MISSOURI RACE SERIES (posted December 25th)

Registration is now open for the 2016 Missouri Race Series (Facebook page) events. The dates and cities are:

March 26      Lee's Summit
April 16         Jefferson City
May 14         Joplin
June 18        Columbia

Please note that, for 2016, a 5K option has been added to the 10-mile and 10K offerings.

The registration page can be found here.

The Ultramax Sports events page currently shows Missouri Race Series events in Springfield on February 20th and Columbia on June 11th, but those were probably posted tentatively and will be removed or corrected soon.

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THE RUNNING RECESSION (posted December 29th)

The 2015 data is in and it shows that running--at least in the state of Missouri--is indeed in a recession. Read about it here.

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2015 YEAR IN REVIEW (updated December 30th)

Local races

Following years of steady growth in the number of Lake-area 5Ks, we had our first decline in 2015, and it was substantial.   After a record 48 local events in 2014, we had just 35 in 2015.   Nineteen races didn't return in 2015, far offsetting the six newcomers.

The inaugural Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 10K was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the year.   With 273 combined finishers in the two distances, it was the largest half marathon, as well as the largest 10K, ever held in the Lake area.   Amazingly, 70% of the competitors were from outside the Lake area, and they represented ten states.

The Lake Regional 5K finally realized its potential in 2015. For seven years, the race suffered from course and venue changes (due in part to expressway construction) and a small turnout.   Big improvements to the event this year brought out a record 267 participants, making it one of the largest local events of 2015.

Total miles raced

The number of miles raced by Lake-area runners in 2015, in 10K and longer races, totaled a record 5,407. That was up from 4,667 miles in 2014, and 4,194 in 2013.   Interestingly, the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 10K accounted for essentially all (793 miles) of the increase from 2014 to 2015.

The 2015 total included 2,797 miles recorded by men and 2,610 by women.

First-Timers

We always like to herald those who step up to new or bigger challenges each year, and we had a lot of them in 2015. 

First Ironman Triathlon:   Jim McDermott
First Half Ironman Triathlon:  Amy Harrell
First Triathlon: Shawn Wood, Mark Kempf, Erin Powell, Nathan Evans, Doug Blevins, Karen Blevins, Sue Barry, Dave Barry, Kevin Wyrick, Denise Baker, Lee Baker, and April Boicourt
First Duathlon: Curtis Wehmeyer, Chad Van Buren
First Ultramarathon:  Meagan Carroll
First Marathon: Jayna Gray, April Boicourt, Heather Skouby, Scott Gladden, Angela Libby, Alex Keith, Curtis Wehmeyer, and Lizzy Handschy
First Half Marathon: Karlie Minnehan, Scott Gray, Jessica Rozier, Marvin Bescheinen, Shanna Stark, Kari Salsman, Lizzy Handschy, Corey Boicourt, Jason Coulter, Jennifer Dobachesky, Bill Martin, Cindy Martin, and Jodi Sansone. (Megan Hendrickson deserves at least an honorable mention, as her first half marathon at Disney World was cut short by thunderstorms.)

Finally, we need to recognize the "I Can 5K" group that completed their first 5K at the Lake Regional 5K in May.  You never know what a 5K will lead to.  Just about everyone who's completed a marathon, half marathon, Ironman, etc., started out doing a 5K as their first race.

The "I Can 5K" group before their first 5K race in May.

(If there are any errors or omissions, please let me know.)

Fastest finishers

She lived in the Lake area for just one year, but St. Louis native Lizzy Handschy made a local mark that may never be matched. Lizzy, a former cross country runner at Washington University, ran her first Lake-area race at Eldon's Turkey Trot 5K in September 2014, and blew away the entire field. She finished in 18:25, which is accepted as the fastest-ever 5K by a Lake-area woman--and by a large margin.

In 2015, Lizzy was the overall women's winner at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon, and three weeks later was the second female to cross the finish line at the GO! St. Louis Marathon--her very first marathon--in an astonishing 2:57:04. It's very doubtful we'll ever see a local woman runner who's as fast as Lizzy.   Sadly, we won't have Lizzy to brag about her being from the Lake area anymore--she moved to Iowa this past summer to go to graduate school.

Todd Raney had the fastest marathon finish among Lake-area men in 2015, with a personal-best 3:47:10 at the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in Georgia in November.

Nigher Alfaro was on pace at the Chicago Marathon in October to beat Todd's mark, but leg cramps seven miles from the finish line ended that possibility.  Nigher settled for the men's fastest half marathon in 2015 with a personal-best 1:32:25 finish at the Rise 'n Shine Half in September.

April Leonard had an outstanding year, with high age-group placings in two full and two half marathons.  April also claimed the fastest 10K among Lake-area women in 2015, with a 50:14 finish at the Forget-Me-Not Trot in June.

  
Nigher Alfaro at the Rise 'n Shine Half Marathon, and April Leonard in Germany at the BMW Berlin Marathon--her fourth World Marathon Major.

David DeJarnette ran the fastest 10K among Lake-area men--a 44:47 at the Missouri Race Series 10K in Columbia.

Most prolific racers

Todd Raney and Jayna Gray led all of our local men and women in the number of miles raced in 2015.  (Note:  Tracking the number of miles raced was never meant to be a competition, but just a measure--born purely out of curiosity--of who was racing how much.)

Todd raced 619.3 miles this year, breaking his own record of 400.0 miles set in 2014.  His 2015 total included 23 marathons, each in a different state.  Todd will likely lead the list again in 2016, as he anticipates running 28 marathons.

If you had told Jayna Gray three years ago--when she was strictly a 5K walker--that in a few years' time she would be running half marathons and her first marathon, she probably would have thought you were crazy.  In 2015, Jayna ran eight half marathons, a marathon, six 10Ks and a 10-miler, totalling 178.2 miles.  It was a high-water mark for Jayna, by far.  In 2014, she raced a total of 25.5 miles (in 10K and longer races).

Willard Haley had a particularly noteworthy year.  Willard didn't started running until a few years ago, and in 2014 logged about 59 miles of racing.  This year, Willard raced a total of 211.8 miles, including twelve half marathons, six 10Ks, and a few other long races, and was third among Lake-area men in miles raced. 

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TRI-COUNTY YMCA JINGLE JOG 5K (updated December 20th)

Santa Claus made a surprise visit on Saturday to the Jingle Jog 5K at the Tri-County YMCA in Osage Beach, and he brought along the best gift a runner could ever receive in mid December in Missouri--perfect running weather.  Thirty runners and walkers were there to enjoy their gift.

It was a festive Christmas atmosphere, with lots of participants coming dressed for the occasion. Not surprisingly, one of our most beloved local runners, Margie Gunter, topped all others in her Christmas garb. (Without Margie, our local races would be as dull as watching grass grow.)

All decked out:  Margie Gunter with Willard Haley (left photo) , and with Thor Fox and Ashley Howerton (right photo). Below, Margie with Megan Hendrickson, and Santa wannabe Chad Van Buren.

The overall male and female winners were St. Louis University student Derek Westermeyer (21:30) and former Osage High School cross country runner Daisy Ralston (25:01), respectively. They took home country hams for their overall victories.

Click to view the complete race results in .pdf or .xlsx format.

Many more event photos can be found here.  (Hint:  You can learn the name of a runner in a given photo by searching through the bib numbers shown in the race results.)

Finally, a big "thanks" goes to the YMCA's Cierra Grein and Ben Jacobi, the event's sponsors, the volunteers--especially those provided by the Nike Factory Store--and the Osage Beach Police Department.  This was Cierra's first time as a 5K organizer, and she handled it like a pro.   Of course, thanks also go to those who came out to run or walk in support of our local YMCA.

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RUN FOR THE RANCH MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 6-HOUR RUN (posted December 20th)

The best weather in years for the Run for the Ranch Marathon, Half Marathon & 6-Hour Run (Facebook page) on Saturday (December 19th) helped bring out the race's biggest field since 2012, including the largest contingent of Lake-area runners to ever compete in the race.

Lake-area runners gathered for a group photo just before the start of Run for the Ranch.  Front row (from left): Stacey Embry, Jim McDermott, Karlie Minnehan, Reagan Page, Heather Doyle, Ashley Pryor and (from Columbia) Amanda Smith. Back row: Scott Page, Melinda Sykes and John Sykes. Photo provided. (Click on photo for a larger image.)

Our Lake-area runners represented us well, with two age-group victories, three second-place finishes, and several other high age-group placings.

In her very first half marathon, sixteen year-old Osage High School cross country runner Karlie Minnehan finished in 1:57:58 and won the women's 19 & under age group.  Finishing second in the same age group was Karlie's cross country teammate, 15 year-old Reagan Page, in 2:09:52.  Reagan and her dad, Scott Page, ran together the entire way. 

The third time (appearing at Run for the Ranch) was the charm for Lawson Barclay.  Lawson finished the half marathon in 2:14:07 (faster than his 2:23:19 in 2013 and 2:15:38 in 2014) and won the men's 70 & over age group over three other competitors. 

Jim McDermott ran his second-fastest marathon ever (this was his 15th) and finished in 3:54:07.  Jim placed second (of eight) in the men's 60-69 age group.  More importantly, Jim's finish time fell below the 3:55:00 qualifying standard for the 2017 Boston Marathon.

April Leonard decided just three weeks ago to do the marathon, and she took home second place in the women's 40-49 age group with a 4:21:06 finish.

Andy Goessmann, who moved to Nixa after leaving the Lake area two years ago, finished eighth overall in the half marathon and placed second (of eight) in the men's 20-29 age group.  Andy crossed the line in 1:29:35.  That was nine minutes faster than the 1:38:37 he ran at this race in 2012, and two minutes faster than his 1:31:59 in 2013.

Results for all of our Lake-area runners can be found in the table below.  Full race results can be found here.

The number of race finishers was up 34% from last year, when cold (35 degree) temperatures and light rain kept some runners away.  It broke a three-year decline that started after a peak of 535 finishers in 2011.

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HOT CHOCOLATE 15K/5K ST. LOUIS  (posted December 14th)

Nearly 8,000 chocoholics, including seven from the Lake area, descended on downtown St. Louis on Saturday (December 12th) for the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K.   St. Louis is one of eleven stops in this nationwide series of winter running events.  A total of 3,341 runners competed in the 15K, and another 4,558 in the 5K, easily making this the biggest race in Missouri in the month of December.

Kellee Young, one of our fastest Lake-area runners and the owner of a 2016 Boston Marathon qualifying time, led the locals with a 1:11:27 finish in the 15K.  Kellee was second of 383 women in the 30-34 age group.

Angela Martin placed in the top 10% of the women's 45-49 age group with a 1:24:08 finish in the 15K.

Below are the results for all of our local runners.   Full race results can be found here.

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SANTA'S NORTH POLE DASH 5K  (posted December 13th)

One Lake-area runner was among 2,101 finishers at Santa's North Pole Dash 5K in St. Charles on Saturday (December 12th).   Ron Rosner of Lake Ozark finished in 22:40, placing 10th (of 139) in the men's 40-49 age group.

Full results are here.

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KATY TRAIL TUNNEL TROT  (posted December 8th)

The second annual Katy Trail Tunnel Trot was held on Sunday (December 6th) in Rocheport.  This was the last of eight races in 2015 comprising the Missouri State Parks Racing Series.  The series was created in 2014 by the Missouri State Parks to showcase the state's recreational trails. 

The Tunnel Trot gained substantially in popularity this year, with exactly double the number of participants over last year.  The 5K and 12K had 61 and 77 finishers, respectively.  For the fairly short race distances offered, a surprising number of the racers traveled quite a distance from around the state to participate. 

Two of our Lake-area runners were among the participants.

Willard Haley, who was our sole representative last year, ran the 12K and finished in 1:14:24, placing 5th (of 6) in the men's 50-59 age group.  Ed Doney also ran the 12K and crossed the line in 1:12:55.  Ed placed 5th (of 6) in the 60-and-over age group.  (As often happens, the older age groups were very competitive.  Willard and Ed would have placed higher had they competed in the men's 40-49 age group.  Proof once again that ageing-up isn't necessarily an advantage.)

Full results can be found here.

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ST. JUDE MEMPHIS MARATHON  (posted December 5th)

Congratulations to Heather Skouby of Eldon, who ran the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 4:49:43 on Saturday (December 5th).   Heather is no stranger to the half marathon distance, but this may have been her very first marathon finish.

Full race results can be viewed here.  There were 2,512 and 8,181 solo finishers of the marathon and half marathon, respectively.

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REHOBOTH BEACH SEASHORE MARATHON (posted December 5th)

Congratulations to Todd Raney for finishing the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon in Delaware on Saturday (December 5th) in 3:52:24. Todd placed 42nd (of 101) in the men's 45-49 age group. Full results can be found here.

Delaware was the 35th state in which Todd has finished a marathon.  Those states in which he's completed a marathon are shown in red on the map below. 

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LAKER 5K TURKEY TROT (updated November 29th)

With the weather forecast calling for rain proving to be way off, a record 166 runners and walkers turned out for the sixth annual Laker 5K Turkey Trot at Camdenton High School on an unusually warm and mild Thanksgiving Day.  The record crowd also brought out some of the fastest runners in the Lake area, with a new course record being set in the women's race.

David Prather was the overall winner for the second year in a row, and for the third time in the race's six-year history. David crossed the finish line in 18:29--his fastest Laker 5K Turkey Trot finish.  It was also the fourth year in a row in which he finished faster than the previous year. Here are his past finish times:

2011     20:49
2012     19:42
2013     19:14
2014     18:46
2015     18:29

David still has a ways to go to break the race record of 17:29 set by J.J. Ryan in 2013.

Heather Oddo didn't just break the women's course record on her way to the overall women's victory--she smashed it.  The women's record for this course was 20:59, set by Tessa Weber at the Summer Night Stride 5K in 2013.  Heather knocked a whopping 1:33 off that by finishing in 19:26.  As far as we can tell, among Lake-area women, only Lizzy Handschy (who recently moved away from Eldon to go to graduate school) has run a 5K faster than Heather.  Heather came to prominence in 2012 as the top finisher (in 1:30:54) at the now-defunct Moonshine Half Marathon held in Osage Beach.  Since then, she got married and had a baby girl.  Needless to say, she's back to her winning ways.   (She may be toeing the line at next year's Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 10K.)

Follow the links below to the full race results:

By finish order (.xlsx or .pdf)
By age group (.xlsx or .pdf)

You can view 398 race photos by clicking here.

The winner of the pie-eating contest was (please correct me if I have his name wrong) Bill Wayman, who downed a slice of pumpkin pie in 33 seconds. Click on the image below to watch a video clip of the contest.  (The clip is about 40MB in size, and may take a bit of time to load.)

A big "thank you" goes to coach Dave Weber, Gary Thompson, their families, and the volunteers who put on another outstanding Laker 5K Turkey Trot,   The same goes to all of the runners and walkers who turned out to support the event and the food pantries it benefits.

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THANKSGIVING DAY RACE RESULTS (posted November 27th)

Here are the race results for Lake-area runners at non-local events around the state.  If I missed anyone, please let me know.

Miscellaneous race notes:

Fifty-six year-old Gerald Holtmeyer, who won this year's Bridge & Dam Half Marathon, finished second overall (among 181 competitors) in the 10K at Thanksgiving Day Pie Run in Jefferson City. He finished in 39:09.

The fastest men's and women's 5K finishes in the state were 14:34 and 17:43, respectively, recorded at the Thanksgiving Day 5K in Kansas City and the Turkey Trot STL in St. Charles.

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BUSHY PARK 10K (posted November 23rd)

Congratulations to Trevor Dowdney for his 48:09 finish at the Bushy Park 10K, held on Sunday (November 22rd) at Bushy Park, located about ten miles southwest of central London. Trevor placed 48th overall among the 222 competitors (they don't report results by age group), and knocked six seconds off of last year's finish time.  Full results can be found here.

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WILLIAMS ROUTE 66 MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted November 23rd) 

Congratulations to our three Lake-area runners who competed at Sunday's (November 22nd) tenth annual Williams Route 66 Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  They were joined by nearly 2,500 marathon and 7,500 half marathon runners, making Route 66 once again one of the largest races in the region.  (It's much bigger than any of our full and half marathons in Missouri.) 

The weather is always a big crapshoot for Route 66, with temperatures of 23° and 57° at the start of the race the past two years.  This year's weather fell between those, with a temperature of 31° (and a wind chill of 24°) at the start, and the upper 40s by midday.

Scott Gladden became the Lake area's newest marathon finisher by crossing the line in 5:47:31.  Whether intentional or not, Scott left himself plenty of room for future PR's.  (He may have paid a price by running a 5K the day before the marathon.)  Scott was no stranger to Route 66, after having finished the half marathon last year in 2:04:54.

Running his first marathon in over a year, Scott Page set a new personal record with a 3:52:51 finish, beating his previous best (set 2-1/2 years ago at Garmin) by a little over 3 minutes.

Fifteen year-old Reagan Page came within four seconds of achieving a new half marathon personal best.  Reagan finished in 1:56:46.  This was her fifth half marathon finish.

A few familiar runners from outside the Lake area also competed:

Marathon Maniac Greg Burress of Kansas Cty ran a 4:07:43 marathon.

Allen and Shandi Brinkman of West Plains ran and finished the marathon side-by-side, in 5:10:27.  Shandi wins the weekend's "Bad Ass" award for having also finished the White River Half Marathon in Cotter, Arkansas on Saturday, in 2:41:16.

If I missed anyone, please let me know.

Full results can be found here.

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LONGVIEW HALF MARATHON (posted November 14th)

Congratulations to our five Lake-area runners--all women--who competed at the second annual Longview Half Marathon in Kansas City on Saturday (November 15th).

Beth Coulter was our fastest local finisher.  Beth finished in 2:02:17, placing 30th (of 93) in the 35-39 age group.

Jen Wiethop ran a 2:13:10, placing 31st (of 71) in the 30-34 age group.

Desiree Milburn crossed the line in 2:27:07 (three minutes faster than last year), placing 19th (of 40) in the 50-54 age group.

The other two runners--both from Osage Beach--are apparently new to us or to our area:  Kennedy Seifert finished in 2:22:41, placing 28th (of 36) in the 20-24 age group, while Tera Moritz placed 60th (of 74) in the 25-29 age group with a 2:33:59 finish.

Full results can be found here.

There was a nearly 50% drop in participation at this year's race compared to last.  There were 791 finishers this year, versus 1,523 at last year's inaugural event. 

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HAULIN' BASS 8K/15KTRAIL RACE (posted November 14th)

Kenny Neal of Brumley was our lone Lake-area runner at the second annual Haulin' Bass 8K/15K Trail Race on Saturday (November 14th) at Stockton State Park near Dadeville.  Kenny ran the 8K and finished in 57:07, just slightly slower than his 57:00 finish last year.  He was the only competitor in the male 40-49 division. 

A total of 19 and 31 runners competed in the 8K and 15K, respectively. Those were down from last year's 50 and 38 respective totals.

Full results can be found here.

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GIRLS ON THE RUN - ST. LOUIS (posted November 14th)

One week after completing their cross country season at the Missouri state championships, Gabrielle and Micah Hill, along with their Osage High School coach and mother, Miriam Hill, ran a more leisurely race at the Girls on the Run 5K in St. Louis on Saturday. They finished in 32:00, give or take a few seconds.   The race had 4,950 finishers, making it one of St. Louis' largest running events.

Girls on the Run is a national organization that, through dozens of local councils around the country, focuses on empowering girls, with running being just a part of the overall program.  (Councils are located in St. Louis, Columbia, Springfield, Clinton and Kansas City.)  

The Girls on the Run 5K - Kansas City event is on Saturday, November 21st.

Full results are here.

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CHICKAMAUGA BATTLEFIELD MARATHON (updated November 15th)

Todd Raney scratched a 34th state--Georgia--off his 50-state marathon list on Saturday (November 14th) by finishing the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in the small, historic city of Fort Oglethorpe along the northern Georgia border.  Todd finished in 3:47:10 (3:47:29 officially, based on gun time), placing him 22nd of 49 in the male 45-49 age group.  That's also a new personal record for Todd, beating his previous best by four minutes.  (He's inching toward the Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3:25:00.) 

The full results can be found here. 

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GIVE 'EM THE BIRD 5K RUN & 1-MILE FUN WALK (updated November 8th)

A beautiful November morning brought out 131 runners and walkers to Versailles for the fifth annual Give 'Em The Bird 5K run and 1-mile walk on Saturday.  The event once again lived up to its reputation as the Super Bowl of Lake-area 5Ks, with proceeds going to Food for Morgan County to help local families in need during the holiday season.  Main sponsors Versailles Total Fitness and KS95.1 FM, along with numerous other sponsors and the many volunteers, put on a fantastic event for the participants. (If you've never done GETB, make plans to do so next year.)

The starting line, in downtown Versailles.  The entire course was completely closed to traffic.

