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Three Finishers at Barkley Marathons – First time ever

Three Finishers at Barkley Marathons – First time ever

Barkley Marathons, the toughest race you have never heard of had three finishers for the first time EVER. Until last year there were only 10 finishers in the 25 years of the race history. This year, the course record was shattered by Brett Maune who was the sole finisher at Barkley Marathons last year.

Brett Maune 52:03:08,

Jared Campbell 56:00:15,

John Fegyveresi 59:41:21

(Brett and Jared sharing a lighter moment at the Yellow Gate)

Photo Courtesy: Matt Hart :: Coaching Endurance LLC :: TrailRunner Mag’s Ask the Coach

Posted in Barkley Marathons, Events, Results, Running, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Brett Muane

Brett Maune crushes the Barkley Marathons Course Record

Brett Maune from California crushes the Barkley Marathons course record in 52:03:08.  The previous course record was set by Brian Robinson in 2008 55h 42m 27s. Last year Brett M was the sole finisher with a finish time of 57:13:33. Also Brett Maune is also the only person to finish the Barkley twice. A legendary performance.

Jared Campbell and John Fegyveresi are still OUT THERE.

Photo Courtesy: Matt Hart :: Coaching Endurance LLC :: TrailRunner Mag’s Ask the Coach

Posted in Barkley Marathons, Events, Running, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Berlin Marathon – Patrick Makau Winner

2011 Berlin Marathon Live Blog & Results

2011 Berlin Marathon Live Blog Coverage & Results: (REFRESH FOR UPDATES)

10:32am – 38th Berlin Marathon Male and Female Elite Results (LINK)

10:25am – UK’s Paula Radcliffe finishes 2:23:46 (unofficial)

10:20am – Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat wins the women’s title in a time of 2:19:44 (unofficial)

Patrick Makau Smashes World Record at 38th Berlin Marathon

11:04am – RECORD  NEW WORLD MARATHON RECORD for PATRICK MAKAU IN 2:03:37

11:00am – 18 seconds ahead of the pace with about 1 km to go.

10:58am – 1:57:15 at 40km for Patrick Makau (2:03:40). Less than 6 minutes til we know…

10:57am – Florence Kiplagat at 1:56:10 at the 35km mark.

10:56am – Approaching 40km for Patrick Makau. 2:03:20 projected finishing time. 39 seconds ahead of the WR pace that Haile holds.

10:53am – 10 minutes until we have a new record. Will it fall? I’ll let you know in 10 min.

10:52am – 38km for Makau

10:49am – 15 minutes til a World Record for Patrick Makau

10:47am -6km to go!

10:46am – Makau with a 2:37 lead over Haile. Edwin Kimaiyo is 2:44 back.

10:44am – 1:42:16 for Makau at the 35km. The world record is in sight. Let’s go Patrick!

10:43am – Makau is trying to repeat…he won Berlin last year.

10:36am – 51 seconds ahead of WR at 33km

10:33am – 49 seconds ahead of the world record pace at 32km for Makau.

10:30am – Patrick Makau is at the 30km mark in 1:27:38. 2:03:02 predicted finishing time which would be a new world record. 12km to go.

10:26am – Florence reached 25km in 1:23:15. Paula Radcliffe is back by a large margin now.

10:26am – Makau has a sizable lead now.

10:25am – Haile is back on the course but is over a minute back.  Never underestimate the heart of this champion, but it is looking like he will have no chance to win today.

10:24am – Haile Gebrselassie is DONE! DNF FOR HAILE – He was so strong but has stepped off the course and is done.

10:23am – Haile and Makau are starting to posture each other as the gaming is in full effect now.

10:21am – The pacemakers are falling as the leading men will have to fight it out over the last 15km to see who will win today.

10:19am – Haile Gebrselassie is showing some signs of fatigue. I’d still never bet against him. Never underestimate the heart of a champion and the world record holder.

10:16am – Patrick Makau has taken over the lead (albeit a short one) at the 25km split.  Still tightly bound near the top for the men.

10:13am – 19 seconds back is Paula from Florence at the halfway point for the women.  Florence continues to run strong (and fast). There might be something wrong with Paula who often has injuries pop up from time to time in between her greatness.

10:09am – Paula has lost 8 more seconds to Florence at the 2okm mark and is now 17 seconds back. Flo hit 20km in 1:06:32

10:04am – At the half way point the men are on a world record pace with 5 men within a second.

