Authored by: Paula Murray & Joy Chan

Event Date/Location: November 24, 2024, Chambers Creek Regional Park, University Place, WA

Just prior to the start of the Thanksgiving Holiday, the LSRC teams got a chance to preview the course to be used for the USATF National Club XC Championships at the USATF NW Region XC Championships. The meet saw participation from over a dozen clubs across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Alaska.

A world-renowned golf course sitting on a cliff overlooking Puget Sound, Chambers Bay is a great place to view the action. A mostly flat grass course with just two of the gentlest rolling hills, this was surely a PR course under good conditions. Alas, it was not one of those days. Puget Sound was a dull bluish grey – matching the overcast skies above – and the grass shimmered not from sunlight but from the sogginess left by the week’s two storms.

The women’s race was three laps on the grass, and the men’s race was four. One challenge was the mud, and the fact that Junior NW Regionals were run on this same course the day before, left it a bit chewed up and worse for the wear. Although the rain showers held off until the very end, it was a slippery day, and our runners had their work cut out for them, which showed in slower times for almost everyone. Fortunately, all LSRC runners stayed upright despite the conditions and chilly, wet feet.

While we had five women on the start line, only four were able to finish with one runner dropping out due to injury early in the race. The women’s team was unable to score without all five runners, but each finisher ran admirable times on difficult terrain. The men’s team was also slower overall on the muddy course but ran well enough to place 12th out of 15 teams and fielding 7 finishers!

Regionals was an excellent opportunity for the LSRC teams to experience the course on a less-than-ideal day, allowing us to assess our readiness for all possible conditions while also getting a small taste of the competition to come at Nationals in just under two weeks. Like the weather in mid-December, the culmination of our season may be hard to predict, but don’t count out the LSRC teams – we may surprise you yet. LET’S GO BLUE!

Full Results: https://pntfo.trackscoreboard.com/meets/11242024/events

Women, 6K	Time	Highlights
Taryn Hynek	28:26	First XC race in years, great frontrunning
Maricruz Del Pozo	29:54	Great teamwork with Rochelle!
Rochelle Cox	29:57	Great teamwork with Mari!
Joy Chan	31:38	Way to power to the finish
Men, 8K
Clayton Koppi	29:09	Fast first lap, great frontrunning
Zach Fung	29:22	Had a consistently paced race
Paul Young	32:44	Nice job on a difficult course; recovering from a cold
Mike Williamson	35:14	Only 1 sec per lap slower than Lincoln Park
Matthew Wines	36:21	First XC race with the team!
Victor Wang	37:03	First XC race ever!
Daniel Bannon	37:08	First XC race ever!

No need for a cooldown - already a cold enough day.

The LSRC women aren't afraid of mud!

Check out more photos here!

Authored by: Joy Chan & Paula Murray

Event Date/Location: November 10, 2024, Lincoln Park, Seattle, WA  

Last Sunday the largest LSRC cross-country (XC) team to date braved the prospect of mid-day storms to race against some of the best club teams in the state at the Pacific Northwest Track and Field (PNTF) Open and Masters XC Championships, held at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. It is a fan favorite course, with Puget Sound water views and only one short but notable hill. The weather gods acted in our favor, granting four hours of partly cloudy skies, no wind, and temperatures in the fifties. The trees were a-blaze in hues of yellow and orange, adding to a perfect fall morning. We could not have asked for better racing conditions on the fast, hard-packed, and mostly dry 2k loop course. 

LSRC fielded the largest women’s XC team since the club’s inception, with five women in the Open division (age 39 and under), three in the 40-49 division, and three in the 50-59 division. The LSRC team toed off further back in the crowded start area, but quickly made up ground after the gun. A total of 63 women battled for position, and while the LSRC women placed 4th of four scoring teams, several of our women placed in their age divisions: Maricruz Del Pozo took 2^nd place in the F45-49, and Paula Murray took 3^rd place in the F55-59. Additionally, strong performances across the board contributed to the LSRC women placing third in the F40-49 and second in the F50-59 team scoring. We are thrilled to see the women’s team continue to grow and improve throughout this season! 

