Run It Fast®

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.]

Born to Run is a mixture of races that take place in Los Olivos, California. The races were created and hosted by famed runner Luis Escobar.

Born to Run is a bit of a cult race with a hippie-like Woodstock meets Burning Man vibe to it with good music, large consumptions of alcohol, and other extracurricular activities, as well as a bit of running. This year’s event had distances of 200mi, 100mi, 60mi, 30mi, 10mi, and a 1mi beer run.

Run It Fast® member, and good friend, Jeff Liu had selected this race a few weeks prior to run as his 4th 100 miler. I wanted to be there to support him but was undecided on running it until three days before the race when I signed up. That’s enough time before a 100 to decide to run it, right?

Naturally, I was late leaving Los Angeles, traffic piled up, and I finally arrived at the BTR ranch about 10 minutes before the race was to commence. Since I had signed up at the last minute there was some confusion as to who had my race bib. I finally located it and rushed to get ready in my truck as Jeff waited shaking his head at my rushed entry onto the BTR scene. Jeff had been there for several hours, all set up, laid back in his Lazy Boy recliner soaking in the BTR vibes, scents, and mentally preparing to run 100 miles. I finally told Jeff to head on over to the starting line as I wrestled with some bags to find socks and Gu’s. Shortly after, I heard the final call to start the race and ran the 1/10th of a mile to the starting line.

Right before the gun went off, I was able to locate the other RIF members there including Christy Scott, Liu, Jeff Genova, Martine Sesma. I found everyone from RIF except Ed ‘the Jester’ Ettinghausen, and Ed is very hard to miss. Not being able to find Ed before a 100 he’s supposed to be at (which is about every one) is like not hearing a screaming kid at Chuck E Cheese at closing time.

Luis fired the shotgun and we started the Born to Run 100 mile race as the sun was starting to set on the ranch. I spent the first mile chatting with Christy and then with Andrew Snope, from Georgia, whom I met back in August at the Six Days in the Dome races in Alaska. I then caught Scott Newton, from Soul to Sole, and we ran the next mile or two together before he took off and left me as I helped a poor oak tree from the tough California drought with a solid 53-seconds of hydration. It was during those early miles that I realized all the things I had forgotten to do in my mad rush to make it to the starting line. The most glaring was that I forgot to put on my Zensah® calf compression sleeves. It was not a major deal though since the race would return by my truck at the 10-mile point.

The first 10 miles was on what was referred to as the ‘pink’ loop, pink ribbon…pink loop.  The pink loop winds all over before bringing runners back to race headquarters. Then we headed out on a 10 mile ‘yellow’ loop (yellow ribbon) that returned us to the same spot as well. You do each loop 5x to reach the 100 miles. I’ll give Liu a pass because he had never done the race before, but Liu, Newton, the Jester, and everyone I spoke to before the race talked about how BTR was a fast course with some easy rolling hills. Four miles into that first ‘pink’ loop and I thought this isn’t that rolling or that easy. As fate would play out the ‘pink’ loop was the easier loop of the two. SMH!

I finished the first pink loop in 1:29 which was pretty fast, too fast actually! I had run it thinking that the yellow loop would be as friendly or more friendly.  Upon getting back to my truck I killed several minutes, finding and putting on my Zensah’s, reloading my bottle, etc. I think I also grabbed my headlamp because the race had started at 6pm, and the sun would be down before I got back around. I headed out on the first ‘yellow’ loop and ran the first couple miles of it with Snope. He’s a super-fast young dude who is usually bare foot or in some Gandhi sandals. We talked a bit, co-mingled in the sunset, and I finally found some weeds to water so he’d get on his fast way. I was running too hard to keep up with his ‘easy’ pace.

That ‘yellow’ loop was no joke. Yellow is supposed to be the color of friendship I thought, but ‘yellow’ was not mellow and slapped me around a bit. I quickly realized that this course was going to be challenging and that I needed to figure out how and when to attack it. It’s one of the advantages of doing a looped course. You’ll be back on subsequent loops so know where you want to run, power hike, let gravity pull you (and where the aid stations are). I got back to home plate finishing my first ‘yellow’ loop in 2:04 for that 10mi and 3:33 for the first 20 miles.

Somewhere between 15-20 miles into BTR my right achilles felt fried and like it was on the verge of popping. My lower back decided to join in around the same time and give me a two piece harmony of pain that couldn’t help me to not think that the next track to be played would be ‘Symphony of Destruction.’ I immediately prepared myself that it might be near impossible to finish 85 more miles and I might ring up my first DNF…after 143 races. After all it’s only a matter of time…I started to prepare myself for all outcomes. When a DNF does finally happen, I’ll just start another streak and hope it’s just as long as the first. However, I knew as long as I could keep taking a step forward that I would continue.

The next ‘pink’ was slower but felt comfortable, followed by a slower ‘yellow’ as my run went deep into the night. My third time around was my slowest on each side, but I knew it was the last miles before the sun reappeared. My aggressive goal coming into the race was to hit 60 miles in the first 12 hours. I think in reality I hit about 57 miles in the first 12 hours. My achilles had slowed me a bit as had hunger and a bit of sleepiness throughout the night, but overall I was pleased with my movement over the first 60 miles that brought me back to BTR headquarters with the completion of three big loops (3 pink and 3 yellow). It took me 13hr 10min to do 60 miles. During that time I hit 50 miles in 10hr 27min.

With daylight anew, I felt confident with 60 miles completed. With the light it’s easier to feel more confident about your footing. It’s no myth that the sun brings energy with it as well. Also with the daylight there would be no more green eyes glowing back at me like they had throughout the night. The ranch had lots of cattle, deer, and other wildlife that kept you alert during the night. Like most trail ultras at night though, you are just going on blind faith and eventually get to the point where you don’t care what is out there…and even further to the point that it usually gets so bad during a 100 that you hope something will attack you and take you out of your misery, but even the wildest of wildlife has standards and will thumb it’s nose at you at that point.

On the fourth set of pink and yellow loops I was strong. I had my 2nd strongest pink loop on that fourth round and also my 2nd strongest yellow loop of the five total completed. I did the combined set of 20 miles from 60-80 in 4:33 (2:00/2:33). This left an ‘easy’ pink that would bring me back to BTR headquarters at 90 miles, leaving the tough yellow loop that I could simply mark off one mile at a time.

