JINGLE BELL 5K (posted December 13th)

Camdenton cross country runner Georgi Carolus was the overall winner of Saturday's third annual Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk, benefiting the Pride of the Lake Marching Band.  Georgi won in 21:42, over a minute ahead of Payton Canales, who was presumably still in recovery mode after running 37.5 miles over 9 hours at 4 Fore 30 a week earlier.

The men's winner was 42 year-old Ryan Rohman, who finished fourth overall, in 25:40.

In the race results, there were 35 runners and walkers listed with finish times.  Another 16 were untimed.   

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4 FORE 30 INFINITY BACKYARD ULTRA (posted December 6th)

With none of the past winners of 4 Fore 30 returning to compete this year, the race was wide open to anyone hoping to be the last man standing.  This year's winner actually turned out to be a woman--Dena Carr of Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, Illinois.  Dena, who competed in 2020 (placing fifth overall in 26 hours, or 108.3 miles) and 2021 (fourth overall in 28 hours, or 116.8 miles), found her third attempt to be the charm.  She only needed to match last year's 28-hour total to dispatch her final challenger, 4 Fore 30 first-timer James Pratt of Crystal City, located about 20 miles south of St. Louis.

Twenty-eight hours was the third-longest winning duration in the race's five-year history.  The first four years lasted 22, 27, 38 and 30 hours, respectively.

This year's starting field size of 51 competitor was the smallest since the inaugural race in 2018.  Here are the year-by-year totals:

2018      36
2019      59
2020    103
2021      61
2022      51

The complete race results can be found here.

Below is a chart showing this year's rate of attrition, with prior years' shown by comparison. In line with prior years, half the starting field was gone by the 12th hour (50 miles).

Fourteen of the 51 competitors in this year's field were from the Lake area. Here are their results:

The field of 51 completed an average of 47.2 miles, nearly identical to last year's average. 

Expressed in terms of conventional race distances, half the field ended up running between a 50K and 100K, as shown below. Nine runners stopped at the 50-mile (or 12-hour) mark.

Four runners extended their streak of having run in every 4 Fore 30. They are: Gavin Eubank (of Columbia), Rob Kucsik, Tucker Seise and John Shelby.

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LOTO TURKEY TROT 5K (posted November 29th)

A race-record 182 runners and walkers came out for the LOTO Turkey Trot 5K (formerly known as the Laker Turkey Trot) despite the dreary, chilly Thanksgiving Day weather. As it's been since its debut in 2010, this race is a perennial battle among Camdenton High School's current and former cross country runners.

This year's overall winner was Jeremy Ryan, a 2013 Camdenton graduate now living in St. Louis.  Jeremy won in 16:49, breaking not only his Laker Turkey Trot record of 16:57 set in 2019, but also his 16:53 course record, set at the Night Glow 5K in 2014.  This was Jeremy's fourth Turkey Trot victory, having won it in 2013 (17:29), 2017 (17:44) and 2019 (16:57).  He now holds the most Turkey Trot victories, breaking his tie with David Prather at three.  Jeremy's record performance overshadowed Tucker Seise's equally impressive second-place finish, in 16:59.  

The women's race crowned a new, first-time Turkey Trot winner.  Ellie Webb, currently a senior at Camdenton, defeated two former CHS cross country runners now running at the collegiate level--Clare Holmes (a three-time Turkey Trot winner, and now a junior at Missouri S&T) and Cambrie Kowal (now a sophomore at St. Cloud State U.). Ellie won in 20:00, well ahead of Clare's (22:09) and Cambrie's (22:08).  (To be fair, Clare and Cambrie were obviously running a leisurely pace.  They both ran in NCAA regional championship races one last Saturday in 23:42 and 23:26, respectively, for a 6K distance.)  Another former women's winner, Elaine Mallahan, finished seconds behind Clare and Cambrie. 

The top three finishers in each age group can be found here.  Complete race results aren't available due to a timing malfunction.

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THANKSGIVING DAY RACES

Attendance was down at 14 of the 21 turkey trots that posted results.

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HONORING OUR HEROES MARATHON, MARATHON RELAY, HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K (posted November 21st)

Temperatures in the low 20s and a wind chill index in the low teens made for one of the coldest days in the seven-year history of the Honoring Our Heroes Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K (Facebook page).  Two runners from the Lake area were among those who braved the weather.

April Leonard finished her fifth Honoring Our Heroes marathon, crossing the line this year in 5:18:11.  April won the women's 55-59 age group by default.  It also extended her Lake-area women's record for completing a marathon at the oldest age.

Michael Radlund of Linn Creek stepped up from the half marathon last year to the marathon this year.  It was a long day for him.  He finished in 6:37:44, placing second (of two) in the men's 20-24 age group.

The complete race results can be found here.

Melissa Martinez finished the marathon--alongside two others--in 6:55:07.  Melissa deserved a leisurely run--she ran the Bass Pro Marathon two weeks ago, and the Dogwood Canyon 50K and 15K last weekend.

Honoring Our Heroes' sentimental favorite, 85 year-old veteran Bob Gravley of Salem, Missouri, returned to extend his streak of having finished this race every year since inception.  He finished the marathon in 2016, 2017 and 2018, before stepping down to the 5K in 2019, then stepping back up to a 10K in 2020, 2021 and again this year.  He finished in 1:07:19. (I don't know if the course was certified, but that finish time would easily earn Bob the Missouri state running record for his age.  The current record is 1:45:42.)

Participation dropped 26% from last year's record total.  The half marathon accounted for much of it, with a 60% decline.  Here are the total number of finishers, by distance, in the race's seven-year history.

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DOGWOOD CANYON TRAIL RUNS (posted November 14th)

The Bass Pro Fitness Series concluded this weekend with the sold out Dogwood Canyon Trail Runs at the privately-owned Dogwood Canyon Nature Park southwest of Table Rock Lake near Branson.  The 25K and 50K races were held on Saturday; the 15K on Sunday.

Two Lake-area runners, both from Osage Beach, were among the 15K competitors. Brian Dickerson finished in 1:57:06, placing 20th (of 28) in the men's 45-49 age group.  Jenna Hagen finished in 2:27:48, placing 38th (of 59) in the women's 35-39 age group. 

Our running friend from Crocker, Melissa Martinez, ran both the 50K and 15K in 8:17:03 and 2:47:18, respectively.

There were 366 and 67 finishers of the 25K and 50K, respectively.  (Those were down from 432 and 77 last year.)  The 15K had 468 finishers--down slightly from last year's 492. 

Complete race results can be found here.

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BASS PRO SHOPS FITNESS SERIES MARATHON, MARATHON RELAY, HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted November 7th)

Nine Lake-area runners competed at Sunday's Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series marathon, half marathon and 5K.  That ended the race's eight-year streak of being the most popular out-of-town race for Lake-area runners, after being (barely) surpassed by a total of ten runners traveling to Arkansas back in January for the David's Trail Endurance Run.

Kelsey Wallis of Eldon, who set a new Lake-area record for women age 19-and-under with her 4:18:12 marathon finish last year, beat last year's time by five minutes, finishing this year in 4:13:18.  That placed Kelsey 6th (of 9) in the women's 18-24 age group.  (Note:  Kelsey's Lake-area age group record was broken earlier this year by former Camdenton cross country runner Cambrie Kowal, who finished the Grandma's Marathon in 4:14:09.  Cambrie's record still stands, as Kelsey has now moved up to the 20-29 age group.)

Two days after competing at the Missouri State High School Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Ellie Webb of Camdenton High School ran Bass Pro's Cohick Half Marathon, winning the women's 16-19 age group over 16 others.  Ellie finished in 1:32:10--easily the fastest half marathon among Lake-area women this year.

Also in the half marathon, former Osage cross country runner Gabrielle Hill took third in the women's 20-24 age group (with 40 competitors) with a 1:44:41 finish.

Here are the results for our Lake-area runners. If I missed anyone in the listing below, please let me know.

Springfield's sensational Kimi Reed, a past winner of Bass Pro's women's marathon, half marathon and 5K, and who qualified for and ran in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials back in February 2020, won the women's marathon this year in 2:53:47.  Only the men's winner beat her to the finish line.

Complete race results can be found here.

Total participation was up 4% from last year, although essentially all of the increase is attributable to the 5K.  Here are the total number of finishers, by distance, since 2015:

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FLAT BRANCH 50K  (posted November 7th)

Friday night's heavy rains moved out, but morning temperatures in the mid 40s and blustery, 20-30 mph winds still made for a tough day for the 28 runners who toed the starting line at the inaugural Flat Branch 50K (Facebook) on Saturday in Columbia.

Twenty-six competitors managed to finish.  Tucker Seise, the only runner in the field from the Lake area, took second overall, finishing in 3:52:19--sixteen minutes behind the race winner.   Over four hours later, with little improvement in the weather, the final two finishers crossed the line together, in 8:21:21.

