Volte Did Indeed Labor on Labor Day Weekend

While we had a number of runners competing before and after the Labor Day holiday, seems like our Nine Volte took a little time off during that time – and is now getting us caught up.

It was Volte girl power at the 15th annual Beneezy Purple Monkey 10K and 5K in Alvin on Saturday, August 31.

Our ladies went three-for-three in coming home with purple monkeys – the beloved prize for placing in your age group.

Purple monkey for you, purple monkey for you ... Volte even better than Oprah as Yvette, Amanda and Liah all place.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

There’s a poignant and notable story on the race’s website that is worthy of reading. 

You can find it here.

Amanda Jenkins ran the 5K and was first overall in a time of 18:25.  Liah Olsen took second in her age group in 27:35.

Focused and first is Amanda Jenkins as she bears down on the Purple Monkey 5K finish line.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Yvette Guerra got her purple monkey with a third-place age group finish in the 10K of 52:33.

Oh, and when we said “first overall” two sentences ago, it wasn’t just first overall female.  She was the first across the finish line – guys or girls.

In fact, in the 10K, the top two finishers were some of Houston’s best female races, Lauren Stroud and Chelsea Barr, beating the field and all of the men.

Our friend Vincent Attanucci from The Woodlands, who runs the race every year, was third in his age group with a time of 1:00:36.

Even though Erika Sampson woke up the next morning in Virginia Beach, Virginia a little bit under the weather, she still decided to run the Rock ‘N Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon.

At their prices, anything less than having to visit the doctor, you run.

Erika finished the half marathon in 2:17:16.

Later that evening, a small group of ours came out for the monthly The Woodlands Running Club Sunday Night 5K at Barbara Bush Elementary in The Woodlands.

Basking in 96 degrees heat, Jerritt Park slowed it down with a 24:10 finishing time while Sharon Mitchell followed in 31:54.

Making 96 degrees look easy for the Minnesota native Sharon Mitchell at the Sunday Night 5K.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Volte friends Curtis Barton, Vincent Attanucci and Ken Johnson also competed.  Curtis led the three in 27:02, Vincent – who likely still ran long Sunday morning – finished in 35:01 while Ken came to the finish in 46:21.

The heat wasn’t going to slow Jerritt down forever though.

The next morning, he and his son, Brayden, were off to Katy to run the Back to School 5K on Monday, September 2.

Dad beat son again as Jerritt finished in 21:36 and Brayden ran a solid 23:23.

Volte friend Sonia Dhodapkar won her age group in 22:34.

Two Volte friends – Reggie Bruhn and Ken Rademacher – competed the following Saturday at Ironman Wisconsin in Madison, the state’s capitol.

Bruhn, who is coached by TxTri’s – and one of the best people in our endurance sports community in Montgomery County – Sandra Sutherland, finished in 13 hours, 25 minutes and four seconds.

He swam the 2.4 miles in 1:33:04, biked 112 miles in 6:36:43 and ran the 26.2 miles in 4:53:42.

Ken finished his third career Ironman in 14:28:33 with the following splits:  1:37:34 (swim), 7:11:59 (bike) and 5:18:47 (run).

Volte friend Jon Walk was in Pennsylvania for Labor Day weekend and - in the spirit of fellow Pennsylvanian Jerritt Park – he squeezed in two races.

He raced a first-year event on Saturday, August 31 in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania – the Run For Their Lives 5K.

Mostly everybody got to run a little extra in this race as either the leaders missed the first veer to the left or a volunteer failed to direct them.

Jon figures he ran about 3.5 miles and finished in 32:30.

Two days later, before heading back to Texas, he ran in the Labor Day Pump and Run 5K in Tipton, Pennsylvania – a race that started less than a mile from his grandparents’ house.

A mix of cross country (on the way out), roads and trail (on the way back), Jon covered the distance in 32:44 after rains blew through the area in the night to cool things down on race morning.

Runners could reduce their time by bench-pressing their weight (or a percentage of it based on age) so many times before the race start.  To be sure not to embarrass himself, he passed.

