3/16/2024 Veronica Neubert, Steve Zenar, Mike Williams, Nancy Wardell, Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford St. Malachi Church Run Cleveland, Ohio

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3/16/2024

St. Malachi Church Run

5 Mile Race

Cleveland, Ohio

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  38:04

Overall Place:  186th Place / 1203

Division Place:  5th Place / 64

Steve Zenar

Finish Time:  41:47

Overall Place:  357th Place / 1203

Division Place:  29th Place / 72

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  41:53

Overall Place:  362nd Place / 1203

Division Place:  18th Place / 66

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  46:36

Overall Place:  605th Place / 1203

Division Place:  27th Place / 73

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  49:37

Overall Place:  734th Place / 1203

Division Place:  21st Place / 72

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

Great morning for a long drive and run in Cleveland today at the St Malachi Church Run! I finished my 5 miles with a 9:20 pace and overall time of 46:36!

This race was a very flat course except for one incline at the end. All turns we’re marked very clearly and tons of food at the end!!! Can even donate canned food for the churches food drive to help those in need and volunteers were awesome!

Congratulations to my other teammates who were out there too.  Thanks for warming up with me Cleopatra Sirnic and enjoying the experience!

Race Recap By Steve Zenar:

I had a wonderful time running the 45th Annual St. Malachi Church Run/Walk! The 5 mile race was very well organized and was absolutely packed with runners today which was no surprise due to the awesome weather. This was my first time running this race and I really enjoyed the scenic course passing through downtown Cleveland. I also enjoyed the free beer to wrap up the morning . It was great seeing some Team-ER team members at the race.

3/16/2024 Christine Churpek Get Luck 25K Canal Fulton, Ohio

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3/16/2024

Get Lucky 25K

Canal Fulton, Ohio

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  2:12:34

Overall Place:  8th Place / 46

Division Place:  2nd Place Overall Female

Race Recap By Christine Churpek:

I ran the Get Lucky 50/50 25K this morning and placed 2nd Overall Female (I don’t think there were very many 25K participants, but I’ll take it)! Beautiful course with a chilly start. This race was tough for me, and paces that were once easy for me are not anymore. I know if I stay consistent with my training, I will chip away at my time and get back to where I was 2 years ago!

3/2/2024 Mike Williams, Roy Miller, Scott Orlando, And Mike Pastva The Road Apple Roubaix Garrettsville, Ohio

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3/2/2024

The Road Apple Roubaix

Garrettsville, Ohio

50 Mile Bike Course

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  3:55:20

Overall Place:  239th Place / 321

Roy Miller

Finish Time:  3:57:55

Overall Place:  248th Place / 321

25 Mile Bike Course

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  2:20:38

Overall Place:  133rd Place / 201

Mike Pastva

Finish Time:  2:28:58

Overall Place:  148th Place / 201

Bike Ride Recap By Mike Pastva:

I had so much fun at the Road Apple Roubaix . This was my first official Fondo and I didn’t know what to expect. I did the 26 miler since I really haven’t done any real quality cardio training and it was a challenge. My bike performed flawlessly on all of the terrains this course offered.  I did this Fondo with a few members from my team and it was a spur of the moment decision. Mike Williams, thank you for everything, conversation, gloves and comradery, I look forward to another ride.  Scott Orlando, thank you for the fun along the ride, great conversation and being an awesome team leader. You are the best !  Roy Miller. thanks for some fun conversation. Nice seeing you.  Jimmy Ruggles, Thanks for the beer shortly after Heckler hill. What was I thinking? But it was a free beer.  A big thanks to Eddy’s Bike Shop and Slim & Jumbo’s for the hospitality and all the volunteers.  Thank you to Eddy’s Bike Shop and all of our sponsors.
I really like My SPI belt. I wore 3 for this event and didn’t even know I had them on.

