PRTC Weekly: 09/09/2019 (Main Line, Heroes, and More)
The Track is Back!
Join us at Franklin Field tonight for our first official track session of the season. Arrive at 6:15 for warm-up or catch one of our workouts at 6:30. Check Slack to select a workout or propose your own!
Race Results
Wayne, PA: PRTC had a successful return to the USATF Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix circuit at the Main Line 5k. The team had excellent participation at the event as 13 runners took on the rolling course in beautiful weather.
The men's team was led by Dylan Gearinger as they claimed 7 of the top 10 places. Dylan's sub 15 performance almost certainly set a course record as he cruised to a first place finish. He was followed by club newcomer, Jason Ayr, who ran a comfortable 15:40 for second. Jason is set to join a formidable PRTC lineup at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this coming Sunday. As the clock ticked past the 16 minute mark the trio of Alexis Geslin, Alex Predhome, and Kevin Brandon jockeyed for position up the last hill and into the finish. Alexis ultimately won the race within a race, followed by Alex, and finally Kevin. Next in was Ivan Runchkin who suffered a course misdirection and Craig Eppler who came across the line just one second after his brother Paul. Max Krall followed in just over 18 minutes as Jesus Muniz wrapped things up for PRTC's men with an 18:40 finish and 2nd place division result.
Lauren Kelly led the way for PRTC Women in her second race of the weekend. Her 18:58 placed her first. She was quoted as having "no regrets" about the weekend of racing. Lauren narrowly beat out Abby Cember (who accomplished her goal of beating certain runners on a certain master's team). Abby was followed by Faye Hellman who just held off the formidable Gene Dykes as she blazed across the finish line. Meredith Unger placed 1st in her age group and just missed first master's award money after a conservative start. Great job all!
Results
Dylan Gearinger: 14:56 (1st)
Jason Ayr: 15:40 (2nd)
Alexis Geslin: 16:07 (3rd)
Alex Predhome: 16:10 (4th)
Kevin Brandon: 16:15 (5th)
Ivan Runchkin: 17:18 (7th)
Craig Eppler: 17:22 (10th)
Max Krall: 18:06 (14th)
Jesus Muniz: 18:40 (17th)
Lauren Kelly: 18:58 (1st)
Abby Cember: 19:05 (2nd)
Faye Hellman: 19:55 (4th)
Meredith Unger: 20:27 (6th)
Full results here.
Philadelphia, PA: PRTC returned to the expertly manged 9/11 Heroes Run at the Navy Yard on Saturday morning. Steve Hallman showed tremendous fitness as he readies for the Berlin Marathon. His first place finish of 14:50 won the day by a large margin. Don't let him fool you when he says the course was short! He ran a great 5k. Steve was followed by Alexis Geslin who was doubling on races for the weekend. His 16:08 won 2nd place. Ian Penkala scored 5th at the event in 17:17 and Evan Skalski snuck just under the 18 minute mark for 8th place overall.
Christine Eisenberg and Lauren Kelly went one/two at the race. Christine showed some nice early season fitness with her 17:12 and Lauren (doubling on the weekend) placed 2nd in 18:53 before taking the win at the above-mentioned Main Line 5k. Shout out to Race Director Faye Hellman for the free entries to PRTC! The race supports the important work Travis Manion Foundation. Check them out!
Results
Steve Hallman: 14:50 (1st)
Alexis Geslin: 16:08 (2nd)
Ian Penkala: 17:17 (5th)
Evan Skalski: 17:59 (8th)
Christine Eisenberg: 17:12 (1st)
Lauren Kelly: 18:53 (2nd)
Full results here.
Asheville, NC: Harsha Thirumurthy returned to the Blue Ridge Relay for a third time. He completed the race's 208 mile relay from Grayson Highlands State Park in VA to Asheville NC with his former track club, Bull City Masters. The 12 man team finished the challenging course in 22 hrs, 25 minutes (6:25/mile). This placed their team at 5th overall and 1st in the masters' division. Harsha ran three segments, 5 pm Friday, 1 am Saturday, and 9 am Saturday. The last one had a 2-mile stretch at 10% grade... He reports, "a great time was had by all" and that the winning team (Asheville Running Collective) ran a fast 5:38 pace on the hilly course while wondering if PRTC could take them on. Great work Harsha! Perhaps we can form a team next year!
Results
Harsha Thirumurthy/Bull City: 22:25:00 (5th)
Full results here.
Haverford, PA: Greg Morgan debuted for PRTC at the Haverford Alumni 3 Mile Race. He won the cross country event with a fast time of 14:46. We're all looking forward to his next stops at Paul Short and of course USATF Club XC Nationals. Welcome, Greg!
Results
Greg Morgan: 14:46 (1st)
Full results here.
Allentown, PA: Lastly, two of our own took on the St. Luke's VIA Marathon where they each placed in the top ten of their respective fields. Nick Crits ran a 2:46:57 which earned him a 7th place finish. Meanwhile, Sarah Heins had a very successful debut in the marathon distance as she placed 4th and ran a fast 3:05:41. This easily qualified her for her spring goal race of Boston. Great work!
Results
Nick Crits: 2:46:57 (7th)
Sarah Heins: 3:05:41 (4th)
Full results here.
Upcoming Runs, Events, & Races
Tuesday: 6:30 PM from Lloyd (Confirm workout parameters & partners via Slack.)
Sunday: Long run at 9:00 AM from Lloyd Hall.
Races
September 15th, 2019: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
September 22nd, 2019: USATF NJ Open & Masters 8k XC Championships (Logan Township, NJ)
September 29th, 2019: BWM-Berlin Marathon (Berlin, Germany)
October 5th, 2019: Paul Short Invitational (Bethlehem, PA)
October 12th, 2019: Jack Saint Clair XC (Philadelphia, PA)
October 12th, 2019: Hartford Marathon (Hartford, CT)
October 13th, 2019: Delaware Distance Classic 15k (Delaware City, DE) *
October 13th, 2019: Chicago Marathon (Chicago, IL)
November 3rd, 2019: Marshall Half Marathon (Huntington, WV)
November 3rd, 2019: New York Marathon (New York, NY)
November 3rd, 2019: Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge (Camden, NJ) *
November 23rd, 2019: Philadelphia Half Marathon (Philadelphia, PA) *
November 23rd, 2019: Rothman 8k (Philadelphia, PA) *
November 24th, 2019: Philadelphia Marathon (Philadelphia, PA) *
December 8th, 2019: California International Marathon (Sacramento, CA)
December 14th, 2019: USATF Club XC Nationals (Bethlehem, PA)
February 29th, 2020: US Olympic Team Trials - Marathon (Atlanta, GA)
* USATF Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix Event
