February 3, 2026. Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story recapping a Masters Championship race, you can find previews and recaps of all USATF Masters LDR and Cross-Country Championships since Fall 2014. I also report on Masters Athletes in major Marathons including Olympic Trials. I cover distance events at some USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. I reported on the one World Cross Country Championship that included Masters competition, Australia 2022. I regularly cover the Non-Stadia Road Race Events at World Masters Athletics Championships. I cover other road races from time to time. See the sidebar for easy navigation through the archives. [If you are using a mobile phone, please scroll to the bottom and choose 'View web version' to access the sidebar.] While there, please note the coffee cup logo. That provides a way for you to express your appreciation for the work that goes into these articles. Shout out here to recent supporters, Matt, L. Bloomer, J. Hadcock, B. Hendricks, Brendan, cush, Someone, Jan F, Aaron T-L, Ken Y, P Wergin, D King, S La Burt, M Mallon. May you have good speed in 2026!
Recap No. 1, posted on January 23rd, covered the Overall and the Age Division portions of the Masters Races at the 2025/26 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL. The championships were conducted Sunday, January 11th on the same course used for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships the day before. The weather was favorable. Most of this recap focuses on the central reason for the Club Cross competition, the teams. But first, I need to finish up individual awards with the Age Grading Championships.
INDIVIDUAL AGE GRADING. NOTE: Age Grading is a system for rating how each individual's finishing time compares to the best possible time for an athlete of the same age, to the year, and sex. Tables are constructed by Alan Jones and Tom Bernhard, based on international data gathered to catch the fastest times in the world by single year of age. If it should be that the best time in the world for a 5K, for example, for an individual of a specific age and sex, is 17:00. And the athlete in question, of that same age and sex, runs 20:00, then, roughly speaking, the athlete receives an Age Grading score, often called a Performance Level Percentage PLP of (17/20)*100 = 0.8500 * 100 = 85%. If another athlete of the same age and sex were to run 22:00, their PLP would be (17/22)*100 = 0.7727 * 100 = 77.27 PLP. Luckily, no one has to do the computations. Timers can acquire an age grading package that is based on the approved (by USATF Masters LDR) Age Grading tables. Individuals who want to calculate a particular PLP can use the calculator at: https://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/mldrroad25.html. This can also be reached by clicking on the link at: Calculators | USA Track & Field. Please note that this calculator and these tables are only for roads and cross country. Masters Track and Field has their own age grading tables. The PLPs for Cross Country use the same tables as exist for Cross Country. The PLPs tend to be lower, typically, than for a road race of the same distance. That is because times tend to be slower, and can be much slower if conditions are bad, on grass compared to roads. Age Grade PLPs range from 0 to 100, the higher score the better. Age Grading PLP's supplies another way to think about overall performance. The winners of the Overall race are those with the fastest times. The winners of Age Grading are the runners with the fastest time for their age.
WOMEN: Two of the top three spots went to athletes who are often at the top of Age Grading, Nora Cary, 70, and Suzanne La Burt, 62, both of the Shore Athletic Club. Cary took top honors at Tallahassee Clubs 2023, where La Burt was third. Cary did not compete at Tacoma, but La Burt finished 3rd in age grading. La Burt did not compete at San Francisco Clubs 2022, but Cary finished 4th. They are among the best runners we have in Masters XC!
Cary's 27:56 at age 70, here this year, scored a 90.0% PLP. La Burt's 25:31 at age 62, earned 88.2%.
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| Nora Cary white singlet #5695, running ahead of Mary Cass blue singlet #5521, On Her Way to Claiming the Top Age Grading Score in the Women's 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
The third place winner was a surprise, at least based on recent Club Cross performances. The Shore AC teammate of Cary and La Burt, Kitty Musante, ran 28:51 at age 69 for a PLP of 85.9%. Musante, as far as I can tell, has only competed at one prior Club Cross competition, Tallahassee 2023. She finished 42nd in Age Grading. This was a big jump up for Musante! She was prepared to run a great race this year in Tallahassee and she delivered! Jeanette Groesz Team Red Lizard, 76, finished 2nd in age grading at San Francisco Clubs 2022; fifth at Tallahassee 2023, and won in Tacoma last year. This year her 32:32 earned an 84.6 PLP to match her fifth place from two years ago. Groesz is the only athlete to have finished top five in age grading in each of the last four Club Cross championships! Lesley Hinz Atlanta TC, 67, enjoyed a great morning as well. Her 28:39 merited an 84.0% and fifth place. She moved up from 29th the last time Club Cross was in Tallahassee. Kathleen Hayden Unaffiliated, FL, 60; Carrie Dimoff Bowerman TC, 42; Maggie Shearer Cal Coast TC, 48; Renee Metivier Red Lizard, 44; and Aeron Ahrlin Genet HOKA Aggies, 58 finished, in that order, in the Top Ten!
Nora Cary 70 27:56 90.0% Suzanne La Burt 62 25:31 88.2% Kitty Musante 69 28:51 85.9%
MEN 60+: Kevin Ostenberg HOKA Aggies, 65, led the way. His 30:19 justified an 89.0 PLP.
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| Kevin Ostenberg, Approaching the Finish Line as He Scored the Top Overall Age Grading Score in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Kevin Ostenberg 65 30:19 89.0% John Van Danacker 63 29:51 88.7% Gary Ostwald 79 37:00 88.2%
MEN 40+: Emmet Hogan Club Northwest, 56, won the very competitive M55 division and enjoyed his first age grading win at a national Club Cross Country Championship. Hogan was far down the list in San Francisco Clubs 2022, and still just 18th the following year in Tallahassee. Hogan finished fourth in age grading at Tacoma. He had a great day this year in Tallahassee; his 35:08 scored an 89.1 PLP. He won by almost two full percentage points!
