Last weekend marked a historic moment in US distance running. More women than ever before toed the line at the US Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Atlanta, a first-time marathoner landed a spot on the women’s team, and a relatively unknown and unsponsored man made the men’s team. Several ARC team members were there to see it all unfold and cheer for our very own Olympic Trials qualifier, Holly Davis. Davis, who recently moved to Colorado Springs, was among the field of 450 women (for comparison, a little over 200 men ran).
Several ARC team members were there to see it all unfold and cheer for our very own Olympic Trials qualifier, Holly Davis. Davis, who recently moved to Colorado Springs, was among the field of 450 women (for comparison, a little over 200 men ran).
Her main running goal was simply to qualify, which she did, in a last-ditch attempt at California’s CIM a few months ago. So going into the trials race, Davis’s only plan was to soak it all in. Without much specific training (in fact, she took a pretty healthy break after her CIM performance), she crossed the line in a still very respectable 2 hours 54 minutes and 48 seconds.
Recalling the race on Facebook, Davis wrote, “I feel as though I am waking up from a dream...a little bit groggy, a little bit confused, and a little bit overjoyed. It might seem more real if I was incredibly sore and hobbling around, but my body just feels the way that it does after a hard strength session. My mind keeps asking, “Well, what’s next?” For now, I do not know what’s next.” … Well, we can pretty much guarantee that, whatever it is, it’ll be pretty darn next-level-awesome.
The next day, on a similarly hilly course, Caleb Masland crossed the line of the Publix Atlanta Marathon in 2 hours 35 minutes and 6 seconds. After holding second place for much of the race, he had a tough final mile and lost a couple of spots. Upon reflection, he said, “I’m proud to finish 4th and run a solid time on an absolutely brutal course, I just wish I could close better. I’m going to be mad for a bit, then I’m going to get back to work.” We have no doubt he will be fighting for the podium again soon.
Meanwhile, after spending hours running around Atlanta cheering for Davis, ARC’s Valerie Pattenotte ran the hilly Atlanta Half Marathon the next day. “I didn’t look at my watch once,” she says. “I just clicked start and ran off of effort.” The do-it-by-feel approach paid off. Pattenotte crossed the line in 1 hour 30 minutes and 45 seconds, a new half marathon PR. And that’s coming just a few months after a solid 50-mile debut at JFK. Well done.
Lilly Smith capped off the busy weekend of racing for the ARC’s Atlanta invasion. She lined up for the Publix Atlanta 5k and finished 6th among women in 19 minutes and 16 seconds. Nicely done, Lilly!
Snowy conditions led to changes for the Mount Mitchell Challenge 40 miler as all runners were rerouted to the Black Mountain Marathon course. On a nice day, this race is a beast with 3000+ feet of climbing and the same descent, but a snow-covered path added an additional obstacle to the event. The Collective’s Michael Fisher (3:23:02) and Brandon Smith (4:31:32) handled it well with fourth and fifty-sixth place finishes. This was a solid tune-up for Fisher, who will be competing in the Hellbender 100 Miler next month.
Margaret Brennan also set a new PR (1 hour 20 minutes and 37 seconds) and finished as the first Master at the Prisma Health Half Marathon in Travelers Rest, SC. “It was a great race with a deep field,” she says. “I am thankful that I am healthy and racing again! And that I finally broke the high 1:20s barrier. It was my fourth year running this race.” We’re so glad to see Brennan back and running strong. And we’re pretty sure that breaking 1:20 is next.
ARC runners represented back in Western North Carolina at the Chilly Challenge 8K, too. Mitch Mull (29:28) and Jose Ruiz Herrera (29:38) finished an impressive second and third, respectively. And race-day lived up to its name with challenging cold and icy course conditions.
While everyone else was racing on the roads, Luke Paulson took to the trails just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. He gutted his way up the final climb to secure the win at the Mount Cheaha 50K as part of his build-up for his goal race in April, the Lake Sonoma 50 Miler (where he hopes to secure the highly-coveted golden ticket to Western States 100). He and Avery Collins from Silverton, Colo., jockeyed for position for most of the race until the final climb when Paulson pulled away. “The push to the top of Mount Cheaha (tallest point in AL) was a true butt-kicker,” he says. “Hands-on-knees, head down type climbing for about a mile.” Paulson pushed across the line in a staggering 4 hours 4 minutes and 1 second, the second-fastest time ever recorded on the course. Well. Done.
LAST WEEKEND!
The weekend before last, Kate Schwartz ran her first half marathon in nearly a year. It was a major milestone after months of on and off training due to injury. And, she crushed it. Despite below freezing temps and a black-ice-covered course, Schwartz ran her way to a finish in 1 hour 19 minutes and 15 seconds at the Raleigh Half Marathon, good enough for second place in this USATF-NC championship event.
Have a race result to share? We want to hear about it! Please send a picture (that you own the rights to, please!) with credit information to ARC member Ashley Arnold (ashleycohenphotography@gmail.com), a link to your results and a quote about the day.