Complete results can be found here.   Photos can be found at the race's Facebook page.

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MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (updated November 5th)

Zoe Martonfi of Eldon High School came up five seconds short of winning a state championship, and becoming the first-ever Lake area high school cross country runner to do so.  (1/9/23 Correction:  Colten Green of Macks Creek High School won the Class 1 boys state championship in 2001 and 2002, and Jamie Vest of Stoutland High School, and who now lives in Lebanon, was a four-year champion in girls Class 1 around 2001-2004.)  At Saturday's state championships in Columbia, Zoe finished second to the girl who's run the fastest 5K in the state this season, Alexandra Volkart of Southern Boone County High School. Alexandra won the girls Class 3 state championship in 18:40; Zoe finished in 18:45.  Both girls are juniors, so they'll likely face one another again at next year's championship.

Here are our local high school cross country runners' results at the state championship meet at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia this weekend.

In the team standings, the Osage girls took 5th (of 16) in Class 3. The Eldon girls took 13th.

Here are the winning times, by class, at this year's championships:

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY DISTRICT MEET RESULTS FOR OCTOBER 29th (posted October 29th)

At Saturday's district meets, fourteen of our Lake-area high school cross country runners qualified as individuals for the state championships to be held next Friday and Saturday at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia.   Two teams also qualified (Osage and Eldon girls), so some members of their teams who didn't qualify as individuals will still be going to state. This marks the fifth year in a row that Osage's girls team has advanced.

The Class 4 and Class 5 championships are on Friday; the Class 1, 2 and 3 championships are on Saturday.

The top 30 boys and girls individual finishers, and the top four boys and girls teams, in each district race qualified for state.  Here are our Lake-area individual qualifiers:

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THE GREAT GO! ST. LOUIS HALLOWEEN RACE (posted October 24th)

Two runners from the Lake area competed on Sunday at one of the largest fall races in the St. Louis area--The Great GO! St. Louis Halloween Race, held in the far southwest corner of St. Louis County in the city of Eureka.

Vickey Clark of Camdenton ran the half marathon, finishing in 2:25:58 and placing 15th (of 28) in the women's 50-54 age group.

A heretofore unknown Lake-area runner, Caleb Smith of Lake Ozark, opted for the 10K.  Caleb finished in 1:08:08, taking 15th (of 19) in the 25-29 age group.

Complete race results can be found here. 

Participation was up from last year in every distance offered.  Most surprising was the 60% increase in the number of half marathon finishers. 

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LAKE AREA MAGICAL ADVENTURE (posted October 24th)

The inaugural LLAMA 200-mile team relay took place at the Lake of the Ozarks this past weekend. I really don't have enough details or results to write or post anything useful at this time, so allow me to just pass on the race's Facebook page, where I'm sure that information will soon become available.

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OZARK CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY MEET (posted October 16th)

The Camdenton high school and middle school cross country teams competed at the Ozark Conference Meet in Nixa on Saturday.

Here are the top finishers, plus some selected results:

Complete meet results can be found here.

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TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS (posted October 12th)

You have to feel for Nathan Reynolds and Zoe Martonfi, the Eldon junior cross country runners who would have been shoe-ins to win the Tri-County Conference cross country championships in Eldon on Wednesday. Unfortunately, and almost incredibly, the fastest boy and girl high school cross country finishes in the entire state of Missouri this season belong to runners for another school in their conference--Southern Boone County High School. Connor Burns, a senior, has run a 14:32 5K, while Alexandra Volkart, a junior, has run a 17:43. They won the conference's boys and girls championships today in 16:37 and 19:18, respectively, beating Nathan by 60 seconds and Zoe by 23.

Here are the top finishers for our Lake-area schools: 

Complete meet results can be found here.

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ROCK BRIDGE REVENGE 50K/25K TRAIL RUNS (corrected October 13th)

The Columbia Track Club's Rock Bridge Revenge Trail Runs had 105 finishers on Saturday, with 38 and 67 doing the 50K and 25K, respectively. John Shelby was our only local competitor. John finished the 50K in 6:11:36, placing 24th overall.

In the 25K, our friend Andy Emerson took ninth overall with a 2:26:34 finish. 

The 26 year-old winner of the 50K turned in an incredible performance.  Sidney Noble of Manhattan, Kansas won in 3:44:13, breaking the course record by 15 minutes, and crossing the line a whopping 54 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher.

Complete race results can be found here.  The race photographer posted nearly 500 photos here.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR OCTOBER 8th (posted October 10th)

The Camdenton and Eldon high school cross country teams were in Jefferson City on Saturday for the Capital City Invitational cross country meet.

Here are the top finishers for the schools: 

Complete meet results can be found here.

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PREGNANCY HELP CENTER'S 5K WALK/RUN FOR LIFE (posted October 3rd)

A crowd of 45 runners and 68 walkers turned out in Lake Ozark on Saturday for the Pregnancy Help Center's 5K Walk/Run for Life (Facebook page). 

For the first time since 2018, Sam Casella was not the winner of the men's race.  Sam didn't appear at this year's race, but even if he did, he would have finished well behind this year's overall winner, Joshua Way, who won in 16:45--one of the fastest 5Ks ever run in the Lake area outside of a high school cross country event.  Joshua, a 16 year-old from Jefferson City, finished 6 minutes ahead of Michael Sutherland of Marshfield. 

Elaine Mallahan was an easy winner of the women's race. She won in 23:30.

Complete results can be found here.

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MO' COWBELL MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted October 3rd)

Three runners from the Lake area--all of whom are virtual unknowns in our local running community--participated in Sunday's MO' Cowbell Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K in St. Charles.

Megan Griffith of Eldon finished the marathon (perhaps her very first) in 3:56:02, placing 4th (of 26) in the women's 25-29 age group.

Jeremy Zimmerman of Sunrise Beach did the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon in 2018, but we haven't heard from him since.  He, too, ran the MO' Cowbell Marathon (perhaps his first, as well) and finished in 5:27:34.  That placed him 22nd (of 26) in the men's 45-49 age group.

Shirley Enochs of Linn Creek did the half marathon last year, but opted for the newly-added 10K race this year.  She finished in 2:00:20, placing 7th (of 8) in the women's 70-and-over age group. 

Complete results can be found here.

Total participation was up 13% over last year, thanks to the addition of a 10K option.  The 10K appears to have cannibalized some of the participation in both the half marathon and 5K.  Here are the total number of race finishers, by distance, since the race's peak participation in 2014.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR OCTOBER 1st (posted October 1st)

Three of our local high school cross country teams--Camdenton, Osage and Macks Creek--competed at the Laker Invitational meet at Ha Ha Tonka on Saturday.

Here are results for each area high school's top finisher: 

Complete meet results can be found here.

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FROG HILL HALF MARATHON & 10K and LEAPFROG 5K (posted October 1st)

Three Lake-area runners traveled to Waynesville this weekend for the ninth annual Frog Hill Half Marathon & 5K/10K. 

April Leonard ran the half marathon, winning the women's 50-59 age group (over one other) in 2:22:13.  Jim  McDermott was the men's overall winner in the 10K, finishing in 53:30.  Finally, Brooke Chenoweth of Eldon ran the 5K held on Friday evening.  She finished in 46:12, placing 7th (of 9) in the women's 40-49 age group.

Complete results can be found at SplitMaster Timing's website.

Here are the number of finishers of each distance since the inaugural race in 2014:

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BMW BERLIN MARATHON (posted September 25th)

Make that nine times since 2002 that the men's world marathon record has been broken at the BMW Berlin Marathon. On Sunday, the greatest marathoner in history, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, broke his own record (set in Berlin in 2018) by 30 seconds to set a new world record of 2:01:09. He crossed the finish line about five minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. His per-mile pace was an unbelievable 4:37. Read more about it here.

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IRONMAN 70.3 AUGUSTA (posted September 25th)

It was a victory of sorts for Jim McDermott just for finishing the Ironman 70.3 Augusta Triathlon in Georgia on Sunday.  Jim has been battling a hamstring injury for months, even to the point of forgoing some races in order to be ready to do Augusta, his "A" race of the year.

Jim finished the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in 6:26:49.  He placed 10th (of 24) in the men's 65-69 age group.

Here are his splits:

Swim:        35:31 (1:50 per 100 meters) 
T-1:            7:50
Bike:      3:02:46 (18.3 mph)  
T-2:             6:51
Run:       2:32:54  (11:44 per mile) 
Finish:    6:26:49

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URBAN ADVENTURE RUN (posted September 25th)

The 25-mile (per lap) tour of Tulsa known as the Urban Adventure Run included two Lake-area runners at this year's race. Scott Page, who did this race in 2020, and Alysia Maschino took the 50-mile tour, running and finishing together in 13:13:32. Alysia was the overall women's winner (over three others), while Scott was the fifth of seven male finishers.

