Race Chronicles

Race Chronicles: Bunny Half

Coach Cari

The Bunny Half Marathon is a US Road Running event. Participants can earn points towards the US Road Running race series.

This bunny themed event included multiple race options ranging from 1 mile, 5K, 10K, 15K, and Half Marathon. The 5K was the most popular distance with 50 finishers. Both the 1 mile race and 10K had two finishers. Only 5 runners competed the Half Marathon.

The race started at 8 am on April 19th, with bib pick up immediately beforehand.

I ran the Half Marathon which is four loops out and back along the bike path at EJ Nutter Park in Beavercreek.

I finished third overall and first female in the Half Marathon.

All finishers received a US Road Running Bunny medal.

Race Chronicles

Race Chronicles: Camp Hook Trail Relay

Coach Cari

The third annual ORRRC Camp Hook trail relay was held the second weekend in April. This year’s event included the addition of a solo 4-hour race on Saturday April 12th. Runners had the opportunity to compete individually on Saturday afternoon, or as part of a two or three-person relay team the following day. Sunday’s relay included a Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Relay Divisions.

I ran with my friend Michelle as part of a two-person relay team. Each team must have one runner on the course at all times. The trail was approximately 1.8 mile loops. After each loop runners checked in at the timing table and added a clothes pin to their tag. This is a fun visual way to track each team’s progress throughout the 4 hour event.

When not running I spent time talking to other runners and cheering for those starting and finishing their loops.

Our 2-member Team, The Trailblazers, finished 3rd in the women’s division, with a total of 12 loops.

This event is one of my favorite races. I really enjoyed competing as a team and taking part in a super fun relay race.

The Gor-Tex water proof trail shoes worked well on muddy trails today.

Gear Check

Gear Check – My Top 10 Race Shirts

Coach Cari

#10 Xenia Marathon 2017. This shirt represents my first PR at the Xenia Marathon. I ran the Full Marathon because it was the same price as the Half. I like the bright blue color of this shirt and the big Marathon across the front.

#9 Flying Pig Marathon 2018. Classic Pig shirt. Gotta love it. This shirt represents a Marathon PR and my all time favorite race. I love the simple design for a fantastic race.

#8 Little Miami Half Marathon 2016. I like the color of this shirt. This shirt represents a PR and one of my favorite Half Marathons.

#7 Air Force 5k 2023. The Air Force Marathon was my very first Marathon. The past two years I have run the 5k. This shirt is my favorite long sleeve shirt and I have already worn it a lot. A simple design is nice and getting a long sleeve tech shirt at a 5K is even better. The color is “flight suit green”, or olive, even though it looks grey in this picture. I love this shirt!

#6 Xenia Marathon Half 2024. The Xenia Marathon is my current Marathon PR. This shirt is from my 3rd year pacing the Half Marathon. The shirt is extremely soft and cozy and I love the green color of this shirt.

#5 America 5K 2023. This shirt is cute for patriotic holidays. The Americana 5K is my all time 5K race PR, but the year I ran the PR was not a cute shirt. This is a shirt I actually wear.

#4 Grand Lake Marathon 2015. The course for the Marathon, a loop around the entire lake, is depicted on this cute shirt. The shirt is blue even though the photo looks grey. This was a fun race and really cool to look at the map and say I ran all the way around a lake. This is also the race that I qualified for Marathon Maniacs Club by running marathons on back to back weekends.

#3 Flying Pig Marathon 2023. This was the year we ran in a thunderstorm and called the race the “Floating” Pig.

#2 Grand Lake Marathon 2017. I love the bright yellow-green color of this shirt. This is a cute shirt that I wear often. The logo design is on point.

#1 Burn Your Half Off 2019. Finally a race that offered a tank top. I love this shirt and wear it a lot. I get a lot of compliments on this shirt. This race was extremely hot and we really did burn our half off. Love the logo design and bright color of this shirt.

Race Chronicles

Race Chronicles: ONU Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon

Coach Cari

The 2025 ONU Polar Bear Marathon and Half Marathon took place on January 26th at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. This is an indoor race with participants running either 105.5 loops around the 200 meter track for the Half Marathon or 211 loops for the full Marathon.

This is a unique one of a kind opportunity to run an indoor event in a fun atmosphere with music and support on every lap.

