Friday, March 31, 2017

FLASH: GRC runner adds infant to family

Chris Bain and Shannon O'Neill broke a week-long dry streak for the team Wednesday when Maeve Penelope Bain was born. Her brothers Seamus and Laszlo are pleased to have her join the team, which just moved to Cabin John about 10 days prior.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

PODCAST PODCAST PODCAST

Kerry with close friend Meb


Kerry Allen dropped  the bombshell that she was "really excited to win" to Rock 'n' Roll D.C. Half Marathon while a guest on Pace the Nation.

Other takeaways from her interview, which you can download here or on your smartphone (Kerry has an iPhone 6):


  • She really "likes to switch it up"in terms of where she runs
  • She works at some sort of shop at the Pentagon City Mall
  • #Cabell
Also, if you're listened to all of the episodes of Pace the Nation and are looking for something else to listen to, check out Stop Podcasting Yourself to kill time until Evan's Breakfast Table Podcast hits the airwaves.



Monday, March 27, 2017

FLASH: “I’m going to grab Wiggy by the frosted tips.” New audio reveals deep trash talk 





New audio appears to have GRC athlete Ryan “Witty” Witters talking strong smack about GRC expat Joe “Wiggy” Wiegner III leading up to the annual 2018 Father’s Day 8K in June.

In the audio clip obtained by GRC Blog from an inside source, Witty can be heard saying he’s going to “grab Wiggy by the frosted tips,” a reference dating back only a couple of years to when Joe  Wiegner III did, indeed, have frosted tips.

This is the latest development in a back-and-forth between Witty and Wiggy that started in January on Facebook. The exact date it started is difficult to determine due to how much Wiggy posts on Facebook. 

In the audio Witters is also heard saying, "I’m going to show him who's boss. He’s asking for it.” 

Witters ends his rant with, “we’re going to make GRC great again.”

Witters is the five-time reigning champion of the Father’s Day 8K and is a current GRC team member. Wiggy is currently running with Monocracy Running Club, which he joined after his move to Frederick, MD a couple years ago. 

The Father’s Day 8K is the GRC // Pacers - New Balance annual fundraising race put on by the team. This year’s race will take place on June 18th. More information on the Father’s Day 8K race can be found at http://www.fathersday8k.com/.


Evan Jurkovich contributed to this post.

Raleigh Relays!!


GRC//Pacers- New Balance (and more specifically, the Stew and Steph) had a great day at Raleigh Relays!

Stew ran a very competitive 14:30.4, for a 9 second PR, and ran in contention to win the heat for much of the race.

Although Steph was disappointed not to PR, she ran 6 seconds off her PR to finish 9th in 34:18 in an extremely competitive field. As Coach Jerry noted, it was still an excellent opener, and Steph is clearly in shape to crush her PR at Penn Relays.

It is worth noting that this is still a net PR of 3 seconds for them as a couple, which is something we can all be stoked about!!




Sunday, March 26, 2017

Whoa Nelly! …err, Josie! …I mean, Maya! Another baby for the GRC women’s team!



GRC marathon legend Teal Burrell, of Runner’s World, RunnerTeal, and running-on-Beach-Drive fame, along with husband Rusty, welcomed daughter Maya Easton Burrell on March 23 at 12:02 am.

Maya has shown an early interest in baking cupcakes and homebrewing, to her parents’ delight.

Congratulations to Teal and Rusty!

 

Monday, March 20, 2017

GRC Makes a most triumphant return to outdoor track!!

On this seemingly inauspicious if somewhat windy and chilly Saturday, after gorgeous weather for much of the indoor season GRC had a stellar beginning for our outdoor track season at the Maryland Invitational!

On the women's side, Maura Linde and Steph ran 16:39.81 and 16:39.85 to place first and second in the 5000m. In a testament to the amazing shape she's in, Maura ran a 20 second personal best while rehearsing for the Raleigh Relays' 10K this coming week. She and Steph have put in phenomenal winters of training, and it will be super neat to see what they can do this spring! Alex also made a strong debut in the 1500m, running 4:53!

The other half of the Reichs (Stew, not Broth), also ran a strong tune-up tempo in the 5000m of 14:54, pacing Kyle to a PR of 14:55! Luk and Wertz rounded out the men's 5K squad running 15:12 and 15:30 respectively.

