Santa Hustle

Congrats to Finish Strong's Jim Harrington aka Santa who ran his first 1/2 marathon in 1:36:10.   Jim reports, "I think I ate too many cookies on the course."  Ho ho ho!  Merry Christmas, all!

Jim runs the Santa Hustle appropriately dressed!

12K of Christmas

Congrats to Finish Strong's Katherine Powell who took 2nd in her AG at the 12K of Christmas race held on December 21st.  Her time was 1:13.

Katherine Powell rocked the 12K of Christmas taking 2nd in her AG!

Luke's Jingle Bell Run

Luke's Jingle Bell Run on 12-12-13 in the Woodlands, TX was a fun run on the Water Way.  Coach Dana ran with six of our young runners and our house guests from the Ukraine, Olesya and Dima.  Everyone enjoyed cocoa after the race!

Dima and Olesya after the Jingle Bell Run at Luke's Locker!

Dana and Gabby enjoy hot chocolate post-race!

Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis

Kim Bowden, Heather Lininger and dog Baxter run the Jingle Bell Run on Saturday, December 14  in elf costumes!

Sugarland 30K

Finish Strong's Skip Moschell, Nora Wilson, and Edson Jones took HARRA 30K run in Sugarland on December 15.  It was a chilly 37 degree morning, but that didn't stop Nora from winning her 55-59 AG in 2:32:51 (despite her feeling under the weather).  Skip won 2nd in his 55-59 AG (And this was 5 weeks after knee surgery for a torn meniscus.) 

Time will tell how Finish Strong athletes stack up in the age-graded HARRA "Runner of the Season" awards. Stay posted!

Christmas Sale at Swim Shops of the Southwest

Our sponsor, Swim Shops of the Southwest is having a 20% off everything in the store (including sale items), and an additional 5% off if you bring in a race number for our wall this week until Saturday, December 14th.

If you are looking for a present for a triathlete on your list, check out goggles or a swim suit -- (w/the discount, men's practice suits are $12+tx... - jammers are $18+tx).

Run Girl Half Marathon

Congratulations to Finish Strong gals who competed in the Run Girl Half Marathon on Sunday, December 8. 

Team Leaping Lollipops Sarah Batton and Hannah Barron, placed second in a half marathon relay. Team Sexy Beasts, Linda Batton and Carolyn Barron had a good race placing 13th overall. SUB 9 miles.  Suzanne Young and Katherine Powell also teamed up and came in 15th out of 119 teams for the marathon relay.

Aubrey Young placed 2nd in her age group with a time of 1:43:42 (a PR by 7 minutes)!  She came in 14th overall out of close to 900 runners!  

For more on results, go to:

http://trigirlsports.com/page4

 

BCS Marathon

Finish Strong's Aki Laine ran his first ever marathon (BCS Marathon) at College Park on December 9. Aki reports, "I have always wanted to run one and the Oilman gave me extra confidence boost to try it out. I didn't have any specific time target for the run and more than anything I wanted to get a feel for the distance. I kept a very easy and even pace throughout the whole distance, finished in 4:05 and felt great all the way to the end."

Way to go, Aki!

Wooly Mammoth Duathlon

Congratulations to Finish Strong's Dale Claudel who finished the Wooly Mammoth Duathlon in 1:32:39. This duathlon was a 5k run, 15.5 mile bike, 5k run. Dale came in 1st place Masters Division and 3rd place overall. Dale reports, "The race started out 800 ft inside the cave about 120 below the surface at 70 degrees and 100% humidity. Exited the cave at 27 degrees! 32 degrees at the finish!"  Julio Morales also competed and had a great race.

Dale Claudel wins Master's and 3rd overall at Wooly Mammoth Du!

Rudolph 5K

Finish Strong's Shannon Crowe pictured with her kids won the women's overall title at the Rudolph 5K race in 20:40!

Texas Trail Endurance 50K

Congrats to Finish Strong's Ronnie Delzer who braved the cold and won his first Ultra-marathon at the Texas Trail Endurance 50K finishing in 3:51.

Ronnie Delzer wins the Texas Trail 50K in 3:51.

Ken Page also finished my first 50 K Ultra Marathon this past weekend in Huntsville. Ken not only ran his first 50K, he also was a good Samaritan for an injured runner.  Ken reports, "It was a blast for me and the friends I ran with. However, I had to help render aid to a fellow trail runner who tripped on a  tree root and split their head wide open around the eye, he was going to need medical attention and we were concerned about his wellbeing."