Next up were the Masters (age 40+) men in the 8k, running four laps of the 2k course. This year we fielded a Masters men’s team of five, consisting of three in the 40-49 division and two in the 50-59 division. A dominant Club Northwest team brought heavy competition, and the Masters men narrowly missed the podium finishing fourth out of four scoring teams. However, the span between the five Masters men was less than two minutes – demonstrating smart, consistent races by our runners. 

The event concluded with the Open men’s 10k – a brutal five laps of the course. This year was the first time LSRC did not have enough Open men to form a scoring team for an XC event, but the four who showed up did so with determination and grit. Racing against some of the fastest runners in the state, it was exhilarating to watch them fly through the course! We are proud of the Open men for representing LSRC as well as they did. 

We had plenty to celebrate at PNTF – from individual and team performances, a chance to run on such a perfect fall day, to being part of a supportive team that rallied around one another. This is exactly the momentum we need as we approach the end of the season and the final two championship meets of 2024. Even when we don’t come in first, we always have the most fun! 

Full Team Results: http://live.pntfo.com/meets/11102024/events

Check out more photos from club member Steve Dion!

Authored by: Paula Murray & Joy Chan

Event Date/Location: October 12, 2024, Lower Woodland Park, Seattle, WA

Link to photo album

On Saturday, the LSRC Cross-Country (XC) Team got the opportunity again to destroy our legs at Club Northwest’s iconic Emerald City Open. Well, maybe not literally – but as promised, it is a unique course comprised of challenging ups and downs, twists and turns, roots and potholes – everything except for even footing. 

It was perfect fall weather with a temperature of 57° (62° in the sun), humidity of 74%, and a southwest wind of 1.5 mph. The field was a nice mix of clubs and colleges. LSRC fielded full 5-person teams for both men and women. The men raced first, giving the women the advantage of knowing what to expect on the start line: a decidedly awkward shout of some kind, followed by a sudden horn blast. With that, the race was underway and LSRC looked strong against the field. With 170 runners, there seemed to be a non-stop stream of people on the first of four laps before runners thinned out in subsequent laps. The LSRC men fought tooth and nail for team positions and placed 11 out of 12 scoring teams with 303 points, beating out one college and five other teams that were unable to field the five people needed to score.  

Next, the women were up – after discussing possible strategies, we decided to keep the first lap conservative and pay attention to each other’s position on the course. We took a few photos, a few strides, started our watches, and we were ready. The horn sounded, and we took off – the immediate downhill made for a fast start. The footing was tricky, and the hills were relentless, but our resolve was solid; we battled through three laps and a good time was had by all. The women’s team placed 8 out of 8 scoring teams with 216 points, but we had the distinction of beating out four colleges that were unable to field full teams.  

Overall, it was a strong showing by both our teams and everyone put in their best efforts. The experience gained at Emerald City Open will continue to prepare us for the three upcoming USATF races in November and December, which fortunately will be on more forgiving courses. Until then, we’ll rest, run, and repeat. 

Full Results: https://www.tfrrs.org/results/xc/24175/Emerald_City_Open  

Women's 6K	Time	Points Scored	Highlights
Rochelle Cox	30:08	40	Rocked her first XC race!
Maricruz Del Pozo	31:05	42	Strong charge against strong teams!
Joy Chan	32:30	43	Solid pacing all laps!
Beth Mantey	32:52	45	Solid work!
Paula Murray	32:55	46	Course PR!
Men's 8K	Time	Points Scored	Highlights
Jordan Andersen	30:05	50	Strong performance post-Berlin Marathon!
Zachary Fung	31:18	59	Course PR!
Steven Hammond	32:09	63	Looked strong all laps!
Clayton Koppi	32:14	64	Solid work!
Cameron Wolfe	32:20	67	Solid work!
John Kim	34:23	70	Rocked his first XC race!

