Monday, October 28, 2024
The Mountain Never Loses
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Put Summer to Bed It's Only in the Low 80's Now
The Square State Striders completed every manner of traversing distance this summer: running, ultra-running (possibly different) , biking and swimming (?). Lets hear some first hand accounts from the team about their totally unverified and un-fact checked (thank you very much) reports.
The below mentioned multi-generational Square State family has an important update:
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Don't Call It A Heat Wave!
Striders did races on dirt, road and rubber in the last month and a half. Racing season has heated up locally in the Springs and in the high country. Lets hear what the team has been up to lately.
This first report comes from Felix Stepanowich. He's 2. I am not saying AI wrote this race report but I'm gonna go ahead and just flag it as suspicious ahead of time.
Beautiful Morning in the park.
Snuck in 3rd place in my age group (44-49) with a time of 1:17:12. I pushed hard because I had an 8:00am shotgun start in a golf tournament that same morning. Unfortunately missed the first 3 holes, and my body fell apart the last 3 holes, but a fun morning for sure. Next up BTMR!
Banana Slug Backyard Ultra - Champoeg State Park in Oregon on April 19th 2024
This was my first time doing a backyard ultra, with my longest race previously being a 50k. I managed to pull off my goal of 100k at 10 PM, which came out to 15 laps of 4.167 miles (62.5ish miles total). The course was a nice mix of trail and pavement, with time in the woods and along a river. I really loved this style of race; our small group of racers quickly felt like a little community with time to chat and share snacks between laps. And snacks were the name of the game – an unnamed spectator showed up with donuts at the end of lap 6, and I’m pretty sure the cup of instant mashed potatoes I ate after lap 10 saved my life. My friends and I stayed in a cabin at the state park, so the next morning we woke up and cheered on the 20 or so runners that were still going, which was a lot of fun! My goal next year is to make it a full 24 hours (100 miles).
After wondering if he was being type-cast as only racing 1 mile races now, Neil McDonagh added 2 800's (one of them timed, the other just had timing equipment in the vicinity).
Milefest (site of Brandon's youth floating away): decided to run an 800 amongst a group of teens with limitless testosterone. The most stressful part of races is where you try to race a certain time, so for this one they helped us out and said the timing actually didn't start after we finished. I was T H I S far back from the kid who won.
Masters Road Mile USA Champs- Danville CA: 4:30 1st. A trip back to my hometown and racing old high school pals and chumming with racers from all around the country. All of us bragging about who's more injured and who has the most invasive upcoming medical procedure. A cool two loop course around a swanky downtown, took the win and basked in the glow of my parents appreciation long stolen by my two local siblings (shout out Owen and Emmet).
Springs Downhill Mile: 4:37/ 1st OA. Beyond the argument that its a stretch to consider this 'downhill' only dropping 30 ft, but the event is a blast and hope it is here to stay. Props to all of us who stomped on the Santa Fe Trail immediately after the last snow and left ankle rolling hoof prints until next December.
Denver Twilight Track Meet: 1600: 4:33 4th 800: 2:05 4th: For a meet with the name Twilight, it sure felt like the surface of the sun at 6pm. Great event, super fast competition, sorry Springs but Denver Athletics is pretty good at putting on track meets.
We've added a feature so as not to forget our fallen (or strained) compatriots.
Monday, May 13, 2024
Things We Did Instead of Taxes
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Vacations and Stay-cations
The Square State Striders competed locally and globally (Florida isn't really a state, more of a state of mind, sorry Gerald). Some folks are out racing through in-climate weather and facility while others log another Zwift ride on their Nintendo Switch. Let's hear what the squad was up to.
Gerald Romero, upon hearing that Spirit Airlines was going under, promptly booked an entry to a series of races all over Florida. No word on if he toured The Villages after on recommendation from his financial advisor.
Here's Gerald's haul over the last month.
January 1, 2024 Rescue run- 10k --12 th overall 1st 50-54 42:48
The Walt Disney world dopey challenge -- January 4, 5, 6, and 7th 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon 10k -40:55 46th overall 3rd place 50-54 Half marathon-- shortened it to an 8 mile 48:57 2nd place 50-54 5k and marathon was run easy non competitive Kari is a perfect dopey 11 years straight
January14, 2024-- Key west half marathon 21st overall 1:31:35 1st place 50-54
January 28, 2024-- The yeti chase 10k Morrison , Colorado 15th overall 42:42 1st place 50-54
February 11,2024 The super half marathon Santa Fe trail Colorado Springs 34 th overall 1:40:56 2nd -50-54 Icy and snow packed path
*Gerald sent me so many photos I'm concerned that I'm acting as an alibiWednesday, January 3, 2024
A Blogpost to Remember
From gravy to ham and dirt to mud to trail; the Square State Striders demonstrated dominance in all disciplines, be it running, sitting there just driving , all the way to throwing a spear at an unknown destination beyond the edge of a cropped photo. Lets hear what the squad had to say about their efforts.
Sam Wood found a way to make 100 mile ultra marathons look like a pleasant alternative option.
"I won the Spartan Race Central Florida Beast Elite (women's race). Then I quit running and became an amatuer skier.