10:00am – Men hit 20km at 58:30

9:58am – A rather boring race to this point as the men are nearing the halfway point.

9:55am – Haile has too many pacers in my opinion. As a viewer, they make it hard to see him during the race.  I have nothing against pacers in general but they should be limited to 1 or 2 per runner.

9:52am – Florence Kiplagat is at 15km split in 49:50 with Radcliffe 9 seconds back. Radcliffe is continuing to lose distance. Commentators race side think she might be having an issue or injury.

9:46am – Haile 15km split – 43:51

9:39am – Overhead look at Paula and Flo’s lead pack (w/ Flo’s pacers)

9:34am – Paula and Florence reach 10km at 33:16.

9:32am – Very fast pace so far led by Haile. Edwin Kimaiyo and Patrick Makau are there as well.  Lead men did 11th-km in 2:55.

9:30am – Men reach 10km at 29:17 (Haile) 2:03:30 pace

9:28am – Haile and his pacing team (below).

9:23am – Florence and Paula just hit the 7km mark.  The men are at the 8.5km mark.

9:20am – Haile running at about 23 KPM

And Florence Kiplaglat is leading the women at the 5K mark in 16:37. Radcliffe is literally on her heels.

9:16am – Haile hits the 5K mark at 14:36

9:07am – Berlin is the third largest marathon in the world. 1. New York City, 2. Chicago

9:04am – 3rd time in marathon history that the male and female marathon record holders have been in the same race.

9:04am – 40,963 runners today starting the race. 23% are women.

9:03am – This is Radcliffe’s first marathon since the birth of her second child.

9:00am – And we are off!!!!! The 38th Berlin BMW Marathon is now underway.

Almost perfect conditions: Sunny, only a slight wind, 12 Celsius at the start. Humidity is still a bit high with 75 %

8:58am – Could the Berlin Marathon bibs be any bigger? Placards!!

8:57am – Paula Radcliffe is being mentioned most often at the moment on Twitter with tweets offering her the best of luck.

8:55am – Mixed field today, so sorry women….no world records (STORY!!!)

8:50am – 10 minutes til the start!  125 nations represented.

8:41am (Berlin time) – Several tweets about horrible organization at the start of the Berlin Marathon.

All of the elites are ready to try to set new World Records (or is it World Bests?)

Universal Sports LINK to Watch the Race Live

Will Paula Radcliffe win her 4th Berlin Marathon today? Or perhaps will Irina Mikitenko be able to pull off the upset?

Berlin Marathon Website

2011 Berlin Marathon Elite Field

MEN

Haile Gebrselassie ETH 18.4.1973 2:03:59
Patrick Makau KEN 2.3.1985 2:04:48
Gilbert Yegon KEN 6.8.1988 2:06:18
Driss El Himer FRA 4.4.1974 2:06:48
Hendrick Ramalaa RSA 2.2.1972 2:06:55
Samuel Kosgei KEN 20.1.1986 2:07:47
Simon Munyutu FRA 27.12.1977 2:09:24
John Kyui KEN 20.10.1984 2:10:00
Emmanuel Samal KEN 5.6.1989 2:10:27
Mikhail Lemaev RUS 23.11.1986 2:10:41
Edwin Kimaiyo KEN 9.2.1986 2:11:22
Sergey Rybin RUS 30.9.1985 2:11:48
James Theuri FRA 30.10.1978 2:12:05
Pedro Nimo ESP 5.6.1980 2:12:10
Joseph Chirlee USA 14.2.1980 2:12:10
Dan Robinson GBR 13.1.1975 2:12:13
Yohanis Abera ETH 13.1.1987 2:12:44
Falk Cierpinski GER 17.5.1978 2:13:30
Jose Moreira POR 5.5.1980 2:13:37
Martin Beckmann GER 15.7.1977 2:13:42
Jose-C. Hernandez ESP 17.3.1978 2:13:46
Martin Fagan IRL 26.6.1983 2:14:06
Ben Whitby GBR 6.1.1977 2:15:09
Andi Jones GBR 10.10.1978 2:15:20
Stefano Scaini ITA 4.5.1983 2:16:48
Markus Weiß-Latzko GER 6.7.1984 Debut

