The Linn Creek Police Department and Advantage Metals Recycling, located just off of Highway 54 on A Road in Linn Creek, are joining together to provide used bicycles to Lake-area charities for distribution to those in need.  They are asking anyone able to donate an unneeded bicycle or bicycle parts to drop them off at Advantage during normal business hours.  The bikes will be refurbished before distribution.  Bikes for people of all ages are being sought.

If you think you can help, or would like more information about the program, including who to contact, please check out this Lake Sun/lakenewsonline.com article.

RUN FOR THE RANCH MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (updated December 19th)

The last, long event of the year, the 12th Annual Run for the Ranch Marathon and Half Marathon, benefiting the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch and the Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners, was held yesterday (December 18th) in Springfield.  This quirky event uses a USATF-certified 3.275 mile course (making the event a qualifier for Boston and New York) through the Missouri State University campus, with half marathoners and marathoners completing four and eight laps, respectively.   Get the full race details, including a registration form, by clicking here.

Here are a few of the many race photos posted by Fun Memories Photography.  (The leprechaun finished the marathon in 4:02:42, easily beating Santa's 4:51:11.  That's Jim McDermott, who finished in 4:19:42, on the right.)

Congratulations to our Lake-area runners (and one other familiar to us) who competed.  Their results are posted below.  (Click for complete full or half results.)

ULTRAMAX EVENTS (posted December 19th)

Ultramax Events, which organizes many events around Missouri and nearby states, has announced its 2012 schedule of events.  As to be expected, a few new events have been added, while a few others have disappeared.  Here are the new events:

• The Adventure Max 10K and Half Marathon Trail Run will be held on March 3rd (the day before the Adventure Max TeamTriathlon) at Innsbrook, Missouri (20 miles west of St. Louis).


• The Go Girl Run Women's Half Marathon and 5K will be held on Saturday, May 26th, in Columbia.


• The two-day, three-race Max-O-Mania event returns on June 22-23 to Innsbrook, Missouri, after a multi-year hiatus.

JINGLE BELL 5K RUN/WALK (updated December 17th)

A small group of die-hards braved chilly temperatures to participate in today's (December 17th) Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk in Camdenton benefiting Camdenton Project Graduation 2012. Overall male winner was Rodney Wright, followed by Camdenton cross country coach Dave Weber. Among the women, Paula and Tara O'Connor crossed the finish line in first and second, respectively, but likely would have been beaten to the line by Robin Price (I hope my spelling is correct), a newcomer to the Lake area who unfortunately took a wrong turn with about a mile to go.

Some photos (click to enlarge):

ROCK 'N' ROLL LAS VEGAS MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (updated December 8th)

Those of you who ran in the Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Marathon and Half Marathon in October might be interested in reading about the problems at this past Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas race. The field size wasn't capped, and it appears 44,000 runners were just too many for the event to go smoothly. As a result of this, the course was too crowded, they ran out of water at some of the aid stations, etc. You can read the comments at the race's Facebook page.

The CEO of Competitor Group, which owns the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, acknowledged the problems and issued an apology to the participants.

One interesting thing about Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas is that it was run mostly in the evening.  The marathoners started at 4:00 p.m., and the half marathoners at 5:30 p.m.  The staggered start also caused problems as many of the marathon runners eventually had to contend with the large number of slow half marathoners ahead of them.

CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON (updated December 4th)

Congratulations to Denny Gillen for an outstanding finish at today's (December 4th) California International Marathon in Sacramento, California.  Denny officially finished in 3:47:32, a pace of 8:45 per mile.  His splits:

• 5.9 miles:          48:33 
• 13.1 miles:     1:48:25
• 20 miles:        2:47:20
• 26.2 miles:     3:47:32

His finish time placed Denny 73rd (of 247) in the male 55-59 age group.  The race obviously attracted an exceptionally competitive and large field, as a 3:47:xx finish at the 2011 GO! St. Louis Marathon would have earned a second-place finish in that age group (among just 58 competitors).

Click here to view detailed data collected from Denny's Garmin Forerunner 305 during the race.

Denny's finish time meets the minimum qualifying standard of 3:55:00 for the male 60-64 age group at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

This race caps a sensational 2011 for Denny, including finishing the Georgia Marathon in March, the REV3 Knoxville and Ironman 70.3 Kansas half-iron distance triathlons in the spring, and his first iron-distance triathlon at Ironman Louisville in August.  For a 59 year-old guy, he's simply amazing.

ST. JUDE MEMPHIS HALF MARATHON (updated December 3rd)

The King came out to cheer on the runners.
(photo credit: Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal)

Congratulations to Mike Creed, who finished today's (December 3rd) St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon in a time of 3:08:46.  I'm guessing that Mike wasn't too happy about his finish time, since he finished the Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Half Marathon six weeks ago nearly an hour faster than that.

SECOND ANNUAL LAKER 5K TURKEY TROT  (updated December 1st)

The Laker 5K Turkey Trot results have been posted.  Thanks go to Camdenton High School cross country coach Dave Weber for putting on the event, which helped local food pantries, and for supplying the results.  Click on the thumbnails below to view the full results in order of finish time, or by age group.

             

Results by finish time       Results by age group

A few interesting notes about the results:

Overall male winner Casey O'Connor has gotten noticeably faster. His winning time of 17:32 was not only 2-1/2 minutes faster than the next finisher, but almost two minutes faster than his finish time on the same course in June 2010 at the Summer Stride 5K. (I believe Casey has been running with his college's cross country team, which would explain the improvement.) Casey also beat his brother Sean by three minutes, and Sean is no slow-poke--in fact, he beat Casey by a minute at that Summer Stride 5K in 2010.

Cooler weather may be the reason, but some of these finishers (e.g. Nigher Alfaro, Rodney Wright and Jim McDermott)l knocked about a minute or two off their finish times on the same course back in June at the Summer Stride 5K.  That's a substantial improvement by folks who are already pretty fast.

Overall female winner Chelsey VanHook's 22:00 finish time was one of the fastest for any female at a local 5K this year. I can't find her name on any prior race results pages, so I'm guessing she was visiting the Lake for Thanksgiving and came out to run.

Some of the younger runners did particularly well.  David Prather, in the male 11-14 age group, finished fifth overall in 20:49.  That was slightly faster than the finish time for Nigher Alfaro, who was the overall winner of five Lake-area 5Ks in 2011.  In the female 11-14 age group, Tessa Weber won in an outstanding 23:14.  David's and Tessa's finish times could very well be the fastest for their age groups in the Lake area in 2011. 

TREESGREENVILLE TURKEY DAY 8K (posted December 1st)

Denny Gillen celebrated Thanksgiving Day by running the TreesGreenville Turkey Day 8K in Greenville, South Carolina, with his youngest son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law Audrey.  Denny finished in 37:11 (versus 38:57 last year), placing him second among 55-59 year-old males. He beat Kevin's 39:26, but Kevin knocked a whopping 5:00 off of last year's finish time, so next year may see a new winner of bragging rights at the family Thanksgiving dinner table.  Audrey, by the way, finished in a much more relaxing and sensible 59:38.  Denny and Kevin will be competing at the Columbia (South Carolina) Marathon on March 11, 2012. This will be Kevin's first marathon.

IRONMAN TRIATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (posted December 6th)

The Ironman Triathlon World Championship will be broadcast by NBC this coming Saturday, December 10th, from 3:30 to 5:00 Central time.   Here's a short promo video:

ROCK 'N' ROLL SAN ANTONIO MARATHON & HALF MARATHON  (updated November 13th)

Congratulations to Debi White for finishing today's (November 13th) Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Half Marathon in a time of 2:28:24, about four minutes faster than her finish at the Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Half Marathon three weeks ago, and established a PR.  That placed Debi 701st out of 1,824 in her age group. 

One interesting note about the results in the men's race is the close finish among the third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers.  They all finished within 0.24 seconds of one another, with the third and fourth place finishes separated by just 0.1 seconds.  While the finish time for most runners is based on gun time, the leaders' are usually based on gun time.  If that applied to these three runners, they must have been side-by-side-by-side at the finish line.

BASS PRO SHOPS OUTDOOR FITNESS FESTIVAL MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K  (updated November 6th)

The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fitness Festival Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon and 5K brought out over 2,000 runners to Springfield today (November 6th), including nine from the Lake area.  Top-five age group finishes were turned in by Rodney Wright and Jim McDermott.  Rodney knocked a whopping nine minutes off his first half marathon finish two weeks ago at Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis, while Jim knocked a razor-thin two seconds off his finish time at Kansas City three weeks ago.  Congratulations to all who toed the starting line.  Here are the full results:

THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON  (updated November 7th)

Erika Tournear Porth, a former Lake-area resident now living in Baltimore, Maryland, finished today's (November 6th) New York City Marathon in 4:18:13, placing her 234th in the female 20-24 age group.