The last few times back to BTR HQ Tony Scott, Christy’s husband, who has helped me many times during the Strolling Jim 40 Miler in Tennessee, made sure I had was well fed and I had anything I could think of as he went above and beyond to help me have a good race. I’m very appreciative for Tony’s kindness and help during BTR & SJ40 two weeks before. His tent and food spread became my aid station. Tony had some great lil turkey sandwiches, with pepper jack, on Hawaiian bread that were amazing. I almost turned around once after heading out on a loop to get a few more.  And of course he had Southern favorites, Zebra Cakes and Oatmeal Pies.

During that last pink loop I finally found ‘The Jester.’ I had not seen him before or during the race so I assumed he was a no-show. When I lapped Ed he told me that he had been late to the start (sound familiar?) and had started 30 minutes late. It’s always good to see Ed. He was having a rough day but would go on to complete his 100th 100-miler. Yeah, that’s a pretty amazing number. The whole Jester outfit can really detract at times from what a great runner Ed is and has been for a long time.  He holds a 100 PR of like 14:50.

Around mile 80 I started hallucinating that I saw a hot air ballon with the same colors of my race bib.

Pink 80-90 went smoothly and I headed out quickly for my very last loop, my last yellow loop. I was ready to finish and for several hours I had kept my focus on the number 22:30 to keep me tuned in and keep me tight on the rail to try to finish this race without burning too much more time than necessary. It’s 100% that RIF attitude of maximizing potential and seeing what we are truly capable of doing. On that last yellow it had warmed up as it was now the hottest part of the day. I was pushing pretty hard to finish, and I started to get a bit light headed coming up one of the long climbs. I dialed it back a bit, slowed down on that last big climb, and waited to turn it back up when the next descent hit.

Around mile 96ish I went down that nasty triple-dip ridge descent for the last time. This left close to 3 miles to go and with that came a good feeling that my 30th 100-mile finish was in the bag. I enjoyed those last miles and kind of played the entire race throughout my head again as I also wondered how Christy, Jeff, and Ed were doing on the course. I had not seen Jeff in about 25 miles when we crossed at one point at an intersection. I kept hoping he had not DNF’d and succumbed to the vices of BTR HQ.

I then came down the last mile, through the BTR alley of cheering & debauchery, and crossed the finish line in 22:16:51. It was good enough for 5th overall. RIF’s Jeff Genova, the official race photographer, gave me my finisher’s amulet and buckle moments after crossing the finish.

I was pleased with my finish and my time. I had battled for many miles against my achilles, gutted it through certain sections, but had given it my all every step of the way. I could have saved more time by being more organized with my gear/food/etc at my truck where I burned more time than I should have, but that is the only thing I felt like I could have done better. My moving time was 20:27:53….so I could have done better and been more efficient at my truck when I stopped at it for sure. I felt like I minimized time at the actual aid stations.

Here is a look at some of my splits from the 2015 Born to Run 100:

Pink Loops: 1:29, 2:04, 2:17, 2:00, 2:09
Yellow Loops: 2:04, 2:33, 2:43, 2:33, 2:24
20 Mile Loops: 3:33, 4:37, 5:00, 4:33, 4:33
10-1:29, 20-3:33, 30-5:37, 40-8:10, 50-10:27, 60-13:10, 70-15:10, 80-17:43, 90-19:52, 100-22:16

View Born to Run 100 by Joshua Holmes on Strava
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Christy Scott finished sub 24 in 23:50:22 and was 1st female. Jeff Liu finished in 25:52:37. Ed ‘Jester’ Ettinghausen finished in 29:18:34 for his 100th 100-mile finish. Martine Sesma PR’d the 30-mile race in 6:00:14.

The great Oswaldo Lopez won the BTR 100mi in 17:10:07, Andrew Snope was 2nd in 17:45:22, and Ben Holmes was 3rd in 18:45:24.

Born to Run is laid back and fun for those there running one of the races, but is also a fun atmosphere for those not running as well with the live music, spirits, etc. The course is more challenging than advertised or friends remembered from prior years, but it’s a pretty course with great views and wildlife throughout.

I hope to be able to make it back next year!

– joshua holmes (RIF #1)
Run It Fast®

First, this is a running race named after a walking horse.

The 2015 edition of the Strolling Jim 40 miler, a race that is actually 41.2 miles, was the 37th version. But then again if the distance isn’t accurate maybe this wasn’t the 37th. I guess we can believe it, I mean it’s not like the creator uses a fake name. If you haven’t run this one, you are missing out – missing out on an incredible experience and equally incredible pain. But its a good pain.

The early pack Photo Credit: Joshua Holmes

A Strolling Jim experience begins with camaraderie with ultra legends and ends with the same. The in between is where runners find out what they are made of. The course is brutal – and all road, this is as old school as races come.

DeWayne Satterfield, Dink Taylor and Brett Wilks Photo Credit: Yong Kim

My personal experience with this race includes multiple hours of running with ultra-personalities and hearing about their experiences in iconic races and other adventurous runs. I have been lucky to spend three plus hours each of the last two years running with Huntsville’s DeWayne Satterfield and Dink Taylor. Seeing that these guys have done great things in the ultra world for years, you can imagine the great yarns they can tell. As we ran the country roads in the early miles this year, Satterfield obviously had the Vol State 500K on his brain. When we would come to a viewpoint that held a long section of rolling terrain in front of us, DeWayne would spread his arms out to hold the scene and say with that perpetual smile of his, ‘this is exactly what Vol State is about.’ It’s great to see these guys get excited about these big events.

Around 15 or so miles into the race we passed a country church, I looked back. I did not turn into sand, but I did see the sign out front had the following verse/message on it: O Death, where is your sting (I Cor. 15:55). I pointed this out; DeWayne started singing O Brother Where Art Thou songs. Later on, in our own ways, we found out just where the sting was located.

In order to pass the time, because the early miles (1-26) are about passing the time until the racing or flailing begins, I asked Satterfield why Huntsville, AL has so many ultra runners. In fact, I asked a more pointed question – was there a person that got you guys into ultra running when everyone else was running 10k races? The answer was a gentleman named Phillip Parker. The cool thing about this sport is that every successful runner seems to have a person that they look up to and who taught them how to be the success they’ve become in the sport. Hearing this always reminds me to listen to those who have been doing this for a while to find out the good secrets and to talk to those who are new to our crazy group. Parker was that spark for Satterfield. To hear the admiration in his voice showed how special this man was. DeWayne has a Barkley Fun Run, a victory at Vol State, in fact victories for years and years at the ultra distances. DeWayne is a genuine, good human and for him to look up to another runner so admirably tells me a lot about Parker without needing to hear the stories. DeWayne told me of Parker running Vol State in the early years of the race, a tale that included Parker’s wife discovering on day two that she had an appointment back at home on the 4th day of the event. Parker did what any gentleman would do for his wife; he manned up and ran like a hundred and ten miles on day three to finish the race in time to make the appointment.

