American Odyssey Relay - A Great Team Event

Get ready for another installment of the American Odyssey Relay (AOR) this April, as teams of 12 runners cover 200 miles from Gettysburg, PA to Washington, DC...as fast as they can!

There are more and more races and events being built into the running calendar that offer runners a unique experience, and no doubt a memorable experience.  Piling into a van with your teammates and covering some spectacular terrain and sites offers nothing short of a great weekend.

Elyse Braner, a well-known local DC runner, offered her perspective on the AOR event:

"This is my 3rd year competing in the American Odyssey Relay, the previous two times we had a team that was looking for something different...something fun for running.  It's a social event.  This relay differs from other relay-type events in that it is more personalized in many ways, perhaps because it's a smaller race.  This is great because there are less rules to deal with, less stress of race logistics, but it's still definitely a spirited race!  The volunteers add to the spirit of the AOR and make it a fun event.  Once you also factor in the unique course over historical battlefields and an awesome party at the finish, our team is definitely going back again!"

Check out the American Odyssey Relay online and give your running club or coworkers something unique in terms of fun and competition!

United Social Sports - More Socializing & Competition!

When the National Road Racing League was founded, the idea came from recognizing that there is a competitive and/or social league for every sport out there...except running!  The United Social Sports league is one of the leagues in the DC Metro Area that offers many of these sports, in both a fun spirit and catering to those that thrive off a bit of competition.

From skeeball to volleyball, from dodgeball to softball, and even foosball, this league has it all!  If you're unfamiliar with some of the sports or are even surprised some of them have official rules(!), there is a FAQs page.  The entry fees and registration are also quick and painless.

DC is a transient city, so as you come and go, be sure to meet new people in a fun environment and get into something that has an element of team competition.  Needless to say, it is leagues like USS that are an inspiration to the NRRL!

So all you runners who need some more hand-eye coordination should consider one of these fun sports.

Good luck!

Mike

NRRL Happy Hours - Registration Discounts

The NRRL will be holding 2 Happy Hours this winter leading up to the first race of the season.  At each of these Happy Hours, individual runners will have the opportunity to register on-site and receive a discount on their league entry fee.

Captains of NRRL teams receive free registration!

All Happy Hours will take place at Penn Social (801 E St, NW, Washington, DC 20004 - corner of 8th & E St, blocks from multiple Metro stations)

Here is the Happy Hour schedule:

Friday, February 22nd, 5:00 - 7:00pm (*$10 off NRRL registration)

Friday, March 15th, 5:00 - 7:00pm (*$10 off NRRL registration)

*$6 drinks and plenty of specially priced food, TV's, and tons of games! 

Come out and meet the league founder, team captains, and other runners.  "Free agents" welcome!  RSVP to Mike, or just show up and ask for NRRL seating.

We hope to see you there!

Mike

Post-season party & captain interview

As the NRRL season came to an end last month, we celebrated with a party at Lululemon Georgetown on November 12th.  Check the Facebook page for more photos coming soon!

As we move into 2012, a few things are certain:

1) The team trophy you see pictured above, with Kinetic Fitness captain Becca, will continue to get larger!

2) More teams are slated to join the NRRL!

3) With more teams comes more competition and more social activities for local runners!

2011 was an experimental year, I think the experiment worked.  I am thankful to everyone who showed a vote of confidence and supported the league this year.  It will most definitely become a national phenomenon in a matter of years.

Here are a few highlights of what VIDA Fitness team captain, Dan, had to say:

What were your initial thoughts when you heard about the NRRL?

I thought it would be a great way to stay motivated throughout the year and give some 'meaning' to each race instead of having each race be an individual event.

What was your team's approach to the NRRL race schedule?

Initially we tried to schedule weekly group runs with minimal success.  After the first month, it came down to me sending out emails to nail down who was available for each race.

Did having a set race schedule help the runners with their approach to training and racing?

I think it kept people motivated. Most of our runners were already fit enough to run the race distances, so it was more about maintaining fitness than building up.

What was the highlight for your team/ runners?

My highlight was the feeling of community I had at the last race.  It was a very different feeling to go to a race where I knew so many people as opposed to something where I showed up, completed, and went home.

What are your thoughts on future expansion of the NRRL into other regions of the Mid-Atlantic?

I'd like to see our local chapter grow foremost, but am excited to watch NRRL as a whole expand. Creating a cross-team community would be something I'd like to see more of in future seasons.

DC Running Coach & Kinetic Fitness Win Titles

The finale of the inaugural National Road Racing League season ended at the Race for a Cause 8k in Arlington.  DC Running Coach won the men's race and therefore the team title with an impressive display of speed.  Mike Hamberger led the team, followed not too far behind by Chad Wolf and Max Huffman.  Chris Coates finished top-100 overall, as he was the next DCRC runner across the line, and Mike McVicker finished 4 seconds ahead of a VIDA runner to round out the lineup.

In the men's Individual Points scoring, Hamberger out-sprinted Duffield in this winner-take-all last race of the season, as they finished 1-2 in NRRL racing for the 6th time this year.  Memo Saenz held onto his third place position, while Dan Hunt and Theron Thilenius moved into the top-5.  Brian Cunningham ran his fourth race of the season and just missed the top-5.

Kinetic Fitness had already clinched the women's title, but DC Running Coach had four runners in the race, with these runners also rounding out the top-4 places in the season's Individual Points race.  Johanna Mansilla, Carolee Williamson, and Jessica Leitsch were in all top-20 overall at the 8k, while Heather Coles was also toward the front of the race field.  

