June 13, 2026. Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story recapping the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships, I cover most USATF Masters LDR Championships., I report on middle 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. Clicking on 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 B-C, John H (2), Lorilynn B, Bryan H,, Brendan, cush, Gary G, Jan F, Aaron T-L, Ken Y, Peter W, Dan K, Suzanne L B, Michael M, Ed B, Dana H, John B, Bill A (2), John & Amy M, Jay L, Tim L, Mike M. May you have good speed in 2026! and beyond!
The early forecasts had folks worried about possible thunderstorms. Thunderstorms stayed away but the morning was sultry for the Saturday, June 6thth Masters 4 Mile Championships. When the athletes lined up for the start, it was 76 degrees Fahrenheit with 85% humidity, a dewpoint of 71F; it was not conducive to fast times. Many who went out a bit too fast were suffering by the halfway point and had to call on all their resources to finish. The weather did not sidetrack Sacramento’s Jacob Nur SRA Elite; CA from his record attempt.
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| Jacob Nur On His Way to an American M70 4-Mile Record Performance at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Nur blazed to a top-20 overall finish, won his division, and set a new American Record; Nur’s 24:22 (net) was nearly a minute under the old record.
OVERALL
MEN Nicholas Kipruto Colorado, finished second in the Masters 1 Mile Championships in Des Moines. With his subsequent win at the 10 Km Masters Overall win at Dedham, Kipruto entered as the favorite. Mike Aitken Unaffiliated ran a 16:10 5K in March. Andew Carlson RC Athletic Club finished 17th in M40 at Club Cross in Tallahassee. Dickson Mercer GRC Tracksmith finished second here last year in 20:52. He was sixth overall in the highly competitive 10 Km championships, clocking 33:20. Artur Mueller, a late entry, had finished as second Masters at the 2025 Quad City Bix in 38:23. Last September he finished fourth overall and 1st Masters at the TBK Quad Cities Marathon in 2:33:48. That group of four would give chase but would primarily battle each other.
Kipruto ran the first mile in 4:54 to open up a hundred-meter advantage over the field and never looked back. Enjoying a nineteen-second lead at that point; Kipruto won by over a minute in 20:04. The chase pack of Carlson, Mercer and Mueller held together through 5K; Mike Aitken had been dropped in the third mile. Mueller claimed second place in 21:24, with Mercer third in 21:30. Carlson claimed fourth in 21:43, a good half minute ahead of Aitken.
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| Nicholas Kipruto claims the Overall Masters Win at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
This gives Kipruto two straight overall Masters wins! Couple that with his silver medal overall at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines, and Kipruto is the man to beat when it comes to the M40+ Individual Grand Prix!
Nicholas Kipruto 20:04 Artur Mueller 21:24 Dickson Mercer 21:30
WOMEN Jenelle Deatherage Unaffiliated; IL, during her Open career, finished 4th in the 1500M Olympic Trials of 2004 in 4:07.87. In 2024, Deatherage competed in her fifth US Olympic Marathon Trials. Karen Dos Santos Shore AC; NJ finished seventh in the USATF Masters 10 Km Championships in late April with a sterling 38:37. Last fall, Angela Giuliani Unaffiliated; TX finished fifth overall in the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. Her 19:09 was probably faster. The Atlanta Track Club had to adjust the course shortly before the event due to construction. The course wound up being long. Many athletes suggested their typical times were a bit faster, although part of that may have been due to the hilliness of the course. Dana Hayden Unaffiliated; VA finished second at the Masters 1 Mile Championships in 5:34.3 and followed that with an 8th place finish overall at the 10K Masters Championships in a fine 39:30. Sarah Kasabian (-Larson) Red Cedar RC; MI ran a 57:38 15K at the Rock CF Rivers Half marathon in March and followed that a month later with a dandy 1:23:12 half marathon at the Glass City Marathon. Perry Shoemaker Unaffiliated; NH, who finished fourth overall at the Masters 10 Km Championships had to scratch.
