Running Race Results 1999
My Race Results 1999
October 10, The Royal Victoria Marathon, 7th, 2:37:32.I was aiming for 2:30, but it didn't work out like I planned it this time. I started out easy and passed 5km in 18:00 together with 2 other runners. I felt okay, but I felt I had to work harder than I'd wanted to. 10k was passed in 35:58, and by then I think I was 11th. I tried running a little harder after that, and passed two guys before hitting half way in 1:15:46. By then my legs started to weaken ... I passed another tired Running Edge sponsored athlete, Darrin Deforge, at 26-28 km somewhere. I was really beat by 30km, and started logging 4:00 min/km. Somehow I managed to motivate myself in spite of terribly hurting legs, and picked up the pace a little on the last 5-6km. My wife Denise was at 38km and gave me a packet of Powergel, which boosted me for a bit. By 40.5km, to my surprise, I suddenly saw and passed a runner who was very tired. I used every little molecule of energy that was left in me and got new PR with 11 minutes, which isn't so bad after all.
This is a great race that I highly recommend, with a spectacular ocean view along the course. I'd heard it is a hilly course, but I don't think it was that bad. Sure there are hills, but they are not very big. It is also very well organized and they supply Gatorade all along the way. If you want to do a beautiful marathon, run Victoria!
The leading Swedish running web site Marathon.se published an interview with me about the race, check it out. It is in Swedish though.
September 25, Melissa's Road Race 10k, 3rd, 33:29. I had a bad race. Actually, an awful race. We arrived very late, since we sort of misjudged how long a drive it was to get there. When we finally got there, they couldn't find my start number, so I had to wait in the 'problem line' with only a few minutes until start. I didn't have time warm up, and when I finally got my number it was 2 minutes left to race start. Weather - SNOW! I could hardly feel my arms and fingers during the race, due to the chilling weather. On top of the bad preparation here, I had to go to the bathroom the whole race.
Anyway, I tried to follow Paul McCloy from start, even though my legs weren't really working in the cold. I was hoping I would get warmed up after a mile or so. Instead, when we climbed that huge hill after a mile (lasted forever), I had nothing. Another guy came from behind and passed me easily, and I was unable to run normally. I hoped I could catch up with them later in the race, but that was not a realistic expectation this day. I fell behind more and more, and after 7k I gave up, since I was in no mans land with a malfunctioning body. My engine just wasn't working today, so I shut it down and stumbled to the finish with the tragic time of 33:29. The course wasn't fast, but no way I should do 32:30 plus with the results I've done recently. So, I will take it easy a few days and hopefully this was just 'one of those days'. Still, it is not be kind of result you want when you have a marathon coming up in two weeks!
1. Paul McCloy, 32:31
2. Will Pynten, 32:38
3. Robert Renman, 33:29
September 18, I won an 8k ACAC Cross-Country race (2 x 4k lap) here in Camrose where I live. It was a university XC meet arranged by Augustana University, and Darrin Deforge was there to have a running clinic with the students after the race. I took the lead after 1 lap, and I managed to keep Darrin behind for the rest of the race. It was certainly a challenging course, but it is good strength training for us marathoners (Darrin is running the Victoria Marathon too).
1. Robert Renman, 27:38
2. Darrin Deforge, 27:53
3. Josh Radtke (or something similar), 28:39
September 12,Fort Edmonton 5K Road Race, 15:18, 5th. New PR! I think my form is good at the moment, and this race confirmed that. This is a nice race at the Fort Edmonton Park, and it goes both on gravel and asphalt. It has some sharp turns, and I would not consider it a fast course.
Since there were money prizes to the first 6 runners, a lot of fast guys were there today. When the race started, a bunch of runners went out at blazing speed. My plan was to follow Paul McCloy, since he seems to run at an even pace, and he is just a little better than me. That plan worked fine up until about 2k (which we passed at 5:59, the mile at 4:47), when I felt I had to let go of him and Dennis. I passed a couple of other guys around there, and after that I focused on getting closer to those guys in front of me. I know I am well trained, and should not have to 'die' too much at the end of a race.