Complete results can be found here.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR SEPTEMBER 24th (posted September 24th)

All of our local high school cross country teams participated in the Hermitage Dam Invitational on Saturday, giving us a chance to see who are the fastest boy and girl high school runners in the Lake area.  Nathan Reynolds and Zoe Martonfi, both juniors at Eldon High School, now lay claim to those titles.

Here are results for each area high school's top finisher at Hermitage: 

Complete meet results can be found here.

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BRANSON MOUNTAIN MAN OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON (posted September 24th)

Mark Matthews competed at the Branson Mountain Man Off-Road Triathlon at Table Rock Lake State Park on Saturday. The triathlon offered two distances.  The sprint race included a 500-meter swim in Table Rock Lake, followed by a 6.2-mile mountain bike segment and 3.5-mile trail run in the park's White River Valley Trail System. The Burly Course race was approximately double the sprint distance.

Mark finished 34th overall (of 54).  Here are his splits:

Swim:        22:06 
T-1:            4:44
Bike:      1:01:54  
T-2:             1:11
Run:          37:20  (12:01 per mile) 
Finish:    2:07:13

Complete race results are here.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR SEPTEMBER 17th (posted September 17th)

Here are our local high school cross country teams' top performers on Saturday.

At the Missouri Southern Stampede meet in Joplin, the top Camdenton runners were Brody Ingold (17:25; 91st of 350) and Ellie Webb (20:15; 51st of 320).  Complete meet results can be found here.

Versailles runners competed at the Smith-Cotton Invitational in Sedalia.  Matthew Radefeld was their top finisher, in 20:38, and placing 17th of 68.  Results are here. 

Eldon High School's Zoe Martonfi and Nathan Reynolds had podium finishes for the second week in a row.  At the Fulton Invitational, Zoe took second overall (among 128 competitors) with a 19:29 finish.  Four seconds faster, and she would have an undefeated season thus far.  In the boys' race, Nathan Reynolds was third overall (of 142) with a 17:33 finish.

Osage high schoolers had the weekend off, but the middle schoolers also raced in Fulton.  Top finishers among them were Ben Koeppen (13:20; 11th of 147) for the boys, and Avery Sperling (14:16; 3rd of 114) for the girls.  (The middle school races were 3.2K in length.)  In team scoring, the girls took first, over 11 others teams.  The boys team took second (of 15).  

Complete results at Fulton can be found here.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR SEPTEMBER 10th (posted September 10th)

Here are our local high school cross country teams' top performers on Saturday.

At the Lebanon Invitational, the top Camdenton runners were Brody Ingold (17:22; 10th of 66) and Ellie Webb (20:33; 3rd of 50). Caleb Phillips (17:40; 14th of 66) and Addison Ratliff (24:12; 31st of 50) were tops for Macks Creek.

In the middle school (3.2K) race at Lebanon, two familiar names, Charlie Boyle (13:44; 33rd of 117) and Maverick Sovcik (14:49; 53rd of 117), represented Camdenton.

Complete results at Lebanon can be found here.

At the Linn Invitational, Eldon High School opened its cross country season with podium finishes for its two outstanding junior runners.  Zoe Martonfi was the overall winner of the girls race, finishing in 18:58, over a minute faster than her nearest rival and ahead of 116 other competitors.  Nathan Reynolds (17:35; 3rd of 104) took third in the boys race.

Also at Linn, the top runners for Osage were Colin Misenheimer (18:28; 7th of 104) and Bayley Johnson (21:40; 9th of 117). The top Versailles runners were William Taylor (20:49; 47th of 104) and Fenia Christiansen (30:22; 82nd of 117). 

Complete results at Linn can be found here.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR SEPTEMBER 3rd (posted September 5th)

There are lots of new faces on this year's Lake area high school cross country teams, with a notable abundance of freshmen and sophomores. 

Here are the results for Camdenton, Osage and Macks Creek runners at the SWCCCA Richard Clark Invitational hosted by Bolivar High School.  (Complete results are here.)

The biggest surprises came from two Camdenton runners.  In his first cross country season, sophomore Brady Ingold's 17:33 was one of the fastest 5Ks among Lake-area runners the past several years.  On the girls side, Ellie Webb knocked a substantial two minutes off of last year's finish at this meet. Her 20:18 finish rivals the speed of two former standouts at Camdenton--Clare Holmes, who now runs collegiately for MUST, and Cambrie Kowal, now running for St. Cloud State University.  

Here are results for Versailles runners at the Jim Marshall Cross Country Invitational in Jefferson City.  (Complete results are here.)

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TRIFEST FOR MS (posted September 5th)

Jim McDermott hasn't raced since early May, as he's been recovering from a pulled hamstring.  With his "A" race of the year, the Ironman 70.3 Augusta Triathlon in Augusta, Georgia coming up on September 25th, Jim tested his hamstring this weekend at the Trifest for MS in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was his third appearance at this popular triathlon.

Jim competed in two of Trifest's three triathlons held this weekend, including the sprint (400-meter pool swim, 13-mile bike and 5K run) and super sprint (200-yard swim, 3.75-mile bike and 1-mile run) distances. 

Jim took second (of four) in the men's 65-69 age group in the sprint race.  Here are his splits:

Swim:        10:06 
T-1:             2:39
Bike:         37:20
T-2:             2:29
Run:          29:21 
Finish:    1:21:52

Jim won his age group (over five others) in the super sprint. Here are his splits in that race:

Swim:          4:24 
T-1:             2:24
Bike:          10:50
T-2:             1:10
Run:            8:19 
Finish:        27:04

Complete results can be found here.

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370 LAKESIDE TRIATHLON (posted August 29th)

Two of our Lake-area athletes, both from Eldon, were in St. Peters (10 miles west of St. Louis) on Sunday for the second annual 370 Lakeside Triathlon.

Pete Groce was there for his long-planned attempt at the half-iron distance (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run), but illness (chest congestion and coughing) that struck the night before the race kept him from achieving his goal.  , Pete answered the starting gun and gave it his best shot, but had to call it quits during the swim.

Caleb Martonfi, a 20 year-old former cross country runner at Eldon High School, competed in the Olympic distance triathlon (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run), placing 4th (of 5) in the men's 20-24 age group, and 77th overall (of 120).  (I have no record of Caleb having completed a triathlon before, so this may have been is very first one.)  Here are his splits:

Swim:         31:58  (2:07 per 100 meters)
T-1:             1:44
Bike:      1:54:22  (13.0 miles per hour)
T-2:             2:29
Run:          51:33  (8:18 per mile) 
Finish:    3:22:05

Complete race results can be found here.

There were 90 finishers of the half-iron distance race, and 120 finishers each in the Olympic and sprint distances.  The short "super sprint" race had 58 finishers.

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LEAKY HOURGLASS ULTRA (posted August 29th)  

The tiny village (population: 173) of Half Way, Missouri--so named because of it location halfway between Bolivar and Buffalo--was the site of the second annual Leaky Hourglass Ultra.  A field of 13 competitors (down from 19 last year) participated in the last man standing event.  Unlike conventional backyard ultra races, this one reduces the time limit to complete the 4.17-mile lap (and thus be able to proceed on to the next) by one minute on each successive lap. 

This year's winner was last December's 4 Fore 30 winner, Cody Eubanks from Jefferson City.  Cody needed only 17 hours, or 70.6 miles, (compared to 30 hours, or 125 miles at 4 Fore 30) to put away his final challenger, Tim Barbee of Columbia, Illinois.  Last year's winner, Robert Bruns of St. Louis, who's raced at 4 Fore 30 and the Trail of Four Winds 25K, took third, lasting 11 hours (versus 20 hours last year) and completing 45.8 miles.  Another 4 Fore 30 alumnus, Chris Hines of Springfield, lasted 4 hours, or 16.7 miles. 

The Lake area was represented by two competitors.  Scott Page tied two others for fourth place in completing 9 hours (37.5 miles).  Alysia Maschino went one hour longer than last year, completing 4 hours, or 16.7 miles.

Full results can be found here.  Mile 90 Photography has posted race photos here.

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THE ELIMINATOR (posted August 9th)

(Thanks to Scott Page for passing this along.  I had never heard of the race, nor had it appeared in any of the many race calendars I peruse each week.)

One of the oldest, yet virtually unknown, backyard ultra-type races held its sixth annual race last Saturday near Joplin. The Eliminator was held on the Frisco Trail, with 67 starters braving extremely oppressive hot and humid conditions.

Competitors started at 6:00 a.m., and had 45 minutes to complete a three-mile, out-and-back loop.  At 6:45 a.m.--and every 45 minutes until 6:00 p.m.--runners began another lap.  Those who failed to complete a lap within 45 minutes, or who failed to line up in time for the next lap, were eliminated.  Any runners still in the race at 6:00 p.m. (after having already completed 48 miles) then raced three more miles to determine a winner.

