2009 No Frills, Just Hills FA

The 2nd Annual No Frills, Just Hills FA took place yesterday at Kendall Hills in the Cuyahoga Valley. Twenty-four total runners started the event sharply at 8 AM, seeing how many loops they could complete in the 6-hour time limit. An alternative course was required this year due to construction at the dam. This year's loop totaled 2.25 miles instead of last years 2 mile loop.

Jim Chaney won the title this year in a record setting 15 loops. Suzanne Pokorny led the women with 11 loops. And Jim Christ's dog, Jordan, led the non-human category completing 1 loop. Again, runners enjoyed the event sharing stories, miles, and food afterwards.

NEO Trail members that took part in the event include: Brian Musick, Courtney Baker, Dave Peterman, Jeff Musick, Jim Christ, Kim Love-Ottobre, Mark Anson, Paul Lefelhocz, Tanya Cady, Jim Harris, and Bob Combs

Pictures of the event can be viewed on Facebook. For complete results, click here.

Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Miler

This past weekend several NEO Trail members completed the 15th running of the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run despite having some of the worst weather conditions in the race's history and the 3rd lowest finishing rate to date. The day began with light fog and humidity levels near 100%. As the sun burned off the haze, the temperature and the dew point quickly rose. In nearby Front Royal, the temperature topped out at 85F at 2 pm, while the dew point was miserably above 70 from noon until after 2 p.m.

After being broiled, the runners were "treated" to a round of torrential rain and frequent lightning durign mid-afternoon. A second more significant round of thunderstorms swept over the course between 6 and 7 pm with nasty lightning and even reports of golf ball sized hail. This second system lingered until 10:30 or so. Radar estimates showed that 1 to 2 inches of rain fell over the entire course between 2 p.m. and midnight.

Here are the club results:

Lloyd Thomas - 100 miles - 27:41:38

Bill Losey - 100 miles - 33:51:31

Bob Combs - 100 miles - 34:32:44

Paul Lefelhocz - 81.4 miles

Brian Musick - 64.9 miles

Dave Peterman - 48.2 miles

Cleveland Marathon 2009

3:50 pacer Brett Himes finishing (on right)

The 32nd annual Cleveland Marathon was underway bright and early this morning at 7:00 AM. Runners toed the line at the intersection of E. 9th St. and St. Clair Ave. The race this year featured a brand new course which headed West for an out-and-back loop then headed East past the start for another out-and-back loop. The newly designed course directed runners East on the lakefront so the wind was at their back. The course also featured less turns and traffic, extended views of the lake, views of all three professional sports stadiums, and a spacious finish line area. The events Sunday drew a large diverse crowd providing four events including the marathon, half, 10K and 5K.

Jeff Musick finishing

This year, seven NEO Trail Members participated in the races. Their times and event are listed below.

Half Marathon

• Barbara Broad - 1:39:36 **Won 55-59 Age Group
• Robert Clark - 2:38:29

Marathon

• Jeff Musick - 3:07:01
• Ronald Ross - 3:15:33
• Brett Himes - 3:48:45
• Doug Delahanty - 4:05:00
• Bruce McIntosh - 4:45:03

For a recap of the day's events click here. For complete searchable results click here.