I saw Paul made it hard for Dennis to follow, and I caught Dennis with about 2k or 1 mile to go. I tried to run hard when I passed him so he would have trouble staying with me. It worked. Then I heard people yelling ' Go, Chris', and I could hear this guy close behind me, but I didn't look back. I could see Paul turned his head a few times to see where I was. I pushed as hard as I could, but I was feeling rather pumped with lactate by now and could not catch Paul. Still, I held off the guy behind me with 3 seconds, finishing 5th with a new PR. A good day!
1. Jeremy Deere, 14:50
2. Jason Warick, 15:04
3. Ahmed Krama, 15:11
4. Paul McCloy, 15:12
5. Robert Renman, 15:18
6. Christopher Nicoll, 15:21
7. Dennis Colburn, 15:31
August, 29 The Running Room 5 mile Classic, 25:13, 4th. Ahh, this time I got a really good race, although the day didn't start like I'd wanted it to. You see, I phoned the Running Room and asked when the race started, and they telled me 8:00 AM. Not true. It started at 9:30, but I arrived at 7:00 (got up at 5:00), wondering why no people were there. I prefer sleeping instead of waiting... Some really good runners were there, although I didn't know how many when the race started. I felt confident about my ability today, since I've been having some great training lately. The course was actually the same as the Realtor's 5 mile Road Race that I ran on July 4th. Anyway, as the race started, a lot of guys went out incredibly hard. (The guy who won the race, Jeremy Deere, was very good, and he just took off directly from the start. His win was never threatened.) I was running a lot faster than I usually do in the beginning of a race, still I was only 6th or 7th. Mile mark: 4:34 (and under 2:50 at 1k).
Somewhere around 3k I went up to 2nd place, although I was in a group of maybe 5 or 6 runners. After 4k, that group only had 3 guys. I think we slowed down a bit around halfway, and one of the runners who couldn't follow earlier (Ted) caught us by 6k. I began to get really tired by then, but tried to relax as much as I could. With 1 mile to go, I could no longer follow the two guys in front of me so I finished 4th, but got a pretty good time. This was my best race since I came to Canada, and it was a good confidence boost for my expectations for my upcoming marathon. And, for the first time, I beat Dennis Colburn!
1. Jeremy Deere, 24:45
2. Paul McCloy, 25:06 3.
3. Ted Jaleta, 25:06 (I was told he is 46 years old!)
4. Robert Renman 25:13
August 23, David Thompson 10 K Trail Run, 35:00, 1st. We have been camping in the Canadian Rockies for a couple of weeks, and I ended the holidays by running this not-so-fast trail race around Crimson Lake. I did a hilly 20k MP in 1:11 just 3 days prior to the race, and I was still a bit sore after that. I was not in the lead much until after about 2.5k, where the pace slowed down (first km in 3:18). Then I went up front and immidiately got a lead. At about 7k, I saw the guy behind me was getting closer, so I pushed harder and won with a little over a minute. The course had 3 pretty steep hills after 8k, and I felt tired all the way. This was a slow time, but I didn't want to push harder than necessary, plus I think the course is longer than 10k. Okay, bad excuses maybe, but sometimes you need them... Seriously, I am a bit slower than usual, due to the marathon training I am involved with. That's okay though, as long as I run a darn fast marathon this fall!
1. Robert Renman, 35:00
2. Gary Newell, 36:08
July 25, Beet Beethoven 8k, 26:00, 2nd. Once again, I got the runner-up honors after Dennis Colburn, but first I have to tell you how my day started. I was feeling really excited about this race and I was prepared to 100 percent, or so I thought. Because, when me and my wife Denise got to the race in Edmonton, no running shoes were to be found in the car. I had left my racing shoes at home, and I only had my sandals as footwear. Yippee. That was not a whole lot of fun. After being grumpy for some time, I asked one of the race crew if he had an extra pair of shoes, and this was 10-15 minutes before the race start. Luckily enough, he offered to trade my sandals for his Adidas training shoes, although they were a little too big for me. Not the best racing shoes, but a lot better than my cheap sandals!
