One Last Shot

(I want to apologize to Garrett & Zach, as well as their legions of fans, in advance for my inability to find any decent pictures of you from the 4x800. My condolences...)

My heart rate is probably north of 150 as I pace nervously back and forth alongside the track, teeth chattering as I shiver despite the warm temperatures inside the building. I am used to the pre-race jitters, but this is the worst I've ever had it, even more so than when I toed the line at the 2006 ACC cross country championships. At least then I was in control of my own destiny, racing over the muddy hills of Panorama Farms as I did my best to represent my school. Now I am stuck on the sidelines, forced to watch and yell from a distance as four young men from Albemarle prepare to do battle with the best 4x800 meter relay teams in the nation, most notably the Morris Hills (NJ) squad who has the second fastest time in the country, and an unblemished record this season save for an eight second drubbing back in late January at the hands of the Patriots. Now is their chance for revenge. Checking my watch, I glance up and see the relay teams stepping onto the track, the red and blue uniforms of Albemarle standing out even more than normal due to the spiked mohawks that the guys now sport. A shot of adrenaline surges through my body as I realize that the race is finally here, and with it, one last opportunity to go down in history as the fastest high school foursome of all time. 7:42.22, the national record from 2005 that we've been chasing all season. It's go time...

Exactly fifteen days earlier, I stand in the middle of an indoor track in Hampton, VA, overcome with emotion as I watch ten guys hoist a state championship trophy, Albemarle's first in indoor track since 1975. The two day meet has been a rollercoaster of emotions and a battle royale with Western Branch, one of the state's powerhouses and the two-time defending champions. It had come down to the wire, our individual firepower overcoming their well-rounded depth by a slim five point margin, 66 to 61. At the center of it all had been the four members of the 4x800 relay squad, who along with Mr. Field Event Extraordinaire Jordan Hill, had each competed in the maximum three events to score as many points as possible. It had all started Friday night with a dominating victory in the 4x800 relay, the tandem of Garrett Bradley, Zach Vrhovac, Luke Noble, and Anthony Kostelac scorching the rest of the state with a time of 7:44.70, good enough for a 17 second victory, a new state meet record, and the fastest time in the nation. It was a scant two and a half seconds off the national record, and it was done almost entirely on their own, the last three legs running solo against the clock as the rest of the pack duked it out one hundred meters back for second place. All four members would come back the next day to run individual events, Zach taking second in the 500 and Anthony running huge personal bests in both the 1600 (4:10 for 2nd) and 1000 (2:30 for 1st). At the end of it all, the whole team celebrated with their state title, capping a remarkable season with a seemingly perfect ending. And yet, one piece of the puzzle remained. The foursome wanted more, a national title as well as the national record of 7:42.22 to be exact, and they would have one more shot at it, fifteen days later in Boston...

The starter raises his gun and I'm afraid my heart is going to leap through my chest, the loud bang reveberating over the track as the runners explode off the starting line. Garrett is out well like usual, his background as a former 400 meter runner serving him well as he quickly positions himself on the leader's shoulder, relaxing as best he can as the runners fly through the first 200 meters. We have changed up the order for this race, switching Zach and Garrett on the first and second legs in hopes of both winning the race and maximizing everyone's splits. 57, 58, Garrett comes through the first 400 right on pace and a couple strides behind the leaders, content to bide his time for now as he keeps an eye on Morris Hills. Things start to heat up on the fourth lap of the 200 meter track and Garrett makes his move, finishing strongly up the last straight to hand off tied for second with Morris Hills, his split of 1:57.3 the best of his season...

Buoyed by their state meet victory, the Patriot quartet heads to the Nike Indoor Championships in Boston to compete in the same two events that they had the previous year. First up will be the distance medley relay (DMR) on Saturday evening, an event that is much more popular at the collegiate level and usually run in high school only at the largest and most prestigious invitationals. It consists of 1200, 400, 800, and 1600 meter legs, a perfect blend of distances that brings the sprinters and 800/miler types together for one exciting race. Last year, the same foursome had finished 6th in 10:42, 17 seconds behind the winning team and a very distant 43 seconds away from the national record of 9:59. A solid performance for the 2008 Patriots, but one that would be totally unacceptable for the 2009 squad. They have come to Boston to win two national championships, and even though the 4x800 one is first and foremost in all their minds, the DMR will be run first and they will hold nothing back...

(2nd exchange, Zach to Luke)

Half a second separates the top three teams in the US as the second legs get the stick, and it's already clear that if the national record falls today, it will be at the hands (and feet) of one of these three schools. Morris Hills gets out the best, their second runner going straight to the front and hammering in hopes of opening up a gap on the other two. Zach sits in third, looking extremely relaxed as he runs from behind for the first time this year. I can tell he is itching to move into the lead, but he restrains himself for three laps, content to let the other two do the work while he saves up for one big move. It comes with 150 meters to go, and it was worth the wait, his huge acceleration dropping the other two instantly and putting a good two or three seconds on them in the blink of an eye. He flies off the turn and up the last straight, the gap widening with each step as he brings the baton home in 1:53.1, his fastest relay split ever, indoors or out. The race is now halfway done and the clock stands at 3:50.4, almost a second ahead of record pace, and by far the fastest Albemarle has ever come through after two legs. Morris Hills sits in second, but the gap is now over two seconds and as it continues to grow, their hopes of exacting revenge on the Patriots are quickly shrinking...

