Week in Review - Go!

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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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

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