Monday, July 14, 2025

Seven American Records Fall at the Masters 1 Mile Championships!

The USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships were held on Saturday, June 21st, hosted by the Monumental Mile in Indianapolis IN. Although it was steamy, the fast record-eligible course and the well-organized event contributed to amazing speed and times! It was the perfect mix of middle-distance specialists moving onto the roads to challenge the swiftest LDR athletes. 
Note 1: To be record eligible, a road course must have less than 50% separation and have no more than 1 meter per kilometer drop from start to finish. A flat, U-shaped course like the one in Indy is as good as it gets for speed!
Note 2: Net time, sometimes called chip time, is used for age division American records.
Note 3: Prior to 2024, all Road Mile Records, like all other road races, were rounded up to the next full second. Last year, based upon a rule change to keep USATF rules aligned with WA rules, the rounding rule was changed. Starting with the 1 Mile Championships last May, the LDR records have been recorded as rounded up to the next longer 0.1 second. I follow that practice in this article.

RECORDS Pending ratification, seven new American Records were set. Michelle Rohl Unattached, PA was the Overall Women’s winner and the Women’s Age Grading winner. Her 5:09.8 smashed the W55 American Record AR by 15 seconds. Jennifer Harvey set that record two years ago on this same course. That kind of record-smashing is almost unheard of. Someone matching the old record would have finished 75 meters behind Rohl! Rohl already holds the W55 Outdoor 1500M AR. 
Michelle Rohl, in Full Flight on Her Way to a New American Record at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental


Lisa Veneziano’s Unattached-MI 5:39.2 lowered the W60 record, that Sue McDonald set last year, by four seconds. Veneziano adds this to her W55 AR of 46:13 for 12 Km. Nancy Simmons Impala Racing Team, SF Bay area clocked 5:56.8; that broke the W65 record by nine seconds. The old record was set by Masters legend Sabra Harvey in 2017. Jasen Ritter Indiana Elite Athletic Club ran 4:36.0 to lower the existing and pending M50 AR’s by over a second. Fifth overall in the 2022 Masters 5 Km Championships, Ritter was off his best in 2023 when he ran 4:46 and finished third in M45. This was a terrific way to celebrate a new age division! Ritter broke the record set by Mike Madsen on this course two years ago, as well as the record effort by Neville Davey last year of 4:37.5.  Charles 'Chuck' Novak, M55, Unattached, OH clocked 4:39.4 to break the existing and pending AR’s by over four seconds. Novak's time took seven seconds off the record set by Christian Cushing-Murray on this course two years ago as well as the 4:43.4 set by Jaime Heilpern last year in Danville CA. Dan King, 66, Athletics Boulder, took the M65 win. His 5:10.1 broke the M65 AR which has stood for nine years. Tom Bernhard had the record at 5:18 on the not so flat and more technical, Flint, Michigan course. King adds this to his M60 Outdoor 1 Mile AR. Roland Cormier, 85 Shore Athletic Club obliterated the M85 road mark of 10:11, dropping it by almost a full minute with his 9:14.7. The old record was held jointly by Louis Lodovico 2013 and Joe Desenberg 2019. If we kept records of how many American Records were broken at a single Masters LDR Championship, this event, with seven, would surely be at or near the top!

AGE GRADING Age grading indicates the best performance, adjusted for age, across all age divisions, the higher the score the better.  One name for the age grade score is Performance Level Percentage, known as the PLP. One way of interpreting age grade scores is to identify 90% and above as 'World Class'; 80% and above as 'National Class.' MEN Gary Ostwald, 79, Boulder Road Runners had the top performance. His 6:21.4 scored at 103.99 percent. Novak’s record-breaking run at age 57, 4:39.4, graded 100.47 for the silver medal. King, 66, closed off the podium. His 5:10.1 earned a 99.16 PLP. Daniel Filip, 62, Wolfpack Running Club, CA and Jim Linn, 72, Shore AC rounded out the top five PLPs. Filip posted a chip time of 5:04.6 in winning M60. That earned a 96.86 PLP; Linn's 5:46.1 followed at 96.74. 
Gary Ostwald 79 6:21.4 103.99     Chuck Novak 57 4:39.4 100.47     Dan King 66 5:10.1 99.16
WOMEN In winning W55 and breaking the 55-59 AR, 59-year-old Rohl topped the age grading chart; her 100.68 PLP was by far the best. Simmons, 65, in winning her division, posted a fine 94.17 PLP to gain the silver age grading medal. 
Nancy Simmons on the way to a new W65 American record at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental 


The 55-59 age division was packed with talent again this year. Jennifer Harvey, 57 Central Park Track Club finished second in the division championship; her net time of 5:24.5 earned her the bronze age grading medal at 93.87. Fiona Bayly, 57 Unattached, NY finished fourth age grading with a 93.38 PLP. Lisa Veneziano Unattached, MI rounded out the top five age grading; her net time in winning W60, 5:39.2, earned a 93.07 PLP.
Michelle Rohl 59 5:09.8 100.68     Nancy Simmons 65 5:56.8 94.17     Jennifer Harvey 57 5:24.5 93.87

Age Grading Note: A number of male athletes felt their PLP's at this 1 Mile championship were higher by a few percentage points compared to their PLP's at other distances in the past year or so. PLP's for women seemed more in line with theirs for other distances. One should be cautious, therefore, in comparing the PLP's for the 1 Mile to PLPs at other distances. Here is one possible explanation that has been offered. For the first time, the 2025 age grading tables used the WA Road 1 Mile World Record as the Open age anchor for the 1 Mile tables (for both Women and Men). Prior to this year, the 5K tables, which were anchored at the WA 5Km World Record, were extrapolated down from the 5K to serve the 1 Mile. Some experts have speculated that the Men's WR, which was lowered from 3:54.6 to 3:51.2 between April and August 2024, and is held currently by Great Britain's Eliot Giles, could easily drop by another second or two this year or next if circumstances are right. If so, the next update to the tables would likely see the 1 Mile PLP's more closely aligned with other distances. But it is not clear why this reasoning leads to an effect on Men's age grading but not Women's age grading. Women's age grading scores at this championship appeared closer to those received for other distances. It is a puzzle. The Women's Road Mile WR is further away from Faith Kipyegon's track mark, almost 13 seconds, than is Giles's from Hicham El Guerrouj's 1999 track mark, about 8 seconds.

OVERALL WOMEN Note: Gun time is used for overall, age group and team results. Rohl, achieved the rare feat of gaining an Overall victory at a Masters Championship out of the 55-59 division. She adds this to her 55-59 WMA 1500 Meter Championship this past March. She achieved the victory, with forty meters to spare over a strong field. Bayly and Harvey were almost even at the finish two years ago when Harvey nabbed the W55 AR! Dawn Grunnagle Unattached, TX, ran a 5:46.1 Mile at the Dallas Marathon last December. But that was on a 2-lap course with, most likely, eight turns. She would likely run faster on the 2-turn Indy course. She knows how to race in national championships; Grunnagle finished sixth overall at the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championship. Dana Hayden was the 1500M W45 silver medalist at the 2025 USATF Indoor Championships this past February. Jennifer St. JeanCentral Park Track Club, CT, ran a 5:14 at the Fifth Avenue Mile last September and a 5:06 at Manchester CT's Spring Street Mile this May. Both are point-to-points (no turns) and are not record eligible. It would be tough to match those times on a certified record eligible course.

In a wire-to-wire victory, Rohl sped from the starting line. She hit the half mile split in 2:35 and matched it on the second half mile! She had the win with dozens of meters to spare!
Michelle Rohl claims the Overall Win, establishing a new W55 American Record, at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Terry Fletcher, courtesy of Beyond Monumental

The only one who stayed close was St. Jean, who was within ten meters. The rest of the field was 25 meters behind St. Jean! That showed a lot of grit on St. Jean's part, but she paid a price. Grunnagle emerged from the chase pack, closed on St. Jean on the long straightaway down Meridian Street to the finish; Grunnagle claimed the silver medal with a dozen meters to spare. This was Grunnagle's first Masters LDR Overall podium, a cause for celebration!


Chase Pack from right: Fiona Bayly, Lauren Hendrix, Dawn Grunnagle, unidentified, Hidi Gaff, Jennifer Harvey trying to Keep Rohl Close in the first half mile of the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental 

St. Jean toughed it out down the stretch, holding off all other challengers. Bayly, Harvey, and Hayden followed Grunnagle's pursuit of St. Jean, but they could not catch her! St. Jean was on the podium! In the final kick to the finish, Hayden outlasted Harvey for fourth in 5:25.4; Harvey followed at 5:25.8, with Bayly sixth at 5:26.7.
Michelle Rohl 5:10.3     Dawn Grunnagle 5:19.1     Jennifer St. Jean 5:21.9

MEN Bryan Lindsay Indiana Elite AC did not compete in California last year. But he claimed the overall Masters 1 Mile crown in 2023 on this same course in 4:24.1. He was, in that sense, the defending champion. With no recent 1 Mile races on his resume, it was hard to know how fast Lindsay's teammate, Chad Carver would be. He finished 4th Overall at the Masters Half Marathon Championships last October in 1:13:40. That course had over 370 feet of elevation gain. A month later Carver was fourth Masters athlete at the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon in 1:12:07. Carver displayed his upper middle-distance speed with a 15:49 at the Blueberry Stomp 5K in early September last year. Brett Anderson Unattached NE clocked 4:34 to be the fastest Masters athlete at the Ad Astra Running Irish Mile this past March in Lawrence KS. Chris Brown Unattached MO finished fourth overall at the 4 Mile Masters championship in Peoria IL the weekend before this championship. Last summer, Anthony Bruns Boulder Road Runners ran a 4:15 1500M at an All-Comers Track meet in Boulder CO. That is roughly equivalent to a 4:38 Mile. That was at altitude, Burns would be faster at sea level. His endurance credentials more than stack up against Carver. Bruns was 2nd Masters at the 2024 Indianapolis Monumental HM in 1:08:45. His most recent 5K, at 16:17, was not as fast as Carver's, but it was at altitude; that 5K would have been faster at sea level. Paul Guttman Unattached WI has no recent mile results on Athlinks. But his 33:34 at the Brew City 10K in April and his 16:32 5K at the Wisconsin Marathon in May suggest he should be competitive. Mark Guyer Indiana Elite, running in the invited Open Elite section of the 2024 Monumental Mile, eased in with a 4:50 which was the top Masters time. He would also contend.  Novak won the M55 division 1500M at the 2025 Masters Indoor championships in 4:26.91 and had a 16:45 5K outing at the end of May. Jasen Ritter Indiana Elite ran a 16:51 5K at the end of April.