(Luke Noble in full stride on leg #3)

Scheduled to go off at 5:40, the DMR does not actually start until an hour later, the various teams forced to sit in a gym for over two hours while the meet falls farther and farther behind schedule. Despite the delay, the race still promises to be quite the showdown as the two fastest 4x800 meter teams in the nation are featured, not to mention the 2008 national champions in this event (Western Albemarle) as well as the newly crowned national record holders in the 4x1 mile relay from a couple hours earlier (Knights Track Club from NJ). To give you an idea of the firepower in this event, the Warriors from Crozet return three of the four legs from their 2008 squad and yet are NOT considered favorites in the race, despite having a 9:12 two miler AND a 4:10 miler on their squad. Finally the gun goes off, and when the smoke clears, the fans in attendance are rewarded for their patience as an astonishing eight teams run faster than the 2008 winning time, the four Patriots bringing home the title in a blazing time of 10:02.13, good enough for a meet record and the second fastest time ever run. Their splits are 3:07, 51, 1:54, and 4:09 for Zach, Garrett, Luke and Anthony, respectively. The last two legs in particular are quite impressive as Luke's split is a three second personal best and Anthony's ease of victory suggests that he could have run faster if needed. All in all, it is yet another eye-opening performance by the Albemarle squad, and certainly a very promising sign for tomorrow's record-chasing showdown...

(Anthony winning the DMR on Saturday night)

Fresh off his big personal best from the night before, Luke takes the baton and is off, running alone for what probably seems like the umpteenth time this year. Like most runners, he is able to run faster when pushed by competition, a scenario that has yet to happen this year in the 4x800 since no team in the country has been able to stay with the Patriots through three legs. Today is no different and Luke is forced to run solo, his lead growing rapidly as Morris Hills and Chalfont-Warrington fall completely out of the picture. The much-hyped matchup up front has failed to materialize and Luke races against the clock, almost catching a soon to be lapped team in the last 100 meters. He powers to the finish, crossing the line in 1:54.9, another huge split that equals the big PR he set last night in the DMR. I check our cumulative time of 5:45.3 as Anthony takes off, quickly calculating that he only needs a 1:57 to tie the record and a 1:56 to break it. And with the way he's been running lately, the question now becomes not whether he WILL break it, but by how much...

(final exchange, Luke to Anthony)

My grandma is going to kill me when she sees this, I think to myself as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. It's around midnight and I have spent the last 45 minutes sitting in a chair as first Anthony, and then Zach attacked my head with what has to be the world's cheapest and most ineffective pair of hair clippers. 85% of my once long, curly hair now lies on the floor as the other 15% stands straight up along the middle of my head. I've always wanted a mohawk, and now thanks to a bet I made with four very fast high schoolers (and more importantly, four newly crowned national champions) I will sport one for the 4x800 final tomorrow afternoon. The good news is that all four guys have mohawks of their own, albeit much shorter and less goofy looking than mine. Plus, it's one thing to be, say, a 4:09 miler and a national champion with a mohawk, and a whole other one to be that weirdo with a mohawk in the stands about to have a coronary as he screams at his athletes. Hopefully, I'll just be mistaken as an alternate or something. Zach finally finishes up and I nod my approval, thanking him for a job well done as I tell the guys that I am off to bed. It is definitely getting a little late, and even though one side of me is a little worried about them being up so long and maybe not getting enough rest for tomorrow, I am once again struck about how calm and relaxed they all seem. There is less than 24 hours until the biggest track race of their young lives, and yet not a hint of any doubt or unease crosses their minds, just a question of who will have the best looking mohawk. I chuckle to myself as I walk back to bed, one hundred percent sure of something that I realized after watching the foursome first run together back in December. They will win tomorrow and set a national record in the process, that much is for sure. The only question is, how fast will they go?

(Anthony putting the hammer down on the anchor leg)

Anthony flies into the first 200 meters, quickly passing a lapped runner as his short strides seem to devour the track. The crowd noise has been steadily building throughout the race, and with the spectators now realizing that they may be witnessing history, it reaches a feverish pitch as suddenly, every person in the arena becomes Anthony Kostelac's #1 fan. He rolls through the 400 in 55, running in a world of his own as the crowd's exhortations fuel his stride. The clanging of the bell signals one lap to go, and like the flip of a lightswitch, Anthony quickens his turnover and ratchets up the pace, throwing everything he has into the last 200 meters as he rips up the backstretch and into the final turn. The finish line approaches and he bursts for the tape, leaning like a sprinter as the clock freezes at 7:36.99, a new national record and one of the most impressive high school performances of all time. The old record is gone, obliterated by over five seconds as Anthony's anchor split of 1:51.4 is the fastest of the meet and a new PR as well. The time is also a world junior record (the requisites being that all four runners are under 19 years old and from the same country) and the #13 high school performance of all time (including outdoor marks). After the race, the boys pose for a seemingly endless procession of pictures and interviews, their smiles never leaving their faces as the magnitude of their performance sinks in. During it all, I stand in the middle of the track, the meet long since finished, soaking it all up and wishing the moment never had to end. It is without a doubt one of the happiest moments of my life, and I think again how amazing it is that the stars aligned over Albemarle County to produce such a special group of young men, and just how lucky I am to be a part of it all. As we finally leave the track, I am almost sad that the race is over, the magic of the moment slowly fading away to be lost in the memories of those who were so privileged to witness it. I wish it is a feeling that I could relive again and again, the emotional highs of that seven minute and thirty seven second span a feeling that is so hard to find, and one I will never forget. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and so I leave the track, already looking forward to the outdoor season and a few more moments like the one I just experienced. 7:32.89, you may be next...

