Run It Fast®

Run It Fast’s ‘Race Across the USA‘ brought out the freaks on Saturday as Day 6 was one for the record books. It included six runs of 31+ miles, a record day from Karl Studtmann with 57.2 miles, and team highs from every team. It even saw one of the teams finally put down more miles than the Suzy Michelson Team.

There’s a lot to get to, and likely some things will be overlooked by mistake, but let’s get to it…

Suzy Michelson Team: The Suzy’s were epic one again on Saturday. It included nearly matching 35+ mile performances from Chris Clemens (36.52 mi) and David Nichols (35.05 mi). They both have been on fire throughout the race and have both set a tone that the rest of the team has played in harmony to.

Alex Barrientos added a superb supporting total of 31.3 miles. Barry Reece hit 20 again with 20.04. Thomas Fowler a 23.74 giving him 110 miles for the week. Leslie Studtmann racked up 24.04 miles going over 20 miles in a day for the first time in the race. Eleven of fifteen on the team reached double digits today. A thoroughbred of a team that has dominated since leaving the pier in Santa Monica.

The Suzy’s passed Amarillo this morning and currently are positioned in McLean, Texas, a town of just 756 people directly on the ‘Mother Road’ – Route 66. They will be out of Texas as quickly tomorrow as they entered it today. Their eyes are set on Oklahoma City.

They finished the day with 262.39 miles, their biggest day of the race. However, it was only good enough for the second most miles on Saturday.

Suzy Team Data at a Glance
Place: 1st
Day 6 Miles: 262.39 (2nd)
Total Miles: 1,157.10
Top 4 SMT Runners (Entire Race)

1. Chris Clemens – 148.76
2. Barry Reece – 123.39
3. David Nichols – 116.13
4. Alex Barrientos – 114.08

Jeffrey Price Team: Strong, sturdy, steady, and relentless would sum up this team. They had a record high number of miles today, not just for their team but by any team in the event so far.

They finished the day with 270.66 miles.

As aforementioned in the intro, they were led by the massive performance by Karl Studtmann who laid down the gauntlet with 57.2 miles. Karl did it with multiple 5+ mile runs over the last 24 hours. His performance was buttressed with super strong efforts from team captain, Melissa Price (25.89 mi), Darrell Richardson (24.6 mi), Heather ‘Double Dime’ McComb (20.64 mi), Karla Kent (19.05 mi), and the Orr man…

Tom ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Orr continued his daily mileage ascension for the sixth consecutive day. He put down 22.21 miles on Saturday.. His daily is as follows: 16.09, 18.39, 20.29, 21.14, 22.21, and 23.21.

It was Heather’s sixth consecutive day of 20+ miles for the Jeffs.

The team finally gained ground on the race leading Suzys. It wasn’t much, but they gained 8.27 miles on the leaders.  They are now 166.57 miles behind in second. They are currently just west of San Jon, New Mexico.

Jeffrey Team Data at a Glance
Overall Place: 2nd
Day 6 Miles: 270.66 (1st)
Total Miles: 990.53
Miles Back: -166.57
Top 4 JPT Runners (Entire Race)

1. Karl Studtmann – 133.34
2. Heather McComb – 127.04
3. Tom Orr – 121.33
4. Melissa Price – 87.95

The entire Jeffrey Price Team is the ‘Race Across the USA’ –  Peak Performer of the Day for putting down the most single team miles in a day with 270.66. Karl’s 57 mile performance along with Melissa’s multiple runs to get close to 26 miles exemplified how deep this team is digging. Melissa has accumulated 87.95 miles in the last six days. The Jeff’s had twelve runners run between 10 – 57 miles each today.

Charlie Taylor Team: The Chuck’s had their best day of the race. Everyone contributed for the 6th consecutive day. They were led by Jen ‘Big Sexy’ Metcalf with her impressive 32.6 miles. It was her biggest output of the race, and one of the biggest by any runner so far. She had support from Tiffani Glass (24.04 mi), Seth Crowe (21.02), and Aimee Shilling (22.55) for the Charlie Taylor Team. It was Aimee’s biggest day of the race.

The most inspirational performance of the entire race came from Renee Holcomb. She pieced together six different runs/walks to tally 17.37 big miles. She had 12.55 miles the previous five days combined. She just kept reloading, giving it all she had, and then would take the baton again to put down a few more miles. Even when she looked totally wiped out, she went out once again for even more.

It was the most miles in a day for the CTT. They will restart in the AM east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. If they can build on today, then they might just make it to Texas before tomorrow night’s check-in.

Charlie Team Data at a Glance
Overall Place: 3rd
Day 6 Miles: 215.64 (3rd)
Total Miles: 855.64
Miles Back: -301.46
Top 4 CTT Runners (Entire Race)

1. Seth Crowe – 101.85
2. Jeremy Reed – 93.47
3. Joshua Holmes – 92.73
4. Jen Metcalf – 78.91

Hope Shull Team: What a difference a day can make. The Hope’s, less than 24 hours of their worst day of the race with just 52.07 miles, bounced back with their most miles today with 201.32. They were led by Randy Broadway with 32 miles and  Cathy ‘Chicken Legs’ Downes with 31.35 miles. Houston Wolf added 22.16 miles to help in the cause. Other notable performances for the team today included Lori Robinson (18.14 mi), and Racheal Anderson (13.05).

Captain Marylou also got 7.8 miles from Juleann Roberts. The 9-year old running sensation has put down miles every day of the event so far for a total of 29.08 miles.

The team was super excited after today’s outburst of miles. They remain in a distant fourth, but are having a lot of fun and food along the way. They are still in New Mexico, about halfway between Gallup and Albuquerque.

Hope Team Data at a Glance
Overall Place: 4th
Day 6 Miles: 201.32 (4th)
Total Miles: 735.59
Miles Back: -421.51
Top 4 HST Runners (Entire Race)

1. Marylou Corino – 100.6
2. Kit Brazier – 99.98
3. Randy Broadway – 92.5
4. Cathy Downes – 71.98

Click HERE to view where the teams are on the Google Map

Day 6 Mileage Results of the Race Across the USA

• Suzy Michelson Team – 262.39 miles (17.49 mi/runner)
• Jeffrey Price Team – 270.66 miles (18.04 mi/runner)
• Charlie Taylor Team – 215.64 miles (14.38 mi/runner)
• Hope Shull Team – 201.32 miles (13.42 mi/runner)

RIF’s Race Across the USA Overall Standings (thru Day 6)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 1,157.10 miles (192.85/day, 39.8% completed)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 990.53  miles (165.09 mi/day, 34.1% completed)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 855.64 miles (142.61 mi/day, 29.4% completed)
4. Hope Shull Team – 735.59 miles (122.6 mi/day, 25.3% completed)

