Heading to Huntsville for USATF Masters 5 km XC

November 5, 2026 

Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing the middle and long distance races at the 2026 WMA Championships in Daegu, South Korea, I preview and recap most USATF Masters LDR Championships. I report on middle distance events at 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 recap Masters performances in major marathons and other iconic 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, Donna M & Victor V, Vanessa L, Ken Y, Rick L and Kathy H. May you have good speed in 2026! and beyond!

The 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships, held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park last year, are in the Southeast US at the John Hunt Park Cross Country course in Huntsville, AL. According to the Huntsville Sports Commission, the course is hosting the NCAA Div II South regional this year, after hosting the same championship in 2024 and the Division I South Regional last year. According to the City of Huntsville, "The championship caliber cross-country course is a 10-meter wide, manicured grass surface course over rolling hills, with multiple spurred loops providing options for 2-mile, 5K, 6K, 8K, & 10K distances." 

The weather forecast is also favorable. The Women's Race is at 8:30 AM CST with the Men starting at 9:30 AM CST. The temperatures should be in the mid-50's for the Women, and upper 50's for the Men. With cloudy skies, no rain and little wind, the forecasted conditions are very fine for XC. They are expecting over an inch of rain on Wednesday. But with two days to dry out, the footing should still be good.

Who is in for Huntsville so far and what are their prospects? My entry list of 131 participants is up to date as of: Thursday, Nov 5th at  11:50AM. [Registration is open until 5 PM Nov 5.] 

NOTE: See 'Missed Entrants' Statement below the AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS section for six entrants who were included in the overall entry list but were missed by me because they did not appear in the List by Age Division.

OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS:

 MEN Nicholas Kipruto has had a great year on the roads, winning overall championships at the USATF Masters 10 Km, 4 Mile, and 5Km. He has had a tougher time at the Cross Country Championships. On an off day in Portland at the 2025 USATF XC Championships, over 10K, he fell out of the top ten. At last year's 5 Km XC Championships at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Kipruto had a good outing. But when Malcolm Richards made a move, late in the race, Kipruto could not go with him. He wound up third after Neil McDonagh threw down a late kick to finish within a second of Richards. More importantly, Joseph Gray is entered. Gray won in Portland last year and has not yet lost a Masters competition on the turf or the roads. Gray, the former World Mountain Running Champion, is the favorite to take the overall crown. Kipruto is a strong favorite for second place. The task f chasing those two around the course and sorting out third through fifth likely falls to Daniel DeMartini, and John Poray, out of M45, and David Angell, newly of M50. 

Start of the Masters Men's 8 Km Race at the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo By Kierra Eyiuche Imagun Images

DeMartini finished 6th at last year's 5 Km XC Championships in San Francisco at 16:15, finishing a half minute behind Kipruto. Poray finished second at Overall at the 2021 edition of these championships held at the Franklin Park course in Boston MA. At the 2023 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee, In December of that year, Poray's 12th place finish overall at Club Cross in Tallahassee, helped his team to the M40+ win. Coming off an injury last year, Poray still finished 20th overall in 34:49. Poray's recent results include a 16:05 5K and 1:12:15 at the Indy Mini Marathon in May. Angell finished third Overall at the 2018 Club Cross Championships in Spokane WA. He did not make the trip to Portland last year but finished fifth overall, over 8 Km, at the 2024 USATF XC Championships in Lubbock TX at 28:41. He has battled injuries the last couple of years. But his recent outings have included a 16:44 5K in Virginia and running 16:44 on a hilly Atlanta course to finish tenth Overall. After Gray and Kipruto, it probably makes sense to go with DeMartini to finish off the podium, given his strong result in San Francisco last year. But DeMartini has not participated in the Pacific Association Grand Prix this fall, which raises some questions. That suggests there may be hope for Poray and Angell to break onto the podium.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Daniel DeMartini     Joseph Gray     Nicholas Kipruto     

Start of the Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2026 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michael Scott

WOMEN Michele Yates is a strong favorite for the win. She finished third Overall at the 2024 Masters 5 km Championships in Lubbock, at 18:27. She finished second overall at last year's Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, running 19:01. [That course was long, so Yates's time might have been a half minute or more faster.] At this point, Yates's chief competition likely comes out of the 50-54 division. Lorilynn Bloomer finished twelve seconds behind Yates in that 2025 Masters 5 km Championship. 

