Monday, October 18, 2021

Just Another Race Weekend in Volte, USA; Volte Youngsters Conclude 2021 XC Seasons

Despite being one week into a four-week gap between Texas 10 Series races and with a large number of athletes still recovering from fall marathons and Ironman competitions, Volte still had a good number of athletes competing this past weekend.

A half dozen of our athletes traveled north to compete in the Seven Hills Running Club's 42nd annual Huntsville Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon and 5K.

The half marathon is one of the oldest races at its distance in the state of Texas.

Crossing the unified (start and) finish line was coach Layton Gill, who won his age group with a time of 24:46 and was fifth overall.

Layton Gill finishing the 5K.
(Photo courtesy of the Huntsville Half Marathon)

In the quarter marathon, which was one loop of the two-loop half marathon course, it was good to see both Ruth Perez and Letty Gonzalez out racing with us.

Ruth Perez all happy with putting the Quarter Marathon behind her.
(Photo courtesy of Huntsville Half Marathon)

Both of them took first place in their respective age group.  

Ruth ran it in 1:07:49 while Letty, who was excited to be running her first race in two years, did so in 1:34:29.

Very easy to see that Letty Gonzalez is very happy with her first race in two years.
(Photo courtesy of Huntsville Half Marathon)

Volte friend Ken Johnson of the Seven Hills Running Club won his division in 1:46:19, but not without a little excitement -- and concern.

"About a quarter mile from the start, I tripped on some very rough asphalt and took a very hard fall," Ken reported on his blog.  "I cut up my forehead, elbow, knee and hands.  I probably looked bad, but I kept going, washing the blood off the best I could with water from an aid station."

While it looked, when Johnson finished, worse than what it turned out to be, he did visit the local ER post-race and had X-rays taken to ensure nothing had broken during the fall.

Rob Gay was the first across the line of our three competitors in the half marathon.

Rob Gay serves up a fourth place finish in the half marathon.
(Photo courtesy of Layton Gill)

He was fourth overall in a time of 1:45:24, allowing him to win his age group by less than a minute.

Setting a two-minute personal best, over her time from this past March's The Woodlands Half Marathon, was Kyley Hampton, who broke two hours with a showing of 1:58:37.

Kyley Hampton finishes strong, as she netted a sub 2-hour half marathon
(Photo courtesy of Layton Gill)

With as much steadiness as she displayed in singing the National Anthem before the race, Waverly Walk ran even splits on her way to her 16th career half marathon finish and a second place age group award.

Waverly Walk halfway through the Huntsville Half Marathon.
(Photo courtesy of Huntsville Half Marathon)

Walk praised Advice For Eating registered dietitian Catherine Kruppa for her success as she hadn't covered the distance at all since April when she ran the Blue Bell Half Marathon with her father.

“Thank you for your wisdom in fueling for the race! I felt great," she told Kruppa post race of her 2:22:57.8 effort where she went 1:11:26.8 on the first half and a second faster on the second loop.

Volte friend Mark Amann won his second overall Huntsville Half Marathon title with a mark of 1:17:36 while Vincent Attanucci was second in his age group in 2:28:57.

Speaking of Dads and daughters, Mike Csikos ran with his daughter Micahela, currently a student at Texas A&M University, during the BCS Oktoberfest Half Marathon in College Station on Sunday.

They ran the course together in 2:07:35.  

Faith Craig, a regular at this race, finished in 2:22:25.

Our friends did well, including Paul Blutt who was first in his age group in 1:25:26 and one of Volte's first coaches, Adrienne Langelier, who was the first overall female finisher in 1:29:16.

On Sunday, Stephen Lopez completed a marathon in his 27th state with a 5:51:38 finish at the Des Moines Marathon in Iowa.

And a marathon finish that escaped us with Ramon Rosales' 2:44:17 at last Monday's Boston Marathon.

Friday and Saturday, Kim White, Julie Stevenson and a pair of Volte friends Erika Lawton and Mariela Rodriguez competed the 120-mile Ragnar Trail Texas Relay in Comfort, Texas.

