Monster Mash 10K and 5K Race

Finish Strong Tuesday Night Track runner, Bill Mack, ran the Monster Mash Run this past Sunday, October 29 and placed 3rd in his age group and 22 overall! Way to go, Bill!

5i50 Galveston and Lonestar Sprint Tri

Finish Strong's Chelsea Estes wins the Lonestar Sprint Tri!

Finish Strong's Jim Harrington takes 4th in his AG at 5i50 Galveston.

Finish Strong's Hector Gonzalez places 5th in his AG at 5i50 Galveston.

Finish Strong Racing athletes found their way to the podium at the Galveston 5150 and Lonestar sprint tri races on October 23. Chelsea Estes was the overall female winner for the sprint race with a finishing time of 1:09:27.

Chelsea had a great race. Her splits were 9:29 swim, 36:06 bike, and 20:58 final run (6:46/mi pace).

Also competing and landing on the podium in the sprint race was Phillip Deprang who won his 60-64 AG in 1:15:49. Phillip's splits were 12:16 swim, 36:02 bike, 24:04 run.

The 5150 Tri distance is 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run. Finish Strong's Jim Harrington placed 4th in his 45-49 AG and 22nd male overall finishing in 2:25:27. Jim's splits were 26:18 swim, 1:09:23 bike, and 46:41 run.

And Finish Strong's Hector Gonzales placed 5th in his 30-34 AG and 34th male overall in the 5150 distance race in 2:27:59. Hector's splits were 28:40 swim, 1:10:06 bike, 45:32 run.

Clint Bryant came in 11th in his M 40-44 AG in 2:36:21. Clint's splits were 33:44 run, 1:07:50 bike, and 49:01 run.

Steve Hardy placed 11th in his M45-49 AG in 2:42:56. Steve's splits were 30:37 swim, 1:13:23 bike, 55:16 run.

Kirk Langford came in 16th in his 50-54 AG in 3:41:30. Kirk rocked the swim in 29:03, biked a 1:40:04, and ran a 1:26:59.

Mark Tefft competed and finished 7th in his M55-59 AG. Mark swam the course in 38:58, biked a 1:27:10, and ran 1:14:53 for an overall time of 3:27:40.

Congrats to all our athletes!

Austin 70.3

Seven Finish Strong Racing athletes raced the Austin 70.3 on Sunday, October 23. The one-loop 1.2 mile freshwater swim was held in Decker Lake. Athletes biked the 56 mile scenic one-loop bike course through rolling Texas farmland, sprawling ranches, cedar-covered vistas and sunflower fields. The 13.1 mile run course took athletes through Walter E. Long Park and along the shores of Decker Lake.

Linda Trinkle had a phenomenal day! She placed 2nd in her 40-44 AG and qualified for the World Championship. At 2:31:20, Linda had the the 3rd fastest bike for all amateur women and beat the bike splits of 8 of the 14 pro women! Linda's overall time was 5:07:36.

Brandi Watterson, 33, did a fine job. She finished her day in 6:05:42. Her splits were 41:32 swim, 3:12:21 bike, and a strong 2:01:37 run.

Husband-and-wife athletes, Greg and Maureen Gibbons, also took on the Austin 70.3 race. Maureen finished in 7:13:24. Her splits were 37:51 swim, 3:32:39 bike, and 2:51:30 run. Her husband, Greg, 38, finished the race in 5:19:48. Greg's splits were 34:08 swim, 2:37:59 bike, and 2:00:32 run.

Josh Scott, 37, crossed the finish line in 5:17:23. Josh had an outstanding swim in 32:02, biked the course in 2:38:12 and ran the final half marathon in 02:02:23.

Terry Peppers, 34, tackled the course 6:19:09. His splits were 43:28 swim, 3:01:22 bike, and 2:25:46 run.

Ed "Steady Eddy" York, 49, took 6th in his AG and finished under 5 hours (4:58:33). His splits were 36:44 swim, 02:33:26 bike, and 01:42:14 run.

Congrats to all our Austin 70.3 finishers!

