100k World Championships

Nice note from LPTRunner Tim Yanacheck regarding the World 100k in which LPTRunner Cassie Scallon was competing...

Hi, all.  I was at the world championship 100K road race in Italy two weekends ago, when Cassie Scallon ran with the USA team.  Cassie came into the race suffering from a leg injury.  We worked on it the best we could - She started the race, but had to drop out early, due to the injury.

As you may already know, Cassie is a delightful person and tough competitor.  She was extremely disappointed that she could not complete the race. She participated in all the pre- and post-race activities, including the awards ceremony where she and the other 5  American women on the team were presented with their team gold medals for winning first place in the world!  

The USA women's team dominated, with a huge margin of victory over the Japanese, Russians, Italians, and Germans, in that order.  American Amy Sproston won the individual title;  like virtually all the team members (men and women) Amy is a former Division 3 runner.  Cassie is one of the younger tigers who is poised to move up and maintain the USA's tradition of performing well against the rest of the world at the 100K distance; of course, we all hope that she will heal up completely and quickly.

Double Chubb 50k, 2012

Race Report from Joel Lammers... The Double Chubb is a 50K run that takes place in the bluffs and flats of the Merrimac River, just southwest of St. Louis, MO.  The course consists of 2 out-n-backs on the Chubb Trail.  Sections of the course are flat and fast and other parts are technical & hilly. Christine Crawford, Mike Vigneau and I left WI early on Friday afternoon.  We picked up Don Frichtl along the way.  Christine drove and kept us moving at a “Ron Bero” pace (that’s fast).  Around Springfield, IL we passed a road rage incident where one guy ripped his shirt off preparing for a fist fight.  We were going to stop to offer assistance but the others in the car felt we shouldn’t because I might flex my muscle and hurt someone.  So we drove on.  We arrived around 6:30pm, picked up our packets, got some eats and hit the rack for the night.   The morning brought cool temps, light winds and sun.  A perfect day for running.  The course was in pretty good shape except for some short sections of slimy, silty mud that was left when the river flooded earlier in the week.   Those sections were almost impossible to run though without losing your balance or falling.   The race began promptly at 7:30am.  After the first 7 miles everyone in our group was running strong and looking good.  Crawford was running especially well.  As things progressed I started picking off all the young bucks that went out to fast.  At the 23 mile mark I was running a distant second to the talented and trail savvy David Pakorney.  Crawford was only about 10 minutes behind me and looked to shatter the course record.  Vigneau was still holding his own at about 4:40 pace which was excellent for his first official 50K.  Frichtl was having a very successful run seeing the year before he sprained his ankle and dropped out after 1 mile. I ran strong the final leg finishing in 4:09. Wrong way Crawford got lost for a bit but still broke the course record with a 4:28.  Vigneau faded some & got lost some and finished in 4:54.  Frichtl rounded out our group finishing in 5:11 even after falling in one of the muddy sections. They had primitive showers, brats, burgers & beer at the finish so life was good.  Crawford got us all home safely and the trip was a total success.   If you are interested in running this race next year, you need to sign up at noon on 1/1/2013.  This year the race filled in 2 hours.  It is well organized with lots of fun friendly people.

Girls’ weekend! (Zumbro 50 Mile...)

Julie Treder's Zumbro 50 mile race report...

There have been a handful of the male LPTR contingent that have travelled with Angela and I to races… but not too many return for seconds.  Is there a reason??  Hmmm…  We travelled alone this time around… GIRLS’ WEEKEND!

Zumbro was the race.  We heard a thing or two about it… and you can’t turn down a Minnesota run – so we were off.

This race was new territory for both Angela and I.  Zumbro has a 50-mile and a 100-mile distance.  We were both running the “cheerleader run”… the “measly” 50-miler.  Three times around a 16.7 mile loop.

An hour or so before our midnight start, the skies opened up.  It just poured and hailed.  The poor 100-milers!  Luckily, we were escaping the weather in the comfort of our car.  Although we were able to avoid the wetness from above… we weren’t able to avoid the mud and grime that were the trails.

I caused a slight back-up on the first big climb, as I got stuck in the mud.  Thanks to the push from the runner behind me… I was able to get up the rest of the mud slick.  The climb wasn’t the worst section, there was also a descent that was pure mud.  You just had to squat in the surfer position and glide down.  I only went down once, thankfully… but came close numerous other times.

Midnight starts are pretty cool, since you get the beauty of nighttime running… and having the opportunity to run through a sunrise.  The darkness was great because you couldn’t see how high the climbs were… or how long the sand patches were.  That helps!!  The daylight brought us the feeling we were running on a brand new course.  The same course, but you could actually see the countryside and some of the great views off the climbs.

The race was very well-supported.  We had aid stations every 4 miles or so, breaking up the loop quite nicely.  They had gummi bear and Jello jigglers galore at the aid stations… so I was in ultra meal heaven!  I couldn’t ask for a better food selection!  The volunteers were all so nice… always service with a smile and a good word.  Loved it!

