Brad Osguthorpe - Utah Valley Half Marathon Winner!

Race Day – Utah Valley Half Marathon.


Woke up around 4:00 am, had a little piece of toast with some honey on it with a glass of water. Really didn’t feel too hungry and not much of an appetite. Left the house around 5am and drove down the canyon to the start line. Arrived at the start about 5:20, did a nice warm up and then some stretching along with some strides then off to the start.  Going into the race I wasn’t too sure how it was going to play out.  I wasn’t too sure if I could go under the time bonus of 66 minutes. I had confidence in my training but wasn’t sure if it was enough. Always seconding guessing things. The night before, I ran into Seth Wold at the check-in and he gave me an update on who would be running the half marathon; it was a great field with some talented runners including team members from Utah Elite. I knew it would be a fast race after seeing the field that morning. I was thinking there at the start line, "just hang on and enjoy the ride." The weather was perfect, no wind, temps were in the high 40’s to low 50’s at the start. It felt like it was going to be a great day no matter the outcome.


Bang!!!


We're off and away!  For the first few miles I felt a little sluggish, somewhat tight, and couldn’t find a rhythm. The first couple miles were around 5:14 to 5:10, I thought to myself, "there is no way I am going under 66." There was a pack of about 4 or 5 of us for the first few miles: myself, Fritz, Kyle and Brandon. Kyle and Brandon were out front leading the pack and they looked great. At about mile 4 or 5 it was down to three of us.  Kyle, Brandon and myself. Kyle put in a nice surge going down hill around mile 5 and I fell back a little bit and wasn’t sure if I could close the gap. I fell back about 20 yards or so then closed the gap around 6 miles. The legs and body finally started to feel smooth and I was locked into a rhythm. Kyle started to slip off the pace and Brandon started to put a gap on me. I finally closed the gap and was able to catch Brandon around mile 10, I think. (I am sorry I don’t have any splits my watch was not functioning or it was an operator error). I started to wonder if I was ever going to close the gap.  Brandon looked great and was running smooth. I just had to stay positive and stay close. I just kept rolling along and getting closer and closer to the leader. 

Finally, I was able to reel in Brandon around mile 10 and we ran together for some time. I felt pretty decent for where I was in the race so I decided to keep pushing the pace.  Then around mile 11 I started to put a little gap between Brandon and myself. From that point on I hoped it was the right decision to pick it up. I knew for sure Brandon was not going too far and it would turn into a battle at the end. So I just keep pushing and didn’t look back until the race was over. I was more concerned about the time and wanted to make sure we were under 66 for the bonus. Finally I saw the finish line clock in sight , I was going to break 66!  Wait, I am almost under 65! I was ecstatic when I heard the finally time of 1:05.2. I crossed the finish line and was so excited to be done and for the time and was also excited to see that Brandon went well under 66 also. Huge thanks to Brandon for pushing the pace and pulling me along, what a great runner, very talented. He ran a awesome race. Nice job to the Utah Elite athletes in that race also, they ran great. What a great day, new pr for me.


Thanks to all the volunteers. Thanks to 26.2 also. I also had a little extra motivation to run well today, my wonderful support group (my family) was there to cheer me on. They were at every mile yelling and encouraging myself and others to keep it up. It was also very inspirational to have my brother Stevie there, those who know him know why. I am very fortune to have such a supportive family and wife, I think Jenny stress a little more then I do on race day. Big thanks to my beautiful wife, she is so supportive and my 
biggest fan. So thankful that my mom, sister, and her husband (and baby Aspen) also my sister-in-law were able to come down and support me, thanks guys you rock, thanks for all the
motivation!

2011 Utah Valley Marathon and Half Marathon

I would like to start off by mentioning that the Utah Valley Marathon has been very great to work with in getting a lot of our athletes into their amazing race this year.  Hyrum Oaks has done a great job at assembling a quality field and has always been very supportive of the racing aspect of the event.

I am very excited to have more than half of the squad racing in this year's event at either the half or full marathon distance.  Initially there were to be 2 Utah Elite teams for the X-Country Scoring portion of the half but because of injuries everyone will be racing individually.  Here is who to look for on each side:

Women
Stefanie Talley
Kristen Ogden
Mary Ann Schauerhamer

Men
Brad Osguthorpe
Karl Siebach
Fritz Van de Kamp
Bryant Jensen (marathon)

Good luck to everybody involved!

