12/17/2024

Holiday Lights Run

Akron, Ohio

Non Competitive Group Run Through Akron Holiday Lights Displays.

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Kevin Christensen

Run Recap By Kevin Christensen:

We started at Lock 3 downtown Akron and ran 4 miles to Stan Hywet for a group photo and then 4 miles back to Lock 3 for food and refreshments at Barley House. That Grinch outfit was a little warm for the weather but worth it for the fun we had with other runners and friends.

12/14/2024 & 12/15/2024

The Bigfoot Trail Race

Lore, Ohio

Saturday 10 Miler

Josh Keane

Finish Time:  2:01:06

Overall Place:  96th Place / 344

Division Place:  5th Place / 21

Lisa Keane

Finish Time:  2:19:39

Overall Place:  160th Place / 344

Division Place:  7th Place / 19

Sunday 10 Miler

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  2:46:37

Overall Place:  63rd Place / 100

Division Place:  9th Place / 14

Race Recap By Josh Keane:

We always have so much fun in this course! The Bigfoot 50k, 20 mile & 10mile trail race does not disappoint! We have done this race all distances several times and it is one of my favorites. This year was the coldest that we have run, it is usually a wintry much of weather dancing in and out of the freezing zone. Most years the extreme elevation changes are made even more challenging by some of the most slippery mud known to man! Not this year, this year the ground was pretty frozen. Great course and the lodge is a very nice place to start and finish. Aid stations at the start/finish and one somewhere in the middle of the course are pretty good. Medals, shirts, and awards are pretty good, but it is the challenging course that calls me back each time.
Ran the single loop 10 miler this year. Finished in 2 hours and one minute, 5th in my age group and 92nd overall out of 344. As always I had a lot of fun on this one and enjoyed a spicy burger at 360 Burger after on the way home. I definitely would recommend this one to any runner looking for a challenging trail race with all kinds of crazy weather potential and stories to tell!

Race Recap By Lisa Keane:

Super organized, easy packet pick up inside beautiful Salt Fork lodge. Lots of parking close to the event.
Plenty of indoor space and even a few fireplaces to keep you warm before and after. Indoor, heated restrooms and changing areas located at the start / finish and at mile 6 aid station. Well marked course on a very technical, very hilly, and very scenic 10.4 mile trail on Salt Fork Lake with horse mounted rangers for safety.
Choose 1, 2, or 3 loops and be prepared for some fun Ohio mud!
All finishers receive a soft Short sleeve tee and medal. Overall winners receive a super cool resin plaque and age group winners get a nice metal pin.
Soup and sandwiches plus all the regular snacks available at the aid stations as well as Tailwind and water.
We love this race and all that it has to offer!

The weather is very unpredictable this time of year and we typically have some sort of precipitation and a ton of resulting mud!
This year was the first time that the ground was frozen and while most found it to be a faster course that way, my ankle really objected to the churned up frozen ground.

A little slower than I would have liked and definitely not happy with the sore ankle but happy to be back doing what I love most!

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I took on the Bigfoot 10 Miler at Salt Fork this morning and boy it was a challenge in all that rain and mud!! I’m definitely glad I did it, but I’m also glad it’s over!  I bit the dust once, but wasn’t enough to stop me from reaching that finish line! Salt Fork is a beautiful area and I loved being in the woods!  Their wooden medal was really cute and their soup and grilled cheese was awesome at the finish line along with other snacks and drinks!! They even had a half way tent set up with snacks and drinks including Gatorade and other refreshments that helped power you through until the end! Another race in the books!!

12/14/2024

Frosty Frolic 5K

Canton, Ohio

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  32:40

Overall Place:  89th Place / 346

Division Place:  10th Place / 52

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the Frosty Frolic 5k in Canton tonight! It was a late race that started at 5:30 pm so you are able to see the Christmas lights as you run along Stadium Park Dr. At the finish line, they served cookies and hot chocolate! Was definitely a nice little race but was tricky to see the ground during the second half because the lights from oncoming traffic hit you right in the face as you ran around the park. I finished around 32 minutes.

12/8/2024

Olmsted Ugly Sweater Run

Olmsted Falls, Ohio

1 Mile Run

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  10:49

Overall Place: 34th Place / 61

Division Place: N/A

Race Recap By Brittany Kiehl:

This race was very family friendly! They raffled off fun door prizes. Coffee, hot cocoa, and sugar cookies were all provided from local places in Olmsted Falls. You could hang out inside the middle school before and after the race. The kids run had three different distances, and all kids received a medal. My little boys loved it! My only complaint was the course through the soccer field was not double stroller friendly. Anyone have any recommendations for an actual double running stroller instead of our Britax?

12/7/2024

Miracle On Erie Street 5K

Willoughby, Ohio

George McFall

Finish Time:  21:11

Overall Place:  7th Place / 283

Division Place:  1st Place / 31

Race Recap By George McFall:

he Miracle on Erie Street 5k in Willoughby, OH is a race you should add to your 2025 race calendar. A fun, fast and festive event. Santa was there and the town square, downtown streets, restaurants and shops were decorated with holiday cheer. Good vibes!! The race supports Erie Street Miracles, a charitable organization that spreads holiday cheer by making hundreds of Christmas Mornings possible for those in need. The start gun went off around 11:00am. The course was mostly flat and goes thru Willoughby’s oldest neighborhoods. The temp was in the mid-20s. Roads were in great condition. Perfect weather to run in a tank and arm sleeves. The sun was shining so it helped make it feel warmer than it really was. I stayed with the lead pack most of the race. The lead runners, however, pulled away and the rest of us hung on to post some good times. I loved this race. I placed 1st in my age group and 7th overall. My award was a tin of freshly baked Christmas cookies. The swag bag was filled with a race T-shirt, a Santa hat (thanks to Crumbl Cookie) and a card that had a thank you note inside from Erie Street Miracles. Awesome race! Great volunteers!

11/28/2024

Kent Turkey Trot 5K

Kent, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  22:16

Overall Place: 55th Place / 773

Division Place:  1st Place / 17

Scott also volunteered for packet pick up the night before the race and on race day morning.

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  23:22

Overall Place:  85th Place / 773

Division Place:  2nd Place / 40

Asad Khan

Finish Time:  23:48

Overall Place:  101st Place / 773

Division Place:  3rd Place / 17

Steve Zenar

Finish Time:  25:10

Overall Place: 139th Place  / 773

Division Place:  4th Place / 24

Laura Fairfax

Finish Time:  26:33

Overall Place: 166th Place  / 773

Division Place:  2nd Place / 40

Gretchen Snyder

Finish Time:  28:21

Overall Place:  218th Place / 773

Division Place:  5th Place / 40

Renee Buckus

Finish Time:  31:59

Overall Place:  346th Place / 773

Division Place:  18th Place / 52

Kevin Christensen

Finish Time:  33:01

Overall Place:  381st Place / 773

Division Place:  6th Place / 15

Kevin also volunteered for packet pick up the night before the race.

Rick Wise

Rick was on the course providing race support to Team ER members.

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

I had a great time at the Kent Turkey Trot with 900 other runners. I know there were 900 because I helped with packet pick up last night and again this morning and couldn’t believe how many Turkey Trotters there actually were!

It was a cold morning with precipitation changing back and forth between light rain and wet snow.  Luckily just before the start it all seemed to stop.  The start of the race was a little crowded with such a large field.   I knew the first couple of turns on the course would be tight so I went out hard and fast to avoid being bottlenecked.  My first mile was a 6:40 pace which was faster than I wanted or would have imagined.  The second mile I slowed down to around a 7 mile pace.  The wooden bridges and boardwalks were covered in a wet slush making them very slippery forcing me to slow down a little more than I wanted.  I did find some dry spots near the edge of the boardwalk that were easier to run on helping me to make up a little time.  The turn around point I slowed down some as the last mile had a slow uphill slope.  Retuning over the slush covered bridge again slowed me down.  The last part of the boardwalk had an uphill slope to it making it very slick and challenging to get over.  Once past that I was back to a better pace until the 3 mile marker and I turned left to “The Hill”.  What an evil way to end a race!  The Hill is extremely steep and just long enough to crush your soul.  I had practiced The Hill a couple of times on training runs but never at race pace.  I tried to take it easy up The Hill but I was gassed and by the time I hit the top I was barely running.   I wanted to sprint the last 50 meters or so to the finish line but it took me about half of that to recover.

My goal was to finish around 22:00 minutes. I finished in 22:16 placing first in my age division and 55th overall. If it weren’t for the slushy slippery bridges and ridiculous hill at the 3 mile marker I might have run under 22:00 minutes!

It was great seeing all of my Team-ER teammates, running friends, and even my cousins from California out there on the course.

Participants receive a crew sweatshirt or fleece blanket and there were plenty of snacks at the finish.  There were no finisher medals which might have been nice.  Award winners received medals and first place finishers also received a pumpkin pie with their medal.  I look forward to eating mine!

Thank you to Josh Ritchie, Mickey Rzymek, and all of the volunteers that helped make the race a great experience.
Congratulations to everyone that conquered the hill and crossed the finish line!

Race Recap By Steve Zenar:

I had a wonderful time running the Kent Turkey Trot 5K! As always it was wonderful seeing so many from our team out supporting the race and hauling along the course. Today my goal was to just get outside and put in a nice run before the Turkey eating ensues. Ended up finishing 4th in my age group and felt great, so goal achieved . Wishing all the Team-ER team members and their families a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Thanksgiving! See you out on another course soon.