Parker would also answer the local’s question of ‘how far you going today?’ with ‘a couple dozen’. Classic.

Eventually, DeWayne and Brett Wilks took off from me. We were a couple dozen into the race. About a mile later, Dink passed me. Dink always passes me. Someday, maybe when I’m 50, I’ll get him back but it won’t be easy. Once the marathon is in the legs, Dink smells blood in those poor souls in front of him.

Last year at the marathon mark things got real for me. Luckily Joe Fejes (yes, that Joe Fejes) and I hooked up for the second half of the race, aka miles 28-41. Joe’s mental capacity to get through races is unparalleled; after all he is ‘6 Day Joe’. At mile 28 Joe told me exactly what we were going to do for the rest of the race. I did not question him. I just did what he said. Things worked out. This year there was no Joe – he’s in Hungary running for six days straight again. So it was me and my crew. Last year, my wife Sherrie handled the crew duties – that is when she made it to me. She got lost and couldn’t find me until I had made it about 25 miles into the race. I’m pretty easy when it comes to crewing, so I just adapted. This year though I had professional help.

Yong Kim at Lookout 50 Miler Photo credit: Jobie Williams

When us Southerners say ‘Yong Kim’ it sounds like we are talking about an up and coming female rapper from Atlanta, but in reality Yong is a solid runner from Nolensville, TN. Yong had offered a few weeks back to crew me in this race. Yong has done some great races lately, especially the phenomenal effort he laid down at Savage Gulf marathon, where he was second overall with one of the fastest times ever on the difficult, technical course. Yong and I have also shared plenty of miles together and to say he is the most positive person I’ve run with will not shock anyone that knows him. So when he offered I took him up on it. Another good thing working in my favor was that Yong had witnessed first-hand some of my usual race stupidity. Like the time a few years ago when we ran Stump Jump together. It was the year that would become known by most of the entrants as the ‘Bee Year’. A hot day for sure and me not being one to consume a lot of fluids as I run, I thought the best choice for my water bottle would be one of those 6 oz Salomon soft flasks that fit in your palm. I was fine early, but once we hit Suck Creek Road the second time the light switch went off on me. I spent a few minutes trying to determine why the aid station worker was talking in Swahili. Eventually I came to my senses and realized that she was not the crazy one standing there.

Yong was solid all day, moving between crewing me full-time and a few others part-time. Next year I’m hoping that he jumps into the race as well.

As things deteriorated for me, Joshua Holmes was head hunting. Right as I entered ‘the walls’, Yong told me that Josh was very close and that I should work with him to the finish. We were in two totally different places at this point and Josh ended up running this critical section of the course strongly and got the sub 6 hour result for his effort. Very proud of him. Josh and I have shared some memorable miles, specifically at Badwater last year where I was on his crew. That week produced a lifetime of stories. Like the day after the race. We had stuck around for the finish festivities in Lone Pine and on the drive back to Los Angeles decided that we would celebrate the week with one last event – a soccer game between Manchester United and LA Galaxy. So we drove to Pasadena and looked for a parking spot around the Rose Bowl. Because we are cheap, we didn’t want to pay to park so we ended up in a residential area a few blocks from the stadium. None of us were completely sure if parking in this area was legal. After slow-rolling through the neighborhood like a bunch of combination creepers/terrorists, Josh pulled the big suburban full of runner and crew in front of a house and waffled with his decision to park there for a moment, then stated, “this is a rental, it’s not like anyone is going to know it’s my vehicle. I think we are OK here.” We all sat there a minute reassuring him it was fine. Then I remembered that we had not removed any of the five 3’x2’ race required signs from the vehicle. These signs had ‘Joshua Holmes’, ‘Run It Fast’, his race number – basically everything except his bank account on them. And that is why we are runners. Being a ninja or international spy requires more stealth and intelligence than we can produce. Just for the record we were a band consisting of one medical doctor, two attorneys, an accountant and a college student.

Jobie Williams and Joshua Holmes in the post Strolling Jim swing Photo Credit: Yong Kim

As I struggled through the 50K point that was marked on the road I looked at my watch to see how long it had taken. 4:18. Even though it was rough those last miles leading to the mark, my heat soaked brain was convincing me that a 4:18 50k is not terrible at all. Later that night as I thought about this I had to laugh. As I was feeling good about my 4:18, Scott Breeden had finished the race four minutes earlier. Everything is relative I suppose. Small victories, all that stuff. But Scott is a real talent and was doing this race on Barkley legs. I’d not be surprised if he doesn’t threaten the seemingly untouchable Strolling Jim course record in the coming years.

Jobie Williams “enjoying” the country roads of TN Photo Credit: Yong Kim

Those last ten miles were cruel and I made a joke of them. Mostly this race came down to me quitting on myself and that doesn’t sit well with me. I’ll have some unfinished business to motivate me next year. As I closed in on the finish and flippantly read Laz’s painted-on-the-road messages to the runners, like ‘only wimps walk here’ – walked, ‘big girls run this’ – walked, ‘only 5k to go, start your kick’ – walked, I was passed by a guy who ran right by me. And he kept running. Actually he had this Badwater shuffle going that was super effective. To stay close I would run a little harder and then settle into a walk. Basically it was the way a 9 year old runs a 5k. At this point I was crushing my ear drums with Rage Against the Machine tunes so that my walk was motivated. Yong had put ice into my water bottle so unbeknownst to me, I sounded like a jack hammer to everyone around me. Once we hit a mile and a half to go I decided I would run with this guy and see what his story is. I turned off my iPod as I caught up to him. His first words were, ‘I was wondering when you were going to catch me. I’ve been hearing your water bottle for a while now.’ Man, I bet that was annoying. Luckily he was a super nice guy and still talked to me. I told him that he must have been a Badwater runner at some point in his life because he had the Jerry West of Badwater shuffles going. He looked at me and said that he had won the first three. Tom Possert, I’m sorry for being a nuisance and an idiot.

Once I finished the race I got to see women’s winner Beth Meadows come in a few minutes later. (This is my way of letting the reader know that I beat all the women.) I had talked this race up to Beth who had just run Boston a couple weeks before. Beth is one of the super solid female runners from Nashville that performs very well in every race she enters. For winning Beth got this awesome trophy that is not dissimilar to the height of Clark Griswold’s Christmas tree. And Beth has Strolling Jim fever now. Something that you can’t get rid of – ask Dink who has done 29 Strolling Jims now.

Beth Meadows and Jobie Williams finish line smiles Photo Credit: Yong Kim

Another year finished with the consumption of a big ole chicken leg under the tent in Wartrace. Many more stories were shared and fun had. But before that I sat down under the tent and Laz asked me if it was as easy as I expected. I answered that it was a rough day. He then made a reference to me doing the marathon. I guess I looked more like someone who had wrestled with a 6 hour marathon than a 6 hour 41 miler. I’m not sure what that says about me…

Spring has sprung, and runners are starting to come out of their burrows. No matter where you call home, runners and walkers alike are covering roads and sidewalks in their running shoes with their friends, pets and strollers in tow, enjoying the warm sunshine and doing their best to shed a few winter pounds. Whether you are an indoor winter runner or a year-round outdoor vet, race mileage is beginning to accrue and, with it, points. Extreme Racer points, that is.

With Run It Fast’s continual growth of new members, the Extreme Racer competition already has many new competitors than last year, and I enjoy seeing how the change in competition shakes up the standings. Particularly, there are several more women who are taking part this year. Therefore, I will start this post with the women’s leaderboard.

Run It Fast Extreme Racer Leaders

In first place for the women is RIF #404 Andrea Kooiman with 352.3 points. In second place is the female winner for 2014, RIF #159 Diane Bolton with 328.2 points. Third place is held by RIF #280 Suzanne Michelson with 235.8

Leading the men is RIF #190 John Kent Leighton with 485.45 points. Second place is held by RIF #279 George Southgate with 446 points. In third place is RIF founder and RIF #1 Joshua Holmes with 392.6 points.

Here are the 2015 Extreme Racer standings through March:

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard:

1. John Kent Leighton – 485.45 (RIF #190)
2. George Southgate – 446 (RIF #279)
3. Joshua Holmes – 392.6 (RIF #1)
4. Andrea Kooiman – 352.3 (RIF #404)
5. Diane Bolton – 328.2 (RIF #159)
6. Steven Smith – 269.7 (RIF #3870
7. Denis McCarthy –  235.8 (RIF #263)
8. Suzanne Michelson – 235.8 (RIF #280)
9. Belinda Young – 231.6 (RIF #358)
10. Amanda Staggs – 203.7 (RIF #210)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Andrea Kooiman – 352.3 (RIF #404)
2. Diane Bolton – 328.2 (RIF #159)
3. Suzanne Michelson – 235.8 (RIF #280)
4. Belinda Young – 231.6 (RIF #358)
5. Amanda Staggs – 203.7 (RIF #210)
6. Angie Whitworth Pace – 194.1 (RIF #447)
7. Christa Baker – 171 (RIF #436)
8. Patricia Klein – 145.5 (RIF #450)
9. Heather Zeigler – 131 (RIF #246)
10. Ines Cooper – 120.5 (RIF #448)
11. Leslie Harwell – 120.2 (RIF #417)
12. Kim Crowe – 115.1 (RIF #245)
13. Marylou Corino – 114.7 (RIF #410)
14. Christy Bowers – 100.6 (RIF #60)
15. Christy Scott – 93 (RIF #231)
16. Donna Dworak – 92 (RIF #310)
17. Heather Shoemaker – 91.7 (RIF #44)
18. Jennifer Hatcher – 81.7 (RIF #323)
19. Lisa Gonzales – 77.9 (RIF #5)
20.Tiffani Glass – 69.7 (RIF #328)
21. Aimee Shilling – 65.1 (RIF #418)
22. Marj Mitchell – 29.3 (RIF #4)
23. Sue Stephens-Wright – 26.2 (RIF #321)
24. Shannon Miller – 26.2 (RIF #338)
25. Helen McMullen – 26.2 (RIF #390)
26. Erin Goetz – 19.3 (RIF #443)
27. Julia Beavers – 15.5 (RIF #339)
28. Laura Ann Evanoika – 13.1 (RIF #433)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. John Kent Leighton – 485.45 (RIF #190)
2. George Southgate – 446 (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 392.6 (RIF #1)
4. Steven Smith – 269.7 (RIF #387)
5. Denis McCarthy – 235.8 (RIF #263)
6. Shane Tucker – 187.9 (RIF #337)
7. Arland Blanton – 183.4 (RIF #290)
8. Jeff Liu – 181 (RIF #275)
9. Chris Baker – 171 (RIF #437)
10. Charlie Taylor – 157.2 (RIF #353)
11. John Sotomayor – 140.2 (RIF #393)
12. Nathan Bass – 103.1 (RIF #174)
13. Brian Recore – 100 (RIF #395)
14. David Mickelsen – 92.5 (RIF 164)
15. Michael Dasalla – 83.4 (RIF #411)
16. Dennis Arriaga – 63.1 (RIF #140)
17. Jeff Van Demark – 61 (RIF #322)
18. Mark Ogletree – 41.7 (RIF #247)
19. Ben Herron – 39.3 (RIF #408)
20. Jeff Le – 31 (RIF #248)
21. Robin Robbins – 22.54 (RIF #33)
22. Rick Glass – 8 (RIF #401)

This year will hold so much in store for members of Run It Fast all over the globe, as the club continues to grow and runners continue doing what they love to do; run. With every mile, every step you take, you inspire someone. Even if you don’t know it. Continue to push your boundaries and be amazed with the outcome.

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

Daylight Savings Time, “Spring Forward”, has finally passed so that longer days and warmer weather can begin to make its way to us. Spring is on the horizon and the racing season is swiftly approaching. However, Run It Fast members have apparently not let the snow, ice or cold weather hold them back.  The Extreme Racer competition is already in full swing, only two months into the year, with many new participants joining in the fun.  The rest of the year should hold some pretty impressive numbers and accomplishments.

Leading the way for the men is RIF #190 John Kent Leighton with 383.05 points. RIF #279 George Southgate takes second place with 325.4 points. RIF’s founder and RIF #1, Joshua Holmes, comes in third place with 235.4 points.

Taking first place for the women is RIF #159 Diane Bolton with 202.6 points. RIF #280 Suzanne Michelson is in second place with 117.9 points and RIF #210 Amanda Staggs takes third place with 101.3 points.