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – Chris Clemens (36.52 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Karl Studtmann (57.2 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Jen Metcalf (32.6 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Randy Broadway (32 mi)

Top 11 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 57.2
2. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 36.52
3. David Nichols (SMT) – 35.05
4. Jen Metcalf (CTT) – 32.6
5. Randy Broadway (HST) – 32
6. Cathy Downes (HST) – 31.35
7. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 31.3
8. Melissa Price (JPT) – 25.89
9. Darrell Richardson (JPT) – 24.6
10. Leslie Studtmann (SMT) – 24.04
11. Tiffani Glass (CTT) – 24.04

Top 10 Race Mile Leaders

1. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 148.76
2. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 133.34
3. Heather McComb (JPT) – 127.04
4. Barry Reece  (SMT) – 123.39
5. Tom Orr (JPT) – 121.33
6. David Nichols (SMT) – 116.13
7. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 114.08
8. Thomas Fowler  (SMT) – 110.01
9. Seth Crowe (CTT) – 101.85
10. Marylou Corino – (HST) – 100.6
11. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 100.12

Daily Updates and Standings Archive

• Day 6: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Russell Branded
• Day 5: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Stairway to Heaven
• Day 4: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – 5 Nichols & 1 Penny
• Day 3: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Razing Arizona
• Day 2: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Showdown in the Desert 
• Day 1: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – And They Are Off…

Run It Fast’s ‘Race Across the USA‘ has brought together strangers, friends, frenemies, and down-right enemies that are on four diverse teams working hard together, and for each other, to try to advance their team across the country towards the finish line in New York City.

Today was a workman/woman day on the road that was a bit boring from a spectator’s viewpoint looking at the race in a one day prism. But this race isn’t a one day event, and several performances today concluded amazing 5-Day workweek totals.

Suzy Michelson Team: The Suzy’s don’t have bad days. They have days where they inhale and other days when they exhale. Today was an inhale day for the team that included their usual impressive output from it’s very deep roster. They dipped slightly from yesterday’s record output but still easily had more miles than any other team. They finished the day with 164.93 miles. They had contributions from everyone on Day 5 and were led by Barry Reece (23.15 mi), Chris Clemens (20.73), JR Reynolds (20.06), and Kimberly Atkins (20.0). Other notable performances came from Thomas Fowler (16.01) and Alex Barrientos (13.11).

The Suzy’s put even more distance between them and the rest of the field. They are 2/3rd’s of the way through New Mexico which is amazing considering two of the four teams are still back in Arizona. They called in their miles for the day from Santa Rosa, New Mexico (population 2,848).

The Suzy’s (applying proper social distancing procedures) met with the Santa Rosa High School lawn mower racing club, one of the very first in the USA. They traded racing stories while eating pizza and drinking some awful electrolyte mix Captain Tucker has been making the team drink every night.

Our lawyers say we aren’t at liberty to discuss the special ointment Tucker has his team applying liberally to their legs every night and before they run the next day.

Suzy Team Data at a Glance
Place: 1st
Day 5 Miles: 164.93
Total Miles: 894.71
Top 3 SMT Runners (Entire Race)

1. Chris Clemens – 112.24
2. Barry Reece – 103.35
3. Thomas Fowler – 86.27

Jeffrey Price Team: It was the fourth consecutive day output dropped for the JP’s, but they still were able to put distance on the two teams behind them. The three most developing story-lines with this team are as follows. One, Heather ‘Double Dime’ McComb shows up and knocks out 20’s daily, every day. Friday was no different as she uncorked a 21.03 mile performance. It knocked her over the century mark for the workweek. Secondly, team captain Melissa Price has been running miles at such an escalating rate that the national debt is envious. She had her strongest day of the race with 16.47 miles (and has a total of 62.06 for the race). Jeffrey is for sure shining down on Melissa and how she is inspiring her entire team.

“And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
And she’s buying a stairway to Heaven”

And lastly, Tom ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Orr did it yet again on Friday. Increasing his daily miles for the fifth consecutive day. He put down 22.21 miles on Friday, ending with 98.12 miles for the week. His progression this week is as follows: 16.09, 18.39, 20.29, 21.14, and 22.21.

Jeffrey Team Data at a Glance
Place: 2nd
Day 5 Miles: 126.9
Total Miles: 719.87
Miles Back: -174.84
Top 3 JPT Runners (Entire Race)

1. Heather McComb – 106.4
2. Tom Orr – 98.12
3. Karl Studtmann – 76.14

Tom Orr is the ‘Race Across the USA’ –  Peak Performer of the Day.

Charlie Taylor Team: This gang woke up fresh, dressed, like a million bucks, threw on white socks, with their all blue chucks, stepped out the RV with no other team in sight. So, Steve Acciarito took their first asphalt bite, while the rest of the team dilly and dallied, and Ms. Marj met this exotic tea dealer, Sally, in the ally, while Greta Reed continued the team’s rally that started back in Cali.

The Chucks all showed up again, finishing the week a perfect 75 for 75 with team participation for the first 5 days of the race.

While their miles were slow to accumulate in the AM, a late day, hot baton passed back and forth that led to a respectful 110.04 miles for the day. They were led by Joshua Holmes (20.20 mi), Jeremy Reed (19.13 mi), and Elva Matamoros (16.03 mi). The Chucks are currently straddling the Arizona-New Mexico border and beyond socially distanced from the 2nd and 4th place teams.

Charlie Team Data at a Glance
Place: 3rd
Day 5 Miles: 110.04
Total Miles: 640.0
Miles Back: -254.71
Top 3 CTT Runners (Entire Race)

1. Seth Crowe – 80.83
2. Joshua Holmes – 78.69
3. Jeremy Reed – 78.13

Hope Shull Team: The snooze crew, after two strong days, relapsed into Napageddon with just 52.07 miles for Day 5. They were led by team captain, Marylou Corino, with 13.1 miles. Sherry Meador followed Lou with 11.11 miles. Five runners didn’t lace up today for the HST. Load management was listed as the reason in the captain’s report. We are expecting a big weekend from this team, though. They are the most rested and well fed team in the race.

The Hopes were last seen at the Love’s Travel Stop in Joseph City, Arizona where Juleann Roberts was sipping a slushie and Houston Wolf was seen bagging four Tornados.

