Thursday, August 25, 2016

2016 USATF MASTERS 1 MILE CHAMPIONSHIP-CRIM FESTIVAL OF RACES-PREVIEW



August 25 2016.  Over a hundred speedy Masters Distance Runners are arriving in Flint Michigan to participate in the National 1 Mile Road Championship this Friday, August 26th. The Masters Grand Prix starts up again after taking much of the summer off. The 5th stop on the Individual Circuit this year, the Grand Prix will continue with road races in Syracuse NY (5K) on October 2nd, Tulsa OK (15K) on October 29th and with the Masters 5 km XC and Club Cross Country in Tallahassee FL on November 6th and December 10th.

The USATF 1 Mile Championship is part of the CRIM Festival of Races excitement for the third straight year. Many runners will compete in the 1 Mile events Friday night, catch a little shut-eye and be up in the morning for the signature event of the HealthPlus CRIM Festival, the 40th running of its 10 Mile Run.

The Masters Races go off at 6:30 pm (Men) and 6:45 pm (Women). The 1 Mile course essentially traces a rectangle around the University of Michigan-Flint campus except that you continue on an extra block before turning to finish up just beyond where you started but a block further north. The times are not typically fast but the long, straight run into the finish can be very exciting.
Individual and team titles are on the line, as well as points for the Grand Prix. The weather is forecast to be pretty good for a 1 mile run, with sunny skies and a temperature in the upper 70’s to low 80’s, with moderate winds. Were the race longer the temps might be worrisome but for a one mile jaunt it should be manageable. The previews and predictions below are offered in good fun and with the understanding that predicting is tough. Occasionally I am provided with inside information on a runner who is subpar or has had to withdraw but generally the race-specific runner fitness is unknown in advance. First are the Individual Races and then the Teams.

INDIVIDUAL RACES.
OVERALL
Men. Last year it was a killer dash to the tape among three West Coast runners, Gregory Mitchell, Jerome Vermeulen and John Gardiner. Vermeulen edged in front of Mitchell in the last 50 meters, but Mitchell hung tough and regained his lead to win by a few inches at the tape. Gardiner was only a stride back. Mitchell is not here this year but the two Cal Coast Track Club teammates will return to battle it out. The strongest local competition is likely to come from Rob McConnell and Ken Richendollar. In March, McConnell finished 2nd overall and 1st Masters in the Ronald McDonald Run for the House 5K in 16:03 and captured the Masters title in the Traverse City Cherry Mile in 4:35.9. Richendollar recently finished 2nd in the 1500 Meters on the track at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 4:22.8.  Nat Larson, from Massachusetts, could also figure in the race to the finish. Not only did he run strong in the USATF 10K Masters Championship in Dedham MA, laying down a 33:50, he also ran a really fast Spring Street Mile in Connecticut in June, recording a 4:28.9.  That is a tick faster than Mitchell’s winning time here at the CRIM last year. Of course the point-to-point straight shot course at Spring Street is advertised as ‘fast’ and no one claims that the course in Flint is ‘fast.’
Start of the 2015 USATF Masters Men-Mile Championship-CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

If this were back in June, I would certainly give the edge to the Californians but it is a little trickier in late August. In June Vermeulen won the Masters Elite section of Santa Barbara California’s State Street Mile in 4:18 and John Gardiner finished 5th in the Exhibition Masters 1500 Meter race at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene OR in 4:01.4. Gardiner and Vermeulen have been working on building their base for the fall Cross Country season. Nonetheless it should still pan out as a battle to the wire between Gardiner and Vermeulen. After all, Larson and Richendollar may also be in base-building mode. Unless there is a late entry there do not appear to be any contenders who can match their foot speed.  Gardiner, Vermeulen, Larson

Women. Last year Tammy Nowik enjoyed an easy victory by comparison, taking first by 12 seconds in 5:29. The race between Serena Kessler and Lisa Veneziano was closer but Kessler was able to open up a gap and take second by 4 seconds over Veneziano. The two Patient Endurance Racing teammates from Michigan, Nowik and Kessler, as well as Veneziano are entered again this year. And there are two newcomers from out of state who are likely to give Nowik a real race for the Gold this year.  Melissa Gacek is traveling from White Bear Lake, Minnesota and the USATF Women’s 50-54 Division Runner of the Year, Marisa Sutera Strange, hails from Pleasant Valley New York.
In addition to winning this mile race last year, Nowik had subsequent successes, including a 5th place finish in the 2015 USATF Masters Marathon Championship at the Twin Cities [Oct] in 2:53:41 and a first place masters finish at the 2015 Indy Monumental Half Marathon a month later in 1:22:48. So we know she has staying power. In June she tested her speed over 5K, taking first Masters prize at the Brian Diemer Amerikam 5K in 18:20.

Kessler was not idle either, and can point to three second place Masters finishes at highly visible road races in 2016—the Capital City Half Marathon [May] in Columbus OH, with a 1:25:53; the Fifth Third River Bank 25K Run [May] in 1:43:09; and the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon [June] in 1:26:32.
Tammy Nowick leading the USATF Masters Women-Mile Championship-CRIM Festival  [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

Gacek finished first at the Fifth Third River Bank Run in 1:39:28 and followed that with a Masters win in the 1 Mile Run at the Medtronics Twin Cities Mile Run in late May in 5:26.6. She continued to see-saw back between longer and shorter races over the summer, claiming the masters win at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (at Grandma’s Marathon) in Duluth in 1:22:45. A month later she took 2nd in the Women’s 40-44 Division in the 1500 Meter Run at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in 5:02.5.

Unlike the other three, who all occupy the Women’s 40-44 age group, Strange is 53, but she is a very speedy 53 over the middle long distances. She earned her Runner of the Year title by not only taking age division prizes but overall prizes at USATF Masters Championships. She won the 2015 USATF Masters 5K Championship at Syracuse last October in 17:38, and the 2016 USATF Masters 10K Championship at Dedham MA this past April in 36:48. She was also the top Masters finisher in the Freihofer’s 5K for Women in June in 17:41. Finally she won the Women’s 50-54 Division Championship in the 1500 Meter Run at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in 5:09.1.

From the 1500 meter run results it looks like Gacek might have an edge over Strange but that impression could be misleading. Gacek ran only the 1500 meters whereas Strange may have been still feeling the effects of her win in the 5000 Meter Run three days earlier. On the other hand, the winner in that race kicked away to win by 7 seconds and Gacek was not pressed for 2nd place.

Nowik should have a slight edge, perhaps home field advantage, over Gacek although many of their accomplishments seem comparable. Kessler and Veneziano seem a half step slower but the race may tell us otherwise.

This should be a terrific competition. Nowik, Gacek, Strange.

Age-Grading

Men. The top age grading performances last year among returning runners were turned in by Jerome Vermeulen (94.1), Tom Bernhard (89.9), John Gardiner (89.7), Doug Goodhue (89.5, injury), and Mike Nier (88.3) in that order.  Gary Patton, the renowned middle distance track specialist from Iowa, will certainly join that crew although whether he can make top 3 seems uncertain. Goodhue is rehabbing an injury and it is uncertain whether he will race or not. Vermeulen, Bernhard, Gardiner

Women. Among returning runners the top age grading performances last year were turned in by: Lisa Veneziano (83.7),  Lorraine Jasper (82.9), Christine Vincent (82.4), Maryellen Stornant (82.3), Tammy Nowik (81.0), and Amy Nemeth (80.1). Marisa Sutera Strange will surely join the list and almost certainly top it this year; she typically grades well over 90%. That will be hard to do here as the Age-Grading on this Mile Course typically is lower than normal by a percentage point or two; it is a challenging mile course to run fast on.

AGE GROUPS

Men

40-44. Gardiner, McConnell, and Richendollar, mentioned above for the overall race, should make up the podium in the division. If any of those fail to start or run into problems, Josh Harter, a low 17 minute 5K specialist or Lee Shaw who has run a 17:00 5K and a 1:20:34 ½ Marathon this year, could factor in. Gardiner, McConnell, Richendollar.
Todd Straka heading into the final straightaway nailing an M45 Silver Medal at the 2015 USATF Masters men's 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

45-49. Vermeulen who I have topped as a podium contender should certainly take the M45 gold medal. He is bringing along a new Cal Coast teammate, Michael John Stanley, who will be in the hunt for silver. He ran a 5K recently in 17:13 and clocked a 2:52:25 Boston Marathon in April. Local runners in contention include Eric Green of Pontiac Michigan who finished 6th here last year in 5:07 and ran a 30:52 8K a month ago. Thomas Preiss battled Green to the finish line last year, recording the same 5:07 time. He typically seems to run between 17:30 Derek Dexter ran an 18:37 5K recently, but last year he ran a couple of 5K’s in 17:26 and 17:37 so he may be rounding into shape and could also challenge. Vermeulen, Stanley, Preiss.
Chase Pack_2015_USATF Masters Men-1 Mile Championship [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]
and 18:30 for 5K’s.

50-54. Larson should be a safe bet for Gold. After that it will be the usual battle among several longtime rivals in this group. Mike Nier, of the Genesee Valley Harriers, won here last year in 4:52, and pretty much the same set of rivals are here to try to keep Nier from snagging another podium finish. Ruben Henderson and Eric Stuber of Playmakers Elite/New Balance trailed Nier to the line, 7 seconds back in 4:59; both had the same time. Their teammate, Tim Lambrecht, was another 8 seconds back. Jeff Haertel of the Atlanta Track Club will also try to complicate things. He ran a 17:55 and an 18:20 5K this summer. Haertl and Henderson’s times in 5K this year are quite comparable but Stuber and Nier appear to be running slightly stronger so I will give those two the edge in the pick and give Stuber the edge over Nier on the grounds that he may have more motivation to reverse the order of finish from last year. Larson, Stuber, Nier.

