Tommy Manning places 6th OA in 1:01:52 at the 52nd, 7.6 mile-all-up-hill Mt. Washington Road Race and qualifies for the US Mountain Running Team that will Travel to Italy to compete at the Mountain Running National Championships.
Alex Nichols garners a top ten finish with 10th OA in 1:02:41 and Peter Maksimow comes in at 17th OA with a time of 1:05:21.
The three are on Team Colorado which crushed the old team course record by 5 min. 31 sec. for a team time of 5 hrs. 12 min. 28 sec.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Three Inov-8 Athletes on National Mountain Running Championship Team
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Weekend Results: March 3rd-4th
Camille Herron won her 5th marathon at The Woodlands Marathon in 2:37:18, only 4 seconds off of her Olympic Trials PR only 7 weeks ago! Herron states, “I wore the Inov-8 233s again-- they're perfect for the marathon.”
Amber Moran did some easy* climbing this past weekend at The Mind Over Mountain Trail Race. “It was a real trail event with lots of creek crossings, lung-burning climbs (2900 ft elevation gain in 5 miles), log crossings & technical single track,” says Moran. She finished as the1st Female & 3rd overall in 1:26:22 and received title, "Queen of the
Mountain".
Peter Maksimow had and intense two weekends in a row. On Feb 25th, he headed to the USSSA Snowshoe 10K Nationals. Maksimow placed 6th in 47:30 just missing the National Snowshoe Team by one spot.
On March 4th, Alex Nichols and Maksimow ran the Pueblo Spring Runoff, which was the CO 10 mile State Champs. Talk about stacked, Robert Chesert (13:13 5k and 2010 road 5k National Champion, who also happens to be Bernard Lagat's younger brother) won, and three other Olympic Trials Marathoners cleaned up. Peter placed 8th OA in a pretty solid 53:44. Not bad for a trail and mountain guy J Alex was just behind Peter finishing in 53:58.
Abby Mahoney (baby on board!) raced in the WAMDA (Western MA Diatetic Association) 5k on Saturday in Florence, MA. She was aiming to run 7:45s for mile splits. Abby was a bit nervous about wearing her 230s since she is now 4 months pregnant and is carrying extra weight. “Once I put them on, though, I felt like my old self. The conditions weren't great... slushy and wet, so I figured the 230s were good for these conditions,” states Mahoney. Her first mile was 7:14, which was a little fast but she figured she could keep going that pace. The 2nd mile was 6:57. “I have not run under 8 minute pace in months, so this was very surprising and encouraging to see,” says Mahoney. Her 3rd mile was another 6:57. Abby finished in 21:48... about 3-4 minutes faster than predicted. She was 2nd in her age division, 6th woman overall. Not bad for 4 months pregnant. As for Abby’s experience with her shoes, she says, “The 230s were great in the slushy, snowy, wet weather. It was also nice to know that they were comfortable even with my extra weight and center of gravity being thrown off a bit!!”
As for our CrossFit athletes, Oliver Glass is currently 109th out of 2600 in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Glass thinks his 12.1 performance could have gone a little better which would have helped his standing. Ollie states, “I anticipate to be in the the top 75 by the next workout or so. I completed workout 2 with 72 reps. I feel 100% and of course the shoes are a big part of that.” Keep the on the throttle Ollie!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Ugly Mudder 7.25 Mile - Maria Dalzot
Ugly Mudder 7.25m- Reading, PA
We arrived in Reading on Saturday afternoon to walk/jog the course. I have been known to wander off course on more than one occasion so it was really important to me to see the course. After seeing the layout of the climbs and the terrain, I made a plan to play it conservative for the first 3 miles and then race the last 4 miles. Since it was a short race, I chose to wear the X-talon 190s even though there wasn't much mud when we scouted the course.
The morning of the race, we woke to sunny skies and chilly temps, reminiscent of fall cross country. The 11am start allowed for a very lax morning of stretching, coffee and the Food Network. I checked my email and to my surprise found out that Gina Lucrezi, the Inov-8 team manager, was going to be at the race! I was very excited because I had not seen Gina since we were on the NACAC team together in Mexico last July.
