PAT MARSHALL WINS GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP!!

The YMCA Running Club is among the best in Florida, and our storied reputation was helped along at the Winter Park Road Race 10k, the final event of the Track Shack Grand Prix Series. Pat Marshall, our very own coach, bar tender and cheerleader ("good job, Tommy, keep it going, Suzy"), captured the Overall Grand Prix Championship. For the uninitiated (or for the 5 or 6 of us who actually care), the Track Shack Grand Prix Racing Series comprises seven races of varying lengths in which the top 10 runners overall and in each age group are awarded points based upon their performance in each event. The points are totaled after the Winter Park Road Race, which is considered the Grand Prix championship event (double points are awarded!).

In addition to Pat's achievement, here are the results for the other YMCA Runners who placed in the Grand Prix Series:

Kathy Gagnier: Female Masters Winner (we've lost track of how many she's won)

Katy Radkewich: 2nd Place Overall / 1st Place Age Group

Aleks Markovic: 1st Place Age Group Winner

Kurt Brewer: 2nd Place Age Group

Nikki (Shaw) Bell: 5th Age Group

Brent Schmierbach: 6th Age Group

YMCA RUNNERS ROLL AT WINTER PARK ROAD RACE 10K

This year’s Winter Park Road Race had more twists and turns than a John Le Carre spy novel. It didn’t matter whether you were tearing around corners a la Jason Bourne or cruising along the bricks picking out your fantasy home: this was an AWESOME race. Pat Marshall, our humble leader, took 4th overall and won the overall Grand Prix Series Championship (see previous article). Katy Radkewich finished 2nd Overall, and Kathy Gagnier took home her, like, 73rd Masters award. Special consideration goes out to Kyle Williams who chose to roll out on his MILESTONE birthday (I’m not saying which one) after a night of debauchery.

As usual, the YMCA Runners brought home a slew of age group awards, PR’s, landscaping ideas and Grand Prix finishes. Here are the results from our incredible runners:

Pat Marshall 33:44 (5:25 pace) 4th Overall, 1st Age Group, GRAND PRIX CHAMPION
Katy Radkewich 36:58 (5:56) 2nd Overall, 2nd Overall / 1st Age Group Grand Prix
Kathy Gagnier 40:37 (6:32) 10k Female Masters, Grand Prix Female Masters Champion
Paul Duckett 36:17 (5:50) 1st Age Group
Kurt Brewer 38:03 (6:07) 3rd Age Group, 2nd Grand Prix Age Group, PR
Hulya Atli 42:15 (6:47) 3rd Age Group, PR
Kirsten Palacios 42:08 (6:46) 2nd Age Group
Bruce Geise 38:51 (6:15) 3rd Age Group
Aleks Markovich 41:21 (6:39) 1st Grand Prix Age Group
Donnie McCammon 37:26 (6:01) (Just moved to Melbourne: Visit us often Kiddo!)
Rob Hambrecht 38:02 (6:07)
Allen Gorney 46:57 (7:33)
Allyson Lodge 48:34 (7:48)
Erin Walsh 49:22 (7:56)
Brent Schmierbach 39:25 (6:20) PR
John Napolitano 42:42 (6:52)
Amanda McCammon 49:41 (7:59)
Carey Rothschild 43:17 (6:57)
Kevin Radbill 41:28 (6:40)
Ken Boral 42:47 (6:53)
David Collias 43:46 (7:02)
Victor Sojos 49:56 (8:02)
Caleb Lawson 59:39 (9:35)
Julie Lawson 1:14 (12:00)
Joe Kivett 48:45 (7:50)
Jeff Thill 46:09 (7:25)
Kyle Williams 47:45 (7:41) (HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY, KYLE!!!)
Mark Russell 56:33 (9:06) (broken toe, strong spirit)
Teresa Tinsley 52:42 (8:28)
Robert Denney 42:34 (6:50)
Glenn Gullikson 45:06 (7:15)
Doug Heimbach 41:25 (6:39)
Shannon Sarkarati 49:35 (7:58)

Cook and Gifford are Fools (For Running 31 Miles)

Tracy Cook and Adam Gifford conquered the third stop on the 2008 Florida Ultramarathon circuit this past weekend at the Fools 50K in Brooksville. Tracy placed an impressive 4th in her age group and Adam finished shortly after her. When asked about his time he stated that he would have taken 1st AG if he was a 68 year old woman. Next stop on the circuit is the Wickham Park 100-mile fun run some time in May.