Full GRC Results Below:

5000

1.  Maura 16:39.81
2.  Steph 16:39.85
4.  Frances 17:57

1.  Stewart  14:54.7
2.  Kyle  14:55.07
3.  Luk   15:12.04
7.  Wertz  15:30.9

1500

5.  Alex  4:53.2

7.  Michael  4:05.3
14.  Joe  4:10.3

3000

4.  Liz 10:17.8 


I think this may be misapplied because the races happened already, but nevertheless:

Send em!!!!!

Monday, March 13, 2017

Kerry and da boys crush RnR half!!!

Saturday was a freezing  excellent day for GRC//Pacers- New Balance at the RnR DC half marathon!!

On the women's side, Kerry Allen came away with both an overall win for the women's race and a 6 second PR. Along the way, she beat the 2015 Marine Corps Marathon winner. When reached out to for comment for this blog, Allen noted that she was aggressively rehydrating, and that Meb told her to run to win, so she did. Good advice from Meb!

Maura also ran a very strong race, coming in 4th in 1:22:11, as she continues her prep for a debut marathon in Pittsburgh! The men's spring marathon squad of Graham, Evan, David M, and Dickson all ran strong races, and Balmer ran just a second off of his PR of 1:10:59, which makes everyone think that we should get this guy on a fast course sometime soon. Kieran was a little worn down from weeks of travel, but is in good shape and will be back any day now.

Full results available at: http://www.runrocknroll.com/finisher-zone/search-and-results/?eventid=42 

Just across the river, at the 4 Courts 4 Miler, GRC also took 1st and 2nd for the mens race, with Luke in 21:05 and Outlaw in 21:30, and Amy Laskowske in 3rd overall to win the women's race in 23:30.

Oh yaaaaaa!

Friday, March 10, 2017

Preview: RnR Half Marathon!!!!!

GRC takes to the streets tomorrow at 8:30AM for the Rock n' Roll DC Half Marathon. On the men's side, competitors include Kieran, Graham, Evan, David McKay, Charlie, Dave O'Hara, and Balmer. Meanwhile, Kerry, Maura C, Julie T, Greta, and Mary Grace will comprise a dominant squad for the women!

The race is a hilly, challenging course, and it might be a somewhat chilly morning, but according to Coach Jerry it still looks like it ought to be a great day! Kieran is in excellent shape, and ready to run a strong race, as long as he doesn't stop to watch too many of the concerts. Graham, Evan, David M, and Dickson are all preparing for April marathons, and if training is any indication they should all run very strong races. Kerry is also in great shape, and should be in contention to win this year after a couple of runner up performances in prior years. Greta is aiming to run a PR, which looks increasingly within reach.

Finally, lest pre-race nerves be getting the best of anyone, Kerry met Meb yesterday, so this event has already been a huge success for GRC.


I'm too new to the group to fully understand the weight of this phrase, but here goes nothing:

"Send em!"

Monday, March 6, 2017

Victory @ St. Pats !!!

Outlaw sending 'em to the finish
Photo courtesy of Swim Bike Run Photography

Pacers//GRC-New Balance men turned out and crushed the competition at the St. Pat's day 5K/10K on Sunday! Coach Jerry was very pleased, and noted that Jerry "Outlaw" Greenlaw had the performance of the day, outkicking the competition to win the men's 10K in 31:46. Meanwhile, Kyle Wagener also ran an extremely strong 20 second PR (!!!) to finish 4th overall in the men's 10K in 32:34.

In the 5K, Graham Tribble ran a strong race for second place (15:22) in his first race under 26.2 miles in quite some time, and Luk also ran well in his first race since returning from injury (10th overall in 15:49). Strong performances from Cabell, Michael Palmisano, Charlie Ban, and Balmer rounded out the day and resulted in a deep and dominant performance from the squad.

Full results available at: https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-24453#

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Coach Jerry: "Millrose Games was fun!"

Although the above is not actually a direct quote, be sure to check out local wise guy  our phenomenal coach Jerry Alexander's reflections on an outstanding GRC performance by the winning women's DMR at the Millrose Games, the influx of superb middle distance runners into GRC lately, and the benefits of racing under distance!

Article available on the Pacers blog at: https://www.runpacers.com/blog/people/elite-athletes/pacer-running-grc-new-balance-team-millrose-games/ 

GRC is very proud of these rockstar women, and we look forward to an equally victorious spring!