Archive | March, 2011

H&M Relay for Life (Run It Fast) 5K Gold Medal

H&M Relay for Life 5K Sponsored by Run It Fast This Weekend

The 4th annual H&M Relay for Life 5K will be held this Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tennessee.  The race benefits the American Cancer Society.

View Winners & Results from the 2011 HM RElay for Life 5K

Run It Fast is the finishing line sponsor for the race.  Other sponsors for the race include Hub City Blueprint & Supply, Ashley Furniture, Benefits Consulting Services, 3 Men & a Mop, and Dugger Promotions.

H&M Relay for Life 5K Details:

This fast, flat, marked, manned and timed course begins and ends at the Jackson Generals Baseball Club in Jackson, TN. The final steps will take you around the ballpark’s warning track right to the finish line at home plate. Gift certificates for winners and door prizes will gladly be given away! Age Group Medals, customized for the event, will be awarded for the top three in each male/female age group and Overall, Masters and Grandmasters awards will be given.

This year’s event is in the Go…Series, so series points will be awarded.

T-shirts guaranteed to the first 144 participants this year! Registration fee is $15 if postmarked by March 26, 2011, $20 thereafter and day of race. Day of race registration begins @ 7:15 AM and race begins @ 8:00 AM, April 2, 2011.

Visit www.goseries.org or www.racesonline.com to register online, or download a registration form from www.hmcompany.com/5K. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. Please join us for a super-duper start to your Saturday!

If you are in West Tennessee be sure to come out.  The H&M 5K is always one of the best done races in the area. Race Director Jeff Fugate really puts on a first class event.

Plus, how many times do you get to finish a 5K running inside a minor league baseball park around the outfield track before finishing near home plate?

H&M Relay for Life 5K Facebook Page

More sponsors from the race include: AIM, A-Z Office Resources, BancorpSouth, Bell Shirt & Sign, Brooksie’s Barn, Brown & Associates, Chic-fil-A, Concrete Systems Company, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Electrical Systems Company, Express Pros, Gold’s Gym, GoSeries.org, H&M Architects/Engineers, H&M Construction, H&M Industrial Services, Heavenly Ham, Jackson Generals Baseball, Jackson Police Department, Jackson Roadrunners, Madison Men, Panera Bread, Racesonline.com, Runner’s World, Smoothie King, The Kilburn Group, and Wolfgang Computer Services

Results from the race will be published here at Run It Fast.

Posted in 5K0 Comments

2011 Greenway Marathon – Nashville Tennessee

Chris Herren Wins 2nd Annual Greenway Marathon


Greenway Marathon (Joshua Holmes, Jeff Matlock, Chris Estes, Trent Rosenbloom, Tom Smith)

Mt. Juliet’s Chris Herren won the 2nd annual Greenway Marathon on Sunday with a winning time of 2:33:39.

Meredith Smith, of Ashland City, was the top female with a time of 3:21:09.

The 26.2 mile marathon is held along the Greenway in Nashville, Tennessee.

Greenway Marathon Top 15 Finishers

  1. Chris Herren (Mt. Juliet) – 2:33:39
  2. Meredith Smith (Ashland City) – 3:21:09
  3. James Barnard (Oak Ridge) – 3:23:47
  4. Gary Adcock (Springfield) – 3:27:23
  5. Sue Scholl (McMinville) – 3:29:14
  6. Charlie Taylor (Gallatin) – 3:29:45
  7. Chris Estes (Murfreesboro) – 3:35:24
  8. Trent Rosenbloom (Nashville) – 3:49:21
  9. Jeff Matlock (Ashland City) – 3:49:21
  10. Mark Payne (Brentwood) – 3:54:26
  11. Tom Smith (Nashville) – 3:58:18
  12. David Etheridge (Paducah, Kentucky) – 4:04:12
  13. Joshua Holmes (Jackson) – 4:12:50
  14. Sulaiman Seriki (LaVergne) – 4:16:46
  15. Jennifer Whitley (Murfreesboro) – 4:21:14

Greenway Marathon Race Website

RELATED: The 10 Best Marathons in Tennessee

Posted in Marathon0 Comments

National Half Marathon Finisher’s Medal Washington D.C.

