2013 Ironrunner Award Recipients

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? My favorite race was the Turkey Trot. I really enjoy the course, the location at Fox Island and the pre-Thanksgiving holiday vibe. I volunteered at this race in addition to running it, and that added greatly to my enjoyment. I’m also a fan of the Run for Riley because it supports a very worthy cause – helping sick children at Riley Hospital for Children.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The W.O.O.F. presented a unique challenge for me: I tripped over a root around Mile 4 and hurt my wrist. I was in some pain, but I finished all three loops of the 16-mile race. As it turned out I had broken my wrist! But that didn’t stop me from completing the final Points Series races. I just carried around a little extra weight in the form of a royal blue cast on my left forearm!
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones? I ran the Carmel Half Marathon in April, the Indy Mini in May and the Air Force Half Marathon in September. I also ran the Frosty Trails 5-Mile Trail Race in Brown County in January, the Run for Freedom 10k in Marion in May, the Galloping Gobbler 15k on Thanksgiving, the Gingerbread Pursuit in December and a handful of other races in Fort Wayne throughout the year.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with? I enjoy running with friends who are part of a Wednesday evening group that runs from 3RRC. I had fun running the final Points Series race – JP Jones – with my friend Jan Halter, and running the Gingerbread Pursuit and New Year’s Day Resolution Run with my friend Helen Best.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Distance running provides a terrific opportunity to set goals, train diligently to achieve those goals, and then put your training to the test on race day. I find distance running to be a very therapeutic form of exercise. Long runs give me the opportunity to think through a lot of issues and come up with possible solutions.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? I enjoyed the Woof, I ran it with my husband and a friend and we had time for great conversation. I am also more comfortable with longer distances.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The nutra run was the hardest. I'm not a fan of the long road races.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I ran the diva dash, color me rad, fort 4 fitness
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  I love running with my husband, it gives us time to talk and catch up since we don't see each other during the week.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Finishing!

