Sharon
Hathaway pulls out a win in Jacksonville, Matt DeLeon finishes
third Two Columbus Running jerseys headed down to
Florida to find some good weather and even better marathon.
Sharon's goal was to lower her time closer to the Olympic Trials
standard, while Matt wanted to see what he could come up with a
week after the Club National Championships. After an evening of
tornado warnings and storms, the weather broke just in time for
the race. Both Matt and Sharon took advantage of the conditions.
Sharon, running in second for most of the race, pulled out the
win in 3:00:50. The next person was three minutes back. Matt
managed to PR by a huge six seconds, finishing third in 2:32:05.
Not the only highlight of the weekend; it was even warm enough
one day to go swimming in the ocean.
USATF XC CLUB NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - CRC
hosts a solid event and runs well Columbus' own hosted the meet down at Kings Island, which
pitted the best running clubs from across the nation against
each other for $25,000 prize money and bragging rights. Just
enough rain the eve of the event managed to melt most of the 5
inches of snow that had fallen earlier in the week, and left the
course a muddy loop with a few hay bale jumps. Over fifty teams
scored in the men's open, with CRC's Red team finishing an
impressive 9th, tops from Ohio. The top four of Neal, Rowe,
Solverson, and Ordway scored well with each finishing in the top
60 out of 430 runners, with Matt coming in not long after in
138th to round out the scoring. CRC's Blue team ran with lots of
pride, with Matt Suttle leading the way in 356th place.
In the Women's open event, CRC finished 27th out of 32
teams. Johanna led the way, followed by employee Liz Trapp.
Krista Seibert ran with Liz for much of the race, and the
Denison Alum trio of Jess Holder, Christine Collins, and Ashley
Albrecht finished out the scoring. At the last minute CRC threw
together a team of eager Masters who wanted to play in the mud.
Bob Caldwell led the way, and Bob Krile felt so much passion of
CRC during the race he knocked a competitor over a hay bale. We
have proof on our pictures page. It still brings a tears to our
eyes.
Congrats to all who participated and well done to those who
volunteered to help us put on the event. It was a great
experience. Results
(USATF.org) Master's Women
PicturesMasters Men Pictures Open Women PicturesOpen Men Pictures
Mike wins marathon after man says "You can do
this!" Mike decided, due to yet another promise, to forego the
Club National meet and attend another marathon. Unfortunately he
wasn't feeling up to par and was thinking about switching to the
half marathon at the last minute. Standing there at the starting
line he stared at the chip on his shoe and began to feel dizzy.
"I grabbed my forehead and balanced myself on a confused runner
standing next to me. Then, I happened to glance into the tail
light of the pace car. That's where I saw him," said Mike.
Apparently he saw this guy, to the left, point at him and say
"You can do this!". Mike believes that "he was trying to
impersonate Rob Schneider in Waterboy, but the dude got
it wrong." It was enough, however, to convince Mike to try for
the full distance. "He kind of looked like me, but then again he
kind of didn't," added Mike of the incident. Details can be
found in the article below. Good job, Mike.
http://www.charlotte.com/other_sports/story/397699.html
CRC shows up in numbers for the Trot for Tots
10k CRC staff and store team members began work early on this
Sunday morning, and the weather seemed like it was going to be
great for one of our favorite CRC charity fund events. It was
not until twenty minutes before the start that the sleet
started, followed by the freezing cold rain. Not only was the
competitive field about to battle each other, but they'd have to
take on the weather as well. On the men's side Aaron Rowe led
early, pulling along Nick Kruse in second. Matt and DPU alum
Daniel Bretcher battled it out with Sawicki not far behind. Rowe
kept moving ahead and built a sizeable lead, while Matt and
Daniel picked up Nick around mile 3. Rowe would win in an
impressive 31:22. The second pack of three entered the final 400
meters still together, however it was Nick that would pull away
with a nice kick to best Matt (32:15) and Daniel (32:19). Aaron
Kramer (38:17) and Brent Stark (38:43) had good showings for the
Blue team. On the women's side, Ohio's Boston Marathon hero
broke the course record with a 36:06, followed closely by local
Melissa Converse (36:29) and Jennifer Campbell (36:47). New
store team member and Denison alum Christine Collins edged out
Krista for fourth and fifth place.