55-59. Last year Dave Bussard came up from Indiana to scorch this group, winning by half a minute in 4:57 but he has another engagements this year. In his absence, the second place finisher from San Jose California, Antonio Arreola, is back and is one of the favorites. Last year Michael Young and Hugh Kuchta trailed Arreola to the line in 5:37 and 5:43. They are both entered again but have a new contender to reckon with. William ‘Hugh’ Enicks is making the trip from Chattanooga this year; even though he prefers longer races, he will be a force to contend with. Currently tied for the lead of the Men’s 55-59 Division of the 2016 USATF Masters Grand Prix, Enicks has had strong runs in the 8K and Half Marathon national championships this year. He tied for 2nd in the 8K, running 28:50 and took 2nd outright in the Half Marathon in 1:20:22. Arreola and Enicks both ran in the 2015 8K Championships with Enicks besting Arreola on that occasion by 40 seconds when he ran about the same time as in 2015. Based on that result, I give Enicks the edge. Unfortunately for those two, Playmakers was able to replace Bussard with someone wh appears to be just about as fast in Kerry Barnett from Keego Harbor Michigan.Barnett was 3rd Masters Overall and first in M55 at the Crecent City Classic in New Orleans in a fast 35:03. At the recent Brian Diemer Amerikam 5K he took the Grand Masters Championship in a smoking 16:53! Maybe Barnett will give Enicks a chance to get even at a half marathon sometime.  Barnett, Enicks, Arreola.
Kareem Lanier [90] and Tim Lambrecht [189] Churning to the Finish with a Full Head of Steam at the 2015 USATF Masters Men's 1 Mile Championships at the CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]
60-64. Last year Tom Bernhard and Mark Rybinski ran it right to the wire where Bernhard got the edge with a lean as they were given the same 5:21 time. Both are back but Bernhard has moved up to the 65-69 group so they may again have a terrific race but will get different age group awards anyway. The next two runners in were Doug Bell and Peter Mullin, both of whom have also moved up to 65-69. So Rybinski is the favorite. Can anyway challenge him? Ken Youngers of the Atlanta Track Club did not compete here last year but has just moved up to the 60-64 group this summer and is ready to roll. Both Rybinski and Youngers have had occasional injury issues over the last couple of years so even head to head races can be tricky to judge. Nonetheless, looking back at the 5K and 10K national championship races at Syracuse and Dedham suggests that Youngers should be able to outrun Rybinski at those distances. Who gets third? Last year, at least among those returning, Genesee Valley’s Bill Beyerbach beat out Ann Arbor’s John Tarkowski and Wally Hayes. But Tarkowski and Hayes have been battling injuries this year and ran well below their normal standards at Dedham in April. That suggests Beyerbach may have the edge; he came in ahead of both at Dedham. But both Hayes and Tarkowski appear to have healed somewhat with Tarkowski showing greater improvement, as witnessed by a 21:03 5K in the Dexter-Ann Arbor run and a 5:48.5 one mile run. Unfortunately I note a 36:02 8K in late July. Unless the Northville 8K is unusually challenging, I worry that Tarkowski may have been feeling pain or re-injured something. Tarkowski is a tough, tough runner but he has had a difficult year. Youngers, Rybinski, Beyerbach.
M60 Leaders-Doug Bell, Peter Mullin and Mark Rybinski at the USATF Masters Men-1 Mile Championship-CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

65-69. As mentioned above, Tom Bernhard and Peter Mullin have moved up to the 65-69 group now. Bernhard has been unstoppable among his immediate peers and that should continue in this race. Mullin is running stronger again after a couple of down years but he cannot compete with Bernhard right now. Nonetheless Bernhard and Mullin should take the top two spots on the podium. Kirk Larson, one of the mainstays of the Atlanta Track Club has also moved up to the 65-69 group and could well take the age group bronze medal. He ran 40:55 at Dedham in the 10K. Doc Rappole of Genesee Valley is the defending Champion. A couple of years ago he was competing at the top of the 65-69 group when he took the age group gold medal at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder. But like so many others, there have been challenges since and his most recent times are a bit slower than Larson’s. It would be great to see him give Larson a real race for the third place!  Bernhard, Mullin, Larson.

70-74. The top three runners last year were Doug Goodhue, Jan Frisby, and Gerard Malaczynski. Frisby is focused on the World Masters Athletics Championships in Perth, Australia and Malaczynski has not entered this year either. Goodhue has an injury so it is uncertain if he will run. If he ‘runs for the team’ it may not be up to his usual standard. That leaves it pretty much wide open. Paul Carlin (yep, that’s me!) won the USATF 10K Championship in 42:19 after coming back gradually over a year from a right hamstring injury and  hoped to compete for a podium spot. But less than a week after that race, his left hamstring gave out. Like Goodhue, he may ‘run for the team’ but does not expect to break 8 minutes and may not break 9 minutes; he is just running to finish.

Those developments make Gary Patton even more of a favorite. Because Patton is a middle distance specialist, it is unlikely that Carlin or Goodhue, even at their peak form, could best him in a mile run. After all, Patton holds the Men’s 65-69 mile record on the track and his record for 70-74 year olds is pending! Who looks good after Patton? Ordinarily I would say Przemek Nowicki, who finished 3rd at Dedham behind Carlin and Patton. But Nowicki injured one of his quads a few weeks ago and is not at his peak fitness. Nonetheless, he should be able to break 6:45 and that may be enough to make the podium. His teammates, Ed Smith and J.L. Seymore were quite a ways back in the Half Marathon Championships.  What about the Atlanta Track Club? Could Charlie Patterson, Frank White, or Morris Wiliams make the podium? Both White and Williams beat Seymore in the .US National 12K last November.  But Seymore beat Patterson in the 10K at Dedham this year. White beat Seymore in the 5K Championships at Syracuse last year, but Seymore beat Williams. And Seymore’s best 10K time this year is faster than Patterson’s. And, finally, looking back at last year, Williams beat both Patterson and White in this race. So it should be a bit of a barn burner—and will depend on who has the best fitness and is feeling the most moxie on the day. Patton, Nowicki, Williams.



75-79. Last year Harlan Van Blaricum was the only entrant in this Division and won by a mile (literally)! This year Van Blaricum is not registered but three others are. Ron Mastin of the Atlanta Track Club is the favorite. He won the 5K Championship in the age group in Syracuse last October in 23:07 and added the 10K Championship in Dedham in 49:41. Sandy Scott might have given him a battle but has been suffering from a chronic hamstring problem. He is not sure what to expect in the race. Phillip Kroll has been running well and may surprise. Mastin, Kroll, Scott.

80+. There were no entrants in this age group last year. This year Jon Desenberg is the class of the field. He literally has no competition for the gold medal.

Women

40-44. As suggested by the discussion of the Overall Masters Race, Nowik, Gacek and Kessler should make up this group’s podium. Should any of those falter the top Genesee Valley Harrier teammates, Melissa Senall and Wakenda Tyler will be poised to push past and claim a podium spot. Nowik, Gacek, Kessler.
Tammy Nowick heading into the final straightaway for the win at the 2015 USATF Masters Women's 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

45-49. Last year this was a tightly contested group with Amy Nemeth taking 1st in 5:49, followed by Erin Larusso in 5:55 and Liz Bondar in 6:03. Nemeth and Larusso are back but Bondar is not so Nemeth and Larusso start out as favorites. Are there new entrants to challenge them? Nicole Derrick and Amy Wing appear to have the credentials to go 1-2 in this division. Derrick has two sub-1:29 Half Marathons and Wing has one. Although both seem to excel at longer distances they can also crack 20 minutes in a 5K, with Derrick clocking a 19:41 and Wing a 19:06. Neither Nemeth nor Larusso have a recent sub-20 5K but  Larusso does have a 5:49 road mile time while Nemeth has only been able to manage a 6:00.1 this year. Audra Naujokas-Knapp of the Genesee Valley Harriers, and winner of the 2015 Women’s 45-49 Grand Prix, appears ready to compete if any of the others falter. Her 5K in Syracuse last fall of 20:10 suggests she can be competitive at the short distance if she has a good day. Wing, Derrick, Larusso.

50-54. Strange should be challenging for the Overall Masters win so should take first in this division by a wide margin. Most of the remaining entrants in this division were here last year. The top finishers were: Lisa Veneziano 5:45, Christine Vincent 5:54, Lorraine Jasper 6:00, and Julie Pangburn 6:03. Veneziano should again be the best of the rest. She ran a 1:47:31 25K to win her division at the 5th 3rd River Bank Run and got a divisional 3rd place at the Boston Marathon in 3:08:05 on a tough day. She also clocked a recent 18:48 5K. Jasper and Vincent have similar times in 5K’s but Jasper has the advantage of being a Middle Dstance specialist on the track. Her 5:14 at the USATF Outdoor Championships this year translates into something like a 5:40-5:45 mile. If she can replicate that performance, she should get bronze and could even sneak past Veneziano for 2nd. Strange, Veneziano, Jasper
Chase Pack-2015 USATF Masters Women's 1 Mile Championship-CRIM Festival [L. Jasper, M. Stornant, E. Larusso, L. Bondar, S. Becker, A. Nemeth, C. Vincent] - [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]


55-59. Last year there were three entrants, Maryellen Stornant, Colleen Magnussen, and Veronica Jackson. The top two are back but face no new competition. Last year Stornant took the first place by over a half minute so she is the favorite to defend her crown. Stornant, Magnussen.

60-64. The only one of the top 3 finishers from last year who are entered this year is Jean Bolley who finished 3rd in 7:52. There are a number of challengers who will try to move her off the podium. Jill Miller-Robinett of the Impala Racing team out of the Bay Area in California finished 4th in the National 10K Championship in Dedham in a time of 46:49; her 5K times are typically between 21:30 and 23:30. It appears her 5K times are just a little faster than the typical times recorded by the Atlanta Track Club duo of Mary Richards and Margaret Taylor. Miller-Robinett, Richards, Taylor.
Carol Bischoff headed for the Finish Line, leading in the GVH Silver Medal W50 Team at the 2015 USATF Masters Women's 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival
[CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]
65-69. Last year the illustrious Sabra Harvey was the only contestant in this group which, despite being on the comeback trail from a freak foot injury, she won in 6:25. The only other age group winners to best that time were in the three youngest groups, and it was the top Age-Grading performance at 90.77%. Harvey is not here this year but there are two contestants so it will be a more competitive race this year. Donna Chan from the Impala Racing Team of California is toeing the line next to Patricia Degnan of the Playmakers Elite/New Balance team out of Lansing Michigan. It should be competitive but I give the edge to Chan. She has run 5K’s in 23:53 and 23:59 this year along with a 7:21 road mile. Degnan might be better over a longer distance; she ran a 2:14 in the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon last October. Her most recent 5K is a 25:25 effort two years ago. Chan, Degnan.

70-74. Last year Ruth Thelen had a large margin of victory in this group with a 7:59. Cora Hill and Shirley Larsen took the other two spots on the podium in 9:33 and 9:46 respectively. Thelen and Hill are back and have a new challenger in the Impala Racing Team’s Dianne Anderson. It appears that Anderson is a worthy challenger for Thelen. Thelen has run 5K’s this year in 28:49 and 28:12; Anderson ran 28:48 and 28:05. I give a slight edge to Thelen as she has run the shorter distances more frequently. She won the 1500 meters in her USATF Outdoor Championship division in 7:30 which converts to a bit over 8:00 for the mile. But she also ran a recent road mile in 8:09 so she seems to have prepped for the race. Anderson does not appear to have any races shorter than 5K in recent years. Still it should  be a thrilling contest. Thelen, Anderson.

75-79. As with last year, Brighton Michigan’s Ellen Nitz is the lone entrant, She took the title in a speedy 9:28 and there is no reason to think she will not do it again. Her most recent race was the Hungry Duck 5K on the 4th of July; she ran 30:55, 11 seconds slower than her 2015 time in that race. Nitz
Ellen Nitz headed for the W75 Win in the2015 USATF Masters Women's 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

TEAMS 

Men
40+. Last year the same three teams showed up with Cal Coast Track Club winning handily and Patient Endurance edging TNT International with the difference going down to the 3rd runner. Christian 'Cush' Cushing-Murray could not make the trip this year for Cal Coast. With the race on the last Friday of August his teaching commitments kept him in California. Vermeulen and Gardiner are here and have added Michael John Stanley as a substitute. While Stanley is not a perfect substitute for Cushing-Murray, it looks like Cal Coast will not lose much. And that is good for them because Patient Endurance has upped its game a bit with the addition of Derek Dexter to the trio of Eric Green, Thomas Preiss, and Mark Good, who scored for them last year. . My best guess is that the contest will come out the same this year with Patient Endurance 2nd to Cal Coast but with a slightly narrower margin however. With TNT bringing the same team as last year, those 3 runners, the brothers, Kyle and Kareem Lanier, along with Stephen Jones, will have to raise their game to get into the Silver Medal position. Cal Coast TC, Patient Endurance Racing, TNT INternational.

50+. In 2015 Playmakers Elite/New Balance out of Lansing Michigan came with enough strong runners to field two teams and come in 1-2 ahead of their longtime rivals, the Genesee Valley Harriers from greater Rochester New York. But this year neither Dave Bussard nor Ron Zywicki were able to make the trip. So all 5 runners are on one team this year. Unfortunately for the GVH team, they have replaced Bussard with another 55-59 runner who appears to be just about as fast. GVH's Mike Nier could well be the first runner from these teams across the line but it looks like the Playmakers will be able to place Barnett, Stuber and Henderson between Nier and the rest of the doughty GVH crew, Dale Flanders, Gary Radford, John Kerkhove and John Mora. Playmakers Elite, GVH

60+. In 2015 the GVH 60+ team took the gold with Ann Arbor TC A team 2nd and their B team 3rd. This year Ann Arbor is only able to field a single team as some of their injury woes continue. But the GVH team is here in strength and a newly rejuvenated Atlanta Track Club 60's team could well slide into the top spot. As noted earlier, Ken Youngers can now run for Atlanta's 60's team and he should be able to give the 2nd and 3rd runners a good lead to build on. Kirk Larson rejoined Atlanta after a year away and he is always reliable for a good race, although a 1 mile run may be a little short for his taste. Larson ran a 19:54 5K a week ago so he is ready to roll. And Jerry Learned may be right with him. He ran a 5:42 1500 meter in the Outdoor Track Championships [roughly equivalent to a 6:10 mile] and hit 19:15 in the Hollis Fast 5K (although there is a good reason why Hollis includes the word 'fast' as part of their title). Still it is 45 seconds faster than he ran it the year before so maybe Learned has finally put some of his recent injury problems behind him. Ann Arbor, on the other hand, appears to still have some lingering injuries that will hamper them again this year. GVH appears to be in good form but the likely top three of Rubinski, Beyerbach and Rappole will have too much for Tarkowski, Hayes, Pratt and Matsuo to handle. And if Youngers can come in well ahead of Rybinski, that might be all Larson and Learned need to nail down the victory. It will be fun to see it unfold. Atlanta TC, GVH, Ann Arbor TC.
GVH [M60's Mark Rybinski, Bill Beyerbach and Doc Rappole]Warming Up for the 2015 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival

70+. In 2015 Ann Arbor ran away with this division on the heels of Doug Goodhue, Monte Piliawsky, and Wally Herrala. But the margin of victory was ostly due to the Silver Bullet, Goodhue, doing what he does best, putting the hurt on the rest of the field by nearly a minute. The Atloanta Track Club finished 2nd with Morris Williams showing the way with Charlie Patterson and Frank White gaining back some of the gap that Goodhue established. But it is another story this year. Piliawsky is hurt and Herrala is not here. Goodhue has an injury that is serious enough that it is not known whether he will run in the race or not. It looked like they had added another runner at the top of the field in Carlin but he too is rehabbing a hamstring injury. If he runs, it will be just to make sure that Ann Arbor gets enough finishers to claim their medal and the Grand Prix points at stake. Even with Ann Arbor weakened, Atlanta cannot count their chickens yet. The New Jersey Shore Athletic Club will have something to say about that. Przemek Nowicki, Ed Smith, and JL Seymore will try to head them off. But Nowicki hurt his quad recently so he is not at the top of his game and may not come in very far ahead of Williams. That suggests Atlanta may take it all this year. Atlanta TC, Shore AC, Ann Arbor TC

The Atlanta Track Club [Ed Bligh, Frank White, Morris Williams, Charlie Patterson] Celebrates their M70 Podium Finish at the 2015 USATF Masters Men's 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]

Women
40+. In 2015 Patient Endurance Racing won a surprisingly close battle with Playmakers Elite/New Balance. Despite the presence of Patient Endurance runners Nowik and Kessler who finished 1-2 and Erin Larusso who finished 6th, the Playmakers top trio of Amy Nemeth, Christine Vincent and Sharon Becker made it interesting losing, in the end by only 42 seconds.This year with the addition of Amy Wing and Nicole Derrick, Patient Endurance is much stronger. They should generate an even larger winning margin this year. Unfortunately for Playmakers Vincent moved up to the 50+ team this year. And with Becker not competing this year the Playmakers team which added Chere Pepper and Jennifer Stuber is not as strong as last year. The Genesee Valley Harriers are bringing their 40+ team that won the USATF Club Grand Prix last year. The team of Melissa Senall, Wakenda Tyler, and Audra Naujokas-Knapp appears to have little chance of running withthe Patient Endurance runners but should be able to claim the Silver medal. The TNT International team of King, Lanier and Manns should make things interesting in the run for the Bronze medal but I give Playmakers the edge. Patient Endurance Racing, GVH, Playmakers Elite.

50+. Last year it was a battle between the two longtime rivals, the GVH and the Athena Track Club, with Athena's trio of Jasper, Pangburn and Stewart coming out ahead of GVH's Bischoff, Magnussen, and Geiger. Those two teams are back intact but face a new rival in Playmakers Elite. Vincent and Stornant moved up from the 40+ team to form the base. Added to it are Jean Bolley and Patricia Degnant. Athena should have no trouble taking the gold again. But Playmakers could take the Silver Medal away from GVH if they are all on their game. Vincent and Stornant should gain some time on Bischoff and Magnussen and then the question is whether Geiger can come in far enough ahead of Degnan (or Bolley) to reverse the early lead. This will be another fascinating one to watch. Athena TC, Playmakers Elite, GVH.
Playmakers Elite Teammates [Amy Nemeth, Christine Vincent, Sharon Becker, Maryellen Stornant] Heading for Victory at the USATF Masters Women's 1 Mile Championship at the CRIM Festival [CRIM FB post-photos by Mark Corcoran-Flint Lensman Club]
60+. In 2015 the Playmakers Elite 60+ team had this race to themselves. They are not contesting the event this year but two traveling teams are. The 60+ Impala Racing Team from the Bay Area in California have their sights on a Club Grand Prix title and this is one of their building blocks. But the Atlanta Track Club is hoping to throw a wrench into the works. One of Impala's top runners, Jo Anne Rowland is out and that means Impala cannot rely on a 1-2 finish to build a lead. It is likely that Miller-Robinett will be the first across the line. But once the first Atlanta runner crosses, probably only 15-20 seconds after Miller-Robinett, all three should come in ahead of Impala's other two runners, Chan and Anderson. That should give Atlanta the Gold. Nothing too shabby about a 2nd place in a National Championship however, and it still counts for 90 Club Grand Prix points. Atlanta TC, Impala.

70+. The Playmakers Elite/New Balance team of Ellen Nitz, Cora Hill, and Shirley Larsen had this division to themselves last year. And it is the same in 2016 except that Ruth Thelen replaces Larsen. It looks like another National Team Championship for Playmakers! Playmakers Elite. 



 

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Prominent Masters Distance Running Events-January through March 2016

August 18 2016. Below is a summary of many of the important road races in the first quarter of 2016. Much of this material has already appeared, under my byline, in National Masters News but the editors have indicated I am free to include the material in my blog posts as well.



 Local and Regional Elite runners often participate in these road races, in part hoping to have the chance to compete against the National level Open and Masters Elites who travel to these visible races. This report will include the Chevron Houston Marathon, the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon; the Gasparilla Half Marathon; the Gate River Run; the United Airlines New York City Half Marathon; and the Crescent City Classic 10K. The next report will cover April through June. Because this is already quite long, I will include a second separate posting on races from April through June.

The CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON, a fixture in US long distance running since 1972, especially for the winter months, was held on January 17th this year, along with the Aramco Half Marathon. Both races start at 7 am with the half marathon group breaking off from the Marathon course between miles 7 and 8. The course is quite flat but the Marathon (Half Marathon) has a substantial hill between miles 24 and 25 (11 and 12). The Houston Marathon has hosted the Olympic Trials and the Aramco Half Marathon has been a frequent stop on the USATF Running Circuit. The weather on the 17th was colder than usual with temperatures in the upper 30’s at race time, rising to the lower to mid 40’s by the end of the Marathon. Double-digit winds overnight calmed to moderate by race time and remained so.

Men. The fastest Masters time was recorded by Michigan’s Clint Verran, 40, who ran with an Elite number. His strategy must have been to stick with the 2nd or 3rd elite pack as long as he could. He hit the first 5K in 16:34 and was 33:12 at 10K. After that torrid 5:20 per mile pace he slowed to 5:34 pace by the 3rd 5K and then 5:40. He settled at 5:45 pace for the second half of the Marathon, kicking it in at the end to finish in 2:26:43, an overall pace of about 5:36 per mile-phew!

