Saturday, November 17, 2012

Worst 10 Picks Women


Pick Player Athlete Team Place Off
68 Lars Crystal Nelson Iowa State 192 124
33 Lars Semehar Tesfaye Arkansas 142 109
39 Mike Megan McGlinchey LaSalle 148 109
30 Chris Kristin Casper Georgetown 121 91
52 Marshall Carrie Verdon Colorado 136 84
36 Andrew Nicky Akande Villanova 95 69
50 Chris Mary Aldenbratt SMU 115 65
53 Lars Gina Valgoi Loyola 104 51
27 Alex Allison Lasnicki Conn 73 46
51 Chris Katie Flood Washington 89 44

Worst 10 Picks Men


Pick Player Athlete Team Place Off
33 Kyle Parker Stinson Oregon 240 207
31 Alex Richard Medina Colorado 228 198
25 Chris Rex Shields BYU 188 163
52 Trent  Maksim Koroslev Harvard 201 149
63 Phil Vigis EKU 194 131
39 Lars Jim Rosa Stanford 166 127
51 Alex Sam McEntee Villanova 150 99
32 Trent  Dan Lawry Michigan 125 93
58 Phil Tyler Stutzman Stanford 137 79
35 John Joe Rosa Stanford 112 77
16 Chris Craig Lutz Texas   dnf
14 Mike  Rich Peters Boston dnf
12 Trent  Matt Gillespie Iona dnf
45 Chris Matt Bayley Iona dns
48 Kyle Ben Torotich EKU dns
34 Mike  Andrew Bayer Indiana dns
69 Trent  Jeremy Rae Notre Dame DNS

Best Runners Not Picked


24 Joseph Maniafasha OK State
26 Scott Fauble Portland
27 Luke Caldwell New Mexico
30 Peter Okwera Tenn
34 Thatcher BYU
35 Chebet WKU
35 VanHalen Colorado
38 Wade Meddles EKU
45 Pierce Murphy Colorado
49 Rob Finnerty Wisco
50 Rory Tunningley Texas



13 Elaina Balouris WM
20 Kelsey Lakowske Duke
26 Emily Stites WM
39 Katie Conlon Oregon
42 Lindsay Crevorsiert Conn
45 Laura Galvan  K State
46 Rochelle Kanuho NAU
49 Kaylin Belair Toledo

Men's Fantasy XC Scores


Alex
Place
Henry Lelei TAMU 5 5
David Rooney McNeese 7 7
Tom Farrell  Ok St 9 9
Richard Medina Colorado 228 15
Brian Shrader NAU 15 44
Sam McEntee Villanova 150 80
Andy Heyes Tulsa 44

Top 5 80

Top 7





Andrew


Lawi Lalang Arizona 2 2
Kemoy Campbell Arkansas 17 17
Jakub Zivec FSU 21 21
Ryan Dohner Texas 19 19
Kevin Williams Oklahoma 78 43
Brandon Lord Georgia 107 102
Chris Bendson  Princeton 43

Top 5 102

Top 7





Chris


Paul Chelimo UNCG 10 10
Craig Lutz Texas   DNF 188
Rex Shields BYU 188 62
David Forrester FSU 62 87
Matt Bayley Iona DNS 53
Erik Olson Stanford 87 400
Shane Moskowitz Ok St 53

Top 5 400

Top 7





John


Kennedy Kithuka Texas Tech 1 1
Souifane Bouchiki EKU 40 32
Jake Huryz Colorado 32 40
Joe Rosa Stanford 112 37
Travis Mahoney Temple 37 54
Paul Katam UNCG 76 164
Nate Jewkes SUU 54

Top 5 164

Top 7





Kyle


Anthony Rotich UTEP 4 4
Girma Mecheso Ok St 6 6
Andrew Colley NC St 16 16
Parker Stinson Oregon 240 105
Ben Torotich EKU DNS 121
David Perry Portland 121 252
Kirubel Erassa Ok St 105

Top 5 252

Top 7





Lars


Chris O'Hare Tulsa 20 11
Shadrack Kipchirchir Ok St 18 18
Maverick Darling Wisco 11 20
Jim Rosa Stanford 166 28
Will Mulherin Virginia Tech 28 33
Matt Johnson  Lamar 33 110
Hunter Mickow Illinois 46

