Cedar Park Kids Tri

Finish Strong Racing's Lane Barron had great race at the 10th annual Cedar Park kids triathlon. He finished in 27:55 unofficial time. Dad Randy reports, "Lane improved about 1:40 from last year, about 40 secs on swim, about 40 secs on bike and 20 secs on run. Fun to watch!" Lane took first place in the senior division 11 - 16 year-olds. Great job on your birthday weekend!

Kemah Tri - Olympic and Sprint

 Shannon Crowe wins her AG and qualifies for Alcatraz at Kemah Olympic Tri!

 Phillip DePrang places 3rd in his AG (fastest run in his AG) at Kemah Olympic!

Mike Novelli overwhelms his competition and secures berth to Alcatraz!

 Kent Morris wins his AG and qualifies for Escape from Alcatraz!

 Patrick Sexton places 2nd in his AG at Kemah Olympic distance tri.

 Scott Peterson placed 2nd per results (shown 3rd on podium?) at Kemah Olympic. Scott had the fastest run in his AG.

Rodrigo Abascal (1st) and Evan Stevens (2nd) in their AG at Kemah Olympic.

The Memorial Hermann Kemah Triathlon was held on Sunday, April 29. This was a two distance event day consisting of a Sprint (1/2k Swim, 20k Bike, & 5k Run) and an Olympic (1.5k Swim, 40k Bike, 10k Run).

The Olympic distance triathlon was a boat start. 800 athletes boarded the Colonel Paddlewheel boat from Moody Gardens early Sunday morning and were taken nearly 1 mile offshore into Galveston Bay where they exited the boat in a time trial manner (2-6 at a time) jumping from the edge of the boat (3-5 feet high). From the boat it was a straight swim following the buoy line all the way to the Kemah shoreline.

Finish Strong showed up in a big way with 22 competing in the Olympic and six in the Sprint distance. The age group winners of the Olympic distance qualified for Alcatraz tri. Qualifying to represent Finish Strong at Alcatraz were the following triathletes who won their age group in the Olympic race: Rodrigo Abascal, Shannon Crowe, Kent Morris, and Michael Novelli. Others who finished on the podium for the Olympic tri were Evan Stevens (2nd), Scott Peterson (2nd), Patrick Sexton (2nd), and Phillip DePrang (3rd).

700 athletes participated in the sprint distance triathlon. Among them were Pam Ferguson, Julie and Daryl Parker, Scott Reaves, Casey Clark and Brian Waldrop. Brian Waldrop enjoyed a 2nd place finish in the Clydesdale division.

Overall results for Olympic Distance
Chelsea Estes 2:59:11.5 - 25-29 AG
Shannon Crowe 2:37:56.2 - 1st in her 40-44 AG!
Irasema de Aquino Abascal - 3:31:29.5 40-44 AG

Rodrigo Abascal - 2:29:01.0 1st in his 20 and under AG!
Evan Stevens - 2:47:17.5 2nd in his 20 and under AG!
Scott Peterson - 2:16:20.8 (fastest run in his AG) - 2nd in his 30-34 AG!
Ronnie Delzer - 2:23:22.9 - 5th in his 30-34 AG

Tim Taylor - 2:47:09.1 30-34 AG
Jose Contreras - 3:01:38.2 30-34 AG
Michael Flake - 2:43:57.6 35-39 AG
Terry Peppers - 2:57:40.1 35-39 AG

Patrick Sexton - 2:22:59.7 - 2nd in his 40-44 AG!
Stephen Clouthier - 2:41:34.1 40-44 AG
Leo Morales - 2:45:46.9 40-44 AG
Abraham Hernandez - 3:09:53.4 40-44 AG
Steve Hardy - 2:54:31.3 45-49 AG
Manuel Abascal - 3:11:02.1 45-49 AG

Kent Morris - 2:34:22.3 - 1st in 50-54 AG!
Kirk Langford -3:13:41.9 50-54 AG

Michael Novelli - 2:27:17.7 - 1st in 55-59 AG!
Charlie Schuber - 3:03:01.0 55-59 AG
Phillip DePrang - 2:48:43.4 - 3rd in 60-65 AG! (fastest run in his AG)

Overall results for Sprint Distance
Pam Ferguson 1:27:23.3 - 4th in her 30-34 AG
Julie Parker - 1:44:40.9 30-34 AG
Daryl Parker - 1:18:20.7 30-34 AG
John Scott Reaves - 1:24:12.5 35-39 AG
Casey Clark - 1:14:44.3 4th in 40-44 AG
Brian Waldrop - 1:23:57.5 - 2nd in Clydesdale 40+

What a day for Finish Strong athletes!

