Archive | Timed Races

Run Under The Stars Endurance Run Medal 2014

Run Under The Stars (RUTS) Endurance Run Medal (2014)

This is the finisher’s medal for the Run Under The Stars Endurance Run that was held on June 7-8 in Paducah, Kentucky.

The race starts at 8 pm (on a horse track) and finishes at 6 am so you really do run under the stars.

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[Medal submitted by RIF #4 Marj Mitchell. Follow her on Twitter @marathonmarj]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Medals, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Silverton 1000 100 Mile Buckle 2013

Silverton 1000 100 Mile Buckle (2013)

This is the 100 Mile Club buckle for the Silverton 1000 that was held from August 27th to September 1st, 2013 in Silverton, Colorado.

The Silverton 1000 is held over 6 days and there are 6 day, 72 Hour, 48 Hour, and 24 Hour options. For an even bigger challenge, runners can choose to try the Silverton 1000 challenge (to be completed in 18 days with special rules – like you have to run at least 1 loop each hour!). The course is a rocky 1 mile loop at 9,318 ft elevation and the course has a gain and loss of 250 ft each loop. Oh, and there are bears! This is a beautiful and tough!

Congratulations to RIF #1 Joshua Holmes who was 1st Overall in the 48 Hour and set a course record of 110 miles! And that’s just ONE week after running the Lean Horse 100! Way to Run It Fast Josh!

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[Buckle submitted by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes – follow him on Twitter @bayou]

Posted in Bling, Buckles, Featured, THE CLUB, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Joshua Holmes Nanny Goat 2013

Running Loopy – Why You Should Run A Timed Race

RIF #27 Anthony Ohrey and RIF #169 Billy Cannon finishing strong at the Run Under The Stars 2013

Have you ever run a timed race? Did you even know they exist? All over the country, there are 6 Hour, 12 Hour, 24 Hour, etc. races. They are usually run on a loop and they are lots of fun. I know what you’re thinking….Probably the same thing the rental car agent thought this past weekend.

Rental Car Agent: What brings you to town?
Me: I’m doing a 10 Hour race on Saturday.
RCA: Wow, where do you run to?
Me: Um, we’ll be running in circles on a half mile track the whole time.
RCA: *silence*…Good luck? *cue the this girl is nuts look*
🙂

Okay, so it may seem a little crazy but here’s why you should consider running a timed race if you haven’t done one already:

  • There is no DNF in a timed race. You show up and run whatever you want to run during your alloted time. Some people go in to them planning to run a certain distance and then calling it while others plan to run the whole time to see how many miles they can run. Whichever method you choose is entirely up to you.
  • You can’t get lost! I’ve run on half mile loops, mile loops, and 5K loops in the ones I’ve done. You are never far away from the start and/or aid station so you don’t have to worry about them calling out search parties if you miss a course marking and end up in another state.
  • You are never far from an aid station and food and water…like I stated in the previous point. This means you don’t have to carry multiple bottles or a hydration pack and you don’t have to carry a ton of food and gels on you.
  • You get to see your friends multiple times on the course. Most of the time, I see my friends at the beginning of a race (and sometimes at the end if they’ve waited for me) but with a loop course, you get to see them over, and over…and over again. 🙂 And the great thing is that since the race ends at a specific time, you never have to worry about them waiting around for you because you all end at the same time.
  • You get to make a lot of new friends. For the same reason above, you will see many of your fellow racers multiple times on the course and get to spend a lot of time with them.
  • They allow the middle and back-of-the-packers a chance to see/watch the fast guys/women.
  • You can usually set up your own little camp – with maybe a chair or blanket or sometimes even a tent – so all your stuff is there within easy access. No worrying about what to put in a drop bag for when. Night time…no problem, just grab your light. Need a change of shoes or socks…no problem, just grab them and change them.
  • Your friends and family that come to see you at the race get to see you multiple times without have to drive to various places on the course. And if they are tired, they can take a nap.
  • Hey, you can take a nap if you want to.
  • You always know where your competition is.
  • You will find yourself inspired by everyone, fast or slow, because you get to see their triumphs and their struggles.
  • It’s fun to see the miles adding up as you finish each loop.
  • You don’t have to worry about bears, mountain lions, and crazed cows…usually. Crazy runners, yes. Wild animals, no.
  • Did I mention access to great food is never far away? I’ve had pizza and cheeseburgers and tri tip and ice cream at some of my timed races.

