Celebrating the hard work of a few 2022 Mountain Ridge runners
/It’s well understood that endurance competitions are difficult. In order to find the most enjoyment on race day, it helps to have patience, a learner’s mindset, and a strong desire to appreciate the process of training. There has to be a sustainable willingness to get the work done, but to not overdo and burnout. These individuals who persevere, not just in a single event but across months and years of time, are the ones that are most often rewarded. I’m fortunate to be able to work with many athletes like this. Sometimes as a PT to help them through their particular injuries and sometimes as a coach. Here are a few of the folks I enjoyed coaching in 2022:
Lindsay Rowand
After having a great run at Highlands Sky 40 miler in June, Lindsay leveled up at her second 100-miler on November 8 at the Rim to River 100 in West Virginia’s New River Gorge National Park. This busy mom and Physical Therapist completed the course in 27:10:30 as the 12th woman and earned a very solid new personal record for that distance – all without taking a nap.
image courtesy Lindsay Rowand
Natalie Capito
I haven’t yet convinced running newcomer Natalie to do any trail races but she did already manage to PR and take her first event win with a time of 21:26 at the mixed surface Mothman 5K in September. She followed this up with a great half marathon PR at the Morgantown Running Halloween Half of 1:36:44, 8th woman and 16th overall. Next up, she’ll work toward an improved performance at her second Pittsburgh Marathon in May, hoping for drier weather since last year’s edition proved to be quite soggy!
Image courtesy tristateracer.com
Image Courtesy Natalie Capito
Karl Barth
Karl adopted the triathlon lifestyle back in 2016 because he just wasn’t busy enough being an engineering professor, father of two, and husband. He obviously isn’t afraid to challenge himself and I really appreciate the fact that he has the attitude of a lifelong learner. In the time we’ve worked together, he’s taken on multiple technically challenging, climb-heavy events like the 2017 Stonewall Jackson Triathlon and the 2021 Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge. This year he qualified for and completed the October 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in gorgeous St. George, UT after crushing it at Ironman 70.3 Musselman in Geneva, NY back on July 10. Next up we are working toward the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley in July 2023.
Image courtesy Karl Barth
Image Courtesy Karl Barth
Sara Lunden
Hoping to capitalize on her knowledge from the 2021 Cloudsplitter 50K, Sara completed her first 100K on the same difficult, technical though scenic Cloudsplitter course in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest near Norton, VA. The course includes seven bonus miles (since it’s actually over 69 miles long instead of 62) and boasts over 16,000 feet of gain, that is, of course, not to be outdone by the 16,000 feet of descending. Adding to the challenge is the fact that on October 16th the leaves are freshly fallen and hide many trail surface defects. In preparation for all of that vertical she started racking up miles early in the year for a muddy March Rabid Raccoon 20 mile trail race near Pittsburgh, PA and then the Thelma and Louise Half Marathon in Moab, UT in May. But to really focus on going uphill she tackled the never ending steep climbs of the Laurel Highlands 50K from Ohiopyle, PA back in June. Sara will start 2023 with a bang: Frozen Sasquatch 25K in Charleston, WV and North Park Half Marathon in Pittsburgh, PA.
Image Courtesy Sara Lunden
Image Courtesy Sara Lunden
Lindsay Britton
Carrying her PR fitness from the 2021 Rehoboth Marathon (3:45!) this busy mother of two ran the thunderstorm soaked Pittsburgh Marathon in May and then demonstrated her trail versatility on the spectacle of red rock and sandy trail terrain at the Thelma and Louise Half Marathon in Moab with Sara. She went on to spend time making me jealous while exploring the trails of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Like so many runners, Lindsay had a new PR goal and lots of fitness for a faster time at her second Greenbrier River Trail Marathon on October 2nd from Cass, WV but Hurricane Ian had other plans. While this flatter course could be considered a faster option in normal cool and dry fall weather, Ian dished out his anger, resulting in a far tougher, rain-soaked, muddy, windy course. Thanks to her trail running skills, Lindsay wasn’t dissuaded, and earned a strong finish as the 6th overall woman in 3:52. Next up she plans to explore the New River Gorge trails and build her winter base at the Cabin Fever 50K in February 2023.
Image Courtesy Lindsay Britton
Image Courtesy Lindsay britton
Tabitha Coffindaffer
Following her personal best marathon at the 2021 Greenbrier River Trail Marathon, Tabitha has been working hard all of 2022 and completing a big variety of events in the process. She did her first ultra-distance run at the June Midnight Squatchapalooza 12-Hour in Colombus, NJ. In the build up to that, she became more trail comfortable while training for the Meeks Mountain Muddy Mutt 15K down in Hurricane, WV and then worked on speed for the Decker’s Creek Half Marathon right here in Morgantown, WV. Like Lindsay, she also dodged the raindrops, mud, and puddles at her second Greenbrier River Trail Marathon in early October. Not to be outdone by that cruddy weather, she used her hard-earned fitness in late October at the challenging Ohio Chessie Trail 10K and nearly broke her personal best road 10K time!