Emmet Hogan #5221 Leads a Group of Athletes On His Way to the Top Overall Age Grading Score in the Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott
Jaime Heilpern HOKA Aggies, 55, had finished second in Age Grading at San Francisco Clubs 2022, and at Tallahassee Clubs 2023,. Heilpern finished fourth last year at Tacoma, so this was a return to normal. He is the only 40+ runner to have made the podium in each of the last three Club Cross competitions. Malcolm Richards West Valley Track Club, 43, last competed at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2023. He won the Overall M40+ gold medal and was on the age grading podium. He matched that perfectly this time. His winning 32:07 time earned an 87.3%. Had he run a few seconds faster or Heilpern a few seconds slower, their finishing order would have been reversed. Seventh at San Francisco and 3rd at Tacoma, Gregory Mitchell Bowerman TC, 52, enjoyed another fine outing, landing fourth in age grading. His 34:47 scored an 86.9 PLP. Shane Anthony Shore AC, 57 produced his first top five Age Grading finish at Club Cross; He earned an 86.5 PLP with his 36:30. Ivan Lieben West Valley TC, 56; Frank Zoldak Boulder RR, 59; Charles Mullane West Valley TC, 56; Ed Baker Tracksmith Boston Hares, 46; and Gregory Putnam Central Mass Striders, 56, finished sixth through tenth in age grading, respectively.
Emmet Hogan Club Northwest 35:08 89.1% Jaime Heilpern 55 35:29 87.4% Malcolm Richards 43 32:07 87.3%
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN 60+ Three team age division championships were contested in the M60+ race: M60+, M70+, and M80+. These are referred to as 'ten-year' age divisions. But, in fact, 70-year olds can compete for a team in the 60+ division and 80-year olds in the 60+ or the 70+ division. This happens frequently. A team may need a 3rd runner to field a complete team, or a fourth runner as 'insurance' should one of the first three run into problems during the race and wind up running much more slowly than usual or even have to withdraw. Up to five runners may be declared for a team; the first three to cross the finish line have their finishing positions recorded and summed to give a team score. Only runners from complete teams [3 scoring runners in these divisions] are scored. The lowest team score wins, next lowest gets second, and so on.
M60+ The Twin Cities Running Club already had a claim to being the top club in this division. They won the team title at San Francisco in 2022, finished third in Tallahassee the following year and then won at Tacoma in 2024. None of the other podium teams from San Francisco finished top five in either Tallahassee or Tacoma. The Genesee Valley Harriers finished second to Shore AC at Tallahassee and second to TCRC at Tacoma. Shore AC finished sixth in 2022 and moved up to first at Tallahassee in 2023. But they lost their top scorer when he moved to Minnesota, established residency there, and joined the TCRC 60+ squad. The Atlanta Track Club finished fourth in Tallahassee and moved up to third at Tacoma in 2024.
John Van Danacker drew first blood for TCRC with his win. Paul Smith deposited two points for Bowerman. Ostenberg added 3 for HOKA and then Rick Lee gave Shore 4 points.
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| Hoping to Lead Their Team to Victory, from left, Scott Grandfield, Paul Smith, John Van Danaccker, Kevin Ostenberg, and Brian Crowley Navigate the Mud pit in the Early Going in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
The best recent finish for the Montgomery County Road Runners, out of the Washington, D.C. suburbs, was seventh at Tallahassee. But they had loaded up for this contest! They had a 1-2 punch of Pete Wergin and Mark Neff who come in 5th and 7th. Luckily for TCRC, Mark Zamek was able to split them up and give TCRC 7 points. TCRC now had 7 points from their top two runners and MCRR had 12. No other team had more than one scoring runner in yet! Michael Buckhoff scored an 8 for Cal Coast and Joe Mora gave GVH its first points with 9.
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| Michael Buckhoff green singlet, Mark Neff orange singlet, and Mark Hixson white singlet Slug It Out in the Trenches for Their Respective teams, behind Dan King yellow singlet in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Lester Dragstedt got Atlanta on the scoreboard with 10; his teammate, Anthony Bruno, finished four seconds later at 12th. All of a sudden, Atlanta was in the hunt for the podium. They had 22 points for their first two. Bowerman's Steve Day finished between them to give Bowerman 13 points and, at the time, second place. But it was not to be Bowerman's day as their third runner finished too far back to keep the team in podium contention. MCRR was the first team to get a complete score. Their third runner, Francis Perna, finished 14th to give MCRR 26 points as their final total. TCRC would need their third runner to finish 18th or better to claim the win! No problem! Doug Keller strode across the line fifteen seconds behind Perna in 16th place. That gave TCRC a total of 23 points and the win.
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| Doug Keller left front, Francis Perna right front, and David Westenberg green singlet Battle for Valuable Points in the M60+ Team Competition in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
MCRR had second place locked up. Bowerman's best possible score was 30 points. In fact, Atlanta, GVH and HOKA would all finish ahead of Bowerman. David Black added 20 points to give Atlanta 42 points and third place. Mike Nier's 17th and Sheldon Degenhardt's 22nd gave GVH 48 points and 4th place. HOKA finished fifth at 57 and Bowerman 6th at 67. Chattanooga TC was 7th and Greater Philadelphia TC 8th.
MCRR announced that they are a team to be reckoned with. Atlanta and GVH have finished on or just off the 60+ podium in each of the last three years! But TCRC is undoubtedly the 'Big Dog' of the 60+ teams! This is their third victory in the last four years!
