9/24/2023

The Flight Deck Half Marathon

Brunswick, Maine

Kevin Christensen

Finish Time:  2:06:00

Overall Place:  181st Place / 274

Division Place:  7th Place / 11

9/24/2023

Crowell Hilaka Trail Race

Richfield, Ohio

10K Trail Race

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  1:12:12

Overall Place:  6th Place / 14

Division Place:  1st Place / 1

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:

Overall Place:

Division Place:

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I did a last minute registration and completed the Crowell Hilaka Trail Run 10k in Richfield, OH this morning with Cleopatra Sirnic! It was a nice cool morning and the trails were beautiful, but boy the hills seemed mighty.   I finished the run at 1:12:12 and was 4th female over all.  I was also first in my age group, but awards weren’t given by age group. I am definitely glad I signed up though!

9/17/2023

The Mile Ultimatum Road Mile

Canton, Ohio

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  7:54:33

Overall Place:  47ths Place / 73

Division Place:  2nd Place / 2

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

This race was round two of running (The second race of the day for me).  The Mile Ultimatum Road Mile run in Canton was a fun run and a nice downhill slant the whole mile! l placed second in my age group and finished the mile in7:54! I received a nice blanket and glass for placing in my age group! Great day of running in the books!

9/17/2023

Fearless Fighters 5K

Stow, Ohio

Kristi Gunyula

Finish Time:  Finish Time:  26:16

Overall Place:  38th Place / 118

Division Place:  3rd Place / 23

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  27:00

Overall Place:  44th Place / 118

Division Place:  5th Place / 23

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  29:41

Overall Place:  54th Place / 118

Division Place:  5th Place / 14

Scott Orlando

Scott was on location to provide course support and take pictures.

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I had a great time this morning at the Fearless Fighters 5k in Stow, OH with Kristi Quesenberry Gunyula, Christine Churpek, and surprise cheerleader Scott Orlando! My time wasn’t the best, but I still feel stronger than before! I finished at 29:41 with a pace of 9:34. Congratulations to Christine who got 4th in her age group and Kristi who got 3rd in hers! A great event for a great cause  and we had fun at the Photo Booth and got hoodies too!

9/16/2023

Ledges To The Lake Adventure Triathlon

3.4 mile run, 1.50 mile kayak, 9 mile bike race

Hinckley, Ohio

Solo Race

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:17:12

Overall Place:  5th Place

Division Place:  1st Place

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  TBD

Overall Place:  1st Place Overall Female

Division Place:  1st Place

Relay Race

Russ Neubert

Finish Time:  1:06:24

Overall Place:  1st Place Overall Relay Team

Race recap by Scott Orlando

The Ledges To The Lake Adventure Triathlon consists of a 3.4 mile run, 1.5 mile paddle, and 9 mile bike covering a total of almost 14 miles of the Hinckley Lake Park in Hinckley, Ohio.  I have competed in this race many times but haven’t been back since 2019 due to schedule conflicts and injuries.  Going into the race I had high expectations for myself.  My goals were to finish in the top three overall and with a time of 1:15:00 or faster.

Race day conditions were very favorable.  Chilly early morning temperatures in the 40’s soon increased to the mid 50’s near the start of the race.  There was very little wind or humidity.  As the sun continued to rise the temperatures increased into the low 60’s making for great race conditions.

The race starts with the run leg.  The course is not easy and starts with a long steep uphill road climb then takes a right turn onto the lake trail which is mostly hard packed dirt.  The trail was not in the best condition and runners really had to pay attention to pitted out areas and tree roots.  I had forgotten how many hills were on the run course.  Between the hills, and challenging terrain I struggled to get into my typical race pace.  I quickly found myself behind the leaders.  The race description lists the run as 3.3 miles but it is closer to 3.5.  I was happy when I finally finished the run and made it to my waiting kayak for the paddle leg of the race.  In years past I had changed from my running shoes to paddle shoes but this year I stayed in my running shoes which helped with a faster transition.  Once in my Stellar S18S Multisport Surfski I was off to try to make up time.   I knew I would be one of the faster paddlers in the race and felt with a good paddle I could get right back into the race.  I quickly started passing kayaks in front of me.  My Stellar S18S Multisport sliced through the water as I pushed hard to catch each kayak in front of me.  I hit the final turn hard and fast and was the first solo kayak out of the water.  I had the fastest kayak split time of the solo competitors by far and was now leading the race.   I clean fast transition to the bike and it was off for the final leg of the race.

