by coach Amy Anderson
As is our custom, my athletes gathered together last night for an end-of-season celebration. We met at the Yellow Jacket Social Club just down the street from Rogue for great food, a few adult beverages, lots of laughs and maybe a teardrop or two.
The season was scheduled to begin with Twin Cities, but a freak incident the week of the race left Kelli Hardin unable to run. The team was hurting with her as she realized that all those summer workouts would have to pay off in a later race.
On to October 9th. John Strohmeyer ran his personal best (so far!) in Portland, while 11 others ran that day in Chicago. Warm sunny conditions there gave the team mixed results. Connie Weaver, Jessica Gonzales (BQ!), Scott Maddeaux and Oscar Gonzalez set PRs. Alicia Isaac-Cura, Brent Weber, Don Carnes, Garrett Williams, Nathan Schatz and Jim Baird also laid it all out on the line, making the team proud.
Next up was Columbus, where Dori Livingston made her marathon debut with a strong happy race and Katherine Gross shaved a chunk of change off her previous time and set a PR.
Three team members traveled to Washington DC for the Marine Corps Marathon and all three ran personal bests! Big congratulations were in order for Lauren Pearson, Matt Miller, and Emily Timm Miller.
Five teammates got to experience the magic that is the New York City Marathon. Rudy Sanchez (PR! Re-BQ!), Barbara Mayfield and Andrea Guidry raced, while John and Scott were running yet another fall marathon so soon after their previously mentioned PRs.
The last race of the team’s season was San Antonio. Hand-made signs and internal dialogue were as brutal as the weather: “Suck it up, Buttercup” and “HTFU”. It was humid to start and hot to finish, but Erin Abrahamson ran her marathon debut with style and a victory dance at the finish line. Will McKenna set a PR while running a race prep workout for the Austin Marathon. Anna McGarity, John T. Davis, Jess Kolko, Brent Weber and Don Carnes all gutted it out to the Alamodome, impressing their coach and their teammates with their fierce determination.
As we wrapped up the evening and the season, I looked around and saw not only an amazing group of athletes, but more importantly I saw friends who have run many a mile together, shared many a memory and plan to share more of both. I’m honored to be their coach.
