ARC put in work this past week with Javan Lapp pulling double duty in AVL and Frankie Adkins battling for a USATF masters podium spot in Massachusetts.
On Saturday, Javan went back-to-back with two races in the AM. First up was the brand new Camp Cedar Cliff Trail Run 8k. After trading leads on the long ascents and descents with WNC newcomer Matthew Busche, Lapp had to settle for second after some strong climbing from Busche in the final section of the course. Next up was the Race to the Taps 5 Miler at New Belgium Brewing, Lapp ran strong on the tough climbs to start and finish the race (damn you, Riverview Drive!) and got the W. Solid day of work, Javan!
Javan Lapp
On Sunday, Frankie lined up for his first USATF masters national championship of 2017 at the James Joyce Ramble 10k in Dedham, MA. Adkins planned to give himself a shot at a top-3 finish, so he set a strong pace from the start. 5k was passed in 16:07 before hitting the hilliest section of the course in miles 4 and 5. He came into the final 400m in a tight battle with 2nd-5th and finished a close 4th. The fact that he was outkicked by a 50 year old (Kristian Blaich of Atlanta) for 33-minute 10k shows the impressive depth and competitiveness of the USATF masters scene. In the end, Frankie finished 3rd in the 40-45 year old age group - good enough for some USATF hardware.
Frankie Adkins collecting USATF hardware