Bike Ride Recap By Scott Orlando:

I was definitely out of my comfort zone at the 10th Annual Road Apple Roubaix in Garrettsville, Ohio.  This was my first time on a gravel bike and first time participating in this event which ended up being quite an adventure. The Road Apple Roubaix offers a longer course of 50 miles and a shorter course of somewhere between 25 and 27 miles depending on who you ask and what course description you read.  I went with the shorter course being that this was my first gravel bike experience.  Favorable weather predictions made for a huge event turnout with organizers closing registration with a sell out of 600 riders.  Surprisingly to most of us the ride day weather was far from what was predicted with cooler than advertised temperatures, cloudy overcast skies, and periods of precipitation.   The event is advertised as a fondo but for many gravel grinders it is very much a race.  When you provide chip timing, and awards for the overall fastest riders along with awards for four Strava challenge sections of the course it becomes a race.  I personally had no interest in racing or completing the course for speed.  The field of riders was made up of all ability levels from beginners out for some recreation to highly skilled and incredibly fast racers.  Bikes styles ranged from gravel bikes, cyclocross bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, and fat tire bikes.  Road bikes are one of the few types of bikes not suitable for the terrain of this event.

The 26 mile course challenged me with massive hills, mud, and constantly changing riding surfaces. I saw some beautiful scenery through the mud, precipitation, and fog of my riding glasses. I did see some road apples and an Amish cart being pulled by two magnificent clydesdale horses.  I found the first 10-12 miles to be fairly easy riding.  The back half of the course was a different story.  It was filled with some very steep hills and a long stretch of trail that was a mixture of clay and mud which was slick and difficult to pedal through.   The wind and precipitation kicked up in the second half of the ride making things even more challenging.  I finished in 2:20:38 just in time to see the top riders race through the finish of the 50 mile course.  They were all completely covered in mud.  So much so that you could not distinguish one rider from another.

Being my first gravel bike experience I learned a few things.  First I probably need to train harder and put more miles on a bike to take on the steep hills.  Second I would probably invest in some lightweight fenders to help reduce the mud splatter.  Third I would probably invest in some weatherproof shoe covers to protect my feet from the wet cold conditions.  Fourth Strava Challenge Area signs mean get ready for some tough riding ahead!.   Finally that gravel grinders are nuts!  The bigger the hills, the worse the riding conditions, and the more mud the happier they are!

Participants received rock music inspired t-shirts and pint glasses plus a free craft beer and chili.  A gravel bike was raffled off along with additional prizes with the purchase of tickets.  I was the lucky winner of a Road Apple Roubaix beanie.

Thank you to Mike Pastva who pointed out that the mud covering our faces most likely was full of road apple debris.
Congratulations to my fellow Team-ER Road Apple Warriors Mike Pastva who completed the 26 mile course and to Mike Williams and Roy Miller who amazingly completed the 50 mile course.  Thank you to Eddy’s Bike Shop, the event sponsors, and volunteers that made the ride possible.

Ride Recap By Roy Miller:

This was my first gravel race. Hopefully not my last. I made a mistake of taking on the 50 mile course on a 26″ mountain bike. Not having a gravel bike I thought about dropping to the 25 mile course but then again I am not one to always make the right decision. I really enjoyed the course for about the first 30 miles and then realized I was probably in last place overall. I found a fellow rider who made the time more enjoyable. We got to talking and apparently missed a turn! That put us off course by a few miles. I hit the rest area and told him to go off on his own and I would just enjoy the rest of it on my own. I must have started talking to myself too much because I missed the last turn onto a gravel section and somehow ended up crossing the finish line from the wrong side! I will definitely tackle this one again. Next time with a gravel bike and maybe the short course.

 

2/24/2024 Ken Frankenbery Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K Tampa, Florida

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2/24/2024

Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K

Tampa, Florida

Ken Frankenbery

Finish Time:  24:01

Overall Place:  271st Place / 6500

Division Place:  4th Place / 132

Race Recap By Ken Frankenbery:

I have a love hate relationship with big races. I love the level of competition because there is always someone to push you outside of you comfort zone.  I relish the chance to compete against the best racers from around the country and world.  The downside is the logistics and with no real warm up because you have to get corralled 30 minutes prior to the start.  Getting to the race 2 hours early to sign up, walking over 3 miles before the race start to get from packet pick up to start , waiting in porta pot lines and the mad crush of bodies at the start with everyone fighting for position.  But at the end of the day there is nothing like it.

The weather was decent and sunny, with low 60’s temperatures and a slight wind. My time was disappointing at 24:01, but I was happy with results.  I finished 4th in my age group out of 132, and 271st overall out of 6500 finishers.  My good friend John and his brother Bob both had solid races, and it was great sharing the day with them.