Better Than A Four-Topping Pizza, Volte Runs Well in Four States!

Great weekend in Volte, USA.  Hope it was for you as well!

Our runners and friends raced close to home in addition to Illinois, Idaho and Washington state.

Mike Csikos and Kelly Hugo both earned age group awards in the Woodforest Charity Run 10K on Saturday, September 14 in Conroe.

Sunshine stopped the clock in 44:20, good for third, while Kelly’s time of 57:13 earned her second in her division.

Mark Amann led our Volte friends with a first-place overall finish, getting the win in 35:35.

Mia Cieslar and Dr. John Slate garnered hardware with times of 49:08 and 51:27, good for second and third places, respectively.

Vincent Attanucci finished in 57:23.

When you finish two Ironmans, you can pick your Volte label – whether it is Volte, friend or alumni.

They all fit interchangeably for Landa Wright, who was third in her age group in the Woodforest Charity Run 5K in 23:23.  Our Yvette Guerra followed in 24 minutes even.

And Volte friend Christina Gray finished in 28:14.

The same morning in Illinois, Michelle McGill posted yet another Boston Qualifier with a 3:50:25 effort at the Last Chance BQ26.2 Marathon in Geneva.

Michelle channeled her unique bib number (35516 - the time she needed and 16th time to beat it) into a bell-ringing finale.
(Photo courtesy by Tammy Grado)

It beat the new qualifying standard by four minutes and 34 seconds.

Brian Schultz was under the weather and didn’t run, but joined Tammy Grado and Kristi Chen – who flew in from Texas and New Jersey – to support Michelle and her effort.

On Sunday, September 15 in Boise, Idaho, Faith Craig’s dad, Thomas Thomson, was second in his 60-64 age group in the Jack & Jill Marathon.

That’s nice, right?

The nicest thing of all was a blazing time of 3:49:37, which was a qualifying time by 15 minutes and 23 seconds.  No worries about Thomas being able to sign up to run Boston!

Our founder Bill Dwyer led a group of seven, including five competitors, to the Tunnel Light Marathon – a Volte staple – in North Bend, Washington.

And the rain, sometimes heavy, yet delivered all day, didn’t dampen the spirits of our runners or friends.

Of six Voltes and friends, there were definitely four personal bests and four Boston qualifying times (maybe a fifth for 2020), but most importantly, 100% good times.

First across the line was Juan Flores, who clocked a four-minute, 39-second personal best time of 3:12:42 – a Boston qualifier by eight minutes and 18 seconds.

Juan Flores stalking the 3:15 pacer.  And it worked!
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

A few minutes back was Juan’s friend, Josh Rivas, who finished in 3:16:25 – a PR of four minutes and 58 seconds in addition to a BQ by 3:35.

The biggest personal best of the group belonged to Holly Benson, who rolled out a 12-minute, 11-second reduction of her previous best that showed 3:37:35 on the clock.

That's a triumphant, 12-minute PR look from Holly Benson!
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Two-time Ironman finisher Mandi Fowlkes – a long-time Volte friend – PR’d by three minutes and 26 seconds for a finishing time of 3:45:10 – a BQ time by four minutes and 50 seconds.

“Mandi is coached by Ashley Williams, a teacher and soccer program director at The Woodlands Christian Academy, who coaches cycling and triathletes,” said Dwyer.  “He did a really good job in preparing Mandi (for this race).”

Volte friend Meri Laydevant, who runs at the track at Knox Junior High and has a daughter that has completed our Friends of the Running Community Montgomery County Triple, will definitely be qualified for the 2021 Boston Marathon as she finished in 3:45:05 – four minutes and 55 seconds faster than her standard.

“She’s 44,” Dwyer said.  “So depending on her birthday she may have qualified for 2020.”

And 47 will be Trudy Regnier’s new favorite number for awhile.

With less than a minute to spare, Trudy did a great job in earning her BQ on Sunday!
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

That’s the close margin - in seconds - that she can once again call herself a Boston qualifier as she earned the title with a time of 4:19:13.

