Hippity Roc 5K

Team Finish Strong Racing member Bill Mack and over 200 others ran the Hippity Rock 5K this past Saturday, April 23 in Cypress, Texas. Despite heat and extremely windy conditions, Bill came in 5th overall and 2nd in his age group. Way to go, Bill!

IM Hawaii Lottery Winner!

Team Finish Strong Racing member Dave Molthen won entrance to IM Hawaii. Dave has his wife to thank for entering his name to the elusive IM Hawaii World Championship lottery. She figured if his name was picked, she would enjoy traveling to Hawaii to cheer Dave on. Looks like it's Kona or bust for the Molthens!!

New Orleans 70.3

New Orleans 70.3 race held on April 17 faced such gusty conditions that the race director opted to cancel the swim portion of the run. This was a mixed blessing for Team Finsh Strong Racing athletes Michael Collins and Cindy McManis who hit the bike course with strong, fresh legs; but were unable to use this race as a qualifier for the 70.3 world championships.

Michael, 39, finished 28th in his AG with a strong 2:31:52 bike and 1:35:01 run -- meeting his race goal almost to the second. Michael finished the race with an overall time of 4:09:50.

Cindy, 51, came in 16th in her AG with a phenomenal 3:04:42 bike, followed by a 2:23:09 half marathon. Cindy's overall time was 5:31:24.

Congratulations, Michael & Cindy!

Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon was held on Monday, April 18. Among the throngs of people there to participate in this prestigious, historic race were five individuals associated with Finish Strong Coaching: Brandon Sager (FSR), Christelle Gigant (FSR), Shannon Crowe (FSR), Pam Meaux (Spring Run Program), and Skip Moschell (Tuesday Night Track). All of these runners had times that qualified them for the Boston Marathon in 2012. Brandon overcame Heartbreak Hill to finished the 26.2 mile race in 3:00:12. Skip Moschell finished in 3:13:37; his age graded equivalent time was 2:48:46. Pam Meaux enjoyed her 3:32:25 finish (2:59:53 AG time). Christelle Gigant finished in 3:39:50 (AG time of 3:37:40). Shannon Crowe crossed the finish line in 3:48:01 (3:35:08 AG time).

Team FSR athletes noted in recent Villager article

An article by Jon Walk appeared in today's (April 14th) Villager about recent races, pg 3B & 4B. Check out the photo of Team Finish Strong Racing Maureen Gibbons who enjoyed a personal best by over 20 minutes at Lonestar 70.3. Richard Mac Namee was named for his outstanding finish at Lonestar sprint tri and Dana Lyons for his finish at Powerman Alabama. Other Finish Strong athletes mentioned in the article included Linda Trinkle and Don Cole for top Lonestar 70.3 performances; Jessica Menendez and Susie Schreiber for the Muddy Trails 5K. Congrats to all our athletes (named and unnamed)!

Getting Ready for IM TX -- Swim Clinic

Finish Strong Associate Coach Tim Monk gives poolside instruction to group preparing for IM TX.

Collegiate Nationals Olympic Tri in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Finish Strong coached athlete, Charlie McDougall raced for Texas A&M at the Collegiate Nationals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 9. Charlie reports, "The swim went really well. The water was in the 60's and I swam a 26 min. 1500. The bike was a two lap format with three hills in each lap. I was cruising on the flats and downhills. I had a pretty decent run considering the temperature. I split sub-7 minute miles which I was pleased with all things considered. I wish I could have run faster, but the humidity was more killer in Alabama than here." Charlie's splits were 26:48 swim/1:16 bike/43:25 run.

Opelousas Rotary Sunrise Duathlon

The Barron family represented Finish Strong Racing exceedingly well at the Opalousas Rotary Sunrise Duathlon on April 10 in Louisiana. Podium finishes were enjoyed by four family members at this 2 mile run/16 mile bike/2 mile run event. Katherine and Hannah finished first and second in the under 19 female division. 12-year old Lane came in third in the under 19 male division. Mom Caroline came in third in her age group; while Dad Randy came in 11th.

Katherine Barron, 16, ran her first leg in 15:43.4 at a 7:52 per mile pace. She biked the course in 51:09.9 (18.8 mph pace), and finished strong with a 16:33.7 run (8:17/mi pace) for an overall time of 1:23:27. Hannah, 14, was right behind with an overall time of 1:27:47. Hannah ran her first leg in 14:44.9 (7:22/mi pace), biked a 56:38.0 (17.0 mph pace), and finished strong with her final run in 16:24 (8:12/mi pace).