The ONU team provides cheering and lap counters for each runner. The aid station is available whenever needed and is never farther than your next lap around the track. Being an indoor event, the track is flat and fast, and the weather is perfect.

This race had an upbeat playlist of great music playing the entire time. The team at ONU made an awesome poster for each finisher.

I finished 9th overall and 3rd Place female in the Half Marathon. I just barely missed my goal of a sub 2 hour finish, with a time of 2:00:38.

Overall this was an extremely fun event. I look forward to running this race again, and plan to come back and attempt the Full Marathon.

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Why I Run…

Coach Cari

I started running in seventh grade because two of my friends decided we should join the middle school cross country team together. Neither of my friends ended showing up for even a single practice, but I joined the team anyhow.

I didn’t have running gear so I wore jean shorts to practices. I had a pair of white high top sneakers that were not running shoes. My race times were slow and I didn’t fit in with the other girls on the team. Yet, despite my struggles I didn’t give up.

By high school I ran with the Varsity XC team. In cross country meets, only the top five finishers count towards the team score. I was consistently number six for my team. My times didn’t factor into the scoring, but I continued to get faster and by the end of the season I won the most improved runner award.

Through running I have learned how to set and achieve my goals. I have now run marathons and ultra-marathons. I am no longer the awkward jean-clad girl who was afraid she couldn’t finish a race. I have learned that hard work pays off. Hard work is NOT easy. Often progress is slow, and many goals take more than one attempt to achieve. I am faster now, as a masters runner, than I was in high school.

I do not define my success by my finishing times. I am proud not only of the races I have finished, but most of all the grit and determination I have shown.

As a coach, I now use my passion for running to encourage other runners. For the past twelve years, I have served as the head coach for the Centerville Striders XC team. I am honored to have the opportunity to run with these kids, and extremely grateful to be part of an amazing running community.

I run because running has transformed by life and allowed me to meet so many amazing people. Keep setting goals, crush those goals, and set more goals to crush! Hard work pays off!

Middle School XC Team
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Race Chronicles: Dash 4 Cash

Coach Cari

June 27, 2024

The Dash 4 Cash is a 1 mile race hosted by the Ohio River Road Runners Club (ORRRC).

The race is a 1 mile run along the bike path at Eastwood Metropark. Participants must first walk or run a mile to get from the registration to the starting line. Runners then dash from the start back to the finish. The top three finisher in each age group received a cash prize.

I finished 10th in my age group with a mile time of 7:22.

This race is part of the Team Series.

My daughters each finished 5th in their age groups. We did not win any cash.

Race Chronicles

Race Chronicles: The Viking Half

Coach Cari

May 18, 2024

The Viking Half is hosted by US Road Running Race Club as part of their 2024 Race Series. The Beavercreek edition of this race takes place on the third Saturday of each month.

This race includes a variety of distances for runners to choose from, including a 1mile, 5K, 10K, 15K, or Half Marathon. All races start together at E J Nutter Park and run along the bike path in Beavercreek.

Each race is an out and back to a specific turn around point. The Half Marathon consists of 4 “loops” from the start to the turn around and returning back to the main aid station at the start.

Loop 1:

Loop 1

Loop 2
Loop 3
Loop 4

I won the woman’s race as the first overall female finisher.

Each finisher received a Viking Medal.

This race is part of the series hosted by the US Road Running Race Club. Membership to the club is $49 annually, and members receive half price race registration. After each race, runners are awarded Series Point based on age group finishing place. Points are accumulated throughout the year with the top 3 males and females in each age group receiving a special award at the end of the year.

With 5 Half Marathon age group wins so far this year, I now have 100 points. I am currently in 3rd place in the overall standings for my age group.

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Run the Year 2023

Coach Cari

Running challenges can be a great source of motivation throughout the year. Many runners will take the challenge to “run the year” by completing a total of 2023 miles in 2023. I prefer a much easier task and instead test myself by drawing the year during my run.

Here is my 2023 captured by my Garmin during my New Year’s Day run. I utilized a track for the zero, but otherwise “drew” this without any other guides or tools. However, I learned today that the Strava app has a feature that allows you to see a run in progress on your phone. I will keep this in mind next time I am creating an image during a run.