Trudy did so bouncing back from an injury or two this summer.

Flat, Not So Flat and Tri: A Weekend in Volte, USA

Flat, not so flat and splash and dash were the themes involving our Volte athletes who competed this past weekend.

Katy was the scene of a hot, inaugural Watermelon Dash 5K and 10K on Saturday in the Cane Island area.

And Lillian Evans’ effort in the 5K left it a bit hotter.

Defeating the next closest master’s finisher by 30 seconds, Lillian was the fourth overall female and first overall master’s female to cross the finish line, doing so in 24:59.

From 141 feet above sea level to 9,097 is where Erica Coleman picked things up later in the morning.

She ran the Run The Rockies Trail Half Marathon, produced by the town of Frisco, Colorado, which included 250 feet of climbing from miles 5 to 9 – and then coming back down in the next two.

Erica was fourth in her age group, just missing third by less than a minute (50 seconds, to be exact), as she stopped the clock in 2:32:32.

Can't look much happier than that with a race than this shot of Erica Coleman from Saturday
(Photo courtesy of Erica Coleman)

Former The Woodlands Running Club runner Sydney Zywicki, who used to live here in the area with her husband, Ben, was the third overall female in the 10K in 54:13.

Back on the east coast on Sunday, August 11, Dana Formon returned home to Morrisville, North Carolina after receiving her Ph.D. from Sam Houston State University and competed in the Rex Healthcare Wellness Sprint Triathlon in Raleigh.

Dana was third in her age group in 1:07:18.

She swam the 250-yard in Rex Wellness’ lap pool in less than six minutes, biked a 10-mile course that featured some “nice flats and a few small climbs” in 40:41 and finished with a two-mile run through the northernmost parts of Wake County in 18:01.

Great job ladies – and thanks for representing Volte so well!

Sgt. Joe Friday Says "Just The Results, Volte!"

The TV show Dragnet - those of you under about 45 will probably need to Google it - used to start out with, "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."

Well, as we start rolling into the fall racing season in a short while, you'll notice the changes in some of the names here - and, over time, we'll work to introduce them throughout the remainder of 2019.

After a little respite in racing activity in the month of July after the Baytown Bud Heat Wave on the Fourth, things will once again get busy as our athletes - race for fun or as checkpoints for their upcoming fall marathons.

And, as usual, we got around a little bit.  :-)

Alta, Wyoming is not likely the newest location of the store that goes by the same name, but it was where our Bonnie Scholz and her sister Michelle Fregia competed in the Ragnar Trail Tetons.

The duo competed as part of an Open Female division team of eight - named "Let's Get Physically Exhausted" - which covered 126.4 total miles over three trails of four (Jolly Green Giant), 5.3 (Buffalo Solder) and 6.5 (Grand View) miles.

Contested over Friday and Saturday, July 26-27 near the Grand Targhee Resort, the team covered the distance in 32 hours, 39 minutes and 30 seconds (32:39:30).

The next day in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, Carrie Hyde got back to racing in preparation for late October's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, put on by our friend race director Alan Brookes.

And she was happy to do so, she noted, after a five-month hiatus from running due to "acclimating to weather conditions and minus-stupid temperatures".

She posted a time of 1:34:44 for the Tely 10 Miler.

Produced by the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association, this year's Tely 10 was its 92nd annual running.  (Ah, I don't think we'll be here for year 92 of the Texas 10 Series, but maybe Willie will!)

"I ran a steady and conservative pace," she said.  "No records broken and happy with the time as finishing strong was the goal! 

That she did, along with 3,693 other finishers.

Another steady, conservative effort was sought -- and obtained -- by Waverly Walk as she ran the third annual Canton Half Marathon in east Texas on Sunday, August 4 with her Dad.

Waverly, whose early training runs for October's Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. have been right at 11 minutes per mile, delivered a similar result of 2:27:24 in extremely humid conditions.

The day before, Volte had an excellent group of runners and friends participate in the fifth annual Southern Star Brewing Company 5K in Conroe.

