Weekend Results: Philadelphia and Annapolis

Philadelphia 8k and Marathon

GRC//Pacers-NB harriers traveled up I-95 N to the City of Brotherly Love for the Philadelphia 8k and Marathon this weekend.

In the men's 8k, Paul Thistle finished 10th in 24:30, which ties him for 4th on the GRC all-time list.

In the marathon, Graham Tribble ran 2:27:36 for 11th place and Mark Hopely ran 2:29:49 for 17th. Keely Eckberg finished 23rd in 3:03:37.

Stay tuned for more details...

Men's Philadelphia 8k
10. Paul Thistle 24:30

Men's Philadelphia Marathon
11. Graham Tribble 2:27:36
17. Mark Hopely 2:29:49

Women's Philadelphia Marathon
23. Keely Eckberg 3:03:37

Results: Philadelphia 8k, Half Marathon, and Marathon

Mark and Graham lead a pack at mile 14

Mark's finish

Graham's finish

[Photos courtesy of Mark Hopely]

Annapolis Running Classic

Over in Maryland, Dickson Mercer battled hills and windy conditions to get the win at the Annapolis Running Classic Half Marathon in 1:15:47.

Results: Annapolis Running Classic

Weekend Results: Veteran's Day 10k

Veteran's Day 10k

GRC//Pacers-NB took home victories in the men's and women's Veteran's day 10k Sunday morning.

On the women's side, Maura Linde took the crown in 34:15, only 2 second shy of the GRC Club Record set by Frances Koons at the same race in 2015. As Coach Jerry put it - "Threatening a record set by Frances is a sure sign that an athlete is running great, and Maura will be ready to do something special at Clubs." Following Maura was Liz Tawa in 39:27, Marianne Aguilar in 39:42 (10k debut), Alexa Squirini in 40:08, and Laura O'Hara in 41:05.

On the men's side Stewart snagged a solo victory and a PR in 30:45. Other standout performances included Hashem Zikry who ran 32:48 in his 10k debut, Ryan Speir who finished 4th in 31:54 only a month off the Chicago Marathon, and GRC superstar-to-be Alex Archer who finished 5th in 31:55. David Wertz also showed off his fitness ahead of the Masters race at Club by finishing 8th in 32:10. Rounding out the top 20 were Kyle Wagener in 6th (32:04), Craig Morgan in 7th (32:08), Lars Benner in 10th (32:42), Luk Olenginski in 14th (32:55), Dickson Mercer in 16th (33:12), Sean O'Leary in 18th (33:28), and George Galasso in 19th (33:40).

Women's 10k
1. Maura Linde 34:15
7. Liz Tawa 39:27
8. Marianne Aguilar 39:42
11. Alexa Squirini 40:08
13. Laura O'Hara 41:05

Men's 10k
1. Stewart Reich 30:45
4. Ryan Speir 31:54

5. Alex Archer 31:55
6. Kyle Wagner 32:04

7. Craig Morgan 32:08
8. David Wertz 32:10
10. Lars Benner 32:42
11. Hashem Zikry 32:48
14. Luckasz Olenginski 32:55
16. Dickson Mercer 33:12
18. Sean O'Leary 33:28
19. George Galasso 33:40

Results: Veteran's Day 10k

Weekend Results: Richmond and Charlotte 13.1 and 26.2

RICHMOND HALF MARATHON AND MARATHON

GRC//Pacers - NB took Virginia by storm on Saturday with a flurry of top 15 finishes in the Richmond Half Marathon and Marathon.

In the men's half marathon, Tyler Dye, Jerry Greenlaw, and Evan Jurkovich worked together to finish 11, 12, and 13 with only 8 seconds separating the three when they crossed the line. Tyler's hard work paid off with a PR of nearly 5 minutes and Evan and Jerry showed off their early fitness as they look forward to Houston Marathon in January.

In the women's half marathon, Julie Tarallo cut over 80 seconds off her PR to finish 11th in 80:38. Maura Carroll snagged a top 10 finish in 80:04, setting herself up well for the remainder of the season.

