11/26/2020

Turkey Trot 5K

Kent, Ohio

Amy Stumpf

Amy ran the Kent Turkey Trot 5K as a pacer for her two children one of which was running the race as her very first 5K.

Both of her kids finished the race and did awesome.

11/26/2020

Mansfield Lexington Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K Turkey Trot

Mansfield, Ohio

10K

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  44:18

Overall Place:  3rd Place

Division Place:  1st Place

Race Recap By Scott Orlando

This was the third year for the Mansfield Lexington Turkey Trot Race and my second time competing in the event.   This year the race was moved to a new location but still utilized the same paved bike trail as the previous last two years.   The new location offered more parking and probably a safer environment for social distancing.  The new start and finish line were about 1.5 miles from the previous year’s races.  The 5K course was mostly new while the 10K and half marathon utilized a great deal of the old course.   I found that the new course featured a little bit more elevation change then the old courses but still it is a relatively flat fast course.   Weather was fairly good for running with temperatures in the high 40’s but there were some strong winds in the 10 – 15 mph range.  Race organizers were under strict health department guidelines that they followed very well which included required masks, staggered starts, and social distancing.   The race was kept small by design and was very family friendly allowing dogs on leashes, strollers, and a pre race kids fun run.

I started fast which was my plan and clocked a 6:36 first mile.  For social distancing purposes I wanted to clear some space and get everyone away from me on the trail.   A 34 year old started just behind me and passed me after the first mile.   He never slowed down and was the overall winner.   I settled in at a little slower pace.  My goal was to finish the race under a 7 minute mile pace.   I was running well and trending towards my goal.   At the turnaround I was able to see the other runners behind me.   I only saw one young runner that looked like he might be able to catch me, but with a staggered start it was very hard to tell.    The last mile my GPS was telling me I was averaging a 6:56 mile pace.  I knew reaching my goal would be close so I pushed not knowing where the other runner was.   I finished not being passed by any other runners so I felt like I had a chance for 2nd overall.   Turns out the young runner who was 14 years of age started well behind me and did beat my time by about 30 seconds so I finished 3rd overall with a time of 44:18.   I am happy with my result as it was a tougher course then last year and I beat my time by about 15 seconds.   According to my GPS I averaged a 6:54 mile pace for 6:41 miles.  Officially results have me completing the course with a 7:08 mile pace.  I remember seeing a sign about 150 meters from the finish the read 10K finish so I am not sure if the course was long by design and the sign indicated the actual 10K mark or my GPS was off.

There were no awards of any kind per health department guidelines.   In the past there were no age group awards and overall winners received large baskets of Thanksgiving style groceries.  Perhaps the health department said no to this type of award offering which I certainly understand.   I am not clear on why the race directors would not be able to offer another type of award or mail out awards.   Like other races, award ceremonies are not allowed.   I don’t know all the details on why the race was not allowed to provide awards but I found it interesting.   They were able to provide the race swag in prepackaged bags as well as a table to pick from a selection of pies and some post race snacks of granola bars and bananas.  Swag for this race was awesome and included tech hoodies, finisher medals, tote bags, sponsor samples, and pies.   The race was really well organized and was executed with extreme safety.  Very well done.  I am grateful for the opportunity to share the experience with my niece who ran her 2nd ever 5K.

11/8/2020

Minnehaha 10K Trail Race

Peninsula, Ohio

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  1:06

Overall Place:  53rd Place

Division Place:  5th Place

11/7/2020

Leave No Trace Half Marathon Trail Race

Peninsula, Ohio

Amy Stumpf

Finish Time:  2:21:55

Overall Place:  53rd Place

Division Place:  5th Place

11/7/2020

Lake To Lake 10K

Lakeland, Florida

Ken Frankenbery

Finish Time:  45:32

Overall Place:  15th Place

Division Place:  1st Place

Race Review By Ken Frankenbery:

Another Covid race with small waves sent out every minute. 170 racers in 10 waves, I was in wave 5. Temp was mid 70’s & windy- decent conditions, course was hillier than I expected. It looped around several lakes, but also worked through some neighborhoods with classic homes- great scenery.
My last race was burned into my memory ( getting second place by 1 second-but never seeing my competitor), so it helped motivate me to push my max the entire race . I ended up 15th Overall, 1st in my age group, and had a time of 45:32 , a 7:20 pace.
They had an award for Master Champion ( over 50 ), I noticed they awarded it to a 50 year old who was a minute slower than I was. I asked, and the Promotor was honest and said she assumed no one over 60 would be in contention for award so never checked my time so they missed me.  Since she already gave award out- ( it was a local she knew) said she would mail me another one.
It didn’t matter to me as I was just happy to be racing!