When the race started, we quickly became a pack of 5, and we passed the mile in 4:53. Then after about 2k, Dennis decided to run more aggressive than I've ever seen him do, which made the group shrink to 3 runners - the same top trio as in the Canada Day 15k. Dennis ran at a good pace, and I stayed in 3rd place until I saw the gap to him was growing. I passed Kurt and tried to hang on to Dennis, but I couldn't quite catch up with him. The distance between the 3 of us was pretty even, and it was growing. After 5k it was obvious I could not catch Dennis. Since I was in a comfortable 2nd place, I didn't push harder than necessary, coming in 33 seconds behind Dennis while keeping 30 seconds to 3rd place.
I don't know if I could have beaten Dennis with my racing shoes, but the chances would sure have been greater. I can tell you that for the next race, I won't forget them again ...
All things considered, I was pretty happy with being 2nd today. Check out the race results at the Running Room. HUGE THANKS to the guy who let me borrow his shoes; without him I would not have been able to run!!
1. Dennis Colburn, 25:27
2. Robert Renman, 26:00
3. Kurt Mueller, 26:30
July 18, Devil Takes the Hindseat 8.4k, 26:07, 3rd. While we were on our honeymoon in Victoria B.C., I decided to do this interesting race, featuring Olympic marathoner Bruce Deacon. It was 14 laps around a 600m loop, and it had some rather sharp turns which is not my thing. I didn't bring my racing shoes either, only my heavy training shoes. After 3 laps, the last guy was taken out of the race each lap until 3 remained, and my goal was to stay in there as long as possible. There were premium laps with money to the first after 3, 6 and 9 laps. The first laps were pretty fast, and I had no chance to win the first premium, since there was a 3:45-guy there. I just tried to stay away from last place, and it worked better than expected; I passed some runners and eventually climbed to 3rd place after Bruce Deacon and Paddy McCluskey.
I enjoyed this race, and thanks to the race director and everybody who was there! It would be fun to see more of these kinds of races in the future. The first two times below could be a couple of seconds wrong, but they should be very close:
1. Bruce Deacon, 24:46
2. Paddy McCluskey, 25:47
3. Robert Renman, 26:07
July 11, MegaByte 10K road race, 33:25, 2nd. I lost to Dennis Colburn again, but this time it was very close. What a terrible time; I haven't run such a slow 10K in years. Anyway, this was an out-and-back course, with one really long hill at about 4K. We turned at 16:09, but then slowed significantly in the heat. We both waited for a good time to sprint for the finish, and I kicked first. I was very close to get ahead of Dennis, but he got in front of me and held it to the finish, with me being really close. We both had the same time. I am not satisfied with the time, but it felt good that I was able to finish with a descent kick. Now I soon need to beat this guy.
July 4, Realtor's 5 Mile Road Race, 26:23, 1st. Another nice race in Edmonton, with a flat, fast course (although I can't say I ran really fast today). Anyway, it was good to finally win a race. I took the first kilometer out in 3:02, and by then I was alone. I slowed down significantly after a while, and started logging kilometers @ 3:20'ish pace, eventually. These Canadian races must have extra long kilometers. Seriously, I met a guy who told me that Edmonton is about 650 meters above sea level, and that could affect running performance. I think that sounds like a good excuse to use when my races are slow, since I'm born a sea level runner. :-) I logged 110 kilometer this week, even though I took a rest day, and I ran two races. I am a bit fatigued, but a few demanding weeks is probably what I need anyway.
1. Robert Renman, 26:23
2. Darrin Deforge, 27:04
3. Dale Schlenker, 28:52
July 1, Canada Day 15k Road Race, 51:04, 3rd. This is a nice 15k road race in Edmonton, and there were 518 runners participating. This early morning race starts at 7:30 AM, and before the race I met the guy who beat me last time, Dennis Colburn. After the start, I looked around and could not see him. I suspected he had missed the start, and yes, he had. The race starts and ends with a tough hill (500-600m), so it was an easy start. We were 4 guys together up to 3-4 k, and I kept looking behind to see if Dennis would be coming steaming. I saw him at about 4k, but he was way behind so I wasn't too concerned.