Bruns pulled the field through the half mile split, in front of the Central Library, in 2:13. Only Guttman was close, ten meters back. The main chase pack was ten meters further back. Brown, Carver, Guyer, Lindsay, and Novak crossed the mat at 2:19, with Anderson and Ritter together, just ten meters back. Once they found their rhythm on the final straight shot to the finish line, Carver and Lindsay worked past Guttman and drew even with Bruns. Those top three competitors raced three abreast down Meridian Street, with 300 meters to go! 
From Left: Chad Carver, Anthony Bruns, and Bryan Lindsay, straining for an edge as they Hurtle toward the Finish Line and their Overall 1-2-3 Places in the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo courtesy of Brian Lindsay Strava post 


Carver had the best kick, winning by a half second in 4:25.1. 
Chad Carver breaks the tape after his ferocious kick to Take First Overall at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Terry Fletcher, courtesy of Beyond Monumental   



Bruns enjoyed a similar fraction over Lindsay. Guyer crossed the line, fourth in 4:28.4. Anderson was fifth, just three meters back! Two seconds later, Guttman claimed sixth. Another five seconds elapsed before Ritter, Brown and Novak claimed 7th through 9th.
Chad Carver 4:25.1     Anthony Bruns 4:25.7     Bryan Lindsay 4:26.3

AGE DIVISION Women W40 Hidi Gaff Unattached earned the silver medal in this division at the 2023 Masters Championships here in 5:22. Last year she competed in Indy when it was not the USATF Masters Championship; she finished first overall in 5:27. Last June she was the second Masters athlete at the Brian Diemer 5K, running 18:02. Considering it was February in Northern Indiana, her 18:59 at the Fanny Freezer 5K, was another good effort. Last June, Lauren Hendrix Unattached ran 5:29 at St. Louis's Macklind Mile. Two months later, Hendrix clocked 5:43.1 at the Market Mile, also in St. Louis. Lauren Davis Unattached finished sixth in the Masters 10 Km Championships at the end of April in 46:59. That suggests Davis would have a tough time keeping pace with Gaff and Hendrix. Gaff and Hendrix enjoyed a tight duel. In the closest women's race on the day, Gaff was able to pull away for the gold medal! Her winning time was 5:33.5, with Hendrix two seconds back. Davis claimed the bronze medal at 6:15.4.
Hidi Gaff 5:33.5     Lauren Hendrix 5:35.5     Lauren Davis 6:15.4

W45 Grunnagle and Hayden finished second and fourth overall. Those efforts brought them across the finish line 1-2 in this division. Not only did Grunnagle get her first podium finish overall at a Masters National LDR Championship, she earned her first championship gold medal by winning the W45 division. Alicia Martinez Unattached, who ran a 7:03 Mile at Chicago's Gately Park Open last December, and a 6:08.64 1500 Meters at USATF Indoor Championships this past February seemed poised to battle for the W45 bronze medal. Martinez ran well, clocking 6:58.4. But there was no battle; the athlete likely to give her a race for the bronze medal did not make it to the meet after all.
Dawn Grunnagle 5:19.1     Dana Hayden 5:25.4     Alicia Martinez 6:58.4

W50 Hortencia Aliaga Garden State Track Club has run very well in this division. But few athletes have the kind of speed that St. Jean has developed. St. Jean's third place overall translated to a W50 gold medal. Aliaga had almost as much of an edge over the rest of the field as St. Jean had on her. In mid-May, Aliaga finished 2nd overall in the Masters Women's Division at The Mile by Impact Zone; she posted a dandy time-5:35.1. In late May she turned in an 18:57 5K at the Ridgewood Run. She was ready to roll. Aliaga's teammate, Gabrielle Panepinto, and Jennifer McCann Unattached AZ would duel for the bronze medal. Last August, Panepinto ran 6:03 at the Brooklyn Mile. This May, she ran 6:09 at the Impact Zone Mile. McCann ran 6:07.9 at the Grand Blue Mile in late April and 6:17 at the May 31st Festival of Miles in Tucson AZ. As expected, Aliaga had little chance at staying with St. Jean but also had no trouble putting distance between herself and the other two top contenders. Aliaga ripped off a 2:45 half mile, leaving McCann over 40 meters back, trailed closely by Panepinto. Aliaga was never threatened, claiming the W50 silver medal in 5:33. Panepinto worked her way past McCann down the long straightaway, pulling away to take the W50 bronze medal with three seconds to spare!
Jennifer St. Jean 5:21.9     Hortencia Aliaga 5:33.0     Gabrielle Panepinto 5:53.4

W55 Rohl, Harvey, and Bayly finished 1-5-6 overall and hence finished 1-2-3 in this division. Such a tough division to compete in! Two talented runners, Kimberly Aspholm and Amy McMahon would compete for fourth and fifth. Aspholm, equally at home on the track or the roads, finished 2nd W55 in the 1500M at the Masters Indoor TF Championships in February. Aspholm's time, 5:31.38, equates roughly to a 6:01 mile. She followed that up two months later by winning the W55 division at the Masters 10 Km (road) Championships. Although she runs road races in her home area of Buffalo NY, McMahon runs Cross Country championships at the national level more often than roads. At Club Cross last December, McMahon finished fourth in this division, a half minute behind Harvey. A roads exception was the Four Mile Championships in Peoria, the week before this event. There McMahon finished second W55 in 28:43. Aspholm left nothing to chance. She got out well and hit the half mile split in 2:47. McMahon was a good twenty meters back and could never make any headway on her rival. Aspholm finished fourth in 5:54.8, with a good five-second edge over McMahon.
Michelle Rohl 5:10.3     Jennifer Harvey 5:25.8     Fiona Bayly 5:26.7

W60 This is another division packed with talent. Suzanne La Burt Shore AC NY has ruled this division at the road and cross country championships since turning 60. In the 2024 Masters National Grand Prix, La Burt entered the Club Cross Country Championships (over 6 Km), the 5K, 10K, 12K and 10 Mile Road championships, winning the W60 division in each one and setting a W60 AR in the 12K. She entered Club Cross and the 10K in this year's Grand Prix contest and won W60 in both. La Burt excels at all distances but her greatest strength on the roads may be at 10K and above. The athlete who still owns the W55 12K AR, Veneziano, would be one of her competitors in this race. Like La Burt, Veneziano excels at all distances; she won the 10 Mile and Half Marathon championships in W55 last year at the age of 59. As noted, she holds the W55 AR at 12K. Veneziano has competed most steadily over the years in the 1 Mile Championships. The Masters 1 Mile Championships were in Flint Mi, not far from Veneziano's hometown, up through 2019. Veneziano competed every year, finishing as high as fourth overall in 2016, and taking bronze, silver and gold medals in the W50 Division. Does Veneziano love the Mile or was it just convenient? She certainly brought enthusiasm to some very tight finishes! Although Veneziano did not travel to California in 2024 for that Championship, she did travel to Rochester in 2022 and Indy in 2023 for the championships, finishing on the W55 podium both times. The other primary competitor in the race for the podium is Judy Stobbe Central Park Track Club, who competes, on the national level, primarily on the track. A strong middle-distance runner, Stobbe is right at home with the Mile distance. She finished third this past February in the W55 1500M at the Masters Indoor TF Championships in 5:32.83, roughly equivalent to a 6:01 Mile. If Veneziano loves the Mile, this was a good one for her! She hit the half mile split in 2:45 with a 30-meter lead on La Burt and Stobbe, who were side-by-side in 2nd place. Stobbe was able to pull ahead of La Burt on the straightaway to the finish and saw that she was reeling Veneziano back. But Veneziano is so tough! She kept it together all the way to the finish, keeping Stobbe 20 meters back! Veneziano, 60, had yet another top ten overall finish and another age division Mile win, her first since 2018! 
Lisa Veneziano approaching the finish line, her W60 win and new W60 American Record at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Terry Fletcher, courtesy of Beyond Monumental   


Stobbe enjoyed a silver medal run, with La Burt in third. Both contributed important scoring for their respective teams, as did Kris Huff Atlanta, who finished fourth in 6:20.2.
Lisa Veneziano 5:39.9     Judy Stobbe 5:44.7     Suzanne La Burt 5:52.9

W65 Simmons won her first road mile national championship in 2019 when she took the W60 title in 5:54. Last year she finished second to the legendary track star, Sue McDonald in the 60-64 division. Simmons is one of the few athletes who competed in the 1 Mile Championships last year in Danville CA, in the East Bay of San Francisco, and made the trip to Indy for this year's championship.  Aged up this year, she could not only go for the win but the 65-69 AR. As noted above, Simmons crushed the record! Lesley Hinz Atlanta TC, Suzanne Cordes Unattached CA, Kitty Musante Shore AC, and Mireille Silva Atlanta TC would battle for the remaining two podium spots. Hinz finished 3rd last year in Danville, clocking 6:34. On May 20th, in the Grand Prix Mile of Georgia, she took the division win in 6:19. Cordes competes primarily in Cross Country events on the national circuit. She won the W60 title in 2022 and the W65 title in 2024 at the USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder. She finished 4th W60 at Club Cross in 2022 and 2023 in San Francisco and Tallahassee, respectively. Cordes made an exception for June 14th when she competed in the Masters 4 Mile Championships, finishing second in 29:21. Musante ran a 30:01 4-Miler in her home state of Florida in February and a 22:04 5K in mid-April. Last September she ran 6:35 to claim 3rd W65 honors at the Fifth Avenue Mile. 
Simmons was aiming for a sub-six; she hit the half mile split in 2:58, 25 meters ahead of Cordes, trailed closely by Hinz. It was another 25 meters back to Musante, with Silva 5 meters further back. Hinz is a savvy middle distance runner. She worked her way past Cordes and pulled away to claim the silver medal with well over 30 meters of cushion. Cordes held tight for third, followed by Musante, fourth at 6:36.5, with Silva in fifth nine seconds later. Simmons enjoyed the win and a new American Record!
Nancy Simmons 5:57.4     Lelsy Hinz 6:14.4     Suzanne Cordes 6:24.6

W70 Ivy Bell Central Park TC seemed to be the favorite, based on two sub-7-minute road Miles in May. Bell ran 6:50 at the Spring Street Mile on May 17th and 6:54 at the Newtown Bank Miler the following weekend. After that, the crystal ball was murky. Donna May Unattached FL and Miriam Paulus Dayton TC seemed the only two others likely to break eight minutes. In January of last year, May ran a 24:59 5K in Florida and in August ran 26:37, also in Florida. In June of last year, Paulus ran 7:52.04 in the Dash for Cash Road Mile. This year, in late April, she ran a 27:48 5K in the Sugar Maple Run.  After those three, teammates, Dubow and Lucking would likely battle for fourth and fifth. Dubow clocked 7:58.18 for the Indoors 1500M in February. She followed that with a 28:50 5K in March and turned in an 8:27 at the Grand Prix Mile in May. Lucking does not have any recent short race results I could find. She finished third in this division at the Masters 10Km Championships in late April with a 56:41. She added a W70 win at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria with a 37:23. Both suggest her 5K speed is better than Dubow's. But Dubow could still have an edge in a shorter race.
Things did not go as expected up front. Bell had an off day and did not get close to her sub-7 road mile times. May pushed hard, hitting the half mile mat at 3:22; she had fifty meters on Bell. After Bell it was forty meters back to Paulus. Paulus, in turn had over thirty meters on Dubow who had two seconds on her teammate, Lucking. Though she positive split the race, May had the fastest second half-mile in the division as well. She pulled away for a dominant victory in 7:14.8. When she crossed the finish line, Bell, solidly in second, had 70 meters to go! She closed off he 2nd place effort with no trouble. 
Ivy Bell driving for the Finish Line and her W70 Silver Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental


Paulus finished third at 7:53.5. Dubow was able to pull away from Lucking, finishing fourth in 8:28.7. Twenty seconds later, Lucking claimed the fifth spot. 
Donna May 7:14.8     Ivy Bell 7:39.1     Miriam Paulus 7:53.5