For all these reasons…and probably a lot I forgot…timed races are a great place to set a new PR for a distance or set a new PL (Personal Long). You will be amazed by what you can accomplish at one!

I’ve done 4 so far and had a blast at each one:

New Year’s One Day 6/12/24 in San Francisco, CA – run on a 1 mile loop around Crissy Field on New Year’s Eve/Day with amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, Alcatraz, and the city. Both the 6 Hour and the 12 Hour end at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Nanny Goat 12/24/100 in Riverside, CA – great, fun 1 mile looping course on a horse farm that supports the Wounded Warrior Project. There’s a variety of surfaces to run on so you won’t get bored.

RIF #1 Joshua Holmes having fun at the Nanny Goat 2013

Run Under The Stars 10 Hour Endurance Run in Paducah, KY – run on a 1/2 mile horse track, the race starts at 8pm on Saturday and finishes at 6am on Sunday.

Rohring Round the Clock 6/12/24 in Chula Vista, CA – run on a 5K loop around Rohring park with lots to see.

These are just a few that I’ve done. I hope to run Across the Years 24HR/48HR/72HR one of these years and will definitely go back to the others. You can find more timed races by checking out Ultra Signup.

What are you waiting for? Go find one and sign up!

Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Run Under The Stars 5th Place Award 2013

Run Under The Stars Endurance Run Medal (2013)

This is the finisher’s medal for the Run Under The Stars Endurance Run that was held on June 8-9 in Paducah, Kentucky.

Fun medal! And it glows in the dark!

This is a 10 Hour run that starts at 8 pm on Saturday night and ends at 6 am the next morning. It is a total blast. 70+ Run It Fast Club Members were there this year and 4 members earned spots in the Top 5 Men and Top 5 Women! Here is a photo of the fun 5th Place award earned by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes:

Congratulations to RIF #236 Jen Metcalf, RIF #160 Jennifer Whitley, RIF #221 Karl Studtmann, and Josh for earning Top 5 spots! In fact, all the club members did amazing there and we are so proud of them.

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[Medal submitted by RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales, follow her on on Twitter @runlikeacoyote and the award was submitted by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes, follow him on Twitter @bayou]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Medals, THE CLUB, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Snake Run 6 Hour Medal 2013

6 Hour Snake Run Medal (2013)

This is the medal for the 6 Hour Snake Run that was held on March 17, 2013 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Love the snake!

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[medal photo submitted by RIF #251 Josh Faulkner. Follow him on Twitter  @joshjfaulkner]

 

Posted in Bling, Featured, Medals, THE CLUB, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

IMG_20130223_154946

Rohring Round The Clock “Medal” (2013)

This is the medal the finishers of the Rohring Round The Clock Timed Race received on February 23, 2013 in Bonita, California.

The race had 6 HR, 12 HR, and 100 Mile options and a clock fits it perfectly, especially with the roaring lion. Plus, it’s useful! Here is another view of the clock with RIF #1 Joshua who completed 50 miles during his event:

And here is a group pic from before the start which features RIF #1 Joshua and RIF #121 Ed Ettinghuasen (in the jester costume):

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[photos submitted by RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales, follow her on on Twitter @runlikeacoyote and by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes, follow him on Twitter @bayou]

Posted in Bling, Featured, THE CLUB, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Vikena Yutz – Across The Years – 2012 – Run It Fast

Joe Fejes Blazes 329 Miles During Across the Years 72 Hour (Results)

Georgia native Joe Fejes, who has had an amazing year of races, concluded 2012 with the best performance ever in the 23-year history of the Across The Years 72-Hour race.  The race takes place in Phoenix, Arizona and as the title hints at it starts in 2012 and finishes early in 2013.

