Late Summer Racing Update
LRC Racing has had a lot going on the past few weekends, starting with Saturday, July 22nd in Columbus, NE, where the 2017 version of the Columbus Downtown Runaround took place. This race marked the 7th anniversary of the beginning of LRC, so it was only fitting that co-founder Eric Noel made an appearance to mark the date. The weather this year was unlike any other year in recent memory. Temperatures were over 80 degrees, and the humidity stood at 1,000%. Even so, LRC athletes showed up and represented well. Nolan Zimmer (26:26) was second overall, while Andrew Jacob (28:56) also logged a top 10 finish. Joe Coil (28:59, 2nd AG), Connor Bohlken (30:01, 3rd AG) and Logan Watley (30:37, 4th AG) also suffered through the difficult conditions that saw Nolan run the 8th fastest 5 mile in team history.
On the women’s side, LRC swept the top awards with Bridget Easley (30:49), Michelle Paxton (31:12) and Mary Hillis (32:23) going 1-2-3. Bridget’s time places her 4th on the Top 10 lists, while Mary’s inaugural race puts her 8th.
On the Master’s side, Ryan Regnier (29:24, 1st Masters) and Chuck Smith (30:06, 2nd Masters) let the way for LRC, with Kevin Burke (34:35, 1st AG) and Kerry McDermott (37:04, 3rd AG) also representing. In addition to Michelle Paxton being the first masters finisher and setting a new masters record for the 5 mile distance, Amy McCracken also finished second in her age group (34:51).
That same day, Kyle Clouston took on the Psycho Psummer Trail Run in Kansas City, KS outpacing almost 60 other athletes in the event to a third overall finish in the 50K event.
Finally, on Saturday, August 5th, LRC Racing took to the streets of Fallbrook to compete in the first annual GSK Orange Run. The night race saw Michael Rathje place 2nd overall (16:14), with Cole Marolf (16:19) not far behind in third. Ryan Regnier (17:26, 6th OA, 1st Masters) and Derek Sekora (18:15, 9th OA) also had top ten finishes, but as well as the men ran, the women stole the show.
Erica Doering (18:29) Bridget Easley (18:33) and Michelle Paxton (18:41) swept top places again, while Anna Hazard ran her debut race in 19:13 for the team. Frankie Petersen (19:51, 8th OA) and Amy McCracken (20:22, 10th OA) rounded out the top 10 for the event. The race saw four new times on the all-time charts with Erica, Bridget, Michelle and Anna now sitting 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 8th, respectively.
In addition to Ryan, Michelle and Amy, the Master’s team was represented by Tim Larsen (19:20, 3rd AG), Brett Daugherty (19:24, 1st AG), Jeff Hansen (19:48, 2nd AG), Darin Schlake (20:17, 6th AG), Kevin Burke (20:20, 3rd AG) and Maureen Larsen (22:57, 2nd AG). Kevin’s time also places him 5th on the 50+ Top 10 Charts for the 5K distance!
Full results from these races can be found here: