Run SMART Athletes from around the county had great results in distances from 5K to 50K this summer. Here’s a summary of just a few…
On September 7th, Everett Hill was only 8 seconds off in 10K PR on a very challenging course. Everett was in the middle of training for the Marine Corps Marathon which takes place in just over 2 weeks.
Everett, finishing strong
Tom Bain completed his first 50K at the North Face Challenge, at Algonkian Regional Park (in Sterling, VA) on September 19th. Tom Started with Run SMART Project back in November of ’08 with very little running background, and work his way in ultras in just 10 months!
Phil Manning lowered his half marathon PR yet again, at The River Run Half Marathon in Cleveland. Phil cracked the 1:35 mark and plans to give it another shot at the Fall Classic on November 22nd.
Melissa Bell competed with her team “Ultra Crazy Legs”, in the Blue Ridge Relay on September 11th and 12th. The team of 6 placed 3rd in the Ultra division, finishing the 208 mile course in 26 hours 37 minutes. That’s a 7:34 average mile! Melissa covered over 30 miles.
Michelle La Sala ran a very strong half marathon on September 20th, at the Philly Distance Run. Michelle is a great example of how persistence pays off in this sport. After being sidelined with injuries through most of 2008 Michelle basically started from scratch. She worked her way back and had a couple of promising 5k results earlier in the year. She finished the half in 1:39, and most impressively closed with a sub 7 minute mile. Michelle is currently training for the PF Chang’s Marathon.
Jamesina Simpson dropped her 5k PR twice in 3 weeks! The first was a 20:22, on September 5th. That time broke her previous PR of 20:36, which stood since 1998. The second 5k took place on September 27th. There she brought her time down to 20:09. This was good enough for first female, and 3rd overall! It’s also worth noting that both courses were in Albuquerque, NM at over 5,000 ft. Jamesina is currently training for the PF Chang’s Half Marathon in January.
Jamesina running for the win
Keep checking back. Alex Gardner and Tom Klimek will be racing Chicago and Steamtown this weekend.