Annual Award Winners
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Race reports 2012 |
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Ancil Hoffman XC Challenge – 10/27/12 The women and open men traveled up to Carmichael for the Ancil Hoffman XC Challenge Saturday. This makes eight races for the women with two to go, nine for the men--these have got to be club records. Great job everyone! Details . . . Open Men Byline Chikara Omine Although almost every member of the open men’s team seemed to have an off day at the Ancil Hoffman XC challenge, they still successfully fielded a team for the 9th time this XC season and some members even managed to set PRs at this rare race distance of 6K (at least rare for men). After a combination of staying up late to finish up homework and getting a morning wakeup call from a frantic teammate who considers tardiness unacceptable except when it comes to himself and Muni, Will Chen may not have been the most rested among his teammates. But he was the fastest as he led the way in 19:18 (19th place). Following Will in 19:29 (23rd place) was Chikara Omine, who felt a bit off due to allergy issues during the week. Not feeling too fresh after his PR effort at Humboldt, Jason Lee ran to see what he has left and came in next for the team in 20:05 (28th place). Not far behind was Patrick Marjolet in 20:20 (32nd place). Patrick may have been the only one on the open men’s team who was satisfied with his performance at this race thanks to successful negotiations for a later race departure time in order to maximize the amount of sleep he gets (smart call). Battling stomach issues, Andy Crawford did not feel his best for the race and finished in what he considered a disappointing 20:39 (37thplace). To Andy’s surprise, he later found out that he actually ran a few 6Ks in the past and that the time he ran at this race turned out to be his PR. Earlier in this year Evan Sparling mentioned that he will run XC races as long as he is around even if he is out of shape from his summer/fall business trips that don't allow for much time to train. Evan made good on his word as he made the trip to Carmichael with the team and finished in 21:05 (41st place). Unfazed by the thought of racing again after running the longest race of his life just one week prior, Dan Nishiyama returned to XC action and closed out the team in 25:37 (46th place). Overall it seemed like a rough day for most of the open men’s team. But those who raced still probably had a much better day than Jason Reed who missed the race due to car issues on his drive up. Women Byline Donna Chan It was a cool morning when we arrive but quickly warmed up. Only 5 women are able to make the trek to Carmichael in the darkness of morning as I start my drive at 6 am. With the damp grass start and finish to this 6K run and a few hills in between proved to be a challenging course even without the hay bales. Thank goodness they decided not to put them in. First to cross the finish line is Melissa Haahr with a 44th overall place and 16th AG place for 24:09. Suffering from major fatigue from the Humboldt 1/2 the week before sisters Maile and Tehani Thompson with a 59th and 60th overall place and 20th and 21th AG in the time of 25:44 and 25:45 respectively. Great effort considering the week before was their first 1/2 marathon race ever. Next across the line is Donna Chan not much liking the damp grass at the beginning and end with a 74th overall place and 3rd place AG with a time of 27:22. Lee D'Alessandro rounds out the team, still coming back from very little training, but being a good sport to run so we have a scoring team in 75th overall and 12th place AG with a time of 28:07. 3x3@Humboldt half-marathon – 10/21/12 Three teams made the annual trek up to Humboldt for the half, and we came away with three third place finishes. Details . . . Open Men Byline Jason Lee mostly During the weekend of October 20-21, the Excelsior Open Men traveled up to the beautiful North Coast to race 13.1 miles along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Following a Saturday night pasta feed at the Weott Volunteer Fire Department, the team awoke early Sunday morning (Chikara's Note: emphasis on EARLY) to the refreshing crisp autumn air of Humboldt County. Temperatures had reached the low-40s by start time which, combined with the redwood canopy and the optical illusion of a course that seemed downhill in both directions, proved to be ideal running conditions for speed. The Open Men achieved some incredible times with some performances ranking among the top of their running careers. After a slow 5:40 first mile, Chikara Omine quickly broke away from the second pack along with West Valley's Jason Karbelk and River City Rebel's Chris Knorzer. The three duked it out for the next twelve miles, throwing in a couple of miles around 5:20. Although Chikara feared petering near the end, he ran strong on the last couple of miles to finish in 1:11:21 (9th place). With this incredible time, Chikara smashed his previous half marathon best by over 2:15 and achieved his main goal of beating Tyler Abbott's PR. [Ed.: Doh! Oh. What's your Dipsea PR? Do I still have that one?] After being encouraged by Chikara to run Humboldt for eight months, Jason Lee overcame several weeks of inconsistent training and two late nights at work just days before the race with a performance that surprised Chikara (and himself). Attempting to stick with the third pack of runners, Jason mostly ran alone after mile 5 but still averaged 5:40 miles or below for much of the race. Slowing only slightly after the turnaround, he ran one of the best races in his running career in 1:14:07 (16th place) - lopping 43 seconds off last year's time and 19 seconds off his personal best (Chikara's Note: I still say this time seems suspicious considering his reported training). Having run some quick shorter distance races this year, Jonathan Kimura demonstrated his speed at a much longer distance with a personal best of 1:14:25 (17th place). After starting off relatively slowly, he passed runner after runner with a devastating negative split after the 6.5-mile turnaround. Aiming to break 1:17, Maninder Sohal began conservatively on the first half along with Jon. With 5K to go, he turned on the boosters to cover the remaining distance in approximately 16:45. Passing 10 runners with this sprint, he finished more than a minute ahead of schedule in 1:15:59 (21st place) and almost three minutes better than at the San Francisco Giant Race a month ago. Maninder also gapped West Valley superstar Todd Rose by 40 seconds. With a 5-month streak averaging 15 miles per week, Jason Reed was very pleased with his 6:20 pace. His best performance in three years, Jason finished with a 1:22:58 (51st place). Finally, Dan Nishiyama, who joined the team earlier this year, ran his longest race ever. He broke the 8-minute per mile barrier with a respectable time of 1:42:26 (159th place). Chikara Omine, Jason Lee, Jon Kimura and Maninder Sohal also received medals for placing 3rd, 4th, 4th and 2nd in their respective age categories. With everyone's great running, the Open Men finished third among stiff competition from other PA teams. Women Byline Diann Leo Denise Barchas, Erika Kikuchi, Tehani Thompson, Maile Thompson, and Diann Leo represented the highlighter yellow ladies at the beautiful Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon. The night prior to the event, most members of the women's team gathered to fuel up with the men's team at the all-you-can-eat pasta feed (plus optional dessert). On race morning, the temperature was brisk ñ slightly cold in the shade, but warm in the sun. The course being an out-and-back, a memorable part of the run was cheering on fellow team members on their return trips. Just prior to the turn around, Erika and Diann were leading the team and pacing together. Maile, Tehani, and Denise were not far behind. Between the two different groups, there was an echo of "Go ________! Go Excelsior!" every time an Excelsior runner passed on the other side of the road. Runners were greeted by the sound of bagpipes as they crossed the Dyerville Bridge to a sunny finish. Returning from a backpacking trip and recovering from illness, Maile finished first in 1:39:28 (126th overall, 5th age group). Following not far behind, sister Tehani finished second in 1:39:48 (129th overall, 6th age group). Preparing to run CIM in December, Denise got some great training in with a time of 1:39:56 (132nd overall, 6th age group). With minimal long run training, Erika finished in 1:40:07 (134th overall, 9th age group). In training for CIM like Denise, but also rehabbing from some unexpected cross country injuries, Diann rounded the team out in 1:42:12 (151st overall, 10th age group). From gun times alone, there was roughly only an impressive three minute gap between the first and final Excelsior women finishers. Additionally, Excelsior womenÃs team member Denise Leo finished third in her age group for the non-PA 5K race. Old'uns Cliff Lentz led the masters in a strong 1:15:57, good enough for 3rd master and 20th overall. Da Dans, Rhodes and Shore, came in next in 1:20:19 and 1:20:57, respectively, good enough for 5th and 6th ag. We failed to provide any more forty-somethings, but thankfully Kenny the Savior and Big Al Stanbridge filled in for the team in 1:52:29 (8th 60-64) and 1:59:15 (4th 65-69). Great job all, and special thanks to Kenny & Alan. Shoreline XC open – 10/14/12 At Sunday's Shoreline Open, we put forth the regular three full teams, along with a bonus women's masters team. Details . . . Open Men Byline Evan Sparling With contributions by Patrick Marjolet After several road trips to Redding and Sacramento for XC races, and with the prospect of a long drive to next week's Humboldt Half Marathon, the men's open team was looking forward to catching up on sleep before the short drive south to Mountain View for this year's Shoreline Invitational. Unfortunately this was not to be, as team drama mama Jason Randall Lee refused to go unless the team departed at 7:30 AM, giving him a solid two hours to complete his standard half-mile warm up and five pre-race bathroom trips. However, after the entire team woke up before 7 AM to prepare for departure, Mr. Lee decided that he didn't really feel like running that morning anyway. With a solid two hours to kill until the team really needed to head south, Patrick contacted Evan Sparling, who had just returned to SF the night before from Kzrgzgstan. Facing the prospect of a long morning catching up on email, Evan immediately agreed to go. The team was chagrined to discover perfect Jason (Randall) Lee running weather in Mountain View, with cool temperatures, cloudy skies, and top competition providing perfect conditions for PRs on this fast course. Team stud William Chen continued to show that the Berkeley coach will be crazy not to take him on as a walk-on this year, powering to the finish line with an amazing kick to finish in an unbelievable 20:32 (17th place). Not far behind was Chikara Omine, hitting a four mile race PR of 20:55 (20th place). Chikara is now one of only five (or six?) runners to complete every PA XC race this year (on top of being one of the few to run every PA Road race this year). Next for the team was Andy Crawford in 27th place. Andy started out conservatively and dropped the hammer sometime after mile two, gapping several runners and hitting a solid 22:05. Following Andy was Patrick Marjolet in 22:15 for 29th place. Struggling with a nagging cold, not to mention the psychological and physical trauma from the Presidio race two weeks ago, Patrick faded a bit in the 3rd mile (probably also due to the lack of sleep, courtesy of Jason Randall Lee), but still unleashed a devastating kick over the last 200 to burn Strawberry Canyon Grand Prix winner from last year, Greg Timblin. Once again fresh off an airplane and with no running at all since the Redding race in September, Evan Sparling rounded out the scoring five in Xth place. Evan, who has been pushing these last few months to earn the team's Greatest In-Season Weight Gain award, surprised even himself with his finishing time of 22:30 (31st place). Jason Reed took sixth for the team and 37th overall, with a time of 24:58. Unconfirmed rumors claim that Jason, Evan, and several West Valley and Strawberry Canyon runners may have been joking with each other about the "fast guys" up front well into the race. Next week the team plans to compete at the Humboldt Half Marathon. If Jason (Randall) Lee chooses not to compete at Humboldt, he will find a green singlet waiting for him on his doorstep … Women Byline Donna Chan To my surprise I woke up to wet fog Sunday morning which was unexpected since Saturday was so warm and sunny. But it is nice to run XC in Mountain View in cool overcast weather. We have 9 women to toe the line for this race and scored 2 teams one in the open division and one in the masters division. First to cross the line for the open team is Michelle Noeth in 19th place overall and 9th AG with a time of 18:49. Next up is Heather Leutwyler in 29th place overall and 11th place AG with a time of 19:32followed closely by Melissa Haahr in 31st place overall and 10th place AG with a time of 19:37. Tina Le was able to join us for her first XC this year in 45th place overall and 15th place AG with a time of 20:34. Liz Louie finding her stride in 47th place overall and 13th place AG with a time of 20:55. Jessica Stone rounds out the open team in 67th place overall and 19th AG with a time of 23:03. Kim Fanady surprised herself with limited training is the first to score for our masters team in 51th place overall and 5th place AG with a great time of 21:15 followed by Donna Chan in 59th place overall and 2nd place AG with a time of 21:46 plus winning a pair of socks for her efforts. Alice Shikina rounds out the team in 70th place overall and 19th place AG with a time of 23:31. There are 3 more XC races one in Carmichael on October 27th Saturday, Marin Headlands on November 4th and PA XC Championships in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco November 18th Sunday. Please let me know if you can run any of the above. Since PA Champs. is the last of the series it would be great to get a team photo of all of us. Even if you are not able to run this race come out to cheer us on and be part of the team photo. Next Sunday is Humboldt 1/2 marathon and so far there are 4 women who are running Denise Barchas, Maile Thompson, Tehani Thompson and Erika Kikuchi. I am not going to this race so please email Erika Kikuchi to let her know if you are able to join in the fun. Old'uns In a replay of some race from 1999, Dan Shore edged out Chris Phipps, 23:03 to 23:09 (14th/15th places). Andy Apfelbaum followed closely in 23:27 (21st), with Matt Patout (24:22, 29th), Ian Hersey (24:56, 39th), and Brian Schultz (26:25, 50th) rounding out the team. [A big thanks to Ian and Brian for running so I didn't have to. -Ed.] Marathon Update – From Hansi From ageless marathon phenom Hansi Rigney . . . Just got home after running both Berlin and Chicago. The Berlin marathon is probably my favorite as I know the city well having lived there for 19 years and it is very lively with spectators and music. The historical landmarks are impressive as is the post-unification architecture. From the start, towards the "Victory Angel", newly given a coat of resplendent gold, to the finish through the Branderburg Gate it is a memorable experience. For me it is even more memorable as on the night of Sept. 9th, 1989, my husband and I stood on top of the WALL, in front of the Brandenburg Gate celebrating the "fall of the wall" and eventual unification of the EAST and WEST Germany on Oct 3rd, 1990. The marathon was very well run as usual, weather cool and sunny, from mid 40s to up to 60 degrees. One nice addition to the usual water and gatorade at watering areas was availability of warm sweet tea! For me the run was slower than I would have liked. 4:33 got me a 5th place in the 70+ div. A team member, Carol Shea, did much better and finished with a 4:04. Unfortunately we did not connect as we had hoped. I was very busy with friends and family and as a consequence we missed meeting. Chicago was another "friends & family" marathon as my husband is from Chicago. The weather was equally favorable for running, from low 40s to low 50s....a bit chilly at the start but fine once you start running. Well run marathon, flat, with lots of spectators cheering and encouraging runners. This one went a little better for me, 4:25 for 1st in 70+ Am now recovering from these back to back runs and from a cold and hope to run faster once my hamstring heals completely. Presidio XC Challenge - 09/29/12: Double Silver! Yet another great turnout Saturday, at our own Presidio XC Challenge. The open men and women EACH took second place in their respective divisions, and the masters men, after a devastating Wednesday where we lost four of our expected top five, still pulled out third. And the masters women scored for the second week in a row, finishing fifth. The open men and women are now both sitting in second place on the season. Details . . . Open Men Byline Chikara Omine Presidio: our home meet! Although injuries and work schedule conflicts took out about half of the open men we initially planned to have for the race, the team still managed to put up another solid performance. After a week of inconsistent training due to a combination of foot pains and last minute race organization effort, Chikara Omine was more than pleased to survive his own rough course and lead the team in 17:53 (11th place). Will Chen, who also had to take some time off training due to foot pains, planned to show up and spectate that was until his competitive drive eventually took over and he made the decision to race. Despite his set back from the foot issues, Will finished right on Chikara's heels in 17:56(12th place). Showing that taking the prior weekend off from racing helps, Andy Crawford ran a strong race to finish next for the team in 18:29 (16th place). Not far behind Andy was Maninder Sohal who cruised in at 18:37 (18th place) and then mentioned something unexpected to the RD. He said that the course was not so bad and that Garin was worse. Hearing this, along with Phipps request for more hills and more sand, the RD was a bit shocked that Presidio might be losing its reputation as the toughest course of the PA XC series. This prompted the RD to consider unveiling an alternate course he had in mind which incorporates what Phipps wanted. Just remember to thank Maninder and Phipps if the course is adjusted next year. :) Back to the race.After giving a last minute scare, Jack Badavas made it to the race on time to make a successful XC debut for the team in 18:52 (20th place). Placing right behind Jack was Sloane Cook, who decided to work on his weakness against hills, and came in 19:03 (21st place). Feeling a bit under the weather, Patrick Marjolet hung further back than usual and decided to offer words of um, encouragement to his teammate before kicking it in to finish in 19:54 (26th place). Jason Reed never heard Patrick's encouraging words (and hopefully the kids on the field didn't either) as he was too focused on finishing the race and rounding out the team in 20:03 (27th place). With everyone's efforts, the open men's team was able to place 2nd! Great job everyone! Women Byline Donna Chan Our biggest turn out in a very long time. There are 13 women running the Presidio XC for our very own Excelsior race. Heather Leutwyler wass first across the end line for 22nd overall and 10th AG with a time of 22:41 followed close behind by Melissa Haahr 27th overall and 7th AG with a time of 22:51. Liz Louie is next for 35th overall and 8th AG with a time of 23:41 followed by Denise Barchas 38th overall with 15th AG with a time of 24:02 with a close finish by Erika Kikuchi for 39th overall and 16th AG with a time of 24:08. Next across the finish line is Tehani Thompson for 43rd overall and 9th AG with a time of 24:35 followed by Diann Leo for 51st overall and 11th AG with a time of 25:21. Not looking forward to running this particular race with all the sand and hills is Donna Chan for 61st overall and 3rd AG with a time of 26:17 followed close behind by new member Jennifer Norman 62nd overall and 21st AG with a time of 26:17. Alice Shikina coming off an injury 65st overall and 18th AG with a time of 26:51 and hot on her heels is Vicky Cotter 66th overall for 19th AG with a time of 26:53. Also another new member Jessica Stone 68th overall and 22nd AG with a time of 27:06 and Michelle Smith with 74th overall and 12th AG for a time of 28:07. Thank you everyone who ran and volunteered at the race. Jessica and Jennifer thanks for being such a trooper to run this very challenging course. Our next race is Saturday in Folsom outside of Sacramento. We have 5 women signed up to run but more the merrier. Hope you can join me. I plan to drive to Folsom the morning of the race and drive back to the Excelsior get together at Heather's and Matt's. Let me know if you need a ride from San Francisco. The open men are also fielding a team. Old'uns Chris Phipps--yes, THE Chris Phipps--led the old'uns Saturday in a fine 19:36 (15th), which may be a Presidio PR. Andy Apfelbaum finished just behind Phipps in 19:41 (17th), with Dan Rhodes (19:56, 20th) also breaking 20. Pete Vicencio finished just a few seconds back in 20:04 (23rd), also a possible Presidio PR, and Randy Conner closed out the scoring team in 20:31 (29th). Matt Patout (20:51) and Jake Niebaum (20:54) displaced in 32nd and 33rd places, with Peter Hsia (21:21, 38th/6th senior/2nd CAIS) and Brian Schultz (22:54, 51st) rounding out the team. Golden Gate Park Open – 09/23/12 We had another great turnout at Sunday's GGP XC Open. The open men made a strategic call to take a bye, but the women fielded not just the one (open) team they've been turning out, but THREE teams, including the first senior women's team we've had in what must be years. The masters men also had a strong showing. Details . . . Open Men To come … Women Byline Donna Chan What a wonderful turnout for the most number of women running for Excelsior in a long time. A big welcome to 3 new members Vicky Cotter, Alice Lewis and Michelle Smith for their very first XC race plus returning member Kim Fanady who has not been racing for the last 2 years. We were able to field not one, not two but THREE teams!! A total of 12 women debuted our new neon yellow shirts and we were able to score all who ran. Below are the times and places that each person did. Too many to put in a paragraph to read. So below are the overall places, age group placing AG and times for this 4 mile course. Open overall place Age-graded place result time 1. Michelle Noeth 57th 17th for 30-39 age 30 27:46 2. Heather Leutwyler 61st 19th for 30-39 age 34 28:06 3. Denise Barchas 78th 23rd for 30-39 age 35 29:32 4. Liz Louie 82nd 30th for 20-29 age 26 29:47 5. Erika Kikuchi 88th 26th for 30-39 age 34 30:27 6. Diann Leo 90th 32nd for 20-29 age 25 30:32 Masters overall place Age-graded place 1. Lee D'Alessandro 117th 30th for 40-49 age 43 32:22 2. Vicky Cotter 122nd 31th for 40-49 age 47 33:33 3. Alice Lewis 126th 33rd for 40-49 age 49 35:16 Seniors overall place Age-graded place 1. Kim Fanady 99th 5th for 50-59 age 51 30:48 2. Donna Chan 105th 3rd for 60-69 age 61 31:39 3. Michelle Smith 121st 13th for 50-59 age 53 33:31 Thank you to all who made this a fun filled day. Your participation is very much appreciated. Next Saturday September 29th is our very own club Presidio XC run. Open men at 8:30, master men 9:15 and all women at 10:00. If you are able to volunteer to help out please email Chikara Omine our race director
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I plan to be at the registration table at 7:00 join me if you can. Remember to email all your entry information to Chikara no fee needed. Old'uns Byline Yurik Riegel Last Sunday at Golden Gate park marked the deepest field in recent memory. The Masters league now has 7-8 teams that might have finished top 3 in previous years, and almost all of them brought their top team to the park. Our hardy band of Masters toed the line with hopes of a top 3 finish, but lacking our top runner, fending off fatigue and injuries--it was not to happen. However there were many great performances. In first for the team was the Mighty Mayor, Cliff Lentz in 23:44. Right behind him and fending off a back injury was Brian Richter in 23:52. Dan Rhodes beat his last year's time by 25 sec with a 24:24. Then came a 1-2-3 punch with Dan Shore, Chris Phipps, and Andy Apfelbaum in 24:41, 24:41 and 24:42 consecutively. Chris actually looked like he was out to finish top - ten in the beginning of the race, but then the reality of his current shape set in. Next up was new team member Jake Niebaum who ran a 25:34 and Matt Patout in 26:02 in a rare non-stroller performance. Anchoring the team was Brian Schultz in 28:24 (good to see you racing again). To put things into perspective, this team would have taken 3rd at GGP last year. NorCal XC Challenge – 09/15/12
A full open men's team traveled all the way to Redding for a strong second
place finish--by one point nonetheless!--while three women also made the
trip. The masters took a bye. Details . . . Open Men
Byline Jason Lee
On Saturday, September 15, the Open Men ran the 8K NorCal XC Challenge in
Redding, the first time this race has been offered on the PA cross country
circuit.Taking place at Simpson University, the race also included the
Simpson and Butte college teams as well as two other PA teams, Chico Track
Club and SRA Elite.The course began on a well-watered soccer field,
wound through the campus of the Christian college, and transitioned onto a
dusty trail.The Open Men had to repeat a meandering loop with some short
but steep hills before returning to the start.
Purportedly the city with the hottest average annual temperature on the
planet at its latitude and the second sunniest city in the United States,
Redding lived up to expectations during the race. At the 9:45 am start
time, the temperature in the shade had already reached 75 degrees before
rising to 80 degrees by the end of the race. While there were some trees
along the loop, the sun baked much of the course, sapping runners' energy
and causing them to slow substantially from their usual paces.
(Adding to the challenges, four team members were a bit short on
sleep. Unfortunately, the Motel 6 receptionist had roused them with a
post-midnight phone call demanding payment for a non-existent fifth person
in the room.)
Chikara Omine started off aggressively with a 5:15 pace as he chased a
group of Chico runners. Although he slowed down considerably on the second
half as the heat and hills caught up with him (just like it did with
almost everyone else in the field), he still finished with a great 28:34
(7th place). Concerned about the rapidly rising temperatures, Jason Lee
successfully avoided a DNS and was grateful to Evan Sparling for dousing
him with water at the starting line! Running 11:00 for the first two
miles, he settled into a more sustainable pace as the sun bore down but
still managed to pass several runners on the final 2/3 mile for a 29:22
(12th place).
Continuing to be a valuable team scorer after moving from western New York
earlier this year, Andy Crawford cruised in with a 30:10 (16th place)
after finding himself in no-mans land. Following a convention in Los
Angeles on Friday, Evan Sparling traveled nearly the length of the state
to support the team (this time, however, it was not quite as epic as
flying in from Asia). Evan finished in 30:27 (20th place) as he
continues to get into shape between his sojourns to Russia and Kyrgyzstan.
Jason Reed finished in 34:24 (34th place) following a night of little
sleep and his usual last-minute race arrival. Finally, in his second race
with the Open Men, Dan Nishiyama continued to make improvements and posted
a 38:49 (47th place).Afterwards, Andy joked that Dan was the only one on
our team to set a PR at the race (This was the first time Dan raced the 8K
distance).
Thanks to a great effort in challenging conditions, the Excelsior Open Men
finished second out of three teams, placing behind Chico Track Club but
edging out SRA Elite by one point. Great running, guys! Women
Byline Donna Chan
You know it is going to be really warm when you load your car at 7
am and you don't need a jacket. Makes me feel really lucky that the
women are running first, but an hour earlier would have been even
better. This race is the first time in this XC series we are not
able to field a women's team, but there are 3 of us to toe the
line. The Thompson sisters with team member Dan started their 4
hour drive to Redding at 3 am to join in the fun. And with very
little sleep, Maile crosses the line first with 11th place overall
with a time of 21:27 for 4th place AG. Not far behind is Tehani for
15th place overall with a time of 22:07 for 7th place AG. Not
liking the heat and starting out way too fast, is Donna Chan for
33rd place overall with a time of 24:10 and a surprising 2nd place
for AG. It is also great to watch the men on our team run their
even more challenging race during our cool down run.
Next on the series is the Golden Gate Park Open on SUNDAY Sept. 23
starting time at 9 am. Please let me know if you are able to run
this race. Before this race our open women are 3rd place in the
overall standings. Let's keep the momentum up!
Garin Park XC Challenge - 09/09/12 We had a huge turnout at Sunday's Garin Park XC Challenge, with no fewer
than 11 women, 10 open men, and 8 masters men, and some excellent
performances, especially Will Chen's 6th place open and Richard Bolt's 3rd
place master finishes. Details … Open Men
Byline Jason Lee
With the cross country season in full swing, teams from around Northern
California descended upon Garin Park in the rolling Hayward Hills on
Sunday, September 9. The Excelsior Open Men faced Transports, West Valley,
Chico, Wolfpack, Strawberry Canyon and Pamakids in the largest team
competition so far this season. While the course is just 5 kilometers
long, runners face a long hill at a 5% grade a half mile into the race as
well as shorter but very steep climbs and descents interspersed with sharp
turns. The cloudless skies and the barren terrain added to the course's
difficulties but mercifully the temperature stayed below 65 degrees.
After winning the 800, 1600, 3200 and 4 x 400 relay at this year's San
Francisco City High School Track Championships, Will Chen burst onto the
cross country scene in his debut on the Excelsior Open Men's team.
Challenging some of the PA's top runners, he belied his rookie status by
placing an incredible 6th place with a stellar time of 16:29.
Congratulations, Will!
Although he had to pull back a bit at the end, Chikara Omine achieved a
quick 17:06 (16th place) thanks to a fast start and another 80-mile week.
Despite a tight hamstring and a slow start, Jason Lee ran the hills on the
second mile aggressively. Building upprecious seconds on the rolling
hillsproved invaluable on the final sprint ashe managed tofinish in
17:30 (19th place).
After suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for 9 months and a
motorcycle spill only a few days before, Jin Daikoku's training paid off
in a remarkable comeback. Building off Tuesday's impressive Strawberry
Hill workout in which he broke 2:50 on all five repeats, Jin started
quickly and took advantage of the downhills to finish in 17:33 (21st
place). Patrick Marjolet, who continues to make tremendous strides this
year, followed closely at 17:46 (24th place). With more even pacing than
the previous week, Maninder Sohal also ran a strong 17:51 (25th place).
Andy Crawford, who has been an asset to the team so far this year,
finished just seconds behind with a 17:55 (29th place).