WOMEN

Paula Radcliffe GBR 17.12.1973 2:15:25
Irina Mikitenko GER 23.8.1972 2:19:19
Lidia Simon ROM 4.9.1973 2:22:54
Lidiya Grigoryeva RUS 21.1.1974 2:25:10
Tatyana Petrova RUS 8.4.1983 2:25:53
Nailya Yulamanova RUS 6.9.1980 2:26:05
Rosaria Console ITA 17.12.1979 2:26:45
Anna Incerti ITA 19.1.1978 2:27:33
Claudia Dreher GER 2.5.1971 2:27:55
Anne-Mette Aagaard DEN 5.8.1973 2:35:00
Maja Neuenschwander SUI 13.2.1980 2:35:07
Eri Okubo JPN 2.6.1983 2:35:24
Helen Decker GBR 12.9.1979 2:35:43
Michelle Ross-Cope GBR 31.1.1972 2:36:02
Rebecca Robinson GBR 28.10.1982 2:37:14
Amy Whitehead GBR 29.7.1978 2:39:27
Florence Kiplagat KEN 27.2.1987 Debut
Sonia Samuels GBR 16.5.1979 Debut

Berlin Marathon Website

Berlin Marathon Twitter Photos

Posted in Events, Marathon, Results, Running3 Comments

Vol State 2011 End

Day 9: The Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog

Vol State 2011 End

8:18:57:45 & 8:18:58:42
Erika followed by Lynnor The fightin’ mathenys!!!

8:07:27:00
July 22, 2011 John price’s 5th finish…. C

Mike Langille Epic job.

8:06:40:29
July 22, 2011 Sal coll is done C

Another race up sand mountain
So as Paul came in to the finish, we got a call from John price. “hey, who’s behind me…

8:04:15:55
July 22, 2011 Paul lefelhocz “I feel so impressed with myself right now”

From: Carl Laniak
Date: July 22, 2011 8:33:23 AM EDT
To: Vol State List , The ULTRA List Subject: 8:00:07:44

finish vol state 2011


Josh Holmes.
“I sprinted the last 15k”
“am I done?”

Carl

Posted in Events, Marathon, Race Reports, Vol State0 Comments

Front Page News for Vol State Runners 2011

Day 8: The Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog

Front Page News for Vol State Runners 2011



Naresh, Unaided Vol State 2011 WInner

From: Carl Laniak
Date: Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 8:34 AM
Subject: 7:00:55:04
To: Vol State List , The ULTRA List

Naresh wins unaided category.
He crushed the opposition!

Carl

From: Carl Laniak
Date: Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 8:16 AM
Subject: Casualties continue vol-state 18
To: Vol State List , The ULTRA List

Naresh: in cornfields
Sherry: montage 274
Sal: Pelham cafe, “feeling better, but I’ll fix that” 266
Josh h: 262 – ten marathons
The jp and Fred Murolo reported the same mileage, 255. Although they were unaware of each others’ presence.
Reports of Joe judd’s demise were premature….but not exaggerated, he has dropped at 252
Lefelhocz: sense of humor good, pain level high, 250
The fightin mathenys are trucking again, 245

Diane is still smiling and laughing, 235.

Naresh is coming around the corner….

Carl

Morning Day 8 Vol State

From: Carl Laniak
Date: July 20, 2011 8:12:09 PM CDT
To: The ULTRA List , Vol State List
Subject: If I felt like this any other time I’d go to the hospital vol-state 17

The kind of physical condition these people are in is beyond the scope of reason.
Each man and woman still on the course after 200 miles is suffering.
No one has looked good in the past 24 hrs.

They are:
Abi meadows- 300 miles- finishing before midnite
Naresh Kumar- 282- sub 7???
Sherry Meador- 260
Fred and Joe the survivors- 244
Sal- in Manchester sleeping
Jp- 241
Josh h- 236
Erika-232
Lynnor-232
Paul-232
Diane-230

some of them are hard to look at.
they’ve got to want it really bad.
at other races
you might have to be fast
you might have to be strong
but the volstate
is all about wanting it
really bad

the “it” they want really bad right now
is for IT to be over…

Carl

day 8 vol state sunrise

About 2am, Somewhere around Manchester Vol State 2011

The weather is uninhabitable, even for walking outside at 8am. It was already 94 degrees on our vehicle gauge. I don’t know how they are doing this.

