Mistletoe 5K

Finish Strong athlete Linda Trinkle ran the Mistletoe 5K in the Bridgeland community in Cypress TX. Linda's time was 22:24. She placed 2nd in her age group and 18th overall. Congrats, Linda!

Finish Line Sports 30K

Bill Mack completed the Finish Line Sports 30K run on December 11 in Sugar Land. Bill had a terrific run finishing 36 out of 111 in his age group and 287 overall out of 1111 runners. He ran a steady pace (8:34 per mile pace) with a negative split to finish in 2:39:28. Congrats, Bill!

Seawall Half Marathon

Finish Strong athlete April Davis completed the Seawall Half Marathon held on Saturday, November 19, 2011. April completed the 13.1 mile race that started at Stewart Beach on Galveston Island, Texas, and finished at Moody Gardens in 2:31:10.
Well done!!

LaPorte By The Bay Half Marathon

Team FSR Kristin Collins came in 4th in her age group at the recent LaPorte by the Bay Half Marathon. She finished the 13.1 miles in 1:50:58 running a brisk 8:28 per mile pace back and forth across the Fred Hartman bridge. Kristin commented that she has a love/hate relationship with that bridge!



Congrats, Kristin!

Ironman Cozumel

It was a tough day of racing on the Island of Cozumel in Quintana Roo, Mexico on November 28. With temperature and humidity soaring, you knew the race would be settled by who could handle the heat - of the weather conditions and the field. Congratulations to TEAM FSR Will Blackbird who took on the challenging race and completed Ironman Cozumel in just over 12 hours.

Will finished the 2.4 mile swim in 1:08:21, the 112 mile bike in 5:47:49, and the final 26.2 mile marathon run in 5:04:18 for an overall time of 12:06:21.

Way to go, Will!!

Check out Runner Triathlete News November Cover!

See anyone you know?

Yes, that's our very own Finish Strong Coach Dana Lyons pictured on cover of November Runner Triathlete News. He is shown behind Andrew Strong, but ended up winning the race. Woo hoo!!

NXN South Regionals

The Woodlands High School girls team finished second Saturday at the NXN South Regional Meet at Bear Branch Sports Field earning them entry to Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon on December 4.

The Lady Highlanders finished one point behind South Lake Carroll who earned the first berth to NXN with 116 points. Maddie McLellan (18th, 18:54.17), Hannah Novelli (24th, 19:07.25), Katie Willard (28th, 19:10.25), Ashley Guidot (49th, 19:31.16), Margo Lyons (59th, 19:42.58), Colleen Murray (80th, 20:07.17), and Anna Lyons (110th, 20:33.72) made up the Lady Highlanders' second team to qualify for NXN in three years.

Seniors Margo Lyons and Colleen Murray enjoyed going to nationals in their sophomore year and are excited to return to Nike Cross Nationals for the second time in their high school career. All the girls are excited -- and their parents are, too!!

Run through the Woods

The popular Thanksgiving "Run Through the Woods" race took place in The Woodlands again this year. 5,000 runners started their day either racing in the 5 mile race, teen 3 mile race, or kids' 1 mile race. Among them was Finish Strong Sharon Morin who placed 2nd among women's masters.

Jackie Lewis and her daughter, Taylor, also raced. Jackie ran the 5 mile race in 40:45 and placed 8th in her AG; Taylor ran the 3 mile in 24:18 and placed 4th in her AG.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ironman Arizona

Tempe, Arizona was the sight for Ironman Arizona where Team FSR and Finish Strong athletes - Clint Bryant, Greg Gibbons, and Michael Collins took on this difficult endurance feat all three competing in the competitive 35-39 age group.

Experienced Ironman Michael Collins who has competed in Ironman Arizona numerous times finished the race in 11:10:22. He swam the first leg in 1:20:19, biked the course in 5:35:59 (20 mph pace), and concluded the final marathon run averaging 9:18 per mile for the event.

Close behind Michael was Greg Gibbons who finished the race in 11:11:43. Greg swam 1:09:35, biked a 5:37:18 (19.92 mph pace), and averaged 9:38/mile on the final marathon.