-Nate Houle
Director, Utah Elite

Stefanie Talley Race Report - 2011 Zion's Bank Ogden Marathon

First of all, I have to agree with Fritz about the "cool" VIP bus ride up to the start line!  I was planning on riding up in the yellow school buses, shivering in the cold for more than an hour and trying not to choke on toxic smoke fumes when I did try to find some warmth by the fires.  So I was almost "giddy" when I found out I could sit on a nice warm, roomy bus until 6:40 am and have a bathroom only steps away!  It was nice to finally meet Fritz, too.  I've been really impressed with all he's accomplished in the past year.  Glad we were both feeling "on" and able to repeat with wins.
    Ogden is my favorite marathon course (of the 2 courses I've run!).  I love how it is broken up into different sections (1st canyon, around the lake, "hill", 2nd canyon, parkway) that make it more manageable for the mind to cope with.  I kind of knew going into the race that I would probably not be seriously challenged.  The other two top ladies were planning on going out in 3 hour pace for the first half and then seeing if they could negative split.  My training hasn't been quite as 'sharp' this spring as it was last year so I honestly just wanted to be sub 3 and hopefully around 2:55-2:56.  In my two years of experience with it, I think Ogden can be a tricky course.  A lot of people "blow up" on it for some reason.  Going out too fast can definitely be a big mistake but I don't believe it has the kind of negative split potential that St George has either.  So, with that in mind, I usually try to set my goal for as close to even split as possible.  The first 8 downhill miles were wonderfully relaxed and easy, as usual.  The weather was amazingly perfect. I tried to run with guys when I could and enjoyed the entertaining aid stations :)  The next section around the lake was a struggle for me last year.  I remember thinking many times then that I would not be able to keep this up for another whole half marathon!  But this year, my running continued to feel smooth and rhythmic and controlled right through the halfway point.  I won't go into all my mile splits (I kept missing mile markers anyway) but I was about 1:25:30 at the half mark.  Then came the "big hill" at mile 14.  It didn't really bother me much.  It was actually nice to have a short, 7 minute challenge to focus on (instead of the gloomy thought of 12 more long miles to go!).  I did start to worry after the hill that maybe I had been overzealous in my first half split but as soon as I started the next downhill section into Ogden canyon I felt like I could handle it til the end.  Though it began to get more uncomfortable, this canyon section was a lot of fun and I got to see quite a few people I knew, including Allie in her very bright orange vest at mile 21 :)  The pace through here still felt "uncomfortably comfortable".
  Then came the parkway stretch... even more painful and esp challenging for me mentally.  But it is also my favorite part of the race.  I ran at Weber State (many years ago) and this 2 1/2 miles along the parkway always brings back some great memories of doing mile repeats here during the cross country season :)  It's nice to half all the half marathoners along the course at this point cheering and distracting me from my increasing fatigue.  Of course the last mile of this course is the worst.  It seems soooooo long.  I was proud of the fact that I was able to keep my last 3 miles of the race all in the 6:30's.  When I finally broke the tape, I had this weird sensation of "emotion" come over me and I felt like I wanted to cry.  I didn't- but I came close.  I've never felt emotional like that before.  I think it was partly due to realizing that I had run faster than last year and I wasn't expecting to do that :)  I broke my own course record from last year, finishing in 2:51:48.  My second half was 1:26:18- so, close to even.  It was my easiest marathon win (second place was 10 minutes back) but with the struggles I've had in my training leading up to this point, it was a welcome "lucky break".  That's what I love about the marathon.  It can be so unpredictable.  Of course this works both ways (good & bad)!  But I love that there are so many factors and variables- not just pure training and mileage.  It's fun when your heart and mind can triumph over your body (and stomach!)  :)

Fritz Van de Kamp - 2011 Ogden Marathon Race Report

Typical race day routine. I woke up at 4 AM, three hours before race time, drank lots of water, took a shower, gathered up my race gear and drop bag then was dropped off at the buses at 4:45.  The best part about the morning was that I was allowed to go on the "VIP" bus because I won the race last year.  The two major benefits were that there is a bathroom on the bus (no porta potty!) AND I didn't have to get off the bus until 20 minutes before race time.  That was huge, especially for this race, because I always dread shivering sitting on the ground and fighting for space near the fires.  So basically the morning couldn't have gone any better.

I left the bus at around 6:45 just in time to get a quick warm up.  It was probably around 55 degrees, warmer than usual, and it looked like the weather would cooperate and not rain.  I did a quick warm up down the road and chatted with some friends at the start line.  My legs felt fresh so I knew a good race was possible but I really had no idea how I would place because Seth Wold was in the mix along with a few guys who have beat me in the past. 