Posted in Events, Injuries, Marathon, Running, Ultra Marathon, Vol State0 Comments

Vol State 2011 Winner

Day 7: The Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog

Winning TIme- First Runner to Finish in record time. It is a delicate balance for the runners: try to not kill yourself to finish but pace yourself fast enough to finish, and pretend it’s not a race. Keep telling themselves that it is enough to finish. Careful out there everyone! “It’s enough just to be nominated!”…

5:14:21:32

Vol State 2011 Winner

From: Carl Laniak
Date: July 19, 2011 10:02:25 PM CDT
To: Vol State List , The ULTRA List Subject: 5:14:21:32

Everyone know how to read that finish time??

King juli the lean’s reign is over.
King don has ascended to the throne.
Carl

From: lazarus lake
Date: July 20, 2011 10:14:24 AM CDT
To: ,
Subject: survival. it comes down to survival. vol-state 15

even as a lucky few are celebrating success…
or sleeping the sleep of the dead,

those surviving on the road are doing just that
surviving…

barely….

some of them.

abi leads the survivors, in pelham at 266.
says if she sees us,she is dumping off her gear
and going for the rock.

naresh is in hot pursuit in hillsboro (app 260).
ok, he isnt in hot pursuit
he is sitting in an abandoned convenience store
with a bag of ice on his foot
weeping.
says his foot feels like a brick attached to his ankle.
says he only hopes to wake up someday and not feel like this.
(there we go again. need another bio update.
the vol-state fairly breeds fantasy ultra goals)

sherry is somewhere in there,but has so far remained quiet.
we hope she is not waiting in ambush for us to drive thru.

sal has swept thru the survivors & is at 240,
on 16th model road

josh is also moving up,past shelbyville at 228

fred the surviving, is also past shelbyville at 225

paul at 216 leads john price at 215
each walking in their own personal hell

the waltzing mathenys are at 210
with erika injured,and 104 miles still to go.

diane is thru lewisburg, at 203.
cheerful as ever.
pretty unique right now.

joe, the surviving is still in lewisburg.
at 202.
seriously contemplating quitting.
a rumor surfaced that he is thinking of trying to go with fred, the surviving,
and share crew.
that would mean he doesnt know fred left last night & is now 25 miles away.
joe might be at a critical juncture.

stu gleman was at the edge of columbia
when it dawned on him that he didnt have to do this.
he is finished at 175.

with about an hour & a half total sleep last night,
carl is wavering.
do you believe those guys really timed out their finishes on purpose??
i swear, riding herd on this crew is genuinely tiring….

it just doesn’t hurt.

laz

Vol State 2011 Road Temperatures are on Fire

From: lazarus lake
Date: July 20, 2011 10:58:26 AM CDT
To: ,
Subject: welcome to my oven

the course riders just poked our heads out.

it is like an f’ing oven out there.

if an oven had 90% humidity.

god help the poor souls on the road.

laz

Fueling up, Road style- headed for the finish.

Day 7 Vol State 2011 GPS Location

Posted in Events, Marathon, Race Reports, Running, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon, Vol State1 Comment

Chris Estes 2010 Winchester Southern Plunge Marathon

Marathons & Ultra Marathons this Weekend (June 4-5, 2011)

Here is a quick look at some of the big marathon and ultra marathon races taking place this weekend in the United States.

June 4-5, 2011 Races


Saturday, June 4

Green River Marathon (Kent to Alki, Washington) – Results Page

Newport Marathon (Newport, Oregon) – Results Page

North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Miler, 50K, Marathon, & Half (Washington, D.C.) – Results Page

Sunday, June 5

Casper Marathon (Wyoming) – Results Page

Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon (South Dakota) – Results Page

Minneapolis Marathon (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Results Page

North Olympic Discovery Marathon (Sequim to Port Angeles, Washington) – Results Page

Rock N’ Roll San Diego Marathon & Half Marathon (San Diego, California) – Results Page

Steamboat Marathon & Half Marathon (Steamboat Springs, Colorado) – Results Page

Posted in Events, Marathon, Running, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

10K in Knoxville, 2010

Silent Lessons … When Not Running

10K in Knoxville 2010

Most of you may know I am taking a mini-break from running while healing from Plantar Fasciitis in my right foot. I’m almost there, kids ;-). I have been running a little here and there, but I’ve consistently been listening to my foot while running these past few months. I also listen to my foot the days following a run, because it speaks to me and tells me how it’s feeling.

Taking a break from running has helped me look inward with regard to my running. Looking back at 2010, running seemed like such an outward event. I am still every bit the runner I was last year, but probably haven’t even run 20 miles this year. Funny, I’m not too bothered by that.

