrees.
Heavy rain turned to a wet snow mix just before the start. Winds were gusting
at 20 – 30 mph. The first mile of this course is fairly flat and fast. The
second mile has a slow steady incline at the beginning and a few small rolling
hills. The elevation changes aren’t severe, but running into strong headwinds
and wet snow made this part of the course much harder than normal. The third
mile features a short but very steep hill followed by a fairly flat fast section
leading to the finish. The finish times all appear slower than normal because
the course again was longer than 3.1 miles. Most runners had the course
measuring 3.3 to 3.4 miles. As in years past the awards were unique. Overall
winners received giant plaster fish. Age group winners received nautical themed
candle stick holders, wine bottle holders, and small candle lanterns. All
participants received the race’s customary mutant fish tech shirts and finisher
medals.

18:56, 2nd age group, 36th overall out of ~2600.

11-19-2016 Lake Crackenback Australia-ITU World Championship Cross Triathlon (Off road)

This trip was an off the charts adventure in every sense of the word. To represent team USA was a true honor, and loved racing against people from all over the world. Met a lot of really interesting people.
I have never had an adventure even close to this trip- it was epic. All the things I had worried about- renting a bike- long flights-driving on wrong side road-food & water were non-issue’s. Things I assumed would go smooth- were real challenges. The scenery is unique the, people are super friendly & laid back. The race Venue was the most scenic place I have ever been- only Crested Butte Colorado comes close. A 1500 meter lake swim, 30K mountain bike, and a 10 k off road run. The run was more of a adventure race ( river crossing/ boulder climbs/ mud bogs )

We had some challenges with long flight- but got through it. Had a delayed flight/ luggage misplaced and a rental car breakdown in the middle of the outback that kept me from getting to the race site till last minute. I had issues on the swim (no warm up-cold water)- a solid bike, and run was going great till I made a wrong turn on the run loop costing me a top finish. Ended up 7th. Saw Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and race site was Lake Crackenback in the mountains (ski resort in winter) a fantastic trip.

I ran the Buckeye Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago and came in second in my age group with a finishing time of 1:50:39. The first seven miles I felt strong; right around mile seven I felt pain radiating through my right hamstring (from an injury about a year ago) and at mile ten, I had a gimp. I finished without walking so there’s that…not my best time but I’m okay with how I did. Pushing through the pain in not for the faint of heart. Ha!

Canton Charge 5K

Canton Ohio

Finish Time:22:41

Overall 24th out of 388

Age Division 2nd place

Race Review

This was the second year for the Canton Charge 5K. This is a unique race because it features an indoor start and finish. The temperature was a cool 30 degrees but the sun was shining and there was little to no wind making for very nice running conditions. The race starts with all of the participants lined up down a hallway inside the Canton Civic Center adjacent to the Canton Charge basketball court. Runners make their way down the short tight hallway, out a large auxiliary door and after a few tight turns, onto the the streets of downtown Canton. The start is slow and congested. The indoor start did create issues for many runners trying to sink their GPS watches. I was able to acquire a signal on my GPS watch outside prior to the start so I personally did not experience this issue. The first mile of the race has a slight incline but isn’t too bad. The second mile starts with the only significant hill on the course. Most of the second mile is on side streets that are paved with bricks. Many of the bricks on the street are worn making for an uneven and at times difficult running surface. Many runners including myself found it easier to run on the sidewalk on this part of the course. Mile 3 is a long steady downhill grade back to the Canton Civic Center. The tight turns back into the Canton Civic Center property and into the building don’t really allow runners much of a chance to sprint to the finish. Runners are greeted at the finish line by the Canton Charge Girls. Finisher medals are immediately awarded to all runners by several more Canton Charge Girls. The finish times were a little slow as the course was longer than 3.1 miles. Many runners felt it was 3.3 or 3.4 miles. My GPS had the course at 3.2 miles. Once again the fine people at runcanton.com put on an excellent event. All participants received long sleeve tech shirts, custom finisher medals and a ticket voucher to a Canton Charge game. Winners received additional Canton Charge tickets and gift certificates for their next runcanton.com event. A large banquet room adjacent to the arena made for a really nice pre and post race gathering and awards area. The Canton Charge had several attractions and activities on display for kids making this a really nice family friendly event. I would certainly recommend this race to anyone in the future.

My results are as follows:

Clay’s Park Sprint: 5th Age Group, 18th Overall 1:24:26
HFP Maumee Bay Olympic: 7th Age Group, 34th Overall 2:27:57
Munroe Falls Sprint: 1st Age Group, 10th Overall 57:34
HFP Alum Creek: 6th Age Group, 37th Overall 2:42:57
HFP Vermillion Harbour Olympic: 4th Age Group, 30th Overall 2:30:57
HFP Portage Lakes Olympic: 3rd Age Group, 35th Overall 2:49:35

HFP has a Series Championship and I finished 2nd Overall in the 40-44 Age group championship.

Akron Marathon: 12/88 Age Group, 104/693 Male, 130/1135 Overall 3:39:40.

I raced the “Marcos 5k for kids” race on Sunday. First year they had it. It supports local food banks give kids under school age food. Raced it to support the cause more than anything else.
Took first place over all 19:03. Small turnout, hopefully more people show up next year.

I ran the Bath 8k Steeplechase yesterday. Beautiful day for a race. The race course winds its way through the Bath Nature Preserve, the trees changing and bright blue skies made for a awesome morning. I finished 23/109, 8.04 / mile pace.