Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K and Half Mile Kid's Dash 2015

I'll admit it, I had my concerns about this year's race. Smoke from nearby forest fires had been extremely thick in the days leading up to the race and I wasn't sure if the air would clear out in time. On top of that, we had rain and wind in the forecast, scheduled to hit us on race morning. So basically, I had two worries, either the storm system wouldn't roll through as advertised and the air would still be full of choking smoke, or the storm would move in just in time for race morning and nobody would want to get out of bed to run in the rain. I forced myself to stay positive and lo and behold, a cleansing rain washed through the valley in the early morning hours, creating ideal race conditions for this time of year. The beautiful morning brought many participants out and we had about 20 race day sign ups, which is more than usual. I always hope for a big turnout because the race helps benefit Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS).

Some seriously fast high school runners set the early pace!

It was great to see some familiar faces in the crowd. Past champions, Aaron Luksich and Suzanne Ray were both toeing the start line, along with last year's runner up, Robby Vos. Along with these blazing fast runners, we had two people participating in their very first 5K.

Robby Vos with a great run to take home the win!

When the dust settled, Robby Vos crossed the line first, with Aaron Luksich close behind. Robby ran a time of 18:12, good for 7th place on the list of top ten 5K times.

2012 Champion, Aaron Luksich puts an 18:25 5K in the records!

Sera Mathewes, the 2015 women's champion!

Sera Mathews not only took first place overall for the women, but she set a new course record of 18:54, beating the previous record by 2 minutes and 4 seconds! She also came in 3rd place overall!

David Hollensbe running hard up the hill for 4th place overall!

Kevin Littman delivers a sub 20 minute 5K!

Chris Redfelt putting in another solid effort!

Dorsey Dobry takes 2nd place overall for the Women's division!

Becky Hacker with a strong finish for 3rd place overall in the Women's division!

Patrick Mathewes gets in some family time while he races!

Kelsey Dennis and Ken Kendall run to the finish line together!

Young racers flying into the finish!

Dru Griffen with Nasra Ali close behind!

The Kid's race began with a lightning fast pace!

The half mile kid's dash is always fun to watch and this year, seven young runners participated with several familiar faces returning from the previous years. We also had a couple of new faces. I love to see kid's getting involved in a community event like this and having a chance to enjoy competition.

Gabriel Luksich won the kid's dash for the second year in a row!

Gabriel Luksich claimed the Kid's Dash win by improving upon his record time from last year with a 2:53. He beat last year's record by 34 seconds!

Evan Luksich had a solid time of 3 minutes flat! A 46 second PR!

Rocco White improves by 1 minute and 19 seconds over last year's run and takes 3rd place!

Hunter Vos with a great run!

My daughter, Rylynn Sotos was the female champion!

Rylynn Sotos won the 7 and older division in the Kid's Dash. She improved her time from 2 years ago by 1 minute and 23 seconds.

Leni White and Addison Dinger run side by side to the finish. 

Leni White took home the trophy in the 6 and under division. Addison was only 1 second behind her. I hope they will come back next year!

Robby Vos, Overall Men's 5K Champion 2015!

Sera Mathewes, Women's 5K Champion 2015 and new 5K women's record holder!

Gabriel Luksich Kid's Dash 2015 Champion and he broke his record from last year!

My daughter, Rylynn Sotos wins the girl's 7 and older category!

Leni White wins the 6 and under division!

Overall, I was very happy with how the race turned out, especially with the potential obstacles leading up to race day. We ended up with 7 more runners than the previous year. More runners means more money raised for FOTAS, and that's the goal. I need to thank my awesome sponsor, Ashland Anytime Fitness. Sherri Strandlien, the owner of Ashland Anytime fitness is always a great volunteer at the race, and I couldn't do it without her. I need to thank my wife, Breanne Eagles for taking pictures this year. Blaine Hight and Derek Barber helped man the corners and the turn around to make sure that no runners got off course, and I thank them for their time. Thanks to Rogue Valley Race Group and Southern Oregon Runners for doing a great job timing the event. They are always organized and very professional. Thank you to all the racers for showing up and supporting our race. I hope to see all of you next year. And Finally, I'm very thankful for all the amazing businesses that so willingly donated to the prize raffle. They always make the prize raffle a very special part of this race. The following businesses made contributions to the race and I hope you will go out there and support them.