Here's a really video of mostly time-lapse footage taken from some interesting vantage points. 

MISSOURI STATE HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS  (posted November 5th)

Congratulations to all of our Lake-area high school runners who qualified for and competed in the state high school cross country championship races today (November 5th) in Jefferson City.  Here's a look at their results (click here to find the full results):

Of particular note is Tristan Hensley's eighth place finish in the Class 3 boy's division.  All seven runners ahead of Tristan were either juniors or seniors, suggesting that Tristan has an excellent chance at placing even higher in the next two years.

CLASS 4 SECTIONAL 3 CROSS COUNTRY MEET  (posted November 2nd)

As reported in yesterday's (November 1) Lake Sun and at lakenewsonline.com, the Camdenton High School cross country team raced in the Class 4 sectionals held last Saturday at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.  One of Camdenton's female runners, freshman Faith Scheidemantle, finished 18th, in 19:53, and qualified to run in the Class 4 state championship race in Jefferson City on Saturday, November 5th.  Click here to go to the page where the results of that race will be posted.  If you plan to be in or go to Jefferson City for the race, the details of where to go to see the race are here. 

Faith, you may recall, was the fastest female at the Children's Learning Center Summer Stride 5K back in June, finishing in 23:00.

IMPACT MEDICAL MISSIONS 5K RUN/WALK  (updated October 30th)

Click on the above to view  the full-size image (3MB download).

About seventy runners and walkers turned out for today's (October 29th) Impact Medical Missions 5K Run/Walk in Linn Creek, and we had a great time in the crisp autumn air.  Dr. Angela Clay and her group of volunteers did a wonderful job in putting on a successful event, the worthwhile purpose of which was to raise funds to send the Impact Medical Missions team to the Dominican Republic.  Thanks to everyone who came out, and to the sponsors who supported the event. 

The nearly unbeatable Nigher Alfaro was the overall male winner in 21:04, giving him his fifth overall victory in Lake-area 5Ks in 2011.  Stacy Turner, just one week after finishing her first marathon at the Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Marathon in St. Louis last weekend, led all the females, finishing in 23:07.

Click here to view the photos.  Below are the race results:

ROCK 'N' ROLL ST. LOUIS MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (updated December 3rd)

A total of twenty-five Lake-area residents competed in yesterday's (October 23rd) Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Marathon and Half Marathon, making it the largest contingent of Lake-area runners to ever participate in a half and/or full marathon event, surpassing by one the previous record of twenty-four at last April's GO! St. Louis event.  What made the Rock 'n' Roll event extra special is that at least eighteen of these twenty-five runners were attempting these distances for the very first time.

Congratulations to all of you who raced.  The beautiful fall weather made your day more pleasant, but running 13.1 or 26.2 miles is still a very tough thing to do under the best of weather and circumstances.  No one crosses the finish line without suffering, and no one gets to the starting line fully prepared for a race like this without having sacrificed much time and energy over a period of months, if not longer.  It takes determination and perseverance, among other things, to finish a full or half marathon, and it all starts long before race day.  You should be very proud of what you achieved yesterday.

On a personal note, it was a pleasure going to St. Louis to take photos and video of you.  No matter how much fun you had, I had ten times more fun than all of you.... combined.  It was a blast!  The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is wildly popular across the country, and it took me just one race to see why. They do a fantastic job.  Anyone who sat out this year's event should strongly consider it next year.

Click here to view the photos. 

The video can be found by clicking here.  (If you are trying to view it with an iPad, use the link provided on the Videos page.)  It runs a little over 19 minutes.  The video file is 232 MB in size, so you'll want to view it over a high-speed Internet connection.   If it stutters or needs continual buffering during playback, your best bet would be to click the pause button, let the video continue to download, then resume playback when the download is complete.

The video is presented in a size (640 by 360 pixels) and level of compression that make it reasonable to view over the web.  The original video footage was recorded in high definition (1920 by 1080 pixels), which means the screen size is nine times larger than the video presented here, and is at a much higher level of quality due to significantly less compression.  I’ve viewed the full-size version on a 40” high-definition television and a 27” computer monitor, and the picture quality and viewing experience are far superior to the web version.  (Actually, the difference is stunning, which is why I'm always reluctant to present high-definition videos on the web--they really need to be seen in their original size.)  Unfortunately, the full-size, high definition video file is huge (17 GB), so it’s impractical to post it on the website for downloading.  If there’s any interest in the original, full-size version, perhaps I can figure out a convenient way of making it available.  Let me know if you’d be interested in getting a copy of the original video.

Here are the results of our Lake-area participants (click here to search the official results):

Lake-area media coverage:

"Locals take part in Rock 'n Roll St. Louis Marathon", lakenewsonline.com, October 31, 2011

St. Louis Post-Dispatch/STLtoday.com coverage:

"Ferguson wins inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon", STLtoday.com, Monday, October 24, 2011
"Rock 'n' Roll marathon rocks south St. Louis neighborhoods", STLtoday.com, Monday, October 24, 2011
STLtoday.comphoto gallery, October 23, 2011
"Tough course awaits St. Louis marathon, half-marathon runners", STLtoday.com, Saturday, October 22, 2011
"Marathoners and church-goers will converge in St. Louis", STLtoday.com, Thursday, October 20, 2011
"Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, by the numbers", STLtoday.com, Thursday, October 20, 2011
"Run, don't walk, to the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Marathon", STLtoday.com, Thursday, October 20, 2011
"Rock 'n' Roll marathon sets course through city parks", STLtoday.com, Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon news report on KSDK-TV Channel 5 in St. Louis on October 23, 2011:

GIVE 'EM THE BIRD 5K RUN / 1-MILE FUN WALK  (posted October 24th)

Versailles Total Fitness and KS95.1 FM are putting on the Give 'em the Bird 5K Run and 1-Mile Fun /Walk on Saturday, November 5th, in Versailles. It's a benefit to purchase turkeys for families in need this coming Thanksgiving. Among other enticements, everyone who participates will receive a $5.00 voucher to spend at any of certain sponsors' establishments on the day of the event. The run/walk starts at 9:00 a.m.  There's no downloadable registration form at this time, but Versailles Total Fitness can e-mail one to you if you request one through their Facebook page.

THE MONSTER BIKE BASH  (posted October 24th)

Here's a fun, unusual event happening on Saturday, October 29th: The Monster Bike Bash. It's a Halloween-themed bicycle party on the Katy Trail. It starts at Shiloh Bar & Grill in Columbia and travels to Rocheport and back--a roundtrip distance of 34 miles, on some of the most scenic miles on the Katy Trail.   A Halloween party is planned at Katfish Katy's (about halfway between Columbia and Rocheport), and a street party will be held in front of the Rocheport General Store.  Check out the webpage for more details about the day's activities.Participants are encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes. The event is a fund-raiser for PedNet's effort to supply low-income folks with warm winter weather cycling gear.

Thanks go to Larry Estes for the heads-up on this event.

CADV MAKE THE BREAK 5K RUN/WALK (updated October 17th)

Today's (October 15th) first annual Citizens Against Domestic Violence (CADV) Make the Break 5K Run / Fun Walk was a big success, and the weather for it was absolutely perfect.  A total of 58 runners and walkers participated, and a total of over $8,000 was raised toward CADV's new building project.  A huge thanks goes to Angie Fiene and the CADV staff, along with Pete Leyva and crew, for putting on a great event.  Thanks also to the many sponsors of the event and the Linn Creek Police Department for their assistance. 

The photos are now available.  Click here to view them.  (Sorry about the slightly blurry photos taken on the course of the lead runners. A faster shutter speed should have been used.)

