Hay Bales, Trails, and Turkey Trot Tales
Stumptown XC / USATF Regional Champs
Rose City Track Club had a record team showing at the final meet of the Stumptown Cross Country Series, which also served as the USATF Pacific Northwest Regional Championship at Fernhill Park in Portland on November 17th. Toeing the line (from left to right below) were Liz Anjos, Ashley Meagher, Jaime Musgrave, Krysta Gunvalson, Fionna Fallon, friend of RCTC Emma Huston, Marla Smith, Juliana DePietro, and Shasta Zielke. Also racing were dual member Chloe Hallyburton representing Portland Running Company Race Team and RCTC coach Greg Mitchell representing Bowerman Track Club Masters.
RCTC finished strong and placed 3rd overall in the open women’s category behind Club Northwest and Bellingham Distance Project, and 4th in the USATF Championship. It was a 6K-first for many team members. Highlights include Hallyburton running a new personal record by over two minutes, Anjos beating her personal best from 2011, and Mitchell covered the 10K men’s race in 32:32, placing second for Bowerman TC Masters and taking the Masters Team overall win.
Greg Mitchell
Catch the RCTC cross country team one more time on Saturday, December 9th in Lexington, Kentucky, where Mitchell as well as Jaime Musgrave, Krysta Gunvalson, Liz Anjos, and Shauna Dool will be competing in the USATF National Club Cross Country Championship.
Wild Hare Trail 50K
Shauna Dool with her metallic prize following her 50K win
On the same day out in the Tejas Trails east of Austin, Texas, Shauna Dool ran away with the overall female win and set a course record of 4:38:35 at the Wild Hare Trail 50K, even after taking a tumble at mile 26. Is there anything this woman can’t do? Next, Dool will take on the Baltimore Inner Harbor Half Marathon tomorrow, Saturday, December 2nd. Go Shauna!
Clark County Turkey Trot
From the back row, left to right: Jaime Musgrave, Ashley Meagher, Stephanie Norris, Krysta Gunvalson, Eric Laurel, Alejandro Fallas, Liz Anjos, and Marla Smith
On Thanksgiving Day, RCTC convened in Vancouver for the Clark County Turkey Trot 5K and 10K. The 5K saw a Rose City sweep, with Liz Anjos, Marla Smith, Krysta Gunvalson, Ashley Meagher, and Jaime Musgrave taking the top five female spots. Stephanie Norris took up the challenge of running not one, but two Turkey Trots within half a day, starting with the Les Schwab Tires Turkey Trot 5K at the Portland International Raceway on Wednesday evening then turning around and racing in Clark County the next morning, crossing the line within a mere 12 seconds of her finish time from the previous night.
Eric Laurel of Portland won the men’s 10K in 35:47, followed by a strong 2nd place finish from Alejandro Fallas in 36:59. Fionna Fallon looked cool and relaxed as she placed first overall female in 39:58. All three runners are trekking to Sacramento this weekend for the California International Marathon and we wish them the best of luck.
Also racing this weekend will be Chloe Hallyburton in the Portland Jingle Bell 5K- look for her tearing it up downtown Sunday morning!