Fastest in the family was Lane who came in third (after a 16 and 19 year old)in a time of 1:19:42. Lane's splits were 14:03 run/49:51 bike/15:48 run. He performed consistently taking 2nd in his age group for all three legs.

Caroline, who is training for her first Ironman event, chased down her AG rival to beat her in the final seconds to enjoy a third place podium finish. Caroline finished in 1:32:54 overall. Her splits were 17:46 run/56:15 bike/18:51 run.

Randy participated in the deep 40-44 AG and came in 11th with a time of 1:28:02. He ran the first leg in 15:21, biked a 54:47, and finished with a 17:53 final run. Together the family scored BIG points for Team Finish Strong Racing! Well done!!

Lonestar Sprint Tri

Galveston also hosted the Lonestar sprint tri along with the Lonestar 70.3. Finish Strong Associate Coach Richard Mac Namee was on the scene and finished on the podium for the second weekend in a row at the sprint race. Richard was fourth overall and second in his male 40-44 age group with a time of 1:02:18. Richard swam the 6th fastest swim overall in a time of 8:00 at a 1:36 pace. He biked the course in 32:40 (23.0 mph pace). His final run was 19:07 (6:08/mile pace). Congratulations, Richard!

Podium Pics from Kemah Olympic Tri

Scott Pinkston 2nd in his AG.

Rodrigo 1st place in 13-19 AG

Scott Peterson 3rd place in 30-34 AG

Tim Monk 2nd place in 40-44 AG.

Linda Trinkle 3rd place in 40-44 AG

Kent Morris 1st place in 50-54 AG

Anyone have podium pics for Ed York (1st in AG) and Phillip Deprang (1st in AG)?

Lonestar 70.3

Galveston hosted the Lonestar 70.3 on Sunday, April 10. The day started off with a 1.2-mile saltwater swim, followed by a 56-mile scenic bike along the Gulf Coast of Texas, and ending with a 13.1-mile through Moody Gardens. Sixteen Finish Strong Racing athletes participated.

Rodrigo Abascal, 18, was strong in all 3 disciplines. He finished 13th in AG! His splits were 32:47 swim/2:52:39 bike/1:47:14 run for an overall time of 5:16:18.

Jim Harrington, 47, had the 12th fastest swim in his AG! Jim swam 31:48, biked 2:49:10, and 2:05:32 run for an overall time of 5:30:26.

Patrick Sexton, 41, had the 11th fastest swim in his AG and finished 27th overall in his AG! He had a flat on his bike and rode on a flat tire for the final 3 miles. Despite the flat, he had an excellent race. His splits were 30:31/2:36:41/1:49:24 for an overall time of 5:00:58.

Greg Gibbons, 38, had a strong bike and run to finish 49th in AG! Greg's splits were 35:39/2:40:58/1:53:42 for an overall time of 5:15:41. Maureen Gibbons, 38, set a PR that was 40 minutes faster! Her times were 41:15/3:28:39/ 02:28:34 for an overall time of 06:45:43.

Linda Trinkle, 44, had a super race with the 18th fastest bike and 17th fastest run in her AG! Her splits were 41:20/2:52:09/1:51:52 for an overall time of 5:30:06. Nicely done, Linda!

Mike Bard, 40, had the 5th fastest swim in his AG! His splits were 29:44/2:36:55/ 2:02:36 for an overall time of 5:13:50. He was 306 overall and 50th in his AG.

Jose Contreras, 30, was consistent in all 3 legs! He swam a 41:32, biked a 3:10:12, and ran a 2:21:59 for an overall time of 6:21:40.

Jody Gaddy, 46, had a fine swim and bike, but DNF the run. His swim was 46:57 and bike was 3:17:23.

Rip Reynolds, 45, proved he's more than a fast runner. He posted a 43:23 swim and2:55:20 bike for an overall time of 5:24:46. He was 430 overall and 40th in his AG.

Michelle Nelson, 43, had the 22nd fastest bike in her AG and came in 30th overall! Her splits were 40:52/2:56:54/2:09:11 for an overall time of 5:52:35. Michelle came in 30th in her AG.

Mary Kerschbaum, 51, came in 25th in her AG! She powered through the race with a 53:22 swim, 3:22:02 bike and 2:47:28 run for an overall time of 7:13:01 placing 24th in her AG.

Don Cole, 52, finished 11th in his AG and 376 overall! Don had a strong 7:50/mile half marathon for finish the half ironman in 5:19:28. His splits were 37:55/2:52:19/1:42:37.

