Sunday's Seven Hills/TWRC Challenge 5K

I joked with Anna Helm and Terry Garrett near the start of the Bayou City Classic 10K starting line that I'm often known as a "shit stirrer", which elicited a laugh or two and a wary eye and a wince from Ms. El Presidente.

I think, though, that I've gotten a few cool things started too. (And the fewer that know what they are: the better.)

One of these was the Houston Running Bloggers vs. Seven Hills Running Club 5K Challenge on August 12, 2006. I'm not quite sure what came over me at the time, but it was a lot of fun even though HRB got its butt kicked. But what was the end result? An all-time club high turnout for Seven Hills for any event in its history. I'm proud to have been a part of that.

It has since taken on a life of its own between Seven Hills and The Woodlands Running Club. TWRC won last June at Run The Woodlands 5K and, on Sunday, Seven Hills now has possession of the coveted Saw Trophy. (See Bill's blog for a picture.)

How does it work? The two teams compete against each other and cross country scoring is done among those participants. A factor is supposed to be drawn before the race that is to be multiplied against the difference in the number of participants. The key is: get everybody out that can finish the course!

1. Robert Duncan - 20:40
2. Buck Snyder - 20:51 (TWRC)
3. J. C. Guzman - 21:06
4. Gary Van Kuiken - 22:25 (TWRC)
5. Stephen Smith - 22:31 (TWRC)
6. Sheridan Grant - 22:34
7. Nick Bellnoski - 22:52
8. Niki Bellnoski - 23:09
9. Darren Grant - 23:21
10. Norman Langwell, Jr. - 24:09
11. Henru Guzman - 24:10
12. Josh Holden - 24:11
13. Joe Hernandez - 24:14
14. Michael Deane - 24:19
15. David Wadsworth - 24:53 (TWRC)
16. Phillip Clark - 25:26
17. Chris Kunkel - 25:47
18. Denise Van Kuiken - 25:55 (TWRC)
19. Colten Langwell - 26:25
20. Holden Choi - 26:30
21. Glen Carter - 27:44
22. Tom McHale - 27:51 (TWRC)
23. Mary Kershbaum - 28:47 (TWRC)
24. Ben Johnson - 29:57
25. Jan Parks - 30:30
26. Katy Lampson - 31:33
27. Deanna Langwell - 31:33
28. Ron Davis - 32:54
29. Debbie Tripp - 37:08 (TWRC)
30. Jon Walk - 37:10 (TWRC)
31. True Cousins - 37:40
32. Don Ortloff - 41:05
33. Chantel Langwell - 45:52
34. Millie Langwell - 45:53
35. Mary Ann Davis - 48:32

26 of the finishers were Seven Hills members and the remaining 9 were TWRC members. I was the only one running that held dual memberships. Bill Dwyer also joined Seven Hills while we were there. TWRC would have had two more finishers, but Jim Braden and Waverly were unable to finish.

So the scoring, before any "penalty" participation points, was as follows:

Seven Hills - 1 - 3 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 = 67
TWRC - 2 - 4 - 5 - 15 - 18 - 22 - 23 - 29 - 30 = 146

Seven Hills Running Club members also got their new Tech shirts this weekend from president Niki Bellnoski.

Buck came up to support the effort one day after setting a PR at the Bayou City Classic on Saturday and then riding 67 miles on his bike Sunday morning as part of his training for Ironman Arizona in November.

Waverly, who had been off from track for a couple of weeks with a muscle tear that she suffered during their first track meet, was back to running and actually ran all the way to the top of the second hill without stopping. That represented excellent pacing on her part. Way to go!

But ... she reaggravated that knot on the front of her left leg. Debbie Tripp and I walked her to Bowers Blvd. where she walked down over the hill while the two of us finished the course. Therefore, my time looked like this:

Mile 1 - 12:52.88
Mile 2 - 12:38.71 (25:31.59)
Last 1.1 - 11:38.29 (37:09.88)

The last 1.1 mile represented a 10:34 pace on the rise of Bobby Marks Drive followed by the ever-climbing loop that eventually descends upon the finish line.

An excellent post-race social was held at Margarita's in Huntsville that was attended by David and Janette Wadsworth, Denise and Gary Van Kuiken, Bill Dwyer, Jim Braden, Ken and Marilyn Johnson, Jon Walk, Waverly Walk, Ben Johnson, Nick and Niki Bellnoski, Katy Lampson and Debbie Tripp.