The Richmond Marathon marked Teal Burrell and Emily Potter's first serious return since each had a child and they made the most of the opportunity, finishing 5th and 6th in 2:50:19 and 2:52:19. Though they did not run qualifying times in Richmond, look for Teal and Emily to toe the line at the Olympic Trials in 2020. Natalie Patterson achieved a PR of 3:03:13 in her GRC debut. As Coach Jerry put it - "Natalie has a ton of untapped potential, and I'm looking forward to great things from her in a GRC jersey in the future."

Men's Half Marathon
11. Tyler Dye 70:16
12. Jerry Greenlaw 70:21
13. Evan Jurkovich 70:24

Women's Half Marathon
10. Maura Carroll 80:04
11. Julie Tarallo 80:38

Women's Marathon
5. Teal Burrell 2:50:19
6. Emily Potter 2:52:39
14: Natalie Patterson 3:03:13

Results: Richmond Half Marathon and Marathon

Running together = success. 11th, 12th, and 13th today at the Richmond Half.

A post shared by GRC Running (@grc_running) on Nov 11, 2017 at 11:01am PST

Novant Health Charlotte Half Marathon

Recent George Washington University grad John-Louis Pane (JLP) impressed in his half marathon debut, finishing 3rd overall in 72:30. Given that he flew solo for most of the race, look for JLP to cut some serious time in his next attempt at this distance.

Results: Novant Health Charlotte Half Marathon

Look good, race good

Weekend Results

ST. RITA 5K

GRC//Pacers - NB had a strong showing in Alexandria on Saturday morning at the St. Rita 5k.

On the men's side, GRC harrier and former University of Maryland Terp Craig Morgan "used his sit and kick tactics to perfection" to grab the victory in 15:41. Ryan Speir showed little rust from his 2:29 Chicago Marathon debut less than one month ago, running 15:49 for 4th place. Tom Kelly continued to bounce back after a mid-season rough patch to throw down a quick last mile and snag 5th place in 15:51. George Galasso and Jerry Greenlaw, who is building towards Houston Marathon in January, also finished in the top ten, running 16:08 and 16:18 respectively.

On the women's side, Maura ran a solid tuneup for Richmond Half next weekend, finishing 2nd place in 18:00. Bucknell grad Emily Koehle ran 18:32 and earned herself a 5th place finish. Jackie Kasal and Theresa Kennedy rounded out the top 7, finishing in 19:23 and 20:40 respectively.

St. Rita 5k 2017 Results

GRC Men
1. Craig Morgan - 15:41
4. Ryan Speir - 15:49
5. Tom Kelly - 15:51
8. George Galasso - 16:08
9. Jerry Greenlaw - 16:18

GRC Women
2. Maura Carroll - 18:00
5. Emily Koehle - 18:32
6. Jackie Kasal - 19:23
7. Theresa Kennedy - 20:40



PITTSBURGH 10 MILER

Up in the Keystone state, Kerry Allen ran 59:47 in the Pittsburgh 10 miler, which was good for 9th place. This was a positive result and strong tuneup as she looks toward the California International Marathon in 4 weeks.

Pittsburgh 10 Miler 2017 Results

Weekend Results: Halloween Races, Obstacle Courses, 10 Mile Champs, and some XC

RESULTS

Emily P did double duty this week as she sharpens up for the full at Richmond. On Thursday she was second overall, and first woman, in a Halloween 5k while pushing the triple stroller on a hilly course, which Emily described as perhaps the hardest effort of her career, and that's saying something for a 3-time Olympic Trials qualifier. On Saturday, Emily got the win in the RRCA Southeast Region 10 mile championship, running 61:01 on an out and back course.

Stewart got roped into running the HCC Team Challenge, an obstacle race that was allegedly 5k, for his office team, and being a dutiful employee he brought a ringer of his own in the form of his lovely wife. Stew and Steph both got the wins, and because they both started in the third wave, their biggest obstacle was dodging the other participants who were clogging the course.

Sean B placed 7th in the Cuyamaca College 6k XC in San Diego, in 19:34. While xc times are meaningless, particularly when the course is not accurate (which appears to have been the case), it's clear that Sean ran well because there were a couple of national caliber guys less than a minute ahead of him.