Won the Chicago Hyrox Women’s GoRuck division. I also ran on our women’s >40 team relay & we placed 2nd. I have otherwise barely exercised the month of November
Spartan Beast Central Florida was about 14-miles of swamp/mud with both standardized obstacles (such as monkey bars & walls to scale) & ¡surprise! obstacles (such as tall grass that requires high-knee running, gators/snakes, & definitely flesh-eating bacteria). Think of a Spartan race a little like a “Final Destination“ movie where the whole premise is trying not to die. I raced for the All-Guard Endurance team winning the women’s Elite race and doing the course faster than all but 3 Elite males as well. It was great! But was it?
Congrats Sam, hope you won some antibiotics.
Gerald Romero continued his endurance feat of racing. My current hunch is that this is some sort of money laundering scheme, signing up for all these races. We're onto you Gerald! But also proud!
11/4/2023-- backcountry wilderness half marathon - lonetree 23rd overall 1:38:31 2nd place 50-11/5/2023-- canya canon 4.2 mile-- columbine trail too Helen hunt falls 2nd overall
11/18/2023-- dead horse 15k- mad moose -- 4th overall 1st master
Thanksgiving morning-- Turkey trot 5k 44th overall 1st 50-54 19:26
December 3rd-- rock canyon half marathon, Pueblo , Colorado. 10th overall , 1st-50-59 and 1st master
Honolulu marathon-- Oahu--- the merry mile-- 5:37
Honolulu marathon-- me and Kari both ate something bad the night before and we didn't feel good. I just stayed with her and we ran together. nothing competitive. time and place was irrelevant. we crossed the finish line in 6:38 and got our medals.
Sorry about the tummy troubles. And everyone else don't hesitate to contact the FBI Tip Line.
Andy Sherwood scoped out some retirement options for his PARA inheritance down in Arizona at the Nike NXN Southwest XC race.
"18:59 at sea level. Nike Southwest regional. Not bad But the best was the Strava friends I made along the way. Especially that hypochondriac/crypto bro who was right behind me. "
Adam Rich took it easy and did only , let me check my notes, 7 races in the last 8 weeks.
Here's the tape on Adam's end of year.
Ok here are the ones since November 1st:
November 4th City Park 5k 15:35 for 1st
November 12th The Great Candy Run 16:05 (3.17 miles) for 2nd
November 18th Pumpkin Pie 5k 16:04 for 1st
November 23rd Turkey Trott Rock 5k Castle Rock 15:55 for 4th, lost to three college kids...lol
December 3rd Rudloph's Ramble 5k (Cold, snowy course) 16:10 for 1st
December 9th Jungle Jog 5k (Well the course had 4-5" of snow, ice so not a fast one at all) 18:02 for 1st
December 16th Santas Dash for Cash (No money was given out!!!) 15:49 for 1st
Lars Heckman, STRAVA globetrotter, made sure to leave his Turkey trot mark where the whole world could see, in southwest Minnesota.
After satisfying myself with a Masters PR in my home park race in early November, I thought I'd hang up the carbon soles until next year. Alas, is wasn't to be, as inviting myself to crash my friends Thanksgiving in Minnesota prior to a work trip came with a condition: I had to show my stuff in a Turkey Trot he was self proclaimed chairman for. As I tried to stay ahead of the surge of nearly 1200 people in this mass start, i found myself next to some guy wearing a turkey suit. As i was pretty sure he wasn't the guy from The Athlete Special, I knew I'd never be able to look myself in the mirror if i got beat by some cosplay casual runner. With the turkey guy behind me, I could now concentrate on what i do best, paying attention to my watch. I noticed the splits were coming in much faster than I'm accustomed to and then it dawned on me... Aaaaah Sea Level... sea level sea level sea level. You can say it so many times and it just keeps sounding better. Powered through the finish in 19:05, good enough for 2nd in age group and fast enough to justify a pair of real racers. Watch your back 18's.
Fresh off a vigorous XC season, Logan Wealing and Sarah Blakeslee, decided to cross the border and to buy some steeply discounted Aleve from our number one economic trading partner.
Not a ‘race’ in the traditional sense, but we did stretch the mog’s new legs a bit over Christmas and road-tripped to Big Bend NP (~1700 miles). Got to see some gorgeous dessert scenery, hot springs, and even took a 20 second ‘ferry’ ride across the Rio Grande into Boquillas, Mexico for lunch.
Tom Caughlan (20:40), Jon Teisher (20:18), and Jeff Mohrmann (21:06), also completed the Briargate Turkey Trot.
I received the following race reports:
"Just like Colleen De Reuck, still faster than Tom."
The Mountain Never Loses
Striders raced each other, strangers, a few costumed folk, possibly up to two guys in Five Fingers shoes, but if we're being honest no o...
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The Square State Striders competed locally and globally (Florida isn't really a state, more of a state of mind, sorry Gerald). Some fol...
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The Square State Striders challenged themselves this spring in a multitude of ways. Not just figuring out the tax exempt value on the Arc d...
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Striders did races on dirt, road and rubber in the last month and a half. Racing season has heated up locally in the Springs and in the hi...