Texas 10 Conroe

Cold weather did not scare Finish Strong runners from racing at the Texas 10 at Conroe - the last race in 2013 Texas 10 Championship. Kevin Baker posted a time of 1hr 5min, 2nd AG at Conroe and 1st overall AG for 2013 Texas 10 championship cup! (APR by 4min too!)  His wife, Katerina Savelieva, ran in the 5 mile distance and did great with 3rd place AG time (46min).

Nora Wilson took 1st AG and 2013 Texas 10 Cup for AG. Kevin Baker took 2nd overall and won Texas 10 Cup for his AG.  As cup winners both Nora and Kevin received $200 and free entries to the 2014 races! 

Edson Jones and Lisa Hill both took 2nd in his AG in the 10 mile race.  

Heather Lininger and Kim Bowden both took 3rd in their AG in the 5 mile race.

Katerina took 3rd in her AG at the 5 mile race in 46 minutes also setting a PR!

Kevin took 2nd overall in the race and 1st in the series.

Kevin and Nora win Texas 10 Series Cup for their AGs!

For more race results, go to  https://www.nolimitstiming.com/results/default-mobile.aspx?event=24565

Shyla Stone - Wins 1 Mile GE Run Thru the Woods

Finish Strong Coaching's young runner, Shyla Stone, is racking up the medals.  She was the big winner of the GE Run Thru the Woods 1 mile race.  Shyla also took 3rd at the USAT XC Regional Championships for the 3000 meter distance race for 11-12 year old girls. She is headed to San Antonio for Nationals.

Shyla Stone wins the 1 mile GE Run Thru the Woods race on Thanksgiving day in The Woodlands.

Shyla takes 3rd in USATF 3000 meter race for 11-12 year old girls.  Next stop, Nationals!!

Fun Jingle Bell Run at Luke's Locker on December 12

Luke's Locker is having their annual Jingle Bell Run on December 12th at 6:30pm. It will be a 3 mile fun run along the Water Way in The Woodlands. There will be hot cocoa and cookies post run & a prize for the person who has the most festive outfit.  Come on out for the fun, Finish Strong runners!

Other Luke's Locker activities in December:

TXU Turkey Trot

Mother-daughter duo Heather Lininiger & Kim Bowden did the TXU Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. Kim reports, "It was fun. My goal was to run the whole thing and I did. A first for me : )"

Turkey Trot for Hope 5K

Suzanne Young's family went to Gulf Shores, Alabama for Thanksgiving.  While there they ran in the Turkey Trot for Hope (5K) in Mobile.  Aubrey placed first in her age group (10-14) with a time of 22:36--a PR for Aubrey!  After not running for 5 months due to her strained plantar fascia, Suzanne also placed first in her age group (50-54) with a time of 27:10.  Suzanne reports, "It is so good to be running again; God is so faithful!"

Aubrey and Suzanne Young with medals from Turkey Trot for Hope!

Houston Turkey Trot 10K

Finish Strong Coach Kim Mac Namee ran the Houston Turkey Trot 10k in 37:19 and was first female finisher.  Way to go, Kim!  Any pics?

Run Through the Woods

Congrats to the 40 Finish Strong athletes who ran the Thanksgiving Run Thru the Woods 5 Mile race!

Results for 2013 - Run thru the Woods - 5 Miler
The Woodlands, TX on Thursday, 11/28/2013

Female Finishers: 1100
Male Finishers: 980
Total Finishers: 2080

Runner's Name	Chip Time	Division Award
Rip Reynolds	31:10.8	1st Male 45 to 49
Skip Moschell	31:47.6	2nd Male 55 to 59
Chris Weir	31:51.6
Travys Townson	31:58.7	3rd Male 35 to 39
Tim Monk	32:01.6	3rd Male 40 to 44
Casey Clark	32:28.9
Paul Allan	33:50.3
Christelle Gigant	34:05.4	2nd Female 35 to 39
Pam Meaux	34:07.4	3rd Female Master Winners
Arran Keith	35:32.0
Edson Jones	35:50.0
Stephen Barrass	36:27.8
Nora Wilson	37:40.6	1st Female 55 to 59
Chantal Requier	37:47.9
Chris Normyle	38:01.1
Phillip Deprang	38:32.7
Andreas Grossmann	38:48.9
John Tortorici	39:02.9
Cesar Patino	41:05.6
Kristin Collins	42:06.9
Sarah Pietraszek-Mattner	42:19.0
Mitchell Hall	43:03.6
Randy Barron	44:57.0
Carolyn Barron	44:57.9
Kristen Gohlke	45:10.9
Michael Csikos	45:12.6
Shirley Santangelo	45:44.5
Sara Vanderford	46:52.1
Katherine Powell	47:26.8
Courtney Myers	49:49.4
Kathleen Crea	51:33.3
Pia Grossmann	1:01:24.2
Ed York	1:01:54.4
Xochitl Carias	1:05:28.8

Run Thru the Woods Race Website
Run Wild Race Results Website


Kudos to Russell Meyer for his race and for generating the race results report!

