Run It Fast®

This is the finisher’s medal (top picture) for the San Francisco Marathon and Half Marathon that was held on June 16, 2013 in San Francisco, California.

Congratulations to RIF #140 Dennis who ran the 2nd Half this year and completed the Half It All Challenge (bottom pics)!

If you run the San Francisco Half Marathon, you can choose to run either the 1st Half or the 2nd Half of the marathon course. If you run each half in 2 consecutive years, then you complete the Half It All Challenge and get an additional medal. Pretty cool!

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[medal submitted by RIF #140 Dennis Arriaga – follow him on Twitter @dennarr]

This is the medal the finishers of the Vancouver USA Marathon received on June 16, 2013 in Vancouver, Washington.

Congratulations to RIF #70 Chuck “MarathonJunkie” Engle who was 2nd Masters Overall in the marathon!

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[Medal photo submitted by RIF #70 Chuck “MarathonJunkie” Engle. Follow on Twitter @MarathonJunkie]

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!

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]

 
Here is the finisher’s medal from the Calgary Half Marathon that took place on May 26, 2013 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Happy belated birthday to RIF #270 Kevin! No better way to celebrate a birthday than to race! 🙂

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[Medal submitted by RIF #244 Susan Warcholak and RIF #270 Kevin Warcholak ]

This is the finisher’s medal for the Round San Andres Island 32.5K that was held on May 26, 2013 on San Andres Island, Colombia.

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[Medal submitted by RIF #207 Jorge Angel. Follow on on Twitter @777jaah]

This is the medal the finishers of the Bayshore Marathon received on May 25, 2013 in Traverse City, Michigan.

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[Medal submitted by RIF #108 Mark Sikkila – follow him on Twitter @MarkSikkila]

This is the finisher’s medal for the Salt Lake City Marathon that was held on April 20, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Beautiful medal to commemorate the 10th Anniversary!

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[Medal photo submitted by RIF #150 Jason Howard.  Follow him on Twitter @jasonrunsutah]

RIF #1 Joshua Holmes

One fourth of the year gone…just like that! Time flies when you are running, don’t you think? 🙂 Our RIF Club Members have raced 442 races in the first 4 months of the year. They have done 163 marathons, 11 50 Milers, 34 50Ks, 67 Half Marathons, 60 5Ks, and handful of 100 milers, 10Ks, and other distances. We are rockin’ the running world! 64 RIF Club members have submitted points and/or monthly miles so far for 2013 (only points count in the standings so only 62 Club members are listed below).

The top 3 experienced a slight shakeup! RIF #159 Diane Bolton is in the lead with 690.3 points, followed by RIF #190 John Kent Leighton in 2^nd with 608.7 points and RIF #1 Joshua Holmes is back in the top 3 with 487.9 points in 3rd.

On the Women’s Leaderboard, Diane is in 1st, followed by RIF #217 Elaine Bickel Green in 2nd with 397.8 points and RIF #218 Carol Goslin in 3rd with 303.0 points. On the Men’s Leaderboard, John is in 1^st followed by Josh in 2^nd and RIF #259 Rob Distante in 3rd with 409.13 points.

I am always inspired to race/run more when I see how much fun our RIF Club Members are having. I have got to win the lottery… 😉

Here are the full standings:

Overall Leaderboard
1.   Diane Bolton – 690.3  (RIF #159)
2.   John Kent Leighton – 608.7  (RIF #190)
3.   Joshua Holmes – 487.9  (RIF #1)
4.   Rob Distante – 409.13  (RIF #259)
5.   Elaine Bickel Green – 397.8  (RIF #217)
6.   Hideki Kinoshita – 396.2  (RIF #88)
7.   Danny Staggs – 322.7  (RIF #186)
8.   Carol Goslin – 303  (RIF #218)
9.   Jeff Le – 293.96  (RIF #248)
10.   Kerri Haskins – 276.8  (RIF #261)