(7:36.99, a new high school record and a world junior record)

Check out a video of the race (courtesy of dyestat). All pictures courtesy of photorun.net.

On The Run (March 2009)

(This "On The Run" column first appeared March 2009 in The Daily Progress)

With only days until The Charlottesville Ten Miler, I thought it might help to share some tips to help smooth out the pavement for those of you participating in the area’s oldest and most prestigious footrace.

First off, know what you’re getting yourself into. The Ten Miler course, while widely considered to be the most beautiful urban footrace course in Virginia, is very challenging. Newcomers to the race quite often ask about the terrain. The answer is simple: Hilly! Sure, this famous course is packed full of hills but stay positive because for every “up” there’s a “down” waiting to reward you on the other side. When you hit the base of an ascent shorten your stride, work your arms, stay focused on the shoulders of the racers directly ahead of you and break the hill into thirds, using each third as a way to draw you to the top. Once on a downhill, open up your stride length and really lean forward. Running the descents properly will actually allow you to pickup valuable time without taxing your engine.

Having a race day game plan is essential and everyone’s strategy should be focused squarely on the first two miles of the event. Easing into the race by taking it out slower than your targeted goal pace is the key to any racer’s success. How you approach these two early and critical miles will ultimately dictate how you feel over the last half of the race. The golden rule for any long distance footrace is to run the first few miles slower than the rest and the best way to prepare for this negative split (each mile faster than the previous) approach is to actually practice it in the shorter runs leading up to race day. For example, if your goal is to run ninety minutes for the race (9 minute pace) your first mile needs to be in the 9:15-9:30 range.

If temperatures are above 55 degrees at the start on race morning, you will need to take it out even more conservatively. Failing to recognize how a hot early spring morning, especially after an exceptionally long and cold winter like what we’ve just been through, can severely handicap you and will always negatively impact your race performance. So, on an unseasonably warm morning, that same sub 90 minute goal racer should think about adjusting their overall goal to 9:30 pace, therefore taking it out in the 10 minute range.

Never, ever try anything new on race day. That goes for clothing, shoes or any pre-race ritual like eating or drinking. This also applies to what you do the day before the race, like what, when and how much you eat and drink. I advise the athletes I coach to repeat the exact same regimen on race day that they have followed and practiced all winter with their weekly long runs. The goal is to fool your body into feeling like race morning is just business as usual, as in no surprise attacks!

TEN MILER TIDBITS: Co-Race Directors Alice and Dan Wiggins report that entries are close to last year’s record 2,500 and there are still spots available for this popular race…2008 champ Charlie Hurt will be on the line to defend his title and one of his challenges will be RMR teammate Bob Thiele, who is the husband of last year’s female champ, Dana Thiele, who will be cheering from the sidelines…Monticello’s Master Gardner Peter Hatch will be running in his 22^nd straight Ten Miler…As is tradition with this not-for profit event, The Charlottesville Track Club will once again donate the race proceeds to a worthy area cause and this year’s recipient is PACEM…The highest point on the course greets the racers as they come off Rugby Road and crest the top of Grady at the 3.3 mile mark…Last year’s median time was close to 95 minutes (9:30/mile pace)…For the first time in race history the participants will not race on the Downtown mall. Because of the brick renovation the racers will instead head up Market Street…WINA/1070 AM will broadcast the race live on the morning of April 4^th from 7:45 until the overall male and female champs come across the finish line…

OUT OF TOWN FEATS: Several area runners fared well at long distance events from afar in the past few weeks…

Bill Potts, Theresa Coppola, Larry Saunders, Joe Rice, Beth Cottone, Gerhard Van de Venter, Jim Neale and Alex and Philip Mahone were among our neighbors who had excellent outings at the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach last week. They were joined by Clark Jackson, Tara Friedman, Lewis Martin, Deb Gilbert, Ky Lindsay, Mike Clark, Pam Acker and Vada Fallica, who were just a few of the area folks who ran well in the half marathon at the same venue. Kara Williams, Tara Friedman, Daniel Allen, Dan Bayliss, Sarah Cramer, Matt Shields, Leah Connor, Eileen Wittwer and Holly, George and Karen Rich all had excellent times at the National Half Marathon in D.C. last weekend and they were joined by Erin Trodden and Jim Cunningham, who took the long route, as they successfully completed the 26.2 mile course at the same event. Twins Becky and Kristen Keller had p.r. efforts at The Disney Princess Half Marathon in Orlando, Kim Morris scored a big personal record at the Snickers Half Marathon in Georgia and Ken Nail ran a personal best at the Myrtle Beach Marathon.

The Road To 7:32.89

From left: Coach Weisend, A. Kostelac, G. Bradley, L. Noble, Z. Vrhovac, Coach Male (photo courtesy of www.milestat.com)

(For the first post, I thought it would be interesting to give an inside look at the Albemarle High School boy's 4x800 meter relay team. The foursome of Zach Vrhovac, Luke Noble, Garrett Bradley, and Anthony Kostelac rose to national prominence with their 2nd place finish at the national track championships last June. They are coached by Buz Male and Lance Weisend, two veteran coaches who have been around the sport for over 30 years. I have been lucky enough to be an assistant coach this year at Albemarle and have shared in the daily quest towards their ultimate goal of breaking the national high school record of 7:32.89. Here is their story...)

