Middle Distance Events at the 2026 USATF Masters Indoor Championships

 April 1, 2026. The 2026 USATF Masters Indoor Championships were held from Thursday, February 19th to Sunday, February 22nd at the Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM. This article reports on the Middle Distance Events: 3000 Meters [Thursday]; 1 Mile [Saturday]; and 800M [Sunday]. Albuquerque, like Denver, is a Mile high city. That means it is a tough venue for middle distance runners who want to run fast. Even though the fields had World champions and American record holders, no records were set. Runners focused on getting a gold medal in their most important event or, in some cases, earning as many medals as possible and for those on contending teams, accruing as many points as possible. Those who were fit to challenge records this winter, made their attempts at other events, where altitude was not a concern. Note: Canadian athletes often participate but they do not win medals. Hence, in a race where a Canadian finishes in the top 3, I list the 4th place finisher as well because they won the bronze medal.

WOMEN

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W85 Mimi Mortimer won the W85 1 Mile championship unopposed. Mortimer was the oldest women's middle-distance competitor! 

W80 Nancy Berger achieved the classic middle-distance double, winning the Mile on Saturday and the 800M on Sunday. Berger enjoyed a seven second margin of victory over Rosemary Schwartzbard in the W80 Mile, taking the lead after the first two laps and grinding it out. It was the same in the 800M except that the speedy Berger enjoyed an eight second margin over Schwartzbard. But Schwartzbard had started with a win in Thursday's 3000M, enjoying a two-minute victory margin over Angela Staab.

W75 Sabra Harvey also claimed the classic Mile/800M double gold.  In the 1 Mile, Harvey, the 2017 Masters Athlete of the Year, led all the way. Her Red Lizard teammate, Jeanette Groesz, followed closely but Harvey kept her lead, winning by two seconds. Harvey had no peers in the 800M, winning by over a minute! On Thursday, Groesz had an equally dominant win in the 3000M; she won with 6 minutes to spare!

W70 Canada’s Clara Northcott kicked past Amy McCormack on the final lap to win the 3000M in 15:16.25. McCormack, as first American, won the gold medal in 15:17.91. Tracey Bernett also doubled in the Mile and 800M, winning gold in both. Bernett enjoyed two close wins. She pulled away from Amy McCormack on the final lap to win the W70 Mile by 1.75 seconds in 7:41.05. In the 800M, Bernett and Canada's Clara Northcott trailed McCormack until the backstretch of the final lap. Bernett moved into the lead. Northcott moved past McCormack on the final turn and surged to the tape. But Bernett held on for the win, in 3:33.79, and the double gold!

W85 3000M No entries; 1 Mile M Mortimer 16:34.0; 800M No entries

W80 3000M R Schwartzbard 25:21.38, A. Staab 27:51.92; 1 Mile N Berger 12:35.22, R Scwartzbard 12:42.68, K Frable 13:59.18; 800M N Berger 5:53.78, R Schwartzbard 6:01.98, A Staab 6:48.64.

W75 3000M J Groesz  15:15.67, Andrea McCarter 21:33.53; 1 Mile S Harvey 7:25.20, J Groesz 7:27.70, A McCarter 11:15.31; 800M S Harvey 3:14.96, P Kelly 4:19.61, A McCarter 458.57.

W70 3000M C Northcott CAN 15:16.25, A McCormack 15:17.91, M Diver 19:53.72, H Myers 23:21.78; 1 Mile T Bernett 7:41.05, A McCormack 7:42.80, C Northcott CAN 7:48.77, M Diver 10:15-.05; 800M T Bernett 3:33.79, C Northcott 3:34.78, A McCormack 3:37.58, M Diver 4:41.96. 

55-69

W65 Mireille Silva enjoyed a 3000M victory margin of over a minute on Debbie Lee. Silva led wire-to-wire, adding ot her lead with each passing lap. Lee made another solid effort in the 1 Mile but ran against Lesley Hinz, who had no trouble; Hinz won by over a half minute. In the 800M it was another story; Nancy Simmons led from the gun; she sped to an 11-second victory over Julie Hayden, with Hinz finishing third. In this W65 division, a different athlete won each of the three middle distance events.

W60 Michelle Rohl won triple middle-distance gold medals! Her 3000M effort scored a minute and thirteen second win over Canada's Makie Ohler to kick things off on Thursday. Judy Stobbe kept closer to Rohl in the Mile, but Rohl pulled away early to win by twenty seconds. 

Michelle Rohl #2 laps two runners on her way to her 1 Mile win in the 60-64 division at the 2026 USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque NM. Photo posted on Facebook by Michael Rohl.

It was more of the same in the 800M, where Rohl enjoyed a twenty-three second victory margin over Michelle Allen.  

W55 Kara Parker claimed the longer 3000M-1 Mile double. Parker cruised to the W55 3000M win, enjoying a two-minute victory margin over Dyan Thompson. Parker was closely trailed by Lisa Valle in the Mile the whole way. Parker crossed the finish line a fraction of a second ahead, of Valle for the win. Diane De Oliveira, who finished third in the Mile behind Parker and Valle, stormed back to win the W55 800M on Sunday. Valle led early but DeOliveira passed her on the 3rd lap and surged away on the backstretch of the final lap

W65 3000M M Silva 14:30.20, D Lee 15:36.84, M Lowe Mayhugh 17:10.24; 1 Mile L Hinz 6:59.26, D Lee 7:35.96, M Lowe Mayhugh 8:37.98; 800M N Simmons 2:46.05, J Hayden 2:57.05, L Hinz 3:05.47 .