Evan Sparling broke the Open Men's all-time record for having traveled the
farthest to reach a cross country race. Returning from the Kamchatka
Peninsula via Hong Kong, he was shuttled from SFO to the race by Jason
Reed and arrived with less than 30 minutes to spare. Despite inconsistent
training back in Russia, he nonetheless managed to run a respectable 18:23
(37th place). Jason Reed himself was pleased that his 19:12 time (43rd
place) demonstrates that he is getting into shape. Finally, team newcomer
John Wang finished in 21:26 (52nd place).
Thanks to some outstanding performances and a great overall team effort,
the Excelsior Open Men placed3rd among some highly competitive teams.
Women
Byline Donna Chan
For the 4th consecutive XC race we not only fielded a complete team, but
had the most runners in a long time doing XC with a total of 11 women.
Considering this is one of the hardest hilly 5K courses in the series, we
had some outstanding times. Starting in the grass and trying to avoid the
gopher holes and not to picking up too much mud is very challenging. But,
first across is Heather Leutwyler with a PR of 10 seconds with a time of
21:38.25 in (15th AG 30-39 ) and overall 32nd place. Followed closely
behind by Michelle Noeth with a time of 21:47.51 in (16th AG 30-39) and
overall 34th place. Next is Tehani Thompson with a time of 21:59.12 in
(12th AG 20-29) 39th place overall. Close behind her is sister Maile
Thompson with a time of 22:11.65 for (13th AG 20-29) 41st overall and
Melissa Haahr neck and neck with a time of 22:11.65 (14th AG 20-29) 42nd
overall. Next to cross the line is Denise Barchas with a time of 23:08.78
in (18th AG 30-39) 55th overall. Joining us for the first time is new
member Liz Louie who has not done XC in a while with a great time of
23:32.17 for (17th AG 20-29) and 59th overall. Coming back from a bad
case of poison oak that side lined her from running is Diann Leo with a
time of 24:12.62 for (18th AG 20-29) 67th overall. Next is Erika Kikuchi
who has not done anything shorter than her Pike's Peak marathon and
Headland 50 and no speed work finished with a time of 24:21.97 for (23rd
AG 30-39) and 70th overall. Next is Donna Chan never running 4 XC races
consecutively survived with a time of 25:12.4 for (4th AG 60-69) and 86th
overall. Next is Lee D'Alessandro vacationing for 6 weeks and only
running 5 miles this week is a good sport by joining us for this hard race
for a time of 26:00.86 23rd (AG 40-49) for 88th place.
Thank-you all for fielding such a big team. Next is the NorCal XC
Challenge in Redding 5K at 9:00 am on Saturday. Let me know if you are
able to run next weekend. If we have a team I will drive if anyone needs
a ride. There is an option to find a motel close to the race or leave
early the morning for the race. Let me know what you prefer and if you
are available. At the conclusion of the last weeks race our open women
are in 3rd place in the overall standings. Let's keep the momentum going.
Old'uns
Richard Bolt once again led the masters in a fine time of 17:33, good
enough for third place in a very competitive field. Cliff Lentz won the
45-49 age division next in 18:12, good enough for 8th place overall. Next
Dan Rhodes and Andy Apfelbaum cam in together in 18:50 and 18:52 (21st,
23rd), with Jonathan Reid rounding out the scoring five in 19:47 (36th).
Jake Niebaum and Matt Patout displaced in 19:54 and 20:11 (37th, 42nd),
with Brian Schultz rounding out the team in 22:07 (72nd). Great job all! Rebel Rebellion XC Challenge - 09/01/12 At the Rebel Rebellion Saturday, once again the open men and the women kept up their momentum with a set of strong performances. And once again the masters men fell a couple runners short, not without some fine performances. Details . . . Open Men
Byline Jason Lee
On Saturday, September 1, the Excelsior Open Men's team traveled to
Sacramento's Granite Regional Park to race at the Rebels Rebellion 7K
(4.35 miles). This dusty, unshaded course twists and turns and features
several short but steep inclines. Thanks to fog that had penetrated far
into the Sacramento Valley overnight, the thermometer topped off at 65
degrees during the race under sunny skies, significantly cooler than last
year by at least 10 degrees.
Just a few days after a disappointing 15:50 track 5K, Chikara Omine ran
aggressively with some of the top PA runners. Averaging an incredible 5:09
pace, he edged out several guys in red singlets to finish in 22:27 (8th
place). Last year, Jason Lee had a breakthrough performance marking one of
his best cross country races in his career up until that point. Aided by
much cooler temperatures this year and a conservative 5:15 first mile,
Jason Lee sliced 4 seconds off his previous time to finish in 23:23 (17th
place).
In just his third PA cross country race, Andy Crawford continued to be a
strong team contributor with a quick 24:05 (21st place), averaging 5:32
overall. Despite easing up a bit at the end, Patrick Marjolet cut over
half a minute off last year's time with a 24:08 (22nd place). Maninder
Sohal, fresh off summer training in the blistering Antelope Valley,
challenged some of the top runners on the first mile but quickly settled
into a more comfortable pace to finish in 24:43 (24th place). In his first
cross country race for the team, Paul Broyer finished in 25:38 (29th
place) on his home turf. Finally, on his first cross country race with the
team, Ryan Ahern broke 28 minutes by a second (33rd place).
Due to very strong competition, the Excelsior Open Men placed fourth
overall. Nevertheless, many team members ran very well with quick paces
and/or personal bests for the course. Great job, guys! Women Byline Donna Chan On a sunny but cooler than expected morning at Granite Regional Park in Sacramento we had 5 women to toe the line for this 5K XC race. Through the twists, turns, ups and downs of this very dusty race Melissa Haahr is first across the end line with a time of 20:24.0 for 16th AG. Next to cross the line is Tehani Thompson with a time of 20:37.6 for 19th AG with sister Maile Thompson very close behind with a time of 20:47.3 for 23rd place AG. Right behind her is Michelle Noeth with a time of 20.58.4 for 24th place AG. To round out the 5 is Donna Chan who is happy to be running her 3rd XC race on consecutive weekends with a time of 22:59.4 for 3rd AG. Congratulations all! Old'uns Brian On the Anniversary of '98 Richter led the old'uns with a 6th place finish (24:21). Dan Rhodes followed a minute back in 25:16 (15th), with Andy Apfelbaum on his tail in 25:27 (18th). Great job . . . and with a little luck we'll get five out at Garin! Phil Widener (Empire) XC Challenge - 08/25/12 At the Phil Widener Empire Open Saturday, the open men and the women kept up their momentum with another set of strong performances. The masters men fell a couple runners short, but still had some fine performances. Details . . Open Men Byline Chikara Omine Summer fog is not an unusual sight in San Francisco, but it was unusual to still see fog past Sausalito on the drive up to Santa Rosa for the Empire XC race. While there was a certain open men's team member who prayed that it will remain foggy/cloudy, another hoped that the sun will burn through the fog and impair runners intolerant to temperatures above 65 degrees.Well, it turned out to be cloudy and cool for the race so heat intolerant runners were spared the misery. Chikara Omine figured part of the fun of the race is to chase after a top 10 shirt and decided to go for it with an aggressive start. Although he lost a couple of places after fading over the last mile, Chikara ended up taking the last shirt by placing 10th in 18:11. Despite claims of being plagued by hamstring issues and being out of shape from not training, Jason Lee surprised himself by shaving 5 seconds off his time from the prior year by finishing next for the team in 18:47 (17th place). Jason credited the improvement to the cool weather and then started complaining and talking about retiring from running for some odd reason. With his Achilles cooperating enough for this race, Patrick Marjolet had a stronger performance than the prior week and finished next for the team in 19:03 (19th place). Andy Crawford, already establishing himself as a core member of our XC team, finished after Patrick in 19:23 (24th place). After setting a several PRs this year, it was no surprise that Sina Aboutalebi ran his course best time by over a minute and a half by finishing in 21:11 (34thplace). Not to be outdone, new member Dan Nishiyama also set a course best--this was Dan's first cross country race of his life (and one of his first races) but he toughed out the hills to set his mark at 25:13 (48th place). Welcome to the club, Dan! For their effort, the team managed to capture 3rd place. With a 2nd place finish the previous week, it seems that the open men are off to a great start for this year's XC season. Good job team! Old'uns To come .... Women Byline Donna Chan It is a much cooler day for some great running. For the second week in a row we have 7 women to toe the line for the Phil Widener Empire 3.43 race. New member Michele Noeth is first to cross the finish line with a time of 23:07 placing 17th AG and following close behind is Heather Leutwyler with a time of 23:18 placing 22nd AG. Heather is so happy to have new member Michele to run with and it gave her extra energy for a faster time with a PR of 44 seconds. Maile Thompson is next with a time of 24:05 placing 26th AG with Melissa Haahr hot on her heels with a time of 24:16 placing 29th AG. Tehani Thompson charged across the line with a time of 24:52 placing 33rd in AG. Slowly picking off women running ahead, Donna Chan finishes with a time 26:21 placing 2nd AG. And last but not least is Denise Leo, doubting she is feeling well enough to run, surprised herself with a time of 27:38 besting her last weeks time by a minute per mile faster pace. Great fun and great times were had by all. We also have the luxury of watching the open men run after our race before the masters men ran. Let's keep the momentum going with next week's XC in Sacramento. We are already making plans to carpool up to the race. I am going to be in Tahoe so I will be driving from there. Please email me if you plan to run. Would love to have you!!!! Thanks for your support. Santa Cruz XC Challenge - 08/18/12 At the UC Santa Cruz Cross Country Challenge Saturday, Richard Bolt built on his string of victories on the roads with a win in the first cross country race of the season. Richard ran 23:03, to win the race by some six seconds. On the women's side, Donna Chan continued her winning ways with a strong 31:28 to take the super senior title by almost a minute. Women, open men, and masters men all had teams--a great start to the cross season! Details . . . Open Men Byline Jason Lee On Sunday, August 18, the Excelsior Open Men's team ran its first cross country race of the season in the hills surrounding UC Santa Cruz. This beautiful 4-mile course in the coastal redwoods features a steady climb for the first couple miles, some of which is on rocky terrain, with a corresponding downhill leading up to the finish. Unfortunately, unlike last year's fog, warm temperatures in the upper 60s slowed times considerably for many of the runners, especially along the unshaded portions of the run. Chikara Omine, who has been running extremely well throughout the summer, ran aggressively, challenging not only West Valley but also Transports top runners on the first mile. Although he faded towards the end, he posted an outstanding time of 21:56 (8th place). Despite his aversion to the heat, Jason Lee finished only a few seconds off last year's time with a 22:41 (15th place) a surprise since he had recently returned from a holiday to Southern California and had run a grand total of 8 miles during the previous week. Patrick Marjolet ran a decent 23:31 (20th place), fresh off a quick San Rafael mile and some fast times at Lake Merced. In his debut as an Excelsior team member, Andy Crawford followed closely behind with a 23:38 (22nd place). Only 12 hours before the race, it appeared that the Excelsior team might only have three runners and would not be able to score a team. Due to Chikara Omine's last-minute scheming, the team not only secured a fourth runner on Friday night but also had a Plan B for a fifth runner: The most inspired performance went to Jon Reid who ran in the open division less than 20 minutes after his Masters race. His 27:35 (35th place) was just 2:16 off his earlier time despite fatigue and hotter temperatures. Thanks to everyone's commitment, the Open Men placed 2nd overall, one of the best performances over the past several years. Great job! Old'uns To come .... Women Byline Donna Chan While the fog is hanging over San Francisco, it is warm and sunny in Santa Cruz . We had 7 women who toed the line for this first XC race of the season. The start was crowded on a narrow road plus it took forever to see the first mile mark especially with all the uphill. But the rest of this 4 mile course is relatively level with the last mile being a nice downhill. First to cross the finish line is Heather Leutwyler with exact same as last year at 28:59 AG 32nd place, the model of consistency. Next is Maile Thompson (one of our new member) with a great time of 29:32 AG 35th place. Hot on Maile's heels is another new member Melissa Haahr with a speedy time of 29:37 AG 37th place. Tehani Thompson (Maile's sister) finished with a time of 30:14 AG 40th place. Denise Rummelhart who says she is not in race shape did a fantastic time of 30:35 AG 41th . To round out our open women is Denise Leo who is more comfortable coaching XC high school students than running one. Even with not running XC for many years did a strong time of 35:48 AG 59th place. As for myself, I felt happy to be running with no hamstring pain. To my surprise I placed AG 1st 60 and over with a time of 31:28. Thank you all for running especially all the new open women. This is a strong start for the XC season. Downtown San Rafael Mile - 07/15/12 It looks like the open men may have raced to a second place finish in Sunday's Downtown San Rafael Mile. The women kept their scoring streak alive to keep their momentum going, and the old'uns fielded a strong team plus contributed a couple to allow the open men toscore a B team. Details . . . Open Men Byline Chikara Omine The mile is an event welcomed by those with speed while feared by longer distance runners. Although many of the open men's usual scoring members are those longer distance runners, the team was challenged with the goal of beating last year's team time. A goal which initially seemed unattainable back in June considering that the top 3 runners from last year's team (including Jin Daikoku who ran a 4:20) were not returning. However, with the addition of a new speedy recruit and several weeks of speed work, the team came into the race with a legitimate shot at improving on last year's performance. New member and 2012 San Francisco Section High School 800m/1600m/3200m Champion William Chen mixed it up with the big dogs in his first PA race to crack the top 10 in an impressive time of 4:24 (10th place). Welcome to the club, Will! After a while, the rest of the Excelsior runners started to trickle in. Although Chikara Omine faced some set backs earlier in the week, he rebounded to finish next for the team in 4:38 (18th place). After looking over his shoulder on the final stretch to see the one person he absolutely did not want to get beaten by right on his heels, Patrick Marjolet kicked it in to finish next for the team in 4:42 (23rd place); 16 seconds faster than the previous year. Finishing right on Patrick's heel was Jason "Most Inspirational Runner" Lee :), who started to notice that he was reaping the benefits of the speed work and ended up running 4:43 (24th place). Evan Sparling, on a semi-break from training, came into the race with low expectation but was slightly motivated to catch a few people and close out the scoring team in 4:54 (29th place) after hearing Jin Daikoku yell some comments at him on the sidelines. With Evan's finish the scoring team achieved its goal with 26 seconds to spare. But the open men were not done yet. After focusing on the marathon over the last year or so, Lee Koffler made a surprise appearance and still showed that he had sub 5 minute mile speed by finishing in 4:58 (31st place). In prep for his upcoming first 100 mile race, Paul Broyer tested his ability to run while tired by trying to break 5 minutes after participating in the Moon light run the night before and getting only a couple hours of sleep. Paul managed squeeze under 5:00 to hit his goal, but with the standard round up of fractions of a second per USATF rules, the official results lists him as 5:00 (33rd place). Jason Reed aided in forming an "ultra runners attempting to go sub 5 pack" right at the finish but missed the mark by a measly 0.6 seconds, with the results listing him at 5:01 (34th place). With a total of 8 open men finishing and a couple of extra masters, we had just enough to score a B team. And with many of the top PA clubs having incomplete teams, it appears that our open men's A team may have taken 2nd for this race (assuming the posted results didn't miss anyone). Great job team! Now we get a short break from PA racing before XC season starts up on 8/18. Old'uns: Masters Bench saves it Byline Yurik Riegel Sometimes a team's successful race effort for is pretty, sometimes it's just not . . . and sometimes its just about showin' up. The Masters road circuit this year has been an incredibly tight race between 4 equally matched teams: Strawberry Canyon, the Aggies, Pamakids, and Excelsior. With most of our top runners gone it fell upon the masters bench to keep hopes alive. When it was all over, It appears that we took third behind Pamakids and Strawberry. In first for the team was Cliff Lentz, surviving a blistering 68 first quarter to finish in 4:53! Next was prodigal son, Dan Shore running 5:08 in his first race back since running several years for another team. He was followed by prodigal son #2- cyclist, Craig Steinmaus running his first mile as a senior in 5:15. Next up was Yurik Riegel. After starting a blazing too early kick at 500m out, he was seen looking like Daffy Duck trying to run with a coat of hardening cement on him with 150m to go. He somehow crossed the line in 5:17 without getting repassed by too many runners. In hot pursuit was fifth man, Andy Apfelbaum in 5:19. Next for Excelsior, was senior runner Peter Hsia in 5:28. A big Welcome Aboard! for new team member and soon to be speedy senior, 49 1/2-year-old (though he doesn't look a day over 40) Geoff Mohun, in 5:42. Great job, gentlemen! Women Byline Donna Chan What a beautiful morning to run a mile in San Rafael. There were 6 women who toed the line for this fast short race. First to cross the line is Heather Leutwyler with a speedy time of 5:46.4 (surpassing her wanting just to break 6:00 mark), giving her a 19th place finish in the open division. Next to finish is Lee D'Alessandro placing 14th in the masters division with a time of 6:28.2. And following close behind in 15th place is Alice Shikina with a time of 6:33.2. Stepping up last minute is Kara Downey placing 20th in the open division with a time of 6:38.7. Hot on her heels is Erika Kikuchi coming back from an injury with a great time of 6:41.9 in 21st place in the open division. For this race the open division included all 19 to 39 year olds, truly a tough group. For myself I ran to support the team knowing my time would not be my best because of healing from a hamstring and sciatic nerve injury which occurred at the Marin Day 10K. But was grateful I finished 12th place with no pain in the time of 6:49.3 in the senior division which included age 50 and older. Graduations to all and thanks for your support. Double Dipsea Lentz Third! Cliff Lentz ran yet another strong Double Dipsea Saturday, finishing 3rd (handicapped) in a time of 1:51:06 (less 9 minute handicap). The only runners who ran faster than Cliff were our own Brian Gilliss (1:46:38, 0 handicap, 7th place) and race winner and new race record holder Alex Varner (1:36:31). Chikara Omine finished just outside the top 10, 12th place, just six seconds slower than Cliff (1:51:12). Double Dipsea from a Novice's Perspective Byline Diann Leo From relatively new member Diann Leo . . . This last running of Double Dipsea marked my first attempt at the event. My goal for the race was merely to finish, especially with my recurring hamstring issues. I heeded warnings from trusted course veterans and started as slowly as I could; this tactic was consistent with the DSE motto “Start slowly and taper off.” It was a welcome relief from all of the need-for-speed races. Double Dipsea, I already knew, was not an event and course I'd want to start fast and burn out hard. Not far into the race, the trails and staircases grew quite narrow and passing became nearly impossible, anyway. When the scratch runners came blazing from behind me and I could hear their breath on my neck, I made it a point to hop out of the way as best as I could (without tripping on branches and falling into a ditch). Unfortunately, many of the participants that I had passed were still tuned deep into their headphones. I thought to myself that this trail would be one of worst places to wear headphones, not only to the ignorance of one's surroundings, but to the immense beauty of the trail itself. As a follower, I inadvertently utilized the course's legal shortcuts. Being the runner who always finds things out the hard way, I discovered first-hand the caveats of taking trails marked "area closed by renovation": poison oak and thorn bushes. I wasn't focused on the names of specific points of the trail (though I did demand an insult at Insult Hill). Being a member of DSE, I saw a lot of familiar faces on the trail's aid stations, and it was almost as good as walking into a bar called Cheers. A notable, clever aid station this year was at Muir Woodstock, and I was so disoriented I traveled back to a psychedelic era that predated my birth. With the handicap, I finished in 2:37:01 (actual time 2:49:01). In the future, I'd like to improve on my time, better learn the shortcuts, and somehow become smarter about encountering poison oak. Dipsea We had a good turnout at Sunday's Dipsea, highlighted by black shirt performances by Cliff Lentz (13th, 55:33 with 4 minute handicap) and Brian Gilliss (22nd, 53:38, 1 minute), with top 100 performances by Chikara Omine (45th, 55:10, scratch) and Dan Shore (88th, 58:43, 3 minutes). Marin Memorial Day 10K – 05/28/12 Another great turnout, with some 20 club members running. Details . . . Open Men Byline Jason Lee On May 28, the Excelsior Open Men ran many strong times at the Marin Memorial Day 10K in Kentfield. Partly cloudy skies, relatively cool temperatures in the mid-50s and shade helped make for pleasant running conditions considering that that part of Marin County can be very warm during late May. With the top two women (Clara Peterson and Malika Mejdoub, a professional runner from Morocco) just steps behind him for the entire race, Chikara Omine fended off a strong challenge from them on the last half mile to finish in 33:30 (33rd place) for a one second personal best on a certified road 10K. Eight days after one of his best races ever at the Bay to Breakers, Jason Lee blasted a 5:25 pace while chasing the top two women to clock a 33:41 (36th place). This was a personal best on a certified 10K race by 1:23, which coincidentally was at the Marin Memorial 10K two years ago during a photo finish with Chikara. This year, Chikara and Jason became extra motivated when they found out a few minutes before the start that a former teammate now living in the East Bay was also running. They edged him out with only seconds to spare. Patrick Marjolet sprinted a devastating 5:15 last mile to achieve a personal best of 34:19 (48th place), an improvement of 3:02, to finish right behind Masters teammate Richard Bolt. Tres bien couru, Patrick! Evan Sparling ran a respectable 34:48 (52nd place), especially considering his lack of training since helping the DSE team finish first at the Calistoga-to-Santa Cruz Relay earlier in May. Apparently, though, Evan was dissatisfied because the first thing he mentioned following the race was that his winning streak against Jason Lee was over. After competing in a grueling ultra in the heat the previous week, Jason Reed overcame tired legs with a solid time of 36:32 (96th place). Sina Aboutaleibi delivered one of the biggest surprises of the day with a 36:35 (97th place). This was about a 6 minute personal best for Sina. With his qualifying performance on Memorial Day, he can now officially enter next year's Bay to Breakers race in the sub-seeded division. Great job, Sina! Although the Open Men's team finished in 7th place, this was an accomplishment given the strong individual performances and excellent efforts of team members. Awesome running! Old'uns Byline Dan Rhodes The Masters men pulled out a strong 10 man team for the MMD 10K race. The 10K used to be a staple of road racing with three 10Ks on the PA road series just a few years back now we just get one shot at that benchmark distance in the PA this year. To lead us in Richard Bolt ran a 34:19 in what was a nice eventful weekend double with the Mt. Hamilton Hill climb bike race Sunday and the 10K the next morning. Richard wrote up a great race report to recap his weekend on his blog http://richardbolt.blogspot.com/2012/05/two-races-in-two-days-excellence-in.html next in for the the NBEX Masters was Cliff Lentz 34:56 who has been getting faster every week and looks to be in good form going into the Dipsea! Dan Rhodes hobbled in next in 36:56 after having a calf strain bite him around the 2 mile mark, with Andy Apfelbaum right on his heals in 36:57. Next across was Dan Shore 37:15 (who we are unfortunately still waiting to clear wavers so can't score for us until July) but it is nice to be back to at least a 2 Dan minimum = we had 5 Dan's on the team at one point! Pete Vicencio ran in next with a 38:06 and Peter Hsia was close behind in 38:16. Martin Smith was not having his best day out there while recovering from a cold and a few days of Sudafed still pulled off a 41:18. Brian Schultz 41:42, and Tyler Abbott 44:10 rounded out the team. Women Byline Donna Chan Our newest members enabled Excelsior women to field another full team. On a warm but slightly breezy morning 5 women toed the line for this race. First across the finish line was Heather Leutwyler with a time of 42:49 placing 10th in AG. Next across the line was Diann Leo with a time of 46:25 placing 30th AG. Dealing with lack of training, jet lag, glute & hamstring injury plus calf cramps was Donna Chan with a "trying to hang on to the end" dragged in with a time of 49:58 7th AG. Not far behind was Kara Downey with a time of 50:06 32th AG. And to round out the team was Denise Leo with a time of 53:14 placing 19th AG. Thank-you all for running this not so easy 10k. Now we have some time off to prepare for the next race the San Rafael mile on July 15th. Bay to Breakers Congratulations to all Excelsior runners who participated in the 101st Bay to Breakers on Sunday, May 20. Featuring plenty of costumes and drinking, thousands of serious runners and a bunch of world-class elite runners from as far away as Africa, the Bay to Breakers is a fun but challenging 12K (7.46 mile) course across San Francisco. The biggest obstacle is the infamous Hayes Street Hill - a steep 215-foot five-block climb that leaves runners wishing that there were not another 4.8 miles to go. Although the temperatures started out at around 55 degrees in the Financial District, by 7:45 a.m they had warmed to an unusually balmy 60 degrees at Ocean Beach under a cloudless sky and light breezes. Just 24 hours later, the course would be covered in dense fog. In one of the best performances of his running career, Jason Lee raced aggressively but cautiously given the unrelenting sun and surprised himself with a 41:35 time (30th place individual, 56th including centipedes). His 5:35 mile pace was less than two seconds off his all-time best in 2006, a year with ideal overcast and light drizzle conditions. A couple of weeks ago, some West Valley Track Club runners warned several Excelsior members that they would be fielding a centipede for the first time, threatening to place 13 men ahead of Jason. West Valley's centipede, which included speedsters Jonah Backstrom, Jonathan Charlesworth, Gus Gibbs, Jamey Gifford, Jason Karbelk, Konrad Knutsen, Malcolm Richards, Todd Rose, Alex Varner and other friendly competitors, finished in a fast 42:11 for third place in the centipede division but fell short of their goal. Many club members also ran solid races. Team newcomer Caio Soares ran his first Bay to Breakers in a quick 42:33 (45th place individual, 84th including centipedes). Parabens, Caio! Feeling a bit winded, Chikara Omine was the next Excelsior finisher in 42:42 (50th place individual, 89th including centipedes). Perhaps hitting the wall on the Hayes Street Hill slowed him more than his Krispy Kreme cape or the fact that he did not bother to actually wolf down any high fructose corn syrup donuts this year. Blazing his first mile in 5:20, Sloane Cook recovered to finish with a slightly faster gun time than Chikara but the same 42:42 chip time (51st place individual, 90th including centipedes). Jamie Timbrell, who did not feel like he put in the mileage required to run well at the 12K distance, held off his urge to puke over the final 100 meters to finish right behind Sloane and Chikara in 42:46 (54th place, 93rd including centipedes). Like Caio, Maninder Sohal entered his first Bay to Breakers as a seeded runner and finished in 45:47 (105th place individual, 144th including centipedes), not bad considering that final exams at SF State kept him from running during the past two weeks. Other Excelsior finishers included Ky Faubion 48:15 (190th place individual), Dave Moulton 48:51 (213th place individual and 40th Masters), Marlin Gilbert 49:36 (266th place individual and 52nd Masters), Alice Shikina 1:01:28 (1,633rd individual and 73rd Female Masters), and Paul Broyer who came all the way from Sacramento for a fun run in 1:23:04 (8,352nd place). Finally, Brian Cooke's 51:08 time (361st place individual) was actually an impressive feat considering that he was encumbered by his furry gorilla costume and could barely see out of his mask |
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Running Results 2009 |
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Excelsior Running Club Results 2009 
Christmas Relays - 12/13/09
2009 won't go down in the record books as the club's best year, but we closed it out Sunday on a fine note. The men's open team saw some of the strongest Christmas Relays performances in recent memory, and the men's masters and men's senior teams also finished strong. Details . . .
Open Men
Jin Daikoku led the race out of the gate and finished the first leg in third with a big PR 22:59--when's the last time an NB Ex member ran sub-23? Jin was followed by Grant Johnson in another big PR of 23:17, with the team now in second place! Jason Lee ran a strong 24:59, and Chris 39.9836 year old Phipps 25:27 for an unofficial total 1:36:42 (now we just have to see how many seconds to attribute to ghost runner once official results are out). The team finished 6th overall/5th PA. Great job!