We left for the course early, minding the race director's warning of limited parking. After packet pick-up, we met up with Gina and did a 2.5 mile warm up. The race was scheduled to start at 11:00am, but with an unanticipated number of late registrants - 180 on race morning for a whopping total of 900 runners - the gun didn't go off until 20 minutes after the hour. I made sure to position myself well on the line because there was only about 400 meters until the trail turned into a single path up a steep hill in the woods. The gun went off and as I began my ascent up the first hill, someone stepped on the back of my shoe and suddenly I was shoeless. After several choice words because this was certainly not in my plan, I was able to slide my shoe back on without having to retie it. In the meantime, people were just pouring over top of me. I was now stuck behind people who were way over-dressed and wearing road shoes. I desperately found a way to start passing people by running through thorn bushes and jumping over fallen branches. Thus, my first half was not conservative as planned. Luckily, I was feeling pretty good and didn't let the bit of bad luck trigger negative thoughts. I stayed focused and calm and was able to position myself in the lead at about 3 miles. From there I continued to push, never feeling like I had to walk any of the steep climbs. I loved my X-talons! I never once faltered on the rocky, leaf-covered ground, but instead glided effortlessly atop them and had plenty of bite for the unexpectedly muddy second half of the race. Everyone raves about the X-talon 190s, no news there, so let me also tell you that I loved the ProSoc 22. What a combination! I finished as the first female, 19th overall in 58:56. It was a great way to start my racing year. We celebrated with complementary pancakes and scrambled eggs, and I was able to catch up with Gina. Next up, Hell's Hills 25k in Texas on April 7th.
Team inov-8 2012: Maria Dalzot
1) Primary sport (s): Trail, Mountain Running and Cross Country
2) Team member since: 2012
3) City/state of residence: Morgantown, WV
4) Occupation: Master's Degree Student in Human Nutrition and Dietetic Intern at West Virginia University
5) Goals for 2012:
- Defend my NACAC Title
- Enjoy a jog up the Mountains of Temù and Ponte di Legno
- Compete in the Mountain Cup Series
6) Notable achievements/memories/PR’s in your sport:
- 2011 NACAC Mountain Running Champion
- 2011 USATF 10k Trail Championship runner-up
- Team Member of the 2007 Big East Cross Country Champions
7) Favorite inov-8 gear:
- Roclite™ 286 GTX
- X-TALON™ 190
8) List one thing others may not know about you: I have a crush on Michael Palin.
9) Favorite energy drink/food: Peanut butter and banana sandwich with yogurt, coffee, GU
10) Your favorite race/event and why? I am most comfortable running cross country races, but after gaining more experience competing in technical, high caliber trail and mountain races, I feel that those will quickly take precedence. Mt. Chupinaya will always hold a special place in my heart.
11) Advice to other athletes: Don't be afraid to stray from "The Plan." Often times, when training at such a high caliber, injuries and life can cause a kink in your schedule. Runners are generally not the most flexible people, literally and figuratively. But in order to get back on track, you have to be able to modify and adjust accordingly.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Foothills Foray
Foray – n. 1. A sudden raid or military advance 2. A venture or initial attempt in some field.
The definition for foray seemingly has two distinct meanings, an aggressive and decisive approach and a more tentative, laid back approach. My mindset prior to completing the 77 miles of the Cherokee Foothills Trail was see-sawing back and forth between the two. Could I break the existing FKT (fastest known time) by Matt Kirk or would this be an “initial attempt” at the record?
I had only attempted one FKT-type run prior to my Foothills Trail effort last weekend. It went well but this run was to be longer, tougher and would require much more patience than I’m used to putting forth. Announcing such things, like setting a new speed record, is sort of like putting it out there prior to a race that you are gunning to win. I was apprehensive and had much respect for this trail as I know it has been a conundrum to complete by many runners in one push.
My wife dropped me off at Table Rock State Park in the early morning hours. I had to walk in a mile from the locked gate just to reach the trailhead. The weather was near perfect with temps in the low 30’s but a bit breezy. I got going quickly as there is no point of wasting time when you are by yourself in the dark. If anybody in their right mind was up at this hour and looked up at Table Rock they probably thought that somebody had put a new road on the mountain. I was wearing three headlamps, one on my head and two on my waist, so I’m sure the glow of light could be seen for miles.
The first section of this trail is almost ten miles of climbing up to the top of Sassafrass Mountain, the highest point in SC. This section seemed to pass by quickly and uneventfully except for the grouse that freaked out at my presence. My subsequent scream could be heard for miles as well. After summiting Sassafrass the trail drops back down another five miles to the start of the Laurel Valley section. I reached the start of Laurel Valley in 2:49 which was slightly ahead of my schedule. Anne gave me my needed supplies for the next thirty-five miles, as there is no crew access within that portion of the trail. This section is tough for many reasons and not seeing a soul for hours and hours is a mental battle. I chose not to have anyone pace me as I feel that takes away a bit from the true essence of attempting a speed record. I made the choice to refill my handheld water bottles from side streams so as to not have to wait for iodine to work its magic. Over the next couple days I’ll see if this gamble was worth it.