The Run In Texas-produced race had its most number of finishers ever, and our folks got a little challenge in being part of an event that offered a bit more elevation change than July's pancake-flat Bud Heat Wave.

Jerritt Park led our Volte runners with a time of 22:50 while Stephanie Reed took first place in her 10-year age group with a time of 24:05.

Jerritt's son Brayden posted a time of 24:51 while the Register family - husband Aaron first in 25:38 and wife Anita in 28:22 - crossed the finish line next.

Sharon Mitchell notched a new PR - by a little more than a minute with a time of 28:48 beating Rob Myers to the line by about a half a minute as he cranked out a 29:14 effort.

Tim Russell and Amanda Becker followed in 34:13 and 37:03, respectively, while Alfredo and Letty Gonzalez covered the course in 42:33 and 44:07.

Alfredo has finished all five years that the race has been held.

Volte alumni Brian Jackson was second in his age group in 19:59.

Mark Amann led all our Volte friends with an overall win of 17:47.  It is the second year that Mark has won the race, having done so two years ago.

Chris Weir and Paul Blutt cracked 21 minutes with efforts of 20:15 and 20:36, respectively,  The latter time earned Paul a third place age group finish.

Kim White got in under 25 minutes in 24:21, but while Julie Stevenson and Sonia Carr were next, both with age group winnings to show for it.

Julie took second in 25:02 and Sonia was third in her division in 25:06.

Lisa Shulze ran well in 26:56, while Mary-Ellen Wilderman-Hay and her husband, Brad, finished in 28:43 and 29:58, respectively, as the Fleet Feet of Greater Houston team was out in support of Run In Texas race directors Bill and Karen Gardner.

Seven Hills Running Club's Ken Johnson of Huntsville, like Alfredo, has finished all five Southern Star Brewing Company 5Ks.  He noted on his blog that he was the oldest finisher of 558 and finished in 46:05.

Even though he said he was three minutes slower than last year, he noted, "The beer was good and it was great visiting with a lot of friends."

Ken always comes back for more, though.

Out west in San Leandro, California, Kate Semmelrogge-Thomas finished the Summer Breeze 10K in 1:32:32.

Volte wrapped up the weekend with The Woodlands Running Club's Sunday Night 5K from Barbara Bush Elementary.

Jerritt Park and Mayra Caamano were the race's overall winners in 22:28 and 23:53, respectively.

Laura Godfrey was not far behind Caamano in 24:01, despite having run 12 miles in training earlier in the day.

Godfrey gets over 15 miles on Sunday with a sharp effort during the Sunday Night 5K.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

She noted, after crossing the finish line and looking at her GPS, "Exactly 3.1."  (Say "thank you, Nine Volte" for his measuring wheel.)

Volte friend Curtis Barton led a group of four runners across in the race's 27th minute as he finished in 27:11.

Faith Craig followed in 27:27 while Robert Dempsey and Volte friend Lisa Schulze finished together in 27:50.

Faith says two thumbs up to a strong showing during the Sunday Night 5K.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

The two multi-day running streakers - Vincent Attanucci and Ken Johnson - stopped the clock in 31:06 and 44:21, respectively, while Letty and Alfredo Gonzalez walked the course in 51:13.

Volte Runs The Fourth Celebrating 243 Years of Dreams

From sea to shining sea.  That’s how we roll here at Volte Endurance.

And throw in a little southern pride too.

Voltes, friends and alumni ruled the racing day that was the Fourth of July, but, more importantly, we’re all certainly glad 57 guys had a dream that they put into action 243 years ago.

We like to think it’s worked out OK.

Couldn’t help but wondering when the first results of the morning came in on Thursday if George W. Bush had ever taken part in the Murdicks Run The Chop 5-Miler in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Whether or not any of the Bushes ever did, our Erica and Mike Coleman did.

Erica crossed the finish line in 43:45, while Mike stopped the clock in 47:21.

