2012 BW50K Results - November 25, 2012

Runners at BW50K
photo by John McCarroll

Temperatures were in the mid-twenties, there was light wind, and a dusting of snow as the third annual Buckeye Woods 50K got under way on Sunday, November 25, 2012. This low-key, informal run is put on by the Medina County Road Runners and it takes place at Buckeye Woods County Park near Medina, Ohio. The course is on trails throughout the park, and consists of a one-mile loop, followed by six five-mile loops. The terrain is gentle, with only a few very slight elevation changes. About half the trails are crushed limestone and the rest is dirt.

The mud, wind, rain and sideways snow of previous years were generally not problems for the 2012 event. The wind did pick up a bit as the sun came up and the temperature rose through the 30’s. That wind was especially noticeable in the “Windy Circle of Doom”, a 1.5 mile stretch in an open lowlands area; the wooded parts weren't so tough.

A record forty-nine runners started the race. There was a new option to run 25K instead of 50K, and several chose the shorter distance before or during the event (anyone who completed at least 25K but less than 50K was considered a 25K finisher).

Men's Champion, Verrelle Wyatt
Photo by John McCarroll

Women's Champions, Nicole Gareri and Jacquie Fatherie
Photo by John McCarroll

Verrelle Wyatt took the race by storm. He shot out to an early lead, completed 16 miles in 1:37, 26 in 2:35, and finished the entire 50K run in 3:07. Yes, that’s the correct time for a trail 50K, and yes, the distance is accurate. The previous course record of 3:51, held by Jon Brenenstuhl was tied by the second place male, Hugh Patton. Nicole Gareri and Jacquie Fatherie ran together and finished together in 4:56 to tie as the Women’s champions.

In all, there were 13 finishers of the 50K. Some completed their first ultra, and a couple others ran a personal best time. Here is the list of finishers:

1. Verrelle Wyatt 3:07:30
2. Hugh Patton 3:51:49
3. Pete Schwanke 4:17:57
4. Ronald Ross 4:30:17

5. Jack McDaniel 4:45:40
6. Jacquie Fatheree 4:56:28
7. Nicole Gareri 4:56:28
8. Dan Horvath 4:57:55
9. Roy Heger 5:21:59
10. Jen Bruder 5:36:00
11. Chris Karpowicz 5:46:00
12. Nathan Bitecofer 5:49:00
13. Allan Potter 5:54:00

And here is a list of those who completed at least 25K. Patrick Fisher and Connie Gardner had the fastest 25K times among runners who did not go for 50K.

1. Patrick Fisher 1:53:00
2. Connie Gardner 2:06:00
3. Pete Jendre 2:06:00
4. Jeffery LaBlanc 2:08:00

5. Randy Osborne 2:26:00
6. Seth Hothem 2:26:00
7. Glenn Groves 2:26:00
8. Mike Ryan 2:26:00
9. John Pavlick 2:30:00
10. Michelle Wolff 2:32:00
11. Brad Holzinger 2:32:00
12. Phil Budowanec 2:32:00
13. Shari Fletterick Geiger 2:36:00
14. Theresa Stephens Wright 2:36:00
15. Hope Bradley 2:38:00
16. Jennifer Yaros 2:39:00
17. John Hnat 2:41:00
18. Shannon Miller Fisher 2:41:00
19. Harold Dravenstott 2:44:00
20. Marsha Clifford 2:48:00
21. Charles Elkins 2:48:00
22. Denise Carol 2:57:00
23. Tami Menssen 3:17:00
24. Igor Skalsky 4:05:00

Additional photos by John McCarroll may be viewed by clicking here. Thanks to all who participated, and thanks to our great volunteers. See you all next year.

BW50 v3.0 - Sunday, November 25, 2012 0800

Join us for the 3rd Annual Buckeye Woods 50K Run. This is a free Medina County Road Runners Club event.

The location is Buckeye Woods County Park. The event begins promptly at 8:00 AM. Please arrive at least a few minutes early for the pre-race meeting.

Runners will traverse a 5-mile circuit around lakes and through woods six times, followed by a 1-mile loop to make 31 miles. The route is 95% dirt trails, and it's flat as a pancake. Here is a map of the course.

Aid will be very limited. We will use the picnic shelter at the start/finish and provide some water and maybe other stuff. Runners should plan to bring their supplies.

You may rsvp by joining the FaceBook event page, OR by emailing Dan Horvath at runhorvathrun@hotmail.com. We will close the event when our limit of 40,000 runners is exceeded.

Runners who make it as far as 25K, but not as far as 50K will be recognized in the results as having completed a 25K run.