Start of the Masters Women's Race at the 2026 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michael Scott  

Like Yates, Bloomer, is also strong at Cross Country. Bloomer won the Masters Women's Overall race at the 2020 USATF XC Championships at the Mission Bay course in San Diego. At the 2026 Masters 5 km Championships, held in Atlanta on October 25th, Bloomer finished third Overall at 19:04. Dana Hayden finished just eleven seconds behind Bloomer, 4th Overall. Hayden finished 14th Overall in the Masters Women's race at the 2026 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee last year, running 23:41.    

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Lorilynn Bloomer     Dana Hayden     Michele Yates

Start of the Women's Race at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boulder CO Photo By Dave Albo

AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS

WOMEN 40-44 Yates, picked for the Overall win, is the favorite to win W40. See above for details. Lauren Davis finished ninth at these championships last year in San Francisco at 22:56. She finished 5th at the Masters 4 Mile Championships this June in 29:54. Davis was the top 40-44 runner at the recent 5K Championships in Atlanta at 22:34. That is not counting the 1st and 2nd place Overall winners who were both in W40. If new runners enter, Davis will battle with them for 2nd place.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Lauren Davis     Michele Yates 

45-49 Brooke Novak is the current favorite. At the recent 5K Championships in Atlanta, Novak finished 2nd in the division at 23:35. Vanessa Lordi was a minute and a half behind her in 3rd. At Club Cross in Tallahassee this [past January, Novak finished 12th in 31:26. Lordi was about a minute and a half back in 13th with her 33:03. Belmont Boswell is a wild card from the Trail Running area of the sport. Her most recent result in Athlinks is from 2021. At the Tranquility Lake Trail Race (6 Mi), Boswell finished 8th in W45. It is hard to judge how she fares relative to more traditional road and turf runners like Novak and Lordi. There is no reason to suggest she should finish ahead of either, but Boswel could surprise. Unless there are additional entrants, all three will be on the podium.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Belmont Boswell     Vanessa Lordi     Brooke Novak

Start of Women's Race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Boca Raton FL Photo By Michael Scott

50-54 Bloomer and Hayden are favored to go 3-4 Overall. Se above for details. They are the favorites to go 1-2 in this division. Kathy Wiegand is perhaps favored to take the bronze medal. She just finished 3rd in W50 at the 5 Km Championships with her 21:28. Wiegand's 27:55 left her in 11th place in W50. Alysia Puma finished 14th in the same race, at 28:43. On a good day, Puma could push Wiegand. Barbara Bass who, back in 2020, ran a few 5K's in the 21-minute range, could also be in the chase.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Lorilynn Bloomer     Dana Hayden     Kathy Wiegand

55-59 Right now it looks like this is a rematch of Hopkins vs Huggins, except this time on grass. Two weeks ago, Katherine Huggins enjoyed the edge, finishing 3rd W55 in 21:33 at the 5 km Championships. Rachel Hopkins was just nine seconds back in 4th. Hopkins has run in more national championships on the turf. For example, Hopkins finished 5th in this division at Club Cross earlier this year. Hopkins's turf experience gives her an edge. But Huggins has been running very well recently at distances from the 1 Mile up through the Marathon. And she has the recent 5Km result to give her confidence. it looks like a fascinating race, essentially a toss-up at this point. Julie King and Maureen Massell should battle for third place. At Club Cross in January, King finished 11th in this division, a half minute ahead of Massell. I will use that result to add King to the podiu, recognizing that Massell could easily run better this time.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Rachel Hopkins     Katherine Huggins     Julie King

