Summertime Blues
Reasonably Speedy Comes to a Crossroads
I’M BACK, BABY!
First and foremost, I’d like to beg the forgiveness of each and every one of you. Last week was a bust. No newsletter. This last set of finals somehow wound u being my toughest — not sure how. On top of that, Friday was my last “last day of classes.” Here at William & Mary it’s a day colloquially known as “Blowout.” I was busy, I’ll leave it at that.
It was inevitable, I know. I had to miss a week eventually. Still, I’d hoped I’d last a little longer, though if you ask me, 14 weeks straight ain’t too bad! I guess this means I have until August 19th before I’m allowed to skip another edition. Until then, my humblest apologies. I am, to put it another way — reasonably sorry.
The RSTC Cannot Be Stopped
Last Thursday, I received several DMs from Virginia Tech Running Club members telling me to take a peek a the Liberty Twilight Qualifier results from this year. I assumed one of them must have run a fast time and that’s why they were reaching out. Well, it turned out several of them had run fast, but that wasn’t why they were messaging me.
On May 4th, six members of the Reasonably Speedy Track Club dropped some heat at Liberty University. Three men ran the 1500m and the 5000m, respectively, and defended the good name of the RSTC in the process. In one heat, Avery Bryant and Ben Darden finished neck and neck, running 4:04 and 4:05, respectively. The very next heat, NIRCA 800m champ Aidan McCarthy — representing the RSTC, of course — dropped a blistering 3:55 1500m. That, to my knowledge, is the second-fastest club 1500m time in 2022.
Harris Naseh, Wyatt Thomas, and Jared Monseur made sure the other runners knew Reasonably Speedy’s plenty dangerous over the longer distances too. In the 5000m final, Naseh took 4th in 15:35, with Thomas & Monseur close behind in 15:49 and 15:52, locking down 7th and 9th place, respectively.
I’ve crunched the numbers, and according to my calculations, the RSTC club official club records (i.e. races run while representing Reasonably Speedy) are as follows:
1500m — Aidan McCarthy, 3:55.24
5000m — Harris Naseh, 15:35.17
Beer Mile — David Lefkowitz, 12:17 (like I said, I was busy on Friday)
That being said, the RSTC is always looking for members. Join the Strava group, grab yourself a shirt, and feel free to run in our honor whenever you find yourself unattached.
Gopher Grit
The University of Minnesota Running Club had themselves a day last Friday at the Hamline University “Meet of the Unsaintly.” Now that’s a helluva meet name!
Though the meet results are stacked with good runs all around, I’ve compiled a few highlights for you here:
Cassie Davis won the 5000m by over 2 1/2 minutes, running 18:32 for a decisive victory
Katherine Tomaska won the women’s 1500m with a time of 4:50, then came back and placed 3rd in the 3000m steeplechase, just behind her teammate Molly Balch
Theo Andre and Alek Wormuth took first & second in the men’s 800m, running 1:55.60 and 1:56.32, respectively.
Zach Hennen ran a 50.05 400m, then returned to help his team win the 4x400m relay in 3:26, thus firmly establishing himself among the fastest club 400m runners in the nation
Beirgen Gunhus-Dansdill placed 3rd in the 200m, running 23.29 into the wind. His teammate Bobby Moua was just behind in 4th.
Abby Parent took 4th in the 800m, running 2:20
NIRCA Publishes Its First D&I Newsletter
As you may have heard, the folks over at NIRCA have been putting together a Diversity & Inclusion board of volunteers for the past several months. Well, just a few hours ago the D&I board published their first newsletter on NIRCA’s Facebook page. What makes club running so great is that there’s a place for everyone, and I’m glad NIRCA is making that a priority. The article can be found here, so go give it a read!
Farewell to Seniors
Mid-may has arrived, which means that old folks like me are graduating and moving off to bigger (hopefully) and brighter (hopefully) things. Sadly, for those of us not going to grad school, that also means our NIRCA days have come to a close.
A number of our league’s best athletes are about to up and leave. While I’m sure next year’s freshman class will be packed with talent, here’s a quick salute to all the seniors, super-seniors, and super-super-seniors (any more than that and I think you’re a mega-senior) who are about to hang up their NIRCA eligibility forever. If you need a team, the RSTC is here to welcome you with open arms.
The Summer Build Begins
That being said, the impending Summer also means that club runners around the country are about to have a helluva lot more free time. As we all prepare to leave our teams and head home (or, at least, head elsewhere), the long summer days and conspicuous lack of homework means there’ll be plenty of time for mileage. They say that XC champions are made over the summer. Well, word on the street is, a certain 3-time NIRCA champ will be back on the grass to defend his title this fall, so unless your name is Nick Wolk — you’d better start running1.
Summer also means less races. In other words, I’ll have a lot less, result-wise, to keep you up to date on. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’ll be no shortage of content. There’s a lot I’d love to do this year — interviews, videos, more long-form pieces, you name it — but I want to hear your input. What do you want to see more of from Reasonably Speedy over the summer months? Athlete interviews? Youtube videos? Training talk?
Sound off in the comments below, or shoot me a DM over on Twitter or Instagram.
If your name is Nick Wolk, I assume you’re already running. There’s a target on your back the size of Pennsylvania. Heavy, they say, is the head that wears the triple-crown.