Old'uns
With official results not out yet, it looked like the masters ran the whole race in third place. Dan Shore led off in 25:26, followed by Cliff Lentz (25:15?), Tyler Abbott (28:23), and Tom Bernhard (27:30), for a total estimated time of 1:46:34. I'm afraid for the senior team of Kenny Warde, Bob Rocket Darling, Jim Gorman, and Tim Geraghty, I have just three of the approximate splits (Kenny 34:50 a week post-CIM, Rocket 30:22, Gorman 28:20), and I don't have the total time.
Christmas Relays--Official
Last week's WIT featured estimated Christmas Relays times; we now have the official overall times. As best we can tell:
Open Men
Jin Daikoku 22:59
Grant Johnson 23:17
Jason Lee 24:59
Chris Phipps 25:27
Ghost Man 0:05
Total 1:36:47, 6th overall
Masters Men
Dan Shore 25:26
Cliff Lentz 25:12
Tyler Abbott 28:23
Tom Bernhard 27:30
Ghost Man 0:02
Total 1:46:33, 3rd master/17th overall
Senior Men
Kenny Warde 34:50
Rocket Darling 30:22
Jim Gorman 28:20
Tim Geraghty 26:42
Ghost Man 0:07
Total 2:00:21, 6th senior/63rd overall
Honolulu Marathon - 12/13/09
Richter@Honolulu
I'm sure we all pity Brian Richter's predicament at Honolulu . . . . From Brian:
Honolulu went about as well as could be expected. I had usual maladies leading up, including nifty cold week prior. 5am start time brought 69 degrees, about 73 by finish. Went through 10k at 39:16, 10 miles at 64:10, 1/2 at 1:24. was already feeling pretty atrocious at half way, but managed to keep ~6:30 pace for another 10 miles, 1:59:xx at 30k, something like 2:29:30 at 23 miles.
It was then that the blisters on feet killed me. Since I had poured a ton of water on myself, my shoes were waterlogged and blisters set in. This would not have been a problem but I clenched my toes to try to shift position in shoes and that instantly cramped my hamstring. Last 5k was complete try-not-to-tie-up-and-walk. I actually felt OK, but two more times I tried to resume pace (last mile has a downhill portion) and felt cramp, and so I staggered home in 2:53:03. About 10th master, 2nd American Master for what its worth. The best part is of course, it was still before 8am, it was 75 degrees and cocktail hour had arrived.
Cheers, Brian
ps - No Spokane for me.
Calfornia Internation Marathon - 12/06/09
It wasn't easy, and we had two drops, but we did manage to scramble together open and masters men's team for CIM Sunday. Among open men, George Torgun ran a fine 2:48:03 (92nd place), followed by Matt Patout (2:59:27, 262nd), with an old'un filling out the team. More details . . .
Women
Byline Heather Leutwyler
We were well represented at CIM. Official results are not in but I think we had a handful of men and women running. Despite the cold and the wind, Whitney Stephenson ran a fabulous 4:47:14 (gun time). I am happy to report that I had a repeat performance from 2008 running 3:16:42. Did I miss any ladies?
Old'uns
Pete Vicencio, coming off a rough experience in New York last month but with very strong training behind him, ran an excellent 2:44:45, good enough for 69th overall/8th 40-44. Ian Metronome Hersey followed in an extremely consistent 3:00:01, 284th/19th 45-49. Kenny Warde (3:47:26, 66th 55-59) and Gary MacPherson (3:48:15, 17th 60-64) rounded out the team, finish less than a minute apart. Congratulations all (and thanks for making the trip!). Unfortunately for us, CIM showed unusual depth for masters men this year, and we seem to have finished fourth. Run Wild for a Child 5K/10K - 11/29/09 The club had some strong showings at Sunday's Run Wild for a Child 5K and 10K. By the numbers . . . 1st Chikara Omine won the 10K at Sunday's Run Wild for a Child in a time of 33:52. 2nd Jin Daikoku took the 5K silver in 15:47. 2nd Bob Darling ran 42:46 to finish second in his new 60-69 age group. 2nd Donna Chan ran 22:19 to finish second 50-59. 3rd Kim Fanady finished third woman OVERALL in 41:45. 4th Julie McGee finished fourth in 21:08. 5th Peter Hsia finished fifth man OVERALL in 37:10. 5th Jason Lee ran 17:01 to take fifth place. 7th Brenda Gee Deperalta finished 7th 40-49 in 25:14. 8th Jeff Dewey finished 8th 40-49 in 39:42. 12th Jason Reed ran the 10 in 38:02. I apologize in advance to anyone I've missed! Silicon Valley Turkey Trot Elite/PA 5K - 11/26/09 Byline Chikara Omine Jin Daikoku and Chikara Omine decided to not to fear the humbling experience of running with elites and made the Thanksgiving Day trip to San Jose for a chance to run fast times. Unfortunately both missed their respective goals, but had decent runs. The race went out fast and even Jin Daikoku's blazing first mile of around 4:40 put him closer to the back than the front. Chikara Omine started off with a relatively slow (for this field very slow) 4:54. Both struggled over the final mile with Jin finishing in 15:39 (40st place) and Chikara in 16:08 (43rd place). For Chikara, it was at least a good sign compared to Sunday as he has been feeling better on training runs each day since then. Crystal Springs Turkey Trot - 11/26/09 [Phipps] Another Turkey Trot 39.95 year old Chris Phipps forwards along some results from the Crystal Springs Turkey Trot: Here are some results: 1) Paul Wellman 16:01? [actually quite a bit faster?] 2) ? 16:03 3) Nate Bowen 16:05 4) Peter Gilmore 16:06 (jogging) 5)? 16:34 6) Parker Kelly 16:51 Huge gap 7) Phipps 17:21 (1:28 faster than last year) Davis Turkey Trot 5K - 11/21/09 [Gorman] And another . . . Jim Gorman reports that "on November 21st I ran 18:28.6 for the Davis Turkey Trot 5K, first 60-64." Congratulations Jim! PA XC Championships - 11/22/09 The masters men made their closest approach to the glory years of 2004-2006, but were still overwhelmed by a dominating Aggies squad. The open men had a fine showing, as did the masters woman. Women Lee d'Alessandro ran a fine 30:12 to finish 43rd 40+. Congratulations Lee! Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine Last week Tyler mentioned that the open men had a fine showing. Minus the "fine" and he pretty much summed it up. Not our best showing (Phipps was wondering if we won because it looked like we "scored a lot of points") but we at least put a team together and made our goal of improving our performance next year easier to achieve. Jin Daikoku, preparing for the upcoming Turkey Trot 5K, took it easy and led the team in 33:54 for 48th place. Chikara Omine, who has been dealing with some achillies issues, was next in 35:27 (72nd place). George Torgun, who seemed to have an off day, followed in 37:21 (93rd place). Matt Patout was next in what he called a "slow" 38:30 (99th place). Closing out the scoring team was Jason Reed in 39:45 (107th place) for his second race of the day after winning the DSE Lake Merced race earlier in the morning. Masters Men
Byline Dan Mancini Fielding their best team of the season, the Masters men scored a strong 2nd place team finish at the PA Cross Country Champs, placing 3 runners in the top-10. It was their best showing since 2006, enabled in large part by the presence of 3 Masters PA Champs debutantes: Parker Kelly, Brian Richter and Dan Shore. That trio combined with veterans Cliff Lentz, Pete Vicencio, Iain Mickle, Tyler Abbott and Dave Moulton to secure the runner-up position. Cliff Lentz led the team with a fine 6th place finish (35:17), followed closely by Parker Kelly with a sparkling performance in 7th (35:20), Pete Vicencio rebounding nicely from a recent marathon in 9th (35:31), Brian Richter in 16th (35:57), Iain Mickle recovering from a recent injury in 32nd (36:50), Dan Shore in 34th (37:00), Tyler Abbott (holding back [a very little -Ed.] in anticipation of doubling back to run the Open race) in 80th (40:41), and David Moulton in 82nd (40:47). Big Sur Half Marathon - 11/15/09
Rigney 90.59% AG @ Big Sur Half!
Byline Kenny Warde
Although it was a little cool at the start, it quickly became a picture perfect day along the Monterey Peninsula after the gun went off. And the indefatigable Hansi Rigney ran 1:49:41 to win the 65-69 year age division. Her age graded performance was 90.59%! This placed her 3rd AG behind the first and second place men (Stephan Muangie = 1:03:37 = 93.13% and Ezkyas Sisay = 1:05:25 = 90.93%). Team friend Helen Kao was also out there, running 1:32:05 to win the 35-39 year age division.
Clarksburg 30K - 11/08/09 Lentz, Masters Win Clarksburg!
Cliff Lentz held off a hard-charging Tim Mr. Clarksburg O'Rourke at Sunday's Clarksburg 30K to finish in 1:48:59, win the masters title (12th overall), and lead the masters to the team title. Iain Mickle finished 5th master (1st 45-49) in 1:54:06, followed two overall and masters places later in his masters road debut by Brian Richter (1:54:35). Dan Shore ran 2:00:40 (15th master) and Kenny Warde 2:31:01 for 6th place 55-59 to round out the team. Great job! If we can keep the momentum into CIM, we should be able to win the grand prix. . . .
Women
Byline Heather Leutwyler
The good news is that we had open and masters men's teams. We also had 2 NBex ladies come out for the race. I had a great CIM training run and PR race finishing in 2:19:38 for 7th in my age group. Sarah J, the good Samaritan of the day when she stopped to help a bonking runner in the middle of the race, had an awesome race finishing in 2:30:12 for 10th in her age group.
Men
Byline Chikara Omine
With CIM less than a month away, a few of us thought that Clarksburg would be a perfect tuneup. Chikara Omine, who went out at his ambitious goal marathon pace but ended up blowing up the last 5 miles, came crawling in at 1:52:41, 16th place (now reconsidering his goal marathon time). George Torgun took it easy with a goal keeping a 6:15/mile pace and finished 1:56:25, 27th place (6:15/mile). Matt Patout got DQ'ed for chucking his heart rate montior at aid station volunteers, but clocked himself in
2:02:58 (47th place?). Okay, just kidding about the heart rate monitor incident. But Matt's time did not get registered in the results so far. Luckily the masters can drop down a runner.
Btw - Congrats to the masters runners for a strong performance! Helen Klein 50 Miler - 10/31/09 Byline by Chikara Omine Three days before the Helen Klein race on Halloween, I realized that it's best to get new racing flats since his New Balance RC152s now have holes through them. Unfortunately it was tough to get a hold of any New Balance shoe under 6oz in 3 days (don't think there are any in the US). Desperate, I ended up getting the Nike Lunars which are slightly heavier than the RC152s, but that was the only immediately available shoe under 6 oz that I could find. Jason and I made the trip to Rancho Cordova for the flat and fast Helen Klein 50 mile. Normally the race is almost entirely on asphalt, but due to closed levees the course was altered to take detour with a short trail section that added 1.25~1.3 mile in distance. Wasn't great news to hear but I still managed to get a 50 mile PR and the win in 5:45:41. Jason Reed who kept a 6 week streak of running an ultra every weekend finished in 9:22:15, 38th place. Jason mentioned that he would rest the following weekend by only running a 25K and a 10K.
I later found out that I missed the course record by 2 seconds (on the normal 50 mile course). Thinking back, I could've those shaved 2 seconds had I not tripped wearing my Nike Lunars or used my lighter New Balance flats. My feet also ended up being slashed up into a bloodier mess than usual. This is my punishment for angering the New Balance gods. I learned my lesson and placed my order for my New Balance RC 130 racing flats.
Tamalpa XC Challenge - 10/31/09
The masters men fell just short of a full team, but had a decent showing nonetheless. Parker Kelly led the way in 24:13 on the 4.25 mile course, just breaking into the top 10. In his masters debut (Welcome! Your card's in the mail.), Brian Richter finished just behind Parker in 11th place (24:15, just five seconds behind 7th place). Dan Shore attempted a return to 1996 glory (yes, the inaugural Tamalpa xc race, in 1996 on a similar though much harder course, marked the first victory of the modern open team with a scoring team of Conor Flynn, myself, Dan Shore, Tony Varnhagen, and Peter Hsia) and ran 24:48, good enough for 19th place. Tyler Abbott did not attempt a return to 1996 glory, finishing with Mr. Peabody in 28:00 (58th). Time to bring out the ringers for PA Champs! In other races, Heather Women's Team Leutwyler finished in 25:28 (46th) on an accidentally shortened course, and Matt Men's Team Patout ran 26:15 for 61st place in a strong field. New York Marathon - 11/01/09 Vicencio@NYC
Pete Vicencio forwards this report from the NYC Marathon . . .
It was a rough day - I had some major hassles to get to the front before the start, and I think I came in a little under-hydrated. I was pretty much on pace through 19 (about 6:10) although I knew I was in trouble as early as 16. By 19, my calves started tightening and cramping. Managed to keep running though as I watched Joan Benoit-Samuelsen pass me at 22 as well as scores of other people. 2:55:31.
Not nearly as bad as trying to get from the point in the park where they finally let you out of the finish area (about 85th St.) back to my hotel on 52nd. Shared a cab with some folks and got dropped off at 52nd & 9th Ave. - less than 5 blocks from my hotel. Had to get another cab since my calves were so cramped it would have taken me a half hour to get back! Fun experience though. Big Kahuna Half Ironman - 10/25/09
From Heather Leutwyler . . .
Matt and I competed in the Big Kahuna half ironman in Santa Cruz today. Due to poor visibility, the race directors cancelled the swim turning the race into a duathlon. Dumping the swim out of the race led me into a PR bike/run combo. Matt was happy to just complete the race after getting his first race flat after 21 years of racing. I did out run my coach/husband Matt. Thanks Coach! Whiskeytown Trail Run - 10/24/09 Jason Reed forwards this report from the Whiskeytown Trail Run 50K and 30K . . .
Ron Gutierrez and I (Jason Reed) went together to the Whiskeytown Trail Races this Saturday. The 50k is a good opportunity to pick up some PA points because not many competitive PA runners make the long trip up there. It was Ron's 3rd (consecutive) time there and my 2nd. Due to lingering illness from earlier in the week Ron made a very last minute change from the 50k to the 30k. I believe he just used it as a long training run but still took 4th overall and 3rd in his age group with a time somewhere around 2:37. I ran the 50k and took the lead from the start. I almost got caught around 18 miles but pulled away again. I lost 3 minutes trying to find the trail at one of the 20 stream crossings (some of which were up to knee deep due to recent rain) and I fell down into the river once but avoided injury so I held on to 1st with a time of 4:43. Humboldt Half Marathon - 10/18/09
Not our best turnout, but a rag tag team of 2 open men, 2 masters men, 2 senior men, 1 super senior man, and 1 open woman made the annual trek up to Humboldt for the Half Marathon. Once again Tom Bernhard won his age group. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Matt Patout
George ran 1.22. I enjoyed my cold, flu induced anti pr of 1.27.
Woman
Byline Heather Leutwyler
I finished in 1:37:16 for 8th in my age group. It was a much slower pace than I planned to run due to an upper respiratory infection. Nevertheless, it was a good training run for Clarksburg and CIM.
Old'uns
The masters men have developed a Humboldt strategy over the last several years we call "Showup." The Pacific Striders bring the A squad, no one else comes, and we show up and collect 13 1/2 points. We executed the strategy to perfection at Humboldt Sunday (at least I don't think anyone else showed up). Dan Shore led all old'uns in 1:21:01 (5th 40-44), with Tom Bernhard winning 55-59 just seven seconds behind Dan (1:21:08). Tyler Abbott limped in next in 1:33:57, followed by Kenny Warde (1:38:11, 5th 55-59) and Al Stanbridge (1:46:09, 4th 60-64). The good news is that the masters may possibly be in first place--cross your fingers! Nike Women's Half and Full Marathon - 10/18/09
. . . Donna Chan forwards this one from the Nike Women's Half and Full, . . .
Nike was harder than I thought and I think having some stomach issues don't help. Half way thru the run I had bad calf cramps in both my legs one at a time. Having cramps trying to run down the Cliff House hill is really interesting. So considering how much time I took walking I did pretty good. My watch time was 2:05 not sure what the official time is.
Char B. ran very very easy with 2 of our friends who just raced Chicago the week before.
Nancy W. ran/walked with her daughter for the 1/2.
Brenda P. decided to do the marathon on a whim and still did well.
I saw Lee in GGP which was a very pleasant surprise. Primos 5K - 10/11/09 Bernhard 91.29% @ Primo's
Congratulations to Tom Bernhard on a fine 17:16, 91.29% AG performance yesterday at the Primo's 5K. Ever the perfectionist, it was "not as good as I hoped, but still my best road 5K of the year." Great job Tom! Results:
http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?orgID=218713 Dick Collins FireTrails 50 mile - 10/10/2009
. . . Chikara Omine forwards this from 10/10's Dick Collins Firetrails 50 miler, . . .
For the 2nd time this year, we were able to field a men's team for a PA ultra at the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 miler. The weather for the race were perfect. Chikara Omine decided to be one of the two people to aim for the course record but found out that the fitness was not there and settled for 2nd place in 6:47:01 (The winner, Tamalpa's new recruit Dave Mackey, just missed the record by 4 minutes in 6:30). Ron Gutierrez followed in 7:27:42 -- 6th place (1st master!). Completing the team was Jason Reed in 9:13:02 (started about 5 minutes late) -- 58th place. It appears that we took 2nd as a team, behind Tamalpa.
Special thanks to Erika for volunteering at the race. She dropped by post-race to beat Jason and me in a 30 meter walking race (and she was in a cast!). I think I should have stole her crutches (Jason ran a 10K the next day so he obviously didn't need them as much as me)...
Next up is for the ultra series is the Whiskytown 50K. We are sending the team of Ron Gutierrez, Jason Reed, and Grant Johnson. That's right, no typo, Grant Johnson. Hawaii Ironman - 10/09/09
. . . and Ian Hersey reports back from the Hawaii Ironman. . . .
I brought a 4-year process to completion this past Saturday at the Hawaii Ironman. It took me 4 years to get a slot, but I did that this summer in Lake Placid, and this past Saturday I found out why Kona is the queen course for the Ironman -- ocean swells and currents in the swim, 95-degree heat and strong headwinds the last 30 miles of the bike, and a brutally hot and humid run.
I had a very slow swim (1:24) and a personal worst bike by a lot (6:20), but I sucked it up in the run and pulled off a slightly negative-split 3:56 to finish in 11:52. The thing that kept me going in the run was the fact that I had never gone over 12 hours yet, and I didn't want Kona to be the place that I did that. Running down the finish chute on Ali'i Drive was everything I dreamed it would be. The Kona monkey is now officially off my back! Berlin and Chicago Marathons [Warde] Rigney 4th @ Berlin, 2nd at Chicago
Kenny Warde reports on the latest triumphs of super senior runner extraordinaire Hansi Rigney . . .
On a warm day in Berlin and battling serious sciatic and hamstring troubles, Hansi ran 4:22:49 and placed 4th in her age group. And today, just 6 days shy of 68 years old, she ran 3:58:34 in Chicago; and placed 2nd in her age group. As I understand it, she plans to run the Big Sur Half Marathon and then run the California International Marathon. In my opinion, if there was a World Marathon Majors point system in various age groups, she would easily win because she runs most of them every year and places high or wins most of them. I can only dream about growing up to be just like Hansi. Chikara also forwards congratulations to Ian Macnider on his first marathon, 3:04:54 @ Chicago Palo Alto Moonlight Run - 10/2/2009
Chikara Omine forwards this report about Jason Reed and Erika Kikuchi . . .
As some of us know, Jason Reed and Erika Kikuchi have been doing more races than we can keep track. Recently I heard that both participated in the Palo Alto Moonlight Run.
Jason Reed ran the 10K in 38:07 for 8th place. Pretty impressive considering that on the prior weekend he ran a Double Marathon followed by a 5 mile race the next day. Jason ran the Moonlight race the day before he ran the Presidio XC challenge or 2 days before he ran the Skyline Ridge 50K. Last I heard, Jason was closing in on 100 races for the year.
That update made me feel like a race whimp but not as much as the following update...
Erika Kikuchi who has been in a cast and on cruches due to a broken foot since mid-September entered the accompanying 5K walk. She raced the entire 5K on crutches in about 58 minutes. Her complaints were that some people cheated and ran on the "walk".
Some years ago I remember seeing Tyler banditing a 1/2 mile kids race on crutches and then dropping out half way. I guess Erika crushed Tyler's record for furthest (or even fastest) race in crutches [Ed.: Ouch!]. Presidio XC Challenge - 10/03/09
The club (or a shockingly small subset thereof) put together another fine Presidio Cross Country Challenge Saturday, with Chikara Omine at the helm. And the open men continued to show life, fielding our only team for the second week in a row. Details . . . .
Open Men
Byline Matt Patout
The open men fielded the only NBEx team for our very own race this weekend at the Presidio.
Grant Johnson continues his surge back into form with 10th place and 20:10. Chikara Omine managed to direct the race, place 29th and run 21:21 with very fresh legs. Jason Reed showed up strong for his first XC race of the season in 46th and 23:12 Ð after a fun double marathon experience described as Òthe closest I've come to dying in a race. Matt Patout was the fastest 37-40 year old in the race (too bad that's not an age-group) with a tough 23:25 and 47th. Sina Aboutalebi ran some smoking downhill to come in 50th at 23:32.
Next week is Folsom. Let's continue the Open Men's streak of fielding teams. I hear that Chikara, Grant, Jin, and Sina are running. I'm out so we need a 5th men's open runner.
Women
Byline Heather Leutwyler
Donna C. and Charlene B. were the stars of the ladies' team for donating their valuable time to race registration. Thank you!
Jen M.W. was also out supporting our race. Thanks Jen!
I was the lone NBEx runner representing our ladies' team for the race. Nevertheless, I had a great race finishing in 26:41 for 35th place overall.
Old'uns
In a token showing for the masters, Tyler Abbott would have led the way in "26:17" if he hadn't been DQed for missing the start trying to hunt down the backup timer. Hard to believe (both the dq part and the led the way part). Newly minted senior Mike Gama finished next in 30:34, followed by Tom Bennett in 33:26. Heritage Oaks 5K/10K - 9/27/09 Bernhard/Gorman Shine at Paso
Jim Gorman forwards this note about the Heritage Oaks Bank 10K in Paso Robles a week ago . . .
Tom Bernhard and I went down to Paso Robles this past weekend for old time's sake. Tom ran a very good 36:04.1 10K for first 50-59 and 5th age rated performance ($100). And I ran the 5K in 18:55.8 for 1st 60-69 and 5th overall. Sierra Nevada Double Marathon - 9/26/09 Chikara Omine and Jason Reed went up to the Sierra Nevada Double Marathon Saturday, with Chikara pulling out yet another ultra win. From Chikara . . .
Jason and I ran the Sierra Nevada Double Marathon yesterday and my legs are still cramped up. The highest temperature reading I heard at the race was 104 degrees. Jason and I both thought it was the hardest race of our lives in terms of pain and suffering. The course itself wasn't too bad but the heat and long stretches exposed to the sun between aid stations were rough. There were parts where we both thought we were going to die from heat stroke and wished we were running Garin Park instead. My legs kept cramping and locking up due to the loss of sodium but I still managed hold on to win by less than 2 minutes (although I did go 8 minutes off course earlier in the race). Jason finished a couple hours behind what he wanted but he still managed to take 8th. I decided that I won't be doing Badwater. Garin XC Challenge - 9/26/09 Open Men Show Up!
Unlike the masters men and open women, the open men actually showed up at Saturday's Garin Park XC Challenge, and with a strong team at that. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Matt Patout
Jin Daikoku used his "Sedona Bliss Jet Pack" to lead the way at 36th in 17:45. We welcome back Brian Gilliss from a heavy MD/PHD load. Brian posted a fine 18:29 and 57th place. The 40 yr old, and still spry, Parker Kelly dropped down to the open men in 61st and 18:39. George Torgun came in at 19:14 and 77th. Matt Patout suffered in at 82nd and 19:25 carrying a heavier load than usual. Sina A said he had fun with 22:09 and 145th. Interesting note, several cheerers of the women's race cleared a very large tarantula off of the 1/2 mile hill. No spiders or race supporters were injured.
Let's field another strong team next week. I hear Grant and Chikara will be out racing but we have not been able to entice Jason out to cross yet.
Women
Byline Heather Leutwyler
Two NBEx ladies made it out to Hayward for a hilly cross country race. I finished in 24th place overall with a time of 21:43 for 6th in my division. Lee D. had a fantastic race finishing in 23:53 for 49th overall and 12th in her division. We got a great training run in for our own Presidio Cross Country race next week.
Old'uns
Among masters men, Parker Mary Lou Kelly ran his belated masters cross debut with a fine 12th place, 18:39 finish. The only reason we can think of that noticeably unspry Tyler Abbott showed up to run 21:53 is that he thinks he can score x-points for being a displacer. GGP XC Open - 9/12/09
Women
Byline Heather Leutwyler
Leading our ladies at the GGP XC open was Jenny W finishing in 26:53 for 39th place. I came in next on the team with a time of 28:14 for 68th place. The 3rd NB lady across the line was Jocelyn F. with a time of 29:07 for 81st place. New team mate, Denise Rummelhart, finished 4th on the team with a time of 30:19 and 95th overall. Rounding off the scoring team was also new team mate, Maile Thompson, with a time of 31:01 and 104th overall. Lee D was close behind with a time of 31:08 and 107th overall. Tehani Thompson, also a new team mate, finished in 31:34 for 113th place. Great job ladies!
Open Men
Still waiting . . .
Old'uns
Byline Dan Mancini
At the Golden Gate Park XC race, the Masters men scored a strong 2nd place team performance, thanks to the superb showing of Cliff Lentz whose 2nd place finish represented his best ever placing as a Master and whose time of 22:34 was his best ever as a Master on this course. A resurgent Pete Vicencio followed next for the team in HIS best ever performance on the GGP course, crossing the line in 5th in 23:14. Dan Mancini was next in 15th (23:43), followed by Dan Shore in 21st (24:10), Tom Bernhard in 30th (and an excellent 6th place Senior) in 24:29, Brian Schultz in 99th (28:36), Kim Lilot in 101st (and 41st Senior) in 28:39, and Tom Bennett in 138th (and 22nd Super Senior) in 35:05. Also of note, in the Open men's race, 39 yr. 11 month old Brian Richter clocked a noteworthy 23:25 time, just weeks away from joining the Masters ranks. His presence along with that of currently injured Iain Mickle will surely bolster the team's chances of recapturing the PA Champs title in November.
Empire Open - 8/29/09
We were able to gain some cross country momentum by at least fielding open and masters men's team at Saturday's warm Empire Open. The open men in particular had a strong showing, with Grant Johnson returning to the fray and leading the way in a fine 18:49 (13th place). Details . . .
Women
Byline Heather Leutwyler
Once again, I was the lone NBex woman at the second cross country race of the season. I was happy with my race finishing in 24:02 for 19th place. But, it would be so much more fun to toe the line with my fellow NBex ladies.
On the bright side, we had full open and masters men's teams for the Santa Rosa XC race.
Men
Byline Matt Patout
The open men fielded a team at 4 PM Friday afternoon. On a hot Sonoma day, DSE President Grant Johnson led the way donning racing flats for 18.49 and 13th in an unusually strong field. Chikara Omine, sped to 19th and 19.37 but did not eat any dumplings. George Torgun and Jin Daikoku came in at 32 and 33 for 20.19 and 20.25. Carlin Lee rounded out the scoring with 37th and 21.06. Matt Patout finished sixth on the team behind Carlin at 21.09.
We've got a couple of weeks to the next race. Let's keep this open run going.
Old'uns
Pete Vicencio and Dan Mancini led the masters in 20:28 and 20:30 (16th and 17th). Dan Shore followed in 21:32 (30th), with Tyler Abbott (23:28, 60th) and Greg King (25:49, 90th) rounding out the team.