Fejes won the event in setting the all-time course record by putting down 329.64 miles during the 72-hour event.  Last year he ran 280.30 during ATY.  It was only the third time that a runner had surpassed the 300 mile mark during the event.

Second place finisher, Eoin Keith, also surpassed the 300 mark become the fourth runner ever to do so with a total of 300.24 miles.

Third place went to (RIF #121) Ed ‘The Jester” Ettinghausen with 263.4 miles.

First place female went to Vikena Yutz, who set an all-time record for the women, with 254.05 miles. She shattered the previous mark by 4 miles.

Second place female went to Charlotte Vasarhelyi with 250.9 miles. Third place female went to Jennifer Bradley with 204.71 miles.

2012 Across The Years 72-Hour Results

  1. Joe Fejes – 329.64 miles
  2. Eoin Keith – 300.24 miles
  3. Ed Ettinghausen – 263.4 miles
  4. Vikena Yutz – 254.05 miles (F)
  5. Charlotte Yasarhelyi – 250.9 miles (F)
  6. George Biondic – 247.75 miles
  7. Anthony Culpepper – 216.26 miles
  8. Shashanka Karlen – 207.86 miles
  9. Jennifer Bradley – 204.71 miles (F)
  10. Mark Dorian – 201.56 miles
  11. Ryan Weidert – 200.51 miles
  12. Ed Compton – 200.51 miles
  13. Phil Nimmo – 200.51 miles

The Across The Years 48-Hour race was won by Volodymyr Balatskyy with 207.86 miles. Second place male went to John Geesler with 167.97 miles and third to Davy Crockett with 135.43 miles.

Top female for the ATY 48-Hour was Shawna Wentlandt with 137.52 miles. Second place female was Jill Hudson with 131.23 miles. Third place female with to Tammy Massie with 129.13 miles.

2012 Across The Years 48-Hour Results

  1. Volodymyr Balatskyy – 207.86 miles
  2. John Geesler 167.97 miles
  3. Shawna Wentlandt – 137.52 miles (F)
  4. Davy Crockett – 135.43 miles
  5. Jill Hudson 131.23 miles (F)
  6. Tammy Massie 129.13 miles (F)
  7. Josh Irvan – 125.98 miles
  8. Michael Miller – 115.48 miles
  9. Susan Kokesh – 110.23 miles (F)
  10. Fran Mason – 108.13 miles (F)

The great Ian Sharman won the Across The Years 24-Hour race with 109.18 miles. Second place went to Jesse Sjoberg with 106.03. Third place male was Brian Recore with 102.88 miles.

The ATY 24-Hour female winner was Debbie Leftwich with 106.03 miles. Susan Kramer came in second place with 101.83 miles.  Third place went to June Gessner with 100.78 miles.

2012 Across The Years 24-Hour Results

  1. Ian Sharman – 109.18 miles
  2. Jesse Sjoberg – 106.03 miles
  3. Debbie Leftwich – 106.03 miles (F)
  4. Brian Recore – 102.88 miles
  5. Robert Crockett – 102.88 miles
  6. Matthew Watts – 102.88 miles
  7. John Manross – 101.83 miles
  8. Susan Kramer 101.83 miles (F)
  9. Mitchell Chan – 101.83 miles
  10. Paul Grimm – 101.83 miles
  11. Chris Fall – 100.78 miles
  12. Joshua Holmes – 100.78 miles
  13. Jim Tello – 100.78 miles
  14. Jeff Blevins – 100.78 miles
  15. June Gessner – 100.78 miles (F)
  16. Michael Arnstein – 100.78 miles
  17. Alan Barnes – 100.78 miles
  18. Jo-Anne Hass – 100.78 miles (F)

Congrats to all of the runners who put down miles at Across The Years!