Race Raffle Contributions

El Paraiso

Ruby’s Neighborhood Restaurant

Heartsong Nutrition

Anytime Fitness

Ashland Cycle Sport

SOU Athletics

Brian Johnson Massage LMT

 Branson’s Chocolate

 Small Change

 TreeHouse Books

      Northwest Nature Shop

      Rogue Valley Race Group 

Bug A Boo of Ashland

Rogue Valley Runners

Therapeutics in Motion, Shaggy McLaughlin LMT

Advanced Myotherapy, Janie Chandler LMT,EEM-AP

Active Acupuncture of Ashland, Molly Romero MAcOM, LAc

Breadboard Restaurant

El Tapatio

Organic Grind

Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K Women's Top Ten Times:

1) Sera Mathewes-2015  18:54

2) Molly Reimer-2010    20:58

3) Suzanne Ray-2010  21:03

4) Dorsey Dobry-2015 21:15

5) Elena Meyer-2010    21:43

6) Suzanne Ray-2011  21:45

7) Becky Hacker-2015  22:02

8) Melanie Neilitz-2010  22:09

9) Suzanne Ray-2015  22:11

10) Melanie Neilitz-2011  22:15

Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K Men's Top Ten Times:

1) Trevor Palmer-2013  15:44

2) Jeff Olson-2010         16:03

3) Zorg Loustalet-2010  16:44

4) Aaron Luksich-2012  17:58

5) Alan Vos-2014          18:02

6) Aaron Luksich-2013  18:09

7) Robby Vos-2015       18:12

8) Aaron Luksich -2015  18:25

9) David Hollensbe-2015 18:57

10) Joshua Wallace-2012 19:04

Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K and Half Mile Kid's Dash 2014

This was the 5th year of the Anytime Fitness 5K. Originally, the race was created for the purpose of promoting Anytime Fitness in Ashland and helping myself (Michael Sotos), gain experience as a race director. This was the 3rd year that the race was a benefit for the Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS), which was been a natural fit since the race begins and ends at the Ashland Dog Park. And finally, it was the 2nd year for the addition of the half mile kid's dash. I was excited to build upon the momentum of last year's record race attendance, but unfortunately, the numbers were down. With so many races offered throughout the Summer, it's hard to grab people's attention. Over the past year, my family has adopted four animals from the shelter, 2 cats and 2 dogs. I was really hoping to raise a lot of money for FOTAS. However, despite the numbers being down, we had fantastic weather and a great race. In the race start picture above, Alan Vos jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back. He ran 18:02, taking the overall win and running the 5th fastest time ever on the course. It appeared that our women's champion, Livvy Ramos, was not going to be able to attend and defend her title, but she made it. She successfully defended her title with a 22:32, claiming 8th place on the top ten female times, where she also sits in 7th place with last year's winning time. Our first 19 and under runner was 14 year old Robby Vos, with a time of 19:37, giving him the 9th fastest time ever ran. Full results for the race can be found here. Pictures can be found here.

Alan Vos flirting with a sub 18 minute 5k!

Livvy Ramos always makes racing look easy!

Robby Vos flying up the hill for a sub 20 minute 5k finish!

David Hollensbe eyeing the finish line!

Lars Rockwell gives the thumbs up for this year's race!

Kaitlin and Scott Friend feeling strong on the uphill finish!

What a great way to start the weekend!

Determined to conquer the final hill and reach the finish!

More happy finishers!

I was really hoping to grow the half mile kid's dash this year, but just like the 5k, the numbers were down a bit. Last year, Gabriel Luksich claimed 3rd place overall and was the 6 and under champion. He returned this year with a vengeance, and not only did he win the whole thing, he set a new record with a time of 3:27, beating the previous record by 12 seconds. He was followed closely by his brother, Evan. Marley Thiering claimed the top spot for the 6 and under category with a time of 4:10, a 4 second improvement over last year's time. Kiera Thiering, Marley's sister was the girl's 6 and under champion with a time of 7:29. The most important thing was that the kids have fun, and judging by all the smiles, I believe that mission was accomplished.