W60 3000M M Rohl 11:49.13, M Ohler CAN 13:02.30, T Klein 13:23.11, C Blakely-Cameron 13:42.61; 1 Mile M Rohl 5:45.44, J Stobbe 6:05.9, M Ohler CAN 6:46.20; 800M M Rohl 2:39.21, M Allen 3:02.70, C Thomas 3:07.19.

W55 3000M K Parker 11:59.35, D Thompson 14:06.82, C Patla 15:07.91; 1 Mile K Parker 6:06.88, L Valle 6:07.19, D DeOliveira 6:31.51; 800M D DeOliveira 2:51.85, L Valle 2:55.19, R Vigil 3:10.09.

30-54

W50 Abby Dean claimed the first win of the weekend in this division, enjoying a solid 11-second win over Brenda Wiliams in the 3000M. Williams was within a few strides for the first 11 laps. But then the gap started to grow, slowly and steadily to the finish. Williams got her revenge in an exciting Saturday race. She stayed on Dean's heels through the first seven laps. Williams kicked past Dean to gain the win by just over a second! Barbara Bass was ten seconds back in third.  The speedsters took over in the 800M. Bass led for the first lap but then Antonia Georgieva passed her and held the lead all the way to the finish, enjoying a 1.5 second gap over bass. Stella Barry closed fast to finish just 0.26 seconds behind Bass.

W45 Dana Hayden enjoyed a dominant 3000M win on Thursday. She was content to follow Heather Davel Langreck for the first seven laps. After passing, Hayden slowly built a gap, winning by 26 seconds in the end. In the 1 Mile on Saturday, Hayden led Langreck and Jessica Hruska for the first several laps. Just before they had two laps to go, Hayden tired and Hruska sped past with Langreck trailing. But Langreck came back and passed Hruska just before they sounded the bell. Hruska could not match Langreck's pace, trailing her across the finish line by seven seconds. Hayden picked up third place points. Hayden was back on track in the 800M, picking up the less common 3000M-800M double. Hayden took over the lead after the first lap and held it all the way to the finish for a solid seven second win over Laura Mitchell. 

W40 Surprisingly, no one contested the 40-44 division in the 3000M. Victoria Collins won the 1 Mile unopposed in 5:33.86. The 800M was well contested. Maria Phelps trailed Andrea Myers for the first three laps, but stormed by her on the final lap, forging a seven second victory margin over Andrea Myers. Katie Page was another four seconds back in third.

W35 Nicole Rhodes earned the 3000M-1 Mile double. In the 3000M, Rhodes trailed Shayna Weir for the first seven laps, pulling away over the last two laps to finish seven seconds ahead. Rhodes won the 1 Mile unopposed in 5:52.61. The only entrant in the 800M did not start.

W30 Mary Baldwin picked up the 3000M-1 Mile double by winning the 3000M unopposed in 11:07.12 and beating Mary Zoldak by a half minute in the 1 Mile on Saturday. Kimberly Chapman-Natewa and Amanda Valentine battled in the 800M. Six seconds behind when they sounded the bell for the final lap, Chapman-Natewa set out to catch Valentine. It came down to the wire with Chapman-Natewa getting the win by 0.7 seconds! 

W25 Amanda Pasko was unopposed in the 800M but ran a fine 2:25.84 nonetheless. Phelps, in W40, was the only runner with a faster time.

W50 3000M A Dean 12:21.24, B Williams 12:32.44, Y Whitestone 14:09.72; 1 Mile B Williams 6:19.24, A Dean 6:20.37, B Bass 6:30.55; 800M A Georgieva 2:57.57, B Bass 2:59.10, S Barry 2:59.36.

W45 3000M D Hayden 11:26.99, H Davel-Langreck 11:53.25, J Page 14:15.45; 1 Mile H Davel-Langreck 5:39.58, J Hruska 5:46.90, D Hayden 6:01.07; 800M D Hayden 2:40.76, L Mitchell 2:48.35, B Novak 3:00.07.

W40 3000M No entries.  1 Mile V Collins 5:33.86; 800M M Phelps 2:25.07, A Myers 2:32.63, K Page 2:36.82.

W35 3000M N Rhodes 12:12.13, S Weir 12:19.29; 1 Mile N Rhodes 5:52.61; 

W30 3000M M Baldwin 11:07.12; 1 Mile M Baldwin 5:34.78, M Zoldak 6:08.03; 800M K Chapman-Natewa 2:36.48, A Valentine 2:37.18.

W25 800M A Pasko 2:25.84

MEN

75-94

M90 Colben Sime started things off right with an unopposed 3000M victory Thursday in the 3000M, winning in 27:33.34. The next two days, Sime had to chase Inocencio Cantu, the M85 and M90 World Record holder in the Mile. Cantu claimed the classic Mile/800M double, two minutes ahead of Sime in the Mile, and 51 seconds ahead in the 800M.

M85 Timothy Joslin claimed the gold medal in the 3000M Thursday night, with 80 meters to spare. Roland Cormier collected the silver medal, with Joe Cordero 5 minutes back in third. Cormier had no trouble collecting the win in the Mile; he finished over three minutes ahead of Cordero. Robert Paulen and Robert Randall battled for the M85 800M Gold, with Paulen pulling away for a four second victory. Cordero picked up his second bronze medal to go with his silver in the 3000M. 