I heard Matt Horak and Mike Flake raced but could not find in the results.  Matt ran at 8:10 pace.
 Lane Barron who came in 3rd in his age group in a time of 17:52.9 in the 3 mile race.

Travys Townson, Arran Keith, and Steven Barrass - thumbs up after the 5 miler.

Christelle Gigant takes 2nd in her AG!

Nora Wilson wins her AG!

Vera, Christelle, and Pam show off their winning plaques!

HMSA 25K

Congratulations to Finish Strong athletes who took part in the 2013 HMSA 25K run held on November 27 in Houston. Coach Kim Mac Namee finished 3rd overall.  Julio Morales finished in 2:01.  Minnie Huynh finished in 3:06.  Claudia Dorr finished in 2:48:58. Christelle Gigant in 2:00:49.   Nora Wilson won her AG in 2:04:53!

Nora Wilson on her way to winning her AG!

Another medal for Nora!

Christmas 5K Fun run

Ronnie and Stefanie Delzer the Christmas 5K fun run Saturday night (November 23rd) at College Station.  It was very cold and windy at the start but turned out to be good running conditions.  Ronnie won the race with a time of 16:48.   Stefanie had a PR and averaged right at 10 min per mile pace for a overall time of 31 flat. 

And the winner is... Ronnie Delzer!

Rock N Roll San Antonio Half Marathon

Congrats to Finish Strong's Jan Kaiser who finished her first half marathon at Rock N Roll San Antonio on Sunday, November 17th!

Way to win the medal at San Antonio Half Marathon, Jan!

Ironman Arizona

Congratulations to Finish Strong athletes Jim Harrington, Cindy McManis and Don Cole for their accomplishments at racing at Ironman Arizona on Sunday, November 18.  Cindy smashed her previous IM time by 1 hour and 16 minutes and finished the day in 13:52:33.  Jim also enjoyed a PR finishing in 10:56:21. Don was just 1 minute and 19 seconds off his previous PR.  Don finished in 11:39:19.

Cindy McManis post race shot!  Way to go!!

Jim Harrington's splits:

01:05:32

05:27:40

04:14:34

10:56:21

Cindy McManis' splits: 

01:30:46

06:40:52

05:18:45

13:52:33

Don Cole's splits:

01:26:21

05:44:25

04:12:20

11:39:19

For more on results, go to:

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/arizona/results.aspx?race=arizona&rd=20131117&q

iWalk for Dogs

Kim Bowden and daughter, Heather and her puppy enjoyed iWalk for Animals supporting the Houston SPCA on Sunday, November 10.

Kim, Heather, and pooch at iWalk for Animals

Kids Running for Kids

Early bird rate if you sign up by November 15th.

10K Grape Stomp

Congratulations to Finish Strong' Bill Adam who took the podium for the first time at the 10k Grape Stomp, Bill came in 3rd in my his 40-49 age group and 21st overall in a time of 49:39.2.  Way to go, Bill!

For more results, go to 

http://www.finishlineproduction.com/ResultsFiles/2013%20Results/GrapeStomp/GS10AgeGroup.htm

Ironman Florida

A huge congrats to Ironman Florida finishers Manuel Abascal, Irasema de Aquino, and Olesya Prystayko.
The race was held on November 2 in Panama City, Florida with close to ideal conditions.  Ira was determined to conquer her first Ironman and she did it -- beating the midnight deadline with 18 minutes to spare. Ira's splits were 1:53:47 swim, 8:05:37 bike, and 6:18:36 run for an overall time of 16:42:55.  Her husband, Manuel, cruised ahead to finish his fourth (is it?) Ironman in 13:32:26.  Manuel's splits were 1:19:29 swim, 6:41:06 bike, and 5:12:21 run.

Manuel and Ira -- a wonderful couple who took on Ironman Florida together!

