Run It Fast®

Since I am sitting here following the Western States Endurance Run 100 progress (where several RIF members, including RIF #1 and founder Joshua Holmes, are laying down the miles and getting close to the finish line), now is as good of a time as any to tally up the Extreme Racer points for the year through May.

Last year’s winner has joined the pack this month and entered his miles for the year. However, I am surprised to see that he is not in first place so far. Leading the way is RIF #279 George Southgate with 768.6 points. Second place is held by RIF #190 John Kent Leighton with 744.15 points. Last year’s winner, RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen takes third place with 704.02 points.

RIF #159 Diane Bolton is in first for the women with 395.6 points. Following very close behind is RIF #450 Patricia Klein with 394.4 points. Third place is held by RIF #358 Belinda Young with 393.1 points. With a 2.5 point difference between first and third place, one race could completely rearrange the order of placings here for next month.

Here are the Extreme Racer standings through May:

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard:

1. George Southgate – 768.6 (RIF #279)
2. John Kent Leighton – 744.15 (RIF #190)
3. Ed Ettinghausen – 704.02 (RIF #121)
4. Joshua Holmes – 633.8 (RIF #1)
5. Deo Jaravata – 598.5 (RIF #333)
6. Diane Bolton – 395.6 (RIF #159)
7. Patricia Klein – 394.4 (RIF #450)
8. Belinda Young – 393.1 (RIF #358)
9. Andrea Kooiman – 352.3 (RIF #404)
10. Steven Smith – 335.2 (RIF #335.2)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard:

1. George Southgate – 768.6 (RIF #279)
2. John Kent Leighton – 744.15 (RIF #190)
3. Ed Ettinghausen – 704.02 (RIF #121)
4. Joshua Holmes – 633.8 (RIF #1)
5. Deo Jaravata – 598.5 (RIF #333)
6. Steven Smith – 335.2 (RIF #387)
7. Shane Tucker – 294.9 (RIF #337)
8. Denis McCarthy – 288.2 (RIF #263)
9. Jeff Liu – 284.1 (RIF #275)
10. Chris Baker – 283.2 (RIF #437)
11. Arland Blanton – 195.8 (RIF #290)
12. John Sotomayor – 190.2 (RIF #393)
13. Ben Herron – 159.8 (RIF #408)
14. Charlie Taylor – 157.2 (RIF #353)
15. Jeff Van Demark – 114.9 (RIF #322)
16. Michael Dasalla – 112.7 (RIF #411)
17. Nathan Bass – 109.3 (RIF #174)
18. Brian Recore – 100 (RIF #395)
19. Stephen Griffin – 97.9 (RIF #48)
20. David Mickelsen – 92.5 (RIF #164)
21. Dennis Arriaga – 63.1 (RIF #140)
22. Mark Ogletree – 41.7 (RIF #247)
23. Robin Robbins – 35.64 (RIF #33)
24. Jeff Le – 31 (RIF #248)
25. Rick Glass – 8 (RIF #401)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Diane Bolton – 395.6 (RIF #159)
2. Patricia Klein – 394.4 (RIF #450)
3. Belinda Young – 393.1 (RIF #358)
4. Andrea Kooiman – 352.3 (RIF #404)
5. Suzanne Michelson – 306.1 (RIF #280)
6. Christa Baker – 283.2 (RIF #436)
7. Angie Whitworth Pace – 272.7 (RIF #447)
8. Amanda Staggs – 270.9 (RIF #210)
9. Marylou Corino – 260.2 (RIF #410)
10. Nicole Eldridge – 251.6 (RIF #446)
11. Cheryl Bryll – 179.9 (RIF #432)
12. Kim Crowe – 156.3 (RIF #245)
13. Christy Bowers – 149.9 (RIF #60)
14. Heather Zeigler – 131 (RIF #246)
15. Tiffani Glass – 128.3 (RIF #328)
16. Alicia Eno – 127.2 (RIF #126)
17. Lisa Gonzales – 121 (RIF #5)
18. Ines Cooper – 120.5 (RIF #448)
19. Leslie Harwell – 120.2 (RIF #417)
20. Christy Scott – 119.2 (RIF #231)
21. Aimee Shilling – 105 (RIF #418)
22. Julia Beavers – 94.2 (RIF #339)
23. Donna Dworak – 92 (RIF #310)
24. Heather Shoemaker – 91.7 (RIF #44)
25. Jennifer Hatcher – 81.7 (RIF #323)
26. Marj Mitchell – 68.8 (RIF #4)
27. Shannon Miller – 67.4 (RIF #338)
28. Erin Goetz – 57.9 (RIF #443)
29. Sue Stephens-Wright – 26.2 (RIF #321)
30. Helen McMullin – 26.2 (RIF #390)
31. Laura Ann Evanoika – 13.1 (RIF #433)
32. Debra Jacildo – 3.1 (RIF #98)

