It was a light week of racing for the ARC, as most of the crew focused on Blue Ridge Relay prep.
Over in Bryson City, Phil Latter worked on a BRR simulation by testing himself on tired legs at the Moonlight 5k. He put out a strong effort and grabbed the W along the way. Nice running, Phil!
Bryson City Moonlight 5k*
Phillip Latter - 1st - 15:23 (*Phil says “3 miles”)
Results
Tucked in among tall pines and surrounded by taller mountains, Montreat College’s new track and field facility was a picturesque setting for Saturday’s Western NC Pop Up Mile.
The event kicked off with strong performances in the over-5:00 section. Bob Fay led the way with a very fast 5:14 (age graded to 4:23!) and was followed by string of quick finishes (including many Wedge Run regulars!). The second section kept the theme of “fast” going. Javan Lapp took out the first lap in 63 seconds and kept it rolling for the wire-to-wire win in 4:26. He led the rest of the field to fast times, including a couple of first-time sub-5s and an impressive 5:03 from women’s winner Kate Schwartz.
The night finished in true “pop up” fashion with an impromptu 400m dash. Hats off to our men’s and women’s winners, Evan Fisher and Brittany Crisp, who gave it a go in street clothes after about 3 minutes notice.
Thanks to Coach Jason Lewkowicz of Montreat College Track and Field for hosting, Foot Rx Running for graciously lending the clock, Sir Walter Running for their great partnership, and all the runners and spectators who made it such a fun night. Let’s do it again sometime (soon?).
Mile
1. Javan Lapp (M) - 4:26
2. Phillip Latter (M) - 4:35
3. Joshua Dubin (M) - 4:37
4. Reece Collie (M) - 4:51
5. Joe Ainsworth (M) - 4:52
6. Parker Hale (M) - 4:55
7. Almon Cox (M) - 4:55
8. David Chandler (M) - 4:58
9. Kate Schwartz (F) - 5:03
10. Bob Fay (M) - 5:14
11. Lance Morsell (M) - 5:19
12. Bryan White (M) - 5:26
13. Wes Miller (M) - 5:35
14. JK Douglas (M) - 5:44
15. Claire Bartholic (F) - 5:50
16. John Douglas (M) - 6:04
400m
1. Evan Fisher (M) - 1:00.18
2. Brittany Crisp (F) - 1:12.19
3. Wyatt Shepson (M) - 1:22.84
4. Brett Miller (M) - 1:26.73
5. T. Miller (M) - 1:55.66
6. Riley Miller (F) - 2:03.51
7. Wes Miller (M) - 2:04.22
8. Aspen Latter (F) - 2:16.02
9. Macy Latter (F) - 2:16.25
10. Willow Latter (F) - 3:03.27
11. Phillip Latter (M) - 3:04.22
There was a good deal of action on the roads and “track” (velodrome, actually) this weekend from the Collective.
On Saturday, we kicked things off with some mixed results at the Asheville Beer Mile, which took place on the Carrier Park velodrome during the Mountain Sports Festival. This “unofficial” event has grown in size and competitiveness in the last few years. In the 2015 running, Javan Lapp was the class of the field and easily won the crown. This time around, several members of the ARC’s injured reserve / retired list performed better very well, while many of the healthy guys faltered - very interesting. Victor McHenry had the lead from the start and fought off a late challenge to take the win in a strong 6:48. Frankie Adkins, donning the Collective kit for the first time in nearly a year, had a brilliant third place finish in 7:16. Stuart Moran rounded out the solid performances with a 8:14. This year’s casualties included Mark Driscoll, who struggled home in 10:20-something after earning a penalty lapp, and Javan Lapp, who DNFed early due to early trouble with foam. All in all a great event.
Frankie Adkins is BACK!
On Sunday, Brent Schouler and Chass Armstrong had to handle the heat in longer road races. Fresh off a full day in the car, Brent ran the Johnny Kelley Half Marathon in Hyannis, MA. With the unexpected heat in mind, he kept his effort in control and cruised for a six minute victory in 1:16. While this was a planned moderate effort for Brent, Chass had the bad luck of high temps at his goal marathon. After a solid training block, he had his sights set on a fast time at the Ottawa Marathon. Unfortunately, the temperature hit the high-80s and low-90s all weekend and made for a real sufferfest. In true Chass fashion, he went for it and stuck to 2:24 pace through 10 miles. However, the heat took it’s toll in the later stages of the race and survival mode set in. His 2:39 finish doesn’t reflect his fitness, but he lived to fight another day.
Chass Armstrong rounding the track in one of his recent marathon tune-up workouts.
