This was a run in conjunction with the Brill Harvest Fest. 5K and 10K runs were run simultaneously on an out-and-back course. The 5K turn around-point is before the 10K turn-around point and happens on the scenic Ice Age Trail. My wife and I participated in this event. I did the 5K and ran a 19:20 time which was first overall. It would be nice in coming years to see this event grow, as it was a small race, but food was good and there was a nice awards ceremony afterwards.
I didn't bring all my aces to the table on this race. The Chris Kerr Memorial Race is 45 miles long and winds through the hills and countryside around Cameron, Wisconsin. About 3 or 4 miles into the race, I got dropped on the opening hill and couldn't maintain the speed of the rest of the group. I fought wind most of the ride and rode solo for much of the race. I felt great in that even though it was very windy and I rode solo, I still average over 20 miles per hour. My time was 1:49:48.0 and I was 41st out of 91 riders. I was seventh in my age group and the leaders were not anywhere in sight most of the race.
The Boyceville Cucumber Run is a small race, but very challenging. There are some hills through the course which tends to wind through the countryside. I ran the 10K distance and had my PR for this distance of 39:19. I was 3rd overall out of 10 entrants. The winning time was 37:15 and the second place guy came in at 37:17, so I just missed second by seconds. The trophies you win for being top person in the race are cool. . .they are a model of a giant pickle crossing the finish line. I'd love to have one.
The pinnacle of the summer was the Firehouse 50 weekend. I participated as a biker and a runner. I am the third from the right side on the biking picture and am wearing red. The ride went well aside from a crash about 7 miles from the finish. I crashed out, and then was luckily able to get up and back on my bike in time to then pedal like a madman to the finish. Amazingly, I was able to keep a small group charging to the finish and I only lost a minute time on the peleton after the crash. I finished in 1:56.39.5 (58th overall out of 444 and 10th overall in my age group). The average speed for this race was 25.7 mph. The crash wiped out or slowed down probably 20 or 30 people. The following day, I ran the 9.5 mile hilly course in 1:03.10.1 (16th out of 104 and first in my age group). My pace for the run was 6:45 min/mile. In the Best of Both competition, I finished with a total time of 2:59.49.6 (4th out of 54). Photos by Kelly Randolph.
This was the first year of the Chetek CaRunBi triathlon. It started off with a 1 mile paddle, a 9.5 mile bike, and a 4 mile "Fishy 4" run. I gained an early lead in the bike race and ended up winning the whole event, beating even the teams. I don't have exact times, but I was about 1:08 for the event.
This race was very misleading. It was a wonderful ride through the hills of northern Wisconsin and should have been a predictable ride, but while it was labelled as a 45 mile ride, it was in actuality almost 48 miles. This made it very hard to predict the final stretch of the race. I wish the coordinators had made this known. This race was my best finish ever in a bike race, as I finished 4th out of 81 riders with a time of 1:52:26.2. I was also first in my age group. I am the sixth guy from the left in the opening pack in the picture of this race. Definitely a very hilly course.
The Turtle Lake Turtle Trot was a 5K and 10K race which was held in conjunction with the Intercounty Fair. It is a loop course which is composed of some rolling hills and much open countryside. I ran the 10K race and finished in 40:16 which was a 6:27 min/mile average and 9.30 mile/hour average. I finished second overall. They have a nice pancake breakfast sponsored by the Turtle Lake Lions Club following the event.
My favorite racing memory to date was during the second race of my life. Although not a big roller blader, my future wife convinced me to try a roller blading marathon. One mile into the 26.2 mile race, I crashed and didn't realize at the time that I had bent my roller blades. I continued on the bent roller blades with my feet becoming more painful with each passing mile until about 5 to 6 miles from the finish I took them off and was going to walk the rest of the way. A wonderful gentleman who was a runner offered me a pair of running shoes (luckily he wore the same size) and I finished the race in his shoes carrying my roller blades (so I could receive an official finishing time). Luckily, running was something that was a big part of my life prior to this event, so when it came to running the rest of the race, it was a breeze. This picture is one of my favorites, as it shows my determination in the face of adversity. Since then, I have found a love for great races and will probably spend the rest of my life finding a better race picture than this one.