For the second year in a row, Ashley Pryor was the overall women's winner, finishing in 22:40 this year, versus 22:11 last year.  However, unlike last year's easy victory, Ashley had two young women very hot on her heels this time around.  Fourteen year-old Keely Gustafson of Versailles and 13 year-old Adrian Chinn of Stover were just five and seven seconds back, respectively.  Ashley will have her hands full trying to three-peat next year.

The men's race had a first-time winner, and a surprising second-place finisher.  Versailles High School sophomore cross country runner Kendall Reger was the overall men's winner, in 18:09.  That was the second-fastest finish in GETB history, surpassed only by Casey O'Connor's 16:05 finish in 2013, which is believed to be the fastest 5K ever run in the Lake area.

Second place went to the phenomenal 56 year-old Gerald Holtmeyer of Bonnots Mill.  (He claims to be 56, but as fast as he runs, we have reason to demand he show us a birth certificate.) Gerald, who was the overall winner of the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon last March, finished the 5K in a remarkable 18:33.

     
The fast people. Left photo:  Overall men's and women's winners Kendall Reger and Ashley Pryor. 
Middle: Fast teenagers Keely Gustafson (left) and Adrian Chinn.  Right: Gerald Holtmeyer.   

Complete race results can be found here.

A special congratulations goes to three of the day's finishers:  Eight year-old Olivia Doyle, who finished her very first 5K, in 36:32; Wauneta Thomas, who finished in 57:42 and became, at age 86, the oldest finisher we've ever had at a Lake-area race; and Lawson Barclay, who finished in 28:09 after recently becoming the newest member of the 70-and-over age group.

      
Left to right: Olivia Doyle, Wauneta Thomas and Lawson Barclay.

Below is just one of many more race photos--248 in all--that can be viewed here.

The huge outpouring of support by participants and sponsors at this year's Give 'Em The Bird 5K enabled race organizer and Versailles Total Fitness owner Tara Grantham to present a $7,000 check this week to Food for Morgan County.   Many families in need this holiday season are going to benefit from the incredible generosity and community support that make this event so special.  

The key people behind Give 'Em The Bird (left to right):  Rev. Robert Ross, pastor of Second Baptist Church, Donna Chapman of Food for Morgan County, Versailles Total Fitness owner Tara Grantham, Versailles asst. police chief Jeff Burkhart and Versailles Fire Department asst. chief Duane Miller.  Missing for the photo was J.T. Gerlt of event sponsor KS-95.1.  (Photo provided.)

Among the many thousands of photographs I take at our Lake-area races each year, there's usually one that immediately stands out as my favorite. This year's favorite (there are actually two versions of it) was captured at Give 'Em The Bird. At the end of the event, we gathered a group of runners--mostly from the Versailles area--at the start/finish line for some group photos.  (The Versailles-area runners are arguably the closest-knit group of runners in the entire Lake area.)  I knew the photos were special the moment I first saw them.

To me, the photos represent the best thing about active sports: Ordinary people of varying ages, talents and backgrounds whose common pursuit of a healthy lifestyle has brought them together to support and motivate one another, and to develop close friendships in the process.  To their credit, they're also inspiring the next generation to follow in their footsteps.  

You can view larger images of the photos by clicking on them, or you can view and download the full-size versions by clicking on the links provided just below the photos.   (Use the photos as you wish.)

View the full-size version of the above photo (11.5MB in size).

View the full-size version of the above photo (5.6MB in size).

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DISNEY WINE & DINE HALF MARATHON (updated November 9th)

The excitement and anticipation of doing your first half marathon, marathon, triathlon, etc., sometimes turn to disappointment due to things completely beyond your control. Such was the case last night when Lake-area runner Megan Hendrickson was going for her first half marathon finish at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in Orlando, Florida when bad weather forced the race to be shortened to 6.72 miles. Megan finished the shortened course in 1:31:54, placing 857th (of 1653) in the women's 30-34 age group.

We're sorry for your disappointment, Megan, but hang in there. You'll get it done another day.  (Trust us, there'll be races in your future when you'll wish the race was cut short.)

Megan Hendrickson at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon.  The nighttime race was scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m., but was delayed by an hour--and also shortened--due to threatening storms. (Photo provided.)

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TEAM RWB VETERANS DAY HALF MARATHON & 4-MILER (posted November 7th)

The inaugural Team RWB (short for Red, White & Blue) Veterans Day Half Marathon & 4-Miler was held on Saturday (November 7th) in St. James.  There were a total of 83 finishers of the half marathon, and 58 of the 4-miler.

Randy Holtmeyer, who finished last week's Bass Pro half in 2:02:42, ran the half marathon and finished in 1:57:39. 

Three other runners familiar to those of us in the Lake area also raced the half marathon:

Melissa Martinez finished the half in 1:59:26, one week after running the Bass Pro marathon in 4:03:47.

Harold Selby, whom we haven't heard from in quite a while and who now apparently lives in St. James, ran a 2:03:54.

Finally, Greg Burress, who most likely races more than any other runner in the state of Missouri, ran a 2:10:42. (Greg often paces other runners, and may have been doing so again today, as another runner finished in the exact same time.)

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MISSOURI STATE HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS (posted November 7th) 

Congratulations to our four Lake-area high school cross country runners who competed at the state championships in Jefferson City on Saturday. Their results are posted below.  The full race results can be found here.

Interestingly, Ste. Genevieve High School, located 50 miles south of St. Louis in the small Mississippi River town of Ste. Genevieve, came close to taking home both the boys and girls state championships.  The boys team finished second, while the girls finished first.  In addition, the top boys and girls runners for the school obliterated the rest of the field.  The top boys runner finished in 15:34, easily beating the second place runner's 16:23.  The top girls runner finished in 17:14--over a minute faster than her nearest rival. 

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INDIANAPOLIS MONUMENTAL MARATHON (posted November 7th)

Congratulations to Todd Raney for a 3:56:06 finish at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on Saturday (November 7th).   It placed Todd 150th (of 379) in the men's 45-49 age group, and also marked his fifth sub 4-hour marathon in a row.

Todd had already finished a marathon in Indiana, so this latest finish didn't edge him closer to his 50-state goal.

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BASS PRO OUTDOOR FITNESS FESTIVAL (posted November 2nd)

Thirty-six Lake-area runners competed at the Bass Pro Shops' Outdoor Fitness Festival races on Sunday (November 1st), making it the biggest out-of-town race for local runners for the second year in a row.  

Notable performances were turned in by Pete Leyva, Cambre Thrasher, Catie Jensen and Cindy Wismer in the half marathon, and by the J Sayin marathon relay team of Beth Coulter, Vickey Clark, LaDonna Porter, Kim Stonitsch and Merri Lynn Voss.

The results for our local runners are shown below.  If I missed anyone or any corrections need to be made, please e-mail me.

Here are some photos taken from the Lake Area Runners Cheering Zone at the 5.8-mile mark of the half marathon (or 18.9-mile mark of the full marathon).

The leaders of the half marathon were flying. The runner in the black jersey, Scott Downard, was the overall winner, in 1:10:19. The runner next to him finished second.

Kimi Reed (far left) won the women's half marathon for the second year in a row, in 1:17:36. She's pictured here running alongside her husband(?), Marshall Reed. The men's marathon winner was Richard Kessio (middle photo), in 2:31:31--a whopping 29 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. He was last year's winner, as well. The women's marathon winner was Sara Ibbetson, in 3:06:57.

Pete Leyva (left) was our fastest Lake-area half marathon finisher, in 1:43:06. Randy Holtmeyer finished in 2:02:42, and was one of numerous TEAM 413 runners spotted at the race.

More TEAM 413 runners--Jim McDermott, Sherry Wilson (from Waynesville) and Melissa Martinez (from Crocker).  Sherry and Melissa ran the Rise 'n Shine Half Marathon at the Lake of the Ozarks in September. 

Newlyweds Dustin and Jenn were celebrating last week's nuptials with a run. Jenn wasn't feeling well at this point of the race, and was contemplating hitting the reset button.  (I wasn't able to determine whether they finished.)

With some enthusiastic encouragement, these half marathoners gladly joined in on spelling out "YMCA" when the ultimate party song was blaring from the loudspeakers.  Look closely and you'll see that every single runner in this photo is smiling.  How often do you see that halfway through a half marathon?

A view of the cheering zone. Note the "first-timers" bell on the right--it was rung hundreds of times during the race.

Chad Van Buren, Jim McDermott and Nigher Alfaro stop in at the cheering zone while on their way to relay station #4, where Nigher began the team's final leg to the finish line.

While other big-city races had been experiencing declines, Bass Pro continue to see increased participation every year through 2014. That enviable streak, however, ended yesterday. Last year, there were 2,238 half and full marathon runners, plus 85 teams. Yesterday, there were only 1,808 solo finishers, and 61 teams. The smaller field was definitely noticeable while watching the runners pass by the cheering zone.

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KANSAS HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted November 1st)

Willard Haley traveled to Lawrence, Kansas on Sunday (November 1st) to run his twelfth half marathon so far in 2015--the most for any Lake-area runner--at the Kansas Half Marathon.    Willard finished in 2:09:14 and placed 24th (of 33) in the men's 55-59 age group.

Full results can be found here.

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MARSHALL UNIVERSITY MARATHON (posted November 1st)

Congratulations to Todd Raney for setting a new personal record at Sunday's (November 1st) Marshall University Marathon in Huntington, West Virginia. Todd finished in 3:51:12, knocking 1:20 seconds off his previous marathon best set in September, and placing 8th (of 37) in the men's 40-49 age group. He now has the fastest marathon finish time among Lake-area men for 2015, besting Curtis Wehmeyer's Illinois Marathon finish in April by 30 seconds.

With this finish, Todd also crossed off state #33 in his 50-state quest.

Complete marathon results can be found here.

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CHATTAJACK 31 (posted October 27th) 

One week after a division win at the Race to the Dome on the Missouri River, Trevor Dowdney took his stand up paddleboard to Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday (October 24th) to compete in the Chattajack 31 paddle race on the Tennessee River.   

Trevor finished the 31-mile race in 5:50:53 and placed 40th (of 85) in the men's 14' SUP division.

Full results can be found here.

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MARINE CORPS MARATHON (posted October 25th)

Congratulations to Alysia Maschino for finishing the 40th annual Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia on Sunday (October 25th).  Sometimes referred to as "The People's Marathon", the MCM is the third largest marathon in the United States, with 23,380 finishers at its 2014 race.

Alysia finished in 4:42:44, placing 594th (of 1,759) in the women's 40-44 age group.

Greg Burress, who lives in Kansas City but is well-known to runners in the Lake area, ran the MCM for the second time.  He crossed the line in 4:08:14, placing 587th (of 2,147) in the men's 40-44 age group.  Greg is probably the most prolific racer in Missouri, having completed an incredible 29 marathons and 8 half marathons so far this year, with more on his schedule.

Complete marathon results can be found here.

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CAPE COD MARATHON (posted October 25th)

Todd Raney's 50-state marathon quest took him to Falmouth, Massachusetts on Sunday (October 25th) for the Cape Cod Marathon.  Todd finished in 3:58:07, placing 29th (of 87) in the men's 40-49 age group.

This marks state #32 in Todd's quest. His finish also takes him over 500 miles raced so far this year.

Complete marathon results can be found here.

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ROTARY ROUTE 66 RUN OF LEBANON (posted October 25th)

Paula O'Connor was our lone Lake-area competitor at the fourth annual Rotary Route 66 5K Run in Lebanon on Saturday (October 24th).  Paula finished in 26:36, placing second in the women's 51-59 age group. 

There were 46 runners and walkers at the event.  Full results can be downloaded here. 

The race photos (shown at the Rotary Club's Facebook page and more at their webpage) indicate that Superman was near the front of the pack at the start.  No word as to where he placed at the finish line.

A 60 year-old Superman, Warren Wisner from El Dorado Springs, finished second overall, in an extraordinary 19:36.  He finished just 6 seconds behind the 13 year-old race winner.

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AMERICA'S PRO-LIFE HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated October 28th) 

One hundred and forty-seven runners and walkers braved chilly and breezy conditions under gloomy skies for the second annual America's Pro-Life Half Marathon & 5K in Jefferson City on Saturday (October 24th).  The event was organized by the Jefferson City chapter of LIFE Runners, with proceeds benefiting the Vitae Foundation.  The races started at the city pavilion located north of the Missouri River, with most of the courses being on the pancake-flat Katy Trail.

In what must be one of the rarest race results to be found, a brother and sister were the overall men's and women's winners of the half marathon. Paul Sims, who placed ninth overall last year, was the overall winner this year, in 1:33:25.  Mary Ann Sims was the top female for the second year in a row, winning this year with a 1:39:11 finish time.

In the 5K, twelve year-old Grace Castle led all women with a 22:03 finish.  Grace knocked more than two minutes off last year's time, when she was the women's third-fastest finisher.  Jeff Bundrick was the top men's 5K finisher, in 19:28.

Three Lake-area runners competed in the half marathon.

Shanna Stark, running in just her third half marathon (this year's Bridge & Dam and Run for the Children were her first two), set a new personal record with a 2:00:34 finish.  Shanna finished fourth among 15 women in the 30-39 age group. 

Jim McDermott must be fully recovered from Ironman Louisville two weeks ago, as he finished in 1:52:09--just a few minutes off of his five half marathon finish times recorded in the first half of this year. Jim placed second (of six) among men 60 and over.

Willard Haley's finish keeps him hot on the heels of Jim McDermott in the most-miles-raced for Lake-area men this year.  Jim remains in second-place with 215.1 miles, with Willard still trailing by 23.8 miles. 

Willard finished in 2:04:38 (gun time), placing fifth (of eleven) in the men's 50-59 age group.

The race results can be found here.

A total of 225 photos from the race can be found here.

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RACE TO THE DOME (posted October 21st) 

Six paddlers from the Lake of the Ozarks joined roughly 120 others last Saturday (October 17th) to compete in the sixth annual Race to the Dome on the Missouri River.   The race started in Providence for those doing the 26.6-mile option, and in Hartsburg for those doing 15.6 miles. Both races ended in Jefferson City.

Noteworthy performances were turned in by Kevin Sellers in the Solo Male - Unlimited division, and the team of Marilyn Thieman and Brian Brooks in the Aluminum Canoe - Mixed division.  They won their competitive divisions by a margin of one minute.   

Here are our locals' results:

Full results can be found here.

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ROCK 'N' ROLL ST. LOUIS HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K (posted October 18th)

Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis underwent some big changes in its fifth year.  The marathon and relay races were eliminated, and a 10K option was added to the half marathon and 5K offerings.  Despite the changes, participation was down for the fourth consecutive year.

The Lake area had nine runners in the race--less than half the number we've had at any prior Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis.

Pete and Anita Leyva have participated in every Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis, and were once again our fastest local finishers in the half marathon.  As they've also done the last three years, each finished in the top 5% of his or her respective age group.  Pete finished in 1:43:02--good for 8th place (of 163) in the men's 55-59 age group--and Anita in 1:48:44--placing 11th (of 377) in the women's 45-49 age group.

The Eldon women's running troupe of (left to right) Amy Snelling, Kari Salsman, April Boicourt and Jayna Gray all ran well, and a few came close to setting new personal records in the half marathon.

Listed below are results for all of our local runners.  If I missed anyone, please let me know.

Complete race results can be found here.

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DUKE CITY MARATHON (posted October 18th)

Scratch off New Mexico in Todd Raney's years-long quest to finish a marathon in every state.  On Sunday (October 18th), Todd ran the Duke City Marathon in Albuquerque, finishing in 3:59:57 and placing ninth (of 27) in the men's 45-49 age group. 

Complete marathon results can be found here.

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BEAR CREEK RUN (posted October 17th)

The second annual Bear Creek Run trail half marathon in Columbia on Saturday (October 17th) attracted a sold out field of 250 runners (159 women and 91 men), a 30% increase over last year's 193.  The fall colors certainly make for some beautiful scenery for the run.

Scott Gray was the only participant from the Lake area.  Scott finished in 3:09:52, placing 27th of 28 in the men's 30-39 age group. This was Scott's last big race of the season, as he soon undergoes his long-planned surgery for compartment syndrome--a common running malady.

Scott Gray.  The Columbia Parks & Recreation Department organizes the Bear Creek Run and even provides a "picture frame" and race banner for candid, post-race photos.  (See the event's Facebook page for more photos.) (Photo provided.)

A search for other familiar names in the results turned up Jani Tucker from Lebanon.  Jani placed second (of 32) in the women's 40-49 age group with a 1:54:33 finish.

Full results can be found here.

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DOGWOOD CANYON 15K/25K/50K TRAIL RUNS (updated October 18th)

Fresh off of last weekend's Outback in the Ozarks 200-mile team relay, Sherrie Hamner and Heather Miller were back at it this weekend, racing on Saturday at the Dogwood Canyon Trail Run in Lampe, Missouri, near Table Rock Lake.   Sherrie and Heather ran together in the 15K race and finished in 2:06:46.  That placed Sherrie 37th (of 47) in the women's 35-39 age group, and Heather 28th (of 38) in the 30-34 age group.

The 15K had 481 finishers, of which 277 were women.

The 25K on Sunday had 490 finishers, including Nick Bloom of Four Seasons.  Nick finished in sixth place (of 35) in the men's 30-34 age group with a finish time of 2:42:33.

The 50K had 73 finishers, although none were from the Lake area.

The Dogwood Canyon Trail Runs are very popular.  All were sold out last spring.

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WADDELL & REED KANSAS CITY MARATHON, MARATHON RELAY, HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted October 17th)

The Lake area was represented by seven runners at the Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon & Half Marathon on Saturday (October 17th).

Angela Libby of Osage Beach was our sole marathon competitor.  Angela crossed the line in 4:50:27, placing 68th (of 93) in the women's 25-29 age group.  It appears that this may have been her very first marathon.

Willard Haley completed his tenth half marathon so far in 2015, finishing in 2:04:47 (his third fastest of the year) and placing 45th (of 103) in the men's 55-59 age group.

The fourth-place women's finisher in the half marathon was Lindsey McDonald, who placed third overall (and second among the women) at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon.  She finished in 1:24:31.

There were some very competitive runners at this race, and it shows in some very close finishes.  The margin of victory in the men's marathon was only three seconds.  In the men's half marathon, it was five seconds (and three seconds last year). 

Participation in this year's race totaled 6,742 solo runners, down 3% from last year.  It marks the second consecutive year of decline after last year's drop of 23%.

Here are the results for Lake-area runners.  Please let me know if I missed anyone.

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CRUSH PANCREATIC CANCER 5K FUN RUN/WALK & CHILI COOK-OFF (posted October 12th)

Approximately 35 runners and walkers turned out for Saturday's Crush Pancreatic Cancer 5K & Chili Cook-Off in Linn Creek.  The run/walk wasn't timed, but the top male and female runners were Kane Simmerly, who was running in his very first 5K, and Paula O'Connor.

Click here to view some photos taken at the event.

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MISSOURI RACE SERIES - LEE'S SUMMIT (posted October 12th)

The Missouri Race Series held its seventh and final race of the 2015 season in Lee's Summit on Sunday (October 11th).  There were a total of 69 finishers, including 32 and 37 in the 10-mile and 10K races, respectively.  

Seven runners from the Lake area were among those competing, and four--John Sykes, Ashley Pryor, Heather Doyle and Stacey Embry--finished first in their age groups.  (Note:  Ashley and Heather competed in the same age group, but tied for first with the same finish time.) 

Here are the results for the Lake-area participants.

The complete results can be viewed here.

Tara Grantham passed along some photos of our local runners at the race.

These runners, including locals Ashley Pryor (second from left in front row), Heather Doyle (in pink headband in front row) and John Sykes (standing behind and to the left of Heather), finished all seven races in this year's series.

Stacey Embry (left) and Heather Doyle were the 10-Mile Show-Me Cup series champions in the women's 40-49 and 30-39 age groups, respectively.

Marvin Bescheinen (left) and John Sykes finished second in the 10-MIle Show-Me Cup standings in the men's 60-69 and 50-59 age groups, respectively.

Heather Doyle (left) and Ashley Pryor battled it out in the women's 30-39 age group at every race in the series, often finishing first and second (or vice versa).  In the end, Heather narrowly edged out Ashley for first place in the points standings.

In a great example of friendship and sportsmanship, Heather and Ashley ran and finished side-by-side in the series finale at Lee's Summit.

Melinda Sykes finished third in the 10K Capitol Cup standings in the women's 50-59 age group.

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IRONMAN LOUISVILLE TRIATHLON (updated October 15th)

Jim McDermott , YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!

Congratulations to Jim McDermott for his very first Ironman finish at Sunday's (October 11th) Ironman Louisville Triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run) in Louisville, Kentucky.

Here are Jim's splits:

Swim:            1:32:54  (2:24 per 100 meters)
T-1:                  15:50
Bike:              6:58:43   (16.0 miles per hour)
T-2:                    9:33
Run:              6:04:00
Finish:         15:01:00

This placed Jim 18th (of 25) in the men's 60-64 age group.