1. Twin City Running Company J Van Danacker, M Zamek, D Keller, R Sayre, J Larranaga 23
2. Montgomery County Road Runners P Wergin6, M Neff, F Perna, J Duyn 26
3. Atlanta Track Club L Dragstedt, A Bruno, D Black, G Oshust, C Hannan 42
M70+ The Jamul Toads, out of the San Diego area, won this division at San Francisco 2022, finished 2nd at Tallahassee Clubs 2023 and third at Tacoma 2024. 9Three podium finishes at Clubs in three consecutive years would have made the Toads top dogs were it not for the ascendant Boulder Road Runners. Sixth in 2022, they won the division at Tallahassee 2023 and at Tacoma 2024. Club Northwest has also been a player. They finished second at San Francisco and Tacoma and were sixth at Tallahassee. Would Boulder continue to score at or near the top? Would the Jamul Toads bounce back up the charts?
John Barbour put Greater Lowell Road Runners on the board first with his win. Kevin Dollard got the two-pointer for Shore.
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| John Barbour On His Way to the Top Finish in the M70+ Team Competition in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Eight seconds later. Jack Pottle finished third t put Boulder on the scoreboard. Eleven seconds later, Dollard's teammate, Harold Leddy gave Shore 4 more points.
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| Kevin Dollard #5711, white cap Battling in the Trenches with Jack Pottle Third in Line, white cap. Their Teams would Finish First and Second in M70+ in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
That gave Shore 6 points from their first two runners; that put Shore in the driver's seat! Fifth and sixth went to Tom Cushman and Doug Steedman of the HOKA aggies; the team had 11 points from two runners and moved into second. Fourteen seconds later, Shore's Jim Linn finished 7th. That closed off Shore's scoring at 13. No other team could touch 13 points! Shore had not been among the top teams at San Francisco or Tallahassee. Last year at Tacoma, they finished fifth. This year they completed the climb to the top of the division!
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| Jim Linn #5709 Running Ahead of Gary Ostwald far right, white singlet, blue sweatband As They Battle for Team Victory in M70+ in the Men's 8K Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Brian Cummins and Bill Beyerbach got their teams going with 8 for the Syracuse Track Club and 9 for GVH, respectively. But then Gary Ostwald and Doug Bell crossed the line almost together in 10th and 11th to close off Boulder's scoring at 24 and put them in silver medal position. HOKA could still finish second if their #3 runner was the net runner to finish. But it would not be this year. Next in was Boulder's Douglas Chesnut. In fact, before HOKA's third runner arrived, GVH would gain a 15th place from James Robinson and a 20th place from Mark Rybinski to raise their total to 44. HOKA's third runner, Toni Ruggle, forced a tie by finishing 33rd. That was great work by Ruggle! Unfortunately for HOKA, the current tie-breaking rule is that the tie is broken in favor of the team whose third scoring runner finishes better. In this case the bronze medals went to GVH because their third runner finished 13 places higher than the third HOKA runner did. Similarly Greater Lowell and Syracuse finished in a tie for 5th at 48 point6s. Fifth place was awarded to Greater Lowell in accordance with the tie-breaking rule. Syracuse was 6th at 48; Jamul Toads 7th at 67, and Atlanta Track Club 8th at 72. GVH enjoyed its first M70+ podium in recent years and had its best finish since their fourth place on this course in 2021. Boulder can boast of two wins and a second place in the last three years. But Shore enjoys the win this year and are champions at least until next year at this time!
1. Shore Athletic Club K Dollard, H Leddy, J Linn, R Sayre, R Stirrat 13
2. Boulder Road Runners J Pottle, G Ostwald, D Bell, D Chesnut 24
3. Genesee Valley Harriers B Beyerbach, J Robinson, M Rybinski, K Yeates, G Jensen 44
80+ There have been different winners of this team competition in each of the last three years. Florida Track Club West, out of San Diego, took top honors at San Francisco Clubs 2022. Atlanta had an unopposed win at Tallahassee Clubs 2023. The San Diego Striders enjoyed the second straight unopposed win in Tacoma last year. In 2022, the SD Striders finished second and the Atlanta TC third. This year four teams were entered.
Jeffrey Dumas and William Repphun went 1-2 for the Boulder Road Runners, giving them the initial lead. Tom Jennings came next, getting the Greater Philadelphia TC on the board with 3 points. The Shore Athletic Club popped onto the leaderboard next when Jack Frame and Premyslaw 'Pzemek' Nowicki finished 4th and 5th. Tose nine points moved them ahead of Greater Philly into 2nd place. Ed Bligh finished 6th for Atlanta and Charlie Patterson finished 8th. That gave Atlanta 14 points but moved them into third place with Greater Philly needing two scores yet. Importantly that was 6th and 8th. In between those two Atlanta runners came Boulder's #3, Jan Frisby, slamming the door on their competitors! Boulder had 10 points for their final total. None of the others could match that now! Philly's James Bell came next, after Patterson, jumping them back ahead of Atlanta, 12 to 14. Shore was still in 2nd at 9 points. But next, in tenth, came their 85-year-'young', Roland Cormier, who enjoys slamming a door as much as anyone. Forty-two seconds later, James Assal finished 11th for Greater Philadelphia. With Morris Williams finishing in the #3 spot for Atlanta, the final order was set.
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| Morris Williams, the Vital #3 Runner for Atlanta's M80+ Team Works His Way Around the Men's 8K Race Course at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Boulder had the win, their first in recent years, followed by Shore, Philly and Atlanta. With Gary Ostwald, who won 75-79, aging up to 80 this year, Boulder should be in good shape for years to come. Of course, Ron Wells also turns 80 between this year and next. Perhaps the Jamul Toads of San Diego will find another couple of swift 80-year-olds to try for the big prize!