Top 5 110

Top 7





Marshall


Mo Ahmed Wisco 8 8
Mitch Goose Iona 23 23
Soloman Haile Arkansas 47 39
Blake Theroux  Colorado 39 42
Bill Kogel Oklahoma 51 47
Gilbert Kemboi USC Upstate 42 159
Martin Grady Notre Dame 52

Top 5 159

Top 7





Mike


Patrick Casey Oklahoma 67
Eric Fernandez Arkansas 83
Lane Werley UCLA 25
Brendan O'Neil FSU 28
Rich Peters Boston 48
Andrew Bayer Indiana 251
Ben Johnson Stanford


Top 5 251

Top 7





Phil


Stephen Sambu Arizona 3 3
Zachary Mayhew Indiana 13 12
Reed Connor Wisco 12 13
Futsum Z NAU 31 31
Kyle Merber Texas 98 98
Tyler Stutzman Stanford 137 157
Thijis EKU 194

Top 5 157

Top 7





Trent


Trevor Dunbar Oregon 41 41
Matt Gillespie Iona D 14
Jared Ward BYU 14 125
Dan Lawry Michigan 125 22
Zach Gates Virginia   22 201
Maksim Koroslev Harvard 201 403
Jeremy Rae Notre Dame D

Top 5 403

Top 7

Overall Scoring for Fantasy XC


Player M W T
Alex 80 132 212
Marshall 159 106 265
Andrew 102 165 267
Phil 157 151 308
John 164 154 318
Lars 110 229 339
Kyle  252 100 352
Mike  251 134 385
Trent 403 111 514
Chris 400 334 734  