• You must complete some form of structured stretching each day for the entire month.
• This may include static or dynamic stretching performed individually, as a group or in a class setting.
• Stretching should be no less than 5-10 minutes daily to qualify and keep you in the challenge.
• The longer you last in the challenge the more team points you earn!
  • October 1st – October 4th earns 2 points.
  • October 1st – October 11th earns 4 points
  • October 1st – October 18th earns 6 points
  • October 1st – October 25th earns 8 points
  • October 1st – October 31st earns 10 points
• Miss a day and you are out of the challenge.
• Once your challenge has ended post a picture of yourself in a Team ER shirt or apparel item to the team Facebook page with the title: I took the Team ER October Challenge And Lasted _____ Days! #teameroctoberstretchchallenge
  • Team members performing the challenge but not submitting pictures will receive half of the points earned.
• Every Team ER member that participates in the challenge will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a great prize!

• Challenge Results

  Asad Khan earned 1 point

  Mike Williams earned 5 points

  Gretchen Snyder earned 6 points.

  Kevin Christensen earned 6 points

  Scott Orlando earned 8 points
  Christine Churpek earned 10 Points

11/1/2020

Buckeye Half Marathon and 10K

Peninsula, Ohio

Half Marathon

Loretta Harland

Finish Time:  2:06:18

Overall Place 76th Place

Division Place:  1st Place

10K

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  46:24

Overall Place:  14th Place

Division Place 2nd Place

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  54:26

Overall Place: 36th Place

Division Place:  7th Place

Steve Zenar

Finish Time:  57:55

Overall Place: 49th Place

Division Place:  4th Place

Jill Bidwell McCauslin

Finish Time:  1:15:08

Overall Place: 90th Place

Division Place:  1st Place

Virtual 10K

Mike Pastva

Finish Time:  1:05:51

Race Review By Scott Orlando

250 brave runners took to the streets on a wet and windy morning in Peninsula, Ohio to compete in the Buckeye Half Marathon and 10K.  I have competed in this event in the past in both distances and decided this year to go with the 10K distance.  For me the second loop of the half marathon course gets a little boring so I prefer the 10K option for this particular race.  Race conditions were tough with temperatures in the mid 40’s strong steady winds with occasional heavy wind gusts and cold blowing rain.   Because of the challenging conditions I wasn’t looking for a PR or to push at maximum speed.  Instead I wanted to just survive the race and live to run another day.  I started with a strong first mile around a 7 minute mile pace.   My GPS watched glitched up and lost track of me at the end of the first mile so for the remainder of the race my splits were off and I didn’t have a real accurate idea of my pace.   In the second mile my music stopped playing and I was unable to get it to turn back on as the face of my touch screen watch was wet from the rain and not responding.  I was running blind without data and in solitude without music.  The rain continued to to pour down on the runners throughout the race.  At times it was a drizzle but would quickly turn heavy and come down sideways with the wind.   Runners were shielded from the strong winds by the trees and valley for most of the first 4 miles or so of the course.   In the 5th mile when the course opened up near Salayz’s Farm there was no protection from the wind and runners were really challenged as they ran directly into it.  Strong wind gusts actually pushed me side to side as they hit me.   The winds, rain, and hills in the last mile of the race slowed my pace some but I pushed through it.  The course leveled out and got a little faster as I neared the finished.  I was surprised that I was faster then last year on a course that was actually longer.   I finished 14th overall and 2nd in my division.   Team ER had a great showing at the race with 6 members competing including Loretta Harland who won her division in the half marathon, Jill Bidwell McCauslin  who won her division in the 10K, Mike, Williams, Steve Zenar who both did well in the 10K,  and Mike Pastva who competed in the virtual 10K.  The combined efforts of Summit Athletic Club, NC Multisports, And Ritchie’s Sporting Goods made for an excellent and safe race experience for everyone.  All participants received really nice performance tech hoodies and custom finisher medals.