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BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON (posted October 11th)

Congratulations to our three Lake-area finishers of Sunday's (October 11th) Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

The youngest finisher of the three was Jayley Janssen of Osage Beach. Jayley finished in 5:58:12 and placed 127th (of 151) in the women's 16-19 age group.  Jayley just might be the youngest woman in the Lake area to ever run a marathon.  (Hear that, Reagan?)  Jayley finished the MO' Cowbell Half Marathon in St. Charles last week in 2:42:18.  (She was listed in those results as living in Columbia, so I missed her in reporting the MO' Cowbell results for local runners.  Actually, it's possible that Jayley is now a Columbia resident, having moved there since winning a lottery slot for Chicago.) 

This was only the second marathon for both Nigher Alfaro and Curtis Wehmeyer, and it obviously didn't turn out as well as either had hoped.  Both were hit by cramps in the latter miles of the race.

Nigher was hoping for a bit of redemption at this year's marathon. Last year, he was on pace for a 3:20 finish when blisters and the proverbial "wall" hit him around mile 20 and led to a 3:41:13 finish. On Sunday, he was running a fast and steady pace until the 30K mark, when cramps forced him into a run/walk mode, and then to just a walk the last five miles or so. He crossed the finish line in 4:09:19, placing 1,537th (of 3,270) in the men's 40-44 age group.

Curtis, who still owns the fastest marathon finish (3:51:42) among Lake-area men so far in 2015, finished in 4:27:01.  Curtis held a pretty consistent pace through the first half of the race.  He started slowing down soon thereafter, and cramps hit him at mile 16.  He placed 1,950th (of 3,270) in the 40-44 age group.

Looking further at the results, Greg Burress, whom you may recall ran the Rise 'n Shine Half Marathon last month, paced a group of runners.  He finished in 6:03:13.

A runner from Lebanon, Bryson Jarman, finished in an incredible 2:43:47.  What's amazing, though, is that that only placed him 92nd (of 2,635) in the men's 25-29 age group.

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OUTBACK IN THE OZARKS (updated October 11th)

Congratulations to the Lake Area Runners team for finishing the epic Outback in the Ozarks 200-mile team relay race in northwest Arkansas on Saturday (October 10th). 

The team finished in 29:26:27 and placed 8th among the 28 teams that completed the full race in the prescribed manner. (Seven other teams finished, but failed to meet some of the race rules.) The full results can be found at the race website by clicking here.  An archive version can be here.

The team passed along a photo at the finish line. (Hundreds of additional photos have been posted at the Lake Area Runners' Facebook page.

The Lake Area Runners team of (pictured left to right) Mark Kempf, Sherrie Hamner (front), Aaron Koeppen (back), Todd Raney, Allen Brinkman, Rob Kucsik, Heather Miller, Anita Leyva, Scott Page, Pete Leyva, Andy Goessmann and John Shelby. Five members of the team competed in last year's race, while the remaining seven were first-timers.  (Photo provided.)

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MO' COWBELL MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted October 4th)

The MO' Cowbell Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K has come a long way. The event is organized by the St. Charles civic group Partners for Progress, and debuted in 2011 as a half marathon with 1,400 finishers. A full marathon and 5K were added in 2013, and the event has now grown to nearly 4,000 total participants. With Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis cancelling it marathon distance option this year, MO' Cowbell now offers the only fall marathon in the St. Louis area. This race is a gem that now ranks among the largest long-distance races in the state.

The race has a beautiful start/finish area along the Missouri River at Frontier Park in historic downtown St. Charles. The course is flat, except for a few minor hills. The second half of the marathon course is all on the Katy Trail that parallels the river.

The weather for this year's race was nearly ideal for a fast run, with temperatures in the lower 50s throughout the morning. A 10-13 mph north breeze on the mostly north-south course, however, added a bit of a chill. The skies were overcast.

Four of our Lake-area runners at the starting line:
Scott Gray, Jayna Gray, Jen Wiethop and Willard Haley.

Eight runners from the immediate Lake area, plus Sherry Wilson (photo) of Waynesville (who finished second among the women at the Rise 'n Shine Half Marathon two weeks ago), competed in the race. Sherry ran an outstanding marathon, finishing in 4:06:11 and placing 12th (of 38) in the women's 40-44 age group. Willard Haley led all of our half marathon finishers, finishing in 2:03:19 (about two minutes off of last year's pace) and placing 47th (of 103) in the men's 50-54 age group. In the back of the pack, Scott Gray's goal was to finish in under three hours, and his laser-like focus on doing so paid off--he finished in 2:59:37. Congratulations to everyone who competed!

Nearing the finish line: Willard Haley, Jen Wiethop, Jayna Gray and Scott Gray.

Some of the spectators came dressed for the occasion.

For many more photos from the race, click here.

Complete race results can be found here.

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PINK UP THE PACE 5K RUN/WALK (posted October 4th)

Congratulations to Ed Doney for a new personal 5K record of 27:33 set on Sunday in Jefferson at the Pink up the Pace 5K. The event was a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Ed's achievement was unfortunately tempered by two other runners in the 60-and-over age group who beat him to the finish line and left him with a third-place finish.

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PANTHER RUN 5K/10K/15K (posted October 4th)

Every once in a while, we have a local runner--whom we've heard little or nothing about before--suddenly show up in the results of an out-of-town race and cause us to ask who he or she is. Such was the case this weekend, as Wyatt Whitman of Lake Ozark ran a 19:41 at the Panther Run 5K in Springfield on Saturday (October 3rd), finishing 5th overall (of 451 runners) and second (of 15) in the male 13-19 age group. That finish time could win many of our Lake-area 5Ks.

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VERN FRANK MEMORIAL / OLDE TYME APPLE FESTIVAL 5K (posted October 4th)

Cub reporter April Boicourt passed along some photos and a few results from the Vern Frank Memorial Walk/Run, a part of this weekend's Olde Tyme Apple Festival in Versailles. Thanks, April!

The fast people: April Boicourt (2nd in age group) and Ashley Pryor (1st in age group and overall winner). Ashley's daughter shows off her mom's award.

The running elite of Versailles: Marvin Bescheinen (kneeling), Tara Grantham, Ashley Pryor, April Boicourt, Amanda Gerlt and Stacey Embry, and (back row) Jason Zolecki and Ron Bentch.

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FROG HILL HALF MARATHON & 10K (posted October 4th)

A total of 220 runners turned out for the second annual Frog Hill Half Marathon & 10K (presented by Team 413 - Gracerunner Ministries) in Waynesville on Saturday (October 3rd). Of these, 144 ran the half marathon (compared to 187 solo and 7 relay teams last year) and 76 in the newly-added 10K.

Eight runners from the Lake area competed, with the top male and female finishers among them--Randy Holtmeyer and Rachel Russell--both hailing from Iberia.

Jim McDermott, one week out from going for his first Ironman triathlon at Louisville, Kentucky on October 11th, was the solo men's 60-64 competitor, and finished in 2:03:41. 

A gang of Lake-area women--Desiree Milburn, Beth Coulter, LaDonna Porter and Alysia Maschino--maintained a more leisurely pace (hey, there's no shame in that!) and finished in 3:42:40, give or take a few seconds.

Check out the race's Facebook page for links to photos.

Click to view full results for the half marathon and 10K.

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THE NEW HAMPSHIRE MARATHON (posted October 4th)

Congratulations to Todd Raney for hitting the big 3 - 0 this weekend. No, that's not an age (he hit age 30 sixteen years ago), but the number of states in which he's now completed a marathon, putting him at an even 60% of his eventual goal of 50.

Todd finished The New Hampshire Marathon in Bristol on Saturday (October 3rd) in 3:57:17, placing 14th (of 40) in the men's 40-49 age group.

Complete marathon results can be found here.

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TURKEY TROT 5K RUN/WALK (posted September 29th)  

Results haven't been posted for last Saturday's Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk in Eldon. If and when they are, we'll link to them.

April Boicourt and Scott Gray were kind enough to pass along some photos from the race.

 
April Boicourt and her seven year-old son, Cash.  Cash won his age group, finishing in 31:57.

 
The top male and female runners. (I believe the male runner is Ryan Bennett, who won last year's Turkey Trot.)

 
(Left photo):  Top female and male walkers Vonda Dreyer and Scott Gray (39:28). (Right photo): Jayna Gray finished second in her age group.

  
John and Melinda Sykes took home first- and second-place awards in their respective age groups.

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BMW BERLIN MARATHON (posted September 29th)

April Leonard added one more prestigious World Marathon Major finish to her running resumé on Sunday (September 27th) by finishing the BMW Berlin Marathon in Berlin, Germany.  This was April's fourth major.  She had previously finished Chicago, New York and London. (Boston and Tokyo are the remaining ones.)

April finished in 4:20:45--one of her fastest in the last five years--and placed 711th (of 1,510) in the women's 45-49 age group. April reports that the weather was "perfect", the crowds were "great", and, while the course was flat, the pavement wasn't smooth. She says she's "very, very sore", but that's to be expected from running a 4:20:45 marathon.

Paula O'Connor happened to be on vacation in Germany at the time of the marathon and met up with April.  Paula took some photos that April passed along to me for sharing. Congratulations, April, and thanks, Paula!

Look closely, and you'll see April in this group.
(Click for larger image.)

April has now finished (at least) thirteen marathons.

The Berlin Marathon course is flat and fast, and attracts the fastest marathon runners in the world as they seek to set world records.  The men's world marathon record (currently 2:03:23, set last year) has been broken six times since 2003, and all were set at Berlin.

On Sunday, the men's winner finished in 2:04:00, but in a terribly embarrassing situation for his sponsor, Nike, the insoles of his new Nike shoes were slipping out of the shoes as he was running along, and may have cost him a new world record.  Read about it and view a short video clip of the problem here.

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2 DAM DAYS PADDLE MARATHON (posted September 29th)

The sixth annual 2 Dam Days Paddle Marathon was held at the Lake of the Ozarks last weekend (September 26-27th).  We had at least two locals participating in the various race distances and divisions. 

In the Extreme Solo class, Kevin Sellers took second place, finishing the 82.4-mile, two-day race in a total of 16 hours and 14 minutes.

Bob Meyer finished third among those competing in the Sweet 16 division in boats longer than 15 feet.

The race results don't list the racers' hometowns, so it's possible that other Lake-area paddlers also competed.  Full results can be found here.

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QUAD CITIES MARATHON (posted September 29th)

Congratulations to Tara Grantham and Ashley Pryor, who ran and finished side-by-side at the Quad Cities Marathon in Moline, Illinois, on Sunday (September 27th).

They finished in 4:23:30, placing Tara sixth (of 18) in the women's 50-54 age group, and Ashley 20th (of 46) in the 30-34 age group.  Full results can be found here. 

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ROOTS 'n BLUES 'n BBQ HALF MARATHON & 10K (posted September 29th)

The Lake area had six runners who participated in Saturday's (September 26th) Roots 'n Blues 'n BBQ Half Marathon & 10K in Columbia. Their results are shown below.  If I missed anyone, please let me know.

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HUNTSVILLE MARATHON (posted September 29th)

Congratulations to Todd Raney on two scores this past weekend.  First, he finished the Huntsville Marathon in Huntsville, Utah on Saturday (September 26th), crossing the line in 4:21:59 and placing 15th (of 23) in the men's 45-49 age group.  Second, his finish pushed him over his own record set last year of 400 miles raced in a single year.  His total thus far in 2015 now stands at 419.2 miles.

This marathon finish represented state #29 in Todd's 50-state quest.

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HAM & TURKEY FESTIVAL 5K (posted September 20th)

The Ham & Turkey Festival 5K was held in California (Missouri) on Saturday, and Heather Doyle was the overall female winner, in 23:40.   April Boicourt also ran and came in a bit behind Heather. (Race results haven't yet been posted.)

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AVON 39 -- SANTA BARBARA (posted September 20th)

In a follow-up to the Ta-Ta Trot 5K Run/Walk that was held this past May, the organizers of that event--the We Bleed Pink team of Kari Salsman, Holly Thomas (a five-year, cancer-free survivor) and Jayna Gray--completed the two-day, 39.3-mile Avon Walk to End Breast Cancer in Santa Barbara, California last weekend (September 12-13). The walk had 2,300 participants and raised a remarkable $5.3 million in the battle against breast cancer.

Jayna reports that record heat hit the Santa Barbara area during the walk.  That's not going to get the team much consolation from those of us at the Lake, as they enjoyed incredible ocean and mountain views for much of the walk.

Jayna passed along a few photos.

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LEE'S SUMMIT HALF MARATHON (posted September 20th)

The inaugural Lee's Summit Half Marathon was held on Sunday (September 20th), and it attracted a field of 375 runners.

No one from the Lake area appears to have participated, but Greg Burress (of Kansas City) and Connie Thompson (of Lathrop), both of whom completed the Rise 'n Shine Half Marathon on Saturday in 2:42:53, finished the Lee's Summit Half in 2:36:28.  By completing two half marathons in two days, Connie achieved her goal of qualifying for membership in the Half Fanatics. 

*   *   *   *   *

BROADWAY BRIDGE RUN (posted September 20th)

Jayna and Scott Gray ran in the Broadway Bridge Run in Kansas City on Sunday morning (September 20th). 

Jayna ran the half marathon and finished in 2:40:20, placing 17th (of 25) in the women's 35-39 age group.  Scott did the 10K, finishing in 1:22:09 and placing 35th (of 38) in the men's 35-39 age group.

Full results can be found here.

Participation in the half marathon fell for a second straight year.  There were 263 finishers on Sunday, down nearly a third from 388 last year and the peak of 446 in 2013.  (The half marathon distance was first offered in 2012, when 260 runners reached the finish line.) This year's decline was most likely attributable to the inaugural Lee's Summit Half Marathon being scheduled for the very same day. That race attracted 375 runners. With so many half marathons being introduced across the state these past several years, some cannibalization is inevitable.

*   *   *   *   *

RISE 'N' SHINE FOR KYLEIGH HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated September 21st)

An absolutely beautiful September morning was a perfect setting for the Rise 'n' Shine for Kyleigh Half Marathon & 5K that was held in memory of Kyleigh Phillips, a four year-old girl who passed away on July 2nd after a long battle with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that only strikes infants and young children. 

Kyleigh's parents were on-hand for the race,
which started at the Tri-County YMCA in Osage Beach. 

Eleven runners opted for the half marathon, and 49 for the 5K.  Runners in both races faced rolling hills, with the half marathoners also facing some very tough climbs in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

In the half marathon, the overall male and female winners were Nigher Alfaro and Melissa Martinez.  Nigher, who was also the overall winner at last week's 9/11 Freedom Run, finished in 1:32:25, which is the fastest half marathon finish among Lake-area men so far in 2015.  Melissa, who hails from Crocker, Missouri, and organizes the Frog Hill Half Marathon  & 10K coming up on October 3rd, crossed the line in 1:55:53, six minutes ahead of her nearest rival (and friend) Sherry Wilson of Waynesville. 

 
Left photo: Nigher Alfaro took a commanding lead at at the outset of the race, and finished 24 minutes ahead of his nearest rival. Right photo: Women's first- and second-place finishers Melissa Martinez and Sherry Wilson at the starting line.

The overall male and female 5K winners were Zach Wardenburg of Springfield in 21:27, and Kerrie Thornton of Buffalo in 28:00.

 
Left photo: men's 5K winner Zach Wardenburg. Right photo: Mitch Hale, from Buffalo, winner of the men's 50-59 age group in 25:55, and overall women's winner Kerrie Thornton.

Complete results can be found here.

Roughly 230 photos from the race can be found here.  (The last two photos show the printed race results.)

Some interesting stories from the race:

Only one of the eleven half marathon competitors was under the age of 40.

The nine volunteers provided by the Nike Factory Store in Osage Beach were a godsend, as nearly half of the other volunteers for the race failed to show.   (Please thank the Nike employees the next time you visit into their store.)

Marathon Maniac and Half Fanatic Greg Burress (Facebook page) was helping Connie Thompson qualify for the Half Fanatics group this weekend by running back-to-back half marathons at Rise 'n Shine on Saturday and the inaugural Lee's Summit Half Marathon on Sunday.