Our own Tucker Seise was one of six runners remaining for that final lap, and took second place, finishing the lap in 20:57, two minutes behind the race winner.

The race's Facebook page has photos and some results.

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ROCK ISLAND TRAIL HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted July 30th)

The second annual Rock Island Trail Half Marathon & 5K (the 5K was newly added this year) was held Saturday in Pleasant Hill on the 47-mile spur completed in 2016 that connects the city to the Katy Trail. The race had just over 300 participants, with 221 doing the half marathon (up from 163 last year).

April Leonard was our lone Lake-area runner at the race. April ran the half, finishing in 2:24:22 and placing 11th (of 19) in the women's 50-59 age group.

Our friend Greg Linhart took 13th overall, and second in the men's 40-49 age group, with a 1:28:20 finish.

Complete results can be found here.  

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CHRISTMAS IN JULY 5K RUN/WALK (updated July 24th)

Thirty-three runners and walkers--including eight from a single family vacationing at the Lake--turned out for Saturday's Christmas in July 5K at the YMCA in Osage Beach.  The total was down only slightly from last year's 37.

The overall race winner was 28 year-old Lee Kolias from West Melbourne, Florida.  Lee won in 19:54, about 40 seconds ahead of Jonathan Imboden (who's spelling "Y" in the photo above), a junior cross country runner at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia.  (Rock Bridge is a perennial  powerhouse in Missouri's Class 5 cross country.)

The women's winner was Brooklyn Lercher, a track athlete for Richland Jr. High School.  Brooklyn won in 23:40, nearly two minutes ahead of Lydia Imboden, another Rock Bridge runner.

The full race results can be viewed by finish order or by age group.

While much of the U.S. was baking in near record heat the past several weeks, Hell apparently froze over. What else could explain Stacy Roberts claiming a SECOND age-group victory at a race this year?

A new Lake-area record was set at the race. Eighty year-old Chuck Imboden, the patriarch of the Imboden/Apel families represented at the race, became the oldest finisher at a local 5K race. (An 80 year-old participant did the Lake Race 5K in 2015, but he didn't complete the full course.) Chuck finished in 35:21. He's been a runner all his life, and finished the Boston Marathon in 1996 (at age 54) in 4:53:09. There's no doubt that Chuck and his wife, Laura (who finished the 5K in 56:44), have inspired their offspring to run and stay active.

Many more race photos can be view here.

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RIVER ROCK TRIATHLON (posted July 17th)

The River Rock Triathlon in Ozark on Saturday was nearly double the size of its inaugural race last year.  Fifty-nine triathletes, up from 37 last year, competed in the 300-meter swim (in the Finlay River), 14-mile bike and 5K run.

placed 20th overall, and sixth (of 13) in the men's 50-59 age group.  (Triathlon tends to have relatively more competitors in the upper age groups than running races.)   Here are Pete's splits:

Swim:        11:43  (3:53 per 100 meters)
T-1:             1:57
Bike:          48:32  (17.3 miles per hour)
T-2:             0:47
Run:          21:09  (8:28 per mile) 
Finish:    1:24:05  

Complete race results can be found here.

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THE MISSOURI AMERICAN WATER 340 (posted July 17th)

In case you didn't know it already, Amy Harrell of Eldon is a real badass.  Last Tuesday morning, Amy started the Missouri American Water 340 paddling race in Kansas City and, 60 hours and 50 minutes later (i.e. Thursday at 7:50 p.m.), reached the finish line in St. Charles.  Amy placed 9th among the 32 solo female finishers.   (Another 8 competitors in that division DNF'd.)  The MR340 always features hot, humid weather, but thankfully the racers didn't have to contend with thunderstorms as they've done a number of times in the race's history that goes back 16 years.  

This was Amy's third appearance at the MR340.  She paddled--and finished--on a tandem team in 2020, and made a solo attempt last year that lasted only to the halfway point of the race.

The complete results for this year's can be found here.

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VOL STATE 500K (updated July 18th)

Johan Steene of Sweden won this year's Vol State, in 3 days, 20 hours and 22 minutes.  He won the 2018 Big's Backyard Ultra, completing 68 "yards" (283.3 miles).

Johan's finish time, as a "crewed" racer, was 16 hours slower than Bob Hearn's record winning time set last year.  (Bear in mind that Bob was competing in the much more challenging "screwed" division.)       

The race tracker is here.   The Facebook page is here.

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BADWATER 135 (updated July 13th)

Yoshihiko Ishikawa of Japan won this year's Badwater 135 in 23:08:20, nearly an hour ahead of his nearest rival, but about 1-1/2 hours slower than his 2019 victory, when he set the course record of 21:33:01.  Harvey Lewis took fourth, in 27:16:35.  As two competitors ahead of him slowed down in the second half of the race, Kansas City attorney Hans van Zanten moved up from 7th place to finish fifth, in 28:40:29.

You can find the race results here.  The Facebook page has lots of photos and videos.

Postscript:  77 year-old Bob Becker, a race director and past Badwater finisher from Fort Lauderdale, would have become the oldest finisher in Badwater history, but missed the 48-hour cutoff by a measly 17 minutes.  He reached the 131-mile checkpoint with 2-1/2 hours to go, but that wasn't enough time to complete the remaining four miles and become an official finisher. (Update: Days after the race ended, Bob was named an official finisher.)

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HONEY BADGER 100 (posted July 11th)

Think of it as a slightly shorter, slightly cooler version of this week's Badwater 135, but for flatlanders. The ninth annual Honey Badger 100-mile road race near Wichita started started Saturday morning in relatively mild, 68° weather, but that gave way to a scorching 97° by late afternoon. The only shade on the course was provided by a few highway overpasses.

The Lake area was represented by the Easier Said Than Run team of Rob Kucsik, Scott Page and Tucker Seise. They were the only three-person relay team in the race, and finished in 15:13:37.

The 4 Fore 30 2021 winner Cody Eubanks of Jefferson City was the overall solo race winner, in 18:36:57. There were 18 solo starters.  Ten managed to finish, the last one in 30:50:33.  Past 4 Fore 30 competitors Joe Cooper, a previous three-time Honey Badger finisher who won in 2020, and multi-year finisher Jaclyn Long, were among the DNFs.

A two-person female team of Rachel Baker (who raced solo last year) and 4 Fore 30 past participant Melissa Bland finished in 22:36:52.

Complete race results are posted here.

Official race photos can be found here. 

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HANNIBAL CANNIBAL 5K/10K/15K (posted July 2nd)

A few Lake-area runners were in Hannibal on Saturday for the Hannibal Cannibal 5K/10K/15K.  The race is the largest road race in the state outside of a major metro area.

Kim Sovcik and Christina Wilson walked the 5K together, finishing in a leisurely 1:05:52.

In at least her third appearance at the race, Joyce Ryerson of Versailles ran the 5K, finishing in 39:22 and placing 9th (of 20) in the women's 50-54 age group.

Julio Juarez, a former Lake-area runner now living in Hannibal, also ran the 5K and crossed the line in 21:05, winning the men's 45-49 age group (over 42 others).  Julio was the overall winner (in 17:59) of the 2017 Give 'Em The Bird 5K.

Complete race results can be found here.

Participation was down for the seventh year in a row. (This race had over 1,300 total finishers at it's peak in the mid 2010s.) Here are the number of finishers, by distance, since 2018.

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RUN FOR THE HORSES 5K/10K RUN/WALK (posted June 25th)

A slight breeze and lots of shade on the course provided some slight but welcome relief from the very warm and humid weather at the Missouri Forget-Me-Not Horse Rescue & Sanctuary's (Facebook page) Run for the Horses 5K/10K in Linn Creek on Saturday. Twenty-five runners and walkers--about the same as last year--toed the starting line.

The 10K had two entrants--one male, one female--so the overall victories were never in doubt.  On the men's side, Christopher Leonard, who lives in Wichita but was visiting family at the Lake this weekend, finished in a very impressive 42:00.  (It turns out he's raced at the Lake before, finishing the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon back in March in 1:26:36 and placing 5th overall (of 127).)

Another visitor to the Lake, Tonya Cogan from Liberty, Missouri was the women's winner.  Tonya crossed the line in 1:15:23.

The 5K had the dubious distinction of having the slowest winning times of any local 5K race in memory.  Steve Brennaman was the top male, winning in 33:20.   Elena Dissen was the women's overall winner, in 34:07.

The full race results can be found at these links:

Overall results
Age-group results

Photos snapped automatically as runners crossed over the finish line can be viewed here.

My race photos can be viewed here.  

Still more photos, plus a few short videos, can be found at MFMN's Facebook page.

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The Macklind Mile: The fastest runners in the St. Louis area and beyond competed in Big River Running's Macklind Mile on Saturday.

In the elite division, the fastest mile was a 4:07 for the men, and 4:51 for the women. (To compete in the elite race, men must have run a 4:30 or better, and women 5:30 or better, in the past year.)