1. Boulder Road Runners J Dumas, W Repphun, J Frisby 10
2. Shore Athletic Club J Frame, P Nowicki, R Cormier, J Kuhi 19
3. Greater Philadelphia Track Club T Jennings, J Bell, J Assal 23
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M40+ NOTE: For this division, the first five runners across the line have their finishing positions added up for the team score. If a team finishes fewer than five runners, none of their runners are counted in the scoring.
In 2021 in Tallahassee, the Indiana Elite Athletic Club, out of Greater Indianapolis, took the win with 85 points to West Valley Track Club, out of the San Francisco Bay area. Those two teams, not necessarily in that order, would finish either 1-2 or 2-3 in the next three Club Cross contests. The next year Indiana would win again, this time 54 to 81 over WVTC. On the return trip to Tallahassee in 2023, West Valley clicked on all cylinders to take the win 36 to 59 over Indiana. Club Northwest, on its home turf in Tacoma in 2024, took the win with 36 points. West Valley took 2nd to In9diana's 3rd, 51 to 74. Club NW enters an M40+ team at Clubs but this was the first time in recent years that Club NW placed in the top five. They were 11th in 2021, 18th in 2022, and sixth in 2023 before the 2024 win in Tacoma. Two other teams were likely to play a role in the hunt for the M40+ podium this year. The Tracksmith Boston Hares are, in a sense, the successor to the Boston Athletic Association team that finished one point off of the podium at Tallahassee 2021. The BAA finished 10th in San Francisco in 2022. That was their last Club Cross competition. Some of the athletes on those teams now run for the Hares. In 2023, the Hares competed for the first time at Clubs and made the podium, finishing third, just 25 points behind Indiana. The Hares had an off year in 2024 at Tacoma. They finished fourth but were a hundred points behind the third-place team, Indiana. The Garden State Track Club moved into the top echelon at Tallahassee 2023 finishing fourth behind the Hares although, admittedly, seventy points behind. At Tacoma, they finished fifth, 34 points behind the Hares. They are also a team to be reckoned with. Right before the race I happened to learn that Indiana's usual #1, a lock for top ten and usually top 4, was nursing an injury. It seemed as if it might be tough for them to get another podium finish.
When the gun sounded, the #1 for West Valley, Malcolm Richards, stormed to the front and down the hill at the front of the field. None of the other runners from contending teams was able to go with him. Richards gave WVTC the 1st point and an early advantage.
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| Malcolm Richards Pulled Away from All Rivals to lead his Team to M40+ Victory in the Master's Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
A minute later, Joseph Reynolds put the Hares on the board at 2 points. But West Valley's Jonathan Charlesworth was just four seconds back in 3rd. West Valley quickly bounced back up to the top of the board, at 4 points from two runners. Justin Scheid put the Shore AC on the board at 4. Four seconds later, Brian Flynn put Garden State up with 5 points. Ed Baker, just three seconds back, gave the Hares their second runner in at 6. That gave them 8 points from two runners to West Valley's 4. Those two teams were in the hunt for the win!
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| From left: Joseph Reynolds, Jonathan Charlesworth, Justin Scheid and Brian Flynn Battle for Team Glory Ahead of David Cisewski and Ed Baker in the Masters Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Eight seconds later, David Cisewski and Kevin Pool put the kibosh on that hope as they gave West Valley two more scoring runners at 7 and 8. West Valley's total was now 18 from four runners. WVTC was absolutely in the driver's seat now for the win! Richard Bouckaert put the Power Miler TC on the board with 9 points before Neil Davis gave the Hares their third scoring runner at 10. With 18 points from three runners, they were not keeping even with West Valley, but they were putting a load of hurt on the other teams vying for the podium. Eleven seconds later, Harlan Lopez finished 11th and made it official! West Valley had a final score of 30 points! No one could touch them, not even the Hares! Three seconds later, Indiana got their first points from Chad Carver's 12th place finish. Alexander Taylor and Eric Blake were right on his heels. Their 13th and 14th place finishes gave the Tracksmith Boston Hares 45 points. That slammed the door on the silver medals! No other team had even two scoring runners across the line yet.
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| Chad Carver Leads Harlan Lopez, Kevin Pool, Neil Davis visible behind Pool's right shoulder, Richard Bouckaert, and Eric Blake Midrace in the Masters Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
In the hunt for the Bronze medals, so far, it was Garden State, Indiana, Power Miler, and Shore AC. Christopher Pirch added Ragged Mountain Racing to the list at 15 points. After Bryce Lighthall scored 16th for WVTC, John Poray added a second score for Indiana at 17, giving them 29 points from two scorers. He beat the last three West Valley runners to the line. Two, five, and six seconds later, Tom Haxton, Konrad Knutsen, and Jamey Gifford finished 18th, 19th and 20th for West Valley! The 21st spot went to Garden State's Richard Pfeiffer, giving GSTC 26 points from their two scorers. That moved them back in front of Indiana. The 22nd place finish was taken by Brendan Prindiville, of the Hares. But three seconds later, Jesse Davis gave IETC their third scorer at 23. Indiana now had 52 points from three runners and their seesaw battle with GSTC continued, now with Indiana up and GSTC down. Matthew Barresi let everyone know that Ragged Mountain was still in the hunt. His 24 points moved them into 4th, with 39 points from two runners. Dickson Mercer gave GRC-Tracksmith, out of the Washington D.C. area, their first score at 25. They would need to have a very tight pack to catch up to the teams in front of them!