Connie Thompson and Greg Burress,
halfway to a double half-marathon weekend.

~~~~~ Healing vibes ~~~~~ to two half marathoners who hobbled to the finish line with minor injuries:  Kristen Matheis (knee) and Peter Rao (twisted ankle).

Finally, a huge thanks goes to race organizers Curtis and Tami Wehmeyer and their many volunteers and sponsors for another outstanding event.   Also, the City of Osage Beach and its Police Department also deserve our thanks for helping make this event possible.

*   *   *   *   *

BISMARCK MARATHON (posted September 19th)

Congratulations to Todd Raney for finishing the Bismarck Marathon in Bismarck, North Dakota on Saturday (September 19th).  Todd finished in 4:00:28, placing sixth (of eleven) in the men's 45-49 age group.  (Full results can be found here.)

Todd Raney at the finish line. (Photo provided.)

With the finish, Todd checked off state #28 in his quest to finish a marathon in all 50 states. 

It's been rumored that Todd entered the Bismarck Marathon as an excuse to get out of town to avoid racing the state's most prolific racer--Greg Burress of Kansas City--at Saturday's Rise 'n Shine with Kyleigh Half Marathon. Click on the video still image below to hear Greg's comment on the rumor.   

*   *   *   *   *

MISSOURI RACE SERIES - O'FALLON (posted September 13th)

The Missouri Race Series held its sixth race of the seven-race 2015 series in O'Fallon on Sunday (September 13th).  There were a total of 75 finishers, including 41 and 34 in the 10-mile and 10K races, respectively.  

The competitors included eight from the Lake area, with two--Marvin Bescheinen and Ed Doney--taking age-group wins, and most finishing in the top half of their respective age group.

Here are the results for the Lake-area participants.

The complete results can be viewed here.

Gerald Holtmeyer, who won the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon in March, became a two-time overall winner of a Missouri Race Series 10-miler.  After winner last month's race in Joplin, he finished in 1:04:52 in Joplin.  He was, however, beaten to the line by 12 seconds by the Series' first wheelchair competitor.   

*   *   *   *   *

ERIE MARATHON AT PRESQUE ISLAND (posted September 13th)

Todd Raney ran a new personal best marathon time of 3:52:32 at the Erie Marathon at Presque Island in Erie, Pennsylvania on Sunday (September 13th).  Todd's previous best was 3:53:41, set nearly two years ago at the Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon.   The Erie Marathon course is on a paved road along Lake Erie in the Erie State Park, and is billed as one of the flattest marathon courses in the country.

Todd placed 88th in the men's 45-49 age group. Full results can be found here.

Todd Raney at the finish line. (Photo provided.)

The finish also marks state #27 in Todd's 50-state marathon quest.

*   *   *   *   *

AZALEA HALF MARATHON & 10K/10K (posted September 13th)

Congratulations to Stephanie Weaver for a great race and podium finish at Saturday's (September 12th) Azalea Half Marathon in Nixa. 

Stephanie finished in 1:59:03, placing third (of 22) in the women's 35-39 age group.

A runner familiar to many Lake-area runners, Melissa Martinez of Crocker, finished in 1:50:51, handily beating all other women in the 40-44 age group, and taking home the women's masters (40+) trophy.

Full results can be found here.

There were 192 finishers of the half marathon, and 107 and 179 finishers of the 10K and 5K, respectively.  The half marathon total was down from 219 last year.

*   *   *   *   *

HALFMAX, QUARTERMAX & SPRINT TRIATHLONS (posted September 13th)

Congratulations to Shawn Wood of Eldon for finishing the sprint triathlon at Saturday's (September 12th) multi-distance triathlon event put on by Ultramax Sports at Innsbrook, Missouri.  I'm not certain, but this may have been Shawn's very first triathlon. He completed the 500-yard swim, 18.8-mile bike and 3.4-mile run in 1:43:21, placing ninth (of 17) in the male 40-44 age group.

Here are Shawn's splits:

Swim:          11:17  (2:16 per 100 yards)
T-1:               3:25
Bike:         1:00:29  (18.8 mph)
T-2:               1:27
Run:            26:46  (7:53/mile)
Finish:      1:43:21

Full results can be found here.

The event had a total of 526 solo finishers, split between the various distances as follows:

Halfmax               98
Quartermax        131
Sprint                 181
Duathlon              68
Aquabike              48
     Total              526

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9/11 FREEDOM RUN 5K (updated September 17th)

Spectacular weather was enjoyed by 56 runners and walkers who came out for the second annual 9/11 Freedom Run in Lake Ozark on Saturday evening (September 12th).  The run was organized by the firefighters of the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District to commemorate those New York City firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, with proceeds going toward the firefighters' "Shop With a Fireman" program, which takes underprivileged kids shopping for Christmas gifts in a fire truck.

Runners and walkers gather for the start.

Thor Fox and Margie Gunter pose for a photo at the starting line.

The game faces were on at the starting line.  Nigher Alfaro, Scott Page (last year's overall winner), and Rob Kucsik would go on to finish first, second and third overall, respectively.

The overall male and female winners were Nigher Alfaro (20:08) and, from Big Lake, Minnesota, Jennie Fritel (24:41). Jennie was trailing women's leader Anita Leyva by about three seconds at the two-mile mark, but sprinted ahead to a three-second lead at the finish line.

   

Left photo:  Overall women's winner Jennie Fritel.  Right:  The most impressive female runner may have been 5 year-old Mila Krenzel.  Mila was the youngest runner of all in the race, and finished in 1:03:38, accompanied at the finish line by her mother, Christina Krenzel.

Full results can be found here.

Despite the cool weather, Eldon firefighters Michael Morrow, Jeffrey Robertson and Jonny Porter, and an unidentified Lake Ozark firefighter, were soaked in sweat after walking the course in full gear.

Many more race photos can be found here.  Photos taken by Brandi Freese of Freese Frame Photography can be found here.

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OAKLAND TRIATHLON (posted September 11th)

Belated congratulations go to one of our former Lake-area runners, Kara O'Connor, who finished her first triathlon on August 29th at the Oakland Triathlon in Oakland, California. Kara, the daughter of Paula and Bill O'Connor, did the International distance race (1500-meter swim, 24-mile bike and 10K run) and finished in 3:12:37, placing ninth (of 11) in the women's 20-24 age group. Here are her splits:

Swim:          35:22
T-1:               9:02
Bike:         1:32:33
T-2:               1:28
Run:            54:09
Finish:      3:12:37

The race website offered free downloads of official race photos. 

   
Kara O'Connor on the bike and run, and at the finish line.

This was the second "first" for Kara this year. She ran her first marathon at the Carlsbad Marathon in January, finishing in 4:40:38.   Kara and brother Casey, who now resides in Austin, Texas are contemplating running the Austin Marathon on February 14, 2016.

*   *   *   *   *

HEART OF AMERICA MARATHON (posted September 7th)

Congratulations to Jim McDermott for braving the warm, humid weather and finishing the Heart of America Marathon in Columbia on Labor Day (September 7th).  Jim crossed the line in 4:46:28, and placed fourth (of 11) among men 60 and over.  This was Jim's third appearance at Heart of America.  He ran a 4:24:55 in 2014, and a 4:30:00 in 2012.

Melissa Martinez, race director for the Frog Hill Half Marathon & 10K, finished in 4:07:30. That was good for third place among the 14 women in the 40-44 age group.

This year's race had 162 finishers, down from 179 in 2014 and 238 in 2013.

Full results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

CHRIS BOHL MEMORIAL 10-MILE/5-MILE/5K RUN (posted September 7th)

It wasn't listed on any of the race calendars, but the eleventh annual Chris Bohl Memorial 10-Mile/5-Mile/5K Run was held on Labor Day in the small town of Rosebud, Missouri, located about 70 miles east of Jefferson City. Chris Bohl had muscular dystrophy, and passed away 11 years ago.   His family created a foundation in his honor to help those who are handicapped.

Jayna and Scott Gray were among the 85 participants in the event.  Jayna ran the 10-mile race in 1:46:43, while Scott ran the 5-miler in 1:06:26. The course was a hilly one, with nearly 500 feet of climbing in the 10-mile race.

*   *   *   *   *

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGIATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET (posted September 7th)

Washington University hosted a collegiate cross country meet in Forest Park in St. Louis on Saturday (September 5th), with runners representing eleven schools, mostly in the greater St. Louis area. The men's race was a 6K; the women's a 4K.

Lizzy Handschy, running as a Washington U. alumni, ran the 4K in 15:43 (6:19 pace). While Lizzy can run circles around any Lake-area runner, she's closer to a mere mortal among the college-age runners. She placed 17th among 102 competitors.

Full race results are here.

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GO GIRL RUN KANSAS CITY HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted September 7th)

(Note:  The race results don't show the city for each finisher, so it's possible that this Joan Wolf is not our Lake-area runner, but I suspect that it is.  If anyone knows for certain, or if I missed any other Lake-are participants, please let me know.)

Congratulations to Joan Wolf for an age-group win, and a fifth place overall finish, at Sunday's (September 6th) Go Girl Run - Kansas City half marathon.  Joan finished in 1:47:26, topping all 66 competitors in the 40-44 age group, and fifth of all 351 half marathon finishers.

The warm, humid weather may have also been a factor, but the race's move from late September to Labor Day weekend resulted in a big drop in participation. In 2014, there were 741 half marathoners.  This year, just 351.  The number of 5K participants was nearly unchanged--340 last year, versus 324 this year. 

The fulll results can be found here.   

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E.T. FULL MOON MARATHON (posted August 31st)

Congratulations to Todd Raney for finishing the E.T. Full Moon Marathon (E.T., as in "extraterrestrial") at Area 51 in southern Nevada on Saturday night. Todd finished in 5:31:51, placing 17th (of 22) in the male 40-49 age group.

This marked Todd's thirteenth marathon of 2015.  It didn't bring him any closer to his 50-state goal, however, since he checked Nevada off his list in December 2012 after finishing Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas--his very first marathon.

*   *   *   *   *

HELLBENDER HILL CHALLENGE 5K (posted August 31st)

The Lake area had two representatives at the Hellbender Hill Challenge 5K at Fort Leonard Wood on Saturday.

Randy Holtmeyer finished in 28:06, and was fourth (of 11) among 40-49 males. Karen Snyder of Richland crossed the line in 34:09. She was the third finisher (of five) in the women's 40-49 age group.

There were a total of 59 finishers, with only three older than age 45 taking on the challenge. Full results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

ROYALS RUN 5K (posted August 23rd)

The Royals 5K in Kansas City on Saturday (August 22nd) had 2,232 finishers, including a couple--both literally and figuratively--from the Lake area.  Ed Doney finished in 28:28, placing 8th (of 44) in the men's 60-64 age group.  Elizabeth Doney finished in a more leisurely 47:50, but still managed to finish in the top half of her (55-59) age group, placing 39th (of 90).

Full results can be found here.

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ESTHER HARRIS, 19??- AUGUST 14, 2015 (posted August 16th)

We have some very, very sad news to report. Our most colorful and cheerful Lake-area athlete, Margie Gunter, lost her mother to a massive stroke this past weekend. Esther Harris joined us at a number of local 5Ks in the past year, often dressed in outfits that matched Margie's. Esther was a very sweet lady with a quick smile, and we're going to miss her. We're so sorry for your loss, Margie. Please take consolation in knowing that you took wonderful care of your mom, and she appreciated all that you did for her.

Esther, rest in peace.

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MISSOURI RACE SERIES - JOPLIN (posted August 16th)

The Missouri Race Series held its fifth race of the seven-race series in Joplin on Saturday, with 20 and 19 runners competing in the 10-mile and 10K races, respectively.  

The competitors included five from the Lake area, all of whom competed in the 10-mile race.  After second-place finishes in her 30-39 age group at all four previous races, Heather Doyle finally captured the age-group win--and was the overall women's champion--with a 1:29:57 finish.  Ashley Pryor took second in that age group, finishing in 1:31:30. 

Stacey Embry won the women's 40-49 age group after finishing (alongside Marvin Bescheinen) in 1:37:15. 

John Sykes finished 1:30:56 and took third (of five) in the men's 50-59 age group.  The remarkable Gerald Holtmeyer, who won the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon in March, was the 50-59 age-group and overall winner, in a time of 1:10:11. 

Here are the results for the Lake-area participants.

Click to view the complete race results.

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CHERISH KIDS 5K/10K (posted August 16th)

By a single second, Jayna Gray ran her fastest 10K of the year on Saturday (August 15th) at the Cherish Kids 5K/10K in Ozark. Jayna crossed the finish line in 1:02:03, and placed third (of four) in the women's 35-39 age group. Scott Gray joined Jayna in the 10K and finished in 1:25:21, placing sixth (of seven) in the men's 35-39 age group.

The full race results can be found here.

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RUN FOR THE FALLEN (updated August 16th)

The Lake of the Ozarks' participation in the national Run for the Fallen brought out an estimated 120 runners and walkers to Camdenton Middle School on Saturday to run or walk a mile or more in memory of the 145 Missouri fallen soldiers who lost their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.  This was the sixth year for this event, which was organized by the Camdenton Area Chamber of Commerce.

For the 2018 tenth anniversary of the original Run for the Fallen, another coast-to-coast run is being planned by the national organization.  If the original route is used, the run will once again come through the Lake area.

*   *   *   *   *

REPUBLIC TIGER TRI (posted August 9th) 

The Lake area has a slew of brand-new triathletes after Saturday's (August 8th) Republic Tiger Tri in Republic.

Ten locals finished the 300-yard pool swim, 12.2-mile bike and 5K run, and as far as I can tell, it was the first triathlon for each of them. 

Mark Kempf and Erin Powell led our Lake-area men and women finishers, respectively.  Erin also placed in the top third of her age group.  

Congratulations to everyone for taking on a new challenge.  (I wish I had known that a large group was planning to race.  This would have made a neat video project.)

Participation in the triathlon was up from last year, thanks to the addition of a shorter "super sprint" race.  The total number of finishers this year was 285, compared to 246 last year and 290 in 2013. 

The full race results can be found here.

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WARRENSBURG TRIATHLON (posted August 4th) 

Jim McDermott placed fifth overall at last Saturday's (August 1st) Warrensburg Triathlon (300-meter swim, 10-mile bike, 5K run) organized by the Warrensburg Parks & Recreation Department.  Jim was the overall winner at last year's race.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the full results.

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IRONMAN BOULDER TRIATHLON (updatd August 4th)

Congratulations to Denny Gillen for finishing his fourth Ironman Triathlon.  On Sunday (August 2nd), Denny crossed the finish line of the Ironman Boulder Triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run) in 14:17:58.  Denny raced conservatively due to recent, lingering injuries.  (His finish time last year at Boulder was a personal Ironman best of 13:00:27.)

Denny placed 13th in the male 60-64 age group.

Denny and Stella Gillen at the finish line.
(Photo provided.)

Here are Denny's splits, including comparisons to 2014:

Swim:     1:44:26 (2:42/100 meters) (1:34:34 in '14)
T-1:           11:38 (12:07 in '14)
Bike:       6:33:46 (17.1 mph) (6:17:06 in '14)
T-2:            10:55 (12:50 in '14)
Run:        5:37:13 (12:52/mile) (4:43:50 in '14)
Finish:   14:17:58 (13:00:27 in '14)

Searchable results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

THE GREAT SANDBAGGER 10K (posted August 1st)

The Columbia Track Club's Great Sandbagger 10K was held on Saturday.  It's one of the oldest races in the state, having first been held in 1970.  (Most of this year's participants weren't even born then.)  The race is a "predict your time" race.  Runners take off from the starting line based on their projected finish times, and the first person to cross the finish line--that is, the biggest "sandbagger"--takes home the traveling trophy.

Jayna Gray competed in the race, and was remarkably accurate in predicting her finish time.  Jayna predicted 1:06:00, and finished in 1:06:05.  So, while she wasn't awarded the sandbagger trophy, she did bring home a leftover 2014 medal from one of the Columbia Track Club's other long-standing races--the Heart of America Marathon.  Or is that Marthon? 

The full race results can be found here.

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THE MISSOURI AMERICAN WATER MR340 (updated August 4th)

The results are in for Lake-area competitors in the Missouri American Water MR340, a 340-mile paddling race on the Missouri River, that began last Tuesday morning (July 28th) in Kansas City and officially ended Friday at midnight in St. Charles.

Bob Meyer of Camdenton finished in 48 hours and 48 minutes and placed 21st in the Men's Solo division.  Bob is now a two-time finisher of the race, after also finishing in 2014.

The AlumiNaughty team of Brian Brooks and Marilyn Thieman, both of Eldon, finished in 47 hours and 45 minutes. They placed fourth (of nineteen) in the Mixed Tandem division.

In the Team division, which includes boats with 3-4 padders, the Dagobah Swamp Paddlers, which included Gary Braman of Camdenton, finished in 53 hours and 11 minutes and placed fifth (of twelve).

Ben Apperson of Eldon, a 2014 MR340 finisher, dropped out at Miami (105 miles into the race) late on Tuesday evening.

The A to J mixed tandem team that included Mark Jacobi of Sunrise Beach dropped out early Tuesday evening after reaching Waverly, 73 miles into the race.

Race results can be found here.

During the race, lots of photos and stories are posted on the race's Facebook page.

*   *   *   *  *

SHOW-ME STATE GAMES (updated July 28th) 

The results from the Show-Me State Games' 5K and 10K races on Sunday (July 26th) have been posted.  Three runners from the Lake area participated in the races held at Bethel Park in Columbia.

Willard Haley and Ed Doney competed in the 10K. Willard finished in 1:00:33, beating one other competitor in the mens' 55-59 age group.  Ed was the only competitor in the 60-64 age group, and finished in 1:05:07.

In the 5K, Nigher Alfaro crossed the finish line in 29:55-- about ten minutes slower than his usual 5K finish time.  Nigher reports than he and another runner ahead of him went off course due to a lack of course markings. 

There are three things that are sacrosanct for running races.  The most important, by far, is that the course must be as safe as possible.  Second, the course must be clearly marked, or staffed with volunteers stationed at key turns, to direct runners.  There should be no chance for an attentive runner to go off-course.  Finally, a race must provide enough water (and food, if it's a long race) to give each racer what they reasonably need to complete the course.

Apparently, the organizer of the race failed to satisfy rule #2. 

*   *   *   *   *

WIN FOR KC WOMEN'S TRIATHLON (posted July 26th)

Congratulations to Eldon resident Meagan Carroll for finishing Saturday's (July 25th) WIN for KC Women's Triathlon (500-meter swim, 10-mile bike and 5K run) in Kansas City.   This was Meagan's third consecutive appearance at the race.  She finished in 1:40:39, which was 13 minutes faster than last year, and 16 minutes faster than 2013. That placed her 18th (of 26) in the women's 20-24 age group.

Here are her splits:

Swim:         13:09  (2:38/100 meters)
T-1:              2:39
Bike:           48:48  (12.3 mph)
T-2:              0:57
Run:           35:10  (11:21/mile)
Finish:     1:40:39  (24th of 28 in female 20-24)

Full results can be found here.

The race had its first decline in participation since it was first held in 2009.  There were 892 finishers last year--making it the state's biggest triathlon in 2014--but only 651 this year, a decline of 27%.

*   *   *   *  *

SHOW-ME STATE GAMES (updated July 28th) 

The Lake area had two teams compete in the triathlon at last Sunday's (July 19th) Show-Me State Games in Columbia. 

Competing in the family team division, Tobby and Alisha Eldridge took first place, beating their only division rivals, Steve and Robin Martonfi.  The Eldridge's finished the 0.5-mile swim, 15-mile bike and 3-mile run in 1:22:20; the Martonfi's in 1:32:39.  Full results can be found here.

Photos from the triathlon and duathlon have been posted at the Show-Me State Games' Facebook page.

*   *   *   *   *

MIGHTY MAX KIDS TRIATHLON (posted July 21st) 

The Martonfi family of Eldon had three finishers at the Mighty Max Kids Triathlon held in Columbia on Saturday (July 18th).

Zoe placed second (of 13) in the female 9-10 age group, while Nicky placed sixth (of 18) in the male 11-12 age group and Caleb placed first (of two) in the male 13-14 age group.

Here are their splits:

Zoe:

Swim (100 yds):          3:46  (3:46 per 100 yards)
T-1:                             1:41
Bike (3 miles):           13:52  (13.0 miles per hour)
T-2:                             0:20
Run (0.5 miles):          8:08  (16:16 per mile)
Finish:                       27:44

Nicky:

Swim (100 yds):          2:51  (2:51 per 100 yards)
T-1:                             1:35
Bike (3 miles):           11:48  (15.3 miles per hour)
T-2:                                 --
Run (1 mile):             23:15  (23:15 per mile)
Finish:                       26:05

Caleb:

Swim (100 yds):          2:35  (2:35 per 100 yards)
T-1:                             1:27
Bike (3 miles):           10:46  (16.7 miles per hour)
T-2:                             0:15
Run (1 mile):               9:23  (9:23 per mile)
Finish:                       24:23

Full results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

MISSOURI RACE SERIES - SPRINGFIELD (posted July 18th)

The Missouri Race Series held its fourth race of the seven-race series in Springfield on Saturday, with 32 runners competing in each of the 10-mile and 10K races. Temperatures in the upper 70s and relative humidity of 82% at the start no doubt took a toll on finish times. 

The competitors included eight from the Lake area. In the 10-mile race, Heather Doyle finished in 1:27:06 and placed second in the women's 30-39 age group.  (Heather has now claimed second-place age group finishes at all four Missouri Race Series 10-mile races.)  Marvin Bescheinen won the men's 60-69 age group over two other competitors, finishing in 1:33:30. 

John and Melinda Sykes competed in their fourth Missouri Race Series event.  John ran the 10-mile race in 1:30:46, and Melinda ran the 10K in 1:16:38.  Ashley Pryor, also a fourth-time series participant, apparently struggled, as she turned in her slowest finish time.  She crossed the line in 1:43:43.

Here are the results for the Lake-area participants.

Click to view the complete race results.

*   *   *   *   *

SHAWNEE MISSION TRIATHLON & DUATHLON (posted July 12th)

Congratulations to 64 year-old Joan Kelley of Gravois Mills for finishing the Shawnee Mission Triathlon on Sunday (July 12th). Joan did the short course triathlon, consisting of a 500-meter swim, 9-mile bike, and 3.2-mile run. She finished second (of three) in the women's 60-64 age group. Here are her splits:

Swim:        17:31  (3:13 per 100 meters)
T-1:             7:34
Bike:         47:18  (11.4 miles per hour)
T-2:             2:16
Run:          41:00  (12:49 per mile)
Finish:    1:55:38

Full results can be found here.

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HOPE FOR HAITI 5K/10K RUN/WALK (posted July 12th)