The gun went off and Bryant Jensen quickly jumped out ahead as he was running the relay.  Then I was next and Seth was following closely behind. I typically refuse to look behind me during races so I really had no idea how the close the other runners were.  Seth and I were side by side for the first 7 miles until Seth suddenly stopped to tie his shoe lace.  Keeping to my tradition I didn’t turn around and probably built a 5 second lead.  At that point I was feeling good and thought that if I could just keep me pace I could possibly drop him for good.  That was the first time I knew I could win if I could hold on.  The next 6 miles (7 – 13) are some of the slower miles of the race but they felt smooth and I made sure to hold back slightly on the uphills.  I ran into Bryant, who was now pacing his teammate, at around mile 12 and from then on it was only me and the biker guy until I started catching the half marathoners at around mile 18.  I was happy, although a little concerned, to see my 13.1 split at 1:11:30.  Both of my last two Half’s were slower than that but I wasn’t about to slow down because I didn’t want to be caught by Seth and I was feeling good.  I held back slightly again on the big uphill at mile 15, although the quads were still burning, and just made sure to keep it steady until the fun began down the canyon.  By the time I hit the bridge I knew I had a good sized lead but I still had some fast miles left in me and I wanted to see if I could beat my St. George time from 2009.  The canyon miles felt quick and it was nice be around the half runners as I descended.  I came out the canyon in decent shape although the legs were now wobbly enough that I knew the impending last few miles on the path would be struggle.  Of course those miles weren’t exactly fun but I have had worse.  I clocked myself at exactly 2:25 over 26.42 miles.  Chip time came in at 2:25:04.    

Ultimately the race went about as well as I could have expected.  All I wanted to do was beat my 5k time (16:44) from last weekend and see if I could hang on. :)  I think I succeeded (first 5k was16:33) and I set a PR of about 2 minutes on harder course (previous best was a 2:26:48 at St. George).  Going in I thought a 2:27 was possible but it would still be a stretch because the ramp up to this race was very rushed and I really only went into this race with about 3 quality weeks of running training; a 58 mile week, an 80 mile week that included a 23 mile run and the Provo Half, and a 70 mile that ended with 5k.  But what I think I did do right was get in some quality and painful miles by running the Provo City Half two weeks ago and the Law Day Run 5k last weekend and then after the races I did a long cool down.  So although my times in those races weren't great, I think they helped me get mentality prepared and they shocked the system with some threshold miles.  

Now my focus turns to running a fast half at Utah Valley with the team and then building up more speed as I prepare for Chicago in October.

Spilts- 5:17, 5:25, 5:19, 5:20, 5:21, 5:21, 5:27, 5:25, 5:34, 5:29, 5:41, 5:33, 5:39, 5:29, 5:51, 5:31, 5:32, 5:19, 5:19, 5:25, 5:21, 5:19, 5:17, 5:35, 5:44, 5:48, 2:38 (.45 miles)

Gels - 4.5 (more than usual)

2011 Ogden Marathon Results

Despite a rainy week the 2011 Ogden Marathon went as planned and once again Utah Elite was well-represented at one of Utah's largest marathons.  Defending Ogden winners Fritz Van de Kamp and Stefanie Talley repeated as champions today running very impressive races on both sides.  Fritz won with a PR of 2:25 and Stefanie with a 2:51.  It's great to see Utah Elite jerseys at the top of both podiums!  

Experiencing the fastest Boston Marathon ever - Karl Siebach

Karl had the honor to race in the Boston Marathon this past weekend.  It was an amazing race where two men ran faster than the current world record, Ryan Hall ran under the American Record, and American underdog, Desiree Davila, nearly won it all.  Read about his great experience running the most historic marathon in the world:

I started my race in the 3rd row in heat one corral, one right behind the elites and professionals, the perfect spot. I was going into the race feeling great but had no idea what the turn out would be because of some adjustments I had made in my training, the adjustments being higher milage weeks and slower, more conservative recovery runs plus I actually did some tempo runs and speed workouts. I'm still trying to learn how to taper down for the marathon, and what I did worked, but it felt like I was tapering to early. I felt like going into the race that I had no strength and no speed in my legs because I had only ran 50 miles and 35 miles the weeks before the race. So, I went into the race without much confidence in my training but I kept remembering the high milage weeks and the hard speed and tempos workouts, re-boosting my confidence. 