W75 Three Atlanta Track Club teammates were entered: Kathleen Allen, Andrea McCarter, and Joanie McMullan. McCarter is a regular contributor to the team efforts of Atlanta but is not competitive. She is happy with whatever place she finishes as long as she contributes to her team. That is probably true of Allen and McMullan as well, but those are the two more likely to compete for the individual win. Allen has more experience in national championships but she and McMullan seemed roughly competitive with each other. Allen finished 7th in this division at the 5K Masters Championships in Atlanta last year. Using age grading tables, that is equivalent to a 32:47 this year. That is reinforced by her W75 win in Peoria earlier in June at the 4 Mile Championships. Her 41:06 over 4 miles is roughly equivalent to a 31:52 5K or a 9:05 Mile.  McMullan, Atlanta's W75 team non-resident, hailing from the Washington DC area, is more difficult to gauge. I find no recent results for her in Athlinks. I find a 2019 result, a 35:23 W70 win at the 3.3 Mile Pecan Classic in Arizona. If I age that up to 2025 with the age grading tables, it converts to a 36:36 or a 10:27 Mile. So, Allen was the favorite. Whether it was too close to the strong 4-mile effort the week before or another cause, Allen had an off day. She led through the half mile; her split of 4:39 kept her a stride or two in front of McMullan. That looked like good pacing for a low-9-minute effort, but the race fell apart for Allen in the second half. McMullan passed her and took the win in 9:10.3.  Allen was second, forty-one seconds later. McCarter finished third at 10:26.8.
Joanie McMullan 9:10.3     Kathleen Allen 9:51.9     Andrea McCarter 10:26.8

W80 As with the W75 division, there were exactly three entries. Each runner was a member of the Atlanta Track Club, which, year in and year out, does the best job of turning out teams of 70+ and 80+ runners for national championships. Myrna Barnett, Susan Hartman, and Catherine Radle would vie for the win in their friendly competition. Barnett and Radle have been regular participants for Atlanta over the years. Hartman has not competed that I know of since 2018 and 2019 when she raced for Atlanta in the Road Mile at Flint MI. Her time at those two events, 14:06 and 14:59 suggested to me that Hartman is now one of those active octogenarians who is happy to help out in a good cause, making sure that Atlanta would have a complete W80 scoring team! At the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta last February, Radle led Barnett across the finish line as they went 1-2 in W80, in 36:06 and 36:15 respectively. This year, Barnett won the 5K over the same course in 34:19. It was not the Masters 5K championships this year. Atlanta will host those on October 19th. But it does appear that Barnett's fitness would be better coming in this year compared to last year. Radle's best recent 5K is her 37:25 effort at the Invesco QQQ Half Marathon last November. And that is the way it played out. Barnett crossed the half-mile mat at 5:21, with a ten second lead on Radle. The gap stayed steady over the second half mile, a credit to both! Barnett claimed the win in 11:07.7, followed a bit over eleven seconds later by Radle in second. Hartman did the job she came for, completing the race in third.
Myrna Barnett 11:07.7     Catherine Radle 11:19.4     Susan Hartman 17:42.3

W85 Joyce Hodges-Hite Atlanta TC continues her victory tour. 
Joyce Hodges-Hite Claims Victory in the 85-89 Division at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental 


Unopposed once again, Hodges-Hite added this to her most recent victories, in the Masters 10K in late April and the 4 Miler a week before this event. Hodges-Hite has entered and competed in six events in this 2025 Grand Prix season. She has won them all!
Joyce Hodges-Hite 16:48.9

Men M40 Three Indiana Elite teammates went 1-3-4 overall, Carver, Lindsay, and Guyer. They sweep the M40 podium! They were followed by Anderson, Guttman, and Brown.

Chad Carver 4:25.1     Bryan Lindsay 4:26.3     Mark Guyer 4:28.4

M45 Bruns finished second Overall and claimed the M45 gold medal at the same time! Chuck Schneekloth Garden State TC claimed the Overall 1 Mile Championship on the Flint MI course six years ago in 4:37. He finished second M45 in the Fifth Avenue Mile last September in 4:47. Caleb Chambers ran 5:02 on this course last year. Terry Goodspeed clocked 5:30 in the Fifty-West Mile at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati this May. Schneekloth crossed the half mile timing mat in 2:22. Chambers was within striking distance, just two seconds back. Goodspeed had another four seconds to make up. Schneekloth had no troubles in the second half, bringing home the silver medal with a 4:47.3, essentially matching his Fifth Avenue Mile time! Chambers was seven seconds back in third. Goodspeed finished fourth at 5:09.99.
Anthony Bruns 4:25.7     Charles Schneekloth 4:47.3     Caleb Chambers 4:54.9

M50 Jasen Ritter Indiana Elite finished seventh overall. That accomplishment saw him winning this division at the same time. Robb Awe has been cleaning up on the Masters National circuit recently. He won the M50 Half Marathon Championship, over a hilly course in Indianapolis, last October in 1:20:45. He demonstrated his speed when he matched that with a win at the Masters 4 Mile Championships in early June this year. His 22:03 there equates roughly to a 5:07 Mile. His teammate, Mike Cole, was busy last year with his Marathon project-a marathon a month for the entire ear. Mission accomplished! The owner of Greek's Pizza also found time to get in the Guiness Book of World Records for fastest Male time in the Marathon while carrying a 16" Pizza in a Box.  Make no mistake, though, Cole is a serious runner. In 2019, he finished second Overall at the Masters 8 Km Championships in Virginia Beach in 26:21. Marty Stevens Boulder Track Club dropped down from the Rockies. He brings a 36:51 10K at altitude with him. That was his time at the Bolder Boulder 10K this year. Ritter took it out strong, running in the main chase pack, crossing the half mile timing mat in 2:19. He had 15 meters on Awe, with Cole on his heels and Stevens a few strides back from Cole. 
Mike Cole= on His Way to an M50 Silver medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Posted by Mike Cole on Strava


Ritter had the strength, though, as he chased after the 'big guns' on the long straightaway, catching two to land that 7th overall finish. That 4:36.9 put him way ahead in this division. Awe ran well but Cole and Stevens were able to pull past Awe on the straightaway to the finish. Stevens had a little more in the tank, outlasting Cole by a second to claim the silver medal at 4:51.8. 
Marty Stevens Earns the M50 Silver Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental  


Awe was fourth, less than a second back in 4:53.6.
Jasen Ritter 4:36.9     Marty Stevens 4:51.8     Mike Cole 4:52.7

M55 Novak Unattached OH, the Overall silver medalist in 2018 when these 1 Mile championships were in Flint MI, entered as a strong favorite, likely to run well under 5 minutes. His winning 1500M time of 4:26.91 at the Masters Indoor Championships in February was roughly equivalent to a 4:52 Mile.  Christopher Harris Atlanta took the M55 win at the Masters 10Km Championships this April in 35:20. He collected the silver medal over 4 Miles at the Masters Championships in Peoria a week before these championships. That time suggests a 5:00 mile would be a stretch for Harris.  John McMahon Checkers AC has been staying close to Harris recently, but Harris has enjoyed the edge at the finish. McMahon finished about a minute behind Harris at the 8 Km Cross Country race at WMA in Gainesville FL in March. In Peoria, McMahon finished 55 seconds behind Harris in taking the bronze medal. There was a factor in his favor; he turned in a 5:01 at the 1 Mile Masters championships when finishing 2nd in this division in Rochester three years ago.  John Prineas Boulder RR was a half-minute behind McMahon at Peoria. But he may have an advantage at the shorter distance. This April, he ran 5:00 at the Grand Blue Mile, part of the Drake Relays extravaganza in Des Moines IA. That course has the same layout as Indy but has the disadvantage, for Milers, of slightly cooler weather, on average.  In February 2024, Michael Resterhouse Unattached MI ran a 17:43 5K in Florida. This March he turned in a 36:44 10K at the Bayshore Marathon. That suggests he is competitive with McMahon and Prineas. When the gun sounded, Novak shot off like a cannon. He hit the half mile split in 2:17, part of the pack right behind Bruns and Guttman and even with the eventual winner, Carver. The rest were focused on their own race, not the overall race. Harris hit the half mile right on pace at 2:30. But Prineas and McMahon were side-by-side, a stride back. Resterhouse was right on their heels! Novak enjoyed the win, clocking 4:40.0! Harris held strong all the way to the finish, closing off his well-paced race with another 2:30 and a silver medal time of 4:59.7! Prineas was able to pull away from McMahon, claiming third just four seconds behind Harris. McMahon was fourth in 5:06.4. Resterhouse was fifth, another five seconds back.
Charles Novak 4:40.0     Christopher Harris 4:59.7      John Prineas 5:03.7

M60 Daniel Filip Unattached CA won the M60 division title at the 2024 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships in Danville CA. That made him the favorite for this year's contest. Last year he won by a second in 5:19.5. He would likely run faster this year on a tighter course. Mark Zamek trains on the edge of greatness. You can never be sure he will be at the starting line. But if he makes it there, he will compete with all he's got. In and out of rehab over the last couple of years, Zamek's training had gone well lately, but not without some hiccups. As a result, he was able to run in Peoria, finishing second to his teammate, Doug Baldwin, in 23:14. That equates, roughly, to a 5:17 mile. Others in the podium hunt included: Scott Grandfield Greater Springfield Harriers, his teammate, Alejandro Heuck; Henry Hofman Ann Arbor TC; and Mike Nier Genesee Valley Harriers. This division is so competitive, there was not a big drop off after these four but only so many can be featured. Grandfield ran a 17:40 5K at the Canton Fall Classic last October and followed that with an M60 bronze medal effort at the 10K Championships in 37:14. Three years ago he finished fifth in M55 at Rochester in 5:11. Applying ordinary aging to that time via the age grading tables suggests a 2025 equivalent of about 5:20. Heuck is primarily a middle-distance track athlete, although he races at longer distances on the roads to compete alongside his teammates. Heuck finished 2nd in M60 at the Masters Indoor Championships this past February in 4:49.91. That equates to a 5:18 Mile. That reinforces what we know about his prowess in the road mile. At Rochester, three years ago, Heuck came in one second ahead of his teammate, Grandfield. Eight years ago, Hofman finished 8th in 50-54 in 5:13. Aging via age grading raises that to a 5:38 equivalent in 2025. But Hofman's 18:22 at a 5K in Grand Rapids MI last November suggests a somewhat faster equivalent time of 5:35. Nier is in the midst of a strong comeback from a heart incident. But, as Nier posted a while back, "I have a heart condition, the heart condition does not have me." This year Nier posted a 4:50.4 1500M at the Masters Indoors in February. In April he finished sixth M60 at the Masters 10 Km Championships in 39:00. In June he moved up to 4th at the Masters 4 Mile Championships, clocking 24:06. That last time equates roughly to a 5:38 Mile.
Not surprisingly, Filip took it out hard, crossing the half-mile mat in 2:31. Also not surprising, the ever-competitive Zamek was right at his side, also stopping the clock at 2:31. It was 25 meters back to Grandfield and another fifteen meters back to Heuck, who had Hofman and Nier on his heels. Filip kept it on cruise control all the way to the finish, stopping the clock at 5:05.5 for a big repeat national Road Mile win! Zamek was not able to keep pace with Filip with his current conditioning, but he kept Grandfield at bay. Grandfield clipped a fraction of a second off of Zamek's lead, but that was it. Zamek had the silver medal in 5:14.0, with Grandfield third at 5:18.8. Zamek had his second silver medal at a national championship in two weeks, not a bad haul for someone who expects his conditioning to improve. Grandfield had another bronze to put with his medal from the 10K Masters Championships. Heuck edged Hofman for fourth by a fraction of a second, 5:21.2 to 5:21.4. Nier claimed fifth at 5:23.1.
Daniel Filip 5:05.5     Mark Zamek 5:14.0     Scott Grandfield 5:18.8