Weekend Results: MCM & Spook Hill

MCM

Kieran ran a truly courageous and determined race at MCM, and his 3rd place finish, in 2:28:07, while impressive standing alone, does not even come close to doing justice to his effort. Kieran ran his own race and continued to press forward mile after solitary mile solo for majority of the time. Meanwhile, a chase pack formed behind him, and Kieran's pursuers worked together to cut into his lead. Inevitably, all of that solo running began to take its toll and as the temperature rose, Kieran felt the effects of the effort. Kieran did his best to hold on, but when he was finally caught in the 25th mile, he had nothing left in the tank.  Kieran represented the team with great distinction. He'll be back, more determined than ever to improve on his 24th place finish from 2016 when he toes the line at the 2020 Trials, and we are looking forward to seeing some great marathoning from him in the years to come.

In other weekend results, Julie T was second at MCM 10k in 38:01. Julie is gearing up for the full in Phoenix in January, and this was an excellent rust buster. The hardest part of the day for her was running home with her giant trophy, which is the type of workout we could all get used to.

Spook Hill

Stewart and Stephanie went 1-2 in the Spook Hill Cider and Wine 4 miler, with Stew running 20:22 and Steph his nearest pursuer in 24:00. The course was hilly and the grass was high, so those were both strong performances on a spooky hill.

Weekend Results: Gettysburg College Invitational

This weekend we had strong performances at the Gettysburg College Invitational. The Guys got the team win!

Daniel led the way in 4th in 26:00, followed closely by Kyle in 7th and JLP in 8th, both in 26:07, Tyler in 17th in 26:34, Russell in 26th in 26:46, Lars in 28th in 26:50, Cabell in 36th and Wertz in 37th, both in 27:06, Greg in 39th in 27:09, Mitch in 52nd in 27:37, and Luk in 58th in 27:42. Daniel went with the leaders from the gun and while he couldn't quite hang on late in the race, he's developing a great base for track season. Kyle and JLP both stated a strong case for making the A team for Clubs. Russell bounced back quite well from his trail 50k last week, and Wertz hung tough with college kids literally half his age. Mitch made his official GRC debut, and the toughness that allowed him to progress from a non-varsity club-team runner to America East Conference scorer during his career at Binghamton will serve him well going forward.

Weekend Results: Army, Glory Days and Chicago

Army Ten Miler:

Apparently, Summer isn't over yet. Hot temps and high humidity made this weekend's races interesting, but the horrid conditions did not stop Lucas from turning in another outstanding performance, as he placed 6th behind 5 Army WCAP athletes, in 50:38. Lucas was not only with the leaders for well over half the race, he threw in some surges and tried to dictate the pace. While the pack dropped him around mile 7, Lucas came back strong in the last mile and was gaining ground on the athletes in 4th and 5th place, both of whom are Olympians. Lucas has some more big performances up his sleeve this Fall!

The men won the open team title at Army, with Stewart in 13th in 52:57, Luke in 15th in 53:18, Paul T in 54:40, Graham in 55:22, Tyler in 55:57, Sean B in 56:40, Chris in 58:02, and Kyle in 59:58. Those times are reflective of the horrific conditions (did I mention it was hot out there?) and our guys are fit, and will be ready to go later this fall.

The women also won the open team title, led by Kerry in 4th in 60:54, Steph in 9th in 61:43, Emily P in 61:55, Maura in 65:00, and Keely in 73:20. As with the guys, the brutal conditions caused very slow times, and when the women get a chance to show what they can do, they'll respond with some outstanding performances!

Glory Days XC:

We had a strong crew at Glory Days xc, with Jackie getting the win in 19:04 , followed by Emily K in 19:18, Chelsea in 19:23, Alexa in 19:37, Marianne in 20:16, and Angelina in 21:06. For the men, JLP got the win in 16:01, followed by Mitch in 16:16, Hashem in 16:17, Austin in 16:19, and Sean in 16:45. Jackie and JLP  are working their way back into shape after injury and have some good momentum going into the rest of their fall season!

Chicago:

Congratulations to Ryan S for an excellent marathon debut in Chicago, where he ran 2:29:16. The weather was not ideal in Chicago, and while Ryan was fit to run sub 2:26 in good conditions, he did extremely well to break 2:30 in the heat. Ryan ran even pace most of the race, and fought all the way to the tape, passing several guys in the last mile. Well done, Ryan!