After five minutes in their company, you'd swear that they must be brothers, albeit very different looking ones. Or maybe lifelong friends who first met each other before they could walk and talk, most certainly before they could run. Their interactions are upbeat and fast-moving, filled with the lighthearted banter that is very typical of four teenage boys, especially those who so thoroughly enjoy each other's company. Today, I half listen to their chatter as I sit in the weight room poring over last year's Northwest Region results. Pausing at the boy's 1600 meters, I interject my own smack talk, giving senior Luke Noble a hard time for finishing in 7th, one spot out of state qualifying and much slower than I would have expected. I ask him what happened, and he mumbles a response, pointing farther down on the page to the 4x800 meter relay. I notice that Albemarle finished in the top spot by five seconds, hardly a surprising result even though their time of 8:13 again seems slower than I would have expected. "Yeah, so what?" I ask, seeing nothing noteworthy about the performance. "This was the first time the four of us ever ran together" Luke responds. I check the date, February 28, 2008, not even a year ago. I chuckle and shake my head, thinking again just how improbable their last 12 months have been...

Zach Vrhovac is an athlete first, and a runner second. The senior captain of the football team played almost every snap for the Patriots this past season, starting at safety, wide receiver and special teams. He is a coach's dream, the type of athlete who excels at every sport he touches and who will do whatever it takes to win. This past fall, in his last football game in a Patriot uniform, Zach scored four touchdowns to lead his team to a close victory over district rival Riverbend. Sixteen hours later, he was running in the third cross country race of his life, completing the 3.1 mile course in 17:29 (5:38 mile pace) to help his Albemarle team to the runner-up spot at the AAA State meet, the highest finish in school history. Like his legs, his mouth moves a mile a minute, a continuous flow of freestyle vocals, good natured smack talk, and the usual discussion of a victory-filled march into the high school record books. His attitude is extremely infectious, and the other three quickly latch onto it, building each other up until no deed seems unattainable. To the outsider it could be perceived as cocky, but that would be a mistake as it is more like a complete and utter belief in one's abilities instead. A total refusal to accept anything other than victory, no matter what the situation holds. Next year, Zach will take both his walk and his talk to the University of Virginia, where his middle distance speed should be a great asset to a rapidly-improving track team. But before all that, he has some record book editing to do...

Seven days later and it was on to the state meet, a chance to compete with the very best that Virginia had to offer and a reality check of sorts after a relatively easy cakewalk the week before. It was only their second time running together, and yet the Patriot foursome crossed the line in just a shade under eight minutes and six seconds, good enough for sixth place. They had mixed it up with the state's best and had undeniably held their own, shaving seven seconds off their previous week's time and earning all-state honors in the process. Next up was the last meet of the indoor season, the national high school championships in Landover, MD where the best track athletes in America converge on a tiny fieldhouse in the shadows of Redskin stadium. Here again, the Patriots held their own, finishing in sixth place in a time of 8:02.33, another personal best for the foursome and just a few seconds out of the top spot. With the indoor season now over, the team could look forward to big things in the outdoor spring season, most notably a full-time commitment by Vrhovac, who had foregone his spot on the varsity baseball team to focus solely on track. Now he could start playing some catchup to his three teammates who had been training since the beginning of cross country season back in August...

Luke Noble is the true distance man of the group, probably destined (or doomed) to have run the mile/2 mile double for most of his high school career if not for his part as the 3rd leg of the Patriot relay. The senior captain of the cross country team is big for a high school runner, standing well over six feet and defying the stereotypical leanness of a distance man with his solid, muscular build. Like Zach, he is a very vocal individual, always leading by example and never afraid to get on a teammate who is slacking or stepping out of line. The role of a leader seems to come naturally to him, and during the fall's cross country season his relentless work ethic and confidence caught on to the rest of his teammates, ultimately resulting in the aforementioned 2nd place showing at the state meet. He has improved by leaps and bounds over the past year, and if his senior cross country campaign was any indicator, there are big things in store for him this spring, both as part of the relay and as an individual in the longer events on the track...

With their 8:02.33 behind them, the Patriot foursome opened up their spring track campaign, picking up right where they had left off indoors, their confidence building with each successive race. The first big test of the season was in front of the screaming masses at Penn Relays, the biggest and arguably the most prestigious track meet in the United States each spring. Rising to the challenge, the Patriots ended up third in their heat, obliterating the school record (8:02) and the 8:00 barrier with their 7:51.25 clocking. It was a breakthrough performance and a stunning effort, each of the four splitting under two minutes to beat the Virginia indoor state champions (Thomas Edison) by almost nine seconds. This would be the foursome's last loss of the season as they proceeded to steamroll their way through the postseason, capturing the state crown with a 7:49.55 wire to wire victory, their first time under the 7:50 mark. Now firmly established as the best relay team in the state, the Patriots traveled south to the outdoor national meet in Greensboro, NC to once again compete against the best in the nation. Running out of the "slow" section, they continued to defy all expectations by running a scintillating 7:42.21, anchor leg Anthony Kostelac running a monster 1:52.8 split to walk down Hudson HS in the last 100 meters. The seven second personal best was not only the 2nd fastest time in the meet, but the 2nd fastest time EVER run by a Virginia 4x800 relay team, trailing only the 2001 South Lakes squad which was anchored by 3:53 high school miler and Olympian Alan Webb. However, with all four of the Patriots returning, they would have an opportunity in 2009 to better not only the 7:35 South Lakes mark, but the 7:32.89 national record as well...

For every ten words that Luke and Zach get into a conversation, Garrett Bradley may get just one. The third and final senior of the group, Bradley is much quieter and more reserved than the other two, inclined to smile and laugh at their antics rather than joining in. He runs the second leg on the relay and usually goes it alone, way out in front after a typical blistering leadoff leg by Vrhovac. When he first started competing in track as a freshmen, he gravitated more towards the shorter events like the 400 meters, but his ability to run the longer ones has greatly increased as he's gotten older. This success has even translated to the cross country course, where he was the solid #3 runner for the Patriots for much of this past season, running a personal best of 16:31 (5:19 pace) in his final race. His best event is still without a doubt the 800, where his combination of strength and natural speed produced a 1:56 personal best last spring, a mark that will most certainly drop this year as the foursome looks to shave another ten seconds off their cumulative time...

A scant two months after their storybook run in Greensboro, the four Patriots began their 2008-2009 campaign and their march towards the 7:32.89 record. Noble, Bradley, and junior Anthony Kostelac all ran cross country this fall, each enjoying a stellar individual season as their fourth teammate led a different group of Patriots on the football field. Vrhovac ran a handful of races when he could, his only training being what he ran each day up and down a one hundred yard stretch of grass. And in November, when the cross country team needed him the most, he stepped up and ripped off a couple of performances that most high school harriers NEVER achieve even after four years of training. After the season ended, he once again decided to forgo another sport (this time as the starting point guard on the basketball team) in order to join his teammates in their quest to be the fastest foursome to ever run the 4x800. With the overarching goal being the aforementioned 7:32.89, the Patriots have set an intermediary goal of trying to win the indoor national championship AND break the indoor national record of 7:42.22 from 2005. In January, they took the first step towards these goals by running a 7:49.88 at the Virginia Tech Invitational, leading from the gun and running under 8:00 for the first time ever indoors. It currently stands as the #2 time in the country this year, second only to a Morris Hills team from New Jersey who Albemarle faced at the Millrose Games in late January, a much hyped matchup that never materialized as Albemarle blasted them from the gun to record a eight second victory on a very slow 145 meter track. Now, the indoor season is rapidly drawing to a close, and the Patriots will have only two more shots at the national record, the first being February 27th at the AAA state meet and their last at the indoor national meet up in Boston on March 15th. If the record is to fall, it will most likely happen in Boston, where Morris Hills will be on hand to try and avenge their earlier loss as well as to defend their US #1 ranking...

At first glance, you might wonder why THIS kid is running the anchor (and arguably the most important) leg on such a heralded relay team. Standing at six feet tall and maybe, MAYBE 135 pounds soaking wet, junior Anthony Kostelac is all sinew and muscle, not a single ounce of wasted fat on his gangly frame. His appearance is accentuated by two very long sideburns running the entire length of his face, a trademark look that he has worn since his team busted onto the national stage last year. It is a unique look for sure. He runs with a short stride, his efficient steps more reminiscient of a marathoner than of a kid who can drop a 49 second quarter with ease. He has an unbelievable range, arguably the best in the nation, which he demonstrated earlier this season with a 1:03.41 500 meter, the fastest in the US this winter. He has also run 1:52 for 800 meters, a 4:17 mile, and was 7th at the AAA state XC meet in 15:53 (5:07 mile pace). Times that would make any college coach salivate, and he's still only a junior. Kostelac also has the uncanny ability to run fast even when he's all alone, a deciding factor when choosing to put him on the anchor, since by the time he gets the baton, he's often 5-10 seconds up on the competition. On the rare occasion that he gets it with people around him, it's usually game over as he has a monster kick, one that was first seen in it's full glory last spring at the national meet (watch it here*). Without a doubt, he is an absolute joy to watch, and is a perfect capper to such an amazing relay team, one that hopes to go down as the greatest ever by the time it's all said and done...



-Alec Lorenzoni

*video courtesy of www.flotrack.org, note that Albemarle is wearing the all black uniforms in lane 1. The order is Vrhovac, Noble, Bradley, Kostelac.

On The Run (February 2009)

(This "On the Run" column first appeared February 2009 in The Daily Progress)

The University community and its neighbors suffered a great loss a few weeks ago when Jack Blackburn, UVa’s longtime Dean of Admissions, died after a courageous battle with cancer. This extraordinary man was loved by all who knew him and I doubt that there has ever been a kinder, more sensitive and caring person in his position at any other institution of higher learning in the nation. Our entire community benefited from Jack’s influence as he and his staff consistently invited some of the finest young people to attend this wonderful university each year.

One of Jack’s favorite hobbies was running and he always looked forward to participating in his favorite race, The Charlottesville Ten Miler. Each spring he would make a point of stopping by for a visit to chat with me about his personal goals for the race. He really enjoyed competing in this special event and he took particular pleasure in running alongside one of his own children each year. He especially appreciated the whole concept of racing through Jefferson’s Grounds amidst so many of the students he had personally admitted to the university.

So, so many of us are already missing you, Jack and not having the beloved Dean of Admissions running in the crowd, alongside so many of “his” fellow Wahoos will be a real loss for the Ten Miler this spring.

Ten Miler Update: And speaking of The Ten Miler, there is still time to enter the area’s oldest footrace, which is set for Saturday April 4. Race Directors Alice and Dan Wiggins are encouraging folks to enter as soon as possible as numbers are running ahead of last year’s record. Visit charlottesvilletrackclub.org for more information. This year, all proceeds from this special event will benefit PACEM.