Hope Team Data at a Glance
Place: 4th
Day 5 Miles: 52.07
Total Miles: 534.27
Miles Back: -338.64
Calories Consumed: 783,193
Top 3 HST Runners (Entire Race)

1. Marylou Corino – 90.6
2. Kit Brazier – 85.48
3. Randy Broadway – 60.5

Click HERE to view where the teams are on the Google Map

Day 5 Mileage Results of the Race Across the USA

• Suzy Michelson Team – 164.93 miles (11.0 mi/runner)
• Jeffrey Price Team – 126.9 miles (8.46 mi/runner)
• Charlie Taylor Team – 110.04 miles (7.34 mi/runner)
• Hope Shull Team – 73.87 miles (3.47 mi/runner)

RIF’s Race Across the USA Overall Standings (thru Day 5)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 894.71 miles (180.95/day, 30.8% completed)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 719.87  miles (143.97 mi/day, 24.8% completed)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 640.00 miles (128.00 mi/day, 22.0% completed)
4. Hope Shull Team – 556.07 miles (111.21 mi/day, 18.4% completed)

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – Barry Reece (23.15 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Tom Orr (22.21 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Joshua Holmes (20.20 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Marylou Corino (13.10 mi)

Top 10 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. Barry Reece (SMT) – 23.15
2. Tom Orr (JPT) – 22.21
3. Heather McComb (JPT) – 21.03
4. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 20.73
5. Joshua Holmes (CTT) – 20.20
6. JR Reynolds (SMT) – 20.06
7. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 20.00
8. Jeremy Reed (CTT) – 19.13
9. Melissa Price (JPT) – 16.47
10. Elva Matamoros (CTT) – 16.03

Top 10 Race Mile Leaders

1. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 112.24
2. Heather McComb (JPT) – 106.4
3. Barry Reece  (SMT) – 103.35
4. Tom Orr (JPT) – 98.12
5. Marylou Corino – (HST) – 90.6
6. Thomas Fowler  (SMT) – 86.27
7. Kit Brazier (HST) – 85.48
8. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 85.1
9. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 82.78
10. David Nichols (SMT) – 81.08

Daily Updates and Standings Archive

• Day 5: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Stairway to Heaven
• Day 4: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – 5 Nichols & 1 Penny
• Day 3: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Razing Arizona
• Day 2: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Showdown in the Desert 
• Day 1: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – And They Are Off…

Day 4 of the Run It Fast ‘Race Across the USA‘ is in the books, and we are running out of adjectives to describe these endorphin crazed road warriors.  The four teams combined for a total of 605.93 miles on Thursday, the most of any of the four days of the race. Many thought coming into today that these teams, with tired legs and life on the road setting in, would have fewer miles today. That just simply wasn’t the case. More on that below.

The front of the race to this point has been dominated by the Suzy Michelson Team and today they showed out like a 21-year old woman on Tik Tok. It would be unfair to call them a broken record, because they are knocking out hit, after hit, after hit every day on the road. The Suzy’s just missed a 200-mile day coming in at 195.77 miles. This is the most single day miles, by a team, so far in the race. The team was fueled today by…everyone.

The Suzy’s were led by David ‘5’ Nichols ‘and a penny’ today who romped to 26.32 miles (and a relaxing dip in the pool). The 20-somethings didn’t stop there as motivational speaker Chris Clemens put down 25.19 miles before retiring for the night in a van down by the river. Other 20’s from the SMT were put down by Eryn Tyner (20.03) and JR Reynolds (20.11).

The Suzy’s galloped into New Mexico and are stationed currently in the town of Grants. They have completed 25.1% of the race with 729.78 miles. They sit comfortably ahead of the field with a 136-mile lead.

David Nichols is the ‘Race Across the USA’ –  Peak Performance of the Day.

The other three teams were very comparable today in the amount of miles they put down.

The Hope Shull Team, building on yesterday’s strong push, had another strong day with 129.48 miles. They have now put down strong back-to-back days that has lifted team morale. They simply refuse to roll over with the rest of the roadkill on the route. Today they were lead by Captain Marylou. She followed up yesterday’s 30-piece with 25 more miles today. She has turned it up the past two days. Again, she was joined by Kit Brazier for big miles today. Kit laid down 21.6 miles and has 79.49 miles over the last four days. Ben Herron, Cathy Downes, and Randy Broadway each went over double digit miles, as well.

HST is currently at 482.2 miles. They currently are at a Wal-Mart in Flagstaff, Arizona looking for muscle rub for Kufferath, peach pies, and sweet tea (3 teammates used the electric wheelchairs – no names were given).

The Jeffrey Price Team continues to be solid and strong. They are such a fierce and strong group just like their namesake was to so many. They lost some ground to The Suzys today, but they are in a good spot where they will be able to take advantage of any misfortune that might occur on the road ahead of them. Aaron Braunstein, left for dead on the injured list back in California, had a Lazarus awakening today coming back for 3 miles. He hobbled out of the van, Willis Reed style, then hobbled back up in the RV. ‘Mr. Climbing the Stairway to Heaven’ Tom Orr did it once again today with a remarkable 21.14 miles. His daily mile progression from the start has been 16.09, 18.39, 20.29, and 21.14 today (75.79 total). Alfa Severino stepped it up a notch with 19.07 miles for JPT.

But the MVP of the race so far for JPT has been Heather ‘Double Dime’ McComb. She knocked out her fourth consecutive day of 20+ miles with 20.13 today giving her a team leading 85.37 miles. That total is also the second most by an individual in the entire race.

JPT is currently at 592.97 miles and in 2nd place overall. On the tracking map it looks like they are in the middle of a Petrified Forest National Park in New Mexico. Many of their legs are likely feeling the same.

The Charlie Taylor Team (which we are petitioning to change to the Charlie Taylor Band) did their thing today. They increased their output over yesterday by 25 miles clipping off 137.06 miles before check-in tonight. Every single runner on the team contributed for the fourth day in a row (60-60).

They were led by Seth Crowe (22.06 mi), Tiffani Glass (20.01mi), and Joshua Holmes (18.29 mi). Crowe has been the high scorer for the team so far with 70.43 miles over the four days. Tiffani, stated that she wanted to get 10 today, but that she felt so good, with the warm sun at her back, that she just kept on running for a total of 20 miles. Jen Metcalf and Jeremy Reed also reached into double figures once again.

Steve Acciarito is currently listed on the injury report with pain on the top of his foot. He is listed as day-to-day.

CTT has completed 18.2% of the race with 529.96 miles. They sit in third place, a handful of miles just west of Winslow, Arizona.