Santa Cruz Cross - 8/22/09
When it looked like we weren't going to field any full teams, we had several drops, so ended up with a small handful of runners. Details, from Heather Leutwyler . . .
We had a team of 4 head out to Santa Cruz for the first XC race of the season. Unofficial results: Matt Patout led the team with a time of 25:05. Brian Schultz was next with a time of 27:10 proving that his Lake Merced tempo runs have prepared him well for a great XC season. Tom Bennett ran 34:22 to finish 17th super senior. I was the lone NBex woman running and finished with a 1 minute PR on the course coming in at 27:41. Next up, Santa Rosa on 8/29/09. Folsom Olympic Distance Triathlon - 8/10/09
Byline Heather Leutwyler New Balance Excelsior was well represented at the Folsom Olympic Distance triathlon today. Tracy Hogan had a great "taper" race finishing in 2:25:17 putting her at 8th overall female and 5th in her age group. Tracy is tapering for nationals in two weeks. Good luck in Alabama! I (Heather) had my fastest Olympic distance triathlon finishing in 2:28:59 for 11th overall female and 4th in my age group. Matt proved his excellent coaching skills also work on himself finishing 20th overall and 4th in his age group with a time of 2:09:01 after taking 3 weeks off of running. Skyline 50K - 8/03/09 Byline Chikara Omine Team Two-Thirds made its appearance once again at the Skyline 50K. Well at least on the women's side for once. The women's team was represented by Erika Kikuchi, who was happy to run her best trail 50K time in 5:39:29 (60th O'all) and Brenda Gee DePeralta, who took a wrong turn and ran a 7:23:29 for a 53K (111th O'all). Both women were wondering how they can convince Heather to race a 50K. The men's side had its first scoring team in over a year. Chikara Omine, thinking he was out of shape, surprised himself by winning in 3:40:06 (Trail 50K PR) [This seems to be the fastest time on the course since 2000--yes, it's a full 10 minutes faster than Craig Steinmaus's 2001 winning time. -Ed.].Peter Hsia, feeling that the cool weather helped too much in achieving faster times was nextin 4:42:12 (14th place). Jason Reed completed the scoring team in 4:56:56 (27th place) even after giving us all a 17 and a half minute head start (4:39 running time). All runners got to enjoy the post-race BBQ. Western States Masters International Invitational - 8/02/09 Dan Mancini reports that on Sunday at the Western States Masters International Invitational held at the UC Davis campus, Lee smashed her Masters 2k steeplechase club record by 9 seconds, running 8:51.89 enroute to victory. Lake Placid Ironman - 7/26/09 Greg King reports that Ian Hersey recently qualified for the Kona Ironman. From Greg . . .
Ian Hersey put it together a few weeks ago at the Lake Placid Iron Man and qualified in the corporate division for Kona this year! It was a tough day (aren't they all?), cramping but breaking 4hrs for the marathon and finishing in 11:26:55. About an hr off his PR, I think, but he's on his way! San Francisco Marathon - 7/26/09
Byline Heather Leutwyler
In Sunday's San Francisco Marathon, Chikara Omine ran a speedy 2:43:21 for 9th overall and Jin Daikoku ran an impressive 2:55:33 for 37th place overall!
On the women's side, Nancy Wang ran the full marathon in 5:10:39 and Brenda Gee DePeralta ran the full marathon in 4:10:16.
In the half marathon, Julie McGee ran a strong 1:33:52, good enough for 30th female/13th age division. Kim Fanady ran a terrific race for a time of 1:39:40 putting her at 8th in her division and 55th female! Jocelyn Friel ran the second half in 1:46:46. Kelly Daikoku finished the second half marathon in 2:29:17.
I apologize if I missed anyone.
Los Gatos High School All Comers Meet Tim Geraghty reports that last Thursday 7/16, at the Los Gatos High School All-Comers meet, "Jim Gorman ran an excellent 800 meters in 2:27.67, which I timed. His splits were slightly inverted at 74:00/73.67. I believe Jim's time may be a new club record for 60+." Great job, Jim, and thanks, Tim! National Masters T&F Championships - 07/09/09
Double Gold for Bernhard!
Tom Bernhard did us all proud by winning both the 5 and the 10 in his 55-59 division at the National Masters Track & Field Championships this past weekend. Jim Gorman continued his recovery with a fine 3rd place finish in the 60-64 1500. Details . . .
First, Tom's story . . .
For the 3rd time in the last four years I made it to the National Masters T&F Champs to run the 5000m and 10000m. I made my travel arrangements back in April and decided at that time not to stay the extra day to try the 1500m instead of the 10000m. It turned out I probably made the right decision. A couple of weeks before the event, when my fitness for this year had probably hit a peak, I noticed that the great Nolan Shaheed had signed up for the 5000m and 10000m and only those two races. Normally, I would have been depressed by this news, but now I was welcoming the challenge. I figured if I ever had a chance to beat Nolan it would be in Oshkosh. When I arrived at the venue on Wed. to pickup my packet, I learned that Nolan would be a no-show. Believe it or not, I was really disappointed, especially since the M55-59 group would be running with the M60-64 group instead of the younger faster M50-54 group as is usually the case.
The conditions for the 5000m race on Thur. were much better than typical for this meet, i.e. the temperature was not above 90 degrees. The other benefit of running with the older group was an earlier start time, which meant even cooler temperatures and less wind. So at the start of the race, the temperature was mid 70s and the wind was 5-10mph. For a race in the Midwest in July, that is about as good as you are going to get.
Based upon my time from the Shriner's race, which was the best of my life, I hoped to run sub 16:50. However without Nolan, there was no one to run with and I was out front and by myself for the whole race. I hadn't been in a position where I leading a race since 2002, and then I was running scared because knew Don Paul was back there somewhere. I tried pushing myself as hard as I could, but for me at least, it is hard to run your fastest without real competition. I ended up finishing in 17:06.84 which was still a track 5000m PR for me. Even though I didn't run as fast as I hoped, the experience of being the overall winner in a track race and having the stadium announcer, Peter Taylor, say many nice things about me during the race is an experience I'll always treasure. Fortunately, they were selling DVDs of the races, so I'll be boring my family with the video for decades to come.
While the 5000m race was a real high, the 10000m event on Sat. was a real welcome back to Earth experience. In this race, the M55-59 group had to run with the M50-54 group and the race conditions were much different. While the temperature was only a couple of degrees warmer, the wind was blowing around 20mph and gusting to 30mph and, of course, the race was twice as long. 10000m on the track is a very different experience than a 10k road race and not in a good way. This is especially true when you have just run a hard 5000m race two days earlier and you are 58 (the 5000m race was on my birthday). Even though the circumstances where not ideal, I was, at least, hoping to run 85 sec laps. I was able to maintain that pace for 7 laps but then the effort of fighting the wind began to take its toll. (For some reason I always seem to be in no man's land in these races and had no one to tuck in behind. In fact, the eventual M50-54 winner was drafting off of me for the 1st half of the race which seems entirely unfair.) Over the next 8 laps my pace slowed to 90sec/lap and then to 92sec/lap. Fortunately I was able to pick things up the last 4 laps and finished at 36:39.60 good enough for 5th overall and 1st in the M55-59 group.
The end result of the whole experience, two more national championships and one reasonably fast race. I've certainly had worse weekends.
Jim Gorman also made it to Oshkosh and came back with a medal, but I'll let him tell his story.
Btw the M55-59 1500m was won by James Robinson from NY in 4:36.73 which I'm sure would have beaten me. He also won the steeplechase and 800m. Talk about a great weekend.
M55 5000 Meter Run
================================================================
Name Age Team Finals
================================================================
1 Bernhard, Tom M58 New Balance 17:06.84
2 *Lang, Dennis M58 unattached 17:50.98
3 Setnes, Kevin M55 unattached 18:17.24
4 Qualls, Robert M57 Golden West 18:48.35
5 Moser, Clyde M56 unattached 19:47.05
M55 10000 Meter Run
================================================================
Name Age Team Finals
================================================================
1 Bernhard, Tom M58 New Balance 36:39.60
2 Setnes, Kevin M55 unattached 38:29.58
3 Vandervlugt, Leo M56 Team RC 39:11.69
4 Qualls, Robert M57 Golden West 39:17.30
5 Zupanc, John M56 unattached 40:39.47
__
And now, Jim Gorman's story . . .
This time last year I wasn't sure I would ever race again due to various injuries. As late as February this year I was hobbled by a nagging solius injury. With three weeks of rest after my hernia surgery, I started to train again. I still feel I am on the way back.
I went to the National Master Championships hoping to win but knowing I was still not where I thought I could be. Tom Bernhard, Tim Geraghty, and I agree that taking the lead in the 1500 is usually the kiss of death, I followed the very slow leaders on this windy day. If I took the lead, I thought all I would be doing is allowing my competition to draft off me with me doing all the work.
Finally at 1000 meters I went from fifth to first in a few steps probably taking them by surprise. I ran hard in first place through the next 400. I was flying, but so were two others, both 800 meter medalists. In the last 100 meters I was barely passed: I was out kicked even though I ran the last 400 meters in 72 seconds. We finished within one second of each other, but I was the third guy. If I had to do over again.......The winning time was lower than the 65-69 group. I am embarrassed to say that I ran a 5:11.47. The winning time was 5:10.48. Next time.
Jim Gorman Freedom Run - 7/04/09
Fanady 1-2 at Freedom Run
Congratulations to Kim Fanady on her 1-2 finish at Saturday's Freedom Run. From Kim . . .
I ran in the Freedom Run mile & 5K doubleheader in GG Park on the 4th of July. I was first woman, 7th overall in the mile, 6:03; and second woman, 10th overall, in the 5K, 20:21.Ê I note that the female winner of the 5K was under 40 and didn't run the mile (which is run 30 minutes before the 5K), so she gets an asterisk! First Marathon!!! Congratulations to Heather Leutwyler on completion of her first Ironman (not to mention Matt Patout, though it was far from his first). From Heather . . .
My first Ironman was a great experience. The swim off the coast of Nice was crowded with 2300 plus triathletes starting at the same time. The scenery on the bike course made the challenging 6,000 feet of climbing all the more enjoyable. The run was flat but so hot! Matt and I were relieved to finally catch sight of each other on the 4 loops of the run. Matt finished in 12:08 and I finished in 12:43. Not the fastest but we finished! And, I have a totally new perspective for running "just" a marathon! Shriners 8K - 6/20/09
BERNHARD WINS SHRINER'S IN 92.44% A-G!
Pete Vicencio continued his torrid racing with a 27:06, good enough to edge out Jeff Hongo and finish 6th master in a stacked field (where top master--and near senior--Pete Magill ran 24:57, over 95% age-grade!). Iain Mickle followed in 27:46, but the show was stolen by Tom Bernhard, just behind Iain, and his senior-winning 27:47, which at 92.44% age grade is the first half favorite for club performance of the year. Tom was followed by recovering Dipseaers Cliff Lentz (29:04), Dan Shore (29:18), and Jeff Dewey (31:05). Al Stanbridge represented our super senior team in 36:24 (11th 60-64). Thanks everyone for making the trek up to Sacramento and keeping our masters in contention. Just four races left--the big three of Humboldt/Clarksburg/CIM, plus Christmas Relays. On to cross!
BTW, Tom Bernhard forwarded a write up from Pete Magill's blog:
http://petemagill.blogspot.com/2009/06/shriners-8k-boasts-90-age-grades-in-40s.html DIPSEA - 6/14/09
Not our best Dipsea year, with just two black shirts, but some good stories nonetheless. Details from Patti Shore . . .
The 99th Dipsea is in the books. Good weather (a bit humid, but not too hot) and a lot of people highly motivated to hold their spots for next year's REALLY important 100th Dipsea made for some great racing. For those who don't know, Dipsea is a 7.5-ish mile race from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach that features 671 steps in the first 1/2 mile or so, followed by some serious climbing to the high point at Cardiac and then a crazy descent down to Stinson Beach. Shortcuts abound and are mostly perfectly legal, and the race is handicapped by age and gender, so the upshot is that you are basically trying to mow down a bunch of cranky senior citizens who fight hard for their spots while staying in front of some very fast high schoolers and middle schoolers . Our team pulled down two of the coveted black shirts awarded to the Top 35 - Cliff Lentz was No. 16 and Iain Mickle snagged No. 18. Brian Gillis was in next at No. 40, followed quickly by Dan Shore at No. 56, George Torgun at No. 58, Ben Chaffee at No. 59, and Chikara Omine at No. 68. Up next was the first women's finisher on our team, Patti Shore at No. 77. All of these people in the top 100 will have the honor of wearing this year's place as next year's bib number. Holding their invitational spots for next year were Jenny Wong at No. 128, Hansi Rigby at No. 129, Jeff Dewey at No. 148, Tyler Abbott at No. 189, David Moulton at No. 198, Larissa Polischuk at No. 301, Jocelyn Friel at No. 310 and Brian Schultz at No. 378. Having a fine day but potentially on the bubble for Invitational status (gauranteed for the top 450) in next year's 100th was Erika Kikuchi at No. 511 - Erika, you're gonna need a convincing letter! Some of these placements may change slightly as the race officials sort out some chip problems and any disqualifications.
In former teammate and other Dipsea news, Stephen Donanue was 9th, Tim Wallen managed 24th place despite some nagging injuries, and having what I think was the performance of the day, Stacey Schweighart Armijo, 55th place only 3 months after giving birth. Wow. The Shores were once again 2nd in the family competition, with friends Greg and Julie Nacco placing 7th and 43rd respectively to lock up the Family Award this year. Team friend Chris Lundy started strong in her bid for setting the women's course record, but leg cramps ended her race at the top of Suicide.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank the cheering section - Pete Vicencio up at Cardiac was a welcome friendly face, and hearing the shouts of Adam and Aimee Hersh and Jen Wallen (sitting this year out while pregnant) at the stile and finishing turn were also very welcome.
I hope I didn't leave anyone out! Training for next year's 100th begins today!
Patti
Ed.: I badly sprained a toe on a root at Cardiac, but as luck would have it, my podiatrist finished just 12 seconds behind me, so at least I got a quick diagnosis and treatment--right before heading off on (a therefore running-free) vacation. -Tyler
Lake Chabeau Half Marathon - 6/07/09 Gary MacPherson reports that he ran the Lake Chabot Half and won his age division, in 1:56:17. Congratulations Gary! Anchorman Triathlon - 6/07/09
Heather Leutwyler forward this report from the "Triathlon Division" of NBExcelsior . . .
Matt and I competed in the Anchorman Triathlon this weekend. We both won our age group and Matt finished 3rd overall! Not too shabby considering the hilly 112 mile bike ride we did on Saturday! Great confidence booster for IronMan France coming up at the end of June.
We also recruited a potential new male masters runner for our team.
Statuto 8K - 6/07/09
One of the oldest footraces in the country was held Sunday in North Beach, the 89th Annual Statuto 8K. Unfortunately it was very poorly attended, and with perennial favorite Danielle Manchini assente, the win was up for grabs. Unfortunately I haven't found results, but I saw Jeff Dewey and Peter Hsia out there (a little under 30:00, I believe).
Southern California Association Masters T&F Championships - 6/06/09 D'Alessandro Runs US Masters Leading Steeple!
Dan Mancini reports that Lee D'Alessandro ran a U.S. leading time for the Masters women 2k steeplechase at the SoCal Assoc. USATF Masters T&F Champs. on Saturday. Her time was 9:00.62, also a club record for Masters women, and her first steeple in 4 yrs. DuskBuster 5K - 6/03/09
Dave Schmidt writes that he ran the DuskBuster 5K last Wednesday 6/3:
I finished in 20:42, which works out to a 6:40 pace -- and I was probably around 25th finisher, but nobody was counting. Peter Hsia ran as well, but I can't find his time.
Marin Memorial Day 10K - 5/25/09 Gorman First Super Senior, Bernhard First 55-59!
Jim Gorman racked up his first GP win as a super senior, and Tom Bernhard his 54th consecutive AG win at Monday's Marin Memorial Day 10K. The race was also notable for powerhouse performances by our masters teams--men, dropping down Bernhard, all between 34:00 and 35:30, and women all in about a one minute range just over 40:00--and the return of two club old-timers--Tim Geraghty and Brian Richter. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
Due to multiple people being MIA due to injuries, weekend trips, and other unknown reasons, the open men scrambled to scrounge up a team. On race day, 3 open men toed the line. Chikara Omine feeling not so speedy from the lack of speed workouts for the past few weeks finished in 33:44 (28th place). Brian Richter, making one of his rare appearances (and being very well--say, 5 years--rested -Ed.), beat his 37:xx expectations by finishing next in 35:23 (64th place), well ahead of Mr. Peabody. Brian was first seen in a deteriorating if stylish orange and black jersey before being helped into the new millenium. The ever dependable Matt Patout followed in 37:16 (96th). Note that Matt had been biking long the days before the race (w/ Heather) and had to leave the race right after the race to get in some swim(?) workout. Once again, it looks like we were barely able to field a team with some drop downs.
Women @ MMD
Byline Patti Shore
We had a beautiful day for racing in sunny Marin County on Memorial Day. 10 NB Ex women came out to test themselves on the flat and fast 10K course, and there were several excellent performances.
Starting from the top: Donna Chan represented the senior ladies in fine form, placing 11th senior in 47:30 despite being able to only run an injury-recovery pace. Nice work, Donna!
The masters girls kicked butt - there is no other way to describe it. Our scoring team were all in the top 10. In first was Patti Shore as 7th master, running her fastest 10k in 5 years at 40:09, thus proving there is life after both turning 40 (and 41, and 42) and delivering the two babies from which Dan Shore is apparently still recovering (according to Tyler). Shelly Pierson demonstrated the exact same thing - mother of two and newly minted Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine, Shelly was 9th master with an excellent 40:44, which she threw down on only 3 days a week of running. [Note that Shelly won this teaching position over 75 other applicants.] Close on Shelly's heels was busy lawyer and business owner Kim Fanady with a strong 41:06, good for 10th master. Jocelyn Friel continued the mom-of-two and busy professional kicks ass approach to the day, placing 22nd master with a solid 43:57.
Our Open ladies also did very well. Heather Leutwyler was in fine form, running 41:17 (I did not get the open placements - sorry!). A warm welcome to the returning Tracy Hogan who had a great run in 41:36. Nice to see you back, Tracy! Sarah Jones, suffering from a collegiate-quality hangover due to a bachelorette party held TWO nights before the race still managed to tie her 42:50 10K PR in what can only be described as a very gutty effort (in that she both ran fast and managed to not toss her cookies on the course). Gerry Kim did her best to chase Sarah down and came mighty close with an excellent 42:52. Erika Kikuchi closed out the open team with a fine effort at 47:08 - I believe this is Erika's first race for our team - nice job Erika and great to have you on board!
Last, but not least, it was also wonderful to see former teammate and always friend Allie Bigelow out racing. Allie had an excellent day - 38:47 - proving that a nice break from racing is sometimes the best training you can do.
Up next: Dipsea! Several of us will be out there - me (trying to stay in front of Larissa), Larissa (who will almost certainly catch me), Jenny Wong (who will probably pass me by the top of the stairs) and Jocelyn (who always brings her A-game). Also lots of the guys, so come out and watch us all stagger across the line as we chase Black Shirts on June 14th. On the PA - Shriner's, one painful week post-Dipsea! See you all on the roads & trails!
Old'uns
Always a consistent member of the A team, Pete Vicencio ran his best race since his collegiate 14:09 and led the team for the first time in a while, running 34:03 for 4th master. Iain Mickle finished close behind in 34:23 (6th master). Dan Shore continued his return to pre-baby shape in a fine 35:14 (13th master), followed by an ailing Cliff Lentz in 35:24 (15th master). Peter Hsia put in a strong effort in 37:45, and Tyler Abbott rounded out the team in 39:26. The masters seem to have won.
Among seniors, Tom Bernhard once again led the way, in 35:25 (1st 55-59, 4th senior). Tim Geraghty began his long-awaited comeback in a strong 38:15 (9th 50-54), and ever reliable Kenny Warde finished 15th 55-59 in 46:21.
Jim Gorman won the super senior title in 38:51. Gary MacPherson (45:07, 10th 60-64) and Al Stanbridge (46:41, 11th 60-64) rounded out our super senior team.
Now We Know Why He Wasn't at Marin
Chikara Omine forwards this:
Notice a close-up of someone familiar 20 seconds into the video
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/video/video/hot_dog_eating_contest_05_29_2009
(Nathan's Qualifier in Tempe, AZ)
The result I heard was 3rd place with 13 hot dogs.
Ultra Report: Team 1/3, to Team 2/3, and then finally a Team
Chikara Omine forwards this ultra report . . .
On 5/2/09, Jason Reed was the lone Excelsior representative for the Miwok 100K. Even though he had to endure wet, muddy, cold, and windy conditions Jason still set a course PR in 10:33:32. The time placed him 25th in a competitive field. Of course, the 100K didn't break him enough so Jason ended up running the DSE Stern Grove 4 miler the next day and placed 3rd.
On 5/9/09, Team 2/3 made its appearance for the Quicksilver 50 mile. Chikara Omine had a breakthrough race with a win in 6:15:41. Jason Reed, finally feeling the effects of running an 100K, toughed out a finish in 11:31:12 (62nd place). And no, this race is not harder than Miwok. In the accompanying Quicksilver 50K, Erika Kikuchi ran her first ultra as an Excelsior runner in 6:28:48 (31st place).
On 5/16/09, the Excelsior Mixed team made its ultra debut for the Silver State 50K (Reno, NV). The race had many elements that are great for Western States (WS) training such as hills, elevation, heat (although a breeze made too bearable), and course marking that got almost everybody lost (A WS runner commented on getting lost: "Oh well, the extra distance is more training). For the 50K event, Chikara Omine finished 2nd in 4:26:51. Jason Reed, still feeling some knee pains from Miwok, finished next in 6:15:25 (20th place). Erika Kikuchi, showing that she is more than capable of handling a busy race schedule, completed the team in 7:36:34 (30th place). Ron Gutierrez was also witnessed running the accompanying Silver State 50 mile event in 8:24:43 (8th place). Bay to Breakers - 5/17/09
From the spectator's viewpoint, Sunday's Bay to Breakers seemed a little on the tame side, due to some tightening of rules or more likely the record heat. Still, we had some strong performances. Among club members I found under an hour (and feel free to write me if I missed you, for later inclusion) were Jason Lee 43:51, Chikara Omine, pizza box and all 44:44, John Hale 45:02, 1st 50-59, Ian MacNider 48:21, David Moulton 49:46, Jason Reed, presumably running from Redwood City and back 54:07, Kim Lilot 55:09, David Schmidt 55:32, Robert Darling 57:51, Al Stanbridge 58:24, and Kenny Warde 58:31. Napa Half Ironman Triathlon - 5/02/09
Matt Patout forwards the following report for the "NBEx Unofficial Triathlon Team" . . .
5/2 in the driving rain, 12 days after the Boston Marathon, Matt Patout, eather Leutwyler, and Bee-Oh Kim raced the Napa Half Ironman Triathlon. Heather placed 11th female, Matt placed 13th male, and Bee-Oh raced his first half ironman. Capitol Peak 50 Miler - 4/25/09
Gutierrez Wins Capitol Peak 50 Miler
Ron Gutierrez went up to Olympia Washington a couple weeks ago and won the Capitol Peak 50 Miler. From Ron . . .
Capitol Peak 50 Mile - Olympia, WA 4/25/09
Unfortunately I wasn't close to getting off the waitlist for the Miwok 100K so I settled for Capitol Peak a week earlier. The weather was perfect high 30s to low 40s and overcast with some sprinkles and light hail at times. The course was 95% single track, rolling climbs w/ one big climb and mostly forested except for 5-10 minute long swaths of clear cut - quite depressing. I found myself in the lead (of the 50 mile) at the top of the peak (at about the halfway point) and through a turnaround at mile 37.5. The 2nd through 4th place runners were about 5 minutes behind at the turnaround and I ran scared for the next hour and 40 minutes. I've never felt so good after 6 hours and finished in first by 10+ minutes @ 7:41. Rigney Lauded in Magill's Blog
Tom Bernhard forwards this note from national masters standout Pete Magill's blog . . .
At the Big Sur Marathon (sibling for the Big Sur 5K), there was a truly impressive performance. As Tom Bernhard, Road Race Scorer for the Pacific Association/USATF, wrote to me, "The fact that Hansi Rigney, age 67, won her age group at the Big Sur Marathon in a time of 4:03:13 is not, in itself, a big story. The fact that she did it just six days after coming in 2nd in her age group at the Boston Marathon in a time of 3:57:00, is a jaw dropper. For anyone to run two marathons in six days and both with an AG of over 85% is an amazing accomplishment. My hat's off to Hansi." And if I had a hat, it'd be off too! Also worth mentioning are a couple other performances from the Big Sur 5K. Jeff Mann (age 45) was the masters men's winner in 16:33, and standout M50-54 performer Brian Pilcher (age 52) ran 16:57 to take his division.
http://petemagill.blogspot.com/2009/04/weekly-roundup-april-27-2009.html Big Sur - 4/26/09
Bernhard AG Winner Again
Tom Bernhard once again won his 55-59 age group, and Cliff Lentz (40-44). On the women's side, we had but two participants: Donna Chan placed third in her 55-59 AG in 23:43, while Charlene Bayles ran 28:26 for 7th in her division. Among open men, Jin Daikoku and Chikara Omine both had fine races, finishing 11th and 13th in 16:05 and 16:15, respectively.
Old'uns
The old'uns split their runners evenly, with two masters, two seniors, and two super seniors. Cliff Lentz again led the masters in 17:09 (3rd 40-44). Next across was Tom Bernhard, once again winning the 55-59 AG, in 17:54. Tyler Abbott finished next in 19:48 (11th 45-49), followed closely by Jim Gorman (19:58, 4th 60-64). Following Jim was Al Stanbridge (21:44, 7th 60-64). Kenny Warde, fresh off a fine Boston effort six days before, rounded out the team in 22:41 (6th 55-59).
The Other Big Sur
And a few intrepid souls ventured down to Big Sur for the world famous marathon. From Heather Leutwyler:
Sarah J ran a fantastic 3:45:50 for 15th in her division. Brenda G ran 3:51:43 for 9th in her division
Hansi R ran an amazing 4:03:13 for 1st in her division! Simply incredible given she ran Boston less than a week ago!!
Hansi, what is your secret?
Finally, from Sarah Jones:
I didn't even know that's where I finished (3:45:50, 15th ag)!! Thanks...anyone who can guide me in the direction away from massive leg cramps will by hero. I was killing it until about mile 22 and then it was like someone took a 2 by 4 to my quads and left calf. But, it was a beautiful race and I would run it again. What an amazing location and so well organized. Brenda and Hansi, great job ladies, sorry I didn't find you at the start. Glad the wind didn't blow us all off the course. Boston Marathon - 4/20/09
From Kenny Warde . . .
It appears that all 5 of the NB Excelsior runners ran well considering the chilly (44-50 degrees) and windy (15-25 mph) conditions. Two Boston locals informed me that they heard that the runners battled (at times) a 38 mph headwind after we crested Heartbreak Hill. I hope that each of the others share their personal stories about their race. But for the immediate record: Matt Patout 3:08:38, Heather Leutwyler 3:38:39, Erika Kikuchi 3:46:52, Hansi Rigney 3:57:00 (2nd in her age group), and me at 3:36:01. We knew the day before the race that it was going to be cold and very windy. So, I was thinking that I would be lucky to duplicate my last years' time of 3:35:44. But I came pretty close. My 5K and mile splits looked pretty much like last year; and were rather even. My half was 1:46:18. I executed my race plan pretending like I knew what I was doing: draft as much as possible, shorten my stride and turn over my feet quickly on all down hills, hit the 10 mile mark in Natick feeling like I had only run 2 or 3 miles, hit the 1/2 feeling like I had run 5 miles, attack the 4 miles in the Heartbreak Hill series, and kick from Cleveland Circle (22 miles) to the finish. Although I drank at every aide station, I did have some leg cramps from 21 miles until the finish. Yes, I did pass a few thousand runners. For me, by holding back in the first half and on all down hills, I can avoid being part of the carnage on the other side of Heartbreak Hill. Regarding my training this year: I moderated my high weekly mileage passion towards the end, seriously did hill repeats (both up and down), and started doing plyometrics three times a week over the last month.