Women's Fantasy XC Results


Team Alex
Place

Laura Hollander Cal Poly 9

Mareike Schrull Iowa   7

Allison Lasnicki Conn 73

Juliet Bottorf Duke 27

Josephine Moultry New Mexico 30

Agnes Kemboi TCU 83

Courtney Schultz New Mexico State 59


Top 5 132


Top 7






Team Andrew



Risper Kimayo UTEP 5

Amber Henry Weber State 32

Kelly Macumber Kentucky 6

Nicky Akande Villanova 95

Grace Heymsfeld Arkansas 55

Ashley Beutler Wisconsin 65

Jillian King Boston College 69


Top 5 165


Top 7






Team Chris



Jen Bergman  Arizona 29

Megan Goethals Washington 48

Kristin Casper Georgetown 121

Sara Kroll Michigan State 53

Mary Aldenbratt SMU 115

Katie Flood Washington 89

Holly Rowlamd Iona D


Top 5 334


Top 7






Team John



Violah Lagat FSU 11 11

Emily Lipari Villanova 25 25

Shelby Houlihan Arizona State 31 31

Laura Nagel Providence 35 35

Jillian Smith Michigan   52 52

Florence Ngetich Florida 54 154

Gabi Anzalone Wisconsin 86


Top 5 154


Top 7






Team Kyle



Jordan Hasay Oregon 3

Alexi Pappas Oregon 8

Colleen Quigley FSU 12

Katie Kellner Cornell 36

Allie Woodward Oregon 44

Monica Juodeskaite Ok State 41

Natalja Piluisnia Ok State 50


Top 5 100


Top 7






Team Lars



Megan Nelson Iowa State 16

Juli Accurso Ohio State 38

Jess Engel Oklahoma 57

Semehar Tesfaye Arkansas 142

Amanda Mergaert Utah 14

Gina Valgoi Loyola 104

Crystal Nelson Iowa State 192


Top 5 229


Top 7






Team Marshall



Kathy Kroeger Stanford 24

Shalaya Kipp Colorado 18

Cayla Hatton Stanford 28

Emily Sisson Providence 15

Aisling Cuffe Stanford 21

Carrie Verdon Colorado 136

Samantha Bluske Iowa State 108


Top 5 106


Top 7






Team Mike



Betsy Saina Iowa State 1

Elvin Kibet Arizona 19

Amanda Winslow FSU 17

Megan McGlinchey LaSalle 148

Catherine White Virginia 33

Carly Hamilton Georgia 92

Madeline Chambers Georgetown 64


Top 5 134


Top 7






Team Phil



Aliphine Tuliamuk Wichita State 4

Marielle Hall Texas 23

Sara Sutherland Texas 58

Chelsey Oswald Kentucky 37

Liann Farber North Carolina 40

Tori Perry Penn State 47

Rebeccah Addison Michigan 56


Top 5 151


Top 7






Team Trent



Abbey D'Agostino Dartmouth 2

Sarah Collins Providence 10

Katie Clark Butler 22

Kelsey Santisebastian California 70

Jessica Tonn Stanford 43

Sarah Callister Weber State 29

Rachel Sorna Cornell 34


Top 5 111


Top 7

Monday, November 12, 2012

Fantasy NCAA Picks

Pick Player Athlete Team
1 Kyle Jordan Hasay Oregon
2 Mike Betsy Saina Iowa State
3 Phil Aliphine Tuliamuk Wichita State
4 Trent Abbey D'Agostino Dartmouth
5 Andrew Risper Kimayo UTEP
6 Franzen Violah Lagat FSU
7 Alex Laura Hollander Cal Poly
8 Lars Megan Nelson Iowa State
9 Marshall Kathy Kroeger Stanford
10 Chris Jen Bergman  Arizona
11 Chris Megan Goethals Washington
12 Marshall Shalaya Kipp Colorado
13 Lars Juli Accurso Ohio State
14 Alex Mareike Schrull Iowa  
15 Franzen Emily Lipari Villanova
16 Andrew Amber Henry Weber State
17 Trent Sarah Collins Providence
18 Phil Marielle Hall Texas
19 Mike Elvin Kibet Arizona
20 Kyle Alexi Pappas Oregon
21 Kyle Colleen Quigley FSU
22 Mike Amanda Winslow FSU
23 Phil Sara Sutherland Texas
24 Trent Katie Clark Butler
25 Andrew Kelly Macumber Kentucky
26 Franzen Shelby Houlihan Arizona State
27 Alex Allison Lasnicki Conn
28 Lars Jess Engel Oklahoma
29 Marshall Cayla Hatton Stanford
30 Chris Kristin Casper Georgetown
31 Chris Sara Kroll Michigan State
32 Marshall Emily Sisson Providence
33 Lars Semehar Tesfaye Arkansas
34 Alex Juliet Bottorf Duke
35 Franzen Laura Nagel Providence
36 Andrew Nicky Akande Villanova
37 Trent Kelsey Santisebastian California
38 Phil Chelsey Oswald Kentucky
39 Mike Megan McGlinchey LaSalle
40 Kyle Katie Kellner Cornell
41 Kyle Allie Woodward Oregon
42 Mike Catherine White Virginia
43 Phil Liann Farber North Carolina
44 Trent Jessica Tonn Stanford
45 Andrew Grace Heymsfeld Arkansas
46 Franzen Jillian Smith Michigan  
47 Alex Josephine Moultry New Mexico
48 Lars Amanda Mergaert Utah
49 Marshall Aisling Cuffe Stanford
50 Chris Mary Aldenbratt SMU
51 Chris Katie Flood Washington
52 Marshall Carrie Verdon Colorado
53 Lars Gina Valgoi Loyola
54 Alex Agnes Kemboi TCU
55 Franzen Florence Ngetich Florida
56 Andrew Ashley Beutler Wisconsin
57 Trent Sarah Callister Weber State
58 Phil Tori Perry Penn State
59 Mike Carly Hamilton Georgia
60 Kyle Monica Juodeskaite Ok State
61 Kyle Natalja Piluisnia Ok State
62 Mike Madeline Chambers Georgetown
63 Phil Rebeccah Addison Michigan
64 Trent Rachel Sorna Cornell
65 Andrew Jillian King Boston College
66 Franzen Gabi Anzalone Wisconsin
67 Alex Courtney Schultz New Mexico State
68 Lars Crystal Nelson Iowa State
69 Marshall Samantha Bluske Iowa State
70 Chris Holly Rowlamd Iona