Dubai Sprint Tri

It is always fun to see Finish Strong Racing athletes appearing in races around the world. This past weekend on October 21, Buck Snyder raced the Dubai Sprint Tri. Buck reports that he wasn't able to get splits for the day, but it was a windy day making the 750 meter swim pretty choppy and the 2-lap windy 22 kilometer bike challenging. Nonetheless, Buck finished 41st overall and 19th in his 16-39 AG with a time of 1:15:37. Buck reports, "It was fun to try it and something I might do again. Dubai use the same course for a series of 6 races per year." Congrats, Buck!

Run the Woodlands 5K

Congrats to everyone in Finish Strong Coaching's group marathon and half marathon programs who ran the Run the Woodlands 5K on Saturday, October 22. Seven PRs were reported from Marjorie Rawson, Kelly Clemens, Mark Crichton, Misty Harris, Mary Mitchell, Leo Morales, and Cory Richard. New VDOTs are coming!

Try Andy's Triathlon

Finish Strong Racing had a great showing at Try Andy's Tri on Sunday, October 18. Shannon Crowe won her age group and set a PR! Also, landing on the podium from Finish Strong Racing were Katherine Barron claiming 2nd place and Lane Barron taking 3rd in their AGs.

Shannon Crowe took 1st in her 40-44 AG with a time of 54:45. Shannon's splits were 5:30 swim/27:03 bike/20:23 run (a blistering 6:48/mi pace) Shannon had the fastest bike and run in her AG. Shannon set a PR by 4 minutes at the race!

Lane Barron, 12, took 3rd in his 10-14 AG finishing in 54:32. Lane clocked a 4:52.5 in the swim portion of the tri. He had the second fastest bike in 20:07.8 cruising along at a brisk 23.0 mph pace. Lane finished the race with a strong 21:04 run (7:01/mi pace).

Katherine Barron, 16, claimed 2nd place in her 15-19 AG with a time of 56:55. Katherine's swam the first leg in 5:44.9 swim. She followed the swim up with the 2nd fastest bike and run times in her age group. Her bike split was 28:40 bike (20.9/mi pace) and her run split was 21:12 run (7:04/mi pace).

Way to go!!

Ten for Texas

The Ocejo Family races Ten for Texas. Willy wins Masters!

Dustin Harris (2nd in 20-24 AG) , Skip Moschell (Grand Masters Winner), Brandon Sager (1st in 25-29 AG), Michael Menster (2nd in 40-44 AG), Chris Weir (2nd 25-29 AG)

A gathering of some Finish Strong athletes looking good before the race begins.

Wow! It was awesome seeing 60 Finish Strong athletes at Ten for Texas on Saturday, October 8 enduring the ultra humid conditions to race ten mile course in The Woodlands and finish in Market Street.

Finish Strong claimed four of the top 10 race finishes and eight of the top 25 spots. The team had eleven podium finishes. Eight athletes running the Ten for Texas for the first time. And several athletes enjoying a personal best.

First across the line and third overall and second in his ridiculously competitive 30-34 AG was Scott Peterson who finished in 1:00:25 (6:03/mi pace). Next was Gavish Mago who came in sixth overall and fifth in his 30-34 AG in finishing 1:01:50 (6:11/mi). Brandon Sager was ninth across the line and first in his 25-29 AG finishing in 1:02:40. In 10th place was Guillermo "Willy" Ocejo who won Masters by finishing in 1:03:10. Next was Ronnie Delzer who finished 13th overall and 7th in his 30-34 AG finishing in 1:04:03. Michael Menster 2nd in his 40-44 AG and 16th overall with a time of 1:04:44.22 Skip Moschell won Grand Masters by finishing in 1:07:10 and 22nd overall. And Chris Weir finished second in his 25-29 AG and 25th overall in averaging 6:44/M to finish in 1:07:21.