First-time Ironman Clint Bryant finished the race in 11:30:31. Clint swam a 1:17:10, biked a 5:34:05 (20.1 mph pace), and averaging 10:19 per mile for the final marathon.

Congrats to Clint, Greg, and Michael! You earned a big slice of pumpkin pie!

Free Mental Training Worship for Ironman Competitors

Join Adrienne Langelier, MA, a Woodlands-based Sport Psychology Consultant, counselor, and endurance athlete who will lead participants through a different type of “workout”. She is offering a free 90-minute seminar titled "The Mental Ironman: In Preparation for Ironman Texas and Beyond" on Thursday, December 2 from 7-8:30 at the South Regional Library located at 2101 Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands.

San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon

Shani, Clare, Jenn, Alison, Ursula, Courtney, Laurel complete the San Antonio Rock & Roll Half Marathon!

On Sunday, November 14, San Antonio Rock & Roll Half Marathon was the place to be for Finish Strong coached athletes Shani Monk, Clare Winstanley, Alison Paff, Laurel Cutter, Courtney Meyers, Ursula Blackburn, Jennifer Allen and Jon Yarborough. This was the first half marathon for most of the gals and a PR for Jon. Everyone completed the race and judging by the post-race photos a good time was had by all.

Here are the results:

Courtney Myers 2:17:04
Shani Monk 2:19:45
Jennifer Allen 2:53:17
Laurel Cutter 2:53:22
Alison Paff 3:15:56
Clare Winstanley 3:15:56

Ursula Blackburne 3:15:58

Jon Yarborough 1:51:34 PR

Ali Yarborough 2:42:10

Congrats!!!

Firethorne Sprint Triathlon

Team FSR Rodrigo, Manuel and Irasema Abascal and David Holsey all competed in the Firethorne Sprint Triathlon in Katy on October 24, 2010. Rodrigo won his age group and David Holsey placed 4th in his AG.

Here are the splits:

Rodrigo, 1st in 14-18 AG, 9th overall. He swam 7:35.6/biked 43:44 (22mph)/ran 19.26 (6:29/mile pace)for an overall time of 1:12:29.

Rodrigo's mom, Irasema, 15th in her 35-39 AG. She swam 14:03/biked 1:01:23/ran 28:52 for an overall time of 1:48:15.

Rodrigo's dad, Manuel, 14th in his 40-44 AG. He swam 10:29/biked 47:51/ran 21:32 for an overall time of 1:22:20.

David Holsey placed 4th in his 60-64 AG. He swam 10:22/biked 49:18/ran 27:01 for an overall time of 1:30:12.

Congrats to all!

Iron Star Half Ironman

Kim McElligott

after swim

Manuel Abascal on run

Rodrigo Abascal at start of swim

David Kayda

at finish line

Cindy McManis
Sharon Morin, Cindy McManis, Shannon Crow, Carolyn Barron



Vrrrr!

Twenty-one Finish Strong athletes took part in Sunday's Iron Star Half Ironman event held at La Torretta on Lake Conroe on November 7. The athletes endured chilly early morning conditions that turned into pleasant conditions for the run.

First-time half IM competitiors included Jesse Balboa, Carolyn Barron, Shannon Crowe, Chad Degges, Ronnie Delzer, David Kayda, Cindy McManis, Dave Molthen, Chris Normyle, Stephen Tschirhart, Rodrigo Abascal, and Sharon Morin. Others, including Jim Harrington, Kyle Mays, Charlie McDougall, Tommy Sustala, Laura Gaddy, Allan Richardson, Casey Clark, Manuel Abascal, and Kim McElligott decided to add another half IM to their athletic resume.

Several athletes found their way to the podium for placing in the top three in their age group. Allan Richardson took 1st in his AG, Shannon Crowe took 2nd in her AG. David Kayda, Tommy Sustala took 3rd in his AG, Rodrigo Abascal took 1st in his AG.