Asheville Beer Mile - Asheville, NC
Victor McHenry - 1st - 6:48
Frankie Adkins - 3rd - 7:16
Stuart Moran - ? - 8:14
Mark Driscoll - ? - 10:20-something
36th Annual Johnny Kelley Half Marathon - Hyannis, MA
Brent Schouler - 1st - 1:16:05
Results: http://bit.ly/1Vril6V
Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon - Ottawa, Canada
Chass Armstrong - 28th - 2:39:32
Results: http://bit.ly/1Y0cYfT
Micro-Recap: Strong local showing for Lapp and Schouler, as well as the first Oregon win for expat Williams.
On Saturday, Javan Lapp and Brent Schouler lined up for the Earth Fare 5k in Carrier Park. This race, a favorite in Asheville, is run over familiar territory as it traverses the same greenway used on the Thursday Night Wedge Run. The duo ran together through halfway when Lapp began to pull away. Brent hung tough and kept the gap to 5 seconds or so at the finish. With his victory, Javan earned sweet redemption after a being dealt a crushing defeat at the hands (feet?) of the Collective’s masters racing ace Frankie Adkins last year. Nice running, Javan and Brent.
Javan Lapp in recovery mode
Brent Schouler kicking in to the finish
Speaking of Adkins... reports coming out of North Asheville suggest that FA has been seen logging miles on a near-daily basis. Keep it going!
Out in Oregon, Scott Williams has kept his weekly racing schedule rolling. At his sixth race in seven weeks, he earned his first win since moving to Oregon. In the McDonald Forest 50k, Williams ran with company for the majority of the race before surging away after a solid climb in the final few miles. Clearly, SW’s fitness is coming along quickly. He’s healthy and getting stronger with each week. Now, he has a month to nail down which flavor of doritos his stomach can handle mid-race (Cool Ranch, FTW!).
Scott Williams and Bradley Pigage (6th) post race
A great deal of action this weekend…
TL;DR - Lapp with solid racing in a road mile; Gragg crushes the 10,000m; Raneri & Latter go 13.1 in Brevard; Armstrong hits 52-low for 10 miles; Williams gets in a BQ marathon
On Friday, Javan Lapp travelled to his old stomping ground in Cincinnati, where he earned his law degree, for his third go at the Little Kings Road Mile. Each successive year has brought a more competitive field and some great mano-a-mano tactical racing through downtown Cincinnati. For the second year in a row, sub-4:00 miler Jake Edwards earned the win after making a strong move with 400m to go that broke up the tight lead pack. Javan ran strong after the move and made a late bid for 3rd, but ran out of room and had to settle for 4th place.
Javan chasing down 3rd place in Cincinnati
Also on Friday, Justin Gragg donned his Mars Hill University singlet for the last time at the Hillsdale College Gina Relays up in Michigan. This meet has been kind to Justin in the past - it is where he ran his 5000m personal best last season. This year, he kept his Hillsdale PR streak alive by popping off a huge one-minute-plus personal best in the 10,000m (and Mars Hill University school record) of 30:00.13. This was sweet redemption for Gragg, who struggled with a few ill-timed injury and illness setbacks in his spring campaign. We are really excited to see him take his talents to the roads in the coming months. Also, shout-out to Justin’s Mars Hill teammate, Alex Griggs, who finished just 3 seconds back in 30:03, as well as ARC’s Blue Ridge Relay teammate Harry Dixon for his 2nd-place finish and personal best of 29:35. Great racing all around.
Alex and Justin with that PR glow
On Saturday, John Raneri and Phil Latter represented the ARC at a new half marathon in Brevard, the Legacy Run. A nice prize purse brought out a competitive field and some strong racing. After an unexpectedly quick start (sub-5:00 pace through 2 miles), Raneri was able to settle into a groove and grab the W in 1:08. Phil also had a decent showing on his home-town course. He crossed the line 4th in 1:14.
On Sunday, Chass Armstrong lined up for the Broad Street Run 10 miler up in Philly. Recently, he has strung together a series of solid races. This was no different as he finished 17th in 52:15. Shout-out to his close friend David Fuentes, who placed 3rd in 49:28.
Chass and David - Boerne HS (TX) represent!
The final result in a packed weekend for the Collective was Scott Williams’ 2:49:10 at the Eugene Marathon. This was another controlled long effort in his build-up to a 100k later this spring.
STOP SW!
Little Kings Mile - Cincinnati, OH
Javan Lapp - 4th - 4:31
Hillsdale College Gina Relays - Hillsdale, MI
Justin Gragg - 6th - 30:00.13
Results
Hunter Subaru Legacy Run - Brevard, NC
John Raneri - 1st - 1:08:41
Phillip Latter - 4th - 1:14:46
Results
Blue Cross Broad Street Run 10 Miler - Philadelphia, PA
Chass Armstrong - 17th - 52:15
Results
Eugene Marathon - Eugene, OR
Scott Williams - 22nd - 2:49:10
Results
