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11/11/2023 Scott Orlando And Nancy Wardell Towpath Freedom 5K Akron, Ohio

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11/11/2023

Towpath Freedom 5K

Akron, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  21:44

Overall Place:  19th Place / 146

Division Place:  2nd Place / 11

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  28:11

Overall Place:  41st Place / 146

Division Place:  3rd Place / 18

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

Twinning it and winning it with Scott Orlando at the Towpath Freedom 5k in Akron this morning!  It was as a beautiful run around the lake (which Scott says contains baby alligators, but I didn’t see any) with very little elevation change and some awesome snacks and awards! I got a little carried away with the free cake pops I guess.  I placed third in my age group with a pace of 9:04 and finish time of 28:11! I earned the awesome coffee cup and congratulations to Scott who placed second in his age group! It was another great race day!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

This was my first time competing in the Towpath Freedom 5K.  This was the 12th annual year for the event that celebrates veterans on Veteran’s Day.  The race appears to have been moved around Akron throughout the years and this year it was held at Summit Lake in Akron.  The course was out and back on the newly finished trails going around the lake making for a very scenic run with lake views almost the entire run.   Weather conditions were a little cool just hitting the 40’s but with no wind and sunshine it was pleasant for running.  Pre race festivities included honoring all veterans in attendance and the national anthem played live by a bugler.  After the festivities participants made their way up the paved trail about a quarter mile for the start of the race.  I wasn’t sure what to expect competition wise at this race but did expect the race field to be a little bigger based on the results from previous years.  There were 146 runners and walkers listed as finishers so not a huge turnout but also not too bad for a local race.   There was another local race happening the same day along with another Veteran’s Day race happening the next day so the race fields probably got diluted some from all of the weekend races.

The horn sounded and I tried to get out to a fast start.  The path was a little narrow so I wanted to get a little separation from the field so I wouldn’t get caught in heavy traffic.  The first mile was mostly flat with maybe one or two areas of a little incline.  My first mile split was 6:44 which was probably my fastest first mile split this year.  The beginning of the second mile I settled in and slowed my pace knowing that was too fast for me to maintain.  Soon after I was passed by a group of 5 runners that all appeared to be in my age group.  I knew age groups were every 10 years.  They were all fast runners that I knew I would not catch.  I approached the turnaround point and could see who was ahead of me.  The group of 5 runners that passed me had gained a lot of ground and all increased their lead on me.  I had a good pace going so I didn’t let them bother me and just kept focusing on running my own race.   The backside of the course had a lot more elevation change than the front side.  Nothing major but there were some small hills that slowed my pace.  Knowing I was getting closer to the finish I tried to pick up the pace.  One last turn over a bridge and I could see the time clock.  I was surprised to see the clock was under 22 minutes.  I made a strong push through the finish and crossed the line in 21:44.  This was my fastest 5K of the year.  I then checked the results and was shocked to see that of the runners in front of me only one was in my division so I took 2nd place.

The race was really well organized.  The total focus was on the veterans.  They offered free registrations for veterans and had additional award divisions for them.   All participants received long sleeve tech shirts and finisher medals.  1st place winners received custom fleece neck gaiters and custom medal tumblers.  2nd and 3rd place winners received  the tumblers.  There were tons of snacks post race and we were encouraged to take as much as we wanted home so I have more than enough cake pops, fruit snacks, and granola bars to fuel my upcoming training sessions.

I really enjoyed this race because of the beautiful scenic course, the great cause of honoring veterans, and most of all because I got to share the experience with Team ER member Nancy Wardell.

 

10/29/2023 Nancy Wardell Haunted Forest Half Marathon Canal Fulton, Ohio

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10/29/2023

Haunted Forest Half Marathon

Canal Fulton, Ohio

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  2:15:28

Overall Place:  226th Place / 439

Division Place:  18th Place / 37

Team ER members Christine Churpek, Kevin Christensen, and Peter Heroux were on location providing encouragement and course support.

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the Haunted Forest Half Marathon in Canal Fulton this morning and it was a soggy run, but I got it done! I finished at 2:15:28 with a pace of 10:20 which is a better pace than the full marathon last year, but it was only half.  I’m definitely happy that I didn’t stop and loved seeing my teammates Kevin Christensen and Christine Churpek during the run (even if one of them was a creepy clown)! Another run in the books!

10/28/2023 Kristi Gunyula Monumental Half Marathon Indianapolis, Indiana

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10/28/2023

Monumental Half Marathon

Indianapolis, Indiana

Kristi Gunyula

Finish Time:  1:32:32

Overall Place:  503rd Place / 5219

Division Place:  10th Place / 334

Race Recap By Kristi Gunyula:

I spent the weekend in Indy racing and cheering on my amazing friends at the 16th annual CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. The race took place in downtown Indianapolis in true monumental fashion, with nearly 15,000 athletes participating. The race is one of the 15 largest marathons in the U.S. The course is fast and flat and I was able to use this to my advantage and bring home a new PR of 1:32:32, earning me a 10th place age group finish. I’m getting closer every day to my goal of breaking 1:30 in the half. And that’s a wrap on my 2023 racing season.