Finally, Russell got the win in the Cloudsplitter 50k trail race in Virginia, in 4:50. What possessed Russell to want to run a 50k trail race is a mystery that may never be solved, but if you're going to run, you might as well win, so congratulations are in order.


Here's hoping Fall comes back soon...

Race Preview: Army Ten-Miler

Another busy weekend of racing is upon us, and one of those races is the much anticipated Army Ten-Miler on Sunday.

We've got a very strong men's squad led by Lucas, Stewart, and Paul Thistle, who will be making his GRC debut. Paul ran 49:38 at Broad Street in May, and while he's likely not quite that fit this early in his season, he is a man to keep an eye on going forward. Lucas will likely go out with the leaders, and he's got a real shot at the club record. Lucas is coming off a very strong race at Philly RNR a few weekends ago. If you want to learn a little more about this guy and get some good race advice for this weekend from Coach Jerry, follow this link https://www.runpacers.com/blog/people/elite-athletes/lucas-grc/
Stewart is in great shape and looks to land in the top 5 list. Graham, Mark, and Evan are tuning up for fall marathons.

For the women, Maura L is coming off an excellent race at Paul Short and is ready for a long-overdue breakthrough on the roads. Several of our women are prepping for fall marathons, including Emily P, Kerry, Julie, and Keely.

Stay tuned for results from Army Ten-Miler and our crew running some cross country at Glory Days invitation.

Weekend Results 9/30-10/1

Here are some great things that happened this weekend!

Navy Mile

5. Alyson McGonigle 5:03.60 (3rd GRC all-time!)
8. Emily Koehle 5:09.98 (5th GRC all-time!)
9. Erin Sicher 5:12.90
10. Jackie Kasal 5:15.30
12. Alexa Squirini 5:26.82
13. Liz Tawa 5:27.91

17. Daniel Trettel 4:20.09
20. Ryan Witters 4:27.45
22. Evan Jurkovich 4:36.45

Paul Short XC

Maura Linde 20:30 (5th place!)
Angelina Oputa 25:00

Austin Hayslett 25:32


Also, Kerry won the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon in New Hampshire in 1:26:09! Don't miss this in-depth article: https://www.timesargus.com/articles/graves-allen-win-leaf-peepers-half-marathon/

Weekend Preview[z]

[Disclaimer: All, if not some, direct quotes were neither stated by nor taken from associated individuals. All takes are mine and mine alone, and may only be reproduced with direct, perfunctory permission. Lastly, I reserve the right to flip sides on any stance I may take.]

Well there you have it folks, the month of September has come and gone.  And just like they used to say in the good old day[z], people may die but blogs live forever.  [Good luck to the October blogger that[z] following this month of pure, gasoline-fed fire blogging. You'll be as appreciated as all your snowflake take[z]]. 

On the docket this weekend is the Navy Mile Szn.  Measured at 1 mile down and back on Penn Ave, this is a fast course with even faster asphalt.  For the men, Daniel and Witty [and probably Stew] will be lacing the sneaks and putting one out there for the throng of spectators.  Representing the women are Erin, Jackie, Alexa, Alyson, and Emily K.  I'd be remiss to tell you that all GRC harriers are focu[z]ed with their eye on the prize.

At Paul Short earlier today, Maura L. continued smashing, completing the course in a timely 20:30 good enough for 5th place and a YUUUUGE PR.  While Austin rumbled and stumbled and grumbled a xc-esque 25:33 on the gra[zz]y course.  

Hammer it here for update[z].

Weekend Result[z] [Updated]

From Coach Jerry

"We had a plethora of GRC debuts this weekend from members of our large and talented class of 2017.  In the 5k at Clarendon, Daniel Trettel led the way among the debutantes in 14:57, followed by Craig Morgan in a big PR of 14:59, Austin Hayslett in 15:30, Lars Benner in 15:34, and John-Louis Pane in 15:56.  On the women's side, Alexa Squirini ran 18:31, followed by Marianne Aguilar in 18:41.  In the D-II Showcase XC meet in Nashville, Russell Chase ran 27:01 for 8k on a challenging course on a hot day.  Daniel and Craig ran at the University of Maryland, and along with Lars, who comes to us from the University of Tampa, they will form the core of our new and improved men's mid-distance squad.  Austin, who ran at UMBC, JLP, who ran at GW, and Russell, who ran at Harding University in Arkansas, will be strong additions to our 5k/10k group. Alexa, who also ran at Maryland, will further solidify the mighty GRC women's mid-distance juggernaut, and Marianne, who ran at Florida State, will be a nice addition to our 5k crew.  Welcome aboard!

