Run It Fast®

Good luck to you all this weekend and Run It Fast!

Joshua Holmes – Denmark Dash 5K and some training runs on the trail!

Travis Hutchinson – Running in Bozeman at 5,000 ft. Nice getaway trip for the weekend. Plan on doing 35 miles in 2 runs!

rebecca kell – Running Warm Your Heart 5K with several friends.

John Shepard – I will be at @BigRiverRunning‘s Castlewood Cup on Saturday. Completely pumped.

Lisa Gonzales – I’m running the La Jolla Canyon 50K on Sunday. My 2nd! Woo!

Kiki – I’m running in the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K in Hoover, AL.

Ev•••••• – Saturday, 5 miler – Ortega River Run 2012, Jacksonville, FL.

Carissa – ….conference meet!!! #emutf

Lauren Karn – Disney princess half marathon 🙂 @DisneySports

Indika McCampbell – time to get nice long 17mile training run on the trails this weekend!!

Paul – Xterra GA Thrill in the hills marathon

jjfrankelman – Trek Up the Tower in Omaha! Race up 40 flights of stairs.

elizabeth v rehmer – Disney baby!!! Princess half and my first time to Disney!

Susie K – 8 mile training run in Montauk, Long Island, NY 🙂

Tisha White – Mardi Gras Mambo 10K in Baton Rouge this Saturday

Jonathan Stewart – 16 easy breezy miles in J town. AJM just around the corner.

Heather Bily – #ragnardelsol. Bring it!!!

Lisa B. – Ft Worth. Cowtown Challenge 🙂

Kevin Ronayne – looong training runs this weekend in Central Mass

Jonathan Harrison – Leah & @ScottStader are running the Oxford Run 4 Hope Half Marathon in Oxford, MS.

Chad Lapp – running the febapple frozen 50k – south mountain preserve – NJ on Saturday!

Mike Kottmer – Mud In Your Eye 8K

jen bussey – in snowy calgary, helping my friend train for her first 1/2 marathon in prague mar 31 🙂

Danielle Elyse – I am RUNNING into the ocean for the Seaside Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday!! lol

Kevin Kozuszek – The Castlewood Cup 15k trail race by @bigriverrunning. It’s the best reason to train during the winter.

James Meredith – Sticking close to home, 8 miles; last long run before Little Rock, hoping to avoid injury, fatigue. Tapering can be a challenge.

We Run This – running in the fresh snow of WI…if it sticks around that long’

Camille Breckenridge –  #Oxford Run for Hope 5K

Casey – Princess 1/2 Marathon at Disney World on Sunday!

Gina Sassone – Super Spartan 8 mile obstacle course in Miami@Spartan_Race

Fernando Avila Alvar – at the parque tangamanga!

Lindsay Edwards – The Disney Princess Half Marathon in Orlando on Sunday!!! #disneymagic #readytorun

Sarah Malaney – 6 mile run Saturday with the Bridge the Gap Half Marathon training group!

Angie Gerber – 18 mile training run in beautiful Trout Lake, WA. Snow and wind will not stop us!

Nathan Bugg – <–Cowtown 10k in Ft.Worth Texas

Kimberly Tucker – Runniny my last long run before my half in NOLA next Sunday!

Chris Mateer – 5k/3k double at the SUNYAC championships….should be a fun weekend, both races are looking stacked!

Herk the Giant – 15km along the Birmingham Canal Main Line Upper and Lower levels via Smethwick

Connor Sorrells – george rogers clark 10 miler in vincennes indiana

William McArthur – half marathon race from Colorines to Valle de Bravo – Mexico!

Dina Kwit – Scenic City Half Marathon, Tenn.

AMI Round the Bays – wellington’s biggest ever fun run will gave 12,000 people running #AMIRoundTheBays

Kelly Belch – Doing my first 7k tomorrow for @Wgtnroundthebay ‘s. Very nervous and excited at the same time #cheeky7k

Jimmer0 – Running the Snow Joke half tomorrow in Seeley Lake, Montana.

Justin Gillette – Helping organize the Goshen Indoor Marathon…2 marathons held Saturday (8am and 230pm start times) and 1 on Sunday (7am start). One brave man is going to run all 3….204 laps on indoor track per race.

Marj Mitchell I forgot to write I will be doing a 19 miles on the hilly trails for week 13, marathon#2 training, it’s also my birthday and I can’t think of a better thing to do on my special day than to run long:)

It is being reported that a 9-year old Alabama girl, Savannah Hardin, is dead after being forced to run for three hours after lying to her grandmother about eating candy bars.

