Who's been waiting for this weekend all year? Hartbeat. After a whirlwind of a weekend that exacerbated cardiac output, let's review how Hartbeat reached maximal heart rate.
Fearless goblin leader Everett Hackett didn't come to play at Saturday's marathon; Ev methodically dropped pace over the course of the marathon, peaking at 1:09:46 through halfway grinding out (see image) a 1:10:37 second half to close in a huge PR of 2:20:23 and a 3rd place finish. We've all been with Ev on this journey towards the OTQ again and this is one HUGE step towards that once more. CIM in December is sure to bring something special.
Another huge performance in the marathon saw Liz Lagoy who has been battling knee issues since the destination gut out a 2:53:35 to become the 10th overall female. After her PR by over 10 minutes Liz is sure to take a little time off but it looks like we'll have yet another Hartbeater grinding down those last few minutes for the OTQ of 2:45 sometime soon!
Finally, in an epic TRIPLE PR run in the glimmering home city of the likes of Dan Harper, Liv Bourquin crushed a 2:59:39 Chicago Marathon as the 201st female finisher. Why triple PR? Liv ran a 1:30:10 half which was a PR for the half, and then ran ANOTHER half PR in 1:29:29 to set a marathon PR! Now that's the way to do it.
The team competition between Manchester and Hartbeat really heated up in the half. Sean OConnor had his biggest performance as a post-collegiate runner (and perhaps ever) running a blistering 1:05:27 to turn in a 2nd place finish. We all know about the tinman's sheet metal, but one thing's for sure: Sean is made of steel.
Cruising in behind Sean were recent comeback stories Matt Walker and Chris Angelo. Walker came in 21st with a time of 1:10:03; we're excited to see that time drop HARD over the next year! Angelo finished in 1:15:04 for 38th after making the decision to jump in to the half for the team - a decision that proved critical to our win over Manchester.
One of Hartbeat's newest members, Dhahran Velasquez, closed out the effort in 1:15:07 just after Angelo, while Jack "John" O'Hara proved to be another clutch late addition to secure the Hartbeat victory as our 5th man in 1:15:23 for 41st. Pouring out every last drop he had (see photo), Brishen Dearborn crossed the line in 1:18:56. Blanchard had a solid 1:19:20 effort and gutted out just after Brishen, while Josh Alabre closed out Hartbeat's group in 1:22:34; a HUGE 4 minute personal best!
These performances unofficially secured the win for Hartbeat for the 2019 Grand Prix. Due to a technical mix-up with Dhahran's Hartbeat affiliation, however, results may hold as Hartbeat and Manchester as "Co-GP Champs" due to Manchester technically winning the Hartford Half.
In his debut Hartbeat race, Alex Norstrom took 2nd place with a run of 15:01, coming up just 10 seconds shy of the winner; be patient to see what Norstrom produces as the next year moves along! Coming in behind Norstrom was Chris Helminski, who managed to finish all 3.1 miles in 15:28. Last we heard, Minski was getting a "3.1" bumper sticker for his car.
On the women's side, Sara-Caitrin turned in a great performances for Hartbeat as the 3rd overall female in 19:19, while Katie Foley finished just after in 19:32. Talia, who's been on the grind for her first ever dental school exam, closed out the women's team performance in 21:08. As Hartbeat keeps growing and getting better one thing's for sure, the women's team is on track to overtake the already impressive performances on the men's side.
Let's talk about comebacks again. If you didn't know by now, Travis Taylor has been battling with an absolutely awful injury in his metatarsal for well over half a year. Going through the trials of swimming, biking, and endlessly wondering when you're going to (or if you're going to) run again is agonizing (I can tell you that personally). So Travis, we are all unbelievably proud of Travis for getting back here. Travis ran a 17:26 5k in his first distance race in 2019.
Continuing to build and improve as he said he would back on Labor Day, Kev Rivera closed just behind Trav in 17:55; another great step for Kev who is sure to drop time left and right this indoor if he continues at this pace.