Then at 5k when I looked over my shoulder, he was a lot closer and I felt our speed was slowing down. So I tried to make it hard for him to get in contact with us by running fairly hard, but he knew what was going on and ran even faster and suddenly was at my shoulder. I guess I should have surged earlier, but the truth is that is wouldn't have mattered, since he was too strong for me today. Anyway, by this time we were only 3 guys, and we passed 5k@16:53, 10k@ 34:08 (17:15), 15k@51:04 (16:55).
After a tough ascent at about 7k, where I lost a few meters, I caught up with them and tried surging and slowing down, surging and slowing down, hoping they would let up. I did what I could, but I just wasn't really fit as a fiddle today and when the guy I didn't know (Kurt) took off, I could not go with him. This was with 1 mile to go. Dennis had no problem though, and got a few seconds lead, which he kept under control on that long ascent, where I lost further time and finished 15 seconds after Dennis, and 10 after Kurt.
I have been doing a lot of mileage lately, which is why I think I felt so weak going up the hills. Although there were 2 tough hills to climb, I think we had a really slow time all things considered. I do not worry though, since I am in a tough training period and I am taking these races lightly.
1. Dennis Colburn, 50:49
2. Kurt Mueller, 50:54
3. Robert Renman, 51:04
June 27, Spinal Cord Society 5k, 15:43, 2nd. Well, this was not too bad, but I should have won, had I run a little smarter. The race was a nice, flat 5k with a turning point and the weather turned out real nice. I highly recommend this race. After the start, it was slightly downhill and we quickly became 3 guys, with a big tall guy taking the lead. He took the first kilometer out in 3:01. After the turning point, the speed had slowed down significantly so I decided to go up there and try to pick it up somewhat. So the tall guy immediately got way behind, but this 3rd guy, Dennis Colburn (who up to now had been sort of invisibible) hanged on there. Here is where I made my mistake. I should have pushed real hard here all the way to the finish, but instead I ran cowardly and not at all at my best. I figured I should lose him anyway on the last 2-3 min of running. What happened was that I picked up the pace all I could on the last minute of running (with a last 1000m of 2:48), but this guy had a better kick than me, and passed me just before the finish (15:39). Bummer. I think I have been getting some lessons lately when it comes to tactics, but obviously I am not learning. If I meet this guy again, then I'll push hard from start and try to get rid of him before the finish. Or I could work on my kick, I guess, but I think my best chances are with even, hard-paced running.
1. Dennis Colburn, 15:39
2. Robert Renman, 15:43
June 20, 5000m Skellefteå. 14:47 was the winning time (Johan Bergström ) in Skelleftespelen 5000m, but unfortunately I was nowhere near that time. I had a little disaster of my own way down the pack, struggling with dead legs and ending up as 6th with the embarrassing tme of 15:53. Since this was my last race in Sweden for some time, I am sad it had to go like this. I did not feel well before the race and I had a headache; there was a really hard wind throughout the race, but I don't think I can find enough excuses for this bad joke of a race. Oh well, there is nothing to do but to come back and do better in some Canadian races. I hope I can find some track races there, so I can get the chance to do a descent time in the 5000m. I still think I am in 15:00-shape, but I guess you could say - racing talks, B.S. walks! Here are the results as far as I remember out of my head, but I can't guarantee it is correct. Results can be found at http://www.aikfriidrott.com/resultat/skelleftespelen-1999.htm, and you can see my slow ass on video at http://www.aikfriidrott.com/resultat/990620.htm!
1. Johan Bergström IF Vingarna 14.47,45
2. Gustav Berggren SAIK 14.59,61
3. Anders Hemmyr IFK Umeå 15.09,05
4. P-Å Sandström SAIK 15.26,70
5. Håkan Stenberg SAIK 15.37,45
6. Robert Renman IFK Umeå 15.53,10
June 6, Gammliaterrängen 12k (DM). Rikard Hedelin DM-Champ! Mr. Hedelin proved once again his strength at cross-country-dirty-running, when he crushed us all at Gammliaterrängen on Saturday. This race is a 3 lap 4k, and we were 4 guys together for the first lap, with Peter Karlsson a few seconds behind. Then after about 6k of pedestrian-pace running, Rikard started pushing hard and the whole group could follow him since it was downhill. But on the last lap, no one could stick with him on the heavy uphills, and he flew away to a 21 second victory, with Anders 2nd and Håkan 3rd. I felt pretty good until the last lap, but my low mileage level the last weeks showed off there, and I couldn't follow the two guys in front of me. So I slowed down a little to let me recover from the hard uphills, and Peter Karlsson gave me company with 2k to go. He tried to get rid of me, but I felt fresh by then, and on the downhill on the last kilometer, I gave it all and finished 4th. I am okay with this result, considering I haven't done my home work for some time. Normally, I would have expected to give Rikard a hard game. I will do that in the 5000 on 19th instead.
1. Rikard Hedelin IFK Umeå 41:31
2. Anders Hemmyr IFK Umeå 41:52
3. Håkan Stenberg Skellefteå AIK 41:58
4. Robert Renman IFK Umeå 42:07
5. Peter Karlsson Skellefteå AIK 42:14
6. Ola Torstensson IFK Umeå 42:54
May 27, 5000m Skellefteå. Rikard Hedelin did a great job in Skellefteå last night, finishing 2nd in the 5000m with 15:06 after P-Å Sandström (SAIK) 15:04, and Anders Hemmyr also ran impressive with 15:07 as 3rd. I wish I had been there, but I have been too busy lately. I am moving this weekend and I'm in the finishing stage of my studies. I feel a little out of my top shape, but I hope to get back there soon.
May 24, 1/2 Umemilen 5k. Gustav wins 1/2 Umemilen (5k) 1999 in 14:59! With about 700m to go, he pushed hard and left Anders Hemmyr behind as the runner-up, 15:11. Impressive running from both of them. See the (incomplete) race results on Umemilen homepage.
May 19, Broarna Runt 5k. Rikard takes his revenge! He was the stronger one today, and he did all the hard work while I struggled to hang on. We hit the turning point on 7:28. With 2-300m left, I tried to kick but had nothing, while Rik easily 'floated away' to a 2 second win - 15:21 and me 15:23. We've had a number of close races, and it was about time he got a win now. Congratulations, Rikard! We are both looking to break 15min next week in Skellefteå, and I intend to give him a harder time then.
After a furious start, Anders Hemmyr ran 8:51 on the 3k, and an Albert Edman with stomach problems jogged in with 9:18. If Anders had continued with the same speed as he kept the first 200m, he would probably have run about 2 min faster...
May 18, 1500m. My first GP victory came tonight at Gammliavallen. I ran the 1500m PRK with the not too impressive time of 4:12'30. Rikard was VERY close to beating me, because he stepped on the pedal with 60-70m to go and nearly caught me. His time was 4:12'50. He took the first lap out in 66.7, then I took over and ran 66.5, 68.6, 50.3. Rikard let me go with a few meters with about 600m left, and I felt that I had the race under control, but he proved he has a pretty good kick after all, considering his infamous, legendary stride... It is now clear that his kick is not to fool around with anymore! Had the race been 1505m he would have won.
It is necessary to mention that the conditions were terrible. It was very windy which made it hard for me to do a descent time. I had hoped for something like 4:05 or so, but with these conditions it was impossible. Also, both me and Rikard would have appreciated if any of the other gifted runners in the area had proved some guts and show up (running)!! ;-)
May 8, Vännäs half-marathon. I am very pleased with the half-marathon I ran today - 1:09:42, and 2nd place. Gustav won as expected, and his time was 1:08:53. Håkan Mårtensson 3rd, 1:10:25, and Håkan Stenberg 4th, 1:10:32. The weather was cold, but not very windy. I don't think it was much more than +3 or 4 degrees Celsius.