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| From Left: Konrad Knutsen, Matthew Barresi, Dickson Mercer and Jamey Gifford Fighting to Provide Valuable Points to their Teams in the Masters Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Michael Fox came across in 26th, giving Ragged Mountain 65 points from three scorers. Although it might not last long, Ragged Mountain was, at that point 4th behind Indiana and ahead of Garden State. Bull City TC nabbed 27th, with Jason Reilly claiming 28th for the Boston Hares. All of a sudden, GRC Tracksmith's next three were a tight pack! Charlie Ban, Lucas Meyer, and David Wertz finished 29th, 31st and 32nd. That gave them 117 points with four scorers. They were the first of the rest of the teams to get to four runners in! The 30th spot went to WVTC B, Shane Anthony's 33 gave Shore 37 points from two runners. Garden State's James Sullivan and Ken Goglas brought home 34th and 35th to move GSTC way up to 95 points from four scoring runners. That put them ahead of the only other team that had four runners in, GRC Tracksmith! But then GRC's Joe Borg finished 36th to close off their scoring at 153 points! They were the first team to get a complete team score after West Valley and Tracksmith Boston Hares. But both GSTC at 95 from 4 scoring runners and Indiana at 52 from 3 scoring runners could, in principle, move past GRC. Joe Koss, WVTC-B, finished 37th. Eight seconds later, Mark Guyer lifted Indiana's podium hopes with his 38th place finish. They were now at 89 points from four finishers, six ahead of GSTC. Matt Taylor of the Boston Hares finished 39th and then a big one dropped into place. Chuck Schneekloth finished 40th to give Garden State its final total of 135 points from five scoring runners. Indiana's 5th runner had to finish 45th or better for them to beat out Garden State for the bronze medals. The Movin Shoes RC, out of Madison WI got 41st and 42nd from their top two runners, Kit Wobeter and Tim Willcox. Bull City's #2, Marc Jeuland, finished 43rd. Four seconds behind Jeuland and nine seconds ahead of the athlete in 45th place, Mike Haschell gave Indiana the place they needed to pass Garden State. His 44 points brought Indiana' final total to 134 points, one less than Garden State! Wow! That was a battle! Jon Healey finished 61st to give Ragged Mountain a complete scoring team at 174 points, for sixth place. Those six teams were followed by Shore AC, Power Miler TC, Movin Shoes RC, and West Valley TC-B in 7th through tenth place. Indiana could hardly believe they managed to make the podium again with their top runner finishing outside the top twenty; others stepped up and that runner finished #3 for his team despite his injury! That gives them four straight years of podium finishes at Club Cross. The Tracksmith Boston Hares had their best year yet at Club Cross, finishing second, just 15 points behind the winners. But West Valley got to enjoy the Club Cross win, its first since 2023 and its lowest score yet! Like Indiana they have five straight years on the M40+ podium. They have finished ahead of Indiana in each of the last three Club Cross Championships! Things look good for West Valley going forward. They showed up with a complete team of nine declared runners, who all finished, matched only by the Boston Hares. West Valley also had the youngest squad among the top five teams.
1. West Valley Track Club M Richards, J Charlesworth, D Cisewski, K Pool, H Lopez, B Lighthall, T Haxton, K Knutsen, J Gifford 30
2. Tracksmith Boston Hares J Reynolds, E Baker, N Davis, A Taylor, E Blake, B Prindiville, J Reilly, M Taylor, R Greenwald 45
3. Indiana Elite Athletic Club C Carver, J Poray, J Davis, M Guyer, M Haschell, M Cole 134
M50+ Perhaps even more than the 40+ squad, the West Valley Track Club 50's squad prides itself as being the top XC 50+ team in the country. And they have the results to back it up. They had won the 50+ championship at each of the last four Club Cross Championships. They won by over 30 points in 2021, 2022, and 2024. They had a real challenge from the Boulder Road Runners in 2023 in Tallahassee when they won 56-59! Boulder's first podium was in 2022 in San Francisco when they finished third behind WVTC and the Garden State Track Club. 2023 was Zoldak's first Club XC appearance for BRR. It is a sign that Bulder was all in for that Championship. They almost took the big prize! They were not quite at that level the next year at Tacoma, despite Zoldak's presence. They finished 5th. Would they rebound? The Garden State TC finished 2nd in 2021 and 2022 but has not been among the top teams the last two years. The Bowerman TC, out of Oregon, finished 5th in 2021, moved up to fourth in 2022 and stayed right there in 2023. In 2024, with Clubs relatively nearby in Tacoma, Bowerman moved up to the silver medals position. Would they be able to stay on the podium in 2025/26? The Atlanta Track Club finished ninth at Tallahassee in 2021, and stayed in that position in 2022 at San Francisco. Back at Tallahassee the next year, Atlanta climbed to sixth. They fell back to tenth at Tacoma in 2024. Would they rise again at Apalachee Regional Park this year?
Greg Mitchell got Bowerman started with a single point from his M50+ win. Jaime Heilpern started off the HOKA Aggies with two points.