Authored by: Joy Chan & Paula Murray

Event Date/Location: October 5, 2024, Cedarcrest Golf Course, Marysville, WA  

The Nike Twilight XC Invitational, held annually at Cedarcrest Golf Course in Marysville, is not your typical cross-country meet. True, there are thousands of students and their families, friends, coaching staff, and community members all zipping between clusters of colorful tents scattered over the rolling greens. But with giant, illuminated arches lining the final straightaway to the finish line and Halloween-themed course decorations culminating in an electric 1K night run complete with crazy costumes, this event feels more like a party than a cross-country race.  

Since Twilight is a beginner-friendly meet with no team scoring, the LSRC team looked forward to a more chill time compared to the Bill Roe XC Classic, which was dominated by Division II colleges. The intention was to arrive early, set up our tent, enjoy seeing runners of all abilities compete in the open race, then watch the JV and varsity runners compete. Several things went awry: 1) The gates didn’t open until an hour before our race. 2) With hundreds more registrants this year, there were long lines to pick up our bibs. 3) Not enough porta-potties and even longer lines. By the time we pitched the tent, dropped our stuff, pinned on bibs and changed our shoes, we had only 20 minutes to the start of the Open 5K – leaving little time for both the bathroom and a warmup. This led to a stressful start, with several runners missing the gun. We took notes right away on what we will do differently next year. We later learned there were 656 runners on the winding course – high schoolers, adults of all ages, newcomers to XC, as well as long time enthusiasts. 

Miles one and three were flat or gentle downhills, while mile two saw both short steep hills and longer gradual ones. There were about 20 turns on the course – passing was difficult in the first mile unless you were toward the front, with all the poles and flags. Although the well-kept grass provided even footing, any speed advantage was cancelled out by the number of turns and rollers. Still, these challenges make the course fun – even when you’re working hard, wishing those finishing arches would come into view. When they finally do, it’s a fast final downhill – causing tunnel vision as you enter the arches, picking up speed and barreling through the final 200m before throwing yourself across the finish line to cheers, fist bumps, and high fives from the crowd. These joyous moments as a team are some of the best of cross-country – you can bet there’s more to come.  

Full Results: https://live.athletictiming.net/meets/40809/events/xc/1508862  

Open 5K	Time	Highlights
Sam Salus	17:58
Zachary Fung	18:08	16th overall male
William Cunningham	18:17
Matthew Wolpert	19:24	28th overall male
Jonah Kumma	19:51
Luke Bartel	20:14	New course PR!
Mike Williamson	21:52	Way to set the pace!
Aliana Coburn	22:19
Joey Lacktrup	24:20
Joy Chan	25:52*	21s PR (41s by watch) despite hectic start
Paula Murray	26:05*	Strong race despite hectic start!
Zhenya Ross	28:53	Strong work at first XC race!
Kristi Kerr	30:50*	Strong race despite hectic start! First XC race.
Novhiliel Bledsoe	31:23
Perry Rodgers	33:58	Progressing well through the season!

* Missed start gun

Authored by: Joy Chan

Event Date/Location: September 28, 2024, Hovander Homestead Park, Ferndale, WA

Link to photo album

The Western Washington University Bill Roe Cross Country Classic returned to Hovander Homestead Park for its 50^th year last weekend, with runners from across the West descending on the small city of Ferndale, just 20 minutes from the Canadian border. Hovander Park was a new cross country course for LSRC, a county park with a historic farm site on acres of sprawling fields next to the Nooksack River. Mt. Baker loomed large in the nearby distance, visible from just between the right grove of trees. 

While the meet was dominated by NCAA Division II collegiate teams, there were a few club teams, too: LSRC, Club Northwest, and Premature Acceleration. Our goal was to simply have fun as a team and enjoy some friendly racing. As we warmed up on the 2K loop course, the mood was light while excitement continued to build. The biggest question everyone seemed to have was shoe choice – the majority of the 2K loop was on long grass (slippery in spots) with the rest on decently packed gravel. In the end, most opted for road shoes, a few chose trail runners, and a couple braved their XC spikes. 