Charlottesville Track Club Bestows Annual Awards: And while we’re on the subject of the CTC, the area’s premier not-for-profit running organization recently hosted their annual awards banquet. Several dozen folks were recognized for their personal accomplishments, including over a hundred volunteers, who helped the CTC raise over $400,000 for a variety of local charitable causes. Here is a sampling of some of the more notable award recipients…Runners of the Year: George Heeschen (18-24), Jason Buczyna and Becky Keller (25-29), Andrew Zapanta and Robin Truxel (30-34), Barry Young and Jennifer Hochrein (35-39), Doug Bloor and Nicola Ratcliffe (40-44), Hernan Garbini and Andrea Wright (45-49), Harry Landers and Wendy Golden (50-54), Joe Stirt and Connie Friend (60-64), Skip Mullaney and Nancy Davis-Imhof (65-69), Nancy Fraser (70-74), Wendell Golden (80+); Most Improved Runners of the Year: George Rich and Kristen Hennings-Solomon; CTC High School Runners of the Year: Nathan Rouse (Albemarle) and Holly Rich (Monticello); CTC Coach of the Year: Doug Bloor; CTC Community Service Award: Anthony Wenzel and Dominion Digital.

The evening’s most prestigious honor, The CTC Lifetime Service Award, was bestowed upon Chris Samley, who has selflessly given over ten years of volunteer service as the club’s official webmaster.

On the Road Again: Several area runners competed in a variety of long distance races around the country over the past few weeks. On a 75 degree February morning Rick Kwiatkowski finished 5^h overall (out of 175 finishers) in 7 hours and 13 minutes at The Rocky Raccoon Fifty Miler in Huntsville Texas; Robin Truxel completed the brutally challenging Death Valley Trail Marathon in 4:29; William Cox led a contingency of area marathoners into the chutes as he finished 12^th overall (out of 1,970 finishers) in 2:48 at The Myrtle Beach Marathon. He was followed by Lauri Wilson (3:23…1^st in age group), George Rich (3:29), Hosni Haghighian (3:30…1^st in age group), Glen Anderson (3:35), Peggy Mowbray (3:42…2^nd in age group) and Jerri Emm (4:08)…and speaking of long distance feats, area ultra marathon champ Sophie Speidel recently completed her annual “run around the city”, as she and a group of friends ran the entire 20 mile RTF urban greenbelt trail loop.

Cavalier High Octane: First year UVa Track coach Jason Vigilante has only been in town for a few months and yet he already has his athletes setting blistering times on the track. UVa speedster Morgane Gay, a first year from Bethesda, recently rocketed to a school record 2:08 indoor 800. Incredibly, it was Gay’s first collegiate race and her amazing mark broke a long standing record that had been in the books since 1985.

On The Run (January 2009)

(This "On the Run" column first appeared January 2009 in The Daily Progress)

Many longtime sports fans have dubbed 2008 as the “best sports year ever” and I also think that we had a banner year in our local running world. There were thousands of local tales of personal accomplishments, like all of the women who did battle with one of the hottest days of the year to finish their first Four Miler and all of the former couch potatoes, who ran in the coldest local race weather ever to complete their first Men’s Four Miler or all of the folks who completed their first marathon or who qualified for the Boston Marathon. I’ve selected ten of what I consider to be some of the most significant area running stories of the year. These are in no particular order but represent a solid cross section of some of the best of 2008…

1. The Albemarle High School boys 4 x 800 squad went on a four month track tear like no other in recent memory, as they dropped the longstanding school record from 8:03 to a phenomenal 7:42, culminating with a second place finish at the National Championships in June. “The Four Horseman” of Zach Vrhovac, Anthony Kostelac, Garrett Bradley and Luke Noble, all underclassmen, were guided by legendary Coaches Buz Male and Lance Weisend and earned a spot in the state record book as the second fastest team in Virginia history!
2. The same group of lickety spilt lads, with the help of speedsters Nathan Rouse, Evan Karweik and Ben Deel, stunned the “experts” with a second place finish in the AAA division of the State Cross Country Championships in November. Seeded 8^th before the meet, this amazing team represented the highest Championship finish in school history.
3. UVa’s Men’s Cross Country squad, under the able leadership of Coach Jason Vigilante, rocketed to their third ACC title in the last four years, prompting many conference harrier fans to utter the “D” (as in dynasty) word. Senior Ryan Foster was the overall champion, making him the first male Cavalier in school history to score a blue ribbon at this prestigious championship meet.
4. And while I’m still reminiscing about our amazing area harriers, the Woodberry Forest Boys and the Covenant Girls earned a spot in this list as they won their respective State Cross Country Private School Championships.
5. Western Albemarle Senior Kyle Satterwhite saved the best cross country race of his high school career for last as he rocketed to a 20^th place finish at the High School National Championships in San Diego in December. Satterwhite was only the 6^th area runner in history to make it to the most prestigious prep harrier race in the land.
6. The Charlottesville Track Club’s Women’s Four Miler became the first ever area footrace to break the 3,000 participant mark. Longtime race director and founder Cynthia Lorenzoni was able to hand a check for $321,000 to the fine folks at UVa’s Breast Care Center. Thanks to the hard working women, who participated in the fundraising and ran in the race, this figure is believed to be the largest single donation from any footrace in the nation.
7. Former Western Albemarle standout Tasmin Fanning and Covenant’s all-time top cross country runner Austin Ellis both earned Collegiate All-American cross country honors this past fall. Fanning, who now competes for Virginia Tech, was simply awesome in 2008, as she not only finished third at NCAA Cross Country Nationals but also added a 9^th place finish in the 5,000 finals at the Outdoor Track Olympic Trials.
8. The area racing scene exploded as over 60 local events were held, hosting over 10,000 pairs of feet in the process. Many of these events like The Pepsi 10K, The Amnesty International Valentines Run, The Boar’s Head Turkey Trot, The Run for Shelter, The Kiwanis Fourth of July 5K, The Discovery Dash, The Carl Tribastone 5K, The MJ8K, The Bright Stars 5K, The Men’s Four Miler and The Run for Autism are not-for profit events directed by community volunteers. Thanks to this volunteerism these popular races were in turn able to pass along over $500,000 to a variety of area causes.
9. Former Western Albemarle and William and Mary speedster Charlie Hurt took the lead a little over half way through the race and never looked back as he took home the title at The 33^rd Charlottesville Ten Miler, the area’s oldest and most prestigious footrace. Olympic Trials marathoner Dana Thiele was the female champion, a title she would also capture at The Women’s Four Miler a few months later.
10. Courageous locals like Carol Finch, Jason Braunstein, Rob Stewart, Kristen Smith-Bain and Perrin Quarles, who battled back from health challenges like cancer and strokes, inspired us area runners to give it just that much more when out on the roads or trails of our beautiful community.