Deatherage moved to the front early, followed by Kasabian and Dos Santos, with Giuliani and Hayden running in tandem a bit further back. Deatherage hit the halfway point in 11:39, with a good 60-meter lead on Santos. Kasabian was twenty meters behind Dos Santos. Giuliani was another thirty meters back, trying to maintain contact. Hayden was now over 50 meters behind Giuliani and focused more on maintaining position than moving up. The gap between Deatherage and Dos Santos increased, as did the gap from Dos Santos to Kasabian. increased over the return trip. Deatherage won in 23:16, with fifty-six seconds to spare. Karen Dos Santos was second in 24:12. Giuliani surged in the third mile, cutting Kasabian's lead to twenty meters. But that was it; Kasabian hung tough over the final mile to claim third in 24:45, a mere four seconds ahead of the charging Giuliani. Hayden finished fifth in 25:24. This was a hometown race for Deatherage. It is not clear if she has ambitions with respect to other Masters championshisps in other parts of the country. What is clear is that she would be a force to be reckoned with if she did.
Jenelle Deatherage 23:17 Karen Dos Santos 24:15 Sarah Kasabian 24:45
AGE GRADING net time The Age Grading Performance Level Percentage PLP indicates how a runner’s time compares to the fastest possible time, based ion international data, run by an athlete of that age. The higher the percentage, the better the performance. Medals at National Masters Road Championships are awarded to the top three PLP's overall across age divisions, for both Women and Men. WOMEN Suzanne La Burt, 63, Shore AC; NY, raced to 26:34 for a 92.29 PLP.
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| Suzanne La Burt on her way to a W60 in and the top Women's age grading performance at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
AGE DIVISION gun time
MEN
40-44 Kipruto, Mueller and Mercer went 1-2-3 Overall and they take the top three spots here as well.
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| Artur Mueller heads for a Masters Overall Silver Medal at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Nicholas Kipruto 20:04 Artur Mueller 21:24 Dickson Mercer 21:30
45-49 David Angell Unaffiliated; VA was the overall winner last year and won this division in 20:42. After a difficult 2025, Angell appeared to be all the way back; he finished ninth overall in a loaded field at the Masters 10 Km championships at the end of April in 33:50. The weather was not to his liking this year and it showed; his time was almost two minutes slower than last year. That kept him out of the top five overall but he had no trouble taking the M45 title in 22:38.
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| David Angell cruises to the M45 Win at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
At first glance, it did not appear that George Trilikis RC Athletic Club would be at all competitive in this division. His Athlinks results up through 2024 suggested a likely time under 30 minutes would be unlikely. There was a March 2026 result for a George Trilikis in the Napa Valley Half marathon. But that had no address listed for Trilikis so I ignored it, assuming it was unlikely to be this Trilikis. That was wrong. Deeper research shows that Trilikis had, apparently, gotten serious enough about running in the last couple of years to finish third in his division in 1:20:29. He would have had a legitimates hot at the podium even if the race had attracted the usual quantity and quality of 45-49 competitors. With no other rivals to contend with, Trilikis finished second at 23:28.
David Angell 22:38 George Trilikis 23:28
50-54 Three athletes were entered, Joshua Banister Unaffiliated; IL; Peter Christopher Unaffiliated; NH; and Brian Sydow Atlanta TC; GA. It appeared from recent evidence that the three would be closely matched. Banister ran 24:14 here last year in the Community race; that would have placed him third in M45 had he run the same time in the Masters Championship race. He ran 1:17:35 in the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon in April. Christopher ran 35:48 at the North Shore 10K in Massachusetts last fall and 1:17:53 at the New Bedford HM this March. Sydow had run 36:43 to finish 3rd M50 at the recent Masters 10 Km Championships. Christopher either handled the heat better or was just fitter. Based on the official sp0its for Banister and Christopher and Sydow's Strava post, the three were dead even at the 1 Mile mark. Apparenty Christopher and Sydow, running closely together, had dropped banister by the 2-Mile mark. They were still essentially even at the 3 Mile mark. Then, a few meters from the finish line, Sydow crashed into a barrier and went down. In a note after the race, Sydow indicated: "I broke 'part of my C6 vertebra." [Sydow is an M.D.] EMT's immediately responded and wound up carrying him across the finish line and on to the hospital. The good news is that no surgery was required but he is wearing a 'hard neck collar' and is getting better every day. [Hurray for the EMT's!]. Sydow did not specifically blame the heat but felt it was a combination of things that led to a lack of focus. Because Sydow did not finish, he does not appear in the results. It is not the way anyone wants to win, but Christopher ran a terrific race, winning in 23:10.
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| Peter Christopher won the M50 Championship at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Banister finished second at 24:58.