M80 Gary Ostwald collected the 3000M-1 Mile double, ahead of Masters Hall of Famer, Gary Patton. Ostwald enjoyed a 20-meter gap on Patton at the end of the 3000M and a hundred meters at the end of the Mile. 

Gary Patton #7 leads Gary Ostwald #6 in one of their three battles for M80 Gold, along with M75 Tim Wigger background at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque NM. Photo credit: Blake Wood.

Patton finished the weekend off on a high note, nipping Ostwald at the finish line for the 800M win. Ostwald got double gold and a silver! Patton earned double silver and a gold!

M75 3000M Jerry Learned competed in all three events, taking the 3000M/1 Mile Double Gold. He started things off with a dominant win in the 3000M. Learned finished well over a minute ahead of Tim Wigger, who left Donald Loew ten seconds further back in third. The Mile was a different story. It was the classic battle between the distance runner who tries to take the kick out of a speedier runner with a kick. Learned led the whole way with Wigger just a stride or two back. When they hit the top of the final straightaway, Wigger made his move and passed Learned. It looked like the kicker had it in the bag. But then Learned threw in his own late surge, pulled even with Wigger and crossed the finish line four-hundredths of a second in front. That surprise at the line gave Learned his double and made Wigger more determined than ever to win the 800M on Sunday. 

Tim Wigger #1 Jerry Learned #4 and the rest of the M75 Field in the 800M Run at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque NM. Photo credit: Blake Wood.

Wigger took it out fast and Learned did not close the gap until the halfway point. But Learned never pulled even with Wigger, who accelerated again heading down the backstretch. Wigger enjoyed a three second victory, while Learned held off Larry Rink to add a silver to his two golds. But Wigger had the 800M gold!

M90 3000M C Sime 27:33.34; 1 Mile I Cantu 11:52.53, C Sime 13:56.07; 800M I Cantu 5:27.29, C Sime 6:19.13.

M85 3000M T Joslin 21:52.56, R Cormier 22:19.20, J Cordero 27:49.49; 1 Mile R Cormier 10:59.86, J Cordero 14:03.81, R Randall 14:06.04; 800M R Paulen 6:18.80, R Randall 6:22.80, J Cordero 6:37.97.

M80 3000M G Ostwald 13:27.15, G Patton 13:33.06, N Frable 21:52.31; 1 Mile G Ostwald 6:48.07, G Patton 7:16.64, H Lieberman 9:59.72; 800M G Patton 3:01.29, G Ostwald 3:02.98, Saleh Talib 4:11.69 

M75 3000M J Learned 13:55.34, T Wigger 15:05.85, D Loew 15:15.19; 1 Mile J Learned 6:54.43, T Wigger 6:54.47, I Jimenez 7:11.26; 800M T Wigger 3:07.14, J Learned 3:10.16, L Rink 3:11.27.

55-74

M70 Jack Pottle earned the 3000M-1 Mile double gold. Pottle set the early pace in the 3000M. Rick Becker, with a pacemaker newly installed this past fall, took the lead with three laps to go, but could not pull away from Pottle. With a lap to go, Pottle made a move that Becker could not answer, pulling away to win by eight seconds! In the Mile, George Hennahan and Pottle trailed John Stolz through the first five laps. With three laps to go, Hennehan moved to the lead, with Pottle following. As in the 3000M, Pottle made a strong move with a lap to go and pulled away from Hennehan for a win with six seconds to spare! That was a nifty double for Pottle! Stolz and Hennehan battled in the 800M. But this time it was Stolz prevailing, with a margin of three seconds.

M65 David Westenberg enjoyed double gold in 3000M and the Mile. In the 3000M, Blake Wood had the early lead, followed closely by Westenberg. At the bell, Westenberg shot past Wood and pulled away for a five-second win. 

David Westenberg, the eventual winner orange kit #10, sets the early pace in the 1 Mile Run, ahead of Blake Wood #7; Timothy Conheady #12, worked his way up to finish second at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque NM. Photo Credit: Blake Wood.

It was a different tale in the Mile. Westenberg led early and pulled away to a 20-meter lead by the halfway point. Wood led the rest of the field until he was passed with two laps to go. Westenberg sped to a nine-second win over Timothy Conheady, with Kevin Paulk four seconds back in third. Westenberg did everything he could to win a third gold in the 800M. But this time, after Westenberg set the pace from the gun, Bill Zink was able to blast past at the bell, with Paulk in his wake. Zink got the win by two seconds over Paulk. Westenberg held off a fast-closing Robert Whittaker to add a bronze to his two golds.

M60 This division was unusual in that Benoit Hogue, a top Canadian middle distance runner, actually won all three events. But, as a Canadian citizen, was not eligible to win any medals. Rick Lee, the top Marathoner and Ultra Marathon runner, in the last weeks before moving up to M65, could not keep pace with Hogue. He earned double gold nonetheless. Lee led all Americans by a half minute in the 3000M, with Timothy Vigil in second. Vigil stayed closer in the Mile but Lee still enjoyed a solid seven-second victory. Vigil enjoyed the silver medal; Christopher Yorges finished two seconds back in the bronze medal position. Hogue again led wire-to-wire in the 800M, winning by 1.24 seconds. Jeff Conway came from behind on the bell lap, claiming second and first American and therefore, the gold medal at the line. Yorges was just 0.55 seconds behind Conway. Lee got a bronze to go with his two golds by finishing third American.