Since we arrived only an hour before the start of the men’s race, the time flew by way too quickly and before we knew it, the men were ready to start their 8K race (four loops of the 2K course). As the gun went off, a wave of determination surged through the runners. They charged forward, covering the open field ahead of the start line in little time. Because of the loop course, spectating was a breeze, and the women were able to cheer on the men for 2K, 4K, 6K, and finally through the finish chute. Impressively, the six-person LSRC men’s team all finished within seven minutes of one another in a highly competitive 176-person field, with each of our Open division men displacing at least one collegiate runner. 

The women barely had time to congratulate the men before it was their turn to toe the line for their 6K race (three loops of the 2K course). They had just seen the energy from the men and were ready to give it their all. As the gun went off for the second time, the LSRC women surged ahead, each one keeping their next teammate within sight, helping push each other to keep a strong pace. Shouts of encouragement from the men helped us focus on the task at hand. When the final times came in, the spread in the five-person LSRC women’s team was even closer than the men’s: three and a half minutes in an equally competitive 119-person field, with three of the five women making their debut in XC. 

Despite placing last in team scoring for both races, the LSRC men’s and women’s teams gave it their all on a challenging course against some very fast collegiate and club teams (Western Washington University, the host for the meet, had women’s and men’s teams in the Top 1-2 spots in the NCAA West division). We showed up – some giving XC a chance for the first time – and ran with a confidence and spirit we can all be proud of. This is just the start of a great season, and we can’t wait to see what the next few months will have in store. Go blue! 

Full Team Results: https://pntfo.trackscoreboard.com/meets/9282024/events/1  

6K	Time	Highlights
Maricruz Del Pozo	29:01	First XC race! Way to lead the way!
Joy Chan	30:33	Strong start to the XC season!
Yiwei Xu	30:42	First XC race! Way to push!
Paula Murray	32:32	Took a wrong turn but still crushed it!
Beth Mantey	32:40	First post-high school XC race! Way to push!
8K	Time	Highlights
Clayton Koppi	28:37	First post-collegiate XC race!
Erik Hoeg	28:56	Ran so fast the XC spikes were toast!
Zachary Fung	29:20	Made his goal of sub-30!
Steven Hammond	31:00	No spikes, no problem!
Guanyu Wang	31:17	In the middle of marathon training!
Mike Williamson	35:54	Strong start to the XC season!

Although the weather has been slow to change the calendar has not! We've made a few changes to our run schedule and realize that not all our media outlets have been in sync. The surest way to stay up to date is to join the club mailing list by becoming a Member.

Sunday Runs - Start time is 8am through the Summer (until October). We meet on the East Lake Sammamish Trailhead next to Whole Foods every Sunday except the first Sunday of every month where host a field trip run (details announced a week or two prior)

Thursday Runs - Start location is Grocery Outlet in Kirkland for a 5 mile loop in Bridle Trails State Park (until October). Start time is still 6pm.

New Friday Morning Run! - We have a new Friday that starts at 7am at rotating locations in Redmond. We've been posting them on Facebook and on Strava.

Details of all weekly runs can be found in the Weekly Runs page of the website, and special events such as the Annual BBQ coming up July 21 can be found in the Events page. We hope to see you at one of our runs soon! :)

March 9 was a jam packed day on the East Lake Sammamish Trail, from Redmond to Issaquah. Read below for a summary of how everything went!

The LSRC Cheer Squad

The Flat and Fast Lake Sammamish Half Marathon was on March 9th and LSRC had a self-organized water station/cheer squad near mile #7 offering bottled water and gels to club members, and anybody else who requested it.  The goal of the crew-Krewe was to provide a truly mobile water and gel station for members on the run as the race was a cup-free event meaning official water stops would require fully stopping and filling a cup/bottle yourself.  We had about 10 members out beginning at 8am to cheer on the leaders and they stayed through the tail end of the racers with most of them heading off to the finish line to congratulate the finishers.  This race included many PRs by the members.

LSRC Member Results

(If you are a current member and your time is missing or you'd like to be removed from the list, please email board@lakesammamishrunclub.org.)

