NBSV'ers Notch Wins at Chick Chaser 5K and Bulls 5K, Romo Third in Steeple at Willamette

To the victor goes the "beer-drinking chicken" hat!

Four NBSV athletes took part in a mixed bag of traditional and quirky events this weekend.

Maggie Conley and Sam Yount took on all comers at the Silicon Valley Tri Club's Chick Chaser 5K.  Although not given a very PC title, the race mirrored many big marathons and large road races, giving the women a three minute head start.  Taking full advantage, Maggie Conley broke the tape first, also combining for the fastest couple prize with Sam Yount, who finished third among men.  

On Sunday, Nick Scalfone took on several Olympians in cow and bull costumes as he emerged victorious on the Palo Alto Grand Prix's Running of the Bulls 5K in Palo Alto.  Although the streak has primarily included women's winners, Nick becomes part of a club tradition, where a member has won this race six of the past seven years.

Jesus Romo again took to the track at the West Coast Invitational at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.  Running his first steeple of the year, Romo finished third in 9:05, just three seconds away from his personal best.

Next weekend, look for the purple at the 102nd Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco, as well as the GryFUN 5K Run at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough.  

Results for the Chick Chaser, can be found here.

Results for the Running of the Bulls 5K can be found here.

Results for the West Coast Invitational can be found here.

Outstanding Team Performances at Pacific THERx 5K4Play Lead Weekend Results

The second annual Pacific THERx 5K4Play, benefitting Playworks Silicon Valley took place in uncharacteristic, but welcome cool weather and gray skies in Portola Valley on Sunday morning.  Like 2012, this year's event featured a spirited competition up front with many local residents also participating, all toward a great cause in the Playworks organization.

NBSV athletes shined on our home turf, with Kris Paaso taking home her first PAUSATF Road Title on the women's side in a remarkably even split 17:14 (considering the uphill on the return), leading the team to victory alongside a debuting Lauren Centrowitz and Stephanie Pancoast in a close 3rd and 4th, as well as a hard kicking Shaluinn Fullove in 5th, Elisa McCarthy in 11th and Melinda DiNapoli in 15th.  Paaso and DiNapoli also took home 1st and 3rd masters honors as well.

On the men's side, the team enjoyed one of the strongest performance in club history, earning three spots in the top ten, led by Jesus Romo in his PA Road Circuit debut.  Tom Robbins in 7th, Dale Taylor in 8th, Nick Scalfone in 11th and Patrick Reaves in 16th were backed up by Scott Himmelberger and Robbie Reid, both in the top 25 as well.  Although official scoring has yet to be released, early math has the NBSV men coming within just a few seconds of the Aggies, just missing our first team victory on the men's side.  The 5K4Play, however, represents the third straight strong runner up performance for the men, further solidifying their strong presence on the 2013 PAUSATF Road circuit.

In non 5K4Play action, several NBSV'ers were doing great work elsewhere on the roads.   Kimberly McDonnell battled stomach problems to match her time from January's PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona with a winning 2:47 at the OC Marathon in southern California.  O'Donnell again posted a strong margin of victory, this time coming home 22 minutes clear of the next female.

At the Avia Wildflower Triathlon, rookie multisporters Catha Mullen and Chris Mocko took on one of the most prestigious events and fields, earning 6th in age group the Olympic Distance and 14th in age group at the Long Course distance respectively.

Sam Yount and Maggie Conley traveled north to Spokane for the Lilac Bloomsday 12K Run, weathering the hills, crowds, and international class field to 58th and 34th place respectively. 

Next up for the weekend, athletes are scheduled for the  Palo Alto Grand Prix concluding event, the Running of the Bulls 5K, as well as the West Coast Track & Field Invitational at Willamette College in Oregon.  

Results of the Pacific THERx 5K4Play can be found here.

Results of the OC Marathon can be found here.

Results of the Avia Wildflower Triathlon can be found here.

Results of the Lilac Bloomsday 12K Run can be found here.

Pacific THERx 5K4Play Results Are In!

Men's winner Giliat Ghebray with top three women and some cool Playworks kickballs!

NBSV thanks all the hosts, sponsors, volunteers, and our San Mateo County Sheriff's Deputies who made the second annual Pacific THERx 5K4Play, benefitting Playworks Silicon Valley a success this morning!  A spirited competition over the uphill back half yielded a new course record on the men's side at 14:48 by Giliat Ghebray of Transports NB.  Chris Chavez, also of Transports, and Matthew Duffy of Aggies were second and third.  On the women's side, NBSV'er Kris Paaso earned the victory in a remarkably even split race at 17:14, with Liza Hitchner of Aggies second and Lauren Centrowitz kicking to a narrow third over NBSV teammate Stephanie Pancoast.

Results for the second annual Pacific THERx 5K4Play are available here.  

Official PAUSATF team scoring and updated Palo Alto Grand Prix points will be available in the coming days at pausatf.org and paloaltogp.org respectively.

NBSV weekend recap will be posted soon.

NBSV Athletes Enjoy Solid Finishes at Stanford, Los Gatos, and Nashville

NBSV runners contested three competitions over the past weekend with strong success.

On Saturday morning, Catha Mullen traveled to Nashville, Tennessee where she ran the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon, presented by Nissan.  Alongside NBSV alum and sister Caroline (5th) as well as older sister, Liz, Mullen finished second in the driving rain at 1:21.