Men’s Leaderboard
1.   John Kent Leighton – 608.7  (RIF #190)
2.   Joshua Holmes – 487.9  (RIF #1)
3.   Rob Distante – 409.13  (RIF #259)
4.   Hideki Kinoshita – 396.2  (RIF #88)
5.   Danny Staggs – 322.7  (RIF #186)
6.   Jeff Le – 293.96  (RIF #248)
7.   Nicholas Norfolk – 225.8  (RIF #116)
8.   Houston Wolf – 182.2  (RIF #254)
9.   Mark Watson – 146.8  (RIF #173)
10.   Billy Cannon – 142.7  (RIF #169)
11.   Anthony Ohrey – 125.8  (RIF #27)
12.   Rodrigo Jiménez – 93.56  (RIF #203)
13.   Nathan Bass – 91.1  (RIF #174)
14.   Charles Carmen – 89.63  (RIF #255)
15.   James Krenis – 84.8  (RIF #67)
16.   Denis McCarthy – 84.8  (RIF #263)
17.   Rick Thiounn – 79.5  (RIF #111)
18.   Dennis Arriaga – 78.6  (RIF #140)
19.   Steven Reagan – 75.8  (RIF #157)
20.   Kevin Brandon – 75.1  (RIF #214)
21.   David Wingard – 65.5  (RIF #101)
22.   Robin Robbins – 58.3  (RIF #33)
23.   Neil Dryland – 57.2  (RIF #252)
24.   Jason Scott – 55.5  (RIF #265)
25.   Josh Liggett – 55.3  (RIF #147)
26.   Naresh Kumar – 50  (RIF #2)
27.   Stephen Griffin – 44.8  (RIF #48)
28.   Mark Ogletree – 44.1  (RIF #247)
29.   Kevin Ronayne – 43.6  (RIF #11)
30.   Bill Baker – 39.3  (RIF #196)
31.   Stewart Crouch – 29.3  (RIF #89)
32.   Brian Wooldridge – 26.2  (RIF #141)
33.   Chris Haynes – 26.2  (RIF #223)
34.   Nikiah Nudell – 26.2  (RIF #234)
35.   Austin Coates – 22.4  (RIF #241)

Women’s Leaderboard
1.   Diane Bolton – 690.3  (RIF #159)
2.   Elaine Bickel Green – 397.8  (RIF #217)
3.   Carol Goslin – 303  (RIF #218)
4.   Kerri Haskins – 276.8  (RIF #261)
5.   Heather Shoemaker – 261.8  (RIF #44)
6.   Sandy Staggs – 227.5  (RIF #220)
7.   Heather Zeigler – 214.4  (RIF #246)
8.   Laura Raeder – 193.4  (RIF #20)
9.   Lisa Gonzales – 177.26  (RIF #5)
10.   Alicia Eno – 146.5  (RIF #126)
11.   Robin Mancinelli – 142.3  (RIF #134)
12.   Christy Scott – 134  (RIF #231)
13.   Amanda Staggs – 121  (RIF #210)
14.   Michelle Mitchell – 112.4  (RIF #133)
15.   Melanie Kayal – 108.9  (RIF #202)
16.   Shannon Burke – 95.6  (RIF #171)
17.   Christy Bowers – 85.3  (RIF #60)
18.   Jennifer Whitley – 82  (RIF #160)
19.   Jennifer Wood – 78.6  (RIF #243)
20.   Marj Mitchell – 75.7  (RIF #4)
21.   Beth Hosick – 70  (RIF #219)
22.   Donna Pittman – 62.8  (RIF #181)
23.   Leigh Marsh – 61.7  (RIF #192)
24.   Marlene Deem – 52.4  (RIF #189)
25.   Natalie Torres – 42.4  (RIF #72)
26.   Jill Hassen – 31  (RIF #242)
27.   Martine Kincade – 26.2  (RIF #260)

We did a random drawing to pick one RIF Club member who submitted points for April and this month’s winner is RIF #243 Jenny Wood! We will be sending her a Gone For A Run sign. Don’t forget to submit your points/monthly miles next month for a chance to win!

Details on joining Run It Fast – The Club

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

[photo from Lisa Gonzales]

This is the finisher’s medal for The Brooklyn Half Marathon that was held on May 18, 2013 in New York, New York.

Very nice medal! Here is another view of the medal:

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[Medal photos submitted by Michael McLaughlin, follow him on Twitter @ESUrunner and by Seth Tabor, follow him on Twitter @Taborifica]