Jim and Josh race in the greatest American
distance race ever - The 2007 USA Men's Olympic Trials We can't sum up the excitement of this race with words.
We'll give you a video of our CRC representatives in the
greatest American marathon ever. Great job to Jim and Josh for
qualifying, competing, and giving us a chance to get out there
and watch.
Thanks to Project A for the video recording.
The marathon exploits of Mike Aldrink In the short time that we have known Mike we have tried
to discern the exact cause of his crazy marathon exploits. All
arguments have been whittled down into two camps - he either
suffers from the 'surgeon's spouse' complex, or from the double
edged sword known as honesty. Every two or three weeks, without
warning, he pops off another marathon. We ask him why, and he
usually comes up with one of two responses. The first of which
goes like this. "My surgeon wife was on a 30 hour shift, so I
got bored and decided to drive up there and get a good run in".
The second is as follows. "I promised (insert random friend or
race director here) that I'd run this race last year, and I'm a
man of my word, so I got to go run this race." He is either a
victim of his own loneliness or of his need to keep promises.
Whatever the cause, the result is always good. Here is a recent
rundown. Carrolton Charity Marathon - 2:31:34; Erie Marathon -
2:31:23; Des Moines Marathon - 2:37:16, Inland Trail Marathon-
2:33:25. Good work, Mike.
Columbus Marathon and Half marathon!
As expected there was a lot happening here. In the full
marathon, Liz Trapp hit her Red team standard, running a huge
personal best time of 3:07. Her grit of determination made us
all proud as she rounded the last turn into the finish. Charlie
Wlodyka and Aaron Kramer both hit great times as well, 2:57 and
3:05. In the half marathon Matt was out for a PR, and he earned
it. After losing the lead early to Cincy's T.J. Lentz early, he
played chase the rest of the way and finished second in 70:48.
Neal, who started the race behind 8,000 people with his mother
(read below), finished strong in 71:44, good for fourth place.
The Blue team represented as well, with Scott Schwenter
(1:34:37), Brent Stark (1:26:51), and Dan the Man (1:32:40).
Well done, with a special thanks to all the CRC volunteers who
helped out with the water stop!
Jim runs the Peace Race and ups the record
board ante It doesn't matter if it's just two seconds, a new record
is a new record. Jim made his new mark of 30:26 at the Peace
Race, further solidifying his third place standing on the CRC
record board. The race featured a couple guys who will be
running at the upcoming US Olympic Trials, which made for a very
fast start. From there on it was all about who could hang.
Neal wins the inaugural United Way 5k for his
mom
The All-Ohio 8k the day before just wasn't enough. Being
the upstanding man he is, he jumped in the United Way 5k held at
Glacier Ridge park. His mom was running, and thought it would be
nice if Neal could come along. He did, and won very easily in
15:22. He probably got a nice medal, but most importantly, he
made his mom proud. And the CRC.
Matt and Neal nearly melt at the All-Ohio XC
race For Neal it was a return to the course he won an NCAA
title on. For Matt is was a chance to finally race the famed
All-Ohio course, known for its brutality. Incredibly warm
temperatures combined with the course made things extremely
rough, but they both faired well enough. Neal battled it out up
front, pulling away in the final half mile for the win in 25:40.
Matt crossed the line a couple minutes later in 24th place.
CRC Store Team helps local charities with
fall road races We're proud to say that all these
CRC Charity Fund events
were not only run by, but assisted by a handful of CRC store
team members. We'll start with the Spaghetti Run 5k, which is
organized by Brent Stark. Ritz pulled away to win the biggest
prize money with a 16:10. Chris Weiss bulged his calf in route
to a second place17:53, and Brent rouded out the top three in
18:47. The Red Tail Run was a nice country loop of 3.5 miles.
Neal took top honors in 18:32, with Aaron Kramer not far behind
in 20:16. At the inaugural Plain City Four Miler, Chris Weiss
took home the coveted horse shoe plaque with a winning time of
23:27. Last but not least, the flat as a pancake, one turn
Maize 5k saw Neal run away with the win in 15:33, and Brent
Stark laid down a solid time of 18:18. Great job to the runners
and volunteers.