MS 150

Thousands of bike riders took part in the MS 150 traveling along the gusty roads to complete the 180 mile trek from Houston to Austin on April 21-22 to raise money for MS.  Among them were Finish Strong Racing's Blake Sims, Pam Sperber Ferguson, Mary Kerschbaum, Chantal Requier, Jed Beck and Jim Harrington.  Blake said, "Conditions were definitely windy out there, but we had an enjoyable ride."  Way to go!

New Orleans 70.3

 

Finish Strong Racing's Dana Lyons and Jerry Palmer headed to The Big Easy to compete in New Orleans 70.3 on April 22. Due to high winds, the swim leg of the race was abandoned and replaced by a 2 mile run, followed by 52-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. Neither the weather or the race layout managed to dampen the race action. Despite high winds, Jerry had a remarkable bike ride followed by a solid run. Jerry's splits were 17:33 run, 2:37:37 bike, 2:09:52 final half marathon for an overall time of 5:10:07. Dana boasted the fastest run splits in his 50-54 AG. His splits were 13:41 run, 2:19:09 bike, 1:29:14 final run for an overall time of 4:04:10. With a staggered start, it was difficult to know where you stood compared to your competition. As a result, Dana just missed 2nd place by 36 seconds to Rafe Armstrong who crossed the finish line a couple minutes behind him.  Congrats on a great race!

Ras Tanura Sprint Tri and YAS Series Olympic Tri

Finish Strong Racing's Buck Snyder has not let his relocation to Saudi Arabia from competing in triathlons.  H recently competed in a sprint triathlon in Ras Tanura at the Aramco Compound (photos above) and the final YAS series Olympic distance tri in Abu Dhabi (photos below).  Congrats, Buck!

Boston Marathon Finishers!

Taylor Riall after the marathon!

Taylor Riall during the race!

Taylor before the race!

The prestigious Boston Marathon is celebrating its 116th year today! Over 25,000 runners gathered in hot 93 degree temperatures to run this prestigious race. Among them were Finish Strong runners Christelle Gigant, Taylor Riall, and Phillip DePrang.

Taylor finished her first Boston marathon in 4:06:07 (9:24/mi pace). Christelle clocked a 4:06:07. Phillip crossed the finish line in 5:40:05. All the athletes were running to enjoy the experience of finishing the Boston marathon. You have earned your bragging rights!

Bluebell 5K Run

The entire Davis family raced the Bluebell Fun 5K Run on April 14 in Brenham, Texas.
Avery, 13, finished 4th in her AG and sixth overall (tough age group!) in a time of 22:34 at an average 7:14/mile pace. Her younger sister, Addison, 11, finished 20th in that same AG in a time of 29:27 (9:26/mile pace). Their dad, Chris, 41, finished in 31:31 at a 10:06/mile pace and mom, April, finished in 33:49 at 10:50/mile pace. They earned a well-deserved scoop of Bluebell ice cream after the race!

Austin 10/20

Austin was a popular destination for Woodlands runners competing in the Austin 10/20. This new 10 mile course featured twenty stages - one every half mile along the route - to entertain the runners with live rock ‘n’ roll music from local Austin bands. Enjoying the venue were Finish Strong Racing's Kristin Collins along with Shani Monk (pictured above center), Jen Allen (second from left), Clare Winstanley (second from right), and friends.

Snap is Back! Snapping Torguga Open Water Swim

The open water Snapping Tortuga "Snap is Back" was held on April 15. The senior division 2.5k distance was completed by Finish Strong's Charlie Schuber, Michael Collins, Jack Chapman along with Tuesday Night Track regulars Mike Niccum and Carolyn Barron.

Swim on!!