In the competitive (non-elite) division, the fastest miles were 4:23 for the men, and 5:08 for the women. Robert Bruns, a regular at 4 Fore 30 and the Trail of Four Winds 25K, placed 16th among the men, finishing in 4:40.

The fastest human/dog team ran a 4:29.

Complete results can be found here.

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GRANDMA'S MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (posted June 19th)

For obvious reasons, there are very, very few marathons held around the country this time of year, but being able to offer 50° temperatures and a flat course along Lake Superior, Grandma's Marathon & Half Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota has no trouble attracting a big field.  Nearly 6,000 turned out for Saturday's marathon, and another 7,000 for the half marathon.

Cambrie Kowal, a Camdenton High School cross country runner who graduated in 2021, and who ran this past year for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, finished Grandma's Marathon in 4:14:09, placing 543rd (of 1181) in the women's 19-34 age group.  (If you check out the video on Cambrie's race results page, you'll see that she ran and crossed the finish line alongside her St. Cloud State teammates.)  Her finish time broke the record for the fastest finish for Lake-area women age 19 and younger. The previous record was 4:18:12, set by Kelsey Wallis of Eldon at Bass Pro last November.

This may have been Cam's first marathon, but she's actually run nearly twice that distance, completing 50 miles at 4 Fore 30 in December 2020. Her

One other familiar name in the marathon results was Shannon Briscoe of Archie, Missouri.  Shannon, who's done 4 Fore 30 all four years (her best being 44 miles in 2018), ran the marathon in 4:25:40, placing 55th (of 156) in the 50-54 age group. 

Complete race results can be found here.

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CHILDREN'S LEARNING CENTER NIGHT GLOW 5K RUN/WALK (posted June 19th)

Nigher Alfaro and Ava Canales were the overall winners at the Children's Learning Center's 14th annual Night Glow 5K on Friday evening. Nigher and Ava finished in 20:05 and 21:59, respectively.   Of note, Ava knocked 5-1/2 minutes off of last year's finish time.

There were 31 finishers listed in the posted race results, down from 84 last year.  The complete race results can be downloaded here.

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ELDON ROCK ISLAND ROAD RACE (updated June 15th)

One hundred and fourteen runners and walkers turned out on Saturday for Eldon's fifth annual Rock Island Road Race (Facebook), organized by the Miller County Child Advocacy Council to support its childrens' programs.

In what's been all-too-common for races around the state this year, participation was well down from last year, and even below the pre-COVID level of 2019.  All three distances suffered declines in participation from last year.  Here's how this year's turnout compares to previous years, by race distance:

The weather, despite being warm and humid, can't be blamed for the lower turnout, as this year's weather was almost exactly the same as that for all four previous Rock Island races.  The air temperature was about 70° at the 7:15 a.m. start, and reached only into the upper 70s by the time the last finishers crossed the line around 9:30. 

Results

The complete race results can be found at SplitMaster Timing's results page. (If that link stops working, you can download .pdf files of the results at these links: 15K/10K/5K.)

15K:

The overall winner of the 15K shattered the course record by nearly four minutes.  Twenty-eight year old Jordan Bossaler of Belle, Missouri crossed the finish line in 58:18, breaking the previous record of 1:02:09 set in 2019.  Finishing second to Jordan was frequent Lake-area visitor--and 2018 15K winner-- Greg Linhart of Grandview.  Greg finished in 1:01:53--his fastest Rock Island 15K finish since a second-place, 1:02:45 finish in 2019.

For the second year in a row, the overall women's 15K winner was from Sedalia.  Last year, it was Kim Ream, who finished one second faster than fellow Sedalia runner Millie Cavanagh.  This year, Millie took the overall victory, finishing in 1:17:21.  (Kim finished in 1:23:42, while the third member of the Sedalia trio, Lori Hurt, finished in 1:25:43.  Millie, Kim and Lori are perennial fixtures at Bridge & Dam.) 

Finishing less than two minutes behind Millie to take second in the women's 15K (and first in her 30-39 age group) was Eldon's Erin Svoboda.

10K:

Dominating performances were turned in by the men's and women's 10K winners, with 10- and 14-minute margins of victory, respectively.

Luke North, a 27 year-old lawyer and former collegiate track and cross country runner, was the men's winner, in 48:09.  If his name sounds familiar, it's because Luke was the winner of this year's Polar Bear Strut 5K back in February.  At the time of his Polar Bear Strut victory, Luke was living in Galva, Illinois.  He has since moved to Columbia. 

The women's 10K winner came all the way from Traverse City, Michigan.  Theresa Hunt won in 50:41, setting a new women's course record as well.  The previous record of 51:46 was set last year by Kelsie Lineback of Waynesville. 

5K:

For the second year in a row at Rock Island, Lake-area runners failed to claim either of the 5K overall victories.  That helped to make this a washout year for local runners, with not a single Rock Island overall victory going to a local.  This is the first time it's happened in the race's five-year history.

The men's 5K crowned its first repeat winner. Tony Rigdon of Columbia, who won the 2020 race in a course-record 20:26, won this year in 20:53.  (Tony is now the only two-time winner at Rock Island at any distance.)

Fifteen year-old Mikayla Cordes, a sophomore cross country runner at Jefferson City High School, was the women's 5K winner.  Mikayla finished in 24:09.

Photos

Lots of photos taken by others have been posted on the race's Facebook page.   My photos can be found here.

Kudos

Congratulations and thanks go to everyone involved in organizing this outstanding race, including co-race directors Scott Gray and Christy Kidwell, the Miller County Child Advocacy Council staff and board members, the numerous volunteers, and all of the Eldon police officers and city employees stationed throughout the course.  This race was truly a community effort, and all of the accolades it gets are well-deserved.  From this runner's perspective, everything about this race came off flawlessly.

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THE JC TRIATHLON (posted June 13th)

Two current, and one former, Lake-area athletes competed at The JC Triathlon (Facebook page) in Jefferson City on Sunday.  The event was organized by the Jefferson City YMCA.

One day after finishing fifth overall and easily winning the men's 50-59 age group at the Rock Island Road Race 15K in an impressive 1:14:07, Pete Groce took 16th overall (of 60 competitors) and second (of 8) in the men's 55-64 age group in the sprint-distance triathlon (400-meter pool swim, 12-mile bike and 3.2-mile run).  Here are Pete's splits:

Swim:        12:48  (3:12 per 100 meters)
T-1:             2:12
Bike:          44:04  (16.3 miles per hour)
T-2:             1:14
Run:          27:34  (8:45 per mile) 
Finish:    1:27:49  

Pete, who's still a relatively new triathlete, was, unfortunately, in the same age group as the race's overall winner--a real ringer, who had the fastest swim split, fastest bike split, and seventh-fastest run split in the race.

Our other Lake-area athlete was Sarah Easton of Osage Beach. Sarah placed third (of three) in the women's 25-34 age group in the sprint race.  Here are her splits:

Swim:        10:03  (2:31 per 100 meters)
T-1:             6:25
Bike:       1:02:51  (11.5 miles per hour)
T-2:             3:40
Run:          38:33  (12:15 per mile) 
Finish:    2:01:30  

Jake Thoenen, a 2020 Camdenton High School graduate now attending the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, took sixth overall and first in the men's 15-24 age group in the sprint race, finishing in 1:18:26.

Swim:          9:12  (2:18 per 100 meters)
T-1:             2:37
Bike:         45:43  (15.7 miles per hour)
T-2:             0:31
Run:          20:26  (6:29 per mile) 
Finish:    1:18:26  

Complete race results can be found here.

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WEEKEND RACE RESULTS (May 21-22):

The P.A.C.T. Rise Up 5K apparently went off as scheduled on Saturday in Eldon despite the weather. I couldn't find any results.

The Arkansas Backyard Ultra Championship lasted about 36 hours to determine a winner/finisher.

The St. Louis Triathlon and Kansas City Triathlon each had about 400-500 participants.  (I didn't see any from the Lake area.)  The turnout for the Kansas City Triathlon was down about 25% from the pre-Covid race in 2019.

(Update)  Results have now been posted for last Saturday's stormy, rain-soaked Berryman 50-Mile & Marathon.  The marathon had 81 finishers (and 37 for the 50-miler), including our running friends Andy Emerson (9th overall; 4:20:47), Ed Green of Lebanon (67th overall; 6:54:45) and Sherry Wilson of Waynesville (68th overall; 6:54:51).

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IRONHORSE GRAVEL GRIND (posted May 15th)

Mike Korst was our lone Lake-area representative at the races this weekend. Mike was in Willard on Sunday for the second annual IronHorse Gravel Grind, a gravel road bicycle race benefiting the Springfield-based trail organization Ozark Greenways.