Apart from Verran, the Men’s Marathon was a Southwestern affair with Jason Butler, 43, coming down from Oklahoma and Brandon Wingate, 41, coming over from Louisiana to battle Texan Michael DeFee, 41, for the honor of being the first non-Elite Masters* runner across the line.  DeFee took the early lead, hitting the 5K in 17:57 with Butler and Wingate biding their time 10 to 15 seconds back. It was Butler’s turn to surge next as he took a 20 second lead by the 10K mark over Wingate who had slipped past DeFee into 2nd.  By the time they ran past the halfway point, Butler had 1:08 on Wingate, with DeFee 5 seconds further back. After slowing slightly after the half, Wingate gradually upped his tempo, dropping below 5:50 per mile as he cut Butler’s lead to 42 seconds by the 30K mark, in turn, dropping DeFee who was now 40 seconds back, unable to match the acceleration. Over the next 5K Wingate kicked it up another notch with a 5:37 per mile pace and that left Butler 18 seconds back. Wingate stretched it out from there, beating Butler by almost 2 minutes in 2:31:00. Butler never really faded, keeping to a sub-6 pace per mile (except for the hilly 5K) to finish in 2nd in 2:33:04 with DeFee 2 minutes further back in 2:35:07.
 
Early Morning Start Line of 2016 Chevron Houston Marathon--All We Need Now are a Few Thousand Runners [FB Post-Chevron Houston Marathon]
              
In addition to Wells [86.2%], Butler [84.5], Wingate [84.2] and McFee [82.1], other runners with National Class performances [age grade at 80% or above] included Louisiana’s Michael Iverson, 49, who won the M45 group in 2:43:03 [83.4], Virginia’s John Hartin, 58, who won M55 in 2:59:10 [82.3], Michigan’s Rich Power, 51, who took the M50 crown in 2:49:49 [81.5], Texan Steve Chase, 47, who finished 3rd in M45 [81,2], and California’s Tony Torres, 46, who took 2nd in M45 [80.6]. The oldest athletes to win age group medals were Bill Dodson (CA), Jim Braden (TX) and Dan Shuff (TX), all listed as 80, who took 1st, 2nd and 3rd in that order in M80.
Marathon. Women.  Unlike the Men, there were no Masters Women running with the Open Elite Marathoners. In terms of the Masters field, it was East Coast versus West Coast, with California’s Caroline Boiler, 41, toeing the line against Pennsylvania’s Brenda Hodge, 44, and Mindy Sawtelle-Zottola, 43. Hodge ran a fine, well-paced race to take 3rd away from Texas’s Donna Mills-Honarva who set a faster pace over the first 15 K but ran into trouble a bit before the halfway mark where Hodge started to close and then chipped away at her lead by 10-15 seconds per mile, passing her at 30K and never looking back. It is a tribute to Mills-Honarva’s grit that she kept it going to finish 4th in under 3 hours. Hodge took 3rd in 2:56:22. Sawtelle-Zottola was able to keep Boiler in sight for the first 15K which Boiler hit in 57:59 with Sawtelle-Zottola only 15 seconds back. Boiler hit the accelerator to drop her pace to 6:14 per mile at the same time that Sawtelle-Zottola found she could no longer maintain a sub 6:20 pace. Boiler passed the halfway mark in 1:21:36 with a minute gap back to her rival and then stretched it from there to take the win in 2:44:21. Sawtelle-Zottola ran her own race over the 2nd half of the race, maintaining a pace well under 7 minutes per mile to claim silver in 2:52:25.

In addition to the national class performances of Boiler [85.5], Sawtelle-Zottola [82.8] and Hodge [81.6], Pennsylvania’s Nancy Smith, 59, who took 3rd in W55 in 3:30:34 [82.4], and Texans Laura Bennett, 48, who won W45 in 3:03:59 [81.6] and Lynn Malloy, 55, who won W55 in 3:23:57 [80.5] enjoyed national class race performances. The oldest women to win medals were 72 year old Texans, Sally Sims and  Ute Eisele who finished the race only 14 seconds apart in 5:08:58 and 5:09:12.

ARAMCO HALF MARATHON.
Men. No serious competitors ran with Elite numbers in the Men’s Half Marathon. California’s Neville Davey, 40, fresh off a strong performance at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco the month before, blasted away from the starting line and left no doubt who was the fastest Masters Runner in this race.  Texans Luis Armenteros, 43, and James Jackson, 49, had no answer when Davey sped past the 5K mark in 15:13 with nearly a 90 second lead. Davey stretched the lead throughout the race, taking first in 1:07:41. Armenteros went out faster than Jackson, building his lead to almost a minute by the 10K, crossing the line in 33:19 to Jackson’s 34:13. Jackson gradually chipped away at the lead, lowering it to 47 seconds by the 15K and only 20 seconds by the 20K. But Armenteros maintained a good pace over the last kilometer to claim 2nd in 1:12:21 as Jackson ran out of race course and had to settle for a fine 3rd place finish in 1:12:36.

Jackson [89.0], Davey [88.7] and Amenteros [81.3] all had National Class performances; they were joined by Ilinois’s Robert Held, 58, who won M55 in 1:24:31 [82.8] and Texan, Mark Newcomb, 59 who finished 2nd to Held in 1:27:03 [81.2]. The oldest man to win a medal was 83 year old Texan, Ray Boytim, whose 2:56:15 netted him 2nd in  the M80 age group to 80 year old Pete Alberts.

Women. As with the Men, the fastest Women’s times were turned in by two who ran with the Elites, 41 year old Jen Rhines and 51 year old Colleen DeReuck. Rhines took 19th overall and DeReuck 23rd. Joanne Zeiger, 45, also ran, but was battling injuries during this time and was clearly off her norm. DeReuck ran a great race, hitting her 5K marks in 18:21, 36:28, maintaining a sub 6 minute mile pace the rest of the way, finishing in 1:17:25  for a 5:54/mile overall pace. Rhines, a decade her junior, ran even faster, hitting her first two splits in 17:01 and 34:07 and racing across the finish line in 1:14:57 for the fastest masters time of the day.

Apart from Elites, Rhines and DeReuck, it was Perry Shoemaker all the way as she covered the first 5K in 17:38, creating a 3 minute gap on the field. She stretched her lead all the way to the finish to defeat all other rivals by over ten minutes. But Michigan’s Nicole Derrick and Texas’s Kirsten Stefan had a dandy race to be the best of the rest. Stefan went out hard, enjoying a lead of 18 seconds at the 5K and 16 seconds at the 10K with a time of 41:34. But then she paid the price as Derrick caught her and passed in the 3rd 5K segment. Derrick held the lead to the end, enjoying a 1:28:28 to Steffan’s 1:28:51.

DeReuck turned in a world class performance at 96.2% as did Rhines [90.6], no surprise there. But Shoemaker [90.1] also turned in a World Class performance-Impressive to say the least! National Class performances were turned in by Oklahoma’s Terri Cassel, 54, who took the W50 crown in 1:29:08 [87.4], four Texans Anne Erickson ,73, who won W70 in 1:58:51 [86.0], Debbie Clark,  63, who won w60 in 1:46:49 [82.2], Colleen Rademacher , 57, who captured the W55 title in 1:39:19 [81.5], and Theresa Pearsall, 63, who finished 2nd to Clark in W60 in 1:47:49 [81.4].  The oldest woman to win a medal was  Texan, Marsha Smith, 80, who took the W80+ crown in 2:59:46.

The KAISER PERMANENTE SAN FRANCISCO HALF MARATHON is the kickoff long distance running event for the West Coast, held on February 5th this year, its 33rd annual running. Although it draws mostly California runners, there are often some pretty fast times for Masters Runners. It was classic weather with temps in the upper 40’s to lower 50’s with little wind and no precipitation, almost perfect for racing.
Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon-Start [FB Post by KP San Francisco Half Marathon]


Men.  The overall race was a battle between a newcomer to the Masters ranks, Brad Sloan, 40, from Oakland and two veterans, 50 year old Darrin Banks of Berkeley and 51 year old Albert Boyce of San Francisco. Youth had its day as Sloan cranked out a win in 1:15:48, with Banks 44 seconds back in 1:16:32 and Boyce a minute and a half further back. But you can bet those two 50 plus runners smoked a lot of younger runners!

Banks [85.1} and Boyce [84.0] turned in National Class performances and were joined in that by Menlo Park’s John Hale, 58,  the M55 winner in 1:22:41[84.7], San Francisco’s John Hirschberger, 64, and Doug Steedman, 60, who finished 3rd and 1st respectively in M60 with times of 1:33:50 [82.5] and 1:27:09 [81.9], Berkeley’s Michael Axinn, 55, who finished 2nd to Hale in 1:22:48 [82.3], San Bruno’s Paul Ghidossi, 50, finishing 3rd to Banks and Boyce in M50 in 1:20:54 [80.5], and  Michael Ward, 61, of San Francisco CA, who took 2nd in M60 in 1:29:57 [80.1]. The oldest medal winner was 83 year old Henry Nebeling of San Francisco, who won the M80+ group in 2:56:13.

Women. It was also a battle of young vs. old but this time the older competitor won, with Santa Rosa’s Jacqueline Komrij, 51, taking the title in 1:24:47, 27 seconds ahead of Stephanie MacKenzie, 40, out of  Los Altos Hills. MacKenzie’s 1:25:14 was sufficient to claim 2nd by 18 seconds over another newcomer to the Master’s Ranks, Liz Gottlieb, 40, who took 3rd in 1:25:32.

Komrij had the top age grade [88.5] so she certainly had the best all-around performance. Others with National Class performances included Larkspur’s  Lisbet Sunshine, 52, who took 2nd to Komrij in W50 in 1:27:40 [86.7], Santa Cruz’s Katherine Beiers, 83, who captured the W80+ crown in 2:33:33 [83.5], San Jose’s Shelly Sumner, 61, who won W60 in 1:44:59 [81.3],  Carrie Dion, 62, of Los Gatos, 2nd to Sumner in 1:46:53 [81.0], and two San Franciscans, Lorna Thompson, 50, 3rd in W50 in 1:31:51 [80.7], and Genevieve Segol, 69, who took the W65 title in 1:59:50 [80.0]. The oldest woman to win a medal, Katherine Beiers, not only took the W80+ age group medal, she had the 3rd highest Age Grade score. Wow!

GASPARILLA HALF MARATHON---Tampa FL—Feb 21 2016—Run since Feb 1978, the Half Marathon starts at 6 am just in case the day should be unseasonably warm. In fact the day was perfect, clear and calm with temperatures in the upper 50’s for the first 2 hours of the race. But the high humidity may have affected some runners.

