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Tag Archives: schultz

15th best…in the world!

02 Tuesday Aug 2022

Posted by deshon in Race Results, Stories

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

5000m, 5K, deshon, Eugene, Hayward Field, Oregon, parsons, schultz, Steve Prefontaine, World Track & Field Championships

CRR Sam Parsons, the Newark native who ran for The Tatnall School and North Carolina State, recently competed for Germany (his mother’s home country) in the final of the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. He is the son of CRR George Parsons and CRR Christina Parsons.

Leading up to the Worlds, Parsons’s training had been good. While in California in May, he had run a 5K personal best of 13:21.17. And just two weeks prior to his trip to Eugene, he had broken his own mile best by running a 3:55.81. Back in April, Parsons thrilled hundreds of local track enthusiasts at The Tatnall School track by becoming the first ever to run a sub-4 mile on Delaware soil (see Parsons conquers Mile Challenge).

photo of Sam Parsons on his way to the track
Parsons before the race

So, it seemed Parsons was ready. In past Olympic trials and at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, he had come close to being in a final, but this was a special opportunity for him.

Fast forward to the 5000m semifinal #2. Parsons was competing for a spot in the final with the likes of the always-prominent Kenyan, Ethiopian, and Ugandan runners, as well as Norway phenom Jakob Ingebrigsten, who had just placed second in the 1,500m final. Another local runner in that same race was Charter School of Wilmington and Harvard standout Kieran Tuntivate.

Parsons ran a smart race, staying with the lead pack through most of the race. Though he lost a bit of ground in the final laps, he placed 9th in the semi with a finishing time of 13:24.5, which was good enough to qualify for the final. As he crossed the finish line, a big smile appeared on his face, as he knew instantly that he had made it.

photo of Sam Parsons's finish in the semi
Parsons finishing strong in the semifinal to qualify for the final

“I’m the happiest guy in Hayward right now,” Parsons said. “Not too happy I won’t be able to go to the Wild Duck the next two nights after that; I certainly was banking on that. But final on Sunday, I think that’s a little bit better.”

Besides his parents, at least one other Creek Road Runner, CRR Dave Schultz, and his son Ben were at Hayward Field to cheer for Parsons in person.

That was Thursday night, July 2nd. Just three days to rest and prepare for Sunday night’s final.

photo of Sam Parsons before the 5000m final
Parsons on the starting line at Hayward Field

Unfortunately, the final did not go according to plan for Parsons. He and British runner Marc Scott stayed in contact with the lead pack, but, as the race sped up in the final couple laps, both runners were seriously gapped. Parsons ended up finishing last in the final in, what was for him a disappointing, 13:45.9. Last in the final in this case, though, represents 15th best in the world!

CRR Mark Deshon recently had the opportunity to interview Parsons about his experience, and here’s what he had to say.

How would you assess your effort in the final? You looked in good shape until late in the race, when the pack pulled away from you and the Brit.

“[It was] definitely one of the hardest races I’ve ever run. Basically, with 800m to go, I just bottomed out, completely just wiped. Definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”

How difficult was it to gear up for a bigger race just 72 hours after having run a 13:24?

“[This was my] first time ever running two 5Ks in such a short timespan under so much stress and tension…in an arena like that. There’s nothing more motivating than getting your ass kicked at a higher level to want to figure out how to run…and be successful at that level.”

Did you and Kieran Tuntivate discuss anything before your qualifying semi? It seems he wasn’t able to keep the fast pace.

“I did see Kieran. We texted back and forth a little bit before the prelim. He was still optimistic going into the prelim. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great day…. We talked about the field, what the race was probably going to be like, and talked tactics a little bit.”

Give us your impression of having been on the world stage in Steve Prefontaine’s signature race on his hallowed ground.

“Steve Prefontaine was my hero…. He really made running cool for me. It definitely was a full-circle moment for me. To have been watching Without Limits [the classic movie about the 1970s Oregon Olympian] before essentially every big high school race to then running on Hayward Field, where half those races in the movie were, was definitely surreal for me, and I cherished every moment there, without a doubt.”

What was the atmosphere like in that stadium?

“The atmosphere was crazy. I’d never quite run in a stadium with 50,000 people like that,…sold out, just yelling and screaming…. There was so much love. I heard ‘Sam, Sam, Sam’ so many times as I was going around the track. So, that was really special to have kind of like a pseudo–home field advantage there.”

What interesting off-track stuff did you do while in Eugene?

photo of Sam Parsons in CRR sweatshirt

“I got to know [reigning Olympic 5000m champion] Joshua Cheptegei [the Ugandan who finished 9th in the final]. He lived in the same hall [as I did], and we got to drink tea together before the race…. He was very proud of me for making the 5K final…. It was really special to talk to, quite possibility, the greatest distance runner of my generation like that. That was really special, and he’s a kind, kind soul. I actually got his race bib also after the 5K final, so that will be a great memory I’ll always get to have and cherish.”

U.S. runner Grant Fisher ran well in the final, placing 6th in a time of 13:11.65, less than three seconds behind Norway’s Jacob Ingebrigsten, who took the gold medal in 13:09.24.

Parsons, who typically trains in Boulder, Colo., with professional club Tinman Elite, is now in St. Moritz, Switzerland, prepping for the European finals, to be held on August 16. He admitted, “It’s not quite like the White Clay Creek trails, but this’ll do just fine for the next month.”

We wish him the all the best.

CRRs bringing it home!

27 Wednesday Oct 2021

Posted by deshon in Race Results

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Tags

alexander, dombroski, nigro, poindexter, rose, schultz, tague, UD Blue Hens Homecoming 5K, weber

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the University of Delaware held its annual Blue Hens Homecoming 5K. Several Creek Road Runners took advantage of this local race, which is a parking-lot-and-dirt-path course on the Ag & Athletics campus.

photo of Andrew Weber
photo of Luke Nigro

Winning the race was 41-year-old CRR Andrew Weber, the younger of our fast-Webers duo, in 17:37. He had competition from another runner in his age group but won by a comfortable 15 seconds. Coming in third overall and taking first in the 20-29 age group was CRR Luke Nigro with a time of 18:14. Placing 12th overall and winning the 60-69 age group was 60-year-old CRR Bruce Weber. The elder Weber’s finishing time of 19:45 gave him an age-grade score of 80.3, which is considered “national class.” Congratulations to these three standouts.

Creek Road Runners took all three places in the men’s 60-69s. Placing second in that age group was CRR Bill Rose, who finished 18th overall in 21:03. Triathlete CRR Steve Tague placed 3rd among his age-group peers and 29th overall in 22:06.

photo of Flora Poindexter

Our lone female competitor was CRR Flora Poindexter, who finished second among the 60-69s (strong age group!) in 34:22.

Other Creek Road Runners finishers included CRR Dave Schultz (24:19), CRR Joe Dombroski (28:43), and CRR Shawn Alexander (29:06).

Half of New England, three New England halfs

29 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by deshon in Stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

half marathon, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, schultz

photo of Dave SchultzYou might also call it “Dave’s excellent adventure.”

There’s nothing like running on vacation trips in beautiful locations. But three half-marathon distances in ten days? That’s a bit on the crazy side, but CRR Dave Schultz seemed to have a good time anyway.

graphic map of northern New England showing locations of 3 runsSchultz’s adventure began on August 2, during which he completed a 13.1-mile distance while running from West Peabody, Mass., to Salem, Mass., and back in a time of 1 hour and 57 minutes.

Next up—beautiful Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island in Maine. Beginning in Bar Harbor on August 8, Schultz did a mostly-trail run through the park. By his own admission, the time was slow (2 hours and 44 minutes), but, hey, it was a trail run in and he put in an extra half mile or so (13.7 mi.).

After visiting the White Mountains in New Hampshire and hiking up and down the 6,288-ft. Mt. Washington, Schultz completed his New England half-marathon trifecta on August 11 in Nashua, N.H., covering a 13.3-mi. distance in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Quite the accomplishment and quite the stamina! Well done.

So, what did you do on your summer vacation?

Turkey Trot winners

23 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by deshon in Race Results

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Tags

10K, 5K, amer, chappell, deshon, repetti, ridge, schultz, simmons, Turkey Trot

illustration of turkey with running shoesChilly, but calm, conditions provided a near ideal day for the 47th Annual Turkey Trot 10K and 5K races here in Newark. There were several notables among the Creek Road Runners, as several took age-group awards.

photo of Clark RidgeIn the 10K, CRR Clark Ridge of College Park, Md., placed 4th overall (out of the 195 finishers) and took 1st among the 35-39 men in a fast 36:38. (Yes, the photo at left is one from his college days.)