M65 Daniel King, as noted, was going for another American Record and got it. He was also on the age grading podium. Casey Hannan Atlanta aged up recently. Newcomers to a division have an advantage in 'youth' but the Mile is probably not his strongest distance. In February of 2024, Hannan finished 6th in M60 at the Masters 5K Championships in 19:33. This April, he finished 4th M65 at the Masters 10 Km Championships in 41:01. The 5K time was age-grade equivalent to a 5:58 Mile. Doug Keller Twin Cities RC ran an 18:44 5K at the Brian Kraft run at the end of May. In early June, he finished fourth in M65 in 24:59, just a minute and 20 seconds behind the winner, King. The 5K time equates to a 5:44, the 4-Mile time to a 5:54. Either way it looks like Keller might be the top Miler behind King. Local runner, Tim Mylin Indiana Elite AC ran 5:15.2 two years ago on this course to finish 4th in M60 at the 2023 Road Mile Championships. That time ages to 5:22 in 2025. In July 2024, Norm Larson Green Mountain Athletic Association VT ran 5:50 M60 in the USATF-NE Road Mile championships. This year, now in his last year in this division, he finished seventh M65 at the 10K Championships in 41:20. Larson was #4 in M65 at Peoria, clocking 26:29 over 4 Miles. That is equivalent to a 6:17 Mile. 
King, as usual, ran with the top M60 athletes, going out in 2:32 and coming home to the finish with a 5:11.2, the AR off his chip time, and the M65 win. Keller led the rest, crossing the half mile mat in 2:45; he had a twenty-meter advantage on Hannan. Mylin was two strides behind Hannan in fourth; Larson was twenty-five meters further back. Keller ran a strong second half, claiming the silver medal, with a comfortable margin, in 5:33.8. Mylin ran a strong negative split, working his way past Hannan and holding on for a three second advantage at the finish line. 
Tim Mylin Finishing Off His M65 Bronze Medal Run at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo posted on Facebook by Tim Mylin 



Mylin's 5:42.4 gave him the national podium finish that eluded him two years earlier! You can bet they were celebrating in Noblesville IN that evening! Hannan enjoyed his fourth-place finish in 5:45.9. 
Casey Hannan Claimed 4th in the M65 Division at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental  


Larson negative split the race, finishing fifth in 5:53.2. The next time they run this race, Larson, if he enters, should be one of the M70 podium favorites.
Daniel King 5:11.2    Doug Keller 5:33.8     Tim Mylin 5:42.4

M70 Jim Linn Shore AC ran a 5:51.8 Mile here two years ago, finishing 2nd M70 to a runner who, eight months later, accepted a USADA drug sanction. That makes him the closest athlete we have to a defending M70 champion. Since then, Linn has continued to be on fire! He won the 2024 M65 5k Championship in Atlanta in February on an 'Atlanta flat' course. His 19:43 equates roughly to a 6:08 Mile, if run on an 'Atlanta flat' course. If we take Linn as the favorite, the other contenders for a podium finish include Doug Bell Boulder Road Runners and his teammate, Douglas Chesnut, Scott Lucking Atlanta, and John Stolz Unattached, OR possibly. Bell and Chesnut have been the 1-2 punch for the Boulder Road Runners M70 team since Covid ended. This year they added a young gun and have contented themselves with being the 2-3 punch when the 'youngster' competes. Bell, in his last year in this age division, is still a feared runner. But there is no doubt he is looking forward to a new age group to compete in. Two years ago, Bell and Chesnut finished 3-4 in M70, here at the 2023 Masters Road Mile Championships, clocking 6:10.7 and 6:12.1. Both translate via age grading to roughly 6:25 in 2025. At the 10K Championships in April, their order was reversed as they finished 10th and 14th M70. Bell is definitely more of a threat at shorter distances. He finished 6th M70 in Peoria over 4 miles. Lucking is the youngster of the group. He is enjoying a nice string of national Masters races after some challenges in years past. He ran 43:45 in the Road 10K at the WMA Indoor Championships in Gainesville FL in March, finishing among the top three Americans. In April he ran ten seconds faster, finishing 5th M70 at the Masters 10 km Championships. He made the M70 podium in Peoria. His 27:24 over 4 Miles left him just 12 seconds behind Linn. It was roughly equivalent via age grading to a 6:34 Mile. Lucking ran a 5:46.94 1500M at the Masters Indoor Championships this February; that equates to a 6:11 Mile, probably a better predictor than a 4 Mile run. Stolz did not have any recent race results in Athlinks. There is an April 2022 5K result for a John Stolz of Bend, OR who was 66 at the time so could plausibly be 70 now.   The 25:15 run at that time would translate to a 26:03 5K in 2025. That, in turn, would be roughly equivalent to an 8:04 mile. Either that is the wrong Stolz or that Stolz got a lot faster from 2022 to 2025.   
In any case, Linn had his hands full with Stolz. The Stolz who ran in Indy was no 8-minute miler! Linn hit the half mile split in 2:50 with Stolz right on his heels! Lucking was a good 40 meters back, with Chesnut and Bell another twenty meters back. Linn pushed all the way to the finish line, running a faster time than last year! His 5:47.5 was just fast enough to edge Stolz by a fraction of a second! Lucking was well back from those two but had no pressure from the rest of the field. Bell had just a little more in the tank than his teammate. Bell slipped past and edged Chesnut for fourth, 6:27.1 to 6:27.8. That was a great win for Linn with the pressure coming from an unexpected source. Stolz came in under the radar and almost stole the gold medal. Linn ran a gritty race. Lucking enjoyed another good race and another M70 bronze medal.
James Linn 5:47.5     John Stolz 5:47.7     Doug Bell 6:27.1

M75 Ostwald Boulder RR was not fast enough to take down Gary Patton's M75 AR of 5:56. But his net time was fast enough to garner the top age grading score. His 6:23.6 (gun) time was fast enough to win the division by dozens of meters. Ostwald added this to his many other wins over the last few years. Two other athletes were favorites for the podium. Jerry Learned Atlanta has been either on the M75 podium or just off, last year and this. He finished 5th at the Masters 10 Km Championships at 47:44. He stepped onto the podium at Peoria; his 29:41 left him in second place. In February, Learned finished second to Patton in the 1500M at the Masters Indoor Championships. His time of 6:08.43 converts roughly to a 6:36 Mile. Victor Vasquez Unattached FL is relatively new to national Masters championships. He competed in the 10 Km Road Race at the WMA Indoor Championships in March in FL. He was the second American to finish in M75, posting a 48:34 time. He finished ahead of Allen Joyce and Paul Carlin [That's me.] at that event. Vasquez was not unheralded though. He had run several 5K's in the 23:33 to 24:33 range, in the weeks leading up to WMA. Joyce and I have gone back and forth in recent years. Sometimes I have had the edge, sometimes Joyce. Since aging up to M75, Joyce has consistently had the edge. He finished third American and a minute and change ahead of me when he clocked 55:00 in the 10K road race at WMA. In Peoria, Joyce and I went 3-4 in M75; his 33:47 gave him a whopping two-minute cushion. 
Ostwald shot to the lead, hitting the half mile mat in 3:08; he had a 25-meter lead on Learned. Vasquez was on Learned's heels. I had been displeased in some recent outings with my slow starts after, perhaps, not organizing things well enough to get a good warmup. I made sure that did not happen this time, getting into (my) high gear right away. As a result, I hit the half mile split in 3:50 with a good ten-meter lead on Joyce. Ostwald added to his lead with every stride, winning in 6:23.6, with a lead of well over fifty meters. Learned kept the hammer down on the last 800 meters, his 6:41.2 left Vasquez far behind. But Vazquez was not pressured; his lead over Joyce and me was even bigger. Vazquez finished third. Vasquez cemented his place as a contender at Masters National Championships. Joyce came roaring by me with 600 meters to go and I could not answer. Joyce had the edge once again, this time, 7:48.5 to 7:52.5. Even without a podium finish at stake, these friendly rivalries spice things up!
Gary Ostwald 6:23.6     Jerry Learned 6:41.2     Victor Vasquez 7:04.2

M80 This division featured a shootout between Shore AC teammates, Jack Frame and Przemek Nowicki. Frame had the upper hand at the Masters 10 Km Championships as they went 1-2 in 54:43 and 55:07. Frame ran in the Mile By Impact Zone in mid-May, clocking 7:37.1. The only comparable recent time for Nowicki is his 7:38 1500M at the Masters Indoor Championships. But that time might not be representative. Nowicki ran several distance events and conservation of energy in a given event and/or fatigue from an earlier event, can come into play.  When the horn sounded, Nowicki leaped forward. But after a hundred meters or so, Frame caught up!  By the time they reached the half mile timing mat, Frame had a slight advantage, but Nowicki was, essentially, even. They hammered down the final 700 meters, neither giving an inch. Whenever Nowicki would push to pull ahead, Frame had an answer and vice versa. In the end it came down to a lean at the li. Frame got the win by half a second in 7:39.8! Their Atlanta Track Club rival, Morris Wiliams, claimed the bronze medal.
Jack Frame 7:39.8     Przemyslaw Nowicki 7:40.3     Morris Williams 9:01.6

M85 Cormier Shore AC was the strong favorite. His rival, Adrian Craven Atlanta Track Club had not competed in recent months. It was good to see him taking to the roads once again at 88. Two years ago, Craven won this division in 11:31. Cormier finished 2nd M85 in the 1500M at the Masters Indoor Championships. That converts to an 11:05 Mile. Cormier was also running multiple events where team points matter.  Finishing a half minute behind the winner and three minutes ahead of the bronze medalist, it seems likely that Cormier could have run faster had there been reason to do so. As it turned out, an 11-minute Mile would have been fine. Craven's speed had taken a hit in the ensuing two years; he did not break 13 minutes. He hardly cared. Every race he can run now is a victory! Cormier, on the other hand, broke 11 minutes and then some. Racing for his Shore AC M80 team, Cormier did some fancy stepping, coming across the finish line with the M85 win in 9:17.8. As noted, his chip time of 9:14.7 set the American M85 Road Mile Record!
Roland Cormier 9:17.8     Adrian Craven 13:31.5

TEAMS 
General Notes: 1. Team scoring is by adding up the gun times of the first three runners on each team to cross the finish line; the lower the score the better. 
2. There is, typically, very strong team competition in 50+ through 60+ and through 70+ for Men's teams. It is very difficult to put together true traveling teams in the 40+ division, whether Men's or Women's. Even in the other divisions it is tough except for the most popular distances and locations. A common Club strategy if they cannot find three athletes in a given division is for athletes in their 60's or 70's or even 80's to drop down and join their younger club mates. So, a 50+ team might have a 52-year old, a 66 yo, and a 75 yo. Older runners are always allowed to compete on younger teams but not vice versa. The athlete retains their ability to score individually in their own division except in rare circumstances. The intent is to compete as well as they can for the championship, not usually expecting a win, although it can happen. The main aim is to score points for the Club Grand Prix competition, which is very important for Clubs. These athletes are doing an important job for their club. I sometimes refer to such teams as composite teams
3. Initial posted results were incorrectly based on chip time. It did not change any team places, but the results below report gun times, per the technical instructions.