I firmly believe that listening to your body is the key that will determine the life of your running career (or hobby, or whatever it is). If you don’t take heed and really listen, you may be forced to take a short, or long, or indefinite break from the sport, hobby and passion that you love. I can’t say there was anything in particular that could have led me to believe I would develop Plantar, but I also can’t say I was listening very closely to any issues that may have been developing as they happened.

The injury itself is really not too big of a deal, and as long as I keep up my massages, stretches and icing, I should be back on track to run the Palmetto Half Marathon on April 16th (one of the best half marathons I’ve ever run … hummm, I think I say that about almost every half marathon I’ve ran, ha, ha, ha)! Seriously, the Palmetto Half is an amazing event.

I truly believe this break from running will make me an even stronger runner when I get back to it. I already know it has made me a smarter runner because now I know how to listen better and what to listen for, and I won’t think twice about taking a week of if I feel I need to. If my body tells me that is what it needs.

It’s not about “racking up the mileage” for me anymore, or seeing how many races I can squeeze into one month, or how many half marathons I can run in a single year. It’s about being a smart runner, a runner who listens, so that I can be a runner for as long as there is breath within me. Or until my legs just give out at 90-something years old ;-).

In the mean time, I have been spending hours at the gym focusing on building muscle and gaining strength. Fitness is a huge part of my life, so if I can’t run I will find something else fitness-related to keep me healthy and active until I return to the pavement. And even then, I think strength-training will be much more a part of my fitness regime than just running alone.

Posted in 5K, Events, Half Marathon, Injuries, Marathon, Running, Uncategorized1 Comment

2010 Ragnar Relay Tennessee Medal

2010 Ragnar Relay Tennessee Medal

2010 Tennessee Ragnar Relay Finisher's Medal

The finisher’s medal from the inaugural Tennessee Ragnar Relay from Chattanooga to Nashville (195 miles).

Posted in Bling, Events, Featured, Medals2 Comments

Ragnar Relay Bumpshack Racing Finish Line Photo

2010 Tennessee Ragnar Relay Live Blog (Bumpshack Racing)

Live blogging from the 2010 Tennessee Ragnar Relay from Chattanooga to Nashville.

PHOTOS FROM BUMPSHACK RACING at RAGNAR

CHECK OUT THE MASSIVE TN RAGNAR RELAY BLING

LIVE BLOG

Bumpshack Racing Final Time – 27 hrs 39 min 21 seconds
– 32nd of 160 Overall
– 10th of 79 Open Division

Team R3 won the relay in 19:47:09
2nd Place: TR2 Slug Monkeys 23:43:47
3rd Place: Blue Suede Shoes 24:12:46

View 2010 Ragnar Relay Tennessee Full Team Results

Sat 1:38pm – We are done. Totally rocked it. Everyone had a blast and really ran it fast. Will update more later. Life calls! On road home, stopped at Sonic getting sweet tea to assist in my toughest leg the past row days.

Travis brought us home with our 36th overall leg. We met him as a team of 12 there on 1st ave. We ran the last 200 yards as a team and crossed the finish line together.  A very happy and joyous occasion for us all.

Perhaps cheesy, but I couldn’t have asked for a better team. We all got along extremely well and had a really fun time pushing each other across 195 miles in 27 hours and 39 minutes.

“Great challenging event that pushes you to the max both physically and mentally. Would totally do it all over again…with some rest of course.” – Josh Watson

Sat 12:30pm – Done with my and Chad’s legs. 15.3 miles. Tough. Get text when done that wife and baby in ER. Baby stopped breathing for bit, turned blue. Three x-rays and bloodwork on baby. Not sure what’s wrong, maybe obstruction in stomach. Speeding home shortly after done.

Miller is currently running next to last leg, then Travis and we are done.

Sat 8:33am – Kirk came in strong but spent. Van 1 set a high standard throughout. Those guys can now shower (at Tommy’s condo), relax, and start the party (at Hooters) if they can still move.

Van 2, led by Estes, is off to finish this off.

Sat 6:58am – Van 2 with little to no sleep. I have none as most have little if any. I did get a very cold shower in the girl’s locker room at the school we stopped by. Very cold Shower and old-school open for the locker room to see! Oriental woman walked in astonished I was using their shower. But I chatted her up and she became friendly telling me about her running so far. About 8 other women walked in during this time all with the same look. I finished getting dressed and told them I enjoyed it and we’d do it again some time.