Here are the 2015 Extreme Racer standings through February:

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard

1. John Kent Leighton – 383.05 (RIF #190)
2. George Southgate – 325.4 (RIF #279)
3. Joshua Holmes – 235.4 (RIF #1)
4. Diane Bolton – 202.6 (RIF #159)
5. Steven Smith – 169.4 (RIF #387)
6. Arland Blanton – 157.2 (RIF #290)
7. Charlie Taylor – 157.2 (RIF #353)
8. Shane Tucker – 120.3 (RIF #337)
9. Suzanne Michelson – 117.9 (RIF #280)
10. Amanda Staggs – 101.3 (RIF #210)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. John Kent Leighton – 383.05 (RIF #190)
2. George Southgate – 325.4 (RIF #279)
3. Joshua Holmes – 235.4 (RIF #1)
4. Steven Smith – 169.4 (RIF 387)
5. Arland Blanton – 157.2 (RIF #290)
6. Charlie Taylor – 157.2 (RIF #353)
7. Shane Tucker – 120.3 (RIF #337)
8. Brian Recore – 100 (RIF #395)
9. John Sotomayor – 84.8 (RIF #393)
10. Dennis Arriaga – 63.1 (RIF #140)
11. Nathan Bass – 50 (RIF #174)
12. Michael Dasalla – 44.1 (RIF #411)
13. Mark Ogletree – 41.7 (RIF #247)
14. Jeff Van Demark – 35.5 (RIF #322)
15. David Mickelsen – 30.5 (RIF #164)
16. Robin Robbins – 6.2 (RIF #33)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Diane Bolton – 202.6 (RIF #159)
2. Suzanne Michelson – 117.9 (RIF #280)
3. Amanda Staggs – 101.3 (RIF #210)
4. Donna Dworak – 92 (RIF #310)
5. Heather Shoemaker – 91.7 (RIF #44)
6. Jennifer Hatcher – 81.7 (RIF #323)
7. Heather Zeigler – 78.6 (RIF #246)
8. Kim Crowe – 71 (RIF #245)
9. Leslie Harwell – 61.6 (RIF #417)
10. Belinda Young – 50.8 (RIF #358)
11. Lisa Gonzales – 45.5 (RIF #5)
12. Christy Bowers – 45.5 (RIF #60)
13. Aimee Shilling – 31 (RIF #418)
14. Sue Stephens-Wright – 26.2 (RIF #321)
15. Helen McMullin – 26.2 (RIF #390)
16. Marylou Corino – 26.2 (RIF #410)
17. Tiffani Glass – 17.3 (RIF #328)
18. Julia Beavers – 15.5 (RIF #339)

It will be exciting to see how the competition unfolds over the next few spring and summers months. So many fun races are coming up and, with this bunch, the numbers are bound to continue to climb. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather as much as possible!

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

Run It Fast is happy to announce that RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen is our Run It Fast® Extreme Racer of the Year. Ed accumulated an Extreme Racer record of 4,803.8 points for the year.

Ed ‘The Jester’ Ettinghausen had a record breaking year in setting the Guiness World Record for ‘The Most 100 Mile Races Finished in a Year’ with 40 finishes of at least 100 miles or more. A truly amazing feat that should be celebrated! One for which Run It Fast® is extremely proud of The Jester.

Run It Fast members compete throughout the year in the Extreme Racer Standings. Each runner is given 1 point for every race mile they run during races they finish.

RIF #190 John Kent Leighton finished in second place, for the second consecutive year, with 1,703.8 points.

For the third consecutive year, RIF #1 Joshua Holmes finished in third place. He ended 2014 with 1,644.4 points.

Run It Fast® – Extreme Racer Top 10 Final Results for 2014

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 4,803.8 (RIF #121)
2. John Kent Leighton – 1,703.8  (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 1,644.4 (RIF #1)
4. Diane Bolton – 1,486.56 (RIF #159)
5. George Southgate – 1,452.6 (RIF #279)
6. Jennifer Hatcher – 1,187.2 (RIF #323)
7. Carol Earles – 985.2 (RIF #287)
8. Shane Tucker – 952.86 (RIF #337)
9. Heather Zeigler – 929.3 (RIF #246)
10. Hideki Kinoshita – 909.0 (RIF #88)

Extreme Racer Male Results for 2014

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 4803.8 (RIF #121)
2. John Kent Leighton – 1703.8 (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 1644.4 (RIF #1)
4. George Southgate – 1452.6 (RIF #279)
5. Shane Tucker – 952.86 (RIF #337)
6. Hideki Kinoshita – 909.0 (RIF #88)
7. Denis McCarthy – 821.52 (RIF #293)
8. Scotty Winston – 623.7 (RIF #364)
9. Bill Wells – 607.4 (RIF #327)
10. Rob Distante – 575.24 (RIF #259)
11. Jeff Le – 547.6 (RIF #248)
12. Arland Blanton – 496.7 (RIF #290)
13. Danny Staggs – 468.7 (RIF #186)
14. Jeff Liu – 454.4 (RIF #275)
15. Mark Ogletree – 360.9 (RIF #247)
16. Ben Pennington – 207.6 (RIF #315)
17. Nathan Bass – 189.8 (RIF #174)
18. Jeff Van Demark – 177.8 (RIF #322)
19. Stephen Griffin – 172.5 (RIF #48)
20. Bill Baker – 160.6 (RIF #196)
21. Robin Robbins – 142.1 (RIF #33)
22. Eric Waterman – 133.33 (RIF #289)
23. Steven Reagan – 127.1 (RIF #157)
24. Eric Spencer – 121.23 (RIF #320)
25. Alex Barrientos – 41.7 (RIF #258)
26. Dennis Arriaga – 39.3 (RIF #140)
27. Brennan Thompson – 37.4 (RIF #274)
28. Jason Scott – 26.2 (RIF #265)

Congrats to RIF #159 Diane Bolton who is Run It Fast’s Extreme Racer Top Female for 2014 with 1,486.56 points. It’s Diane’s third consecutive year to have the most race miles of any female in Run It Fast.

Second place female goes to RIF #323 Jennifer Hatcher with a total of 1,187.2 points.

RIF #287 Carol Earles, with 985.2 points finished in third place barely edging out RIF #246 Heather Zeigler who had 929.3 points.