Continuing to build and improve as he said he would back on Labor Day, Kevin Rivera closed just behind Trav in 17:55; another great step for Kev who is sure to drop time left and right this indoor if he continues at this pace.
Tima Karginov
October 13th, 2019
This past Thursday, Everett Hackett and John Busque shipped out West for the USATF Marathon Championships in Sacramento, California for a shot at the Olympic Trials Qualifying B Standard of 2:19:00. Hackett entered the race with a 2:25:27 best from the 2015 Hartford Marathon while Busque was making a marathon debut. After two weeks of questioning the potentially smoky air quality in Northern California, the boys were blessed with great racing weather and a field of 85 elite men to run with from all over the United States. What an opportunity to run fast!
The two planned to be patient in the opening miles as experience had taught Everett a lesson or two about the consequences of a fast start (in his 2:25:27 performance in 2015 he came through the half marathon in 1:08:30). At 7o’clock sharp, the two Hartbeat contenders headed southwest from Folsom on the point-to-point course in hopes of returning to the Sacramento finish-line before 9:19 AM. Packs quickly formed; however, Hackett and Busque worked together as planned, sharing fluid bottles and joking about how proud the Hartbeat contingent would be of their 69 flat half-marathon split.
They were feeling good and ready to roll the last half; still on pace for an OTQ at the 30 kilometers. And yet, at the 20 mile mark, Everett began slowly falling off pace while Busque tried holding on to the few runners in the pack desperately attempting to maintain 5:18/mile pace. When asked after the race how he felt, Hackett reported that “his legs were filled with cement”. “After 20 miles, not even the Nike 8%’s could have saved me from the wall”, Hackett claimed. Shortly after leaving his training partner, Busque too felt the ill effects of a 26.2 mile race. At 35k he was still on 2:19 pace, but was unable to hold on. Busque was quoted as saying that “he would rather have consumed an entire loaf of gluten-filled bread then finish the last 5k of the race.” But he still finished; slowly.
Busque finished in 2:20:24, slightly more than 80 seconds short of a trials qualifying time while Hackett came to the finish in 2:24:08, a PR by 1:17. Despite coming up short of their goals, they both finished much stronger runners from the experience. They will have many more chances to achieve their goal and are looking forward to bringing alongside other club members in the future to go after an OTQ.
John Busque
December 7th, 2018
When we last left our hometown heroes, the boys were gearing up for the end of road racing and what better way to close out the season than with the turkey trot to end all turkey trots… The Manchester Road Race! For anyone not familiar, Manchester is a straightforward course; one big loop consisting of just one hill totaling 4.748 miles. This year however, weather was certainly not favorable for anyone seeking a PR (aside from the now course record holder Cheserek who apparently does not experience cold) with temperatures reaching 15 degrees Fahrenheit and 20 mph winds at the time the gun went off.
Despite adverse conditions, Hartbeat TC toed the line with confidence and finished strong among a very impressive field. John Busque led the team finishing in 25th with a time of 23:28, followed by recent buzz-cut recipient Everett Hackett (23:42), resident nice guy Sam Montclair (23:47), coaching phenom Nick Aguila (24:42), and everyone’s favorite English teacher Chris Helminski (25:28) would round out the top 5.
Pizza lover Nick Blanchard then came through in 27:06, followed by Phil “I’ll offer brunch once and never mention it again” Mitchell (27:13), Emmett “I thought it was cold in September” Coughlin (27:32), Kevin “I only date girls with good credit scores” Rivera (30:08) and Jeff Billing (33:42).
On behalf of Hartbeat TC, I would like to extend our thanks to the Manchester Road Race organizers and volunteers for putting on such a great event year after year. Next up, Busque and Hackett will travel across the continent to Sacramento, CA for the California International Marathon with their sights set on securing an Olympic Trials qualifying time.