Bradley Johnson, 51, kept moving up in his AG from 71st to 31st! Brad's splits were 45:47/3:02:02/1:50:49 for an overall time of 5:49:23.

Gavish Mago,31, DNF swim, but still biked and ran hard (sub 7/mi)on the course. Javier Noyola treated the race race as am aquathon and swam and biked, but skipped the run on account of a foot injury. Javier swam the course in 35.26 and biked 2:38.38.

Great job, Finish Strong athletes!!

TX3 Olympic Kemah Tri

The race formerly known as Gateway to the Bay now called take your pick - TX3 Olympic or 2011 Memorial Hermann Kemah Triathlon took place this past weekend. The sprint distance triathlon was held Saturday and the Olympic distance (1,500 Meter Swim, 24.85 Mile Bike, 6.2 Mile Run) was held on Sunday, April 3. Finish Strong took Kemah by storm with nearly 40 coached triathletes in the Kemah Olympic tri.

Nine coached athletes finished on the podium with three winning their AG’s. We also had numerous new triathletes competing in their first triathlons! And more than a few PR’s!

This race was a qualifier for the ESCAPE from Alcatraz Triathlon in beautiful San Francisco, California. Rodrigo Abascal, Tim Monk, Ed York, Kent Morris, and Phillip Deprang all qualified by finishing 1st or 2nd in their AG.

Rodrigo Abascal (name misspelled on results) came back after competing in the sprint race the day before and taking second to winning his 15-19 age group for the olympic distance. Rodrigo finished in 2:25:17 with consistently high efforts in all three legs.

Scott Peterson came in third in his 30-34 AG with an overall time of 2:18:56. Scott had the 2nd fastest run split of the day (37:31 - 6:03/mi pace)! Also in the 30-34 AG were Ronnie Delzer, Michael Lechtenberg, and Jose Contreras who came in 10th, 11th, and 26th respectively. Ronnie had the third fastest run for his AG with an overall time of 2:29:13. Michael was close behind at 2:31:57. Jose finished in 2:49:32.

Michael Collins came in 5th in his 35-39 AG with a time of 2:25:39. He was followed by other FSR athletes in this AG. David Kayda was 7th with a time of 2:27:32. He had a strong bike (1:08:54 at 21.6/mi pace). 11 was the lucky number for husband-and-wife dynamos, Maureen and Greg Gibbons. Both took 11th in their 35-39 AGs. Maureen finished in 3:09:54. Greg in 2:29:56. Josh Scott took 19th in 2:31:44. Josh had the 5th fastest swim in his AG (27:39). Tim Taylor had an amazing PR in this AG. Tim finished in 2:56:58 - a personal best by over 21 minutes! Matthew Murphy and Richard "Gordy" Bunch also represented Finish Strong in this huge 81-person deep AG. Matthew finished in 2:59:51; Gordy in 3:12:40. Both posted strong bike efforts.

In the female 40-44 AG, Linda Trinkle took 3rd in 2:34:24. Linda posted the fastest bike in her AG (1:08:06 21.9/mi pace) and the second fastest run (48:43 7:51 pace)! Michelle Nelson took 5th with a time of 2:42:58. Michelle had the 3rd fastest bike in her AG (1:13:04 20.4/mi pace). Carolyn Barron came in 12th in 3:06:53. Carolyn had a solid performance with a very nice swim (35:46 - 8th fastest).

Tim Monk took 2nd in his 40-44 AG just missing 1st by 33 seconds to the first place finisher who aged up. Tim's overall time was a blazing 2:17:02. Also racking up points for the team were Tommy Sustala, 4th, and Patrick Sexton, 5th. Tommy finished in 2:18:08 and had the second fastest swim (24:37). Just one second behind was Patrick Sexton in 2:18:09 who posted a strong 1:04:50 bike leg. Casey Clark came in 10th in 2:24:04 with the 3rd fastest run(42:14 6:49/mi pace)! Winston Cervantes was 23rd in 2:38:44 with a nice bike (1:08:26 21.8/mi pace). Leandro Morales was 25th in this enormously competitive AG with a time of 2:39:16 finishing with a strong run leg. Manuel Abascal, 31st, finished in 2:42:57 with a fine bike performance.

Kristie Chandler placed 5th in her 45-49 AG with consistent efforts in all three disciplines to finish in 2:57:16.