Click HERE to view where the teams are on the Google Map

Day 4 Mileage Results of the Race Across the USA

• Suzy Michelson Team – 195.77 miles (13.05mi/runner)
• Jeffrey Price Team – 143.62 miles (9.57mi/runner)
• Charlie Taylor Team – 137.06 miles (9.14mi/runner)
• Hope Shull Team – 129.48 miles (8.63mi/runner)

RIF’s Race Across the USA Overall Standings (thru Day 4)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 729.78 miles (182.45/day, 25.1% completed)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 592.97  miles (148.24 mi/day, 20.4% completed)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 529.96 miles (132.49 mi/day, 18.2% completed)
4. Hope Shull Team – 482.20 miles (120.55 mi/day, 16.6% completed)

 

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – David Nichols (26.32 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Tom Orr (21.14 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Seth Crowe (22.06 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Marylou Corino (25.00 mi)

Top 10 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. David Nichols (SMT) – 26.32
2. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 25.19
3. Marylou Corino (HST) – 25.00
4. Seth Crowe (CTT) – 22.06
5. Kit Brazier (HST) – 21.6
6. Tom Orr (JPT) – 21.14
7. Heather McComb (JPT) – 20.13
8. JR Reynolds (SMT) – 20.11
9. Eryn Tyner (SMT) – 20.03
10. Tiffani Glass (CTT) – 20.01

Top 10 Race Mile Leaders

1. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 91.51
2. Heather McComb (JPT) – 85.37
3. Barry Reece  (SMT) – 80.2
4. Kit Brazier (HST) – 79.49
5. Marylou Corino – (HST) – 77.5
6. Tom Orr (JPT) – 75.91
7. David Nichols (SMT) – 74.65
8. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 70.96
9. Seth Crowe (CTT) – 70.43
10. Thomas Fowler  (SMT) – 70.26

Daily Updates and Standings Archive

• Day 4: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – 5 Nichols & 1 Penny
• Day 3: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Razing Arizona
• Day 2: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Showdown in the Desert 
• Day 1: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – And They Are Off…

Arizona is on fire as the four teams in the Run It Fast ‘Race Across the USA‘ blazed across ‘The Grand Canyon State’ razing up ruts of asphalt on their way towards Flagstaff and beyond for one team.

The story of the day came from the back of the field as the Hope Shull Team laid down 149.88 miles after their lackluster 94.79 miles the day before. The 149.88 also topped their Day 1 mark of 108.5 miles. HST had the second most team miles for the day. This team was led by Kit Brazier and team captain Marylou Corino. Brazier’s miles from the day before came in after check-in last night. So they were included in today’s total along with another big run she put down. They totaled a whopping 39.65 miles.

Marylou put down two 15 spots today for 30.39 miles. One of the highest single day totals of the event. It was an inspirational push that has inspired her team to realize that they have a chance in this contest.  Hope’s team finished the day a few miles past Kingman, Arizona having been led by two queens.

The double-headed dragon performances from Marylou Corino and Kit Brazier are the ‘Race Across the USA’ –  Peak Performances of the Day.

The Jeffrey Price Team was strong once again today. They were down a bit mileage from yesterday’s high, but they topped their Day 1 total by a couple of miles. They had a large number of runners knock out double digit runs. Their biggest drama today was fighting each other to get out of the van, and back on the road, each runner wanting to pound more pavement. This team is really pushing each other at a very high level.

The break out star of the entire race so far has been JPT’s Tom Orr. Tom’s been building a mileage stairway to heaven over the first three days with totals of 16.09, 18.39, and 20.29. He is the ‘McFeely-Good’ story of the race so far.  ‘Double-Dime’ Heather McComb once again knocked out 20+ miles. Over the first 3 days of the event she has 65.24 miles. Karl Studtmann was strong again today running 20.16 miles, while, at the same time, taking 17 telemedicine calls (and nine from Leslie).

The team camped out atop Bill Williams Mountain in Williams, Arizona tonight at 6,765 feet. The West Tennesseans on the team kept referring to it as Mt Everest. JPT’s biggest mistake of the day was letting David ‘Smokeless’ Oglesby attempt to build the campfire. After a ‘loud’ text message from his wife Melissa, back in Tennessee, ‘500K Dave’ finally relented and let Donna Burns get the fire going. Jeffrey’s team finished the day with 144.16 miles, 2nd place overall and built upon their lead over third.

The Charlie Taylor Team had participation from all 15 members again today. The only team to have ‘perfect attendance’ over the first three days. The team had no massive-mile stars today, but everyone was solid with five reaching double-digits led by team captain Joshua Holmes‘ 13 miles. They finished the day with 112.5 miles just short of Seligman, Arizona. The team is healthy and sticking with their consistent, all-hands-on-deck approach. They remain in third place overall.

The Suzy Michelson Team fell off slightly today, but they still put down the most miles of Day 3 with 160.2 miles powered by five 20-mile days from Barry Reece, Captain Shane Tucker, Alex Barrientos, David Nichols, and led by Chris Clemens‘ 25.77 miles. Reece hit the 20-mile mark for the 3rd consecutive day. Kimberly Atkins added a half marathon+ after her 26.22 miles yesterday. This team has the most heavy hitters. If they can stay healthy, they will be tough to beat.

The team finished the day in Winslow.  A few minutes later, Mission Control received the following message from Clemens:

“Well, I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me”

Captain  Tucker made sure to pay for the rooms in cash and not put a credit card down for incidentals.

Hopefully the team is taking it easy, having a good night on the town, and safely asleep by now.  The SMT may lose, or they might win, but it’s sure they will never be here again.

The Suzy Michelson Team remains in the overall lead with 534.01 miles covered for the race.

Day 3 Mileage Results of the Race Across the USA

• Suzy Michelson Team – 160.2 miles (10.68mi/runner)
• Jeffrey Price Team – 144.16 miles (9.61mi/runner)
• Charlie Taylor Team – 112.5 miles (7.50mi/runner)
• Hope Shull Team – 149.88 miles (9.99/runner)

RIF’s Race Across the USA Overall Standings (thru Day 3)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 534.01 miles (178.00/day, 18.4% completed)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 449.25  miles (149.78 mi/day, 15.5% completed)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 392.9 miles (130.97 mi/day, 13.5% completed)
4. Hope Shull Team – 352.72 miles (117.57 mi/day, 12.1% completed)

 

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – Chris Clemens (25.77 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Heather McComb (21.1 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Joshua Holmes (13.0 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Kit Brazier (39.65 mi)

Top 10 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. Kit Brazier (HST) – 39.65
2. Marylou Corino (HST) – 30.00
3. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 25.77
4. Heather McComb (JPT) – 21.10
5. David Nichols (SMT) – 20.53
6. Tom Orr (JPT) – 20.29
7. Shane Tucker (SMT) – 20.25
8. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 20.23
9. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 20.16
10. Barry Reece (SMT) – 19.98

Top 11 Race Mile Leaders

1. Barry Reece  (SMT) – 69.0
2. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 66.32
3. Heather McComb (JPT) – 65.24
4. Kit Brazier (HST) – 57.89
5. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 56.78
6. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 55.56
7. Tom Orr (JPT) – 54.77
8. Thomas Fowler  (SMT) – 54.23
9. Marylou Corino – (HST) – 52.5
10. Randy Broadway (HST) – 50.0
11. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 49.91

Daily Updates and Standings Archive

• Day 3: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Razing Arizona
• Day 2: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Showdown in the Desert 
• Day 1: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – And They Are Off…

The Run It Fast ‘Race Across the USA‘ relay continued to move eastward on Day 2 with the Suzy Michelson Team starting the day with a comfortable lead over the Jeffrey Price Team. But is that how the day ended? Who made it to Arizona and who didn’t? Who was the star performer of the day? All those answers await you below!