June has been a busy month for Run It Fast members, especially with Run It Fast’s own Jackal Marathon series, which ran for 5 consecutive days during the third week in June, so I’m sure these numbers will increase dramatically and placings will change all over the board. As always, Run It Fast members continue to inspire and amaze by pushing their boundaries and testing their limits. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the year holds for this incredible group of determined runners.

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

photo: Tim Rogan

RIF #333 Deo Jaravata and RIF #1 Joshua Holmes at Nanny Goat

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope everyone had a great, safe time grilling, playing on the water, and of course, running.

This club and all the incredible people in it are a constant inspiration and amazement me, especially watching how the Extreme Racer standings change each month. More members continue to participate and the points continue to rise, as runners battle for the top spots.

Leading the men is RIF #279 George Southgate with 588 points. Second place is held by RIF #190 John Kent Leighton with 547.45 points. Coming in third is RIF #1 Joshua Holmes with 492.6 points.

Our female leader is RIF #404 Andrea Kooiman with 352.3 points. Second place is held by RIF #450 Patricia Klein with 342 points. Coming in third is RIF #159 Diane Bolton with 321.2 points.

Here are the 2015 Extreme Racer standings through April:

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard:

1. George Southgate – 588 (RIF #279)
2. John Kent Leighton – 547.45 (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 492.6 (RIF #1)
4. Deo Jaravata – 389.4 (RIF #333)
5. Andrea Kooiman – 352.3 (RIF #404)
6. Patricia Klein – 342 (RIF #450)
7. Steven Smith – 335.2 (RIF #387)
8. Diane Bolton – 328.2 (RIF #159)
9. Belinda Young – 301.4 (RIF #358)
10. Denis McCarthy – 288.2 (RIF #263)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. George Southgate – 588 (RIF #279)
2. John Kent Leighton – 547.45 (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 492.6 (RIF #1)
4. Deo Jaravata – 389.4 (RIF #333)
5. Steven Smith – 335.2 (RIF #387)
6. Denis McCarthy – 288.2 (RIF #263)
7. Shane Tucker – 222 (RIF #337)
8. Arland Blanton – 195.8 (RIF #290)
9. John Sotomayor – 190.2 (RIF #393)
10. Jeff Liu – 181 (RIF #275)
11. Chris Baker – 171 (RIF #437)
12. Charlie Taylor – 157.2 (RIF #353)
13. Ben Herron – 119.8 (RIF #408)
14. Michael Dasalla – 112.7 (RIF #411)
15. Nathan Bass – 106.2 (RIF #174)
16. Brian Recore – 100 (RIF #395)
17. Stephen Griffin – 97.9 (RIF #395)
18. David Mickelsen – 92.5 (RIF #164)
19. Jeff Van Demark – 86.3 (RIF #322)
20. Dennis Arriaga – 63.1 (RIF #140)
21. Mark Ogletree – 41.7 (RIF #247)
22. Robin Robbins – 35.64 (RIF #33)
23. Jeff Le – 31 (RIF #248)
24. Rick Glass – 8 (RIF #401)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Andrea Kooiman – 352.3 (RIF #404)
2. Patricia Klein – 342 (RIF #450)
3. Diane Bolton – 328.2 (RIF #159
4. Belinda Young – 301.4 (RIF #358)
5. Suzanne Michelson – 248.9 (RIF 280)
6. Marylou Corino – 229.2 (RIF #410)
7. Angie Whitworth Pace – 220.3 (RIF #447)
8. Amanda Staggs – 203.7 (RIF #210)
9. Christa Baker – 171 (RIF #436)
10. Nicole Eldridge – 146.2 (RIF #446)
11. Christy Bowers – 136.8 9 (RIF #60)
12. Heather Zeigler – 131 (RIF #246)
13. Ines Cooper – 120.5 (RIF #448)
14. Leslie Harwell – 120.2 (RIF #417)
15. Kim Crowe – 115.1 (RIF #245)
16. Aimee Shilling – 105 (RIF #418
17. Tiffani Glass – 95.9 (RIF #328)
18. Christy Scott – 93 (RIF #231)
19. Donna Dworak – 92 (RIF #310)
20. Heather Shoemaker – 91.7 (RIF #44)
21. Lisa Gonzales – 85.3 (RIF #5)
22. Jennifer Hatcher – 81.7 (RIF #323)
23. Marj Mitchell – 59.5 (RIF #4)
24. Alicia Eno – 39.3 (RIF #126)
25. Erin Goetz – 35.5 (RIF #443)
26. Shannon Miller – 26.2 (RIF #338)
27. Sue Stephens-Wright – 26.2 (RIF #321)
28. Helen McMullin – 26.2 (RIF #390)
29. Julia Beavers – 15.5 (RIF #339)
30. Laura Ann Evanoika – 13.1 (RIF #433)