Williamson ended the season with a commanding lead in the Individual Points race, with Mansilla coming on strong in the second half of the season to take second.  Leitsch returned to solid running form late in the year to take the 3rd position, while Heather Coles finished fourth, as she continues to get stronger each race.  Kinetic captain Becca Lipscomb finished 5th in the standings.

Final team and individual standings are posted on the NRRL results page.

The NRRL post-season party is set for Saturday, November 12th at Lululemon in Georgetown, where team trophies will be presented to the winning teams, along with plaques to the top-3 runners in each division.

Registration for the 2012 season will open on January 1st, with much in store for the second edition of the NRRL!  Help us spread the word about the NRRL and join us next year as the league grows into a nationally recognized sporting league for amateur (and professional) runners!

Thank you all for your support and a great first season!

Mike

Final Countdown to Championships

 
The end of the rainbow is near.  With the conclusion of the Race For the Parks 10k, the NRRL is honing in on the final standing for both teams and individuals.  NRRL Results from Sunday's 10k are now posted.

In the women's race, Johanna Mansilla and Carolee Williamson of DC Running Coach, LLC took 1-2, respectively, to extend their lead over the rest of the field in the Individual Rankings.  Both runners set a 10k PR and earned age-group awards at the race.  Jessica Leitsch leads a plethora of runners in contention for the final plaque at the post-season party.

On the men's side, Rory Duffield from Potomac River Running took his second straight 10k victory among NRRL runners, finishing under 37 minutes.  He was followed by Mike Hamberger for the second time.  Memo Saenz of VIDA Fitness clinched an individual plaque at the post-season party by finishing 3rd among NRRL runners.  Andrew Tweedie and Chris Coates (pictured below) were next across the line for DC Running Coach, LLC.

Looking at the team standings, Kinetic Fitness has clinched the team title in the female division, due to early success in the season.

With the way the league is scored, the male division team title is looking at a potential tie-breaker between all teams, in which the tie-breaker is given to the team with the most 1st-place team finishes throughout the season.  Here are the league Rules, are you ready for some NFL-style playoff wildcard scenarios!?

As it stands, PRR leads the standings 8-9-9 over the other two teams.  VIDA Fitness and and PRR each have two 1st-place finishes (DCRC has one), so a PRR victory in the remaining race would give them the title outright, regardless of how the other teams finish.  A VIDA victory with PRR finishing second would give VIDA the tie-breaker because even though those teams would end up with the same number of total points, VIDA would have more 1st-place finishes over the season.  A VIDA victory with a DCRC second place finish would give VIDA the title outright.  Either way you cut it, if VIDA wins the final race, then they are champions, controlling their own destiny.

Now if DCRC wins the final race and VIDA is second, then DCRC wins the season title outright.  If DCRC wins the race, but PRR gets second, then we have a shared championship, because both DCRC and PRR will have the same number of first place finishes, as well as second place finishes (the next tie-breaker, and so on).  Due to bye weeks and incomplete teams at a few races, DCRC and PRR have no other means for a tie-breaker.  There was a 0.0001% chance of this occurrence before the season started.  Never say never!  There looms the possibility that captains may agree on this final race as a winner-take-all to avoid a shared championship.

For the final Individual Rankings, Hamberger can clinch by finishing any number of spots ahead of Duffield.  Duffield can clinch by finishing first and having Hamberger finish anywhere but second place.  If Duffield does not win the race, then he must beat Hamberger by two or more places in order to clinch the Individual Rankings.  Duffield and Hamberger will end up in a tie if Duffield takes first and Hamberger second.  In the case of the latter, because they will have the same number of 1st- and 2nd-place finishes, with no other placings able to used as tie-breakers, they will split the championship, or they may have a gentleman's agreement that the final race of the year is a winner take all.  FYI and as a reminder: Gambling on the outcome of NRRL races is legal as long as the prize fighters get a cut of the action! :)

The now uber-important final race of the season is a PRR hosted event (home field advantage) in Arlington, the Race For a Cause 8k!

We hope to see you there!

Mike

Another 10k in the Books

The last NRRL was a 10k in the middle of a heat wave 7 weeks ago, while Sunday's 10k in Fairfax was perfect running weather.  The Kit's Miracle Mile hosted race #6 on the 8-race schedule and the conditions couldn't have been better on the 3-loop 10k course.

Carolee Williamson was the first NRRL runner across the line for the 3rd time this year, cracking the 100-point barrier in the Individual Rankings.  Jessica Leitsch made the deuces wild, running her 2nd race, finishing 2nd place for the 2nd time and moving into podium contention with 2 races to go.

On the men's side, Rory Duffield picked up his second NRRL victory of the season (beating all non-NRRL runners, too), running a smart race and taking over the lead just past the 2-mile mark from Mike Hamberger, who would finish 2nd NRRL.  Memo Saenz has taken over the 3rd position in the standings, but all top-10 spots are still up for grabs with 2 races to go!

The team standings remain unchanged after this race.  The race schedule is on the NRRL site, including links to all races and results.

News and information about the 2012 season will be dispersed after the final race and in anticipation of the post-season party, scheduled for Sat, Nov. 12th from 4 - 6pm at Lululemon in Georgetown.

Continue to let your fellow runners know about this new running league!