Race for the Bacon 5k/10k--awesome new Wisconsin race. Check it out

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Chris Ponteri, Race Director at 262-758-9226 or chris@longrunathletics.com

Race for the Bacon Coming to Milwaukee

In what promises to be one of the most unique and entertaining fitness events of the summer, organizers have announced the inaugural Race for the Bacon 5k and 10k race to be held at Wisconsin State Fair Park on Thursday, June 14 at 7 p.m.

The race is just the appetizer for a night of bacon-themed fun. Event organizers are lining up an all-star roster of local food and drink companies and chefs to produce bacon-inspired dishes.  And the winners of the race will receive bacon, giving new meaning to the phrase “bringing home the bacon”.

“Contrary to what many people think, runners aren’t all about eating healthy,” said event organizer Chris Ponteri.  “We like to indulge in guilty pleasures, and I can’t think of any food that fits that description more than bacon.”

Ponteri, who also organizes the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon at the Pettit Center, came up with the idea for the Race for the Bacon early last year and approached Wisconsin State Fair Park officials with his idea over the summer.  “They were immediately sold,” he said.  “It goes well with the fair and some of the other events they do there.”

The race will start and finish right outside the Cousin’s Amphitheater in the center of the park grounds. The course will go through the grounds and also feature a lap on the famed Milwaukee Mile race track for the 5k runners and two laps for 10k runners.  The Mile is the oldest auto racing track in the United States.

The post-race party and awards ceremony will be held at the Cousin’s Amphitheater immediately following the race.  Organizers are in the process of lining up food vendors and will be working with a well-known local caterer to coordinate the party.  Live music will also be featured on the amphitheater stage.

The Race for Bacon has selected MS Run the US to be its charity partner.  A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to MS Run the US, which is a non-profit founded by Ashley Kumlien of Brookfield.  For more information on MS Run the US, visit its website at www.msruntheus.com.

Sponsors on board so far include Performance Running Outfitters, Fit Milwaukee, ThunderDome Running, and Running in the USA.  Additional sponsors will be announced when they become available.

Registration for the Race for the Bacon will open on Friday, February 24 at http://baconrace.zapevent.com.  The race website is www.baconrace.com.  More information can be found on the Race for Bacon Facebook page.

Awesome Lakefront Marathon Day for ThunderDome Running athletes

Yesterday was the 31st annual Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee, WI and with the weather cooperating and the work put in over the past few months ThunderDome Running was ready to roll.

Marek Kotrly, 40, from Brookfield, WI, raced to a 3rd place finish in 2:35:23 a personal best and was the top overall Master's finisher. Marek used almost an unbelievable last 1/2 of the race to run his best marathon ever.  He used a huge negative split running the first 13.1 miles in 78:47 and then coming back 2+ minutes faster over the last 13.1 miles in a split of 76:30 to clock the 2:35 3rd place finish.

Cheryl Myszka carried out her race plan perfectly running a time of 4:30:10. A couple months back Cheryl's goal was to run 5 hours but she put in the work and ran a great 10:19 mile pace at Lakefront. Cheryl also carried out her race plan perfectly being patient early on running the first 13.1 miles in 2:19:31 and then came storming back in 2:10:39.

Congrats to Cheryl and Marek. Next up for ThunderDome Running is the Chicago Marathon Sunday, Oct 9.

2011 Lakefront Marathon, Milwaukee, WI

This sports weekend around Milwaukee is amazing with the Milwaukee Brewers opening their NLDS series, the Badgers play Nebraska, Packers trying to go 4-0, and the 2011 Lakefront Marathon Sunday.

ThunderDome Running has a solid group racing Sunday at Lakefront. Just wanted to wish Cheryl and Marek good luck on Sunday. Looking for great weather, fast times, and a fun event.

With the Chicago marathon coming up just (9) days out, we are full into sharpen and rest mode for that group.  Fall is absolutely the best time to run, train hard, and get out there and race.  ThunderDome athletes have a lot happening over the next month with the Lakefront Marathon, Chicago Marathon, and New York City Marathon all on our racing radar and calendars.  Good Luck to everyone.

