7/15/2023 Kristi Gunyula Christine Churpek, Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford, And Nancy Wardell Women’s 6K Festival Canton, Ohio

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7/15/2023

Women’s 6K Festival

Canton, Ohio

Kristi Gunyula

Finish Time:  26:24

Overall Place:  47th Place / 332

Division Place:  2nd Place / 40

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  28:39

Overall Place:  74th Place / 332

Division Place:  4th Place / 40

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  36:46

Overall Place:  180th Place / 332

Division Place:  14th / 40

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  55:39

Overall Place:  281st Place / 332

Division Place:  26th Place / 29

 

7/8/2023 Scott Orlando Headwaters Adventure Race Mantua, Ohio

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7/8/2023

Headwaters Adventure Triathlon

2 Mile Run, 10 Mile Bike, 5 Mile Kayak

Mantua, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:46:09

Overall Place 4th Place / 100

Division Place:  1st Place / 13

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

The Headwaters Adventure Race is one of the races I look forward to every year.  I have competed in this race about 10 times since 2010.  This year I was extra motivated because last year in the final stretch of the kayak leg I got caught on a log under the water, I was passed by 3 competitors, dropped to 9th place, and lost my age group by just seconds.  I was waiting an entire year for redemption.

Race morning conditions were fairly favorable with temperatures in the high 60’s, moderate humidity, and just a slight breeze.  River conditions were not ideal with low water depths and low flow.  I got to the kayak staging area early knowing that the best spots to place your kayak for the river put in fill up fast.  Kayak staging was a little frustrating as everywhere I attempted to place my kayak I was told by a volunteer it was not allowed.  The volunteer was a little confrontational.  I finally found a spot that I was approved to stage my kayak.  Next it was off to the bike staging area and registration which were located near the start line.  Again I know to get to the bike staging area early as the best spots fill up quickly.  Everything was set and I was ready to race.

The race starts with a 2 mile run which is on an out and back course that begins on the road before heading to the Headwaters Trail.  This year they changed the last part of course and instead of heading back to the road the course stayed on the trail which looped behind the park leading to the bike transition area.  I think this change made for a better course.  My run went as expected and put me in somewhere between 10th -12th place.  My transition to the bike was pretty good and I was quickly on my way.   The bike course features a lot of hills.   I was able to pass a few of the faster runners that weren’t as skilled on the bike and was passed myself by a couple of competitors that were faster on the bike than myself who I had beaten on the run leg.  It wasn’t my fastest time completing the bike course but I survived the hills and made my way to Camp Hi for the kayak leg.  I dropped off my bike in the designated area, changed from my bike shoes to my kayak shoes and was off to the river.  As I arrived at my kayak I was slightly frustrated to see that kayaks had been staged in every single location I was told pre race that I could not stage my kayak.  Non the less I picked up my kayak, carried it to the boat ramp, hopped in, and took off paddling.  I went with my Stellar SR Multi Sport for this race which is the fastest kayak I own.  The water was low and slow with seaweed everywhere.   To avoid a repeat of last year getting caught twice on river debris I was extra cautious with my paddling lines constantly surveying the water ahead looking for anything that would slow me down.  I was pleased to see that many of the fallen trees had been cut back creating lines of safe passage through the winding river.  There were some shallow spots but I managed to keep the hull of my kayak from hitting the river bottom.  I passed several competitors early in the first mile that were in recreational kayaks and who were less experienced paddlers.  After that I never saw another kayaker on the course in front or behind me.  I did hit a few logs under the water that I could not see but luckily I did not get hung up on them.  I knew there were some fast kayakers behind me.  As I hit the 4th and 5th miles I kept waiting and expecting for them to come up from behind me and pressure me which often happens at this race.  But this year was different.  The closer I got to the finish the harder I pushed and the pressure never came.  I saw the bridge above me and knowing the finish was just around the corner I kicked it into gear for the final stretch.  I exited my kayak and ran through the finish.  I was surprised to find out that I was the 4th overall finisher.  This was my best overall result at this race which I typically finish somewhere between 6th place – 9th place.  I also redeemed myself from last year and won my division with a time of 1:46:09 seconds.  I beat my time from last year by over 7 minutes.  It is amazing how much faster your kayak time can be when you don’t have to get out of it to get yourself off of a logs!

The race was very well organized by the Portage Park District which is made up of mostly volunteers.  Every participant received a swag box loaded with sponsor goodies, a tri blend shirt, and finisher medal.  Awards went to the top 3 overall finishers.  Age group awards went to only the winner of each age group.  Age groups were every 10 years.  I have suggested in the past to the race directors that they provide age group award for the top 3 in each division, but they continue to limit the awards.  I think when people win awards they have a greater tendency to return the following year plus they post their award pictures all over social media which promotes the race and organization holding the race.  Overall this is a great race and I will be back next year!

