10/20/2024

Canal Tavern Of Zoar 5K

Bolivar, Ohio

Josh Keane

Finish Time:  24:32

Overall Place:  14th Place / 138

Division Place:  3rd Place / 6

Lisa Keane

Finish Time:  26:51

Overall Place: 22nd Place / 138

Division Place:  1st Place / 11

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  29:12

Overall Place:  37th Place / 138

Division Place:  2nd Place / 11

Nancy Wardell

Finish time:  29:34

Overall Place:  41st Place / 138

Division Place:  2nd Place / 7

Race Recap By Josh Keane:

Two days in a row enjoying this beautiful Ohio fall weather. Another fun race at the TuscParks Annual Canal Tavern 5K Run and Walk! I had the pleasure of running with Lisa Keane, Nancy Wardell, Cleopatra Sirnic, Lynett McClay and Jack Wardell today. What a fun race from Fort Laurens to the Zoar trailhead. Nice t-shirt and the after party with Lockport Brewery beer and brats puts this one over the top! Flat and fast in the towpath with perfect weather. Team ER did well in a fast paced field today with everyone placing in their age groups! I was fortunate to finish 14th overall and 3rd in my age group. We will definitely be doing this one again!

Race Recap By Lisa Keane:

Another fabulous day with Team ER members Nancy Wardell, Josh Keane, and Cleopatra Sirnic!
Point to point 5K on the Towpath. You park at the finish line / packet pick up and then ride a free shuttle bus to the start line at historic Fort Laurens.
Gun start – chip timing. The start line is a good .25 mile from the trailhead allowing the crowd to thin out and avoid a bottleneck. Fast, gradual downhill course with a short, steep hill to finish.
Short sleeve tees for everyone and overall and age group awards plus raffle prizes. Nice after party with brats, potatoes, sauerkraut, and beer for all runners.
Nice work Team ER! Winner’s table all around!

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the TuscParks Annual Canal Tavern 5K Run and Walk this afternoon with fellow Team-ER members Lisa Keane, Josh Keane, and Cleopatra Sirnic!! I love this race every year! The course is beautiful through the woods on the Towpath trail and the award ceremony is awesome with beer and brauts! They even give out door prizes and the weather was spectacular! I placed second in my age group finishing at 29:34 with a pace of 9:30! Definitely felt better than yesterday!!

10/19/2024

Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run 5K

Akron, Ohio

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  42:12

Overall Place:  1836th Place / 3298

Division Place:  340th Place / 631

Brittany volunteered for packet pick up duties the night before the race in addition to running.

Race Recap By Brittany Kiehl:

This was my ninth year completing this race. I was so thankful to be able to share this experience with my family this year. My husband and I took turns pushing the double stroller with the boys. (My husband did all the hills.) Overall, the boys did great and had fun. There were over 3,300 participants registered. So even though we started in the middle corral, it was still quite difficult to navigate through all the walkers. I loved the medals and they are magnets. You are also given the option to receive another medal for carrying a pumpkin throughout the race (tough pumpkin). The long sleeve shirts are festive with a jack-o-lantern face, but I was not a huge fan of the purple color this year. It didn’t feel very fall to me. The finishers area felt very congested because of all the people. It was so chaotic trying to get your free pumpkin and apple cider. Overall, though, it was a fun fall tradition

10/19/2024

Knights Of Columbus Ghost Chase 5K

Dover, Ohio

Josh Keane

Finish Time:  25:47

Overall Place:  9th Place / 55

Division Place:  2nd Place / 3

Lisa Keane

Finish Time:  27:10

Overall Place:  13th Place / 54

Division Place:  1st Place / 5

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  31:15

Overall Place:  31st Place / 54

Division Place:  1st Place / 2

Race Recap By Josh Keene:

The Dover Knights of Columbus Ghost Chase 5K was a blast! Ran this one with two Team ER favorites Lisa Keane and Nancy Wardell and we had so much fun! The event was established to raise funding for the Dover Knights of Columbus and Tuscarawas Central Catholic Schools. Fast and fairly flat course mostly on paved roads and a little dirt track. The course did go through two local cemeteries in honor of Halloween. Volunteers were great, course was well marked and volunteers/police were all over the course giving direction and maintaining safety. The long sleeve shirt is really nice almond with really nice age group and overall awards. Packet pick up as well as awards ceremony were inside with restrooms. They provided subway sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, candy, water and coffee after the race as well. I was fortunate to finish second in my age group and ninth overall. This was a great little race that I would certainly recommend to everyone. Congratulations to both Lisa and Nancy for their awesome race as well! Thank you both for hanging out with me!

Race Recap By Lisa Keane:

It was my first time running this one and I had so much fun with fellow teammates Nancy Wardell and Josh Keane!
There was a free fun run for the kiddos with ribbons and candy for all participants!
5K proceeds support the Knights of Columbus, St. Joseph Church, and Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary School.
Indoor packet pick up, restrooms, and award ceremony to avoid that early morning fall freeze!
Mostly flat and fast pace on dirt roads and city streets as well as 2 cemeteries for some SPOOKY fun. Well marked course with plenty of police presence and volunteers.
Gun start and chip timing,
Awards for overall and age groups and a costume contest!
Nice long sleeve tech shirts and Subway sandwich lunch after.
I decided to dress up this year and had a ton of fun with my Forest Gump character but lost my wig TWICE during my run and had to stop and go back for it! Even with my wardrobe malfunction, I still placed 4th overall female and 1st in my age group.

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the 2024 Ghost Chase 5k in Dover this morning with teammates Lisa Keane and Josh Keane!! Always love seeing those friendly faces at races!! Thanks for the fun as usual! The course was throughout the neighborhood of Dover and through two cemeteries. Each turn was marked clearly and there were tons of volunteers to help guide the way! I definitely love this race each year and saw many familiar faces! I was feeling a little rough this morning, so my time was slower than I’d like. I finished at 31:15 with a pace of 10:04 and First in my age group. Great award ceremony inside with tons of fruit, candy, and yummy subway!!

10/13/2024

Firestone Park Bridgestone Tread Together 5K

Akron, Ohio

Mike Williams:

Finish Time:  27:44

Overall Place:  36th Place / 93

Gender Place: 26th Place

Nancy Wardell:

Finish Time:  29:38

Overall Place:  47th Place / 93

Gender Place:  15th Place

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  30:12

Overall Place:  50th Place / 93

Gender Place:  18th Place

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  37:57

Overall Place:  75th Place / 93

Gender Place:  32nd

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the Firestone Park and Bridgestone Tread Together 5k/1 mile walk in Akron this morning thanks to Brittany Kiehl!  and a free registration! It was great to see so many team members in a new race! Thanks for the pre-run warmup Mike Williams and post run Cleopatra Sirnic!  I’m very thankful the weather cooperated and enjoyed the snacks after too. They only gave awards to the top 5 women and men, so not sure where I placed. I finished in 29:38 with a 9:33 pace. The race track had some very sharp turns and the repetitive 4 loops kind of threw me off, but I loved the safety of the location on the track and having my teammates there too! Thanks for the pictures Mike and Cleo! See you next time!

Race Recap By Brittany Kiehl:

This was a small race that was part of the Akron Promise City Series Neighborhood Races. Participants did four laps around the test track. It was fun being able to cheer on friends as you saw them along the course. There were only medals for the top five overall male and female and the top five overall masters male and female. Also, this race was family friendly and there was fun activities setup for the kids.

10/12/2024

Canal Corridor 100 Mile Endurance Race

Akron, Ohio

Josh Keane:

Finish Time:  23:30:19:43

Overall Place:  72nd Place / 243

Gender Place:  5th Place

Lisa Keane:  Lisa volunteered as a pacer for the race.