The Great Cow Harbor Run 10k race report

It was a great race weekend at the Cow Harbor 10k in Northport, NY. The race course as usual was totally tough with the rolling hills but that is part of the challenge and fun of it and the weather was perfect in the 50's. Two course records went down. The men's side saw Mo Trafeh blister a 28:17 taking down Ryan Hall's course record and in the woman's race Janet Cherobon-Bawcom raced to 32:26 also a course record.  Up and down the top 20 the competition was fierce as Will Fodor (the elite race director) put together the best elite race field in the history of the race -- packed with Olympic Trials qualifiers, Pan Am games participants, and future Olympians all lining it up.  Check out the race recap here.
 photo courtesy of Steve Pfost

ThunderDome Running was well represented in the race and showed up huge. Kathleen Fodor ran an awesome race placing 2nd in the master's division in a blazing 39:52. Laura Fitzgerald stepped up and ran well when it mattered in a solid 48:38. I have to mention I had a crummy day grinding out a 31:34 placing 12th, but was happy with the effort--so move on from there.

2012 will have a ThunderDome Running race field trip to the small island town of Northport. Plans are in the works for a group to make the trip to the 35th annual Cow Harbor 10k.  Please check back or email for further details.  This is a race you have to do one time in your life. After the race you can head into NYC (Northport is just an hour train ride/drive from NYC) or make a trek to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY. A great weekend of running, travel and fun.

ThunderDome Running's own Keith Mulhollon finishes 2nd in USA Master's 15k Road Champs!

The ThunderDome Racing team was in action last week with Keith Mulhollon from Lake Geneva, WI racing his way to a runner-up finish in the USA National Master's 15k road championship. The race was in Buffalo NY and featured a challenging rolling course.  Keith ran a solid time of 49:06 at a 5:17 mile pace clip.  It was one of those races where the initial race plan we set up went out the window early on as the race was full of surges and slowdowns.  Just a crazy race overall, but a race that if you are not fit and ready to roll in can go array with all the surging.

Keith is a great example of someone who is able to balance family, a career, and high school cross country/track coaching, all with his running. He is on of the top Master's runners in the United States right now, and it gives us all hope that you can still be fast and roll races even with hectic days.  All set on Keith's fall racing calendar is the Master's USATF National Club Cross Country championship race is Seattle, WA on December 10.

Welcome to the Show - Keith Mulhollon - joins ThunderDome Racing

It was a busy week for the ThunderDome Running race team.  ThunderDome added one of the top Master's runners in the United States to the race team - Keith Mullhollon from Lake Geneva, WI.  Keith and I traveled to Cedar Rapids to race in the CVRA 5th Season Races - the Alliant Energy 8k. It was a stacked field and temps/humidity were high, but hey you know what you are getting when you line it up to race on July 4 in the midwest.

Keith raced to a 23rd place overall finish and won the male master's top spot racing a solid 25:41 8k.  I ended up running 24:49 and finished 16th overall.

 

If you are interested in joining the ThunderDome Racing team please feel free to email us at info@thunderdomerunning.com.

 

Great US Road Races - Top 10 All-Time

This week ThunderDome Running is heading to Cutlerville, MI for the 21st annual Brian Diemer Amerikam 5k run. This is a run that I first raced ten years ago when a friend of mine Robert Hyde, a former Calvin college standout in the 10k, called me and told me about the Diemer run that he had just taken over the reigns as race director.  I have tried to make the field trip back every year since 2001, because Robert has taken the race to a new level each year.

The Diemer run has everything you look for in a race. The Diemer Run has superior race leadership, it is well organized, it is a community backed event raising money for the Guiding Light Mission, and has a blazing fast PR type 5k race course along with a fast field to test yourself up and down the men's and woman's races.

The most unique aspect of the race is that if you beat Brian Diemer in the race you win yourself a donut post race. This is no small feat as Brian Diemer, the Calvin college Cross Country and Track coach for the past 24 years, is a former USA National Champ in the Steeplechase and Olympic games medal winner in the Steeplechase in 1984 at the LA games.

If you ever have a chance to jump in the car and check out a new race that is not a half marathon or marathon check out the Diemer 5k run you will love it.

Race Weekend - Welcome to the ThunderDome!

It is a huge weekend for ThunderDome Running as we have runners racing all over the US. 