Men M40+ Not surprisingly, the local Indiana Elite Athletics Club Carver, Lindsay, Guyer had things all their way. No other Club entered a team. Of course, Indiana is very strong. Three athletes running under 4:30 speaks for itself. To the best of my knowledge that is the fastest team score in the short history of USATF Masters Road Mile Championships.

Indiana Elite Athletics Club 13:19.8 4:26.6 average

M50+ Four teams competed in this division. The Indiana Elite AC again fielded a strong team. They were challenged by the Checkers AC out of Buffalo NY and New Jersey's Shore AC. With three runners finishing under 4:55, Indiana M50+ finished all three of their scoring members, Ritter, Cole, and Awe, before the first runner scored for any other team. Checkers was a solid second. Their three runners, McMahon, Silliman, and Ciliberto all came across the line under 5:30. That gave them three runners scored before Shore scored. Shore had a legitimate team, with all three runners, Siriano, Rinaldi, and Blaser, clocking under 6:11, but they were not up to that level of competition. 
John Blaser Finished 6th in the M65 Division and Helped the Shore AC 50+ Team to a Podium Finish at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental  


Kudos to Checkers and Shore for putting together solid traveling teams, even if Shore did have to call on one swift 68-year-old. Atlanta, with Harris, Taylor, and Williams picked up 70 Grand Prix points for their fourth-place finish with a composite team of a 55 year old, a 76 year old and an 80 year old.

Indiana Elite Athletics Club 14:23.4 4:47.7 average

Checkers Athletic Club 16:01.0 5:20.3

Shore Athletic Club 17:57.7 5:59.2

M60+ This was a real battle. A bystander at the finish line trying to figure out winners would have been whipsawed back and forth. Zamek scored first for TCRC but five seconds later, Grandfield scored for Springfield. And then Heuck for Springfield--Uh oh, it's starting to look like Springfield might have it easy. But no, the next runner, two seconds later is GVH's Nier, followed three seconds later by Atlanta's Dragstedt, with his teammate, Black leading TCRC's Keller and then GVH's Flanders
Dale Flanders On His Way to a Top Ten M60 Finish and a Key Score Helping his GVH M60+ Team to a Podium Finish at the 2025 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation in Indianapolis Photo by Jake Rytlewski, courtesy of Beyond Monumental  


At that point, the top four teams all had two of their three scoring runners across the line. Had one tallied the scores at that point, Springfield had a 7.8 second advantage on TCRC in the race for the win, but where was their third runner?! GVH had a 0.4 second advantage on Atlanta in the race for third. As it turned out, Van Kerkhove was right on Flanders's heels. That third scorer gave GVH third place, at the worst. They could finish higher! But it wasn't over! Burdett was barreling down Meridian Street toward the finish with the winning seconds for Springfield, 0.7 seconds ahead of Atlanta's Hannan, and 1.6 seconds ahead of TCRC's Kessler! Wow! What a finish!  The dust settled, the timing sheets were consulted, and Springfield had the win, with a total time 9.4 seconds faster than TCRC, an average difference of 3.13 seconds per runner. The race for second was tighter! TCRC edged GVH for second place by just 1.6 seconds, an average of half a second per runner! Atlanta, in fourth, was less than ten seconds out of third, and only twenty seconds out1 of first! Springfield ran with no insurance runners; TCRC had Mirth; GVH Mertens; and Atlanta Oshust and a fifth runner, 88-year-old Craven. Shore and Ann Arbor fielded composite teams that finished 5th and 6th. Although, to be fair, the fastest of Shore's three runners was the 72-year-old.

Greater Springfield Harriers 16:25.2 5:28.4 average

Twin Cities Running Club 16:34.6 5:31.5

Genesee Valley Harriers 16:36.2 5:32.1

M70+ Because Shore and Ann Arbor dropped their 70-year-olds down to younger teams, this division had just two teams entered. Atlanta entered a solid team but could not match up with the Boulder Road Runners who were looking to pretty much wrap up the 2025 M70+ Grand Prix title. Lucking led the way for Atlanta. But then, 15 seconds later, it was all Boulder as Ostwald, Bell, and Chesnut finished 2-3-4 within four seconds of one another. Learned and Joyce finished off the scoring for Atlanta. Boulder had the win with over a minute to spare. Boulder ran uninsured. Atlanta had Benedict to count on had anything befallen their first three.

Boulder Road Runners 19:18.5 6:26.2 average

Atlanta Track Club 20:37.6 6:52.5

M80+ In recent years it has been Atlanta that has competed most often in this category. Kudos to Shore for fielding an 80+ team that traveled from New Jersey to Indy to collect the gold medal. Atlanta had two 80+ runners, but they ran on the 50+ and 60+ teams. Frame, Nowicki, and Cormier were a very strong team anyway. 

 Shore Athletic Club 24:37.1 8:12.4

 Women W40+ Atlanta put together a composite team of a 44-year-old, a 50, and a 71. Wiegand, B Novak, and C Lucking made it work for a gold medal.

Atlanta Track Club 21:49.8 7:16.6

W50+ Four teams contested in this division. Central Park had the top team with St. Jean, Harvey, and Stobbe finishing 1-2-4 in the team competition, totaling just 16:32.4. Garden State's Aliaga broke up Central Park's top three. But Panepinto and Aspholm, despite their best efforts, could not beat Stobbe to the finish. They put the silver medals out of reach for any other team, though! Their 17:21.2 allowed them to enjoy a two-minute cushion on the third-place team. Kudos to Impala for bringing a composite team from the West Coast. Although I call it a composite team, the 65-year-old Record-buster, Simmons, was actually their top runner. Shore and Newman finished things off nicely, giving Impala the bronze medals with minutes to spare. Shore brought six 60+ runners to the event. Rather than run five athletes on one team and have one running without a team, why not have three on a 50+ team and three on a 60+ team. The three who dropped down to 50+, Musante, Nowicki, and Stirrat collected fourth place and 70 Grand Prix points with their 22:33.4 effort.

Central Park Track Club 16:32.4 5:30.8 average

Garden State Track Club 17:21.2 5:47.1

Impala Racing Team 19:33.2 6:31.1

W60+ Atlanta brought a team with two athletes who are primarily Middle-Distance track specialists, one who runs mostly on roads up through the 10K, and one who runs everything from the Mile to the Marathon. Shore's La Burt led the way. But then their two track specialists, Hinz and Allen, separated by their Marathoner, Huff, came in ahead of all others. Shore's Ricker and Capko finished off with style. Shore just missed keeping up with the Atlantans by 21 seconds. They earned Shore a nice set of silver medals.

Atlanta Track Club 19:01.1 6:20.4 average

Shore Athletic Club 19:22.8 6:27.6

W70+ Atlanta brought a team. No one else did. Dubow, McMullan, and Allen hauled in the gold medals. McCarter was there as added insurance to make sure they did make that haul.

Atlanta Track Club 27:30.9 9:10.3 average

W80+ It was the same story in 80+. Kudos to Atlanta for not only bringing a W70+ team, but also a W80+ team. Barnett, Radle, and Hodges-Hite did the scoring. Hartman added to the camaraderie and was there, finishing the race, just in case they needed her points!

Atlanta Track Club 39:16.1 13:05.4 average

Athletes were generous in their praise for this well-executed event on a zippy-fast, record-eligible course. It was warm but there was plenty of pre- and post-race shade. After an extended break, the Masters National Grand Prix resumes with the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships on October 19th in Atlanta GA.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Thrilling Competition at the 2025 Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria

June 28 2025. The USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships were held on Saturday, June 14th, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria, Illinois. Athletes enjoyed the course and praised the Steamboat Classic for a well-organized race! Although it was humid, temperatures stayed below 70F during the race; winds were moderate. The course made for good times and many tight races!

OVERALL Gun time is used for Overall, Age Group and Team results.

WOMEN Three athletes separated from the pack early. Jessica Hruska, overall winner of the 2022 Masters 5 Km Championships in 18:15, enjoyed a dominant win. Up by 50 meters at the 1 Mile mark, Hruska added to it steadily, claiming the win in 24:48, with a cushion of 200 meters. 

Jessica Hruska breaks the tape as she wins the Overall 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic


Kara Parker, out of the 55-59 division, overcame an early push by Abby Dean 25:49, to claim the silver medal. Dean was up by a few strides at the 1 Mile mark. By the halfway mark they were even. Despite her best efforts, Dean found herself slipping back a few strides by the end of the third mile. Parker was able to take full advantage of the down sloping finish, leaving Dean fifty meters back in third. The rest of the field was a good two minutes back. It was a fabulous win for Hruska; she adds this gold to the one she earned over 5K in 2022.

Jessica Hruska 24:47     Kara Parker 25:35     Abby Dean 25:48

MEN David Angell, who won the 5 Km Masters Overall Championship last year in Atlanta, took it out hard on the first uphill segment, but Dickson Mercer stayed right with him. Mercer had edged Angell by seven seconds at the Masters 10 Km Championships in Massachusetts at the end of April. Chris Brown was right on Mercer's heels, with Taylor Smith and Frank Zoldak tucked in. Brown took 2nd Masters at Kansas City's CCVI Trolley Run, covering four miles in 20:52. Smith, like Zoldak, out of Boulder, has some strong times in races at altitude, including a 33:12 at the 2024 Bolder Boulder 10K. Zoldak, out of the 55-59 division, has won his division and the age grading championships at the last two USATF Club Cross Country M40 Championships. This is his first try at a Masters Road Championship. He was conceding nothing to the younger runners. Chuck Terry was a few strides off that pace, biding his time. 

David Angell left Leads Dickson Mercer right, Christopher Harris red singlet and Frank Zoldak white singlet at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

The two leaders kept the pedal down for the second mile. By the time they emerged from the turnaround in the park, they were still running in tandem at the front. A small space was starting to emerge behind them as Brown, Smith and Zoldak were now in single file behind; Terry was 30 meters further behind. Mile three came and went with neither of the two leaders flagging. Smith had left Brown behind but now found himself almost 50 meters behind the leaders. Brown was thirty meters back with Zoldak falling 30 meters off of Brown. Terry had closed to within 15 meters of Zoldak. As they approached the final turn about a third of a mile from the finish, Angell made a move that Mercer could no longer answer. A small gap became bigger as Angell cruised down to the finish line, crossing it in first at 20:42, an average of 5:10 per mile. 

David Angell wins the Overall 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

Mercer held it together, finishing eleven seconds back. He must have heard Smith coming as Mercer managed to cross the line, in second place, just two seconds ahead of a fast-closing Smith! Brown finished fourth in 21:17. Terry closed hard enough to nip Zoldak at the line, both receiving the same 21:29 time. Angell enjoyed his second overall National Masters win running out of the 45-49 division. Mercer had his best finish yet at a Masters National Championship. Smith, a newly minted Masters athlete, announced that he is to be taken seriously at the national level!