Emmett Coughlin
November 30, 2018
As the days get colder and Minski’s daylight savings rants reach an all-time high, the team has been busy getting in the last cross country and road races of the season. This past October the team were shipping up to Boston for the 2018 instalment of the B.A.A. Mayor’s Cup held in scenic Franklin Park. After a cold and windy race, Everett Hackett posted an impressive 6th place finish in 24:21. Phil Mitchell also ran a very strong race finishing in 27:09 followed by myself in 28:29. After a cool-down consisting of a few miles and a few more beers at the pub down the street, the squad left Beantown with a renewed drive.
On the blacktop, Kevin Rivera made his marathon debut here at home in Hartford with a time of 3:08:41 in the pouring rain. John Busque and Everett Hackett took 3rd and 4th in the Half marathon in 1:05:52 and 1:06:32 respectively. Chris Helminski and Nick Blanchard took 2nd and 3rd in the 5k coming in at 15:31 and 16:15 as well. Conditions during the race were described by one participant as, “cold, wet, and miserable” and the boys certainly dug deep on home turf. John, Everett, and Nick “Brunchard” then went on to represent Hartbeat at the Kent Pumpkin run with a 1-2-3 sweep. Sam Montclair came up huge in the Richmond Half marathon with a PR of 1:06:46. Most recently, Busque travelled all the way to Las Vegas and ran 1:05:52 in the Rock n’ Roll Half marathon.
The team now has Manchester Road Race as its next target followed by a full schedule of indoor track meets. Come out and see us race!
Emmett Coughlin
November 14, 2018
Hartbeat Track Club, a newly-formed group of sub-elite Hartford area runners, began its outdoor campaign at the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day 10k Road Race on March 17I. UHart alumnus and local physical therapist John Busque headlined the group, kicking down former Holyoke champion Zachary Hine in a time of 30:37 with beautiful sprinter form. 2017 CT runner of the year, Everett Hackett, running without his keynote Vibrams, clocked in at 31:13 while outkicking former elite runner Alene Reta. “I always knew I had it in me,” Hackett said after the race. “I just needed my overripe bananas to get there.” After narrowly making it to the line for race time, UChicago alumnus Tima Karginov ran a time of 32:31 good for 7th, while former Appalachian State Mountaineer Phil Mitchell, checking in for his delayed teammate and working back to his 30:30 days after retirement, closed out the group in 37:48 good for 43rd.
The venue, Holyoke, MA, produced a bustling atmosphere; a sea of green shirts overwhelmed the hilly streets overlooking the Connecticut river as spectators – rather, partygoers – had begun the festivities hours before the gun went off. Packed up in a tight huddle on a chilly day, the elite group went off past a roaring and raucous crowd of thousands hugging the rails on along the opening 800m flats. After the first mile, the race quickly splintered as the ensuing 3-mile climb began; a lead pack of four runners slowing down to a grueling 5:30 pace uphill and a thin line of pursuers falling further and further back.
As the lead group reached the peak, Busque and Hine broke away with Reta and Hackett in pursuit. A blistering 4:20 downhill mile proved to be a crushing blow for Reta and Hackett as Busque and Craig remained neck and neck. After several attempts by Busque to shake Hine, the latter broke free and powered up the last 100m.
Surely at this point Busque was on the outside looking in; and yet, he must have “felt so full of running” and that “this was the chance to do something special”. In the last 50m, Busque put on his best sprinter hands, blasting by Hine to the cheers of “Go Zachary” for the win.
“[I] put the head down and prayed he didn’t sneak by me again before the line,” Busque said about the effort. “[It was a] fun day; I [will] be back at this one in the future.” Following Busque’s suit, Hackett decided to rein in Reta, all smiles as he crossed the line.
“It was exciting to run a race again. It has been a long time since I have competed regularly and this was the first step to becoming competitive again. I loved having teammates to share the experience with, and I can’t wait to race with Hartbeat again,” Mitchell commented.
Following the effort, Hartbeat TC took to the long run the next day, leaving no time to rest on their laurels. Their next sights are set for the 10k and 5k at the Bison Outdoor Classic on April 15.
Tima Karginov
April 7, 2018