Monday, September 30, 2013

Augusta 70.3

Congratulations to Finish Strong's Chris Wendt who competed at the Augusta 70.3 event this past weekend. Chris finished the half ironman distance race sub 5 hrs in a personal best of 4:56:20.  Way to go, Chris!! 

Chris Wendt rocks the Augusta 70.3 breaking 5 hours!


Here are Chris' splits:

CHRISWENDT
251
00:25:10
02:39:51
01:42:41
04:56:20


Kerrville Tri - Half and 1/4 IM

Finish Strong's Michelle Irving had a great race at Kerrville Quarter Distance (Olympic) triathlon.  Michelle came in 3rd in her AG at this 1000m Swim, 29 mile bike, 6.4 mile run tri.  Her overall time was 3:04:40.

Jim Harrington competed in the half IM distance race at Kerrville.  He came in 5th in his AG with a finishing time of 5:09:04.  His splits were 34:14 swim, 2:36:52 bike, and 1:54:18 half marathon run.
Michelle Irving enjoys her podium finish at the Kerrville Tri!
For more on results, go to:

Firethorne Triathlon

Finish Strong Coaching was represented at the Firethorne Triathlon in Katy on Sunday, September 29 by Meril Moen, Scott Reeves, Kent and Kathy Morris.  The sprint distance race was a 500 meter swim, 13.7 mile bike, and 3 mile run.

Kent and Kathy Morris!

Kent takes home 1st in AG!


Here are results:

Meril -   1st in AG and 14th overall.  Merill had 4th overall bike split and sub 7 run.
Kent  -  1st in his AG and 9th overall.  Kent averaged 24 mph on the bike and 6:30 pace on the run.    

Kathy -  PR’d on her run and bike!

Scott - 14th in competitive 35-39 AG

For more results, go to: http://eztoregister.com/assets/firethorne13.HTM# 2 6

Houston Run for Recovery 5K

Finish Strong's Claudia Dorr McMeeken who enjoy a personal best performance the Houston Run for Recover 5K.  Claudia finished in 28:28.  Way to go!

For more results, go to
http://www.runhoustontiming.net/

Texas10 Katy

Finish Strong's Kevin Baker set a new PR on Sunday September 29 at the Texas10 Series Katy race.  He finished the 10 mile race in 1:09:03 (6:54 pace).  Kevin finished 3rd place in his AG and 12th overall in a competitive field of approximately 600 runners.

Kevin Baker has personal record breaking 10 mile race at Texas 10 Series in Katy!

Also, racing at the event in the 10K race were Heather Bowden and Kim Bowden Hockley.
Heather finished 5th in her AG in 53:34.  Kim finished 6th in her AG in 1:08:46  - improving her personal best by over 7 minutes.


Woodforest Charity 10K Run

Congratulation to Finish Strong's Brandon Sager who won the Woodforest Charity Run 10k in Conroe on Saturday, September 28 in a time of 35:59.  Way to go, Brandon!

Brandon wins the Woodforest Charity Run!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Self-Defense Class Offered at Luke's Locker on Sept. 30th

Luke's Locker is hosting a ladies self defense night this coming Monday, September 30th at the Woodlands location in Market Street at 7pm.  Check it out!


Monday, September 23, 2013

Tour De Pink

Irasema and Manuel Abascal represented Finish Strong Coaching at the 'Tour de Pink" on September 15th. This was Ira's first century ride -- and she completed it riding her pink bicycle.  Ira said, "It was a great event although very windy and very pink!

Tour De Pink century bike ride!

Redman Aquabike

Congrats to Finish Strong Racing's Irasema de Aquino and husband Manuel Abascal completed the challenging Redman Aquabike held in Oklahoma City on September 22. Ira hung in there completing the swim in 1:56:15 and then on to the grueling 8:14:22 bike for a total race time of 10:28.  Manuel finished in 8:33:27.  His splits were 1:22:53 swim and 7:03:36 bike.  Way to go, Abascal duo!