7/4/2023 Scott Orlando, Christine Churpek, Kris Engstrom, Peter Heroux, Gretchen Snyder, And Nancy Wardell Raintree 5K Uniontown, Ohio

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7/4/2023

Raintree 5K

Uniontown, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time: 23:30

Overall Place:  17th Place / 99

Division Place:  1st Place / 5

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  24:32

Overall Place:  20th Place / 99

Division Place:  3rd Place Overall Female

Kris Engstrom

Finish Time:  24:55

Overall Place:  24th Place / 99

Division Place:  3rd Place / 5

Peter Heroux

Finish Time:  26:14

Overall Place:  29th Place / 99

Division Place:  4th Place / 10

Gretchen Snyder

Finish Time:  28:41

Overall Place:  37th Place / 99

Division Place:  2nd Place / 10

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  34:38

Overall Place:  56th Place

Division Place:  3rd Place / 6

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I ran the Raintree 5k this morning in Uniontown with a whole “troop” of Team-ER teammates! It was a beautiful morning for a race and I definitely enjoyed hanging out with everyone for a bit to start this 4th of July off right! I placed third in my age group and appreciated the swag and bonus prizes including a $10 gift certificate to Ritchie’s Sporting Goods and a pie from our super awesome sponsor Mickey Rzymek from North Coast Multisports that organizes so many great runs in our area! Thanks for organizing our crew Scott Orlando and making sure we all matched for the team photo.  Happy 4th of July everyone and happy running!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

This was my 4th time running the Raintree 5K in Uniontown, Ohio.  I enjoy running this race because of the unique course.  It isn’t every day you get to run down the fairways of a golf course.  This race is a true cross country running style event.  The course features golf course fairways and cart paths as well as a short road  loop through a housing development.  Weather for this year’s race was less than ideal.  Temperatures weren’t that bad but did continue to increase with every minute of the race.  The biggest factor was the humidity soaring at over 95% making for steamy hot running conditions.  To make things even more challenging rains from the days leading up to the race made for some soggy soft fairways to run on.  They weren’t muddy and there was no standing water, but the soft fairways made for slower running conditions for sure.

The race started on the 10th Fairway.  I got off to a little slower start than I would have liked.  I think the combination of high humidity, soft ground, and incline had me working hard than I would have liked to in the early stages of the race.  There were a lot of young high school aged runners who quickly made their way to the start of the race pack setting the early pace.  This course is a little sneaky with what feels like a lot more up hill sections than flat and down hill sections.  I wouldn’t describe the course as rolling hills as the elevation changes aren’t all that visible to the eyes at times but you certainly feel them.  After the first mile I finally settled into my pace.  Again it was a little slower than what I would have liked but under the conditions I was content to not push harder to keep some energy in reserve for a strong finish.  By the second mile the race field was spreading out.  I was able to increase my pace on the road section of the course and passed a few runners that were slowing down in front of me.  I was surprised to see how many runners ahead of me were stopping for a quick breather.  The humidity was really sucking the energy and pace out of even the fastest runners on the course.  We made the turn back onto the golf course from the road.  The course here was downhill which made for some faster running.  A quick right turn up a small steep hill slowed the pace again.  I was ready for the hill and went with a slow but consistent pace to tackle it know that I could push hard through the next two fairways to the finish.  After the hill my pace increased on the flatter fairways.  There wasn’t really anyone in front of me other than one younger runner and no one was behind me.  I let the younger runner pace me as we headed down the 18th fairway with both of us opening up and striding it out through the finish.  I finished with a time of 23:30.  This certainly wasn’t my best 5K time, but it was good enough to win my age group and finish 17th overall.  I was about 15 seconds slower that last year.  I am sure the high humidity and soft running conditions accounted for the lost time.

It was a great day of racing with so many of our Team ER members.  Christine Churpek was the 3rd overall female, Gretchen Snyder was 2nd in her division, Kris Engstrom and Nancy Wardell were 3rd in their divisions, and Peter Heroux was 4th in his division missing the podium by just one second.

The race was once again well organized by Ritchie Sporting Goods and North Coast Multisports.  Mickey Rzymek made the day special for Team ER members by announcing the Team ER affiliation and all of their names as each member crossed the finish line as well as when each Team ER member stepped onto the podium for awards.  Race swag included tri blend soft style t-shirts, custom race bibs, protein bars, and fruit.  Winners received pies and Ritchie’s Sporting Goods gift certificates.