Day 2 saw 56 of the 60 runners put down a total of 596.0 miles. Amazingly that is 30 miles more than these four teams aggressively, on fresh legs, put down yesterday on Day 1. Every runner on the Charlie Taylor Team and Suzy Michelson Team once again put down miles today maintaining ‘perfect attendance’ of their team members over the first 48 hours of the race.

The Charlie Taylor Team’s Seth Crowe left the Crowe’s Nest late, last night for a run, only to return home, and leave it for four more runs today. Amidst cold temps and rain, Seth kept Crowe, Crowe, Crowe’ing his leggy-boat aggressively down the street. A throw-back Flintstonian who easily averaged more miles with his legs today than his beat-up Chevy pickup can garner coasting downhill with a full load.

A man on a mission with five runs of of 10.07, 10.31, 12.0, 3.0, and 2.01 for a total of 37.39 miles. Seth is the Race Across the USA Performance of the Day.

Kimberly Atkins impressed her team (SMT) and competition by walking 26.22 miles today in the brrr, brrr, bodiddley, frigid cold. An impressive feat for sure.

While Georgia native Heather McComb (JPT) knocked our her second consecutive 20+ mile day with 24.12 miles for a total of 44.14 miles over the first 2 days. Barry Reece (SMT) did the same as well with 22.0 miles (49.02/2 day total).

Other big mile stars from Day 2 included Chris Clemens (SMT) 25.55 mi, Randy Broadway (HST) 21.0 mi, and 8x Badwater 135 veteran, Karla Kent (JPT) 22.58 mi.

Day 2 Mileage Results of the Race Across the USA

• Suzy Michelson Team – 184.84 miles (12.32mi/runner)
• Jeffrey Price Team – 162.9 miles (10.86mi/runner)
• Charlie Taylor Team – 153.47 miles (10.23mi/runner)
• Hope Shull Team – 94.79 miles (6.32mi/runner)

RIF’s Race Across the USA Overall Standings (thru Day 2)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 373.81 miles (186.91mi/day, 12.8% completed)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 305.19 miles (152.60mi/day, 10.5% completed)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 280.4 miles (140.20mi/day, 9.7% completed)
4. Hope Shull Team – 202.84 miles (101.42mi/day, 7.0% completed)

The Suzy Michelson Team kept unleashing big run after big run and made it to Needles, AZ before midday. They kept the pedal down with three team members going for 20+ miles and a total of seven in double digits. They gathered 184.84 miles on Day 2, almost matching their impressive Day 1 total of 188.97. The Suzy’s have now set their sight on making it to Flagstaff, AZ tomorrow. If the lactic acid in their legs and the high altitude getting to Flagstaff doesn’t slow them tomorrow then nothing might.

A member of another team was peddling a rumor around that Chris Clemens was trying to talk his team into a ‘quick’ detour north of Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon for a quick R2R2R out and back. Whether true or fake news, SMT captain Shane Tucker will use his school room laser focus and discipline to keep his team on track.

The Jeffrey Price Team was one of two teams to put down more miles on Day 2. JPT ended the day with 162.9 miles, which topped their Day 1 total by over 20 miles. They kept thinking they could see the SMT far in the distance, and it kept them a churning. However, that dry arid air, and desert landscape was likely creating a mirage that didn’t match reality, because they finished the day in a strong second place with 305.19 miles but a big 68.62 mile gulp behind the SMT.  They did increase their lead over the third place team by +9 miles.

Team Note: Aaron Braunstein has been placed on the Disabled List with a calf issue. His status is Day-to-Day.

The Charlie Taylor Team spent most of the day with bedazzled eyes after Seth Crowe put down his 5-run performance of 37.39 miles. But later in the afternoon, the team kicked into gear as every member once again put down miles including strong double digits from Steve Acciarito, Tiffani Glass, Jeremy Reed, Elva Matamoros, and Joshua Holmes. The team’s strength so far has been it’s consistency and snacks. Steve has taken it upon himself after his morning runs to make sure everyone’s nutrition is on point. He has dubbed himself the ‘Snack Coach.’ Say what you will but multiple cups of chocolate pudding has kept this team from boinking and also from putting down more miles than they need to this early. Luckily the team RV is always nearby as the desert is barren and mostly treeless during this stage of the race. They finished the day with 153.47 miles, a +26 mile jump over yesterday. This gives them a total of 280.4 miles solidly ahead of the HST and still within reach of the JPT.

That leaves the Hope Shull Team. Let’s just say the Cracker Barrel hangover is not a myth. The HST was sluggish from the start today. Some pundits worried HST would come out too aggressive today trying to chase down the other teams to try to erase the early deficit they amassed yesterday. By 10am, no one had that worry any more. By noon, team captain Marylou Corino said something that we can’t repeat here. But she theorized that if they stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel, in Needles, Arizona, that it would somehow reverse the curse, hangover, or whatever. She was probably just hungry. The team did bond over lunch, soothed some egos, and put down respectable miles in the afternoon. This included double digits from Ben Herron, Rachael Anderson, Randy Broadway, and Marylou. They only ran with 12 runners today and that for sure played a factor. They finished the day with 94.79 miles and are a good bit back of the pack, but there is thousands of miles of race to go. Their stated goal is to make it to Kingman, AZ tomorrow night.

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – Kimberly Atkins (26.22 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Heather McComb (24.12 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Seth Crowe (37.39 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Randy Broadway (21.0 mi)

Top 10 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. Seth Crowe (CMT) – 37.39
2. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 26.22
3. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 25.55
4. Heather McComb (JPT) – 24.12
5. Karla Kent (JPT) – 22.58
6. Barry Reece (SMT) – 22.00
7. Randy Broadway (HST) – 21.0
8. Tom Orr (JPT) – 18.39
9. David Nichols (SMT) – 17.75
10. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 16.35

Top 10 Race Mile Leaders

1. Barry Reece  (SMT) – 49.2
2. Thomas Fowler  (SMT) – 46.2
3. Heather McComb (JPT) – 44.14
4. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 40.55
5. Seth Crowe (CTT) – 39.46
6. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 36.62
7. Jeremy Reed (CTT) – 36.31
8. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 36.25
9. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 35.33
10. Randy Broadway (HST) – 35.0

Daily Updates and Standings Archive

• Day 2: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Showdown in the Desert 
• Day 1: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – And They Are Off…

The Run It Fast ‘Race Across the USA‘ relay got off to an amazing start today. It was almost as if all four teams were shot out of a cannon from the Santa Monica Pier towards the East Coast.