2011 National Half-Marathon Finisher’s Medal

Here is the finisher’s medal for the 2011 National Half-Marathon that is run every spring in Washington, D.C.

A very impressive medal for sure.  More race directors need to get creative and spend the coin to create nice pieces like the National Marathon medal.

The race was held on March 26, 2011.

National Marathon and Half-Marathon Race Site

Posted in Bling, Featured, Half Marathon, Medals1 Comment

Markos Geneti Wins L.A. Marathon in Debut

Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)

Ethiopian Markos Geneti won a soaked 2011 Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday with a speedy 2:06:35 finish.  Geneti won $125,000.00 for finishing first and winning the gender challenge.  The women were spotted 17 minutes.

Remarkably Geneti had never run a marathon before.  The 26 year-old Ethiopian complained of a side stitch throughout but none of it seemed to matter as he set a record for the fastest California marathon time….ever!

Defending champion Wesley Korir finished back in 4th place with a 2:13:23 finish.

Korir hit a massive wall at mile 21 and thought he was done, for good, “”First of all, I’d like to thank God that I’m still alive,” said Korir, smiling. “I thought it was the end of my life.”

Top 5 Male Finishers

1. Markos Geneti 02:06:35
2. Nicholas Kamakya 02:09:26
3. Laban Moiben 02:13:12
4. Wesley Korir 02:13:23
5. Jason Gutierrez 02:13:24

Top 5 Female Finishers

1. Buzunesh Deba 02:26:34
2. Amy Hastings 02:27:03
3. Mare Dibaba 02:30:25
4. Diane Nukuri 02:33:47
5. Iuliia Arkhipova 02:33:55

Look Up L.A. Marathon Results for All Finishers

Congrats to all runners who braved the extreme conditions to complete the L.A. Marathon

Related Los Angeles Marathon Links

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)

Flea Runs Los Angeles Marathon in 3:53:00 (pic)

List of 2011 Los Angeles Marathon Elite Runners

2011 L.A. Marathon Finisher’s Medal

Posted in Marathon2 Comments

Flea and Joshua Holmes After the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea Runs L.A. Marathon in 3:53:00

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary started running about 6 months ago.  He decided to run the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon to help raise money for his Silverlake Music Conservatory.

Flea completed the extremely rainy, windy, cold marathon with a great time of 3:53:00.

Silverlake Music Conservatory: “The mission of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit organization, is to facilitate basic music education. Our primary focus is on the youth of the community but all are welcome and encouraged to participate. The Conservatory offers private music lessons at a reasonable cost and grants scholarships to children in need, providing free lessons and instruments. The study of music enriches the life of the student as well as the community and society.”

For those keeping score at home, Flea was wearing the Saucony Kinerva running shoes.

[photo: We happened to bump into each other immediately under a tent as I was trying to make a call. He was looking for some Gatorade and his buddies. He seemed extremely tired, spent, and exhausted (Me too!) but was still gracious enough to stop long enough for a quick iPhone pic].

Related Los Angeles Marathon Links

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)

Flea Runs Los Angeles Marathon in 3:53:00 (pic)

List of 2011 Los Angeles Marathon Elite Runners

2011 L.A. Marathon Finisher’s Medal

Posted in Marathon3 Comments

Wesley Korir Los Angeles 2010 Marathon

List of 2011 L.A. Marathon Elite Runners

Here is a quick rundown and list of the top elite runners lacing them up at the 26th Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 20, 2011.

It should be a battle royale between Kenyans Wesley Korir and Benson Barus.

2011 L.A. Marathon Elite Men

Wesley Korir – (Kenya, Age 28) Best L.A. Marathon 2:08:24 – 2009 Los Angeles Marathon

Benson Barus – (Kenya, Age 30) Best Marathon 2:08:34 – Milan Marathon

Getu Birbo – (Ethiopia, Age 26) Best Marathon 2:10:51 – Paris Marathon

Shadrack Biwott – (Kenya, Age 26) Best Marathon: Debut Marathon

Gebo Burka – (Ethiopia, Age 23) Best Marathon 2:10:18 – Cannes Marathon

Jonathan Cheruiyot – (Kenya, Age 27) Best Marathon 2:12:42 – Madrid Marathon

William Chebor – (Kenya, Age 28) Best Marathon 2:10:13 – 2010 San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon

2011 L.A. Marathon Elite Women

Mary Akor – (United States via Nigeria, Age: 34) Best Marathon: 2:33:50 – Twin Cities Marathon

Julia Arkhipova – (Kyrghizstan, Age: 27) Best Marathon: 2:32:09 – Baltimore Under Armor Marathon

Magdeline Chemjor – (Kenya, Age: 32) Best Marathon: 2:28:16 – 2007 Amsterdam Marathon

Buzunesh Deba – (Ethiopia, Age: 23) Best Marathon: 2:27:24 – 2010 Twin Cities Marathon

Mare Dibaba – (Ethiopia, Age: 21) Best Marathon: 2:24:27 – Commerzbank Marathon (Frankfurt, Germany)

Amy Hastings – (United States, Age: 27) Best Marathon 2:43:16 – Twin Cities Marathon

Leah Kiprono – (Kenya, Age: 30) Best Marathon 2:43:16 – 2010 Twin Cities Marathon

Related Los Angeles Marathon Links

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)

Flea Runs Los Angeles Marathon in 3:53:00 (pic)

List of 2011 Los Angeles Marathon Elite Runners

2011 L.A. Marathon Finisher’s Medal

[source: L.A. Marathon Runner & Spectator Guide]

Posted in Marathon2 Comments

Race Report: The Art of Racing 50k in the Rain.

Location: 50k Nationals. Caumsett Park, Long Island.  March 6, 2011

So who’s up for some repeats?  10 x  5k?  In the rain?  I am!

2010 Recap:   My 2010 had been plagued with negativity.  My health was a mystery.  Hives attacked at random from February on.  I felt weak all the time.  I failed a Pulmonary Function Test (what?!) and needed a Nebulizer.   My thyroid was erroneously blamed.  I was possibly anemic.  Specialists started pointing fingers at each other.  I was allergic to “something”.  After 250 needles, I was declared allergic to myself.  I was given antihistamines, three inhalers, steroids, and some “emergency” pills.  I have huge zip-lock bag full of medications that served mostly to make be bloated, fat, tired, and anxious.  Eventually I just got better.

During all that, my training took a back seat.  When the hives calmed down, I jumped back in where I left off and I ended up with fibromas (marble-sized lumps of painful scar tissue) on my plantar fascias.  I had a hard time walking.  I got the fibromas removed with cortisone.  I felt so good I ran over 65 miles in 12 hours during a 24 hour race and strained my undertrained ACL.  I spent most of 2010 running less, gaining weight, and just feeling cruddy.

The first of my very many DNF’s of 2010 happened at Caumsett 50k.  I finished 2009 by crushing my PRs in every distance from 5k through 24 hours.  By February 2010, I was cruising through 24 mile runs on my treadmill during blizzards and racing marathons all around 3:25 or less as training.  I felt ready for a great Caumsett, until the week before when I ended up in the ER covered in hives.

Heavily medicated, I still arrived.  I started fast and felt horrible.  By loop 2, I ditched my arm warmers and saw the red welts surfacing.  By loop 3, my abdomen was itchy and I found them on my stomach.  By loop 4 I called it a day.  In about 150 races since my cancer treatment, I had only DNF’d once (at my first ultra in a snow storm).  This was #2 and it unfortunately set the tone for the rest of that disappointing year.

2011: I started 2011 with a “come back plan” that involved returning to my roots.  I started again with low mileage and weekly short races.  I was found driving up the highway by a small dog sitting roadside in the cold sleeting rain.  I named him Enzo (like Enzo Ferrari, like Enzo the dog from The Art of Racing in the Rain) and as it turns out he loves running fast and far.   He got me out the door when the weather was miserable.  He pushed (er… pulled) our pace.  My mileage finally made it back up to 80 miles per week and then hovered around 60.  My fastest long effort was only a 1:41 half marathon at the end of January (7 minutes off my best).

