CRC Winter Classic 8k Recap

CRC off to an early lead

A week after being snowed out, the Charlotte Running Club's Winter Classic 8k was held this past Saturday under bluebird skies and 60+ degree temps at McAlpine Park in Charlotte, NC.

This race has been a focus on our club’s calendar for several years due to our great rivalry with the Charlotte Running Club. While this clash reaches its climax at the Blue Ridge Relay every September, the CRC Winter Classic has been a welcomed opportunity to keep the competitive fire going and test ourselves (and each other) in the “off season”.

Driscoll spent most of the race tucked in before making his bid for the win

This year’s Winter Classic 8k looked to have one of it’s most competitive fields yet, as it was serving as both the USATF-NC XC Championships and Road Runners Club of America NC XC Championships. Even with team and individual conflicts arising from the ‪Winter Storm Jonas‬ race-day postponement, CRC and ARC were still able to field competitive teams and put on a good show.

The ARC packing up in the first mile

On race day, CRC showed up to the start line with a deep roster of guys ready to defend their home turf. The Collective was forced to play catch-up from the gun as Charlotte had a large pack pushing the pace at the front. While some Asheville racers were able to move up, Charlotte’s depth proved too much to overcome. In the end, CRC won the belt back with a 21-45 team score. Well-earned victory, guys.

All was not lost, as Asheville was able to score the individual victory with Mark Driscoll’s third Winter Classic win in four years. Driscoll battled with a pack of CRC racers for the majority of the race before pulling away in the final mile to cross the line in 25:07. CRC put the team title out of reach by snagging the next four spots, before Javan Lapp, Caleb Masland, and Phil Latter finished in 6th, 8th, and 9th, respectively.

We’d like to thank our competitors and hosts at the Charlotte Running Club for putting on such a great event. Be sure to take good care of the belt - we’d like it in tip-top shape when it returns to its rightful place in the mountains later this year.

Charlotte Running Club's Winter Classic 8k - Charlotte, NC
Mark Driscoll - 1st - 25:07
Javan Lapp - 6th - 26:04
Caleb Masland - 8th - 26:11
Philip Latter - 9th - 26:13
Brent Schouler - 21st - 27:18
Colin Kalescky - 23rd - 27:39
Ryan Courtoy - 28th - 29:03
Results

Photo Credit: Emily Egelhoff-Whalen

Week in Review - JAX Half

On Sunday, Peyton Hoyal and Brent Schouler set the tone for ARC’s 2016 racing campaign with strong results at the Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon.  

In cool, wet conditions, the guys lined up with a field loaded with Olympic Trials hopefuls sure to set an aggressive pace from the gun.  Peyton was able to run a controlled first 10k then pick off the front pack’s stragglers in the final miles on the way to his second-fastest half marathon to date.  

Brent locked into his goal pace from the start and ran nearly the whole race by himself, passing only one runner and being passed by none.  Even with the lack of competition, he demonstrated his improved fitness with a nearly 90 second personal best.  Great effort guys!

Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon - Jacksonville, FL
Peyton Hoyal - 56th - 1:09:05
Brent Schouler - 65th - 1:11:54
Results

Year in Review

Although the Asheville Running Collective has been around as a Blue Ridge Relay team for years (with other team events here and there), 2015 was the year in which we finally went “legit”.  The Collective became a sanctioned USATF club, gained non-profit status, and offered support to team members (thanks to the generosity of our sponsors).

By all accounts 2015 can be considered a success - key team victories, impressive individual performances, and the addition of much-needed young blood to the roster.

Here are just a few of the highlights for the Asheville Running Collective in 2015.

Top 5 Team Highlights:

Greater Charlotte Health & Fitness Expo 4 Miler - 28-29 Loss to CRC (Results)
Why list a loss as a highlight?  We can answer that question with another question - What fun are team sports without rivalries?  The CRC guys helped jumpstart our 2015 campaign with a kick in the pants and a whole lot of motivation.  We are excited to have Johnson City TC join the mix in 2016.

 

Running of the Bulls 8k - Team Win (Results)
Contributions from new ARC racers and a team win at a respected NC road race helped this one sneak into the highlight reel.

 

Oskar Blues 4 miler (Recap & Results)
The ARC makes an effort to have a strong presence at key events in Western North Carolina.  We had 5 in the top 7 for this one and got the bonus of delicious Oskar Blues brews waiting for us at the finish line.

 

USATF-NC XC Championships - Team Win (Recap & Results)
Another goal of the club is to be competitive on the state and regional level. This win gave the ARC its first USATF-NC title, which we plan to defend at the next XC Championships in less than a month.

 

Blue Ridge Relay - Team Win and Course Record (Results)
The BRR is the race that started it all for the club, and it remains a top priority. This relay has quietly become one of the most competitive in the country. The win is our goal, first and foremost, but it’s always nice to grab the course record while we're at it (5:39 per mile for 210 miles).