2016 Gasparilla Half Marathon [posted on Facebook--Attributed by the Tamba Bay Run to MarathonFoto]

Men. Two 46 year old Floridians, Joshua Rayman and Tom Russell,  tried to hold off a northern invader, 51 year old Eric Stuber, from Lansing Michigan. All 3 raced conservatively, achieving negative splits. At the halfway mark it was Rayman at 38:41, Stuber nearly a minute back at 39:35, with Russell a further minute back. And that’s the way it stayed to the end with Rayman bringing it home in 37:52 for a handsome 16:33 win. Stuber’s 39:18 over the last 6.55 miles earned him the silver medal in 1:18:53. Russell closed a bit on Stuber over the last half of the race but ran out of race course, finishing 3rd in 1:19:16.

Stuber had the top age graded performance at 84.1 with Rayman 2nd at 82.1. National Class performances were also turned in by Tampa’s Jeffrey Lessie who won the M55 crown in 1:23:25 [81.7], and the M65 winner, Gerald Marsh, 65, of Pittsburgh PA in 1:31:48 [81.6]. The oldest men to win medals were the 81 year olds who took 1st and 2nd in M80+, Wayne Hinaman of Cincinnatti Ohio  in 3:04:59 and a local hero, Charles Walker, of Tampa in 3:18:57.
Lined Up for the Start-Gasparilla Half 2016 [FB post-Tampa Bay Run]


Women. The Overall Masters winner was Tampa’s own Terri Rejimbal. Three years ago, at the age of 44, she became the oldest runner to capture the Open title. Now, at 47, she finished 3rd in the Open race but captured the Masters title, although pushed by 41 year old Michelle Nunez of Orlando Florida. Rejimbal is very familiar with the course and tends to go out fast as she knows the sun can slow runners down once it gets up on a warm day. She ran the first half in 41:58, opening up a 1:15 lead over Nunez. Nunez ran a good negative split but was only able to take 45 seconds out of Rejimbal’s lead over the second half of the race. In the end Rejimbal had the gold in 1:24:28 with Nunez bagging the silver in 1:25:12. Julie Hannah, 42, of Melbourne FL captured the bronze in 1:30:20.

Rejimbal [84.8] and Nunez [83.6] had the best age-grading scores. National Class performances were also turned in by the 1-2 finishers of W60, Amy Yanni, 61 of Ft. Myers FL in 1:42:49 [83.0] and Jacksonville’s Leslie Hague, 62, in 1:45:08 [82.3]. Tampa’s Gail Norman, 57, and Iowa City, Iowa’s Mandi Kowal, 52 also recorded National Class age grades in winning their respective divisions in 1:39:33 [81.3] and 1:34:02 [80.8]. The oldest woman to win a medal was Tampa’s Ellen Stichter, 81, who took the W80+ gold in 3:37:03.

GATE RIVER RUN 15K—Jacksonville FL--39th Annual—March 12 2016—This Florida race starts at 8:30 am, and runners were warned it would be another hot one, the second year in a row. It was 68 degrees at the start of the race, with temperatures rising into the 70’s by the time the Open Elite runners were hitting the Hart Bridge, seven and a half miles into the race. The humidity was in the 90’s for the first part of the race with humidity moderating somewhat as temperatures climb. At least it was overcast and, to be honest, in 2015 it was several degrees hotter. The course is relatively flat except for the climb up the Hart Bridge between miles 7 and 8.3; that climb is significant.

Men. The fastest Masters Men were listed with the Open Elites, not in the Age Group results. Paul Thompson, 50, of Peekskill NY just aged up to the M50 group but showed he could still run with the best as he topped two fine M40 runners, Alan Black, 42 of Hillsboro Georgia and the Atlanta Track Club, and Jacksonville’s  Marc Burget, also 42. Thompson covered the first 5K in a scorching 16:30, leaving Black a half minute back and Burget another half minute back from Black. Thompson slowed a bit after that first burst but continued to build his lead throughout, winning in 50:46, with nearly a 2 minute gap back to Black who took 2nd in 52:33. Burget closed the gap by a half minute in the last 5K to finish 18 seconds back of Black in 52:51.
Thousands of Runners Stream Down off of the First (Small) Bridge in the Gate River Run 15K [FB Post by Visit Jacksonville]


Thompson recorded a World Class time [90.3], and Black [81.6] and  Burget [81.2] both recorded National Class times. They were joined by 66 year old Page Ramezani, of Jacksonville, who took M65 gold in 1:02:00 [85.7]. Others achieving the National Class standard included Floridians  Robert Hendrick, 73, of  Deerfield Beach  who won M70 in 1:07:47 [84.7], Ponte Vedra  Beach’s Brad Smith, 46, who took M46 gold in 54:05 [81.9], Herbert Weber, 65, of Miami Lakes who finished 2nd in M60 in 1:03:33 [82.7],  Fleming Island’s  Jim Metzger, 53, who took silver in M50 in 57:25 [81.9], Melbourne Beach’s  Gary Gates, 51, who captured the M50 gold medal in 56:36 [81.7], and St. Augustine’s Bill Phillips, 61, who took the M60 gold in 1:02:18 [81.2],  St. Petersburg’s  Al Weiringa, 69, 3rd in M65 in 1:07:33 [81.0], Tampa’s Larry Smart, 46, silver in M45 in 55:04 [80.5], and  Steve Chin, 47, of Satellite Beach, 3rd in M45 in 55:45 [80.1]. Paul Carlin [your reporter] made a road trip from Indianapolis IN to take the M70 silver medal in 1:08:30 [80.7]. The oldest man to win a medal was 86 year old  August Leone of Boca Raton FL who claimed the M80+ silver medal in 2:04:37. That’s some running at age 86!

The signature landmark of the Gate River Run is the Hart Bridge looming toward the end of the race.  Runners crest the bridge with about 1600 meters to go and it is all downhill and then flat to the finish. So they make a special deal out of who goes fastest for the last mile. This year it broke down this way: Overall Masters Thompson 5:04.4 M40 Patrick Gallagher Gainesville FL 5:44.1 M45 Chin 5:24.8 M50 Gary Gates Melbourne Beach FL 5:25.6 M55 Walter Sieg Palm Harbor FL 5:59.7 M60 Phillips 6:25.6 M65 Ramezani 6:05.6 M70 Carlin 6:44.1 M75 Jim Cave Savannah GA 9:16.3 M80 August Leone, 86, Boca Raton FL 25:47.7.

Women.  As with the Men, the top Masters Women ran with Elite numbers and showed they deserved them. Two Floridians, Kim Pawelek-Brantley, 42, St. Augustine, and Michelle Kruger, 40, Jacksonville, went up against Christy Peterson, 41, North Wales PA. At the 5K mark it was Pawelek-Brantley at 19:28 in the lead with Krueger tracking her closely but Peterson hanging back a few strides, crossing the mat in 19:35. Pawelek-Brantley stretched her lead considerably over the 2nd 5K, which she hit in 39 flat, opening up a 35 second lead over Krueger, with Peterson now 12 seconds back from Krueger in 39:47. Pawelek-Brantley had it all the way as she stretched her lead out a little further over the 3rd 5K to win the race in 58:28. It looked like It might be 1-2 for Florida but Pennsylvania’s Peterson had a different idea. She surged past Krueger on the run up the Hart Bridge and kicked into high gear on her way down, turning in the fastest Masters last mile of the day as she claimed 2nd in 59:34. Krueger toughed it out though, turning in a 1:00:41 for the bronze medal position.

Pawelek-Brantley [82.4] and Peterson 80.3] both recorded National Class times. They were joined in that class by Leslie Hague, 62, Jacksonville FL, who won the W60 group in 1:14:15 [82.1], Deanna Medvidofsky, 54, St. Johns FL, who captured the W50 gold medal in 1:07:39 [81.1], and  Karen Stelhorn, 49, St. Johns FL, who took the top prize in W45 with a 1:04:29 [80.0]. Eighty-seven year old Haley Olson, Jacksonville FL, was the oldest runner to capture a medal as she  won the 80+ group in 2:14:22, an amazing achievement!

The last mile race for the Masters Women overall went to the Pennsylvanian, Peterson, 5:37.2. Fastest last milers for Age Groups included: W40 Tracy Dutra Melbourne FL  6:18.2  W45 Stelhorn 6:24.9 W50 Rosa Haslip Fernandina Beach FL 6:42.4 W55 Kathleen Kaye Jacksonville FL 7:25.5 W60 Hague 7:21.7 W65 Hyacinth Bohlinger Jacksonville FL 8:12.4 W70 Esther Schiegg Ponte Vedra Beach FL 11:08.6 W75 Janet Elliott Jacksonville FL 26:25.1 W80+ Olson 29:10.4


UNITED AIRLINES NEW YORK CITY HALF MARATHON--March 20 2016

The course is entirely in Manhattan, commencing in Central Park and ending at Wall Street in downtown Manhattan.  There is a slight drop in elevation overall, perhaps 50 feet or so, but there are challenging hills in Central Park. It typically attracts an impressive field of Open Elite runners. The temperature at the start of the race was just above freezing with cloudy skies and a brisk wind which got up into the mid-teens after 8 am, with occasional gusts up to 20 mph.

Men. Clint Wells, 40, dropped down from the Boulder Colorado altitude to take on New York’s best. Wells took the USATF Masters marathon Championship last October at the Twin Cities Marathon and showed that his fitness had wintered well. Hitting the first 5K split in 16:02 (yes, you read that correctly!), Wells had already put a minute and 40 seconds between him and his closest pursuers, 40 year old Dan Gray, New York City, and Brooklyn’s Troy Squire, 41. Wells built his lead steadily throughout the race, winning by more than 6 minutes in 1:06:47. Gay and Squire wisely let Wells go and duked it out for silver and bronze. Gay tracked about 6 seconds back from Squire who cruised through the first 5K in 17:36 and the 10K in 35:15. Then Gay made his move, throwing in a 17:07 5K split. Squire lowered his 5K split to 17:20 but it wasn’t enough to match Gay who took a 6 second lead at the 15K in 52:29. Despite Squire’s best efforts, Gay was able to build the lead from there, claiming the silver medal in 1:13:23 with Squire nailing the bronze in 1:13:43.