David Angell 20:42     Dickson Mercer 20:53     Taylor Smith 20:55

AGE GRADING Age grading indicates the best performance, adjusted for age, across all age divisions. Chip time is used for age grading and American age group records. MEN Not surprisingly, Frank Zoldak had the top performance. His 21:28 not only resulted in a top six finish overall but earned a Performance Level Percentage PLP [age grading score] of 94.41%. 

Frank Zoldak sprints to the Finish Line and His 55-59 and Age Grading Win at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

Gary Ostwald’s M75 win at 27:48 scored a few hundredths of a percent lower. Ostwald's running has continued to improve as he ages through his late seventies. After the race, he commented that this was his first time with a PLP above 90%. 

Gary Ostwald Finishes Off his 75-79 Win and Collects his Age Grading Silver medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic 


Dan King closed off the podium. His 23:39 graded just over 92%. Next week he goes for the M65 One Mile American record in Indianapolis. This was a very nice, controlled cruise into that effort. 

Dan King speeds to the Finish Line, the M65 Winner and Age Grading Bronze Medalist at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic 


Other top PLPs were turned in by Mark Zamek, 62, at 90.39, and the Overall winner, Angell, 48, at 90.02.

Frank Zoldak 58 21:28 94.41    Gary Ostwald 79 27:48 94.21     Daniel King 66 23:39 92.11

WOMEN Patrice Combs, the 2025 Masters 10 Km W65 Champion, won this 65-69 championship in 28:18, earning the top PLP at 91.57. 

Patrice Combs wins the 65-69 Division and Claims the Women's Gold Medal in Age Grading  at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic 


Parker’s second place overall and W55 win, netted 86.64% for second. Suzanne Cordes, who finished second to Combs in W65, claimed the bronze age grading medal at 85.95. 

Suzanne Cordes finishes Off Her W65 Silver medal Run that Earned her the Age Grading Bronze medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic 

Cordes, who prefers the cross country turf to the roads, showed some toughness on the roads. She edged Kris Huff, who won W60, for the bronze age grading medal. Her net time of 28:00 netted an 85.30 PLP. Dean, third overall, finished 5th with a PLP of 83.91.

Patrice Combs 67 28:16 91.57     Kara Parker 55 25:35 86.64     Suzanne Cordes 65 29:18 85.95

AGE DIVISIONS National Four Mile Champions were crowned: MEN 40-44 Mercer, Smith, and Brown went 1-2-3 overall and so go 1-2-3 in this division. Mercer, Smith and Brown received their championship medals. Following a new policy this year, Mercer received overall prize money, so Brown received the prize purse for winning this division. 

Dickson Mercer powers to the Finish Line and the Overall Silver Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic  

Dickson Mercer 20:53     Taylor Smith 20:55     Chris Brown 21:17

45-49 Angell, the winner overall, won this division as well. Matthew DiPretore, a solid contributor for the Greater Philadelphia Track Club, finished top five in this division at the 2023 Masters 10 km Championship sin 34:59. Though unable to keep pace with Angell, DiPretore achieved a comfortable second place finish. 

Matthew DiPretore Finishing Off His M45 Silver medal Effort at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic   
 


No doubt, DiPretore enjoyed the prize money that Angell was no longer eligible for. The third entrant, Richard Jennings, made the trip from Texas worthwhile. He finished a few hundred meters behind DiPretore in claiming the bronze medal.

David Angell 20:42      Matthew DiPretore 24:04     Richard Jennings 25:48

50-54 Three highly competitive athletes were entered. Robb Awe, out of Indianapolis, won the M50 race at the Masters Half Marathon Championships last year in 1:20:45. He ran a 36:10 10K in April of 2024 and followed that with a 17:00 flat 5K in November! Alan Black has been less active nationally in recent years. But he won the Overall championship at the 2018 Masters Mile in Flint MI. Earlier this year, Black turned in a 17:48 5K at the Athens Twilite Run in Georgia. Jason Newport was 5 seconds removed from a top ten M50 finish at the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships. Last November he clocked 17:58 at a Thanksgiving week 5K. Once the gun sounded and they were off, the three quickly found their own pace and ran largely separate races. Awe covered the first mile in 5:25, enjoying a 100-meter lead on Black. Newport was closer to Black but still almost 40 meters back. The gaps grew the rest of the way with Awe earning his second Masters National Road Race championship in 22:03. 

Feeling No Pressure from Behind, Robb Awe eases in for an M50 Gold Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic   


Black finished strongly, clipping a few seconds off of Awe's lead but still finishing a good 200 meters back, in second place. Newport, another 200 meters back, finished third.

Robb Awe 22:03     Alan Black 22:57     Jason Newport 23:45

55-59 This division is typically stacked with strong runners and this edition was no different. Zoldak finished sixth overall and had the top age grade. He was the clear leader; the gap between him and the rest of the field was significant, but not huge. Christopher Harris won this division at the 2025 Masters 10 Km Championships in 35:20 and finished 2nd at last year's Masters 5 km Championships at 17:06. John McMahon finished a minute behind Harris to take 5th in 55-59 at the World Masters Athletics 8 Km XC Championship race. In March, he clocked 28:12 at the Running of the Green 5 Miler in upstate New York. Michael Mallon finished 2nd M55 in the Masters 10 Mile Championships last August.  His 59:33 represents a strong effort over the challenging Crim course in Flint MI.  Three months later he turned in a 17:39 5K. John Prineas has not been active at recent road races but ran 5K's last fall in the 17:47 to 18:33 range. While Zoldak was contesting with the overall leaders in the first mile, Harris was establishing a good gap on the rest of the field. His closest pursuer at the 1 Mile split was Mallon who was 50 meters back, followed by McMahon another 20 meters back. Prineas was fifteen meters behind McMahon but that gap continued to grow. Harris's gap on the field also grew steadily, reaching 200 meters by the finish. 

Christopher Harris Finishes Strong to Claim the M55 Silver Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic    


But McMahon was locked onto Mallon in the race for the bronze medal. Thirty meters back when they made the 180 turn for the last couple of miles, McMahon kept it right there for Mile three and closed in Mile 4. McMahon was able to blow by and pull away down the final stretch! He enjoyed a twenty second gap on Mallon. A half minute later, Prineas finished fifth.

Frank Zoldak 21:28     Christopher Harris 22:10     John McMahon 23:04

60-64 The top contenders were Douglas Baldwin and Mark Zamek, both running for the Twin Cities Running Club. Baldwin finished fourth in the M60+ race at Club Cross in Tacoma, about a half minute ahead of Zamek. But they would not have an easy time of it. Atlanta's Lester Dragstedt, and GVH's Joe Mora and Mike Nier, out of Rochester NY, would be pressing them. Dragstedt won the 2024 M60 5K Championship at Atlanta in 18:19. This April he finished fifth M60 at the 10K Championships in 39:12. Mora clocked 30:37 at the Liverpool Turkey Trot 5 Miler last November. His third-place finish at the 2023 Masters Road Mile championships in 5:13 shows the kind of potential speed he brings to the race. And Nier is no slouch at speed either. Nier is managing a heart condition so well that he finished within a minute of Dragstedt at the 10K Championships. Like Mora, Nier is no stranger to the middle-distance wars on the track. He, too, can close well when it counts. Of course, closing speed can be taken out of the fastest runner by a punishing pace. Baldwin shot off the starting line when the airhorn sounded, with Zamek determined to keep pace. By the Mile mark, which Baldwin hit in 5:42, Zamek was over 50 meters back. Twenty-five meters behind Zamek the three other contenders were running in a group, Mora leading the way, with Dragstedt on his heels and then Nier. Baldwin kicked his lead up to 75 meters on the second mile, but Zamek held it there, giving no further ground. Baldwin won in 22:58. Zamek took second with a hundred meters to spare. 

Mark Zamek strides to the Finish and His M60 Silver Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic     

By the 180 turn around just before the 2-mile mark, Dragstedt had taken over the main chase duties, hitting the 2-mile mark at 11:48 with more than 50 meters on Nier and Mora. Dragstedt added to that lead, pulling away to claim the bronze medal with a cushion of well over 100 meters. Nier outlasted Mora, finishing fourth in 24:05, with 21 seconds on his teammate.

Douglas Baldwin 22:58     Mark Zamek 23:14     Lester Dragstedt 23:36

65-69 This was Dan King's division. As USATF does not currently track 4 Mile Records, there was no AR for King to break! His goal was to run fast, collect the Grand Prix points that go with a win and not strain anything. King is a master at rehab, but he had a clear Road Mile record to shoot at a week later in Indianapolis. Nothing about this race should jeopardize that effort, at his favorite distance! His closest competitor would likely be Roger Sayre, a terrific runner, but one who has been focusing his training on the longer end of the LDR spectrum. The M65 American 25K Record holder at 1:39:50, Sayre dropped down in distance to take the M65 win at the 10K championships in 38:17. Doug Keller, another TCRC athlete, was fresh off a Memorial Day 18:44 at the Brian Kraft Memorial run. Norm Larson, in his last year in the division, is still dangerous. He finished seventh M65 at the 10K championships in 41:20. If any of the leaders ran into trouble there would be no huge gap for them to take advantage of. As expected, King had no injury flare-ups. The first mile of the course has the only real uphill section. King still hit the 1 Mile marker at 5:59, with over 70 meters on the field. Sayre came next but Keller was within a few strides in third. Larson ran within himself, hitting the first mile in 6:50. King strode too the win, adding to his margin with each passing mile. He claimed the win in 23:39. At the turn around at two miles, Keller was still hanging on tenaciously to Sayre, with just four seconds between them. But the third mile proved tougher; Sayre moved out to a thirty-meter lead on Keller. And that was it. Keller finished strong with a 6:06 last mile but Sayre was stronger, finishing second with a cushion of a hundred meters. 

Roger Sayre drives for the finish line as he finishes 2nd in M65 and gains a Top Ten Age Grade at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic     

Larson negative split the race, dropping his pace by 9 seconds per mile for the third mile and covering the last mile in 6:15! Apart from possibly Club Cross, this is the first championship I recall that this Larson (differentiating from Nat and Kirk) has not competed at national championships apart from the 10K Championships in New England. If Larson is going to run more races on the circuit, the M70 Grand Prix will be enlivened by his presence! Watch out!

Dan King 23:39     Roger Sayre 24:43     Doug Keller 24:59

70-74 Jim Linn won the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships for M70 at 19:43 and finished second at the 10K Championships this April in 41:56. Jack Pottle has been going back and forth with Linn at national championships. Pottle, still in 65-69 at the time, came in a minute ahead of Linn at the USATF 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder. That was not surprising; Pottle trains at altitude and Linn does not. At Club Cross in Tacoma, over 8 Km at sea level, Linn reversed the tables, finishing twenty seconds ahead of Pottle. At the 10 Km Championships in April, these two met again at sea level. The result was the same; Linn finished a half minute ahead of Pottle. Peoria is only 509' above sea level. That should favor Linn. But perhaps Pottle is also better with shorter distances. That could be a potential equalizer. Scott Lucking, Reno Stirrat, and Dennis Kurtis were also in the hunt. A minute and a half behind Linn at the 10 Km championships, these two finished within 11 seconds of one another. Stirrat was less than a half minute behind Kurtis. Linn and Pottle took it out hard, Linn hitting the first mile in 6:51 with Pottle right on his shoulder. There was a 50-meter gap back to the chase pack, which was just as tightly packed. Kurtis and Stirrat were leading the way, with Lucking tucked in behind. There was no change among the leaders until the middle of the third mile when Linn had to let Pottle go. Pottle had fifty meters on Linn by the end of the third mile and carried that on through the fourth for the win at 26:38. 