Zippy 5K - 4/19/09
Another fine Zippy for the club. Tom Bernhard led our performers by winning the 55-59 division. Donna Chan finished 2d 55-59 and Cliff Lentz, Iain Mickle, Jim Gorman all finished third in their respective divisions. In addition, I've been told Shelly Pierson's 19:37 was a club masters course record.
And the race went extremely well on a spectacular albeit hot day. Look for race director Jin Daikoku's report in a future email. In the meantime, . . .
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
The open men managed to scrounge up a team at the last minute for our very own Zippy 5K. Jin Daikoku needing a stress reliever from his race directing duties lead the team in 15:52 (20th place). Chikara Omine, who forgot that a 5K is actually not a sprint, did his usual start fast and fade hard to finish in 16:09 (25th place). Next in for the team was Ian Macnider in a solid 17:31 (61st place). Eric Knackmuhs, still dealing with knee problems and also minor lacerations from playing with his new knife, followed in 18:02 (75th place). Closing out the open team was Robin Hart in 20:05 (131st place).
A big "Thank you" to Race Director Jin Daikoku for organizing the race and still kicking our butts.
Women
Report to come . . .
Old'uns
Cliff Lentz led the masters in a fine 16:33. This placed him 4th as a master--but only three seconds behind first. Iain Mickle followed close behind in 16:43 (7th). Pete Vicencio and Dan Shore finished close together in 17:05 and 17:07, respectively. Jeff Dewey (18:47), Peter Hsia (18:48), Tyler Abbott (19:32), and Brian Schultz (20:07) rounded out the team.
Tom Bernhard once again led the seniors in a 55-59 winning 17:20. Kim Lilot ran 20:38 for our other senior slot.
Among super seniors, Jim Gorman led the way in 19:56 (3rd). Al Stanbridge (21:50) and Gary MacPherson (22:47) completed the scoring team. Brickyard 4 Miler - 4/05/09
Congratulations to Shelly Pierson on her 26:45 performance at the Brickyard (very hilly) 4 miler in Martinez 4/5. Shelly won the overall female title and is pretty sure she set a new masters female course record!
Carlsbad 5K - 4/05/09
And Al Stanbridge forwards this report from Carlsbad . . .
Al Stanbridge ventured to the Southland for the annual Carlsbad 5000 held on Sunday, April 5. The event is actually 9 separate races of 5000 meters. I ran the first race at 7:05 am for 40 years and over men. This year the field totaled almost 1400 masters and above. Needless to say, this is probably the deepest masters field in the country. The top four 40 year olds all ran under 15 minutes. The top 50 year olds ran in the 16:40's. I finished in 21:25 which was age- graded 76.2. I managed to finish 14th in my division.
Each separate race awards medals to the top 250 finishers, and I was fortunate to pick up one of the last ones given out. My wife Chris ran in the day's second race for 40 and over women. She finished in 28:41 - 69.4 age-grade which placed her 18 th in her division and 462nd place overall in a race field of 1357 finishers.
Presidio 10 Miler - 3/29/09
Jocelyn Friel reports that she ran 1:15 at the Presidio 10 miler 3/29. Congratulations Jocelyn! Johnny Mathis Mile - 4/05/09
Bernhard Top AG @ Johnny Mathis Mile
Tom Bernhard easily won top AG honors at the mile at Saturday's Johnny Mathis Invitational, in a sizzling 4:57.65 (90.61%). Definitely the early season favorite for performance of the year. From Tom . . .
My mile race was, from an AG standpoint, the best of my life and the first 90+ (90.61) track race I've run. Fortunately, I resisted the urge to go too hard early on. Starting the 4th lap I was exactly on pace to run 5 minutes and had enough kick left to bring it in, in 72 secs plus. Btw- this is the 3rd straight year the best AG mark in the race has been by NBE senior member.
Great Job Tom!
American River 50 Miler - 4/04/09
Congratulations to Chikara Omine on his 3rd place finish at Saturday's American River 50 Miler (6:12:46). Jason Reed finished 31st (7;20:11). Of course, both doubled up at Sunday's DSE GGP 10K (at which Chikara ran almost exactly the same pace he ran for the first 26.7 miles of the AR 50). Tama City 5K
Jin Daikoku reports that he "ran like a retard" at the Tama City 5K road race [details omitted]. Still ended up running 16:02 for 2nd place though. Across The Bay 12K - 3/15/09
Hansi Rigney and Tom Bernhard both enjoyed age group victories at Sunday's Across the Bay 12K. So did Cliff Lentz, and he could have won the masters title as well were it not for some 52 year old baby boomer named Pilcher. Also, record maven Mancini reports that Hansi Rigney, Donna Chan, and Kim Fanady all set club records. Details . . .
Women
Byline Kim Fanady
Neither rain, nor wind, nor clouds, nor gloom of skies stopped the NBEx women from their appointed rounds on Sunday at the Emerald Nuts Across the Bay 12K. We had full teams of open and senior women, and two full masters teams. Every single person who said she would run showed up, and everyone ran great! We set three new club records! (pending approval by team scorer Dan Mancini).
The open onslaught was led by Jenny Wong in 49:36, followed by Heather Leutwyler, 50:51; Sarah Jones, 54:11, Gerry Kim, 54:26, and new teammate Erika Kikuchi, 59:19. Team best friend forever Helen Kao ran a sharp 52:45.
The masters magic was conjured up by Kim Fanady, 51:36 (a new club record); Patti Shore, 53:28, Shelly Pierson, 53:28 (exactly the same times? how did that happen? :)}, Jocelyn Friel, 54:04, Lee D'Alessandro, 57:16, and Kelly Daikoku, 1:21:15.
The seniors tsunami was led by Donna Chan in 56:34 (another new club record), Linda Northcott, 1:08:09, and Hansi Rigney, 1:01:26 (the third new club record). Way to run, everyone!
Next up: our own club race, the Zippy 5k on April 19. See everyone there!
Open Men
Report to come, but results were . . .
Chikara Omine 40:03, 23rd
George Torgun, 41:56, 38th
Jason Lee 41:58, 39th
Jason Reed 44:53, 80th
Eric Knackmuhs 46:42, 115th
Robin Hart 50:20, 208th
Matthew Patout 50:45, 223rd
Old'uns
Cliff Lentz led the masters in a quick 42:20 (1st 40-44). Cliff was followed by Iain Mickle 43:00, 2nd 45-49, Pete Vicencio 44:04, 3rd 40-44, and Don Hogue 45:05, 5th 40-44, with Dan Shore 45:09, 6th 40-44 closing out the scoring. The B team was led by Jeff Dewey in 47:19, 9th 40-44, followed by Tyler Abbott 49:52, 18th 45-49, and Brian Schultz 50:41, 27th 40-44.
Tom Bernhard once again led the seniors, in 45:08, 1st 55-59, followed by David Schmidt 55:17, 24th 50-54, Kenny Warde 55:50, 14th 55-59, Gary MacPherson 56:13, 6th 60-64, and Michael Gama 1:00:50, 40th 50-54 Aggie Open - 3/14/09
Jin Daikoku reports that he ran the 2 mile at the Aggie Open Saturday. From Jin . . .
Nothing heroic but I got a small PR and the win. I ran one of the more tactically smart races of my life. 7:16 with two laps to go and the club record was looking very, very safe. I passed the leader with 400m to go and gapped him by exactly 7.77s on the last lap by running about 61-62.
9:25.10 total. And Hansi Rigney sent in some long overdue race reports. From Hansi . . .
Kenny said I should send you the following results: Together with Love 10K, Pacific Grove, on Feb.8, 09. Time: 49:48 First in F Div 60:69. I also ran a 1/2 marathon in Berlin on Jan 27, 2008 in 1:43:49 (the BSV Winterserie) First in Div.65-69.
I'm not sure if I was an official member of NBEx at that time. I'm a terrible record keeper! John Frank NorCal 10 Miler - 3/07/09
At Saturday's 10 miler in Redding, we ended up with just an open men's team (so no more drops for any of the other divisions this year!). From Chikara Omine . . .
The 3+ hr drive was not enough to keep 4 open men from making the trip to Redding. Chikara Omine led the way in 55:39/16th place. Next, new member Ian Macnider ran a PR in 59:53/32nd place (only his second 10 miler in his life). Welcome to the club Ian! Jin "Daikeker" Daikoku, tapering for a track race, crossed the line in 1:01:37/43rd place, pulling Matt Patout who finished in 1:01:53/45th place. Jin never stopped at the finish chute and kept on going for his training run. With drop-downs, it looks like we were able to field an open team. A big thank you to the masters/seniors for always helping us out!
And among the old'uns, Iain Mickle started 2009 off strong in 57:22, 2nd master/1st 45-49. Not feeling too great, Tom Bernhard still ran a fine 1:03:13 to win his age group and finish 6th senior. Kenny Warde rounded out the group in 1:15:47 (6th 55-59). Great job and thanks for helping out the young'uns! Chikara Wins Jed Smith 50K - 2/07/09
Jason Reed reports that he and Chikara Omine ran the Jed Smith 50K Saturday:
Chikara and I ran Jed Smith, forming 2/3 of a full team, yet again. He finished 1st (3:08), and I got 7th (a disappointing 3:59).
Congratulations! Huntington Beach 1/2 Marathon - 2/01/09
Heather Leutwyler reports that Char Bayles and Brenda Gee Deperalta ran the Huntington Beach 1/2 Marathon (on 2/1/09). Running with a sore hip Char was not able to break her 2 hour goal, but still ran a fine 2:01:14 for the 1/2 and Brenda ran a great 1:47:02 then continued to add on more miles after that. Good job! Kaiser San Francisco Half Marathon & 5K - 2/01/09
Heather Leutwyler forwards this report from Sunday's Kaiser San Francisco Half & 5K. . . .
Congrats to all the New Balance Excelsior runners who came out for the Kaiser Half and 5K. We had a lot of representation from both the men's and women's teams.
For the half marathon, Julie McGee was the first NBEx woman runner in with a time of 1:30:05 and 8th in her division. Kim Fanady was the second NBEx woman to cross the finish line coming in at 1:32:48 putting her at 7th in her division. I was trailing not too far behind with a time of 1:33:17, 14th in my age group, and received a lovely blister on the bottom of my foot that Nurse Matt cared for at the finish line. Lee D'Allessandro was the next NBEx lady in with an excellent time of 1:44:10 putting her at 37 in her division. Jocelyn Friel also had an excellent performance in the half with a time of 1:44:22 and 38th in her division.
For the 5K, we were well represented in this race as well. Helen Kao had a fabulous race coming in at 20:34, 3rd in her division, and the 5th female! Donna Chan, continuing to impress us all, came in at 22:21 for 4th in her division. Kelly Daikoku also had a great performance finishing in 29:40 for 40th in her division.
Editor: Among the men, Chikara Omine led the way in 1:17:03 (21st), followed by Pete Vicencio (1:19:16, 4th 40-44), Matt Patout (1:20:16, 4th 35-39), Don Hogue (1:23:42, 11th 40-44), Peter Hsia (1:23:48, 7th 45-49), ex-NB Exer Charlie Brenneman (1:25:42, 120th), Jason Reed (1:26:28, 133rd). I apologize to anyone I've missed. Takatsuki City "International" Marathon - 1/18/09
Jin Does Japan
Jin Daikoku forwards the following race report . . .
Takatsuki City "International" Marathon, 1/18
I took most of the last week off to nurse some mild plantar and ankle pain. We went to Osaka and Kyoto on Friday and Saturday and stuffed our faces full of food. To add to the fun, two hours before the race, I went to Mister Donut and carbo-loaded. You might say I wasn't setting myself up for an ideal race, but I remembered seeing before that the winning time of this race in 2008 was somewhere around 1:13, so I figured why not try running with the leadersÉ
I hit the first kilometer split in 3:14, running in between the lead pack and chase pack. 5K came in 16:54 and I was feeling very good at that point. Then we made a turn and ran 5K straight into the wind. I hit the 10K point in 35:04 (18:10 2nd 5K) and wondered at that point if the course was short. I still felt okay but started to fear a very hard bonk. Running with the wind now and trying to stay with a small group of guys who began pouring it on at the turnaround, I managed 16K in 55:18, which is easily the fastest 10 miles I've ever run in my life.
Then the half marathon course merged with the 10K course and I found myself surrounded by 8-minute milers on narrow Japanese city streets. I let up a bit and caught my breath, but then an old man passed me and started yelling at the slow runners to stay to the left, so I drafted off of him until 1K to go (1:09:41). I gave it what I had left and finished the last km in 3:10, 1:12:52 total, which snagged 6th place and is about a 4 minute PR. Rio Resolution Run - 1/01/09
Hansi Rigney reports that, on New Year's Day, she ran the 6.5 mile Rio Resolution Run. In a hot 60-69 division contest (7 seconds separating first and third), Hansi (51:26) finished first over Connie Street and 1984 Bolivian Olympic marathoner Nellie Wright. Congratulations Hansi!
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Running Results 2008 |
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Excelsior Running Club Results 2008
 Miracle Mile/5K - 12/21/08
Congratulations to Chikara Omine for his win at Sunday's Miracle Mile. Chikara followed up with a third place finish at the accompanying 5K, after winning the PCTR Rodeo Beach 30K on Saturday. Not a bad weekend.
Also at the PCTR Rodeo Beach event, Jason Reed won the 8K, and Eric Nichol finished 10th (3rd master) at the 30K. Congratulations all, and I apologize to anyone I missed . Christmas Relays - 12/14/08
We fielded open, master, and senior men's teams, and a senior women's team, at Sunday's rainy Christmas Relays (not complaining though--see next race report). Details . .
Men
Chikara Omine led the group in 25:25. Jin Daikoku took the baton for the wet leg and ran by far our fastest time of the day, 24:09. Bee-Oh Kim ran third in 25:44, and Matt Patout anchored in 26:15. Total time 1:41:27, 4th place overall, 4th PA.
With something like 90 seconds notice, Dan Shore led off for the masters in his masters debut and ran 25:25. Tyler Abbott ran second in 28:40, followed by drop down Tom Bernhard in 26:24. Brian Schultz, just out to watch, pitched in to run 29:03 in his second lap of the day. Total time 1:49:47, 4th master team.
I don't have the splits, but the senior team of Kenny Warde, Jim Gorman, Tom Bennett, and Gary MacPherson ran 2:15:30 to take 5th place in their division.
Congratulations all!
Women
Donna Chan forwards this report for the senior women:
Our historic first time relay started with Donna Chan taking the lead in 32:01 followed by Nancy Wang, having raced the last two weekends, ran the second fastest time of 36:42. Newest member Linda Northcott, who usually runs 1/2 marathons and longer, ran a very solid time of 40:34. Our anchor leg Char Bayles did a fantastic job of racing the ever strong Impalas and passing their anchor woman and beating her by 25 seconds. With our finishing time of 2:27:40 placed us in 3rd overall to protect our overall standing for second place in the road grand prix. The fifth member of our senior team Molly Newlon came out to cheer us on even though a bad knee and back injury is keeping her from running. Looking towards her strong recovery and running with us in 2009.
Old'uns
Gary MacPherson forwards the senior men splits:
My unofficial results for the Xmas Relays are as follows. I may be off a second or two on the times.
Kenny Warde 33:39
Jim Gorman 28:30
Tom Bennett 39:20
Gary MacPherson 33:56
Total Time: 2:15:29 Cross Country Nationals - 12/12/08
Byline Dan Mancini
On Saturday, 5 Masters men - Iain Mickle, Tim Wallen, Pete Vicencio, Dan Mancini, and our 11th hour saviour ensuring a full scoring team, Greg King, made the journey up to Spokane to run in the National Club Cross Country Championships in bitterly cold weather. The all grass, gently rolling, 2 mile meandering loop in a park in the suburbs of Spokane promised the potential for a fast course - on a good day. The ground was a bit sloppy on our Friday jog, and it was cold, but compared to the brutality that awaited us on Saturday, it was like a fall day in San Francisco.
We awoke Saturday to a steady snowfall with about 2 inches of accumulation, temps. in the low 30s. Then things starting getting ugly. By the time we arrived at the course for our 11:30am race, it was 22 degs. with a howling 25 mph wind that put the wind chill at 5 degs. at best. The only positive was that it had stopped snowing, and they had plowed the course leaving just a light dusting of snow, which had now turned to ice. Spikes were a must. On the warmup, the icy footing gave me and my questionable hamstring concern. The constant grabbing and slipping of the surface, combined with 3 laps of a handful of rollers spelled potential trouble for the hammy. But I remained optimistic that I could hold it together.
Did I mention that it was unbelievably cold. The entire team was outfitted in wool and full length tights. And we were still freezing into the wind. Some runners were wearing balaclavas. Indianapolis in '04 was cold. NYC in '06 was cold. But this was ridiculous.
Tim, Iain and I ran together for the first mile with Pete just behind, while Greg tapped out a steady tempo mid-pack. Shortly thereafter, Tim forged to the front of our group, and for the next 4 miles I clung to his pace like a limpet. Meanwhile, Iain lurked a few seconds back biding his time, with Pete a further 10 seconds adrift. At 5 miles, Iain pulled up alongside me looking strong and ready to make a charge for home, with Tim still 2 steps ahead. We turned into the fierce headwind of the final mile, feeling good and ready to make a final push for home and hopefully move up a few more spots. With a mile to go, we hit the last little sharp dip and rise of a roller. Moments later my right hamstring blew out. Grabbing it and slowing to a jog, I desperately massaged it on the run, hoping it was just a temporary spasm. But it was gone, totally cramped. I was done. I began hobbling in toward the finish line for a final mile that would take me 11 minutes to complete, while all of humanity passed me. Meanwhile up ahead, Iain was closing well with Tim just behind, and Pete, finally showing the promise of his recent workouts was holding steady a further 10 secs. behind.
Turning into the final cruel 400m into the gusting headwind, it was Iain across the line first for the team in 64th (37:30), closely followed by Tim in 68th (37:37), and Pete in 72nd (37:48) by far his best race of the year. 4 minutes later I limped across the line in 41:42, with Greg following in 206th (47:44). It was a memorable experience that none of us will likely soon forget, and the team finished a respectable 11th out of 18, particularly given our setbacks. Not only was it the coldest race that native Californians Iain and Tim had ever run, it also left Northeasterners like Greg and me hard-pressed to remember more frigid racing conditions. Did I mention it was unbelievably cold.... CIM - 12/07/08
From Matt Patout . . .
CIM started a little cold but with perfect race conditions for a fast marathon (overcast with light winds). The race proved to be very well organized, staffed, and managed. The roads were well stocked with volunteers and supporters. Heather ran her exact race plan 3:16. Very remarkable given 2 months of no running earlier this year as she recovered from multiple and challenging injuries. Matt had a very nice and mentally taxing 2nd half fade but pulled it back together at mile 22 to almost break 2:50 clock time. Not his goal time, but 3 minutes better than last year and first post surgery marathon where I can walk around the next day! North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge - 12/06/08
Lentz Debuts at 50 Miles
Cliff Lentz ran his first 50 miler over the weekend, running 7:33 to take 8th place overall/2nd master at the North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge. Cliff wanted to think Pete Vicencio and Chikara Omine for their help during the race. Pete crewed three aid stations and still found time to win the accompanying 10K, while Chikara paced Cliff for the last 20 miles. Running Wild - 11/30/08
Helen Kao reports on Sunday's Run Wild for a Child 5K/10K. . . .
Jenny Wong placed 3rd woman in the 10k 40:45, followed closely behind by Kim Fanady 4th woman and 1st Master, 41:15. Chelsey Remington also ran this annual tradition, 45:33, 6th AG.
In the 5k, Nancy Wang finished 6th Master, 2nd AG in 24:42.
Ed.:
In the 10K for the men, senior John Hale finished 14th/2nd senior in 37:22, David Moulton finished 29th/7th master in 39:21, and Brian Schultz finished 58th/14th master in 41:59.
In the 5, Jeff Dewey ran 18:47 for 13th/3rd master, Bob The Rocket Darling ran 20:54 for 43rd/5th senior, and Dan Ramos ran 21:11 for 51st/6th senior. I apologize to those I inevitably missed. Philadelphia Marathon - 11/23/08
Helen also reports that Larissa Polischuk ran the Philadelphia Marathon on a freezing cold day two weekends ago, Nov 23. She accomplished this while changing jobs and, according to Patti, being quite busy helping several friends out with various activities. Congrats Larissa! Ironman Arizona - 11/23/08
And Ian Hersey reports on a very successful triathlon a week ago . . .
I did my last tri of the year this past Sunday at Ironman Arizona in Tempe. This marked the first time I've ever done two Ironman's in the same year.
Conditions were pretty good, other than some wind on the bike, so I was able to improve my Ironman PR by 13 minutes to 10:31:25 despite a so-so swim (1:11), a pokey swim-to-bike transition and six (!) pee stops on the bike (I was beyond well hydrated, I guess). I'm proudest of my 3:32 marathon at the end; I had some leg cramps in miles 20-22 but after rehydrating at the aid stations was able to kick it in the last mile in around 6:00. It's so hard to get everything right on such a long day.
The bike (5:36) and run splits were both PRs, and I got my best-ever Ironman placing: 28th in my AG and 260th overall (out of just over 2000). Something to build on next
year. PA XC Championships - 11/23/08
A fine day running at PAs Sunday. No wins this year, but strong efforts all around. Details . . .
Women
Byline Donna Chan
It was a cool and dry day for the PA championships. And so many of our women could not run but we were able to get five women to toe the line.
Coming is first for NB was Julie McGee in a very fast 25:54 40th overall and 28th 20-29. Heather Leutwyler ran a great tempo run of 28:09 76th overall and 18th 30-39 as part of her long training run for CIM. Gerry Kim followed close behind in 28:28 82th overall and 33rd 20-29 nursing a possible shin injury but running 2 minutes faster than her GGP Open in September. Lee D'Alessandro ran a terrific 31:27 for 118th overall and 29th 40-49 nursing heel soreness but taking 3 minutes off her time on this course from GGP Open. And I ran with a sore ankle and knee swelling and was glad to even finish at 31:38 for 120 overall and 15th 50-59.
Seen at the race looking very fit was Helen Kao doing a bike workout healing from a hamstring injury. Jen Major was out to cheer us on but was not able to run because of tendonitis of her knee. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from injurys goes out to Heather Johnson and Tracy Hogan. Cammie Dingwall and Sarah Jones is ill from a bug that is being passed around.
My apologies goes out to Mulan Chan-Randel who was so kind to come out to the race but we never hooked up. Also out to cheer us on doing a 14 and 8 mile run was Nancy Wang and Brenda DePeralta, a week after Brenda's first ultra (where she placed second overall!). Way to go Brenda!!!!!
Open Men
Byline Matt Patout
Another gorgeous day for racing in the PA. We got some good NBx race watching in with Julie M. making a fast return and Heather having a super PR. Thanks to Donna C for organizing a team including good runs from Lee, Donna, and Gerry. Nice to watch Dan M finish strong and Cliff out-kicking 3-4 folks at the finish. The Open Mens race started with the biggest NBx open team in recent memory. This was thanks to Yurik's 2 recruits, 1 being Sina (most positive guy I've seen at a race) and Camilo, a fast young guy who led the team in his first race with us. Jin brought several folks, including future Ironman Bee-Oh Kim and one of the youngest racers, Carlin (who also helped out at the race) into the fold and raced off of several weeks off. The back of the field started with Matt roping off of Carlos again.
Carlos and David (WV) are some of the best pacers I've seen and have helped me all year. I was thrilled to run a 30-40 second course PR (thanks to my new NB 790 flats) and to actually see the Chik-Ultraman ahead when I finished. Chik went out hard, but fought off a SCruz runner up the final hill. I did not have enough hot-dogs & Wanko Soba to catch Chik, but, I fought off the 3rd place River City guy to the finish hard. George Torgun also helped contribute and Jason Reed came straight from the DSE Great Highway 4 miler to race with us. Some of the guys celebrated by going to the WORST excuse for an Indian buffet in the world after the race where Bee-Oh put salt in Jin's water and Jin poured it all over Chikara. For his part, Sina threatened to TP Jin's house.
I believe that with all of the strong NBx racing and Jin's and Yurik's recruiting and running, we snagged 4th in XC. I see this as no small feat given that we have been laden with injuries and missed several scoring races. GREAT JOB NBx. Next up let's field 2 or 3 open teams at the Relays and let's have some crazy fast running. My next thought is, when is the NBx pizza and brews, post season night? I say Inner Sunset near Kezar, after 12.25 and before New Years. Or right after Christmas Relays. Or both. I'll buy the first round. Let's decide on a date.
Old'uns
Byline Dan Mancini
The Masters Men came close to recapturing the glory of the dynasty years of 2004-2006 with their strong 2nd place showing at the PA Champs. race on Sunday. In an extremely deep field, the team placed 3 in the top-20, led by a fine performance by Tim Wallen in 13th (34:51.8). Cliff Lentz, in the midst of a heavy training phase, closed very well to grab 16th in 35:30.2, while Dan Mancini in 19th earned his metronome moniker by running 35:41.2 - the identical time to last year. Pete Vicencio used a furious kick to finish 35th (37:01.1) to edge out a fast-finishing Mike Slavin in 36th (37:01.9) whose performance was all the more impressive given his current training regimen of 3-day a week running at 9 min. pace pushing a baby jogger, plus an 18-min. rowing workout (seems to be working Mike, keep it up!).
Leading the "B" team was Jeff Dewey in 75th (39:26.2), Eric Nichol in 83rd (40:09.3), Tyler Abbott in 85th (40:16.3), David Moulton in 91st (40:42.0), Brian Schultz in 100th (41:48.4), and Seniors Kim Lilot in 109th (42:35.0) and David Schmidt in 121st (43:26.9) Davis Turkey Trot 5K - 11/22/08
From recovering senior (and near super senior) Jim Gorman . . .
Tim Geraghty and I ran the Davis Turkey Trot 5K. Tim won the 50-54 age division in 18:23, and I won the 55-59 in 18:42. Donna Chan reports that Brenda Gee-Deperalta ran her first ultra in Sacramento a week ago Saturday and came in second place overall women!!!!! She did an awesome job. More stats to follow via Char when she does the write up. Big Sur Half - 11/09/08
Kenny Warde forward these 11/9 Big Sur Half results:
FYI, at least two members ran in the Big Sur Half Marathon last week. Ian Hersey ran 1:26:00; and was 3rd in the 45-49 year age group. And Hansi Rigney ran 1:47:47, and won her 65-69 year age group by about 39 minutes. Her husband, Bob (in his first half marathon) ran 3:43, and placed second in his 75-79 year age group. Clarksburg - 11/09/08
Just kills me not to have been able to make Clarksburg this year . . . sounds like everyone had a great time. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
Clarksburg looked to be the first race this year where the open men actually had a team confirmed about 2 weeks ahead of time. Unfortunately, this was too good to be true. We learned of potential changes in plans (and discovery of a precursor to an injury), but evenutally we were able to get a team by the Wednesday before the race...not bad. Chikara Omine, feeling a bit better compared to the past month, led the way in 1:54:41 (22nd place). George Torgun, who had headwind in the 2nd half of the race thwart his plan of a negative split, finished next in 1:57:35 (28th place). Rounding out the open men's team was Matt Patout in 1:58:16 (31st place). Matt felt that this race was great for preparing for CIM.