Overall results:
Jesse Balboa 5:44:41.7
Carolyn Barron 6:44:17.7
Shannon Crowe 5:43:07.8
Chad Degges 5:48:30.9
Ronnie Delzer 5:03:12.1
Jim Harrington 5:11:01.6 (5th in his AG)

David Kayda 5:27:43.5
Kyle Mays 5:38:06.9
Charlie McDougall 5:27:49.5
Cindy McManis 6:35:09.8 (5th in her AG)
Dave Molthen 5:26:11.1
Chris Normyle 6:10:42.4
Tommy Sustala 4:57:09.9

Stephen Tschirhart 6:01:59.5
Laura Gaddy 6:02:40.6 (4th in AG)
Allan Richardson 4:57:40.3
Casey Clark 5:29:29.9*
Manuel Abascal 6:05:50.9
Rodrigo Abascal 5:39:40.0

Kim McElligott 5:36:00.5
Sharon Morin 6:41:36.6

Our entire family was there volunteering at various places on the run course. Way to finish strong! Congrats to everyone!

Rocky Raccoon 50K and 25K Trail Runs

The 20th Annual Rocky Raccoon 50K and 25K trail runs took place in Huntsville State Park on Saturday, November 6. Among the long-distance 50K runners was Finish Strong coached athlete Winston Cervantes. Winston came in 18th overall by finishing the 50K run in just 5:09:50.2. He clocked a 2:20:28.2 for the first loop averaging 9:04/m and the second loop in 2:49:22.0 averaging 10:56/mile. Way to go, Winston!

Taking on the 25K trail run was Henrita van Wyngaarden. Henrita reports "I survived the Rocky Raccoon 25K this past Saturday. It was a great day for a race - a bit chilly while waiting for the start (temps in the mid-30's) but was perfect once we got moving. It was the first time in 10 years that I attired a trail run and I forgot how much fan and how challenging they could be!"

"The first mile was on the road, but then we turned onto the trails (in the dark!). Even with a headlight it took a while for my eyes to adjust and I had a few mis-steps but no injuries or falls - all I wanted to do was stay vertical! It got easier to negotiate my steps as the sun came up. Watching the sun come up and seeing the light through the trees as well as hearing the birds was a real treat. Such a nice change from a road race!"

"The first 10 miles went by quickly - probably because I was distracted by watching the trail. The last 5 were harder, and it seemed as though the tree roots were jumping up to try to trip me ... or maybe it was just harder to lift my feet! Finished in about 2:52, which I was happy with. Definitely looking forward to running this one again!"

Thanks for the race report and great job, Henrita!

IM Florida

Another HUGE weekend for TEAM FSR and Finish Strong coached athletes! On Saturday, November 6, Scott Pinkston, Steve Hardy, Kent Morris, and Scott Reeves conquered the IM Florida in Panama City Beach. Despite cold and blustery conditions, all four completed this ultra-challenging endurance race.

Scott Pinkston came in 257/403 in his male 40-44 AG and 1204 overall with an overall time of 12:41:42. Scott finished the swim in 1:04:41, the bike in 6:20:39 (17.7 mph pace), and the final half marathon in 5:00:34. Great effort for Scott's first IM.

Scott Pinkston (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk/RTN.)

Steve Hardy came in 192/403 in the same 40-44 AG and 854 overall with an overall time of 11:55:12. Steve swam a 1:12:53, biked a 5:59:47 (18.7mph), and ran 4:27:38. Completing a first IM in less than 12 hours is a remarkable feat!

Steve Hardy (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk/RTN.)

Kent Morris, despite 2 flats and running off-course for a total of 28.4 miles, still managed to finish his first IM in 13:12:55. Kent was 1437 overall and 99/198 in his male 50-54 AG. Kent swam a 1:13:09, biked a 6:11:47 (18.1 mph pace with time for changing 2 flats factored in), and running 5:22:04 for 28.4 miles. I guess that makes Kent an IM+!

Kent Morris (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk/RTN.)

Scott Reaves came in 1605 overall and 277/358 for his male 35-39 AG with an overall time of 13:38:05. Scott swam a 1:07:29, had a 20:45 T1 (must be a story here!), biked a 6:09:18 (18.2 mph), and ran 5:50:25 marathon. This was a PR for Scott! Way to go. You are all IRONMEN!

Scott Pinkston (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk/RTN.)