Peter Christopher 23:12 Joshua Banister 24:58
55-59 Gregory Putnam Central Mass Striders; MA and Shane Anthony Shore AC; NJ dueled in Dedham MA, going 1-2 in the M55 division, Putnam in 35:20, with Anthony just ten seconds back in second place. Frank Zoldak, one of the top runners in that division was, apparently, a scratch. As a result it would be likely that Putnam and Anthony would battle for the win again. Michael Resterhouse Amp Up Sports TF; MI and Brad Slavens Atlanta TC; GA appeared to be a few steps slower than those two favorites but also appeared to be well matched in the race for the final podium spot. Resterhouse uncorked a 36:44 10K at the Bayshore Marathon last year. Seven months later, Resterhouse enjoyed the edge over Slavens at Cross Nationals in Portland, running just 40 seconds faster over 8 Km of turf. Anthony and Putnam enjoyed the same 'give no ground' battle they had at the 10K Championships in April. Never more than a meter or two apart through the halfway point, Anthony threw in a surge at the 3 Mile mark which put Putnam at a temporary disadvantage. He was not able to recover until they headed into the final turn before descending to the finish. Putnam then launched an all-out sprint to the finish that carried him to the win and a featured photo in the Peoria Journal Star's coverage of the race. [See: Thousands hit the streets of Peoria for 52nd Steamboat Classic] That all-out sprint was necessary. Even so, Anthony was a mere two seconds off! This should be a rivalry to watch! Anthony took top honors at Club Cross in Tallahassee but since then, Putnam has ruled the roads!
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| Gregory Putnam cruising midway in the race before a finishing sprint gave him the M55 Victory at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
In the battle for the bronze M55 medal, Resterhouse got off the mark first, ahead of Slavens by two seconds at the mile mark, in 5:46. He extended his lead slightly in the second mile, but Slavens had closed to within two seconds again by the third mile. But Slavens could not get even. In the final descent to the finish, Resterhouse kept ahead, winning by five seconds in 24:07. Jason Newport Unaffiliated; OH closed strongly to finish 5th in 24:32.
Gregory Putnam 22:37 Shane Anthony 22:39 Michael Resterhouse 24:10
60-64 Based on their most recent outing in Dedham MA at the Masters 10 Km Championships, it appeared that teammates, Nat Larson Greater Springfield Harriers; MA, Scott Grandfield Greater Springfield Harriers; MA, and Mark Hixson Greater Springfield Harriers; CT would likely take the top three spots. They had finished, in that order, in 36:24, 37:07, and 37:52. John Van Danacker Twin Cities RC could certainly disrupt that potential sweep. Van Danacker won the 60+ race at the highly competitive Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee, over 8 km in 29:51. To be fair, Larson was not competing at that time, and Grandfield was forced to a DNF by a midrace injury. But he finished a good minute and a half ahead of Hixson. Larson, Van Danacker and Grandfield assumed the lead for the first mile, with Hixson laying slightly off the pace for the first mile. But Hixson moved up and was setting the pace for the group by the halfway point. Still, it was a tight foursome. Hison continued to lead through Mile three, with Larson and Van Danacker on his heels. Grandfield was over 50 meters back. This was Hixson's day; he pressed the pace over the final mile and pulled away to win in 23:23.
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| Mark Hixson setting the pace for, from Left to Right, John Van Danacker, Nat Larson, and M55 Michael Resterhouse. Hixson won the M60 Division Championship at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Larson held off Van Danacker to take second in 23:29. Van Danacker's 23:36 earned the bronze M60 medal! Grandfield, on a tough day, held strong to the finish, beating off a challenge by Michael Mallon QC Faster Masters. Mallon had stayed on Grandfield's heels through the halfway point but pulled slightly ahead at the 5K mark. Grandfield responded though and claimed the fourth spot by six seconds in 23:51.