UA NYC Half marathon 2016 [FB Posting by UA NYC Half Marathon-credit to @capitalrunnergirl]


At an 89.9% age-grade, Wells was within a tick of a World Class performance. Squire [82.0] and Gay [81.8] also clocked in with National Class times. Other excellent National Class times were turned in by: John Sullivan, 55, West Roxbury MA who raced to M55 gold in 1:19:43 [85.4];  Brad Kelley, 50, Jackson Heights NY, who took first in M50 in 1:16:51 [84.8]; Jim Price 58 Moorestown NJ, who was the 2nd American across the line in M55 in 1:22:36 [84.8]; Daniel Lillyman, 58, Mahomet IL, who followed Price across the line in 1:23:32 [84.6]; David Atkinson, 46, Grand Blanc MI, who took the M45 crown in 1:16:49 [82.0]; Rob Zand, 46, NY NY, who was nipped for the gold medal by a mere second by Atkinson in M45, in 1:16:50 [82.0]. The M55 group was loaded this year with 5 more National Class times: Alan Ruben,  59, NY NY, 1:26:46 [81.5];  Frank Drury, 55, NY NY, 1:24:20  [80.8]; John Hale, 58, Menlo Park CA, 1:26:48  [80.7]; Gary Leaman, 56, Hardwick NJ, 1:25:19 [80.6]; and Donald Favre, 57, NY NY, 1:26:32 [80.2].  And the M45’s and M50’s had another bunch too who achieved National Class status, along with a couple of M40’s; Timothy Stockert, 49, NY NY, 1:20.0 [80.8]; James Lefrak, 42, NY NY, 1:15:30 [80.7]; Richard Nelson, 45, NY NY, 1:17:32 [80.6]; Alexandre Tilmant, 46, NY NY, 1:17:47 [80.3]; Billy Barone, 51, New Haven CT, 1:21:58 [80.2]; Guillermo Pineda Morales, 43, Ridgewood NY, 1:16:37 [80.2]; Tim Bradley, 54, Long Beach NY, 1:24:16 [80.1]; and Jesus Pinero, 49, San Juan PR, 1:20:43 [80.0]. The oldest gentleman to win a medal was 83 year old Joseph Pascarella of Brooklyn NY, who took the silver medal in the 80+ division in 3:22:56.

Women. Janet Collar, 44, of Spokane Washington flew coast to coast to take on two fleet New York City runners, Carolina Pena, 42, and Locky Trachsel, 47. Collar went out fast, hitting the 5K mark in 19:36 and the 10K in 38:54. Trachsel was able to keep her close for the first 5K, where she trailed by 6 seconds but by the 10K timing mat, she was 17 seconds behind Collar. From there Collar built the lead up to a minute at the 15K with a time of 57:28 and then stretched it to 90 seconds within the next 5K. In the end Collar had a handsome win in 1:20:53, with Trachsel 2nd in 1:22:26. Pena ran well but never really got into the mix, trailing Trachsel by 19 seconds at the 5K, with the gap up to 2nd growing to 46 seconds at the 10K. and a minute by the 15K where it stayed until the end. Pena’s bronze medal time was 1:23:26.

Collar’s time was National Class, age-grading at 86.0. Trochsel, despite her 2nd place finish to Collar actually had a higher age-grade at 86.9. Pena was not that far back but her relative youth worked against her as her score was 82.0. Some really excellent age-graded performances came out of the Age group winners. Erika Campbell, 66, Ridgewood NJ, took W65 gold in 1:42:38, age-grading close to World Class at 89.3. Sharon Vos, 61, Old Greenwich CT , the winner of the W60 group in 1:36:50 was just a tick back in age Grading at 88.2. The other top performance was turned in by Jane Lundy, 55, Yonkers NY, whose 1:29:32 netted her the gold medal in W55 for an 88.1%. Other strong National Class performances were turned in by Fiona Bayly, 48, NY NY, who finished 4th overall and 2nd to Trachsel in W45in 1:23:55 [86.3]; and the top 2 runners in W50, Heather Knight Pech, 54, Darien CT, the gold medalist in 1:30:13 [86.3]; and Jean Norton, 53, Wurtsboro NY, the silver medalist in 1:30:15 [85.2]. Further National Class times were turned in by the W70 winner, Yong Smailes, 70, Huntington WV in 1:56:33 [83.6]; W40’s Cathrine Wolden, 44, Pound Ridge NY, 1:25:29 [81.3];  as well as W45’s bronze medalist, Mary Pardi, 46, Falmouth ME, 1:28:09 [80.4], and the two women who followed her across the line, in her division,  Julie McElroy, 49, Sleepy Hollow NY, 1:29:12 [82.2] and Liz Herbert, 47, Darien CT, 1:29:25 [80.1]. The W50 contestants who followed Pech and Norton across the line and achieved National Class status included bronze medalist Christine Morgenroth, 51, NY NY, 1:30:52 [82.6] and  Laurajean Molon, 51, Sparta NJ, 1:33:33 [80.2]. National Class performances among W55 Runners included Ellen Bushman, 59, NY NY, 1:40:15 [82.9]; Dolores Doman, 59, Dix Hills NY, 1:42:51 [80.8]; and Gloria Huberman, 58, Fair Lawn NJ ,1:42:29 [80.0]. National Class W60 Runners who trailed Vos across the line included Leslie Cohen, 60, Santa Monica CA, 1:40:06 [84.1]; Bette Clark, 60, Yonkers NY, 1:41:39 [82.9]; Ida Draim, 60, Alexandria VA, 1:41:47 [82.7]. The oldest woman to win a medal was Ginette Bedard, 82, of Howard Beach NY who took the W80+ gold medal in 2:39:28.


CRESCENT CITY CLASSIC 10K—New Orleans LA—March 26 2016

The 37th running of the Crescent City Classic was held, as usual, on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter with some of the best weather New Orleans has to offer. Temperatures were in the low 60’s, the sky was overcast and winds were light to moderate at 5 to 9 mph.

Men. The three main contenders for the overall win, Kenneth Cooper, 40,  Michael Iverson, 49, and Brandon Wingate, 41,  were all from the Greater New Orleans area, hailing  from LaPLace, (west of Lake Pontchartrain), Mandeville (north of lake Pontchartrain), and Metairie (south of Lake Pontchartrain) respectively. Wingate was the 2nd Masters Runner across the finish line at the Houston Marathon in January. [See above.]

This race, unlike some of the others was pretty cut and dry. Wingate covered the first mile in 5:16 with Iverson 20 seconds back and Cooper another 14 seconds behind. Wingate crossed the 5K mat at 16:13 with Iverson a minute back and Cooper nearly a half minute behind him. Wingate stretched it out from there and the gap between Iverson and Cooper grew very slightly. Wingate took gold in 32:34, with Iverson in 2nd place, 34:58 and Cooper claiming bronze in 35:32.
2016 Crescent City Classic 10K [FB Post by CCC10K-Credited to @davidnola]

Wingate [85.8] and Iverson [85.2] turned in strong National Class performances but two Age Group winners did them one better and turned in World Class performances. Ninety-six year old, Gregory Roderts, of Gretna LA finished 6th in the 80+ division in 1:25:22, which age grades at an amazing 104.57! That was, in essence, a World’s Best performance or very close to it.  Jeffery Dundas, 57, of Conyers GA, the Atlanta Track Club, and a regular on the USATF Masters Grand Prix circuit, singed the streets of New Orleans with a 35:27, good for M55 silver and a 90.05 age grade score. In addition to Wingate and Iverson, strong national Class performances were also turned in by Kerry Barnett, 55, of Keego Harbor MI who needed it to edge Dundas for the M55 win in  35:03 [89.5];  Phil Jones, 60, Metairie LA, who took the M60 gold in 36:58 [88.7] and Peter Mullin 65, Houston TX, another mainstay on the USATF Masters Circuit, who captured the M65 gold medal in 39:19 [87.4]. Byron Adams II, 52, New Orleans, finished first in M50 in 37:20 [81.9] and was joined by fellow National Class runners,  Leonard Vergunst, 60, Ocean Springs MS and Chris Neal, 62 Milton FL, who followed Phil Jones across the line in M60 in  38:53 [84.4] and 40:07 [83.3] respectively. Paul Giannobile, 56, Minnetonka MN, must have been surprised to run a very strong 37:31 [84.3] and only finish 3rd in M55, a tribute to the loaded field in this race. As the reader might have guessed, 96-year old Gregory Roderts was the oldest finisher. He did not win a medal but to finish 6th out of 18 80+ entrants is no small feat at the age of 96, and is commemorated by his World Class Age Grading score. The oldest men to win medals were the 3 medal winners in that age group, all 82:  Jerry Prentice Braunfels TX 1:06:09; Ed Dugas, Sr. Lafayette LA 1:14:43; and Phil Bohan Foley AL 1:16:20.

Jen Rhines came down to New Orleans from Boston to prep for her Spring racing season and have a good tune-up before the Carlsbad 5000. She was not disappointed, nor were the fans, as she was 3rd overall and the first American woman across the finish line in 33:21. She hit the first mile in 5:14 and the 5K in 16:23 on her way to the win—amazing! The other Masters Runners in contention let Rhines and the other Elite runners go, and focused on their own race for 2nd across the line and it was a dandy. Michelle Williams, 43, of Pensacola Florida went up against Gigi Vanlangendonk, 42, of Metairie LA.  Williams took it out fast, hitting the mile mark in 6:45 with Vanlangendonk tracking her 5 seconds back. Vanlangendonk surged past in the next 2 miles to hit the 5K timing mat in 20:57, two seconds ahead of Williams. But Williams found the strength to come back and run the 2nd half of the race 7 seconds faster than Vanlangendonk, to re-establish the 5 second gap. In the end it was Williams 2nd across the line in 41:56 with Vanlangendonk 3rd in 42:01.

Unlike on the men’s side, which had a number of National Class performances, the only one on the Women’s side was turned in by Rhines. Naturally hers was not just National Class but World Class as her 33:21 age graded at 94.2%.

The oldest woman to finish was 87 year old Carmen Caldas, New Orleans LA, who finished 5th of seven W80+ entrants in 2:07:06. The oldest woman to win a medal was 83 year old Rita Sadowski, Newton KS, who captured the W80+ gold medal in 1:27:38. Congratulations to both of them for some impressive running!

Congratulations to all of these Masters Runners for an impressive start to the 2016 Road Racing Season!