Extreme Racer Female Results for 2014

1. Diane Bolton – 1,486.56 (RIF #159)
2. Jennifer Hatcher – 1,187.2 (RIF #323)
3. Carol Earles – 985.2 (RIF #287)
4. Heather Zeigler – 929.3 (RIF #246)
5. Suzanne Michelson – 773.8 (RIF #280)
6. Belinda Young – 707.7 (RIF #358)
7. Robin Mancinelli – 695.5 (RIF #134)
8. Amanda Staggs – 504.2 (RIF #210)
9. Christy Scott – 501.5 (RIF #231)
10. Kim Crowe – 478.0 (RIF #245)
11. Donna England – 370.63 (RIF #277)
12. Alicia Eno – 358.4 (RIF #126)
13. Christy Bowers – 309.47 (RIF #60)
14. Marj Mitchell – 300.4 (RIF #4)
15. Tiffani Glass – 284.9 (RIF #328)
16. Julia Beavers – 277.2 (RIF #339)
17. Shannon Miller – 233.8 (RIF #338)
18. Sue Stephens-Wright – 227.09 (RIF #321)
19. Amber Goetz-Bouchard – 172.8 (RIF #15)
20. Michelle Lenahan – 114.8 (RIF #283)
21. Lisa Gonzales – 92.8 (RIF #5)
22. Kristen Love – 26.2 (RIF #238)
23. Natalie Torres – 13.1 (RIF #72)
24. Deb Palmer Distante – 13.1 (RIF #351)

Congratulations to our winners and all of those that placed in the top 10, to those who hit their mileage goals for the year, completed a new distance or ran a PR this year! Remember, it’s not really about how many miles you run or how fast you run them. It’s about the enjoyment of the sport and making so many new friends along the way.

Another year has come and gone, and many miles were shared with friends or tread with quiet solitude. We cannot count the number of laughs or painful tears shed, the number of toenails lost, gels eaten or swear words spit out in a fit of exhaustion and frustration, so we count the distance instead, which is a mild representation of the journey we have traveled.

Many do not understand our masochism or the amount of soul-searching, gut-wrenching determination and heart that goes into the art of distance running. But as fellow runners, we can all appreciate and understand someone’s pain and suffering, joy and victory that is represented by the label of their yearly mileage.

So as the year comes to a close, let’s take a moment to celebrate those who have both suffered and celebrated the most this year.

As an added bonus, here are some stats to wrap your mind around:

• The RIF men participating in the Extreme Racer competition raced a total of 18,000.28 miles in 2014.
• The RIF women participating in the Extreme Racer competition raced a total of 11,043.64 miles in 2014.
• That makes a total of 29,043.93 miles raced by RIF members in 2014, but ONLY those who entered their race miles for the year.
• Only 52 RIF members entered their yearly race miles for 2014 and RIF now has over 400 members.
• Assuming these numbers are a good representation of RIF in it’s entirety, that would be about 232,351.44 miles RACED by RIF members in one year.
• That’s a little over 9 times around the Earth’s equator.
• I wonder what the number would be if we counted training miles, too.

That’s a lot of mileage. You guys are so amazing and inspiring. What an honor to be a part of such an incredible group!

All-Time Records

1,000 Point Extreme Racer Club

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 4,803.8  (2014) – Overall Winner
2. Steve Hughes – 2,742.4 (2012) – Overall Winner
3. Diane Bolton – 1,961.9 (2012) – Female Winner/2nd Overall
4. David Wingard – 1,928.3 (2013) – Overall Winner
5. John Kent Leighton – 1,910.9 (2013) – 2nd Overall
6. Joshua Holmes – 1,834.7 (2013) – 3rd Overall
7. Diane Bolton – 1,783.45 (2013) – Female Winner
8. John Kent Leighton – 1,703.8 (2014) – 2nd Overall
9. Joshua Holmes – 1,652.1 (2012) – 3rd Overall
10. John Kent Leighton – 1,648.88 (2012)
11. Joshua Holmes – 1,644.4 (2014) – 3rd Overall
12. George Southgate – 1,524.04 (2013)
13. Diane Bolton – 1,486.56 (2014) – Female Winner
14. George Southgate – 1,452.6 (2014)
15. Carol Goslin – 1,388.8 (2013)
16. Carol Earles – 1,284.19 (2013)
17. Carol Goslin – 1,188.3 (2012)
18. Jennifer Hatcher – 1,187.2 (2014)
19. Hideki Kinoshita – 1,153.8 (2012)
20. Denis McCarthy – 1,117.36 (2013)
21. Steven Lee – 1,044.4 (2012)
22. Kerri Haskins – 1,026.5 (2013)

Extreme Racer Winners By Year

• 2014 – Ed Ettinghausen (Final Standings)
• 2013 – David Wingard (Final Standings)
• 2012 – Steve Hughes (Final Standings)

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

November was a fun month, full of running and racing. Run It Fast hosted a series of races after Thanksgiving, where many RIF members earned bling, reunited with old friends, made new ones, and accrued race miles along the way.

In coming down to the end of the year, the Extreme Racer contest is getting very close and it will be interesting next month to see everyone’s final standings. For our leading men, we’ve had a little shake-up. Holding the lead is RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen with 3963.8 points, who this month broke the world record for the number of 100 mile races run in one year with 37 races. Apparently, he still plans to run 3 more this year to finish with an even 40. Congratulations to Ed! Taking over second place is RIF #190 John Kent Leighton with 1541.1 points. Now in third place is RIF #1 Joshua Holmes with 1538.5 points.

All of our leading females have managed to hold on to their respective spots, for now. Coming in first is RIF #159 Diane Bolton with 1358.36 points. Second place is RIF #323 Jennifer Hatcher with 1105.5 points.  Third place is RIF #287 Carol Earles with 985.2 points.