CRC fields an XC team to race the college
kids at the Otterbein Invite This day was a day of firsts for team CRC, who took to
the XC course at Otterbein for their annual invite. It was the
debut team event for Keith Solverson; it's hard to put together
a good race when tears of pride and joy cloud your vision from
the gun. He did well, leading the team with a 25:25. It was also
the first time CRC fielded enough men in one XC race to score a
team. Hambone finished 5th overall in 26:02, Ritz was sixth with
the same time, DeLeon and Sawicki were 25th and 29th
respectively, and Brent Stark stepped it up in a pair of loaned
spikes to finish out the team. Well done, fellas, up next is
USATF Nationals in December.
Three CRC frontrunners run to Indiana and
back in a marathon tune-up
Krista, Jim, and Josh all traveled to the State to State
half marathon in Oxford, for a run into Indiana and back with
hopes of doing some fine tuning for upcoming marathons. Krista
finished a strong third despite her slightly shorter than
average stature, which made it difficult to see other runners
over all those hills. Jim and Josh took the lead early, until
another Olympic Trials qualifier rolled up on them like they
were an apple in your mama's crisper bin - cold and going no
where. Josh put the hammer down and eventually pulled away from
both the challenger and Jurcevich, whose beard was looking
particularly disheveled at all the commotion. They both finished
nicely, with Josh notching the fastest ever half in CRC jersey
history, 1:06:35. Jim wasn't far behind in third, 1:08:27.
Two Mizuno 30k Champions, meeting in the rain
It was dark at the start. It was raining. Somewhere in the
middle of the race, it became lighter, signifying that somewhere
was the sun. There weren't a lot of people running the race, but
those that were there were star shooters. After the race, Krista
pulled dangling wet hair from her face and turned to Jim. "Good
job, Jim," she said. Before his response Jim finished toweling
off his beard, "Thanks, Krista. You too." He looked at her for a
moment and noticed a drop of water slide off a thick string of
hair and disappear into the fabric of her singlet. "Would you
like to use my beard towel for your head?" he asked. "No
thanks," she replied. Two Mizuno 30k champions, talking in the
rain.
CRC members take the A&F Challenge to heart
Rather than write your typical race review, we'd like to take
this opportunity to express our thanks to Abercrombie and Fitch
for putting on their 5k. We'd like to thank all of A&F's
corporate accounts for donating money to the A&F Foundation to
help fund the event. Without them, Ordway wouldn't be able to
run a 14:56 and win an outfit and giant paddle. We'd like to
thank all the powers that be for making the land in New Albany
flat. Without the flatness, it would be more difficult for Blue
Teamer's Charlie, Jamie, Dan the Man, and Rachael to run 17:39,
19:39, 19:42, and 19:44, respectively.
We'd like to thank all the animals that were
ground up to make wonderful meat; the backbone of the best post
race party spread of any race. We'd like to thank the keg's that
kept all that free beer fresh to smother our taste buds and coax
the wonderful meat into our stomachs. See you next year.
Blue team update!
This update is long over due as all summer the Blue team
has been putting in the miles, representing at local races,
running track workouts together, helping out the CRC Charity
Fund events, and more. Almost too many races to keep track of.
Here are some not recapped yet. Way back at the end of July,
Matt Suttle continued his strong racing streak with a 16:36 at
the Heinzerling Race for the Residents to finish second. At the
Marion Popcorn Festival Brent Stark hammered out an 18:49 5k to
also finish second. At the Batelle-Darby 10k, the daunting duo
of Chris Weiss and Aaron Kramer finished in second and third
overall. Chris also took seconds at the Cat Caper 5k (despite
going the wrong way) and the Spaghetti Run. In Plain City he
crossed the line unchallenged, finishing in 23:27. The high
volume racing is prepping him for a sub-17 attempt at the MAiZE
5k this October. Employee Liz Trapp ran a successful tune-up for
the Columbus Marathon at the Home Stretch 20-Miler, finishing
second overall in 2:23.
Ordway is the lone representative at Westlake Fast times and big money. That's what defines Ordway's
lifestyle. He headed up to Westlake to get a little of both, the
only CRC team member to do so. He didn't come away as pleased as
he'd hoped, but did well considering he's ramped up the mileage
into the 140's already in preparation for the Marathon Trials.
He rolled into the finish as 5th overall, with a time of 24:21
for the five mile course.