They are off! David Hollensbe makes an appearance as a pacer!

Gabriel Luksich wants the win and the record!

Evan Luksich trying to catch his brother!

Marley Thiering showing good form up the final hill!

Hayden Niewald finishing the race strong!

Rune Rune with an all out effort up the hill!

Rocco White is a two time Kid's Dash finisher!

4 year old Kiera Theiring finishes the race with some encouragement from her Mom!

There are so many thank yous I need to give. Sherri Strandlien, the owner of Ashland Anytime Fitness has been a great sponsor for the race, and a crucial race day helper. I appreciate her support. Rogue Valley Race Group's very own, Chad Wikander, was in charge of the timing equipment and did a fantastic job. Fitness trainer, Blaine Hight patrolled the 5K turnaround and made sure that nobody got lost. Shahid Ali always takes great pictures that truly capture the event and I thank him for that. Another big thanks goes out to all the businesses that were willing to donate to our race raffle. We are a fun, small town race trying to raise money for a good cause in FOTAS, and we try to round up a lot of great prizes so everyone leaves with something. That has always been our goal. If you couldn't make it to the race, I hope you will consider coming out next year. If you would like to make a donation to FOTAS, I encourage you to do so here. You can look below for a few more pictures of this year's champions, the list of top ten times on the course, and a list of all the businesses who contributed to our race. Those businesses support FOTAS and our racing, let's go out and support them! Thanks to everyone who was a part of this race!

Alan Vos, Men's Champion 2014

2 Time Champion, Livvy Ramos

Kid's Dash Champion, Gabriel Luksich

6 and under Kid's Dash champions, Marley and Kiera Theiring

Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K Women's Top Ten Times:

1) Molly Reimer-2010  20:58

2) Suzanne Ray-2010  21:03

3) Elena Meyer-2010  21:43

4) Suzanne Ray-2011  21:45

5) Melanie Neilitz-2010  22:09

6) Melanie Neilitz-2011  22:15

7) Olivia Ramos-2013  22:19

8) Olivia Ramos-2014 22:32

9) Katharina Deutzmann-2013  22:54

10) April Solomon-2010  23:27

Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K Men's Top Ten Times:

1) Trevor Palmer-2013  15:44

2) Jeff Olson-2010         16:03

3) Zorg Loustalet-2010  16:44

4) Aaron Luksich-2012  17:58

5) Alan Vos-2014          18:02

6) Aaron Luksich-2013  18:09

7) Joshua Wallace-2012 19:04

8) David Moore-2013  19:31

9) Robby Vos-2014    19:37

10) Herve Pastre-2013  19:45

We always encourage fun and other shenanigans!

Race Contributions

Wileys World

El Paraiso

Subway (Martin Corder)

Ruby’s

Pita Pit

Bloomsbury Coffee House

Heartsong Nutrition

Anytime Fitness

Cycle Sport

SOU Athletics

Brian Johnson Massage

Mountain Supply

RVR 

 Bear Creek Bicycle

 Branson’s Chocolate

 Small Change

 TreeHouse Books

   Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

   Northwest Nature Shop

 Ashlands Little Makerspace

   Lost Creek Trail Runs

   Molly Romero Acupuncture 

Siskiyou Sprint Triathlon presented by Ashland Tennis and Fitness Club- 2014 Results