Great Pumpkin Run 5K

Team FSR Hannah Barron got in the holiday spirit by running the Great Pumpkin Run 5K on October 30. Hannah completed the race in 22:59 averaging 7:25/mile. Good job, Hannah!

Computrainer Filming IM Texas Course

Kevin Lynch of Computrainer was in town on Sunday to film the Ironman Texas bike course for a new Real Video! Finish Strong Coaching helped out staging riders out on the course, local logistics and day of shot briefing. Below is a picture of those that turned out at T1 for the start filming. Dozens of other riders were out on the course.

To see more pictures from the days shot go to Kevin's blog at http://www.rcvman.blogspot.com/

For those with Computrainers, the IM Texas Real Video should be released by 2/1/11.

Monster Mash 10K and 5K Race

The Monster Mash 10K/5K race was held the day before Halloween on Saturday, October 30that 7:30am in Houston. Finish Strong Manuel Abascal won first place for his amazing costume. (See photo above.) Yes, he ran with the "coffin" the entire 10K somehow managing 12.01/mile pace to finish in 1:14:29. His sons, Rodrigo and Manuel, also ran the 10K in 43:35 and 50:58, respectively.

In the 5K race, Bill Mack finished 3rd in his age group and 30th overall with a time of 21:24.6 Bill ran at a 6:54/mile pace. April Davis dressed as Elvis (see photo below) also ran the 5K and came in 11th for her AG with a time of 31:14.9. Way to go!

Ironman 70.3 Austin

Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Austin took place in Austin, Texas on October 17. With 50 qualifying spots for the 2010 Ironman World Championship 70.3, this was a highly competitive race. The course included a 1.2 mile freshwater swim in Decker Lake at Walter E. Long Park. The bike was a 56 mile spectacular, scenic one-loop course through rolling Texas ranches. The 13.1 mile run course meandered through Walter E. Long Park, along the shores of Decker Lake and through the Travis County Expo Center grounds.

Competing in the race from TEAM FSR were Ed York, Marshall McInnis, Scott Peterson, Josh Scott, Patrick Sexton and soon-to-be coached athlete Winston Cervantes.

Ed York, 48, had a phenomenal race. Ed came in 5th in his crazy competitive 45-49 AG and 120th overall. He posted a 34:41 swim, 2:22:54 bike, and 1:38:35 half marathon for an overall time of 4:42:07. He just missed securing a spot in the world championship, but not for lack of effort. This race was a PR for Ed.

Marshall McInnis, 41, also had a fine race. He came in 122nd in his age group and 927th overall. Marshall swam a 32:14, biked a 2:52:12, and ran a 2:19:40 for an overall time of 5:53:00.

Scott Peterson, 29, finished with an overall time of 5:01:27. Scott came in 27th in his age group and 254 overall. His splits were 32:58 swim, 2:41:02 bike, and 1:41:53run.

Josh Scott, 36, completed the event in 5:35:30 coming in 119th in his age group and 645th overall. Josh ran a 32:46, biked a 2:47:26 and ran a 2:10:32.

Patrick Sexton, 40, came in 31st in his age group and 247th overall. Patrick's splits were 32:13 swim, 2:31:04 bike, 1:52:12 run for an overall time of 5:00:45. He averaged 8:33 per mile pace on the final half marathon.

Winston Cervantes who participated in Finish Strong Coaching Half Ironman camp completed the Austin 70.3 in 5:46:39. Winston, 42, came in 107th in his AG and 826th overall. His splits were 44:17 swim, 2:45:57 bike, and 2:08:49 run.

Congrats to all the half ironman athletes!!

Try Andy's Triathlon

The 18th Annual AMICA Try Andy's Tri was held on Sunday Oct 17, 2010 in Sugarland. The race included a 300-meter straight-shot lake swim/ 10-mile flat, fast bike/3-mile neighborhood run. TEAM FSR youth represented the team well.

Hannah Barron, 13, came in second in her 10-14 age group. She clocked a 5:17 swim, followed by a 30:17 bike (19.8mph pace), and the fastest run in her age group at 21:59 run (7:20 pace). Hannah's overall time was 1:00:25.4.