Race Recap By Laura Fairfax:

This was my second time running the Kent 5k Turkey Trot. The race is very well organized and has awesome merchandise! Last year I got a cozy blanket and this year I received a fleece crew sweatshirt. The race is almost all downhill! If you’re looking for a fast 5k, this is the one. Be warned, however, that the last 200m of the race is a brutal incline to the finish. The energy of this race is welcoming and positive! Prizes this year included pumpkin pies which was a fun treat in addition to medals for those that placed in their divisions. Good note to keep in mind is the start of the race is timed with the gun not a chip, so if you are looking to compete, make sure you’re close to the starting line with the gun goes off. I have loved making this 5k a tradition with my oldest son before we stuff our faces on Thanksgiving Day!

11/28/2024

Tuscarawas County YMCA Turkey Trot 5K

Dover, Ohio

Josh Keane

Finish Time:  24:01

Overall Place:  130th Place / 852

Division Place:  5th Place / 23

Lisa Keane

Finish Time:  26:02

Overall Place:  207th Place / 852

Division Place:  2nd Place / 29

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  30:34

Overall Place:  387th Place / 852

Division Place:  10th Place / 45

Race Recap By Josh Keane:

What a great way to start off our Thanksgiving Day at the Tuscarawas County YMCA Turkey Trot 5k! Over the years this race consistently gets bigger. It is a flat and fast course with a nice t-shirt and prizes for age group and overall winners. No medals and not a lot of swag but a good course and atmosphere. I was able to maintain a 7:44 average pace and finish in 24:01 for 5th out of 24 in my age group and 128th out of 865 overall. Great run close to home and we enjoy this one every time we run it.

Race Recap By Lisa Keane:

This small local 5K has grown to over 800 trotters this year! The night before and day of packet pick up was organized and easy.
Easy directions and plenty of close parking. Indoor staging, restrooms, and awards.
Flat, fast well marked course with plenty of police and volunteer presence for safety.
Chip timing and live results.
Short sleeve tees for all runners and unique awards for top 3 overall / age group winners.
Limited water, Gatorade, and bananas after the race.
The rain held off to a drizzle and I felt great getting out to stretch my legs with some of my favorites!
Super congested start made it tough for everyone to get going but it thinned out pretty quickly.
I was a 2nd place age group winner and love my rubber duck (turkey) award!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the YMCA Turkey Trot in Dover this morning with teammates Lisa Keane and Josh Keane! It was a a good morning for a little run. Apparently there were about 1,000 people signed up. I finished at 30:34. Was 10th of 47 in my age group. Now it’s time to relax and unwind. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

11/28/2024

Greensburg Turkey Trot

Greensburg, PA

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time: 31:33

Overall Place: N/A

Division Place: N/A

11/28/2024

Aurora Turkey Trot 5K

Aurora, Ohio

George McFall

Finish Time:  19:34

Overall Place:  38th Place / 756

Division Place:  2nd Place / 37

Roy Miller

Finish Time:  21:42

Overall Place:  88th Place / 758

Division Place:  11th Place / 65

Race Recap By George McFall:

Happy Thanksgiving! My day started as it has for so many years with the Aurora Turkey Trot. An almost 5K course. Start time was 8:30am. I love doing this race! The course winds thru the roads connecting the schools in the area. It has serval sharp turns and one climb about halfway in. The finish is fast. I am still recovering from the Indy marathon but my legs held up and allowed me to run a solid race. Because the course is about a 1/4 mile short, I hit the lap button and continue thru the finish line to get 3.1 miles in so there is a difference between my race results and actual results. I placed second in my AG and 38th overall. It was great to see so many familiar faces including Roy Miller.

11/28/2024

Cleveland Turkey Trot

Cleveland, Ohio

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  40:09

Overall Place:  3123rd Place / 4877

Division Place:  170th Place / 314

Brittany also volunteered for packet pick up the night before the race.

Race Review By Brittany Kiehl:

This race had a 1 mile, 5K, and 5 mile option. There were almost 5,000 participants in the 5K and 2,000 in the 5 mile. My family and I did the 5K because we did not want the boys to be in the cold weather too long. The headwinds were no joke! And I was thankful my husband pushed the double stroller most of the way. Both the 5K and 5 mile started at the same time and followed the same course. So it was very congested almost the entire race and never really seemed to thin out. My watch had the course at 3.2 miles. Overall, though, the course was fun and offered some fun sights of Cleveland. At the finish, it was chaotic trying to receive your medal because they did not have the medals unpacked so there was a huge line. For swag you also received a nice long sleeve shirt. There was also not many post race snacks – water, granola bars and bananas. The mobile coffee trailer also had a huge line. Awards were available after the race inside Public Hall. 5 mile and 5K overall males and females received coffee mug awards and pumpkin pies. The top female and male in the 1 mile also each won a pumpkin pie.