M55 Charles Novak had a little too much for Todd Straka. Novak earned the Mile-800M double gold with Straka getting double silver. In the Mile, Novak set the pace, with Straka just a couple of strides back. Novak accelerated on  the bell lap and Straka could not get any closer than Novak's final two second victory margin. It was much the same in the 800M except that Novak enjoyed a bigger winning margin, seven seconds. Neither competed in the 3000M. Michael Resterhouse enjoyed a solid win. Jonah Lovendahl was 70 meters back in second.

M70 3000M J Pottle 11:53.23, R Becker 12:01.41, B Cummins 12:40.48; 1 Mile J Pottle 6:00.12, G Hennehan 6:06.61, J Stolz 6:13.46; 800M J Stolz 2:42.04, G Hennehan 2:45.68, S Chantry 2:47.98.

M65 3000M D Westenberg 11:36.10, B Wood 11:41.74, G Kersh 12:02.56; 1 Mile D Westenberg 5:45.35, T Conheady 5:54.53, K Paulk 5:58.7; 800M B Zink 2:32.53, K Paulk 2:34.69, D Westenberg 2:36.84.

M60 3000M B Hogue CAN 10:30.97, R Lee 11:00.57, T Vigil 11:31.55, N Powell 11:42.40; 1 Mi B Hogue CAN 5:11.79, R Lee 5:27.20, T Vigil 5:34.04, C Yorges 5:36.43; 800M B Hogue CAN 2:24.09, J Conway 2:25.33,  C Yorges 2:25.48, R Lee 2:29.35.

M55 3000M M Resterhouse 10:56.28, J Lovendahl 11:14.33, M Cutrona 12:12.37; 1 Mile C Novak 5:02.97; T Straka 5:05.10, S Sievert 5:24.71; 800M C Novak 2:12,18, T Straka 2:19.64, D Gill 2:22.53.

45-54

M50 Nicholas Conway turned in a dominant 3000M-1 Mile double. He finished 50 seconds ahead of Brantley Lutz on Thursday. Two days later, he won the 1 Mile with 80 meters to spare. Aaron Brogan, in second place, had almost as much of an advantage on Colby Haase, who finished third. The only Male athlete with a better time than Conway competed in the 25-29 division. Brogan came back a day later to earn a gold medal of his own in the 800M. Wayne Hardy got things started with a speedy 32-second first lap but Brogan and Joshua Scherer closed on Hardy on the second lap. Brogan accelerated past Hardy heading into the bell lap, with Scherer right on his heels. Scherer could not close on Brogan as he sped to a fine win with two seconds to spare!

M45 Jay Stephenson finished five seconds ahead of Philip Keller on Thursday in the 3000M. Keller led for the first 5 laps. Stephenson passed and gradually built a small lead and held the five second gap all the way to the finish. Stephenson clocked the second fastest 3000M on the day. Brian Sullivan finished a half minute further back in third. Sullivan reversed the tables on Keller in the Mile, though. Running in second much of the way, with a lap and a half to go, Sullivan surged past the early leader, Adrian Herrera; he took Jeremy Ruston and Keller with him. But Sullivan threw down a terrific acceleration to win with two seconds to spare. Keller was able to pull past Ruston on the final straightaway to take the silver medal, a fraction of a second ahead of Ruston. In the 800M, Moses Washington took it out hard, with James Coates following closely and a small gap back to Ruston and Chuck Schneekloth. On the backstretch of the third lap, Ruston moved forward to challenge Washington, but Washington held him off. Coates accelerated at the bell past Ruston and challenged Washington! Washington had enough in the tank to hold him off and win by 0.38 seconds. Schneekloth's kick pulled him past Ruston into third, another 0.59 seconds back!

M50 3000M N Conway 9:10.99, B Lutz 10:01.55, S Lopez 10:26.28; 1 Mile N Conway 4:37.91, A Brogan 4:54.33, C Haase 5:09.38; 800M A Brogan 2:09.92, J Scherer 2:11.97, W Hardy 2:14.8.

M45 3000M J Stephenson 9:26.24, P Keller 9:30.97, B Sullivan 9:58.31; 1 Mile B Sullivan 4:48.84, P Keller 4:50.86, J Ruston 4:51.25; 800M M Washington 2:08.29, J Coates 2:08.67,  C Schneekloth 2:09.26

 25-44

M40 Sam Sharp almost got the 1 Mile-800M double but fell just short. As usual both races were dandies. On Saturday, in the Mile, Sharp played it perfectly. He set the pace from the start reducing it from a 9-man race to a 4-man race. He gradually increased the pace, but he could not drop Brett Anderson. At the bell, Sharp accelerated again, but Anderson gradually  closed and went for the win off the turn. But Sharp still had a kick in him as he held off Anderson by 0.02 seconds in a dead heat at the finish line! In the 800M. Jeffrey Egglestone flew into the lead on the backstretch of the first lap, running smoothly. He covered the first 400M in 60 seconds flat. But Sharp and Matthew Boldoni shrunk the gap over the next lap and a half. Sharp and Boldoni surged past Egglestone off of the last turn. But Bordoni had the better kick, edging Sharp by 0.67 seconds. But Egglestone did not fade at all, finishing a mere 0.38 seconds behind Sharp! Sharp had to settle for a gold and a silver, but had the thrill of competing in such tight races. The 3000M on Thursday played out differently. David Proudfoot ground his age division adversaries down. In a race that covered all age divisions from 25-29 up to 40-44, Jared Murphy, from 30-34 set a hard pace from the start which Proudfoot did not attempt to match. But Proudfoot gradually closed the gap to Murphy. Four minutes into the race, Proudfoot passed Murphy and started setting the pace, with Murphy closely following. Over the next few laps, Proudfoot led Murphy around the oval as Proudfoot left his 40-44 rivals behind him. Proudfoot won 40-44 with almost a hundred-meter lead on Chris Brown, who finished second.