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| From Right: Gregory Mitchell, Emmet Hogan, and Jaime Heilpern Race to lead Their Team to M50+ Victory in the Masters Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
The next minute and four seconds saw the top four runners for West Valley, Neville Davey, Julian Marsh, Ivan Lieben, and Chuck Mullane, cross the finish line in 3rd through 6th! That all but guaranteed that WVTC would add a fifth consecutive M50+ win! They had 18 points from four runners. No other team had more than one, and most had no one in yet. It was time now to focus mostly on the silver medals. Aaron-Totten-Lancaster put Atlanta in play at 7th. Flavio DeSimone came next for Boulder at 8th. Alan Black kicked Atlanta's score up to 16 from two runners with his 9th place. Frank Zoldak finished 10th for Boulder. Their 18 points from two runners left them in third behind West Valley and Atlanta. Chafik Azerki ended the tiny uncertainty about a West Valley win! His 11th place gave West Valley a final score of 29 points and the win! Bowerman got back in the top bunch when Ahrlin Bauman gave them 12 points for a two-runner total of 13. That kicked them past Atlanta and Boulder. The Blacksburg Striders, out of SW Virginia, joined the fray with Anderson Norton's 13th. The Striders were at their first Club Cross Championships after testing the USATF waters with a win at Richmond's 2024 Cross Nationals. Christopher Harris answered for Atlanta, giving them their third score at 14th. Apart from the winners, West Valley, Atlanta was first to three scores and had 30 points. Jonah Backstron, West Valley's #6 scorer finished 15th. After Tim Harte finished 16th for Greater Philadelphia Track Club, Atlanta got a boost from Gary Moore's 17th for Atlanta. They now had 47 points from four scoring runners. Jose Anguiano took 18th out of play by scoring that for West Valley. Kevin McGuire and Durelle Scott delivered 19th and 21st for Blacksburg, raising them to 53 points and three scoring runners. Sandwiched between was Chattanooga Track Club's Stewart Ellington in 20th. Patrick O'Rourke gave Greater Philly their second score at 22nd. Twin City Running Club made a sudden surge, with Eric Johnson, Mark Elworthy and Brian Davenport finished in 23rd through 25th to give them 72 points from three runners. Boulder answered with 26th and 27th from Kevin Konczak and Michael Mallon. All of a sudden Boulder was at 71 from four runners, moving them up behind Atlanta as the only two, other than WVTC to have four scoring runners across the line.
Recapitulating to this stage [1st 27 runners finished]: West Valley-winner at 29 points; Atlanta-4 runners at 47; Boulder - 4 runners at 71; Blacksburg - 3 runners at 53 points; TCRC - 3 runners at 72; Bowerman - 2 runners at 13.
Matthew Waite claimed 28th for TCRC; 4 runners at 100 pts. That moved TCRC ahead of Blacksburg, at least for the moment. Oscar Bauman and Matt Farley threw that reckoning off almost immediately by finishing 29th and 30th for Bowerman; 4 runners at 72. That moved Bowerman past Blacksburg and TCRC; they were one point behind Boulder, in fourth place. Scott Huxtable answered for Blacksburg with 31st place; Blacksburg had 4 runners at 84. They were ahead of TCRC but behind Boulder and Bowerman. Brian Sydow closed the door for Atlanta. His 32nd place finish gave Atlanta their final total of 79 points. They had 2nd place in hand! To be fair and share some of the credit, Sydow edged his teammate, Frederick Dolan for 32nd instead of 33rd but they had the same time to the second. Gary Gellin gave HOKA its second scoring runner at 34th. But ten seconds later, Bradley Paye finished 35th for Blacksburg. He was their fifth scoring runner, closing their final total at 119 points.
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| From left: Russell Fairles, John Probst, and Bradley Paye Far right, sunglasses Pushing Mid-Race-Every Point Counts! In the M50+ Team Race in the Masters Men's 10 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Blacksburg was in third place ahead of Boulder for five seconds. Brian Schmidt of Boulder was right behind Paye. His 36 points finished off scoring for Boulder at 107.They had third in their grasp. They were ahead of Blacksburg. Only Bowerman could disrupt the podium and then only if their fifth runner finished 45th or better. In fact, Dave Ross finished 56th for Bowerman, leaving them at a final score of 128 points and fifth place. Blacksburg's 119 gave them the fourth-place finish. Those five teams were followed by TC Running Company 149; TC Running Co. 149; HOKA Aggies 176; and Greater Philadelphia 192.
Atlanta had its best Club Cross finish in years at second. Boulder showed that it is still a force to be reckoned with. Blacksburg Striders made their first trip to Cub Cross a memorable one. Bowerman was once again in the hunt. But West Valley demonstrated the gulf that exists between them and the rest of the 50+ teams right now!
1. West Valley Track Club N Davey, J Marsh, I Lieben, C Mullane, C Azerki, J Backstrom, J Anguiano, R Fairles 29
2. Atlanta Track Club A Totten-Lancaster, A Black, C Harris, G Moore, B Sydow, F Dolan, S Bell, B Slavens 79
3. Boulder Road Runners F De Simone, F Zoldak, K Konczak, M Mallon, B Schmidt, J Probst, C McDonald 107
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WOMEN W40+ Team Red Lizard has been the dominant W40+ team in recent years. After a second-place finish to the San Diego Track Club at San Francisco in 2022, Red Lizard has won the last two Club Cross W40+ championships. They traveled from Oregon to Tallahassee for the 2023 championships and had a shorter trip up to Tacoma WA for the 2024 win. San Diego did not compete in Tallahassee 2023 but finished fifth at Tacoma. They did not bring a team to Tallahassee this year. Club Northwest finished 2nd in Tallahassee 2021, 5th at San Francisco 2022, 8th at Tallahassee 2023, and then 2nd in their backyard in Tacoma 2024. But Club Northwest did not send a team to Tallahassee this year. The Garden State Track Club finished 5th in 2021, 4th in 2022 and 2023 but did not compete in Tacoma. Other West Coast clubs like Bowerman, Cal Coast, and the Janes Elite have had some good results but did not send a complete team to Tallahassee this year. Checkers Athletic Club out of Buffalo NY finished fifth in 2023 and sixth in Tacoma last year.
As Bowerman had no team, Red Lizard got the first two scores from Renee Metivier and Allison Crocker. With three points from their first two runners, Red Lizard was in great shape.
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| Renee Metivier Leads Her Team to Victory. Along with teammate, Alison Crocker right, back, they Finished 1-2 in the W40+ Team Competition in the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
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| Melanie Nussbaum Hurtles to the Finish Line Ahead of Jennifer Keenan. Every Point Could Make a Difference! In the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
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| Maura Tyrrell leads Kristin Shaw and Aileen Hoak Toward the Finish Line As Their Teams Fight for the Victory in the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
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| From Far Left: Elizabeth Sweeney, Kristina Gracey, Alexandra Mindel, and Mary Babcock In a Mad Dash toward the Finish Line With a Podium Finish at Stake! In the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Ten seconds later, Mary Babcock and Elizabeth Sweeney crossed the line in 18th and 19th, giving Garden State their final score of 41 points, and fourth place. Babcock and Sweeney had given it everything they had, but it was just short. Battle Road was on the podium on their first visit to Club Cross! Gulf Winds finished fifth at 58, just 5 points ahead of Power Milers in 6th. Gate City finished 7th at 78 points, a single point ahead of Atlanta in 8th. Checkers made a big jump from previous years. This was their first W40+ podium finish in recent years. Red Lizard enjoyed a dominant win, their fourth consecutive win at Club Cross. How long can they keep their streak going?!
1. Team Red Lizard R Metivier, A Crocker, C Joyce Heineck, K Shaw, W Terris 9
2. Checkers Athletic Club J Keenan, J Boerner, M Tyrrell, A Hoak, M Le Brun Schulz 24
3. Battle Road Track Club J Minty, K Gracey, A Mindel, K Johnson, J Bozek 36
W50+ Central Park Track Club, winner of W50+ at the last two Club Cross championships, did not bring a team to Tallahassee. Similarly, Sirius Athletics, out of Athens GA, claimed gold in 2021 and Bronze in 2022 and 2023. But they were not at Tacoma and did not bring a team this year. Garden State Track Club, out of New Jersey, was the top returning team. They finished third in W50+ in 2021 and second in both 2022 and 2023. They missed last year's championships in Tacoma but were back this year in Tallahassee. The HOKA Aggies, a northern California team, had not fielded a team since 2022 in San Francisco when they finished 6th. Cal Coast Track Club= as not fielded a W50+ team in the last four years at Club Cross. Both teams looked, on paper, as if they could challenge Garden State. Greater Philadelphia Track Club has done well at Cross Nationals but have also not fielded a team at Clubs in recent years. they too should be in the hunt.
Sara Girotto grabbed the number 1 ticket for Greater Philly. They were on top of the board!
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| Sara Girotto Gets the W50+ Win for her Team in the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Eight seconds later, Carla McAlister scored two points for Cal Coast.
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| Carla McAlister Leads Her Team to the W50+ Silver Medals in the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Hortencia Aliaga got Garden State on the board at 3. Elizabeth Guerrini added a 4th for Cal Coast, moving them to the top of the board at 2 runners scored and 6 points! The first two runners for HOKA Aggies, Aeron Arlin Genet and Kira Abercromby, scored next at 5th and 6th.
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| Kira Abercromby #5453 Ahead of teammate, Aeron Arlin Genet #5454 As They Head Toward the Finish Line to Close Out Their W50+ Team Silver Effort in the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
HOKA Aggies moved firmly into 2nd place with 11 points from two runners. Six seconds after Abercromby crossed the line, Kimberly Aspholm gave Garden State a boost with her 7th place finish. At ten points from two runners, they moved one point ahead of HOKA Aggies. Then Jill Boaz closed the door for HOKA Aggies! Her 8th place finish gave HOKA a final score of 19. They were the first team to achieve a complete, final score. Cal Coast could still beat them but the best Garden State could do would be to tie, and the next scoring runner would have to be one of theirs. Aggies did not have long t wait; six seconds later, Amy McMahon finished 9th to get those points for Checkers. Aggies knew they could finish no worse than second! If Cal Coast's #3 runner finished 13th or lower, the Aggies would get the win, either outright or from the tie-breaker. Abby Dean gotten more points for Greater Philly, putting them up at 11 points from two scores. Less than a half minute later, Christy Peterson ended the suspense when she crossed the finish line in 11th, closing the door for Cal Coast at 17 points. They had the win by two points over the Aggies! Seven seconds later, Maria Metzger slammed the door for Garden State at 12th. Her teammate, Kathleen Beebe, was right behind at 13th. The 12 points from Metzger gave Garden State 22 points. No team could catch them for third place. As it turned out, Mary Swan, dropping down from 60+, scored 16 points for Greater Philly. That gave them their final total of 27 points and fourth place. The Mid-Michagan Track Club, in their first Club Cross competition, nailed 5th at 52 points. Checkers followed at 6th and 57 points. Shore AC was 7th at 62 points, with Atlanta Track Club 8th at 75. Garden State won its second set of bronze medals to go with their 2021 set and their silver sets from 2022 and 2023. Greater Philadelphia announced its return to Club Cross with a finish just off the podium. For Mid-Michigan, it was a very creditable fifth place finish in their first go at a Masters LDR Championship! It was a tight battle between Cal Coast and the Aggies but Cal Coast got the win!
