Balboa 4-Miler / Bonita 8K Stampede Update

The PRT Open Men's squad turned in a very solid performance at the Balboa 4-miler on September 1, taking third place in a tight battle with SDTC and Adidas Movin Shoes. We were led by new member Armando Lara, who put himself right in the mix with the lead group and finished fifth overall, breaking twenty-two minutes on a sadistic course on a hot day. Rounding out our scoring runners were Dan Seidel (22:13), Derek Bradley (22:34), Alex Phipps (22:43), and Andy Corman (22:51), all finishing in the top twenty. Luis de la Vega (23:18) and Chuck McKeown (23:29) were close behind.

The Bonita 8k, held in Sweetwater Park on September 22 and featuring several hay bale jumps, was a tougher day for the Open Men. We had a small turnout and the other squads were too strong, so PRT had to settle for fourth. Dan S. took seventh (26:30), followed by Alex (27:15), Derek (27:23), Brian Culley (28:23), and James Fieberg (29:49).

Roughly halfway through the Dirt Dog Series, PRT now sits in third place, a few points behind Adidas. We're still looking for a team victory at one of the three remaining races before the championship on November 10, so mark your calendars for the next race--the Balboa Boogie 5k, on October 13. Register here for that race.

Strong Debut for PRT Open Men and Masters at Wild Duck 5k

The PRT Open Men's team took second at the Wild Duck 5k this past weekend, losing by only three spots to the GivingTree3/BSK squad. Dan Farmer and Alex Phipps took out the race in honest fashion, leading through approximately two miles and holding on for fourth and fifth place, respectively, both comfortably under sixteen minutes. Not far behind were your humble correspondent, Derek Bradley, and Andrew Corman (7-8-9, all around sixteen minutes). We also had strong races from Chuck McKeon (16:34), Steve Moxey (16:52), and Alec Fillmore (17:06). My general sense is that a few people ran quite a bit faster this year than last, which bodes well for the upcoming Dirt Dog series.

Brian Culley and Steve Johnson led the 40+ men's squad in the Masters race, coming in fourth and sixth (17:09; 17:20). The PRT Masters were second in the team competition behind the Jamul Toads.

Full results are at runprt.com.

This weekend is the Balboa 4-miler; register online here.

Mario heads to London!

Check out the Union-Trib's nice article on PRT's Mario Fraioli and his upcoming trip to the London Games as coach of Costa Rican marathoner Cesar Lizano.

PRT Men's Team Update

Okay, here we go. The inaugural entry in the PRT monthly (sort of) wrap-up for the men.

Let’s begin with the team-focus Encinitas 5k on May 19. Our guys placed 3-5-6-7-8-9-12 (Bradley-Seidel-Christman-Phipps-Fraioli-De La Vega-Daly). Such a display of team dominance has not been seen in any sport since 1992, when the USA Dream Team humiliated Angola at the Barcelona Olympics in basketball. Keep in mind, though, that we were the only team that showed up with any numbers. Still, an impressive turnout and performance. Special recognition goes to Derek, who broke fifteen minutes for the first time and gives the rest of us over-30-year-olds hope that all is not lost.

Precisely one month to the day after Encinitas, Alec set off from Santa Monica Pier with a friend, hoping to reach San Francisco in two weeks, running the entire way (the high-speed-rail link between LA and San Francisco had not yet been approved when his journey began, or I would have recommended he wait for its completion). Although injuries and fatigue prevented them from completing the trip, Alec made it well past Santa Barbara, and in the process raised a nice amount of money for the Hall Steps foundation, a charity created by Ryan and Sara Hall.

On July 4, a date that will go down in history as the night that San Diego couldn’t contain itself and exploded all its fireworks prematurely, we had a good crew at the team-focus Scripps Ranch 10k, placing 5-6-9-11-20-32 (Farmer-Phipps-De La Vega-Corman-Fraioli-McKeon).

Now the focus turns toward cross country; it’s time to put in the miles, and get all dirty-dog when the time comes. I don’t actually know what that means, but I look forward to recapping the first month of xc action.