Ed York proved he deserved top spot in his 45-49 AG Ed was first in his AG and 23rd overall. He finished the race in 2:20:08 with the fastest bike (1:02:58 23.7/mi pace)and the second fastest run (44:11 7:08/mi pace) in his AG. Close behind Ed was Kyle Mays who came in 8th with an overall time of 2:27:41. Steve Hardy took 10th with a time of 2:28:03 with a solid bike performance. Bret Strong finished 17th in 2:35:09. Kim McElligott, despite an injury and penalty, came in 20th with a time of 2:37:24.

Kent Morris won his 50-54 AG. Kent had an especially strong bike (1:05:52) and second fastest run (43:59 7:06/mi pace). Will Blackbird took 5th with a time of 2:32:38. Will had the fastest bike split (1:07:52 22mph) in his AG.

Phillip Deprang took 2nd his his 60-64 AG with a time of 2:46:16. Phillip had the second fastest run in his AG (52:32). What a great showing for Finish Strong Racing!

Sugarland Memorial Herman Half Marathon

Finish Strong Racing members Brandon Sager and Mike Menster enjoyed podium finishes at the Sugarland Memorial Herman Half Marathon held on March 26. Brandon reports, "It was a very warm race (72 degrees at 6:45 AM). The times look good, but the course was only 12.6 miles." Mike finished 1st Masters (6th Overall) with 1:23:23.5 (6:36/mi) and Brandon finished 2nd 25-29 AG (3rd Overall) with 1:21:31.6 (6:27/mi). Well done!

Muddy Trails 5K/10K

The Woodlands hosted the Muddy Trails 5k and 10K races on Saturday, April 3 at Creekside. Finish Strong Coaching was one of the race sponsors. Fourteen Finish Strong athletes competed and enjoyed cheering one another on.

5K

One of our own from the Finish Strong Spring Running program, Jessica Menendez, won the 5K overall with a time of 21:43. Woo hoo! One of the girls from last summer's Finish Strong Jr. Hi. summer run program, Avery Davis, came in 7th overall and won her 14 and under AG with a time of 23:08. Her mom, April, finished in 30:47. Team FSR member Susie Schrieber claimed the female master's award with a time of 23:42. Jackie Lewis and her daughter, Taylor, Medina both came in 2nd in their AGs with times of 24:04 and 24:34. Paul Daly finished in 21:52 (PR!) and placed 5th in his 30-39 AG. New dad-Tom Hujar finished in 30:54.

10K

Finshing 8th and 9th overall for the females in the 10K were Pam Meaux 44:54 (3rd in her tough 50-59 AG) and Lisa Hill 45:02 (2nd in her 40-49 AG). The father-daughter team of Bill and Pilar Glaser had outstanding performances. Bill finished 2nd in his 40-49 AG with a time of 43:08 and Pilar, 13, finished first in her AG with a time of 46:06. Max Bachrach came in 8th in his 40-49 AG with a time of 48:34. Deb Lyons came in 4th in her 50-59 AG with a time of 50:43.

TX3 Kemah Sprint Triathlon

FSR Associate Coach Richard Mac Namee with his 1st place AG award!

Finish Strong Racing made our presence known at the Kemah sprint and olympic distance triathlons this weekend, April 3-4. Eight Finish Strong athletes competed in Saturday's sprint triathlon with four podium finishes. Richard Mac Namee and Jack Chapman won their age groups. Cindy McManis and Rodrigo Abascal placed second in their age groups. Kirk Langford took 5th in the clydesdale division posting the second fastest swim time in his AG. Scott Reeves placed 9th, Jack Ladenheim 10th, and Bill Mack 17th in their AGs.

Richard Mac Namee won his 40-44 AG and came in 6th overall with a time of 1:01:25. Richard had the second fastest swim (7:51), sixth fastest bike (31:45) and third fastest run (19:22). In the same AG, Bill Mack came in 17th with an overall time of 1:17:48.

Rodrigo takes 2nd in his AG!

In a crowded 13-18 male age group, Rodrigo Abascal came in second with an overall time of 1:04:25 and Jack Ladenheim came in 10th with a time of 1:15:14. Jack had the fourth fastest time on the bike course.

In the 35-39 AG, Scott Reaves came in 9th with an overall time of 1:10:44.

Cindy McManis came in second in the female 50-54 AG despite a 2 minute penalty. Cindy's overall time was 1:22:06. She had the third fastest swim and the second fastest bike in her AG.

Jack Chapman won his 50-54 male AG by 2 seconds. He pulled out the win by beating the second place finisher in the final run to finish in 1:12:14. Jack boasted the fastest bike and run splits in his AG. Kirk Langford raced in the Clydesdale 40+ AG and placed 5th. Kirk had an awesome swim (9:05) and an overall time of 1:22:40.