The bike course consists of three laps around the roads and trails of the lake totaling 9 miles.   In the past the bike course was all on the roads but this year there were a few sections that bikers left the road and continued on the paved bike paths.  I am not sure why this  course change was made.  Perhaps there were some damaged areas of the road they wanted us to avoid.  I was a little hesitant on the bike trails.  They were a little narrow and not closed to the public so there were some walkers on the trail you had to watch out for.   Shortly into the bike course I found myself pushing very hard on the rolling hills.  Soon I was passed by a competitor and then another.   Not sure if the bikers passing me were on relay teams or competing solo I continued to push hard up the hills.   For some reason I just didn’t feel strong and didn’t have the power I usually do.  The bike course really ate me up and there wasn’t much I could do to go any faster.

I ended up finishing with a time of 1:17:12 and 5th overall.   I was a little disappointed with my performance not achieving my goals.  From the start of the run I just never felt like I had my best stuff but I pushed hard to do the best that I could.  I was awarded 1st place in my age division.   Looking back the three weeks prior to the race I had a sinus infection followed by a bout of food poisoning.  I lost a lot of training time and probably was not fully recovered which may account for my lack of power.  In any event, I did the best I could and was happy to finish in the top 5 and win my division.

Fellow Team ER members Veronica Neubert and Russ Neubert both had great races.  Veronica was the overall female winner and won her age division.  Russ along with his runner took first place overall in the relay race.  It was great to see Team ER do so well and dominate the podium!

Rachel Nagle and the rest of the crew at Cleveland Metroparks did a great job organizing the race.  Awards went to the top 3 overall male and female finishers and top 3 in each age division.  The awards were custom medals.  I did find it interesting that the top 3 overall winners also received age group awards.  Typically the winners of overall awards aren’t eligible for the age group awards so awards are spread over more people.  The overall and age group awards were the same so top finishers walked away with two of the exact same award in some cases.  Perhaps there weren’t any other competitors in the age groups where that occurred.  All participants received custom Boco Gear Beanies which people seemed to like.  Many people were making use of their new hats and wearing them pre race when it was cold.  There were also some great raffle prizes of gift certificates and some outdoor equipment.  I really wanted to win the kayak safety throw bag but I didn’t have my name picked for any prizes.  Post race there was food from Jimmy Johns Subs and snack chips.  Unfortunately the race won’t be offered again until at least 2026 because Hinckley Lake is being drained for a two year reconstruction project of the damn.

9/16/2023

Best Of The West Half Marathon

Ravenna, Ohio

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  2:55:57

Overall Place:  116th Place / 178

Division Place:  5th Place / 13

9/9/2023

Gut Check 5K

Munroe Falls, Ohio

Kristi Gunyula

Finish Time:  20:39

Overall Place:  3rd Place / 38

Division Place:  1st Place Overall Female

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  28:33

Overall Place:  19th Place / 38

Division Place:  1st Place / 1

Race Recap By Kristi Gunyula:

It was a beautiful day for a race. Hats off to RuntoYouRacing, who put on its 1st Annual Gut Check 5K this morning at Stow Munroe Falls Metropark. The race was created to help bring awareness to individuals living with Crohn’s & Colitis. It was designed as a two loop scenic course around the lake with a small portion that extended into the parking lot.

I was excited to finish 1st overall female with a time to 20:39 (which is a first for me) and it was a 17 sec PR! It was also nice to catch up with fellow Team ER runner, Nancy Wardell who was also working hard and took home 1st place in her age group! Way to get after it Nancy!

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

Great run this morning at the Gut Check 5K in Monroe Falls!! The weather was perfect and I ran into Kristi Gunyula who was on fire today! I placed 1st in my age group, but I was the only one in my age group, which still counts!  I improved my time though!  I finished at 28:33 and had a pace of 9:12 which is the best yet after my knee and back problems, so I’m super excited! Nice job Kristi who placed first female overall to top it off for Team ER! Yes, we got toilet paper in our goody bags after the race!

9/9/2023

Potato Stomp Race

Mantua, Ohi0

9 Mile Race

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  1:11:24

Overall Place:  18th Place / 78

Division Place:  1st Place / 14

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  1:37:03

Overall Place:  60th Place / 78

Division Place:  7th Place / 8

8/27/2028

Kylie Rose’s Run 5K

Copley, Ohio

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  24:00

Overall Place:  27th Place / 156

Division Place:  1st Place / 24

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  30:33

Overall Place:  80th Place / 156

Division Place:  4th Place / 16

Russ Neubert was on the course providing support and encouragement to Team ER members.