Olesya Prystayko, professional triathlete from the Ukraine (who is staying with us!) had a wonderful race smashing  her former Ironman distance races by finishiing in 9.  She finished 11th among all the female pro triathletes. Olesya's splits were 1:02:06 swim, 4:49:48 bike, 3:20:54 marathon for an overall finish time of
9:18:23.

Olesya Prystayko has the best Ironman of her professional career so far at Ironman Florida finishing in 9:18:23.

Amazing!!

  

Oilman Half Ironman

Congratulations to all twenty-seven of the Finish Strong Coaching athletes who raced at Oilman on Sunday, November 3.  Special shout out to podium finishers: Mike Novelli who won his AG, Kent Morris 3rd in his AG; and Team FSR men's relay race took 3rd.  Also, phenomenal PR race for John McGowan.  Great job, all!

John McGowan enjoys PR of over 38 minutes!

TEAM FSR relay took 3rd in the men's division - Tim Monk, Dana Lyons, and Ronnie Delzer!

Travys Townson and Arran Keith are all smiles after Oilman.

Jeanette Hagelskaen enjoys post-race refreshment!

Individuals:

Jed Beck - 6:51:35.6
Tommy Behe - 5:45:42.4
Ileana Carroll  7:14:18.2  - 7th in AG
Scott Farrand 6:40:24.2 - 18th in AG
Kristen Gohlke  5:45:19.5 - 8th in AG
Jeanette Hagelskaen - 6:47:52.6  - 14th in AG
Susan Hardwick-Smith 6:23:18.1 - 5th in AG
Abraham Hernandez - 6:35:30.3
Sandra Huskey  7:07:53.3 - 15th in AG
Arran Keith 6:03:40.8
Aki Laine - 5:40:06.0
John McGowan - 6:15:26.3 - PR by over 33 minutes!
Mike Menster 5:14:00.3  - 8th in his AG
Kent Morris  - 5:15:39.7 - 3rd in his AG!
Mike Novelli -  5:24:51.0 - 1st in his AG!
Ken Page -  6:41:32.6
Gloria Shrewsbury 6:28:42.8 - 7th in AG
Travys Townson - 5:20:49.5 - 11th in his AG
Sara Vanderford -  7:22:06.8 - 9th in her AG

We also had several people competing on relays:

Male relay
Team FSR (Tim Monk, Dana Lyons, Ronnie Delzer) - 4:15:33.4 - 3rd!
Finish Strong and Friends 4:48:06.3   - 6th
Alan Jones (bike) and friend
John Howe and Dale Claudel (bike)

Mixed relay
Chantal Requier, Jim Harrington, Sarah Getty -
Vic Kaiser (swim) and friends -

Please let me know the name of your relay team, so I can complete results.  Thanks!

For more results, go to:
http://www.eztoregister.com/assets/Oil13.HTM

For more results on relays, go to:
http://www.eztoregister.com/assets/OilACR13.HTM

Dynamo 5K

Congrats to Finish Strong's Kevin Baker who enjoyed another another 5K PR! Kebin took 2nd place in his 30-39 AG at the Houston Dynamo charities 5K Saturday November 2. Kevin reports, "It felt good to achieve an 18:40 PR on nice course that finished inside stadium. I won a medal and 2 free playoff tickets!"

Finish Strong's Kevin Baker sets another personal best at the Houston Dynamo 5K.

Viva La Run on Tuesday, November 5th at 7pm

What: Viva la Run- Fun Run on the Water Way

When: Tuesday Nov. 5th, 2013

Time: Registration begins at 6pm at Yucatan Taco Stand (24 Water Way Ave.)

               Fun Run begins at 7pm & will be ran on the Water Way. Run led by Luke's Locker employee.

Who: Open to all; but gift that comes with the $15 are limited to the first 125 participants.

Price: $15 (cash only; bring ID.) Fee gets the first 125 a margarita* provided by Yucatan (*soft drink for those under 21), food provided by Yucatan, gift. Proceeds benefit the Houston Parks Board.

Questions?  Contact Rachael Peters at Luke's Locker- Woodlands, 281-419-0326

Beach 2 Battleship Ironman

Congratulations to Finish Strong's Zach Miller who finished off his triathlon season with an amazing race at Beach2Battleship Ironman in Wilmington, North Carolina last weekend.  This was Zach's first full Ironman distance race and he finished in 11:23:02 capturing 2nd in his age group and 83rd overall.  Zach's splits were 1:00:04 swim; 5:51:23 bike and 4:22:24 marathon.

Zach on the podium with his 2nd AG finish at Beach2Battleship Ironman.