The girl died several days after having a seizure during the run. She was severely dehydrated during the run that caused the seizure.

Her grandmother, Joyce Hardin Garrard, and stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, are now being charged with murder.

Savannah Hardin died Monday at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s release said an autopsy report showed the girl was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level. A state pathologist ruled it a homicide.

The sheriff’s office received calls from concerned citizens who witnessed the girl running. No other details were released, but an official with the local volunteer fire department said rescuers thought something seemed odd when they responded to a call about the child.

Both Garrard and Hardin are currently released on $500,000.00 bail and are awaiting trial.

Court records show that Robert Hardin filed for divorce in August of 2010. In his complaint, he asserted his wife was bi-polar and had alcoholic tendencies. He accused her previously of having run off with the couple’s own child. In her response, Jessica denied all of Robert’s allegations.

This story is extremely tragic and very saddening.  Both women hopefully will be found guilty of little Savannah’s murder if the details of the story and police report are accurate.  It is no less than extreme child abuse of the girl and probably not the first time she was abused in such a way.

What they did was unconscionable. Their punishment of Savannah for her ‘crime’ of eating candy bars was beyond excessive and showed little concern, care, or love for the girl.

Our thoughts and prayers at Run It Fast go out to the Hardin family…those that loved and cared about her at least.

Here is one of the best medals we’ve received so far this year. It’s the finisher’s medal from the 2012 Woolley Run 50K-Marathon-Half Marathon that took place on February 18, 2012 in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.

This race did a good job of not doing anything ass-backwards or did they…

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photos submitted by Jack Curtis. Follow him on Twitter @JackCurtis_WA]

Justin Gillette won the 2012 Lost Dutchman Marathon on Sunday (February 19, 2012) in Apache Junction, Arizona with a winning time of 2:31:03.

The Indiana native beat out second place finisher Tom Lipsie by over 9 minutes. Lipsie finished in 2:40:26.  Third place went to O’Canada’s Ken Myers in 2:41:41.

Top 10 Male Lost Dutchman Marathon Finishers

1. Justin Gillette – 2:31:03
2. Tom Lipsie – 2:40:26
3. Ken Myers – 2:41:41
4. Boone Ebel – 2:45:51
5. Stephen Anders0n – 2:49:58
6. Matthew Brake – 2:54:16
7. Gary Krugger – 2:54:49
8. Cliff Richards – 2:56:41
9. Brian Zacher – 2:58:17
10. Steve Dirkse – 2:58:39

Olympic Marathon Trials marathoner Leah Thorvilson easily won the Lost Dutchman Marathon winning by nearly 30 minutes with a time of 2:47:15. Leah finished 5th overall. She ran so fast that rumor has quickly circulated that she DID FIND the Dutchman.

Second place went to Traci Falbo in 3:14:23 with third place going to Brittany Orkney in 3:17:04.

Top 10 Female Lost Dutchman Marathon Finishers

1. Leah Thorvilson – 2:47:15
2. Traci Falbo – 3:14:23
3. Brittany Orkney – 3:17:04
4. Mary Hanna – 3:20:48
5. Linda Tivorsak – 3:25:17
6. Talva Parker – 3:25:42
7. Camille Bloom – 3:26:33
8. Ashlee Thomas – 3:27:27
9. Angela Warren – 3:27:27
10. Wendy Lathrop – 3:27:48

Full and Searchable 2012 Lost Dutchman Marathon/Half Marathon Results

IT’S HERE – The RUN IT FAST RUNNING CLUB – Join Today!!!

*chip times and clock times were inverted, converted, and perverted on official race results page. I went with the chip time for each posted.

We asked on Twitter (@runitfast) where you were running this weekend and 48 of you responded!

Good luck to you all this weekend and Run It Fast!

Joshua Holmes – 4 consecutive days of 12-13 trail miles each. Prep for#MS50

Can’t Stop Endurance – Sylamore Trail 50K

Ryan Bak – I’m running HaggLake50k#haggmud near Forest Grove, OR. 1st race back since the Olympic Trials Marathon!

Nathan Kreeger – Pilot Mountain Payback trail marathon. Pilot Mountain, NC.

aimee bellwood – Brighton half marathon, England!

Lori Guerrini – With 50 degree weather in #Chicago on Friday, I am running along Lake Michigan for 8-10 miles.

Emily Stacey – racing in Coles Bay #Tasmania for the #colesbay100! Doing the run leg (18km).

