YMCARunners Race 2008-'09 Grand Prix Kick Off

Congratulations to all of the Downtown YMCARunners who rolled out for the first event of the "Grand Prix" Series sponsored by Track Shack. Given the lovely August weather, the Celebration of Running 5k is kind of like elective surgery. You want to put it off, but you just have to get past it. The folks at Track Shack sweetened the pot with a tech shirts and Disneyesque pageantry, but this was a difficult run nevertheless with plenty of twists and turns, brick streets and Sri Lanken style humidity.

Here are the club results:

Katy Radkewich, 3rd overall, 18:31
Pat Marshall, 2nd overall, 15:58
Kathy Gagnier, 1st Grand Masters, 19:34
Bill Vanos, 1st age group, 17:16
Aleks Markovic, 4th age group, 18:33
DAnny Wardeh, 2nd age group, 19:02
Brian Furgala, 3rd age group, 19:51
John Napolitano, 4th age group, 20:55
Kim Capps, 2nd age group, 22:50
John Van Valkenburg, 4th age group, 21:13
Alex Negron, 21:52
O'Neal Barnett, 22:23
DAve Collias, 22:22
Sean Dishman, 24:00
Pete Barts, 22:48
Jeff Boley, 19:43
Julian Whitekus, 23:23
Bob Ericson, 24:07
Paul Lynn, 24:01
Tara O'Keeffe, 24:52
Carey Rothschild (Kosson), 21:43
Beth Stone, 24:22

YMCARunners Kick Off 2008-'09 Season with 12th Annual Xentury City 5K

Before Track Shack's storied Grand Prix Series begins, there is a little known 5k race that is unfortunately one of the best kept secrets of the Central Florida racing season. Located in the strangely named "Xentury City" area around the corner from the Gaylord Palms Hotel, the I-Drive U-Run 5k features the fastest 5k course in the greater Orlando area. Unlike every Grand Prix 5k, there are no brick streets, no twists and turns, no narrow passages. What you get instead is a straight out and back course on a capacious three lane highway. If this race was held later in the season, it would easily boast the fastest 5k times in Central Florida. The I-Drive U-Run also features loads of distractions for the kiddies, and this year's gorgeous dark blue tech t-shirt could easily be the nicest racing T handed out in years. With the first event of the Grand Prix the following, week, many of Orlando's racing elite skip this treat in preparation for the Grand Prix kickoff. Travesty! No matter, because our YMCARunners always make a great showing at this event, albeit not in the numbers found at the typical downtown Orlando/ Winter Park races. Here are their results:

Teresa Calio 20:19 / 6:32 pace Masters Champion
Kurt Brewer 18:29 / 5:56 pace 1st Place Age Group
Aaron Michelson 25:08 / 8:05
Jeff Boley 19:05 / 6:08 2nd Place Age Group
Paul Linn 23:09 / 7:27 2nd Place Age Group
Terry Kitch 30:08 / 9:41
Nancy Kitch 30:09 / 9:42