So many members have already accomplished such greats things this year, and the year isn’t even halfway over. There will be so many more PRs, PLs and PGs (personal goals) set and I cannot wait to hear about them all. You are all exceptional. Keep being you.

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

Malibu International Marathon – (Nov 11, 2012)

Malibu, California – MIM was my second marathon in my back to back marathon weekend. I was tired and my body was thrashed from the day before at the Catalina Eco Marathon (race report) where the big hills and drops had done a number on my legs.  The progress my left knee, which had been recovering from a torn meniscus, took several backwards the day before on the island.

Run It Fast member Lisa Gonzales (RIF #5) picked me up early at my house to make the hourish drive over to Malibu where we parked near the finish line at Zuma Beach. From there you hop a bus for about an hour to where the race starts inland.  Before the race I ran into Deo Jaravata, Nadia Ruiz Gonzales, and Yolanda Holder from the day before along with Maniac Rocky Morales and several other running friends.

I hate to complain or knock marathons, and this will be my only complaint about the Malibu Marathon, but the race was supposed to start at 8am and we didn’t end up starting til 8:30am because the RD’s made everyone wait for someone to arrive at the starting line for the race.  A delay of that length can throw off many runner’s nutrition, race plan, etc.  This race is big enough that it should have started on time.

Everyone shivered and waited hurdled together for the race to finally start and it finally did.

The first 10 miles take you from inland, through several turns around farmland, until you reach the Pacific Ocean at about mile 10. I struggled for those ten miles leading to up to the water. I was slugglish, tired, and my knee and feet were hurting from the day before at Catalina. But getting to where the water started was good mentally as nature’s beautiful scenery started to unfold in front of me with majestic mountains and hillside to my left and the endless ocean and beaches to my right. Somewhere around mile 15 a fellow runner pointed out dolphins jumping in the water to me.  It was a truly wonderful site to witness during the middle of a marathon.

I had good and bad stretches over the last 16 miles of this race. I became stronger on the uphills as there were several long uphills as the race got closer to the finish. I was able to keep running up them and past many other runners as they walked and fatigued. I’d then float and speed down the downhills and straightaways as I started to count all the targets I was knocking off. I met a sweet woman over the past 3 miles that pushed me as I pushed her as we were eager to get to the finish and put this one in our race journals.

The medal was great and instead of a finisher’s tech tee like at most races they gave everyone a Malibu International Marathon beach towel which was a nice touch. The finish area had two food trucks and a live band as runners relaxed on the beach, in the water, and at the finish to watch the remaining runners came in.

I waited for Lisa to come in (that’s Deo above not Lisa) and she did with a smile as she had hit her pre-race target. We ate some food from one of the food trucks and then made the trek back home.  I’m thankful for Lisa picking me up and dropping me off for this race. It wasn’t necessary on her part, but it made it easier on me having run and traveled to Catalina to race the day before.

• Medal: 8.5/10 (see here)
• Course: 7/10 (last 16 miles 9.5)
• Scenery: 8/10
• Support: 8/10
• Crowds: 5/10
• Price: 7/10
• OVERALL: 7.5/10

A beautiful race in one of the most beautiful places in the United States.

– Joshua Holmes (RIF #1)

You can follow Joshua on Twitter @bayou