A total of 193 cyclists participated in the three race distances offered: The Grindy (26 miles), The Grinder (43 miles), and The Grindest (84 miles). Mike finished 18th overall (of 92 finishers) in The Grinder, crossing the finish line in 2:30:32, a pace of 17.1 mph.

Complete results can be found here.

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LAKE REGIONAL 5K FUN RUN/WALK (updated May 25th)

After a COVID-caused two-year hiatus, the Lake Regional 5K returned with a turnout of 78 timed runners and walkers, down from 116 in 2019 and an even bigger crowd of 201 in 2018.

The overall winner was Osage High School freshman cross country runner Addison Fowler, who finished in 25:14.  (The course may have been a little long, as Addison ran a 21:57 at last year's state championship race.)

The men's race was won by Dennis Kempf of Osage Beach.  Dennis finished in 27:15.

Complete race results are posted here.

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TRAIL OF FOUR WINDS 25K / LOZ TRAVERSE  (updated May 12th)

Poor Robert Bruns.  Robert's run the Trail of Four Winds 25K all three years (of in-person races), and he's finished second overall each time, and to different winners. This year, Robert placed second to Tony Hicks of Jefferson City, who won in 1:56:01.  (Six weeks ago, Tony set a course record in winning the Bridge & Dam 10K.)

Allison Corbo of Ft. Leonard Wood was the top female, winning in  2:39:39.

This year's newly-added LOZ Traverse race, consisting of 32 miles of trail running and 3 miles of paddling, was won by badass Army Ranger John Bergman of Overland Park, Kansas in 5:54:35.   (Check out his "Best Ranger" competition results.)   John had a substantial, 18-minute lead over second-place finisher Ian Micheal of Bucklin, Missouri after the 25K trail run, but that lead shrunk to just 4 minutes after another 13 miles of trail running and 3 miles of paddling.  Ian finished in 5:58:32, just seconds ahead of Chris Boyle, who crossed the line in 5:59:03.

The women's winner was Jenny Overstreet of Olathe, Kansas in 7:06:35--nine minutes ahead of second-place female Abigail Rolbiecki of Columbia.

Here are the results for our Lake-area participants:

There were 71 finishers of the 25K, and 40 of LOZ Traverse, at this year's race.   Of the 40 Traverse finishers, 8 competed in last year's 25K.   Of the 71 25K finishers, 22 did last year's race.   For the two races combined, just 30 participants, or 27% of this year's field, were returnees from last year.

Complete race results are posted here.

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JOPLIN MEMORIAL RUN (posted May 8th)

Two Lake-area runners traveled to Joplin for Saturday's Joplin Memorial Run, which commemorates the 161 victims of the devastating tornado that hit the city in May 2011.

In his ninth appearance at the race, Jim McDermott finished the half marathon in 1:51:04 and placed third (of seven) in the 65-69 age group.

Dan Robertson also finished the half, in 2:00:12, taking sixth (of 18) in the 60-64 age group.

Gerald Holtmeyer of Bonnots Mill, a past winner of the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon, crossed the line in 1:28:34. He finished 11th overall (of 391 finishers), and first in the 60-64 age group with a nearly 20-minute margin of victory.

Complete race results can be found here. 

Total participation dropped 10% from last year, continuing a downward trend that started in 2017, and which brings the race to slightly less than half its peak size in 2016.

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MOLLY'S MILES 5K/10K (posted May 1st)

The sixth annual Molly's Miles 5K/10K (Facebook), named in honor of Molly Bowden, a Columbia police officer who was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in 2005, was held in Columbia on Saturday with over 500 runners braving the wind and rain. Proceeds from the event benefit Camdenton-based Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).

Three runners--Mike Malone, Anita Leyva and Pete Leyva--represented the Lake area in the 5K, with Mike taking 5th overall, and Anita placing third in her age group. Pete finished 10th in his age group. Our running friend from Columbia, Zim Schwartze, a 20-time Polar Bear Strut 5K finisher, won her age group in the 10K.

Complete results can be found here.  The results don't show runners' cities, so if I missed anyone from the Lake area, please let me know.

Participation was triple last year's total, although still below the totals in pre-COVID years.

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FRISCO RAILROAD RUN  (posted May 1st)

After last year's big resurgence in participation following 2020's COVID cancellation, the Frisco Railroad Run (Facebook) (50M/50K/marathon/half/8K) in Willard saw a dramatic 46% drop in participation on Saturday, to the lowest level in at least 7 years.

Three runners from the Lake area were among this year's finishers, all in the half marathon:

Former Versailles High School cross country runner Carmen Lemell finished in 2:04:38, beating last year's 2:21:40, and placing third (of four) in the women's 19-&-under age group.

Our running crony from Fenton, Ryan Maher, ran the 50K, finishing in 4:17:04 and taking 4th overall (of 40). Just ahead of Ryan was 69 year-old phenomenon Henri Coeme of Neosho, who's raced in the Lake area.

Complete results can be found here.

Here are the number of race finishers each year since 2014:

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CLINTON HISTORIC HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted May 1st)

Perhaps the stormy overnight weather kept some runners from attending, but the Clinton Historic Half Marathon & 5K (Facebook) went from a record turnout last year to a record low turnout this year. Here are the number of finishers in the race's 6-year history. 

There were no Lake-area runners at the race, although there were some half marathon finishers who appeared at Bridge & Dam in March: Kim Ream (1:49:29; 4th overall), Jeanne Pfetsch (2:03:04), Lori Hurt (2:05:58) and Chris Hein (2:40:27). Complete results can be found here.

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MUDDY RIVER MARATHON & HALF MARATHON (posted May 1st)

The second annual Muddy River Marathon & Half Marathon took place on Saturday in Cape Girardeau.  Not surprisingly, the race attracts runners mostly from southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and Tennessee.  This year's field was far smaller than last year, with 89 marathon finishers this year (versus 196 last year) and 220 half marathon finishers (versus 385).  Results can be found here.

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More results from last weekend:

Two races put on last weekend in Rogersville by Heartland Racing escaped my attention.  The women-only Warrior Princess Half Marathon & 5K was held on Saturday, followed by the Go Bro Half Marathon & 5K on Sunday. The co-ed Go Bro event included 13 challenge stations (e.g. push-ups, stone carry, tire flip, burpees, etc.) for the half marathon, and 6 for the 5K.

Harley Owens of Eldon took third overall (of 14) in the Go Bro Half, finishing in 2:15:17.  Full results can be found here.

Two Lake-area women competed in the Warrior Princess Half.  Kelsey Snow of Linn Creek placed 14th overall (of 31) with a 2:38:09 finish, while Kim Miller of Montreal placed 23rd, finishing in 3:06:20.  Results for that race can be found here.

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Weekend race results:

Michael and Allison Varner, both of Camdenton, did the Earth Day 5K in Springfield on Saturday. They finished together in 57:02 (give or take a second). They may have been our only Lake-area race finishers this past weekend. (We may have had some locals race at the Trolley Run in Kansas City on Sunday, but I didn't want to take the time to scroll through 43 pages of results for the race posted at Athlinks.com. Not being able to search Athlinks results for participants by city is a huge pet peeve of mine. I asked them to provide for that ability years ago, but to no avail. End of rant.)

The most notable news of the weekend was Cody Eubanks' victory at The 24 Hour Lions Roar in Columbia. Cody completed 125 miles in the 24-hour race. (That ties Cody's winning distance--covered in 30 hours--at last December's 4 Fore 30.  Cody is obviously staying sharp for October's Big's Backyard Ultra.)  The top three male and female finishers for the 24/12/6 hour races can be found at the race's Facebook page.

The Garmin Olathe Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K had a total of 1,504 finishers on Saturday. That was almost exactly the same as in 2021, but was down 30% from the pre-COVID 2019 race.   Here are year-by-year totals since 2014.

The Trolley Run, like Garmin and many other races, has declined substantially in size.   In 2019, it had 4,485 finishers. Last year, it had 2,290, and this year it dropped further to 2,088.

Mainly Marathons, which caters primarily to the 50-state marathon and half marathon crowd, held its Riverboat Series of seven races in seven midwestern states this past week, including a stop in Cape Girardeau on Friday.   The results are rather interesting. Of the 33 marathon competitors at Cape Girardeau, only 10 finished in under six hours, and six finished in an identical 8:29:06. The races are typically held on running/biking paths in city or state parks.

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BOSTON MARATHON (posted April 18th)

Thanks to all of those who were able to come out to our Boston Marathon viewing party at Redhead Lakeside Grill. A great time was had by all, and Redhead treated us wonderfully. We'll be sure to do it again next year. Circle Monday, April 17th on your 2023 calendar in red.

We didn't have any locals in this year's race (next year we'll be rooting for Elaine Mallahan, and hopefully more), but there were some familiar names in the results:

Frequent Lake visitor (and frequent Boston Marathon runner) Greg Linhart finished in 3:18:55.

Billy Garrett of Holts Summit, who finished third at last month's Bridge & Dam Half Marathon, finished in 2:58:42.