Robert Simmons and Ed York finished 36th and 37th overall - just 6 seconds apart. Robert finished in 1:08:59 claiming 6th in his 40-44 AG. Ed York came in 7th in his 45-49 AG and finished just behind Robert with a time of 1:09:05. Dustin Harris came in 42nd in 1:09:45 - fast enough to claim 2nd in his 20-24 AG. Hector Gonzalez had a nice race averaging 7:07/M for a 1:11:13 finish and taking the 11th spot in his 30-34 AG.

Casey Clark and Brad Johnson finished 71st and 72nd overall just seconds apart. Casey clocked a 1:12:45 and Brad Johnson right behind in 1:12:50. Brad finished 5th in his 50-54 AG.

We had three father-daughter combos -- Edson and Gwen Jones who boasted great races. Edson finished in 1:14:00; his daughter, Gwen trained and did well at this her first 10 mile race placing 6th in her 15-19 AG with a time of 1:34:48.

Father-daughter duo, Bill and Pilar Glaser also did a fine job. Bill finished in 1:14:29 (7:27/mi pace). Thirteen-year old Pilar took on her first 10 mile race and did a wonderful job finishing in 1:31:33 and taking 2nd in her under 14 AG.

And Jody and Molly Gaddy were in fine form. Dad Jody finished in 1:23:16. His daughter, Molly, 15, finished her first Ten for Texas in 2:11:05. Mom Laura who also runs for Finish Strong and completed Ironman Texas in May headed up the Gaddy cheering section.

Geoffrey Zubay, 43, kept up a 7:25/M pace to finish in 1:14:12.

Jessica Menendez was our first female to cross the finish line. She placed 86th overall and 5th in her 35-39 AG with a time of 1:14:14.

Sara Hudgens was not far behind finishing in 1:14:38 and capturing 2nd in her 25-29 AG.

Sandy Vasser, 55, kept up a strong 7:32/M pace to finish in 1:15:19.

Lisa Hill did a nice job averaging 7:34/M to finish in 1:15:42 claiming 2nd in her 40-44 AG.

Christelle Gigant pounded out a 7:38/M pace to finish in 1:16:24 claiming 6th in 30-34 her AG. Christelle was followed by Pamela Ferguson who finished in 1:17:02 and took 7th in her AG.

Sharon Morin was at the top of the podium taking first place for the 45-49 AG females with a time of 1:17:28.

Clint Bryant was right behind Sharon finishing in 1:17:44. Jim Harrington took a break from triathlons and ran a 1:17:58.

Charles Knific maintained a 7:53/M to finish in 1:18:52. Is this a PR, Charlie?

Bruce Smart and Alan Neely cruised to the finish line in 1:20:33 and 1:21:03 respectively.

Phillip Deprang at age 60 proved to be a force to reckon with finishing 4th in his AG in 1:22:48.

Susie Schrieber took 2nd place in her 50-54 AG with a solid 1:23:27 - 8:21/M pace.
Also, following a 8:21 pace was Kim McElligott who finished in 1:23:32 and Steve Hardy (not Hard as the race results reported)in 1:23:47.

Kristin Collins, who may be my friend with the biggest Facebook following, kept her fans happy by finishing in 1:23:55.

Scott Kahney finished in 1:24:16 averaging 8:26/mile.

New mom, Misty Harris, 30, trained and took on her first 10-mile race with an impressive 1:24:55 finish.

Deb Lyons took 4th in her 50-54 AG in 1:26:00 averaging 8:36/M.

Tuesday night track runners, Max Bachrach and Joseph Tokarz finished in 1:26:05 and 1:28:34 respectively. Triathlete Will Blackbird averaged 8:43/M finishing in 1:27:14.

Judith Clark didn't let her husband, Casey, have all the fun. She had a solid race finishing in 1:28:39.

Bill Blount at 60 kept up his 8:53/M pace to finish in 1:28:46 claiming the 8th spot in his 60-64 AG.

Another husband and wife team, Brandi and Danny Watterson also ran the race. Brandi who is training for her first Ironman earned family bragging rights by finishing in 1:29:54. Her husband, Danny, who is recovering from a foot injury finished in 1:37:54.

