The Pace Setter - Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club

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Pr~tf~RwtnerJOSH MERLISfinishing is a great reward) or those in whichI reach a point of exhaustion but have thestrength to get through it. I like trail racingbecause there is so much strategy involved.When to push a turn and when to back off andlet someone else do the work. With road racing,there are few external elements to test you(basically just avoiding the potholes) so anythingwith mud and muck works for me. :)member forever. I fear that many individualsare using running simply for fitness, sometimesnegatively. They run the same loop aroundtheir house every day, dreading it and neverexperiencing the camaraderie of a group run,the beauty of a trail run in spring, or the rush ofrunning through the National Parks and seeinganimals and landscapes that most never seeoutside of a book. The ability to run is a giftto take us places away from home, but uponreturn we can revel in the journey and long forthe next trip to come.Any funny stories?Go for a run with me ... it will turn into one.;)0What is your occupation, background, age,hobbies, and other sports or other interests?I manage ARE Event Productions, a racetiming, software, and event logistics company.While we are mainly known locally for the timingof events, a lot of what we do is behindthe scenes writing programs for live streamingresults, text messaging, and mapping simulations.I grew up on Long Island and came toAlbany for college where I studied math andcomputer science. In my junior year I foundedthe Albany Running Exchange throughwhich eventually the company was born, butI did teach HS Math/Computer Science for 4years at Burnt Hills and loved it. While I'd liketo think I have other hobbies, besides swingdancing and eating, it's pretty much just runningand attending running events. :)When and how did you get started running?In 1985, my father would bring my brotherand me to the track weekly for us to run a lapor two. We were still in diapers. Three yearslater we were wearing bibs in 5ks (with numberson them, not simply to avoid food stainingour clothes) and in fifth grade I ran my first halfmarathon. It basically was just "what we did"and it wasn't until I was a little older that I realizedmost children are usually given toys andan allowance when my father's contributionsto us were running shoes and mileage mapsaround the neighborhood.Do you have a favorite race or races?I'd imagine my favorite races are like mostothers: either those that are challenging (and16 - The Pace SetterWhat are your most memorable races?My first 10k is among my most memorable.I was 9 years old running in the Asbury Park10k. I hit the wall around mile 4 (it scales downwhen you're 4' 1") and started running on thegrass next to the road. I was looking down, asI didn't have the strength to keep my head up,and then all I remember is lying on the pavement.Turns out I bashed my head into the bottomof a street sign. That was memorable - andI'm reminded of it every time I see the scar. :)How do you train? Do you have trainingpartners?I'm currently running about 6-7 days aweek, although if it is every day, at least 1-2 ofthose runs is at a very easy pace on a soft surface.I do one track workout and one long runeach week, along with some general distanceruns. I'm either at ARE group runs or with JimSweeney, Tom O'Grady, Eamon Dempsey,and Joe Hayter. I rarely run by myself.What are your current goals?Above all else, I want to provide opportunitiesfor others to reach their goals. Seeingthe growth of the Albany Running Exchange,and the greater Capital District running communityin general, I feel that is very importantto further the infrastructure that allows us allto feel vested in our own health and the socialnetwork of our runs and races. To that end, Ienjoy being part of events, creating events, andalso assisting others in making their dreams becomea reality.Do you have any future running goals?While warming up for the 2010 DelmarDash, I asked Dave Vona what he was hopingto run that day. He told me, "To the potentialof my current fitness." While he certainly washaving fun avoiding what everyone means bythat question, it did also resonate with somethingmany of us are afraid of: namely thequestion of what are we capable of? To thatend, I'm going to keep training and see whathappens. :)Do you have a philosophy of running?Running is the greatest joy that can be partof one's life, and if used correctly, it can bringyou to places and experiences that you will re-On the Web!The Hudson Mohawk RoadRunners Club is on the Web• Complete Race Schedule• Grand Prix Update• Race Applications• Race Resutts in a flashwww.hmrrc.com
The 31st Annual CDPHPWorkforce Team ChallengeBy Douglas SecorWell, for those who remember last year'sinstallment, this year's Team Challenge wasn'tquite as hot and humid as last year. But no matterwhat the weather, the Team Challenge is alwaysa great time. A time to get together withco-workers in a fun way and get away from thehustle and bustle of the workplace. I alwayslove this race, it is my Super Bowl. I rememberone year after the race our Assistant ExecutiveDirector made the comment, "Training for nextyear's Challenge begins tomorrow." For me thathas been true the past two years.The atmosphere of this race is almost electric.You get there and the music is crankingand there are thousands of people wanderingaround looking for their teams. Occasionallyyou even run into a few people who used towork with you and get to catch up on what youeach have been doing. I work for SchenectadyARC and we have had a tent the past couple