Mark Hixson 23:23 Nat Larson 23:29 John Van Danacker 23:36
65-69 Roger Sayre Twin Cities RC; MN finished second last year in 24:33. He was followed by his teammate, Doug Keller TCRC; MN, at 24:57 in third. Steve Monks QC Faster Masters; FL has a string of performances including a 39:55 10K in February and a 1:02:34 15K at the Gate River Run in March, both in Florida. What I did not learn until after the race was that Keller had come into the race with '...a knee wrap and a little ibuprofen.' Ken Youngers Atlanta TC; GA has had an up and down year. When Youngers is on, he is one of the top runners in the division. But he has been off his best recently. He finished fourth at the Masters 5 Km Championships, behind both Sayre and Keller. At Club Cross in Tallahassee, it was the same story; Youngers finished a good half minute behind Keller. Sayre did not race that day. Many say that if one of the top runners shows up, he must be ready to compete for the win. But when the team calls, Youngers answers if he can, knowing that his 'second-best' will help the team. Monls took it out hard, hitting the mile mark in 6:01; he had well over thirty meters on Sayre. Keller, with his wrapped knee, was fifty meters behind Sayre. Youngers was another 100 meters behind Keller. The second mile saw Sayre pull even and pass Monks. By the halfway mark, Sayre enjoyed a lead over Monks of at least fifty meters. Keller was twenty-five seconds behind Monks, with Youngers over a half minute further back. The order did not change but the gap from Sayre to Monks grew a lot; the gap from Monks to Keller grew a little; and the gap from Keller to Youngers shrunk a bit. Sayre enjoyed the win in 24:54, with Monks second in 26:23.
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| Roger Sayre finishes off a strong run that carries him to the M65 victory and a Top Five Age Grade Overall at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Keller was thirty-nine seconds behind Monk in third; the 'complaining knee' might well have cost Keller a good minute. Youngers claimed fourth in 27:30 and helped his team earn valuable Grand Prix points.
Roger Sayre 24:54 Steve Monks 26:23 Doug Keller 27:02
70-74 This division belonged to Nur. His record-breaking effort left him over three minutes ahead of the rest of the field, winning with a gun time of 24:24. There was a very competitive race for second through fifth. The teammates, James Linn Shore AC; PA; Kevin Dollard Shore AC; NY; and Harold Leddy Shore AC; NJ had, in recent championships, mastered the art of finishing in a tight pack. At the 5 Km championships in Atlanta, they finished 2-3-4 just six seconds apart. At the 10 Km Championships in Dedham in late April, they finished 3-4-5 with just thirteen seconds between them. Aaron Grady Boulder Road Runners; CO ran a 1:33:07 Half Marathon in Tucson last December. Linn, who finished second here last ear was, again, firing on all cylinders. He hit the first mile in 6:38, with well over fifty meters on Dollard. Leddy was 20 meters back, with Grady trailing him by another twenty meters. Linn slowed after the first mile but everyone else slowed more. Linn crossed the finish line in second at 27:41.
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| James Linn Cruises to an M70 Second-place Finish at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Grady closed up the gap to Dollard in the second mile and passed him in the third mile. But he did not shake Dollard, who tracked him through the 5K mark. Over the last mile, Dollard had enough in the tank to pull away to claim the bronze medal in 28:28, fifteen seconds ahead of Grady. Whether it was the heat or something else, it was not Leddy's day. But he hung tough and nabbed fourth place in 29:24, fourteen seconds ahead of a fast-closing Scott Lucking Atlanta TC; SC who finished fifth. But this was Nur demonstrating that he is at the top of his game, almost unbeatable at present!
Jacob Nur 24:24 James Linn 27:41 Kevin Dollard 28:28
75-79 It looked like Doug Bell Boulder Road Runners; CO and Don Morrison Greater Philadelphia TC; PA would vie for the win while Jerry Learned Atlanta C; GA would try to maintain his edge over Victor Vasquez Unaffiliated; FL. With M75 wins at the two most recent Masters Championships, Morrison was the favorite but only by a small amount. He beat Bell by a single second at the 1 Mile Championships in D*/es Moines in April. Bell did not compete at Morrison's other win. When they met on the turf at Tallahassee for the Club XC championships, Bell enjoyed the edge over Morrison. Learned is a strong runner who always competes! He has not recently been as fast as Bell and Morrison but there are few other 75-79-year-olds who can keep pace with Learned. He met Vasquez at the 2025 Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis, coming in second at 6:42, with Vasquez in third, 23 seconds back. Bell and Morrison went out hard, hitting the mile in 7:06. Bell pulled away in the second mile, leading by thirty meters at the halfway point. This was Bell's Day! Despite Morrison's efforts, the gap grew on the back half. Bell took the win in 29:11, with Morrison in second at 29:59.