Houston Kids Triathlon

Approximately 1,000 total participants gathered for the first annual Houston Kids Triathlon on the University of Houston Campus on April 15, 2012. Finish Strong Racing's Lane Barron won the event! Distances for Lane's senior division (11-15 year olds) were 200 meter swim, 6 mile bike, and 1 mile run.

Lane rose to the top of the field of 361 competitors in the senior division (172 girls and 189 boys. Lane finished over 2 minutes faster than the next competitor crossing the finish line in 29:40. Out of 189 senior division boys, Lane was 6th on swim 3:08, 1st in both transitions combined(2:07), 1st on bike (17:45, ~20.3 mph, windy day on bike, very crowded bike course), 7th on run with a 6:40.

Lane's sister, Hannah, was 4th overall among 172 senior girls, 1st among 15-year old girls. Hannah had the 3rd fastest bike time among girls at 21:09. Hannah's overall time was 35:12.

Also, competing in his first triathlon ever at age 5 was Jessica Menendez's son! He can't wait to do his next.

Congrats to all the kids!

Finish Strong Runners are Boston-Bound!

Finish Strong Racing will be well represented at Monday's Boston Marathon, with Christelle Gigant, Phillip DePrang, and Taylor Riall joining the nearly 27,000 marathoners making the historic trek from Hopkinton, Mass., to downtown Boston.

Taylor Riall is making her Boston Marathon debut, while Phillip and Christelle are returning to run the prestigious race.

In today's "In the News", Bernice Torregrossa reports on Taylor Riall's upcoming trip to Boston. The following is an excerpt from her article:

"The Boston Marathon is one of the few in the country that limits entry to runners who have turned in fast times at a previous marathon, judged on a goal time adjusted for age and gender.

In most years, fewer than 10 percent of marathon runners will qualify to run in Boston. This exclusivity, along with its 115-year history as the oldest marathon in the country, make the race a coveted goal for many runners.

For Taylor Riall, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, the road to Boston began in Pittsburgh. She earned her Boston entry last May by finishing the Pittsburgh Marathon in 3 hours and 48 minutes.

“I qualified with six seconds to spare,” she said. “If I had to stop to tie my shoes, I would have missed it.”

An injury last fall nearly derailed her.

“I was in a cast in October, but by November, I was training again, this time with a coach, Dana Lyons,” she said.

She credits Lyons with getting her to the Boston starting line injury-free and ready to race.

“I’ve never trained with this much intensity or this much focus,” she said.

Riall is going in to the race without a set time goal.

“I just want to experience the Boston Marathon and be happy with whatever time I run,” she said."

Four the Parks Run

Finish Strong Racing's Sara Hudgens (pictured above in the middle) ran the Four the Park 4 mile run on Saturday, April 7 in Memorial Park. She finished 2nd in her age group, 6th femal overall and 38th overall in a time of 26:59. Later that same day, she went on to win her age group in the Muddy Trails 10K. Congrats, Sara!

Ironman Texas Volunteers Needed

Ironman Texas needs volunteers for upcoming race on May 19, 2012.

For those of you not racing, this is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the sport by volunteering. Last year we partnered with Lonestar Multisport to help get enough volunteers to man the Aid station at mile 8 of the run. This is a great location with an opportunity to see the runners several times during the final marathon leg. Three shifts are available: 10-3pm, 3-8pm, 8-midnight.

You (and your family and friends) can sign up by going to this IM TX volunteer link:


Link to IM TX Volunteer signup:
http://www.doitsports.com/volunteer/join-protected-group.tcl?event_id=212474

Once there, use the drop down box to select Lonestar Multisport shift you desire. Then put in the password

Password is 081676


Thanks!

Angie's Crazy Half Marathon

Finish Strong Racing's Robert Merrill ran the Angie's Crazy Half on Sunday, April 1 on a hot, humid day in Clear Lake. Robert finished 9th overall and 3rd master's finishing in 1:32:35 at a 6:59/mile pace. He even won $40! Nicely done.

Muddy Trails 5K/10K

Finish Strong Racing's Brandon Sager wins the 10K Muddy Trails Race.

Finish Strong's Jen Anthony is female winner for Muddy Trails 10K!

Skip, Brandon, Chris, Jen, Russell, Christelle, and Bill after the 10K.