RACE SUMMARIES

CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON--Houston TX—Jan 17 2016—Run since 1972

MEN
Overall [U.S.A.] Masters:
Brandon Wingate LA 41 2:31:07 Jason Butler OK 43 2:33:04 Michael DeFee TX 41 2:35:04

Oldest Men to Win a Medal: Bill Dodson CA 80 4:23:13 Jim Braden TX 80 4:52:50 Dan Shuff TX 80 5:39:50

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG > 80]: Jason Butler OK 43 2:33:04 84.5 Brandon Wingate LA 41 2:31:07 84.2
Michael Iverson LA 49 2:43:03 83.4 John Hartin VA 58 2:59:10 82.3 Michael DeFee TX 41 2:35:04 82.1 Rich Power MI 51 2:49:49 81.5 Steve Chase TX 47 2:44:46 81.2 Tony Torres CA 46 2:44:32 80.6

5-year Age Group [U.S.A.] Winners: M40 Brandon Wingate LA 2:31:07 M45 Michael Iverson LA 2:43:03  M50 Rich Power MI 2:49:49 M55 John Hartin VA 2:59:10 M60 Jerry Hammervold TX 3:13:37
M65  Larry Lichnovsky TX 3:38:58 M70 Robert Hoekman TX 74 3:46:41  M75 Gunnar Sanden AZ 4:11:50  M80+ Bill Dodson CA 4:23:13

WOMEN

Overall [U.S.A.] Masters: Caroline Boiler CA 41 2:44:21 Mindy Sawtelle-Zottola PA 43 2:52:25
Brenda Hodge PA 44 2:56:22

Oldest Women to Win a Medal: Sally Sims TX 72 5:08:58 Ute Eisele TX 72 5:09:12

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG>80]: Caroline Boiler CA 41 2:44:21 85.5 Mindy Sawtelle-Zottola PA 43 2:52:25 82.8 Nancy Smith PA 59 3:30:34  82.4 Laura Bennett TX 48 3:03:59 81.6 Brenda Hodge PA 44 2:56:22 81.6 Lynn Malloy TX 55 3:23:57 80.5

5-year Age Group [U.S.A.] Winners: W40 Caroline Boiler CA 2:44:21 W45 Laura Bennett TX 3:03:59   W50 Caroline Burum TX 3:22:31  W55 Lynn Malloy TX 55 3:23:57 W60 Carole Uttecht TX 3:48:38
W65 Rosswitha Goosens-Winter TX 4:36:25 W70 Sally Sims TX 72 5:08:58
ARAMCO HOUSTON  HALF MARATHON--Houston TX—Jan 17 2016

MEN
Overall [U.S.A.] Masters:
Neville Davey CA 40 1:07:41 Luis Armenteros TX 43 1:12:21 James Jackson TX 49 1:12:36

Oldest Man to Win a Medal: Ray Boytim TX 83 2:56:15

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG > 80]: James Jackson TX 49 1:12:36 89.0 Neville Davey CA 40 1:07:41 88.7 Robert Held IL 58 1:24:31 82.8 Luis Armenteros TX 43 1:12:21 81.3 Mark Newcomb TX 59 1:27:03 81.2

5-year Age Group [U.S.A.] Winners: M40 Neville Davey CA 1:07:41 M45 James Jackson TX 1:12:36 M50 Russell McKay TX 1:24:55 M55 Robert Held IL 1:24:31 M60 Edward Fry TX 1:32:46 M65  Bob Wischnia TX 1:39:01 M70 James Grotta TX 1:50:04 M75 Randolph Hurst TX 1:49:45 M80+ Pete Alberts TX 2:39:07

WOMEN

Overall [U.S.A.] Masters: Perry Shoemaker VA 44 1:17:11 Nicole Derrick MI 44 1:28:28 
Kirsten Stefan TX 42 1:28:51

Oldest Woman to Win a Medal: Marsha Smith TX 80 2:59:46

Top Age Grade Performances:
World Class [AG>90]: Perry Shoemaker VA 44 1:17:11 90.1
National Class [AG>80]: Terri Cassel OK 54 1:29:08 87.4 Anne Erickson TX 73 1:58:51 86.0 Debbie Clark TX 63 1:46:49 82.2 Colleen Rademacher TX 57 1:39:19 81.5 Theresa Pearsall TX 63 1:47:49 81.4

5-year Age Group [U.S.A.] Winners: W40 Perry Shoemaker VA 1:17:11 W45 Melanie Bell TX 1:36:27 W50 Terri Cassel OK 1:29:08 W55 Colleen Rademacher TX 1:39:19 W60 Debbie Clark TX 1:46:49
W65 Sally King TX 2:01:24 W70 Anne Erickson TX 1:58:51 W75 Pamela Willmon TX 2:54:27 W80+ Marsha Smith TX 2:59:46

KAISER PERMANENTE SAN FRANCISCO HALF MARATHON – Feb 5 2016 –33rdAnnual

MEN
Overall Masters:
Brad Sloan Oakland CA 40 1:15:48 Darrin Banks Berkeley CA 50 1:16:32
Albert Boyce San Francisco CA 51 1:18:17

Oldest Man to Win a Medal: Henry Nebeling San Francisco 83 2:56:13

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG > 80]: Darrin Banks Berkeley CA 50 1:16:32 85.1 John Hale Menlo Park CA 58 1:22:41 84.7 Albert Boyce San Francisco CA 51 1:18:17 84.0 John Hirschberger San Francisco 64 1:33:50 82.5 Michael Axinn Berkeley CA 55 1:22:48 82.3 Doug Steedman San Francisco CA 60 1:27:09 81.9
Paul Ghidossi San Bruno CA 50 1:20:54 80.5 Michael Ward San Francisco CA 61 1:29:57 80.1

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: M40 Brad Sloan Oakland CA 1:15:48 M45 Andy Chan San Francisco CA 1:21:33  M50 Darrin Banks Berkeley CA 1:16:32 M55 John Hale Menlo Park CA 1:22:41  M60 Doug Steedman San Francisco CA 1:27:09 M65 Bobby McKee Watsonville CA 1:34:41 
M70 Barry Hotchkies Oakland CA 1:46:44 M75 Hans Schmid Greenbrae CA 1: 48:32
M80+  Henry Nebeling San Francisco CA 2:56:13

WOMEN
Overall Masters: Jacqueline Komrij Santa Rosa CA 51 1:24:47 Stephanie MacKenzie Los Altos Hills CA 40 1:25:14 Liz Gottlieb San Rafael CA 40 1:25:32

Oldest Woman to Win a Medal: Katherine Beiers Santa Cruz CA 83 2:33:33

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG>80]: Jacqueline Komrij Santa Rosa CA 51 1:24:47 88.5 Lisbet Sunshine Larkspur CA 52 1:27:40 86.7 Katherine Beiers Santa Cruz CA 83 2:33:33 83.5 Shelly Sumner San Jose CA 61 1:44:59 81.3 Carrie Dion Los Gatos CA 62 1:46:53 81.0 Lorna Thompson San Francisco CA 50 1:31:51 80.7 Genevieve Segol San Francisco CA 69 1:59:50 80.0

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: W40 Stephanie MacKenzie Los Altos Hills CA 1:25:14
W45 Janet McGhee Burlingame CA 1:31:10 W50 Jacqueline Komrij Santa Rosa CA 1:24:47
W55 Jackie Morgan San Mateo CA 1:39:05 W60 Shelly Sumner San Jose CA 1:44:59 W65 Genevieve Segol San Francisco CA 1:59:50  W70 Wendy Portnuff San Francisco CA 2:16:36 W75 Carol Pechler Menlo Park CA 2:37:41 W80+ Katherine Beiers Santa Cruz CA 2:33:33
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GASPARILLA HALF MARATHON---Tampa FL—Feb 21 2016

MEN
Overall Masters:
Joshua Rayman Tampa FL 46 1:16:33 Eric Stuber Lansing MI  52 1:18:53 Tom Russell Tampa FL 46 1:19:16

Oldest Men to Win a Medal: Wayne Hinaman Cincinnatti OH 81 3:04:59 Charles Walker Tampa FL 81 3:18:57

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG > 80]: Eric Stuber Lansing MI 52 1:18:53 84.1 Joshua Rayman Tampa FL 46 1:16:33 82.3 Jeffrey Lessie Tampa FL 55 1:23:25 81.7 Gerald Marsh Pittsburgh PA 65 1:31:48 81.6

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: M40 Jayson Bass Sebring FL 1:22:52 M45 Joshua Rayman Tampa FL 1:16:33 M50 Eric Stuber Lansing MI 1:18:53 M55 Jeffrey Lessie Tampa FL 1:23:25
M60 Paul Keating Lakeland FL 1:34:22 M65 Gerald Marsh Pittsburgh PA 1:31:48 M70 Don Owens Williamston MI 1:48:18 M75 David Lightfoot North Ft. Myers FL 2:29:27 M80+ Dillion Maier New Port Ritchie FL 3:03:54

WOMEN

Overall Masters: Terri Rejimbal Tampa FL 47 1:24:29 Michelle Nunez Orlando FL 41 1:25:12
Julie Hannah Melbourne FL 42 1:30:20

Oldest Woman to Win a Medal: Ellen Stichter Tampa FL 81 3:37:03
Top Age Grades: Leslie Hague 82.09, Deanna Medvidofsky 81.06, Karen Stelhorn 80.03

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG>80]: Terri Rejimbal Tampa FL 47 1:24:29 84.8 Michelle Nunez Orlando FL 41 1:25:12 83.6 Amy Yanni Ft. Myers FL 61 1:42:49  83.0 Leslie Hague Jacksonville FL 62 1:45:08 82.3 Gail Norman Tampa FL 57 1:39:33 AG 81.3 Mandi Kowal Iowa City IA 52 1:34:02 80.8

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: W40 Michelle Nunez Orlando FL 1:25:12 W45 Terri Rejimbal Tampa FL 1:24:29  W50 Mandi Kowal Iowa City IA 1:34:02 W55 Gail Norman Tampa FL 1:39:33
W60 Amy Yanni Ft. Myers FL 1:42:49 W65 Joan Nelson Winter Park FL 1:57:50 W70 Becky Brushwood Maitland FL 2:20:08 W75 Uncontested W80+ Ellen Stichter Tampa FL 3:37:03
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GATE RIVER RUN 15K—Jacksonville FL--39th Annual—March 12 2016

MEN
Overall Masters: Paul Thompson 50 Peekskill NY 50:46  Alan Black 42 Hillsboro GA 52:33  Marc Burget 42 Jacksonville FL 52:51

Oldest Man to Win a Medal: August Leone Boca Raton FL 86 2:04:37

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG > 80]: Page Ramezani Jacksonville FL 66 1:02:00 85.7 Robert Hendrick  Deerfield Beach FL 73 1:07:47 84.7 Brad Smith Ponte Vedra Beach FL 46 54:05 81.9 Herbert Weber Miami Lakes FL 65 1:03:33 82.7 Jim Metzger Fleming Island FL 53 57:25 81.9 Gary Gates Melbourne Beach FL 51 56:36 81.7 Bill Phillips St. Augustine FL 61 1:02:18 81.2  Al Weiringa St. Petersburg 69 1:07:33 81.0 
Paul Carlin Indianapolis IN 70 1:08:30 80.7 Larry Smart Tampa FL 46 55:04 80.5 Steve Chin Satellite Beach FL 47 55:45 80.1