Race Recap By Josh Keane:

The Canal Corridor 100 mile Endurance Run in the books. What an outstanding race. I honestly do not think I could have asked for a better experience for my first 100 mile finish. The course was primarily fast and flat with exception of a couple fairly big hills in and out of Akron as well as in and out of Cleveland. The race was a great scenic course starting in Akron heading south for a 20 mile out and back then 40 miles to Cleveland and right back 40 miles to Akron. The aid stations were excellent and plentiful along the course. We could not have had better weather until the last 20 miles when storms rolled in for torrential downpours of and on until the finish. My goal was 27 hours and thanks to the wonderful people around me I was able to beat that goal by almost four hours finishing in 23 hours and 30 minutes! Better than that are the memories! One of my favorite memories will be spending the day with family and friends. Most of all, running with our very own Lisa Keane into the city of Cleveland while the skyline was lit up! If you are thinking of taking on a 100 mile race this is a great one to consider!

Race Recap By Lisa Keane:

I have not completed the entire 100 mile distance at this event however I have crewed and paced different runners 4 years in a row and I would recommend this race to anyone from beginner to seasoned ultra runner. This event is established and organized with a clearly marked course along the scenic towpath. The course does change slightly year to year and this year, it took us into Cleveland for the first time. Absolutely stunning coming into the city at night with all of the buildings and stadium lights! This also added some elevation changes and challenges to the usually flat, fast course. Well spaced aid and water stations along the entire route with lots of crew access. Nice LS tech shirt and finisher medals. Sub 24 hour finishers earn the coveted gold buckle and 24-30 hour finishers earn the silver buckle.

10/12/2024

Gervasi Haunted Wine Run 5K

Canton, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  21:52

Overall Place 5th Place / 785

Division Place:  2nd Place / 30

Terri Bedner

Finish Time:  26:04

Overall Place:  46th Place / 785

Division Place:  5th Place 147

Race Review By Terri Bendar:

It was a fun race and the swag was great! Got a cool medal and bought a hoodie. Would have like to see a few snacks at the finish line and the age groups were 10 year increments. The should have been every 5 years.  I would definitely do this race again.

Race Recap by Scott Orlando:

This was my first time competing in the Gervasi Haunted Wine Run 5K at Gervasi Winery in Canton, Ohio.  I have competed in other races in the past at Gervasi Winery so I knew a little bit of what to expect.  The race was sold out and I was lucky to be able to register.  I had planned on doing another race that same day but it was cancelled.  By the time I knew the first race was cancelled The Haunted Wine Run was already sold out.  I contacted the race director to see if there was a way to still register.  I was informed that race registration would re-open the morning of the race.  Luckily I was able to secure one of the remaining spots and got registered.  I really appreciated the communication with the race director who helped me.  Great service!  I ended up paying $65 for the race which is pretty high for a 5K but I can’t complain as race day registration typically is higher than pre registration.

Weather conditions for the race were very favorable with temperatures in the low 60’s with extremely calm winds.  Knowing that parking would be limited for this race and it was sold out I arrived probably way too early, but I would rather do that than arrive late and have no on site parking.  The course started behind the Crush House and made a tight right turn around it then followed the road out of the Gervasi property, and then down the street and onto nearby crushed gravel trails.  There was part of the course that made a small loop in a grass field before hoping back on the trail and retuning to Gervasi.