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| Doug Bell sprints to the Finish Line, the M75 Win in His Grasp at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Bell and Morrison will likely renew their rivalry in Atlanta this fall with the Masters 5 Km championships. Learned did not try to keep pace with the two leaders but ran a strong race on a warm day, hitting the mile in 7:31, with a 15-second edge on Vasquez. By the time Learned crossed the finish line, claiming third in 30:55, he had over two minutes on Vasquez.
Doug Bell 29:11 Don Morrison 29:59 Jerry Learned 30:55
80-84 Teammates, Przemek Nowicki Shore AC; NJ and Jack Frame Shore AC; NJ were the only two entrants. Nowicki won M80 here last year, in Frame's absence. For much of the rest of the year, Frame seemed to have the edge. Indeed, even at Tallahassee this January, Frame came in ahead of Nowicki. But since then, Nowicki has had some good training blocks, coming in ahead of Frame at the Masters 10 Km Championships. Nowicki again had the edge here at Peoria. At the 1 Mile mark, Nowicki already had fifty meters on Frame and the gap grew throughout the race. Nowicki won at 37:53, with Frame second at 39:16.
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| Przemek Nowicki white singlet crosses the Finish Line to Claim the M80 Victory at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
This puts Nowicki in the lead for the M80 Individual Grand Prix, although Nowicki insists he is the underdog for the GP win.
Przemyslaw Nowicki 37:53 Jack Frame 39:16
85-89 Roland Cormier Shore AC had the division to himself again. He won in 49:03, slowing down, sensibly, for the weather.
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| Roland Cormier Hustles Along the Course, on his way to M85 Victory at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Cormier is going for his second straight 85-89 Grand Prix win. With 495 points (out of a max possible of 500), no one is going to catch Cormier this year. If it were not for his 80+ team commitments, Cormier could relax this fall.
Roland Cormier 49:03
WOMEN
40-44 Dos Santos, Kasabian and Giuliani went 2-3-4 overall and go 1-2-3 in this division.
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| Karen Dos Santos, in Full Flight On Her Way to the Silver Medal Overall, and First in W40, at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Karen Dos Santos 24:15 Sarah Kasabian 24:45 Angela Giuliani 24:49
45-49 Deatherage and Hayden finished first and fifth overall; they go 1-2 in this division.
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| Dana Hayden Works the Course On Her Way to a Top Five Overall and 2nd W45 Finish at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Brooke Novak Atlanta TC; GA who captured the bronze medal at the Masters 1 Mile Road Championships at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines, finished third. Her time of 32:41 left her 1:21 ahead of Vanessa Lordi Unaffiliated; CA.
Jenelle Deatherage 24:15 Dana Hayden 25:24 Brooke Novak 32:41
50-54 Kathy Wiegand Atlanta TC; GA ran 44:24 at the members 10K in Georgia last year. Alysia Puma Shore AC; NJ ran 45:05 at the 2024 Masters 10 Km Championships; this year she clocked 46:06 at those same championships. Wiegand took off from the gun, hitting the first mile in 7:30, with a fourteen second advantage over Puma. By the time she reached the halfway point, Wiegand had doubled her advantage. But Wiegand slowed markedly in the third mile; Puma maintained a steady 7:44 per mile pace. Puma had closed to with9in thirty meters and, no doubt, felt like she could close further. In the final mile, Puma was able to speed up, pass Wiegand, and establish a half-minute gap, to claim the win in 30:35.
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| Alysia Puma Gives it Her All as She Claims the W50 Win at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Wiegand took the silver medal in 31:06. Wiegand's teammate, Laura Scholz Atlanta TC; GA, who finished third last year. repeated as the bronze medalist in 34:48.
Alysia Puma 30:35 Kathy Wiegand 31:06 Laura Scholz 34:48
55-59 With Perry Shoemaker a scratch, Alexandra Marzulla Shore AC; NJ became the favorite. She clocked 56:19 at the Navesink 12K last fall. This spring, Marzulla ran the Spring Lake 5 Mile Run in 35:33, comparable to a 44:16 10K. No one else is quite at that level. Katharine Serrano Atlanta TC; GA appeared to be the closest. She ran 46:11 at the Teardrop 10K this April. Brenda Osovski Genesee Valley Harriers; NY finished fourth here in W45 last year. At the 2025 10 Km Championships, Osovski edged Maureen Massell Shore AC; NJ for seventh by a single second. At the 10 Km Championships last year, Cassandra Crane GVH; NY finished thirteen seconds behind her teammate, Osovski. A few weeks later, however, Crane finished third in this division, over three minutes ahead of Osovski. When the gun sounded, Marzulla led the way, with Massell just ten meters back in second. Osovski and Crane were a hundred meters back; they would sort out third and fourth. Whether due to the heat, an injury, or some other reason, this was not Serrano's day. She would contribute to her team but would not compete for the podium. Marzulla kept her pace going through the second mile; Massell had to let her go. Marzulla had a lead of 150 meters by the halfway point. She would add to her lead with each passing mile.
