Here Comes the Flood
NIRCA's Midwestern Millrose
Whoopsie daisy!
Last week was a misfire for me. Between work and running and all the pollen blooming at once, I had some trouble getting my words out in time. But fear not, for I am not Zach Levetting you all. I’m back, and I’ve got a LOT to say.
Too much, frankly. There have been SO MANY big performances in the last two weeks, and letting them pile up like that wasn’t my brightest move. So, if I miss some stuff (and I will) — my apologies! Know I’m still proud of you regardless, and that you could definitely beat me either way.
“Shea Aquilano” — Write That Down
Last weekend, at the prestigious Black Canyon 100k in Arizona, Notre Dame RC senior Shea Aquilano ran an absolutely absurd 9:08, good enough for 6th female and 23rd overall. That, according to the official results, is 8:49 mile pace. For 62 miles. At a trail race. As a college senior.
My jaw dropped when I saw this one. I honestly don’t know what to say. I think maybe I’ll just let the result speak for itself. Jeebus Creebus, man.
More Club Sub-9s on the Books
Several more club runners dipped under 9 minutes for the 3k last weekend, bringing the total up to 25 for the season. They are:
Pieter Heesters (Notre Dame) — 8:34.68 for #21
Alex Horgan (Delaware) — 8:45.92 for #6 (and a meet record!)
Alden Roy (Oregon State) — 8:45 for #7
Samuel Yakulis (VA Tech) — 8:46 for #8
Tim Purcell (Pitt) — 8:51.26 for #10
Anthony Sweet (Ohio State) — 8:53.09 for #15
Robert Randall (VA Tech) — 8:53.23 for #16
Ryan Fryer (Notre Dame) — 8:56.91 for #24
The full, running list can be found here.
Mile Madness
Look, I would love to do something similar for the mile as I’m doing for the 3k, but the fact of the matter is that so many of y’all are running fast miles that I don’t know how I’d keep up with it all. What would it be, anyway? Sub-4:30 guys & sub-5:30 girls? If y’all PINKY SWEAR to help me crowd-source the results, maybe we can make this happen.
In the meantime, last weekend was a big one for fast miles. Like, a big one. Between the GVSU Big Meet, the Happy Valley Invitation, and the Black Sheep Invitational, there was a lot to write home about. For example:
The Oregon running club had what can only be described as a UW-esque string of fast milers in the same race, led by 2:24 marathoner Emmet Saulnier in 4:15.86. Owen Serrichio was just behind in 4:16.70, followed by Abdiaziz Hussein in 4:20.09 and Conner Kerr in 4:24.09. They were followed, ironically, by three UW Club runers — Mitchell Rees-Jones, John Meier, and Maxim Serafimovici — who ran 4:24.47, 4:27, and 4:28.88, respectively. Another Duck, Abdizirach Hussein, was just a second back from Serafimovici. Crikey.
Jorden Sowash and Ben Deguire of MRun had a big one at GVSU, running blistering miles in 4:16.61 and 4:20.18.
At the Black Sheep Invite at THE TRACK [sic] in Boston, the XC champs hopped on the track. Northeastern runners Alex Knueppel and Nicolas Ferretti ran fast miles each, going 4:20.62 and 4:26.65. Northeastern had 9 men run under 5 that meet. Meanwhile, Rose McDonnell 5:19.95, and Caroline Meehan ran 5:29.
Also at the Black Sheep Invite, Hayley Norton of UMass Amherst ran 5:31, and Will Shahbazian of UMass Lowell ran 4:29.
25 Laps
The last few weeks have also seen several fast indoor 5ks, the two most notable of which were both at the Friday session of the GVSU Big Meet. On that fateful Friday, RS front-page regulars Ashley Heidenrich (UMich) and Dylan Parker (GVSU) both threw down their respective gauntlets to the rest of the league’s long-distance specialists.
Heidenrich ran a stellar 16:44 for the first female sub-17 of the season and fifth overall at a massive meet. Parker, meanwhile, ran 14:45.90 for a league-leading time and a big PR.
Aidan McCarthy — New Kit, Same Ol’
After putting in a solid cross country season, Hokie-turned-Buckeye and 2022 NIRCA 800m champ proved he’s still that guy over the half-mile last weekend. McCarthy ran 1:53.51 in his season opener for a league-leading time, an indoor PR, an OSU club record, and a win over a D1 field. If this is his starting point for the season, then we’d all better worry about what the endpoint might be. If you’re a NIRCA 800 runner right now, McCarthy better be the face on your dartboard.
Coming Up: The Illinois Club Relays
Tomorrow we’ll see the biggest club meets of the indoor season — the Illinois Club Relays. The who’s who of Northcoast club running. NIRCA’s Midwestern Millrose. Go time.
It would take at least another 2,000 words to preview all the stellar talent set to show up this weekend, so I won’t even bother. Instead, I’ll direct you to the Illini Track Club Instagram for updates, and to the Reasonably Speedy Instagram for the best live updates I can give while:
In Virginia
At work
One Last Thing
I won’t belabor this, because it’s been said better already by several people more qualified than me (more on that in a moment). But when I saw the news from MSU on the 13th, my heart sank like I’m sure all of yours did.
I write a silly little club running newsletter. It’s fun, its goofy, and I get to talk about a sport I love. In the last three months, I’ve had to address two events like this. The first at UVA — a school my sister attends in a town I grew up visiting — and now at MSU. Two is, it should go without saying, two too many. And I desperately hope this will be the last time I have to do this, though hoping on its own is, of course, not enough. The folks at MRun said it better than I ever could’ve:
MSU will be running at the Club Relays tomorrow. I guess all I’m asking is that you cheer a little louder for the Spartans for me.
DAMN dude! DAMN!!!