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: M40 Brian Shrout Jacksonville FL 59:03 M45 Brad Smith Ponte Vedra Beach FL 54:05 M50 Gary Gates Melbourne Beach FL 56:36  M55 David Farraday Jacksonville FL 1:04:35 M60 Bill Phillips St. Augustine FL 1:02:18 M65 Page Ramezani Jacksonville FL 1:02:00 M70 Robert Hendrick Deerfield Beach FL 1:07:47 M75 Jim Cave Savannah GA 1:34:47 M80+Wa lly McLean Gainesville FL 1:51:32

WOMEN
Overall Masters: Kim Pawelek-Brantley, St. Augustine FL 42 58:28 Christy Peterson North Wales PA 41 59:34 Michelle Kruger Jacksonville FL 40 1:00:41

Oldest Woman to Win a Medal: Haley Olson Jacksonville FL 87 2:14:22
Top Age Grades: Leslie Hague 82.09, Deanna Medvidofsky 81.06, Karen Stelhorn 80.03

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG>80]: Leslie Hague Jacksonville FL 62 1:14:15 82.1 Deanna Medvidofsky St. Johns FL 54 1:07:39 81.1 Karen Stelhorn St. Johns FL 49 1:04:29 AG 80.0

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: W40 Laura Roberts St. Simons Island GA 1:03:43
W45 Karen Stelhorn St. Johns FL 1:04:29 W50 Deanna Medvidofsky St. Johns FL 1:07:39
W55 Kathleen Kaye Jacksonville FL 1:12:42 W55 Kathleen Kaye Jacksonville FL 1:12:42
W60 Leslie Hague Jacksonville FL 1:14:15 W65 Anjes Wilson Jacksonville FL 1:27:15 W70 Esther Schiegg Ponte Vedra Beach FL 1:46:33 W75 Janet Elliott  Jacksonville FL 2:02:48 W80+ Haley Olson Jacksonville FL 2:14:22

UNITED AIRLINES NEW YORK CITY HALF MARATHON--March 20 2016

MEN
Overall Masters:
Clint Wells 40 Boulder CO 1:06:47 Dan Gay 40 NY NY 1:13:23 Troy Squire 41 Brooklyn NY 1:13:43

Oldest Man to Win a Medal: Joseph Pascarella 83 Brooklyn NY 3:22:56

Top Age Grade Performances:
World Class [AG>90] Dave Walters 60 Lisle IL 1:17:04 92.6

National Class [AG > 80]: Clint Wells 40 Boulder CO 1:06:47 89.9  John Sullivan 55 West Roxbury MA 1:19:43 85.4 Brad Kelley 50 Jackson Heights NY 1:16:51 84.8 Jim Price 58 Moorestown NJ 1:22:36 84.8 Daniel Lillyman 58 Mahomet IL 1:23:32 84.6 David Atkinson 46 Grand Blanc MI 1:16:49 82.0 Troy Squire 41 Brooklyn NY 1:13:43 82.0 Rob Zand 46 NY NY 1:16:50 82.0 Dan Gay 40 NY NY 1:13:23 81.8 Alan Ruben 59 NY NY 1:26:46 81.5 Frank Drury 55 NY NY 1:24:20 80.8 Timothy Stockert 49 NY NY 1:20.0 80.8 John Hale 58 Menlo Park CA 1:26:48 80.7 James Lefrak 42 NY NY 1:15:30 80.7 Gary Leaman 56 Hardwick NJ 1:25:19 80.6 Richard Nelson 45 NY NY 1:17:32 80.6 Alexandre Tilmant 46 NY NY 1:17:47 80.3 Billy Barone 51 New Haven CT 1:21:58 80.2 Donald Favre 57 NY NY 1:26:32 80.2 Guillermo Pineda Morales 43 Ridgewood NY 1:16:37 80.2 Tim Bradley 54 Long Beach NY 1:24:16 80.1 Jesus Pinero 49 San Juan PR 1:20:43 80.0

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: M40 Wells 1:06:47 M45 David Atkinson Grand Blanc MI 1:16:49 M50 Brad Kelley Jackson Heights NY 1:16:51  M55 John Sullivan West Roxbury MA 1:19:43 M60 Dave Walters Lisle IL 1:17:04  M65 Juan Villafane Bronx NY 1:38:25 M70 Philip Krajewski Plainfield NY 1:42:22 M75 Larry Freund NY NY 2:20:41 M80+ Ralph Walter NY NY 3:04:32

WOMEN
Overall Masters: Janet Collar 44 Spokane WA 1:20:53 Locky Trachsel 47 NY NY 1:22:26 Carolina Pena 42 NY NY 1:23:26

Oldest Woman to Win a Medal: Ginette Bedard 82 Howard Beach NY 2:39:28

Top Age Grade Performances:
National Class [AG>80]: Erika Campbell 66 Ridgewood NJ 1:42:38 89.3 Sharon Vos 61 Old Greenwich CT 1:36:50 88.2  Jane Lundy 55 Yonkers NY 1:29:32 88.1 Locky Trachsel 47 NY NY 1:22:26 86.9 Fiona Bayly 48 NY NY 1:23:55 86.3 Heather Knight Pech 54 Darien CT 1:30:13 86.3 Janet Collar 44 Spokane WA 1:20:53 86.0 Jean Norton 53 Wurtsboro NY 1:30:15 85.2 Stacy Creamer 56 NY NY 1:34:38 84.4 Leslie Cohen 60 Santa Monica CA 1:40:06 84.1 Yong Smailes 70 Huntington WV 1:56:33 83.6 Ellen Bushman 59 NY NY 1:40:15 82.9 Bette Clark 60 Yonkers NY 1:41:39 82.9 Ida Draim 60 Alexandria VA 1:41:47 82.7 Christine Morgenroth 51 NY NY 1:30:52 82.6 Julie McElroy 49 Sleepy Hollow NY 1:29:12 82.2 Carolina Pena 42 NY NY 1:23:26 82.0 Cathrine Wolden 44 Pound Ridge NY 1:25:29 81.3 Dolores Doman 59 Dix Hills NY 1:42:51 80.8 Mary Pardi 46 Falmouth ME 1:28:09 80.4 Laurajean Molon 51 Sparta NJ 1:33:33 80.2 Liz Herbert 47 Darien CT 1:29:25 80.1 Gloria Huberman 58 Fair Lawn NJ 1:42:29 80.0

5-year Age Group [American] Winners: W40 Janet Collar Spokane WA 1:20:53  W45 Locky Trachsel NY NY 1:22:26 W50 Heather Knight Pech 54 Darien CT 1:30:13 W55 Jane Lundy Yonkers NY 1:29:32
W60 Sharon Vos Old Greenwich CT 1:36:50 W65 Erika Campbell Ridgewood NJ 1:42:38
W70 Yong Smailes Huntington WV 1:56:33 W75 Frances Breslauer 75 NY NY 2:12:16 
W80+  Ginette Bedard 82 Howard Beach NY 2:39:28

CRESCENT CITY CLASSIC 10K—New Orleans LA—March 26 2016
MEN
Overall [U.S.A.] Masters:
Brandon Wingate Metairie LA 41 32:34 Michael Iverson Mandeville LA 49 34:58 Kenneth Cooper LaPlace LA 40 35:32

Oldest Men to Win a Medal:  Jerry Prentice Braunfels TX 82 1:06:09 Ed Dugas, Sr. Lafayette LA 82 1:14:43 Phil Bohan Foley AL 82 1:16:20

Oldest Man to Finish: Gregory Roderts Gretna LA 96 1:25:22 6th of 18 80+ competitors

Top Age Grade Performances:
World Class [AG>90]: Gregory Roderts Gretna LA 96 1:25:22 104.57 Jeffery Dundas Conyers GA 57 35:27 90.05
National Class [AG > 80]: Kerry Barnett Keego Harbor MI 55 35:03 89.5 Phil Jones Metairie LA 60 36:58 88.7 Peter Mullin Houston TX 65 39:19 87.4 Brandon Wingate Metairie LA 41 32:34 85.8 Michael Iverson Mandeville LA 49 34:58 85.2 Leonard Vergunst Ocean Springs MS 60 38:53 84.4 Paul Giannobile Minnetonka MN 56 37:31 84.3 Chris Neal Milton FL 62 40:07 83.3 Byron Adams II New Orleans 52 37:20 81.9

5-year Age Group [U.S.A.] Winners: M40 Brandon Wingate Metairie LA 41 32:34 M45 Michael Iverson Mandeville LA 49 34:58  M50 Byron Adams II New Orleans 52 37:20  M55 Kerry Barnett Keego Harbor MI 55 35:03 M60 Phil Jones Metairie LA 60 36:58 M65 Peter Mullin Houston TX 65 39:19
M70 Larry Schlueter New Orleans 71 48:50  M75 Craig Sherman Metairie LA 76 59:10 M80+ Jerry Prentice Braunfels TX 82 1:06:09

WOMEN

Overall [U.S.A.] Masters: Jen Rhines Boston MA 41 33:21 Michelle Williams Pensacola 43 41:56
Gigi Vanlangendonk Metairie LA 42 42:01

Oldest Women to Win a Medal: Rita Sadowski Newton KS 83 1:27:38

Oldest Woman to Finish: Carmen Caldas New Orleans LA 87 2:07:06 5th of 7.

Top Age Grade Performances:
World Class [AG>90]: Jen Rhines Boston MA 41 33:21 94.2
National Class [AG>80]: None

5-year Age Group [U.S.A.] Winners: W40 Jen Rhines Boston MA 33:21 W45 Hollis Oberlies  Greensboro NC 45 44:06 W50 Anne Kaltenbaugh Friendswood TX 50 44:42 W55 Beth Hitt Baton Rouge LA 56 47:40  W60 Susan Opelka New Orleans 60 51:05 W65 Beverly Boege Pensacola FL 67 1:03:25 W70 Virginia Davis New Orleans LA 71 59:02 W75 Gwen McKeon Lacombe LA 76 1:18:31 W80+ Rita Sadowski Newton KS 83 1:27:38


*Foreign nationals who won a race or took an age group medal are largely ignored in this coverage which focuses on US Masters Athletes.