Hamner and Rachael take the Mt. Carmel
Challenge and run the Half
CRC hero Hambone and heroine Rachael were both looking
for tune-ups for the Chicago and Twin Cities marathons,
respectively. Eric took it out easy and negative splitted his
way to a 1:11:28 victory, while Rachael ran strong and
comfortable to a 1:31:14 finish. The duo will be part of a CRC
marathon mayhem, when we'll have members running Chicago, Twin
Cities, and the Boston Half marathon all on the same glorious
day.
Matt sports the black and gold at the
Columbus Crew 5k He's the guy who drives the CRC limotruck Bess to
tailgate home games. He's the guy who sits behind the friends of
the opposing team and dumps beer on their heads. He's the guy
with the largest collection of Crew souvenir cups- almost one
for each day of the month. He's now the winner of the Columbus
Crew 5k. Despite the warm, humid temperatures, Matt toed the
starting line in yellow soccer socks and an old crew jersey just
to say he was a fan. He also knew that the winner got some free
tickets. Perhaps the most motivated this man has been at a
sporting event since the 9th grade, when at a little league game
the girl he liked told him that she'd make out with him if he
hit a home run at the next at bat. Instead he flied out to left
field. "Crew tickets are better anyway," he commented after the
race.
Jim and Josh land the mother of all trophies
in the Parkersburg Half Marathon
The only other time we've seen a trophy this big was on
ESPN Classic, when they showed the 1987 Southeast regional
bowling championship tournament in Huntsville, Alabama. They
earned it by finishing as the top two Americans on the
traditionally hot and hilly course sometimes referred to as
'hell's rollercoaster'. Luckily this year the weather was cool
to ease the competitors over the many hills. Josh pulled away
from Jim around mile 10 to finish in 1:07:07, while Jim crossed
the line in 1:07:53.
Ordway finishes 9th at another fast Debbie Green 5k This young man has PR'd at this race the past two
years. Such an event is often referred to by the
competitor as the 'money race'. Perhaps you have your
own such event, don't you? Unfortunately Ordway got the
cotton mouth early and couldn't quite find his stride-
yet he still managed to pull out a 14:52 and finish as
the third fastest American, 9th overall. A placing which
did in fact earn him some money.
CRC Youth program spreads its wings in
Europe It seems like just yesterday little Benjamin
Engelhardt was running around central Ohio winning high
school meets left and right. Then he met a girl, got a
job at CRC, and eventually headed out to Arizona State
to run track and cross country. His latest step into
manhood came with a head turning 14:35 at a track meet
in Heusden, Belgium. A PR of staggering proportions.
Take note, young ones, that's what a good summer of work
at the CRC does for you. Nice job, Ben!
We are still waiting for photographic evidence
this happened.
Ritz runs his fastest 5k this summer at the Dog Days 5k Outspoken Nate Ritz was the lone representative
from the CRC at this event, which is rumored to be a
great race. He finished 2nd behind Mile Dash champ Eric
Putnam. So, straight from the horse's mouth, here's
Ritz's CRC post race interview, verbatim.
Q. "Nate, give me a couple quotes from the race." Nate:
"Good course. Good competition. Umm, that's why they
call it dogs days. It was hot. Uhhhh, that's about all I
got, is that good for ya, or do you need more?"
Q. "Thanks, Nate, do you have more?" Nate: "Na."
Q. "What was your time again? 15:24?" Nate: Yup, 15:24,
that'll keep droppin'.
Thanks to Nate Ritz for a fantastic interview and race.
Two CRC ladies take the streets at the Dubiln Irish Fest It was hot. It was humid. Two blonde CRC
heroine's toed the line looking to sharpen up their
early season speed. As expected, the two ran together
for the first mile, feeling out the mean streets of
Dublin. Towards the end Rachael pulled away a bit, and
showed impressive kick speed not seen since 2002, to
finish second in 20:19. Jamie, seen to your left rocking
her State to State half marathon hat, rolled in shortly
after in 20:54. Both are shaping up well to put in some
good training for their fall marthons.
Mike Aldrink smashes his own marathon record in
Carrollton, MI, during a 'workout'... About the same amount of people run this marathon
as Columbus' own Abebe Marathon. It's become a tradition
for Mike, who will probably keep attending this race
until he is seventy six. However few will compare to
what he did in '07. Looking for an Olympic Trials
qualifier this fall at the Chicago Marathon, his
training has been going well. A little too well, as this
'workout' run turned into a 2:31 showing, about nine
minutes faster than his previous year. His workout even
squeaked him onto the CRC's Marathon record board. Keep
an eye out for this guy come the fall....