Jack Pottle Gets the 'W' in the 70-74 Division at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic  

The chase pack pulled somewhat closer to Linn over the last mile, but Linn was never threatened. He took second with a cushion of over forty meters. Stirrat pushed the pace in the second mile, taking them through that split in 6:48. That gave hi a 20-meter gap on the others. But it was short-lived. Stirrat pulled even by the end of the third mile. Kurtis had to hope those two would slow in the last mile as he was now a long (as far as M70 was concerned) fifty meters back. Lucking had more in the tank for the final mile, finishing third with a six second margin on Stirrat! Kurtis was fifth another 14 seconds back. It is always a battle in this division! It was a great day for Pottle, his first M70 national road championship!

Jack Pottle 26:38     James Linn 27:12     Scott Lucking 27:24

75-79 Gary Ostwald was the heavy favorite. At the 10K championships in 2024, he finished second to Gene Dykes who is out these days with a severe knee injury. His 45:32 last year left him a minute ahead of Jerry Learned, likely his toughest competition on this day. Since that race, Ostwald has won every M75 championship he has competed in, with the wins becoming more and more dominant. At Club Cross this past December, Ostwald won in 38:27, a good three minutes ahead of Learned. The other two competitors would fight it out for third and fourth, most likely. Paul Carlin That's me, folks! runs for Ann Arbor Track Club. In 2024, I finished 45 seconds ahead of Atlanta Track Club's Allen Joyce at the 10 Km Championships. Even though I finished on the M75 podium at the 10 Mile, 12Km and Half Marathon championships in the late summer and fall, those were tough races for me. With a food poisoning episode sabotaging my effort at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder, I felt spent by the end of the year. For the first time in recent years, I skipped Club Cross. I intended to compete at Lubbock but, like many others, had a cancelled flight that kept me in Michigan. Joyce, as it turns out, had a good winter of training in South Carolina. We had a back-and-forth competition over the first half of the 10 Km Road Race at the WMA Championships in February. But Joyce was able to pass and pull away to beat me by a minute in 55:00. That gave him the honor as third US finisher to mount the team podium with Terry McCluskey and Victor Vasquez; they collected team gold. This would be our first meeting since then. As anticipated, Ostwald had a solid victory, taking the lead early and never relinquishing. Up by 200 meters at the halfway mark, he finished first at 27:48. Learned ran a good race, keeping Ostwald's winning margin under two minutes.

Jerry Learned Finishing Off His M75 Silver Medal Run at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic   


 The outcome between Joyce and myself was the same as at WMA except that Joyce came in further ahead. Joyce got in front of me heading up the incline in the first half mile and I never recovered. This was his day! Joyce claimed the bronze medal with a cushion of two minutes.

Gary Ostwald 27:48     Jerry Learned 29:38     Allen Joyce 33:43

80-84 Przemek Nowicki, running for New Jersey's Shore AC, and Richard Kutzner, running for the Boulder Road Runners, entered as the likely favorites. After battling challenges last year, Nowicki has been running well this year. He ran 54:45 for a 10K at New Jersey's Cherry Blossom Run in early April and then finished second at the 10 Km Championships in 55:07. Kutzner had been active on the national Masters circuit in the pre-Covid years but has not competed in recent years. He tends to focus his training on the longer races so a 4-Miler is not his forte. In 2017, he finished second at the Masters Half marathon championships. Kutzner clocked 1:31:24 at the Capital Pursuit Ten Miler in September of last year and then turned in a 1:57:33 at the Rock n Roll HM in San Antonnio in December. Ed Bligh of Atlanta can never be ignored, especially at races under 10 Km long. In February of last year, he finished 2nd M80 at the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships in 28:31. This spring he clocked 1:02:38 at a 10K in Georgia. Nowicki has always told me he does not like hills. This course has an uphill in the first mile. Perhaps due to that, Kutzner got out to an early lead. In the second half of that first mile, Nowicki regained his equilibrium on the flat and closed the gap to a few strides by the end of the first mile. After that, it was all Nowicki. He had forty meters on Kutzner by the end of the second mile and nearly a hundred by the end of the third. Nowicki won in 35:51. 

Przemek Nowicki Earned the M80 Gold Medal at the2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic    

Bligh ran conservatively allowing Kutzner to build a half minute lead by the three-mile mark. Bligh cut seventeen seconds out of Kutzner's lead in the last mile but never got closer than fifty meters. Morris Williams finished in fourth place at 45:31. It was a good day for Nowicki, his first M80 win on the circuit this year.

Przemyslaw Nowicki 35:51     Richard Kutzner 37:11     Ed Bligh 37:32

85-89 Roland Cormier, of Shore AC, beat off a challenge from New England's M85 Runner of the Year to win the M85 title at the 2025 Masters 10 Km Championships at the end of April. Here he was unchallenged. Cormier ran well, finishing his four-mile tour of Peoria in 43:23.

Roland Cormier right Showing the Young Pups How an 85-year-old can run to a National Title at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic    


Roland Cormier 43:23

WOMEN 40-44 No Entries. 

45-49 Hruska, out of the Quad Cities, won the Overall crown. She took this division title by several minutes. California's Vanessa Lordi, Chicago's Alicia Martinez, and Laura Scholz, running for the Atlanta TC, had a much closer contest for the remaining podium spots. Lordi typically runs her 5K's in the low to mid-24-minute range. There are many Martinez's out there and a few Alicia Martinez's. I can find Indoor track results, like the 4th place finish in the W45 3000M at the 2024 Indoor Championships in 12:42; that is surely the Martinez entered here. Martinez also finished 5th at the 2023 Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton, running 24:34 on a hot day. I do not find short road race results for Martinez. The 24:34 XC result over 5 Km suggests Martinez is competitive with Lordi. Scholz's 51:06 at the members 10K in Georgia in mid-April suggests that she is not far off the times that Lordi and Martinez have turned in over the shorter distances. Of those three. Martinez took it out the fastest, crossing the 1 Mile marker in7:38. Scholz was forty meters back in third, with Lordi another fifty meters behind Scholz. Whether Martinez had been too exuberant with her first mile or she ran into another problem is unclear. She slowed significantly in the second mile; Scholz not only passed her but built a gap of almost 50 meters on Martinez. Lordi closed to within 25 meters. In the next mile, Lordi passed Martinez, establishing herself in third, but unable to close on Scholz. Scholz enjoyed a lead of fifty meters when she crossed the finish line in second place. Lordi finished third, with Martinez fourth at 32:11. 

Vanessa Lordi captured the W45 Bronze Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

It was a dominant division win for Hruska to go along with her splendid overall win.

Jessica Hruska 24:48     Laura Scholz 31:30     Vanessa Lordi 31:47

50-54 Usually this is one of the more competitive age groups. Abby Dean had the rare experience of being the only entrant. Dean, out of Wilmington DE now, runs for Greater Philadelphia  now. Focused primarily on the Overall race, where she finished third, Dean had no worries about the 50-54 division. She won.

Abby Dean Wraps Up Her Outing that resulted in a W50 Win and Top Five in Age Grading overall at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

Abby Dean 25:49

55-59 Kara Parker, who finished second overall, enjoyed a dominant division win, although not as dominant as Hruska in 45-49. Amy McMahon is always a tough competitor. The most recent road race Championship result I can find for her is from the 2022 Masters 1 Mile Championships; she finished 4th in 50-54 at 5:42. McMahon competes nationally more regularly on the turf. She finished fourth in this division, over 6 Km, at the Tacoma Club Cross Country Championships this past December in 26:35. GVH teammates, Cassie Crane and Brenda Osovski often finish fairly close to one another although Osovski tends to come in ahead. At the recent Masters 10K championships in late April, Osovski finished seventh in 48:46. Crane crossed the line fourteen seconds later. Parker, focused primarily on the race for the overall win, put plenty of distance between herself and the rest of the field. She won the division with three minutes to spare. Though McMahon could not keep pace with Parker, she enjoyed a strong outing; she hit the one-mile marker in 6:54, with a lead of over 150 meters on the third-place runner, Crane. Osovski was apparently running at less than full fitness; at least that was suggested by the KT Tape on her right leg. Her split at the first mile, 8:17, was a slower pace than her average pace per mile, 7:52, at the 10K Championships. But she showed up for the team! McMahon stretched her lead at each mile, claiming the silver medal, with over 300 meters to spare. Crane ran a solid race to take third. 

Cassandra Crane powers her way to the Finish Line and the W55 Bronze Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

Osovski overcame her apparent injury to take 4th in 33:59.

Kara Parker 25:37     Amy McMahon 28:41     Cassandra Crane 30:45

60-64 Kris Huff, of the Atlanta TC, was the favorite. She finished fourth in this division at the February 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta at 28:33. She finished second in the division at the Masters Half Marathon championships in Indianapolis last October with a 1:39:32. That course is rather challenging; Huff's 3:15:32 outing at the Boston Marathon this spring gives a better picture of Huff's distance strength. Pamela Ricker, Shore AC, ran 48:21 to finish eighth in this division at the Masters 10K Championships in April. Her teammate, Leslie Nowicki, is enjoying an upswing in her racing results, due, no doubt, to steady progress in training. Last fall, Nowicki's 5K's were in the 26:13 to 27:34 range. This April she clocked 52:47 at the Masters 10K Championships. That result suggested she could keep pace with hometown runner, Crystal Kyle. If the Interplanetary 5K that Kyle ran in April is a true 5K, it would be tough for Nowicki to stay with her; her time was 24:39. But Kyle also ran the gate River Run this March, clocking 1:22:25. That course is tough, with its climb up the Hart Bridge ['Green Monster'] in the 8th mile, but Kyle's time would not be out of reach for someone who can break 53 minutes in a 10K. Kyle ran 32:21 on this course last year. Ricker would concede nothing to Huff; she would have to earn it. Huff and Ricker both hit the first mile split in 7:20. Huff pressed the pace in the second mile, crossing the 2-mile mat at 14:20 with a 30-meter lead on Ricker. A third mile in less than 7:10 did the trick for Huff. She had a hundred-meter lead on Ricker heading into the last mile. Huff kicked the lead up to 150 meters as she won in 28:03. 

Kris Huff finishes off her Gold Medal W60 Run, enjoying a Top Five Overall Finish at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic

Ricker claimed second with a cushion of over four minutes. In the race for bronze, Kyle had an early 70-meter lead on Nowicki. That did not change substantially through the 180 turn around in the park and the two-mile split. But Nowicki began to make progress on catching the 'F60' back bib she could see in front of her. By the end of the third mile, Nowicki had reduced the gap to just twenty meters. The chaser's worry at that point is whether the runner ahead has conserved enough energy to fight off the catch or allow the catch and then repass closer to the end. In this case, Nowicki made the catch in the final mile and held on. She had the bronze medal with five seconds to spare! Kyle had to settle for fourth in her first outing at a Masters National championships race.