M35 Stanley Payton worked hard for his 3000M-1 Mile double! In the 3000M, Payton started strong but his pace gradually flagged over the last few laps. Bryon Malang came on at the end but could not chase Payton down! The final gap was less than a second. On Saturday, Payton dueled Malang again, along with Daniel Hunter. Payton again set the pace, but Hunter stayed right on his heels, with Malang a few strides back. On the backstretch of the final lap, Hunter gathered himself and surged past Payton. But Payton did not panic, maintained his stride and unleashed a kick at the top of the straightaway that pulled him past Hunter to claim victory with 0.82 seconds to spare. That gave Payton two golds. He just needed one more for the Triple! But in the 800M on Sunday, Payton ran into a force named Travis Thompson who could not be denied. Thompson sprinted to a 27 second first lap, leaving Payton in second, but more than a dozen meters back. Thompson kept the pedal down the  whole way, never giving Payton a chance to close. Thompson took the win with the only sub-2:00 800M on the day! Payton concentrated on getting the silver to go with his two gold medals. He enjoyed a 40-meter lead on Brian Doxey as he crossed the finish line in 2nd.

M30 Jared Murphy was unopposed in this division's 3000M. As noted above, Murphy had a spirited competition with M40's Proudfoot. Murphy won that battle as well as claiming the M30 win. In the Mile on Saturday, Murphy had little more trouble than in the 3000M. He led wire to wire, winning by a good 50 meters. Jarrett Moore finished second, well ahead of the third place finisher, Osiell Soto. In the 800M on Sunday, Moore had a chance to show his speed. Donnie Johnson took the field through the first 400 meters in 1:10, with Moore a few strides back. At the bell, Johnson still had  a few strides on Moore. But Moore gathered speed and pulled even with Johnson off the final turn, inched in front and held it to the line, winning by 0.38 seconds! Soto closed well to finish two seconds back in third.

M25 Michael Sims earned the coveted triple in the 25-29 division. Sims finished third overall in the 25-44 3000M race but won the 25-29 division handily. Lawrence Grubbe finished second, almost five minutes back. The 1 Mile was more competitive, but Sims was still the class of the field, setting a pace that no one else in his division could match. Sims won by over fifty meters. Chase Green finished well to take second. In the 800M, Sims let Amani Richardson set the early pace but took the lead on the third lap and never looked back. Sims had eight seconds on Richardson by the time he crossed the finish line, claiming his third middle distance gold!

M40 3000M D Proudfoot 9:37.96, C Brown 10:01.33, L Holman 10:37.53; 1 Mi S Sharp 4:42.47, B Anderson 4:42.49, J Armijo 4:46.48; 800M M Bordoni 2:00.18, S Sharp 2:00.85, J Egglestone 2:01.23.

M35 3000M S Payton 10:07.33, B Malang 10:08.29, B Duggan 10:44.41; 1 Mile S Payton 5:00.99, D Hunter 5:01.81, B Malang 5:03.76; 800M T Thompson 1:56.83, S Payton 2:04.92, B Doxey 2:11.14.

M30 3000M J Murphy 9:34.38 1 Mile J Murphy 4:42.28, J Moore 4:54.70, O Soto 5:13.03; 800M J Moore 2:14.18, D Johnson 2:14.56, O Soto 2:17.21.

M25 3000M M Sims 9:52.90, L Grubbe 14:46.68; 1 Mile M Sims 4:37.54, C Green 4:51.13, K Shutt 5:05.27; 800M M Sims 2:06.65, A Richardson 2:14.62, K Shutt 2:18.19

With the Indoor Championships behind them, a few set off to different meets to try for records. Others head to the roads for a bit. All look forward to the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, July 16-19 in Geneva, Ohio.

The 2025 USATF Masters National Grand Prix Team Championships

March 6, 2026. Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story recapping the 2025 Masters Team Grand Prix contests, 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. 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, 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, and John B. May you have good speed in 2026! 

The 2025 USATF Masters National Grand Prix Team Championships are in the books. The season kicked off with the December 2024 Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA, continuing through the 2025 championships, starting in January - USATF Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX; February - 5 km Championships in Atlanta; April - 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA; June - 4 Mile Championships in Peoria IL & 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis IN; October - 5 Km Championships in Atlanta GA; November - 5 Km Masters Cross Country Championships in San Francisco CA. Teams earned points based on their finishing position in each Championship (100 points for 1st, down to 60 points for fifth place. Sixth place earns 55 points and so on down to 10 points for 14th place. All finishes at 15th or below earn five points.) The best five scores are added up; the top score possible is 500 points. A team must compete in at least three events to qualify for an award.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS It is a challenge to put together a strong team of athletes who are willing and able to travel to different parts of the country to compete. For Men 40+ and 50+, you need five runners to score for Cross Country. In Men 60+ and above and all Women's divisions, Cross Country teams need at least three runners to score. For all Road Races, in all divisions, it requires three. The trick is that a team typically needs to travel outside its home area at least once, usually twice and sometimes more. There were only 7 events for teams this year; teams were less likely to find a championship close to home. There had been 9 team events in each of the last three years before this one. That was due to World Athletics pulling the World Road Racing Championships from San Diego. That was to have a team component. What some hoped would be a replacement was too far into December to be included in the final GP tally. It was a 2026 GP event instead. The new 4 Mile Championship helped but was not able to offset the additional loss of the 12Km and 10 Mile events. As a result, there were few divisions where at least three teams were serious contenders.