As part of the "Team Day Drinkers", they covered the three loop course at the Flat Rock Ranch - where the loops were anything but flat - in 25 hours, 52 minutes and 52 seconds for a very respectable 12:56 per minute pace throughout the event.

What was unique about this specific Ragnar Relay and venue is that each runner had to do each of the three loops, which were rated "easiest", "intermediate" and "hardest"

And while the adults were having their fun, our Volte youngsters were putting the finishing touches on their 2021 cross country seasons.

On Friday morning, the UIL District 13-6A cross country championships were held at the Texas National Golf Club in Willis.

Volte's Chloe Kramer-Caamano, the daughter of our Mayra Caamano, who was celebrating a birthday on race day, competed in the JV Girls 5K race for The Woodlands College Park and finished in 23:22.

The Woodlands' Stoya Laydevant, who ran with us on Tuesday night track during the late spring and summer, was fourth overall in the Varsity Girls 5K race with a time of 19:22.  

The Highlanders will advance with The Woodlands College Park and Conroe Grand Oaks to the UIL 6A Region II meet the Monday and Tuesday after next.

Some community shout-outs include:

+ Conroe Oak Ridge's Raul Luzardo, the son of the local Ironman triathlete by the same name, ran 18:23 in the Varsity Boys 5K race.

+ Conroe Oak Ridge's Minnie Beedle, the daughter of Texas 10 Series race announcer Nathan Beedle, finished the Varsity Girls 5K race in 23:42.

+ The Woodlands' Jae Green, the daughter of TWHS' boys and girls head cross country and track and field coach Juris Green, was 12th overall in the Varsity Girls 5K race in 20:43.

+ The Woodlands College Park had three daughters of Volte friend Erica Falcon - and the former head of Falcon Fit - competing:  Olivia was 10th overall in the Varsity Girls 5K race in 20:08, Juliana was 9th overall in the JV Girls 5K race in 22:23 and Grace was 14th overall in the Girls 2-mile race in 15:28.

+ The Woodlands' Sarah Rothe, the daughter of local Ironman athlete Melissa Rothe, ran 15:09 for 9th place in the Girls 2-mile race.

+ The Woodlands' Jack Whitehead, the daughter of Volte friend and former Woodlands Fit coach Beth Whitehead, ran the Open Boys 5K race in 18:07, while Luke Tresaugue, the daughter of Volte alumni Jill, also ran the Open Boys 5K race in 19:31.

On Saturday morning at the Conroe ISD Middle School District championships, Brayden Park, the son of Jerritt and Kristi Park, was third overall on Saturday in the eighth grade boys race.

He ran the two-mile distance in 11:15.80 and was the McCullough Highlanders top runner, behind runners from York and Irons, who finished first and second.

McCullough easily won the district championship over York Junior High with 23 points to York's 49 points.

Brooke Kramer-Caamano, the daughter of our Mayra Caamano, ran for Knox Junior High in the eighth grade girls race and ran the two miles in 14:52.77.

Knox was second behind McCullough, who scored a perfect 15 points for finishing in the top five positions, and led third place York by 18 points.

Maddison Hanyzewski, the daughter of Brian and Laura Hanyzewski, ran in the eighth grade open girls race for McCullough Junior High and was seventh overall in a time of 14:25.40.

Some community shout-outs include:

+ The son and daughter of TJ and Amy Fry, Andrew and Megan Fry competed for Knox Junior High in the seventh grade boys and eighth grade girls races.  

Andrew was 10th overall in 12:12.43, while Megan was just 10 seconds and two spots behind Kramer-Caamano in 15:02.27.  

Their Dad swam for McCullough HS (before it was known as The Woodlands HS), Clemson University and is probably The Woodlands' greatest triathlete ever, qualifying for Kona in three different decades.

+ Miles Delzer, the son of Vantage Point Endurance founder Ronnie Delzer and his wife Stefanie, ran in the eighth grade open boys race in 14:13.20.

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