10/21/2023 Scott Orlando And Brittany Kiehl Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run 5K Akron, Ohio

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10/21/2023

Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run 5K

Akron, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  21:54

Overall Place:  31st Place / 400

Division Place:  2nd Place / 59

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  1:11:38

Overall Place:  2357th Place / 2400

Division Place:  405th Place / 415

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

This was my second time running the Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run 5K.  I enjoyed the race so much last year I decided to do it again this year.  This was the largest 5K race field that I had competed in this year with 2400 runners finishing the course.   Pre race I was a little concerned about the weather.  Driving to the race and heading to the packet pickup it was steadily raining even though my weather app showed no potential rain until later that afternoon.  Packet pick up was very fast and smooth.  I headed back to my car to stay dry and warm.  Thankfully the rain stopped and I was able to do some easy running to warm up.  10 minutes before the start they began moving runners to the start corals.  It was a little chilly with temperatures in the mid 40’s with some moderate winds.  I opted for running tights, a long sleeve tech shirt and gloves.  Even though it wasn’t sunny I also went with some Tifosi Fototec sunglasses just to keep the wind out of my eyes.

The gun sounded and we were off down Main Street.  I went out a little slower than normal knowing that the first mile had a slight incline to it and a small hill at the first turn on the course.  My mile 1 split was around a 7:15 pace.  There was a nice stretch of downhill after the turn that I was able to increase my pace and make up for the slower start.  The course was mostly flat until the next turn so I was able to maintain a faster steady pace passing several runners that went out too fast.  I hit a turnaround point and made my way down the street towards the towpath trailhead.  The paved trail was my favorite part of the course.  The changing fall colors of the trees and the canal views made for beautiful scenery.  There were even two bridge crossings over the canal.  After passing behind the baseball stadium it was time to head back onto the roads to the finish.  I made the last turn and headed down Main Street for the final stretch.  I was feeling strong so increased my pace.  I could see the finish line in site and saw the clock was on 21:00 minutes but I couldn’t make out the seconds.  I thought if I push really hard I might be able to finish under 22:00 minutes.  I hit the finish line under 22:00 minutes but was not sure what my chip time would be and if I made it.  I made my way down the finisher shoot, received my finisher medal, got my free pumpkin and headed to my car for some warm clothes.   I returned to the finisher festival area and checked the race website for my results.  Strangely I was not listed in the results.  I spoke with the people in the timing tent and they confirmed my results weren’t showing up.  Apparently my bib number was not entered in the system correctly so after a few quick computer updates I was added to the results.  I could now see that I finished with a time of 21:54 placing 31st overall out of 2400 runners and was 2nd in my division.  This was the first 5K this year that I finished under 22:00 minutes so I was excited about that.  Timing issues aren’t rare and do happen at most races.  The race timers were friendly and did a nice job quickly correcting the problem which I appreciated.

After resolving the timing issue I went back to the finisher festival area and turned in my ticket for a cup of cider.  Each racer received about 1/3 of  a cup of cider, just enough to taste it.  I overheard several runners complaining about how small the serving amount was.  One upgrade to this year’s race was the addition of the Thirsty Dog Brewing beer truck.  I usually don’t drink beer at 9:30 am but consuming a pumpkin ale at a successful pumpkin run felt like the right thing to do.  The race was well organized like last year.  The race shirts and finisher medals were really nice.  Apparently it is a thing at this race to wear the shirt during the race which about 95% of the runners did making it hard to find friends later as everyone was dressed the same.  Results and free pictures were available very quickly through the race website which was nice.  I would like to see them offer awards for top finishers and age group winners.  I think a little more cider and some food options after the race would also be improvements to this already excellent race experience.  Overall Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run is a great experience for everyone from elite runners, casual runners, walkers, and families.

Congratulations to Team ER member Brittany Kiehl who just weeks after giving birth to her second child was on location Friday night helping with packet pick up and then back at the race Saturday morning to walk the course pushing one of her kids in a stroller while she carried the newest addition of her family.

 

 

10/21/2023 Nancy Wardell The Knights Of Columbus Ghost Chaser 5K Dover, Ohio

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10/21/2023

The Knights Of Columbus Ghost Chaser 5K

Dover, Ohio

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  28:47

Overall Place:  16th Place / 42

Division Place:  2nd Place

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the 2023 Dover Knights of Columbus Ghost Chase 5K and Kids’ Run this morning and placed 2nd in my age group with a pace of 9:16 and finished at 28:47. This is definitely one of my favorite runs that takes you through two different cemeteries.  The long sleeve shirts and subway food afterwards in a nice warm building for the award ceremony was greatly appreciated! I highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a smaller low key but worth every penny kind of run!