Chad is injured so I am going to attempt his leg, as well, after my 9 mile leg in a bit. Won’t lie, I have no clue how my body will respond to 15.3 more miles on no sleep, after 2 fast legs already in the tank, but we as a team will get it done some how.

Van 1 during this time has continued their torrid pace. Gene, Josh Watson, Flowers, and Tommy are done with all of their legs. Van 2 should take over again around 8:30am to bring this home and to our bling at the end of the rainbow.

Sat 3:30am – Chad’s run across Shelbyville turned into a skip-to-my-Lou across Shelbyville as the ‘One-Legged Pony’s’ calf started acting the fool.

Scott ‘Heather’ Miller is out running abacus fast. Travis is up soon, then we are off to attempt sleep as Van 1 takes over.

Sat 2:30am – Just finished my 2nd leg (21st overall). It was very cold so I just took off at about 7:25 pace for first 3 miles. I felt good, so I kept pushing hard. Did last 3.8 at about 7:04 pace. Caught some people on last mile. Finished 6.8 mile leg at 49:09, 7:13 pace. So much better than first crap run. (New pace record for Bumpshack Racing so far).

One-Legged Pony Richardson is currently running through Shelbyville. Rest of guys in Van 2 have nicknamed me ‘Hot Flash.’ I have tried to shorten this to ‘Flash’ but to no avail.

Garth ‘Darth’ Bentley is seriously doing a great job getting us to these exchange points and supporting us along the route.  ‘Darth’ just got renamed as ‘Hoke’ for you ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ fans.

Sat 1:30am – Estes said he had a hard time breathing but still set the fastest pace for our team, so far, at 7:15 for his 2.7 mile leg.  We will see how long this stands.

Fri 11:15pm – At exchange waiting on Van 1 that has, like Sherman, blazed through their second set of legs. The entire team Gene, Watson, Flowers, Tommy, Andy, and Kirk have really ran fast. Watson was about 7:30 pace, Flowers 8:08.

Estes is ready to take off on a short 5kish leg once Kirk reaches him. Estes plans to set the fastest pace of the race for the team once he starts.

“Holmes, take your headlamp into the porta-potty, you can’t see crap in there!” – Chad ‘One-legged Pony’ Richardson

Fri 10:10pm – Watson finished his 2nd leg in 43:08 – very fast. Two very fast runs for him. He’s on fire.  Flowers running now.

Fri 10:00pm – Still waiting at fancy Italian place in Winchester (oxymoron?!) for our food…Van2.  The fancy Italian place took about 2 hours to serve and feed us but was worth the wait. Great food and bonding time with Van 2.  Our van, mostly strangers before the race, has quickly become friends and fans of each other.

“She was wearing tutu, and she blew me away!” – Travis Lampley

Fri 8:38pm – Travis ‘Quad City DJ’ brought us down off the mountain. 1/3 of the legs are in the books. Van 1 is back running with ‘Mean’ Gene starting round 2 of their legs. Both vans got to spend a good amount of time together at this last exchange.

Van 2 is now off in search of food and relaxation.

“It was rough, but it was fun!” – Travis Lampley

Fri 7:30pm – Scott Miller had a very fast run thru Sewanee before handing off to Travis.

“Knock’em off!” -Scott Miller

Fri 6:07pm – Estes battled the mountain and sleet and rain and some how pushed it hard. Brandon then took over for leg 8 and smoked his leg on top of the mountain. I took leg 9 which was a ‘Support’ leg which really means no course-support, that it’s up to your team.  Myself and team figured this out about 3.5 miles in. I struggled hard the first 4 miles before finding a semi-decent balance the last 2. The thin air, cold, and just my suckness made it a tough leg for me.  Still managed a decent pace.

Chad took over for leg 10 as darkness totally took over.  He looked strong when we just passed him.  It is getting colder, but everyone is running really well. Our 2nd runs, starting with Van 1 here in a bit will start to challenge us all as it gets colder.

Garth is doing a great job navigating the van.  About time to eat!

“Thinking about the Lonestar concert at the end helped me garner the strength and courage to conquer the mountain.” – Chris Estes

“I ate a potato, so bring on my next leg.” – Brandon ‘Spud’ Piacine

“I think I pulled my hammy hanging a left at that last stop sign.” – Garth Bentley (Van 2 Driver)

Fri 3:46pm – Van 2 is off and going. Estes is currently attacking the mountian. He looked very strong when we passed him in the van. The van struggled but made it up the mountain.  Brandon is now waiting at the exchange spot for Estes to meet him. Just as Brandon hopped out it started raining and sleeting.  It’s starting to get fun.  I’m up after Brandon, then Richardson, Miller, Lampley.