Jonathan Bobbitt – 4 days, 50 miles…leading to the dreaded taper for MS50

JCGrez Tri IM70.3 – Olimpic distance Tri this Sunday, just for #Training…#Triathlon #RunItFast

alexv13 – Mission Peak

Jen Nagle – running the rhythm and blues 1/2 marathon this weekend!

Jenna Schofer – 14 miles in Portland….yeah for marathon training & a 4-day week-end.

Rob Estell – Ft Laud 1/2 marathon

Gavin Grobbelaar – Tuks 21km Pretoria and Pirates 21km Joburg.

Jared Friesen – racing in the Little Su 50k up in Alaska, my first ultra and 30th birthday present!

Sandra Laflamme – Racing at Pats Peak in NH for race #3 of the http://winterwild.com race series @TeamAMPllc  @Earth_Tec#motherrunner  #womenrunning

Leah Thorvilson – Lost Dutchman Marathon!! Think I’ll fin him??

Brian Rice – IMS Arizona Marathon @arizonamarathon

Camilla Brookes – 10km fun run in Huskisson NSW. Recovery run + medal + camping trip – bad weather = great weekend to be had!

Victor I. Fleitas – The Black Warrior 25k.

Tracy Pellizzari – Birch Bay, WA marathon! 🙂

Nikki Thurmond – Austin LIVESTRONG! 13.1

secret santa – just doing my long run – this weekend 17 km on a scenic seafront path

Alvin Lee – Myrtle Beach Marathon, goal to break 4 hrs! # runitfast

Jason Sutton – if I shake this heavy duty head cold it is Pilot Mountain Payback Marathon for me tomorrow.

Aaron Johnstone –  @austinmarathon on Sunday!!! #RunAustin #runchat

Kevin Ronayne – Training runs this weekend will be in Central MA

Tom Hoogendoorn – will be doing the fort Langely Historic Half

James Meredith – 23 miles, final train run for LIttle Rock. Laps around the neighborhood. Boring … but helps me mimic water stops better.

Jonathan Stewart – 17 mile tempo in Jackson town.

Melanie Gomez – #Austin half marathon #LIVESTRONG

Gerard Pescatore – 14 mile training run in Philly (Training for the Run for the Red on 5/20). #runitfast

Susan Eastman – Valentine’s Twosome 3-miler on Sunday in Sandwich MA to benefit Relay for Life Team; also running 7 miles Sat. w/group

alex castillo – running in the Demery Cox 5000 this Sunday #gonerunning

Sarah Malaney – 5 mile group run with the BTG #HalfMarathon training group. we are in week 3 of 14!

Nathan Bugg – <– “heart n sole 5k” at whiterock lake, Dallas Texas

Christina Kaighen – The Destin 50 Ultra in Destin, FL. 50K of the world’s most beautiful beaches!

Lauren Stone – 8 mile training run in Forest Park here in STL training for a half on 4/7

Jeremy Couch – Brookville, IN to Oxford, OH…

Miriam Wood – Minneapolis. A 1/2 marathon

Mindy M – Great Aloha Run on Monday here in Honolulu. 8.15 miles.

Emily Conley – Sylamore 50K. My favorite race and what started my obsession with trails

Samantha – Brazen Bay Breeze Half Marathon in San Leandro, CA.#runitfast

Laura Raeder – austin! #runaustin

E.B. – Brunswick, GA – 10th Annual Bridge Run 5k

Mark Beer – tribesports london ultra should be a good one 1st ultra of the year for me

kim kreuzman – In Indy – with @MilesThatMatter! Haven’t see him in forever! #Soexcited!

Tracy Rinella – Bay Breeze Half Mary 🙂

Julia Forystek –  #VirginiaIsForLovers. 😉

IT’S HERE – The RUN IT FAST RUNNING CLUB – Join Today!!!

The Run It Fast Running Club

Run It Fast is a way of life for both beginning and veteran endurance athletes. RIF is open to everyone and is simply a motto for pushing past your own limits to go further, faster, and do more than you ever have before. Everyone’s ‘Fast’ is relative and 100% subjective.

As a part of the Run It Fast Running Club you will receive a Run It Fast tech shirt for joining. There is not a better way to receive encouragement at a race than to be sporting the RIF shirt. You will hear ‘Run It Fast’ at the exact moment your energy dips or you need that extra push to finish that race or set a new PR.

In addition, you will have access to Run It Fast coaches to discuss running your first 5K, half marathon, marathon, or ultra. You will also receive discounts on Run It Fast clothing/merchandise and to future RIF races, events, and non-RIF races where we can procure a group discount.