Kriss Huff 28:03     Pamela Ricker 29:08     Leslie Nowicki 33:45

65-69 As noted above, Atlanta's Combs won this division and attained the top age grading score. She hit the 1 Mile mark in 7:05 with a forty-meter lead on the field. She added to it each mile, winning in 28:18 with a cushion of over a minute. Suzanne Cordes is known mostly as a turf runner. She finished fourth overall in 60-64 at the highly competitive 2022 Club Cross Country Championships at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. She also has enjoyed wins at the 2022 and 2024 Masters 5K XC Championships at Boulder, along with a W65 win at Cross Country Nationals in Lubbock TX this January. Shore AC's Marie Capdeveille and Lisa Vaughn match up pretty well with each other and with Atlanta's Cindy Williams. Capdeveille and Vaughn have recent 5K's that are only 28 seconds apart. Vaugh ran a 25:41 5K at the Quad Cities Distance Classic while Capdeveille ran 26:07 last October at the Little Silver 5K. If endurance comes into play, Vaughn appears to have the edge. She clocked 52:06 in April 2024 to take 7th in this division at the Masters 10K Championships. That compares favorably with Capdeveille's 53:21 at the Essex County Cherry Blossom 10K this April. Williams was a regular on the circuit in her 60's but less so recently. In 2019 she finished 4th in 60-64 at the Masters 5 km Championships at 24:41. Her 51:05 at the Members 10K in April suggests she is ready to challenge for this 4 Mile bronze medal. Although not able to stay with Combs, Cordes ran strong. At the first mile split she had almost two hundred meters on the rest of the field. Like Combs, she added to that cushion with each passing mile, claiming the silver medal with a margin of almost four minutes. Vaughn and Williams passed the 1 Mile mark in 8:17, neck and neck, with Capdeveille tucked in behind. Vaughn pressed the pace in the second mile, crossing the mat at 16:18. That gave her some breathing room; Williams, with Capdeveille a stride back, was a good thirty meters behind. Vaughn slowed a bit in Mile 3 but so did Williams; the gap remained the same. But Capdeveille was struggling to stay with Williams; thirty meters lay between them at the end of mile three. Vaughn, Williams, and Capdeveille all finished strong. That second mile made the difference between Vaughn and Williams. Vaughn enjoyed the bronze medal. 

Lisa Vaughn Flies to the Finish as she claims W65 Bronze at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic 

Despite (or because of) her best efforts, Williams was still 30 meters back and Capdeveille was still thirty meters behind Williams! Quite a contest! 

Patrice Combs 28:18     Suzanne Cordes 29:21     Lisa Vaughn 33:13

70-74 Nora Cary, who broke the 70-74 American Record at the Masters 10K Championships with a 43:20, was a scratch. As a result, Cindy Lucking became the favorite. She had finished third at the 10K Championships in 56:41. Helene Myers who clocked 1:22:43 at the 10K championships would also compete. Lucking had no issues; her steady effort resulted in a W70 gold medal in 37:23. 

Cindy Lucking Crosses the Finish Line; She wins the W70 Gold Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic  


Myers keeps showing up. Whenever she shows up, she completes the race and earns points towards the Grand Prix Championships. last year she was the Women's 70-74 Grand Prix Champion.  Myers' silver medal gives her 95 points, while Lucking collects 100 points toward the 2025 Masters National Grand Prix title. With another hundred points from this race, Lucking's MNGP points total rises to 470. That means she has pretty much locked up the Grand Prix title. Myers will not be able to catch her. Cary could still catch her but needs to race three more Championships to do so.

75-79 Atlanta teammates, Kathleen Allen and Andrea McCarter were focused on the team championship. Allen was a strong favorite individually. She won the 75-79 title at the Masters 10K Championships in April in 1:03:03:06. McCarter ran 1:16:43 at the Members 10K in Georgia, also this April. Allen won the gold medal in 41:06.  Twenty-three minutes later, McCarter collected the silver medal. 

Andrea McCarter Makes Her Way to the Finish and her W79 Silver Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic     

At one level, McCarter had no reason to hurry. But her finishing time is a good deal slower than one would expect so she may have run into trouble on the course or come in with fitness issues.

Kathleen Allen 41:06     Andrea McCarter 1:04:10

80-84 Susan Sajdak, of Greater Rochester NY, was the only entrant. Though listed as 'Unattached', I suspect Sajdak may have a connection to GVH. It would seem odd, otherwise, for Sajdak to suddenly show up at her first national championship in Illinois. Knowing that the Sport80 registration platform is not easy for a first-time user to navigate, I can imagine that a team affiliation might not have been registered. As GVH had no 70+ team, there was no reason to correct it. It will be interesting to see if Sajdak shows up at future championships. Her 46:30 took the gold medal.

Susan Sajdak left Crosses the Finish Line to Earn the W80 Gold Medal at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic     


Susan Sajdak 46:30

85-89 Unopposed in this race, Joyce Hodges-Hite is well on her way to her second consecutive Masters National Grand Prix title. Hodges-Hite completed the race and won, despite having to wear a substantial knee brace. 

Joyce Hodges-Hite wins the 85-89 Division at the 
2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championship, hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo courtesy of Steamboat Classic   
 

This victory raised her total to 400 points. Unless someone shows up soon to compete against Hodges-Hite she looks almost certain to repeat as W85 Grand Prix Champion.

Joyce Hodges-Hite 1:12:25

TEAMS Note: Teams may declare up to five runners; the top three finishers from each team have their finishing times added up. The lower the score the better. The Atlanta Track Club cleaned up with the Women’s races. Unopposed in the W70+ division, Atlanta needed to compete against the Shore Athletic Club in W60+. Atlanta was up to the task. With Huff and Combs going 1-2 in the team race and building up a time advantage of six minutes on Shore's top two, Ricker and Vaughn, all Atlanta needed was for Williams to finish not too far back. In fact, Williams came in five seconds ahead of Shore's third runner, Capdeveille, closing off Atlanta's scoring at 1:29:46. They enjoyed a six-minute margin on Shore. There were no teams entered in the 40+ nor the 50+ division.

60+ Atlanta Track Club K Huff, P Combs, C Williams 1:29:46 29:56 average; Shore Athletic Club P Ricker, L Vaughn, M Capdeveille 1:35:57 31:59

70+ Atlanta Track Club K Allen, A McCarter, J Hodges-Hite 2:57:41 59:14

On the Men’s side, the M50+ division saw Atlanta TCBoulder Road Runners, and Shore AC, out of New Jersey, competing for team honors. Shore had a complete 3-runner team entered to pick up Grand Prix points. Their lead runner, Scott Siriano is competitive in the 50+ division. In fact, he won the 55-59 Masters Grand Prix last year. But the other two athletes, John Blaser and Scott Linnell dropped down from the 65-69 division. They are competitive in that division and in Team 60+, but less so in the 50+ Team division. Shore finished third, a good 15 minutes behind the second place finishing team. It was very tight between Boulder and Atlanta. It initially looked as if Boulder had edged Atlanta for first. Zoldak came first for Boulder, 41 seconds faster than Atlanta's first runner, Harris. Atlanta's second runner, Black, came in 27 seconds ahead of Boulder's 2nd runner, Mallon, leaving Boulder ahead by 14 seconds. When Atlanta's third runner, Dragstedt, edged Boulder's third runner, Prineas, by a single second, it appeared that Boulder had the win with 13 seconds to spare. But Atlanta's Team Captain noticed in the overall results posted by the LOC, the Steamboat Classic, that both Mallon and Prineas reside in Iowa. That runs afoul of Rule 341.8 in the USATF Rules of Competition. The team captain protested the result on that basis. The Executive Committee of the Masters LDR Committee did not rule on the protest until after the conclusion of the event. Their decision was to disqualify the team's extra runner from the Team scoring only, that is, the second runner who resides outside of the Colorado association. It did not matter whether Mallon or Prineas is excluded. NOTE: To be clear, added evidence came out later that the problem with the Boulder Road Runners team was entirely due to the timing company mistakenly adding Mallon to the Team Roster. The BRR team declared a team with just Zoldak, Prineas and Sayre. Had the error not been made, the outcome would be exactly as it turned out with the 'DQ.'  Either way, their 4th finisher, Roger Sayre, moves into the third scoring position. Like Blaser and Linnell for Shore, Sayre was dropping down from the 65-69 division to help the 50+ team. Sayre's time of 24:33 meant that Atlanta won the contest, but it kept Boulder ahead of Shore.

50+ Atlanta Track Club C Harris, D Black, L Dragstedt (B Slavens, T Brooks) 1:08:24 22:55 avg.; Boulder Road Runners F Zoldak, M Mallon, R Sayre 1:09:26 23:09; Shore Athletic Club S Siriano, J Blaser, S Linnell 1:24:03 28:01

The Twin Cities Running Club and the Genesee Valley Harriers, out of Rochester NY, contested the M60+ division. TCRC was a heavy favorite due to the presence of both Baldwin and Zamek, a duo likely to finish 1-2 in the division. But GVH is a strong team and gave it their best effort. As anticipated, Baldwin and Zamek did finish 1-2 but GVH's Nier and Mora finished 3-4. After the first two runners on both teams had scored, TCRC was two minutes ahead, a large lead but not insurmountable. Luckily for TCRC, Keller made the trip and finished next, only a half minute behind Mora and a half minute ahead of GVH's third scoring runner, Dale Flanders. That gave TCRC the win with a margin of almost three minutes.

60+ Twin Cities Running Club D Baldwin, M Zamek, D Keller (P Kessler, J Mirth) 1:11:11 23:44; Genesee Valley Harriers M Nier, J Mora, D Flanders (M Mertens) 1:14:06 24:42

The M70+ division featured a four-team race between the Boulder Road Runners, the Shore AC, the Atlanta TC and the Ann Arbor TC.  Pottle scored first for Boulder, followed 34 seconds later by Shore's Linn. Twelve seconds later, Lucking gave Atlanta its first score. Shore's 2nd runner, Stirrat, crossed the line fifteen seconds ahead of Ann Arbor's first runner, Denny Kurtis. Boulder's Ostwald finished just four seconds astern of Kurtis. That gave Boulder a slim lead over Shore at that point, 54:28 to 54:43. A minute and 19 seconds after Ostwald came Bell, Boulder's third runner. That gave Boulder the win. Shore, as it turns out, was relying on Nowicki, 80, as their third runner. Nowicki could not give them a fast enough time for a win, but he was close enough to the #3 runners on the other teams that he gave Shore the 2nd place finish. Had he run 19 seconds slower, Atlanta would have claimed team silver. Learned added to Atlanta's edge over Ann Arbor by coming in a half minute ahead of Ann Arbor's Pratt. Joyce completed the third-place scoring for Atlanta by finishing two minutes ahead of Ann Arbor's Carlin. Carlin finished one second ahead of Shore's Nowicki, but it did not matter; Shore had a large enough lead from their first two runners. Boulder had the win, with Shore 2nd and Atlanta a close third. Ann Arbor finished fourth, two minutes and 56 seconds behind Atlanta.

70+: Boulder Road Runners J Pottle, G Ostwald, D Bell 1:23:37 27:53; Shore AC J Linn, R Stirrat, P Nowicki (R Cormier) 1:30:34 30:12Atlanta TC S Lucking, J Learned, A Joyce (E Bligh, M Williams) 1:30:52 30:18

That winds up the coverage of the 2025 Masters Four Mile Championships. 

The next stop for the Masters Grand Prix was the USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships, one week later, on June 21st in Indianapolis, IN. Look for the recap soon.