MEN 40+ Champion: None. 35 Competitors; 0 Serious Contenders. This division exemplifies the difficulty of getting 40+ teams to travel outside their area. Four teams competed in two events, but none made it to the required three events. Not counting 'B' teams, there were 30 teams who competed in at least one event. For 23 of those, that event was Club Cross. 

Boston Tracksmith Hares, Eric Blake #1702 and Brendan Prindiville #1705 Compete Against Club Northwest's David Simmons orange singlet and Power Miler TC's Richard Bouckaert #1487 as well as Indiana Elite's Chad Carver green singlet #1399 and Mark Guyer running in tandem at the 2024 Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

For the others it was a championship in their home area, an easy day's drive. 

M40+ Indiana Elite's John Poray green singlet Competing Against West Valley's Peter Gilmore #1744 and Kevin Pool #1737 and a Host of Others at Club Cross 2024 in Tacoma Photo Credit: Michael Scott

The four teams that competed in two events went to Club Cross and then a Championship located close to home.

50+ Champion: Atlanta Track Club 440 pts. 30 Competitors; 2 Serious Contenders. Atlanta and the Shore Athletic Club, of New Jersey, were in a dogfight from the start. Atlanta outpointed Shore by 5 points at the Club Cross Championships in December in Tacoma WA. The second time they met, at the 10 Km Road Championships in Dedham in April, Shore won and Atlanta finished second. Shore was up 5 points. At their next meeting in Peoria, Atlanta won with Shore third.

Christopher Harris L and Lester Dragstedt R Scored for Atlanta Track Club M50+ Team at 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria IL Photo Complimentary from Steamboat Classic

Scott Siriano L and John Blaser R Scored for Shore AC M50+ Team at 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria IL Photo Complimentary from Steamboat Classic

Atlanta was now up by 15 points. Shore finished third to Atlanta’s fourth at Indianapolis; Atlanta's lead was down to 5 points. Atlanta added 20 points to its lead on their home roads, taking first to Shore’s third place in the 5 Km Championships. Atlanta closed it off with a third-place finish in San Francisco, well ahead of Shore. Team Members: S Bell, A Black, K Blaich, T Brooks, C Cadiou, R Carter, G Darden, F Dolan, L Dragstedt, J Eison, D Glass, C Harris, B Slavens, M Strickland, B Sydow, P Taylor, F Weir, M Williams  

2nd Shore AC 395 Pts.  Team Members: S Anthony, J Blaser, J Conston, J Demetrick, R Falcone, K Ginsburg, M Hersey, B Hill, R Lee, S Linnell, P Nowicki, C Rinaldi, S Rossiter, R Shields, S Siriano

60+ Champion: Twin Cities Running Company 470. 32 Competitors; 4 Serious Contenders. TCRC enjoyed a solid GP win; they enjoyed a terrific start with a win at the always stacked Club Cross Championships. 

From Left: Doug Baldwin Far Left and John Van Danacker L #1645 Led the Way for TCRC M60+ as They Battle Mark Zamek #1777, Tom Tayeri #1468, Nat Larson #1348, and Steve Schmidt #1011 of Shore AC, Peninsula Distance Club, Greater Springfield Harriers, and Ann Arbor Track Club in the Men 60+ Race at the 2024 Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott 

But they did not have a lot of breathing room as the Genesee Valley Harriers GVH finished second, with Atlanta third. 

Team Running from GVH in the Early Going-Joe Mora L Eyeglasses; Alan Evans #1304 and Mike Nier partially obscured right behind Evans as They Battle Dan King  of Athletics Boulder in the Men 60+ Race at the 2024 Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott  

By finishing second to the Greater Springfield Harriers Springfield at the 10 km championships in Dedham MA, they added to their lead over Atlanta and GVH who finished 4th and 6th respectively. TCRC was now forty points ahead of Atlanta and fifty ahead of GVH. But it raised the question of whether Springfield could compete for the GP win. But Springfield did not field a team at Peoria in the 4 Mile Championships. That limited them to a maximum of four scores; that would not be enough for a win. TCRC team members had committed to enough travel to field a team at five Championship events. Atlanta also failed to field a team. TCRC took the win at Peoria, rising to 290 points. GVH finished second; their GP total was 230 with Atlanta 150. Springfield, TCRC, GVH, and Atlanta all competed in the 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis, finishing 1-2-3-4 in that order. As it turned out that was Springfield's last score in the GP. They finished with 200 points from two events so did not factor in the awards. It was also GVH's last event; they were in second place from their four events. If Atlanta failed to finish in first ro second on their home roads in Atlanta, the battle over second and third in the GP could come down to the final event, the 5 km XC in San Francisco.  The next to last event on the 2025 GP circuit was the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. TCRC fell four seconds short of the win which went to Atlanta. The 90 points that TCRC obtained for second place raised their total to 470. That gave then the win regardless of how the final event in San Francisco would turn out. Atlanta's win gave them 100 points, ten more than GVH enjoyed. Neither Atlanta nor GVH competed in San Francisco; Atlanta and GVH wound up in second and third. Ann Arbor Track Club competed in three events,, finishing fourth at 155. TCRC enjoyed the win with a margin of well over a hundred points! Team Members: D Baldwin, P Billig, R Economy, K Haas, D Keller, P Kessler, J Mirth, R Sayre, J Van Danacker, M Zamek 