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? Parlor City Half--because of the distance and my familiarity with the course. A close second is the WOOF, primarily bcs of the food and runners' fellowship afterwards.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? WOOF--because of the trail distance.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  Yes--Charleston, SC Half ; Charlotte, NC Half ; Kentucky Derby Half, Louisville, KY; 5th 3rd River Bank 25 K; Ann Arbor, MI Half ; Fort 4 Fitness Half ; Erie, PA half ; Columbus, OH Half ; Veterans' Half, and, Columbia City Half.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  Week days I run with Dave Edsall and on Saturdays, the YMCA downtown group
What do you enjoy most about distance running? The social activity and getting to know other runners. I enjoy running with local people and have met some great people in other states that I continue to see and correspond  with from time to time.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? I enjoyed the Frontier 10K the most because I liked the new course at Frontier’s offices off of US 24, the weather was good and I ran my best 10K time of the year at that race.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The hardest race for me was the Parlor City half marathon.  The humid weather really impacted my performance and my time was awful.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  Yes, the Martian Marathon (Dearborn, MI) in April, the River to River Relay in southern Illinois, and the Mini Marathon in Indy.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  My wife, Cari, will always be my favorite person to run with.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? I enjoy the training aspect of distance running, the scenery outside here and other places I visit, and the reassurance that I can still do it.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? The Frontier Race was a lot of fun.  I enjoyed the new venue, music, food and beer!  If I remember correctly, it was warming up a bit too!
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? Hands down, 16 mile WOOF!  I would like to blame my fatigued legs on the cross training that I did at the Y that week, but realistically, a 16 mile trail run is a lot of work.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  Yes, I did a marathon in Michigan, the Indianapolis Mini Marathon and Fort For Fitness half marathon
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  I like running with anyone who likes to chat or share a good story!  You learn a lot about a person on a run, especially a long one.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Sometimes I enjoy it for the positive mental health and inner peace, and sometimes I just crave the euphoric feeling after a long run.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? My favorite Points Race was the River City Rat Race.  Its a good distance, great course, and has excellent fall atmosphere.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The hardest Points Race for me was The Woof.  It is my longest distance ran to date and was a true test.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I ran the Fort 4 Fitness half-marathon as well as the St. Therese Fall Festival 5k.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  I love running with my parents and siblings.  Its a great way for everyone to stay in touch.  I also enjoy any outing with the Run Clubbers I'm able to attend.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? I enjoy the health aspects and competitiveness, but most of all I enjoy the camaraderie of fellow runners.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? The race that I enjoyed the most was Runners on Parade because of the crowd and the number of participants.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The The 20K Nutri-run was the hardest for me. There is one stretch that seems to go on forever and at that point it becomes a mental race.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I ran Galloping Gobbler, the kilt 5k, Hamilton 5K, Indy mini marathon, Fort4Fitness half marathon and Hog Jog 5K.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  My favorite people to run with are my daughters, son in law and grandsons.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Distant running gives me a chance to listen to my body and trying to compensate for what is going on. This helps me realize that for my age I am in shape.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? Runners on Parade, because of all the people along the course cheering you on.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The WOOF, because of the distance and the trails.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  The Kilt 5k race and middle school cross country races.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  Mike Else speed work during the summer and running with Mike Cardelli.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Challenge myself to get a little faster every year, keeps me in shape and all the people I meet at the races.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? Nutri-run 20k, it’s a good race to see what kind of shape you are in early in the year.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The WOOF, I don’t do a lot of trail running which makes this race more difficult.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  The Kilt 5k, and Defenders Dash 11k.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  Mike Else speed work during the summer and Logan Weaver, Mike Cardelli, and Bob Sedlmeyer.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Helps keep me in shape, a good way to get away and relax  from the hustle of everyday life, and the people you meet at the races.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? Runners on Parade with all the people watching & competing.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? Woof, as I did not train good enough for such a long trail race.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  Run it. Walk it for Chris Brown, Huntington pathfinder 5k, Fort for Fit 10k
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  I'm a lone wolf.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? The challenge of completing a run and feeling better when finished.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? Runners on Parade was my most enjoyable event.  The energy, people and friends make it an awesome day.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The Parlor City Trot because I don't handle heat and humidity very well.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  Sunburst Marathon, Fort4Fitness, Unofficial F4F Practice Run, Color Me Rad, Forgotten Children 5k, Chris Brown 5k and Greekfest 5k.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  Our local underground training group.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? The friendships and camaraderie of my fellow runners.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? I enjoyed the Rat Race the most because the course is challenging and a large crowd of runners makes it fun  to keep passing runners
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The hardest race was the Woof in Bluffton.  The longer distance makes it challenging and tiring.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I ran about 10 non pts races.  My favorites were the Canterbury Tin Cup 5k,  and the Elizabeth Anne Seton 5k
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  My favorite group to run with in Gary Sckmunk, Chuck Brown, En Reinhard  and Bob Sedlemyer.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? When I run for training I try ideas about striding, breathing and   intervals.  When racing , I run to win my age category with a strategy.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? My favorite points race was Runners on Parade.  I love running the parade route because of all the people that are lining the streets cheering me on.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The Woof 16 miler was by far the hardest for me. I'm not a huge fan of long distance running or cross country running so with those two combined it made that race mentally and physically tough for me.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I enjoy mixing up my races between point races and non point races. I ran the Galloping Gobbler, the Kilt 5k, Hamilton 5K, Indy mini marathon and Fort4Fitness half marathon.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  By far my favorite person/group to run with is my family. My Dad, husband, sister and my two youngest son's are my favorite human running buddies. I also enjoy running with my dog Austin.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? I'm not a fan of long distance running, it is something that I have always struggled with mentally. I run LSD...long slow distance...once a week. As I'm running LSD I enjoy the fact that I only have to do this once a week. Seriously the thing I enjoy the most about LSD is listening to my iPod, thinking about life and solving problems.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? I would say the River City Rat Race was my favorite race because it was fun to run in costume and there were a lot of spectators and kids watching the race and enjoying the costumes.  I also liked finishing the race at the old fort.  It was beautiful weather that day too!
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The hardest race by far was the W.O.O.F.  I was sick at the time, it was freezing cold, and it was the longest race I had ever run.  Never in my life or running career had my legs ached as bad as during that race.  But I was so glad to finish and accomplish that one!  The food after the race was amazing though, as well as the time spent hanging out with friends.
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I ran the St. Therese Fall Festival 5k because it has a home course feel for me since it is right near where I grew up.  I always see people I know at that race.  It usually has a smaller field of runners and pretty good prizes for the top finishers.  I also ran the Fort Wayne Trails Blazer 10K.  I couldn't pass up a free entry since I work at Lutheran Hospital.  It is a good but challenging course, and they have had Jimmy Johns after the race for the past 2 years, as well as pretty nice under armour race shirts.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  Well, I usually end up running alone due to my schedule and juggling kids.  I do love when I get a chance to run with a friend though, and I jump at that opportunity!  I have never really even used an iPod while running, I like to hear what is going on around me and enjoy the quiet.  Maybe on longer runs this year I'll give listening to music a try though, because I hope to be better prepared for longer distances.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? Distance running always comes with a huge sense of accomplishment for me.  If nothing else is done in a day but going for a run, it still feels like you really did something.  It's such a stress reliever.  I have been a runner since 6th grade, with some time off from age 25-32 when I had my kids and some SI joint problems.  I am so glad to be back in the game for the past year or two and don't plan on stopping.  I love that mind over matter attitude that comes with it, and I can enjoy just running for fun and exercise, and still allow my competitive streak to come out.

Which Points Race did you enjoy the most and why? I enjoyed the Frontier race the most this year, it was 2 weeks before my marathon which was perfect for my marathon training. I was in the best shape for that race and was very happy about my finish. The beer and food afterwards were great of course too, and I enjoyed running a new course.
Which Points Race was the hardest for you and why? The WOOF was by far the hardest thing I have ever done, harder than my marathon even! It was later in the year and I wasn't trained as well as I would have hoped due to my job and weather. Trail runs are always tougher, and 16 miles on trails is a long way to go. It was a one heck of an adventure and I will never forget it for sure!!
Did you run any non-points races this year, and if so which ones?  I ran my first marathon this year, at Sunburst in South Bend, and I also ran the Fort 4 Fitness half marathon.
Who is your favorite person or group to go for a run with?  My family of course; my dad and brothers, one of which also won iron man and my other brother was only one race short of the iron man. My mom started out as the runner but due to an injury she has taken the past year off.
What do you enjoy most about distance running? I'm not a fast runner at all, so long runs showcase my strength and endurance and I love taking in all the nature around me on long runs. I love hitting a wall and then getting past it! And I love that I can do something so many others cannot, or would even attempt to do!