I started at the front of the pack not wanting to get bottlenecked at the first tight turn.  I got off to a good start and right away found myself with the top 10 runners.  It was clear to me early in the race that there were not a lot of competitive runners in the field.  This is pretty common for a themed race especially at a winery.  Several of the runners that were fast appeared to be in or near my age group so I knew there would be no slacking it today.  The fist half of the race seemed to go by quickly.  I found myself battling for 5th place with the fastest female in the race.  At times we ran together but mostly took turns leading each other.  Finally after a hilly section of the course I passed her and secured the 5th position.  Looping back into the same trail to return to the finish I encountered several hundred walkers in large groups blocking the trail.  The first half of the race the leaders were escorted by a golf cart with a clown in it cheering us on and taking pictures.  I am not sure why the escort dropped off mid race but it would have been helpful to keep it in front of us the entire race helping to keep the trail ahead clear to run on.  At first I started yelling asking them to move to the left.  I found that they weren’t listening and it was costing me energy so I was forced to run in the high grass and uneven surface of the shoulder of the trail.  Once passed that area I was able to get back on the trail, increase my pace and head for the finish.  I was happy to finish with a time of 21:52 placing 5th overall and 2nd in my age division.  I was pretty excited to finish 5th overall in such a large race.

The race was well organized with an enjoyable course.  Participants received I’m Just Here For The Boo’s themed SWAG that included a super soft t-shirt, finisher medal that doubles as a coaster, and a wine cup filled with choice of Gervasi wine.  No where on the race SWAG does it mention the 5K race.  I would have preferred the SWAG to say on it somewhere Wine Run 5K.  The wine cups were advertised as soft and crushable.  They were neither.  I will say that they were full of wine! There was no awards ceremony so award winners picked up awards at the timing tent.  Awards were pins that are supposed to be added to the ribbon of the finisher medal.  I haven’t seen awards like this before but I liked the idea.  The pin I received was gold in color.  I will say it is hard to read and I am not sure what it actually says.  Age divisions for awards were every 10 year.  For a large race like this I would prefer to see them every 5 years.  I was a little disappointed that there were no post race snacks just water.   All of the food venues were open post race for participants to eat and drink.

Overall I really enjoyed the race.  It was great fun racing and hanging out with fellow Team ER member Terri Bednar who placed 5th out of 147 in her division.  If you like fall races and wine I suggest putting this race on next year’s calendar.  I will definitely do this race again!

10/12/2024

Mo Fall Marathon, Half Marathon, And 15K

Perrysville, Ohio

Brittany Kiel

Volunteered for packet pick up duties.

10/11/2024

Rainbow Weekend Drag Race 5K

Kent, Ohio

Kevin Christensen

Finish Time:  33:05

Overall Place:  30th Place / 123

Stephanie Orwick

Stephanie volunteered at the race.

Race Recap By Kevin Christensen:

It was a blast running the Rainbow Weekend Drag Race 5K. There were a few disappointed car enthusiasts but they got over it. Money raised from the race entries and $1 from each beer sold went to the Kent State emergency fund to help Students that were abandoned by their “families” after coming out. Last year the organization distributed $45k to students in need. I can’t remember a race with this much support and cheering from walkers and runners.

10/6/2024

CAK 5K On The Runway

North Canton, Ohio

Kris Engstrom

Finish Time:  25:48

Overall Place:  115th Place / 831

Division Place:  5th Place / 30

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  29:15

Overall Place:  247th Place / 851

Division Place:  7th Place / 50

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  36:32

Overall Place:  466th Place / 851

Division Place:  35th Place / 57

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I completed the 2024 CAK 5K on the Runway in Canton this morning and it was a beautiful day for a race! I ran into fellow teammates Kris Engstrom and Brittany Kiehl! It was great seeing them today and I was surprised that we all matched! I finished 7th out of 50 in my age group with a race time of 29:15 and pace of 9:25. I loved checking out the planes and looking around the museum after the run.

Race Recap By Brittany Kiehl:

This is such a fun race that you run on the runway. You could check out the old planes and MAPS museum. It is a relatively flat course, and there was the Afterburner Zone in the middle. This is a race inside of the race of 100 meters. There were overall and age group awards. My only complaint was the shuttles. It took a while to get to the start line, and they even delayed the race to accommodate. Heading back to my van, there were no shuttle drivers to be found. They had all gone together to go to the gas station to get snacks. So all the shuttles arriving at once caused a mess trying to leave the parking lot. Other than that hiccup, it was a beautiful day for a race and a fun time.

9/28/2024

First Energy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, And Marathon Relay

Akron, Ohio

Marathon

Maria Bossard

Finish Time:  4:31:08

Overall Place: 358th Place / 788

Division Place:  18th Place / 251

Laura Fairfax

Finish Time: 5:15:11

Overall Place:  581st Place / 788

Division Place:  28th Place / 37

Half Marathon

Kristi Quesenberry Gunyula

Finish Time:  1:35:33

Overall Place:  94th Place / 2235

Division Place:  7th Place / 143

George McFall

Finish Time:  1:40:25

Overall Place:  146th Place / 2235

Division Place:  8th Place / 101

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:51:41

Overall Place:  318th Place / 2235

Division Place:  15th Place / 101

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  1:59:23

Overall Place:  525th Place / 2236

Division Place:  19th Place / 112

Asad Khan

Finish Time:  1:59:55

Overall Place:  543rd Place / 2235

Division Place:  27th Place / 101

Mike Williams

Finish Time: 2:23:20

Overall Place:  1292nd Place / 2235

Division Place:  6oth Place / 101

Loretta Harland

Finish Time:  2:225:58

Overall Place:  1375th Place / 2235

Division Place:  15th Place / 46

Renee Buckus

Finish Time:  2:43:50

Overall Place:  1755th Place / 2235

Division Place:  148th Place / 181

Relay

Cascade Auto Full Throttle

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  3:34:15

Overall Place:  35th Place / 558

Division Place:  14th Place / 372 Coed Mixed

Team ER We’ve got The Runs

Josh Keane

Lisa Keane

Finish Time:  4:21:52

Overall Place:  223rd Place / 558

Division Place:  151st Place / 372 Coed Mixed

Team ER

Roy Miller

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Steve Zenar

Brittany Kiehl

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  4:35:10

Overall Place:  302nd Place / 558

Division Place:  205th Place / 372 Coed Mixed

The Performance Collective

Stephanie Orwick

Finish Time:  4:46:04

Overall Place:  361st Place / 558

Division Place:  246th Place / 372  Coed Mixed

Volunteers

Stephanie Orwick volunteered and helped with packet pick up at the race expo

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

Race Recap By George McFall:

I completed another Akron Marathon race series on Saturday when I crossed the finish line on S. Main St in front of Canal Park Stadium. I ran the 1/2 marathon. My time was 1:40:25. The weather was the story. It was very humid. I knew it was going to be bad while I was doing a very easy warm up mile. I tried not to think about it. I trained for this. I am ready. The gun went off and away we went down High St. and over the Y Bridge. The course was very challenging. A lot of uphill especially on Brown St. I was never able to lock in and hit my goal paces but kept working hard. I usually feed off the energy of the spectators but not on this day. I am not sure why. As I made the right turn onto S. Main St. (after yet another climb up the exit ramp), I could see the finish line. It was time to dig deep. I said to myself, let’s finish this thing. It was great hearing my name as I approached the finish line. This is something all races should consider doing. The after race party was awesome. Great food, live music and fun!

Race Recap By Steve Zenar:

I had a wonderful time running the Akron Marathon Relay today. Thanks to my wonderful teammates for allowing me to join in and have some fun following the blue line. Great job by all the others out there crushing the course(s). Have a wonderful, relaxing, and restful remainder of the weekend!

Race Recap By Brittany Kiehl:

Race Recap By Asad Khan:

Akron was full of energy this morning for the marathon! I had a tough race.  High humidity and some annoying knee and groin issues, but finished regardless (at 1:59)! I ran with so many friends and running partners and saw so many more cheering! Thank you to all for supporting. Special thanks to coach Christine Churpek for training plans and encouragement!