Kathy, from Northport, NY is racing the NYRR New York Mini 10k now in its' 40th year and is held in Central Park. This years race is dedicated to late running great Grete Waitz.

Jim and Jeff are racing the Bellin Health 10k over the weekend in Green Bay, WI. The cool part about this race is Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers are also lining it up to race this year as they have in years past so you can throw down with the best.

Renee, from Wisconsin, has a busy running weekend - racing (3) relay legs on the Ragnar Relay series 200 mile 11 person relay race from Madison, WI to Chicago.

Frank is hitting a 10k this Friday in CT. The Niantic Bay 10k. Race #2 for Frank in one of the biggest ThunderDome Running training comebacks of the year!

Finally my wife Erin and I are running the Brian Diemer Amerikam 5k race in Cutlerville, MI.  This is one of my all-time fav races and will have a preview blog piece on the race tomorrow before heading out.

Good luck to everyone!

Boston Marathon 2011 & Matt Larsen's Final Boston training blog

We check in with Matt Larsen for his final training update before the 115th running of the Boston Marathon today.  You can follow the live action of the race today on Universal Sports.  Good luck to to everyone racing today, the Boston weather is predicted to be amazing with a tailwind on top of it.

I don’t have any exciting workouts to post about as I get closer to Boston but am excited to race as I get closer to the big day.  My intent in training was to put three solid weeks of running in once the track season started. The final three weeks leading up to Boston would be down weeks, less with the intent of tapering and more with recognition of the fact that I would take days off if time was unavailable on meet days.  I’ll give you the rundown of the workouts/runs that I ran and I’ll give you my mindset heading into race day.

4/02- Trail Breaker half- My intent was to run marathon pace (6:00 per mile) early and close a little more quickly as from about three miles out.  Well, things did not go well, and I only got about 4 miles in at marathon pace.  I did not find a groove and shut the race/workout, whatever you want to call it, down early.  I warned you in my first post that you might see this as a theme surrounding my mental weakness.  The fact was that I did not have it on this day and pulled the plug pretty early.  I’m not going to lie and say that this did not shake my confidence, but at the end of the day, I’ve always been pretty good at justifying rough days, and historically, I have shaken them off and bounced back relatively well.  I hope that is the case this time around.  The final time was about 83 minutes for the half or about four minutes slower than I plan on going out for the first half on the big day.

4/03- 10 miler with Mr. Thull- Our intent was to run easy, feel good, and dodge the bad weather- Mission accomplished.  The legs felt very good on this day, and there was no evidence that I had done anything remotely close to racing the day before.  I took that as a pretty good sign. 

So that is about all I have for workout related stuff.  I am very excited and also a little nervous for my third marathon.  The other marathons that I have run have gone completely differently.  In 2002, I was very fit for me coming off of a summer of 70, 80 and up to 90 mile weeks.  I ran the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee, went out hard, and faded badly…. really badly and finished in 2:47.  Man, did I feel good early, and then everything went bad from blisters, to nipple chaffing, to me having a pity party and throwing an 8 minute mile in there somewhere.  Anyway – I wasn’t mentally prepared for and didn’t know what to expect in the race.   

More recently, in 2009, I ran the Chicago marathon.  I was coming off of a summer of 40 mile and 50 mile weeks and had to start the race toward the back of the start line.  In this marathon, I also raced with a training partner, Bart, and things went about as well as I could have hoped.  I ended up negative splitting to a finishing time of 2:50.  This race went so much more smoothly because I respected the pace and didn’t get ahead of myself.  Heading into Boston, I don’t have the same type of fitness that I had in 2002, but most of my training is well ahead of where I was in 2009. If things go smoothly like they did in 2009, I think this can be a very positive experience.  The plan is to be patient.  We’ll see how it goes. 

Best of All -Time Races (Martian Invasion of Races)

The ThunderDome Running racing team took a little field trip to Dearborn, Michigan this past weekend for the 6th annual Martian Invasion of races.  Over the years I have probably raced more times in Michigan than in Wisconsin. The racing community and the road race scene in Michigan is amazing.  This weekend I jumped into a 10k.

Running Fit presented the Martian Invasion of Races with the opportunity to race a 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon relay, or full marathon Saturday April 2.  To pull off that sheer number of races on a single race day morning takes a ton of work and organization, but the Michigan racing community did not disappoint.  The race organization was top notch from the police dept, to the race volunteers, to the support from the city of Dearborn. There were aliens all over town!