Willard Haley ran a fast 52:06 10K at the Hope for Haiti 5K/10K in St. Charles on Saturday but, as often happens, the race was stacked with lots of fast runners in the 50-59 age group, and he ended up placing in the middle-of-the-pack. Of the 51 male finishers of the 10K, over one-third were in Willard's age group alone, and he finished twelfth (of 18). (In fact, the overall winner of the 10K came from the 50-59 age group, finishing in a blistering 37:02.)

Full results can be found here.

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HOTTER 'N HELL 5K/10K RUN/WALK (updated July 13th)

Before she had time to unpack her bags from her trip to Japan, Jayna Gray went to Jefferson City on Saturday to run in the Hotter 'n Hell 5K/10K put on by the Jefferson City Firefighters Local 671.   It proved fruitful, as Jayna was the overall women's 10K winner, crossing the finish line in 1:09:28.

Scott Gray, who's been nursing a pulled hamstring, speed-walked the 5K and finished in 42:57. He'll be traveling to Springfield to do the Missouri Race Series 10-Mile/10K on Saturday.

*   *   *   *   *

16th ANNUAL ELDON INDEPENDENCE DAY 5K RUN/WALK (updated July 10th)

About 100 runners and walkers in a festive holiday mood came out on a beautiful Saturday morning for Eldon's Independence Day 5K Run/Walk.  It was one of the few local races so far this year that wasn't victimized by wet or threatening weather.   

The race begins.  2014 women's winner Danielle Mohrmann (in light blue top and shoes) gets a slight jump on the field at the start.  (The 2013 and 2014 men's winner, Greg Linhart of Kansas City, didn't participate this year.)

Margie Gunter and her mom, Esther Harris, were decked out in patriotic colors.  George Washington and Abraham Lincoln came out to race, too.

Todd Raney brought along his daughter, Kristen, who not only ran her first 5K, but also took home an age-group medal in her very first race.  Two relatively new runners from Barnett, John and Melinda Sykes, also took home medals.  (Just what we need in the Lake area--more fast runners in the older age groups. :) )

The overall winners were Nigher Alfaro, in 19:06, and 16 year-old Danielle Mohrmann of St. Louis, in 19:54. 

The Alfaro family--Nigher and daughters Maya (middle) and Addison (left) brought home lots of race hardware.  Danielle Mohrmann won for the second straight year, finishing in 19:33 last year.


A virtual Who's Who of Lake-area runners gathered for a group photo.  Combined, they took home at least eight medals.

The list of top finishers can be viewed in .docx or .pdf format.

More than a few runners reported setting new personal 5K records.  I hate to rain on their parades, but there were enough reports to suspect that the course was a bit short.

The owner of this house along the race route gets an A+ for holiday decorations. 

Many more photos from the race can be viewed here.

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FIRECRACKER 5000 (posted July 6th)

While Jayna Gray was running an Independence Day race in Japan, Scott and Braydon Gray settled for a less exotic destination--Branson, Missouri.

The 15th annual Firecracker 5000, which included 5K, 10K and 1-mile races, had a total of 661 participants. Scott Gray did the 5K, finishing in 45:27 and placing 13th (of 13) in the men's 35-39 age group, while Braydon did the 1-mile, finishing in 15:13 and placing 2nd (of five) among the 14-and-under males.

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FIRECRACKER 5K -- YOKOTA AIR BASE (posted July 3rd)

Jayna Gray, the Lake area's most prolific racer so far in 2015, will likely win the distinction of having raced farther from home than any other Lake-area runner this year. On July 2nd, Jayna ran the Firecracker 5K color run with 250 other participants on the U.S. Air Force's Yokota Air Base in Japan while on a visit to see her sister Jeena, brother-in-law (who's stationed on the base), and nephews.

The air base is 6,343 miles from the Lake of the Ozarks. April Leonard looked like a shoe-in to win the most-distant-race distinction this year for running the Berlin Marathon on September 27th, but Berlin is a mere 4,765 miles from the Lake.

*   *   *   *   *

SUMMER ROUNDUP TRIATHLON (posted June 28th)

Congratulations to Jim McDermott for winning the men's 60-64 age group (over two other competitors) in the Olympic-distance race at the Summer Roundup Triathlon in Jasper, Missouri on Sunday (June 28th).  Jim completed the 1500-meter swim, 40K bike and 10K run in 2:45:25.  Here are his splits:

Swim:        42:16  (2:49 per 100 meters)
T-1:             2:29
Bike:       1:07:54  (22.0 miles per hour)
T-2:             0:48
Run:          51:56  (8:23 per mile)
Finish:    2:45:25

His 22.0 mph average on the bike was really impressive, and looks to be a personal record.  Only about 10 of the 83 competitors in the Olympic-distance race were faster--and most of those were barely faster.  

Full results can be found here.

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THE MACKLIND MILE (posted June 27th)

Our fastest local female runner, Lizzy Handschy, competed against the fastest runners in the state on Saturday at The Macklind Mile in St. Louis. The one-mile course on Macklind Avenue is (almost) as straight as an arrow, and features a 73-foot elevation drop from start to finish.

Lizzy competed in the Elite race, which was limited to ten male and ten female runners.  She finished in a blistering 5:21 but, amazingly, that still placed her dead last among the Elite field.  To show the level of competiton in that race, the men's winner finished in 4:06, and the women's winner in 4:40.

Full results can be found here.

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FRESH IDEAS QUARTERMAX & OCTOMAX TRIATHLONS (posted June 27th)

Congratulations to Amy Harrell for finishing the QuarterMax Triathlon at Innsbrook, Missouri on Saturday (June 27th).   Amy finished the 0.6-mile swim, 28-mile bike and 10K run in 3:39:23 (knocking nearly 18 minutes off of last year's 3:57:18), and placed sixth (of seven) in the women's 25-29 age group.  Here are Amy's splits:

Swim:        22:35  (2:21 per 100 yards)
T-1:             4:47
Bike:       1:48:55  (13.8 mph)
T-2:             3:53
Run:       1:19:16  (12:48/mile)
Finish:    3:39:23

Full race results can be found here.

There was a combined total of 411 finishers of the QuarterMax & OctoMax Triathlons and duathlon.   That was down from 518 last year, when the HalfMax Triathlon was also offered.  (HalfMax has been moved to September this year.)

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CHARLEVOIX MARATHON (posted June 27th)

State number 26 is in the bag for Todd Raney.  Todd finished the Charlevoix Marathon in Charlevoix, Michigan on Saturday (June 27th) in 4:10:54, placing 25th (of 38) in the 45-49 age group.  After a string of rough disappointing finishes over the last couple months, Todd regained his groove and made this his fourth-fastest finish for the twelve marathons completed so far this year.

Complete race results can be found here.

Todd has a two-month break before his next marathon, the ET Full Moon Marathon at Area 51 in Nevada. That race won't bring him closer to his 50-state goal, however, since he checked off Nevada in December 2012 by finishing Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas--his very first marathon.

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FORGET-ME-NOT TROT 5K/10K RUN/WALK (updated June 22nd)

Thirty-eight two-legged, and three four-legged, runners and walkers turned out in Linn Creek on a warm, humid Saturday morning for the third annual Forget-Me-Not Trot 5K/10K Run/Walk benefiting the Missouri Forget-Me-Not Horse Rescue & Sanctuary.

The 10K overall winners were April Leonard (50:14) and Willard Haley (56:38). April's finish time was the fastest for Lake-area women so far this year, beating April Boicourt's 56:00 at the Bridge & Dam 10K in March.

The 5K had two first-time Lake-area race winners, Angie Richardson (32:43) and Garrett Hall (21:24). 

Lots of additional photos taken at the event can be found here.

The top three in each age group can be found here.   The complete race results can be found in two photos taken of the handwritten results.  Those photos are among the last in the photo gallery, linked above.

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FORT LEONARD WOOD VOLKSLAUF (posted June 20th)

Three Lake-area runners were among the 938 finishers of Saturday's (June 20th) Volkslauf 10K mud run at Fort Leonard Wood.

Our fastest local finisher was Mike Toth, who finished in 59:56 and placed 114th overall.

Jim McDermott competed on the five-person Team 413 and finished in 1:05:11, placing 228th overall.  Jim's teammates were Melissa Martinez, Jeff Carlson, Caren Carlson and Sarah Anderson.

Finishing about a minute behind Team 413 was Randy Holtmeyer. Randy crossed the line in 1:06:37, placing 252nd overall.

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MISSOURI RACE SERIES - ST. LOUIS (posted June 20th)

On Saturday (June 20th), the third stop in this year's seven-race Missouri Race Series was held in St. Louis.  A total of 91 and 94 runners competed in the 10-mile and 10K races, respectively.

Four Lake-area runners were among those competing.  In the 10-mile race, Heather Doyle finished in 1:23:19, just 18 seconds ahead of John Sykes.  Heather was second (of 23) in the women's 30-39 age group.  Ashley Pryor, who won the women's 30-39 age group in both Kansas City and Columbia (both times just ahead of Heather), must have encountered some problems in St. Louis.  She finished in ninth place (of 23) with a finish time of 1:34:21. 

In the 10K race, Melinda Sykes finished in 1:14:12, placing fifth (of 7) in the women's 50-59 age group. 

Here are the results for the Lake-area participants.

There was a familiar name in the race results. Fifty-five year-old Gerald Holtmeyer of Bonnots Mill, Missouri, was third overall in the 10-mile race with a 1:05:53 finish time. You may recall that Gerald was the overall winner of the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon in March.

Click to view the complete race results.

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RACE ACROSS AMERICA (posted June 21st)

The Race Across America, a 3,000-mile coast-to-coast bicycle race, is coming through the Lake area over the next few days. They'll be traveling eastbound on Highway 54 on their way to Jefferson City. The solo riders started last Wednesday; the teams started Saturday.

As of Sunday morning, there were 32 solo riders and 43 teams still in the race. A few of the solo riders will pass through the Lake area as early as Sunday afternoon. Most, however, will pass through on Monday and Tuesday. The teams will arrive on Wednesday, and almost all racers and crews should be out of the Lake area by Thursday afternoon.

The Signal gasoline station in Camdenton is the location of Time Station 32 for the race. Some of the riders and their support crews will stop there for rest, fuel, etc., while they call in their position to race headquarters.  They're great folks to talk to, and always happy to talk to locals along the race route.  If you have a chance, stop by and wish them well. 

Please be very careful when passing the riders and their support vehicles.  By the time they reach the Lake area, they've traveled over 1,800 miles, and lack alertness due to sleep deprivation--both riders and crews alike.  Move over and give them plenty of room.  A friendly honk of the horn or wave is always appreciated.

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MISSOURI STATE SENIOR GAMES (posted June 15th)

The Missouri State Senior Games were held in Columbia this past weekend. It included competitions in twenty-two sports for those aged 50 and over. One of our local runners, Willard Haley, competed in the 10K race, finishing in 57:57 and placing second (of two) in the men's 50-54 age group.  The full 5K/10K results can be found here.   Nine runners competed in the 10K, and 16 in the 5K.

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MARYVILLE MARATHON (posted June 14th)

Congratulations to two Lake-area runners for their finishes at Saturday's Maryville Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K/5K in Maryville, Missouri.

Eighteen year-old Alex Keith of Lake Ozark finished the marathon in 4:05:56, and placed second (of two) in the male 19-and-under age group.  Sixty-four year-old Perri Loughead of Osage Beach competed in the 10K, finishing in 1:34:22 and placing fifth (of five) in the women's 50-and-over age group.

Alex finished ninth overall at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon this past March with a 1:34:02 finish time.  (That time still remains the fastest for Lake-area men this year.) It's quite possible that Bridge & Dam was his first half marathon, and Maryville his first full.

Alex Keith at mile 5 of the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon
on March 28, 2015. (Click on photo for a larger image.)

Full results can be found here.

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CONCERNS OF POLICE SURVIVORS BLUE RIBBON 5K RUN/WALK (updated June 16th)

Ninety-five runners and walkers (plus another fifteen or so "virtual" runners around the country) came out to Linn Creek on a steamy Sunday morning to participate in the second annual Blue Ribbon 5K Run/Walk, a benefit for the Camdenton-based Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.). 

It was a sea of blue at the starting line.

    
Everyone was encouraged to wear blue in support of law enforcement officers.  Some went well beyond that.

They probably even ate blueberries for breakfast:
Margie Gunter, Margie's mom Esther Harris, Anita Leyva, Christine Head and Unique Soto.

Lake Regional Health System's "I Can 5K!" group left their bright orange t-shirts at home, donning blue just for this event.

Not one to be outdone, Osage Beach police officer Pete Leyva ran in full uniform, adding about seven minutes to his normal 5K finish time.

The men's race featured one of the closest finishes we've ever had at a local race. Camdenton High School's David Prather trailed 31 year-old David Darmitzel of Kansas City for most of the race, but his last-minute sprint to the finish line gave him a three second margin of victory--18:34, to David's 18:37. For the women, Elaine Mullahan was the overall winner, in 23:34.   David and Elaine were also the overall winners at the Lake Regional 5K on May 2nd.

   
David Prather, Elaine Mallahan and David Darmitzel.
Look closely, and you'll see David Darmitzel being
trailed by David Prather near the 2-mile mark.

Many more photos can be viewed at these links:

Part 1 (76 photos)
Part 2 (118 photos)

Al Griffin shot dozens of photos for LakeExpo.com. You can view them here.

The top three finishers in each age group can be viewed here.

Thanks and congratulations go to the C.O.P.S. staff--ably assisted by Osage Beach police officer Pete Leyva--and the race sponsors for another great and successful event.

The C.O.P.S. staff, plus Osage Beach police officer Pete Leyva.

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MARATHON TO MARATHON (posted June 13th)

The Lake area has crowned another brand-new marathon finisher.  Jayna Gray, who's progressed from a walker in the Eldon 5Ks prior to 2013 to finishing four half marathons so far this year, took another big step on Saturday (June 13th) by finishing the Marathon to Marathon--a point-to-point race from Storm Lake to Marathon, Iowa. Jayna and April Boicourt--who finished her own first marathon three months ago in LIttle Rock--ran and finished together, in 5:30:48. That placed them 14th-15th (of 16) in the women's 30-39 age group.

Congratulations, Jayna and April!

With the 26.2 miles completed today, Jayna now tops the list for miles raced (91, to be exact) for Lake-area women this year.

The full race results can be found here.

Here are some photos passed along to me.  Click on a photo for a larger image.

Jayna Gray (left) and April Boicourt at the finish line.

April and Jayna with race director Lois Lind.  Lois' husband founded the race twenty years ago, but died soon before the first race was held.  In his honor, she's kept the race going ever since.

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SUPERHERO 5K (posted June 14th)

While his better half, Jayna, was running her first marathon in Iowa, Scott Gray and his eight year-old son Braydon were in Rolla Saturday morning participating in the Superhero 5K, a Relay for Life event benefiting the American Cancer Society.

Scott and Braydon walked the course and finished in 1:05:32.  Scott passed along a photo.

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8th ANNUAL SUMMER NIGHT GLOW 5K RUN/WALK (updated June 15th)

The race lived up to its name as the summer night did indeed glow--with a spectacular rainbow--for the Children's Learning Center's 8th annual Summer Night Glow 5K Run/Walk at Camdenton High School on Friday night.

The camera could only capture half of the rainbow,, which formed a perfect semi-circle in the sky.   For added interest, a double rainbow appeared, though only for a brief moment.

While heavy rain and thunderstorms rolling through the Lake area threatened to spoil the race, miraculously, it went off with only a couple slight, intermittent showers. Still, the weather was to blame for fewer participants this year (261 finishers and about 350 registrants) than last (327 and 392, respectively).

Another huge crowd gets ready to start the race.

The most kid-friendly 5K at the Lake....

 

...brings out the kid in the grown-ups, too.

After finishing third overall in 2013 and second in 2014, Nigher Alfaro finally reached the top spot this year with a 20:29 finish.  Ironically, it was his slowest finish of this race since 2011, when he ran a 22:44.

For the women, Tessa Weber was the overall winner, in 22:13.  It was Tessa's second overall victory, after winning with a 20:59 finish in 2013.  (I believe she sat out last year due to injury.) 

Click to view the full results by finish order or by age group.

Click here to view some photos from the race.  Also, be sure to check out the dozens of beautiful photos taken by professional photographer Jacob Carola and posted at his CarolaPix Facebook page.

We always like to herald people taking on new challenges, and at least three participants, pictured below, chose the Summer Night Glow to do their very first 5K.

Once again, a big "thanks" goes to the staff of the Children's Learning Center, the race sponsors, the volunteers (including some from Kohl's), Dave Weber and Gary and Ellen Thompson for putting on another wonderful event.  The event raised more than $11,000 for CLC. 

The biggest "thanks" goes to whoever decided to offer Andy's Frozen Custard to all participants just before the awards ceremony began. That was the best post-race food ever!

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CASPER MARATHON (updated June 8th)

Congratulations to Todd Raney, who on Sunday (June 7th) reached the halfway point of his long quest to finish a marathon in every state. On Sunday (June 7th), Todd finished the Casper Marathon in Casper, Wyoming, in 4:39:39, placing 14th (of 25) in the male 40-49 age group.

Todd Raney at mile 18 of the Casper Marathon.
(Photo provided.)

The marathon was won in 2:46:51 by Marathon Maniac Gary "Cougar Bait" Krugger, whom some of you may recall had won the Run for the Ranch Marathon in Springfield in December 2012.  Gary has run a sub 3-hour marathon in all 50 states.

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HOSPITAL HILL RUN (posted June 8th)

Thirteen Lake-area runners (plus our frequent Lake visitor Miki Schroeder) competed at the 42nd annual Hospital Hill Run in Kansas City this past weekend.

High age-group finishers were turned in by Jim McDermott in the half marathon, and April Leonard and Heather Skouby in both the 5K (held on Friday) and the half marathon (held on Saturday).  Scott Gray also knocked nearly nineteen minutes off of his finish time last year.

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DAM TO DAM HALF MARATHON  & IRONMAN 70.3 CHATTANOOGA (posted June 2nd)

  

Amy Harrell has been on a racing tear these past two months.  After finishing the GO! St. Louis Marathon and Run for the Children Half Marathon in April, she finished Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga on May 17th and the Dam to Dam Half Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa this past Saturday (May 30th).  Amy raced with her friend--and longtime runner--Erin Gerloff of Chamois, Missouri (a small town along the Missouri River east of Jefferson City) at three of the four races.

At Dam to Dam, Amy finished the half in 2:26:17, placing 505 (of 699) in the women's 25-29 age group.  (Now in its 36th year, Dam to Dam is a big race, with nearly 7,000 finishers this year--more than any Missouri half marathon.)

At IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Amy finished (alongside Erin) in 7:45:46, placing 42nd (of 43) in the women's 25-29 age group.  Here are her splits:

Swim (1.2 miles):        47:21   (2:15 per 100 yards)
T-1:                                11:25
Bike (56 miles):       3 :57:29   (14.1 mph)
T-2:                                  9:43
Run (13.1 miles):      2:39:48  (12:11/mile)
Finish:                        7:45:46

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LAKE RACE 5K RUN/WALK (posted May 31st)

As the tagline on the t-shirts said, Lake Race is "Not Just for Boats Anymore". Indeed, the inaugural Lake Race 5K Run/Walk in Lake Ozark on Saturday (May 30th) was a smashing success--despite the wet weather--and it's sure to return next year as part of the Lake Race festivities. Close to 100 runners and walkers registered for the event and, of those, 77 showed up and eventually crossed the finish line.

The overall male and female winners were Nigher Alfaro, in 20:21, and Sara McDaniel of Fulton, Missouri, in 24:27. This was Nigher's fourth overall race victory this year.

 
Overall winners Nigher Alfaro and Sara McDaniel.

Complete race results can be found here.  

Congratulations and thanks go to the brainchild of this event, Stephanie Klautzer.  Stephanie had the idea for a 5K addition to Lake Race about a year ago, and worked hard to put together a top-notch, well-organized and successful event.  She did so with the able assistance of Brenda Gunter and Jillyan and Laura Osborn, as had great support on race day from the volunteers along the course and the Lake Ozark Police Department.  Everything went so smoothly that you'd never know this was a first-time event by a first-time race director.

A big thanks also goes to the many sponsors of the event.  The raffle prizes provided by some of them were among the most valuable we've ever seen at a local race. Two winners took home Wakesledz worth $200 apiece, while others received sizable gift certificates to local stores and restaurants, and other items. The raffle proved to be very popular.

The race raised a total of $2,944.19 for local charities.

*   *   *   *   *

SERGEANT AUDIE MURPHY CLUB 10K (posted May 30th)

Congratulations to Randy Holtmeyer, who ran a 49:50 at the 10K put on by the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club at Fort Leonard Wood on Saturday (May 30th).   (Audie Murphy came out of very humble beginnings to become one of the country's most decorated World War II combat veterans.)

There are no posted results, at least as of this writing.  A photo of Randy crossing the finish line, with the race clock reading "49:50", can be viewed here.  Melissa Martinez and other members of Team 413 also participated in the race.  A photo of them can be viewed here.

Oops!:  I missed reporting on Randy's finish two weeks ago at the Joplin Memorial Run.  He finished the half marathon in 2:01:45, placing 32nd (of 79) in the men's 40-44 age group.

*   *   *   *   *

STRIKER LIFE HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K (updatd May 31st)

Congratulations to the Grays--Jayna and Scott--for finishing the Striker Life Half Marathon, 10K & 5K at Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster on Saturday (May 30th).  Jayna finished the half marathon--her fourth half so far this year--in 2:24:05.  That placed Jayna 20th (of 33) in the women's 30-39 age group.  Scott set a new personal record in the 10K with a 1:22:34 finish, two weeks after completing his very first half marathon in Joplin. Scott was 16th (of 18) in the men's 30-39 age group.

Another Eldon resident competing in the men's 30-39 age group was Christopher Gunn, who competed the 10K in 50:26, good for fifth place.

A quick look through the results for other familiar names turned up Greg Burress, who finished the half marathon in 2:02:14.  (After doing 20 marathons so far this year, a half marathon must be Greg's version of slacking off.) 

Official race results can be found here.

