Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Red Hot Snowmen!

At the Red Hot 33K in Moab, UT, Justin Ricks not only won the race overall, but smashed the course record with an impressive 2:09:00.

The 33K was the first race in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup.

Read the TrailRunner article.

Results

Who put that sign there!!??
Ricks is being shown up in this photo by a finish sign              photo: La Sportiva (obviously not photographers!)


Simon Gutierrez and Peter Maksimow ran the Snowman Stampede, which is put on by Colorado Runner, in Littleton's Hudson Gardens to place 2nd OA in 27:15 and 4th OA in 27:37, respectively.

Results


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Running Up a Snowy Slope - Winter, 'Tis the Season

This past weekend a couple Team Coloradans took to the slopes in a slightly different manner: running upslope rather that skiing down it.

John Tribbia and Alex "Axel" Nichols duked it out with the top winter/adventure/XTERRA athletes in the country at the Winter Mountain Games' Vail Uphill. This 2.06 mile race climbed a lung- (and sometimes a nut-) busting 2,475 feet from Lionshead in Vail Village up to Eagles Nest at 10,328 feet. Sounds horrible, doesn't it!?

Tribbia was in the money with a repeat of this 3rd place finish from 2012 in a time of 32:54. Nichols placed 6th OA with a time of 34:44.

Axel rockin' the Kenyan-born Obama beanie                                      photo courtesy of Matt Trappe (trappephoto.com

Results

On the Scrambled Legs side of things, Simon "Gute" Gutierrez and Peter "The Prez" Maksimow ran race #3 of the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series, a 5 mile run into the wind, placing 6th OA in 27:57 and 8th OA in 28:48, respectively.

Gute taking an early lead in Winter Series #3                     photo: Tim Bergsten

This race catapulted Team Scrambled Legs into the lead in the series, ahead of Team H.A.R.T. (High Altitude Running Team), which recruited a ringer, Justin Chaston, a three-time steeplechase Olympian from Great Britain.

Note the socks--hence the team name: Scrambled Legs        photo: Tim Bergsten

Video of the start. Results.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Misch takes 16th at USA XC Master's Nationals, Manning footballs it, and Rickey climbs some stairs

Team Colorado's Mark Misch, after recently entering the realm of "master," place 16th OA at the 2013 USA Cross Country Nationals in the Master's 8k race running an impressive time of 27:56. The race was held at Forest Park in St. Louis, MO on February 2nd.

Here is his review:

The conditions were about as expected for St. Louis in early February. There was a brisk wind, the temperature was probably mid 20's, the course was a 2k loop with three good hills each lap. The ground was soft / muddy in spots from the snow melt that week. I started fairy conservative and moved up the whole race to the finish. I felt great aerobically, just no leg speed. I think I needed another lap or two! There were 127 men in the master's race, I finished 16th. I think I need another cross country race or two to knock the rust off and get the rhythm back of racing on grass, mud, etc. and the back and forth tempo that comes with racing cross country.

Mark is the head men's cross country coach at UCCS and will be hosting a Kenya Dinner Night after recently returning from a trip to Kenya with his team. At this event, Kenyan food will be served and funds will be raised to in order to supply more teachers at a school which the UCCS team adopted in Kenya.


photo: Michael Scott
In Colorado Springs, Tommy Manning took the win at the Game Day 5k in 17:15, which was part of the Super Half Marathon.


Tommy getting chased down by legendary race timing extraordinar, Dave Sorenson, of the Pikes Peak Road Runners
photo: Tim Bergsten
Tommy is now a proud citizen of Macedonia! Yeahhhhh!

In stair climbing news, Rickey Gates placed 3rd at the 36th Empire State Building Run-Up on Feb. 6th. This race up 1,576 steps and 86 floors took Rickey 11:01 to complete. This is his 3rd time in that he has been runner up to the runner up.


Gates getting crushed against the marble wall                                                photo:AP


Nice eye patch                         photo: Rickey Gates

Friday, February 1, 2013

2013 - Happy New Year!

Year 2 for Team Colorado! Yeahhhh, dogg!

This last month has flown by but Team Colorado has been at it as usual. Gute has been wearing the fat shoes, Tommy is coming back from injury, Peter is still injured, Rickey has been doing some stair climbing, Mark has turned 40 and feeling younger than ever, and Glenn has been schooling the roadies on the road...heh, I thought we were a mountain running team!?

Yes we are!

Here is the news:

Simon Gutierrez ran the January 1st Rescue Run 5k in Colorado Springs taking 2nd OA in 17:27. He next ran the Nielson Challenge 2 Mile in 10:51 for a 2nd place finish on January 5th. Gute has also run the Pikes Peak Road Runners' Winter Series Race #1: 3.3 miles in 18:37, 3rd place & Race #2: 4 miles in 22:35, 9th place.
Gute rockin' the Scrambled Legs socks at the PPRR Winter Series #1


Peter Maksimow won a small 5k in Montpelier, VT in 18:37, fittingly called "New Year's Eve 5k"on the last day of 2012 (December 31, 2012 for you Luddites) after not having run a step for 8 weeks due to injury. "Wow, I forgot how difficult running was!!!" Maksimow exclaimed.


Beer and Running: Peter's two favorite things!

Maksimow also ran the first two Pikes Peak Road Runners' Winter Series Short Course in an attempt to get back into shape as part of the team Scrambled Legs. Race #1: 3.3 miles in 20:14, 7th place & Race #2: 4 miles in 22:51, 11th place.


Tommy won the first two Pikes Peak Road Runners' Winter Series Long Course Races #1: 7 miles in 45:05, 1st place & Race #2: 8 miles in 46:58, 1st place. He is coming back from an ankle injury.
Tommy sporting the Ireland shorts (he's the one that looks like a Leprechaun)

Mark Misch will be competing in the USA XC Masters Championships in St. Louis on Feb. 2.

Glenn Randall rocked the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon, placing 4th OA in 1:07:27. Proof that mountain and trail runners can still duke it out on the roads with...well, the roadies!

Rickey Gates will be running up a bunch of stairs at the Empire State Building Run-Up.

Alex Nichols is gearing up for some uphill snow running at the Winter Games Vail Uphill.