Things are starting to heat up! After an impressive round of 32 we’re down to the Sweet Sixteen. The top 8 distance runners will move on.
- Andrew P. has been running very well so far. After 75 miles in the first round Andrew posted the fastest 5K, flying along at 5:34/mile.
- Timothy D. really upped his game in the second round, coming out of the pack to run the second fastest 5K of the bunch.
- Paul S. has been Mr. Consistency, with a solid 3rd place finish in each round so far. But he’ll have to improve on that to win the whole tournament.
- Henrik W. is moving in the right direction; he jumped up to fourth place after coming out of the first round in the middle of the pack.
- Matthew L. has been quietly making his way through the tournament, always within striking distance of the leaders.
- Brad B. is a bit of a Cinderella story. After tying for the last spot to reach the round of 32, he’s made a strong showing, moving into the Sweet Sixteen in the upper half of the bracket.
- Steve S. hasn’t been coasting, by any means; he’s been in the middle of the pack to move on each round, and if he does that in the Final Four then he’ll be one of the two facing off at the very end.
- Steven W. is another runner moving up in the pack. After 44 miles in the first round he posted an impressive 5K in the round of 32. How will he fare in the Sweet Sixteen against the likes of Paul S. and Andrew P.?
- Chris R. started the tournament off with a bang, posting (along with Steven R.) the most miles in the round of 64+. After a good showing in the round of 32 will he reclaim the top spot and win the Sweet Sixteen?
- Steven R. tied Chris R. in the first round, and was hot on his heels this past round. Only time will tell if this budding rivalry will continue.
- CoachEric is slowly making his way up the leaderboard. Hopefully he can continue to improve and secure a spot in the Elite Eight.
- Adrian W. is also climbing, but with the tough competition ahead of him it won’t be easy.
- James B. did well in the first round: his 50+ miles put him in the top half of those moving on. He held on in the 5K, and should do well in the Sweet Sixteen, but it looks like the 10K might be a challenge.
- Ron W. joined the challenge despite the constraints of his taper, and despite that he’s doing well. Whether he dedicates himself to winning the tournament or just enjoys the ride remains to be seen.
- Iain is doing well, especially considering all the cycling and swimming he’s been doing during the tournament. Can the triathlete focus on running for long enough to move on to the Elite Eight?
- Chad K. is a self-proclaimed Cinderella story, just sneaking past Kathy S. to claim the last place in the Sweet Sixteen. He has his work cut out for him.
That’s our field for the Sweet Sixteen! Good luck to the participants, and I hope everybody else will cheer them on!