Jill Wagner of Sullivan, who's competed (and won) at Bridge & Dam, and who's run Boston at least once before, finished in 3:46:13.

This year's race results don't allow for a search by state, so I could be missing other names familiar to us. (Scrolling through 20,000 names in the hopes of finding a few would be mind-numbing torture.)

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ROCK THE PARKWAY HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted April 9th)

Just one Lake-area runner competed at the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon & 5K in Kansas City on Saturday.  (If I missed anyone, please let me know.)  Kristin Muff of Sunrise Beach ran the 5K, finishing in 47:40 and placing 61st (of 85) in the women's 45-49 age group.

A few other familiar names were spotted in the results.  Greg Linhart ran the half marathon in 1:28:47, placing 8th (of 147) in the 40-44 age group.  Tony Hicks of Jefferson City, who won the 10K at Bridge & Dam two weeks ago, won the masters (i.e. over 40) division and placed 8th overall (of 2,266 finishers) by finishing in 1:15:31.

Complete race results can be found here.

Like many other races, Rock the Parkway had a much-improved turnout compared to last year, but still fell well short of its pre-COVID participation levels--especially in the half marathon.  Here are the number of finishers, by distance, over the last eight races.

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BRIDGE AND DAM 25K, HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K (posted March 28th)

The Bridge and Dam 25K, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K (Facebook page) once again lived up to its reputation as the biggest and best race of the year at the Lake of the Ozarks.  It's a well-earned reputation, too, thanks to all of the hard work by the organizers and volunteers, and the support of the Lake community.  This was the eighth year of the event, and once again benefited the Lake of the Ozarks chapter of the non-profit Missouri Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

There is, unfortunately, a little disappointing news to report about this year's race. Since the inaugural race in 2015, Bridge & Dam has always managed to buck the unrelenting trend of declining participation that has hit so many races throughout the state (and beyond) since the early/mid 2010s, and which has led to many races being cancelled outright.  You can only buck such a sweeping trend for so long, and this was the year that Bridge & Dam's good fortune came to an end. 

There were 418 finishers at this year's race.  That represents a 24% decline from last year's record total of 551, and the fewest total since 2017.  The half marathon accounted for most of the decline, with 45% fewer half marathon finishers this year than last (127 versus 231), and the lowest number ever for Bridge & Dam. (I hope to have time to analyze the decline.)

Shown below are the number of finishers, by distance, since 2015.   (The 2019 race was on pace for a record based on registrations, but the worst weather in race history kept many from participating on race day.)

Despite this year's decline in participation, Bridge & Dam still remains one of the largest running races in Missouri held outside of a large metropolitan area. 

As has always been the been the case for Bridge & Dam, the overwhelming majority of this year's participants came from outside the Lake area.  Indeed, of this year's 418 finishers, 315, or 75%, were from elsewhere.  The percentage is even higher for the longer races. Here's a breakdown:

Not surprisingly, with a preponderance of race participants coming from elsewhere, Bridge & Dam gives Lake-area runners some of their most formidable competition of the year.  As was the case both this year and last, only one of Bridge & Dam's eight overall men's and women's victories up for grabs went to a local runner.  Payten Luaders' victory in the women's 5K kept us from being completely skunked.

Race Results

Complete race results can be found here. 

25K

The 25K was a new addition to Bridge & Dam this year, replacing the All-In (22.4-mile) and Double-Down (19.3-mile) Challenges that had been offered since 2017.

The top male was Bridge & Dam first-timer Jacob Zarzyckiof Harrison Township, Michigan.  Jacob cruised to victory in 1:47:51 with a commanding, 11-minute lead over 56 year-old (twice Jacob's age, by the way) Jeffrey Foes of Alton.

The women's race was won by Christina Snyder of Strafford.  Christina, who competed in last year's All-In Challenge, won in 2:02:31, finishing 12 minutes ahead of Kathy Frese of Jefferson City.  (Kathy's a fixture at Jefferson City races, but this may have been her very first race at the Lake.)

Our top local finisher in the 25K was Jim McDermott, who placed sixth (among 11 men) and finished in 2:19:52.

Half Marathon

In his first appearance at Bridge & Dam, Charlie Schattgen of New Bloomfield won the half marathon, and did so in a record-setting time. Charlie won in 1:19:53, breaking Anthony Wells' record of 1:21:26 that stood for just one year. Finishing about two minutes behind Charlie was Jason Levine of Osceola.

In the women's race, another newcomer, Olivia Durant of Shawnee, Kansas won by a whopping 12-minute margin over Jennifer Benitez of Carol Stream, Illinois. Olivia's winning time of 1:24:29 was the second-fastest women's finish time since Lizzy Handschy's winning time of 1:23:20 at the inaugural Bridge & Dam half in 2015. (Lizzy's is one of the very few 2015 records that hasn't yet been broken.)

Arguably our fastest local runner, Tucker Seise, looked like an early favorite to win the half marathon, leading the entire field at the 3.1-mile mark. By mile 10, though, Tucker trailed Charlie Schattgen by five minutes, putting him well out of contention. Tucker did win local bragging rights, but just barely, as Harrison Adams, a former Osage High School cross country runner, crossed the finish line a mere 13 seconds behind him.

Two past half marathon winners, Greg Linhart (2019) from Grandview, and the phenomenal 62 year-old Gerald Holtmeyer (2015) from Bonnots Mill, had top-ten finishes.   Greg finished 8th overall, in 1:27:03, and Gerald 9th, in 1:32:35. 

10K

The 10K course records were smashed by this year's men's and women's winners.

Tony Hicks of Jefferson City won the men's race, in 36:06.  That was over two minutes ahead of fellow Jefferson City runner Tim Glavin, who took second, in 38:22.  Finishing third was seventeen year-old Osage High School junior cross country runner William Faulconer, who held the previous course record of 38:48.

The previous women's 10K course record of 43:41 was set in 2017 by former standout Osage High School cross country runner Micah Hill.  The new record is now 40:54, set by Colleen Madden of Carlinville, Illinois. 

Our friend and former Lake-area runner Andy Goessmann took fourth overall, finishing in 39:26. 

5K

The biggest upset of the day came in the women's 5K.  Prior to Saturday's race, Cierra Hiland of Augusta, Illinois laid claim to having won every Bridge & Dam women's 5K race since that distance was first offered in 2017. While Cierra still holds the women's course record of 21:21, local runner Payten Luaders took this year's crown, winning in 23:58.  Jordan Rocco of Wentzville took second, finishing 15 seconds behind Payten.  Cierra placed 4th overall, finishing in 24:56.   

Kevin Carel of Vero Beach, Florida was this year's spoiler of Mike Malone's fourth attempt to win the Bridge & Dam men's 5K. (Mike place third in 2017 and 2018, and second in 2019, before opting for the half marathon in 2021). Kevin won in 19:51, over a minute ahead of Mike. Mike's 21:10 finish time tied his age-group record for this distance set in 2019.

Records

Seventeen course, age-group or age records were either broken, tied or established this year.  Here's the list:

Legacy Half Finishers

All nine runners who had finished every Bridge & Dam half marathon (or longer race) since its debut in 2015 returned this year to extend their streaks. (2020 is excluded from the tally since the race was virtual only.)  Below is the list of the diehards. Their ages appear in parentheses.  It looks like the competition to be the very last legacy runner remaining could go on for decades.

Russell Burkett (50) (O'Fallon, MO)
Jeanette Pfetsch (47) (Kansas City)
Alisha Eldridge (41) (Eldon)
Ryan Garlock (45) (Lincoln, NE)
Lindsay Garlock (45) (Lincoln, NE)
Lori Hurt (40) (Sedalia)
Doug Kueker (42) (Lake Ozark)
Kim Ream (39) (Sedalia)
Heather Skouby (52) (Eldon)

Weather

Bridge & Dam had perfect weather last year (clear skies, light winds and mild temperatures that ranged from 50° at the start to 65° at the finish), and nearly the same this year, although temperatures were about 10-15° cooler.  Officially, the temperature was 40° at the start, and 47° at 11:00 a.m.

Results for Lake-area runners

Here are the results for our Lake-area runners, by race distance and finish order:

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SHAMROCKS & SHENANIGANS 5K/15K & BEER MILE (posted March 20th)

Seven Lake-area runners headed to Springfield Saturday morning to compete in the inaugural Shamrocks & Shenanigans 5K/15K. The race had a sizable turnout, with 280 finishers of the 5K, 130 of the 15K, and 50 trying their luck at the beer mile.

Tucker Seise pulled off one of the rarest of achievements among Lake-area runners--an overall victory at an out-of-town race.  (Chris Boyle is the only other local to have done that, at four different races since 2017.)  Tucker beat all 279 other 5K competitors to the finish line, winning in 18:49.  His nearest competitor finished 1:29 behind him.

Scott Page, and our frequent Lake visitor from Ankeny, Iowa, Chelsea Krause, earned podium spots in their respective age groups in the 15K.  Scott finished in 1:16:52; Chelsea in 1:18:33.  Katie Roberts crossed the line in 1:25:31, missing a third-place finish by a mere 12 seconds.

Here are the results for our Lake-area runners, plus a few of our friends and acquaintances.

Complete race results can be found here.

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QUIVERING QUADS TRAIL RACE (posted March 13th)

Dan Robertson earned an age-group podium spot at Sunday's Quivering Quads Trail Race at Cuivre River State Park in Troy, Missouri.   Quivering Quads is one of the oldest trail races in the state, having debuted in 1994 and resurrected in 2010 following a six-year hiatus.

Dan finished the half marathon in 2:50:12, taking second place (among seven competitors) in the men's 60-and-over age group. What's most amazing about Dan is that he was a latecomer to running, had back trouble that could have easily led to him to quit running, didn't run his first half marathon until four years ago, and still runs very competitively. He's now up to eight or nine half marathons, and a marathon.  He's an inspiration.

Complete race results can be found here.

Participation was down about 14% from last year's record total.  Here are the number of finishers, by year, since 2010:

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LITTLE ROCK MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K (posted March 7th)

Every once in a long while, Amy Harrell of Eldon dusts off her running shoes and toes a starting line.  This past weekend, Amy traveled to Arkansas for the 20th annual Little Rock Marathon & Half Marathon.  She ran the half marathon, finishing in 2:29:25, placing 47th (of 136) in the women's 35-39 age group.

Frequent Lake visitor Greg Linhart ran the marathon, finishing in 3:41:30 and placing 8th (of 80) in the 40-44 age group.

Participation was up from last November's postponed race, but down substantially from 2020 and prior years.  Years ago, this race was once a reliable sell-out.  No more.

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WHOBILATION 5K RUN/WALK (updated March 8th)

Here are some race photos taken by Tomas Sovcik that Kim passed along.

No results as of yet.

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QUEENY BACKYARD ULTRA (updated March th)

The second edition of the Queeny Backyard Ultra at Queeny Park in suburban St. Louis ended almostly like the first. 

Tim Barbee of Columbia, Illinois needed 26 hours (109.2 miles), versus 25 last year, to shake off the last of his competitors to win the race. 

The women's race also had a repeat winner.  Angela McKnight of St. Louis completed 15 hours (63.0 miles) this year, one hour more than was necessary to top the women's field last year.

Here's how our three Lake-area competitors did:

There were 62 competitors at this year's race, up from 53 last year.

Full results can be found at the race's Ultrasignup page.

Photos and video clips can be found at the race's Facebook page, as well as that of Janzow Photography.

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TAME THE DRAGON (posted March 3rd)

The St. Louis Orienteering Club held its third annual Tame the Dragon orienteering race at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park on Saturday.  A total of 53 competitors--down from 68 last year--turned out, including 18 competing solo, and 35 spread among 15 teams.

The competitors faced much tougher conditions this year.  Besides temperatures 20-30° colder this year than the unusually mild days the previous two years, the snow and sleet that fell just days before the race made for more difficult footing. The only consolation was that the duration of this year's race was reduced from eight hours to seven.

As in the first two years of the race, no one collected all of the 36 control points. The two-man, "43 Down" team of St. Louisans Jeff Ryan and Josh Borgmeyer gathered the most control points (28) and topped the team standings with 1,070 points. (Control points had varying point values.) Jeff and Josh were on a three-man team that won last year. 

The overall solo winner was Michael Garrison, with 970 points.  Jason Bettis, last year's solo winner (who amazingly came within one control point of clearing all 36), reached 24 this year, but finished in 7:23:30, costing him a 230-point (10 points per minute) penalty that dropped him down to 9th place in the solo standings with a total of 730 points.

The Lake area was represented by Charlie and Chris Boyle, competing as "The Chuckwagon" team. They collected 12 control points with a point value of 430 points in 5:56:18. They were the only team with a young competitor, so they won their division by default.

The race results can be found here. Supplemental details to the results can be found here.

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

About 65 runners and walkers turned out for this year's Polar Bear Strut 5K, despite the coldest temperatures (in the mid 20s) for the race in five years.   Sunny skies and very light winds, though, made the chilly weather bearable (pardon the pun).

Through mile 2, Nigher Alfaro, who going into the race held a Strut-record six overall victories, looked to be on his way to a seventh.  However, Luke North, a lawyer from Galva, Illinois (now licensed to practice in Missouri), and himself a former collegiate track and cross country runner, overcame Nigher's lead and crossed the finish line first.  Luke finished in 19:14, thirteen seconds ahead of Nigher.  (Note:  For safety reasons, the Strut course was shortened beginning last year, and is only about 2.8 miles in length.  Hence, the faster than usual 5K finish times.)

The Strut's women's race has almost always been won by a current or former cross country runner, and often one from outside the Lake area.  This year, Camdenton High School cross country runner Ellie Webb, who took third place last year, shaved a whopping four minutes off last year's 23:38 finish time, to win in 19:47.  Ellie had an impressive 3-1/2 minute margin of victory over Cierra Hiland from Augusta, Illinois.  Cierra has more victories at Lake-area 5Ks than any other out-of-town runner--male or female--including every Bridge & Dam 5K since inception.   

Until the final results are posted, here are some results for the early finishers.

~~~~~Healing vibes~~~~~ have been sent to Margie Gunter, whose start to this year's race season was ruined by--of all things--a fracture in her foot bone sustained while walking from the parking lot to the starting line. 

Many more race photos can be viewed here.

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CUPID SHUFFLE 5K/10K (posted February 13th)

Six runners from Camdenton traveled to Springfield on Saturday for the Cupid Shuffle 5K/10K. Their results are posted below. Complete race results can be found here.

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CUPID SHUFFLE 5K/10K (posted February 13th)

After going three-for-three, frequent Lake visitor Jaime Maher's streak of age-group victories at this winter's Snowball Series came to an end on Saturday in St. Louis. Jaime placed ninth (of 50) in the women's 35-39 age group with a 43:02 finish time in the 5-mile race. With one race to go--a 4-miler on February 26th--Jaime still has a big lead in the point standings. It would take a DNS or DNF on Jaime's part, and an age-group victory by the competitor currently in second place, to prevent Jaime from a series championship.

A full-time Lake-area runner also competed at Saturday's race. Marcia Reed of Camdenton finished in 1:00:48, placing 5th (of 16) in the women's 60-64 age group.

Complete results can be found here.

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DAVID'S TRAIL ENDURANCE RUN (posted January 23rd)

Ten of our Lake-area runners traveled to Mountain Home, Arkansas on Saturday for the seventh annual David's Trail Endurance Run (Ultrasignup) (Facebook). Seven managed to pull off podium finishes.

Chris Boyle was the overall winner (over 32 others) of the 50K, finishing in 5:19:18.  Chris knocked 19 minutes off his fourth-place finish time from last year. John Shelby again took second place in the in the 50-59 age group, crossing the line in 7:11:18.

It was, in the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, "déjá vu all over again" for Tucker Seise.  For the third year in a row, Tucker took third overall (among 90 competitors this year) in the 25K, this time finishing in 2:01:52.  About 50 minutes later, Gary Braman, Rob Kucsik and Nigher Alfaro crossed the line to take second, third and fourth, respectively, in the men's 50-59 age group.

Miracles do happen, as Stacy Roberts can now attest.  He took home an age-group victory, winning the 40-49 age group in the 7K with a 48:14.  Mark Kempf finished about a minute later to take third in the 50-59 age group.

Here are the results for all of our Lake-area runners:

Complete results can be found here. 

Lots of photos have been posted on the race's Facebook page.

There were 180 finishers at this year's race (compared to 241 last year and 225 in 2020), including 33 for the 50K, 90 for the 25K and 57 for the 7K.  

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THE SHIPPEY ENDURANCE RUNS (posted January 9th)

Two, five-person relay teams from the Lake competed in The Shippey Endurance Runs at the Beaumont Scout Ranch southwest of St. Louis on Saturday.  The weather was seasonably cold and windy--the complete opposite of the hot, humid weather for the race's debut in August of 2019.   

The Lake of the Ozarks Runners team, made up of Chris Boyle, Aaron Koeppen, Gary Braman, John Shelby, and Tucker Seise, won the 100-mile relay race over three other finishing teams, in 17:06:17.  The Lake of the Ozarks Elite Runners team failed to finish.

The results can be found here, and at the race's UltraSignup page.

Here are the number of finishers, by distance, in the race's two years:

Check out the race's Facebook page for some photos and videos, among other items.

The best performance of the day belonged to Eric Buckley, a 58 year-old from St. Louis.  He was the only 100-mile solo finisher, in 29:21:53.  Ten others started, but failed to finish. 

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