Athlete Race Recap: Rock Hawk 10K, Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run, & Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon

It was a weekend of running for Full Circle Endurance athletes!

• Rock Hawk 10K - Castle Rock, Colorado
• Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run - Syracuse, New York
• Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Half Marathon - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Rock Hawk 10K - Castle Rock, Colorado

On Saturday, April 30, 2022, Jennifer Pearce took on the Rock Hawk 10K in Castle Rock, Colorado.

This trail course is very challenging and has over 700 feet of elevation gain and loss each.  (For those keeping track, that’s more than 100 feet of climbing and descending per mile!)

Jennifer and I have been working on improving her running economy over the Winter season.  She was able to put those skills to use on this course (no easy feat to do on a trail course!) and finish strong!

Congratulations, Jennifer!

Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run - Syracuse, New York

On Sunday, May 1, 2022, the Upstate Orthopedics Mountain Goat Run returned to the spring season for the first time in three years. This race is a Rite of Spring in Syracuse, New York; the 10-mile hilly course opens up the racing season with a bang!

Six Full Circle Endurance athletes were racing this year: Lisa Crockford, Natalie Metz, Maureen Novak, Dawn O’Shaughnessy, Leslie Smith, and Tami Stone.  Conditions couldn't have been more beautiful; the sun was out, the flowers were blooming, and the leaves were just starting to show on the trees.

Leslie and Tami had time-based goals for this race, but everyone else was using it as a supported training run as part of their training for the A-Races coming up this season.

Lisa ran the Mountain Goat Run over five minutes faster than when she ran it last fall. Natalie ran the relay option with her nine year-old son Sebastian (their team name was Row Row Row Your Goat, which is amazing). Maureen and Dawn each executed a solid training run enroute to their long-course triathlon goals coming up.

Leslie ran a strong, controlled, smart, comfortable race.  She was able to cross the finish line feeling happy and strong, coming within a few minutes of her projected finish time!

Tami reached her goal of breaking 90 minutes in this race by FOUR FREAKING SECONDS. (As those of you who have been following along for a while may have noticed, Tami likes to stress her coach out and cut things close.)

All in all, it was a great day in Syracuse!  Congratulations Lisa, Natalie, Maureen, Dawn, Leslie, and Tami!

Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Half Marathon - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

On Sunday, May 1, 2022, Craig Vuljanic ran the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Half Marathon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Like some of the athletes racing at the Mountain Goat Run in Syracuse, Craig was using this race as a supported training run as he trains for his first long-course triathlon later this summer.

The conditions were quite tough for this race; it was pouring for the entire race and Craig was soaked to the bone the entire time.

Despite that level of adversity, Craig executed a smart, strong race on tired legs and beat his goal time by over two minutes!  Now he knows he can conquer any condition in a racing scenario, which was a great confidence-booster for him!

Congratulations, Craig!