Pick Player Athlete Team
1 Andrew Lawi Lalang Arizona
2 Lars Chris O'Hare Tulsa
3 Phil Stephen Sambu Arizona
4 Marshall Mo Ahmed Wisco
5 Chris Paul Chelimo UNCG
6 John Kennedy Kithuka Texas Tech
7 Mike Patrick Casey Oklahoma
8 Kyle Anthony Rotich UTEP
9 Trent  Trevor Dunbar Oregon
10 Alex Henry Lelei TAMU
11 Alex David Rooney McNeese
12 Trent  Matt Gillespie Iona
13 Kyle Girma Mecheso Ok St
14 Mike  Rich Peters Boston
15 John Souifane Bouchiki EKU
16 Chris Craig Lutz Texas  
17 Marshall Mitch Goose Iona
18 Phil Zachary Mayhew Indiana
19 Lars Shadrack Kipchirchir Ok St
20 Andrew Kemoy Campbell Arkansas
21 Andrew Jakub Zivec FSU
22 Lars Maverick Darling Wisco
23 Phil Reed Connor Wisco
24 Marshall Soloman Haile Arkansas
25 Chris Rex Shields BYU
26 John Jake Huryz Colorado
27 Mike Eric Fernandez Arkansas
28 Kyle Andrew Colley NC St
29 Trent  Jared Ward BYU
30 Alex Tom Farrell  Ok St
31 Alex Richard Medina Colorado
32 Trent  Dan Lawry Michigan
33 Kyle Parker Stinson Oregon
34 Mike  Andrew Bayer Indiana
35 John Joe Rosa Stanford
36 Chris David Forrester FSU
37 Marshall Blake Theroux  Colorado
38 Phil Futsum Z NAU
39 Lars Jim Rosa Stanford
40 Andrew Ryan Dohner Texas
41 Andrew Kevin Williams Oklahoma
42 Lars Will Mulherin Virginia Tech
43 Phil Kyle Merber Texas
44 Marshall Bill Kogel Oklahoma
45 Chris Matt Bayley Iona
46 John Travis Mahoney Temple
47 Mike Lane Werley UCLA
48 Kyle Ben Torotich EKU
49 Trent  Zach Gates Virginia  
50 Alex Brian Shrader NAU
51 Alex Sam McEntee Villanova
52 Trent  Maksim Koroslev Harvard
53 Kyle David Perry Portland
54 Mike  Ben Johnson Stanford
55 John Paul Katam UNCG
56 Chris Erik Olson Stanford
57 Marshall Gilbert Kemboi USC Upstate
58 Phil Tyler Stutzman Stanford
59 Lars Matt Johnson  Lamar
60 Andrew Brandon Lord Georgia
61 Andrew Chris Bendson  Princeton
62 Lars Hunter Mickow Illinois
63 Phil Thijis Nijuhis
EKU
64 Marshall Martin Grady Notre Dame
65 Chris Shane Moskowitz Ok St
66 John Nate Jewkes SUU
67 Mike Brendan O'Neil FSU
68 Kyle Kirubel Erassa Ok St
69 Trent  Jeremy Rae Notre Dame
70 Alex Andy Heyes Tulsa

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Regional Previews: West Men

1. Stanford- Led by the Rosas and Ben Johnson, the Cardinals should run to victory here after a second place finish at Pac-12s to Mountain Region team Colorado.  They are ranked 3rd in the nation.

2. Portland- The Pilots lost their top 2 runners to transfer from last year but they still are great.  They recently defeated BYU at the conference meet by one point.  If the Pilots still had Dunbar and Osoro they would be hunting for an NCAA title.

3. Oregon- I hesitate greatly to put the Ducks here.  They have one of the better up front duos in the NCAA but their 3-5 are pathetic for the talent they have on that roster.  They went 30-31-37 at Pac-12s.  That being said, they did escape a decent day from AZ state at conference.

4. Arizona State-  If Darius Terry has a better day, the Sundevils take down the Ducks.  They were 4th at Pac-12s led by Nick Haape and Kansas transfer Zach Zarda.

5. UCLA- The Bruins were right behind AZ State who was right behind Oregon at Pac-12s. They are ranked 27th nationally and look to qualify for NCAAs led by Lane Werley who was 5th at Pac-12.