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| Alexandra Marzulla Crosses the Finish Line, First in W55 at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Marzulla won in 29:07, with Massell second at 30:47. Osovski lead Crane through miles two and three, but Crane was never much more than a stride or two back. Osovski was able to inject a little pace in the final mile. That was enough to carry her to third place at 32:10, with Crane just ten seconds back in fourth.
Alexandra Marzulla 29:07 Maureen Massell 30:47 Brenda Osovski 32:10
60-64 La Burt had the top women's age grade PLP on the day. She was never challenged in the division contest, winning by almost three minutes in 26:37. She adds this to her wins at Cross Nationals in Portland OR, Club Cross in Tallahassee FL and at the 10 Km Masters Championships in Dedham MA. With one more win she would have the 2026 W60 Grand Prix locked up with a perfect 500 points! Mary Cass Liberty AC; MA was the dominant player in this division before La Burt aged up. Since then, Cass has been forced to compete for silver medals, not gold. In 2025, Cass finished second behind La Burt at the 10 Km Championships; this year, another competitor slipped in and Cass finished third at the 2026 10 Km Championships in 44:52. Her teammate, Victoria Bok Liberty AC; MA was over four minutes behind Cass in tenth. At the first mile, Cass was well back from La Burt, but enjoyed more than fifty meters of space between her and her teammate, Bok. That gap grew; by the time Cass crossed the finish line, it had grown to over two minutes. Cass was second in 29;26, with Bok third in 31:43.
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| Mary Cass, Happy to Finish as She Claims the Silver W60 Medal at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
A minute later, Sandra Gregorich GVH; NY reeled in Michelle Allen Atlanta TC; GA to claim fourth by two seconds. Allen ran strong through the middle two miles to open a 70-meter lead. When Gregorich kicked into a higher gear, Allen, despite her best efforts, had nothing left to deny her.
Suzanne La Burt 26:37 Mary Cass 29:26 Victoria Bok 31:43
65-69 This was an all Atlanta Track Club affair. Patrice Combs Atlanta TC; GA won W65 here last year in 28:18. Combs also won the Masters 10 Km W65 championship last April in 44:12. Her teammate, Lesley Hinz Atlanta Track Club; GA took top honors at this year's 10 Km championships in 46:26. Hinz, as it turned out, was a scratch. Mireille Silva Atlanta TC; GA finished fourth this year at the 10 Km Championships in 47:58. Cynthia Williams Atlanta TC; GA, a mainstay of the ATC W60+ squad for years, finished fourth here last year in 33:25. She would take care of business. There were no surprises. Combs went to the front and built up a substantial lead. Combs won in 29:18 with two minutes to spare.
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| Patrice Combs Strides to W65 Victory at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Silva was a solid second all the way, claiming the silver medal in 31:22. Williams earned the bronze medal with her 35:59 effort.
Patrice Combs 29:18 Mireille Silva 31:22 Cynthia Williams 35:59
70-74 Donna May Unaffiliated; FL, won the W70 Road Mile Championship in Indianapolis last year. This April she ran 1:20:42 at the Space Coast 15K. That translates to something like a 52:30 10K. Her two main rivals, Margaret Taylor Atlanta TC; GA and Susan Stirrat Shore AC; NJ dueled for W70 silver and bronze at the 10 Km Championships. Taylor took the honors, 55:51 to 55:57. It seemed that May should take the win. Stirrat and Taylor seem close enough it could go either way for second and third. May delivered the g0oods! She hit the Mile mark in 8:08, with a good seventy-five meters on Stirrat. Somewhat surprisingly, Stirrat was enjoying a lead of over forty meters on Taylor. This would be Taylor's turn to chase Stirrat, but without success. May encountered no difficulties, winning in 33:54.
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| Donna May Crosses the Finish Linne with the W70 Crown in Hand at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Stirrat, at 35:50, was almost two minutes behind May, but had, in turn, almost two minutes on Taylor, reversing their finishing positions from their last meeting at the 10 Km Championships. Cynthia Lucking finished fourth, with Elizabeth Unislawski fifth.