Hannah's older sister, Katherine, 15, took first in her 15-19 age group. Katherine was fastest in her age group for all three legs. She swam a 5:14, biked a 29:42 (20.2mph pace), and finished the final run in 23:47 (7:56 pace). Katherine's overall time was 1:00:39.5.

Younger brother, Lane, 11, came in 4th in his 10-14 AG. Lane swam a 6:34, biked 27:50(21.6 mph pace), and ran 24:08 (8:03 pace). His overall time was 1:00:40.7.

Rodrigo Abascal, 17, came in 2nd in his 15-19 AG. Rodrigo swam 4:13, biked a 25:00 (24 mph pace), and ran the final leg in 19:38 (6:33 pace) for an overall time of 50:43.9.

Finish Strong coached athlete David Molthen also did extremely well. Dave came in 3rd in his 45-49 AG with an overall time of 52:21. His splits were 4:47 swim, 25:41 bike (23.4 pace), and 20:18 run (6:46 pace).

Great job!!

Chicago Marathon

The Chicago marathon with over 45,000 participants and an enormous number of spectators was held on October 10, 2010. Team FSR Gavish Mago and Kristin Collins were there.

Despite hotter than expected weather conditions, Gavish had a great race just 4 seconds shy of a personal best. The heat made the last few miles painful, but Gavish pressed on and finished strong. Gavish clocked in at 2:56:37 placing 570 overall and 101 in his division.

Kristin completed this beastly marathon in 3:49:53. Her time for the first half was 1:52:34. She placed 219 in her division. Congrats to Kristin and Gavish!

Du the Bear Duathlon

Abascals, Barrons, and Lyons teamed up for a wonderful showing for Team FSR on Sunday, October 10 at Du the Bear Duathlon in West Houston.

Dana came in 2nd overall and claimed the master's title in 47:37. His first run was 11:04 (5:32 pace), followed by a 24:31 bike (24.5 mph pace) and 11:01 final run (5:31 pace - achieving a negative split.)

Hannah and Katherine Barron both won their age groups. Hannah, age 13, won the female 14 and under group with an overall time of 1:00:55. Hannah cruised through the first run with a 13:51 (6:56 pace), held on with a 32:16 bike (18.6 pace), and did a negative split on the final run with a time of 13:17 (6:39 pace).

Katherine won the female 15 to 18 age group by clocking a 1:02:15 duathlon. Her splits were 15:23 (7:42 pace) run, 31:05 bike (19.3 pace), and a very strong finish with a negative split 14:47 (7:24 pace).

At only 11 years of age, Lane Barron took on older boys and placed 4th in the 14 and under age group. Lane ran a 13:51 (6:56 pace); biked a 30:04 (20.0 mph); and finished with a 14:12 (7:06 pace) final run.

The Barron parents got in on the action, too. Carolyn finished 6th in her 40-44 AG with an overall time of 1:04:57. Carolyn ran a fast 16:32 (8:16 pace), biked a solid 30:22 (19.8 pace), and finished her last run in 16:55 (8:28 pace).

Husband Randy put in a solid performance finishing 1:01:22. His first run was 14:08 (7:04 pace), biked a 29:32 (20.3 pace), and ran the last leg in 15:30 (7:45 pace).

The Abascal family was well represented by Rodrigo and his dad, Manuel. Rodrigo took 4th in the 15-19 AG with an overall time of 54:12. His first run was 11:53 (5:57 pace), his bike was 27:42 (21.7 pace) and his final run was 13:39 (6:50 pace). And this was one day after he ran the ten-mile Ten for Texas race!

Manuel finished in stayed under one hour with an overall time of 59:11. He ran 14:15 (7:08), biked a 28:50 (20.8 pace), and ran 14:42 (7:21 pace).

Great job!

Ten for Texas

Ten for Texas race participants enjoyed beautiful weather in The Woodlands on Saturday, October 9. We had a huge turnout among Finish Strong athletes.

Chip time - Women

01:12:52 Christelle Gigant
01:25:11 Judith Clark
01:25:39 Jennifer Severns (pictured above!)
01:29:47 Henri Van Wyngaarden

01:42:14 Irasema De Aquino
01:55:28 April Davis
01:19:49 Lisa Hill (Hits her goal!)
01:27:44 Jackie Lewis
01:28:17 Staci Bouthillette
01:28:47 Laura Gaddy
01:34:14 Shani Monk (Newly "tattoed"!)

01:50:01 Christina Nordstrom

01:12:55 Sharon Morin (2nd in AG!)
01:46:40 Donna Bloh

01:23:36 Susan Schreiber (4th in AG)
01:23:36 Deb Lyons (PR!)
02:09:01 Diane Novak
01:51:18 Janet Luna

01:45:42 Jennifer Allen
01:49:58 Laurel Cutter
01:39:35 Courtney Myers
01:37:38 Alison Paff
01:40:15 Clare Winstanley

Chip time - Men
01:08:33 Rodrigo Abascal (2nd in AG)
01:00:49 Ronnie Delzer (2nd in AG)
01:21:58 Joshua Scott
01:23:35 Jon Yarborough (PR! 4:47 faster than last year)
01:02:15 Michael Menster (3rd in AG)

01:06:49 Timothy J. Monk
01:10:13 Clint Bryant
01:10:17 Casey Clark

01:09:30 Rip Reynolds
01:10:46 William Glaser (10 minutes faster than last year!)
01:15:33 Manuel Abascal
01:14:33 Jody Gaddy
01:23:43 Jeff Thomson (4 sec/mile faster than goal!)
01:23:47 Max Bachrach

01:05:16 Drew George (2nd in AG! 2 min faster than last year. Pictured above.)
01:12:23 Jim Harrington
01:13:11 Kyle Mays
01:21:43 Kim McElligott
01:22:57 Bret Strong
01:28:47 Richard Cooper (Rich had negative splits!)

01:21:51 Chris Normyle
01:22:20 David Smart
01:18:33 Phillip Deprang
01:30:39 William Blount
01:29:23 Roger Mercier

Way to go!!

Iron Kids National Championships

On Sunday, October 3, Lane, Hannah and Katherine Barron, Junior triathletes, competed at the Iron Kids National Championships in St. Petersburg, FL.

Katherine and Hannah did the same distances - 300m swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run. Katherine placed 3rd out of 11 in her 15 year old age group. She swam 6:14 (2:05/100 pace); biked a 23:12 (20.7mph pace); and ran 16:44 (8:22 pace) for an overall time of 47:52. Hannah placed 6th out of 22 in her 13 year old age group. Hannah swam 5:58 (1:59/100 pace); biked 23:15 (20.6mph pace); and ran 16:10 (8:05 pace).

Lane placed 12th out of 47 competitors in the 11 year old age group. The distance for his event was 150m swim, 4 mile bike, and 1 mile run. He swam 2:50 (1:53/100pace), biked 11:45 (20.4 mph), and ran 8:00 for a total time of 24:32.

Way to go Barrons!!

USAT Long Course Tri Championships

On Sunday, October 3, Finish Strong Coach athletes Dana Lyons, Kent Morris, and Tommy Sustala were in a field of over 700 competitors at the USAT Long Course Halfmax Tri Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The triathlon turned into a duathlon when race directors learned of the dangerous e coli count in the bay.

Dana came in 19th overall and won his 50-54 AG qualifying him to participate in the World Championships held in Las Vegas in 2011.

Here are the results:

Dana Lyons 2:21:05 (23.8 mph pace) bike; 1:27:32 (6:41 per mi pace) run, overall time 3:51:59

Kent Morris 2:27:20 (22.8 mph pace) bike: 1:55:36 (8:50 per mile pace) run, overall time 4:26:42

Tommy Sustala 2:21:34 (23.7 mph) bike; 1:43:30 (7:55 per mile pace) run, overall time 4:09:56

Congrats!!

USAT Nationals Olympic Tri

Team FSR Kent Morris raced the USAT Nationals Age Group Olympic Tri on Saturday, September 25 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This is a 1500 meter swim, 24.9 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run course. The bike and run course are very hilly and the competition is fierce.

Kent finished 36th in his 50-54 AG and 623rd overall with an overall time of 2:32:09.

Kent's swim was 1:55 per 100 yards. He reported that his bike chain dropped when shifting and got jammed requiring him to stop and dig it out. Even so, Kent finished the bike in 1:09. His final run had him paced at 7:42 per mile.

Great job, Kent!

Redman Half Ironman

The 6th Annual Redman Half Ironman was held on Saturday, September 25 in Oklahoma City, OK. Team FSR athletes Buck Snyder, Steve Hardy, Scott Pinkston, and Will Blackbird took on the challenging course.

Here are their results:

Finishing in 9th place in his uber tough 35-39 AG, Buck Snyder had a PR completing the race in 5:02:02. He had a 35:05 swim/2:46:40 bike (despite his bike seat dropping 2" after hitting a bump)/and a crazy fast 1:35:40 half marathon run.

Steve Hardy took 9th place in his 40-45 AG with an overall time of 5:38:51. Steve swam a solid 36:55/with a strong 2:47:50 bike/and hung in there to finish the run in 2:11:25.

Also in the 40-45 AG was Scott Pinkston. He came in 12th with an overall time of 5:44:02. Scott's splits were 33:04 swim/2:56:44 bike/ and 2:10:23 run.

Will Blackbird took 5th place (YES!) in his 45-49 AG with an overall time of 5:28:34. Will swam a 35:11/biked a 2:45:45/and ran a 2:04:24 half marathon.

Congrats on taking on this difficult race! If anyone has pics, I'll add to the post.

Meat Pie Tri

The Eighth Annual Meat Pie Tri took place Sunday, September 26 on the downtown riverbank in Natchitoches. This race served as the South Midwest Regional State Triathlon Championship and attracted athletes from Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana. The race covered a one-half mile (800 yards) swim in Cane River Lake, a 20 mile bike ride and a 5K run. Sheila Taormina, three-time Ironman Champ, competed along with over 400 athletes including TEAM FSR's Dana Lyons, Rodrigo Abascal, and Marshall McInnis.

Dana won the Grand Master's title and came in 8th overall. His splits were 15:37 swim/50:12 bike (23.9mph pace)/18:12 run (5:52 per mile pace) for a total time of 1:25:44.

Rodrigo came in third in his 15-19 AG and 48th overall. His splits were 13:15 swim/59:02 bike (20.3mph pace)/21:35 (6:58 per mile pace) for an overall time of 1:35:23.

Marshall came in ninth in his 40-44 AG and 54th overall. His splits were 13:44 swim/56:32 bike(21.2mph pace)/24:03 run (7:45 per mile pace) for an overall time of 1:36:36.

Afterwards, the race served up the famous and totally decadent deep-fried meat pies to participants. It's a Natchitoches delicacy!

Houston Olympic Tri & Du

Team FSR and Finish Strong coached athletes abounded at the local Memorial Hermann Houston Olympic Tri and Du on Sunday, September 26. The new FSR tent was displayed at the race and created a nice spot of shade for participants after the race. A big thanks to Irasema (Rodrigo's mom) for capturing above photos of some of the FSR athletes crossing the finish line.

Here are the results:

Jesse Balboa 2:50:49.6
Carolyn Barron 2:59:26.7
Clint Bryant 2:31:21.4
Casey Clark 2:34:03.0
Michael Collins 2:24:42.0 - 5th in AG
Chad Degges 2:43:37.6
Ronnie Delzer 2:23:58.4 - 6th in AG
Phillip Deprang 2:54:33.5 - 6th in AG
Jody Gaddy 3:25:14.2
Greg Gibbons 2:24:57.2 - 6th in AG
David Kayda 2:32:44.2
Bill Mack 3:02:10.4
Cindy McManis 3:06:02.3 - 4th in AG
Sharon Morin 3:08:03.6
Chris Normyle 2:50:25.1
Josh Scott 2:43:49.9
Patrick Sexton 2:25:06.2
Stephen Tschirhart 2:43:56.4

In the long course duathlon, Finish Strong Gavish Mago took first in his age group and Rip Reynolds was overall master's winner!

Gavish Mago 2:02:57.9
Rip Reynolds 2:06:51

Congrats to all!!