2/10/2024 Scott Orlando, Gretchen Snyder, Veronica Neubert, Nancy Wardell, Mike Williams, Terri Bednar, And Russ Neubert Frostbite 5K Prediction Race Munroe Falls, Ohio

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2/10/2024

Frostbite 5K Prediction Race

Munroe Falls, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  23:59

Predicted Time: 24:02

Difference:  – 3 seconds

Overall Place:  3rd Place / 91

Gretchen Snyder

Finish Time:  27:05

Predicted Time:  27:00

Difference:  +5 seconds

Overall Place:  5th Place / 91

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  25:46

Predicted Time:  25:30

Difference: +15 seconds

Overall Place:  11th Place / 91

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  28:56

Predicted Time: 28:15

Difference: +41 seconds

Overall Place:  27th Place / 91

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  26:17

Predicted Time:  27:00

Difference:  -43 seconds

Overall Place:  29th Place / 91

Terri Bednar

Finish Time:  26:24

Predicted Time:  24:50

Difference:  +1:34

Overall Place:  52nd Place / 91

Russ Neubert

Finish Time:  34:17

Predicted Time:  30:00

Difference:  +4:17

Overall Place:  79th Place / 91

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I had a great time this morning at the Frostbite 5k Prediction Run in Munroe Falls! I absolutely loved seeing so many Team-ER members and of course Mickey Rzymek at the race!  Congratulations Scott Orlando for being so close to your prediction within seconds and great job to all my other teammates for battling the monsoon during the whole race that started almost exactly when we started! My prediction of 28:15 was a little off as I finished at 28:56. It was still a great time!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

There was definitely no threat of frostbite today at the Frostbite 5K Prediction Race but there may have been a risk of drowning in the torrential rain!  I have competed in the Summit Athletic Runners Club Frostbite 5K Prediction Race several times over the years and each one is a different experience based on the weather.  Usually at this race runners are battling cold, ice, and snow, but not this year thanks to temperatures in the 50’s!  Who would think that I would be wearing shorts to compete in a frostbite race but it happened.
Most races I tend to register early in my excitement to compete and secure the best pricing.  This time a waited until I knew what the weather conditions would be.  In previous years competing in this race registering early proved to create pace challenges as my predicted times did not take into consideration snow and ice storms days before the races that impacted the ability to run.  This year once I knew there would be no snow or ice I calculated my predicted time and registered.  I went with a time that I felt would be slower than my typical 5K pace but fast enough to get something out of the run.
Not knowing if the weather in the morning would include rain I once again packed my car with several clothing options.  I did change from running tights to triathlon shorts just before the race and decided since it wasn’t raining to go with my fastest race day shoes.  I went with the triathlon shorts instead of traditional running shorts just in case it did rain.  Wet running shorts feel like soggy wet diapers to me.  Just as we lined up for the start right on cue it did start raining.
The gun sounded and we were off running.   The light rain quickly turned into heavy rain, which turned into a torrential downpour!  I started way too fast in the first lap.   The second lap of the 2 loop course was a lot tougher.  The rain was now standing water on most of the course so I was really splashing soaking my shoes with every step.  I knew I was well ahead of my predicted time so I slowed down to a pace that felt downright unholy, unnatural, and just wrong for a short race. The strategy paid off and I finished just 3 seconds off my predicted time earning 3rd place overall!
After the race we took some team pictures of us all looking like drowned rats and then I changed out of my soggy clothes into dry rain gear to wait for the results and awards.  Awards went in order of runners closest to their predicted times.  Because I was 3rd overall I was able to pick just about any prize I wanted.  Prizes included race swag from previous Summit Athletic Runners Club events.  Usually there are free race registrations for upcoming events but not this year.  All participants received nice crewneck sweatshirts and there were some snacks and water at the finish.  Some of the snacks included a variety of bagged chips.  Can I just say that anyone that chose Funyuns as a post race snack option after running is probably a serial killer!
Despite the rain I had a great time racing with so many Team-ER members. Congratulations to Terri Bednar who made her Team-ER racing debut! Thank you to Mickey Rzymek, Josh Ritchie, the volunteers of Summit Athletic Running Club, and the sponsors that made the race possible.