Donna May 33:54 Susan Stirrat 35:50 Margaret Taylor 37:45
75-79 Kathleen Allen Atlanta TC; GA and teammate, Andrea McCarter Atlanta TC; GA went 1-2 here in W75, clocking 41:06 and 1:04:10. They both took care of business. Allen ran a little slower this year, not surprising considering the knee brace and the warm conditions. Allen won in 44:23 this year. Perhaps surprisingly, McCarter ran faster than last year.
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| Kathleen Allen Gets the Job Done, Knee Brace and All, Winning W75 at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Maybe McCarter was running simply to finish last year, to score points for her team? Allen won in 44:23, with McCarter about seven minutes back in second.
Kathleen Allen 44:23 Andrea McCarter 51:21
80-84 Susan Sajdak Unaffiliated; IL won this division here last year in 46:30.
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| Susan Sajdak Repeated as W80 Champion at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
Unopposed this year, Sajdak won again, this time, in 52:22.
Susan Sajdak 52:22
85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite Atlanta TC; GA continues to show up, run her race and win! She notched her fourth win of the season in 1:22:02.
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| Joyce Hodges-Hite Flashes a Big Smile as She Crosses the Finish Line, another W85 Victory in Hand at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships Hosted by the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo complimentary from Shazam Racing and the Steamboat Classic |
One more win this 2026 season and she will have another W85 Grand Prix win with a perfect 500 points!
Joyce Hodges-Hite 1:22:02
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team scoring is the sum of the finishing times of the first three in each team, low score wins. Teams must have a minimum of three athletes finish to be included in team scoring.
W40+ No complete teams.
W50+ Three compete teams. The Shore AC of New Jersey won handily. Alexandra Marzulla, Alysia Puma, and Maureen Massell took the top three spots in the team competition. Their time total of 1:30:18 gave them a seven-minute victory margin. Kathy Wiegand put 31:02 on the board for the Atlanta TC, but then the Genesee Valley Harriers, out of Greater Rochester NY, took the next three spots to claim second in 1:37:07. Atlanta finished third at 1:44:58.
Shore AC A Marzulla, A Puma, M Massell [L Nowicki, S %Stirrat] 1:30:18 average = 30:06
Genesee Valley Harriers B Osovski, C Crane, S Gregorich 1:37:07 32:23
Atlanta TC K Wiegand, L Scholz, K Serrano 1:44:58 35:00
W60+ Two complete teams. The Atlanta Track Club and Liberty AC, out of Greater Boston MA were tight through the first two runners of each team. Patrice Combs scored first for Atlanta at 29:18, but Liberty's Mary Cass finished eight seconds later. Mireille Silva scored next for Atlanta at 31:17, followed 22 seconds later by Liberty's Victoria Bok. But Atlanta's third runner closed the door. Michelle Allen's 32:44 gave Atlanta the win at 1:33:15. Liberty finished second at 1:37:29.
Atlanta Track Club P Combs, M Silva, M Allen [C Williams] 1:33:15 31:05
Liberty Athletic Club M Cass, V Bok, J Hill 1:37:29 32:30
W70+ One complete team. The Atlanta TC took the win unopposed, with Margaret Taylor 37:39, Cynthia Lucking 42:18, and Elizabeth Unislawski 42:31finishing 1-2-3 in the W70 team competition. Their winning time was 2:02:28. NOTE: The official team results I received listed Atlanta TC as the only complete team in W70+. But it appears that Atlanta also had a B team. Allen, rather than being the fourth member of the A team was on a B team, along with McCarter and Hodges-Hite. Once confirmed by USATF staff, this entry will be rewritten to reflect that Atlanta B [K Allen 44:16, A McCarter 51:13, J Hodges-Hite 1:21:53 Total Time = 2:57:22 avg = 59:08] finished 2nd in W70+.
Atlanta Track Club M Taylor, C Lucking, E Unislawski [K Allen] 2:02:28 40:50
MEN
40+ One complete team. RC Athletic Club, the hometown team of Peoria IL, claimed the M40+ win unopposed. Andrew Carlson 21:41, George Trilikis 23:28, and Joshua Banister 24:58 comprised the scoring members for RC's win at 1:10:07.