Good weather is guaranteed. Or your money back.

And speaking of money, yes the event is free, but participants, including non MCRR members, are welcome to make donations of any kind or amount. Non MCRR members who donate $20 or more will be given FREE MCRR membership for one year!! What an incentive!!! (How's that for a way to get folks to join?) Next year we will probably restrict the freebeeness of the event to MCRR members only.

2011 BW50K Results - November 27, 2011

The 2011 Buckeye Woods 50K turned out to be just as challenging as the 2010 version. 2010 gave us a snowstorm with strong, cold winds. 2011 came with rain, wind and mud. Although the mud only covered about half the course (the other half was crushed limestone that drained well), there was enough of it for everyone to enjoy six times over.

The race took place at Buckeye Woods County Park in Medina, Ohio. Runners began with a 1-mile run, followed by six 5-mile loops through the park on the muddy trails. Twenty-seven runners started or ran at some point, and thirteen of them completed the race.



After some lead changes in the early laps, Bob Pokorny took control of the race, and never let up. Bob cruised to a 4:22 victory to become the 2011 Men's Champion. Dan Horvath (4:50), and Frank Dwyer (5:01) placed second and third.


Michelle Wolff had been considering dropping out due to the conditions. Then she learned that all of the other women had dropped, and she was the only female left. After some encouragement from fellow runners and volunteers, she kept going, and going and going. She finished in 6:01 to become the 2011 Women's Champion.

BW50K is a Medina County Road Runners Event.

Click on the chart below for better viewing.

BW50 v2.0 - Sunday, November 27, 2011 0800

Join us for the 2nd Annual Buckeye Woods 50K Run. This is a free Medina County Road Runners Club event.

The location is Buckeye Woods County Park. The event begins promptly at 8:00 AM. Please arrive at least a few minutes early for the pre-race meeting.

Runners will traverse a 5-mile circuit around lakes and through woods six times, followed by a 1-mile loop to make 31 miles. The route is 95% dirt trails, and it's flat as a pancake. Here is a map of the course.

Aid will be very limited. We will try to use the picnic shelter at the start/finish and provide some water and maybe other stuff. Runners should plan to bring their supplies.

You may rsvp by joining the FaceBook event page, OR by emailing Dan Horvath at runhorvathrun@hotmail.com. We will close the event when our limit of 40,000 runners is exceeded.

A training run will take place at Buckeye Woods on Monday, November 21 at 5pm. We will do one or more 5-mile laps.

BW50 2010 Lap Splits - thanks to Dave Koch

Click the image to get a closer view.

BW50 - December 5, 2010

The weather was indeed frightful: constant snow, snow-covered trails, temperatures staying around 25F, and extremely cold wind chills. But the group of 21 that started the First Annual Buckeye Woods 50K was an intrepid bunch. A little "weather" wasn't going to stop them.






This photo was from a training run on the BW50 course. There was no snow at the time.











A group of about five runners stayed close together during the first two five-mile laps. At the end of each lap, the runners would return to the start/finish picnic shelter to record their split times. Some brave volunteers were there to assist them. The word, "shelter" shouldn't be taken too seriously here - it was *cold* in there, as well as out on the trails. After six of the five-mile loops, runners complete one smaller one-mile loop to make it fifty kilometers.

Jon Brenenstuhl took the lead during lap three, and kept extending his lead throughout the rest of the run. Jon has run a couple of other ultras, but is mostly still new to the game. This was his first 50K. He won with a time of 3:51. Bob Pokorny was second in 4:10, and Connie Gardner was the first female with a time of 4:25.

There were ten finishers. Several of them were running their first ultra.

RESULTS:
1) Jon Brenenstuhl - 3:51 (first 50K)
2) Bob Pokorny - 4:10 (first master)
3) Connie Gardner - 4:25 (first female)
4) Dan Horvath - 4:46 (first really old guy)
5) Debbie Scheel - 4:58 (first master, first ultra)
6) Ladd Clifford - 5:06 (first tall guy)
7) Rachel Smith - 5:11 (first ultra, started 14 minutes behind - net time was 4:57)
8) Brad Holzinger - 5:14 (first ultra)
9) Dave Koch - 5:25 (first old guy who wasn't Bob or Dan)
10) Kenny Welch - 6:09 (first ultra)

other starting runners
Michelle Wolff
Dan Daubner
John Hnat
Marti Stuetle
Scott Stuetzer
Roberta Gangl
Dan DeRosha
Tom Patton
Pat Murphy
Still others participated but started later

Thanks again to the wonderful volunteers!