Redman Aquathon duo - Manuel and Ira!


Galveston 5150 and Lonestar Sprint

Windy conditions cancelled the swim and turned the Galveston 5150 and Lonestar Sprint into Olympic and sprint distance duathlon races on Sunday, September 22.  Lane Barron won his AG in the sprint race and Rip Reynolds came in 2nd in his and 9th overall in the sprint race.  Shannon Crowe won her AG in the Olympic distance race.  Kent Morris, Travys Townson, and Kari Gilley took 2nd place in their AGs.  Aki Laine had a PR on his 10K and lots of other fine performances!

Beautiful Sara, Gloria, Jeannette, and Illeana all smiles at the end of the 5150!

Here are the results for the sprint race:
Lane Barron - 59:16 - 1st in his 10-14 AG
Rip Reynolds -58:37 - 2nd in his AG and 9th overall!
Kathy Morris - 1:25:20 - 5th in her Athena division 

Results for the Olympic distance 5150 race:
Aki Laine - 2:02:04  -  PR in 10K!  (15th in 30-34 AG)
Travys Townson - 1:48:22 (2nd in 35- 39 AG)
Arran Keith -   1:59:01     (14th in 35-39 AG)
Tommy Behe - 2:01:25 (17th in 35-39 AG)
Chris Hirsekorn -  2:02:17 (19th in 35-39 AG)
John Tortorici -2:07:49 (40-44 AG)
R.D. Cole - 2:11:02 ( 40-44 AG)
John McGowan - 2:14:50 (40-44 AG)
Steve Hardy - 2:06:14  (16th in 45-49 AG)
Kent Morris - 1:47:34 - 10:37 improvement!  2nd in AG and 39th overall!
Kenneth Page - 2:15:50 (10th in 55-59 AG)

Pamela Ferguson - 2:02:19 (7th in 30-34 AG)
Kari Gilley  - 2:01:05  (2nd in 35-39 AG)

Lyuba Castillo - 2:07:51 (6th in 35-39 AG)
Shannon Crowe - 2:00:34 (1st in 40-44 AG)
Taylor Riall - 2:10:45 (7th in 40-44 AG)
Carolyn Barron - 2:23:52 (10th in 40-44 AG)
Lisanne Rogers - 2::13:44 (6th in 45-49 AG)
Jeanette Hagelskaer - 2:17:30 (8th in her 45-49 AG)
Susan Hardwick-Smith - 2:18:01 (10th in 45-49 AG)
Gloria Shrewsbury - 2:18:43 (11th in 45-49 AG)
Michelle Howard - 2:22:08 (18th in her 45-49 AG)
Cindy McManis - 2:15:25 (5th in her 50-54 AG)
Sara Vanderford - 2:33:00 (9th in her 50-54 AG)
Ileana Carroll - 2:33:45 (10th in 50-54 AG)
Kathleen Crea - 2:42:20 (12th in 50-54 AG)


Kathy and Kent Morris - both had fabulous races! 

Arran Keith finished strong!

Travys Townson greeted by his son!

Travys takes 2nd in his AG!



















Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Savage Man 70.0

Finish Strong's Julio Morales took on the Savage Man 70.0 at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland on September 15.  Despite a nasty tumble, some sibling rivalry and some issues with his front brake rubbing, Julio overcame the obstacles and ended up truly enjoying the race.  Julio reports, "Once I got into my rhythm, it just felt great.  AWESOME EXPERIENCE!  Thanks for the killer training sessions."  Julio finished the race in 8:10:59.

For more details on results, go to
  http://www.setupevents.com/files/Savage_70_2013_Age_Group_Male.htm

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Tru Tri Houston Oaks Sprint Triathlon

Finish Strong's Meril Moen, Jesus Carias, Denise Shannon, and Alan Jones competed at the sprint Tru Tri on Sunday, September 15.  It was a 500 meter swim, 21 mile bike and 3 mile run.   Meril came in 6th overall and 1st in his 55-59 AG with a time of 1:28:25.  Jesus was 3rd in his 35-39 AG and 16th overall with a time of 1:32:33.  Denise came in 5th in her 35-39 AG with a time of 1:56:39.  And Alan was on a male relay team, his team took 1st place male relay in 1:28:06.  Alan did the swim and bike portion of the race and his friend, Jim Grant, ran.