Javier Noyola and Bret Strong were separated by only 1 second finished the race in 1:31:22 and 1:31:23, respectively. Bret's legal firm, The Strong Firm, was one of the sponsors for the race.

Gordy Bunch who took on his first Ironman in May completed the Ten for Texas race in 1:33:01.

Cindy McManis held on to finish the race in 1:37:59.

Karyn Perugini trained with our group and enjoyed a strong finish in 1:41:15 averaging 10:08/mile.

This was Jacqueline Finnegan first 10 mile race. Her new personal record is 1:42:29.

Kimberly Neveu and Shani Monk both ran the event without their husbands. Kim averaged 10:33/M to finish in 1:45:33. Shani Monk finished the race in 1:45:01. Shani earned her second Ten for Texas tat.

Tuesday night track runner Cory Richard kept up a 10:32/M to finish in 1:45:19.
Craig Daniell fought hard and finished in 1:51:17.

Katherine Powell returned to running and stayed strong to finish in 1:53:38.

Brian Waldrop is also back at it and he finished the race in 1:59:09.

Janet Luna kept up her 12:13/mile pace to finish the race in 2:02:11.

Recovering from an injury, David Smart came back to finish the race in 2:06:32.

Althea Caldwell persevered and ran the entire ten miles finishing in 2:16:41.

New mom, Amanda Fails, took on her longest race to date accomplishing Ten for Texas in 2:17:49.

Congrats to all! More photos to be posted on Finish Strong Coaching facebook page.

Chicago Marathon

Finish Strong athletes, Stephen Clouthier and Winston Cervantes, took on the Chicago Marathon held on Sunday, October 9 with runners from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

Stephen posted a 2:12:25 for the first half marathon. He persevered to finish in 4:49:33. Winston reached the half marathon mark in 1:49:00 and finished the day in 3:44:46. Congrats to both Finish Strong marathoners!

Winston reports, "The race was memorable in so many aspects. The new record was set at 2:05 for the men's, while in the women's it was the first ever in the race history to have a 3-time winner. A local participant gave birth after finishing the race, but on the other hand, it was a tragedy for the family and friends of NC fireman who collapsed and died 500m from the finish line. He was racing to raise money for burn victims.

At O'Hare airport the day after the race, one can notice the marathoners in the stream of travelers by the way they walk, their memorabilia shirts, and/or by the medal they proudly wear around their necks. Totally cool."

Ironman Hawaii - World Championships

If you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the Ford Ironman World Championship. Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeeded. Two of these individuals are Finish Strong coached athletes David Molthen and Jerry Palmer.

These two got to to test themselves on one of the biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through tough ocean waves, and challenging lava-covered terrain.

Jerry Palmer finished this grueling race in 14:16:13. He swam the 2.4 mile ocean course in 1:34:23. Then on to complete the 112-mile bike in 7:01:08. Finally, Jerry ran the final marathon in 5:25:18.

Dave Molthen finished in 13:24:29. His splits were 1:19:17 for the 2.4 mile ocean swim, 6:50:08 for the 112-mile bike, and 5:00:16 for the final marathon run.

Congratulations to Jerry and Dave! What an amazing accomplishment!

Ironmanlive.com on Oct. 8 - Kona!

Finish Strong Coaching Athlete: Jerry Palmer
Age group: M40-44
Bib number: 864

Finish Strong athlete, Jerry Palmer, is raising money for the Blazeman Foundation for ALS. This is an update he sent to his fundraising contributors last week. Go to Waronals.com to support the foundation.

"Well, as predicted, the summer flew by and the race is in two weeks and I am super excited. As I’ve done previously, I’d like to bring everyone up to speed on the Blazeman Foundation and my final physical and mental preparations for race day.

Blazeman Foundation: I would love to report at this stage that I have exceeded my fundraising goals, but at the moment I cannot. Fortunately for me I have the support of the Blaises who are quite adept at social media, so we all continue to pound the cyber streets of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Our fundraising effort was picked up as a story by the World Triathlon Corporation, the organization that owns Ironman, so we were invited to participate in some pre-race and race-day fundraising that will be promoted by Ironman and the Ironman Foundation. Ironman will also match dollar for dollar and funds raised through this mechanism so we really have the opportunity to hit a home run.

