Week in Review - Reedy River Run + Grayson Highlands

Down in Greenville, SC, two Collective racers, Chass Armstrong and Peyton Hoyal, took on a strong field in the Reedy River Run 10k. This classic event, in its 39th year, follows a rolling, but fair downtown course. Chass put in solid work with an 8th place finish in 32:21. Peyton finished one spot back in 32:39. Both guys will be in action this spring and summer for more racing on the roads.

While on a week-long visit back east, Oregon-based Collective member Scott Williams traveled to one of the ARC’s hallowed grounds - Grayson Highlands State Park in Southwest Virginia. This park is well known for it’s expansive mountain views, beautiful grassy mountains, and roving packs of wild ponies (‪#‎FearThePony‬). The Blue Ridge Relay begins here and the ARC has held a training camp in this area in the last few years. While in the area, Scott took advantage of the opportunity to run the Grayson Highlands 50k, organized by friend-of-the-ARC Sean Run Bum Blanton. His second place finish in 4:00 was another strong step on his comeback from injury. Stay tuned as Scott takes on longer and longer distances while building toward his first 100 miler in the fall.

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Ponies roam free in Grayson Highlands State Park

TD Bank Reedy River Run 10k - Greenville, SC
Chass Armstrong - 8th - 32:21
Peyton Hoyal - 9th - 32:39
Results

Grayson Highlands Half Marathon / 50k - Mouth of Wilson, VA
Scott Williams - 2nd - 4:00:42
Results 

Week in Review

Another strong week of racing from the Collective. We had guys racing 800m up to 13.1 miles.

On Friday, John Raneri took on a deep field in the 5000m at the Mt. Sac Relays out in California. While he aiming to hit his first sub-14 minute 5k, he had to settle for a near-PR of 14:07.82. This was another solid track result for John, who will keep the momentum building toward his target race at the Portland Track Festival 10,000m in June. He’s also got the Bolder Boulder 10k and another 1500m on tap in the coming weeks. It will be exciting to follow his progress this spring.

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John and Javan getting after it at UNC-Asheville

Next up, Javan Lapp travelled to his alma mater of UNC-Charlotte for his first 800m race of the 2016 outdoor track campaign. After a 55-second opening 400m, Javan hung tough in the second lap and finished in a very solid 1:56.20. This was the fastest time Javan has posted since college and a sign of good things to come. Bring on leg 1 at BRR!

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Finally, Chass Armstrong was in action on Sunday at the Flying Pirate Half Marathon on the coast of NC. Chass used this event as prep for his upcoming goal race at the Broad Street Run 10 Miler in two weeks. In the end, he got in a solid effort and a first place finish. Keep it rolling, Chass!

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58th Annual Mt. Sac Relays - Norwalk, CA
John Raneri - 5000m (11th) - 14:07.82
Results

Charlotte Invitational - UNC-Charlotte, NC
Javan Lapp - 800m (5th) - 1:56.20
Results

Flying Pirate Half Marathon - Nags Head, NC
Chass Armstrong - 1st - 1:10:15
Results

Week in Review - Two Veterans and an ARC Debut

It was another week of track racing for the ARC.  We had two veterans and one new member in action.

At Wingate University, Javan Lapp lined up for his second 1500m of the season.  After a smooth race last week that saw him move up throughout the pack and finish second, he planned on a more aggressive start this time around. Unfortunately, the fast early pace lead to a nice blow-up in the final lap.  He jogged it in, but lived to fight another day.  He’ll be back on the track in a few weeks at his alma mater, UNC-Charlotte. 

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Lapp lacing up.

At the Raleigh Relays, Justin Gragg ran his second 5000m of the season and new Asheville resident John Raneri shook off his marathon legs with a 1500m and pacing duties in the 10000m. 

For most of his race, Justin was up with the leaders and on pace for a personal best.  He hit a lull in the last 1600m before rallying for a quick last lap.  His 14:48 didn’t satisfy his goal, but he should have more opportunities to pop a fast one in the coming weeks.  

Just over a month after his 50th place finish at the US Olympic Trials Marathon, John stepped down to 1500m to test his speed.  His 3:51 (equivalent to a 4:10 mile) was only a few seconds off of his personal best and a sign of good things to come this spring.  A short while after his race, John jumped back on the track to pace the 10000m.  He kept it going at the front for a bit over halfway at 29-low pace.  Nice day of work! 

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Welcome to Asheville, John Raneri!

NC State University’s Raleigh Relays - Raleigh, NC
John Raneri - 1500m - 3:51.
Justin Gragg - 5000m - 14:48.78
Results

Week in Review - Track is Back

Outdoor track is back! For several racers in the Collective, this season is the focus of the year. Chasing fast times, these guys will be travelling all over to college and open invitationals. This past weekend, both Javan Lapp and and Ryan Courtoy laced up the spikes at their alma maters.

Ryan, one of the middle-distance specialists on the team, tested his strength in the 5000m at the University of South Florida. His time of 16:08 demonstrates strong progress as he continues his comeback after several years away from the sport. It will be fun to watch him return to top form and challenge his college bests.

Javan opened his season at UNC-Charlotte’s 49er Classic with a solid effort at 1500m. His 2nd place third-heat finish in 4:00, over two seconds faster than last year’s opener, shows the strength work of the fall and winter is paying off. Up next for Javan is another 1500m at Wingate University this weekend.

USF Bulls Invitational - Tampa, FL
Ryan Courtoy - 5000m - 16:08.21
Results 

UNC-Charlotte 49er Classic - Charlotte, NC
Javan Lapp - 1500m - 4:00.37
Results

Week in Review

The High Country contingent of the ARC was in action around the southeast this weekend.

Boone’s Caleb Masland started things off on Friday with a competitive 4-miler in Virginia. Coming off the LA Marathon in February (the 20th marathon of his career!), he has been getting back in touch with faster paces.  His 21:34 4-mile result shows he’s beginning to shake the rust off. It will be fun to watch Caleb’s results this spring as he works to chip away at his personal bests in the shorter distances.  If you are interested in following his progress more closely, check out CoachCaleb.com, where he will be posting training updates along the way.

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Caleb, seen here during the recent LA Marathon, is returning to some speed.

On Sunday, Blowing Rock’s Peyton Hoyal lined up for the USATF-NC championship at the Tobacco Road Marathon.  Running this event was a last-minute choice for Peyton, so he didn’t have the traditional marathon-specific training block under his belt.  Even so, he was able to rely on the strong base of fitness he’s been building for the last few years and get in a solid effort.  His 2:33:22 was a few minutes off of his personal best, but good enough for second in the USATF-NC division and third overall (and a decent payday!).  Find out more about Peyton’s training at ZapFitnessCoaching.com, where he offers coaching services.

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Peyton digging deep at Mile 25.  Photo Credit: Tim Meigs

Shamrock 4 Miler - Abingdon, VA
Caleb Masland - 6th - 21:34
Results

Tobacco Road Marathon (USATF-NC Championships) - Cary, NC
Peyton Hoyal - 3rd - 2:33:21
Results