Apple Valley Fall Festival Reverse Sprint Triathlon race report

Submitted by Heather Stewart @captainstewie

I TRIed and SUCCEEDED! (And I did it in reverse!)

When I started getting healthier, I started realizing I could do more than I thought. After discussing it with some friends I decided to attempt a triathlon. BUT, I had some rules:

• It had to be a sprint. This means it’s a 5K, 14ish mile bike ride and short swim
• It had to be a pool swim. I wasn’t ready or willing to train in open water yet
• It had to be reverse. For my first time I wanted to swim last since I wasn’t accustomed to running and biking soaking wet.

Lo and behold what should come across my email but a Schwaggle coupon for a Reverse Sprint Triathlon, about an hour away from my home, for $27.

Sold! I signed up with some friends and training commenced… kind of.

Read the rest of the report at Heather's blog, stRUNg out.

Guelph Downtown 5K Race Report

Submitted by Christina Boulard @ChristinaBWho

First use of new #Run3rd logo in a race!

I was a bundle of nerves. I'd gotten MAYBE an hour of sleep all night. Adreneline was the only thing keeping me on my feet by race time.

The Guelph Downtown 5K isn't a HUGE race, which was one reason I'd picked it as my first, but I sure felt crowded at that start line!

I was about 100m back from the actual line, and the starter gun scared me when it went off! Haha! The whole pack started out running… and running FAST. That first km was my best km time, ever. Sadly, I couldn't keep up the pace and slowed to a walk by minute 5. I'm not yet able to run a full 5K. I knew I'd be walking much of it, and I was okay with that!

The Pacebook Running Club (PbRC)

The Pacebook Running Club (PbRC) is a non-traditional racing group with over 500 members throughout the United States, Canada and even into Europe. At the PbRC, a core focus is to inspire, educate, motivate and support our members and their racing efforts. Our members range in experience from former collegiate athletes to those who have never raced before. Even with this large diversity of members, the PbRC fosters an open environment that is fun, safe and inclusive for racers of all experience levels.

This leads me to the PbRC’s other core focus, which is to have fun and celebrate each other’s racing accomplishments. To this end the PbRC also has a significant social aspect. Our online Facebook group’s message board has a continuous stream of posts on a variety of racing topics. We joke that missing a day on the PbRC message board is like missing a week at most other Running groups.

New #Run3rd Logo!

Check out our new #Run3rd logos designed by Graeme Skinner!

This is just one of several versions:

More at the link above.

The logos are available in several sizes to suit your needs for shirts, avery labels for your race bibs, tattoos, banners or whatever you want to promote #run3rd.

Please note that the term "run3rd" is trademarked by Sean Astin, and may be used only for non-profit purposes involving encouragement of healthy physical activity, and to honor the causes, loved ones and ideas of others.

Awesome 80s race report

Submitted by Heather Stewart @captainstewie

On Saturday I ran the Awesome 80’s 5K/10K. I wasn’t going to sign up for any more races this year...but I signed up for this one for a couple of reasons:
• There was a coupon!
• Who doesn’t love the 80’s?
• My friend Neil wanted to do this as his first race on his 30th birthday.

Devil Dash 5K Race report

Submitted by Cheyanne Witte @CheyGirl1

I had been wanting to get in shape for awhile with little motivation. I heard about the Couch to 5K Running Plan and decided to give it a shot. It was going very well and then I heard about Sean’s #Run3rd campaign. It really got me more excited than I had ever been. The best part about it has been meeting others like me and getting their encouragement along the way.

The first 5k I had planned on running in unfortunately didn’t happen because I was scheduled for surgery on my arm shortly before the race. I was very disappointed but more determined than ever to make the second one I had signed up for.

On September 1st I ran my first 5K in Lyons, CO at the annual Devil Dash 5K Obstacle Mud Run. That morning  I was very nervous and excited about how I would do. I had already decided I would not worry about time at all, especially since this was not the type of 5K where time was important. It was all about simply surviving! I think I did very well! At least I didn't come in last! It was the most fun and hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Everyone there was having a blast and looking forward to the Beer Garden of Eden at the end of the race! This was my first race but it definitely will not be my last! I plan to keep running 3rd for others and helping to spread the message!