6. Washington- The Huskies look the be the odd ones out in the West Region.  They were only 14 points back from Oregon at Pac-12s and need to jump at least one team ahead of them if they want to get to nationals.  As it stands, they have just one at large point.  Look for Joey Bywater and Tyler King (2nd frosh at Big 12s) to lead them.

7. Cal Poly- The Mustangs get the nod over Arizona due to their pack running.  They scored 25 points at Big West going 1-3 with a 25 second spread.

8. Arizona- The Wildcats are going to do about as bad as a team with 3 points through 2 runners can do.  They have a 2-3 spread of 2:30 in most races.  How hard is it to recruit 3 somewhat decent guys to this team?

9. Washington State- They might as well make the Pac-12 into the West Region and give Portland a bye here.  WSU was 8th at Pac-12 and I pick them 9th here.

10. Gonzaga- These guys get the nod over SanFran who they edged by 2 points at the WCC.

It looks like the top-5 teams will make it out of this region unless Washington or Cal Poly run great and beat a few teams in the top 5.

Individuals
1. Lalang, AZ
2. Sambu, AZ
3. Dunbar, Oregon
4. Stinson, Oregon
5. Werley, UCLA
6. Fauble, Portland
7. Kincaid, Portland
8. Perry, Portland
9. Rosa, Stanford
10. Johnson, Stanford

Possible individual qualifiers: (other than AZ duo)
Barak Watson, Boise State
Weston Strum, Loyola Marymount
Chris Frias, Cal Poly
















































































Friday, November 2, 2012

Regional Previews: Mountain Men

1. Colorado- The Buffs will pack run their way to a win here and will be one of the favorites heading into nationals.  The Buffaloes are fresh off an easy victory at Pac-12s for the second straight year.  The real question is: Will we see Joe Bosshard?

2. BYU- The Cougars looked great early but have slowly been dropping since.  Their top two are solid and will contend for the individual title here.  It will be up to their 3-5 to hold off the Lobos and Lumberjacks.

3. Northern Arizona- The Lumberjacks replaced Diego Estrada with Brian Shrader and Futsum Z and they have looked good this year.  They have avoided the bigger meets but have been successful at smaller ones.

4. New Mexico- The Lobos dominated the Mountain West conference and look to qualify for nationals out of this region.  Like usual, their team is comprised mostly of British imports.

5. Air Force- The Falcons have a tight pack.  They finished 2nd in the mountain behind New Mexico and placed 6 ahead of Colorado State's #2.

6. Colorado State- The Rams have run the big meets this year and are prepared to do well here.  They have  solid front runner in Alex Muntefering and a tight 2-5 pack.

7. UTEP- These guys are great through 2 and solid through 3.  Their 4 and 6 guys need to run well to even keep this spot.

8. Weber State- Weber edged out Southern Utah by 3 points at Big Sky.  They are led by John Coyle and have a solid pack.

9. Texas Tech- TT is not deep at all but front runner Kennedy Kithuka will likely win here.

10. Southern Utah- South Utah lost Cam Levins and any chance of making NCAAs.  They are led by 2011 individual qualifier Nate Jewkes.


It appears that 4 solid teams will qualify out of this region.  I really don't see anybody upsetting the top 4.  UTEP lacks depth and Air Force lacks a front runner.

Individuals:  The Kenyans will run hard and the BYU leaders will finish between them and the rest of the pack which will be tactically battling for team qualifying.  Most of the top positions will be taken up by BYU, Colorado, New Mexico, and NAU runners.

1.Kennedy Kithuka, Texas Tech
2. Anthony Rotich, UTEP
3. Rex Shields, BYU
4. Jared Ward, BYU
5. Jake Huryz,CO
6. Blake Theroux,CO
7. Futsum Zienasellassie, NAU
8. Brian Shrader, NAU
9. Matt McElroy, NAU
10. Hugh Dowdy, CO
11. Luke Caldwell, NM
12. Aric Van Halen, CO
13. Martin Medina, CO
14. Nate Jewkes, SUU
15. Alex Muntefering, CO St
16. John Coyle, Weber State
17. Tylor Thatcher, BYU
18. Jason Whitt, BYU
19. Pat Zacharias, NM



















































































Monday, October 29, 2012

Regional Previews: Midwest Men

Welcome to my regional rankings!  I'll start with the Midwest region because it is my favorite.  I ran in it a few times and it will always have a special place with me.  This region is to be held at SW Missouri State in Springfield.  The course is a big loop with some inner loops.  It has some long, slow hills that you have to go up a few times during the race.  The meet was last held here in 2010. I will preview teams first and then individuals after that.