YMCA RUNNERS GO WILD!! HALL GETS 1St RUNNING HARDWARE

It’s that special time of the year when romance, pollen, and the triathlon season begin to bloom. Our YMCA Runners competed in two events during the weekend of March 15: the Wildman Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons and the last race of the Hillbilly Racing Series in Melbourne, the Eye of the Dragon 10k.


WILDMAN SPRINT & OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLONS

Our Wild Men (and one Wild Woman) fought off amoebas and each other to bring home some impressive hardware and race times in the Sprint and Olympic distances.

Sprint Distance:

Sean McCormack (2nd Age Group) 1:07:33
Chris Bolfing (3rd Age Group) 1:12:19
Rachel Coursey 1:41:13

Olympic Distance:

Paul Duckett: (2nd Age Group) 1:39:34
E. J. Wunderlich (3rd Age Group) 1:42:32

EYE OF THE DRAGON 10K

The race brochure for this race described a gentle run over a “scenic causeway.” Unfortunately, the race materials failed to mention that the causeway is connected to a 1.5 mile long monster bridge buffeted by 20 mph winds that you have the pleasure of running over TWICE. Despite a difficult course and Brewer’s constant complaining, Masters Swim Champion Ryan Hall brought home her first ever running hardware. Here are the results:

Teresa Calio 3rd Overall 41:28
Ryan Hall 2nd Age Group 49:32
Kurt Brewer 1st Age Group 40:02

YMCA RUNNER SCOREBOARD: Calio Races Rednecks, Runners Face Green Monster

Saturday, March 08, 2008

26th Annual Oldsmar Armadillo 10k

Teresa Calio and Kurt Brewer continued their dominance of the “Hillbilly Racing Circuit” with impressive results from the Armadillo 10k north of Clearwater. Calio and Brewer braved 25+ mph winds and subtle reminders of “Deliverance” (voted best feature film at the 1972 Oldsmar Film Festival) to take home the only awards in the State of Florida to feature roadkill. Brewer ran a 39:06 to take 2nd overall, and Calio ran a 41:51 to take 3rd overall.

Interesting Fact: The female masters winner of this year’s Armadillo 10k once won a Richard Petty (NASCAR driver) look-a-like contest.



Jacksonville Gate River Run 15k

This lovely tour of Jacksonville’s inner harbor (known fondly by locals as the “Paris of St. John’s County”) is possibly the only race in North America that features specially trained paramedics who are placed strategically on the “Green Monster” (Hart Bridge) to ensure that participants don’t jump off the bridge from race induced frustration. True story. YMCA’s brave team of runners endured a horrific trifecta of winds, bridges, and well, Jacksonville, to bring home the following results:

Donnie McCammon 58:10 (6:15 pace)
Mike Easterling 58:12 (6:17 pace)
Sean Dishman 1:19:05 (8:36 pace)
Gregory Brown 1:00:46 (6:32 pace)
Mark Russell 1:21:42 (8:54 pace)
Amanda McCammon 1:22:51 (9:04 pace)
Hulya Atli 1:06:57 5th Age Group (7:12 pace)

Run Around the Pines 5K: Vanos Emerges from Seclusion!

The Run Around the Pines 5k is essentially the same race as the Run for the Trees later in the spring, but without the crazy peacocks (taste like chicken). And don't forget all of those left and right turns that make you feel like a cadet marching at The Citadel. But this year's Run Around the Pines featured something truly unique in that Bill Vanos, our own Boo Radley/Greta Garbo-in-training, made a rare race appearance. And what an appearance it was! The rest of the club had an incredible day as well with a slew of age group awards and PR's. Here are our impressive results:

Kathy Gagnier, 1st Overall Masters: 19:20
Katy Radkewich, 2nd Overall: 18:01
Pat Marshall, 1st Age Group, 4th Overall: 16:08
Bill Vanos, 1st Age Group, 7th Overall: 16:26
Sean McCormack, 3rd Age Group, 17:56 (PR)
Aleks Markovic, 4th Age Group, 17:58
Donnie McCammon, 4th Age Group, 17:58
Kurt Brewer, 5th Age Group, 18:23 (PR)
Andy Farrell, 18:42
Ryan Hall, 24:00 (PR)
Nikki Bell, 5th Age Group, 19:42
Beth Stone: 23:01
Teresa Tinsley: 25:11
Mike Masur: 18:34
Mark Russell: 24:36
Bob Ericson: 24:52
Julian Whitekus: 22:31
Allen Gorney: 23:07
Brent Schmierbach: 18:55
John Napolitano: 20:13
Alex Negron: 21:48
Joel Remigio: 19:58
Victor Sojos: 23:08
Joe Kivett: 23:00