Runner	Finishing Time	Highlights
Steve Dion	1:12:16	Stellar race! 8th overall!
Matt Williamson	1:16:41	Super PR! Stellar race!
Zach Fung	1:16:47	75s PR! Stellar race!
Hongzhao Han	1:18:19	Super PR! Stellar race!
Glen Weissman	1:20:03	3rd AG! Stellar race!
Flo Boulanger	1:28:30	PR! Stellar race
Rhea George	1:29:20	Age group PR! Stellar race!
Molly Ha	1:31:55	Great rust buster race!
David Levin	1:32:59	PR! Stellar Race!
Steve Harris	1:33:11	Ran with/pacing Danielle
Danielle Henty	1:33:12	1st AG! Stellar race!
Mike Williamson	1:33:15	PR! Stellar race!
Catherine Williams	1:35:42	Ran this as a workout!
Peter Averill	1:36:51	PR! Stellar race!
Shy Vn	1:37:21	Stellar race! (PR?)
Becky Backstrom	1:37:51	1st AG! Ran 8 more miles after!
Randi Huo	1:43:56	Ran with/pacing Ben with Aimee
Aimee Nogoy	1:43:56	Ran with/pacing Ben with Randi
Ben Ha	1:43:56	PR!(?) Stellar race!
Joy Chan	1:48:31	PR! Stellar race!
Paula Murray	1:49:14	PR! Stellar race!
Mary Blake	1:57:28	Ran with/pacing Nina and just coming back!
Nina Tang	1:58:06	Super PR – first sub 2! Stellar race!
Michele Gurnsey	1:58:07	Ran with/pacing Nina and just coming back!
Caitlin Huotilainen	1:58:25	Stellar Race! (PR?)
Lillian Bowler	2:01:00	Stellar Race! (PR?)
Alan Sharp	2:15:48	Stellar Race! Stayed out of the pain cave!

Race Recap by Joy Chan

The morning of the Lake Sammamish Half dawned partly cloudy and mild, with the slightest of southerly breezes. After many days of obsessively checking forecasts, it seems runners had lucked out – the wind and rain predicted for the day was not to arrive until the early afternoon. Downtown Redmond was filled with an energy unusual for a Saturday morning, as scores of runners made their way to the start at Redmond Central Connector Park. Despite the number of people converging into such a small area, without music or announcements, it seemed too quiet for an event of its size. 

Club members converged at Redmond Downtown Park at 7 AM for photos and pre-race well-wishes. With 30 minutes until the start, most people headed off to finish their warmup, gear check, or the bathrooms, pre-occupied with their own thoughts. As people rushed to the start, they learned the race was going to be delayed by 10 minutes due to the long bathroom lines (which we later learned was due to an arsonist burning down a good number of the rented portable toilets). 

After what seemed much longer than ten minutes, the crowd started to move forward towards the yellow start arch; for people not in the front, this felt a bit sudden and the announcement would have been helpful. Sixteen hundred runners made their way across the tiny Redmond park and began the one-way journey towards Issaquah. 

The first mile was chaotic with the trail getting out of Downtown Redmond being fairly narrow for 1600 people. Even once on the Sammamish River Trail, the normally wide bike bath seemed to shrink. It was a lose-lose: Passing people took energy people wanted to conserve, but going too slow meant needing to make up a lot of time later. Fortunately the participants seemed to spread out through Marymoor Park, and by the time runners hit the East Lake Sammamish Trail (ELST), it was a little bit easier navigating the crowd. This was the longest stretch of the race, spanning a total of eight miles from the eastern edge of Marymoor Park to the southern corner of Lake Sammamish State Park. Bordered by lake views and large homes on the right, the ELST completed paving just five months previously, creating a continuous, flat route connecting Redmond to Issaquah. This was what runners had been looking forward to for many years – no more gravel surfaces, detours onto the road, or a moderate hill in the middle. Just a flat, fast course in arguably the best time of year for a half-marathon. 

Seven miles into the race, the LSRC cheer station came into view. With volunteers holding signs, providing water and shouts of encouragement, and ringing cowbells, it was an especially welcome sight at the point where races of this length could start becoming difficult. Thank you, Nelson, Daniel, Karen, Edwin, Jaime, Shawn, Jordan (and anyone we may have missed) – you guys were awesome out there! 