All four team’s eager to run in the newly minted ‘smog-less’ Los Angeles air, took off like 7-year old’s at a 5K with ill-regard to pacing or exactly where they were headed (more on that below).

Day 1 saw a remarkable 57 of the 60 runners put down a total of 566.24 miles. Every runner on the Charlie Taylor Team and Suzy Michelson Team put down miles today.

Jeremy Reed, of the Charlie Taylor Team, set the tone immediately, not just his team, but everyone in the race, when at 12:01 am he laid down a strong 12.0 mile run. He followed it up later in the day with a 11-mile piece.

But the big-mileage stars of the day were Barry Reece (27.02 mi) and Thomas Fowler (31 mi) from the Suzy Michelson Team.

Other heavy hitters from day one included Alex Barrientos (SMT – 20.05 mi), Jeremy Reed (CTT – 22.11), Heather McComb (JPT – 20.02), and Karl Studtmann (JPT – 20.27).

Our youngest runner, Juleann Roberts (HST) put down 7.02 miles.

RIF’s Race Across the USA Standings (Day 1)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 188.97 miles (12.6mi/r)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 142.29 miles (9.49mi/r)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 126.93 miles (8.46mi/r)
4. Hope Shull Team – 108.05 miles (7.20mi/r)

Now the good stuff. Where exactly are the teams after Day 1?

Well, they might be at a convenient care by Thursday, but the Suzy Michelson Team, with smoke still on their soles, is currently at 188.97 miles. They are halfway between Barstow, CA and Needles, AZ resting at a Motel 6 for the night. No word yet if they set an alarm or not.

Next down the road is the Jeffrey Price Team at 142.29 miles. They are about 15 miles past Barstow on I-40 with hopes to get to Needles tomorrow and close the gap with the SMT.

The Charlie Taylor Team currently sits in 3rd, with 126.93 miles, and is also sitting at a honky-tonk in Barstow just as Charlie would have insisted. They appear to be well lubricated for the road ahead tomorrow. No word if they will start back from the honky-tonk around 3am or attempt sleep somewhere.

If the Hope Shull Team is telling their family and friends they are in fourth place then they are probably be congratulated proudly by them for being in 4th. Hopefully, they didn’t finish the sentence with, “…out of four teams.”

More detail could be added, but to get straight to the point for Hope’s Team, a wrong turn just off the I-10 ‘mare’ miles into the race led to a quick detour to Gus’s Fried Chicken. Once there the team refueled on chess pie, sweet tea, and chicken. They also used the opportunity to study the map and refocus on how to get back on the correct route. They did finish the day strong and made up a good bit of lost time. They finished the day with 108.05 miles and are near Bell Mountain which is just past Victorville, CA. Victorville is the site of the first Cracker Barrel in CA that opened just two years ago. Marylou insisted the team finish with a team meal there before retiring for the night a couple miles on down the road.

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – Thomas Fowler (31.01 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Karl Studtmann (20.27 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Jeremy Reed (22.11 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Kit Brazier (18.24 mi)

Top 10 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. Thomas Fowler – 31.01 (SMT)
2. Barry Reece – 27.02 (SMT)
3. Jeremy Reed – 22.11 (CTT)
4. Karl Studtmann – 20.27 (JPT)
5. Alex Barrientos – 20.05 (SMT)
6. Heather McComb – 20.02 (JPT)
7. Kit Brazier – 18.24 (HST)
8. Tom Orr – 16.09 (JPT)
9. Chris Clemens – 15.00 (SMT)
10. Randy Broadway – 14.00 (HST)

A long way to go, but it was a wonderful start to the Race Across the USA Relay.

Run It Fast’s ‘Race Across the USA’ kicks off at midnight on April 13, 2020. It will pit four teams comprised of 60 Run It Fast members racing each other across the United States. The race starts on the Santa Monica Pier in California, just outside of Los Angeles, and will go all the way to New York City.

The teams will cover the 2,907 miles by team members submitting their day running/walking/hiking miles to their team captain daily. This will be done via screenshots of their Strava/Garmin/GPS from an outside run or via a photo of their treadmill displaying the appropriate data.

The four teams are named after Run It Fast members that passed on from us way too soon. It’s a simple way we can help remember them and keep their legacy close to us.

Race Across the USA Team Names

• Charlie Taylor Team
• Hope Shull Team
• Suzy Michelson Team
• Jeffrey Price Team

Team Rosters for the Run It Fast’s ‘Race Across the USA’

Participant Rules:

• Can start Monday 4/13/2020 at 12:00 A.M. of the time zone you are currently residing in.
• No less than 1.0 mile for any outing. You can submit as many runs/walks/hikes you want a day that you do. Each one just must be at least 1.0 miles.
• You MUST have GPS (prefer Strava/Garmin) and send a snapshot of each run/walk/hike to your team captain within 24 hrs. If you happen to forget to turn in your miles you have 48 hrs to get them in before those particular miles expire. Treadmill miles count too and just need a snapshot sent as well. 
• Map will be updated 1x per day with all team progress.

Any other rules that need to be created or issues that arise will be decided and agreed upon by the four captains.

A big thanks to all these runners taking part, and a special big thanks to the captains:  Shane Tucker, Marylou Corino, Melissa Price, Joshua Holmes, and Jill Williams, who is our Mission Control helping keep us straight with all the numbers and logistics.

Steve Troxel set the American 60-64 age group record for 48 hours by running 220.1647 miles at the Six Days in the Dome race in Milwaukee, Wisconsin over the August 23-24, 2019 weekend. Steve is a Jackson, Tennessee native and 60-years old.

Troxel trained months for the event with the intent of breaking the record. His practice ‘run’ with the 48 hour race at 3 Days at the Fair went poorly by Troxel’s standards and expectations (read about it HERE) back in May, but provided valuable lessons and experience that primed him to make the essential corrections to achieve his goal and break the record at The Dome.

The previous American age group (60-64) record was held by John Brown with 183.99 miles. Troxel bested that mark by over 36 miles. Steve was also wanting to break the world record that he thought to be 218 miles, and it was, but the IAU recently updated their site that a European gentleman ran 235 miles last year. Steve finished second overall at the race to Olivier Leblond who finished with 228.7067 miles.

His distance automatically qualified him for the historic Spartathlon 153 mile race in Greece.

Steve was crewed by his wife Sherry Troxel and training partner Arthur Priddy. The race was hosted by Steve Durbin of Durbin Race Management. All members of Run It Fast.

Congrats to Steve, aka Professor Fartlek, on his amazing record setting performance.

