Thursday, October 3, 2013

Volte Goes Long in September

During the month of September, Volte athletes – as well as some of our group’s closest friends -- took to some longer distances, specifically the half marathon and marathon.

Derek Bailey kicked off the month on Sunday, September 8 with his 19th career marathon finish – and good for state #15 -- at the tough Bozeman Marathon in Montana.

Despite a net elevation drop of 264 feet, the entire race is run at over 4,830 feet above sea level and reaches its highest point at mile 12.

Derek was the 10th overall male – second in his age group – with a 3:14:53 time that snapped an 8-race streak of posting a Boston Marathon-qualifying time.

Bailey’s career marathoning history, courtesy of marathonguide.com, is as follows:

3:14:53 – Bozeman (MT) Marathon, September 8, 2013
3:02:41 – Boston (MA) Marathon, April 15, 2013
3:06:48 – Georgia Marathon, Atlanta, March 17, 2013
3:08:03 – Chevron Houston Marathon, January 13, 2013
3:01:34 – Chicago (IL) Marathon, October 7, 2012
3:06:35 – Sioux Falls (SD) Marathon, September 9, 2012
3:00:58 – Eugene (OR) Marathon, April 29, 2012
3:10:50 – Little Rock (AR) Marathon, March 4, 2012
3:08:19 – Chevron Houston Marathon, January 15, 2012
3:21:33 – Rock ‘N’ Roll Denver (CO) Marathon, October 9, 2011
3:12:18 – Pocatello (ID) Marathon, September 3, 2011
3:18:19 – Vermont City (VT) Marathon, May 29, 2011
3:18:23 – Flying Pig  Marathon, Cincinnati, OH, May 1, 2011
3:22:18 – Chevron Houston Marathon, January 30, 2011
3:27:55 – Mississippi Blues Marathon, Jackson, MS, January 8, 2011
3:33:11 – ING New York City (NY) Marathon, November 7, 2010
3:44:14 – Oklahoma City (OK) Memorial Marathon, April 25, 2010
3:43:53 – Chevron Houston Marathon, January 17, 2010
4:32:01 – Rock ‘N’ Roll San Antonio (TX) Marathon, November 15, 2009

Bozeman.  Salt Lake City.  Lake Tahoe.  Yes, we like to get a little high on our running around here at Volte.

Leanne Rosser read the literature of the second annual Big Cottonwood Half Marathon (and Marathon) -- held Saturday, September 14 thirty (30) miles south of Utah’s state capital – and took it to heart!

It read, “We are confident that you can set a personal record on this course regardless of where you have raced before or where you are coming from.”

Running in Texas humidity in the summer months is just like running at altitude – and Leanne executed with a blazing 1:47:11 – holding an 8:11 pace on the course that featured a net downhill of 2,800 feet with an average 5% grade coming out of the Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Just four days after a birthday present that included finding out she got into the 2014 Boston Marathon, Kate Looney and her husband, Bob, took part in the Lake Tahoe Marathon on Sunday, September 29.

Instead of racing, the couple, enjoying some vacation, took in all of the incredible scenery that the Lake Tahoe region has to offer on their 26-mile jaunt from Tahoe City to South Lake Tahoe.

Kate finished in 4:23:03 – a few minutes ahead of Bob, who crossed the finish line in 4:27:55.

A number of Volte friends got in some distance racing efforts in September.

While Gabby Brockett was busy on the course setting a new marathon PR (see Texas10 Katy post for more details), Conroe Oak Ridge HS and Sam Houston State graduate Melissa Poole, 29, of Newport News, Virginia turned in a 1:38:13 half marathon performance on Saturday, September 21 that was the 9th overall fastest time from an active duty female.

A year earlier, representing the United States Air Force, where she is stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Poole was the first overall active duty female finisher in the marathon in 3:20:11.

The following day, Sunday, September 22, thousands of miles apart, two of Volte’s great friends both participated in half marathons in beautiful locales.

Early in the morning in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Volte webmaster Dana-Susan Crews got back into the racing business and notched a 2:09:31 time in Rock ‘N’ Roll Oasis Montreal Half Marathon.

Later the day and a handful of time zones later, Superior Performance Massage’s Ray Arroyo, of The Woodlands, won his 55-59 age group – and was 20th overall – in the Maui (Hawaii) Half Marathon.  His winning time of 1:38:47 was 11 seconds faster than Maple Grove, Minnesota’s Dennis Henseler.

And, finally, Jon Walk kicked the tires on a new half marathon in Mansfield, which is in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, on Saturday, September 14.  He reported that the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center Run With Heart Half Marathon - his 93rd half marathon finish - was recommended as a solid test for those running October marathons.

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