2nd Atlanta TC 320 Pts. Team members: R Becker, D Black, A Craven, L Dragstedt, J Glidewell, C Hannan, G Oshust, B Sullivan, K Youngers

3rd Genesee Valley Harriers NY 310 Pts. Team Members: J Brigden, A Evans, D Flanders, M Mertens, J Mora, M Nier, J Van Kerkhove

 

70+ Champion: Boulder Road Runners 490 pts. 16 Competitors; 4 Serious Contenders. Boulder has had tremendous consistency the last few years in the 70+ Grand Prix. In 2022, they won with 490 points. They won with a perfect 500 points in both 2023 and 2024. This year they were again within ten points of a perfect score. As usual, Boulder got points in the bag early so there was no uncertainty late in the season. They won at Tacoma and were the only 70+ team to make it to Lubbock. The weather was bad the day before in Texas and most flights into Dallas were cancelled. Atlanta tried very hard to make it to Lubbock but could not manage it. Shore AC did not make it either. As a result, Boulder was 140 points ahead of Shore and 165 points ahead of Atlanta. Shore got closer briefly by finishing first at Dedham, with Boulder second. But they were still 130 points behind. When Boulder won at Peoria that almost clinched it. 

Jack Pottle Top Left, Doug Bell Top Right, and Gary Ostwald Lower Center Scored for Boulder Road Runners at the 2025 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria IL Photos Complimentary from Steamboat Classic

A win at Indianapolis in the 1 Mile did clinch it. They had 490 points with just two events left and neither of the other contenders could match that even if they won the final two events. But Shore and Atlanta were still fighting for 2nd and 3rd. After the first three events, Tacoma, Lubbock and Dedham, Shore led Atlanta 165 to 115. They added ten points to their lead at Peoria when Shore finished second, ahead of Atlanta in third. But Shore could only field a 60+ team at Indianapolis if two of their 70+ runners dropped down and ran on the 60 and over team. But that meant Shore could not field a 70+ team. Atlanta finished 2nd, moving up by 90 points to take over the lead for second in the GP, 285 to 250. Atlanta fielded teams at the final two events. Their two second place finishes left them with a 430 total and the GP second place. Shore went into Atlanta and won a hard-fought team win. But they were not able to get a team to San Francisco. Shore wound up 80 points behind Atlanta, third in the GP. Ann Arbor Track Club competed in three events, finishing fourth with 210 points. But Boulder Road Runners were the 70+ Champs again, their fourth straight GP win! Team Members: D Bell, D Chesnut, R Katz, G Ostwald, J Pottle, 

2nd Atlanta TC 430 Pts. Team Members: R Becker, S Benedict, E Bligh, S Carlisle, N Feather, W Irvin, A Joyce, K Larson, J Learned, S Lucking, L Robinson, M Williams

3rd Shore AC 350 Pts. Team Members: R Cormier, H Leddy, J Linn, P Nowicki, R Stirrat, 

80+ Champion: Shore AC 300 Pts. 5 Competitors; 1 Serious Contender. It is not easy to field a traveling team of octogenarians [80-year-olds]. In 2022 and 2023, Atlanta was the only team to qualify with three events. They fell one event short last year and just made one event this year. Shore AC got it done this year; they traveled to Dedham for the 10 Km Championships. That was their first win. They added wins at Indianapolis and Atlanta. Three trips, three championships and 300 points for the GP team win! Team Members: R Cormier, J Frame, P Nowicki

Przemek Nowicki at Club Cross Championships Upper Left & Roland Cormier at Masters 4 Mile Championships Upper Right & Jack Frame at Masters 5 km Championships in Tacoma, Peoria and Atlanta respectively-All Competing for Shore Athletic Club M80+ Photo Credits: Michael Scott, Steamboat Classic, and Pam Fales respectively.

WOMEN 

40+ Champion: Atlanta Track Club 265 Pts. 27 Competitors; 2 Serious Contenders. Impala Racing, from the San Francisco Bay area, got off to a fast start in the 40+ Team GP, outpointing Atlanta 50 to 5 at Club Cross in Tacoma. 

Ashley Carroll Top Photo & Celeste Prothro Lower Photo Competing for Impala Racing W40+ at the Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit for both photos: Michael Scott

Impala added a win at Dedham, finishing ahead of three teams from New England. They were ahead of Atlanta, 150 to 5. But that margin did not last long.  Atlanta claimed wins at Indianapolis and Atlanta. As Impala did not contest either one, Atlanta now enjoyed a 55-point lead. 