Overall, the race was tough due to the distance and headwind, but we did BARELY have enough energy left to endure an excruciating "cool down" to retrieve the heart monitor that SOMEONE decided to throw into the bushes 1.6 miles away from the finish line.
With some added notes from Matt Patout . . .
* Gorgeous day for a well run race. Never knew the first 9 miles would be slightly downhill and with the wind. Was very thrilled to turn the half way point back up a slight hill and into the wind. Chikara disappeared at about 5 miles. George was running a tempo run, looked like easy effort and pushed at the finish. I hit my goal B pace right on. I was also excited to see Heather hit near her target pace with her first long race after an injury earlier this year and a first on the ladies team. We've heard reports that several of the runners find this the WORST race of their running. It must be that pesky wind in your face at about 20mph on the way back. Several of us watched as Iain toughed through to an injury laden finish for the masters. Having run on injuries and having seen Iain throughout the race, I can say that my Achilles hurt for his effort. We hope Iain heals up well and enjoy watching him run so dang fast. Next up fielding teams for XC.
Women
Whitney Stephenson reports that, other than being her "least favorite race on the planet," she had a wonderful time . . . plus Kim Fanady finished second in her age group! Heather Leutwyler reports, "Clarksburg was a bit more enjoyable for me this year than last year but still a tough race. I went 2:21:40 for 8th in my age group and about 5 minutes faster than last year. I was feeling great on the way out but facing the wind on the way back in made holding the pace a challenge. A good CIM training run, that's for sure!"
Old'uns
Jeff Dewey came out to help us out and ran 2:06:52 (4th 40-44). Last year's savior (and newly minted master) Mike Molano ran 2:19:22 for 8th place 40-44. Suffering from old man's disease (aka hamstring injury), Iain Mickle competed under pressure against his better judgment and ran 7 miles, jogged/walked 11.5, and crawled the last .1 to finish in 2:25:40. Thanks Iain! Finally, Kenny Warde came out once again to help the team and finished in 2:29:28, 5th 55-59. Tamalpa XC Challenge - 11/01/08
Tamalpa was a memorable race, with torrential rain, winds to blow down the shelters in the registration area, and 10 foot puddles/lakes along single track portions of the course. A blast . . .
Women
Byline Patti Shore
Rainy, muddy, cold - sort of unusual conditions for Northern California cross country, but five women made it out there anyhow and represented us very well. Jenny Wong led the way, running 29:19 for 25th place. Heather Leutwyler wasn't far behind running 30:48 for 39th place. Chelsey Remington came out at the last minute to help us field a full team (thanks Chelsey!), and she ran great - 32:33, 54th place (17th master). In next was a solid performance by Donna Chan - despite dealing with some ankle problems, she still ran 34:13, 69th overall and 9th senior. Lee D'Alessandro completed the scoring team, running 35:21 for 74th place. Currently, we are tied for 4th as a team - a strong showing at PA Champs could boost us to 3rd, so hopefully we'll get a great turnout at the last race of the season! Thanks to everyone who ran on such a tough day.
Open Men
Byline Jin Daikoku
Six brave NB Ex'ers went to the John Lawson Tamalpa Challenge to represent the team. There was talk of taking an "Ultraman"-themed team picture, but those hopes were dashed by rain, wind, and mud. We were so unprepared for the conditions that some of us improvised a genius warmup solution of staying in the car and eating Reese's peanut butter cups until the last possible moment. I used a late spurt to take 18th in 24:26.
George Torgun took 23rd, close behind in 24:51. Perennial rivals Chik Omine and Matt Patout had an epic battle, but Chik's 2 months of rest strategy proved to be too much for Matt, who was tired from a recent triathlon PR and definitely spent too much time out of the car before the race. Their times were 26:08 to 26:11, respectively. Jason Reed made a welcome comeback from a 50K last week to be our 5th man and notch his first XC race of the season in 26:38. Carlin "Don't like water" Lee finished in 27:05. Looks like we took 4th behind Transports, Aggies, and WVTC.
I'd also like to note that 13 year old Tamalpa runner John Lawson (Jr?) ran in the race.
BTW, 4th place team in the XC season standing gets $200. I think we have a shot. It will come down to the PA Champs, so mark 11/23 on your calendars now!
Old'uns
Byline Dan Mancini
On Saturday, under unprecedented rainy skies, the Masters Men showed some strong front running, placing 3 in the top-10 on a sloppy Tamalpa XC course, the final tune-up before PA Champs in 3 weeks. Leading the way were Tim Wallen and Dan Mancini in 5th and 6th, separated by 1 sec. (for the 3rd time this season!) in 25:22 and 25:23, while Pete Vicencio ran strongly in 10th (25:57). Next in was Eric Nichol in 41st (28:23), Tyler Abbott (nursing a plantar fascitis injury) in 61st (30:11), David Schmidt, 35th Senior in 30:59, and Tom Bennett, 22nd Super Senior in 42:43. Preliminary results suggest the team finished 4th. Whiskeytown 50K - 10/25/08
Gutierrez Wins Whiskeytown 50K!
From Ron Gutieerrez on the Whiskeytown 50K up in Redding 10/25. . .
Jason Reed & I started out running together sharing the lead and the pace making. I was hoping we'd finish together but Jason dropped back a bit at about mile 7. The only place to check the gaps on those behind comes at about mile 20 and I had about 3 mins. on 2nd place. Shortly thereafter the signature portion of the trail starts at Mill Creek where there are over 20 opportunities (creek crossings/ straddlings) to get your feet wet and lose the trail. Sure enough my feet got wet. I was able to hold the lead to the finish for first place for the 2nd year in a row, although 10 mins. slower than last year. Jason came in a strong 5th place. Whiskeytown Lake provided the opportunity for a natural "ice bath" to make the drive home more bearable. Jason's doing quite well in the Ultra GP standings for under-29 and this result should put him in first place. I hope he holds the lead w/ only a couple of races left. Shoreline Open - 10/25/08
Open Men
Byline Jin Daikoku
Shoreline proved to be the most competitive XC race for us so far. The narrow course and combined Masters and Open race meant a very fast start, and one of our newest members, Sina Aboutalebi gave me a nice elbow as he blew by me the first 50m. We had only one Open male at this race last year, so it was nice to field a full team. I think it may have been the first time seeing the course for all of us. I managed to lead the team with 24:33, 33rd place. Carlin Lee, the youngest runner in the race, took 78th with 27:03. Behind him, Sina Aboutalebi ran 27:55. Jorge Bad Luck Rivera was our 4th runner with 29:06, and managed to continue his string of PA-race-induced car troubles. Just behind Jorge and rounding out the Open team, Yurik Riegel ran 29:17. I think our team placed 5th.
Women
Byline Donna Chan
On a warm and clear day we had 6 brave souls at the start of the Shoreline XC race. To take the lead was Sarah Jones in a stellar time of 20:42 for 11th AG 30-39 and 43rd overall. Helen Kao, who was recovering from her marathon and said she was only jogging, ran a great time of 21:03 for 13th AG 30-39 and 51st overall.
Having done a 1/2 marathon 6 days ago with lead legs, I ran with a time of 22:27 for 6th AG 50-59 and 67th overall. Lee D'Alessandro followed with a time of 23:29 for her debut as a masters runner placing 11th AG 40-49 and 78th overall. Maureen Hogan took time out to run 24:03 for 12th AG 40-49 for 81st overall before she dashed off to her son's Cub Scout Camp Trip. Sara Cassella had a speedy first mile but had to stop and double back to the start and was unable to finish to finish the race.
I wish to thank everyone for coming out to help the team. You ladies were awesome!!
Old'uns
Byline Dan Mancini
The Masters Men team finished 4th at the Shoreline Open. Leading the way was Dan Mancini, 11th Master in 25:32, followed by the tight bunch of John Spriggs (28:04), Eric Nichol (28:07) and Tyler Abbott (28:09) in 38th, 39th and 40th. Kim Lilot, 23rd Senior in 29:41 and Brian Schultz, 53rd Master in 29:47 rounded out the scoring. Humboldt Half Marathon - 10/19/08
Mickle, Bernhard win AG!
At the Humboldt Half Marathon Sunday, we were unfortunately only able to field one team. That didn't prevent some top individual performances, notably Iain Mickle's (45-49) and Tom Bernhard (55-59) age group wins. Among open men, Jin Daikoku ran right at six minute pace in 1:18:36 (28th overall), with Matt Patout close behind in 1:20:44 (32nd overall). For the women, Gerry Kim had a very strong (PR?) performance in 1:35:02 (4th AG), with Heather Leutwyler following in 1:38:37 (7th AG).
Old'uns
As mentioned above, Iain Mickle won the 45-49 division (3rd master) in an impressive 1:13:51. After Iain finished his cooldown and was halfway back to Sacramento, in came Tyler Abbott in 1:31:06 (11th 45-49). John Spriggs, doing a tempo run in preparation for the Big Sur Half coming up, finished next in 1:33:09.
Among seniors, Tom Benhard took the 55-59 AG win in 1:20:34 (4th senior). Kenny Warde followed in 1:37:40 (6th 55-59). Al Stanbridge was our first super senior in 1:45:14 (7th 60-64).
A quick scan of the age-graded results suggests that Iain and Tom tied for third place (at least up to seven minute pace), 88.40%--congratulations!
Of note is that Allan's wife Christine won her age division in the accompanying 5K. Congratulations Christime! Bizz Johnson Marathon - 10/12/08
Don Hogue reports that he "won the Bizz Johnson Marathon today in 3:00:40. It is a trail run that finishes in Susanville, CA. It was 25 degrees at the start. Brrrr!" Congratulations Don! Strides for Life 5K - 10/05/08
From Kim Fanady . . .
On Sunday I was first woman, second overall (19:37) in the Strides for Life 5K at Lake Merced. It was really a fun run, I think I was the only semi-serious runner there. Strides for Life is a local organization supporting colon cancer prevention and screening, founded in memory of Dylan Cappell, a local aspiring Olympic rower, who died of colon cancer at age 23. Nice day at Lake Merced and a good cause to support. San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon - 10/05/08
Larissa Polischuk forwards these results from the women's team . . .
We had three NBEx-ers toe the line at the San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon. Jenny W, a top 10 finisher the day before at Presidio, ran an exceptional 1:30:08 and was 6th in her age group. Jocelyn F ran a super fast 1:33:24 (I believe is a PR for her) still in the midst of NYC marathon training. Molly N ran an impressive 2:07:51, 23rd in her age group. Congrats to all! Twin Cities Marathon - 10/05/08
Helen Kao reports on her Twin Cities race . . .
Twin Cities puts San Francisco to shame for its level of community support.
I arrived Friday into Minneapolis-St Paul. Saturday was a gorgeous day--what would have been perfect race weather (sunny cool 50-60) except it decided not to stay. I ran into Lloyd at the Expo as he was in Twin Cities for the Masters LDR meeting. That night the clouds rolled in. Sunday morning it was showering when the marathon started. From about mile 6-13 it was a solid downpour--wasn't wearing a cap so had to squint my eyes so I wouldn't lose my contact lenses. If you tried to run the tangents you were slogging through 2-3" puddles. But I'm pretty happy with the result overall. It was a rough race for the last 10k--not because of the last hills but because I lost my juice. I definitely fell apart at the end. Felt awesome for the first 18-19 miles. Came through the half about 3:10 pace feeling good (and even made a bathroom stop in the first few miles.
But it was very wet and I was pretty cold. I was able to get a gel down at mile 11 but couldn't open up my gels after that--fingers frozen and slippery, even tried my teeth. Some good winds in exposed areas. Started with 3:20 pace group and worked up to 3:10 and stuck with them through ~mile 17 but started falling behind. Got more cold/chilled through last 10 miles and trying to fuel with just sips of powerade. Slowed down last 5 miles to ~8min pace, cold and dead (saw Oliver Chan on the side around 23)--even the last downhill was a bit of a torture. Feet were wet and felt like pulp. Final chip time 3:15.26 (a 10 minute PR if I factor in the potty stop). Somewhat comforted by the fact that most of the elites also slowed their times in the 2nd half by 3-9 minutes. Would definitely go back to Twin Cities on a good weather day. Unbelievable the crowd support out there in the rain. Presidio XC Challenge - 10/04/08
In spite of the fact that an hour before the race more runners had shown up (6) than volunteers (2), the race went off without a hitch. The open and masters men managed decent teams (early scoring has them in 2nd/3rd place). The women were not able to field a full team, though there were a couple strong individual efforts--Jenny Wong in 24:52, 9th place, and Heather Leutwyler in 27:32, 30th. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Matt Patout
At our own hosted event, we actually fielded an open men's team at the very last minute. Yurik certainly did his part bringing in a new and excited team member, Sina Aboutalebi. 0 minutes before the event, Tyler made a plea with Jin (the race director) to put on his 2 pound training shoes and jog the course so that we could field a team. in complied. George Torgun lead the team with a 9th place 21:10. urther back was Jin Daikoku with 15th and 22:31. Funny enough, Jin ran behind me (Matt) until the last half mile and I finished happily but tired at 22:51. ew team member, Sina, finished his 1st XC race since high school for a 23:55. Yurik rounded out the team helping us finish 2nd in the men's field with a 24:09. think Sina and I both had sore heels after all of the hills. Let's try to field another, open men's team in the coming weeks.
Old'uns
Life returned to normal this week with Tim Wallen leading the way fresh from his wedding in 22:09 (6th), with Pete Vicencio not far behind in 22:30 (12th). Tyler Abbott finished next (24:20, 37th), followed by John Spriggs (25:12, 44th), Eric Nichol (25:35, 49th), Brian Schultz (26:28, 57th), Kim Lilot (26:43, 58th), and, a face we haven't seen for a while, Michael Gama (28:25, 70th).
And finally, a report from RD Jin Daikoku . . .
Well, I got really nervous on Thursday, but after about 36 hours of begging for favors things were starting to look a lot better. Saturday morning Chikara and I got out to the course at 6AM with a bucket full of flags to mark the course, but it was very dark still and the rain hadn't done much to soften the dirt. We ended up pouring them on the ground, but we managed to finish by 7AM. Then I got a call from a friend saying he wouldn't be able to volunteer because his car battery died and another call from Tim Wason, the finish line and results captain, about his car getting broken into... As Masters men began showing up, things were starting to look bleak again, but our volunteers showed up and saved the day.
Special thanks for Chikara Omine, Jenny Wong, and Kelly Daikoku for going above and beyond. Hopefully it wasn't too obvious to the participants that I was directing the race for the first time. We had 191 participants, slightly up from last year, and some very solid performances. No official #s yet, but it looks like our club made some money, too. Thank you SO very much to everyone who helped make the event a success. Berlin Marathon - 9/28/08
Rigney Wins AG at Berlin!
Les Ong forwards this link about Hansi Rigney's impressive 3:42:04 performance at Berlin. Congratulations Hansi! DC Firetrails 50 - 9/27/08
Whitney Does 50
From returning NBExer Whitney Stephenson . . . congratulations Whitney!
Well, I finally took the big plunge and ran my first fifty miler. I am pleased to announce that I finished without being 1. a train wreck and 2. dead last. Both good things. I didn't think I was going to be able to break 12 hours but I finished in a steady 11:41 which for me is just fine.
DC Firetrails 50 runs from Lake Chabot up to Tilden and back and is very hilly to say the least. I just plugged along as best I could, and tried to just keep a steady effort, stopping briefly at the aid stations to eat and refuel. This is an out and back course and when I was at around mile 20 the first place guy passed me on the way back which just goes to show you how slow I was, LOL!
My pal and fellow-marathoner Cis paced me in the last nine miles and thank God for that! It was good to have company and encouragement. Dan and the dog met me with enthusiasm at the end and that was a great finale to a long day.
Just an aside: There was a marathon at this event as well. It started at the turnaround for the fifty and ended at the same finish line at Lake Chabot. All the fifty-mile runners passed all the marathoners coming the other direction at one point or another. Who do I see coming the other way? None other than Natasha (a gal from San Diego) who was on my trip to Mt Kilimanjaro this past March!!! What a small world. We gave each other a quick sweaty hug and kept going our individual ways. Too funny.
After I finished my first 50k in 2004 my friend Dave Covey very generously said to me "now you're an ultra-runner!'. It didn't really feel that way for me until I crossed that finish line on Saturday. Now I feel like I can say I'm an ultra-runner, albeit a baby one!!!
Thanks to all of you who encouraged me in my quest for fifty miles! Onward to the 100k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whitney Garin Park XC - 9/27/08
We didn't QUITE have a full open men's team at Garin Park--when it didn't look like they'd be full, a couple guys bowed out, though we did end up with a couple extra masters. In any case, Matt Patout still made the trek to Hayward and led all team members in a fine 18:42 on the hilly 5K course. The women and the masters men were able to scrape teams together. Details . . .
Women
Byline Donna Chan
Garin Park XC run of 3.15 miles was definitely a challenge with the warm weather, pot holes, hilly terrain and even a rattlesnake sighting. We were able to get not 5 but 6 brave women to field a full team. Leading the pack was SHELLY PIERSON with a comeback run at a speedy 21:26 3rd place AG and 21st overall. Not bad for her first race since a running injury. Not far behind was TRACY HOGAN with a tempo run of 21:51 11th AG and 26th overall. Tracy completed the Triathlon Nationals in Oregon the week before and is getting ready for the Elite Amateur Championships in Dallas this weekend. Good luck Tracy!!!!
HEATHER LEUTWYLER ran 22:41 bettering her time from last year by one minute and seven seconds placing her 15th AG and 38th overall. HEATHER JOHNSON strong as ever ran a solid 23:25, 17th AG and 45th overall. Followed by DONNA CHAN, doing a tempo run of 23:38, 6th AG and 47th overall bettering the last year time by 34 seconds with the beginnings of a bad cold. MAUREEN HOGAN arounded out the team with a time of 26:14, immediating running back to Menlo Park to catch her second grade son's soccer game.
I thank-you one and all for the wonderful participation of this race. Let's keep the momentum going by fielding a team for our run this Saturday. Please email Tyler or Larissa if you can run and possibly volunteer this Saturday at the Presidio run. We need your help. I can not be there, but I am sending good vibes!!!
Old'uns
Haven't been able to lead with this in a while (trivia question: name the last time), but Tyler Abbott led the old'uns in 20:13 (18th master), duking it out with John Spriggs (20:19, 19th). Not far behind came new member Eric Nichol (21:19, 24th), Brian Schultz (21:34, 25th), and Kim Lilot (21:39, 26th 50-59). Greg King, pitching in against his will in 23:23 (31st) and Tom Bennett (28:10, 16th 60-69) rounded out the team. Bridge to Bridge - 9/21/08
And speaking of Jin Daikoku, he reports that after running and directing Presidio Saturday he ran Bridge to Bridge Sunday . . . anyone else?
For the record, I ran in the Bridge to Bridge 12K, and despite some Presidio-induced fatigue, I ran a solid PR. Granted, I've only run a handful of 12Ks in my life, but I think (not sure) I saw 42:30 as I crossed the line, and my old PR was 44:40. I'm still waiting for the official results.
Larissa Polischuk forwards these results from the women's team . . .
We had solid representation at the Bridge to Bridge race in SF on Sunday as well. Maria F had an incredible day as the 3rd Female overall and winning her age group. Gerry K came in 8th in her age group (out of 409!) running a strong 54:27 with Heather J on her heels in 54:45. Heather was 7th in her age group (out of well over 500!!). Kelly D rounded out the NBEx-ers with a solid 1:21:08 performance. Santa Cruz Cross - 9/20/08
Byline Matt Patout
On a gorgeous day down in Santa Cruz, the men’s open team nearly fielded 5 runners to charge up that fun-filled first mile. We had a few last minute sicknesses that prevented a full team. Matt Patout led the team with an achy course PR after 9 days off with an injury. Chikara made a strong effort just to come to the race, given his injury nursing and 100 mile race planning. He managed to cruise to a great time for most of us humans. Dan and his father Kim came to help field the team. I believe I saw a strong family support team for the Lilot’s. Dan ran a strong 3rd place on the team with his father Kim being our 4th place, team drop down from the speedy seniors. If we could mix women with the men, we could have fielded a open team of 5 with Heather Leutwyler’s smart and swift time of 28:46. Hayward is a lot closer, so let's fill 5 open men's spots for next week. J In a side note, Jin Daikoku was heard committing to running the Humbolt Half. Banana Chase - 9/14/08
Two 2008 old'uns picked up at Sunday's Banana Chase 5K where they left off last Spring, Iain Mickle with a strong 16:23 (2nd place master, 1st 45-49) and Tom Bernhard (17:35, 1st 55-59). Among open men, Jin Daikoku led our finest open men's team in recent memory with a 15:33 16th-place finish in a very competitive field. Among the women, Kim Fanady's 2d place 45-49 19:23 and Donna Chan's winning 55-59 21:03 stand out. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline George Torgun
Back on the roads in Golden Gate Park, the open men fielded a small but strong team on Sunday for the Banana Chase 5k. After leading the way in the first two XC races this season, Jin Daikoku got out well and by the turnaround near Stow Lake, was out of sight to rest of us. Jin crossed the line in 15:33, good for 16th place among a fast PA field. Following not so closely behind were new member James Timbrell (welcome!) in 16:11 (29th), who returned the favor after getting passed by old member George Torgun heading into Kezar, with Torgun following in 16:12 (30th). Ben Chaffee was next in 16:39 (47th), followed by Chikara "must have forgotten to eat his spam" Omine in 17:44 (83rd), Yurik Riegel in 18:29 (119th), and Jorge Rivera in 18:48 (134th). Thanks to everyone out cheering on the course!
Women
Byline Larissa Polischuk
What a great turnout for NBEx! We scored a full Open, Masters, and Seniors Team. A special congrats to Donna C for her FIRST PLACE Age Group finish and to Kim F for her SECOND PLACE Age Group Finish. The rest of the team seemed to have a pretty good day as well, aside from Sarah J who suffered from a stomach bug. Kudos to her for finishing under such conditions! The team was led by Helen Kao who ran a second best time of 19:18 during a marathon training workout. Kim F was not far behind in a fast 19:23, again, second in her age group! Jocelyn, who is also in the midst of marathon training, ran a stellar 20:28, good for 7th in her age group. Gerry, not far behind Jocelyn in 20:36, ran a PR! Donna C also ran a PR, or it was her best time in many years by almost 50 seconds. She ran a super fast 21:03 for first place in her age group. On her heels was Heather J in 21:08. Team friend, Miriam "Rosie" Allen, was not far behind and ran a PR of 21:14! Sarah J followed, stomach cramps and all in 21:39.
Maureen H ran a solid 23:01, also during a marathon training workout. Mulan C joined for the race (welcome!) and ran a 23:34. The seniors team was rounded off by Nancy Wang, 5th in her age group, in 24:20, Char B, 6th age group, in 25:20, and Molly N, 7th age group, in 26:17. Kelly D came charging in just under 30min to complete our large and stellar turnout. Congrats to all!!
Old'uns
Iain Mickle led the masters in fine 16:23 form, good enough for second master (1st 45-49). Cliff Lentz followed only a few seconds but 6 masters places behind in 16:35, with Tim Wallen (16:51, 10th master) not far behind. Jeff Dewey returning from injury (18:20), Tyler Abbott (18:51), and Brian Schultz (19:22) rounded out the team.
Only two seniors (I think) showed up: Tom Bernhard in 17:35, good enough for 1st place 55-59 (8th senior), and Kenny Warde (21:20). Our ascendant super senior team boasted three members: Al Stanbridge, 21:30; Gary MacPherson, 21:40; and Tom Bennett (24:57). Congratulations all! DSE Rainbow Falls 5K - 9/07/08
Congratulations to Chikara Omine on his second place finish at Sunday's DSE Rainbow Falls 5K. He swears that if he hadn't raced Saturday he would've beaten that guy with the fannie pack. Rumors that the winner stopped twice for snacks are unconfirmed. Golden Gate Park -9/06/08
GGP: Masters Win, Lentz 3rd! The masters men returned to 2006 form with a strong win at GGP Saturday, their second in two races, with Cliff Lentz leading the way in 3rd and four in the top 10. Details .
. .
Women
Byline Larissa Polischuk
It was hot, so it was nice that 'Ladies First' still applies in racing! Despite the steamy weather NBEx had a solid showing. Jenny "I'm going to run slow" Wong ran a speedy 27:04, the first NBEx-er to cross the finish line, good for 25th place. Coming in shortly behind her was Jocelyn F in 28:50, getting some speed workouts in for her NYC marathon training. Gerry Kim, just getting over a cold and running a solid 10 miles for the day, followed in 71st place.
Super-Star-Senior Donna C was right on her heels only 4 seconds behind in 30:21. Lee D ran an impressive 34:23 on a tough course. And Molly N, despite getting lost several times on the course (I hear a lack of course monitors was to blame), came in a solid 108th place in 35:11. Congrats to all who came out to battle the heat and the hills!
Open Men
Byline Jin Daikoku
It looks like the open men are off to a much better start of the cross country season than last year, as we fielded our second full team in as many meets. I lead the way in 22:27, good enough for 21st place. George "Smirk" Torgun came in next at 22:56 (29th) followed by Chik "need my Spam" Omine in 23:51, who was apparently saving something for the DSE 5K the next morning. Parker Kelly, whom I haven't seen since XC Club Nationals a while ago where we ran together the whole time, made a very welcome appearance for 24:25, and I believe he has a birthday coming up so this may have been his last race with the open team. It was also good to see Dan Rhodes and Yurik Riegel, whom we haven't seen for a while, rounding out the team in 25:35 and 25:54, respectively. We beat the River City Rebels for 4th place. Let's keep up the
improvement guys!
Old'uns
Byline Dan Mancini
On Saturday the Masters Men's team scored its 2nd win of the XC season with a resounding thumping of the competition by placing all 5 scorers in the top-13. Leading the way was Cliff Lentz with a fine 3rd place finish in 23:06, followed by Tim Wallen in 5th (23:25) edging out Dan Mancini in 6th (23:26), new member (and former old member) Jake Furber in 9th (23:47), Pete Vicencio in 13th (24:12), another returning member, Harold Radin (running his 1st XC race in 20 yrs.) in 27th (25:24), Tyler Abbott in 41st (26:02), new member Eric Nichol in 62nd (27:41), Brian Schultz in 63rd (27:48), and seniors Kim Lilot in 66th (28:07) and Dave Schmidt in 75th (28:56).
Finally, Dan Mancini forwards the following Zinsli photo links, for the masters men and open women races:
Masters men
http://zinsli.com/pictures/08_0906_ggp_og/ Open women
http://zinsli.com/pictures/08_0906_ggp_wm/ 24 Hours of Triathlon - 8/30/08
Ian Hersey forward this report from the 24 Hours of Triathlon in Denver a week ago. . . .
A Team Sheeper teammate (Lennard Hachmann, who btw needs to be recruited for NBEx as he's a very tough runner) and I competed in the Newton 24 Hours of Triathlon event in Denver last weekend (8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday). The goal in this event is to complete as many sprint triathlons as you can in 24 hours -- trading off various legs, we managed to do 21 plus an extra swim (10 = 1 Ironman), so we each got in a little over an Ironman. We were 2nd in the 2-person division, missing 1st by 3 minutes and change (doh!). We left ourselves a lot of work in the end -- we still had 8 runs to do (20.8 miles, each run being 2.6 miles) with 2:43 remaining in the race. Normally no problem, but when each of you already has at least 16 miles of running in your legs and about 120 miles of cycling, it's not as easy as it sounds. We had to trade off running 1 leg as fast as we could each go, and we managed not only to get to 21 runs, but we had time enough to spare to get one final swim in with 5 or 6
minutes to spare.