On The Run (December 2008)

(This "On the Run" column first appeared December 2008 in The Daily Progress)

Hundreds of our neighbors chose to do battle this autumn with the mystical 26.2 mile challenge called the “marathon”. From Chicago to Richmond and from Maine to Florida, our area gladiators crossed one marathon finish line after another. Many of the courses were challenging and some of the races were extremely crowded but no other obstacle was greater for these hard working athletes than the weather.

The primary destination for many of our area marathoners was Richmond, as over half of our local long distance racers chose this “safe and conservative bet”. A cool mid-November date and only an hour from the comfort of our homes, this familiar race had been a comforting friend to marathoners over the years. But this year’s edition turned out to be very different as some of the most bizarre and challenging marathon weather conditions scorched the souls of all who dared to venture out on such a horrific day. With absolutely no warning summer weather suddenly reared its ugly hot and humid head and bullied out our typical fall weather. The poor unsuspecting racers were left unprotected and at the mercy of searing 78 degree sunny skies with humidity in the low nineties. Add brisk 25 mph balmy southerly winds to these already poisonous conditions and you’ve got the equivalent of a marathon meltdown!

I was out on the course cheering on several dozen of my athletes and in my thirty years of coaching I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such road carnage. Because the athletes, who had been training in much cooler conditions, had no time to acclimatize, they felt burned up after only a few miles into the race. The brutal conditions showed no mercy as close to 1,000 of the 4,000 starters never made it to the finish line and, after all were accounted for, the median time of 4:12 from last year had ballooned to 4:29 for this “memorable” 2008 edition!

Still, despite the incredibly challenging conditions, many of our local marathoners are to be commended for their perseverance in battling their way to the finish line. Folks like Eliza O’Connell, Courtney Johnson, Casey Opitz, Patty Workman, Alex Moore, Chi-Chin Wu, Cathy Branchaud, Bob Johnson, Kristen Keller, Mark Robbins, Louise McMurtrey, Nancy Davis-Imhof, Blair White, Jim Horskotte, Paul Wagner, Nick Wispelwey, Kiyoko Asao-Ragosta, Henry Reeves, Neal Ammerman, Trish Foley, Mary Fowler, Rick Kwiatkowski, Charlie Menefee, George Rich, April Ristau, Jim Dillenback, Kevin Cox, Lisa Draine, Mark Okusa, Leslie Bergin, Tommy Kinstle, Betsy Collins, Lauri Wilson, Kase Luzar, Dave and Carol Meyer, Daniel Allen, Jeanine and Tom Wolanski, along with many other locals, are all to be congratulated for their gallant efforts on such a brutally unkind day.

And here’s a brief and all too incomplete list of some of our area friends who are to be commended for their excellent finishes at other marathons this fall: Bill Potts, Kara Williams, Glen Anderson, Kenny Ball, Julia Bellis, Mike Cassity, Leisa Gonnella, Jerri Emm, Ray Clarke, Brian Hoard, T.J. Wilson, Mike Hirsch, Pete Wooten, Mary Alice Clore, Stacy Siebert, Rebecca Stone, Stephen Pisano, Laura Kluge, Katie Rohyans, William Cox, Harry Landers, Kristen Solomon, Bob Johnson, Kerry Hendrix, Tara Friedman, Barb Wiggins, Laura Kluge, Ed Spellman, Tracy Sandau, Katie Riedel, Wendy Keller, Melissa Vanderplaats and Jonathan Hirsch.

And while we’re on the subject of local long distance racers it’s worth mentioning the extraordinary accomplishments of Chris McCartney, who debuted with an excellent 10:38 at the prestigious JFK 50 Miler last month and Sophie Speidel, who lopped over 30 minutes off her previous fastest time to score an impressive 15:03 p.r. clock stopper (4^th female overall and tops in the 45+ age category) at the grueling but gorgeous Hellgate 100K!