Race Recap By Renee Buckus:

I ran 20 miles today with a half marathon somewhere in there. I’m in my feels so forgive the emotions but running can feel isolating at times and then I look around and see my village. I love this sport, I love the people that push me, I am so proud of myself for the times I don’t have anyone there to push me but truly, I know I’m never alone. Lastly, and yes I saved the best for last. The biggest thanks goes to @cadebuckus and it’s not even close. He holds this house down, takes care of our daughter while I run and through it all he cheers me on with every mile. I’m running a marathon because it’s on my bucket list and I want to do something challenging but I’m getting so much more out of it than I expected. @cbusmarathon , I’m ready for you!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

I have competed in the First Energy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, And Relay many times.  Each experience has been unique for various reasons.   This year I competed in the half marathon and for me the race boiled down to 4 things, injuries, humidity, hills, and friends.  Heading into the race I had been plagued by a series of nagging injuries that won’t seem to go away.  A torn plantar fasciitis on one foot, metatarsalgia on the other foot, a damaged shoulder from a bike spill and extremely tight hips and glutes are all injuries I have been dealing with in training and at the race.  I knew I was prepared enough to complete the 13.1 miles but also knew that my body just wasn’t ready to do it at the pace I usually compete at.   My start line goals where to have fun, run at a comfortable pace, and make it to the finish line in one piece.

The race day temperatures were in the low 70’s with extremely high humidity.  The humidity would become a serious factor in the race.  I was prepared with my SPI Belt filled with Carb Boom Energy Gel and SaltStick FastChews.  In past races I had experienced some calf cramping in the later miles of the race.  Even with the high humidity this year the Carb Boom Energy Gel and SaltStick FastChews did the trick of preventing any cramping.

The race field appeared larger in size than the previous few years.  The start of the race is an epic experience with well choreographed music, countdowns, and announcers sending runners off in the dark down the streets of Akron lined with cheering fans.   I was in the first coral so it was nice to get on the course without too much congestion.   I got off to a good start for the first few miles and felt strong.  Soon the humidity started to make its presence known so I decided to slow my pace.  I settled into my goal pace of 8:15 – 8:30 per mile.  Normally I would be at a 7:35- 7:45 mile pace but not this year.   Around miles 5-7 I found myself mentally not as focused as I would have liked to have been.  This concerned me so early in the race.  I kept telling myself to trust my training and run the mile that I was in.   I finally settled down and felt a little better after the Carb Boom Energy Gel and a few SaltStick FastChews kicked in.  The course was a little different than previous years but that didn’t seem to erase the hills.  Once I got to the 10 mile mark I started feeling better mentally.  Running back into downtown and feeding off of the energy of the crowds really helped motivate me.  I made it to the finish in a time of 1:51:41 which was about 8-10 minutes slower than my typical finish time at this race.  I was surprised that I managed 15th place in my division out of 101 runners.

The finisher festival was a little nicer than last year, but still challenged for space in the parking lots above the stadium.  More parking lots were used this year to create a larger area than last year but it was still very crowded and hard to find people.  With the stadium now off the table and Lock 3 Park still under construction I think they did a nice job to use what space they had available.   At the finisher festival runners received a bag of food from Acme, two beers, and choice of a food item from several food trucks.  A Galley Boy from Swenson’s was an easy choice for me.   The finisher medals this year were very nice.  I liked the design of this year’s shirts but wish that they were a tech material instead of t-shirts.  Relay runner received short sleeve t-shirts, half marathon runners received long sleeve t-shirts, and full marathon runners received 1/4 zip shirts.  I would love to see them bring back the jackets for the full marathon and the stadium finish.  The Akron Marathon Race Series finishers who completed all three races also received an additional medal and medal display.   The Akron Marathon Race Series Races are some of the best organized and well attended races in the area.

It was great seeing so many Team ER members compete in the race and to see so many running friends out there on the course.  Thank you to the Akron Marathon, the army of volunteers and to all of the spectators who got up early to cheer us all through the finish line!