We became a pack of 4 runners early in the race, and I tried to stay in the back to get out of the wind. We ran the first 5k in 16:25, and then the next 5k was at a very comfortable pace 17 min. Then after the turning point, half way, Gustav went off at a really fast speed. The two other guys dropped quickly after that, and I tried to get in contact with Gustav. He immediately was a 10-15 meters ahead though, and I couldn't quite get closer. After a few kilometers, I started losing second after second to him, so there was never any doubt about who was strongest today. We ran faster on the way back, especially him, but even though I lost 48 seconds to him on the second half, I still was 1 minute faster on the way back than on the way "out"!
All in all, this was a good day for more people than myself. The top four runners and several others I talked to got shiny new PR's, so maybe the conditions were just right after all.
Congratulation also to Jessica Öberg and Anders Hemmyr, who won the quarter marathon convincingly with 39:39 (or was it 39:49) for Jessica, and 34:18 for Anders. Peter Karlsson 2nd there around 35 min or so. Now, that is all I can remember at the moment. If you want to know more, go to Vännäs Half-marathon Home Page results should be up there soon. Or, send me email to find out more details!
Here are the splits per kilometer:
3:11, 6:28 (3:17), 9:44 (3:15), 13:02 (3:18), 5k - 16:25 (3:23), 19:49, (3:24), 23:12 (3:23), 26:39 (3:26), 30:03 (3:23), 10k - 33:26 (3:23), Turning Point - 35:22 (1:55), 37:14 (1:51), 40:19 (3:05), 43:23 (3:03), 46:34 (3:11), 15.1k - 49:49 (3:14), 53:04 (3:15), 56:22 (3:18), 59:39 (3:17), 1:03:08 (3:29), 20.1k - 1:06:31 (3:21), 21097m 1:09:42 (3:12). All the kilometer marks after the turning point includes those extra 97 meters, which should be about 18-19 seconds. See?
April 7, Broarna Runt 5k. Tonight I finished 1st, with the time of 15:32 at Broarna Runt 5k. I am rather content with this, since the course is asphalt with a great deal of sand on it, which makes it slippery. Rikard and I ran together, and I should thank him for doing most of the hard work. I was behind him most of the time, and I could have done some more of the pace-making, since I felt pretty good all the way. I wasn't sure of my strength though, since the last week hasn't been very good training-wise, but this tells me there's nothing to worry about.
February 14, 3000m track Noliahallen. Today I got a new PR, when I won a 3000 m race here in Umeå with 8:46,49. This race was rather different from the last one, as I had a pace maker for the first 600, and then I was on my own. My splits were 2:55, 2:53, 2:57. I ran the 2nd kilometer a lot faster than I did last weekend, so I think I am definitely improving. I felt very easy up to 2200 m, where I accumulated a great deal of lactic acid and had problems maintaining the speed. With some steady training, I think I should be able to keep the speed the whole way and run 8:40, or maybe just under. Rikard did a good race too with 8:50, and Håkan Mårtensson 8:53. I also want to thank the rabbit for doing his job well, all three laps...
February 6, 3000 m indoors. I had hoped to run a little better, but I ran too cautiously today and didn't hang on from the start. The two guys in the lead went out in 2:51, while is was 4 seconds behind with 2:55. I should have stayed with them, since they ran the 2nd kilometer at almost the same speed as me (2.57-58). I guess I covered the last kilometer in 2:56. which was too slow. Basically the whole race was too slow! Oh, well, I guess I should be content after all, since it was a new personal record that is even better than my 3k PR outdoors (with 4/10 of a second). I also won my first individual district championship medal! (Yeah right, like that will impress anyone . . . ) Gustav won in 8:38, Peter 2nd in 8:42, me 8:49, and then Rikard in 8:59.