Ritz and Jim battle out a classic at the Run for Kids
5k, Rachael finishes second. This reporter saw it all in person, and it had to
be seen to be believed. It was a battle up front between
Jim J, who has begun the big mile training with the
Olympic Trials looming this November, and Nate Ritz, who
has been pronounced by onlookers as being in the best
shape ever. It was also a battle between old school
beard and currently cool sunglasses. Not known for front
running, Ritz took a lead at the mile of about five
seconds. Like maple syrup
on pancakes, he then kept pouring it on. With 1200 meters to go,
he led by a good 15 seconds. This reporter recorded Ritz's name
underneath the header 'winner'. However the beard had some bark
yet to be reckoned with. With 200 meters to go, Jim surged past
Nate leaving Nate's world just a bit darker beneath those sweet
sunglasses. Jim 15:33, Nate 15:37. They don't call Ritz 'Nails'
for nothing, everyone is looking forward to a rematch. In the
women's race, Rachael finished a strong second in 20:17. Well
done.
Mike Aldrink debuts his crisp, clean CRC jersey at the
Pig Run 5k with Suttle Thrilled he was albe to run a race a few steps
from his new Columbus digs in the Brewery District, Mike
signed up for the Pig Run 5k as part of the Jazz and
RibFest. Mike led the way throughout, with multiple
runners in tow. It was close until the then, as he
finished in 15:56 to second place's 15:58. Matt Suttle
ran an impressive 17:05 finishing 5th, continuing his
run back into form. Mike and Matt were much appreciative
by those who shouted "Go CRC" along the way, thanks for
the support!
Stark, Sharon, Hamner, and Suttle run events across town with strong
showings. Something for everyone. New CRC store team member
Sharon ran with training partner Krista over at the
Lifeline half, turning in a 1:28 and change. At the
Columbus Sports Connection 5 miler, Brent Stark finished
2nd overall with a 31:09. At the Violet Fest 5k in
Pickerington, Hamner ran in the front from start to
finish win with a 15:29. Suttle shocked the world with a
16:40, which is why he is pictured twice in a row. Good
work, CRC!
MILE DASH! The big one. Colossus. Ginormous. The quest for
the golden shoe trophy. The CRC Mile Dash Anniversary
Bash. Only three years old and it brings the speed! What
a battle it was. After a fiery start that you had to see
to believe, Rowe took an early lead and began stringing
out the field. On his shoulder was Shawnee State XC
coach and road race wrecker Eric Putnam.
The two flew down the open road like fighter jets over
the Nevada desert. Rowe gritted his teeth as his legs
muscled his body closer to the finish. Putnam's neck
strained to keep his head up right in face of the
g-force speed. The
police radar set up on course stuttered between 14 and
15 mph. With 200 meters to go,
Rowe look poised for victory. Yet Putnam wasn't
finished. From somewhere deep inside, he summoned his
finishing move and passed Rowe at the ideal moment, the
finish. 4:11 for Putnam, 4:14 for Rowe. For the women,
the race was over once Johanna decided what shorts to
wear. Her look and confidence cemented, she pulled away
early and won comfortably in 5:24. Here is the stream of
competitors - Josh Ordway 4:19, Ben Engelhardt 4:28,
Nate Ritz 4:29, Jim Jurcevich 4:32, Matt Suttle 4:45,
Chris Weiss 4:48, Aaron Kramer 4:56, Brent Stark 5:15, Greg McGill 5:39.
Awesome! See you next year.
Eric Hamner rolls to a big PR in a great race at
Grandma's Marathon! The famed Hambone headed up to Grandma's Marathon
looking for a fast time, perhaps even an OT qualifier.
Thanks to George Bush and global warming, it was another
hot one in Minnesota. So hot, Hamner even threw off his
jersey to some pretty girl in the middle of the race.
Many a competitor wilted, but not our Hambone. He opened
up with a 1:11:59, and finished with a 2:25 flat! 16th
overall, 8th American. A nice PR and step in the right
direction. If you have his jersey, please return to CRC
Pickerington location. Thanks.