Posted in Results, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Run Under The Stars 2012

Run Under The Stars Medal (2012)

This is the medal for the Run Under The Stars 10 Hour Endurance Run that was held on June 9-10, 2012 from 10pm to 6am in Paducah, Kentucky.

RUTS is held on a 1/2 mile horsetrack and the runners do as many laps as possible within the 10 hour time limit. This is an awesome medal which incorporates all of the elements of the run with the horseshoe, the moon & stars, and a place to put the miles the runner completed. Very sweet bling!

Congratulations to Dani for completing her first ultra!

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[Medal submitted by RIF #49 Dani Obregon – Follow Dani on Twitter @Nanyob]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Running, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Ed

I Must Be Doing It Wrong


On Saturday, during the Nanny Goat 12/24/100 Ultra Race, I saw some tempers flare and heard others had tantrums/meltdowns. I had not seen that before in a trail race/ultra before and it surprised me. I thought it was just me who had little meltdowns during races. Luckily, no one was there to see the one I had on Saturday. While I was on the course, I tried to be positive/laugh so only Twitter bore the brunt of it. Which was, thankfully, only one tweet.

I think that when you enter the world of ultras and you see all these amazing people doing them and read about all their great adventures that you have this idealized vision of what an ultrarunner is. I know I do. To me an ultrarunner is someone with their sh!t together, who always smiles, never complains, figures out issues and deals with them, and just keeps running strong.

Yeah…that’s not me. So far, I’ve done 4 ultras and in every one of them, I felt:

  • Depressed – because I wasn’t as fast as I’d hoped.
  • Frustrated – because I couldn’t figure out stomach/feet/leg issues.
  • Whiny – because I wasn’t having a rainbows & unicorns race.
  • Sad – because I didn’t turn into the magical, glorified ultrarunner I thought I would be.
  • Angry – because I sometimes thought about quitting.
  • Fear – because I sometimes thought about quitting.
  • Doubt – that maybe, just maybe I didn’t have what it takes to run ultras.

So I must be doing it wrong. Right?

When my friends run ultras or I read race recaps of ultras, I’m always looking for some insight into what they were thinking when they were out there. Did they hit a low point? Did they have any doubts or fears? Am I the only one with thoughts like these?

And then when people congratulate me or tell me that they are proud of me for what I’ve accomplished, that little devil on my shoulder whispers in my ear “yeah, but they don’t know you were _____ (fill in the blank with any of the above).” That stupid little devil makes me feel guilty for accepting praise. I REALLY need to get rid of her or at least put a muzzle on her. Because you know what? I’ve been getting them done. Sure, it hasn’t always been pretty but I finished all 4 of them.

So I must be doing something right. Right?

I guess the whole point of my post is this…If you are thinking of going for an ultra (or your first marathon or half marathon or whatever new distance) but you’re not sure if you can do it…then go for it! Because if I can do it, you can do it.

Just know this…ultrarunners are NOT perfect. Take me for example. I am not a gifted runner. I’m not fast and I’m not agile on the trails. I am full of insecurities and doubts. I have low/ugly/would you like some cheese with that whine moments. I am not the poster child for an ultrarunner. Or even a runner really.

But…I am a runner and an ultrarunner. So, even if it isn’t all sunshine and roses, I keep going. That’s all you have to do. Keep going until you’re done. If you can do that, you ARE doing it right.

[photo submitted by me]

Posted in Running, Timed Races, Ultra Marathon1 Comment

6 Hour Snake Run Medal

6 Hour Snake Run Medal (2012)

Here is the finisher’s medal from the 6 Hour Snake Run that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 24, 2012.

This is one medal you don’t want to step on.

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[medal photo submitted by Eric VanZee. Follow him on Twitter @thebigtrout]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Medals, Timed Races0 Comments


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