January 1-5, 2025: Week In Review

Volte Year 13 is going to be lucky, right?

Regardless, here we go.

The race year began in Erie, Pennsylvania on Wednedsay, January 1 as the Park family woke up to four inches of snow 10 miles in from Lake Erie, but races were on at the race site which only had light rain and was just 35 degrees.

Brayden and his Dad, Jerritt, ran the Erie Running Club New Year's Day 5-Miler in 30:59 and 33:32, respectively, both good for first place age group wins, while Mom, Kristi, and sister, Riley, ran the 5K.

Kristi was the first overall woman in 27:34 while Riley finished in 29:36.

Closer to home, we had a handful of Volte friends running either Spindle Tree parkrun in east Magnolia or the Texas Half Marathon and Marathon in Kingwood.

Randall Ivins was our first friend to cross the Spindle Tree parkrun 5K finish line in 26:57, followed by Jon Walk in 29:37.  

Paul Blutt and Ken Johnson covered the distance in 31:26 and 53:49.

Thanh Dinh was third overall in the Texas Marathon in 3:13:40, while C. Stephenson-Lake was second in her age group in the half marathon in 2:04:58. 

Gretchen Dixon and her son, Zane, also ran the half.  Zane came in first in 2:04:58 while Gretchen stopped the clock in 2:33:35.

On Saturday, January 4, the next edition of the Spindle Tree parkrun 5K was held and found Kevin Baker in third overall in 20:39.

Jerritt Park, back from Erie, was fourth in 21:01, while Katerina Savelieva ran the triple-loop course in 29:17.

Volte friends Randall Ivins, Vincent Attanucci and Ken Johnson also ran.  They posted times of 27:30, 31:21 and 52:42, respectively.

At the Run Houston! Sam Houston Race Park 5K, Sherry Cameron finished in 39:45.

A pair of Volte friends won hardware there.  Alejandro Bedoya was first in his division in the 5K in 19:56, while John Slate was second in his in the 10K in 55:18.

A light, but fierce crowd at the Texas 10 Series Bridgeland races in Cypress.

Simon Campbell set a new personal best in The Resolution 5K in a time of 22:44 while Mom, Jane Cardnell, ran right with him to earn the overall female title in 22:48, pausing just a second or two to break a physical tape.  

Breaking the tape is always fun for Jane Cardnell.
(Photo courtesy of David Reynolds with Digital Knight Productions)

Volte friend Jimmie Gowton was good for a time of 48:05.

In the 5-mile race, Mike Kuykendall took first in his division in 58:06 while Donna Moran was second in hers in 1:11:28.

Erin Gowton and Ken Johnson were Volte friends in this race as Erin won first in her age group in 45:49 while Ken was third in his in 1:29:53.

And in the marquee 10-mile distance, Mark Moran and Waverly Walk won their divisions in 1:33:24 and 1:47:28, respectively.

Waverly Walk with her Dad, Jon, finish their first Texas 10 Series 10-Miler
(Photo courtesy of David Reynolds with Digital Knight Productions)

Volte friend Mark Amann was the overall winner in 58:48, while C. Stephenson-Lake and John Slate went home with hardware.  C. was first in her division in 1:21:36 while Slate grabbed third in 1:35:37.

Danny Grube finished in 1:45-even, while Jon Walk made it in with his daughter in 1:47:29.

And in the Bigfoot Classic 10K and 15K in Sugar Land at Brazos River Bend Park, courses were of the improvisational kind.

Jerritt Park's in the 10K might have been long - because a first-time volunteer led out with the bike, while the 15K appeared to be short.

Either way, both Jerritt and Volte friend Sabina Lorca won their respective distances.

Sabina Lorca-Acosta (right) with her husband, Robert, who ran the 10K
(Photo courtesy of Sabina Lorca-Acosta)

Jerritt ran away from the lead bike - as he connected back to course on the map - to stop the clock in 45:12, while Sabina won in 1:06:53 in the 15K.

And closing out the week was the 198th edition of the Sunday Night 5K at Barbara Bush Elementary in The Woodlands.

Riley Park outpaced her Dad, Jerritt, who was finishing up his fourth race in five days, by two seconds as she ran the course in 25:50. 

Layton Gill posted a time of 29:40 while Robert Morgan and Todd Hunter followed in 30:07 and 30:30, respectively.