I think the best part about the Martian racing weekend is that the race organizers realize there can be something for everyone that raced from beginners, to seasoned veterans, to elite runners.  That is what I love about Michigan races.  The race had the charity arm but also had a prize $$$ purse. The race host hotel had a pre-race/post-race breakfast that had more food than many finish line spreads. I cannot think of anything better than finishing up a tough race and getting to reward yourself with a huge Belgian Waffle.

If you get a chance jump on www.runmichigan.com and checkout the menu of Michigan road races, and hopefully you can make the quick trip to try a race outside of your home turf.  A big thank you to Running Fit for putting on  the Martian Invasion of races and to Ian Forsyth the elite race director.

Boston week - wrap with John Zupanc

As you can see by John's Boston Marathon racing history snapshot today you have to be ready for anything when you step onto the line. It is OK to adjust pre-race goals based on weather, be a tad more patient early, or hopefully just get out there and roll.

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 John's Boston Splits

1981  49 and NW winds cross to tailwind perfect day

2:27.11 A big pr by 5 minutes

28.10-56.20-1:24.30-1:52.45-2:20.35-2:27.11

73:45/73:26

205^th place

This was a dream marathon, everything went perfect.

                       

1985  75 to 78 with cross to tailwind HOT

2:27.13 Felt I was in shape to run 2:22 my pr at that time but had to adjust to heat

27.30-55.30-1:23.30-1:51.45-2:27.13

18^th place

There was basically no one to catch over the last 10k, suffered but not like most.

1987  50 and nice

2:24.46  My best Boston time

27.15-54.30-1:22.00-1:50.00-2:24.46

71:40/73:06

36^th place

This is probably a more typical half marathon split for me, close but not even

1994  Sunny, 53 and tailwind

2:35.56  I was 41 and my best masters time at Boston

29.28-59.00-1:28.32-1:58.30-2:35.56

77:28/78:28

143^rd place

I was pleased with this effort

2004  75 with 84 at the finish, HOT, and a strong wind swirled around

3:05.49  I run better than most in the heat

35.37-70.37-1:45.50-2:21.08-3:05.49

92:23/93:26

476^th place

Happy to survive

2007  A big NorEaster with rain all day, strong swirling winds and 45, COLD

3:12.41  I was very conservative early to not die in the cold, big negative split

37.39-74.51-1:52.08-2:24.15-3:12.41

98:06/94:35

Not sure of the place but an example of the extremes you can get at Boston

Boston Marathon w/John Zupanc - The Race Course through mile 14

Today John Zupanc checks in with a Boston Marathon course preview/review of the first 14 miles. Zup has raced the hills of Boston 19 times over the years with a personal course best of 2:24:46 coming in 1987. Check back tomorrow for the running of the 2nd half of the Boston course.
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Racing the Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon course offers some unique challenges.  As a point-to-point marathon I have already discussed some of the logistical anomalies that exist before the race even starts.  The over-riding theme for any marathon, and Boston is no exception, is patience:  patience in your training, patience in the days prior to the race, and patience during the race.

When I get into the correct starting corral, I like to make my way to the far left side and as close to the front of the corral as possible.  I do this so that when the ropes drop to allow for moving up to the next corral that I move with this.   And by being on the far left side I feel less claustrophobic.  Because I am no longer in the front corral there is a delay between the gun and when I actually start to move.  At first it is a squishing forward movement, then a walk, to a jog, and finally to running.   I find it much easier to maneuver and avoid the idiots by being off to one side.  I choose the left side because of the slant it provides and because most people naturally like to hug the right side.  I know that later I will be predominantly on the right side so this gets me a different slanting early.  Depending on where you start will determine how long it takes you to get through the walk, job, and then run process.   Do not waste mental energy, or physical energy, during this time period by becoming impatient.  Do not press the pace during the opening miles to make up for any time you may feel you have lost.  There is plenty of race ahead to get this time back.