10/24/2020

Race Like A Local 5K

Kent, Ohio

Scott Orlando

Finish Time: 21:05

Overall Place:  16th Place

Division Place:  2nd Place

Renee Buckus

Finish Time:  28:28

Overall Place:  57th Place

Division Place:  4th Place

Race Review By Scott Orlando

This was my first time competing in the Race Like A Local 5K and the first time the event was held in Kent, Ohio.   The course was the same course used in the Kent Turkey Trot 5K.   The weather was a little damp and chilly but actually pretty good for running.   The race started in the parking lot of Fred Fuller Park with a fast downhill section leading runners to a sharp right turn onto the bike trail along the river.   I wanted to get off to a quick start and take advantage of the early fast downhill section of the course which I did.  I quickly felt like I was running in a high school cross country meet as I was surrounded by young fast runners.  Of the 15 people that finished ahead of me 9 where under 18 years of age.  I hit the first mile marker at 6:30 so I knew I was off to a good start.  I had 2 goals in mind for the race which was to average under a 7:00 minute mile pace and finish under 21:00 minutes.   There was a very slight increase in elevation after the turn around for a half mile stretch or so that slowed me down a little but I was still well within my pace goals.  Just before mile 3 the course takes a left turn up a very steep gravel hill.  I took a little extra time going up the hill to try to keep my heart rate from climbing too high so I would be ready for a sprint to the finish at the top.   I underestimated how the climb would affect my ability to sprint.  I was pretty gassed and wasn’t able to fully push hard to the finish like I had planned.   I went as fast as I could and finished with a time of 21:05 just a few seconds over my goal.   Summit Athletic Club, NC Multisports, and Ritchie’s Sporting Goods all did an outstanding job organizing the race.  All race participants received very nice long sleeve tech shirts.

10/17/2020

Race For The Parks 5K & 10K

Hudson, Ohio

5K Results

Ken Frankenbery

Finish Time:  22:07

Overall Place:  21st Place

Division Place:  2nd Place

Mike Williams

Finish Time:  25:35

Overall Place:  45th Place

Division Place:  4Th Place

Steve Zenar

Finish Time:  26:35

Overall Place:  50th Place

Division Place:  6th Place

10K Results

Loretta Harland

Finish Time:  56:50

Overall Place:  57th Place

Division Place:  3rd Place

Race Recap By Ken Frankenbery:

10/11/2020

Towpath Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K

Valley View, Ohio

Marathon

Christine Churpek

Finish Time:  3:33:23

Overall Place 6th Place

Division Place 1st Place

Christine qualified for the Boston Marathon!

Amy Stumpf

Finish Time:  3:37:17

Overall Place:  10th Place

Division Place:  2nd Overall Female Masters

Amy qualified for the Boston Marathon!

Half Marathon

Scott Orlando

Finish Time:  1:40:34

Overall Place:  37th Place

Division Place:  5th Place

10K

Loretta Harland

Finish Time:  57:50

Overall Place:  20th Place

Division Place 1st Place

Race Review By Scott Orlando

This was my first time running the Towpath Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K Race in Valley View, Ohio.  In a time when most marathons are being cancelled the stars seemed to align perfectly for this race.  The COIVD safety protocols were approved to allow the race to happen, the weather was near perfect, and the runners were ready to take on the Towpath Trail.   As race time neared it dawned on me that I have only competed in two other half marathon events as a regular runner of the Akron Half Marathon and once at the Buckeye Half Marathon.  This got my nerves going a bit as I made my final race day preparations.  When I approached the start line my thought process was to run run an enjoyable pace and not worry about my finish time.   I was in the very last heat of half marathon runners so I was expecting the course to be fairly full.   The gun went off and I was well on my way.  I hit the first mile marker running at a 7:09 pace which felt fine at the time but I knew I didn’t want to try to maintain that pace the entire race.  The next few mile markers went by and I slowed down but not to my planned race pace.  I was feeling very strong and smooth.  I knew I could maintain the pace for 8 or maybe 10 miles but probably not 13.1 so I kept backing down the pace.  When I hit mile 10 I realized according to my GPS watch that I was surprisingly trending towards a personal record so I decided to go for it and rev up the pace.  Each mile of the last 3 was stronger than the next.  I knew to hit a personal record I had to be faster than a 7:40 mile pace.  My GPS watch was feeding me data that included my average pace which now had me approaching the finish at an average pace of 7:33 per mile.  I knew I had a chance so I increased speed again.  As my watch notified me that I was at 13 miles I quickly realized that the mileage was not accurate and in sink with the course markings and I had some work left to do.  When I finished my GPS had me at running 13.45 miles at a 7:29 average mile pace.  Of course the official standings and timing are what really counts and I finished the course in 1:40:34 just off of my pace for a personal record.  I felt strong the entire race and am very happy with my performance.   The race was well organized with plenty of hydration stations.  The course was mostly flat and fast with a few bridges to add some elevation changes.  The fall foliage and canals made for beautiful scenery and a wonderful run.   It was great to see other Team ER members Christine Churpek and Amy Stumpf out on the course doing so well and achieving Boston qualifying times.   Loretta Harland was out there on the 10K course winning her division but I never actually saw her.