Volte With Some Grand Finishes In December

December proved to be busier than ever for Volte as well as our family and friends as we entered the holiday and Christmas season.

So many great performances to wrap-up a spectacular 2017.

One which saw new runners join our group as well as an expansion of those who are friendly to Volte and work collaboratively to foster a great spirit within our local athletic communities.

The first Saturday in December, the 2nd, saw Jerritt Park and his son Brayden travel to New Caney for the Tavola Reindeer Run 5K where Dad chased down a time of 20:40 while son was a 26:32 finisher.

A few states away, Lauren Hoffart was completing the 12 South Winter Warm-Up 6K in Nashville, Tennessee in 31:04. 

You can watch Lauren’s finish here.

The next morning, Sunday, December 3, in San Antonio at the Rock ‘N Roll San Antonio Half Marathon, Brian Schultz dropped a 1:47:58 time while Volte friends Mary-Ellen Wilderman-Hay and Brad Hay finished in 1:48:25 and 2:30:07, respectively.

Volte friend Sabina Lorca ran the marathon in 4:18:10.

At Duessen Park in east Houston, a great group of Volte women participated in the Run Girl Half Marathon and Relay.

Nobody can ever accuse Leanne Rosser of not having friends.  Lots of them ran Run Girl 13.1 or the 5K.
(Photo courtesy of Tim Moss)

Meredith Moss led us individually with a second-place age group winning time of 1:35:14, but the relay team of Leanne Rosser and Allison Urvan – aka “Hot Mess” - put together a time of 1:34:51 to win the Relay division.

Volte friends Tina Saims and Griselda Borrero were second and third, respectively, in their age group divisions with times of 1:41:43 and 1:51:14. 

Volte friend Savannah Wiggins ran with and posted the same time as Borrero.

Wow! 22-minute personal best from Monse Louimeus at Run Girl 13.1
(Photo courtesy of Jon Walk)

Even though Monse Louimeus didn’t place in her division, she still cranked out a 22-minute plus PR with a blazing time of 1:48:24.

Naika Vargas and Mayra Caamano – aka “Chat Noir” - teamed up on a 2:04:51 half marathon showing in the Relay division.

Marta Mixa was second in her age group group in 2:13:30 while she was stalked on the course by Dawn Johnson who had a personal best of 2:15:43.

It was Johnson's fourth career half marathon, but she noted that it was her first half marathon to run alone – and competitively.

Much to the delight of co-race directors Carrie Godfrey and Jana Landry, Leanne brought a host of women to the race.  They included Alicia Bush, Alyssa Adams, Amber Harrison, Anne Redondo, Brandy Sheltraw, Brooke Perkins, Cheryl Johnson, Darcy McLinden , Dawn Sharber, Guy Amabelle, Jessy Orlando, Kim Sizemore, Madison Brown, Maria Cruz, Melissa Michelle, Patti Galvan, Roz Mcburney, Sandra Cason, Sarah Trout and Tori Brandum.

While our head coach Bill Dwyer traveled to Sacramento, California to witness Amanda Cruise’s effort at the California International Marathon, Volte had just more than 25 runners participate in one of the four races at the last Texas 10 Series race of 2017 in Conroe.

In the 5K, Isaac Rodriguez, Judith Albarran’s son, was the first across the line in 23:47.  The Spring High School student led Brayden Park, who put down a sterling time of 24:32, while Judith herself finished in 25:02. 

Jimmy Baker stopped the clock in 34:39 while Keri Amador ran with her husband, Oswaldo, and they finished together in 35:19.

Tim Russell led us in the five-miler in 44:12 while Llana Bingham won her division with a time of 47:23.

Rich Cooper and Lisa Johnson finished in 50:58 and 1:01:59, respectively, while Volte friends Ray and Diana Sarno ran together in 1:07:17.  Ray won his age group while Dianna was third in hers.

Five age group winners in the 10-mile race with Ken Rieger taking second in his division in 1:06:04.
Also with second-place division finishes were Rip Reynolds (1:07:50), Landa Wright (1:21:01) and George Rux (1:27:04).

Jerritt Park was third in his in 1:11:26.

Volte friends Mike Menster, Patrick Wills and Maygen Ritchie got in the winning mood too.

Menster was the first Masters finisher in 1:02:07, while Wills was first in his age group in 1:03:45 while Ritchie was third in hers in 1:28:17.

Laura Hanyzewski making Texas 10 Conroe look easy.
(Photo courtesy of Layton Gill)

Volte was rounded out by Todd Hunter - 1:14:00, Gregg Harris - 1:16:05, Laura Hanyzewski - 1:25:03, Yaya Herrera - 1:30:37, Mike Kuykendall - 1:31:37, Brian Hanyzewski - 1:32:29, Dana Formon - 1:36:28, Paul Vita - 1:42:57, Desna McDonald - 1:56:16, Cassandra Roschen - 1:56:43, Amanda Becker - 2:05:14 and Alfredo Gonzalez - 2:11:10.

Volte friends also included Edson Jones - 1:20:56, Mary Garcia - 1:29:43, Cristina Gray - 1:35:47 and Ken Johnson - 2:33:07.

Alfredo Gonzalez gets Texas 10 Conroe done in the now retro Volte shirt.
(Photo courtesy of Layton Gill)

If you’re feeling lucky, you should stay close to Desna McDonald as she won the $100 post-race cash prize drawing for a random 10-mile finisher for the third time this year.