Down in Atlanta – well, Peachtree City – Dana Formon and Erika Sampson ran 6.2 miles with 60,636 or so friends in the Peachtree 10K.

One of the world’s largest races, Dana finished in 1:00:05 and Erika in 1:02:44.

Volte friend Vincent Attanucci from The Woodlands, who makes the trip nearly every year, came in at one hour and 12 seconds (1:00:12).  Vincent’s son, Daniel, was good for a time of 48:36 while his daughter-in-law, Leeann, posted a 1:12:05 finish.

“Done and dusted!” remarked Formon.  “Wished I could have run it faster, but there were just so many people (that) I could never find my pace (lots of bobbing and weaving throughout the entire race).

“The race course was fun though, and course support was top notch.”

Former Volte coach Adrienne Langelier was the 35th fastest female of just under 31,000 with a time of 41:21.  She was fourth in her 35-39 age group.

The first of the day to bring home hardware was Stephanie Stevenson at Covington, Louisiana’s Four on the Fourth.

She took third overall in the 45-49 division in 32:45 – a nice 8:12 per minute pace.

We had a good group that made it out to Mont Belvieu for the Texas Bud Heat Wave 5-Miler and Michelob Ultra 5K.

Rob Myers headed to the finish!  (Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Jerritt Park led us in the five-miler with a time of 37:07.  Rob Myers followed in 44:28, but it was Waverly Walk who was our only age-group winner as she nabbed third in the 20-24 division with a time of 53:07.

Waverly Walk getting the work done.  #GoFlames  (Photo courtesy of Letty Gonzalez)

Alfredo Gonzalez told the clock he was done at 1:11:52.

Four of our runners made the platform in the Michelob Ultra 5K.

Yaya Herrera took home the biggest prize of the morning with a 23:36 win in the women’s masters division.  First age group placings went to Brayden Park in 22:07 and Tammy Grado with her 25:28.  Paolo Biagi was second in his division in 24:14.

Layton Gill excited that the finish line is near.  (Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Coach Layton Gill posted a time of 25:40.  Llana Bingham and Debra Myers finished in 31:46 and 33:41, respectively.  Jimmy Baker finished in 36:09, just ahead of Amanda Becker and Katie Gill, who ran together in 36:26.

This proves that Debra Myers is just a bit more excited about running than Rob!
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Alvaro Trejo was our only Volte friend who ran the 5K, doing so in 26:06, while Sabina Lorca and Jim Braden were second and first, respectively, in their age groups in 39:21 and 54:07.

The legend, Jim Braden, still getting after it in an admirable time.
(Photo courtesy of Bill Dwyer)

Julie Stevenson was also second in her division in 41:51.

Kim White led the remainder of our Volte friends in 40:47.  Sonia Carr posted a time of 46:21 while Lusi Trejo and Hector Lopez rounded out the bunch with marks of 55:43 and 57:08.

At the Run Wild 5K near downtown Houston, Christopher Branch led the way in 22:05, while Laura Godfrey and Judith Albarran followed in 22:14 and 24:18, respectively.

Can Laura's smile be any bigger after a great performance?
(Photo courtesy of Laura Godfrey)

Laura took third in her age group.

“Fun morning and a great time visiting with many of my running friends and beat my time from last year on this course by 22 seconds,” Laura said.  “Third place in my age group … I’ll take it!”

Judith’s son Isaac Rodriguez finished eight seconds in front of his Mom in 24:10, while Volte friend Rachel Stewart – sister of Volte alumni Landa Wright – finished in 26:30.

Volte friend Luis Murillo was second overall in 16:58.

Brothers Juan and Jose Murillo also took home hardware in 20:17 and 23:59, respectively, for second and first in their age groups.

Paul Rodriguez, Brittany Haddad and Cristina Gray completed our list of Volte friends at Run Wild 5K as they recorded times of 24:24, 25:58 and 29:14.

Lots of Volte alumni were there as well.