Back at Clarendon, Emily d had a solid rust buster, getting the win in 17:51, followed very closely by Chelsea in a PR of 17:51, Emily K in a big PR of 17:56, Erin in a post-collegiate PR of 18:18, Jackie in 18:36, Alyson in 19:02, Angelina in 19:36, LTO in 19:41, and GRC superstar to be Theresa Kennedy in 20:13.  The clear highlight was the return to form of Chelsea, who has not been fully healthy for the last 3 years.  It has seemed like every time Chelsea got back in shape, yet another injury popped up, and it has been a long and difficult process for her.  With her race yesterday, where she went stride for stride with Emily d all the way to the tape, Chelsea gave notice that she's back better than ever, and ready to make a splash this fall.

On the men's side, Kieran led the way in the 5k in 14:45, followed by soon-to-be GRC superstar Paul Thistle in 14:47, Kyle in a road PR of 15:01, Mark in a PR of 15:13, Luk in a road PR of 15:19, GRC superstar to be Mitch Abrams in 15:22, Wertz in 15:25, Cabell in 15:36, Evan in 15:38, Chris in 15:40, Zak in 15:55, Dix in 15:59, and Sean in 16:00.  Kieran led the way again in the 10k in 32:45, followed by Paul in 32:51, Mark in 33:47, Evan in 35:02, Zak in 35:05, Sean in 35:12, and Dave O in 36:22.  I was quite pleased with the performances from Kyle and Luk, both of whom are easing into the season, and they showed that they've got some big performances ahead.  I was also happy with Wertz's performance in his first race in several months.  By running the 5k hard and tempoing the 10k on short rest, Kieran, Mark, Zak, and Evan got in excellent workouts as they prep for their upcoming marathons.

In non-Clarendon results, Stewart and Stephanie ran the xc invite at Goldey-Beacom, Stew's alma mater.  Stew won by almost 2 minutes, going 26:05 on a very difficult course.  Steph ran the men's race, and was 28th in a field of 77 finishers, in 32:00.  Maura was 6th in the Pittsburgh Great Race 10k in 37:10.  Emily P ran 62:38 at the Virginia 10 Miler, which is a hilly course.

We had a routing interest at DCXC this year, as our two high school superstars were in action.  Nandini got the win in the junior race in 18:59, and despite struggling mightily with the heat in the last 400 and being wrestled to the ground by an overzealous, and quite possibly deranged red-headed finish line official, she was none the worse for the wear.  Ryan was 3rd in the senior race in 15:39, and he unleashed his big kick to great effect when he made the turn for home."

YUUGE result[z]

UPDATE

Check it out[z]

Greta raced the Semper Five "5k" in Kabul taking the overall bron[z]e in 21:56 which is probably in metric time so really more like 14:48.  According to source[z], the course was riddled with tight turns, construction and questionable accuracy [thanks obama].  

Weekend Preview[z]

[Disclaimer: All, if not some, direct quotes were neither stated by nor taken from associated individuals. All takes are mine and mine alone, and may only be reproduced with direct, perfunctory permission. Lastly, I reserve the right to flip sides on any stance I may take.]

Folks, today may be the first day of Fall, but you know what time of year it really is.  #fallracingszn continues to crush like an absolute savage as we look to the weekend ahead of fast racing, PSLs, and listening to Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Before we get to the brigade marching down Wilson blvd., we've got a few other races to discuss. Stew is making a heroic appearance [in his own mind at least] at the Goldey-Beacom Invitational to beat up on some college flusies.  Steph, too is going to beat up on the same college flusies. Like seriously, she's running the men's race.  I'd be scared.