1.  Oklahoma State- In past years, OK State has ran easy and let OU win.  This year, I think even with running easy, OK State will still win.  They crushed Texas and OU at Big-12s with their first 3 running in an easy pack and their next 2 running together just 6 seconds back.

2. Oklahoma- Oklahoma looked great their first race out this season but since then they haven't ran quite as well.  Don't get me wrong- they're a great team and will finish 2nd here but they aren't quite as good as last year.  Miler Pat Casey is leading this team that had a 26 second spread at the conference meet.

3. Tulsa- Tulsa was third here last year and they are a better team now.  I don't think they quite have the depth to challenge for the automatic qualifier but they will score much less than their 120 points last year.  Oklahoma's third best team is also led by a miler- Chris O'Hare.

4. Kansas- Kansas has come out of nowhere this year.  They have always been a decent team but this year they are deep.  They had a 1-7 spread of just over 30 seconds in the Big-12 race.  Look for them to run in a pack and be led by Evan Landes or Don Wasinger.

5. Iowa State- The Cyclones finished 16 points behind Kansas at Big 12s.  The only real bright spot was front runner Mohammed Hrezi who finished 14th.  They need their 3-5 guys to get closer to Hrezi to beat Kansas.

6. Illinois- The Fighting Illini have been moving up the regional rankings all year.  They recently beat Minnesota 86-141 at Big 10s led by Jannis Topfer and Hunter Mickow.  They could finish as good as 4th on a good day.

7. Missouri- The Tigers ran very well at the SEC to move ahead of Minnesota in my rankings.  They won a tie breaker for third and were nearly second to Arkansas.  They are led by Hayden Legg and Max Storms.

8. Minnesota- The Gophers have been missing a front runner this year with the graduations of Hassan Mead and Ben Blankenship the last few years.  They have been led by John Simons most of the year and are patiently awaiting the return to top form of Pieter Gagnon.  The Gophers, 5th at Big 10s, were predicted to make nationals by flotrack's Kolas Calculator but that is a very long shot now.

9. Southern Illinois- The Salukis won the Missouri Valley with 34 points placing all 5 of their runners in the top 10 and within 27 seconds of runner-up Zach Dahleen.  It will take a big team effort to move past the Gophers.

10. South Dakota State- SDSU is fresh off a victory at the Summit League with Mike Krsnak as the individual champion.  They finished just behind Iowa at Griak but look to be much improved since then.

Early in the year it appeared that as many as 6 teams would get into nationals from this region.  Now, it looks likely that only 4 teams will get in.  The only scenario would be if Tulsa or Oklahoma were to lose to Iowa State or Illinois and that isn't likely.

Individuals:
There is no Hassan Mead to set the pace and drag everybody else along this year.  It will most likely be a tactical affair with a slow pace early.
1. Girma Mecheso, OK State
2. Shadrack Kipchirchir, OK State
3. Tom Farrell, OK State
4. Patrick Casey, OU
5. Chris O'Hare, Tulsa
6. Mike Krsnak, SDSU
7. Bill Kogel, OU
8. Kevin Williams, OU
9. Jannis Topfer, Illinois
10. Hunter Mickow, Illinois

The two bolded runners would be the automatic individual qualifiers.

Other individuals to watch out for: The rest of Tulsa, OK State, and Oklahoma's teams, Zach Dahleen of SIU, Peter Gagnon of MN, Don Wasinger of KS, Cosmas Ayabei of UMKC, Trent Lusignan of SDSU, Jeff Mettler of USD, Mohammed Hrezi of ISU, Hayden Legg and Max Storms of Missouri.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

At Least Once More Before It Snows (For Real)

At least once more before it snows... That was my mantra as I drove the 7 miles from Laramie to the Happy Jack Rec Area.  I had planned this run all week but it became all that much more urgent when I woke up this morning to a light covering of snow on the ground and a forecast for more tonight. 