For more results, go to http://setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=3903

Marine Corps Marathon

Congratulations to Finish Strong's Roger Mercier who finished his 5th consecutive Marine Corps Marathon.

Marine Corps Marathon - Marathon

RUNNER

32213

ROGER MERCIER

THE WOODLANDS, TX

Male / 66

View All Male 65 - 69 Results

Division
90

Gender
12166

Overall
20431

Austin 70.3

Eight Finish Strong Athletes competed in the Austin 70.3 race on Sunday, October 27.  Y'all rock!

Danny Watterson   41:13 swim   3:17:03 bike  2:17:16 run  - 6:27:35 overall
Brandi Watterson   48:06 swim   3:21:19 bike  2:00:35 run -  6:20:05 overall
Danny Ratliff          45:01 swim    3:06:31 bike  2:21:41 run  - 6:29:53 overall
Lisanne Rogers      36:59 swim    3:14:30 bike   1:58:05 run - 6:01:33 overall
Sara Jones            41:59 swim     2:57:35 bike   1:38:12 run - 5:25:19 overall
John McClellan     44:06 swim     3:02:50 bike    2:06:51 run - 6:00:59 overall
Chandler Feldman  47:24 swim    3:31:06 bike    2:33:20 run - 7:08:05 overall
Leah Jenkins          41:59 swim    3:15:19 bike    1:56:36 run -  6:05:36 overall

Sara Jones finished 14th ag and was 18th fastest woman on the run amongst all age groupers. 

For more results, go to
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/austin/results.aspx#axzz2j3F3O04f

Ironman 70.3 Miami

Congrats to Finish Strong's Shannon Crowe and Michelle Howard who both set PRs at Ironman 70.3 Miami held on Saturday, October 26th.   Shannon placed 3rd in her AG in a time of 5:04:02.  Shannon's splits were 36:18 swim; 2:39:24 bike and 1:44:35 run.  Michelle finished in 5:49:34.  Her splits were 42:30 swim; 3:03 bike; 1:56 half marathon.

Shannon Crowe and Michelle Howard enjoy PRs at Ironman Miami!

Shannon places 3rd in her AG!

For more results, go to

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/miami/results.aspx#axzz2j2urRJXc

Race for the Halo 5K

Congrats to Finish Strong's John Tortorici who finished 9^th place overall in 23:40 at Race for the Halo 5k at Deussen Park on Saturday. John reports, "Time wasn’t all that impressive, but I did do an 11.5 mile run before the 5k."  Way to go!

John Tortorici kicks it to finish 10th overall at Race for the Halo 5K!

Houston Half Marathon

Congratulations to Finish Strong athletes who ran the Houston Half Marathon on Sunday, October 27 in very rainy conditions. After the start of the race was postponed by an hour due to the weather, the Houston half took off in drizzle and light rain.  There were some flooded patches along the course, but overall, the footing wasn't too bad.  Pam Meaux won her age group by over 3 minutes, securing her entry to the Houston Marathon as a local invited elite runner.  Nora Wilson also won the her age group with over 3 minutes on her nearest competitor.

Pam Meaux wins her AG at the rainy Houston Half Marathon.

Here are more result highlights:
Pam Meaux won her female 50-54 age group in a blazing 1:34:54
Nora Wilson won her female 55-59 age group in a speedy 1:43:56
Jesus Carias finished in 1:40:23 (7:24/mi) pace.
Hector Gonzalez finished in 1:42.
Matt Horak raced his fastest half this year finishing in 1:54.
Sharon Morin finished in 2:05.
Rolando Sierra finished in 2:02:09.
Sue Fuller finished in 2:05:14.

Way to go, runners!

For more results, go to:

http://eztoregister.com/assets/HH13.htm

USA Track and Field National Championship

Finish Strong Coach Kim Mac Namee raced in the USA Track and Field (USATF) 15k National Championships on Saturday, October 26th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  She finished in 57:45 (6:11min/mile) and placed 3rd Masters Overall and 2nd in Group 40-45.

Kim at finish line after USATF 15K National Championship -- placing 3rd among masters!

Try Andy's Tri

Congratulations to Alan Jones and Jim Grant for winning the relay race at Try Andy's Tri on Sunday, October 20.  Alan swam and biked and his friend Jim Grant ran. Alan's completed the 300 m swim in 4:14, then biked the 10 mile course in 24:24.  Jim finished up the race with a 21.52 3 mile run. The next best finisher was 10 minutes behind. This was a pr for both in all three legs!  Way to go!

Winners of Try Andy's Tri sprint relay!