Sunday morning found Melinda DiNapoli in Los Gatos for the Great Race 4 Miler event.  A veteran competitor at this race, DiNapoli gave a scare to her course personal best, finishing second / 1st Master at 24:14 on the hilly route in her first race of 2013.

That evening, the always exciting Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite again brought the attention of the track world to Cobb Track and Angell Field on Stanford campus.  Kris Paaso, having another outstanding day at this meet, emerged victorious out of Heat 5 of the 1500m with an emphatic 67-point last lap in a tactical race for a time of 4:27.1.  Jesus Romo enjoyed a personal best in the 800m, albeit during capable pacing duties for Heat 2 of the men's 1500m, and Kaitlin Gregg returned to the track for the first time in 2013, finishing 17th in Heat 2 of the 5000m.

This weekend, the team is hosting the second annual Pacific THERx 5K4Play, benefitting Playworks Silicon Valley.  Don't miss this fun race and PAUSATF Grand Prix / Palo Alto Grand Prix fixture.  Online registration closes tonight!  Enter today!

Also on tap, Maggie Conley and Sam Yount are scheduled to compete at the Lilac Bloomsday 12K in Spokane, while Kimberly O'Donnell is headed to the OC Marathon in Orange County and Catha Mullen is slated for the Wildflower Triathlon.

Results for the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon, presented by Nissan can be found here.

Results for the Great Race 4 miler can be found here.

Results for the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational can be found here.

Excellent Team Showing at Zippy 5K/ PAUSATF Grand Prix Highlights NBSV Weekend Results

A great day in Brisbane for the 2013 Zippy 5K!

NBSV athletes competed in six different events this weekend, highlighted by the women's team taking their first ever Zippy 5K team victory.  Although moved this year to the much more challenging Brisbane course after many years across from the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, the Zippy 5K is traditionally the most competitive 5K fixture on the Grand Prix, many years serving as the PAUSATF Team 5K Championships.

This year, the women put on a convincing performance, led by a steady and confident hill running Maggie Conley in her second straight road Grand Prix victory.  Working together through the field, Kris Paaso and Stephanie Pancoast earned second and third, with Paaso's runner-up finish representing her third podium in four years at  Zippy.  A hard kicking Shaluinn Fullove secured fourth overall in the final 100 meters over Impalas Heather Tanner and Hope Krause, with Catha Mullen holding steady in seventh to conclude the scoring with a :50 second spread.  After several years of second and third places at this race, NBSV's victory on Sunday continues a PA circuit winning streak extending back to the beginning of cross country season last fall (for all races in which NBSV has fielded a scoring team).  The women will next need to defend their 2012 title at our home race on May 5th, the Pacific THERx 5K4Play.  

The NBSV men put together another tightly packed group to earn their second straight runner-up team finish in PAUSATF races.  On the heels of the strong team showing at the Credit Union SacTown 10 Miler, Dale Taylor snuck into the top ten in ninth, followed closely by Nick Scalfone in 11th, Patrick Reaves in 13th, Robbie Reid in 21st and Sam Yount in 24th for a sub 60 second spread as well.  Only surpassed by perennial standouts Aggies on Sunday, NBSV continues to make strong inroads on the men's side in 2013.  

Elsewhere near and far, NBSV athlete produced several strong mid season performances.  Heather Hunt, Maddie O'Meara, and a pre-Zippy Catha Mullen earned clear cut victories at local 5Ks (Recovery Run 5K in Sumter, SC, Tear Lab Run for Sight 5K in San Francisco, and the Stanford GSB Challenge For Charity Dish 5K respectively).  Sarah Milby also returned to racing for the first time in 2013, notching a runner-up finish at the Presidio 10 Miler in the city.  The Presidio 10 Miler also served as the RRCA National 10 Mile Championships.

Friday on the track, Nick Scalfone also turned in a solid pre-Zippy run at the Woody Wilson Classic 10K in Davis, finishing fifth and qualifying for the USATF National Club Track Championships in June.  The following day, Jesus Romo debuted on the track for 2013 at Woody Wilson, earning sixth place in the 1500, a Club Nationals qualifier, and an NBSV outdoor 1500m best.

Next weekend, look for the purple at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford, the Brutus Hamilton Open at UC Berkeley, and the Great Race 4 Miler in Los Gatos.  

Don't miss your chance to compete for a good cause at our home race on Sunday, May 5.  The Pacific THERx 5K4Play will be held in Portola Valley at 8am, and benefits Playworks Silicon Valley.  Register today and secure your sporty New Balance tech shirt.  This race is a fixture on both the Pacific Association USATF Road Grand Prix, as well as the Palo Alto Grand Prix.  There will be fast racing, playground games for the kids, and plenty of fun for the sake of fitness, health, and play for kids in our local underserved schools.  Register at http://www.5K4Play.com.

Results for the Zippy 5K  are available here (team results to be posted later in the week).

Results for the Recovery Run 5K are available here.

Results for the Tear Lab Run for Sight 5K, when posted, may be available here. 

Results for the Stanford GSB C4C Dish 5K will be linked to when their whereabouts can be confirmed.

Results for the Presidio 10 Mile, when posted can be found here.

Results for the Woody Wilson Classic can be found here.