I arrived at Happy Jack Trailhead and was surprised to find it ten degrees colder and much, much windier than in town.  That is a lesson I should be used to by now.  I began my run on the fairly tame Happy Jack Highway.  As busy as the name seems, there wasn't another human soul to be seen.  My objective for the day was to conquer a trail infamously known as "Death Crotch".  The handmade wooden sign appeared after 3 miles of running.  I glanced up, unable to see the top of the mountain I was about to tackle through the mist.  It reminded me of the mythical Mt. Olympus, with it's peak surrounded by clouds to house Zeus and co.  As I began the ascent, I kept thinking that it wasn't as bad as last time.  However, last time was months ago.  Since then, my fitness had improved drastically and I made sure to not make the same mistakes as last time.  In my last adventure up this hill I had started at a different trailhead and proceeded to hammer the 6 miles downhill to the base of Death Crotch.  This time wouldn't be the same.

My second thought as I worked my way up the trail was, "what's that noise?!"  I was most assured that it was only a mountain biker but I ran up the trail a bit to get a better angle, just to be safe.  What I saw rustling around in some bushes was astounding.  It was a full grown male Elk!  Prior to this experience, I had seen captive Elk from afar.  This one, however, was not tame, captive, and certainly not afar.  It was huge.  You can read about how big an animal is all you want but until you meet one in the wild, you will never truly realize what that means.  The large mammal caught site of me and sauntered off into the valley.  I decided to continue on up the trail.  It wasn't until after he was out of site that I realized how fast my heart was beating.  Running Death Crotch can sure make your heart race but seeing an Elk while doing that was nearly enough to give me a heart attack.

After my heart rate returned to normal, or as normal as it could be going up a steep hill, I went back to focusing on the task at hand.  Sure, it was hard, but not nearly as hard as the last time I had done this run.  This time I was even able to enjoy some of the views along the way.  Miles away, a truck appeared to be the size of a Hot Wheels car as it cruised on Happy Jack Road.  Higher and higher I went, until the cloud completely surrounded me.

I ran along Summit Trail for awhile before hopping onto my favorite trail at Happy Jack, the Haunted Forest Trail.  Running down Haunted Forest is technical and tricky on a good day but day was especially difficult.  The mist made it hard to see very far in front of you and the night's snow turned the dirt surface into a slick mud.  Until this day, I was unsure of why the Haunted Forest was given that name but today, it was revealed to me.  The huge white aspen and birch trees loomed like ghosts in the distance and the whole trail had a very mystical feel to it. I made it safely down the technical part of the trail and the rest of the run was enjoyable but rather uneventful.

When I came back near the trail head, I simply didn't want to stop running.  The temperature was great and now, looking out my window as it snows harder and harder, I am glad that I kept running.  It may be the last time I am out there this year without some kind of apparatus strapped to my feet.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Minnesota Athletes Sign With Nike/OTC

New Blog, Get In The Trailer, has been busy introducing new members of OTC Elite this week.  To my surprise, two new members of the team are Ben Blankenship and Hassan Mead.  Both athletes are Minnesota High School graduates, Stillwater and Minneapolis South, respectively, and U of M graduates as well.  Now, before you, or they, go on the defensive, I want to say that I am surprised that Nike is signing athletes with potential instead of ahletes that have already accomplised a lot.  Typically, it takes a gargantuan performance to gain a spot with Nike or OTC.  In the past, athletes who have histories of collapsed lungs or total hip replacements don't get signed by Nike.  I am happy that Nike is giving these guys a shot and I wish them the best of luck.  They are no slouches and only stand to get faster.  Mead is said to be training with Chelimo, Chelanga and Thompson.  It is unclear who Blankenship will be training with.  After the recent success of OTC members Galen Rupp and Mo Farah it is exciting to see Minnesotans entering into that group.  They join Elliott Heath as the current Minnesotans on the most Elite Professional running group in the US.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Summit League Stats- Men's




This blog post is to share my Summit League Statistics after the Griak/Notre Dame Weekend.  The formula for these stats is simple.  The time category is Notre Dame time.  IPFW, UMKC, IUPUI, and WIU all have Notre Dame times.  Oakland is converted in based on races against IPFW.  USD and SDSU times are Griak -30 seconds which is conservative (2 of USD's top 5 did not run at Griak and they are represented here by a good guess of their performances relative to their teammates earlier this year).  NDSU is based on races against SDSU.  The Florating category is Flotrack's way of rating performances.  All teams except Oakland were assigned Floratings on that weekend.