Emily Potter is taking her talents to Virginia for the 10 miler, while Maura is taking her lunch pail and blue collar to the capital of grit, Pittsburgh, to run the Great Race 10k.  All of this is going on while GRC-debutante Russel is making his low-key racing debut in Nashville.  Now to ward off any potential unwanted suitors, I have agreed to keep the name of the race anonymous until the results are posted, for young Russel's sake.

Closer to home is the monster Clarendon Day 5k/10k where Kieran snaked his way to a club record* a few years back [historians note that the former 5k road record was competed on a non-net downhill, USATF certified downtown Evansville course leading the race wire to wire].  Clarendon Day 5k/10k is known for its dramatic downhill start which typically translates to 5k PRs and 10k Why did I do thats.  Due to the volume of harriers and my lack of enthusiasm to create a [witty] writeup for everyone, the start lists are shown below.

Men's 5k: Daniel Trettel, Ian, dix, Chris, Cabell, Luk, John-Louis Dreyfus [Pane], Dave O, Craig Morgan, Lars Benner, Kyle W, Keep Austin Hayslett, The Sage, Wertz, and Pat K.

Men's 10k: Mark

Double [not the faint of heart]: Outlaw, Sean OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Kieran*, Paul Thistle, Jurkovich, and Zak

Women's 5k: Emily D, Alexa Squirini, Jessie, EMily K, Erin, Alyson, Jackie, Marianne Aguilar, Gina, chelsea, Elyssa, and Angelina.

Daniel, Craig, JLP, Austin, Lars, Alexa, and Marianne are making their debuts for the team. Let's hope they're better than mine.

Send me your result[z]

Weekend Result[z]

Well folks, it's that time of the week. #ResultsSzn is officially in gear.  We've got YUUUGE results on the docket for ya.

First up is Lucas Stalnaker for his raucous showing at the Philly Half in a time of 1:05:26, good for #3 on the GRC all time list.  We haven't seen a debut like this since the szn premier of Lost folks.  And while young Lucas was not involved in a plane crash symbolizing the soul's dance between life and death, he was able to bring home 6th place honors and the covefe GRC Athlete of the Week.   Jerry noted that weather was less than ideal with the sudden onslaught of climate change and all, but Lucas ran strong and he ran smart with a bright future surely ahead.

Sticking with the Philly Half, Maura L. made her szn debut in 1:20:09, followed closely by Kerry Allen in 1:20:53.  The two had strong showings with a solid #fallracingszn ahead.  In addition, Sean B. ran all the way to a 1:12:21.  The humidity this year was as bad as years past. Thanks Obama.

Closer to home, GRC harriers saw strong performances in the Navy Half and Navy 5 Miler.  Kieran took home the win [what's new] in a solid 1:09:41. Ryan Spier made his halfszn debut in 1:09:50.  While he may be the less-handsome Ryan, he surely raced his way into our hearts. Graham galloped to a 1:12:21, followed by TKIV [Tom], Tyler, and Fridge, in 1:14:29, 1:15:03, and 1:18:43, respectively. On the women's side, we saw inspirational performances from Hallie Fox in 1:25:42, Keely in 1:26:31, and Teal, in her first race since the Olympic Trials [sweet brag Teal] with a 1:26:31.  Hallie made her debut to the tune of whoaaa, while Keely continues to mash and Teal rounds back into shape after introducing new life to the world [sweet brag again Teal].

In the Navy 5, Stew [24:50] and Steph [29:43] brought home wins to make it a Reich sweep. There hasn't been a Reich sweep since...well... since the last one.  GRC took home the #3, #4, and #6 spots from Mark [26:12], Luk [26:27], and Chris [plain Jane 27:10].  It should be noted that times were slow across the board due to the race coming in contact with stragglers from the half [thanks Obama]. You know what I say though, Darwin has a theory that.

The end of this week's results culminate in lifetime runner and friend Dickson, who raced at the 1st annual Henry Mercer Monmouth XC Invitational.  It's not everyday you get to run a race named after your father, and for your first born son.  So, good on ya Dickson.  You know what they say folks, nature vs nurture.  Nature always wins.  Keep that boy running Dix.

Till next time.