Jayna and Scott Gray sporting some cool-looking finishers medals. Check out the medals' design here.  (Photo provided.)

*   *   *   *   *

GO GIRL RUN COLUMBIA HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted May 30th)

Congratulations to all seven Lake-area women who represented us well at Saturday's (May 30th) Go Girl Run Half Marathon & 5K in Columbia.   Everyone finished in the top half of their age group, and four of them reached the podium with second or third place age-group finishes. That's a pretty impressive showing in a large, competitive race.

The fastest Lake-area finishers, Ashley Pryor and Heather Doyle, ran together and finished in 1:52:57 to take third place in their respective age groups.

Tara Grantham and Paula O'Connor took second and third place, respectively, in the women's 50-54 age group with 2:01:36 and 2:10:48 finishes.

Angela Martin took eighth (of 55) in the 45-49 age group by finishing in 2:07:45.  Angela's sister-in-law, Cindy Martin, ran the 5K in 35:44, and Cindy's daughter, Jessica Rozier, set a personal best of 2:22:48 in only her second half marathon, knocking nearly six minutes off her finish time at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon.

If I missed anyone, please let me know.

*   *   *   *   *

MED CITY MARATHON (posted May 24th)

Todd Raney scratched Minnesota (MinneSOta for you Jesse Ventura fans) off his 50-state marathon list on Sunday after finishing the Med City Marathon in Rochester in 4:30:14.  That finish time placed Todd 40th (of 50) in the men's 40-49 age group. This was state number 24 for Todd.

Another finisher of the marathon was Kansas City resident Greg Burress.   Greg finished in 3:59:34, placing 26th in the 40-49 age group.  Greg (Facebook page) is a Marathon Maniac who has been on a racing tear this year, almost making Todd look like a slacker.

The marathon was only marginally affected by the rainy weather system that stretched from Minnesota all the way to south Texas. There was only light rain or mist during the race, and temperatures hovered around 60°.

Full results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

CAN-AM POLICE-FIRE GAMES (posted May 24th)

(This was widely reported in the local media this past week, so I assume most of you are aware of it.   I'm posting it for those who may have missed it.)

The Can-Am Police-Fire Games (Facebook page) will be coming to the Lake of the Ozarks in 2018.  This is a big athletic event, and will be among the biggest we've ever hosted at the Lake.  Athletes from police and fire departments around the U.S. and Canada will be competing in 40-50 sporting events, including running, cycling, triathlon, etc. (According to the Facebook page, spouses are also eligible to participate.)

The Games will run from June 25th to July 1st, 2018. 

You can read one of the local news stories about the event here.

*   *   *   *   *

KANSAS CITY TRIATHLON (posted May 17th)

Congratulations to April Boicourt, who became the Lake area's newest triathlon finisher by crossing the finish line at the Kansas City Triathlon on Sunday (May 17th).   April finished the 500-meter swim (in very chilly 64° water in Longview Lake), 20K bike and 5K run in 2:12:57. That placed April sixteenth (of 23) in the women's 35-39 age group.

Here are her splits:

Swim (500 meters):     22:42 (4:33 per 100 meters)
T-1:                               7:51
Bike (12.4 miles):     1:08:43 (10.9 miles per hour)
T-2:                               1:48
Run (3.1 miles):          31:57 (10:19 per mile)
Finish:                      2:12:57

April raced and finished alongside Jamie Simpson, a close friend from Kansas City who raced with April last October at the Waddell & Reed Kansas City Half Marathon (April's first half), and more recently at the Bridge & Dam 10K.

*   *   *   *   *

CHALLENGE KNOXVILLE TRIATHLON (posted May 17th)

A harrowing downhill turn on wet pavement nearly led to a disastrous result for Denny Gillen at the Challenge Knoxville Triathlon in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday (May 17th).   As he described it, Denny left the roadway, went down an embankment, crossed a field, rode through a neighboring yard and ended up in a driveway before returning to the course.   (Denny apparently had more luck today than a Powerball winner.)

Denny exits T-2 and enters the run course.

Denny finished the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in 6:25:52, and was second (of four) in the 60-64 age group. Here are his splits (excluding transitions, which weren't reported):

Swim:        47:32   (2:15 per 100 yards)
Bike:       3:19:15   (16.8 mph; 2800 feet of climbing)
Run:        2:11:42  (10:03/mile)
Finish:     6:25:52

Despite the wet weather and brief off-road adventure, Denny knocked 17 minutes off of last year's finish time of 6:42:09.

    
Four of Denny's grandchildren were once again at the finish line to celebrate his finish, as they've done the past two years.  (Compare this photo to one taken in 2013 to see how the kids have grown.)  (All photos provided.) 

Full race results can be found here.

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DIVAS HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated May 6th)

The Divas Half Marathon & 5K national series of women-only events returned for a second year to Branson on Sunday (May 17th), and it once again attracted a large field, with a total of 1,539 participants.   A large contingent of runners and walkers from the Lake area were among them.   

Here are the results for our Lake-area participants. (If I missed anyone, please let me know.)

Full race results can be found here.

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SUGARLOAF MARATHON (posted May 17th)

Chalk up state number 23 in Todd Raney's multi-year quest to complete a marathon in every state. On Sunday (May 17th), Todd finished the Sugarloaf Marathon in Sugarloaf, Maine in 4:26:20, placing 38th in the men's 45-49 age group. This marathon also marks Todd's ninth so far in 2015.

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MISSOURI RACE SERIES - COLUMBIA (posted May 17th)

Columbia was the second stop in this year's seven-race Missouri Race Series.  A total of 33 and 44 runners competed in the 10-mile and 10K races, respectively, on Saturday (May 16th).

Eight Lake-area runners were among those competing. Just as they did at the series-opening race in Kansas City in March, Ashley Pryor and Heather Doyle finished 1-2 in the female 30-39 age group in the 10-mile race.

Marvin Bescheinen matched Heather stride-for-stride and finished in 1:25:23, but, remarkably, that only placed Marvin second (of four) in the male 60-69 age group.  A 66 year-old runner from Jefferson City, John Howland, ran a blistering 1:15:55 and took second overall in the 10-mile race. 

In the 10K race, David DeJarnette of Versailles took second overall and first (of 3) in the male 20-29 age group with a 44:47 finish.   David's is the fastest 10K finish for Lake-area men this year, beating out the 45:58 run by Nigher Alfaro Linn Creek earlier in the morning.

Click to view complete 10-mile and 10K race results.

The series travels to St. Louis on June 20th, and features a scenic course that starts downtown at Ballpark Village (next to Busch Stadium) and heads west to St. Louis University (the 10K turnaround) and Forest Park (10-mile turnaround).  (It's reminiscent of parts of the GO! St. Louis Marathon course.)  Here's the course map. 

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IMPACT MEDICAL MISSIONS 5K/10K WALK/RUN (posted May 17th)

A small but dedicated group of eleven runners and walkers braved the rain on Saturday to participate in the Impact Medical Missions 5K/10K Walk/Run in the Linn Creek Industrial Park. The fifth annual event was a fund-raiser for a medical and construction mission trip to the Dominican Republic this August.

In one of the most unusual set of results ever at a local race, every single participant was a first-place winner in his or her respective division.

Nigher Alfaro, who said before the race that he was just going to "take it easy" (yeah, right), ran the fastest 10K of the year for Lake-area men.   His 45:48 easily beat Todd Pasley's 50:07 recorded at the Bridge & Dam 10K.

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JOPLIN MEMORIAL RUN (posted May 17th)

Five Lake-area runners competed at the Joplin Memorial Half Marathon on Saturday (May 16th). 

This was Jim McDermott's fourth consecutive appearance at the race, which was renamed in 2012 to commemorate those who died in the devastating tornado that ripped through Joplin in May 2011.  In a virtual replay of last year's race, Jim finished in 1:47:37, again placing second (of 15 this year) in the 60-64 age group. Last year, he finished in a marginally faster 1:47:10.  (To show his remarkable consistency over the years, Jim finished in 1:48:30 and 1:48:34 in 2013 and 2012, respectively.) 

Randy Holtmeyer finished in 2:01:45, placing 32nd (of 79) in the men's 40-44 age group.

Scott Gray became the Lake area's newest half marathon finisher.  Scott finished in 3:10:13, placing 70th (of 72) in the 35-39 age group.  Scott's better half, Jayna Gray, placed 55th (of 130) in the female 35-39 age group with a 2:19:21 finish.

      
Jayna and Scott Gray.  The quote on their t-shirts--"Don't Give Up.  Don't Ever Give Up!"--is attributed to college basketball coach Jim Valvano (aka "Jimmy V"), who coached his North Carolina State team to an NCAA championship in 1983 despite long odds.  He died in 1993 at the age of 46.  (Photo provided.)

Scott Gladden of Lake Ozark stepped up from the 5K distance last year to compete in the half marathon this year.  Scott crossed the line in 2:25:24, placing 64th (of 79) in the 40-44 age group.

Full race results can be found here.

There were a total of 1,164 half marathon and 986 5K finishers in the race.  The half marathon total was up 37% from last year's 852.

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VINO FONDO (posted May 17th)

One of the Lake area's best cyclists, Dr. Scott Hofer, pedaled to a 4th place finish (among 13 men) in the 45-49 age group in the 104-mile "Mondo Fondo" race at the Vino Fondo on Saturday (May 16th).  The European-style gran fondo was held in Missouri's wine-making region west of St. Louis.

Scott finished the brutally hilly course--featuring 5,000 feet of climbing--in 5:58:24.  Of the 102 competitors, he placed 22nd overall. 

Full race results can be found here.

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MOTHER'S DAY 5K RUN/WALK FOR WOMEN (posted May 10th)

Four women from the Lake area were among 3,421 women who participated in the Mother's Day 5K Run/Walk for Women (Facebook page) in the Kansas City area on Sunday. It's billed as the only race for women, by women, in Kansas City. 

Here are their results:

The full race results can be found here.

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TA-TA TROT 5K RUN/WALK (updated May 11th)

An early morning thunderstorm that rolled through the Lake area cleared out in time for the fourth annual Ta-Ta Trot 5Kin Eldon on Saturday.  With 285 registered participants, the race once again lived up to its status as one of the largest 5Ks in the area. The race was organized by the "We Bleed Pink" team of Jayna Gray, Kari Salsman and Holly Thomas, and was a fund-raiser for the Avon 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer.  The ladies will be participating in the Avon 39 two-day, 39.3-mile walk in Santa Barbara, California on September 12-13.

Kai Collier took the overall men's victory by finishing in 20:01, and April Leonard led all women with a 23:49 finish.  Interestingly, in the four years of this event, it's had four different male and female winners.    

Scott Page passed along a few photos.

Kari Salsman passed along this cute photo.

Next year's Ta-Ta Trot will be on Saturday, May 14th.

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RUNNING WITH THE COWS HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated May 17th)

Congratulations to our six Lake-area finishers of Saturday's (May 9th) Running with the Cows Half Marathon in Bucyrus, Kansas.  Bucyrus is located about 20 miles south of Kansas City.

In a tight battle for local bragging rights, Alysia Maschino led our locals with a finish time of 2:03:00.  Three others finished within five minutes of Alysia--Willard Haley (2:04:05), Beth Coulter (2:05:44) and Jen Wiethop (2:07:27).  Desiree Milburn came in at 3:00:04, sacrificing her own race to wait and help a struggling Michelle Waters, who finished in 2:59:17.   Michelle was one of Desiree's LOTO Half Virgins Facebook group that set a goal of finishing their first half marathon at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 10K this past March.  (Michelle finished that race in 2:49:16.)

Our Platte City, Missouri running friend and part-time Lake resident Miki Schroeder finished in 2:33:20.

Running with the Cows was the third and final race in the Heartland 39.3 Series, which also includes the Garmin and Rock the Parkway half marathons.  Willard Haley, Desiree Milburn and Miki Schroeder finished all three races in the series.  Willard finish 167th (with a three-race combined time of 6:16:22) among 315 men; Miki (7:36:48) and Desiree (8:11:27) finished 330th and 400th, respectively, among 480 women.

Running with the Cows half marathon results are posted here.  5K results are here.

Participation in the half marathon declined slightly this year, with 1,587 finishers versus 1,679 last year.  The number of 5K finishers, however, rose, from 587 last year to 625 this year.      

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LAKE REGIONAL 5K FUN RUN/WALK (updated May 5th)

Saturday's Lake Regional 5K Fun Run/Walk was the biggest and best in the event's eight-year history.  Great weather, an excellent course, and newly-added race amenities--especially a post-race pancake breakfast--brought out a record crowd of 267 total participants, including 59 in the timed run. 

The event was a benefit for Lake Regional Hospital's Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Department, and some of the participants are current or former patients of that department.  Pictured below is one of them, Dan Lopez, who was also the very last walker to cross the finish line.   Looking at him, you'd never know that Dan has had six heart attacks, suffered two strokes, has had two stent procedures, and wears a pacemaker.   His Superman jersey was only fitting after his survival of so many serious emergencies.

 
Dan Lopez (aka "Superman"). 
That's Dan's mother in the photo at right.

Another great story from this event was the "I Can 5K!" group that made this their very first 5K.  The group was organized by Jennifer Newman, assistant manager of the hospital's cardiac rehab unit.

The "I Can 5K!" group, pictured minutes before the start.

While a first 5K may not seem that momentous, keep in mind that for many runners, their very first race was a 5K, and it got them hooked on a lifestyle of health and fitness.  It can also lead to taking on even bigger challenges.  (Take Todd Raney, for instance. Todd finished his first 5K in October 2003.  He was so out-of-breath during that race that he had to walk parts of it.  This weekend, he finished his thirtieth marathon.) We hope to see all of the "I Can 5K!" group at future races.

The overall male and female winners were David Prather of Camdenton and Elaine Mullahan of Montreal, in 19:11 and 22:24, respectively.  This was David's second Lake Regional victory, after winning in 18:56 in 2013 at the age of 15.  Elaine set a new women's course record, beating the 23:00 set last year by the very fast Melissa Martinez of Crocker.

   
Overall winners David Prather (whose long lead gave him the luxury of looking back until I could get my camera turned "on")
and Elaine Mullahan.

 
Left photo:  Reagan and Scott Page each took home hardware.  Reagan won the women's 13-18 age group, finishing in 26:02.  Scott ran a personal best 5K of 21:38 and took second in the men's 40-49 age group.  Right photo:  Nigher Alfaro won the 40-49 age group by finishing in 19:39--18 seconds behind overall winner David Prather.  Two years ago, he was 1:21 behind David.

Margie Gunter and Eric Newman.at the starting line.  
(Margie later asked if I was the creepy guy stalking women runners in the Osage Beach area recently.   Gee, thanks alot, Margie!
  And, for the record, it's not me!)

   
Left photo: 68 year-old Thom Wilkins from Lebanon was second overall in 2013 (after finishing in 19:13). Despite being "out of shape" this year following an ankle injury last year, he still finished in 23:09 and easily won the 60+ age group.   Right photo: Paula O'Connor and Lawson Barclay gave me grief for (falsely) claiming I called them "old" when reporting on their overall victories at the Run for the Beach 5K last month.

Hundreds of additional photos, including the one pictured below, can be viewed by clicking here. 

The complete race results can be found here.

A huge thanks goes to the staff at Lake Regional, the volunteers and the sponsors for putting on a fantastic event. Jennifer Newman deserves special recognition, not only for recruiting and mentoring the "I Can 5K!" group, but for spearheading the improvements that have now made this among the best 5Ks in the Lake area.

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FLYING PIG MARATHON (posted May 3rd)

Another week, another marathon, and another state for Todd Raney.  On Sunday, Todd finished the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio in 4:26:32, placing 144th (of 257) in the male 45-49 age group. This was Todd's eighth marathon so far in 2015, and Ohio marks state number 22 in his 50-state quest.   Next up for Todd: The Sugarloaf Marathon in Maine on May 17th.

Full results can be found here.

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TRIZOU TRIATHLON (posted May 3rd)

Four Lake-area athletes traveled to Columbia this weekend for Sunday's TriZou Triathlon (400-meter pool swim, 14-mile bike, 3-mile run) and DuZou Duathlon (1-mile run, 7-mile bike, 1-mile run).

Jim McDermott and Amy Harrell competed in the triathlon, and improved their finish times and age-group placings over last year.  Jim came very close to winning the male 60-64 age group, crossing the finish line a mere 14 seconds behind the winner. 

Curtis Wehmeyer and Chad Van Buren competed in the duathlon--one month after doing their first duathlon at MaxTrax in Columbia.

Here are their results and splits:

Full results can be found here.

There were 484 triathlon and 73 duathlon finishers this year compared to 536 and 63, respectively, in 2014.

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TRAIL TO A CURE RIDE/WALK/RUN (posted May 3rd)

Willard Haley ran his sixth half marathon in seven weeks on Saturday (it could have been seven, if not for Easter weekend) at the Trail to a Cure Ride/Walk/Run in Rocheport.  The multi-distance cycling, walking and running events (only the running events are timed) are held on the scenic Katy Trail.

Willard finished in 2:18:40.  Results weren't reported by age group, as there were just 25 half marathon participants.  Nevertheless, Willard finished third among five males age 50 and over.  (Remarkably, a 73 year-old male took third overall, finishing in 2:07:08.)

Willard plans to run in next Saturday's popular Running with the Cows Half Marathon in Bucyrus, Kansas.   RWTC is the third and final race in the Heartland 39.3 Series.

Full results can be found here.

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RUN FOR THE CHILDREN HALF MARATHON (updated April 27th)

To the welcome relief of 36 competitors, the rain that had threatened to spoil Saturday's (April 25th) third annual Run for the Children Half Marathon managed to hold off until everyone had just left for home.  Ten minutes later, a chilly, hard rain fell on Eldon. (It was the exact opposite of the situation at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon, when the snowflakes that had been falling all morning finally stopped the very minute that the mile 5 aid station had finished packing up.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.)

Nigher Alfaro's post on the Lake Area Runners Facebook page the night before the race suggested that he wasn't planning to return to defend last year's overall victory.  That post was quickly discovered to be a ruse when he showed up and registered on race morning.

Nigher wiped out others' pre-race hopes for glory by finishing in 1:37:28 and claiming his second consecutive overall victory.  He finished over six minutes ahead of his nearest rival (and fellow 40-49 age grouper), Scott Page.

After finishing fourth in 2013 and second last year, Alisha Eldridge took home the overall women's win. Alisha finished in 1:48:51, about a half-minute ahead of Leah Schuster of San Diego, California.  Last year's overall women's winner, Janes Barnes, ran side-by-side this year with fellow Jefferson City runner Vicki Lyskowski, and finished in 2:09:17.

Overall women's and men's champions,
Alisha Eldridge and Nigher Alfaro.

Click for the overall and age group results as posted on the Split-Second Timing website.

Results and finish line photos were also posted by Split-Second Timing at the ItsYourRace.com website.

As always, there were some great stories coming out of this race.

The youngest competitor was 18 year-old Jeffrey Schootman from O'Fallon, Missouri. This was Jeffrey's first half marathon, and he finished in 2:00:59.  At the opposite end of the age spectrum, two 63 year-olds, Marvin "the Marvel" Bescheinen and Bill Johnson finished in 1:53:22 and 2:32:13, respectively.  This was only Marvin's second half marathon; his first was at Bridge & Dam last month.

Going into the race, Randy Holtmeyer was aiming for a 1:50:00 finish.  He hung with our local go-to guys for pacing, Scott Page and Rob Kucsik.  Scott took off a few miles in when he sensed a possible PR of his own (he succeeded, finishing in 1:44:03), so Randy and Rob ran together the rest of the way.  They cut it close (really close!), with Randy finishing in 1:49:51, a new personal record.

With thirteen runners--more than a third of all participants--the women's 31-40 age group was the largest and most competitive group in the race.   The total race field consisted of 20 women and 16 men.

Roughly half of the women's 31-40 age group running together at the 1.5-mile mark.  Pictured, left to right:  Jayna Gray, Kari Salsman (in only her second half marathon), Mandy Asbury (in red, directly behind Kari), Shanna Stark (another second-time half marathoner), Leslie Verslues (in yellow), Amy Snelling and April Boicourt.

A race report wouldn't be complete without at least one photo of Margie Gunter who, after finishing her shift as an EMT at the Miller County Ambulance station, came out to volunteer as a course monitor and cheer us on.  (Despite repeated pleas from at least one suffering runner, she refused to give up her bike.  Mean Margie!)

Many more photos from the race can be viewed by clicking here.

Some random race notes:

Race-time temperatures ranged from 61-64°. Skies were mostly cloudy, with south winds from 6-12 mph.

The cooler, gloomier weather was probably to blame for the very few spectators seen along the course this year.  Scott Gray helped make up for it by driving all over town to cheer for us at multiple locations.

Amy Harrell said she loved the new GO! St. Louis Marathon course, so if you're considering that race in the future, don't blindly accept my negative opinion of it.

One popular addition to the race this year were the hot dogs served afterward.  The cook was surprised by the demand for them.  (I tried to explain that, after consuming nothing but carbohydrates before and during a long race, the body craves fats and protein.)

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NEW JERSEY MARATHON (posted April 26th)

State number 21 is in the books. Todd Raney scratched New Jersey off his 50-state list on Sunday (April 26th) by finishing the New Jersey Marathon.   Todd crossed in 4:15:02, placing 87th (of 134) in the 45-49 age group.

Todd Raney at the finish line along the Jersey coast.
(Click on photo for a larger image.  Photo provided.)

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TROLLEY RUN (posted April 26th)

The 27th annual Trolley Run, benefiting the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired, was held on Sunday (April 26th) in Kansas City, and once again it brought out a big field (6,813 finishers this year) with some of the state's fastest runners for this four-mile race. 

The Gillen gang: Denny, Tim, Joey and Josh.
(Click on photo for a larger image. Photo provided.)  

Our own Denny Gillen was there with one of his sons, Tim, and grandsons Josh and Joey.  Denny led the Gillen clan, finishing in 29:31 (7:23 per mile), knocking nearly two minutes off of last year's 31:25, and placing 7th (of 112) in the 60-64 age group.  Denny's reign as the family's running king may not last many more years, though, as eleven (or twelve) year-old Josh finished in 35:46, about 35 minutes faster than last year.  Here are the Gillens' results: 

