STRength through Adversity – Spare Tire Dominates the RBR

“Two minutes before the start of the 25K…” was all we heard before the rain came down.

 

Shawn, Kim, and Vinnie all ran in the rain soaked River Bank Run 25K World Championships on Saturday May 9^th in Grand Rapids. The course was new, flooding from the river had forced a race week change to the routing which added difficulty to all of the runners. We dealt with a more narrow running area due to the out and back course, more hills, and of course the inclement weather. Despite that, we all persevered and finished STRong. While Kim and Shawn weren’t particularly happy with their times, I was able to push myself and better my time from last year by 5 minutes. I hit the wall with about 3.5 miles to go and gutted it out. The weather definitely played a part in the race for all of us, as well as the more crowded running area. After the race we all headed straight home for dry clothes and a warm blanket. I’ve always been told to draw on past experiences when times get tough during a run. Well I’m pretty sure that all three of us can think back to this one and draw some strength from it to push through our next tough training run/race.  

-Vinnie

 

Gettysburg to DC

Big Fella's summary of his adventures in one of Runner's World's top races in the nation, The Odyssey Relay Race from Gettysburg PA to Washington DC on April 24-25 

It was a bit warm that day and I did 4 legs of the relay (out of 36) and 20 miles over the 36 hours.  My first leg crossed the Mason Dixon Line from PA to MD.  My middle two legs went through the Antietam Battlefield, and the last leg was a death march down the C&O Canal path into DC.  We had 2 teams of 12, that shrunk to 10 by the end due to injuries.  Our team, the Slackers, finished tied with our other team, the Krybabies for next to last place.  That was our goal.  Our time was 35:21.  Winning time was around 23 hours and the second place team was anchored by the mayor of DC, Adrian Fenty (a really good triathlete) at just over 24 hours.  We have some improving to do.  Award for best team name went to "Four Score and Twenty Blisters".  They were an internet team w/ members from all over the country & Canada.  Best sight was their guy from Ottawa finishing his leg and firing up a Marlboro.  

STR Pint Glasses

STR Pint glasses are now available for only $5.  The pint glasses feature the new STR logo and are perfect for your morning smoothie or favorite adult sport beverage.  Quantities  are limited, not available in any store.  Glasses may be shipped, buyer responsible for actual shipping charges.  Send an email to sparetireracing@gmail.com if you are interested.

STR First Annual Pub Fun Run

The race weather was almost perfect for the First Annual STR Pub Fun Run, despite an epic storm that blew through Royal Oak less then a few hours before the start of the race.  The race made its way from STR head quarters to Mr. B's for the first adult sport drink aid station.   After Mr. B's the majority of the racers completed the 2 mile loop tempo run to the Royal Oak Brewery where they were greeted by a few pitchers of some of the ROBC's finest adult sports drinks and The World's Best Chicken Nachos.  It felt great to relax in the beer garden enjoying some afternoon sun while debating the fact that you really cannot make up time during a race.  The racers made it back to STR headquarters for the post race celebration, food, prize drawing and some Todd Freeman B-day cake.  A great time was had by all.  A special thanks to Mindy for providing the mobile race support/first aid and Pat from the ROBC for those nachos.

STR Pub Fun Run

This Saturday will be the first ever STR Pub Fun Run.  STR members, friends and family members will be taking the 3 or 5 mile round trip from STR head quarters to down town Royal Oak.  The route will have 2 aid stations with adult sports drinks as well as food and another adult sport drink for the post run.  Participates will receive an official STR pint glass along with prizes for the middle three runners.  The run will start at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday April, 25th.  Cost is $30 for members and $35 for non members, proceeds to benefit Spare Tire Racing.  For more information please contact Jon "Nordberg" at ajnorgard@sbcglobal.net

Martians vs STR

The Badolatos team up this year to take on the Martian 1/2 marathon.  This would be Michelle's first attempt at this distance.  She flat out dominated the course with a time of 2:02:37 with some of her fastest splits in the last few miles.  Tony flew through the 13.1 mile course with a time 1:43:48.  Vinnie and I tried to keep up with him on our bikes, but he was too fast.  Tony knocked off over 7 minutes from last years effort.  The Badolatos both had a solid day, took home a couple of PR's with their STRong efforts.  Special thanks to PJ for coming out to cheer on STR on his way to work.

Cherry Blossom 10 miler

Brian, "Big Fella" (on the left) had no time to stop and smell the flowers at this years Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington, D.C. with his impressive time of 1:33:54.  This was good enough to bring home 4382 place out of 6595 in the men's division and 405/576 in his age group.  With the near perfect conditions and hard training, Big Fella was able to knock off 5 and a half minutes off of last years time.  It was a good day!