Jill Braley Top Photo Leading the Atlanta W40+ Team at the Masters 5 Km Championships and Lower Photo Hiroko Guarneri foreground red singlet #1019 and Kathy Wiegand background red singlet #1027 Competing for Atlanta W40+ at Club Cross in Tacoma WA Photo Credits: Top Photo - Paul McPherson/ Lower Photo - Michael Scott

That was just enough! Impala got the win on their home turf in San Francisco but Atlanta finished fifth. The forty point spread between 1st and 5th left Impala 15 points short of Atlanta. Getting that fifth place in San Francisco was a great effort that gave Atlanta the GP win! Team Members: J Braley, H Guarneri, C Harris, M Hebert, J Hodges-Hite, C Lucking, B Novak, L Scholz, R Tanner, K Wiegand

2nd Impala Racing 250 Pts. Team Members: M Beck, A Carroll, K Couch, J A M Dougery, K Famous, L Meadors, S Morfield, A Newman, C Peterson, C Prothro, J Smith

50+ Champion: Impala Racing 340 Pts. 21 Competitors; 1 Serious Contender. Impala finished 5th at Club Cross in Tacoma behind the winners, Central Park Track Club, from NYC. Impala added a win at Lubbock to bring their total to 160. But then CPTC got the win in Indianapolis where Impala finished third. That cut into Impala’s lead; it was now 240 to 200. If Central Park had gotten one more win, it could have been very close. 

Samantha Forde left-blue cap #1382 & Jodi Buyyounouski background right-blue singlet Competing for Impala Racing W50+ at Club Cross in Tacoma Photo Credit: Michael Scott

As it was, Impala added a win on their home turf in San Francisco. CPTC did not compete in a third event. After finishing second in the 2022 and 2023 W50+ Grand Prix contests, Impala moved u to first last year and presented us with a repeat performance in 2025! Team Members: M Bryan, J Buyyounouski, S Forde, E Gottlieb, M Holmes, M Kossar, C Lundy, A Newman, J A Rowland, P Shore, N Simmons

60+ Champion: Shore AC 440 Pts. This was the tightest battle! Shore AC outpointed Atlanta at Tacoma, finishing fourth to Atlanta’s seventh. Shore won in Dedham, with Atlanta third; Shore was then up by 40 points. 

Suzanne La Burt Top Photo-Center-white singlet, white cap, competing at Club Cross; Pamela Ricker Lower Left Photo & Lisa Vaughn competing at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria for Shore AC W60+ Team

But Atlanta roared back with three straight wins, in Peoria, Indianapolis and Atlanta. But Shore ran some gritty races as well, finishing second each time and keeping the lead. 

Kris Huff Top Photo Led Atlanta W60+ at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria. Patrice Combs Lower Left & Lesley Hinz Lower Right Competed for Atlanta W40+ at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta GA Photo Credits: Steamboat Classic for Huff; Pam Fales for Combs & Hinz

Shore won the 60+ GP by ten points in the end! What a competition! Team Members: M Allen, M Capdevielle, D Capko, N Cary, D Grocki, L Hinz, S La Burt, K Musante, L Nowicki, P Ricker, S Stirrat, L Vaughn 

2nd Atlanta TC 430 Pts. Team Members: P Combs, K Huff, A Pate, M Silva, R Tanner, M Taylor, C Williams 

70+ Champion: Atlanta TC 470 Pts. 4 Competitors; 1 Serious Contender. It is almost as difficult to field a traveling team of Septuagenarians [70-year-olds] on the Women’s side as it is to field a team of Octogenarians on the Men’s side. But Atlanta has managed to do so regularly. In 2022 and 2023 they finished second int he GP with 4 events in 2022 and 5 events in 2023. They won the 70+ GP last year with 390 points from 4 events. They won this year with 80 points more; they competed in five events.

Cindy Lucking Top Photo, Andrea McCarter Lower Left and Trenice Mullis Dubow Lower Right Competed for Atlanta W70+ at Club Cross in Tacoma; and at the 5 Km in Atlanta respectively Photo Credits: Michael Scott for Lucking and Pam Fales for McCarter & Dubow

They finished fourth in Tacoma for 70 points and then added 100 for each win, at Dedham, Peoria, Indianapolis and Atlanta. No other team competed at 3 events. That makes it two GP wins in a row for Atlanta! Team Members: K Allen, T M Dubow, J Hodges-Hite, N Hudnall, C Lucking, A McCarter, J McMullan, T Ozell, N Renzulli

Atlanta Track Club had the best Club Grand Prix year, with two wins in the Women’s divisions and one in the Men’s. Add to that three second place finishes. That gives Atlanta an impressive six Grand Prix Podium finishes across the eight divisions that awarded prizes this year. Shore AC achieved one Men’s win and one Women’s win, plus one second place and a third. Impala Racing enjoyed one Women’s GP win and a second place. Boulder Road Runners had one win, but it was their fourth consecutive win in the Men’s 70+ division. They match the uninterrupted string of four wins in the Men’s 50+ division achieved by the Greater Springfield Harriers from 2017-2021 (omitting the Covid year of 2020 when there was no National Grand Prix competition). 

The 2026 Grand Prix competition began on December 7, 2025, in Portland OR, with the 2025/26 USATF Cross Country championships and continued with the 2025 Masters Half Marathon Championships in Spicewood TX a week later. 2025/26 Club Cross at Tallahassee FL in January was the third event. Next up in the 2026 Grand Prix is the Masters One Mile Championships in Des Moines IA on April 21st.

Next up on the blog should be a recap of Masters Indoor Champs Middle Distance events in Albuquerque.

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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