At the Van exchange where vans switched Kirk came in extremely fast and soaked. He ran as fast as he ever has. He seemed tired but excited.  Ready to run!  I will update pics as soon as I have a 3G signal.

Fri 1:42pm – Van 2 is checked in at exchange 6 and ready to go. Flowers ran a strong 3rd leg, as did Tommy. Andy is currently running then Kirk.  The weather has been cold, raining, sunny, warm, repeat!

Estes is ready to climb Mt. Eagle and fly with the birds.

Garth tried to put window paint on our van to decorate…below the windows, on the paint.  Immediate panic and dash to bathroom for towels to wash it off.

Van 2 in van, staying warm, waiting on Van 1 and Kirk to arrive.

Thanks to Scott Miller for the usage of the computer and wifi-card.

Fri 12:05pm – Gene smoked leg 1 in 65 minutes. Cab setting the bar high. Great start.

Fri 11:00am – Gene is off at the start after proposing to a girl in the stands during intros. Very cold at the start.  Ran into some Jackson friends, Jennifer Vailes Jones, Mandy Hill Reeves and her husband Randy Reeves as well.

Us Van 2 guys are currently at the Mellow Mushroom carbing up.  Chad and myself thought it would be a good idea to split and finish off a 16-inch Hawaiian pizza before our first leg.

Fri 9:26am – In van, on way to start line. Photos on link above.

Friday 7:15am – Up, quick shower, then down to meet rest of team to see them off at start. I couldn’t turn my brain off. Fell asleep about 3:00am. Will get food with Van 2 runners at some point. Estes is ready for some bling.

Thursday 10:00pm – Met up with Chris Estes and Tommy Dabbs in Nashville at Tommy’s place around 1pm. We got a quick bite at The Corner Pub before van driver Jon Arnold graciously picked us up to take us to the team meeting spot in Murfreesboro. Everyone quickly introduced themselves to the guys they didn’t know.

We then boarded our respective vans and headed down to our luxury hotel, the Microtel (yes, mirrors on every wall. Gene and Kirk were pumped to be sharing a room), in Chattanooga. After a gaffe by the hotel, giving half the guy’s room we headed to Carraba’s for a nice pasta-carb load and socializing among ourselves.

Then 7 guys boarded van 2 to head back to the hotel for some sleep while the remaining 5 runners and our teo drivers headed to the Fox and Hound for drinks. Most of our leadoff van headed to the Hound so it could me an interesting start to the morning.

I passed out the team shirts to the guys who came back, and everyone seemed to approve. About to attempt some sleep. Van 2 plans to head to the start with Van 1 to see them off.

Check back tomorrow for updates when the connection allows.

It’s going to be a blast.

I will be live blogging my experience doing my first Ragnar Relay race.  Our 12-person team, Bumpshack Racing, consists of myself Joshua Holmes, Scott Flowers, Kirk Catron, Tommy Dabbs, Chris Estes, Gene Caballero, Travis Lampley, Brandon Piacine, Scott Miller, Andy Schmeltzer, Chad Richardson, and Josh Watson.

Each Ragnar team (except the Ultra teams) consist of 12 runners split into two separate vans with each runner running 3 legs throughout the relay.  Every runner must stay in the same order throughout the race.

We are fortunate to have Garth Bentley and John Arnold driving our vans throughout the relay.

We will be meeting up in Murfreesboro tomorrow afternoon, hopping in two 15-person passenger vans, and making the trek down to Chattanooga to get settled in for pasta, socializing, and perhaps even a little bit of rest for our 195-mile journey starting on Friday morning.

Van #1 – Gene, Watson, Flowers, Dabbs, Schmeltzer, Catron
Van #2 – Estes, Piacine, Holmes, Richardson, Miller, Lampley

Most of my updates during the live blog will be centered around Van #2 since that is where I will be spending most of my time.  There will be several times during the relay though where both vans will be together.

Ragnar Relay Website

Race Start Time: November 5, 2010 – 11:00am (Downtown Chattanooga)

(Refresh Page for Updates Until the Race is Over)

Posted in Events, Relay, Running3 Comments


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