Giddyup

Weekend Preview(s)

[Disclaimer: All, if not some, direct quotes were neither stated by nor taken from associated individuals.  All takes are mine and mine alone, and may only be reproduced with direct, perfunctory permission. Lastly, I reserve the right to flip sides on any stance I may take.]

Workouts officially moved on from AU and, for at least the foreseeable future, GRCharriers will be hammering the grit and the glamour of the National Mall.  But don't take my word for it, check out this lit instagram. Did Robby Andrews come to DC just to take in the sights? I don't think so folks.  

Let's get down to business.  We've got a YUGE weekend of competition as #fallracingszn kicks up a notch.  

1st on the docket is the very gorgeous, very wonderful Philly RnR [1/2 'thon] of the renowned Rock 'n Roll marathon series. Toeing the line will be Lucas Stalnaker, Sean B., and Graham Tribble for the men and Maura Linde, Kerry, and Emily D. for the women.  

Lucas, making his debut in the teal&white, is hot off a 5th place finish in the 10k at NCAAs last June.  Sources close to Lucas tell me he's "extremely fit" and "has a great, very wonderful, very big chance to make a big splash".  Sean B, as previously reported, is on a tear and looking to continue in the city of brotherly love [insert dumpster fire meme].  Graham's status is 50/50 but should he step to the line, competitors are likely to be enveloped in a sense shock and awe. 

Maura will be debuting in the half for 2017. If workouts are any indication, she's fit and prepared to fly, figuratively and possibly literally too [jury is still out]. Kerry has been crushing the #hardtraining and looks to giddyup smartly and efficiently.  And similar to Graham, if Emily D. races, there's no telling the damage it will do to competitor's psyches.

The other big, and I mean big folks, event going on is the Navy 1/2.  The lively bunch featuring Kieran, Outlaw, other Ryan [S], Charlie, Ian, Sean OHHH, Mark, Tom, Tyler, and the silent killer Dr. Fridge are looking to send it for the men while Steph, Julie, Hallie, and Keely plan to own. Just own.

Don't forget the Navy 8k goes off this weekend as well with Stewart, Luk, and Chris running the race into indiscriminate and politically correct submission. Stew looks to be a major factor fresh of the first sub-14 5k GRC has ever seen.  You might call that fake news, but just connect the dots folks. Luk has been getting his studies on in College Park, and just generally getting more hip by the hour, so it should suffice to say speed is the largest byproduct, and the natural 8k-er will bring style and pizazz to the event.  Chris...well its Chris. He'll complete the race in a vanilla, esoteric manner. Because of this, he's the top dark-horse candidate in the race.  He's a blue collar working man hailing from Wisconsin [or Minnesota, somewhere up there]. When the Eau Claire native brings his lunch pail, watch out. Grit and grind at its finest.

That's it for now folks. Hammer it here for your #fallracingszn updates.

Giddyup

UPDATE

Steph switches to Navy 8k to make Stewart earn his keep and Graham stays close to home as he traded in garbage for gold [philly=garbage for all you readers out there, mainly Wiggy].  Look for Graham lacing it up with the Navy 1/2 gang.  The key to both these races will be keeping a healthy, compact pad level.  Low man always wins.

Marathon Mondays

There is no more certain sign that #fallracingszn is upon us than GRC marathoners cranking out the hard training. What I present in this post is pictorial evidence of an oft-overlooked aspect of marathon training: namely, running under immense objects. Be sure to add at least 2x running under large objects (as demonstrated above) to take things to 11 this marathon season.

("Why include this nonsensical drivel when there exists a medium - in this case, Instagram - through which to photo-document the hard training?" is one relevant question the author has theoretically received. "What's Instagram?" is what he probably hollered from his porch.)

FLASH: Stewart Breaks 14?

If the results are to be believed, Stewart Reich has supposedly broken 14 minutes for 5k at this morning's Discover Downtown 5k in Columbia, MD. His reported time of 13:36 is a PR by 54 seconds.

Excuse me for editorializing here, but I think this is bull crap and I suspect foul play.

Exhibit A: Stephanie and Stewart raced and won the Market Street Mile yesterday in 5:01 and 4:16 respectively. I don't care if you're a Reich, running two races in a weekend is not conducive for a PR, let alone one of this magnitude.