RC Athletic Club A Carlson, G Trilikis, J Banister 1:10:07 23:23
50+ One complete team. Twin Cities Running Club from Minnesota took the M50+ win with no other teams competing. Peter Kessler 28:23, John Mirth 28:44, and Paul Hanley 29:06 comprised the scoring members for TCRC's win at 1:26:12. Bill Langhout 32:27 provided able insurance had any of the other three run into problems.
TCRC P Kessler, J Mirth, P Hanley [B Langhout] 1:26:12 28:43
60+ Five complete teams. Greater Springfield Harriers had the first two runners to finish, Mark Hixson 23:21 and Nat Larson 23:26. Scott Grandfield 23:49 was GSH's third and the fourth runner to finish in the team competition. That locked it up for GSH at 1:10:36. Twin Cities Running Company had John Van Danacker 23:34 finish ahead of Michael Mallon 23:54 of the QC Faster Masters. But then TCRC had Roger Sayre 24:51 and Mark Zamek 25:05 score before any of the other QC Faster Masters athletes. That wrapped up second place for TCRC at 1:13:29. The story for third place was the same. QCFM had Mallon score at 23:54. Then Mike Nier 24:50 of Genesee Valley Harriers finished. But then QCFM's Michael Zakosek 25:24 and Rick Torres 25:37 scored and the hunt for the bronze medals was over. QC Faster Masters finished third in 1:14:54. GVH with M Nier, M Mertens and S Degenhardt finished fourth at 1:18:03. Atlanta Track Club finished fifth, with L Dragstedt, K Youngers, M Anderson.
Greater Springfield Harriers M Hixson, N Larson, S Grandfield [F Burdett] 1:10:36 23:32
TCRC J Van Danacker, R Sayre, M Zamek [D Baldwin, D Keller] 1:13:29 24:30
QC Faster Masters M Mallon, M Zakosek, R Torres [S Monks, R Arsenault] 1:14:54 24:58
70+ Four complete teams. The top two teams had a tight contest for first place. The other two teams had an equally tight contest for third place. Shore Athletic Club had the top two runners to finish, James Linn 27:39 and Kevin Dollard 28:24. But then Boulder Road Runners, out of Colorado, countered with Aaron Grady 28:39 and Doug Bell 29:07. To have a shot at the win, Boulder's third runner had to score next. But Shore's Harold Leddy 29:21 had seventeen seconds on Boulder's Douglas Chesnut 29:38. That gave Shore the win at 1:25:22. Chesnut finished off the scoring for Boulder at a total of 1:27:23. neither of the other teams were a threat, finishing over nine minutes back. But Atlanta Track Club and Genesee Valley Harriers had their usual knock down, give no quarter, dogfight. Scott Lucking 29:35 and Jerry Learned 30:50 gave Atlanta the early lead. But GVH had the next three scoring runners: Bill Beyerbach 31:01, Mark Rybinski 33:17, and Gary Moore 33:30. That gave GVH a total time of 1:37:47. Atlanta's total from their first two runners was 1:00:25. Atlanta needed their third scoring runner to finish before the clock struck 37:22. They would have waited in suspense for a few minutes. But then Neil Feather got the job done! He scored at 36:26, giving Atlanta a total time of 1:36:51 and third place! GVH was fourth at 1:37:47.
Shore Athletic Club J Linn, K Dollard, H Leddy [R Stirrat] 1:25:22 28:28
Boulder Road Runners A Grady, D Bell, D Chesnut 1:27:23 29:08
Atlanta Track Club S Lucking, J Learned, N Feather [P Taylor 1:36:51 32:17
Club 'bragging rights' across all team divisions: Atlanta and Shore AC both earned two wins. Atlanta won W60+ and W70+. Shore earned wins in W50+ and M70+. Atlanta had the most podium finishes at three, adding M70+ to the wins in W60+ and W70+. TCRC picked up a win in M50+ and added a second-place finish in M60+. RCAC had the win in M40+. Greater Springfield earned a hard-fought win in M60+.
The 10K Road Race, at the 2026 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Geneva, OH, on Saturday, July 18th counts for Individual Masters Grand Prix points but is not a Masters LDR Championship event. The event will not be counted towards Team Grand Prix points. Details, including the Status of Entries, are at: 2026 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships | USA Track & Field
Sources: USATF Events website and the Masters National Grand Prix webpage, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, Facebook, World Masters Athletics, and relevant race websites.
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