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!

9/21/2024

Hocking Hills Trail Run Race

Logan, Ohio

40K Race

Josh Keane

Finish Time:  5:22:09

Overall Place:  8th Place / 17

Division Place:  2nd Place

20K Race

Lisa Keane

Finish Time:  2:28:55

Overall Place:  50th Place / 84

Division Place:  2nd Place

Race Recap By Josh Keane:

Lisa Keane and I had a blast running the Hocking Hills Trail Race 2024! There was significantly more road than anticipated, but it transitioned to chip and seal roads then nicely into a mix of grass covered trails and technical trails. This was a beautiful course through the Hocking Hills Park and was well organized. The 5k and 10k distances were bussed out past Old Man’s Cave to start. The 20k, 40K, and 60k started at the nature center where all races finished. The 40K had 112 feet of elevation gain per mile for over 2,600 feet of elevation gain. This was a challenging race with a really cool hand made medal. Maintaining the predetermined Canal Corridor 100 pace, battling the humidity and hills were not easy, but I still was able to finish 2nd in my age group and 8th overall for the 40K. We had a wonderful weekend staying in an Airbnb, running the race and doing a 4 mile recovery hike on Sunday before heading home. Will definitely look to do this one again. For now, on to the next adventure!

Race Recap By Lisa Keane:

This race was a perfect spot for a quick road trip and destination trail race!
Distances from 5K to 60K means something for everyone! All distances $50 includes a shirt and unique ceramic medal made by the Logan HS ceramic class!
60K group start followed by 40K group start an hour later. All other distances have an individual start time allowing runners to pick their own start time. I ran the 20K and chose to start early to try to beat the heat running the first 6 miles before even seeing another runner! Also… No pressure- no crowds!
More road than I expected – can be a little scary on the hills and turns but most drivers were paying close attention and gave runners a safe pass. After talking to the race director, I wore road shoes instead of trail shoes and was glad.
Well marked and beautiful course with 1300’ of elevation. Aid stations were mostly water so bring your own fuel and electrolytes.
Even with the heat, I finished in just under 2 1/2 hours placing 2nd in my division!  Looking forward to doing this one again!

9/22/2024

Ocean City Half Marathon

Ocean City, New Jersey

Kevin Christensen

Kevin Volunteered For Finish Line Duties.

9/21/2024

Emersyn’s Army March 5K

New Franklin, Ohio

Brittany Kiehl

Finish Time:  38:41

Overall Place:  13th Place / 43

Division Place:  1st Place

Race Recap By Brittany Kiehl:

Emersyn’s Army March 5K. All proceeds went to Sufficient Grace Ministries a nonprofit organization that provides comfort to women and families who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. This was my first time participating in this race. Even though it was smaller, it did not disappoint. The course started at Portage Lakes State Park and then looped in a nearby neighborhood. At the finish line there was pinwheels that you could purchase beforehand for 1$ in honor of a baby you lost. Crossing the finish line and seeing all the names made me tear up. After a mix up, I found out (for the first time ever) I finished first in my age group (females 20-34)!! And I was only seconds behind the third overall female. After the race there was raffle baskets, a craft show and a touch a truck event. I loved how you had the option to pick a tank instead of a t-shirt. There was also special medals for overall and age group winners

9/21/2024

Best Of The West Marathon and Half Marathon

Ravenna, Ohio

Cleopatra Sirnic Clifford

Finish Time:  2:56:03

Overall Place:  67th Place / 136

Division Place:  1st Place / 10

9/15/2024

Blazing Paddles PaddleFest

Cleveland, Ohio

12.2 Mile Paddle Race, 6.1 Mile Paddle Race, 3.75 Mile Paddle Race, And Recreational Paddle Event

6.1 Mile Paddle Race

Scott Orlando

Finish Time: 57:28

Overall Place:  1st Place / 14

Division Place:  High Performance Kayak 1st Place / 1

Recreational Paddle

Nancy Wardell

Race Director

Mickey Rzymek

Event Recap by Nancy Wardell:

I participated in the Blazing Paddles event in Cleveland this morning and it was and absolutely beautiful morning to be kayaking! I had my husband along for the driving and loading and unloading of the kayaks which I truly appreciated and loved seeing Scott Orlando blazing by and winning it like always! Congratulations! It was great to see Mickey Rzymek as well and hearing him rocking it on the loud speaker! I really enjoy our group, and proud of how everyone got it done!

Race Recap By Scott Orlando:

This was my 4th time competing in the Blazing Paddles PaddleFest race.  The race was postponed from its original date due to extreme heat and safety concerns.  Many including me did not think that they you be able to pull off the logistics to reschedule the race but race organizer Jim Ridge and Race Director Mickey Rzymek worked their magic and got it done.

It was a beautiful morning for a paddle event on the Cuyahoga River.  The original event date had close to 500 paddlers registered with most being in the recreational event.  It appeared that the majority of recreational and race paddlers made it to the rescheduled event date.  The logistics of the event were planned well and executed to perfection from the boat drop off, paid parking, registration, and so on.  Being that a barge had destroyed the dock previously used for launching the recreation boats I was worried things might be delayed and a mess getting everyone in the river but even that was well managed.  The recreation paddlers launched first with the help of plenty of volunteers followed by the racers competing in distances of 3.75 miles, 6.1 miles, and 12.2 miles.  The launching process went so smoothly that the races even started 5 minutes early.

I competed in the 6.1 mile race and entered into the high performance kayak division.  Still recovering from a shoulder injury I wasn’t sure how I would perform.  Being that I was the only person competing in the high performance kayak division my plan was to be conservative and just enjoy the experience.   I really enjoy the start of this race.  There is great energy with all of the recreational paddlers on the river cheering us on.  The course was designed with a short out and back loop taking races again past the cheering recreational paddlers creating a second opportunity through the large zone of energy and excitement.  This year a fire fighting barge was stationed just after the turn around buoy.  The fire fighting barge had its water cannons blasting which made for a memorable experience.  Racers were blasted with water from the cannons cooling us all off.  I enjoyed that until my mind started questioning how much river bacteria I jus got showered with.   Although I was paddling conservatively I found myself keeping pace with some of the faster kayaks in the race.  A few miles in I actually started passing a few.  Most of the faster kayakers in the race were paddling 18′ surf skis.  I definitely had an advantage paddling my 19′ Stellar SR Multisport especially when heading into the wind.  The longer and narrower kayak seemed to gain ground each time the wind gusted.   With 2 miles left I found myself just behind two fast paddlers.  Once was in the longer race but I still set out to catch them both.  I pushed hard the last 2 miles passing both of them and finishing with a time of 57:28.

I knew that I had won my division because I was the only person in it.  At the awards presentation my division was skipped.  I had to go to the timing table to get things sorted out.  For some reason they had no result for me and a few other people.  They corrected the issue and presented the awards.  What I didn’t realize until I got home was that I was the overall winner of the 6.1 mile race.

I give the race organizer and director a lot of credit  of being able to reschedule this massive event which was no easy task.  Everything was top notch and ran smooth as could be.  All participants received nice t-shirts.  Award winners received a print of a previous race and choice of a hat.  There were plenty of snacks after the race.

Cleveland was named the top urban kayak destination in the country and for good reason.  If you have the opportunity to participate in this event or paddle the area on your own you will understand why.  I look forward to competing again next year.