Beautiful weather for running… mud patches to make things interesting… great race all around.  Fun girls weekend!  One of us even walked away with hardware…

Angela wins first place in the Grandmaster's division...

Zumbro 100 Race Report...

LPTRunner Logan Polfuss has posted a race report for Zumbro 100 at his blog:

http://polfusslogan.blogspot.com/2012/04/zumbro-100-race-report.html

Lots of other LPTR finishers... Results here

One Man... One week (or less), and 500 miles.

Ummmmmm.... Craig is at it again.  You may remember his last solo quest where he ran  over 200 miles... This time he's going for 500.   He's a little nuts...  You knew that about him though...

Find out more about the madness and how you can participate here:

/http://iceage500.breezellp.com/

The Wild Stag 50k...

When LPTR's Julie and Sam got engaged last year, who didn't think that running would somehow play a role?   An aid-station  half-way down the aisle?  A wedding cake frosted with Hammer-gel?  A Fat-Ass 50k for a bachelor/bachelorette party!?  Ummm... actually... YES on the last one! 

At 6pm on Friday night, June 22, the Wild Stag 50k will be held in the southern Kettle Moraine State Forest.  Master of the trails, Tom Bunk, will be laying out the course and marking the trails.  Both  the race start and post race festivities will be held at the D.J Mackie Shelter. 

Run all, or some, and then come back and hang out.  Bring a dish to pass for the pot-luck feast and some malted re-hydration if it suits you.  We have reserved the shelter overnight - so you have the option to bring a sleeping bag and stay over-night in the shelter or camp out in the parking lot.

Please RSVP with Angela  if you plan to come and let us know if you are intending to stay overnight or not.

 Please don't bring gifts, your gift is taking the time to be there and share the night with Julie and Sam.  

Julie and Sam

Pike Lake Trail Run...

LPTRunner Hans Wegesser is the race director for the Pike Lake Trail Run - Check it out on the Race Website here:  http://pikelaketrailrun.com/

Clinton Lake 30 Miler - 2012

Kevin Grabowski's Race Report...

Road Trip! - Two cars, eight LPTRunners, and nothing but blacktop and cement separating us from a Saturday morning jaunt around Clinton Lake.    Brain B., Saul, Marty KC, Joel, Christine, Hans, Jeff and I loaded up into two vehicles and headed south across Illinois.

This would be the third road-trip I’ve taken with Joel and Christine.   They have an odd affinity for gas-station diners, and this trip was no exception.  On a previous excursion, we ate at a diner that had a buffet served out of the chassis of an old car!? This time around, our pre-race eats were at an establishment whose claim to fame was that every entrée on the menu was all-u-can-eat.  All of them.    For no extra cost, we were also treated to a partial moon from one of the locals – The proverbial Plumber’s Union Card.  Hard to eat much after that though… 

All in all, it was “Oddly Satisfying”. 

Next up was a restful night at the Wye Motel (Is it pronounced like “rye” as in rye-bread? –Because I found myself wondering WHY we were staying at a place where Joel had to heat his room with a hair-dryer the year before…). 

Off to the race in the morning,  where temps were in the mid to upper 40’s and would warm to the upper sixties by the afternoon.  Trail conditions were dry and perfect as well.  Couldn’t dream of better conditions!

The course consists of 3 ten-mile loops with an aid-station at the 5.5-mile mark.  The trail was easy to follow as it meandered constantly up and down.  Only a few of the hills were very long at all, but they were definitely numerous.  Often the short down-hills would take sharp turns at the bottom, making for an exciting ride.

Joel and Christine are Clinton Lake veterans and former winners, so they were appropriately wearing bib numbers 1 & 2 at the line as the race started off exactly on time at 7:30am.

Joel wins for the second year in a row!

The race strung out fairly quickly and I found myself in the lead right from the start.  Joel and I were 1-2 at the end of the first loop with me ahead by a minute or two.  The gap stayed consistent through the next ten and I headed out of the aid-station at 20 miles as Joel headed in.  Joel’s pace was consistent through out, while each loop was a little slower for me.  He caught me with just over two miles to go and I really slowed down after that.  The final margin was over 4 minutes.  In winning the race, Joel lowered his own master’s record that he set last year by over three minutes.   The new mark is now at 4:00:09.  My time was 4:04:35 (an 8 minute PR for me on this course). 

Christine also had a great run, breaking her own master’s record by clocking a 4:26:24.  This was the second fastest time recorded by a female in the history of the race.    Her time was also good for 4^th overall –putting LPTRunners in 3 of the top four spots! 

Christine finishes first and sets a new master's record! 

Marty KC

LPTRunners were solid all day – Marty Kanter-Cronin won his age division, which also included Jeff M. and Hans (Hans had a 30 minute PR on the day as well!).  Brian B. and Saul both finished the 30-miler and Robyn and Natalie competed in the Ten-Mile race.

This is a very well organized race with super trails and lots of familiar faces.  Let’s get an even bigger LPTR crowd out there next year!

Results will be posted here when available…

Joel encourages me to go with him
as he passes me at the 28 mile mark...