On a related [note] I wanted to let everyone know that Adam Webber will be wearing #179 on race day. Adam is a superstar age-group triathlete who is a former professional and recently won the prestigious Hy-Vee Triathlon in Iowa. Adam has also been inspired by Jon Blais’ story and went as far as to name his first son “Blaze” after Jon. That’s dedication. My official number will be #864 but I’m sure I’ll find a spot for an extra #179. Adam and I have also exchanged notes and are going to connect in Kona so it’s really been a win all around.

Final Preparations: I’ve diligently logged all of the miles [of] swimming, biking and running that are required to be physically ready to complete this race. My girlfriend, friends and family can surely attest to this. Although race day is an individual effort it really is a team effort to get to the starting line of one of these races. In addition to you all and those I’ve already mentioned there are triathlon coaches, physical therapists, nutritionists, swim coaches, training partners, bike mechanics who have had a hand in the experience and are vital to a successful race-day experience. I have been truly blessed with a great support crew. So, with the physical preparation out of the way, the mental preparation really starts. I go through an inventory in my mind of what success looks like on race day; I also go through dozens of “what if” scenarios to try to prepare for just about everything from jellyfish stings to flat tires or broken cables. Finally, I think about some inspiring quotes—these tend to be particularly helpful at about mile 18 of the run when your body is begging you to stop moving. Some of my favorites (from triathletes) are the following:

“You can quit and they won’t care, but you will always know.” – John Collins, one of the original inventors of the Ironman

“To some extent, we are all labeled by what we’re able to achieve. But more importantly, we are defined by what we attempt.” – Scott Tinley, two-time Ironman World Champion

“A dream is a goal with a plan” – Chris McCormack, two-time Ironman World Champion and author of I’m Here to Win

“Live more than your neighbors. Unleash yourself upon the world and go places. Go now, giggle, know, laugh, and bark at the moon like the wild dog you are. Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal, this is it, your life. Face your fears and live your dreams. Take it all in. Yes every chance you get, come close. And by all means, whatever you do, get it on film!” – Jon Blais, The Blazeman

Thanks again for everything. You can follow #864 at Ironmanlive.com beginning at 7 a.m. Hawaii time on Oct. 8. It’s time to get this done.

Your friend,

Jerry Palmer"

Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon - Olympic Distance

The Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon was held in Dallas on October 2. Finish Strong athlete, Kirk Noyes, took on the Olympic distance race. Kirk finished in 2:50:48. He was 37th in his 35-39 AG.

Du the Bear Duathlon

Three Finish Strong athletes raced and finished on the podium at the Du the Bear Duathlon on October 2. Ronnie Delzer, David Kayda, and Rip Reynolds all did a great job at this 2 mile/10 mile/2mile run-bike-run event.

Ronnie Delzer came in 3rd in his 30-34 AG and 6th overall with a time of 50:02. Ronnie had the fastest run legs in his age group running a 10:36 (5:18 per mile pace). His final run was 10:51 (5:26 per mile pace). In between the running, Ronnie biked the 10 mile course in 27:31 (21.8 mph).

David Kayda came in 2nd in his 35-39 AG and 12th overall with a time of 52:10.
David also secured the fastest runs in his AG -- 11:22 for his first leg and 11:35 for his final leg. He had a fine bike of 27:57 (21.5 mph).

Rip Reynolds came in 3rd in his 45-59 AG and 17th overall. Rip had the second fastest runs in his AG. His splits were 11:53 run, 27:35 bike, 12:17 run for an overall time of 53:22.

Congrats!!

5K Race for the Cure

Sara Hudgens, Associate Coach for Finish Strong's Jr Hi Summer Run Program, ran the 5K Race for the Cure on Saturday, October 1. Sara won her age group and was the 10th female overall! Her time was 21:07. Way to go!