Looking at those numbers, I was not ready for a great 50k so I ran a slow 20 miles the day before.  Two nights before that I had a dream I ran a 4:33.  I decided that would be my goal.

The Race: My friend Ray came up to run.  We decided to spend some time together since I missed racing with him at the end of 2010.   Ray has had faith in me, most often when I have the least in myself.  Having him around always brings out my best.

A rainy road 50k with water stops twice per loops is pretty easy to pack for:  8 Endurolytes, a few gels, a pack of shot bloks, a 20 oz bottle of Gatorade and some dry clothes.  I took 4 Endurolytes and drank the Gatorade on the ride to the race.   At 8:25 am, I put one (1) Roctane pomegranate gel in one pocket and the 4 Endurolytes in the other.  I ate one pack of black cherry bloks and walked off to the start.

Oh no, Ray is not there!  I feel a pang of disappointment as the gun is fired.  But as the crowd lurches forward, Ray makes his fashionably late entrance and off we go!   First split 8:14.

I pass up the AS on the first loop and then wonder if I should have grabbed something.  On the back stretch of loop 2, I grab a few ounces of Gatorade. I am very comfortable and wonder when I should take that gel.

Loop 1: 25:45
Loop 2: 25:36
Loop 3: 25:15

Halfway through loop 4, I feel a surge of confidence. I’ve made it further than I did last year and I feel GREAT!  One more loop and we start the countdown!   I look at my legs and I think, “Ok. You are strong. We can do this!”  I stop looking at splits.  As long as I am happy I will finish.

At the end of loop 4, I take that gel.  I decide to take the 4 Endurolytes too. Why wait?  I feel good.  Nothing hurts.  I’m still grabbing about  6 oz of Gatorade total per loop.  My legs are steady.   I feel strong.  Then they run out of Gatorade on the back half during my 7th loop.

Loop 4: 25:47
Loop 5: 25:29 (2:07:52 – first 25k)
Loop 6: 24:55
Loop 7: 25:27

Since I missed  those crucial 3 oz of blue Gatorade on the back stretch, I grab another gel at the start of  loop 8.  It takes me two full laps to sip that down.

As I approach the end of loop 9, I first start to feel a little wobbly.  I can feel my form weakening just a bit and I catch my self grunting a little.  I laugh out loud as I feel like a Mac truck barreling down a highway making a bunch of noise.

With so little consumed, I know I am running off momentum and awe that I am really almost done.  I see that one mile mark, smile and think “I will see you next year!”   I pass the 2 mile mark and reflect on how I am glad to be done with that hilly mile and realize there is just 1 mile left!  “I got this!  Caumsett Park, I have beaten you this year.”

There is no one to catch and I am not being chased.  It is a relaxing finish.  My legs are heavy and I could cruise in but I don’t and instead give once last push as I see that finish.  I almost fall over from a head rush once I finally allow myself to stop running for the first time in 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Loop 8:  25:52
Loop 9:  26:03
Loop10:  25:30 (2:07:48 – 2nd 25k)

Caumsett volunteers print you a receipt within minutes of your finish.  It contains your lap splits, final time, pace, place, etc…  I show my friend Mike who immediately says, “Oh Wow, look at how even you were! And your last 5k was faster than you first!”  I look at the pace and see that it is 8:14 per mile.  I remember Ray calling out our Mile 1 split as 8:14 and I knew immediately that he had something to do with this!  I suspect that he was out there with me just to help me find my rhythm and beat this demon.  I see Ray after and show him my receipt.  Like the human calculator that he is, he quickly adds up my splits and declares “You negative split this!”   Holy crap, I just negative split a 50k!  Sure by only 5 seconds, but it counts.  I tell Ray how much I needed this to be a good race and why.  He tells me that he knew..

Stats:
4:15:32
for 50k (negative split by 5 seconds)
27th place OA
8th Female OA

What a great day for Racing a 50k in the Rain!

Caumsett Park, I can’t wait to see you next year!

Thank you so much for reading.