6/24/2023 Kristi Gunyula, Roy Miller, Scott Orlando, Veronica Neubert, Asad Khan, Christine Churpek, Mike Williams, Laura Fairfax, Brad Hain, Nancy Wardell, And Russ Neubert National Interstate 8K Akron, Ohio

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6/24/2023

Akron Marathon Race Series National Interstate 8K

Akron, Ohio

Kristi Gunyula

Finish Time:  35:14

Overall Place:  53rd Place / 1231

Division Place:  3rd Place Female Masters

Roy Miller

Finish Time:  36:16

Overall Place:  71st Place / 1231

Division Place:  10th place / 50

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  37:05

Overall Place:  84th Place / 1231

Division Place:  5th Place / 53

Veronica Neubert

Finish Time:  39:00

Overall Place:  139th place / 1231

Division Place:  4th Place / 112

Asad Khan

Finish Time:  41:20

Overall Place:  223rd Place / 1231

Division Place:  14th Place / 53

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  40:22

Overall Place:  183rd Place / 1231

Division Place:  7th Place / 112

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  42:44

Overall Place:  274th Place / 1231

Division Place:  17th Place / 53

Laura Fairfax

Finish Time:  43:04

Overall Place:  287th Place / 1231

Division Place:  15th Place / 106

Brad Hain

Finish Time:  55:51

Overall Place:  822nd Place / 1231

Division Place:  17th Place / 23

Nancy Wardell

Finish Time:  58:54

Overall Place:  906th Place / 1231

Division Place:  77th Place / 106

Russ Neubert

Biked along the course supporting Team ER members

Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:

I ran the National Interstate 8K this morning in Akron with a large group of teammates from Team-ER!  It was great to see everyone this morning and meet some new members! I finished under an hour and was way to excited for the free chicken sandwich at the end!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

This was only my second time running the National Interstate 8K.  The first time I ran the race was in 2019.  I typically head to PA for a triathlon the same weekend of this race but family obligations kept me racing local this year.

In 2019 the race started outside the University Of Akron Football Stadium and ended inside the stadium sprinting down the field with the finish near the end zone.  The post race celebration featured a craft beer festival inside the stadium.  Use of the stadium hasn’t been an option for the race organizers the last few years so now the start line is on the corner of Spicer Street  And Vine Street with the finish near the corner of Wolf Ledges Parkway and Carroll Street.  Late Registration and packet pickup was held at the James A Rhodes Arena which is located somewhat in between the start and finish area.  There was plenty of parking available in the nearby university parking lots at no charge.  I chose to park closer to the finish line.  It was a 14 minute walk to the start area.

After a Team ER pre race picture it was off to the start line.  Weather was favorable with temperatures in the 60’s but high humidity made it feel much warmer.  My plan going into the race was to take advantage of the downhill sections increasing my pace and then be more conservative on the uphill sections.  My goal was to finish under 38 minutes.  Studying the course elevation chart had me a little nervous about the hills.  The race started and I pushed the pace in the first mile which featured some long downhill sections.  My first mile split was 6:57.  I was pretty happy with how I was feeling.  I was running loose and felt good but knew the hills would be on the way soon.  I stuck with my plan slowing down a bit up the hills and increasing pace on the downhill sections.  The strategy seemed to be working well.  Each mile I lost a little overall pace per mile but I was still on target to hit my goal.  The last mile of the course featured more uphill than downhill parts of the course.  By the 4th mile I was really feeling the humidity.  I could have used a hydration station heading into the last mile but there were only two on the course with the last one being before the mile 3 marker.  A quick right turn at the end of the 4th mile and the finish line was right on top of me.  I made a quick last sprint to the finish and was pleased to see I achieved my goal with a finish time of 37:05.  This was 30 seconds faster than my pervious time back in 2019.  It was great to see so many Team ER members at the race as well as so many other running friends.

The finisher festival was located between the start and finish but closer to the finish.  It featured live bands, food trucks, and beer stations.   Runners received finisher medals, water, Lemon Lime Prime, pretzels, and bananas as they made their way through the finish line area towards the finisher festival.  Each runner received 2 beer tickets and a food ticket to be used for the food trucks.  I went with a donut for my food choice.  All racers received t-shirts, finisher medals, and drawstring bags

Akron Marathon did an amazing job organizing the race.  Their races are truly some of the best in the area.   That being said I wouldn’t mind a few tweaks to the race experience.  I would prefer to receive a tech shirt rather than a t-shirt.  I know many runners have so many tech shirts and like the t-shirts but I just prefer tech shirts.  The drawstring bags given to everyone have a hospital sponsor logo on them and I would love to also see them have a race logo as well.  Registration was fast and simple but I would have liked to have seen a small expo or some race merchandise for sale.  Akron Marathon Race Series usually has vintage race swag they sell at an annual sale and at the marathon. They also just rolled out new race merchandise for this season.  It might have been cool to have the opportunity to shop for some of these items at registration or at the finisher festival.  I am never a huge fan of racers that start and finish at different locations.  I would prefer they be closer to each other or at the same location.  Race day photos have been made available for sale.  Often races allow you to download low resolution photos for free or one photo for free.  The photos are great but fairly expensive.   I would love to see them make at least one picture download free.  Lastly I think they should have a hydration station every mile or add one additional station at mile 4.  This would be particularly helpful for slower runners who have been on the course longer and for hot humid race days.   In all it was an amazing race experience and I look forward to the next Akron Marathon Race Series event.