Autumn is always a busy time for racing, and this year is no exception. Roadkill Racing has completed in the following USATF team races over the past few months (in addition to everyone’s regularly scheduled races):
10/20 Ridge Run 25K Trail Race (women finished first!) 11/03 Pete Glavin Cross Country 8K (men finished 5th, women incomplete) 11/10 Syracuse Half Marathon (women 3rd, men 4th)
These races are all part of the USATF Niagara Grand Prix series. The next and final race in the series is the Holiday Classic indoor 5,000m on 12/29. Look for us there!
My fiancé Don is a new member of Roadkill. He’s happy to be part of the team, although not nearly as fast as some of our other illustrious members. So when Matthew put out the call for creating a Roadkill team for the Bristol 10k, Don felt that he could help Roadkill. He may not be fast, but he’s tough and could power up those hills. I was on the fence about running it. I had just run Candlelight 24 and my quads were finally starting to speak to me again. But I’ve signed the poor man up for so many races, it was the least that I could do. (God help me!)
Unfortunately we were not able to form a team for the men. Erin, Molly, Ashlie and I were able to represent the women. Thank goodness they are the fast ones and I was told that I only had to cross the finish line! At that point, looking up at the mountain, I knew that this race was not going to be pretty.
The beginning of the race immediately started up the mountain. It was around 1.5 miles before we reached the top of the climb. The grade wasn’t terrible and I power-walked it. I wanted to conserve some energy and I thought that I could make up time on the descent going into mile 2.
Ummmmm…….no.
I was able to pick up the pace, but it was pretty steep. There was a path through the tall grass, but you needed to be vigilant. There were “ruts” (maybe to keep the snow in place on the hill during ski season?).
The climb going into mile 3 wasn’t too bad. At this point I wasn’t worried about time. I wanted to finish and earn the right to wear the race T (it was a pretty blue color 🙃). Another descent and a decent runnable portion…..then……
THE HILL AT MILE 4!
It became a matter of survival at that point. We were warned of this hill at the start, but I have never been afraid of a hill so bring it on!!
Holy Mother of …..
Halfway up, I seriously considered my odds of injury if I just gave up and rolled down. I also wondered it there was a helicopter rescue option available. In the end, it was the thought of watermelon at the aid station that gave me the strength to climb it.
It was a very nice aid station. Watermelon 🍉!!!!
The next section of the race was pretty nice. I believe that it is the cross country ski loop. After that it was basically all downhill (a steep downhill) to the finish line. I ran/ walk/ran/walk and tried a sideways kind of running. ( I avoided a face plant, I’ll count that as a victory)
I swore that I would never “run” it again, but I would. 😜
Congratulations to my Roadkill teammates who seriously kicked butt on such a crazy hard course (I didn’t mention the high heat and humidity)
Roadkill Racing has always made the USATF Championship races a priority in the past. These are terrific opportunities to get everyone together for a puking good time, as well as a chance to win money, which as everyone knows, can be exchanged for goods, such as beer and burgers. Typically, we have had good showings and usually end up top three at these races.
This year, USATF Niagara is changing things up a bit, and turning the series of championship races into a Grand Prix series. Rather than offering prize money at each race, teams will earn points based on their finishing place, and the top three teams with the most amount of points at the end of the series will win money.
The first three races have already occurred, with RKR sitting in third place for both the men and women. With five more races ahead of us, there is ample opportunity for RKR to really show its strength on the roads and trails this year. Wish us luck as we continue to race for beer and glory!
I had heard there would be a lot of people at the 2019 Boilermaker, but nothing prepared me for the actuality of it all. I’m a small town kind of person, this was very much out of my realm! From the expo on Saturday, to the start line Sunday morning, crowds, and nerves, were high. As I did some random stretching outside of our corrals, my anxiety about the task at hand grew.
Fortunately, I managed to come in contact with the great contingent of Road Kill members who decided to take on the legendary event. This lessened my tension greatly, surrounded by some great people, just having fun. Time ticked on as the start loomed near. A delay, some friendly banter, and a team cheer later, we were off! The first 5k went by very quickly. The crowd, and support on the course was unlike anything I’d ever imagined. Signs, bands, excessive water stops, the energy on the course was palpable. Despite a decent amount of uphill running (more gradual than anything), I was ahead of where I planned to be pace wise.
The author leading the RKR contingent through the streets of Utica
The second 5k was the breath of fresh air I had been waiting for. The uphills ceased, and the downhills took their turn! Gravity was not only on our side, but the crowd, as well! They cheered us on as we continued to grind, getting ever closer to the post race party. It was around 4 miles that I found another runner, who was interested in working together to move up. We traded the lead a few times, breaking the wind for one another. He eventually dropped me (soon after 10k), but I’m very grateful that we got to help each other for a while.
New member Matt Palmer on his way to a 58-minute finish
The last 5k, while elevation friendly, was rough for me. I had passed the 10k mark a mere ~20 seconds slower than my flat out personal best. My legs stopped firing as quickly as they had 6.2 miles before, and I was wondering if I had written checks my body couldn’t cash. Mentally, I just needed to make it to the eighth mile. I figured after that, any kind of crash wouldn’t be too bad. Mile 8 came, and went. Before I knew it, the ninth mile reared it’s glorious head. My legs found new life, as I made a sad attempt at a kick to get through the finish line.
The Matt brigade (and Kraig’s side) running tough!
Despite not regrouping with my teammates after the race, I had nothing to regret on that day. I went out harder than I felt I should, and it paid off (in this particular case!). The team as a whole had a stellar showing, and enjoyed some beer, and glory after their races! The Boilermaker is a staple race in not only New York, but the country as a whole. It’s a bucket list race that I feel all runners should experience, at least once in their lives. Great showing, Roadkill! On to the next one! For Beer, and Glory, Dave
Kraig’s wife Chelsea won wife of the year for walking nearly 3 miles through the streets of Utica to meet the racers at the finishMost of the squad after the race
Matt’s note: Roadkill Racing had a great contingent with lots of stellar performances on Sunday! Here are the results I know about:
Dave Herbert – 54:16 Matt Palmer – 58:05 Matt Roberts – 58:15 Kraig Connor – 1:02:15| Ryan Sullivan – 1:02:26 Dan Sackett – 1:11:58 Lindsay Rynders – 1:17:04 Davida Graham – 1:31:40