Mike Kuykendall netted himself a 9-minute personal best, while Hunter, Herrera and Russell had all run 20 as part of their training for the Chevron Houston Marathon the day before.

Brayden Park wrapped things up by participating in the Lil’ Tex Kids 1-Mile before dad Jerritt came back out that evening --- in fact, the only one – for the very cold, wet The Woodlands Running Club Sunday Night 5K in 22:45. 

Special thanks to Leanne Rosser, who helped out to make sure that the race was produced.

We all get to cheer on Amanda Cruise in a couple of years at the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon as she rocked the CIM course with a qualifying and palindrome-like time of 2:44:42.

Amanda Cruise on a 6:18 per mile or better cruise control to an OTQ time.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

“One of the most exciting times I have ever experienced was seeing Amanda running past me at 26 miles knowing that she was going to make it,” said Volte head coach Bill Dwyer.  “She got the time on the first try.”

A little bit of Amanda’s story – and some more of Dwyer’s comments – will be in the January edition of Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine.

“As I mentioned for the article,” he said. “Plan A was safe and wonder.  Plan B was go for it and know … and she made it.”

We’re all elated for Amanda.

You can read her race report here.

The hits kept coming, though, the following weekend.

Steven Lopez got state number 15 with a 5:08:36 finish at the Rocket City Marathon on Saturday, December 9 in Huntsville, Alabama.

It pays to know the course as Juan Flores stayed to it (after a pre-race warmup on the route), while others veered off in error, and he was first overall at the Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run 5K in The Woodlands that same morning in 19:14.

Marta Mixa finished in 36:01.

Can you run 50 miles dressed like that?  Bonnie Scholz can and did.
(Photo courtesy of Trail Racing Over Texas)

After a 50K a couple of weekends before, Bonnie Scholz tackled her first 50-miler at Brazos Bend in Needville with 9-hour and 30-minute finish.

Plenty of our friends were in action as well as Vantage Point Endurance founder Ronnie Delzer was the overall winner in the Brazos Bend 100-miler in 13:40:57.

Juan and Jose Murillo both ran the 50-miler in 12:24:23 and 12:24:25, respectively.

Luis covered the half marathon in 1:37:19 while Houston Harrier Adrienne Langelier finished in 1:39:29.

The next day, Sunday, December 10, more runners went long.

Chris Weir was second in his age group at the Fort Bend Kia 30K in Sugar Land in 1:54:24 while Volte friend Patrick Wills came into Sugar Land Town Square in 2:09:21.

Gutty performance from Mayra Caamano at the BCS Marathon
(Photo credit by Bill Dwyer)

At the BCS Marathon, Mayra Caamano was very close to re-punching her ticket to Boston with a 3:49:59 showing to lead Volte there while Ruth Perez and Faith Craig ran steady for finishes of 5:27:37 and 5:41:15, respectively.

Volte friend Shawna Kent crossed the finish line in 4:28:03.

Reaction like that will net Mike another BCS Marathon billboard appearance some time soon!
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

“Sunshine” Mike Csikos led us in the BCS Half Marathon in 1:37:46 followed by Brian Schultz, who snagged a third place age group award with his time of 1:43:04, and Randy Harris, who was back at it post-Greece in 1:44:45.

Wil Cole finished in 1:51:38, followed closely by his wife Lauren and daughter Jen, who finished in 1:54:10 and 1:54:16, respectively.

Lauren Hoffart, Llana Bingham and Tammy Grado also ran the half marathon in 2:03:45, 2:15:58 and 2:16:20.

Our Volte friends were led by Rick Cook, who put down a blazing time of 1:31:25 good for second in his 50-54 age group.  Arron Kent followed in 1:40:01.

Ray Sarno and Ken Johnson represented Huntsville with times of 3:05:44 and 3:10:51, respectively, while Leah Gonzales wrapped us all up in Aggieland in 3:11:06.

And we wrapped up 2017 with a little hustle in Galveston.

Volte friend Shelby Williams was the third overall female in the Santa Hustle Half Marathon behind former UH Cougar Madison Brown and Beaumont’s Virginia Leonardi in 1:32:22, while Meredith Moss picked up her second first place age group award in three weeks with a time of 1:42:06.

Volte friends Jon Walk and Ken Johnson finished in 2:22:08 and 3:05:23. 

Ken finished his 1,000th race wearing bib number 1000, which was crudely put together after the race management company left the original bib in its offices in Illinois.  (Walk estimates he is in the almost 700-race neighborhood.)

In the 5K, well, a hotel employee decided to hustle a bit too.

We’ll let Keri Amador take the story from here:

“They botched the 5k course for the first 20 plus runners and sent us to the wrong finish line,” she said.  “It would have been a PR for me.

“They said a hotel employee moved the barricade to get his golf cart through and never moved it back, making the course look like a loop.  So all the top 20 or so finishers got sent in wrong direction.

“After about seven minutes of standing around saying, “That doesn't seem right”, we ran and finished at the right finish line.

“So my official time says 29 minutes, but I know in my heart it should have been around 22.”

And as Paul Harvey would say, now you know the rest of the story on Keri’s official time of 29:07.

Volte friend Griselda Borrero enjoyed the atmosphere after her stellar performance at RunGirl with an easy 43:26 finish as well.