Jen Anthony finishing with flair!

Skip (6th overall), Brandon (1st overall) and Chris (2nd overall).

A fun gathering of Finish Strong athletes!

Over 20 Finish Strong athletes and their families showed up in a BIG way at the Woodlands Muddy Trails 5K/10K run on Saturday afternoon, April 7. In the 10K, Finish Strong Racing's Brandon Sager and Jen Anthony were the male and female winners of the 10K. Five others distinguished themselves with first in the AGs including: Chris Weir (2nd overall and first in his 20-29 AG), Pilar Glaser (1st in females 14 and under), Sara Hudgens (1st in 20-20 AG), Bill Glaser (1st in 40-49 AG), and Skip Moschell (1st in 50-59 and 9th overall). Six others enjoyed podium finishes (Andrea Miranda, Sarah Batton, Christelle Gigant, and Edson Jones.)

In the 5K, Finish Strong had two athletes win their AGs (Avery Davis and Deb Lyons). Paul Daly had a nice race and 2nd place AG finish. We also had a number of folks either running with their dogs (Colleen Sager) or other members of their family.

Lots of fun was had by all! See below for results:

Overall Male Open Winner for 10K
1 Brandon Sager Spring TX 1822 29 1 39:41.7 39:41.7 6:23/M

Overall Female Open Winner for 10K
1 Jennifer Anthony Spring TX 1609 32 10 43:33.6 43:33.6 7:00/M

Females 14 and under
1 Pilar Glaser The Woodlands TX 1700 14 55 53:15.7 53:30.7 8:35/M
2 Andrea Miranda The Woodlands TX 1771 13 61 0:22.1 53:37.9 53:52.6 8:39/M
3 Sarah Batten 1918 12 62 0:22.3 53:38.0 53:52.5 8:39/M

Female 20-29
1 Sara Hudgens Spring TX 1972 27 21 46:46.6 46:52.9 7:33/M

Female 30-39
3 Christelle Gigant Spring TX 1698 35 29 2:08.5 48:27.5 48:33.6 7:49/M

Female 50-59
4 Katherine Powell Spring TX 1798 53 199 3:07.3 1:08:13.2 1:08:38.4 11:00/M

Males
2nd overall and 1st in Male 20-29
1 Chris Weir The Woodlands TX 1904 27 2 39:43.4 39:48.9 6:24/M

Male 30-39
4 Michael Foley Spring TX 1683 34 14 3:46.6 46:14.5 46:24.9 7:27/M

Male 40-49
1 William Glaser The Woodlands TX 1701 43 17 46:14.8 46:20.4 7:27/M
3 Edson Jones 1952 45 25 1:29.3 47:44.1 47:55.6 7:42/M
9 Andreas Grossmann Spring TX 1705 45 47 5:32.6 51:47.5 51:58.3 8:21/M
10 Mike Bard 1927 40 51 6:27.5 52:42.3 52:56.9 8:30/M

Male 50-59
1 Skip Moschell The Woodlands TX 1776 53 9 43:17.7 43:23.1 6:59/M


5K

Females 14 and under
1 Avery Davis The Woodlands TX 641 13 23 22:58.7 23:01.3 7:25/M
4 Kristin Delgado The Woodlands TX 101 12 57 2:58.1 25:56.8 26:00.5 8:22/M
7 Calynn Gigant Spring TX 135 12 134 6:21.8 29:20.5 29:51.7 9:28/M

Females 15-19
7 Gwen Jones 557 15 111 3:40.3 28:24.2 28:28.6 9:10/M
11 Courtney Gigant Spring TX 136 16 152 5:20.6 30:04.5 30:35.3 9:42/M

Females 20-29
44 Anne Powell Spring TX 308 23 470 22:42.3 43:32.0 44:22.4 14:03/M
45 Lindsay Erck 584 23 471 22:42.3 43:32.1 44:22.4 14:03/M

Females 30-39
14 Betsey Rice 676 37 156 8:11.0 30:09.0 30:21.6 9:44/M

Females 40-49
4 Sarah Pietraszek-Mattner Spring TX 303 41 58 1:30.1 25:59.2 26:06.9 8:23/M
30 April Davis 640 40 261 9:21.9 33:50.9 34:07.8 10:55/M