Alan Jones on the winning men's relay team at Tru Tri!
Way to take 3rd in your AG, Jesus Carias!!

For more details on results, go to:
http://www.athleteguild.com/triathlon/hockley-tx/2013-houston-oaks-tru-tri-sprint-triathlon/results/division

Ironman Wales

Finish Strong's Will Blackbird headed to Wales to compete in Ironman on September 8 held at Pembrokeshire, Wales.  Tough day, but Will still completed the event in 14:45:57.  Well done!


Swim:1:15:24
Bike:7:23:22
Run:5:48:06
Overall:14:45:57

Ironman Wisconsin

Congratulations to Finish Strong athlete Chris Normyle who competed at Ironman Wisconsin on Sunday, September 8.  Chris accomplished this huge endurance feat in 14:41:24.  Splits are listed below.


Swim:1:13:11
Bike:7:16:58
Run:5:51:14
Overall:14:41:24

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Pacific Coast Triathlon

Congratulations to Finish Strong's Shannon Crowe who came in 2nd in her 40-44 AG at Pacific Coast Triathlon in Orange County, CA.  Shannon completed the tri in 1:24:08.  Her splits were 19:11 swim, 39:06 bike, 20:55 run.

Shannon enjoys podium finish at Pacific Coast Tri!

Monday, September 9, 2013

9/11 Hero's Run 5K

Aubrey Young and Libby Sears ran in the 9/11 Heroes Run 5K, Saturday, September 7th.  Aubrey placed first in her age group (13-19) with a time of 22:47 a PR, and Libby came in second with a time of 24:41 in the same age group.  Aubrey also placed 4th overall in the female division and Libby placed 10th.  Way to go, girls!!


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Tri Rock - Austin

Congrats to Finish Strong's Jim Harrington and Becca Novelli who competed at the Tri Rock (intermediate distance triathlon race) at Austin on Labor Day.  Becca came in 3rd in her female 20-24 division in a time of 2:37:48.  Despite broken aero bars (see pic below), Jim managed to cross in 2:46:57.

Austin Towne Lake

Austin

Jim's broken aero bars!



Name:Rebecca NovelliDivision:Female 20 to 24City, State:,
Bib:911Division Place:3Total Division:16
Age:23Gender:FGender Place:20
Intermediate Distance Place:110Chip Time:2:37:48Pace:
Swim Rank:84Swim Time:28:12:00Swim Pace:1:53/M
T1 Rank:4T1 Time:2:12T1 Pace:
Bike Rank:80Bike Time:1:09:20Bike Pace:21.5mph
T2 Rank:28T2 Time:1:45T2 Pace:
Run Rank:286Run Time:56:17:00Run Pace:9:05/M





Name:Jim HarringtonDivision:Male 45 to 49City, State:The Woodlands, TX
Bib:739Division Place:19Total Division:56
Age:49Gender:MGender Place:173
Intermediate Distance Place:211Chip Time:2:46:57Pace:
Swim Rank:152Swim Time:30:10:00Swim Pace:2:01/M
T1 Rank:263T1 Time:3:29T1 Pace:
Bike Rank:113Bike Time:1:10:17Bike Pace:21.2mph
T2 Rank:125T2 Time:2:07T2 Pace:
Run Rank:382Run Time:1:00:52Run Pace:9:49/M

Houston Towne Lake Olympic and Sprint Tri

Congrats to the 32 Finish Strong athletes who took on the Houston Town Lake Olympic or Sprint Tri on Labor Day.  Special shout out to Meril Moen who won Grandmasters, and AG winners Zach Miller and Phillip DePrang; and podium finishers: Sara Vanderford, Lane Barron, Lyuba Castillo, and Sara Jones.