They included the following:  Meredith Moss - 20:38 1st AG, Alicia Anderson - 22:45 1st AG, Greg Nettleton - 23:00, Richard Tong - 23:03, Keri Amador - 23:14 3rd AG, Andrew Smith - 23:15,  Landa Wright - 24:05, Caitlin Addorisio - 24:30, Leanne Rosser - 24:52 2nd AG, Mike Kuykendall - 27:08, Marta Mixa - 28:39 1st AG, Jessy Orlando - 29:56, Yanira Montes - 29:59, Denise Powers - 30:04, Lauren Hoffart - 31:19, Debbie Tripp - 37:09, Melinda Ardoin - 38:13, Billy and Mary Carter - 1:05:04.

Congratulations to all!

And wrapping things up on the other coast on the Fourth of July was Kate Semmelrogge Thomas, who’s bouncing back from an injury.

She completed the Star’s and Stripes 5K in Concord, California in 42:29.

Special thanks to coach Rich Cooper, Stephen Lopez, Sandra Tezino, Bonnie Scholz and Mayra Caamano for representing Volte at our sponsor Fleet Feet Sports Hughes Landing's Fourth of July Fun Run.

Mayra Caamano, Bonnie Scholz and Sandra Tezino.  Tough runners times three.
(Photo courtesy of Sandra Tezino)

Volte friend Jon Walk added two more counties to his quest to run all 254 in Texas as he checked off counties #87 and #88 on Thursday, the Fourth, and Saturday, July 6.

Running the 50th anniversary Firecracker Run 10K in Brownfield, about 30 miles southwest of Lubbock in Terry County, Jon finished in 1:04:58, in a race that was competed at 3,310 feet above sea level.

Two days later, he participated in the deCordova Dash 5K, located in Hood County just outside of Granbury, in a race that was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of deCordova Bend Estates.

While the course was a little short, 2.98 miles, Jon finished the hilly conquest in 30:03.

Are You Volte, a Volte Friend or Volte Alumni?

What flavor of Volte are you?!  :-)

We're not talking about chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.  (Yes, you ice cream fans, together, that's Neapolitan.  And, yes, some are Googling *that* now.)

On our blog and Facebook page, we use the terms:  Volte, Voltes, Volte friend or Volte alumni.

Let us help.

If somebody is referred to as Volte or we talk about multiple individuals as Voltes, these are athletes who are either being trained or coached by a Volte coach or just simply an athlete who identifies with us and wears our gear.

These folks don't even have to be local anymore.

We have Criss Neumann and her husband in Germany, Jen Smith in England and Carrie Hyde in Canada representing us in foreign countries.

We're good either way. 

Just be a good citizen in the endurance sports community - and society as a whole.

Volte alumni.

This is an individual who at one time in the past trained with us or was coached by one of our coaches. 

Situations and circumstances have changed in those individuals' lives where they may have been a "one and done" athlete at a particular distance, they joined another training group or running club or they've gone on to start their own group. 

No matter what, if we see you do well at any event, whether we have a Volte athlete there or not, we're going to celebrate your success.  Why wouldn't we?

In most cases, we like to think you're still part of us!

And finally, who's a Volte friend?

Throughout any given year, and over the last 20-plus years of coaching athletes of all ages, Volte meets many, many incredible people in our endurance sports communities who have been an encouragement to our coaches individually or our group as a whole. 

The majority of the time these individuals join a Volte member on a long run or at an event and they become just like family to our group.

That's the mark of a Volte friend and as we say often, we're glad to have each and every one of them.

So, thank you for reading our blog and following us on Facebook.

And never hesitate to drop in and join us at track on Tuesday or Wednesday nights or for our long run on Saturday morning.  We're here to help!