Here are the Extreme Racer Standings through November:

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 3963.8 (RIF #121)
2. John Kent Leighton – 1541.1 (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 1538.5 (RIF #1)
4. Diane Bolton – 1358.36 (RIF #159)
5. George Southgate – 1313.53 (RIF #279)
6. Jennifer Hatcher – 1105.5 (RIF #323)
7. Carol Earles – 985.2 (RIF #287)
8. Hideki Kinoshita – 909 (RIF #88)
9. Shane Tucker – 896.76 (RIF #337)
10. Heather Zeigler – 863.8 (RIF #246)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 3963.8 (RIF #121)
2. John Kent Leighton – 1541.1 (RIF #190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 1538.5 (RIF #1)
4. George Southgate – 1313.53 (RIF #279)
5. Hideki Kinoshita – 909 (RIF #88)
6. Shane Tucker – 896.76 (RIF #337)
7. Denis McCarthy – 742.92 (RIF #263)
8. Bill Wells – 607.4 (RIF #327)
9. Scotty Winston – 556.5 (RIF #364)
10. Jeff Le – 547.6 (RIF #248)
11. Danny Staggs – 468.7 (RIF #186)
12. Rob Distante – 462.135 (RIF #259)
13. Jeff Liu – 454.4 (RIF #275)
14. Arland Blanton – 243.7 (RIF #290)
15. Ben Pennington – 207.6 (RIF #315)
16. Stephen Griffin – 172.5 (RIF #48)
17. Bill Baker – 160.6 (RIF #196)
18. Jeff Van Demark – 150.1 (RIF #322)
19. Nathan Bass – 139.2 (RIF #174)
20. Eric Waterman – 133.33 (RIF #289)
21. Steven Reagan – 127.1 (RIF #157)
22. Eric Spencer – 121.23 (RIF #320)
23. Robin Robbins – 98.7 (RIF #33)
24. Alex Barrientos – 41.7 (RIF #258)
25. Dennis Arriaga – 39.3 (RIF #140)
26. Brennan Thompson – 37.4 (RIF #274)
27. Jason Scott – 26.2 (RIF #265)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Diane Bolton – 1358.6 (RIF #159)
2. Jennifer Hatcher – 1105.5 (RIF #323)
3. Carol Earles – 985.2 (RIF #287)
4. Heather Zeigler – 863.8 (RIF #246)
5. Robin Mancinelli – 695.5 (RIF #134)
6. Suzanne Michelson – 695.2 (RIF #280)
7. Belinda Young – 662.8 (RIF #358)
8. Christy Scott – 422.2 (RIF #231)
9. Kim Crowe – 421.8 (RIF #245)
10. Donna England – 370.63 (RIF #277)
11. Amanda Staggs – 367.4 (RIF #210)
12. Alicia Eno – 358.4 (RIF #126)
13. Marj Mitchell – 300.4 (RIF #4)
14. Christy Bowers – 280.17 (RIF #60)
15. Tiffani Glass – 241.5 (RIF #328)
16. Julia Beavers – 233.1 (RIF #339)
17. Shannon Miller – 229.5 (RIF #338)
18. Sue Stephens-Wright – 227.09 (RIF #321)
19. Amber Goetz-Bouchard – 172.8 (RIF #15)
20. Michelle Lenahan – 114.8 (RIF #283)
21. Lisa Gonzales – 70.4 (RIF #5)
22. Kristen Love – 26.2 (RIF #238)
23. Natalie Torres – 13.1 (RIF #72)
24. Deb Palmer Distante – 13.1 (RIF #351)

With only a few weeks left in the year, I hope everyone takes the opportunity to get in as many race miles as possible. Next month will tell the tale of the most extreme racer in Run It Fast.

Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone! And a fun and safe New Year!

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

Jackson native Matt Joyner won The Fastest Mile in Jackson (TN) on December 26, 2014, with a time of 4:30.0. He was able to hold off a charging Foster Johnstone, who finished in 4:31.4. Third place went to Jack Goodwin in 4:46.6.

The race took place in North Jackson on the Frontage Road next to the 45-Bypass.

Kayla Puzdrakiewicz was the female winner finishing with a time of 6:00.1. Second place female was Erin Ross in 6:57.3 and third place female went to Myra Krenis in 7:23.0.

Karl Studtmann dominated the Masters (40+) winning with a time of 5:42.5. Second masters was James Krenis 6:08.0 and third masters went to Mike Bell in 6:19.0.

The Fastest Mile in Jackson Results
1. Matthew Joyner – 4:30.0 (21)
2. Foster Johnstone – 4:31.4 (20)
3. Jack Goodwin – 4:46.6 (17)
4. Benj Lance – 5:22.3 (26)
5. Andrew Hill – 5:28.9 (33)
6. Will Pucek – 5:33.0 (13)
7. Luke Simon – 5:33.0 (25)
8. Joshua Holmes – 5:37.4 (36)
9. Karl Studtmann – 5:42.5 (51) – Master’s Winner
10. Ben Pennington – 5:59.1 (29)
11. Kayla Puzdrakiewicz – 6:00.1 (16) Female Winner
12. James Krenis – 6:08.0 (48)
13. Mike Bell – 6:19.0 (46)
14. Kevin Knott – 6:24.9 (49)
15. Erin Ross – 6:57.3 (34)
16. Myra Krenis – 7:23.0 (35)

More Detailed Look at TFMIJ Results

The Fastest Mile in Jackson on Facebook

[Race hosted by Run It Fast® via Joshua Holmes]

The Black Diamond 40 Miler

Castilian Springs native Greg Armstrong won the Black Diamond 40 Miler on November 28, 2014 finishing with a time of 5:46:21. He was able to hold off Joshua Holmes who finished in second place with a time of 5:53:15.

Third place went to ultramarathon newbie Randy Broadway with a time of 6:38:20.

The win for Armstrong was his second run of the course as he arrived at midnight, in freezing temperatures, and ran the course by himself for a warmup as part of his training for the Desert Solstice 24 Hour on December 14th.

Christy Scott was the first female across the line in 6:41:48, fourth overall. Second place went to Kendra Schoffstall in 7:26:31 and third place was held down by Beiyi Zheng in 8:36:46.

2014 Black Diamond 40 Miler Results
1. Greg Armstrong – 5:46:21
2. Joshua Holmes – 5:53:15
3. Randy Broadway – 6:38:20
4. Christy Scott (1st Female) – 6:41:48
5. Anthony Ohrey – 6:54:13
6. Danny Staggs – 7:22:25
7. Kendra Schoffstall (2nd Female) – 7:26:31
8. Kevin Gerteisen – 7:26:31
9. Rob Philip – 7:28:10
10. Beiyi Zheng (3rd Female) – 8:36:46
11. Amanda Staggs – 8:55:53
12. Sandy Staggs – 8:55:53
13. David Oglesby – 8:58:10
14. Daniel Wilson – 9:21:35
15. Diane Taylor – 10:35:21
DNF – Chris Estes (mi31)
DNS – David Wingard, Bill Wells, Israel Chaffin, James Barnard, Sulaiman Seriki

The Black Diamond 40 Miler Relay Race

The Black Diamond 40 Miler Relay was won by the team Just a Blur III, consisting of Steven Reagan, Shayne Fawcett, Klyne Fawcett, and Cody Whitehead, with a blitzkrieg time of 4:30:11 which easily set a new course record.

