WeWork May Be Done but WeBeWorkin'

Bunch of Striders doing bunch of races and bunch of distances. Lets all huddle up for a lil Cognitive Dissonance pause from the rest of the world. 

First up is Ruth Black, who started out a year ago shoving 1-2 children in a stroller for 5k's, looking worked (no offense Ruth). To just casually ripping off trail ultra's. 

Here's what she ha d to say:

New Belgium half in Fort Collins Oct 1st

When you pay $77 for a beer, I mean race, you have to show up even if it's inconveniently served a week before your first ultramarathon. Flat course, drop-dead gorgeous morning, and I went in with a plan for progression. I'm proud to say that I've never run a smarter race!! (Even when Neil pretended to be an innocent bystander at my college races) Slave to my watch the first 5k, then eased into tempo, stayed reserved until the turn-around, then entered the pain cave. I crossed the line knowing I gave it everything I had. Hammies were nice and tender for the next 4 days but I made it to my next starting line healthy and super stoked.

Above the Clouds 50k in Woodland Park Oct 7th

My first ultramarathon!! The excitement for this race was off the charts. And I actually made an excel chart of every single mile with associated course terrain, goal pace adjusted to expected terrain, nutrition targets, and more nerdy stuff. I was really hoping to go sub-5:30 based on a few factors, but the 10%+ grade hills at miles 15, 24-26 served me some fun humble pie. Crossed the line in 6:01 as 3rd female and 18th overall. It was a beautiful clear morning, the race had amazing volunteers, and I would definitely recommend this race to anyone local looking to try out a trail ultra without committing to a more expensive trip to Moab or wherever.

(first her husband Jared, now Ruth sneaking in a dirty foot pic. NOT THAT KIND OF BLOG!)

Gerald Romero, I assume only races to keep his Delta Diamond Medallion status intact. The G-Man was all over the country this month in a variety of distances.

Chicago marathon and 5k- Chicago 5k- 19:06 Chicago marathon - 3:18- Boston qualifier

The great trailhead footrace 10 mile(10/23)-- 1:11:23/ 2nd overall bear creek park golden

The YMCA creepy crawl 5k- October 28, 2023--Palmer lake 3rd overall--- 20:28

(Gerald trying to get me in hot water with Marathon Foto)

He's a fixture at Square State Strider events, but now he's pulling his own weight. Felix Stepanowich makes his race debut.

"The Littlest Square"

My name is Felix and I am the littlest square. You might recognize my parents because my Dad holds the record for the most inclines in 24 hours while my Mom walks around wearing shirts that say "Married to the fastest man to cross North Carolina." This season was my first racing season and I am participating in the Fall Series Super-Mini distance.  My first race was 25 meters and I was so excited!  I even got direct coaching from Zach Miller on the drive to the race. When we got there, I ran and ran and ran.  Then I went to the start line and there were so many kids!  As soon as they said "Go!", I froze up and started crying.  I ran it in with my Mom and Dad and kept saying "I want to do it again!" My second race was 50 meters....and same thing...sheer overwhelm with the amount of kids.  I was so upset this past weekend when my 75 meter race was canceled due to the snow but I can't wait until my 100 meter race to wrap up the fall series!"

Lars Heckman continues a fruitful summer of racing, rolling out of bed 100 yards from the race start line of the City Park 5k. Here's what Lars had to say:

Going into the 1 year of racing mark, I knew I'd have a massive target on my back in the City Park 5k as defending champion in the men's 40-49 division (to be fair I think I was the only participant last year). Luckily, my part time training partner was there telling me he "didn't feel like running fast" so just stay with him and realize your dreams of cracking 20 minutes. I found myself in a nice group through about two miles before the pain started to become a factor. Luckily, as is rarely the case, this time I ignored it and tried to stick with the group I was in. The last 200m was awesome. Felt like a sprint for glory as the cheers from my girlfriend inspired me to pick off the annoying 10 year old who was ahead of me . Finally, after 20 years of not running, I was able to break 20 minutes and promptly announced my retirement to no fanfare whatsoever, just like the last race. 19:44, good for second in age group. (Shout out to Adam Rich for taking the overall win and not pushing me down a spot!)

Guy in Goodr's and sweats had no idea he was tangling with The City Park Swede. 

Never had a chance buddy. Never had a chance.

I had a nice sit down with Adam Rich about his recent races. Here's the transcript:

Neil: Adam did you do that City Park 5k?

Adam: 15:35

Neil: Any other races?

Adam: I raced the last 7 weeks

Neil: Oh which ones?

Adam:

So folks if you are interested in those past 7 weeks of races, here's what I suggest.

From a website I found:

Search the person's first name and last name as a single search term within double quotation marks: e.g. "Adam Rich"+ "5k". If the name is a somewhat common one, many irrelevant results will show up. To filter these results, try including a middle initial or middle name with your original search: "Adam A.

Happy queries folks!