Volte's Jingle Bells to Southern Smiles

With most running clubs or training groups in southeast Texas focusing on the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon each year, the last few long runs, tapering and fewer events produced after the first weekend in December generally limits opportunities to "race".

Volte is no different, though, than many clubs or groups with diversity in its mix.

Each athlete has a different ability for -- as well as desire in -- what gets them to one or many start and finish lines.

The first week after the B-CS Marathon and Half Marathon, Volte had a handful of runners who were able to enjoy their own brand of competitiveness.

Justin Bui and Geri Henry supported the second annual Jingle Bell Run For Arthritis 5K, held from Northshore Park in The Woodlands, on Saturday, December 14 and turned in performances of 19:35 and 30:18, respectively.

Geri's time was good enough for first in her age group.

While Volte coach Rich Cooper and Paul Vita were going long at the 26th annual Sugar Land Finish Line Sports 30K - in tuning up for the Chevron Houston Marathon, one of our newest runners, Alfredo Gonzalez, and father and daughter, Jon and Waverly Walk, were enjoying the Total Jingle Bell Run 5-Miler in downtown Houston.

Rich and Paul crossed the finish line in Sugar Land's Town Square within four minutes of each other in 3:07:44 and 3:11:28, respectively.

Alfredo, Jon and Waverly made their finishes even closer!

After turning in a PR performance at Run Thru The Woods 5-Miler on Thanksgiving Day, Waverly was taking this race a bit easier -- especially after finals at Liberty University and that she and her Dad had just finished driving from Raleigh, North Carolina the two days before.

And Alfredo's turning up the pace was more of good things to come the following month.

Alfredo Gonzalez, pictured with his grandson, after a stellar Jingle Bell Run performance.
(Photo courtesy of Leticia Gonzalez)

The trio actually ran physically close to each other near the second underpass on Allen Parkway returning back to downtown -- and their three chip times were within one second of each other.

Dad got in a second ahead of Waverly and Alfredo in 57:16, but it was a great day for all.

Kelley Davis celebrated too -- in New York City on New Year's Eve!

And what's a runner to do there then? Watch the ball drop? Not hardly!

She was in Central Park running the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Midnight Run 4-Miler when the clock struck midnight into 2014!

Knowing that she wouldn't be there to run with Dad the last three miles of the Chevron Houston Marathon, Waverly ran The Woodlands Running Club Sunday Night 5K with her Dad on his birthday, Sunday, January 5.

Even though she hadn't done much cardio work on the break, the plan was to run the course easy - and have fun!

The chilly temperatures, though, helped produce an even pace that netted her a 37-second 5K personal best of 33:41.

And while everyone else was running Houston, Volte had one runner in Georgia and two in Louisiana.

We don't know if Leanne Rosser shops at Wal-Mart, but her times are falling faster than their prices.

The Woodlands, Philadelphia (PR!), Big Sur, Chicago (PR!) and now Warner Robbins, Georgia - at the Museum of Aviation Maration on Saturday, January 18 - is where the third personal best in as many years has come for her.

That's a new PR time for Leanne Rosser.  She was flying so fast she had jets behind her!
(Photo courtesy of Jim Rosser)

Leanne was the tenth overall female in a age-group winning time of 4:19:29 -- slicing nearly 13 minutes off of her Chicago Marathon time from last October.

At the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge, the next day, Sunday, January 19, Will Ott and Gabby Brockett took on the marathon and half marathon distances, respectively.

Will turned in a nice performance in Cajun Country with a 3:37:17 marathon that was in the top one-third (38th) of his 35-39 age group's 118 finishers.

And we've been saying this a lot lately, but it doesn't seem to ever get old, "Brockett rocked it!"

With a smile like that, Gabby's son knew she would rock the Louisiana Marathon course the next day.  No doubt!
(Photo courtesy of Gabby Brockett)

The half marathon, that is, as she ran the half in 2:03:32 -- good for 42nd in a 222-woman 40-44 division.

Bring on February and the rest of 2014!