Full race results can be found here.  If I missed any Lake-area runners, please let me know.

The men's race was a near photo finish, with the winner crossing the line two seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, in 19:17--a remarkable pace of 4:50 per mile.

Lindsey McDonald, who finished five seconds behind women's winner Lizzy Handschy at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon last month, won the women's 20-24 age group (over 233 other competitors) with a finish time of 23:31 (5:53/mile).  

Lindsey McDonald (left) and Lizzy Handschy
at mile 4.9 of the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon.

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FRISCO RAILROAD RUN (posted April 25th)

Congratulations to our four Lake-area runners who competed at the Ozark Greenways/Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners' Frisco Railroad Run (50-Mile/50K/Marathon/Half Marathon/8K/Relay) in Willard on Saturday (April 25th).

Meagan Carroll of Eldon finished the 50K in 7:10:56, placing third (of three) in the female 20-29 age group.

Jim McDermott ran the marathon, finishing in 4:04:12 and winning the male 60-69 age group over four other competitors.

In the half marathon, Tammara Vitelli and Pat Walters, both of Camdenton, finished in 2:06:08 and 3:41:34, respectively.  Tammara placed 12th (of 43) in the 30-39 age group; Pat placed 5th (of 9) in the 60-69 age group.

Full race results can be found here.

A further search of the race results turns up at least one other runner whose name is familiar to many of us in the Lake area.  The phenomenal Melissa Martinez of Crocker, who ran the GO! St. Louis Marathon just two weeks ago (and the Bridge & Dam Half two weeks before that), ran Frisco's 50-mile race.  Melissa won the 40-49 age group (over three others) with a time of 9:14:52.

The Frisco Railroad Run managed to do what few other events have been able to do this year--increase participation over last year.  It did so in nearly every race distance, as well.   Here are the numbers:

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ILLINOIS MARATHON (posted April 25th)

Congratulations to the Lake area's brand-new marathon finisher, Curtis Wehmeyer.  Curtis finished the Illinois Marathon in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois on Saturday (April 25th), and he ran an outstanding race.  Many runners encounter problems in their first marathon, but Curtis apparently had none.  He left himself with a pretty tough time to beat in the future. 

Curtis finished in 3:51:42 and placed 54th (of 107) in the male 40-44 age group.  (This also marks the fastest marathon finish among Lake-area men so far this year.)

The weather was lousy.  The temperature held steady at 50°, but there was light rain, plus winds of 12-22 mph, throughout the morning.

Like many of our local runners, Curtis has come a long way in just a few years.  I believe he only started running in 2012, and did his first half marathon at the inaugural Run for the Children Half Marathon in 2013.  Earlier this month, he completed his first duathlon (run-bike-run), and this summer he's contemplating his first triathlon.

   
Curtis Wehmeyer, pictured (left) at the Run for the Children Half Marathon in 2013, and (right) at the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon on March 28, 2015, where he finished in 1:49:15.
(Click on photos for larger images.)

Just in case any of our Lake-area runners know them, two (fast) runners from Lebanon, Jamie Vest and Joy Weis, finished the half marathon in 1:29:40 and 1:41:25, respectively.

Full Illinois Marathon race results can be found here.

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KENTUCKY DERBY MINIMARATHON (posted April 25th)

After skipping the 2014 race, Alysia Maschino and Beth Coulter returned to Louisville, Kentucky this weekend to again compete in the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon (i.e. half marathon).  Both placed in the top 20% of their respective age groups.

Alysia finished in 1:53:33, placing 56th (of 797) in the female 40-44 age group.  Beth came in soon after, finishing in 2:02:48, placing 207th (of 1,052) in the female 35-39 age group. 

The storm system moving across the Midwest brought light rain and cool, 50° temperatures to the race.

Extraordinary performances were turned in by both the men's and women's winners of the miniMarathon.  They set new course records--1:01:44 for the men (a pace of 4:42 per mile) and 1:12:07 for the women (5:30 per mile).  It was a sprint to the finish for the men--the second place finisher crossed the line just 2-1/2 seconds behind the winner.

Full race results can be found here.

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BUBBLE & GLOW LEAP 5K & 1-MILE FUN RUN/WALK (posted April 25th)

A huge crowd of runners and walkers--certainly the largest we've seen at a local event this year--turned out for Eldon Middle School's Bubble & Glow L.E.A.P. 5K/1-Mile on Friday night.

Scott Gray passed along a couple photos, and the size of the gathering was a real eye-opener. Your guess is as good as mine as to how many were there, but I'm guessing 300-400 participants.

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GO GIRL RUN SPRINGFIELD HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated April 27th)

Congratulations to our four Lake-area runners who competed at Sunday's (April 19th) Go Girl Run Springfield Half Marathon & 5K.  

Sondra Ellis of Richland won the 30-34 age group by finishing in 1:42:13, ahead of 97 other competitors.

Benefiting from aging-up this year was Angela Martin, who ran a 2:01:16 (19 seconds faster than last year) and placed 7th (of 79) in the 45-49 age group.

Here are the results for Lake-area runners:

The overall winner of the half marathon was former Missouri State University basketball standout Jackie Stiles.  She won in 1:25:49, nearly 8 minutes ahead of her nearest competitor.

Participation was down from last year, which in turn was down from the inaugural race in 2013.  Here are the totals:

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RUN FOR THE BEACH 5K RUN/WALK (updated April 18th)

The starting line, on the Bagnell Dam Strip.
(Click to view a larger image.)

About twenty-five runners and walkers turned out on Saturday for the Kiwanis Club of Ozark Coast's tenth annual Run for the Beach 5K Run/Walk in Lake Ozark. The event raises funds for the Kiwanis' effort to provide emergency assistance to children and families in the Lake area.

With none of the young, fast Lake-area runners in attendance, Paula O'Connor and Lawson Barclay were the overall female and male winners.  Finish times were slow for everyone, as the course was longer than 3.1 miles.  (One runner's GPS watch registered 3.4 miles.)

   
Overall female and male winners Paula O'Connor
and Lawson Barclay.

You can view the rest of the race photos here.  (Be sure to check out the irony in photo #46.)

Here are the top two finishers in each age group:

Casey O'Connor, who hasn't raced since setting an all-time local 5K record of 16:05 at the Give 'Em The Bird 5K in November 2013, stopped by the race while on his bicycle. Last year, Casey rode his bike out to California. This year, he'll be riding to Texas and then on to the East Coast. Don't be surprised if he sets his sights on doing a long-distance bike race some day.

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GARMIN MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, 10K & MARATHON RELAY (posted April 18th)

Three Lake-area runners, plus frequent Lake visitor Miki Schroeder, competed in the Garmin Half Marathon in Olathe, Kansas, on Saturday (April 18th).

Here are their results:

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GO! ST. LOUIS MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & MARATHON RELAYS (updated April 19th)

For those of us from the Lake area, the biggest story at this year's GO! St. Louis Marathon & Half Marathon was Eldon runner Lizzy Handschy finishing second among 583 women in the marathon. This was Lizzy's very first marathon, and she finished in an extraordinary 2:57:04. It was the fastest marathon ever run by a Lake-area runner, and easily meets the Boston Marathon qualifying standard of 3:35:00 for Lizzy's age group.   Lizzy finished second to her friend and running mate, Andrea Karl of St. Louis, who crossed the line in 2:54:29.   (Andrea has only competed in two marathons, and won them both.)   Congratulations, Lizzy!

Lizzy was one of seven runners from the Lake area who competed at GO! St. Louis this year.  Their results are listed below.

Two other runners familiar to us were also spotted at the race.   Heather Gardner, a frequent Lake weekender from O'Fallon (she was at the Summer Night Glow 5K last year), finished her very first marathon, in 5:30:24, placing 80th (of 91) in the 35-39 age group.  From Crocker, Melissa Martinez (Facebook page), who had a Team 413 booth at the race expo and who organizes the Frog Hill Half Marathon in Waynesville, ran a speedy 3:38:26 marathon.

Below is one of 85 photos taken during the race. Click here to view this and the other photos in the gallery.

This was the fifteenth anniversary for the GO! St. Louis Marathon (known up until 2008 as the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon).   The course was changed dramatically this year, adding--for the first time--a short segment in Illinois that called for use of the Eads and Martin Luther King Bridges over the Mississippi River, while eliminating the sections in the suburban communities of Clayton and University City used in every previous marathon. The organizers' goal was to offer a flatter and more scenic course.

Frankly, in my opinion, the course was not much flatter (no data was ever published to say by how much), and--at least for the marathoners--the course was less scenic, not more, as it added miles in commercial and industrial areas at the expense of nice, suburban neighborhoods. More importantly, the course change resulted in far fewer spectators along the course, with the only crowds pretty much limited to the start/finish area. In my thirteen years of running this marathon, I don't recall seeing so few spectators except in the few cold and/or rainy years.  We used to see wonderful crowds cheering us on near Washington University, through Clayton, and along the Delmar Loop.  Those crowds are gone.

To be fair, and to my surprise, I was told by a GO! St. Louis official that a course change was essentially dictated by the City of St. Louis.  The City is not going to allow the closing of parts of Forest Park Blvd. after the new (and massive) IKEA store is completed later this year.  Forest Park Blvd. has always been a critical section of the full and half marathon course.  Without the ability to close it, a major course change was required.

Despite all of the promotion and hoopla ("two states, two bridges") about the new course, GO! St. Louis suffered yet another decline in participation.  (Weather surely wasn't a factor, as the weather for this year's race was clearly among the best we've ever had.)  The total number of full and half marathon finishers was down 17%.  From the peak year of 2011, the number of GO! St. Louis finishers has now dropped a dramatic 43%.  The drop in the number of marathon participants, from 1,657 last year to 1,373 this year, is particularly important since it gets harder to justify the much higher cost (for the revenue received) from offering a marathon, compared to a half marathon, as attendance drops. (Keep in mind that Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis has eliminated the marathon option for 2015, as the number of marathoners declined from 3,375 in 2011 to 1,200 in 2014). The GO! St. Louis organization has some serious thinking to do.

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BIG PARTY HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated April 13th)

Six of our Lake-area runners made the drive to Springfield on Saturday (April 11th) to participate in the third annual Big Party Half Marathon & 5K.  The event benefits Camp Barnabas, a wonderful organization that provides Christian camping experiences to people with special needs and to their siblings.  A total of 342 runners competed in the half marathon, and another 244 in the 5K, making this the largest turnout in the race's short history.

Jim McDermott finished the half marathon in 1:45:45--his fastest half marathon in just over a year--and placed second (of 11) in the male 60-and-over age group.

Kristin Jones of Sunrise Beach did the 5K, finishing in 44:01 and placing 18th (of 34) in the female 40-49 age group.

A Lake-area relay team consisting of Curtis Wehmeyer, Casey Wehmeyer, Chuck Pitts and Nigher Alfaro won the four-person relay division (over four other competitors) with a winning time of 1:44:32.

Full results can be found here.

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WESTERN MARYLAND RAIL TRAIL MARATHON (posted April 12th)

Todd Raney was in Hancock, Maryland on Sunday (April 12th) to compete in the Western Maryland Rail Trail Marathon & Half Marathon, and to make that state number 20 in his 50-state marathon quest.

Despite pre-race thoughts of taking it easy, Todd instead ran hard and finished in 3:58:53, making this his fastest marathon finish since last November.  It also marks the fastest marathon finish among Lake-area men thus far in 2015. 

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ROCK THE PARKWAY HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted April 11th)

Five Lake-area runners traveled to Kansas City for Saturday's (April 11th) Rock the Parkway Half Marathon & 5K.   The total was down sharply from twenty runners last year.  

The half marathon had a record number of finishers--4,956 (barely beating the previous record of 4,930 set last year)--making this one of the few half marathons in the state that's still growing in popularity. (The number of 5K finishers, though, has been dropping substantially.)

Denny Gillen led all Lake-area runners in the half marathon, finishing in an outstanding 1:46:52 and placing 7th (of 57) in the male 60-62 age group.

Angela Martin was our next fastest, crossing the line in 2:01:17, placing 60th (of 267) in the female 45-49 age group.

Here are the full results:

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MAXTRAX DUATHLON (posted April 4th)

Congratulations to Curtis Wehmeyer and Chad Van Buren for finishing their first duathlon (run/bike/run) at the MaxTrax Duathlon in Columbia on Saturday.  Curtis and Chad competed in the short course race that featured a 1.5-mile run, 7.5-mile bike, and 1.5-mile run.

Curtis finished second (of seven) in the male 40-44 age group.  Chad finished sixth in that group.  Here are their splits:

Full results can be found here.

The long slide in participation at MaxTrax finally ended this year, although it was barely above last year's.

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HAVIN' A CRAPPIE DAY 5K/1-MILE (posted April 4th)

Congratulations to Randy Holtmeyer, who traveled to Stockton State Park northwest of Springfield to take second place (against eight other competitors) in the male 40-49 age group at Saturday's Havin' a Crappie Day 5K.  Randy finished in 23:10.

Randy also took third overall (among 45 competitors) in the 1-mile race, finishing in 6:51.   The combination of the finish times in the two races gave Randy a third-place overall finish in the Crappie Day Challenge, which had 23 competitors.

Full results can be found here.

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BRIDGE AND DAM HALF MARATHON & 10K (updated April 2nd)

Judging from all the smiles on the course, snow flurries didn't dampen the spirits of those participating in the inaugural Bridge and Dam Half Marathon & 10K (Facebook page) on Saturday (March 28th).  A total of 198 runners competed in the half marathon, and another 75 in the 10K, easily making these races the largest of these distances ever held in the Lake area.  Even more impressive is that a stunning 70% of the runners came from outside the Lake area, and they represented a total of ten states. It's safe to say that we've never had so many out-of-town and/or elite runners at a Lake-area race.

The overall half marathon male and female winners were the phenomenal, 55 year-old Gerald Holtmeyer of Bonnots Mill, Missouri, in 1:22:22, and Eldon's Lizzy Handschy, in 1:23:10.   Lizzy's finish is the fastest half marathon ever recorded by a Lake-area woman, and is believed to be faster than that recorded by any Lake-area male runner as well.   She crossed the finish line just five seconds ahead of the second-place female, Lindsey McDonald.

The 10K was won by Todd Pasley of Linn Creek (50:07) and Cristan Rayl of Kansas City (54:03).

Full results can be found here.  

Here are links to photos taken or posted by:

Jacob Carola of CarolaPix (more photos)

Photography by ROMA

Lake News Online

Finish line photos by Sarah McKenzie Photography

A special congratulations goes to those listed below who completed their very first half marathon or 10K at this race.  This course was nothing but hills, and finishing it makes your achievement that much more special. (If your name should be added to the list below, please let me know.)

We also had at least two runners who set personal records, despite the hilly course.  Jayna Gray finished the half marathon in 2:17:18, beating by nine minutes her previous best of 2:26:24 set at the Run for the Children in 2013. Randy Holtmeyer's finish time of 1:50:29 was also a PR.  Randy's previous best was a 1:54:47 at last October's Frog Hill Half Marathon in Waynesville--another very hilly race.  Randy was paced along by Scott Page, who's becoming our local go-to guy for race pacing.

A huge pat-on-the-back goes to Alysia Maschino, who last year had the vision to create this race as a benefit for the for the non-profit Missouri Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and then spent many months organizing it.  Alysia's long list of able volunteers also deserve a great deal of thanks for their outstanding support on race day.

Alysia appeared on KRMS-AM 1150 one week later to talk about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 10K.   Click here to listen to an audio recording of all but the first 10 minutes of the interview.

Miscellaneous race notes:

A total of 66 Lake-area runners participated in the race, broken out as follows:

New marks were set for the fastest half marathon and 10K times for both Lake-area men and women so far in 2015:

Women - Half marathon:  Lizzy Handschy (1:23:10)
Women - 10K:                  April Boicourt (56:00)
Men - Half marathon:       Alex Keith (1:34:02)
Men - 10K:                       Todd Pasley (50:07)

The above photo is one of 72 photos taken at or near the aid station at the 5-mile mark, and can be viewed here.

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THE HOGEYE MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & RELAYS (posted March 30th)

Congratulations to Lake-area runner Stephanie Weaver for finishing 11th (of 85) in her 30-34 age group at Sunday's (March 29th) Hogeye Half Marathon in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Stephanie crossed the finish line in 1:56:28.

Race results are linked on the race's homepage, although the marathon results haven't yet been posted as of Monday night.

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TOMOKA MARATHON (posted March 29th)

Chalk up state number 19 in Todd Raney's multi-year quest to run a marathon in every state. On Sunday, Todd scratched "Florida" off his list as he and Pete Russo ran the Tomoka Marathon in Ormond Beach, Florida. The weather was unusually mild for the east coast of central Florida, with temperatures ranging from the mid 40s to low 60s during the race. That helped Todd run his fastest marathon of the year, finishing in 4:01:14, and placing ninth (of 30) in the 45-49 age group.

Pete Russo finished with a personal marathon best of 4:29:19, while placing 14th in the 45-49 age group.

Full results can be found here.

   
At the finish line:  Todd Raney, and eight year-old Abigail Osness who crossed the line in 5:21:04. (Photos provided.)

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BADGE OF HONOR BENEFIT RUN (posted March 28th)

Congratulations to our four local runners who competed in the inaugural Badge of Honor Benefit Run half marathon & 10K/5K in Poplar Bluff on Saturday (March 28th).

In the 5K, Anita Leyva won the female 45-49 age group over four other competitors, finishing in 26:58.

In the half marathon, Pete Leyva led our local finishers with a 1:42:45 finish time. That placed Pete second (of five) in the male 50-54 age group. Matt Rice of Camdenton finished in 1:52:42, placing fourth (of ten) in the 35-39 age group. In the 30-34 age group, Bobby Allison of Eldon placed third (of four) with a 1:58:45 finish.

Full results can be found here.

The race had a total of 53 half marathon finishers, and 26 and 57, respectively, in the 10K and 5K.

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MISSOURI RACE SERIES - KANSAS CITY (posted March 22nd)

The first race in the brand-new, eight-race Missouri Race Series was held in Kansas City on Saturday (March 21st). A total of 105 runners participated, including 50 in the 10-mile race, and 55 in the 10K.

Four Lake-area runners were among those competing. Notably, Ashley Pryor and Heather Doyle finished 1-2 in the female 30-39 age group in the 10-mile race. 

Click to view complete race results for men and women.

One interesting name among the 10K finishers is that of former Missouri state auditor, Susan Montee.  She raced with her son, 25 year-old Austin Montee.

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SEDALIA HALF MARATHON & 5K (updated March 25th)

Five of our Lake-area runners competed at last Saturday's (March 21st) Sedalia Half Marathon & 5K.   Jim McDermott led the group with a 1:48:07 finish.  That was the fastest half marathon finish for a Lake-area runner this year, beating the previous best set by Jim one week earlier. Willard Haley beat last year's finish time by the slimmest of margins--one second.

Full results can be found here. There were 111 half marathon finishers. That's down from 140 last year, and the smallest total since 2011, when there were 110 finishers.

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ELDON TAKEDOWN TEAM 5K RUN/WALK (updated March 22nd)

The overall male and female winners at Saturday's Eldon Takedown Team 5K were Matt Rice (in 21:20) and Alisha Eldridge (in 21:52). For Alisha, that marked two overall victories in two consecutive weeks, after winning last week's St. Patrick's Day 5K in 21:38.

The list of top finishers in each age group can be found here.

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FORT LEONARD WOOD SHAMROCK SHUFFLE 5K/10K (posted March 16th)

Fort Leonard Wood has races that oftentimes aren't well-publicized, even though they're open to the public.  On Saturday, the Fort held their Shamrock Shuffle 5K/10K.

Lake-area runner Randy Holtmeyer ran the 10K, finishing in 50:20, placing fourth (of six) in the male 40-44 age group.

Randy's was the fastest 10K turned in by a local runner so far this year.

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ST. PATRICK'S DAY 5K RUN/WALK (updated March 15th)

Approximately 75 runners and walkers turned out on a breezy, cool, and overcast morning for Saturday's (March 14th) St. Patrick's Day 5K Run/Walk in Eldon.

  
At the starting line. (Click on a photo for larger image.)

The overall male winner was Shawn Wood, in a finish time of 18:51.  This was Shawn's first St. Pat's victory, in what's believed to be his first St. Pat's race.  His finish time was the fastest since Casey O'Connor's St. Pat's record time of 17:16 in 2012.

For the second year in a row, Alisha Eldridge was the overall female winner.  Alisha finished in 21:38.  That was about a minute slower than her winning time of 20:48 in 2014, but in line with her finish times in 2012 and 2013.

     
Left:  Alisha Eldridge, the overall female winner.
Right: Four year-old Haven, who finished in an impressive 38:xx.

Click to download results for top finishers in each age group in .docx or .pdf format.

Here are some photos from the race.

Left:  Margie Gunter re-enacts her finish line celebration.  (No race report would be complete without a photo of Margie.)
Right:  Megan Rice won her age group for the third year in a row.  Megan learned that eating a big slice of pizza and eight mini-buns the night before a race isn't a very good idea, but she still managed to knock more than a minute off of last year's time.

Left:  Corey and April Boicourt. April became the Lake area's newest first-time marathon finisher two weeks ago at the Little Rock Marathon.
Right:  Part-time Lake resident Lawson Barclay has driven in from Macomb, Illinois to race the St. Pat's 5K every year since at least 2009.

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LUCKY 13.1 HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted March 14th)

Congratulations to Jim McDermott for an outstanding 1:48:22 finish at the Lucky 13.1 Half Marathon in Peculiar, Missouri, on Saturday (March 14th).   (His finish time was a minute faster than last year, when he crossed in 1:49:21.)  Jim was the only competitor in the male 60-64 age group, and thus took home a victory by default.

Jim now owns the fastest half marathon finish time among Lake-area runners thus far in 2015.

Full results can be found here.  There were 96 finishers of the half marathon.  That was down from last year's 115, and continues a downward trend from a peak of 144 finishers in 2011.

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MICHELOB ULTRA ST. PATRICK'S DAY RUN (posted March 14th)

One of the Lake area's fastest runners, Lizzy Handschy, was a no-show at the St. Patrick's Day 5K in Eldon on Saturday, and for good reason: She was trouncing nearly the entire field at the 37th Annual Michelob Ultra St. Patrick's Day Run in downtown St. Louis.   With 7,549 finishers, this 5-mile race is one of the biggest and most competitive running races in the state. 

Lizzy crossed the line in 29:41 (a blistering pace of 5:52 per mile), placing 32nd among all 7,549 finishers, 3rd among all 4,283 females, and 3rd (of 341) among females in the 21-24 age group.

Two other Lake-area runners competed in the race.  Betsy Stahlhuth of Lake Ozark finished in 39:13, placing 26th (of 749) in the female 25-29 age group.  Becky Panchot of Eldon finished in 1:11:09, knocking 21 minutes off last year's finish time of 1:32:18.  That placed Becky 135th (of 201) in the female 55-59 age group.

The overall race winner for the second year in a row was Matt O'Connor of St. Louis.  He won in 24:43, a pace of 4:57 per mile.   The top female was Margo Richardson, also of St. Louis, who ran a 28:45.

Full results can be found here.

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DUBLIN'S PASS SHAMROX 15K/5K/BEER MILE (posted March 14th)

Congratulations to Angela Martin for placing 3rd (of 30) in her 45-49 age group at Saturday's Dublin's Pass ShamRox 15K in Springfield. Angela finished in 1:20:05, a pace of 8:37 per mile.

Full results can be found here.

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HOLY INFANT SHAMROCK SHUFFLE 5K (posted March 8th)

Congratulations to Ron Rosner of Lake Ozark for finishing 14th overall (of 432 participants) at Holy Infant Catholic Church's Shamrock Shuffle 5K in the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin on Saturday. Ron finished in 22:09, and was fourth in the male 40-49 age group to cross the line.

Full results are here.

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RUN HARD COLUMBIA MARATHON (posted March 8th)

After a string of four, slow (for him) marathons, Todd Raney ran his fastest marathon since November--and the fastest of any Lake-area runner so far in 2015--at the Run Hard Columbia Marathon in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday (March 8th). Todd's 4:02:11 placed him 17th in the male 45-49 age group.

Full marathon results are here.

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LITTLE ROCK MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K (posted March 1st)

Congratulations to April Boicourt, Ashley Pryor and Heather Doyle for finishing Sunday's (March 1st) Little Rock Marathon. It was April's first full marathon, after completing her first half marathon only last October in Kansas City. The three ran together and at a remarkably consistent pace for the entire distance.

   


Left to right:  Heather Doyle, April Boicourt and Ashley Pryor.   This year's Little Rock Marathon had a pirate theme.
  (Photos provided.)

April finished in 4:42:47 and placed 59th (of 186) in the 30-34 age group. Ashley was 61st in that age group.  Heather competed in the 35-39 age group, and placed 50th (of 230).  (Finish times for Ashley and Heather were about 20 seconds slower than April's due to starting in a corral slightly closer to the starting line.) 

Once again, weather was part of the story of the Little Rock Marathon.  Last year, an approaching thunderstorm led to many runners being told mid-race that the race had been stopped, and to leave the course.  (The miscommunication led to some very hard feelings.)   This year, intermittent rain and chilly temperatures in the mid 30s made for a tough day for the runners.  (It could have been worse.  Freezing rain had fallen for a short time overnight in Little Rock.)  

Full results can be found here.

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POLAR BEAR STRUT 5K RUN/WALK (updated March 1st)

History of sorts was made at the 14th annual Polar Bear Strut on Saturday (February 28th) as the overall male and female winners were exactly the same for the third consecutive year. It's rare for a runner to win more than two years in a row at a Lake-area race.  It's never happened before for both the male and female winner to do so three years straight.

Nigher Alfaro and Tessa Weber were the overall winners in 20:49 and 22:51, respectively.  Their finish times were also their slowest for this race the past three years.

      
Overall winners Nigher Alfaro and Tessa Weber. 
Tessa holds the course record of 21:08, set in 2014.

A total of 79 runners and walkers finished the race, and a total of $8,200 was raised for Special Olympics Missouri.

Race director Pete Leyva, who finished fourth overall (in 24:26) and was the top male law enforcement finisher, gives the pre-race instructions.

Seven of the Strutters were also Super Plungers, who raised a minimum of $2,000 each for Special Olympics Missouri to plunge into the 38° waters of the Lake of the Ozarks once each hour for twenty-four hours straight.

Turnout for the race was no doubt hurt by a snowstorm that began while the race was underway, and the coldest conditions for the Strut in years, with a temperature of 23° and a wind chill of 15° at the start. Thanks to all who were able to make it, especially the Strut "regulars"--the Jolly Rogers gang and the Waynesville Frosty Felines.

You never know what the weather will be for the Polar Bear Strut.

A huge thanks goes to Pete Leyva of the Osage Beach Police Department, his able assistants (including Anita Leyva and the race-timing crew of Gary and Ellen Thompson), the volunteers and Special Olympics Missouri for yet another great event.  The Strut is not only one of the oldest local running events, but it's also consistently one of our best because of Pete's leadership.  (Pete is the only race director the Strut has had since it debuted in 2002.)

Complete race results can be view by order of finish or by division.

Many more race photos can be found here.

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ROCHEPORT ROUBAIX (posted February 15th)

The inaugural Rocheport Roubaix bicycle race went on as scheduled on Sunday (February 15th) despite temperatures in the teens and a wind chill near zero. As a result of the bitter cold, the turn-out was probably far less than what Ultramax Sports had hoped, but sixty hard-core cyclists braved the cold to compete in one of four race distances offered.

Chris Orr was the lone Lake-area cyclist at the race. Chris competed in the 70-mile race, finishing in 6:07:42 and placing 19th of 26 overall.

The 70-mile race was won by the slimmest of margins. Petey Botts, in the male 16-19 age group, finished one second ahead of his close challenger, in 4:14:04. The final finisher of the 70-mile race crossed the line in 7:00:33.

Full results can be found here.

Here are the number of finishers for each race:

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AUSTIN MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (posted February 15th)

Congratulations to Denny Gillen for "managing to pull off a finish", as he puts it, at Sunday's (February 15th) Austin Marathon in the Lone Star State.  Denny's outstanding finish time of 4:06:57 placed him 10th (of 47) in the male 60-64 age group, and represents the fastest marathon finish among Lake-area runners so far this year.

This marks the sixteenth state in which Denny has completed a marathon.

Stella and Denny Gillen, with Denny's sister, Mary (right).
(Click on photo for larger image. Photo provided.)

Check out the Garmin data captured by Denny's 920XT, especially his remarkably consistent pace.

Full results can be found here.

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POLAR BEAR RUN 5K/10K (posted February 15th)

Four Lake Area Runners traveled to Bolivar on Saturday (February 14th) for the Polar Bear Run 5K/10K put on by the Roy Blunt YMCA of Bolivar.   They were among a total turnout of 145 for the 5K, and 98 for the 10K.

In the 5K, Paula O'Connor finished in 25:45, placing 5th (of 19) in the female 50-59 age group.  Scott Gray walked his way to a 43:40 finish.

In the 10K, Jayna Gray finished in 1:02:04, good for 10th place (of 19) in the female 30-39 age group. Jani Tucker, a Lake Area Runner from Lebanon, crossed the line in an impressive 52:24, placing second (of 18) among 40-49 females. 

Full results can be found here.

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ROCK 'N' ROLL ST. LOUIS HALF MARATHON (posted February 13th)

Not surprisingly, the dramatic and continuing decline in participation at Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis has led to the cancellation of the marathon option. For 2015, only the half marathon will be offered. (A 5K will still be offered the day before.) The marathon had 3,375 finishers in its inaugural year in 2011 (making it the biggest marathon in the state at the time), but just 1,200 in 2014.

The half marathon had 6,360 finishers in 2014.  While down substantially from the 14,557 in 2011, that should be enough to keep the race viable.

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GO! ST. LOUIS MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & MARATHON RELAY (posted February 13th)

For its upcoming 15th anniversary race on April 12th, the GO! St. Louis Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay is undergoing the biggest change in its history, with a major re-routing of the race course.  The course will now include running over the Mississippi River--via the Eads and Martin Luther King Bridges--into East St. Louis, and through areas north and east of the Edward Jones Dome.  The marathon course turns around in Forest Park, and eliminates the previous sections through Clayton and University City. The course is now touted as being flatter and more scenic. 

You can view the new course map here, and the official announcement here.

I try not to express too many personal opinions--particularly negative ones--on this website, but I think the GO! St. Louis organization has made a mistake with this course change.  (I say this as someone who's run this marathon each year for the past twelve.)   Running over the bridges will no doubt be well-received, but the largely industrial section north and east of the Dome will likely be the ugliest section we've ever traversed in this race.  The marathoners fare much worse than the half marathoners, as the miles through Clayton, University City and the western half of Forest Park were the prettiest of the entire marathon course. 

I would wager that the new course will have far fewer spectators.  The newly-added sections in northern downtown St. Louis and East St. Louis will scare away spectators for personal safety reasons, and the sections that were dropped on both the half and full marathon courses always had large numbers of spectators.

We can only speculate as to the real reason(s) the course change was made.  Was it to try to reverse the continuing decline in participation in the event?  Was it due to traffic or other problems in Clayton and U. City, requiring that they keep the route almost entirely in the City of St. Louis?  I'm not sure we'll ever be told. 

It will be very interesting to read on social media and elsewhere what others have to say about the course change.  If anyone wants to chime in, please do so.  

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BONK HARD RACING CANCELS ITS 2015 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (posted February 13th)

Gary and Ellen Thompson, the owners of Bonk Hard Racing, announced on their website that, due to a full schedule of personal activities this year, they aren't planning any 2015 events.  (The Castlewood 8-Hour adventure race near St. Louis will go on, but under new ownership.)  Gary and Ellen acquired Bonk Hard Racing from its founders, Jason and Laura Elsenraat, in 2012.   

This is disappointing news. Bonk Hard Racing debuted its namesake adventure race, the Bonk Hard Chill, at the Lake of the Ozarks in 2006, attracting 100-150 racers each year (virtually all of them from outside the Lake area), making it the premier adventure race in the state.

In 2013, Bonk Hard Racing introduced the Ozark Gravel Road Expedition (OGRE), a brutally tough, 150-mile bicycle race through rural areas south of the Lake.  It was the only cycling race in this area, and brought over 100 racers from around the state and beyond.

It's always sad to see races like these being cancelled because they are often gone for good.  We've lost a bunch of good races at the Lake over the years. 

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FORT SMITH MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (posted February 8th)

"This one's got GRIT!" is the tagline for the race, but the same could be said for the organizers of Sunday's (February 8th) inaugural Fort Smith Marathon & Half Marathon. Introducing a brand-new marathon at a time when others are struggling, and holding it in early February when winter weather could play havoc, takes plenty of grit. Nevertheless, they succeeded (with a little help from mild weather), and attracted 253 marathoners, 509 half marathoners and 57 marathon relay teams (best team name: "I Thought This Was a 5K") to northwest Arkansas.

The Lake area was represented by Todd Raney, who finished the marathon in 4:44:16, placing 14th (of 25) in the male 45-49 age group.

Amy Meyer and Greg Burress, two runners living a bit outside the Lake area but whose names are familiar to us, also competed.  Amy won her 25-29 age group by finishing in 4:12:08.  Greg finished in 3:57:40 and took third place (of 24) in the 40-44 age group.

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MISSOURI LOTTERY 5K RUN FOR YOUR BEADS (posted February 8th)

Congratulations to our Lake-area speedster, Lizzy Handschy, for finishing fifth overall (of 1,094) competitors at Saturday's (February 7th) Missouri Lottery 5K Run for your Beads, a run that kicked off St. Louis' big Mardi Gras celebration in the Soulard neighborhood. Lizzy finished in a blistering 18:05, but that still only managed to get her a second place finish among female competitors.  (The overall female winner finished in 17:29.)

Full results can be found here.

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CHOCOLATE RUSH 5K & HALF MARATHON (posted February 8th)

No Lake-area runners (to my knowledge) participated in the Chocolate Rush 5K & Half Marathon in Kansas City on Saturday, but the race still warrants a mention because of a truly remarkable performance. A 15 year-old runner named Trevor McDaniel won the 5K in a time of 13:36, a pace of 4:23 per mile. That's one of the fastest finishes--if not the fastest--I've ever seen in any MIssouri 5K race results. To give you something to compare it to, the winner of the Missouri high school cross country championship last fall crossed the line in 15:23.

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CHILDREN'S TLC GROUNDHOG RUN (posted January 26th)

Angela Martin and Cindy Martin, both of Osage Beach, and our part-time Lake resident Miki Schroeder, of Platte City, Missouri, opened their 2015 seasons on Sunday (January 25th) by competing in the 10K race at the Children's TLC Groundhog Run in Kansas City.  The race is held underground at the Hunt Midwest SubTropolis in comfortable 65-70 degree temperatures.  A total of 3,293 runners competed, including 1,380 for the 10K and 1,913 for the 5K.

Angela and Cindy finished in 57:38 and 1:27:24, respectively, placing 19th and 73rd (of 77) in the 45-49 age group.  Miki finished in 1:03:56, placing 52nd (of 123) in the 40-44 age group.

Full results can be found here.

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CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON (updated January 26th)

At the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday (January 18th), Jim McDermott ran his fastest marathon since the 2013 Bass Pro Marathon, and the fastest for any Lake-area runner so far in 2015. Jim finished in 4:08:33, and placed 38th (of 186) in the 60-64 age group.

The other Jim from the Lake area finished the marathon in 5:19:42, placing 302nd (of 355) in the 55-59 age group.

Tara Grantham's son, Joe Frazier, finished in 3:29:03 and placed 81st (of 432) in the 25-29 age group. Joe finished in 3:10:19 at last year's race.

Click here to view nearly 80 photos taken before and during the race.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON WEEKEND (posted January 11th)

Congratulations to Brad Hinkle of Lake Ozark for completing the four-race Dopey Challenge at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in Orlando, Florida, this past weekend.

The Dopey Challenge consists of a 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon run on successive days.  Here are Brad's finish times for the four events.

This wasn't Brad's first time at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.   In 2011, he finished the marathon in 6:08:56.

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MISSISSIPPI BLUES MARATHON & FIRST LIGHT MARATHON (updated January 11th)

   

Todd Raney completed the second two-day/two-marathon weekend of his career this past weekend. (His first was the I-35 Challenge last October that included the Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon and Des Moines Marathon.)

On Saturday (January 10th), Todd finished the Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, Mississippi, in 4:21:44 and placed 25th (of 82) in the 45-49 age group.  Full results can be found here.

On Sunday, Todd finished the First Light Marathon in Mobile, Alabama, in 4:57:22. He placed 41st (of 55) in his age group.  Full results can be found here.

Mississippi and Alabama become the 16th and 17th states in which Todd has completed a marathon (or longer).  He's now one-third of the way to becoming a 50-state finisher.

Some interesting side notes from the weekend's races:

The overall winner of the First Light Marathon was a college student doing his very marathon.  His winning time was 2:49:31.

"Marathon Man" Trent Morrow, who set a world record in 2013 by completing 160 marathons, ran both marathons.  He finished Mississippi Blues in 5:50:16 and First Light in 6:32:16.

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RUNNING INTEREST IN MISSOURI: AN UPDATE

If you’ve been a regular visitor to this website over the past couple years, you know that I’ve been trying to measure the level of interest in running throughout the state. My interest in measuring started in 2013, when I noticed that the state’s biggest marathon and half marathon event, GO! St. Louis, was starting to decline in popularity after years of rapid growth. Since then, I’ve noticed many other events suffering drops in participation as well.

To measure the overall level of interest, I’ve tallied the number of finishers at nearly all of the state’s full and half marathons. Obviously, there are many runners who don’t race these distances, or even race at all, so the tally is by no means a complete picture of the interest in running. Still, I think the full and half marathon tally has some merit as a proxy for it.

You can view the raw data by clicking on the thumbnail below. (The table is an Excel spreadsheet in .xlsx format.)

The bottom line of the table shows that there were 52,849 finishers at Missouri's half and full marathons in 2014. That was up about 2% from the 51,986 finishers in 2013, and up about 5% from the total in 2012.

That bottom line, however, can be a bit misleading. For example, in 2013, Garmin and the nearby Kansas Half Marathon were held on the very same day in April. In 2014, Kansas moved to November. As a result, participation at Garmin went up by nearly 1,300 finishers in 2014.  That increase alone accounted for more than the statewide increase for the entire year. (The Kansas Half might have seen an increase after ending the calendar conflict with Garmin and moving the race to November, but they chose to hold it on the same day as Bass Pro, and suffered badly.)

The numbers can be interpreted and massaged in many ways, but here are my conclusions and observations:

• After steady and sometimes dramatic growth since 2000, there’s been virtually no growth in the number of finishers in the last two years.  That’s a pretty significant change.  One could even argue that interest in running has declined. 


• If you look at the three largest events in the state—GO! St. Louis, Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Louis, and Waddell & Reed Kansas City—they’re all down. Some are down substantially.


• The bigger mid-size races—Rock the Parkway, Garmin, Hospital Hill, MO’ Cowbell and Bass Pro—have fared better than the larger races. Some are even still growing.


• A lot of new races have cropped up in the past two years. Of the 34 races held in 2014, six were introduced in 2013, and another six in 2014. The increase from 23 races in 2012 in 34 in 2014 no doubt has led to some cannibalizing of some of the older, established races. (If a professional sports team increased its season schedule from 23 games to 34 and only saw a 5% increase in attendance, you’d probably conclude that interest was waning.)

It’s going to be very interesting to see whether the trend will be up, down or flat these next few years. It will also be interesting to see which events prosper, and which ones don't. Stay tuned.

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CHILLY 5K & KIDS' FROZEN FUN RUN (posted January 2nd)

Congratulations to Lake-area runner Scott Gladden, who took seventh place (of 32) in the male 40-49 age group at the Chilly 5K held in Joplin on New Year's Day.  The event was sponsored by the Joplin Family YMCA.   Scott finished in 26:19.

Full race results can be found here.

There were 376 finishers of the 5K.  That's a pretty big number, considering the fact that the Commitment Day 5K in St. Louis--the only other New Year's Day 5K in the state--had 434 finishers. 

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COMMITMENT DAY 5K -- ST. LOUIS (posted January 1st)

It was an all-Eldon group representing the Lake of the Ozarks at the Commitment Day 5K in downtown St. Louis on New Year's Day. There were 434 finishers of the St. Louis race, which was one of fifty Commitment Day 5Ks being held around the country and sponsored by Life Time Fitness.

Lizzy Handschy was the fastest Lake-area finisher, crossing the line in 22:44.  She was obviously taking it easy (I suspect she was running with another former Washington University cross country runner who finished one second slower), yet she still won the female 20-29 age group over 29 other competitors.

Full results can be found here.

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NEW YEAR'S DOUBLE (updated January 1st)

The Pages--Scott, Cindy, Reagan and Ryan--from Lake Ozark and the Blankenships--Chris, Amy and Rylie--from Tebbetts, Missouri, brought home a large haul of medals after completing races on both days of the New Year's Double in Allen, Texas, on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day. The fourth annual event included marathon, half marathon and 5K races on each day.

Brandishing the bling (left to right):
Chris, Amy, Ryan, Rylie, Reagan, Cindy and Scott.
(Click to enlarge. Photo provided.)

Ryan and Reagan turned in podium finishes on both days in the 5K, with Scott coming very close in both the 5K and half marathon.

Ryan and Reagan Page toast their
New Year's Eve 5K podium finishes.

Unfortunately, inclement weather put a damper on the fun.  The weather on New Year's Eve was cold and windy, and on New Year's Day a storm system brought freezing rain as well. Scott says he's never been happier for a race to end.  (Not surprisingly, there was a substantial decline in participants from one day to the next--much more so than last year.) 

Dallas-area weather radar at 10:00 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Results for all races can be found here.

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