Disneyland Half Marathon race report

Submitted by Sean Astin @SeanAstin

Source: mouseinfo.com

Well, the Disneyland Half Marathon was another wonderful event. Thank goodness it started at 5:45 am because the days in Anaheim have been a little more than toasty lately! I believe that I could see stretched before me more than 15,000 runners. I was fortunate to be able to offer a few words of encouragement and share the #run3rd mission with the field prior to the race. [See video.]

As with the Tinker Bell Half Marathon [see reports], Disney puts on a first class event. The course was really fun. Running the first few miles in a pre-dawn hours through Disneyland's signature attractions and California Adventures new Cars Town Street was awesome. At least a dozen high school cheerleading teams lined the route. There was fun music of all kinds: ethnic, rock 'n roll, etc., throughout the route. For about a mile and a half there was an antique car club with vehicles every 10 yards, their proud owners blaring music, waving flags and cheering their hearts out. At one point we hit a stretch of hot pavement that opened onto a dirt path. I think this was around mile 9.

New Press Videos & Article

Check out our Press Page for videos of Sean at the Disneyland Half Marathon, and an featured article from Competitor Magazine.

Photo by Scott Draper, Photo Editor, Competitor Magazine

Color Me Rad race report

Submitted by Sarah Diamond, @voxpax2

Have you ever had a day where things seem so surreal it takes a few days just to fathom what has happened? This happened to me on August 18, 2012, when I ran my first 5k.

 

I had decided after reading the dedications that Sean was collecting during his runs, that I too would change my life and start running again. I trained for 3 months and over that time I kept increasing the distance. I began to understand better how to prevent my asthma attacks from happening by trial and error!

Michigan Ele's Race - Race Day Report

Submitted by Heather Slawinski @Rocksicle_Lover

I apologize that this report is so late. Summer is just a crazy time of year!!! I ran in a 5K called Ele's Race in Okemos, Michigan on 7/22/12. Ele's Race supports Ele's Place which is a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to creating awareness of and support for grieving children and their families. Through peer support group programs, Ele’s Place helps children to cope with the death or life-threatening illness of a parent, sibling or other close family member or friend. Ele's Race is a larger race in the local area and has been very successful in raising funds for their organziation. This year there were more than 1,400 people in attendance.

 Because I'm not a famous actor like SOME people ;) I decided to honor my #run3rd dedications by making a shirt with all of the dedications listed. I just got a plain white tank top and used permanent markers and went to work! Once I was done and put it on, I felt SO PROUD to be running in honor of so many important causes and people. It really did give me an extra boost of energy for the day. I shared the shirt on Facebook and some of the people who are honored on the shirt saw it and were very touched to see their cause featured.

Carlsbad Lagoon Day race report

Sean with bearded lizard Lincoln. Photo by Hayne Palmour, nctimes.com

Submitted by Sean Astin @SeanAstin

While the Carlsbad Lagoon Run is still in its infancy (the July 22 race was the second) and not accredited, we had a ball. There was a spirit of adventure among the few brave souls who showed up early to set up the event. I enjoyed helping to set out cones for the start line and lift up the finish banner.

It was quite toasty when we got started, and the 3.5 mile run was essentially up hill until the last 2/10ths of a mile, where a welcome breeze picked up. I was greeted by stalwart #run3rders Leah, Merv and family at the Finish Line. The race times weren't official, but I think I finished around 33+ minutes, a stark reminder that my achilles injury and the few extra resulting pounds have had an appreciable impact on my speed and endurance. I am looking forward to living by example and slowly and steadily rebuilding my strength, stamina and overall fitness as a march inexorably toward the 50 mile everest in late november.

#Run3rd for the 2012 Olympics!

@evelienh in London at the 2012 Olympics in her #run3rd hat!