Click to join Run It Fast – The Club

 

Lessons Learned from my 48 Hour ‘Failure’ at 3 Days at the Fair

I didn’t want to post about my race at 3 Days at the Fair this past weekend, but I figure that if I post about my good races I really should post about my bad races as well. One of the reasons to post about bad races is to encourage others not to make the same mistakes. However, even as I hope others will learn from my mistakes, they probably won’t. Why can I say this? Because I certainly have read many posts warning me about the mistakes I made and I obviously didn’t listen! Perhaps you need to have a clear failure to cement the lessons deep into your neural processing. I can only hope that this failure was bad enough that I won’t make these same mistakes again. I repeat, I can only hope!

3 Days at the Fair is held on a certified one mile loop in Augusta NJ. The race has many different events – 10 day, 6 day, 3 day, 2 day, etc.. I signed up for the 2 day – 48 hour – event. I felt very confident about my ability for this race since I had run 150 miles in 31:30 in March and felt reasonably good at the end. Between March and this race I had put in a short marathon training block and run a PR of 3:13:58 at the St. Jude Nashville marathon just 3 weeks prior to the start of my 48 hour race. I tapered well coming into this race and felt good several days out. Nothing but good things to say about the location of this race and the way it was run.

First the good things about my race:

The best part was definitely the people. First, my son, Shawn Troxel, and grandson were able to come out as crew. This was so fun! And when my race ended early, we made the best of it and enjoyed a trip into NYC. Memories! I was also able to meet the great Gina Slaby. Well, I didn’t actually meet her, but I did say “Good job!” as she passed me several times an hour. I was able to meet and chat with Amy Mower – who won the 48 hour race – and Benjamin Timoner. I also met David Christy and Jimmie Barnes. I was able to run with Jeff Hagen, who holds several American AG records, and Steve Tomajko, who has run for the Canadian 24 hour team. The ultra running community is simply incredible!

As far as the actual race, I believe my preparation was good, except for the one big mistake listed below. My training was good; my sleep was good; and my taper coming in was good. I was well prepared. I also think I did a good job with nutrition. So far, it seems I have this somewhat figured out. Things may certainly change as I run longer times or have to push harder, but my body seems to respond well on mainly liquid calories, about 125 per hour, and then a supplement of other stuff like coke, chips, and sweets. This requires a little monitoring of the “other” stuff but it seems to be manageable.

Now for the mistakes:

The first mistake has been several years in the making. I train hard. I run lots of miles and am learning about the different energy systems and what paces are needed to train each system. However, I have never been good at stretching or strengthening my core. This has never really been a problem, other than the embarrassment at not being able to come close to touching my toes, but when combined with my second mistake I was almost unable to even start the race.

My second mistake was deciding to drive 16 hours to the race. I don’t think I will drive that far to a race again unless I travel with someone else who can do the driving while I lie down or recline. The race started on Friday morning so I left home early Wednesday and drove 11 hours before stopping and sleeping in the back of my van. When I got up in the morning I could barely walk. My back was so messed up that I couldn’t even think about running. I drove the rest of the way, checked into a hotel and spent the rest of Thursday working on my back with stretching, heat, and ibuprofen. I was able to make it to the start line but I truly hope I have learned this lesson. As we ask more and more of our bodies, and especially as we get older, the extra things like core and stretching (and other things like diet and strength) become more and more important. I am now absolutely committed to making core and stretching a prioritized and integral part of my training! Note: I am an anti-NSAID runner, but I took several doses before and during the race.

My third mistake was with hydration and actually probably began on Wednesday. I’ve never been good with drinking while traveling and tend to focus on an early coffee and maybe a Monster to keep me awake. I have a little bit of old man prostate issues which can sometimes lead to bathroom emergencies, so my traveling solution is to not drink. Not smart when you have a race coming up. On Thursday I was so focused on my back that I only had a cup of coffee in the morning. On race morning I, again, only had a cup of coffee with breakfast.

As the race got started, I drank my calories but this was only 8 ounces per hour. The temperatures were mild and there were no triggers to tell me I needed to drink. After 8 hours I hadn’t peed so I went into the bathroom at the first indication that I might have to go. What came out was about a tablespoon of very dark liquid. On the way out of the bathroom, I momentarily blacked out and had to stand still while I figured out where I was. After running another mile, both calves cramped and caused me to fall into a pile of mulch, which was quite fortunate. Several other runners quickly came to my aid and helped me back on my feet after I screamed and pounded the ground for a few minutes.

I started drinking extra water but I was 11 hours in before using the bathroom again. What did I learn? I obviously started the race dehydrated. There is no excuse for this! You need to come into a race fully hydrated. ‘nuff said! Then, once the race started, I was so focused on how I was feeling, with concern about my back, and my pacing, that I didn’t give hydration the thought it required. Yes, I know we should be concerned about drinking too much, but I certainly did not drink enough. What will I do differently? I will make sure to start the race hydrated. I will also go extra slow for the first hour, which leads into my final mistake, and drink a little extra to make sure I have a good bathroom break sometime in the first couple hours.

My last mistake, at least the last I can think of, is pacing. For this, I owe a big apology to Bob Hearn. It’s a little presumptuous of me to call Bob my mentor, but I have learned so much from his race reports on The Puzzle of Running and consider myself a disciple of his system. It was as if I just did a data dump on what I had supposedly learned. This is quite frustrating. I felt good starting the race and was glad that my back was allowing me to run. I decided to just run my regular easy pace for the first hour. The problem is that an easy pace is completely unsustainable for an ultra distance event – unless you are one of the top runners in the world. My thinking was that my goal pace, which is several minutes per mile slower than my easy pace and requires walk breaks, is kind of difficult when you are feeling good and rested, so why not build a little “tired” into the legs to make the goal pace more reasonable. Stupid, stupid, stupid! All this does is expend unnecessary energy. After the first hour I was 14 minutes ahead of schedule and I fell into thinking this was good as it allowed me to go slower than goal pace for a bunch of miles and stay on goal.

After the first hour, I tried to slow down and take walk breaks but my pace was still too fast for the next hour…and the next. At one point I was 47 minutes ahead of schedule. My goal pace put me at a very aggressive mileage for the full 48 hours. When you set a goal like this, you ought to be terrified – TERRIFIED! – if you find yourself ahead of your goal early into the race. What did I learn and what will I do differently? For a relatively flat course, I need to have a much more detailed plan of how much I am going to run and how much I am going to walk, from the very first lap. I also need to plan my running pace and my walking pace in order to meet my goal pace. Then I need to race by a Thou Shalt Not go faster than goal pace for any mile, or at least as averaged over every few miles. I also think I will go slower than goal pace for the first hour to let my system relax before settling into a rhythm.