ofyears as we prepare for the race. It's been fun,and this year we were proud to have more than180 people register for the race, which wasamazingly about one third of our workforce. Everyonewas walking around, talking with eachother, asking each other what we were hopingto accomplish timewise while others joked thatthey just hoped to make it up that first hill. It hasalso developed into quite an interagency competitionover the past few years as a race we allget to measure ourselves against people havebeaten us in the past.Then, after a year of anticipation, it is almoststart time. I run seven minute miles, but alwaysmake my way to the start line about 20 minutesbefore the race starts so I can get near the front.I found in the past that if I don't, by the timewe get to Washington Park I'm already passingpeople who are walking. Before long everyonestarts filtering onto Madison Avenue and you'rejust surrounded by people. Then we get to hearfrom someone from the charity of choice. Thencomes the moment that really gets the adrenalinegoing - the National Anthem is sung by alocal person and as they finish you hear and feelthe sound of thousands of people clapping andcheering. Finally the moment we've all beenwaiting for - runners set, go. And we're off. Theuphill at the beginning is a bit cruel, but it's niceon the way to the finish. I just have one questionfor all of you who did the race and were upin the front. What was the deal with the kid inthe race who couldn't have been more than 12?He's lucky he didn't get trampled.Overall, I have to say that this race is alwayswell put together. It's amazing how well thisrace comes off each year with the huge numberof people who sign up. I can't even imaginepulling off a race of this size and having itgo that well. This year's race saw yet anotherrecord of entrants with 8,654 runners/walkers,almost 1,000 more than last year's race. Allthose runners and walkers represented 449 organizationswhich included 15 that didn't participatelast year. Even with a new sponsor therace still seemed to be exactly the same as inpast years. Time clocks at the 1, 2, and 3 milemarks so everyone can keep track of their splitsare wonderful. It's always great, coming downthat final straightaway to the people standingoutside the bars cheering you along, and keepsyou going when you think maybe you haven'tgot anything left. Then you reach the Plaza andthe sound is almost deafening. And one lastthing I have to mention about the course itself.Whoever's idea it was to have the fire engine atthe end of the race, you are a genius. That is thebest thing ever!!!I was extremely excited with this year's installmentas I managed to set a PR for the fourthstraight year. But at 24:30 that was nowherenear the winner's, so here are the highlightsof the results. On the men's side, Chuck Terryreturned to his winning ways, claiming victoryfor the third time in 17:35. Apparently Ben Engelhardtdidn't fly in at the last minute fromArizona for his "internship" with Fortitech Inc.Chuck Terry becomes only the third man to winthe race three times, trailing Rich Coughlin with4 wins, which includes two ties with fourteentime winner Tom Dalton. Terry was followedby Eamon Dempsey and Justin Bishop. On thewomen's side Emily McCabe came across firstfor the women with a time of 20:49 followed by2009 winner Tonya Dodge and 2007 winnerEileen Combs.But hey, this is a team race so let's take a lookat the team results. On the men's side ARE EventProductions took top honors, placing 4 finishersin the top 10, combing for a time of 1:13:17. Theteam from the College of Saint Rose finished insecond about 4 minutes behind ARE. Roundingout the top 3 was the first team from GeneralElectric. I want to see a job application for themto see if they ask about running abilities. Theyjust have an absurd number of good runners, asthey also placed teams at 7th, 11th, and 15th.As I looked at race history it is littered with GEwinning the men's, women's, and Co-Ed divisions.The team I was on finished 37th out of252. As for the women, General Electric wonwith a time of 1:40:28 followed by my almamater Siena College and the NYS ComptrollersOffice. Finally with the Cooed teams, RPIcame in first with a time of 1:25:36, followed byQueensbury UFSD and Shenendehowa CentralSchool. It was a great day and a great time.The Boys and Girls Club was a great choice asthe charity of choice and received some donationsthat I'm sure will be put to good use. Ifyou didn't do it this year, do this race next year!There were 15 organizations that were new thisyear. So, if you work for an organization thatdidn't do the race this year, put together a teamfor next year, you only need 4 men, 4 women,or 2 men and 2 women. 0NewN~I!I!C~embersHoward BancroftCarol BendallBill BennettRyan BoisvertGerry-Lynn BreslerLori BuckleyGeorge Bushey IIIDan CapuanoThe Carlow FamilyRoy CasperLaura DibbleMichael DonovanChris Duwejennifer ElliottAlan Elmorejoe FaulStephanie GatesKerry j. GebhardtDaniel GeorgeLeigh Ann GilsonMary HamiltonKeith HangenStephen HarrisWilliam HuberCynthia KellyMatthew LandyBill LearnSandra Matzeljill McGarryDerek McKendreeVicki McqueeneyShirley MerkertThomas C. MesserSylvia MlynarskaFrank MuellerColleen MurrayKimberly PeaseDiane PeverlyMary ReaDaniel RobertsLetticia Aviles-RudermanDavid RudermanLaurie ScheuingAnne-Marie SheehanMark & Vanita ShoemakerStephen j. Snyderjohn SplendidoRik StevensCollin StewartTim StowellKimberly ThomasGary WeinleinThe Pace Setter - 17
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The Pace Setter - Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club

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