Competing in his first open 10K ever, CRR Kyle Chappell, of Landenberg, Pa., placed 20th overall and 1st among the 55-59s, clocking in at 43:52. Super debut at this distance! CRR Dan Simmons, visiting from Atascadera, Calif., won the 70-74 age group in 52:43. Coming in just ahead of Simmons was CRR Doug Repetti with a 52:04, taking 3rd among the 65-69s.

photo of Mark DeshonIn the 5K, CRR Mark Deshon led the Creek Road Runners, placing 39th overall (out of 541 finishers) and turning in an inspired 7-min./mile pacing at 21:42, taking 1st place in the 60-64 age group. This is Deshon’s 10th consecutive age-group win, dating back four years to the 2015 Turkey Trot. OK, the jinx is now on!

Remarkably, CRR Doug Repetti doubled his pleasure by exactly halving his 10K time, finishing in 26:02 and taking 2nd place in his age group! Also competing in both races was CRR Dan Simmons (hey, if you’re coming all the way across the country, you might as well run twice), taking 3rd place among the 70-74s with a 38:33.

On the female side, CRR Christine Schultz took third in the 45-49 age group, posting a 28:25 for her 5K.

A word of note here—reminder that, whenever possible, CreekRoadRunners.org displays gun time, not chip time, traditionalists as we may be. So, occasionally explanations like the following are necessary.

In the case of CRR Doug Ridge (father of Clark), who took 2nd among the 75-79s in 34:05 while running with his grandson, he crossed the line six seconds ahead of CRR Paul Amer, who finished 3rd in the 65-69 age group with a 34:11. However, Amer actually ran the course seven seconds faster than did Ridge, based on their respective chip times.

Anyway, congratulations to all. Now, go have some turkey.

Baird blasts Homecoming 5K

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by deshon in Race Results

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Tags

baird, george, leefeldt, repetti, rose, schultz, UD Blue Hens Homecoming 5K, weber

photo of Jo Baird finishing Homecoming 5KThe photo may look like she has sprouted wings and an extra pair of legs, but it is just CRR Jo Baird’s strong and determined finishing kick, as YoUDee—the University of Delaware mascot—peers over her shoulder while she finishes the UD Homecoming 5K last Wednesday. Baird was the second overall finisher and top woman, crossing the line in 18:44.

CRR Bruce Weber trailed Baird by just seven seconds, clocking a 18:51 in third place as the top master’s runner. CRR Bill Rose finished 13th overall and took third in the 50-59 age group with a 20:32. CRR Doug Repetti took second place among the 65-69s in 25:21.

photo of Anja Leefeldtphoto of Becky GeorgeCRR Anja Leefeldt took first in the 40-49 age group in 25:29, less than three seconds off the finishing time of the woman who took the top master’s place. (Leefeldt’s chip time was actually three seconds faster than the top master’s chip time, meaning she’ll have to get closer to the starting line in the future.) CRR Becky George took third in the 50-59 age group in 26:34.

Great results for Baird, who was training for the Marine Corps Marathon, and for many of the other Creek Road Runner women at this race. CRR Christine Schultz even raced in her UD-colored Homecoming tutu!

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You’re a real runner if…

acronyms like PR and DNF are verbs.

the thought of signing up for a 401K is scary.

your blood pressure is 92 over 56 and you are conscious.

you drive 100 miles to a 5K race.

you can convert kilometers to miles in your head.

your iPod has a “running” playlist.

you check out road races while on vacation.

you’ve converted your marathon medals into a wind chime.

you consider running 3 miles to be a warm up.

you know the shoe store guy better than some relatives.

you drive down the freeway and think to yourself, “Hey, my car is doing 1-minute miles.”

you know that PR stands for something other than Puerto Rico.

you use your bib numbers to wallpaper your garage.

your resting heart rate is too low to give blood.

you look forward to birthdays when your age changes to a number ending with a 0 or 5.

you consider your latest race shirt “formal wear.”

you mentally measure junk food in miles rather than calories.

you have your own name for all the local public trails.

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