Volte Endurance Training Results from October 1-15, 2018

GASSY GOAT TRAIL 25K, Comfort, TX (10/6/18)
Mimi Torres - 4:10:27

OKTOBERFEST DUATHLON*, Fulshear, TX (10/7/18)
Paolo Biagi  - 2:46:54
*1-mile run, 25-mile-bike, 10K-run

CHICAGO MARATHON, Chicago, IL (10/7/18)
Brian Schultz - 4:22:28
Volte Friends
Brian Hauerwas - 4:21:19
Tiffany Hauerwas - 4:21:19

THE WOODLANDS RUNNING CLUB SUNDAY NIGHT 5K*, The Woodlands, TX (10/7/18)
Faith Craig - 22:55
Jerritt Park - 17:37
Marta Mixa - 24:13
Randy Smith - 21:44
Tim Russell - 20:17
Volte Friend 
Curtis Barton - 21:58
*2.5 mile course adjusted due to TWRC Juniors

BUFFALO STAMPEDE HALF MARATHON, Bryan, TX (10/13/18)
Drew George - 1:30:12 (3rd Overall; 1st AG)

TEN FOR TEXAS 10-MILE, The Woodlands, TX (10/13/18)
Alfredo Gonzalez - 2:31:56
Andrew Smith - 1:30:29
Aron Harris - 1:56:51
Carlos Rodriguez - 1:19:47
Crystal Foody - 1:37:42
Darcy McLinden - 1:34:53
Denise Powers - 1:34:11
Faith Craig - 1:33:21
Geri Henry - 2:11:33 2nd AG
Jessy Orlando - 1:30:03
Juan Flores - 1:16:00
Keri Amador - 1:17:46
Landa Wright - 2:02:37 (Ansley Angel pusher)
Marta Mixa - 1:40:47
Paolo Biagi - 1:29:01
Rob Myers - 1:32:13
Virgina Arenz - 1:40:35
Waverly Walk - 1:51:33
Wil Cole - 1:29:14
Wil Ott - 1:33:19
Volte Friends
Brad Hay - 1:49:51
Brandi Perkins - 1:19:47
Brian Jackson - 1:05:43
Edson Jones - 1:25:40
Erin Gowton - 1:39:33
Jimmie Gowton - 1:48:00
Justin Bui - 1:19:21
Mary-Ellen Wilderman-Hay - 1:33:39
Maygen Ritchie - 1:48:23
Pam Owens - 1:32:52
Reggie Bruhn - 1:26:46
Rip Reynolds - 1:06:44 2nd AG
Sabina Lorca - 1:25:13
Scott Farrand - 1:26:26
Tina Saims - 1:21:37
Volte Family
Oswaldo Amador - 2:05:43 (Keri's husband)

TEN FOR TEXAS 5K, The Woodlands, TX (10/13/18)
Lauren Hoffart - 29:54
Sandra Tezino - 24:24 1st Grand Master
Volte Friend
Lance Pavlas - 24:22 3rd AG

EVERSOURCE HARTFORD MARATHON (10/13/18) - HARTFORD, CT
Steven Lopez - 5:03:07 (State #19)

TEXAS 10 CYPRESS 10-MILE, Cypress, TX (10/14/18) 
Amanda Jenkins - 1:06:49 2nd Overall 1st AG
Caitlin Addorisio - 1:24:59
Greg Nettleton - 1:24:58 2nd AG
Jerritt Park - 1:15:32 1st AG
Mike Csikos - 1:13:19 1st AG
Volte Friends
Cristina Gray - 1:43:05
Mary Garcia - 1:31:08
Rip Reynolds - 1:10:07 1st AG

TEXAS 10 CYPRESS 5-MILE, Cypress, TX (10/14/18)
Dianna Sarno - 1:03:21
Paolo Biagi - 42:43
Ray Sarno - 1:03:21 1st AG
Rich Cooper - 53:00

TEXAS 10 CYPRESS 5K, Cypress, TX (10/14/18) 
Brayden Park - 22:06 1st Overall
Note: Brayden was also first overall in the 1-mile un-timed event.

Marta Mixa on Revel Kulia: Most Beautiful, Most Challening

The most beautiful marathon course I've ever run was also my most challenging.

March 9, 2019 was a cold, but gorgeous morning for a race in Hawaii.

I was excited and a little nervous as usual.

The day before I prepared with a breakfast of champions; a stack of pancakes and a vegetable omelet.