Exhibit B: We all know that Patrick Murphy has continued to spend a good amount of time in the DC area since "moving" to Boston, and followers of this very blog may recall that "Murph" attempted to doctor the results of the Fathers' Day 8k, but seemingly got cold feet at the last minute. If anyone has photographic evidence of Patrick in Columbia this morning, please post on our Facebook page.

Let me be clear - I don't necessarily think Steph is implicated in all of this, but the question remains: what did she know and when did she know it?

DEVELOPING...

Weekend Preview(s)

[Disclaimer: All, if not some, direct quotes were neither stated by nor taken from associated individuals.  All takes are mine and mine alone, and may only be reproduced with direct, perfunctory permission. I reserve the right to flip sides on any stance I may take.]

You can smell it, I can smell it, and we're all getting the feels for the #fallracingszn.  Gone is the hard training of summer. The sun is officially relegated to a #beta with its shorter days and questionable temperature.  And #PSLs are back in a big way.  A witty man once said "Legends are born in July, but they're remembered in September".

We've got big races on the docket folks, but first make sure to be a hero and volunteer for Pacer's waterstops and DCXC.  Get. @. Sean O.

This weekend, budding superstar Gina McNamara makes her low-key debut in the Parks Half [marathon]. Speaking of the half, Sean and multi-Boston harrier Chris Bain will be looking to open #fallracingszn in a big way. Look for Bain to keep it steady and strong, unlike that snowflake, the Sun. And sources say Sean plans to "put one foot in front of the other" and see how it shakes out.  Bold strategy, bolder mindset but they don't call him the peoples' runner for nothin'.

The Reich duo [Stew & Steph], taking the summer harvest to the Market [Street Mile] Saturday and a low-key 5k in Columbia on Sunday.  The mile sets up well for the couple; fast pace and even faster post-race boomerang instastories.  Be sure to mash that refresh button Saturday and Sunday.

Finally, Kyle W will be snowshoeing back home in Canada, well as close as you can get without technically being in Canada.  He'll be prepping for harsh winter-like conditions at his college alumni race somewhere near a lake.  But you know what they say about the weather in Minnesota folks? If you don't like it, wait 5 min.

That's it for now.  Be on the lookout for more weekend previews later this month.

Hammer it here for updates and results.

Make Running Fun Again

It's a new month and a new szn folks. If you've been sweating out the summer, the wait is over. Put away your white [crop tops], and pull out the plaid.  The turn of the calendar brought with it cooler temps and shorter days and I, for one, am getting all the autumn feels.  *NOTE: this blog post reserves its right to revert back to summer due to any increase in heat/humidity next week.

We've got updates.

Sean B is running like a man on the run in Cali and he's "preparing for a great fall [szn]" per Coach Jerry. 21:37 at Balboa Park in San Diego is no joke! 

People have come out in the masses for water stop volunteers at Pacers races this fall [it is Fall Racing szn btw].  These are the real heroes folks.  We're still looking for a few more volunteers/heroes to re-hydrate the harriers for Clarendon Day 5k, Vets Day 10k, turkey trot, and Jingle All the Way.  Two things about H2O that never change: 1) it always flows downhill, and 2) It can't pass itself out at water stops.

-Obligatory reference to Sean O's DCXC email-

Yesterday was our last Wednesday Workout at AU, RIP in peace.  It is Fall Racing szn, which means we're moving to the Mall.  Be on the lookout for some lit content on Witty's instagram.

Reminder: Saturday workouts still at Cell Tower Field. Legends may be born in July, but they're remembered in September.

That's it for now. Just sit back, relax, and volunteer. Nats are up 18 games, Clubs is around the corner, and football is back! What a time to be alive.

Giddyup 'em,

-Witty

UPDATE

*Nats are up 18 games, they just called up MLB #4 overall prospect Victor Robles, Clubs is in the near future, and football is waaaaay back! What a time to be alive.

FLASH: Klim married, assures wedding attendees his MCM training will not be affected

The Red Fox married Katie Mischenko today in Luray, VA.

Those in attendance report that Jake included a pledge to run the 42nd Marine Corps Marathon within his wedding vows.

Congratulations, Jake!