Well, back to the race. I started out in a 5:23 mile and was like, "ok that was a pretty good mile for a down hill start but slow it down, no reason to get too excited." I dropped it to a 5:30 and thought, "good, right on pace." Eventually, I was just trying to find a good group of guys to hang with.  I would catch a group and stay with them for about a minute then I would see another group just another 50 meters ahead and would say to myself, "go catch them."  It was a good plan until I was going faster then my race plan but was just feeling amazing. I figured I had better find out what my body could do while I was having a good day, plus since it was only my second marathon I had to test my limits. I kept remembering I was running the Boston marathon and couldn't believe I was there. The course was awesome with all the crowds just pumping you up. They kept commenting on my hair since it's so long and my race number because it so high. 

Mile 14, I was in a little bit of trouble. I started to feel my left calf cramp up and was like "you can't do this to me!" I had never had that happen to me so I eased up a little and tried to do that slow running stride stretch on my left side and luckily it worked. I continued to press on. I was probably in or around 40th place until about mile 18, then I started to feel my fast start. My half marathon split was my second fastest half marathon ever. 

I kept pushing it until mile 20, hoping that I wouldn't crash too hard, knowing that even if I were to run a 75 min second half I would be at 2:25 pace.  But, the hills came and they kicked my butt. I was losing hope after mile 22 and 23. Aaron Metler, the St. George Marathon winner, caught me and gave me some extra motivation and confidence to try and find a second wind. I dug down and just tried to salvage the last 3 miles of the race.  I kept telling myself that if I averaged the last 3 miles in 6 min/mile, I would be under 2:30. The legs were shot, no energy left, dieing to just cross the finish line.  

Finally I could see it and could see people behind me coming up, but no one passed. I crossed the line, hit the watch, and started to get light-headed and eventually fell to my knees. I was like "dang, I don't want to be one of those kind, get up you idiot!"  But, before I got up on my own, two people grabbed me and stood me up, which I was grateful for. They followed me just to make sure I was fine but I was walking on my own. I have never felt like this after race.  Ever. I was cramping in every part of my legs, just trying not stop walking and have it get worse. After about 20 minutes, I think, it was 20 mins maybe longer, I was really out of it, I felt that I could finally bend over and change my shoes. Then I saw Paul Petersen and I was curious to know how he finished.  He had qualified for the Olympic Trials!  It was awesome to know the 3rd overall American and to have him know who I was. Great guy, it was well deserved. He inspires me that I can maybe make it to that level of running one day. 

In the end it was a fun race to test my limits and to wonder what would happen if I would have gone a out a little more conservative. Chicago here I come. 2:22:00!!!!

Splits:Mile 1 - 5.23  Mile 2 - 5.30  Mile 3 - 5.22  Mile 4 - 5.17  Mile 5 - 5.30  Mile 6 - 5.18  Mile 7 - 5.10  Mile 8 - 5,18  Mile 9 - 5.17  Mile 10 - 5.20  Mile 11 - 5.19  Mile 12 - 5.09  Mile 13,14 - 10.41  Mile 15 - 5.37  Mile 16- 5.16  Mile 17 - 5.39  Mile 18 - 5.50  Mile 19 - 5.36  Mile 20 - 6.08  Mile 21 - 7.30  Mile 22 - 7.05  Mile 23 - 6.08  Mile 24 - 5.38  Mile 25 - 6.09  Mile 26 - 7.22 (1.2mile) 

Salt Lake Half Marathon winner: Allie Scott!

Another win for a Utah Elite athlete this past weekend at the SLC Half Marathon by Allie Scott shows the quality of our athletes and sets a great tone for the prime road racing season this summer for the whole team.  Allie was asked to share her experience over the weekend:  

This was my first experience running the Salt Lake City Half Marathon, and my first attempt at the distance since August of 2009. My goal going into this race was to go out more aggressively than I normally do for this distance. I tend to fall into a marathon mindset when it comes to running the half, and consequently I have always been too conservative with my pacing. I was also after a PR, but I was unsure if I had the fitness for that at this point in the season. 
The course is set up to be very fast, starting at the University of Utah and following a gentle downhill grade into downtown. The first few miles of the race felt great -- my legs were fresh and the pace felt sustainable. I continued to feel strong throughout the race, and just hoped I could maintain the pace to the finish without breaking down. Near the end of the race I realized that I was going to be very close to breaking 1:20. I slowed a bit during the nice gasp-and-wheeze mile up the hill on State Street, which meant I had to make up ground in the last mile if I had any chance of running under 1:20. Unfortunately, my legs were rather tired at that point in the race, and I could not get them to turn over fast enough. I crossed the line in 1:20:00. This was a new PR for me, and I was happy with the outcome and grateful that my body responded well to the pace and held up in the last few miles. Overall the race was a lot of fun -- the weather was perfect and the volunteers and spectators were very supportive. My next attempt at the half will be the Utah Valley Half Marathon on June 11.