We are also working on creating a place on RunItFast.com for you to store your races and results in addition to a point system to rank runners to create end of the year awards based on total distance, speed, and other factors.

If you’ve wanted to be part of a national running community to encourage and be encouraged by others you will enjoy being a part of the Run It Fast Team.

Membership Pricing:
New Members: $35 (includes Run It Fast tech shirt & shipping)
Renewals $15 per year

First 150 to join will be entered into a drawing for a free Garmin 310XT GPS watch!

First member from each different state will be entered into a drawing for a Running Warehouse gift card!

Benefits: Run It Fast tech shirt, RIF membership card, becoming part of RIF community, discounts at various races/RIF events and running stores, access to RIF coaches, place to store and keep track of your races, discounts on RIF merchandise and gear, point scoring system for male and female runner of the year and other awards.

The sooner you join the lower your Run It Fast badge # will be.

*If you already have a Run It Fast shirt then please email RIF at RunItFast@gmail.com for a discount code to join (without shirt, unless you want another one).

I have access to “civilized” trails close to where I live. There are probably 20 miles of single track & fire road in a park that’s bordered by 2 freeways, a local airport, and the town I grew up in. They are used by hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and runners. There are even water fountains and bathrooms just yards off the trail. The only critters you’re likely to see in there are coyotoes, squirrels, rabbits, skunks, ducks, and birds – nothing scary. They are practically perfect in every way…except elevation. It’s all hills but there are no long, extended mountains to climb. For that, I would need to hit the trails that go up into the San Gabriel Mountains. Which I happen to live in the foothills of! Lucky Me!

Or it would be lucky me if I wasn’t so nervous about running them alone. I could get lost! I could run into a mountain lion or a bear! Or a rattlesnake! Wait, that already happened. Still it has to be safer than running on the street, right? At least there wouldn’t be cars.

Anyway, I was curious to see what other thought was safer (running trails vs running streets) so I tweeted a poll on Twitter yesterday. “Which do you think is safer, trails or streets? Why?”. I only asked women at first until I was scolded for discriminating against the guys. Sorry about that! All in all, 22 people responded and these are the results:

 Streets: 15

Trails: 7

I can’t say I’m surprised that more people picked streets. Are you?

Most of the reasons people chose streets was because of visibility, light, more people (“witnesses” – scary thought!), and surer footing. One person said “I sometimes worry that if I collapsed in a trail nobody would find me” and another said “trails is where the witches, zombies and werewolf’s live”. Although I would think you’d have to watch out for zombies more on the streets than the trails. 😉

The biggest reason that people chose trails over the street was because there are no cars but also because there are fewer people and it’s “too early for creeps”. And the consensus was that you would meet more like-minded adventure people on the trail than some random joe/jane.

How would I vote? I would vote for My Trails over the streets but I’d vote for streets over the mountain trails. I’ll work up the courage to hit them though. I swear. 🙂

Which side of the fence do you fall on? Would you rather run on the trails or the street? Do you run trails at night? Have you run into any wildlife? Any advice for newbies hitting the trails for the first time?

Bobby Mack won the USA Cross Country Championship on Saturday in a very cold St. Louis, Missouri in a time of 35:41.

Aaron Braun finished in second place. Third went to Josh Simpson.

Christo Landry and Rombough rounded out the top 5.

Other notable finishers/Results:

• 6th – Elliot Kraus
• 13th – Steve Murdock

The women’s race was held prior to the men’s event and included a photo finish win for Sara Hall who barely edged out Molly Huddle (full story).

[hat tip to Jeff Caron]

Here is the finisher’s medal from the Virginia is for Lovers 14K that was held on February 11, 2012 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The medal has a heart charm and bottle opener. The perfect bling to seduce and score on Valentine’s day with your significant other.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photo submitted by Darius Daniel. Follow him on Twitter @dzoid11]

Sara Hall won the women’s USA Cross Country Championships in St. Louis just moments ago.

Sara beat Molly Huddle in a finish so close that the winner wasn’t known until several minutes after the race.  The judges finally decided that Hall had won the race by a nose.

Some on Twitter were saying that Huddle crossed the timing mat first but that Hall’s lean got her across the tape first.  Sounds like a Hollywood ending.

Sara is the wife of American marathoner Ryan Hall.

Follow Sara Hall on Twitter @SaraHall3

[finish line photo courtesy of Ryan Hall]