The Legs of November: The area played host to no less than a half dozen footraces this past month and along the way these November not-for profit events entertained over 2,500 folks and donated over $60,000 for area causes. Cartie Lominack and Bette Dzamba and the fine folks at The Shelter for Help in Emergency kicked off November with “The 5K Shelter Run” as Chris Hess and Maureen Bjerke led over 250 of their fellow male and female racers through the streets of beautiful Downtown and across the finish line. Carol Finch and the fine folks at Blue Ridge Outdoors hosted a record crowd of 220 trail blazers for the popular “Blue Ridge Burn”, the annual romp through the woods of scenic Walnut Creek Park, with Burkhard Spiekermann and Samantha Floyd taking home blue ribbons in the 5K and Roger Williams and Emily Ferguson placing first in the 10K. As is tradition, a concerned and dedicated group of UVa students played host to over 500 sober runners just prior to the kickoff of UVa’s last home football game. The runners pledged not to partake in the bizarre ritual of drinking a fifth of alcohol before the last home game (known as the “Fourth Year Fifth”) and, instead, they raced in the annual Fourth Year 5K. And November went out with a bang (or should I say with a loud gobble) as 1,300 holiday runners participated in the Boar’s Head Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning. The Boar’s Head folks were ably assisted by close to 70 race day volunteers from The Charlottesville Track Club, The Blue Ridge Rotary and Western Albemarle High School as we safely guided the trotters over what is widely considered to be the area’s toughest 5K course. George Heeschen and Louis McMurtrey were first racers across the finish line.

On The Run (October 2008)

(This "On the Run" column first appeared October 2008 in The Daily Progress)

To shake hands with Dan Jordan is like touching history and over the past generation no other person has brought us closer to our community roots than Mr. Jordan of Monticello. This kind and brilliant gentleman has taught us so much about Jefferson and has drawn so many of us closer to that magnificent house on the mountaintop. With his gracious hospitality Jordan managed to help us all feel a part of Jefferson’s world as he magically weaved the fibers of history for us over the past three decades, intimately connecting us to Jefferson and his special home.

Now, as Jordan prepares to retire, is the perfect time for so many of us foot travelers to reflect on his legacy. Jordan, who is an avid walker himself, has passionately advocated for the creation of miles of soft surface public paths. He, along with fellow Monticello exercise enthusiasts like Peter Hatch, have tirelessly worked over the years on creating one of the most beautiful networks of public trails at any historic property in our country. Thanks to their vision, thousands of runners and walkers have been treated to countless hours of free and healthy enjoyment along the tree lined paths that gently snake their way up the mountain top. Like Jefferson, who once said that “exercise is second only to morality”, Jordan truly believes in the long term benefits of a daily walk or run.

And thank goodness he and his fellow staff felt called to share Jefferson’s beautiful property with so many of us exercisers. Thank you so very much, Mr. Jordan…your Jeffersonian legacy will live on for future generations to enjoy!

A Tribute to Carol: No area volunteer has given more to our running community over the past 25 years than Carol Finch. During that time the tireless and selfless Finch has volunteered her time and expertise at well over a thousand not-for profit running events, many of which she has actually coordinated and directed. Carol has had a positive influence at every conceivable type of community running event one can imagine, from kid’s track meets and high school and collegiate cross country races to ten miler and half-marathon road races. In turn, during Carol’s tenure, these events have raised over a million dollars for worthy area causes.

Earlier this summer our local running world was rocked by the sobering news that Carol had been diagnosed with a serious form of lung cancer…a cancer that had also spread to her lungs and brain. Since the diagnosis, Carol has continued to exhibit her usual volunteering dedication by lending a hand at several area footraces, including resuming her role as Race Director for The Pepsi 10K, which raised several thousand dollars for our area Special Olympians in mid-September! Carol, who hasn’t smoked a day in her life, continues to be upbeat and engaged with our running community.

We ask for all who have been touched by the positive influence of Carol’s hard work and friendship over the past three decades to collectively pray for this most special person. We’re all pulling for you, Carol!

Women on the Run: A bevy of speedy women have had excellent performances at events all over the world in recent weeks: 47 year old Andrea Wright finished first at the Maymont 5,000 Cross Country Open race in Richmond in late September; 55 year old Bev Wispelwey clocked an impressive 81 minutes over the very hilly Virginia Ten Miler race course in Lynchburg en route to a blue ribbon performance in her age group; Kara Williams rocketed to a Boston qualifying time of 3:38, through driving rain and 25 mile/hour winds at The St. Georges Marathon in Utah; Becky Keller finished 17^th overall female at the World Duathlon Championships in Rimini, Italy, which included a 38:34 p.r. split in the 10K run portion of this prestigious event; and Sophie Speidel, a STAB counselor and coach, finished 25th overall in 28 hours and 32 minutes over the grueling, mountainous 100 mile course at The Grindstone Ultra Marathon in Swoope, Virginia. More impressively was the fact that Speidel finished first among women 40 and over and was the 6^th female across the finish line!

Men at Work: The Charlottesville Track Club and the Urology Department at UVa recently kicked off their annual Four Miler Training Program for out of shape males looking to safely make exercise a permanent part of their lifestyle. Over 100 guys are already participating as they have made a pact to lose weight and get into better shape by walking and running with the group. I have the pleasure of serving as coach for this most inspiring group and along with the help of folks like Bill Duxbury, Tom Scala, Bill Blodgett, Jamie Collins, Lyle Henofer, Ed Russell and Manoj Patel we aim to get as many as possible men off the couch and on their feet. The group meets every Saturday at 8:30am outside the UVa track. Come join us, guys!

Welcome to the Ragged Mountain Family Blog! We hope this space will offer a unique perspective on both our local running community and the sport of running in general by providing different viewpoints on a variety of topics and keeping you up to date on area events.