I completed the strenuous Laurel Valley section in 6:19 which kept me well under the record going into the last twenty-nine miles. A lot of runners drop after climbing up the long stretch to the parking lot at the end of LV. At this point, runners are spent and have have not seen anyone for hours. The nearby civilization and a comfortable vehicle seem to beg one to climb inside and call it a day. I knew the temptation would be strong so I quickly got my aid and forged ahead. The next five mile section is rather tough because there are still a couple more miles of climbing before a nice descent back down to crew at Sloan Bridge. I was feeling pretty rough on this section as my stomach started to reject the taste of anything. The thought of consuming gels or anything solid was going to be a struggle from this point forward.
The next couple sections are only three to four miles in length, allowing one to get the feeling that one is actually making progress to the end of the trail. I managed to eat an energy bar which took me over thirty minutes to choke down and then I had my go-to fuel which is Ensure. Lots of calories and no chewing which is about all my stomach can handle after hours and hours of running.
I reached the point of the Chattooga River section which is over ten miles in length and anyone who has run this section will swear it is much longer. I’ve heard it referred to as the Bermuda Triangle. It is rather technical with lots of roots along the river and it just drags on and on which is why it took me right at two hours to complete. The movie Deliverance was filmed in this area so I had the added mental anguish of thinking about how that all played out. The fear of a banjo cranking up in the woods kept me moving to my goal of seeing Anne and the last six mile section to the finish in Oconee State Park.
The last section was a blur. I felt nauseated every step and I somehow just kept pushing ahead. I was red-lining for what seemed like hours and it would have been so easy to back off the pace in order to feel more comfortable. However when I’ve succumbed to this temptation before I’ve looked back on my effort and regretted not hammering it all the way to the finish. When exhausted it is easy to let the mind trick one into slowing down. However I know when looking back there is nothing like giving it your all and the feeling of a total and complete effort.
The last mile felt like an eternity. I was getting lightheaded and was running on fumes, as all I could take in was plain water at this point. Finally I saw a purple blur up ahead and heard a big hooray! If anyone knows my wife Anne, her favorite color is purple. I have never been so happy to see the color purple and the terminus of a trail.
My finishing time was 14:26 and I’m extremely satisfied with setting a new FKT by well over two hours. This was a near perfect day and I’m thankful to be able to look back with no regrets. I usually dissect my running accomplishments and find ways to pick apart my effort. It won’t happen this time.
Foothills Trail – 77 miles
Approximately 16,000’ climb
Shoes – inov-8 Roclite 295’s
Fuel – GU Roctane gels (15), GU Brew electrolyte drink, Ensure (3), energy bars (2)
Monday, February 27, 2012
inov-8 = Establishing New Records
Mark Lundblad set his sights on the Foothills Trail FKT this past weekend. The course record for the 77 miles was 16:23. Well, that was not fast enough for Lundblad. Mark destroyed the 2005 course record with a new time of 14:26. He wore his roclite 295's :) Mark ran the entire course without a pacer, and was crewed by Anne Lundblad (go Team Lundblad!). The weather was good with just a bit of wind.
Switching up terrain and distance, Lisa Mikkelsen participated at the New England USATF Championships held at Harvard University. Lisa's choice events are the 400 and 200 meters. While competing in the 400, Lisa tweaked her achilles in the first 75 meters. Being the tough and determined woman that she is, Lisa pushed through and was able to take a 1st place finish in 59:92...which is also a new AMERICAN RECORD for Woment 45-49. Can you say machine :) Congrats Lisa, you are amazing!
Michele Hartwig-268 Review
Inov-8 RocliteTM 268′s are a lightweight (9.5 ounces) women specific shoe. They hold tight around your ankles and have plenty of room in the toebox. The sizes run standard. I wear the same size as I would wear in any other name brand shoe. The soles are sticky and have plenty of protection on the toe for the rocks and roots.
First off – I love the brilliant navy and bright blue color. They are a good looking trail shoe. I always get compliments on them from runners and non-runners when I wear them around town. I know this doesn’t matter on how well they handle on the trail but us gals like to look good, so the super cute design is important.I had great results running many different terrains. I wore them for training on the Ice Age trail where you will find dirt single track, rocky areas, mud, and open prairie. The flexible sole gives me great “feel” for the trail. My feet adjusted to every rock or root making me feel light and fast as I cruise through the trail. They breath great in hot weather. Plus, if I step in a puddle they dry out immediately.I also wore the RocliteTM 268′s at a 100 mile race in the Ozarks. It was called Pumpkin Holler 100. The course was on dirt roads with fine gravel to big rocks. The race director had advised people to wear gaiters with there shoes. I chose to wear the Roclites without gaiters because I was confident they would keep the debris out. They did! I finished the race with smooth, blister free feet and no lost toenails. Here is a picture of my feet the day after the race.
Blister Free after 100 Miles!
I tested the RocliteTM 268′s through out my 2011 racing season and they have now become my “go to” shoe. I nicknamed them my long distance racing flats.Happy trails!!Michele Hartwig
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