Posted in Ultra Marathon1 Comment

Joshua Holmes – Dodger Stadium – 2010 Los Angeles Marathon

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

I ran the Los Angeles Marathon for the first time last year.  It was the 25th anniversary running of the marathon in Los Angeles (outside of the Olympic games).

Last year was also the first year for the ‘Stadium to Sea’ course that takes runners from baseball’s Dodger Stadium, throughout all of the high points and tourist attractions of Los Angeles, to a beautiful finish at the beach in Santa Monica.

I’ve returned to run the L.A. Marathon again this year and thought I’d quickly list 10 of my most favorite things about the Los Angeles Marathon.

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

  1. Getting to stretch and get loose before the race on the outfield grass of Dodger Stadium
  2. Skipping the long porta-potty lines to pee on the Chavez Ravine hillside
  3. Following the tweets of the L.A. Marathon @lamarathon throughout the year
  4. Running down Hollywood Boulevard by Grauman’s (Mann’s) Chinese Theater where thousands of movie premieres have taken place over the past 100 years
  5. Struggling down Sunset Boulevard thinking of all of the celebrities and great rockstars that have had just as much difficulty making it up and down this strip in the wee hours of the morning
  6. Sprinting down Rodeo Drive
  7. The opportunity to run with all of the local kids and citizens of Los Angeles who train all year just to run this race.
  8. Finishing at the Santa Monica beach near the boardwalk & pier
  9. The finisher’s medal is always top notch (see the 2011 version).
  10. The crowd support throughout all the different areas of Los Angeles is top notch and extremely encouraging throughout the entire 26.2 miles.  The crowd the last half mile before the finish line in Santa Monica makes you feel as if you were finishing an Olympic marathon with the gold.

Best of luck to all of those running the Los Angeles Marathon this year and for years to come!

Los Angeles Marathon Website

Related Los Angeles Marathon Links

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)

Flea Runs Los Angeles Marathon in 3:53:00 (pic)

List of 2011 Los Angeles Marathon Elite Runners

2011 L.A. Marathon Finisher’s Medal

Posted in Marathon5 Comments

fall Creek 15K 2010B

Miracle on Fall Creek

Photo by Monte Lowe

Say you eclipse five state records in one race; say they were yours to begin with; say you run a 15K at 5K pace. Then you try to explain it. But you can’t explain it. It sounds like a lie, but it is true. So you end up calling it a miracle. What else could anybody call it? You might as well put that word in the title, too.

I reprised this race again on Saturday, just four days ago, but not with the miraclous results of that earlier time. At Saturday’s start, Running Journal magazine with this story in it had just appeared. That timing was no accident.

Read the full story by Dallas Smith by clicking HERE

Posted in Running0 Comments

Sally Meyerhoff elite marathon killer in crash

Elite Marathoner Sally Meyerhoff Killed in Tragic Bicycle Crash with Semi

27-year old elite marathoner Sally Meyerhoff was tragically killed on Tuesday when she was cycling and was hit by a semi-truck at an intersection in Maricopa, Arizona.

Sally, who had won the 2011 P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in Phoenix back in January, was instantly killed in the crash. The pick-up driver was not impaired, but the police is still currently investigating the accident.

The runner was allegedly happy and excited because she had just qualified for Olympic trials. Sally was also considered to be one of the Top 10 marathon runners in the country.

From Marathon Guide who sponsored Sally:

Sally’s running credentials were impressive and promising: a fifth place finish at the 2009 USA Marathon Championships in 2:35:49 and her victory at the 2011 Rock N Roll Arizona Marathon – among other marathons – confirmed her skill and potential at the marathon; she was recognized by the RRCA for her potential and awarded the “Roads Scholar” in 2008 and 2009; and at Duke University Meyerhoff had earned a number of ECAC titles including the 5000m outdoors in 2004 (16:22.94); 5000m indoors in 2007 (16:11.57); 3000m indoors in 2005 (9:19.88). Meyerhoff was also an accomplished triathlete and was training for the Ironman World Championships as well as the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon where she had achieved the A-Standard on multiple occasions.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sally’s family and friends!

[image: sportscasm]

Posted in Marathon1 Comment


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