Name                    School             Time*      Florating*
Mike Krsnak SDSU 24.18 200.7
Jeff Metler USD 24.34 195.4
Trent Lusignan SDSU 24.36 194.9
Cosmas Ayabei UMKC 24.31 193.6
Joey Zielinski IUPUI 24.58 184.6
Jared Ailts SDSU 25.13 182.4
Michael Castel WIU 25.17 178.4
Mubarik Musa USD 25.34 175.5
Sam Roudebush IUPUI 25.28 174.6
Taylor Huseman USD 25.44 171.8
Zach Wiedeman WIU 25.4 170.6
Travis Brenner USD 25.48 170.6
Drew Kraft SDSU 25.5 170.2
Kolton Sheldon UMKC 25.42 169.5
Alex Hoenthaner USD 25.53 169.2
Alloch Burton UMKC 25.49 167.6
Joel Reichow SDSU 26.02 166.2
Miguel Lozano IUPUI 25.58 164.3
Ethan Marquardt USD 26.08 164.1
Brett Kelly NDSU 26.35 163.8
Dann Mann UMKC 26.02 163.3
Bryon Schuldt NDSU 26.36 161.8
Dirk Hudson UMKC 26.07 161.6
JD Smith IUPUI 26.09 160.9
Brant Hasse USD 26.3 159.6
Moses Heppner NDSU 27.06 158.1
Spencer Burgin IUPUI 26.21 157
Austin Young IUPUI 26.24 155.9
Philip Lavalle SDSU 26.34 155.7
Trenton Hopper WIU 26.27 154.8
Brendan Skime NDSU 26.36 154.8
Andrew Thies SDSU 26.36 154.7
Ryan Cutter IUPUI 26.3 154
George Oconnor OU 26.3 154
Alex Nail UMKC 26.34 152.3
Michael Cox OU 26.48 148
Ryan Wodjdyla WIU 26.5 147.3
Griffin Humphrey UMKC 26.51 147
Philip Palomino OU 26.53 146
Jordan Hollman IPFW 26.54 145.6
Grady Anderson NDSU 25.54 140.8
Josh Hintz NDSU 27.06 140.8
Lucas Degree NDSU 26.37 139.4
Brandon Perry IPFW 27.32 132
Anthony Sterzick OU 27.37 131
Alex Katona OU 27.44 130
Pat Cassidy OU 27.47 129
Garret Glecker IPFW 27.56 125
Chris Rudolph IPFW 27.56 125
OU Ghost OU 28 124
Cody Sengthong IPFW 28.08 123
Randy McComb IPFW 28.11 122
Taylor Crowell IPFW 28.13 121
Kevin Kamm WIU 28.39 120
WIU Ghost WIU 28.49 119
WIU Ghost 2 WIU 28.59 118

The first set of scores are from the times.


Team                      1               2              3             4              5     Team Score
SDSU 1 4 6 15 19 45
USD 3 9 12 13 16 53
UMKC 2 11 14 20 21 68
IUPUI 5 8 18 23 24 78
WIU 7 10 26 38 54 135
NDSU 17 32 33 34 42 158
OU 29 37 40 45 46 197
IPFW 41 44 48 49 51 233


This set of team scores is from floratings.

Team                       1             2               3             4             5      Team Score
SDSU 1 3 6 13 17 40
USD 2 8 10 12 15 47
UMKC 4 14 16 21 23 78
IUPUI 5 9 18 24 27 83
WIU 7 11 30 37 54 139
NDSU 20 22 26 31 41 140
OU 34 36 39 45 46 200
IPFW 40 44 48 49 51 232