Finally the ELST came to an end and runners turned right towards Lake Sammamish State Park. This was the first turn in eight miles and welcomed as the breeze was a little stronger in Issaquah. Upon entering the park, runners navigated through the final ¾ miles – a graveled maintenance road, narrow park trails bulging upwards in hazardous spots from tree roots beneath, and a final turn that revealed the finish line a little too late. In total, at least 27 LSRC members completed the race, with over half of them setting new personal bests. 

Despite the shaky start, it was a great day overall. The weather held, the course cooperated, and we celebrated our accomplishments. Most importantly, we supported each other and had fun!

LSRC once again competed in the annual Winter Challenge, a competition between running groups and between individual runners as a way to motivate getting outside and being active during the low temps, and this year we did get some very low temps, of January.  LSRC team won the 2023 Challenge in grand fashion and in 2024 with a smaller team placed 2nd in both total miles with over 6400, and average miles at 195/runner.  LSRC members made out for at least 8 of the top 20 in total mileage with President Zach taking 6th overall logging a staggering 391 miles followed by David L in 9th with 343 and Daniel B in 11th with 328 miles.  Even long time member David A got in the game logging his 296 miles from the beautiful countryside, and cities, in Turkey.  

We plan to continue in 2025 so be on the lookout come December to participate.  

A great time was had by all at our 2023 annual meeting and holiday party.  A warm welcome to our newly elected board members Daniel Bannon, Aimee Nogoy, and André Udovenkø.  You can learn more about them on their board profiles.  A big thanks to our outgoing board members Stanley Chen, Randi Hou, and Sophia Liu.  Their efforts were invaluable in making this club as great as it is today.

- By Joy Chan

Link to full photo album

The morning of the USATF Pacific Northwest Open and Masters XC Championships dawned cool and crisp, a respite from the steady rains earlier in the week. Lincoln Park in West Seattle is a favorite among local XC venues, especially in the fall with the park ablaze in yellows and orange and the faint scent of the Salish Sea drifting lazily up from the beach below.  

The XC Championship consisted of three races: Open and Masters Women’s 6K at 9:30 AM, Masters Men’s 8K at 10:15 AM, and Open Men’s 10K at 11:15 AM. Excitement grew as LSRC team members gradually arrived for the morning’s races. We quickly set up camp near the finish chute – many thanks to Mike Williamson and Paula Murray for loaning the use of a second tent to shelter runners and provide space for team gear. Paula and Joy Chan – LSRC’s only two women at the meet – did the first recon of the 2K loop course. To their surprise, the expected puddles and mud after days of rain were largely non-existent, probably due to the abundant tree cover. The ground was firm, footing was secure, and the only hill was short and small. It was going to be a fast day, whether you ran three, four, or five loops. 

This year we had a combined total of 15 runners (two women and 13 men) across all LSRC teams. Despite not having enough women to form a scoring Open or Masters team (we will improve next year!), Paula and Joy both put in excellent efforts and ran XC 6K season bests. The Masters and Open Men’s teams saw strong performances from all runners, with both teams placing third in their respective divisions despite stiff competition; this earned the Open Men’s team $100 in a cash prize. The full team and individual results are posted below. Congratulations to everyone who raced! 

Although the races seemed – on paper, at least – to be spread out across a long morning, between the warmups, cheering for each other on course, and cooldowns to visit Bruun Idun, time flew as quickly as our feet. We had a ton of fun supporting each other on a gorgeous autumn day, and could not have asked for a better end to LSRC’s 2023 XC season. Thank you to everyone who took part in the meets and supported logistics, from organizing carpools, showing up early or staying late to help with setup and takedown, or providing goodies to share. Until next season! 

Women’s Open and Masters 6K Team Results 

1. Club Northwest (17) 

2. Unattached (50) 

3. Seattle Running Club (68) 

Men’s Masters 8K Team Results 

1. Club Northwest (17) 

2. Seattle Running Club (46) 

3. Lake Sammamish Run Club (79) 

Men’s Open 10K Team Results 

1. Club Northwest (15) 

2. Bellingham Distance Project (57) 

3. Lake Sammamish Run Club (67)