Week in Review - Shut-In!

It was another strong week of performances on the trail, road, and grass for the Asheville Running Collective.

On Saturday, several members of the Collective lined up for the Shut-In Ridge Run, one of Asheville’s most iconic races. This 17.8 miler follows the rugged Shut-In trail as it climbs 3000 feet along the Blue Ridge Parkway with a finish at Mt. Pisgah. Weather often plays a role in the race and this year was no different with a night of rain leaving a slick trail of leaves and rocks for the runners to navigate.

Leading into the race, the 2015 edition looked to be one of the most competitive fields assembled in its 37th year history. The depth and speed of the field lived up to the hype with the lead pack pushing the pace early and pulling most of the field out very fast. The quick start took its toll on many of the front runners and made for an especially brutal final few miles. Shiloh Mielke held on best and maintained a 6-minute lead to the finish line in 2:33:59 to earn his sixth Shut-In victory. The next ARC racers across the line were Dave Workman (7th), Javan Lapp (8th), and Jerad Crave (11th). Stay tuned for an in-depth race report.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Another notable result of the weekend came from ARC’s Blue Ridge Relay team member Harry Dixon in the Monumental Half Marathon. Harry has strung together some great racing since crushing his set of legs at the BRR. On Saturday, he lowered his PR from 1:06:23 (set in October) to a very quick 1:04:26 (4:56 mile pace!) on his way to the overall win. Keep it rolling, Harry!

View fullsize

Finally, Phillip Latter capped a successful first season of coaching at Brevard High by leading the girls to a state championship victory in the NCHSAA 2A classification. This is the second state meet title of the fall for the ARC’s HS coaches. Last week, Mark Driscoll’s Carolina Day School girls won the NCISAA 2A state title for the second year in a row. Brent Schouler, we are expecting big things from your teams next year!

Shut-In Ridge Run - Asheville, NC
Shiloh Mielke - 1st - 2:33:59 
Dave Workman - 7th - 2:44:03
Javan Lapp - 8th - 2:44:35
Jerad Crave - 11th - 2:48:15
Results 

Monumental Half Marathon - Indianapolis, IN 
Harry Dixon - 1st - 1:04:26
Results 

NCHSAA 2A State Championships - Kernersville, NC 
Brevard High School Girls - 1st 
Results 

NCISAA 2A State Championships - Charlotte, NC
Carolina Day School Girls - 1st
Results 

Week in Review - Victory!

On Sunday, one of the members of ARC's Boone outpost, Caleb Masland, lined up for the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon. His 2:34:31 finishing time was a bit off of the 2:30:39 PR he set in the 2013 edition of the same race, but his ability to keep it together in the final 10k earned him the win.

Caleb is known as a smart trainer (see: CoachCaleb.com) and a consistent racer. He will no doubt have another crack at the 2:30 barrier in the near future. Enjoy the recovery, Caleb!

City of Oaks Marathon - Raleigh, NC
Caleb Masland - 1st - 2:34:31
Results

View fullsize

Photo credit: City of Oaks Marathon

‪#‎FearThePony‬ // ‪#‎DevoteToTheGoat‬

Week in Review

After a busy few weeks of racing, most of the Collective focused on training this week. The colors in the woods are at near peak right now, so the guys got in some solid leaf peeping 15-20 miles at a time. 

One guy who did pin on a bib and toe the line this weekend (twice actually) was Scott Williams. While in the middle of a Cal International Marathon training block, he decided to take advantage of some nearby races (to his current home base in Oregon) for strong efforts. 

First up was an 8k XC race over at Oregon State. His 28:01 finish was a solid after a relaxed start. Next up was Sunday’ Columbia Gorge Marathon in Hood River. This was another successful outing, as he earned the W in a steady 2:43:03. Clearly, Scott’s fitness is on the right track for his goal marathon in December. Keep it rolling! 

Oregon State Beaver Classic 8k - Corvallis, OR
Scott Williams - 64th - 28:01
Results

Columbia Gorge Marathon - Hood River, OR
Scott Williams - 1st - 2:43:03
Results

Week in Review

The ARC’s fall racing season has been jam-packed with strong results. This past week was no different. We had guys grinding it out at a traditional downtown road race, prepping for Shut-In with a time trial on the trails, and running among giants in California.

First up, Saturday morning was the 39th edition of the Thomas Wolfe 8k, an Asheville institution. Phillip Latter and Victor McHenry took on a strong local field on the hilly downtown course and earned solid 2nd and 4th place finishes, respectively. The race was won by Asheville’s own sub-4:00 miler, Isaac Presson, who fought off all contenders to take the 1 mile bonus (strong effort by the guy in the cut-off flannel shirt), 3 mile bonus, and cross the finish in 25:50. Nice running, guys.

Also on Saturday, Shiloh Mielke and Javan Lapp tested their climbing and descending skills with a time trial on the famed Kitsuma trail in Black Mountain. While not a race, this is a popular time trial course in WNC and a noteworthy effort for anyone who takes on the challenge. The Kitsuma Klimb TT is an out-and-back ~8.5 mile singletrack trail which requires runners to fly down nearly 1,500 feet of descent before turning around and switching to a grindy climbing gear for the journey back up. Shout-out to the WNC Trail Runner wiki for promoting and keeping records for great runs like Kitsuma! Both ARC guys had a great day in the woods, with Javan lopping nearly 10 minutes off his previous best and Shiloh setting an overall FKT (fastest known time) of 1:06:01 in his first attempt. On to Shut-In!

Finally, Scott Williams represented the ARC out in California at the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon. This out-and-back course is run entirely on the Avenue of Giants with nearly constant redwood canopy cover. Sounds like a decent place for a run. Scott took advantage of the great course and laid down a solid 1:13:48. He is on the right track as he gets deeper into Cal International Marathon training.

Thomas Wolfe 8k - Asheville, NC
Phil Latter - 2nd - 26:38
Victor McHenry - 4th - 27:08
Results

Kitsuma Klimb TT - Black Mountain, NC
Shiloh Mielke - 1:06:01
Javan Lapp - 1:07:24
TT Leaderboard

Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon - Humboldt County, CA
Scott Williams - 14th - 1:13:48
Results

Week in Review

Packed weekend of racing with fast times and high finishes. 

Justin Gragg started things off for the Collective on in Charlotte with a shiny new 8k XC PR of 24:31. He raced in a pack of guys including his Mars Hill University training mate, Alex Griggs, who notched a school record of 24:23. Keep up the great work, guys! 

On Saturday, Victor McHenry tested his fitness at the Bethel Half Marathon & 5K. For the past two months, he has been on a comeback from a hamstring injury that took him out of training for the Blue Ridge Relay. His 1st place half marathon finish in 1:14:43 shows that he is making strong progress. The problem with a fit Victor is that no Strava CR in the Asheville area is safe. Prepare yourself. 

Peyton Hoyal rounded out the weekend of racing for the ARC with a very strong 2nd place finish at the Steamtown Marathon in a PR of 2:30:44. The race turned into a bit of a tactical affair with a slower than planned first half and a tough race for places in the second half. In the end, Peyton won his battle with the 2nd-4th place guys and walked away with a cool $1,000. Pitchers of Iron Rail IPA on Peyton next time he is at the Wedge Run! 

Also - we want to give a shout out to some strong performances from friends of the ARC at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and Ironman Louisville. In Chicago, Rich Heffron ran a smart, steady race to earn a 2:33:29, Tony Casey snuck under 2:40 with a PR of 2:39:51 (the Johnson City crew ran great), and Wedge Run regular Claire Bartholic dropped nearly 15 minutes off her PR for a 3:11:51. Finally, major congrats are in order for Wedge Run-stalwarts Dwight Shuler (11:04:32) and Susan Harrell (12:54:56) for their strong finishes at IM Louisville. Inspiring stuff, everyone. 

Royals XC Challenge - McAlpine Park, Charlotte, NC
Justin Gragg - 8th - 24:31
Results (PDF) 

Bethel Half Marathon - Canton, NC
Victor McHenry - 1st - 1:14:42
Results

Steamtown Marathon - Scranton, PA
Peyton Hoyal - 2nd - 2:30:44
Results

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize