It Was A Hot Time In LA Yesterday

A warm weather marathon can be miserable.  And a first marathon is almost always a miserable experience. My very first came the day after the State HS XC meet and I was totally untrained and tired.  My great 20 mile run in 2:25 pace was spoiled by my 2:56 finish! 

Four Nittany Lions and a Group Friend ran the Olympic Trials Marathon  (and Women HERE) yesterday through the streets of Los Angeles. Four loops with sharp turns and a substantial number of first-timers in the race made this a unique race.

Both Tyler McCandless and Nick Hilton failed to finish in the heat and both were near the front more than half-way through.  Tyler went for broke and led for 6 or 7 miles and reported being chilled despite no longer sweating after 20 miles. At least 61 men dropped out!

Matt Fischer, in what I think was his first marathon, finished first for the Lion contingent in 2:25:34 in 43rd place.

Kyle Dawson, also in his first foray into the event, finished in 2:37:36 in 89th place.

The top Lion was Elizabeth Herndon who finished in 2:45:32 and in 40th place. She has earned another post-race beer!

The television coverage of the event was poor, the streaming options abysmal and the difficulty of getting full results from the USATF nearly impossible.  Still, any 4 from our group with a keg of beer could run things better and with more fairness. And with the continued antagonism (whether warranted or not) by 4th place finisher Kara Goucher to Nike Inc., maybe we haven't heard the last of this race.

"Breakthroughs don't happen without taking a risk. Today I took a risk but a breakthrough didn't happen. I dropped out at mile 20 when I felt I had chills but wasn't sweating anymore. The marathon is humbling, but the incredible support from friends and family is more humbling. Thank you all and I'll be back and striding towards new goals again soon."  -Tyler McCandless.

I Suppose I'm The Biggest Turkey

It seems everyone ran in a Turkey Trot yesterday.  The entire clan here at Blog Central braved the cold and slippery conditions and joined 4,300 others in the annual York Turkey Trot.  I stayed home and took the day off from running.

But plenty of others in our group jumped into turkey trots of their own:

Kara (Milhouse) Foster and Ryan Foster (17th, 49:06) jumped into the Run for the Diamonds in Berwick, PA.  Kara won and set the course record in winning another diamond (50:33).  Group friend Nicholas Hilton won the whole darn thing in 44:39.

Twinkle, twinkle...

Ryan and Kara with author of Run For the Diamonds Mark Will-Weber

And Tyler McCandless took some time off from decorating his new place to go after his coach's record again in Colorado.  He just missed in besting 10,000 other runners in  19:39 for the 4 miles of the Denver Turkey Trot.

And it isn't a Camp Hill Turkey Trot post without some Fullers!

Throwback Thursday, A Day Late...

Thanks to Will Nowicki for sending me this picture of the old man from a William & Mary yearbook (Will's younger brother runs for W&M). Teaching the unnamed athlete proper technique for sh*tting in the woods no doubt.



For some Friday morning coffee break reading. Check out Nick Hilton's thoughts on becoming a "trying-to-be professional distance runner".

In Good Company

It is said "you are known by the company you keep". Some of our own are rubbing elbows, and pounding pavement/mondo, with come very good company. 

If you follow current events in track and field you would know that 2013 World Champion silver medalist Nick Symmonds has changed shoe sponsors from Nike to Brooks and will be joining their Beast Training Group in Seattle, WA. And if you read this blog you would know that group is the post-collegiate training grounds of our Casimir Loxsom. Which leads me to state that since I have worked out with Cas, and Cas will be working out with Symmonds, by the transitive relation I will have worked out with Symmonds. 

Cas isn't the only one joining forces with someone boasting Olympic credentials. Leah Rosenfeld is now on the roster with Team Run Flagstaff Pro and Ryan and Sarah Hall.  The press release also list Life Back on Track Relay team member Nick Hilton which of course adds to our presence on the elite distance running scene.

Unfortunately membership in these groups requires one to race in gear issued by a sponsor instead of an alumni singlet. Guess we will have to let that slide.

Photo courtesy of Cas Loxsom

A World Record By the Numbers

1.  Their world ranking in 10 x100 Mile Relays.

20%  Lock Haven Alumni Runners in the ranks.  Lets not forget how much they helped the effort.  Lock Haven is a special place for runners.
Thanks to Ryan Blood and Nick Hilton, newly minted honorary PSU Track and Field Alumni Golfers!

20%  Owens family members among the team.

20%  Fuller family members among the team.

2.  Number of sub-4 minute milers putting in the miles.  (also another 20%!). Ryan Foster and Luke Watson also put a few fast miles in among the 1,000!  (20% Ryans!)

>20,000  Amount of dollars raised for a great cause.

10.  Number of runners needing Ben Gay this morning.