"TOUR DE ELDON" MOONLIGHT BICYCLE RIDE (updated October 16th)

The City of Eldon's Moonlight Bicycle Ride last night (October 15th) brought out about twenty participants for the leisurely ride through the city's streets.  Thanks go to Keith Walk of the Parks & Recreation Department and police chief Rodney Fair for a nice, safe ride.  The weather couldn't have been better, and the beautiful moonrise allowed the ride to live up to its name. 

~~~~~~Healing vibes go to Dan Dougan, who suffered a serious leg/ankle injury in a low-speed fall.

WADDELL & REED KANSAS CITY MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated October 15th)

Congratulations to our Lake-area runners who competed in today's (October 15th) Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K, especially Cathi Cook of Camdenton, who won her age group in the half marathon.  Jim McDermott and Susan Carey, both of Camdenton, also placed high in their age groups in the half marathon and 5K, respectively.  The results for Lake-area runners are shown below (full results can be found here): 

If I missed anyone, please let me know.

THE MISSOURI AMERICAN WATER 340 (updated October 15th)

Congratulations to Eldon resident Brian Brooks, who reached the finish line of the 340-mile Missouri American Water 340 canoe/kayak race on the Missouri River this afternoon (October 13th).  Brian finished in fourth place among the solo men, with a finish time of 54:35:00.  There were 67 competitors in that division at the start, but only 41 finished. The complete race results can be found here.  The race forum mentions that the racers faced some short bursts of severe weather (i.e. torrential rain, high winds and hail) along the way. 

Brian, incidentally, completed the 2 Dam Days race at the Lake of the Ozarks last month, finishing fourth in the 89-mile, two-day race in 18:27:39.  That was a mere warm-up compared to this week's race, which began in Kansas City on Tuesday morning and officially ended Friday night iin St. Charles.  The race was originally scheduled for July 19-22, but had to be postponed due to dangerous currents and flooding on the river.  Unfortunately, the postponement led to a significant drop in the number of participants.  Only 105 boats ended up competing in the race, versus a sold-out field of 400 boats for the original date.

MOTHER ROAD MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated October 9th)

Congratulations to Laura Davis of Camdenton and Melissa Bell of Osage Beach for finishing the half marathon at today's (October 9th) Mother Road Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K event in Joplin.  Laura and Melissa ran together and finished in 2:11:14 (10:02/mile pace).  That placed Laura 4th (of 24) in the female 40-44 age group, and Melissa 8th (of 26) in the female 30-34 age group.  (The full race results are available here.)  Both were using this half to prepare for the Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Half Marathon coming up on October 23rd.

As an aside, I drove through the city of Joplin a couple weeks ago to see the aftermath of the May 22nd tornado.  While most of the debris has now been removed, the devastation is plainly visible, and it is absolutely stunning.  I snapped some photos, which you can view here, but they don't begin to convey the true extent of the disaster.  

CHICAGO MARATHON (updated October 9th)

Congratulations to our two locals who ran the entire race together and finished today's (October 9th) Chicago Marathon.  Lake Ozark's Scott Page--finishing his first marathon--and Rob Kucsik of Four Seasons finished in 4:52:32.  That placed the two in 2,322nd and 2,323rd place in the male 40-44 age group.  (Amazingly, that age group alone is far larger than the entire marathon field of 1,900 at the GO! St. Louis Marathon.)  There were 45,000 participants in the race, and temperatures reaching into the mid 70s by noon made things tough on the late finishers.

The overall marathon winners were Kenya's Moses Mosop, who set a new course record in 2:05:37, and Liliya Shobukhova of Russia, who won her third straight Chicago Marathon in 2:18:20. 

Here's one way of standing out in a crowd of 45,000 marathoners and getting on television: color your whole body orange.

"TOUR DE ELDON" MOONLIGHT BICYCLE RIDE (posted October 11th)

The City of Eldon's parks and police departments are sponsoring the Moonlight Bicycle Ride on the evening of Saturday, October 15th. This is a leisurely bike ride through the city's streets.  It starts at 8:00 p.m. at the Eldon Community Center on East Second Street (map) and finishes at 9:30 p.m. with refreshments. Please note: All riders must have flashlights or bike lights, and the ride is limited to those 10 and older.

BIKEMO 2011 (posted October 11th)

The Missouri Bicycle Federation's BikeMO 2011 Fall Harvest & Pumpkin Ride will be held this coming Saturday, October 15th.  The 18-, 40-, 60- and 100-mile ride options start rolling at 9:00 a.m. from Holts Summit, located about five miles north of Jefferson City on Highway 54.  Last year's great weather brought out a total of 175 riders--including a dozen or so from the Lake area--and the weather forecast for this coming Saturday looks just as good.

LAKER INVITATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY MEET (posted October 6th)

Congratulations to the local cross country runners who participated at last Saturday's (October 1st) Laker Invitational 5K Cross Country Meet at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.  Here are some highlights:

• Osage High School won the boys' small school division, with seven finishers (Tristan Hensley, Matt Lehenbauer, Travis Barry, Wyatt Whitman, Adam Hill, Zach Curran and Ben Naudet) among the top 54.


• Tristan Hensley of Osage finished first overall in the boys' small school division, in 16:36.


• Connor Brady, a junior at Camdenton High School, finished in 17:09, placing him 19th in the boy's large school division, with four teammates (Jacob Rabenold, Logan Whitmore, Logan Gilbert and Kyler Virtue) finishing in under 20:00. (Connor won the Summer Stride 5K in Camdenton back in June, finishing in 20:19.)


• Camdenton freshman Faith Scheidemantle finished 8th in the girls' large school division, in 19:45, smashing a 20-year Camdenton school record by 36 seconds.  (Faith was the overall female winner at the Summer Stride 5K, in 23:00.)


• Osage's Daisy Ralston finished 10th in the girls' small school division, in 21:22. 

MO' COWBELL HALF MARATHON (updated October 2nd)

Congratulations to two Lake-area runners who finished the inaugural MO' Cowbell Half Marathon in St. Charles on Sunday (October 2nd).  Adam Ulrich of Rocky Mount finished in 2:00:29 (9:12/mile pace), placing him 63rd (of 106) in the male 40-44 age group.  Cheri Warner of Richland finished in 2:27:08 (11:14/mile pace).  That placed Cheri 29th (of 63) in the female 50-54 age group.

INEXPENSIVE RACE BELTS AVAILABLE (posted October 1st)

At all of our local events, virtually everyone pins their race number bib to their t-shirt.  If you're wearing a nice technical t-shirt or jacket and would rather not put holes in it, an alternative is to wear an elastic race belt to hold the bib.  These race belts are easily found at online retailers or at race expos at large races, but usually they're overpriced ($8-12 for a basic one).  This website doesn't carry any advertising, but as a service to anyone looking for an inexpensive race belt, the Marshall's store in Osage Beach sells them for $3.99.  Look for them in the Activewear department.  They're purple in color, since 10% of the proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which sponsors the purple-wearing, Team in Training fund-raising participants at races nationwide.

IRONMAN 70.3 BRANSON TRIATHLON (updated October 4th)

   

The 2012 date of Ironman 70.3 Branson is NOT going to be on October 7th, as reported a few weeks ago on Slowtwitch.com.  It's scheduled for September 23, 2012.  That at least moves it to two weeks after the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2012, versus just one week in 2011.

HARTSBURG PUMPKIN FESTIVAL RIDE (posted October 3rd)

One of the most enjoyable things to do each year is to ride a bicycle on the Katy Trail to the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival, which is coming up this Saturday and Sunday, October 8-9th.  The ride is flat and just under ten miles from the Jefferson City trailhead (map), so it's very family-friendly.

ELDON TURKEY TROT / GOBBLE WOBBLE 5K RUN/WALK (corrected September 29th)

Congratulations to the overall winners at Saturday's (September 24th) Eldon Turkey Trot/Gobble Wobble 5K Run/Walk.  Nigher Alfaro was the fastest male runner, finishing in 20:39.  This was Nigher's third local 5K victory this year, after winning the Linn Creek Firecracker 5K in June and the Bagnell Dam Duck Drop 5K in August.  The top female runner was Jessica Beckmann, in 22:37, and the winning male and female walkers were Thomas Spriggs and Jayna Slade, in 35:14 and 35:00, respectively.

To view the full results, click here.

2 DAM DAYS PADDLE EVENTS (updated September 27th)