2014 Black Diamond 40 Mile Relay Results
1. Just a Blur III – 4:30:15 (CR)
2. Asphalt Runners – 5:37:08
3. Black Diamond Over 40’s – 5:38:55
4. Lenahan Learning (2 person) – 5:47:38
5. The Fab 40’s – 6:09:56

The Double Black Diamond 40 Miler

Nashville’s Francesca Muccini won the Double Black Diamond 40 Miler on November 29, 2014 with a time of 6:30:43.  Joshua Holmes finished second once again with a time of 6:41:36 on his second day of running the 40 Mile race. Third place went to Illinois native Heather Zeigler in 6:45:33.

2014 Double Black Diamond 40 Miler Results
1. Francesca Muccini – 6:30:43 (1st female)
2. Joshua Holmes – 6:41:36 (1st male, Day 2 B2B 40s)
3. Heather Zeigler – 6:45:33 (2nd female)
4. John Leighton – 8:02:35 (2nd male)
5. Kevin Gerteisen – 8:11:53 (3rd male, Day 2 B2B 40s)
6. Kendra Schoffstall – 8:11:53 (3rd female, Day 2 B2B 40s)
7. Joseph Nance – 8:23:24
8. Diane Bolton – 9:18:38
9. Rob Apple – 9:18:38
10. Terri Durbin – 9:52:28
11. Steve Durbin – 9:52:28
12. Mary ‘Vickie’ McDonald – 10:40:28
13. Diane Taylor – 12:25:17 (Day 2, B2B 40s)

DNS – Bill Baker, Anthony Ohrey, David Wingard, Bill Wells, Israel Chaffin

Four runners ran both the Black Diamond 40 Miler and Double Black Diamond 40 Miler including Holmes, Kendra Schoffstall, Kevin Gerteisen, and Diane Taylor.

We are down to two months left in 2014. It is crazy how fast time goes by. Especially when you’re having fun! And what’s more fun than racing, right?

I love watching the race points accrue each month and seeing how the lineup changes. We have had a bit of a shake-up in the top male leaderboard. Holding on to first place, of course, is RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen. Ed “The Jester”, after updating his points and tacking on an extra almost 1000 points, comes in at 3463.8 points for the year through October. Holding on to second place is RIF #1 Joshua Holmes with 1305.3 points. However, RIF #190 John Kent Leighton has taken over third place with 1182.9 points. Way to go, John!

The ladies are all holding on to their spots, for the time being. In first place with 1212.56 points is RIF #159 Diane Bolton. Coming in at  a close second is RIF #323 Jennifer Hatcher with 1026.9 points. Also close behind in third place is RIF #287 Carol Earles with 867.3 points. I will be interested to see where each of these ladies stand at the end of November.

Here are the standings through October:

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 3463.8 (RIF #121)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1305.3 (RIF #1)
3. Diane Bolton – 1212.56 (RIF #159)
4. John Kent Leighton – 1182.9 (RIF #190)
5. George Southgate – 1063.63 (RIF #279)
6. Jennifer Hatcher – 1026.9 (RIF #323)
7. Carol Earles – 867.3 (RIF #287)
8. Shane Tucker – 802.66 (RIF #337)
9. Hideki Kinoshita – 751.8 (RIF #88)
10. Heather Zeigler – 745.2 (RIF #246)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 3463.8 (RIF #121)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1305.3 (RIF #1)
3. John Kent Leighton – 1182.9 (RIF #190)
4. George Southgate – 1063.63 (RIF #279)
5. Shane Tucker – 802.66 (RIF #337)
6. Hideki Kinoshita – 751.8 (RIF #88)
7. Denis McCarthy – 638.12 (RIF #263)
8. Bill Wells – 607.4 (RIF #327)
9. Jeff Le – 547.6 (RIF #248)
10. Danny Staggs – 468.7 (RIF #186)
11. Jeff Liu – 454.4 (RIF #275)
12. Rob Distante – 255.81 (RIF #259)
13. Arland Blanton – 243.7 (RIF #290)
14. Ben Pennington – 207.6 (RIF #315)
15. Bill Baker – 160.6 (RIF 196)
16. Eric Waterman – 133.33 (RIF #289)
17. Jeff Van Demark – 130.8 (RIF #322)
18. Eric Spencer – 121.23 (RIF #320)
19. Nathan Bass – 106.8 (RIF #174)
20. Stephen Griffin – 88.9 (RIF #48)
21. Robin Robbins – 85.6 (RIF #33)
22. Alex Barrientos – 41.7 (RIF #258)
23. Dennis Arriaga – 39.3 (RIF #140)
24. Brennan Thompson – 37.4 (RIF #274)
25. Jason Scott – 26.2 (RIF #265)
26. Steven Reagan – 16.2 (RIF #157)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Diane Bolton – 1212.56 (RIF #159)
2. Jennifer Hatcher – 1026.9 (RIF #323)
3. Carol Earles – 867.3 (RIF #287)
4. Heather Zeigler – 745.2 (RIF #246)
5. Robin Mancinelli – 613 (RIF #134)
6. Suzanne Michelson – 610.4 (RIF #280)
7. Belinda Young – 589.7 (RIF #358)
8. Christy Scott – 422.2 (RIF #231)
9. Kim Crowe – 371.8 (RIF #245)
10. Donna England – 370.63 (RIF #277)
11. Amanda Staggs – 367.4 (RIF #210)
12. Alicia Eno – 319.1 (RIF #126)
13. Christy Bowers – 253.97 (RIF #60)
14. Marj Mitchell – 248 (RIF #4)
15. Julia Beavers – 233.1 (RIF #339)
16. Tiffani Glass – 189.1 (RIF #328)
17. Amber Goetz-Bouchard – 172.8 (RIF #15)
18. Shannon Miller – 153.3 (RIF #338)
19. Sue Stephens-Wright – 133.99 (RIF #321)
20. Michelle Lenahan – 114.8 (RIF #283)
21. Lisa Gonzales – 48 (RIF #5)
22. Kristen Love – 26.2 (RIF #238)
23. Natalie Torres – 13.1 (RIF #72)
24. Deb Palmer-Distante – 13.1 (RIF #351)

Even though there are only two months left in the year, there are still a lot of great races where you can rack up on points. I know several RIF members dominated at Tunnel Hill 100/50 miler this weekend, and other races coming up like Run It Fast’s own Black Diamond, Double Black Diamond, and Sequoyah at the end of this month. Anything can happen.

Whatever you do, keep running, keep racing and keep inspiring others.

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