Volte's January Efforts Still Noteworthy In May

Writing well sometimes takes a little longer as well as gathering all of the right material that goes into it.

So, yes, that’s our excuse for writing in May about January.

Pulling out Volte’s efforts at the Chevron Houston Marathon, the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and the ABB 5K, we still opened the first month of 2018 with some stellar efforts.

There’s really no other way to kickoff the New Year than to run one of Steve and Paula Boone’s races at the Metal Sawing Technology Texas Marathon in Kingwood on New Year’s Day.

Our own Waverly Walk for years – since middle school – has sung the National Anthem right before the race, except for this year when participants agreed upon a group sing as our soon-to-be debut marathoner was visiting friends from college in Virginia.

Dana Formon navigated the equidistant four-loop course on Kingwood’s Greenbelt Trails to drop her marathon personal best by more than six minutes with a time of 4:52:06.

Dana Formon can fry eggs on that medal this summer in Texas' heat after finishing the Texas Marathon on New Year's Day
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

She had previously run 4:58:12 a bit more than two years before at the 2015 Honolulu Marathon.

Volte friend Erika Park finished the marathon in 3:37:18 – a Boston qualifier, even with missing a turn on one of the loops – and the venerable Ken Johnson completed his 1,001st race, his 95th half marathon and had run on his 2,997th consecutive day of running with his time of 3:21:14.

You think that’s something?

Cassandra Roschen and her father, Len, completed Disney’s Dopey Challenge between Thursday, January 4 and Sunday, January 7 when they ran a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, a half marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday.

If you call Cassandra and her father, Len (pictured left), a little Dopey, they won't be offended at all after completing four races in four days at Walt Disney World.
(Photo courtesy of Cassandra Roschen)

And for Saturday’s half, they even got some additional family members involved.

The father-daughter team’s times were as follows:

Thursday, January 4 (5K) – Cassandra 53:31, Len 53:29
Friday, January 5 (10K) – Cassandra 1:50:13, Len 1:50:11
Saturday, January 6 (Half) – Cassandra 3:28:47, Len 3:28:49
Sunday, January 7 (Marathon) – Cassandra and Len, 5:48:50

She took more than an hour off of her previous marathon best from 2013 of 6:49:25, which was also at the Walt Disney World Marathon in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Cassandra’s mom, Jana, joined them for the 10K on Friday with a time of 1:58:13 and the half marathon on Saturday in 3:28:47.

Nephew Payton LaSota finished the half in 2:50:47 while her niece Alexis Alsesen covered the distance in 3:11:28.

Closer to home at The Woodlands Running Club Sunday Night 5K on Sunday, January 7, Brayden Park outlegged his father, Jerritt, by five seconds to lead all Volte runners with a time of 24:54.

Layton Gill posted a time of 26:32 while Katie Gill and Amanda Becker ran together, recording a 36:35 effort.

Layton Gill will a bit of Cajun swagger at the TWRC Sunday Night 5K finish line.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Volte friends who competed included Curtis Barton (26:07), Leah Koester (27:59), Vincent Attanucci (28:21) and Ken Johnson (41:07).

Just a couple of streakers -- running streakers, that is - in Ken Johnson and Vincent Attanucci.  Vincent's race at the TWRC Sunday Night 5K was wrapping up year 15 of running at least a mile every day.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Vincent was celebrating his 15th year of running at least a mile every single day.

One week after the Chevron Houston Marathon, Juan Flores and David Campbell took on the Downhill to Downtown 3M Half Marathon on Sunday, January 21.

One of Volte’s bad hombres – running hombres, that is -- led us with a time of 1:34:34, while David followed in a great time of 1:40:26.

Volte fanned out across Texas the following weekend.

Lauren Hoffart participated in the Lone Star Cystic Fibrosis Tower Climb in San Antonio on Saturday, January 27.

She was third in her age group in 18:32, which included a one-mile run of 7:31 and then running up 952 steps of the Tower of the Americas in 11:01.

The climbing was even more real within the confines of Tyler State Park, just north of Tyler.

That’s where a few Voltes and some friends took on the inaugural Running The Rose trail races.

The always tough Mayra Caamano led the way as the second overall female in the 33-mile sufferfest with a time of 6:17:02.

Our ultra-loving Bonnie Scholz had signed up for double the pleasure – yes, the 66-mile race.  She called it a day after 33 miles in an unofficial time of 7:37:26.

Yes Sir, that's Bill Dwyer's own medal for finishing the 7K at Running The Rose as he's joined by Bonnie Scholz (left) and Mayra Caamano (right).
(Photo courtesy of Random Athletic Supporter)

Pinning a bib on for the first time since a Bush was in the White House, our founder Bill Dwyer did the 7K in 2:25:22.

“Well, that didn’t go very well,” he said.  “Except that it was a finish and I didn’t die.”

Volte friend Jon Walk went that distance in 1:05:36 while the Murillo boys got in a little Trail Racing Over Texas action as Luis covered the 11-mile race in 1:25:14 while Juan did the 66-miler in 17:16:05.

Further west at the first race of the 2018 Texas 10 Series in Boerne on Sunday, January 28, Mike Csikos won his age group with a time of 1:11:01.  Jerritt Park was not far behind in 1:15:07.

Volte friend Ken Johnson finished in 2:20:42.

In the five-miler, Leanne Rosser dropped to the five-miler while running the 10 for an unofficial finishing time of 42:10.

Volte friends Dianna and Ray Sarno of Huntsville posted times of 1:05:02 and 1:05:04, respectively.

Brayden Park won the 5K race in 28:20 then later participated in the Lil’ Texas Kids’ 1-mile.

In downtown Houston, with Volte friend Jon Walk on the microphone, we had runners in the inaugural Hot Chocolate 15K and 5K.

Amanda Williams, Michelle McGill and Tammy Grado crossed the 15K finish line together in 1:30:46, 1:30:47 and 1:30:55, respectively.  Llana Bingham also did so in 1:41:29.

Volte friends Allison Urvan and Pam Owens completed the single loop course in 1:04:00 and 1:19:23, respectively.

In the 5K, Nilay Dinc and Cassidy Grado recorded times of 31:04 and 38:29, respectively, while Volte friends Barry and Fran Blanton stopped the clock in 33:04 and 34:34.

And we wrapped up January in a big way as Shelby Williams was the second overall female of the USA Fit Marathon in Sugar Land on Sunday, February 28.

She won her age group as well with an easy Boston qualifying time of 3:21:50.

Our own Erica Coleman was a former winner of the race in 2014 with a time of 3:24:52.

Volte friend Kim Mac Namee was the women’s top masters in the 5K with a showing of 21:01.