 

Top 5 Individual Highlights (In no particular order):

Caleb Masland’s USATF-NC Marathon Championship Win (Recap & Results)
Caleb earned 4 marathon wins in 2015, but this gave him the title of USATF-NC Champion.


Justin Gragg’s 5000m Personal Record (Results)
Justin made the trip to Hillsdale, Michigan worth it with a 14:24.75 personal best.  Look for big things from him on the track this spring.

 

Shiloh Mielke’s Shut-In Ridge Run Win (Recap & Results)
In one of the most hyped-up fields in recent memory, Shiloh once again proved his dominance of the iconic Shut-In trail race with his 6th victory.

 

Frankie Adkins’ Spring Racing Campaign
This 41-year-old put together a string of race performances that would make many 21-year-olds more than happy.  First, he had a three-week stint of racing that began with a 32:38 (lifetime) PR at Reedy River 10k, then 21:08 for 4th at the Oskar Blues 4 Miler, and the USATF Masters Indoor National Championship win at 3000m (9:08).  He followed that up with what may have been his best performance of the season at the Running of the Bulls 8k - 26:17 for the USATF-NC 8k road title (no, not master's division champ... overall USATF-NC champ). Oh yeah, he threw down a 15:47 track 5000m a few weeks later.

 

Peyton Hoyal’s Half Marathon Improvement (Recap & Results)
Peyton has always been one of ARC steadiest performers.  This year, he made several attempts at the 13.1-mile distance and dropped his time down by nearly 2 minutes to a very solid PR of 1:08:12.

 

 

To wrap up the 2015 Year in Review, the Asheville Running Collective would like to thank our sponsors for their incredible support.  This support greatly improved our ability to manage injuries, provide team gear, and aid travel and lodging expenses for racers.  Thank you OrthoCarolina, Tavis Cummings at Omnium Bodyworks, Miriam Nelson at The Runner’s Mechanic, Myers Chiropractic and Functional Health, and our local running shops - Foot Rx Running and Jus’ Running.     
 

 

 

 

Week in Review - Be Prepared!

After a rainy week of training, Javan Lapp and David Workman took advantage of the sunny weather on Sunday at the Be Prepared 15k out in Canton, NC. This rugged single track trail run, which takes place in and around Camp Daniel Boone, climbs steadily with nearly 1,800 feet of gain. Brutal.

Javan took the win with Dave next across the line. Nice effort, guys.

The 15k was the first event in Foot Rx Running’s three-race Winter Trail Series. The next events are the Frosty Foot 50k, 30k, and 8k at Tsali Recreation Area on January 16th and the Yeti or Not 25k at Dupont Recreation Area on February 6th. These are great opportunities to check out some of the best trails that Western North Carolina has to offer.

Be Prepared 15k - Camp Daniel Boone, Canton, NC
Javan Lapp - 1st - 1:06:46
Dave Workman - 2nd - 1:09:33
Results 

Week in Review - Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving morning is a traditional time to build up one's appetite with a run. For many runners that means retracing old hometown running routes, exploring new cities when visiting friends and family, or lining up for any one of the numerous "Turkey Trots" throughout the country. This year, the ARC was spread out all over the east coast and into the midwest. We had guys putting in the miles on Florida beaches, in Chicago parks, and at a couple of 5ks.

Up in Cape Cod, Brent Schouler lined up for the Provincetown Pilgrim Trot. After a quick start and some windy coastline miles, he earned the win in an unofficial 16:29. Also on Thursday morning, Caleb Masland continued his yearly streak at the Atlanta Track Club Thanksgiving Day 5k. The race up front was very fast and he was dragged along to his best time on this course. You certainly earned your Thanksgiving meals, guys!

Provincetown Pilgrim Trot 5k - Provincetown, MA
Brent Schouler - 1st - 16:29

Atlanta Track Club Thanksgiving Day 5k - Atlanta, GA
Caleb Masland - 5th - 16:05
Results
Strava Data

Join us April 18th at 7:30 pm after the normal wedge run for a film screening at the wedge foundation cloud room. We will be watching "3100: Run and Become" a film that explores the spiritual side of running. Watch the trailer here https:
Dont forget to put the Wedge Run 10k on your race calendar. May 4th, 2019, a flat fast 10k with all your best friends. Signup at wedgerun10k.com
Good all around showing today at the NC @usatf xc championships for ARC. Mens team took 2nd place in the team competition. Margaret and Eliza took 2nd and 3rd overall in the women's race and @realdriscoll led the way on the mens side with a 3rd pla
Love Shut In but can't make it out to watch this year? We will be covering the race live tomorrow via the Instagram story feature. Only 1 person with a cell phone so will mostly be covering the race for overall win. Good luck to everyone racing! #