The opening four miles is predominantly downhill.  This is especially true in the first mile with a long steep downhill to get over anxious runners out too aggressively.  I make every effort to relax and let the opening miles just take me to a comfortable pace.  I check my watch for each of the early miles just to make sure I am not out below my pace.  I will pull back if I am faster than I should be and not worry if it is a bit slower.  I enjoy the crowds on the sidelines and keep an eye out for various other runners that catch my attention.  I look for bright colored singlets or distinctive wear that will be used for pace and motivation throughout the race.

At about 4 miles the course starts to flatten out a bit but always seems to have some rolls.  The course moves through the small towns of Ashland (4m), Framingham (6m), and Natick (10m).  I look forward to the lake on the right hand side of the course at around 9 to 10 miles, just before Natick.  At this point I should be in a nice groove, moving along with the field.  I do not look to be “racing” anyone at this time but keep on eye out to see if I am catching any of the distinctive wear mentioned above.  There is a nice downhill uphill combination just prior to the screaming crowd of Wellesley College women found at 12 miles.  It is unbelievably loud and definitely wakes you up.  The reverberations are a reminder that I am about to get to the 13.1-mile mark just ahead in downtown Wellesley.

It can be difficult but I do everything to try not to dwell on the fact that I am only half way done.  I know that wiser folks than I say the first half of the race should just glide by like a training run, “easy”, but I think that over simplifies things.  There will be moments that test you in the first half but overall you must feel in control.  I have raced over 55 marathons and maybe 5 felt “easy” over the first 13.1 miles.  If things are going well for me, I know that I can even split any marathon including Boston.  My best Boston races (really all my break through PR races) have been when the last 10k and the first 10k are pretty close.  From 13 to 15 the course is pretty flat.  I make every effort at this point to stay on the pace but not push the pace.  Again patience is the key to success.  No matter how great I feel at this point it is too early at Boston to put the hammer down.

Boston Marathon Blog week with John Zupanc

John Zupanc recently retired in December after coaching Cross Country and Track & Field at the University of Wisconsin Oshkohsh for nearly 30 years leading the Titans to four NCAA DIII Cross Country team National titles along with two Track and Field team National Championships.

Zupanc is a veteran racer of 19 Boston Marathons with number 20 coming this April. He has run a Boston PR of 2:24:46 and is a model of consistencey racing the challenging Boston course with 5 sub 2:30 efforts -- along with an outstanding 2:36:56 clocking as a 41 year old Master's runner. With Boston placings of 18th, 36th, and 50th Zupanc has gone into Boston fit, but there are more factors to consider before stepping to the starting line.

Nothing beats experience in road racing especially in the marathon and here are some race weekend tips that Zupanc has learned over 19 years of Boston Marathon racing.

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Every major marathon has some unique aspects and Boston is no different.  Boston has the usual Expo for race packet pickup.  It is huge, of course, and generally I spend as little time as possible at these things.  There is just too many people and too much standing around on my feet. 

The morning of the race you have to stand in line to catch the school busses at Boston Commons to the start line in Hopkinton.  You are assigned times to get there but generally it is better to go earlier than later for a couple of reasons:  the line is shorter (it can take about 45 to 60 minutes to queue up to the busses), you do not have to fret about getting to the start on time (I have twice been on a bus that got “lost”) and you get a better camp location at Hopkinton High School.  The busses usually start at about 6:30am for the 10am start and 20,000 plus people have to get a ride to the start.  It is quite the operation.  Generally it takes about an hour from departure at Boston Commons to Hopkinton.  Be prepared for no bathroom the entire long and bumpy ride.

Once you get to Hopkinton High School you have to wait outside for the duration.  I have been in all sorts of weather from hot to cold and rainy.  You have to be prepared to sit around for at least 2 to 3 hours.  In the old days of the noon start you had even more time to sit around and contemplate the run back to Boston.  They do have baggage busses for your things but they want those packed and on the proper bus about an hour before the race start time.  Your bags are assigned a specific bus based on your bib number.  You have to pack your stuff in the bags they provide and you pick them up at the finish line according to your race number.

I like to get to Hopkinton early so I can get into one of the doorways to the high school so I am at least out of the rain, muddy/wet ground, or out of the sun.   I have a list of things I bring to the start (all this is carried onto the plane….I never check any bags…that is another Boston story) and most of it I leave in Hopkinton.

1-A cheap $2 air mattress from WalMart to use as a soft and dry place.