Zach Miller wins the 20-24 AG!

Meril Moen wins Grandmaster's!

Lane Barron takes 2nd place after a flat tire!

Sara Jones takes 3rd in her AG!
    

Here's a list of FSR finishers:

Oly Abascal Manuel
Spr Barron Lane - 2nd in AG
Oly Barron Carolyn
Oly Caley Aren
Spr Castillo Lyuba - 3rd in AG
Spr Clark Casey
Spr Clouthier Stephen
Spr Crea         Kathleen
Spr Deprang Phillip  - 1st in AG
Spr Everett Michael
Oly Farrand Scott
Spr Ferguson Pamela
Oly Fincher Tami
Oly Grossmann Andreas
Spr Grossmann Pia
Spr Hagelskaer Jeanette - 4th in AG
Oly Hernandez Abraham
Oly Hirsekorn Christopher
Oly Jones Sara - 3rd in AG
Spr Keith Arran
Spr Laine Aki
Spr Lussier Charles
Oly Menster Michael - 6th in AG
Oly Miller Zach - 1st in AG
Spri Moen Meril - Grandmaster's winner
Spr Reaves John Scott
Spr Shannon Denise
Oly Tortorici John
Oly Townson Travys
Spr Vanderford Sara - 2nd in AG
Oly Vultaggio James
Oly Wendt Chris


For awesome pics from Ira of all FSR competitors, check out:

For more details on results, go to
http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_plain_text.php?race_id=34947


Half Marathon in Angola - 'Meia maratona internacional de Luanda'

Finish Strong's Jane Archer Foley won her age group at the Meia maratona internacional de Luanda in Angola on September 1.   Jane finished the half marathon in 1:42:35.  Jane reports, "Hot race. Started at 9 am and the temps were in the 90s - good for the locals, bad for us Northerners. Enjoyed it though :)"  Jane's overall pace was 7:46/mi.  

Marquette Half Marathon

Finish Strong's Kenneth Page ran the Marquette Half Marathon on Labor Day in 1:54:54 placing 14th in his 50-59 AG.  His average pace was 8:46/mi.  Way to go, Kenneth!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Metaman - Half Ironman Indonesia

While many were racing locally this weekend, Finish Strong Coaching's Jerry Palmer competed in the Metaman Half Ironman in Indonesia on August 31.  Jerry had his best swim ever - 40 minutes in the ocean with no wetsuit.  He had a very good bike 3:20 especially considering the heat and the 2700 feet of climbing over the 56 mile course.  Jerry finished the tough "crazy hot" run through the jungle with some hills and lots of turns.  Overall, Jerry was very pleased with his results and reports, "This was a real confidence booster for me!"   

5150 National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa

Congratulations to Dana Lyons for winning his age group at the 5150 National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday, September 1st.  Dana won in a time of 2:15:15 beating his closest competitor by over 4 minutes.

Dana Lyons wins his AG at 5150 National Championships in Des Moines!
For more detailed results, go to:
http://edge.raceresults360.com/hyvee/7n8ofP/results#/results:&AthleteSearch=(Enter Name, Bib No., or City)&Division=M 55-59:1378242981530

Friday Night Lights

The Woodlands High School Lady Highlander Cross-Country Booster Club hosted Friday Night Lights Open and Invitation Cross-Country Meet.  Over 1,600 athletes representing 47 team participated in the event at Bear Branch fields in The Woodlands.  Congrats to TWHS Girls for winning every race they entered and to Senior, Madi McLellan who won the girls' varsity race.

Finish Strong Coaching had 15 of our Youth Summer Run Camp kids participating in the open race.  Coach Mike Flake ran along side of them.  Other Finish Strong Coaching adults who ran the open race were Zach Miller, Ronnie Delzer, Kevin Baker, Tim Monk, and Pam Meaux.

Sara Whittemore and Mike Flake ran the open race.  Photo courtesy of Russell Meyer.