Dallas Rock N Roll Half Marathon

Congratulations to Jessica Menendez for her PR at the Dallas Rock n Roll Half Marathon on March 27. Jessica said, "I felt great and really strong while running it. Your training program really made a difference. My time was 1:39:06. Last year I ran it in 1:43:46." Way to PR!

Tall Texan Half Ironman

Team Finish Strong Racing triathlete, Jim Harrington, represented the team well at the Tall Texan Half Ironman in Boerne on March 27. Jim won his age group with an overall finish time of 5:19:22. Jim had a solid 31:13 for the 1.2 mile swim, 2:59:22 for the 56 mile bike and a 1:47:10 for the 13.1 mile run. His overall finish time was about 15 minutes faster than last year. Way to go, Jim!

Powerman Alabama

Four Finish Strong Racing athletes - Dana Lyons, Sharon Morin, Cindy McManis, and Bret Strong - headed to Birmingham, Alabama to compete in Powerman Alabama Duathlon on March 27. True to the Powerman tradition, the race offered challenging hills for both the bike and run course on the roads of Oak Mountain State Park.

This hilly 10k/60k/10k event was the USAT Long Distance Duathlon National Championship. Dana, Sharon, and Cindy all qualified for the Long Distance Duathlon World Championship in their age groups at this race.

In his 50-54 AG, Dana Lyons took top honors with an overall time of 3:06:01. Dana ran the first 10K in a time of 38:36. He posted 1:44:43 for the 60K bike and a 41:05 for the final 10K run.

In the 45-49 AG, Sharon Morin took second with an overall time of 4:11:20. Sharon Morin ran the first 10K leg in 47:50, followed by a 2:27:24bike, and a 51:29 final 10K. Sharon had the fastest run times in her age group. This is the first time Sharon has qualified for the world championships.

In her 50-54 female AG, Cindy McManis took sixth place with an overall time of 4:29:41. Cindy's splits were 57:41, 2:23:52, 1:05:16. This is also the first time Cindy has qualified for the world championship.

Bret Strong took 16th in his competitive 45-49 AG. Bret's splits were 49:57 run, 2:07:03 bike, and 57:23 final run for an overall time of 3:57:17. All the competitors mentioned the fierce climb from 2.7 mi to 4.0 mi - straight uphill the entire time.

Tonight's Track at The Woodlands 9th Grade Campus

Tonight's (3/22) track workout will be held at The Woodlands 9th Grade Campus (located at Woodlands Parkway and Branch Crossing) and will begin promptly at 7pm.

We will be back at McCullough Jr. High next week.

Warrier Dash

Are you a Warrior? Team Finish Strong Racing athletes Steve Hardy and Scott Pinkston are! They both took part in what the Warrier Dash race director calls "America's most insane race." Warrior Dash landed in East Texas for the first time in 2011 where 14 obstacles from hell awaited participants along this 3.18 mile course. The race had waves of up to 500 participants starting every half hour from 9am to 5:30pm. On Saturday alone, 7,504 athletes finished the race. Steve Hardy came in 126th overall and 5th in his 45-49 age group with a time of 28:28:45 (9:11/m pace) and Scott Pinkston came in 183 out of 7,504 athletes and 14th in his 40-44 AG with a time of 29:19:35. Eager to hear more about these fierce obstacles...

Tough Training Ride

We all know that Richard is strong but breaking off your handlebars is something new!


Finish Strong Coach Richard Mac Namee was training so hard that he broke off his bike handebar during a recent ride. Richard reports the handlebar broke off in his hand while he was riding out of the saddle doing interval training. He was traveling between 23 to 25mph when it happened. Somehow he managed to control the bike. Fortunately, he was left with only a small graze on his chest. Stay safe out there, everyone!

Bayou City Classic 10K

Finish Strong athlete Brandon Sager receives award for 3rd in his age group at the March 11th Bayou City Classic 10k. Brandon ran a smoking fast 36:51!

Valle de Bravo Triathlon

Finish Strong athlete Javier Noyola competed in the Valle de Bravo Triathlon on March 5. Javier reports it was a good race with 1,900 meters above sea level with a very hilly bike course. Javier swam the first leg in 29:25, biked the second leg in 1:15, and ran the final leg in 56:34 for an overall time of 2:46. Great job!

Athens Sprint Tri

Finish Strong athlete Jack Chapman returned to triathlons after a 20 year hiatus and took on the Athens Sprint Triathlon held on March 5th. Jack reports that weather conditions were far from optimal with not-so-kind 49 degrees at the start with winds 25-30 gusts. Despite the tough conditions, Jack came in 4th in his age group with an overall time of 1:21. Great re-entry to the sport, Jack!

Texas Independence Relays

Nearly 100 teams participated in the Texas Independence Relay held March 5 and 6. This colossal relay consisted of 40 relay legs that take team members along the 203.20 mile course from Gonzales and the first shot for Texas Independence to the final battle at San Jacinto! Rich Cooper and Cory Richard were two of the Finish Strong athletes who participated on separate teams in this event. I'm not sure what their team names were, but people got pretty creative -- teams like "Give me Liberty or Race me to Death," "Texas Road Kill," and (Deb's personal favorite) "Fear Me: I'm a Mother." The winning team, Fleet Feet Teralingua, posted a record time of 19:26:10 (5:45/mile pace).

Cory shared his stats for his three legs of this year's TIR:

Leg 12 - 3.86mi, 33.34 min, 8:42 min/mile avg - wind and hills
Leg 21 - 6.71mi, 1:01:31, 9:10 min/mile avg - flat to slight downhill, night time, perfect weather conditions - first 6.2 at 9:13min/mile; last .5 at 8:33.
Leg 32 - 6.69mi, 1:06:34, 9:57 min/mile avg - I was really exhausted - first 6.2 at 10:0; last .5 at 9:08

Cory reports, "These were all major accomplishments for me. My fastest 5K before this was at a 9:45 pace, and my fastest race pace ever was 9:33 at the past Rodeo Run. I think it's safe to say that Finish Strong is working for me."

Conoco Phillips Rodeo Run 10K

On Saturday, February 26, thousands of Houstonians participated in the hot, hilly and windy Conoco Phillips Rodeo Run 10k. Among them were Finish Strong athletes Brandon Sager, Pam Meaux, Rodrigo Abascal, and Cory Richard. Despite the conditions, Brandon finished 5th in his age group with a time of 37:50. Pam ended up capturing the second place in the masters division and 1st in her age group with a time of 43:59. Rodrigo, who played an entire soccer game the night before, finished the race in 42:39. Cory enjoyed a personal best with a time of 1:00. He is pictured above with his sister. Congrats to Brandon, Pam, Rodrigo & Cory!

Chick-fil-A 5K

On February 19, Chick-Fil-A sponsored a 5K run beginning at FM 2920 and Kuykendahl. Brandon Sager, Finish Strong Tuesday Night Track runner, came in third overall and first in his age group with a time of 17:46. Way to go, Brandon!