SPRINT TRIATHLON
	Participant	Gender	Age	Finish Time
1	Grant Hayball	M	34	1:00:20
2	Patrick Hosinger	M	48	1:07:04
3	Mark Smith	M	51	1:07:51
4	Ross Leslie	M	40	1:08:12
5	Cory Johnston	M	35	1:10:33
6	Laura Raber	F	36	1:11:58
7	Jacob Morris	M	31	1:12:55
8	John Hacker	M	52	1:13:28
9	Laura Luksich	F	34	1:15:07
10	Gavin Kleiman	M	44	1:16:19
11	Pam Downs	F	44	1:17:19
12	Katie Schubert	F	31	1:19:41
13	Scott Lenz	M	43	1:20:16
14	Javonna Marroquin	F	36	1:21:51
15	Neven Steinmetz	F	37	1:23:45
16	Bailey, Jeff, Traci Olson			1:24:07	RELAY
17	Jessica Arden	F	33	1:24:40
18	Kathleen O'Shea/Alison Wilt			1:32:52	RELAY
19	Arnie Abrams	M	61	1:35:41
20	Michael Bransmer	M	71	1:36:05
21	Leigh Lenz	F	36	1:36:11
22	Robin Stewart/Ashley Rejcek/Nicole Nord			1:43:07	RELAY
23	Brad Carlson	M	41	1:43:56
24	Dale Balme	M	51	1:51:44
25	Cindy Picton	F	54	1:54:14
26	Shirley Albertson	F	44	2:03:29
27	Kirby Erickson	F	61	2:13:56
DUATHLON
	Participant	Gender	Age	Finish Time
1	Pat Rather	M	55	1:20:16
2	Lorie Rather	F	54	1:20:16

KIDS TRIATHLON
Participant	Gender	Age	Finish Time
Theo Lee	M	8	0:30:20	bike/run only
Carter Frohreich	M	8	0:32:59	bike/run only
Emma Johnston	F	8	0:40:33
Alyssa Retiz, Aiden Hosford, Griffin Bagshaw	F	11	0:26:35	RELAY
Kansas Raber	F	10	0:31:43
Will Downs	M	8	0:43:28
Mary Downs	F	7	0:43:39
Trevor Arden	M	8	0:45:40

2014 Multi-Sport Race Series

  It's that time of year again, race season is about to hit full steam.  Rogue Valley Race Group is proud to announce the 2014 Multi-Sport Race Series, and it's expanded!  This means that there are a lot more chances to earn valuable points, and earn the coveted end of year honors.  It doesn't matter whether you are a trail runner, mountain biker, road cyclist, swimmer, or multi-sport athlete, their is a race for you. Also, in our original creation of the race series, we were hoping to get athletes to try different races that they normally wouldn't participate in. Just like last year, you can still earn points for volunteering at the featured races. So let's say flying down the Ashland single track on a mountain bike or swimming in Applegate Lake makes you a bit nervous, if you don't want to push yourself out of your comfort zone, you can still volunteer, get points, and be part of the action! Without further delay, it's time to announce the schedule for this year's race series.

The Race Schedule:

1. Lost Creek Trail Runs- April 26th
2. Spring Thaw Mountain Bike Festival- May 17th
3. Return of the Jedi Mountain Bike Race- May 31st & June 1st
4. The Ashland Tennis and Fitness Club present the Siskiyou Sprint Triathlon- June 7th
5. Granite Man Off-Road Triathlon and Mountain Run- June 14th & 15th
6. Southern Oregon Grape Fair Bike Chata Road Bike Race- June 22nd
7. Applegate Lake Masters Swim- July 19 & 20th
8. Pool to Path Sizzlers- Every Wednesday Night in August
9. Ashland Anytime Fitness 5K- August 23rd
10. Siskiyou Challenge Multi-Sport Relay- September 20th

The Rules: 

-Each participant must sign up and pay the $20.00 entry fee to be included in the Multi-Sport series.
-Each participant must complete at least 3 of the races included in the series.
-Participants in the Multi-Sport series must register for the races they would like to be in via the races website or signup form.
-Participants can do any of the races offered at the events listed in the Multi-Sport series
(For example the Applegate Lake Masters swim has a 1500, a 5k and a 10k swim. You can choose any of those races and they will count for points in the Multi-sport series.)
-Points earned will be posted after each event.
-Participants will earn 5 points for completing each race.
-Participants can also earn 4 points for 1st in age group, 3 points for 2nd in age group,2 point for 3rd and 1 for 4th in their age group male and female.
-Participants in the Multi-sport series can also gain 3 points for volunteering in one of the races.
-Awards for the Multi-sport series will be given to the top 3 men and top 3 women.
-There will also be an award for the one man and one woman who get the most volunteer points.
-The awards ceremony will be in September, the place and time will be posted when we work out the details. 

Sign up here!