My coach Leanne Rosser and my family and friends and I drove the race course.  

It was absolutely beautiful.

Leanne Rosser, Marta and Gabby Brockett display the post-race swag a day after the race.
(Photo courtesy of Jack Mixa)

We were aware of a stretch of about five miles of hills, so that was not a surprise for us.

As usual, we took pictures of the course.

The night of the race I had done my typical preparation, which included laying out my running outfit and gear.

I went to bed excited with anticipation, but ready to take the challenge that would face me the next day.

Ten days before the race, though, I had the flu.

On February 28th, I went to the doctor right after school and had a temperature of 104.

When I got home, I went straight to bed. 

Needless to say, I missed work the next day and I skipped running my last long run, which was going to be a half-marathon race in The Woodlands.

I was upset that this had happened so close to my "A" race.

I rested all weekend and was ready to go to work for the following week.

On Wednesday before our flight to Hawaii, I was still not feeling one hundred percent; yet, I felt confident that I would be better by race day.

In the meantime, I was weighing six pounds under my ideal weight. “No problem,” I said to myself, “I will put them back in a couple of days.”

At 4:30 a.m. race day, the buses were ready to take the runners to the start about 30 miles from where we were staying.

I ate my pita with peanut butter on the bus and had my hydration drink. Leanne and I took a selfie, and we chit-chatted during the ride.

It was cold as we got off the bus. We wrapped ourselves in a thermal blanket.

A native Hawaiian gave a blessing on the race by singing a beautiful song followed by the Star-Spangled Banner.

The runners were starting to line up by the starting line.

Leanne and I desperately looked for the 4:20 pacer whom we had met the day before at the Expo.

We found him, and he told Leanne he would take care of me.

She gave me a hug and said, “You know what you need to do!”  I nodded affirmatively. 

The race began and I settled at a nice comfortable pace with my new-found friend, Tom.

He kept me from not going too fast.  When we encountered hills he would say,” slow down, relax…”
We went for 11 solid miles between 9:00 to 9:15 pace.

Who knew Layton Gill made the trip to Hawai'i with us? :-)
(Photo courtesy of Run Revel)

A group of runners joined us who were aiming for the same time as me.

I could hear their conversations and laughter through my music that I listen to when I race.

At around mile 12 I felt some wheezing in my chest, and my heart began to beat harder than usual for a race.

My breathing became shallow even after using my inhaler.

I slowed down the pace.

I knew my pacer needed to keep going, so with reluctance, I fell back from his sight.

At the half point, 13.1 miles, I made the decision to get medical help.

I thought maybe they would check me over, and in a few minutes, I would be back on the course.

I was wrong about the time. They kept me in the ambulance for 45 minutes until a doctor could arrive and check me over.

My vitals were cleared, and I begged them to let me get back in the race.

I signed a consent form and off I went back on the course. I was excited to be running again.

By the time I got to mile 20, the winds were too much for my small frame.

At times it would push me onto the left side of the far shoulder almost into the bushes along the edge of the road.

My quads began to feel the effects of the downhill pounding.

There were some more unexpected hills, which I had to walk/jog at times.

Marta was clearly happy to be running again in the last quarter part of the course.
(Photo courtesy of Run Revel)

By now, I was no longer on my target pace, and I just wanted to finish the race standing up.

I cried and asked my Creator to give me the strength to finish what I had started.

I passed a few runners, and at mile 23 I had a burst of energy that lasted for about two miles.

My last 1.2 mile was a struggle until I saw the finish arch.

My legs took off, and I had the energy to give one last kick and cross the line. I managed to smile as they put the lei and medal on my neck.

Marta was happy to be done!
(Photo courtesy of Run Revel)

Then the most significant thing happened, I saw my husband in the distance, and we met, and I cried on his shoulder for what seemed like a minute before he and Leanne’s husband, Jim, assisted me to the vehicle and drove us back to the resort.

Post-race laurels.
(Photo courtesy of Jack Mixa)

Wow!  I just finished the toughest race of my life!