Females 50-59
1 Deb Lyons The Woodlands TX 453 51 44 24:50.6 24:58.5 8:01/M

Males 20-29
6 Kevin Moschell 560 20 106 8:30.9 28:12.7 28:19.0 9:06/M

Males 40-49
2 Paul Daly 643 40 17 1:37.1 22:18.3 22:21.5 7:12/M
20 Tommy Rice 674 40 95 7:12.2 27:53.4 28:06.2 9:00/M

Kona Eastside Tri

Saturday, April 7 found all of our Finish Strong athletes participating in the Kona Eastside Tri finishing on the podium for their AGs at two sprint distant tris in Houston.

Finish Strong Racing's Pamela Sperber Ferguson finished first in her 30-34 age group and 36th overall at Kona Eastside super-sprint distance tri (300 yd swim/10 mile bike/2 mile run). Pam swam the first leg in 7:44 and then went on to dominate the bike and run with a 30:27 bike split and 16:37 run to finish the race in 56:59.

Finish Strong Racing's Bret Strong and Mary Kerschbaum tackled the sprint distance
(600 yd Swim, 16 M Bike, 4 M Run) Kona Eastside course along with Leo Morales' daughter, Quinci.

Bret finished second in his 45-49 AG in a time of 1:28:16. Bret posted an 8:09 swim, 46:40 bike, and 31:56 final run.

Mary Kerschbaum took third in her 50-54 AG. Mary's splits were 14:41 swim, 52:27 bike, and 40:08 run for an overall time mof 1:50:40.

Quinci finished second in her 15-19 AG in a time of 1:46:13.

Congratulations to all our athletes!

Conroe Y Tri for Fun

Lane Barron is a blur on his bike at Tri for Run in Conroe averaging just under 22 mpy for 16.5 mile bike course. Lane took 1st in his AG and 3rd overall. (Photo from Randy Barron.)
This picture best depicts Lane's bike split in the Tri for Fun in Conroe today. He was a blur on the bike averaging just under 22 mph for 16.5 mile bike course with a few rolling hills.This picture best depicts Lane's bike split in the Tri for Fun in Conroe today. He was a blur on the bike averaging just under 22 mph for 16.5 mile bike course with a few rolling hills.

Kent Morris and his daughter, Brianna, pose before competing in the Conroe Y Tri for Fun sprint triathlon on April 1. Both father and daughter won their age groups!

The Conroe Y Tri for Fun was held on Sunday, April 1. Finish Strong Racing's Lane Barron, Kent Morris, and Scott Reaves all competed and did brilliantly in the sprint tri.

Here are their results

Lane Barron - 1st in his 10-19 AG and 3rd overall!! Lane finished in 1:11:29. He had the fastest run and second fastest bike.

Brianna Morris - 1st in her 10-19 AG with an overall time of 1:42:08

J. Scott Reaves took 5th in 30-39 AG with an overall time oif 1:29:08.

Kent Morris - 1st in his 50-59 AG and 2nd overall! Kent finished in 1:09:31.

Congratulations!

Texas Independent Relays

Finish Strong Racing members Sara Hudgens Boulanger (2nd from L) and Kristin Collins (far right) run on appropriately named team - Runs 4 SBUX at TIR.

Finish Strong Racing's Jen Anthony runs her first leg of the Texas Independent Relays.

Finish Strong Racing's Mary Kerschbaum (middle standing) and her Road Apple teammates pose in San Jacinto at the end of the 203.2 mile TIR.

Finish Strong Racing members Jen Anthony, Mary Kerschbaum, Kristin Collins, and Sara Hugens Boulanger along with their team mates ran the Texas Independence Relay on March 31 - April 1. Each team consisting of 7-11 teammates ran 40 relay legs along the 203.20 mile course from Bastrop, TX and the first shot for Texas Independence to the final battle at San Jacinto. Although official times are not posted, Mary's team (Road Apples), Jen's team (Super Freaks), and Kristin and Sara's team (Runs 4 STBUX) had a great time!

Lonestar 70.3 Galveston

Finish Strong Racing's Linda Trinkle (far left) wins her AG and secures spot for USAT long-course championship race in Las Vegas.