2-A cheap $1 fold up plastic rain poncho, again WalMart, in case it is raining to keep me dry while I wait in the assigned start corral until the race starts.

3-A complete assortment of throwaway clothes:  shirts, pants, socks, stocking cap, regular hat, gloves, and shoes.  I do not put on any race gear until the last possible moment especially if it is raining.  I wear the throw away clothes until about 5 minutes prior to the race if necessary.

4-A complete set of clothes to be used at the finish.  I pack this up the night before and have it ready to give to the baggage bus without having to be uncomfortable while I wait.  Do not put anything valuable in the checked bag, you hope you will get it at the finish but ….no cell phone, no wallet, no music device, nothing vital.

5-I do pin some money on my race stuff just in case something weird happens along the way.  I have never had to use it.  You do get free subway transportation with your number!

ThunderDome Running Race Field Trip - Denver

I think one of the best parts of this crazy running game is getting a chance to get out there and race after all the work is put in especially during the winter months. There is just something about that feeling where nothing else matters for those intense minutes while you are racing. That time is yours with no outsiders messing with you giving you the chance to just own it.

Running affords everyone the chance to get out there to pick and choose races and for me the most fun I have had in the sport is traveling to races throughout the United States. This Saturday February 19 is the Snowman Stampede in Littleton, CO held in Hudson Gardens. There is a 5 mile and 10 mile race. I noticed though that you can sign up to run both the 5 mile and 10 mile races with about 25-30 minutes apart depending on how fast you finish the 5 miler. At first this sounded awesome but then in taking into account the 5600' of altitude I decided against racing both.  The winner of each race along with an awesome racing tour of Hudson Gardens gets a brand new pair of New Balance shoes.  My father in law and wifey are also racing so it should be a fun one and a great workout.

This year get out and checkout a new race outside of your home racing area. You do not really know what you are missing for other races until you get off of your home turf.  Would THE WARRIORS had as much "fun" getting back to their home turf of Coney Island if they did step out and go on a little field trip to checkout Cyrus speak in the Bronx....no way?

Post a link and share some info about some of your favorite races so everyone can checkout some new races.

104th Millrose Games Track & Field Meet at MSG this weekend

This weekend is one of the longest running and most famous indoor track meets in the world the Millrose Games.  The meet is held at Madison Square Garden in New York. The meet even gets some TV time on ESPN2 tonight 8-10pm eastern time. Check it out.  We wanted to wish Kathy Fodor luck, who is lucky enough....and fast enough, to be racing in the meet as a member of a 4 x 400m Masters relay team. Kathy is a member of the ThunderDome Running family and we wish her the best today in her race.

Pettit National Ice Center Festival of Races

This weekend in the Midwest is one of the most anticipated sports weekends of the past year. The NFC championship game at Soldier Field with the Packers taking on the Bears is one of the biggest games in Green Bay Packers football history. There is also a buzz around the Milwaukee area for runners racing in the InStep Pettit National Ice Center Festival of races with a 5k, (2) - 1/2 marathon races, a marathon relay, and the Marathon wrapping things up on Sunday. This third year race has sold out all race spots and is a perfect spectator race as all races take place on the 443m indoor track.  Come out and check out the race action this weekend.

Best of All-Time - Races

The Yuengling Marathon, Half Marathon, and 8k
Virginia Beach, Virginia
March 19-20, 2011





This is one of my all time favorite races. I've raced here several times and the combination of the location and the weekend of races make it one of the most entertaining yet challenging running events that I have ever been to. The 8K takes place on Saturday, followed by the half-marathon and marathon on Sunday. This means that you can test yourself by rollin two days in a row with the 8k on Saturday and half-marathon on Sunday.  I tricked Kyle Moss (one of the top Master's runners in the USA) into doing that, his real race effort was only supposed to be the 8k. Jogging to the start of the half marathon Kyle was almost in tears because it was too cold and his legs hurt from the 8k, and yet he still ran 73 minutes and change for a top 25 finish.

You can try to wimp out and call the half-marathon on Sunday your easy long run after you raced the 8k hard on Saturday but the reality is that you are going to race the half no matter what once the gun goes off--it is no easy long run. Race temps are normally in the 50's and both races finish along the ocean. Competition is fierce that just adds to the fun and games.