For the second year, Mike Herbert of Rogers, Arkansas, dominated the solo men's division of the 89-mile 2 Dam Days paddle race, finishing the two-day race (55 miles on Saturday, 34 on Sunday) in 12:44:48, nearly two hours before his nearest competitor.  Brian Brooks of Eldon was the only Lake-area competitor at this year's event, finishing the race in fourth place in 18:27:39.

This year's race welcomed the first solo female competitors to the event.  Sandy Yonley of Houston, Texas, won the division, finishing in 17:06:21.

Among the various divisions and races, there were a total of fifteen solo racers and five two-person teams.

Click here to view the full results.

OLD TYME APPLE FESTIVAL 5K RUN/WALK (posted September 28th)

The Old Tyme Apple Festival in Versailles will include a 5K run/walk this coming Saturday (October 1st). The event starts at 7:00 a.m. There's no information available online, so it's uncertain as to whether pre-registration is possible, or when race-day registration will open.

KC 15K (posted September 18th)

The Lake area had at least one representative at the inaugural KC 15K (9.3 miles) race in Kansas City this past Saturday (September 24th).  Bradley Hinkle, of Lake Ozark, ran the 15K race in 1:55:22 (12:23/mile pace).  That placed him last among the 51 competitors in the male 40-44 age group, but just toeing the starting line of a long race is commendable.  Good job, Brad.

IRONMAN 70.3 BRANSON TRIATHLON & BRANSON SPRINT TRIATHLON (updated September 11th)

   

Congratulations to our two local finishers at today's (9/18) Ironman 70.3 Branson Triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run) in Branson. 

Jennifer Dowdney, in just her second triathlon and very first half-iron distance triathlon, finished in 8:00:07.  Her splits:

Swim:       47:36 (2:30 per 100 meters)
T-1:             6:35
Bike:     4:39:55 (12.0 mph)
T-2:             2:53
Run:       2:23:08 (10:55/mile)
Finish:   8:00:07

Her finish time place Jen 21st (of 22) in the female 35-39 age group.

Jen's husband, Trevor, finished in 5:59:34, beating last year's finish time of 6:09:11.  Toward the end of the race, Trev must have been trying hard to break 6 hours, since he ran the last two miles at a pace of 8:30/mile--almost the two fastest of his 13.1 miles. His splits:

Swim:       31:01 (1:37/100 meters) (same as in 2010)
T-1:             3:32  (2010: 5:53)
Bike:     3:24:31 (16.4 mph) (6:12 slower than 2010)
T-2:             1:45  (2010: 4:03)
Run:      1:58:45 (9:03/mile) (11:10 faster than 2010)
Finish:  5:59:34

Trevor had the fourth-fastest swim in the male 45-49 age group.  His finish time placed him 24th (of 55).

It's important to point out that the athletes had to race under some pretty poor weather conditions.  At noon, while Jen was on the bike course and Trevor was on the run course, a strong storm moved through the Branson area, as shown on this radar image:

As I've said many times, doing this stuff is hard enough in perfect weather.  Bad weather makes it much harder, and sometimes even dangerous.

A new addition to the event this year was the Branson Sprint Triathlon (500-meter swim, 18-mile bike and 4-mile run).  I didn't see any Lake-area athletes in the results.

ST. JUDE RUN FOR THE CURE 5K RUN/WALK (updated September 17th)

(Click on photo to view full-size image)

Despite the clouds and rain, 65 runners and walkers turned out for today's (9/17) St. Jude Run for the Cure 5K Run/Walk in Linn Creek.  Thanks go to Mike Creed and family for putting on a great event for a truly deserving cause.  The Grand Marshal for the race was five year-old Ethan Vance (wearing #1 in the above photo), who has been battling leukemia for two years and faces another year of chemotherapy.  The work done by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital since it opened in 1962 has been instrumental in dramatically improving the odds of children like Ethan surviving cancer and other catastrophic illnesses.

Congratulations to Matt Price and Stacy Turner, the overall male and female winners, in 20:44 and 22:17, respectively.

Here are the top finishers:

This marked the first time an out-and-back 5K course was used for a race originating in the Linn Creek industrial park, and it drew praise over a two-loop course.  Click on the thumbnail below to view a larger image of the course.

 

ROOTS 'N BLUES 'N BBQ FESTIVAL HALF MARATHON AND 10K (updated September 10th)

The Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival Half Marathon and 10K drew a big throng of runners on Saturday (September 10th) in Columbia. There were 643 in the half marathon, and 627 in the 10K. Here are the results of our Lake-area participants:

HEART OF AMERICA MARATHON (updated September 6th)

Congratulations to Jeff Quillen of Sunrise Beach, who finished yesterday's (9/5) Heart of America Marathon in Columbia in 4:29:06 (10:17/mile).  Jeff placed 12th (of 16) in the male 25-29 age group.

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE TRIATHLON (updated August 28th)

DENNY GILLEN, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

Click on the above photo to view  a YouTube video created by Denny's son, Kevin Gillen.

Congratulations to Denny Gillen, who finished today's (August 28th) Ford Ironman Louisville Triathlon in a time of 13 hours, 58 minutes and 15 seconds.  This was Denny's first attempt at an iron-distance triathlon, which includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.  His splits:

Swim:      2:12:30 (3:29 per 100 meters)
T -1:              7:33
Bike:       6:47:08 (16.5 mph)
T-2:            13:18
Run:        4:37:46 (10:36 per mile)
Total      13:58:15

Denny placed 27th (of 47 finishers) in the male 55-59 age group.

Here's a short video Denny posted two days before Ironman Louisville:

Check out Denny's blog: Denny Gillen's Triathlon Adventure: The Journey to becoming an Ironman

Want to know what's so special about an Ironman triathlon? Read an e-mail that a woman wrote to her brother the day after he finished Ironman Wisconsin in 2002, and which he later posted on a triathlon website forum.  It was published in a national triathlon magazine a few years later.

EPIC MUD RUN (posted July 25th)

Looking to get dirty?   Really, really dirty?   Ultramax Events is introducing a new event, the Epic Mud Run, on Saturday, September 10th, in Columbia.  The event will be held at the soon-to-be-famous Midway Truck Plaza, which is the location and subject of The Travel Channel's newest reality TV series, Truck Stop Missouri, which premieres on Wednesday, August 3rd.  Race solo or put together a three-person team.  Check out all the details at the website.

Anybody going up to Columbia that weekend for the MS 150 bike ride should know that the Epic Mud Run is scheduled for later in the day on Saturday, so you should be able to do both events if you wish.  The first wave starts at 4:00 p.m., with subsequent waves starting in 20-minute intervals until the last one at 7:00 p.m.

BIKE MS: EXPRESS SCRIPTS GATEWAY GETAWAY RIDE (posted August 31st)

The Bike MS bicycle ride (aka " The MS 150"), benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, takes place in Columbia on Saturday-Sunday, September 10-11th.  This is a huge event--over 3,000 cyclists have already registered.  You can choose among 40-, 75- and 100-mile options each day.  A minimum fundraising pledge of $250 is required. 

You can participate either individually or as part of a team.  To join or contribute to the local Oz Cycles team that will be participating, click here.

NORTH FACE ENDURANCE CHALLENGE (updated August 28th)

Congratulations to Glenn Stellhorn of Lake Ozark, who finished the half marathon at today's (August 28th) North Face Endurance Challenge in Kansas City in 1:29:35, a pace of 6:52/mile.  That placed Glenn second (of 47) in his male 40-49 age group.

RUN FOR THE FALLEN (updated August 20th)

Well over 100 runners and walkers participated in the Lake of the Ozarks' celebration of the Run for the Fallen event that was held today (August 20th) in communities across the United States.  The event commemorates those soldiers, including 135 from Missouri, who gave their lives for our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom by asking participants to run or walk at least one mile on behalf of a fallen soldier.

Family members of some of the fallen Missouri soldiers being honored were in attendance today, and greatly appreciated the support from our community.

Thanks go to Trish Creach at the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Pete Leyva of the Osage Beach Police Department, and all of the volunteers and sponsors who helped put on a wonderful event. 

SWIMMIN' IN MOONSHINE (posted August 15th)

The Swimmin' in Moonshine open-water swim race returns to Table Rock Lake in Branson on Saturday, August 27th. Three distances are offered--500 yards, one mile, and two miles.  The field is limited to 300 participants, and wetsuits aren't permitted.

REPUBLIC TIGER TRIATHLON (posted August 14th)

Congratulations to Kris Williams of Camdenton, who completed yesterday's (8/13) Republic Tiger Triathlon (300-yard pool swim, 12-mile bike and 5K run) in 1:22:44, placing her fourth (of eight) in the female 50-54 age group. Her splits:

Swim:         6:53 (2:31/100-yard pace)
T-1:            1:17
Bike:         45:11 (15.9 mph)
T-2:            1:12
Run:         28:10 (9:06/mile)
Finish:   1:22:44

Kris came just 26 seconds short of a personal best, after having finished the triathlon in 1:25:09, 1:27:11, and 1:22:19 in 2007, 2009 and 2010, respectively.

THE GREAT BAGNELL DAM DUCK DROP 5K RUN AND WADDLE WALK (updated August 13th)

Approximately 85 runners and walkers toed the starting line at today's (8/13) Great Bagnell Dam Duck Drop 5K in Lake Ozark.  A big thank-you goes to Trish Creach of the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the many volunteers who put on a fun event.  (An even bigger thank-you goes to the weather gods for giving us a mild August morning.)  The first to cross the finish line was Nigher Alfaro, in a little over 20 minutes.  Stacy Turner was the first female to do so, about two minutes later.

Duck Drop 5K winner Nigher Alfaro receiving his award from Jackie Rasmussen.

MISSOURI RIVER 340 (updated August 1st)

The Missouri River 340 is now scheduled for October 11-14th.  The 340-mile paddle race from Kansas City to St. Charles, originally scheduled for July 19-22, had to be postponed due to flooding and dangerous conditions on the Missouri River. The race had been filled to capacity (400 boats) prior to the postponement. The organizers now expect only 150 boats will start if the race is held on one of these two dates.

EPIC MUD RUN (posted July 25th)

Looking to get dirty?   Really, really dirty?   Ultramax Events is introducing a new event, the Epic Mud Run, on Saturday, September 10th, in Columbia.  The event will be held at the soon-to-be-famous Midway Truck Plaza, which is the location and subject of The Travel Channel's newest reality TV series, Truck Stop Missouri, which premieres on Wednesday, August 3rd.  Race solo or put together a three-person team.  Check out all the details at the website.

Anybody going up to Columbia that weekend for the MS 150 bike ride should know that the Epic Mud Run is scheduled for later in the day on Saturday, so you should be able to do both events if you wish.  The first wave starts at 4:00 p.m., with subsequent waves starting in 20-minute intervals until the last one at 7:00 p.m.

MISSOURI STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TIME TRIAL (updated August 13th)

The results from today's (8/13) Missouri State Championship Time Trial in Jefferson City can be found here.  I didn't see any Lake-area cyclists among the participants.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.   

WIN FOR KC WOMEN'S TRIATHLON (updated August 1st)

Congratulations to Jessica Beckmann of Eldon for finishing Saturday's (7/31) WIN for KC Women's Triathlon at Smithville Lake on the north side of Kansas City.  The race includes a 500 yard swim, a 10-mile bike and a 5K run.

Jessica's splits:

Swim:        10:25 (2:05/100 yd pace)
T-1:             3:07
Bike:         38:16 (15.7 mph)
T-2:             1:02
Run:          26:01 (8:24/mile)
Finish:    1:18:51

Her finish time placed Jessica 36th (of 155) in the female 35-39 age group.

If I've missed any other Lake-area participants, please let me know.

ROOTS 'N BLUES 'N BBQ FESTIVAL HALF MARATHON AND 10K (posted July 17th)

The Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival Half Marathon and 10K is back on, after having been cancelled earlier in the year due to permit problems. It will be held in Columbia on Saturday, September 10th.

SHOW-ME STATE GAMES (updated August 8th)

Congratulations to four locals who competed in Sunday's (7/24) triathlon (0.5-mile swim, 15-mile bike, 3-mile run) at the Show-Me State Games in Columbia.  Megan Manzer of Camdenton finished second (of nine) in the female 20-24 age group in a time of 1:31:59.  Trevor Dowdney of Osage Beach finished third (of nine) in the male 45-49 age group in 1:20:30.  In her very first triathlon, Jennifer Dowdney finished fourth (of five) in the female 35-39 age group in 1:51:58.  Finally, Robert Mantey of Camdenton finished ahead of thirteen competitors to win the male 50-54 age group in 1:26:30.

You can find the full triathlon results page by clicking here.  (Unfortunately, the results page doesn't show the home city for all of the competitors.  If I've missed any Lake-area participants' results, please let me know.)

MIGHTY MAX KIDS TRIATHLON (updated July 24th)

Congratulations to the three Mantey brothers--Jacob, Steven and Daniel--of Camdenton, who competed at the Mighty Max Kids Triathlon on Saturday (7/23) in Columbia. Note that Daniel won his division, and Steven finished second. 

MISSOURI RIVER FLOODING AND THE KATY TRAIL (updated July 24th)

The Missouri River level has dropped recently, and portions of the Katy Trail that had been closed are now open.

As of July 23rd, the Missouri River level at Boonville stood at 25.5 feet--four feet over flood stage.  If the level should rise to 26 feet or more, parts of the Katy Trail may again be closed, based on the following flood advisory table published at the Missouri State Parks website:

If the Missouri River level at Boonville reaches this level:	This Katy Trail section may be closed	Status as of July 24th
26.1 feet	178.9 to 181.5MM   Rocheport tunnel and area west of it	Open
27.9 feet	153.6 to 157.9MM   Just west of Hartsburg (153.5MM)	Open
28.9 feet	162.7 to 163.4MM   Near Cooper's Landing (163.5MM)	Open
29.9 feet	117.5 to 119.5MM   West of Hwy 94; east of Standing Rock	Open

Go to the Army Corps of Engineers' Daily River Bulletin to get a current river level report. 

HEARTLAND HEAT TRIATHLON (updated July 25th)

The Heartland Heat Triathlon scheduled for last Sunday (7/24) was cancelled.  No reason was given at the race website.

INDEPENDENCE DAY 5K RUN/WALK (updated July 6th)

A total of 87 runners and 47 walkers braved a hot and humid morning to participate in Eldon's Independence Day 5K Run/Walk last Saturday (July 2nd). The overall male and female winners were Justin Hall (18:42) and Shelby Lile (21:23).  Top walkers were Sam Sanning (42:56) and Jayna Slade (37:18).

Click here for the full results.

LINN CREEK FIRECRACKER 10K/5K AND BEAT THE CHIEF CHALLENGE (updated June 25th)

Thirty runners and walkers toed the starting line at the third annual Linn Creek Firecracker 10K and 5K Run/Walk this morning (6/25).  An additional eight youngsters participated in the Beat the Chief Challenge that preceded the main event.

A total of $965 was raised from the event, which will be split among the Camden County Child Advocacy Council, the Camden County Museum, and the Convoy of Hope's disaster response in Joplin, Missouri.  Thanks go to Trevor Dowdney for organizing the event, to the sponsors for their generous support, and to all those who got up early and came out to run or walk on a warm, summer morning.

(Click on photo for a full-size image)

Overall male and female 10K winners were Michael Blair (45:11) and Laura Davis (46:52).  5K winners were Nigher Alfaro (20:29) and Karla McDuffey (24:03).  Full results are shown below:

JASON MCDOWELL MEMORIAL 5K RUN/WALK (posted May 19th)

The Lake Area Optimist Club will be sponsoring the Jason McDowell Memorial 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, June 25th, at the Osage Beach City Park (near the outlet mall).  Download the event flyer in .doc or .pdf format for complete details. 

SUMMER NIGHT STRIDE 5K RUN/WALK (updated June 19th)

A big thanks goes to the Children's Learning Center staff and some wonderful volunteers--Dave Weber and Gary Thompson among them--who put on a great Summer Night Stride 5K event on Friday night (6/17).  We had 150 runners and walkers, including lots of younger ones.  Everyone had a fun time, despite the 84 degree temperature and 70% relative humidity at the start.

 

Dave Weber (right) announces the finish time of Todd Eichler as Todd celebrates reaching the finish line.

Congratulations to Connor Brady and Faith Scheidemantle, who were the overall male and female winners, finishing in 20:19 and 23:00, respectively.  For their top finishes, they each took home a brand new iPod Nano.

   

                                                                   Connor Brady                                Faith Scheidemantle

Click on the following to see the full results:

• Female results page 1 of 2
• Female results page 2 of 2
  
• Male results page 1 of 2
• Male results page 2 of 2

CANOE FOR CLEAN WATER (posted June 13th)

A paddling event will be held on the Missouri River on Saturday, June 25th.  The Canoe for Clean Water will include a 50-mile race from Glasgow to Huntsdale and a non-competitive 15-mile leisurely float from Franklin Island to Huntsdale.  A festival, including food and entertainment, will be held at the finish line in Huntsdale at Katfish Katy's.  (Those of you who ride the Katy Trail will recognize Katfish Katy's as the small convenience store just before the 172-mile mark.)  The event is a fundraiser to help support the Missouri Clean Water AmeriCorps Members working with ten watershed non-profit organizations throughout the State of Missouri.

