Race Reports:

Kristen Donnell, Abbie Sherman, and Anne Maglia, Bass Pro Shops Marathon, Nov 1:
The 1100 or so runners (combined full/half) lined up in front of the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World for a cool 7 am start. Despite the route change due to flooding, it was a gorgeous day to run. The course was well marked and well supported (but about 2/10 of a mile longer than necessary), and very flat compared to Rolla. It warmed up to the low 70s and there were lots of shed gloves and hats on the route. Anne is grateful to Paul, Ginger, Roger, and Roy who finished the half and then met her along the last mile to talk her in; any semblance of a strong finish is because of their fantastic support! Anne would also like to mention that, although it may be bad form, texting updates to friends and family---and getting encouragement from them in real time---was like having a whole pack of supporters running the race with her. Abbie would like to recommend this course to any first time marathoners and also thank her training partner, Kristen, for keeping her company for the 5.5 hours of somewhat painful but oh-so-worth-it fun! Anne, Abbie, and Kristen were all first-time marathoners at Bass Pro. Anne's smiling face on the course and Abbie's dedication to moving forward really helped Kristen enjoy every mile of the 26.2+ miles in Springfield. Last but not least, many thanks to the half distance RMC runners who stayed until Kristen and Abbie finished, cheering us on at the finish line.

Roger Gunter and Anne Maglia, Roots & Blues & BBQ Half Marathon, Sept 26:
We represented RMC, weathered the storm, and finished the race with respectable times despite the cold and wet conditions. The course featured mostly rolling terrain with a number of challenging hills. We had to negotiate a mini river crossing around mile 12. (A tiny taste of adventure racing?) The course entered an area where it was necessary to run through a tunnel, but the stream adjacent to the tunnel could not contain all of the rainwater and the tunnel flooded. But it didn't discourage either of us from finishing!

Amanda Rivers, Heart of America Marathon, Sept 7:
I ran the 50th Annual Heart of America Marathon in Columbia, deemed "The Most Challenging Marathon" according to running experts. I finished with a time of 6:15:56. I am sooooo used to doing better than this, but Missouri and its hills got to me.

Race Results:

12/05/2009: Castlewood 8 hr Adventure Race
11/01/2009: Bass Pro Shops Marathon
11/01/2009: Maynard Cohick Half Marathon
09/26/2009: Forum Dental Kid's Triathlon
09/26-27/2009: Berryman Adventure Race
09/26/2009: Roots and Blues Half Marathon & 10K
09/19-20/2009: Redman Triathlon--Halfmax and Club Championships
09/12/2009: Pink Ladies 5K
09/7/2009: Heart of America Marathon