A
surprisingly competitive race sees CRC go 1, 2, 3, and
4, with a shocking outcome in the top spot
The Freedom Four Miler on the fourth in north Columbus
had some cash on it, which lured some CRC owners and
employees over on a day which didn't see them working
putting the finest running shoes on peoples feet. The
CRC cleaned up, taking all four spots. The big surprise,
however, was who finished first. Jim Jurcevich, fresh
off his win in the Abebe Marathon, took it to Ordway for
the first time ever in an event shorter than a marathon.
It was Josh who won the cash bonus for hitting the 2.5
mile marker first, but when you're burning rubber
sometimes you run out of tire. Jim crossed the line in
19:37, Ordway 19:41. A great race to them both. Not far
behind was Sawicki, who continues to impress. Employee
and ASU student Engelhardt ran a great second half to
finish in 20:29. The CRC list goes on, with Aaron Kramer
finishing in 23:12 and Brent Stark in 24:57. For the
ladies, Rachael and Jamie ran nearly the entire way
together. The finished only 4 seconds apart, with Jamie
in 6th and Rachael in 8th. A good holiday for CRC!
Jim, Josh, Sawicki, and Ritz head down to Hyde Park for
the annual blast It's a dandy of a race down in Cincy. It's got a
big field, big hills, big prize money, and big love from
the CRC. The four mile event is a great way to start
July. Ordway found some money, finishing 4th in 19:40.
Jim wasn't far back with a 20:04, finishing just ahead
of Mike Sawicki who is really starting to come into good
form. Less than 10 seconds back finished Nate Ritz in
20:21. "The post race party was enjoyable," remarked a
tired Nate Ritz. Attempts were also made to lure the
Louisville/Brooks team up to Columbus for a duel in the
sun, mile dash style. We'll see how that pans out.
The
Abebe Marathon hits Columbus, Jim notches his first ever
marathon victory! We weren't sure that news of this event was going
to be made public, as the event organizer Abebe keeps
busy in the backyard this time of year. Three men and a
dozen or so relays kept it real in the first annual
event, which can only be experienced to be believed. For
much of the run, Jim, Matt, and the famous marathon
junkie Chuck traded elbows and trash talk along the loop
marathon course. Matt stumbled first and hit the
pavement hard, not even bothering to finish the thing.
El Jimador laid down the gauntlet in the last mile, just
edging the junkie. Both managed to finish under 3 hrs.
in the gut wrenching affair. The Bitchin' Camaros were
the first relay across the line. Bowowowow.
Team CRC lays a challenge and rolls a solid showing at
the Columbus 10k, Ohio USATF champs. Team CRC attempted to drum up some added
excitement and camaraderie among fellow runners by
challenging some out of town teams to a race and BBQ.
While no "team" took the bait, the competition was
strong as usual at the 10k, and the BBQ was just as
tasty. Josh Ordway rolled to a second place, 30:34
finish behind N.E. Ohio's Matt Folk. Jim J. looked
strong finishing 3rd, with Sawicki and Ritz finishing
nearly even in 4th and 5th, each in 32:20. Luke Peters
continues a comeback with a 33:34. Matt faded to a
34:12, and finished with Neal who wasn't competing but
diligently wanted to show to support his CRC comrades.
For the ladies, Kelley ran an impressive 39:05, smashing
her spring goal of breaking forty minutes. Jamie ran
well early in her training, with a 42:54. There's more-
McGill put in a 42:18, completing 15k worth of races for
the weekend. In a side note, Matt and his wife later
destroyed Folk and Sawicki in a round of championship
bocce ball. See you all next year.
Blue Team represents with top finishes - Blue Team
Update into July! The Blue team has been busy as usual - we'll
start with Brent Stark. He's been inching towards the 18
minute 5k mark, putting in an 18:35 for 5th place at the
Glacier Ridge 5k, followed by an 18:22 at the Glacier
Ridge 5k. Greg McGill has seen some ups and downs but
runs strong throughout. He put in a 20:34 at the
Muirfield 5k, and a 19:35 at the Glacier Ridge 5k. Chris
Weiss pulled out another win, this time at the rainy
Defend Your Friend 5k, with an impressive 17:52. More
Blue Team results are listed in the above race recaps.
Great job!