Tim Monk has a wonderful come-back race finishing under 5 hours - getting ready for IM TX!

Rodrigo Abascal had a fine race finishing 11th in his AG at this half Ironman distance!

Mike Flake on the run leg of the 70.3 race.

Ira De Aqunio Abascal finishing her first 70.3 race!!

Greg Gibbons looking good on the final stretch of the race!

Daryl Parker stays strong to the end -- all 70.3 miles of it!
Good swim, good bike, and Cindy McManis is still smiling on the run!After her fabulous day of racing, Chantal Requier said her sunburn hurts more than her muscles!
After a killer swim and a solid bike, Blake Sims powers through to an excellent finish!
Abraham Hernandez perseveres and finishes strong at the Galveston race!


Despite the heat, 25 Finish Strong Racing athletes took on the Lonestar 70.3 Ironman Galveston race with gusto on Sunday, April 1. Our athletes enjoyed seeing and racing with Lance Armstrong. A special congratulations to Linda Trinkle for a dominant age group win and earning a slot to Las Vegas USAT long course tri championships. Also, kudos to Irasema De Aquino and Marty Miller for finishing their first 70.3 race! Tim Monk had a fabulous come-back race finishing under 5 hours. Winston Cervantes had a personal best for this distance. Blake Sims killed the swim! A tough day out there for Mike Flake and Shannon Crowe who had to cut their races short -- but they will be back to race another day. Special thanks to Manuel Abascal for capturing some great photos. Check out Finish Strong Coaching Facebook for more 400 race photos posted by Steve Hardy.


Here are the splits:

MALES
Abascal, Rodrigo M18-24 00:30:45 02:48:47 01:51:23 05:15:35 11th in AG!

Mago, Gavish M30-34 00:42:22 02:35:09 01:23:00 04:46:59 30
Parker, Daryl M30-34 00:42:34 03:25:56 02:15:02 06:35:17

Gibbons, Greg M35-39 00:33:49 02:42:47 01:40:42 05:04:03 37
Hill, Chris M35-39 00:35:10 02:54:21 01:41:26 05:19:59 70
Sims, Blake M35-39 00:36:50 03:10:34 02:38:44 06:34:32
Miller, Marty M35-39 00:46:11 03:02:13 02:35:16 06:35:23 1st 70.3!
Murphy, Matthew M35-39 00:42:41 03:06:33 02:40:56 06:39:38
Flake, Michael M35-39 00:39:26 02:57:23 DNF

Monk, Timothy M40-44 00:28:35 02:37:07 01:41:56 04:52:48 23
Sustala, Albert M40-44 00:28:19 02:30:58 01:55:38 04:59:14 30
Collins, Michael M40-44 00:46:44 02:34:11 01:36:39 5:03:51 39
Sexton, Patrick M40-44 00:31:31 02:38:07 01:57:27 05:11:42 57
Cervantes, Winston M40-44 00:42:47 02:38:32 02:04:36 05:31:36 PR!
Hernandez, Abraham M40-44 01:01:43 03:16:38 02:05:45 06:29:56

York, Ed M45-49 00:35:43 02:33:46 01:45:40 04:59:43 8th in AG!
Harrington, Jim M45-49 00:32:13 02:42:52 01:50:57 05:10:28 34
Brock, Andy M45-49 00:40:35 03:17:04 01:51:39 05:56:15 109

Cole, Don M50-54 00:35:57 02:53:46 01:49:19 05:25:31 26

FEMALES

Trinkle, Linda F45-49 00:39:39 02:34:42 01:44:40 05:03:23 1st in her AG!

Requier, Chantal F40-44 00:32:23 02:50:18 01:48:18 05:15:02 11th in AG
De Aquino, Irasema F40-44 00:52:03 03:37:09 02:33:33 07:11:18 Finished 1st 70.3!
Crowe, Shannon F40-44 00:40:16 02:49:07 DNF

Hardwick-Smith, Susan F45-49 00:43:28 03:14:13 02:04:33 06:11:15 25th in AG

McManis, Cindy F50-54 00:40:22 03:05:51 02:20:12 06:15:19 15th in AG!