Oh, and Tim Sheeper won the solo division by a pretty wide margin.
There's a good writeup on the race on slowtwitch.com:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/Is_twice-around-the-clock_triathlon_s_next_big_thing__500.html Plate to Plate 5K - 8/24/08
Congratulations to Kim Fanady on her overall women's win at the Plate to Plate 5K 8/23 at AT&T Park. Kim ran 19:43, finishing 23rd overall.
Headlands 50K - 8/23/08
Results are out for 8/23's Headlands 50K, and once again we had 2/3 of a strong scoring team. Cliff Lentz finished second in 4:27:11, while Jason Reed finished 5th in 4:56:15. Both won their respective age divisions. Great job!
Empire XC Open - 8/23/08
Mickle Third, Daikoku Top 10!
Iain Mickle led our masters with a fine 3rd place finish (19:06), while Jin Daikoku started off his cross country season with a strong 10th place finish, two seconds faster than Iain. Some of our women were out there, but I don't believe a full team. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Jin Daikoku
With the promise of a full scoring Open Mens team, 5 of us made the trip out to Santa Rosa. Knowing that our bitter rivals at WVTC would be in Oregon for the HTC, we had high hopes for the XC season opener. Somehow they managed to field a full team anyway, though I only recognized one of their runners, and it would appear that WVTC beat us. I blame Chikara.
At the start of the race, Ben Chaffee burst from the line with some of the top runners, while the rest of us were more content to take a backrow seat and watch the race unfold. After a mile or so, we started to pick up the pace, and I really didn't want to lose to anybody in a green jersey. The weather and the jagged rocks on the course eventually took their toll on most of the field, but we finished strongly with me (Jin) leading the way with a serendipitous 10th place finish in 19:04. Ben Chaffee was close behind in 13th place, 19:17. George Torgun came in at 20:01 (20th place), with a handful of the dreaded red jerseys just out of reach. Dan Lilot and our newest member Carlin Lee ran together most of the way and rounded out the team in 21:31 and 21:43, respectively. It looks like we took 3rd out of 5 complete teams. Great job guys! I hope to see you all and more at Golden Gate Park in 9/6.
Women
Byline Heather Johnson
Three dedicated women made the trek to Santa Rosa. Even though we did not have a full team, the day wasn't at all "point-less." Yours truly ran up and down the rocky terrain without falling and finished in a respectable 25:18. Donna Chan got in a solid tempo run in 25:35, and Lee D'Alessandro persevered despite a nagging side-stitch to finish in 28:40. It's a shame we didn't have a full team. But I know the women will be well represented on Sept. 6.
Old'uns
Byline Dan Mancini
The Masters Men kicked off the 2008 XC season with what looks like a strong 2nd place showing at the Empire Open on Saturday. Leading the way in fine early season form was Iain Mickle in 3rd (19:06), followed by Tim Wallen in 8th (19:34), Dan Mancini in 10th (19:40), Pete Vicencio in 17th (20:35), Brian Schultz in 35th (22:15), and Senior Kim Lilot in 59th (24:10)
Hood to Coast - 8/23/08
After signing up Paul (yes, Olympian Paul) McMullen at the 11th hour, the Santini Extra Virgins won the men's submaster title for the 12th year in a row, in the same pace as last year (19:22, 5:54/mile). The coed open Santini Popeyes and Olive Oils suffered several setbacks and illnesses, but still pulled out a third place finish. After threatening for years, Tyler Abbott has finally retired from Hood to Coast, but not before finishing all 36 legs (in 18:56, 19:06 if you adjust for the longer current course), and he is now claiming that particular record. The teams have sworn they will continue on, so mark your calendars for next year. Anyone looking for more statistics than they could ever digest should email
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Also, former Santini members: be on the lookout for an announcement of Tyler's retirement party.
America's Finest Half Marathon - 8/17/08
From Helen Kao . . .
Maureen Hogan and I flew down to San Diego for a quick weekend away to run America's Finest City (AFC) Half Marathon a week ago Sunday. Balmy Saturday found Maureen catching up with an old school friend while I saw my cousin and her new baby. Balmy didn't feel quite so nice on Sunday. We stayed up late Saturday night to
watch the Olympic Women's Marathon and then woke up 4:15AM. The race was very well organized but by the 7AM start the temperature was 70 degrees with 75% humidity-which didn't seem to phase most of the locals. Maureen and I, on the otherhand, sweated our way through the race.
It was not the best of races for us. Maureen was a trooper and was glad she ran it despite it feeling painful. She finished 2:07 and I couldn't be more appreciative of her endless support for me throughout the weekend-especially after she had travelled a great deal, having been on the east coast just a few days before. I didn't run the time I wanted-felt like I was in PR shape for <1:28-but given the heat/humidity and the 1 mile climb at the finish am pretty pleased with the 1:31 (7th age group finish, 21st woman). Next stop Twin Cities, via Banana Chase. DSE Cross Country 5K - 8/17/08
Congratulations to Jin Daikoku on his 16:09 win at the DSE Cross Country 5K Sunday on a course that was probably a little short but that had its share of obstacles to overcome. Chikara finished not far back, along with several other club members, but results weren't available at press time. Susan B. Anthony 5K - 8/09/08
Donna Chan forwards this report from the SBA 5K (which was on the circuit the last two years, but not this year) . . .
Char and I was so lucky to have cool weather for the Susan B. Anthony 5K in Sacramento. Although not a PA race this year it is a fun women's race. We all received cute running tanks and schwag bags with lots of goodies. Char had a great race bettering her last years time by 11 seconds coming in 3rd AG 70th overall in a time of 25:48. I bettered my last years time by 42 seconds coming in 1st AG 25th overall in a time of 21:52. We both received beer steins for our efforts. Char had a chance to visit her 97 1/2 year old mother and her daughter who was too sick to run the race. I was able to visit my parents who live in Sacramento. DSE Lake Merced Summer Series
Finally, congratulations to Chikara Omine and Heather Leutwyler for being top point-getters at the eight-race DSE Lake Merced Summer Series. Matt Patout and Jason Reed finished 2-3, and Tyler Abbott finished third master.
Mickle Silver at Nationals!
Tom Bernhard reports that Iain Mickle finished 2nd (16:19.77) in the 5000 at Nationals, in what must have been very difficult conditions given the number of DNFs. Congratulations Iain! SF Marathon - 08/03/08
Larissa Polischuk forwards this report from the SF Marathon . . .
Several NB teammates toed the line for the SF Marathon and Half Marathons. Whitney Stephenson and Brenda Gee DePeralta both went for the long option. Whitney had a little trouble with the steps at Gerry's, but otherwise you would have never known she ran a marathon. She finished in 4:36 and was 35th in her age group. I was able to catch Brenda at the end of her race and she looked great! She finished in 4:04 and was 25th in her age group. Three of us chose the shorter option, Kim Fanady ran a super fast 1:33 for 2nd in her age group (wow!) and still asked me if her watch was broken because she didn't think she had been that fast:) Jen Major also came in 2nd in her age group and ran a fantastic 1:27:47, 11th woman Overall! Larissa Polischuk finished 2 seconds short of a PR in 1:31:36, good for 7th in my agr group.
Maureen Hogan did run the 1st half as a training run (at 5am?!) and Helen helped pace former team member, Matt Greene in the second half. He finished in a very speedy 3:26:41 (musta been the pacer!) . Congrats to all participants (and if I'm forgetting anyone I deeply apologize!).
In addition, Chikara Omine finished seventh overall in the Marathon in 2:41:49. Great job Chikara! I apologize to anyone I missed.
Donna Chan forwards this race report from our newest member, Mulan Chan:
Well, the all-comers meet was super fun! I got 4th (women's/high school girls) in both races. In fact, I was the only "woman" in both races..the rest were all in high-school. I ran the 800m in 2:46 and the 400m in 68 seconds. The 800 was tough, I feel like I need to work on the pacing a bit as I just hit a wall at 600m. I think that perhaps I went out too fast as my splits were very uneven (75/91) However I think that I can improve and want to shoot for under 2:39. The 400 felt fantastic! I felt great, really strong.like I was 17 again! I ran in lane 1 (not the best) and remember thinking at 300m that I wished there was someone next to me to run down. Next time I would like to try running the 400m without running 800m 30 minutes before. I think that I will have more energy and can run even faster. Masters all-american for my age group is 65.5. I am going to try for this, if not this season, next for sure. Gay Pride Track Meet - 7/26/08
Tom Bennett reports that he won a "Gold Medal" at the Gay Pride Track Meet last month by finishing first in the mile, in his 60 plus age group. His time is "classified" but was faster than the competition!
Obuse "Mini" Marathon - 7/20/08
Race reports from Japan from Jin Daikoku . . .
I ran in the Obuse "Mini" Marathon (13.2 miles) on 7/20, and all I can say is that I'm glad the results are not going to end up on Zinsli. We had weather in the low 30s celcius (90s?) with the infamous Japanese summer high humidity. I ran the first 5K, which is the only uphill portion of the course, in about 19 minutes. Then I slowed down pretty much the rest of the way. At one point, I was walking, and a little boy told his mommy, "Look, that guy is walking!" and I wanted to say "Dude, I see lightning bolts... stop laughing," but I couldn't really talk. I also violated the well-known concept of not trying anything new on race day by drinking a new beverage I'd never tried before, which resulted in a fairly bad case of the runs. All told, it was the most excrutiating 1:34 of my life, and with Mt. Fuji coming up on the 25th, let's hope that what doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. You can read the full report and about my other adventures at http://prexemplar.com/blog/2008/07/whos_a_rec_runner_now.html
And a few days later . . .
I completed the Mt. Fuji climbing race. It was very tough, but I've come to the conclusion that mountain races require a different skill-set from "regular" running. I had 17 minute 5k runners handing me my ____ on a stone platter. My time was 1:51.44, but I don't know my place because they only posted results for the top 10. I think only one woman beat me. She passed me near the end as I was climbing up the hurdles. I only fell twice. The winning time was 1:26. I made a course map for those who are curious: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-francisco/509590588382
Make sure you click "show elevation."
Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile - 7/20/08
Congratulations to Ron Gutierrez on his 2nd place 8:44 finish at the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile. From Ron . . .
This was a rough one altitude, hills, heat and some smoke but under sunny skies w/ a decent amount of shade and truly magnificent scenery. I stayed w/ the two leaders and eventual winner for a few miles but decided to hold back when the pace picked up at the top of the first climb. I moved into 2nd place just before the turnaround at about 4:15. Thomas Reiss had about 15 mins. on me at this point and he would extend his lead as the day wore on. I relaxed a bit w/ about 9 miles to go when I heard the gap to 3rd place was about 3 miles and I felt 2nd place was secure. The NB 826 has become my shoe of choice and held up very well on this course.
Vineman 1/2 Ironman - 7/20/08
Matt Patout forwards this report about the Vineman 1/2 Ironman . . .
Heather Leutwyler and Matt Patout competed in the Vineman ironman this past weekend. Heather dropped her time down to 5:30 overall with a 1:44 run for her 3rd ever, ? ironman. Her AG was loaded but she still managed a 30th AG placing. Matt's 51st half ironman race and he continued to plug away with another post-surgery, course PR of 4:53 overall time with a 1:36 run. Not quite his 4:10 course PR, but best since 2005 and actually ran the whole thing for a 33rd AG placing without any snapped tendons. Eppies Great Race - 7/17/08
and Donna Chan forwards this one about Eppies Great Race . . .
We were fortunate that the race was last weekend and not the week before because of the air quality. But while the rest of you were enjoying the cooler weather, I drove to Sacramento on Friday when it was 99 degrees. My son who is going to school in Davis said I was lucky because the weekend before was 105.
I ran as a 3 person womens team and we came in first in our age group. Finally my younger cousin turned 50 so Nancy who rode her bike and Trish who was our kayaker finished in 2 hours 2 minutes 55 seconds. The water was lower and river times were a bit slower. I ran 42:15 for 5.82 miles and was very pleased with that time
considering there was still come smoke in the air and the heat. It reminded me of Shriners.
Ironman Austria - 7/13/08
and Ian Hersey reports back from Ironman Austria . . .
I was the lone NBEx representative at Ironman Austria on July 13. Cool termperatures, good pacing and decent execution on my nutrition plan resulted in a 45-minute PR of 10:44:22 (1:11 swim, 5:42 bike, 3:39 run). I'm most proud of not walking at all in the marathon -- a first.
LEAP Mile - 7/04/08
Thanks to Donna Chan for forwarding the following the following additional report from the LEAP Mile July 4th, and congratulations all . . .
Char and I also ran the LEAP run on Friday. Char came in 2rd AG at 7:38 and I came in 4th women overall and 1st place 50 to 59 with a time of 6:38. Tom Bennett also ran in 7:06.
Congratulations to Jin Daikoku on his 4:40 win at teh LEAP Mile on the 4th. Chikara Omine ran 17:20 in the middle of a longer run. SHRINER'S 8K - 06/21/08
Mickle 3rd, Bernhard 1st AG
Iain Mickle led the masters with a 1st place 45-49/3rd master 27:01 performance at Saturday's Shriner's 8K in Sacramento, while Tom Bernhard had a similar 1st 55-59/4th senior 28:53. On the women's side, Donna Chan finished second AG in 36:08, and Erin Brightwell continued her PR spree with a fine 31:08 on a hot day. Details . . .
Women
Byline Erin Brightwell
It was so hot in Sacramento for Shriner's on Saturday, that I'm going to take the liberty of whining about it for a few sentences. There was suffering all around with temperatures in the mid 80s by the start of the race. Finishing times were on the slow side for pretty much the whole field. For me this race took on a kind of death march feel by the 2 mile mark, and I was extra glad when it was over and I was still relatively coherent.
Three water stations in 8k may seem like a lot, but it wasn't. It was a skeleton crew up there for the NBEx women, except for the awesome seniors team...congrats for scoring a full squad! Too bad open and masters women didn't score, but honestly, this was kind of a throw-away race with the conditions such as they were.
Anyway, who wants to eat pancakes in 90 degree weather when you've just survived racing 5 miles and you're having trouble getting your body temperature down? They need to either change the date for Shriners or change the menu. 80 ounce slurpees might be more appropriate, or, hey, let's forget about breakfast all together and just serve cold showers.
Ok enough with the whining, let's start with the Seniors. Nancy Wang finished in 41:56, 16th AG; Donna Chan picked up a prize for finishing 2nd AG in a PR of 36:08; Charlene Bayles rounded out the team with a 50:57, 10th AG. Two open runners made the trip: Shelly Pierson raced despite just barely recovering from being sick and turned in a 34:25 for 9th AG; Erin Brightwell ran 31:08 the hard way for 5th AG.
Congratulations to all of us who made the long trip and survived the heat! I'm looking forward to Stockton...it might be just as hot, but running a mile in that kind of heat makes a whole lot more sense.
Open Men
Report to come . . .
Old'uns
Iain Mickle led the masters in a strong 27:01, 1st 45-49 and 3rd 40+, behind Jeff Adkins and newly-minted master Gary Towne. Cliff Lentz followed three places back in 27:22, followed by Pete Vicencio (29:06, 7th 40-44), Jeff Dewey (31:40, 14th 40-44), and Brian Schultz (32:20, 17th 40-44). Tom Bernhard once again led the seniors in 28:53, good enough for 4th senior and the 55-59 win. Kenny Warde once again came out to assure a full masters team and ran 36:18 (4th 55-59).
Double Dipsea - 06/21/08
Larissa Polischuk forwards this Double Dipsea report . . .
I'm going to whine a little about the heat too since running the Dipsea even once in 80 degree weather is torture, but I actually paid money to do it twice.
Despite the conditions, I survived w/o falling or poison oak and managed a 5 min PR! I came in 2nd in my age group (behind former teammate Stacey Schweighart, who ironically is still my friend even after I convinced her to run this:) and 28th overall. The race volunteers were outstanding with all the water and sponges and even the Mill Valley residents helped out handing out water bottles and spraying their hoses for us. Thanks to Jen M and Patti S for coming out to cheer!
Midnight Sun Half Marathon - 06/21/08
From club masters record book owner Kim Fanady . . .
While you were all sweating at Shriner's, I was running the cool, cloudy, rainy Mayor's Midnight Sun half marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. The race features a nice, somewhat hilly course through city streets, along a lovely bike path which follows the shoreline and has beautiful views of Cook Inlet and the downtown Anchorage skyline, and even a mile or so of x/c --gravel then grass trail --with a dramatic finish on the track at West Anchorage High School.
I happened to finish the half at the exact same time as the winner of the full marathon (it started an hour earlier). So there was wild cheering as I chugged for the finish line, just not for me! I finished 42nd overall, 6th woman, 1st master woman, 1:36:33. Fun trip and a fun race!
Grandma's Marathon - 06/20/08 Heather Johnson forwards this race report:
Just wanted to let you and the Excelsior women know that I finished Grandma's Marathon this past weekend--in a personal best of 3:32:23. It's my first marathon since December 2003, so I guess this qualifies as my marathon comeback! And despite a very difficult final few miles, I placed in the top 20 in my age group (out of 402) and was the second California woman --about an hour behind Calif.-based Mary Akor, the female winner!
The race itself was incredible. Grandma's is the most organized race I have ever run. The volunteers (4,500 of them) are amazing, and seemingly the entire city comes out to support the race. The final few miles are just packed with people. The course leading into Duluth is beautiful, with Lake Superior on your left, lots of tall trees and a winding highway to travel with mostly mild rolling hills. I'm putting a report with all the gory details on my blog. I'll let ya'll know when it's done.
Woodminster 15K - 06/15/08 Lentz Fastest @ Woodminster, Wins Triple Crown!
Cliff Lentz had the fastest time overall in 6/15's Woodminster Cross Country Race. Cliff ran 59:54 to take 4th in the handicapped race. John Spriggs and Pete Vicencio finished 14th and 15th in 1:08:37+12 handicap and 1:04:57+16 handicap, respectively, followed by Gary MacPherson 1:21:17+4, 51st).
I apologize to anyone I may have missed. This effort also gave Cliff the East Bay Trail Triple Crown, by a margin of nearly ten minutes! Note that this is NOT a masters division crown, or handicapped in any way--it's just based on overall time in the three races--Tilden Tough Ten, Lake Chabot Half, Woodminster.
Spirit Run 5K - 06/15/08 Don Hogue reports that he finished first master at 17:11 at the Spirit Run 5k in Pleasanton on Fathers Day. Congratulations Don!
Dipsea - 06/08/08
Cliff Lentz continued his torrid racing with a sixth place finish in Sunday's Dipsea handicapped race. Cliff finished in a fine 53:03 on a very hot day to run the fifth fastest time of the day as a 43 year old (and a 51 year old ran the sixth fastest time, a few seconds behind and a couple minutes ahead of Cliff). Other black shirts: Iain Mickle in 13th, Ben Chaffee as a scratch runner with the fourth fastest time of the day, and Jenny Wong in 26th with the third fastest women's time. Patti Shore forwards the following report (with a few additions):
Dipsea No. 98 is in the books! Second oldest race in America (only Boston is older, but I'll guess that Dipsea is tougher). In my last outing as a Dipsea spectator (this is my LAST pregnancy, so come hell or high water, I will run every Dipsea from here forward until it's time to bury my burned-out old bod), I'd say one of the best moments was watching Roy Rivers come cruising in with his huge margin of victory and the wherewithal to check his watch as he approached the finish line. Those of us who have watched Roy get helicoptered off the beach in medical distress more than once can appreciate this.
As for our team--we had a fine day! Most know that the race is handicapped for age and gender, making age and gender irrelevant in terms of results. Thus, a combined report. NB Excelsior had a strong force out there, with 4 Black Shirts, 10 Top 100 finishes, and 2 out of the 4 available "heartbreak" placings. Ultra-fit Cliff Lentz led the way with his 6th place finish (53:03/3 minute handicap)--despite a knee twinge that inconveniently appeared Tuesday before race day. Up next was Dipsea Black Shirt regular Iain Mickle, who continues to defy age with his 13th place finish (55:36/4).
It is hard to believe Iain is old enough to have kids in college, but he does. Ben Chaffee turned in a PR (?) performance with a 24th place finish (52:54/0). Jenny Wong, consistent as ever, was 26th for her 4th Black Shirt (1:00:58/8; she also owns Nos. 28, 29, and 30). Then came our team's first bit of heartbreak - Place No. 36--the first non-Black Shirt finisher, our very own Adam Hersh (55:13/1). Adam came into the race fit enough for a Top 10 finish, and he would have definitely challenged Mark McManus for the Fastest Time Trophy for the men. But, he hurt his foot badly enough that running more than 2 miles the week leading up to the Dipsea was out of the question. Then he crashed during the race - probably a bigger factor than the foot. Dang!
Shortly after Adam was Chikara Omine (56th, 56:30/0), Dan Shore (60, 59:17/2), and Brian Gillis (76, 58:40/0). Brian ran the race just two weeks after being helicoptered out of a cycling race due to a crash that left him with a concussion, broken wrist, and plenty of other injuries, so his Top 100 finish is quite an accomplishment, considering he was carrying a cast along with him.
Close behind Brian was George Torgun (85, 59:08/0) and Jen Major (95, 1:07:55/8), and then Heartbreak Placing No. 2: Larissa Polischuk, No. 101 (1:08:29/8). Those finishing in the Top 100 get their placement as next year's race number - but not 101. Larissa takes heart in her 4 (!) minute PR in her first crack at the Invitational race; she'll surely run in the top 100 next year. Not far behind Larissa were new member Hansi Rigney (156, 1:27:14/25), Jeff Dewey (164, 1:05:40/3), Jocelyn Friel (256, 1:13:26/8), Tyler Abbott (300, 1:10:56/4), and David Moulton (330, 1:09:48/2).
We had three team members trying to qualify for Invitational for next year. Peter Hsia (Dipsea Runner section 31, 1:07:10/4) and Brian Schultz (DR 43, 1:07:05/2) qualified, and Gerry Kim placed 788th overall (1:22:04/8); through 750 is guaranteed a spot, but with a well-written sob story, Gerry has a great shot!
A few team friends deserve mention. Former teammate Stephen Donahue, now of Transports, placed 20th but was outgunned by his little sister, Sara Donahue, who placed 8th and won the women's Fastest Time Trophy. The Donahues together brought home the family award, meaning Sara got on her plane back home to Boston with a whole lot of hardware. Former teammate Stacey Schweighart, now of the Olympic Club, pulled down Black Shirt 22 in an very strong performance in her first Invitational.
Kim Fanady's brother Todd (at least I think that's her bro) ran well, holding his spot in the Invitational with a placing at 360. Brian Gillis' wife, Molly Burnett, also ran the race and made it into the Invitational by just 8 places in 742nd.
Pete Vicencio forward some Dipsea photos . . . thanks Pete! http://gallery.mac.com/vicencio/100032 The next Dipsea is June 14th, 8:30 AM. You have 369 days left to train. Start today.
Fleet Feet 5K - 06/08/08
From senior standout Donna Chan:
While Char Bayles visited her mother and I visited my parents in the Sacramento, we decided to run a 5K run. It was part of the Nike women's fitness festival which included a 5K run and 5K walk around the Capital. (Really cute Nike shirts and bag.) Char did a great time of 26:14 6th AG, 208 overall out of over 2100 women. Doing this a week after her San Diego marathon!!! So awesome. And I ran with a time of 21:55 placed 1st AG 24th overall. The temperature was nice and warm. I didn't have to worry about being cold and windy.
Rock and Roll Marathon - 06/01/08
Larissa reports that "Char Bayles snuck in a marathon on us! She finished in just over 5hrs and was 33rd in her age group in a marathon with over 16K runners...Congrats Char!"
Lake Chabot Half Marathon - 06/01/08
Cliff Lentz made it three strong weeks in a row (with the big one coming up) at Sunday's Lake Chabot Half Marathon. After an outright win at Tilden and the masters victory at MMD, Cliff finished second at Lake Chabot. Cliff also made himself the odds-on favorite for the revived East Bay Triple Crown title. BTW, I could not find results at press time, so I apologize to anyone else who run whom I missed.
See Jane Run Half Marathon - 05/31/08
[Polischuk] Bigelow Wins SJR Half!
This past Saturday, in the second annual See Jane Run Half Marathon, our very own Allie Bigelow won in a stellar 1:27:55! Kim Fanady, not far behind in 1:34:42, came in 5th overall and Maureen Hogan ran a speedy 1:47:32, 9th in her age group. Congratulations!
Marin Memorial Day 10K - 05/26/08
Lentz Wins MMD!
After winning Tilden last weekend, Cliff Lentz won the masters division in Monday's Marin Memorial Day 10K in a not-too-far-from-lifetime-PR time of 33:36. This seems to have led us to a TIE with Pacific Striders, with both eams finishing in 2:55:37! Among other notable performances were Erin rightwell's several minute PR 38:07 and Tom Bernhard's 55-59 winning 6:15. Details . . .
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
The Marin Memorial Day 10K was one of the rare races where the open men wre represented by more than the minimum 5 people to score a team. Before the start of the race we were just one short of having a B team! We arranged a carpool, arrived with plenty of time for a warmup, and seemed to have a solid team. Everything seemed great, but 3 of our open runners had a hectic start.
Chikara Omine and Jin Daikoku were about 100 meters away from the start line before hearing the announcement that the race is going to start in 15 seconds. Both sprinted toward the line and made a 360 degee turn to start the race. If that wasn't bad enough, Bee-Oh Kim, thinking that the race is at 8:30 instead of 8:15, was relaxing in preparation of he race until he saw a stampede of runners and learned that the race started 3 minutes ago. Not a great way to start a race but the open men still had a solid performance with the scoring team finishing withn 49 seconds of each other.
Ben Chaffee, showing the same strength that he had on a run up Mt. Diablo last weekend, led the team in 34:08/32nd place. Jin "we've got plenty of time till the race starts" Daikoku, feeling comfortable compared to the prior year, cruised in next at 34:21/36th place with Eric Knackmuhs not too far behind in 34:28/39th place. Next was Chikara Omine struggling in at 34:39/43rd place. George Torgun, who has had much better days, completed the scoring team in 34:57/48th place. The open men were also represented by Dan Shore in 36:02/70th place, Jason Reed in 37:20/105th place, and Robin Hart, making a return for a local race, in 41:20/214th place. Let's see how many people we can get for Shriners!
Women
Byline Patti Shore
14 NB Excelsior women raced last Monday in the Marin Memorial 10K. Conditions were perfect and there were some mighty fast times because of it! Leading the way with a monster PR was Erin Brightwell (38:07, 21st) who continues to have a spectacular spring season. Jen Major (39:40, 39th) and Jenny Wong (39:45, 41st) ran strong Dipsea tune-ups together.
VERY close behind was Shelly Pierson (40:00, 46th place), running very well despite low mileage. Larissa Polischuk rounded out the Open Women's A team with a FIVE MINUTE PR, running 40:38 for 51st place in her own Dipsea tune-up. Master standout Kim Fanady led the B team with a solid 40:53 performance, 52nd overall and 9th master.
Helen Kao continued a steady return from injury with her 41:20 (57th). Sarah Jones (minus Mr. Jones, where was he?!?!) had a solid 42:37 (66th). Jocelyn Friel, also preparing for Dipsea, was close behind in 42:54 (69th). Heather Johnson also had a fine day in 44:56, for 82nd place. Just missing the scoring team was Brenda Deperalta, who ran 49:36.
The senior ladies turned out in force: Donna Chan had a crisp 47:26, Nancy Wang ran well in 52:27, and Molly Newlon had a fine 54:32. Well done, all! I would like to say I enjoyed cheering you all on, but the truth is, I sure miss racing and can't wait to be back out there!
Up next on the PA: Shriner's! In between: DIPSEA! Do try to come out and cheer on your teammates if you can - we have a VERY strong team this year between our men and our women, and it should be very exciting to watch!