1. Cal Coast Track Club C McAlister, E Guerrini, C Peterson 17
2. HOKA Aggie Running Club A Arlin Genet, K Abercromby, J Boaz 19
3. Garden State Track Club H Aliaga, K Aspholm, M Metzger, K Beebe, G Panepinto 22
W60+ If you look at the top four teams at the last four Club Cross competitions, you typically see Atlanta Track Club, Club Northwest, Impala Racing, Liberty Athletic Club, and Shore Athletic Club. From that group, only Atlanta, Liberty and Shore brought teams to Tallahassee this year. They were joined by Genesee Valley Harriers, looking to move up onto the podium. They finished 4th at Clubs in 2021 and 7th in 2023. Shore won W60+ the last time Clubs was in Tallahassee in 2023; they were looking for a repeat performance.
There were no worries for Shore. Their #1, Suzanne La Burt took 1st and their #2, Pamela Ricker, crossed the finish line in 2nd a minute later.
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| Suzanne La Burt Brings Home the W60+ Win For Her Team As She Passes 40+ and 50+ Runners In the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Mimi Fallon stepped up and took #3 for Liberty; they were fighting for the win!
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| Mimi Fallon Closes Off Her Third Place Effort, Helping Her Team to the W60+ Silver Medals In the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
But shortly thereafter, Nora Cary, the 2024 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year who was dropping down from 70+, took 4th to give Shore the win with just 7 points! Everyone else was now running for second place! Mary Cass finished 5th to give Liberty 8 points from their top two runners. Lesley Hinz came next at 6th for Atlanta, with Shore-B's Kitty Musante at 7th. Kris Huff nailed 8th for Atlanta, giving them 14 points from their top two. They were the third team to get two runners across the line. But Liberty's Lauren Leslie came next at 9th, closing off Liberty's scoring at 17 points. No one could match that! Liberty had locked up the silver medals. Victoria Bok and Donna Grocki took 10th and 11th for Liberty and Shore, respectively. Patrice Combs gave Atlanta the lock on the bronze medals when she finished 12th. Atlanta had a final score of 26 points and third place! Mireille Silva finished 13th before GVH got its first scoring runner, Carol Reif, at 14th. It was pretty tight between GVH and Shore-B for fourth and fifth. Gail Geiger finished 17th for GVH, but Leslie Nowicki and Susan Stirrat, also dropping down from 70+, finished 18th and 19th for Shore. They finished before G+VH's third runner, Colleen Newman could score. Shore-B wound up in 4th place with 44 points to GVH's 53 points in 5th.
1. Shore Athletic Club S La Burt, P Ricker, N Cary, D Grocki 7
2. Liberty Athletic Club M Fallon, M Cass, L Leslie, V Bok, M McNulty 17
3. Atlanta Track Club L Hinz, K Huff, P Combs, M Silva 26
W70+ Team Red Lizard won W70+ at Club Cross in 2021, 2022, and 2023. They fell to 3rd in Tacoma last December. But that may be an anomaly. Impala has a good showing when the competition is on the west Coast, finishing second when it was in San Francisco in 2022 and winning W70+ last year in Tacoma. Atlanta has done well when the competition has been in Tallahassee, their A team finishing 2nd both years and their B team third.
Jeanette Groesz, Team Captain for Red Lizard W70+, gave them the lead at one poiint from one runner. Suzanne Ray, enticed away from her ultra trail runs, finished 2nd. It looked like the =R-ed Lizard team was back on track. They had three points from two runners. Atlanta struck back with Margaret Taylor and Norma Hudnall taking 3rd and 4th to give them 7 points from their first two runners. Red Lizard would not have it all their way! Sharon Gerl slammed the door on that effort 23 seconds later when she finished 5th. Red Lizard had 8 points from three runners; Atlanta's lowest possible score was 13. That was, in fact, Atlanta's final score. Trenice Mullis Dubow finished 6th and her teammate, Elizabeth Unislawski was 7th. Atlanta's B-squad finished third. Terry Ozell finished 8th. After Red Lizard's Cande Olsen finished 9th,
Cande Olsen Finishes Off Her Race for her W70+ Gold Medal Team, Ahead of Cindy Lucking back, right In the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott
Kathleen Allen and Andrea McCarter finished 10th and 11th to give Atlanta B 29 points and the team bronze medals.
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| Kathleen Allen, All Smiles As She Finishes Her Race, Helping Her Squad to the W70+ Bronze Team Medals In the Masters Women 6 Km Race at the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Red Lizard had their fourth gold medal finish in the last five Club Cross Championships, an enviable record. Atlanta gave Red Lizard a battle for the win. As usual, Atlanta claimed silver and bronze medals in Tallahassee.
1. Team Red Lizard J Groesz, S Ray, S Gerl, C Olsen 8
2. Atlanta Track Club 'A' M Taylor, N Hudnall, T Mullis Dubow, E Unislawski 13
3. Atlanta Track Club 'B' T Ozell, K Allen, A McCarter, C Patterson 29
That winds up this recap. A big event deserves two recaps! Next up is the USATF Masters 1 Mile Road Championships on Tuesday evening, April 21st in Des Moines IA! The Drake Relays is hosting that championship as part of its Grand Blue Mile. The USATF Masters 10 Km Championships follow, hosted by the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham MA on Sunday, April 26th.
The next Masters Cross Country events are the USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Huntsville AL on Saturday, November 7th. The 2026/27 Club Cross Championships are on Saturday, December 12th in Norton OH at the Silver Creek Metro Park Cross Country course in NE Ohio near Cleveland and Akron.
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Sources: USATF Events website, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, Facebook, World Masters Athletics, and PrimeTime Timing website.
A HUGE thank you to Michael Scott who provides his photos gratis to the running community!
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