I decided to end my race at 91 miles at 18:13:16. I have zero regrets about stopping when I did. It was the right thing to do! My anterior tibialis had been hurting for the last few hours. I’m sure this was due to a combination of dehydration and poor pacing, especially with trying to go too fast while walking. You need to train your walk, and you should train to walk fast, but once in a race I think you should pull back from your fastest walking speed. There may have also been a problem with wearing the ankle strap with the timing chip. I might see if there is an option to wear or carry this another way in the future. When the anterior tibialis becomes inflamed it is difficult to push off while walking. For the last hours it hurt more to walk than it did to run. I had a prior injury to this tendon and know that if damage occurs, the recovery can be very long. I am now several days post race and my anterior tibialis has no lingering pain. After the race, my back quickly tightened up and it will take several more days before I can think about running, but I’m content with stopping and with the lessons learned.

I’m looking forward to getting back to training and am really looking forward to my next race. I am registered for the 48 hour race in the Dome in August and may try to sneak in a race in GA in July.

Thanks for reading!

Steve Troxel
RIF Member

Join Run It Fast – The Club

[photos: David Christy, Steve Troxel]

New Mexico’s Clint Burleson is the winner of Run It Fast’s 2018 Extreme Racer. Clint (RIF #762) ended the Extreme Racer year with an amazing 3,672 points. He joins RIF legends Ila Brandli, Karen Vollan, John Leighton, Ed Ettinghausen, David Wingard, and Steve Hughes as winners of this year-long competition.

Clint completed 138 races in 2018 of half marathon distance (13.1) or longer for a total of 3,672 points. Extreme Racer awards 1 point for each race mile. He averaged 26.61 miles per race. Very impressive numbers. Congrats, Clint!

First place female and second place overall is RIF #644  Ila Branli with 3,241.78 points and third place Extreme Racer is RIF #638 Ken Fattmann with 2,147.35 points.

 

Run It Fast Members (who participated in Extreme Racer) ran 24,702.46 miles total for the year! If you are a RIF member and have questions on participating in Extreme Racer then simply message us.

 

Looking for races to enter? Be sure to check out the Run It Fast – Club Race Discounts in the Facebook group.

Top 3 Women for 2018: First Place, RIF #644 Ila Brandli – 3,241.78 points. Second Place, RIF #410 Marylou Corino – 1,027.7 points. Third Place, RIF #404 Andrea Kooiman – 937.8 points.

Top 3 Men for 2018: First Place, RIF #762 Clint Burleson – 3,672 points. Second Place, RIF #638 Ken Fattmann – 2,147.35 points. Third Place, RIF #190 John Kent Leighton  – 1,396.21 points.

Extreme Racer Final 2018 Top Ten Standings

1. Clint Burleson – 3672 points (RIF #762)
2. Ila Brandli – 3241.78 points (RIF #644)
3. Ken Fattmann – 2147.35 points (RIF #638)
4. John Kent Leighton – 1396.21 points (RIF #190)
5. Denis McCarthy – 1198.2 points (RIF #263)
6. Shane Tucker – 1142.2 points (RIF #337)
7. Joshua Holmes – 1139.8 points (RIF #1)
8. Marylou Corino – 1027.7 points (RIF #410)
9. Andrea Kooiman – 937.8 points (RIF #404)
10. George Southgate – 575.82 points (RIF #279)

 

Extreme Racer Women’s Leaderboard

1. Ila Brandli – 3241.78 points (RIF #644)
2. Marylou Corino – 1027.7 points (RIF #410)
3. Andrea Kooiman – 937.8 points (RIF #404)
4. Cathie Johnson – 445.4 points (RIF #507)
5. Tiffani Glass – 468.7 points (RIF #328)
6. Robin Brunet – 405.9 points (RIF #564)
7. Pat Cagle – 258.2 points (RIF #707)
8. Kit Brazier – 249.8 points (RIF #548)
9. Christy Bowers – 249.6 points (RIF #60)
10. Greta Reed – 200 points (RIF #643)
11. Lisa Maddox – 178.2 points (RIF #751)
12. Jill Williams – 168.3 points (RIF #521)
13. Audrena Liu – 152.4 points (RIF #463)
14. Emily Lyons – 152 points (RIF #774)
15. Marj Mitchell – 150.1 points (RIF #4)
16. Michelle Talbott – 147.6 points (RIF #527)
17. Christy Brewer – 124.55 points (RIF #766)
18. Raciel Diaz – 62 points (RIF #709)
19. Lisa Maher – 62 points (RIF #783)
20. Alicja Grace – 44.1 points (RIF #705)
21. Juleann Roberts – 44.06 points (RIF #623)
22. Martine Kincade – 34.18  points (RIF #260)

Extreme Racer Men’s Leaderboard

1. Clint Burleson – 3672 points (RIF #762)
2. Ken Fattmann – 2147.35 points (RIF #638)
3. John Kent Leighton – 1396.21 points (RIF #190)
4. Denis McCarthy – 1198.2 points (RIF #263)
5. Shane Tucker – 1142.2 points (RIF #337)
6. Joshua Holmes – 1139.8 points (RIF #1)
7. Seth Crowe – 660.3 points (RIF #541)
8. George Southgate – 575.82 points (RIF #279)
9. Michael SK Mortensen – 575.8 points (RIF #553)
10. Troy Johnson – 471.6 points (RIF #506)
11. Randy Brinkley – 434.5 points (RIF #761)
12. Andrew Glaze – 360.4 points (RIF #658)
13. Jeremy Reed – 338.1 points (RIF #642)
14. Aaron DeBord – 314.45 points (RIF #723)
15. Rich Peers – 262 points (RIF #591)
16. Michael Dasalla – 253.1 points (RIF #411)
17. Darrell Richardson – 251.1 points (RIF #625)
18. Scott Kufferath – 237.3 points (RIF #680)
19. Jared Matsunaga – 179.2 points (RIF #665)
20. Randy Marks – 123.7 points (RIF #743)
21. David Essary – 88.2 points (RIF #475)
22. Charles Roberts – 50.56 points (RIF #622)
23. Reist Mummau – 26.2 points (RIF #756)

 

Past Extreme Racer Winners

2017 Extreme Racer Winner – Ila Brandli (Results)

2016 Extreme Racer Winner – Karen Vollan (Results)

2015 Extreme Racer Winner – John Leighton (Results)

2014 Extreme Racer Winner – Ed Ettinghausen (Results)

2013 Extreme Racer Winner – David Wingard (Results)

2012 Extreme Racer Winner – Steve Hughes (Results)

 

“There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.” –George A. Sheehan

 

[Extreme Racer points are awarded per each racing mile completed. Example: marathon = 26.2 points, half marathon 13.1 points, etc.]