Old'uns
Cliff Lentz led us in 33:36 to win the masters title by four seconds over Michael Woodward. Iain Mickle followed in 34:15, with Dan Mancini (35:20), Pete Vicencio (36:11), Peter Hsia (37:53), Brian Schultz (39:09), Tyler Abbott (43:12), and Marlin Gilbert (47:46). After dropping down Tom Bernhard, we seem to be in a tie with Pacific Striders for the team win. Also of note, new member but not in time for the race Harold the Hammer Radin finished in a strong 35:54. Tom Bernhard led the seniors in 36:15 to win the 55-59 age division. Kenny Warde finished next in 44:14, with Allan Stanbridge (44:27) and Gary MacPherson (45:38) rounding out the team. Apologies to anyone I missed.
Bay to Breakers - 05/18/08
I'm afraid I made it out too late to catch the lead runners, but Allan Stanbridge forwards the following B2B notes--thanks Allan! If anyone wants to write a full Breakers report, write away!
Results from yesterday's B to B. According to the post race chip results given to runners on their way to the Polo Fields, I finished in 493rd place in a time of 54:43. I also finished in 3rd place in the mens' 60 to 69 division. Also saw Bob Darling, Kenny, and Eric Knackmuhs at the race.
More@Breakers
Kenny Warde forwards a couple other notes from Bay to Breakers . . .
Although I have been still fighting pneumonia since Boston, my Bay to Breakers time was 55:06. I place 533rd overall and 30th in the 50-59 age division. "The Rocket" Bob Darling ran a fine 52:57 and placed 389th overall. In our 50-59 age group he was 24th. And as you heard from Alan, he ran 54:43 and placed 500th overall. He came in a great 3rd in his 60-69 age division.
Tilden 10 - 05/18/08
Lentz Wins Tilden!
Pete Vicencio forwards this Tilden Tough 10 report. Thanks Pete! Among the men, Cliff Lentz won in a strong 59:64. However, this strangely did not qualify him for a sub-60 t-shirt. Cliff was followed by Dan Shore in 7th (?) and Pete Vicencio (65:31, 9th). For the women, Stacey Schweighart and Jenny Wong finished 2-3 in 67:40 and 67:50. Allie Bigelow and Larissa Polischuk followed in 71 minutes, with Jocelyn Friel rounding out the team.
Santa Ynez Half Marathon - 05/10/08
Larissa Polischuk reports that Helen Kao finished 13th in 1:32:55 at the 2nd annual Santa Ynez Half Marathon this past Saturday.
From Helen:
Was a much hillier course than I'd imagined (and that was advertised) and the race organization needed a little tidying up (not enough shuttle buses to the start, overcrowded gear drop off, race start bumped 15 minutes later b/c of these problems, only water and no gel or elecrtolyte drink, and not a single mile marker on the course!) but, despite these 'oopses' it was a beautiful course and perfect weather. Finished 4th AG, 13th woman
Quicksilver 50 Miler - 05/10/08 Chikara Omine finished second at Saturday's Quicksilver 50 Miler, his first run that long in a while. In the companion 50K, Ron Gutierrez finished third overall/first master, in a PR 4:14:21. Congratulations both of you! Napa Valley Half Ironman - 05/04/08 Matt Patout forwards the following report . . .
Heather Leutwyler finished her first half ironman last weekend at the windy, Napa Half Ironman, placing 4th in her age-group and 17th Female Amateur with a time of 5:47 (29:59 swim, 3:16 bike, and a very strong 1:51 run). Heather is using triathlons to get back into running after several months recovering from multiple injuries.
Matt also trained through the race to get an 18th overall placing with a 4:54 time on a very tough run and bike course.
Wildflower Triathlon - 05/04/08
Tracy Hogan finished 2d in her division at the Olympic Distance Wildflower Triathlon 2 weekends ago. Her finish time was 2:30 with a strong 41min 10k to close the race. Congratulations Tracy!
Big Sur 5K - 04/27/08
After nine (?) years on the circuit, Big Sur took a couple years off, and the break seems to have reinvigorated the race (though the double points/money could also have something to do with that). NBEx saw many excellent performances, among them Tom Bernhard's 55-59 win, Donna Chan's 55-59 2nd place effort, Cliff Lentz's 4th master finish, and Erin Brightwell's top 10 placement. Details . . .
Women
Byline Helen Kao
A dozen New Balance Excelsior women road-tripped down Highway One for a gorgeous weekend in Monterey/Big Sur. The weekend was highlighted by team debuts by two new master/senior women (Maureen Hogan and Hansi Rigney) and a welcome back to former team member Chelsey Remington Dabora who saved the day by rejoining the team at the 11th hour and helping us score a full team in all age categories.
Most women were there for the PAUSATF 5k (back on the short course grand prix after a two year hiatus) with the exception of stellar new member Hansi Rigney who, 6 days after finishing 4th Age Group at the Boston Marathon 3:43.21, won the 65-69 Age Group at the challenging Big Sur Marathon in 3:54.27! Congratulations Hansi!
Additionally, Donna and Erin once again had fabulous performances for 2nd Age Group each. Reports are alphabetical below.
The Senior team will pull strong points for their showing at this Double Points race: Char Bayles continues her recovery from a fractured foot with her 28:18 "kick it" finish (130th woman, 4th AG). Donna Chan cruised in, per her usual style, with a 22:44 2nd AG finish! (47th woman). Nancy Wang placed top ten with 25:43 (92nd, 9th)
The Master team also scored a full team with great races by all:
Brenda G Deperalta ran 24:11 (72nd, 6th) followed in tandem by Maureen. Maureen Hogan who normally races in longer events ran a 24:11 (73rd, 11th) catching up to Brenda in the final stretch. Chelsey Remington Dabora kept the race comfortable by jogging to a 23:55 (64th, 5th)
The Open team managed to score with the aid of master-drop-down Kim:
Erin Brightwell ran a second-fastest-personal-time 18:54, placing 2nd AG! (10th woman overall!!). Kim Fanady enjoyed the experience much more than the agonizing race she recalled from several years ago, 20:32 (32nd, 4th). Helen Kao overcame dead legs in Mile 1 to run tempo race for 20:58 (36th, 9th). Larissa Polischuk speeded to a quick 20:27 despite a 2hr+ run Saturday (31st, 8th). Jenny Wong pushed under 20min with 19:55 (23rd, 6th). Congratulations team! Next up, Marin Memorial 10k.
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
With the Big Sur 5K being a double point race, the open men felt the need to scrounge up a team. Three open runners were able to make the trip down to Carmel. None of us were feeling too great--two just ran the Calistoga to Santa Cruz Relay last weekend and one was coming back from injury--so we only had one goal: to finish the race. Although we spread apart during the race from time to time, we ended up finishing close together with Jin Daikoku in 17:09/27th place, Chikara Omine in 17:11/28th place, and new member Bee-Oh Kim in 17:24/35th place. Welcome to the club Bee-Oh! We should have a complete team with the masters drop downs. As always, a big thanks to the masters team who have saved us numerous times.
Old'uns
Cliff Lentz again led the masters, again finishing 4th master overall, in 16:40. Iain Mickle followed Cliff in 17:04 (6th master), with Pete Vicencio (17:50, 13th), Jeff Dewey (19:03, 23rd), and Tyler Hoping to Pick Up a Few X-points Abbott (21:22) rounding out the team. Tom Bernhard was disappointed with his 18:28, but it was still good enough to win the 55-59 division. Alan Stanbridge was our first super senior in 21:17 (6th ss), with Kenny Warde showing up to make sure we have full teams just a week off Boston and running 22:35 (5th 55-59).
Boston Marathon - 04/21/08
Boston!
Byline Julie McGee
On Monday April 22, over 20,000 runners, including some from our own New Balance Excelsior toed the line in Hopkinton, MA at the start of the 112th Boston Marathon. Prayers of weather being better than last year's were answered with the start being cool and overcast, and then clearing and reaching from the low to mid 60's during the race. As the runners made the 26.2 mile trek to Boston, they were met by thousands of cheering (and sometimes screaming) fans.
First across the line for NBEx was JULIE M who was happy to qualify to come back next year, but wishes she had written her name on her shirt in 3:29.45. Running her second marathon, and having a great time was GERRY K in 3:40.52. Rounding out the NBEx ladies was Brenda G with a 4:03.49, who was very happy with her race.
Congrats to all those who ran. With a net loss of elevation, but a hilly mile 17-21, the Boston Marathon is probably the most humbling of marathons. A special thanks to CHAR B and TANJA T who made the trip to Boston, and provided their support, but were unable to run due to injuries.
[And Kenny Savior Warde ran 3:35:44. -Ed.]
More@Boston
Byline Kenny Warde
From Kenny The Savior Warde (who also still came out to Big Sur Sunday, Bronchitis and Bostonitis notwithstanding) . . .
__
The 112th Boston Marathon began under sunny skies with a temperature range from 52 to 55 degrees and a 5 to 15 mph headwind. With 22,375 official starters toeing the line, this was the second largest field ever in Boston's history. Not only was this my 26th Boston; but my 16th consecutive.
My splits throughout the race were rather even, although I did lose about 3 minutes on the second half. Perhaps this was due to not drinking as much as I should have and therefore, I developed legs cramps the last 5K. I also had a major fall just past the 20 mile mark in the flat area just before the last big hill in the Heartbreak Hill series. A young female spectator stepped off of the curb and looked up the hill instead of down the hill at the oncoming runners.
It happened so fast that I couldn't avoid plowing into her. As I am heading towards the gutter and curb, my only thoughts were, "Do I land on my hands, knees, and face; or do I turn sideways and hope for the best?" I chose the latter.
Once I was on the ground, my next thoughts were to get up as quickly as possible, so as to not lose any time. So, I rolled over and got up. Luckily, everything was in working order except for some serious road rash and blood on my elbow, forearm, hip, and outer knee. So, mile 21 was in 8:48. I finished in 3:35:44. Overall, I ended up in 8,148th place; and 841st out of 3,762 in my veterans (50-59) age division.
Considering the fall, I was happy my time and effort.
[Hansi Rigney] Notes from Boston, Big Sur
A big thanks to Kenny Warde for recruiting top super senior runner Hansi Rigney. The notes below are from Boston and Big Sur from Hansi--welcome!
Kenny Warde recruited me for your NBEx team and I'm looking forward to some of the races on our schedule. Boston this year was a great experience. I had my best Boston time of 3:43:21 which got me a fourth place.
In my past 5 Bostons I was slower but placed better, relative to my age peers. In 2006 a 3:46 got me first place in the Senior division! I think more women are participating in running events and coming up through the age ranks with a lot more experience and training than in the past. All of this, if my theory is right, is very good for "running at all ages" with "senior" running in particular more and more competitive in the future. This year's Boston was run in near perfect conditions.....a little less sun and a little less wind would have been perfect, but we could not in good conscience complain at all!
I started the race at the back of the first wave and as always went off too fast, loving the frequent downhills of the initial course. When I started to seriously pace myself I was joined by a young Canadian friend whom I had met at my hotel and I was drawn into a good pace of 8:08, good for him but too fast to sustain for me. We stayed together till mile 12 or 13 and then lost each other after a water stop.
The Newton Hills, including Heartbreak were not a problem this year. I followed Kenny's advice of short high steps and managed the hills well with confidence in the next and last 6 miles. In retrospect, I should have pushed harder in the last phase, the last 2 miles in particular. I did enjoy the cheering crowd greatly and flattered by the young guy who asked me to slow down as I passed him so that he could take a picture of me, with my white hair, to show his wife! I was feeling so good at the finish that I could kick myself for not going harder.
All the same.....very happy with the results, till I saw bloody Kenny who had been tripped by an unwitting spectator!
Six days later it was Big Sur and another marathon! I thought I could break the course record of 3:52:44 having come within 30 seconds last year. Again, went out too fast when it was easy and slowed down slowly but surely all along the course with its 13 hills. I wanted so much to pick it up in the last 4 miles and make up what I had lost, but my legs were just too heavy and tired. Managed a 1st age div finish, but a 3:54:40. The only consolation is that I still have 3 more years to give it a go!
Zippy 5K - 04/20/08
Thanks to race directors Jin Daikoku and Matt Patout, with a strong assist from Lloyd Stephenson, for running such a great race Sunday.
Women
Byline Kim Fanady
The NBEx women made a strong showing at our very own Zippy 5K on Sunday. We lucked into great running weather: clear, cool, sunny, without the gale force winds and subarctic temperatures we feared.
Leading the NBEx pack was Erin Brightwell, running a 18:42 (13 OA, 4 AG) a 30 second PR! Great job Erin! Close behind was the always fabulously fast Jenny Wong (22 OA, 8 AG), posting a 19:06 on a bad hamstring.
Team stalwart Shelly Pierson (31 OA, 7 AG) ran her usual smart and sharp race, coming at 19:26 (running great on 3 days/week training). Kim Fanady overcame her hatred of the 5K and a way too fast first mile to run 19:35 (35 OA, 2AG, 6 master).
Helen Kao, pretty in pink, put down a 19:45 (39 OA, 12 AG), not what she hoped to run but OK just the same; reminds her not to go out so fast! Sarah Jones, in her second race with NBEx, ran a sharp 20:30 (48 OA, 14 AG), with Jocelyn Friel just behind in 20:45 (52 OA, 12 AG) . Heather Johnson, also in her second race with NBEx, had a nice 21:54 (63 OA, 13 AG).
And good work, seniors! Donna Chan ran 21:57, 1 second faster than last year -- every second counts! (64 OA, 2 AG), and Molly Newlon (97/6) posted a 25:39 (96 OA, 6 AG), showing her heels to lots of girls in their 20's.
And thanks to our volunteers who showed up to help out and cheer us on: Patti Shore, Kelly Daikoku, Lee D'Alessandro, and the long lost but not forgotten Whitney Stephenson. Sorry to anyone I missed.
Ziperrific! Ziptastic! Zipitudinous! Nice job everyone -- great running!
Open Men
Byline Jin Daikoku
I'm not sure if I got this right... but if nobody else writes to you, I'll give it a shot. Fears earlier in the week about not fielding a full 5 open men at our own Zippy 5K proved to be unwarranted as we had six men toe the line (and one co-race director on the sidelines ready to stand in, just in case).
Despite all the pre-race grumbling about not being in shape, we performed remarkably well. George Torgun led the way with a 15:57, which was good enough for 27th place and a 4 second course PR. Eric Knackmuhs and Ben Chafee used a little teamwork, pushing each other to 16:30 (39th) and 16:33 (40th), respectfully. Dan Shore and Brian Gilliss also came in close together, running 17:07 and 17:17 for 55th and 59th, rounding out our scoring members. To keep them honest, Dan Rhodes ran almost two minutes faster than he predicted, at 18:47 (104th). Matt Patout went really fast, but he was in car so that doesn't count. Great job and thank you so much guys! It was a pleasure seeing you all out there.
Old'uns
Cliff Lentz led the masters with a strong 16:29 (4th master), with Iain Mickle next on the team and next master in 16:33. Don Hogue continued his early Spring string in 17:04 (12th), with Pete Vicencio (17:47, 21st), Jeff Dewey (35th), and Brian Schultz (19:18, 39th) rounding out the team.
For the seniors, Tom Bernhard returned to racing in 18:09 to win the 55-59 age division. Jim Gorman was next on the team and in the division in 18:30. Al Stanbridge led our super seniors in 21:07 (4th super senior), followed by Tom Bennett (23:40, 11th). Congratulations all!
Finally, Zippy finish line video, courtesy coRD Daikoku:
Women
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3646707705055577050&hl=en Men
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3484736092949119084&hl=en
Presidio 10 Miler - 04/06/08
Larissa Polischuk reports that Micha Lowe placed 3rd woman overall in this past Sunday's Presidio 10miler with a time of 1:10:39. Great job on a not so easy course through the hilly Presidio and over the Golden Gate Bridge!
Run Like the Wind Half Marathon - 03/30/08
Don Hogue reports that he finished third in the Run Like the Wind half marathon in San Ramon this past weekend. From Don . . .
Time 1:18.32 - happy with results on the hilly course. Won age group (40-44) and only got beaten by two guys who were both 19 years younger than me.
Across the Bay 12K - 03/16/08
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
George Torgun led the open in a time of 40:31 (20th place) improving from last year by one second and one place. Next was Chikara Omine in 43:19 (47th place), closely followed by Eric Knackmuhs in 43:45 (54th place) and Jason Reed in 43:50 (56th place). Michael Richardson completed the open team in 54:07 (318th place), racing for the first time as a Excelsior runner. Unfortunately, Michael will be moving to San Diego soon. Good luck in San Diego Michael and thanks for helping us field a team!
Women
Byline Gerry Kim
The Across the Bay 12K was a blur of blue as a dozen NBEx blazed the course. Leading the ladies in was none other then JENNY WONG with a 49:01. Following closely behind her, JULIE MCGEE brought in the Boston crew with a 49:22. Also seeing Boston in the distance, the ever speedening LARISSA POLISCHUK came in with a 50:30. HELEN KAO, taking yet another one for the team, followed with a very solid 50:59. Coming off a foot injury, SHELLY PIERSON ran an impressive 51:25. Chart topper, KIM FANADY came in 5th in her age group with a 52:15. HEATHER JOHNSON sharpened into distance in her debut NBEx run at 56:09. (Welcome, Heather!) GERRY KIM, inspired by the NBEx ladies to scramble some eggs, ran home at 57:59. DONNA CHAN led the fierce seniors team with a 59:58. Following, BRENDA GEE finished a wonderful run with a 1:02:37. NANCY WANG, also representing the seniors, came in with a magnificent 1:06:00. Most amazingly, team trooper CHARLENE BAYLES ran a 1:18:44 coming off a foot fracture. Thanks to everyone who came out to race and to Jen Major for cheering us on!
Old'uns
Don Hogue led the masters for the second race in a row in a fine 44:31. Pete Vicencio finished next in 45:53, followed by Ian Hersey (46:16), Brian Schultz (49:12), Jeff Dewey (49:39), Tyler Ouch Abbott (55:05 the hard way), Greg King (57:03), and Michael Gama (59:21). Several runners we haven't seen for a while (including yours truly)--great to see you all out! It should also be noted that Tim Wallen was near the front of the masters pack (Chris Schille wasn't in the pack) when his calves gave out around mile 5 and he was forced to drop out. Get better soon Tim!
For the seniors, we had but two runners. Kenny Warde ran a fine 54:37, followed by Wayne Plymale (1:00:53). Great job everyone!
Stanford Treeathlon - 03/02/08
Hogan Wins Treeathlon!
From our own tri star Tracy Hogan . . .
I raced the Stanford Treeathlon a sprint distance triathlon this past weekend and to my surprise was the overall female winner. I was so thrilled! I think this is the first triathlon in the state of California that I have won the overall. I had a really solid swim in the 55 degree Bay water which was numbing.
The headwinds on the bike were fierce but all the strength training that I've been putting in really paid off and I had the fastest female bike split of the day. Running my bike into transition I somehow tweaked my back and got a horrible shooting pain but it only lasted a moment so I continued on. I had a very solid 20:15 5k but my posture felt off for the entire run. After I finished the race I realized that my hips were crooked and I had strained my back. Luckily my chiropractor just happened to be in the office on a Sunday afternoon so I had my back adjusted within 5 hours of the race which seems to have made all the difference. Three days after straining my back my hips were straight and I was out training again.
Napa Valley Marathon -03/02/08
Mancini Runs a Marathon
Not a typo. From short distance specialist Dan Metronome Mancini . . .
I celebrated the 25 anniversary of my first and only other marathon (a DNF from 1983) with a 2:42:51, good for 9th place and 2nd Master. I think I justly earned my reputation as a metronome with half marathon splits of 1:21:20 and...1:21:20, with a 10 sec. stop at mile 22 to search for a water bottle. It was an ideal day for a marathon: perfect temp., with a slight tailwind at times, on a nice scenic rolling course. Somewhere around mile 22, someone decided to take batting practice on my quads - a unique kind of running pain I must admit - but otherwise managed to close well with the final 10km only 8 secs. slower than the first 10km. Overall, an enjoyable experience. I'm penciling in NYC in 2033.
NorCal 10 Miler - 03/01/08
We managed to scrape together the two open teams anyway for the inaugural race on the 2008 road grand prix. The race was highlighted by George Torgun's 10th place finish and Don Hogue's 5th place master finish. Details . . . .
Open Men
Byline Chikara Omine
As usual this race was a difficult one to field a team however, 3 open men made the trip to Redding. George Torgun lead the team with a 56:35 and placing in the top 10 (10th place). George was followed not so closely by Chikara Omine 59:19 (18th place) and Oliver Chan 1:00:10 (25th place).
With the aid of the masters drop downs it looks like we were able to score as a team. Next up, Emerald Across the Bay!
Women
Byline Julie McGee
On a sunny but windy Saturday, 5 Excelsior women raced in the NorCal 10 miler after making the long drive up to Redding the night before. First across hte line for the team was Tanja Tamguney, running a 1:06.29. Next was Julie McGee, with a 1:08.26. Third for the teram was Larissa Polischuk who ran a 1:09.30. Helen Kao crossed the line next in 1:12.54. Rounding out our group of 5 was Gerry Kim, who ran a 1:17.06. Afterwards, eveyone agreed that the hill with the switchbacks arouind mile 4 and the overall design of the lollypop course made it very hard to settle into a pace. Regardless, the team placed 2nd overall! Congrats to those who ran:)
Old'uns
Don Hogue led the way with a fine 1:00:05 finish--good job, Don. Vitas Ezerskis fought a tough knee injury to finish in 1:03:18, and Kenny Warde rounded out the team in 1:14:52. Thanks all of you for making the trip and helping out the young'uns!
Cross Country Nationals - 02/16/08
Masters Men Fourth at Nationals, O'Rourke 5th!
Byline Dan Mancini
After years of futile persuasion [or, apparently, lack thereof -Ed.], it took the prospect of a balmy San Diego venue to finally convince the required 5 scoring team members to lace up the spikes for a February cross country race. Sunscreen and shades were the order of the day, as sunny skies, warm temps. and a dry all-grass, mostly flat course greeted the Masters Men's team at the traditionally miserable weather USA Cross Country Champs. This race has grown in size every year since its inception, and this year some 200 Masters men lined up for the 8k race.
Leading the team with a superb effort in a strong field was Iain Mickle in 23rd, followed by Tim "thirty-mile-a-week" Wallen in 34th edging out Dan "eighty-mile-a-week" Mancini in 36th, newly minted Senior Tim O'Rourke in 43rd (5th 50-54--just eight seconds off the podium!), and Pete Vicencio in 80th. And although the top 3 powerhouse teams made a podium spot unrealistic, the team scored a moral victory with a surprising 4th place finish, nipping the 5th and 6th place teams by narrow 7 and 8 point margins. The team enjoyed the race so much, that they have already signed on (with binding contracts) to next year's race in Anchorage, Alaska.
Caruso 5K - 02/10/08
Shore Wins Caruso 5K!
From Patti Shore . . .
Well, I won. Which I guess means I can't complain about my time, which was 3 seconds slower than last year on this course, 10 weeks post-partum. Oh, what the hell - I am going to complain a little. I really thought I was in better shape than 20:02, but perhaps the head and chest cold I've been fighting all week played a role. Back to the bright side - I won! There was a nice prize - a one year membership to the Koret Center, and it was a lot of fun.
Each year this race has more and more participants, and the USF students who put the race on do a nice job of it. The race director said some nice things about our teammate, Tom Caruso, whom this race honors - I am sure that the family is gratified that 8 years later, large crowds of people still remember Tom and his contributions to USF as both a student and an athlete. Maybe next year more of us will be able to participate!
Ed.: For club newcomers, Tom Caruso was a club member who was very tragically struck by a bus while heading to the start of the Las Vegas Marathon eight years ago this month. He passed away a few days later.
Kaiser Permanente (SF) Half Marathon - 02/03/08
A big turnout for club members at Sunday's somewhat Wet and Windy Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon . . .
Women
Byline Helen Kao
A wet but successful weekend for many women! I apologize if I've missed anyone. In alpha order:
Chelsey Remington, team friend, returns to running with a 1:34.59 (11th AG) despite not being sure she wanted to run if it rained.
Christine Brighton, returning team member, ran a 4th age group 1:27.09.
Corrine Roberts, team friend, finished right behind Julie in 1:30.20 (1st AG)
Jen Major logged a 6th AG 1:28.05
Julie McGee starts her Boston prep with 1:30.19 (8th AG)
Kim Fanady, also a 4th AG Master along with Christine, ran 1:34.26
Larissa Polischuk revs back up from her NYMarathon PR with 1:31.34 (12th AG)
Maria Fregoso speeds to a stellar (PR?) 1:24.48, 9th women OA and 3AG (she'll clearly break 3h marathon)
Micha lowe, team friend, picks up after a longstanding injury with 1:34.10 (6th AG)
Molly Newlon demonstrates why she loves the half distance with 2:12.06 (24th AG)
Congratulations to all!
Men
George Torgun led our charge in 1:14:23, 7th place, with Adam Hersh close behind in 1:15:34 (11th). Iain Mickle won the masters competition in 1:17:10, 15th overall, with second master Dan Mancini close behind in 1:18:23, 19th overall, followed by Matt Patout (1:19:44, 25th), Daniel Shore (1:21:36, 49th), Mark Janes in his farewell race as he relocates to Portland--bye Mark, and see you at Redding! (1:22:11, 57th), and Adam Lucas (1:22:22, 59th). Just behind Adam was new member and senior winner John Hale, running 1:22:24, 60th overall. followed by Andy Chan (1:23:24, 69th), John Spriggs (1:26:18, 112th), Peter Hsia (1:26:40, 118th), Ian Reid (1:32:02), and--doubling with Jed Smith 50K Saturday--Oliver Chan (1:32:59, 299th). A big race--I apologize to anyone I missed.
And in the much less competitive 5K, Andy Apfelbaum finished 3rd (and 2d master) in 18:43.
Jed Smith 50K - 02/02/08
Open Men Win Jed Smith 50K
Byline Chikara Omine
A few of us decided to send a team up to Northern Sacramento for the Jed Smith 50K. Jason Reed led the the charge in 3:39:35 (4th place). Chikara Omine, who learned that the lesson "never run a marathon unprepared" (obviously) applies to ultramarathons, staggered through the finish line next in 3:54:20 (7th place). Oliver Chan completed the team in 4:08:17 (12th place).
It appears that we won the team division. Also, team friend Eduardo Vasquez joined us for a carpool and completed his first ultra as a really hard training run in a fine 3:57:22 (9th place). None of us planned to double for the weekend with the Kaiser Half Marathon (although Jason only decided not to run because of the entry fee), but Oliver Chan must have changed his mind, as he was spotted on the Kaiser course with a bib number the next morning.
Bear Valley Cross Country Ski Area Hwy 4 - 1/27/2008
And thanks to Iain Mickle for culling the following Chikara result . . .
* * * Results by ON YOUR MARK * * *
3RD ANNUAL JAZZ TRAX SNOWSHOE STOMP 10K - BEAR VALLEY, CA - JANUARY 27, 2008
Top Male
1. Chikara Omine, San Francisco, cA 25 1:01:43
This brings up the formidable question of how many Chikara results we've missed, so I'm looking for an official club Chikarawatcher (individual or committee) who will cull the internet every week and forward any Chikara results. Volunteers?
DSE Sawyer Camp 10K - 1/20/08
Bob Rocket Darling reports the following results:
Women: Maria Fregoso- Age 29- 1st -36:49
Tracy Hogan Age 37 2nd 40:49
Men: Grant Johnson - 1st - 35:11
Jason Reed - 6th - 36:29
Bob Rocket Darling Age 58 -2nd 50+ 40:41
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