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

Great evening run at the Kylie Rose 5k in Copley, OH today! It was as a hot one, but loved the course and the cause! I placed 4th in my age group and improved my pace since my knee and back issues! I finished at 30:33 with a pace of 9:50 and still had energy to sprint to the finish line when another runner tried to pass me.  I beat her and we laughed and high fived at the finish line!  Great run in the books!  It was great to see Mickey Rzymek, Veronica Judith, and I even met Kylie Rose!

8/20/2023

Miamisburg Triathlon

2.5 Mile Kayak, 5K Run, and 10 Mile Bike Race

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:17:51

Overall Place:  2nd Place / 34

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

This was my second time competing in the Miamisburg Triathlon.  Last year was the first time I ever competed in this race.  I learned a lot about how to navigate the course and hoped to utilize that experience to improve on my 2nd place overall finish.   Weather conditions were very favorable with temperatures in the high 60’s with low humidity and low winds.  The solo competitor race field was fairly small with most participants choosing the 2 person team division.  I knew going into the race that the winner from last year would be racing again this year.  He is a stronger biker than I am, but I am a faster paddler and runner.  My strategy was to try to get enough of a lead on him in the kayak and run legs that I might be able to hold him off in the bike leg.

The race started off well for me.  The gun went off and it quickly became a two person race.  I immediately sprinted to the front wanting to send a message that I was there to win.  Last year’s winner chose to stay close behind me drafting off of my wake which was a smart strategy.  At times he moved up close to the side of my kayak but I was able to regain the lead and was first to the kayak / run transition area.  One change I made from last year was to not change out of paddling shoes into running shoes.  Instead for the first time in a race I kayaked in running shoes.  To accomplish this I used my Stellar S18S Multi Sport surfski.  I have a faster longer Stellar SR Multi Sport but the foot board is too narrow for me to paddle it wearing running shoes.  The strategy seemed to work well as I had and extremely fast transition to the run.  The downside to this strategy was running in wet shoes.  It was an issue for about the first half mile but then most of the water had drained out and I was good to go.

My run was a little slower than last year especially the first mile as I caught my breath from the kayak leg.  Each mile I got a little more comfortable and faster.  By middle of the 2nd mile I had built up a decent lead on last year’s winner. Heading into the bike transition area is where I started to have issues and lose time.   At the end of the run I heading into bike transition I asked the security worker which way to enter the transition area.  He pointed me down a shoot leading to the finish line.  As I approached the finish line the timing officials yelled that I went the wrong way into transition.  I had to stop, turnaround and run back down the shoot and to the other transition timing mat area costing me valuable seconds.  Apparently racers entered and exited the transition area in the same place which was a change from last year.  As I left the transition area on my bike I was blocked from entering the street by 2 men not associated with the race out on there own bike ride.  They for some reason stopped on the sidewalk right in front of the transition area blocking it.  This cost me more seconds.  I was finally on my way.  As I headed down the street I heard a group of people yelling “You are going the wrong way!”  Again I was forced to stop and I started to turn around when they began shouting that they were yelling at the to men biking on there own who began to head down the bike trail that was closed for the race.  This delay again cost me more time and now I was getting pretty frustrated.  I don’t have much experience being the overall leader of a race field but I suppose these kind of issues can occur in that situation.

By now I had lost minutes and was trying to crank out the miles as hard as I could.   I was 3.5 miles into the bike ride and hitting 23 miles an hour when just in front of me a green truck driven by an older man  pulled out into traffic turning left.  I slammed on my breaks, my back wheel skidded going sideways and my hands ended up on the side of his truck.  Besides almost killing me, I again lost a lot of time.   Last year’s winner took advantage of my bike course hang ups and at mile 6 he passed me.  I tried to keep up with him but he was much stronger on the bike than I was.  Fearing other faster bikers would also catch me I continued to push hard to the finish.  The winner beat me by just 33 seconds.  I was happy to finish second overall but a little disappointed the race got away from me with the bike issues.  The good news was I beat my time from last year by almost 90 seconds.   When I returned to the finish area it was good to see the race directors had repositioned cones at the run / bike transition so that other participants did not make the same mistake I did of running to the wrong transition area entrance.

The race was well organized by Miamisburg Park And Recreation Department and Speedy-Feet.  Their were lots of volunteers which I always appreciate.  Participants received nice t-shirts and finisher medals.  Post race snacks included fresh bread products from a local bakery, chocolate milk, and Cliff Gel samples.  They only thing I would like to see done differently is for the race to offer awards.  There are no awards presented for overall winner or division winners.  The course is fast and flat and great for beginners looking to get into multi sport racing.  I look forward to doing this race again next year.