DEAN KARNAZES' RUN ACROSS AMERICA (updated June 15th)

Dean Karnazes, who completed his 3,000-mile, 75-day Run Across America in early May, posted on his Runner's World blog answers to some common questions about the run. It makes for some interesting reading.  Click for Part 1 and Part 2 of his answers.  Here's one tidbit:

"Were there any moments that you felt like you couldn't go on?

Dean Karnazes answers: There were many such occasions. Too many to count, really. The night of the first day of running was perhaps the worst. After running 42 miles through traffic congestion and smog, my body was a wreck. I ached all over and wasn’t even sure I’d be able to get out of bed the next morning, let along repeat the act for 74 more days! It was completely demoralizing. I thought that I’d bitten off way more than I could chew and it weighed heavy on my psyche." 

A two-minute video entitled "Dean's Inspiration" was posted on YouTube about a month after the run ended.  It shows Dean discussing the tough times and pressures he faced in the early days of the run, and how the support he received from people along the way helped inspire him to finish.

FEEL GOOD STORY (posted June 15th)

Interested in reading a truly heart-warming story about a little boy and what he did for his disabled brother while competing in a kids triathlon last weekend?   Click here.

IRONMAN 70.3 KANSAS (updated June 12th)

Congratulations to Denny Gillen, who finished today's (6/12) Ironman 70.3 Kansas Triathlon in 6:16:52, placing him 15th (of 24) in the 55-59 age group.  His splits:

Swim (1.2 miles):  1:04:06  (3:02/100 yards)
Bike (56 miles):     3:07:59 (17.9 mph)
Run (13.1 miles):   1:57:18  (8:57/mile)

Transition times weren't available.

Next up for Denny is Ironman Louisville on August 28th. 

FIFTH ANNUAL DENNIS SCHEIDERER 5K RUN/WALK (updated June 5th)

The Eldon Kiwanis held its fifth annual Dennis Scheiderer 5K Run/Walk yesterday (June 4th), with about 40 runners and walkers braving the warm and humid conditions.  The overall male and female winners were John Weyhorst (19:32) and Elaine Foster (25:25).  Thanks go to the Kiwanis for another great event.

      

Overall male and female winners John Weyhorst and Elaine Foster.

DIRTY KANZA 200 (updated June 5th)

Congratulations to Dan Dougan, owner of Oz Cycles & Kayaks in Lake Ozark, who finished the Dirty Kanza 200 in 17 hours and 53 minutes on Saturday, June 4th.  Dan finished 40th (of 65 finishers), or 27th (of 42) in the Open Men category), in a race that typically has a DNF ("did not finish") rate of one-half or more.  (You can view the full results by clicking here.)  The DK200 is a brutally tough "gravel road endurance cycling challenge" in the remote Flint Hills of Kansas, and features about 10,000 feet of climbing over the 200-mile course. 

RUNNING- AND CYCLING-RELATED APPS (posted May 19th)

There are probably dozens or hundreds (or more) of them out there, but here are a few fitness-related apps that were recently mentioned in The Wall Street Journal that may be of interest:

App name:  RunKeeper Pro
Cost:          Free
Runs on:    Android, iPhone, iPad
WSJ comment:  "This app is favored by runners looking to track stats and data without the bells and whistles, cheering section and social component of similar programs.  The program also lets you enter a target pace at the start of the workout and will give voice prompts letting you know if you are on pace."

App name:   iMapMyFitness
Cost:           Free
Runs on:     Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad
WSJ comment:   "Ideal for runners who travel and already use the popular MapMyFitness website to map routes and find runs in unfamiliar cities.  Uploads and integrates your workout with your profile and a database of searchable routes from more than two million other fitness-meets-tech fans."

App name:   Bike Repair
Cost:           $3
Runs on:     Android, iPhone
WSJ comment:   "A pet project of one man extremely dedicated to, well, bike repair, teaches you exactly that.  Tutorials for problems and routine maintenance are sorted by bike part--each one comes with detailed hi-res photos, ensuring you don't accidentally turn your bicycle into a fixie.  And just to show you how much he cares, there's also a messages section, where users can get frequent news and updates, as well as send their own comments or questions straight to him.  Despite some notably semi-pro production values, this program is a great example of one enthusiastic developer going the extra mile, and it shows."

Got a good fitness-related app you'd like to pass along to others?  Send me the name, cost, available platforms (e.g. Android, iPhone) and a brief description, and I'll pass it on. 

REVOLUTION3 KNOXVILLE TRIATHLON (updated May 15th)

Congratulations to Denny Gillen, who finished today's (5/15) Revolution3 Knoxville Triathlon in 6:19:02, placing him fifth (of eight) in the male 55-59 age group.  It was a chilly (58-60°), cloudy, and breezy (8-13 mph) day for the half iron-distance triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run).  Denny's splits were as follows

52:53 swim (2:44/100 yards)
5:11 T1
3:19:50 bike (16.81 mph) (2,900 ft. of climbing)
2:59 T2
1:58:10 run (9:01/mile)

Next up for Denny is the Ironman 70.3 Kansas Triathlon on June 12th in Lawrence.

RELAY FOR LIFE "WIPING OUT CANCER" 5K RUN/WALK (updated May 15th)

The Harper Chapel Relay For Life Team held its first annual Wiping Out Cancer 5K Run/Walk this weekend (5/15).  Despite the chilly (59°) temperature and drizzle that started seemingly seconds after the race got underway, everyone had a great time.  The event helped the Team meet their fundraising efforts for the upcoming Relay For Life of Camden County that benefits the American Cancer Society. 

Overall male and female winners (pictured below) were Jill Durnin (22:16) and Rodney Wright (22:44).

     

Here are the full results:

Wiping Out Cancer 5K Run/Walk Results
Place	Name	Finish Time	Age
Female:
1	Jill Durnin	22:16	NA
2	Faith Scheidemantle	22:59	13
3	Amy Kempf	26:40	52
4	Cheryl Arrowood	27:25	36
5	Jill Geromini	33:16	41
6	Natalie Schulte	36:16	12
7	Abby Brauer	36:18	12
8	Morgan Henry	36:44	15
9 (tie)	Julie Hollingsworth Sherrie Williams	37:46	41 39
11	Missy Blankenbeker	38:53	28
12 (tie)	Traci Barrett Stepheny Pasewark	39:04	36 24
14	Danielle Danforth	45:17	19
15	Rachel Danforth	45:18	14
16	Dee Clampitt	48:20	68
Male:
1	Rodney Wright	22:44	52
2	Grant Gamm	24:59	13
3	Jim Glickert	25:53	56
4	Josiah Scheidemantle	27:00	12
5	Rick Fulton	27:20	59
6	Gavin Herst	27:28	13
7	Mike Toth	27:36	48
8	Ellis McGuire	30:57	23
9	Nathan Pasley	31:11	12
10	Brandon Pasley	31:20	9
11	Lee Steveson	31:40	49
12	Mikey Scott	33:16	38
13	Bob Moser	37:04	64
14	Griffin Herst	38:20	7
15	Gavin Schulte	40:08	8

RUN ACROSS AMERICA WITH DEAN KARNAZES

Dean Karnazes successfully finished his incredible 75-day, 3000-mile run across the United States today (May 10th) in New York City.  Over these last 75 days, Dean experienced just about every adversity a runner can face, and he overcame every single one of them.  He ran about 40 miles a day, EVERY day, without a single day off, no matter how bad he was feeling or how lousy the weather.  If you've followed his Facebook page over the last 2-1/2 months, you've seen just how much he's inspired others to get in shape and/or take on their own personal challenges.  He's a hero to a countless number of people.  

Here's his Facebook entry:

"Day 75 of 75: For the past 75 days I have dreamed of reaching NYC. Today, that dream came true. From sea to shining sea, I have just run across America. Thank you for being a part of this remarkable journey. I am eternally grateful for your support and positive energy. My hope is that I’ve encouraged you to keep chasing your dreams. If you do, like me, one day you just might catch them. I wish you the very best."

RUN ACROSS AMERICA WITH DEAN KARNAZES (updated April 21st)

Dean Karnazes, one of the world's greatest ultramarathon runners, reached the Lake of the Ozarks today on day 41 of his 75-day, 3,000-mile, coast-to-coast run from Los Angeles to New York City raising funds for Action for Healthy Kids, an organization devoted to fighting childhood obesity through improved nutrition and regular exercise.  The run is being supported by the "LIVE! with Regis & Kelly" television show, which has been broadcasting live, daily updates from Dean while on the road.

Thanks to everyone who came out and cheered him on.  There's no doubt that Dean appreciated it.  I was told privately by one of his support crew that Dean was having an especially tough day, yet that never stopped him from acknowledging spectators by saying "thanks", signing autographs or taking photos.  His run is a truly epic endeavor--one you're not likely to ever witness again.  I never thought I'd see in person something more incredible than what I saw working at the Race Across America time station the last few years, but I did today.

Photos: (click on a thumbnail to view in a larger size or to view slideshow)

The Wall Street Journal's online edition had a very interesting article on April 22nd about Dean Karnazes and his Run Across America.  Here's the link.

To see how Dean's day at the Lake was reported by others, check out these links:

Dean Karnazes' Facebook page. 

Here's an excerpt ( the "Sheriff" is actually Linn Creek Police Chief Trevor Dowdney): 

"Day 41 of 75. Entered the Ozark Mountain region of Missouri. Bucolic, though brutally hilly.  Met some terrific people along the roadside, including the local Sheriff who had cycled across America a few years back. Covering 44-miles was no mean feat. More scenic but tough miles ahead. Can’t wait!"

LIVE! with Regis & Kelly daily blog posting. 

This is a must-see.  Lots of great photos (click on them to view in larger size) and stories of Dean's day.

"Run Across Country Comes Through Lake", by Rance Burger, LakeNewsOnline.com, April 7, 2011

Here's a video that was broadcast on the LIVE! with Regis & Kelly show on Friday, April 8th, and which includes scenes of a few Lake locals after the 3:00 mark:

Here are several links to more information about Dean and the Run Across America.

Run Across America website (general info and videos)

Live Tracking webpage

Dean Karnazes' biography on Wikipedia

A short Run Across America promotional video:

GLORY OF PAIN MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE (updated May 11th)

The final race of the three-race Glory of Pain Mountain Bike Race Series was on Sunday, May 1st, in Warsaw.

Congratulations to Josh Clark and a few other locals who competed on Sunday, April 3rd in the second race of the series.   The series results are available here.

MS BIKE RIDE (posted April 14th)

Cyclists are invited to join James Hodshon and others on Wednesday, May 11th, for a 50-mile bike ride benefting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and a local family deeply affected by MS.  The ride will start at 9:30 a.m. at Potter's House Church on Business 5 South in Camdenton, and follow the new Highway 5 south to Lebanon and back.  For more information and/or to donate, contact James Hodshon at lakecapital2011@gmail.com or by phone at (573) 552-7504 or (573) 280-8419.

NORTH FACE ENDURANCE CHALLENGE (posted April 21st)

A new running event has been announced for Kansas City.  The five-year old North Face Endurance Challenge trail-running series has added its first road race event, to be held in Kansas City on Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28th.  On Saturday, the 50K, marathon, and marathon relay races will be held.  A half marathon, 10K and 5K will follow on Sunday.  Each day will also offer a 1K Karno's Kids race. "Karno" is the nickname of Dean Karnazes, who is currently running across the United States (see Run Across America posting below), and who will be at the event.  It comes at a normally hot and humid time of the year, but the event is likely to be very popular.

LAKE REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM FUN RUN/WALK (updated May 18th)

Lake Regional Health System's Fourth Annual Fun Run/Walk, benefiting their Cardiopulmonary Rehab Department, was scheduled for Saturday, May 7th.  Unfortunately, a thunderstorm was moving through the area as the event was scheduled to begin, and forced cancellation of the event--the first local 5K in memory that had to be cancelled due to severe weather.  The event won't be rescheduled.

MUD RUN MS  (posted May 3rd)

Any adventurous types going to St. Louis this weekend may be interested in the Mud Run MS on Saturday, May 7th, near Harrah's casino in Maryland Heights.  It's a 10K race through a series of muddy boot-camp style obstacles, benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Prepare to get very, very muddy while helping a great cause.  A paid entry might make a great Mother's Day gift as well.

VINO FONDO  (posted May 1st)

Coming up next Saturday, May 7th, is the second annual Vino Fondo in Missouri's wine country west of St. Louis.  It's a fully supported, timed bicycle ride with three course options--26, 86 and 132 miles--called the Mini, Midi and Mondo Fondo. Consistent with the tradition of Grand Fondos held in Europe, these are challenging rides on hilly roads.  The three courses feature total climbing of 2,600 feet, 6,700 feet and a frightening 11,000 feet, respectively.

If you're looking for a challenge or an early-season training ride, give it some thought.

ULTRAMAX HALF MARATHON & 10K (posted April 21st)

The Ultramax Half Marathon & 10K scheduled for September 10th has been cancelled.  This race has been held in conjunction with Columbia's Roots 'n Blues Festival the last several years.

KC 15K & 5K (posted April 21st)

Ultramax Events has announced a new running race for Kansas City on September 24th.  The KC 15K will also include a 5K and a one-mile kids' challenge.  The finish line will be inside Kansas City's new Livestrong Sporting Park.

BOSTON MARATHON (updated April 19th)

Congratulations to Laura Davis of Camdenton for finishing today's (4/18) Boston Marathon in an outstanding time of 3:47:27 (8:41/mile).  (By finishing in under 3:50:00, Laura qualified to run in the 2012 Boston Marathon.)  What's particularly impressive is the consistency of Laura's pacing throughout the race:

There were a few amazing stories from today's Boston Marathon:

The winner of the men's race, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya, finished in 2:03:02--the fastest marathon finish ever, and nearly three minutes faster than the Boston Marathon record set just last year.  Unfortunately, today's winds prevent Mutai's finish time from being recognized as the world record.  America's Ryan Hall finished fourth.

In the women's race, Desiree Davila of the U.S. finished just two seconds behind the winner, Caroline Kilel of Kenya.  Had she won, it would have been the first victory by an American woman since 1985. 

The men's wheelchair race was decided by one second.  In fact, two participants finished one second behind the winner.

And perhaps most amazing of all, Sister Madonna Buder, an 80 year-old Catholic nun and Ironman Triathlon legend, finished the race, in 5:01:05. 

DOGWOOD FESTIVAL 5K RUN/WALK (updated April 21st)

The top male and female finishers in the fourth annual Dogwood Festival 5K Run/Walk held on Saturday (4/16) were Casey O'Connor and Venessa Walker.  Second-place finishers were Rance Burger and Jill Wolfe.  Congratulations to all who ran or walked on a cold, cloudy, and windy day.

WICKEDLY FAST HALF MARATHON (posted April 16th)

Congratulations to Rachel Bierman of Camdenton, who finished today's (4/16) Wickedly Fast Half Marathon in Olathe, Kansas, in 2:02:40, placing her 28th (of 63) in the female 19-24 age group.

Please let me know if I missed any other locals.

RUN WITH DEAN 5K (posted April 13th)

The St. Louis "Run with Dean 5K" event--one of a number being held around the country as part of Dean Karnazes' Run Across America--was held on Tuesday, April 12th, at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Manchester. There were about a hundred or so runners and walkers, with hundreds more school kids along the course cheering them on. It was a huge amount of fun, the event was well-organized and the weather was absolutely perfect.

Here are a couple photos (click to enlarge):

Here's the live broadcast from the event as it was shown on the LIVE! with Regis & Kelly show:

BRANSON SPRINT TRIATHLON (posted March 29th)

A new, shorter triathlon is being added to the highly-regarded Ironman 70.3 Branson Triathlon in Branson on September 18th.  Called the Branson Sprint Triathlon, this would be a great triathlon for newcomers to the sport, as well as anyone looking for something less grueling than the half-iron distance.  The race will include a 500-yard swim, an 18-mile bike and a four-mile run, and will go on simultaneously with the 70.3 (i.e. half-iron) race. 

Click here to go to the registration page.   There's no webpage specifically for this race yet, but you'll find out a lot more about the venue at the 70.3 website.

GO! ST. LOUIS MARATHON AND FAMILY FITNESS WEEKEND (updated April 11th)

Near-record heat made for a very tough day for runners in the GO! St. Louis Marathon, Marathon Relay and Half Marathon on Sunday. The official air temperature was 72 degrees at the 7:00 a.m. start, and rose to 77 by 9:00 a.m. and 86 by noon. (If that wasn't enough, winds were blowing 20 mph throughout much of the race, with gusts over 30 mph.) It was so warm that race officials closed off the marathon course at mile 9 at 9:00 a.m. Any marathon participant who had not reached that mile mark was forced to turn toward the finish line with the half marathoners. Officials also called in additional emergency medical help from around the area to assist with medical calls.

There were 1,904 marathon finishers, 395 marathon (four-person) relay team finishers, and 11,536 half marathon finishers. Congratulations to all who finished on this brutally warm day.

Notable performances by our locals include Brandi Reed's second place finish in her age group in the marathon, and Constance Miller's 42nd place finish (of 391) in the half marathon's female 50-54 age group.

Here are the results for locals who were registered for one of the weekend races:

TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE (posted March 3rd)

The Truman Lake Adventure Race will be held on Saturday, April 16th near Warsaw.  There will be short and long course options, and you can choose to race solo or on teams of two, three or four. 

RUN FOR THE BEACH 5K & 1K RUN/WALK (updated April 11th)

The Kiwanis Club of Ozark Coast held its sixth annual Run for the Beach Run/Walk on Saturday, April 9th. I don't see any links on their website to the results.

SHAKESPEARE'S PIZZA MAX TRAX DUATHLON (posted April 2nd)

Two Lake-area residents competed in today's (4/2) Max Trax Duathlon in Columbia.  Debbie Beckett of Eldon (she'll be competing in next weekend's GO! St. Louis Marathon) and Denise Keppler of Camdenton stayed together throughout the short-course race (1.5-mile run, 7.5-mile bike, 1.5-mile run) and finished in 1:10:19.  That placed both in fourth place (of five) in their respective age groups.

PUBLIX GEORGIA MARATHON (updated March 20th)

Congratulations to Camdenton resident Denny Gillen, who finished today's (3/20) Publix Georgia Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia.  Denny finished in 4:00:08, a pace of 9:09/mile, and placed 12th (of 53) in the male 55-59 age group.  He might be a little disappointed in not breaking 4:00:00 (he was probably sprinting near the finish line) nor meeting his pre-race goal of 3:45:00, but running a four-hour marathon is very hard, and downright extraordinary for a 58 year-old.

As an aside, during the marathon, Denny was wearing a small tracker from MyAthleteGPS.com that enabled anyone to follow his progress in real-time on the Internet.  It was pretty neat seeing exactly where Denny was on the course and following his minute-by-minute progress.  If you're planning to do a long race where there's adequate cell coverage and want to give your family and friends a way of knowing where you are at any time, check it out.

WILD IRISH 15K (updated March 20th)

The Wild Irish 15K (9.3 miles) was held yesterday (3/19) in St. Louis.  A total of 192 participants crossed the finish line.  I didn't see any Lake-area athletes on the participant list.  The organizers of the event must be somewhat disappointed in the turnout.  This event replaces the Joker's Wild Half Marathon that's been held in July the past few years, and which drew over 500 runners in 2010. 

ST. PATRICK'S DAY 5K RUN/WALK (updated March 14th)

The City of Eldon's annual St. Patrick's Day 5K Run/Walk on March 12th had 170 participants registered--a very high number for Lake-area events.

The winning overall male and female runners were J.B. Matthews (18:40) and Pamela Stevens (21:34).  The top walkers were Carl Vogel (37:09) and Jayna Slade (38:08).

The phenomenal but sandbagging Rodney Wright, who always seems to show up at local races talking down his ability to run--just before he goes out and trashes the competition in the male 50-59 age group--won again, in 22:00.  He managed to knock 37 seconds off of last year's finish.  Great job, Rodney!

Here are the full results. 

MY SHAM ROX 15K (updated March 12th)

The inaugural My Sham Rox 15K, organized by Starting Block and Ultramax Events, was held today (3/12) in Springfield.  They had 107 participants for the 15K, and 22 for the 5K.  I didn't see any Lake-area residents among them in the results.    

GLORY OF PAIN MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE (posted March 3rd)

A bunch of locals competed on March 6th in the first race of the three-race Glory of Pain mountain bike race series at the Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park near Warsaw.  Click here for the results. 

POLAR BEAR STRUT 5K RUN/WALK (updated Feburary 28th)

The Polar Bear Strut 5K Run/Walk in Osage Beach brought out 134 runners and walkers in dry but chilly (37°) conditions, and raised $8,286 for Special Olympics Missouri.  It was another great event, and thanks go to Pete Leyva and SOMO for all their work in organizing it, and to the Osage Beach Police and Public Works Departments and all the volunteers who helped make the event possible.

The top overall male and female finishers were Casey O'Connor and Kellee Halverson in 18:45 and 24:53, respectively.

2011 overall winner Casey O'Connor (center), pictured with Polar Bear Strut organizer Pete Leyva (and winner of the Law Enforcement Division) and Special Olympics Missouri mascot, "Shiver".  (Click on photo to view larger size image.)

A few more photos (click any photo to enlarge or view slideshow):

      

Here are links to the full results and division results.  Here's a list of the division winners:

Post-race opinions were mixed as to whether the 2011 course was easier than the course used in prior years.  This year's course didn't have any steep uphills like the old course, but it did have some long, gradual climbs that nevertheless made the course a challenge.  A quick look at finish times for some of those who competed both this year and last didn't give any clear indication as to whether the new course was faster.  Some finished faster, but others finished slower.

THE BONK HARD CHILL (updated Feburary 2st)

Results for last Saturday's (February 19th) Bonk Hard Chill adventure race have been posted.  Click here for the results page.

The overall winner was the four-person Bushwacker team in a time of 6 hours, 30 minutes.  For the second year in a row, they defeated the Alpine Shop team--which virtually dominated the Bonk Hard Chill in the race's first four years--by 20 minutes this year, versus 28 minutes in 2010.

Congratulations to the local teams that participated:

Team Name	Team Members
Oz Cycles	Dave Goldberg
	Chris Orr
Bi-Polar Bear Market	Kevin Sellers
	Jade Sellers
	Kellee Halverson
	Greg Daniels
Oz Cycles & Kayaks	Jim Jackson
	Bret Bachelier
	Tyler Cordia
	Josh Shrock

The two-person Oz Cycles team finished eighth among 24 teams in the two-person male division, in a finish time of 10:33.  What's even more impressive is that they found all 30 checkpoints this year. (What's up with that, Dave?)  Last year, they only managed to find 15 of 26.

The Bi-Polar Bear Market team placed 13th (of 14) in the four-person coed division, finding 25 of the 30 checkpoints and finishing in 11:20.

The four-person Oz Cycles team found all 30 checkpoints and finished the fastest among our local teams, in 9:43.  The results list them in the four-person coed division, finishing 9th (of 14).  Unless I'm mistaken, they should have been listed in the four-person male division, in which case they finished third (of seven).

There were 142 participants in this year's race, making it the second-largest field in the race's six-year history.

Twenty-nine of the 51 teams, or 57%, found all 30 checkpoints, which was about the same percentage as 2010.

Finish times ranged from Bushwacker's 6:30 to Tulsa Area Adventure Racers' 11:57.  The last team to find all 30 checkpoints finished in 11:27.

MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE COMING TO LAKE OF THE OZARKS STATE PARK (posted Feburary 17th)

Mountain bike enthusiasts will be glad to hear that a new race is being planned for Sunday, October 30th, in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park.  It will be part of the Midwest Fat Tire Series.  There are few details to report now, but here is a page you can bookmark for future reference.

2 DAM DAYS PADDLE MARATHON & JUST 4 FUN PADDLE (posted Feburary 12th)

The second annual 2 Dam Days Paddle Marathon is scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25th. Like the 2010 race, the first day will start near Truman Dam and end at Captain Ron's, and continue on the second day from Captain Ron's to Bagnell Dam, a two-day total of about 90 miles.  Three race divisions are being offered this year.

The Just 4 Fun paddle event will also return on Saturday, and will use the same 13-mile route from the Halfway Inn to Captain Ron's.  A new addition to the Just 4 Fun event will be the "Anything Goes" three-mile race from Bear Bottom Resort to Captain Ron's, and allows any nonmotorized vessel--conventional or not--to compete.

Finally, for those looking for something between the full 2 Dam Days race and the Just 4 Fun paddle, a new "Adventure Race" has been added for 2011. Competitors in this race will paddle 23 miles on Saturday and another 23 miles on Sunday.  However, since prize money will be awarded to each day's winners, participants can choose to race on one or both days.

The 2 Dam Days website has all the event details, including registration information.   

FROZE TOES 2011 (posted January 10th)

The Columbia Bike Club's annual Froze Toes bicycle race is scheduled for Sunday, February 27th, in Columbia.  Go to the club's homepage for a link to the flyer, plus directions and a course map.

THE STARTING BLOCK RESOLUTION RUN (updated January 23rd)

The Starting Block, a running and triathlon gear retailer, will hold its Resolution 5K run/walk at its Columbia location on Sunday, January 30th.  The event was originally scheduled for January 16th, but had to be postponed due to icy roads.   The entry fee is $25, but it gets you a $20 Starting Block gift card.