60-64 As in Atlanta, Suzanne La Burt enters as the favorite. She was worried about a niggling calf problem in Atlanta, but it worked out fine. La Burt not only won her age division in 20:41, she took the Women's age grading crown. So far, La Burt continues to dominate in W60.Her 25:31, over 6K, gave her the W60 win at the most recent Club Cross competition in Tallahassee this past January. The closest challenger seems to be Noriko Charnley who finished 3rd at Atlanta but was over 45 seconds behind La Burt. Kris Huff, who won this division at the 4 Mile Championships with her 28:00, finished 5th W60 in Atlanta two weeks ago, at 22:10. Pamela Ricker could challenge Huff for the bronze medal but did finish 45 seconds behind her in Atlanta. La Burt-Charnley-Huff seems the most likely finishing order. But it should be a good race, and the most likely outcome is never a guarantee.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Noriko Charnley     Kris Huff     Suzanne La Burt

Start of Masters Women's Race at the 2022 USATF Club Cross Country Championships at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA Photo By Pam Fales

65-69 Lesley Hinz and Mireille Silva finished 5th and 6th at Atlanta in the 5K Championships, at 24:16 and 25:23. Hinz has had a good year on the Grand prix circuit. She started out in January with a 28:39 W65 win at Tallahassee, finishing a minute ahead of Donna Grocki. After finishing third at the Road Mile Championships in Des Moines, Hinz enjoyed a fine W65 win at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA, running 46:26. Hinz was, arguably, off her best at Atlanta. But, even so, would be favored over Silva. If Hinz has a nagging issue preventing her from running at her top level, it is possible that Grocki, who was not in Atlanta, could push her. 

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Donna Grocki     Lesley Hinz     Mireille Silva

70-74 Margaret Taylor should come in ahead of Trenice Mullis Dubow. Taylor's timeat the recent 5K championships in Atlanta, 27:35, was three minutes faster than Dubow's time. But GVH entered this week and one of the entries was Sharon Moore, who has long excelled, especially in Cross Country. I cannot find very recent road results for her. But I know she has been running regularly this fall in GVH's Pete Glavin Cross Country series, winning her 70-79 age division, typically unopposed. At 2024 Club Cross in Tacoma, Moore finished second W70. Taylor did not run in that event. But both Moore and Taylor did run at 2021 Club Cross in Tallahassee. Moore won W65 that year. Taylor also ran well that year, finishing fourth, about a minute behind Moore. Those facts are certainly not decisive but are enough for me to suggest that Moore is a favorite to win on Saturday. But Taylor is likely to give her a strong run for that title.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Trenice Mullis Dubow     Sharon Moore     Margaret Taylor

75-79 Kathleen Allen, Norma Hudnall, and Carol Patterson all ran in Atlanta at the 5 Km Championships two weeks ago. Hudnall won in 27:56, with Allen second in 33:14, and Patterson third in 46:19. Those differences are large. Hudnall is even better on the turf. There seems to be no reason to expect anything different than the same finishing order in Huntsville.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Kathleen Allen     Norma Hudnall     Carol Patterson

80-84 The last time Myrna Barnett and Catherine Radle ran in the same national championship was the 5 Km in Atlanta in 2024. That time Radle prevailed, just by nine seconds, in 36:06. This past May, they both ran in the Northside Hospital Women's 5K. Barnett prevailed by 22 seconds in 50:23. That suggests they are likely to run close to each other again, perhaps side by side for much of the race? Races and Time being what they are, most likely one of them will finish ahead of the other. But they will have both had a good time, I hope, and won another victory, just by getting to the finish line.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Myrna Barnett     Catherine Radle

85-89 Talk about enjoying a victory just by getting to the finish line. Joyce Hodges-Hite is expected to do that, once again. She is the only entrant so it will be an official victory as well as a personal one. Hodges-Hite already has the 2026 W85 Grand Prix wrapped up. She can get to another perfect 500 points by winning on Saturday.

Podium Favorite:

Joyce Hodges-Hite 

MEN 40-44 Gray, Kipruto, and DeMartini are picked to go 1-2-3 Overall. See above for details. They should, at the same time, finish 1-2-3 in this division. Should any of those three be off for some reason, Andy Crawford is expected to run a strong race. He finished 39th Overall at Clubs in Tallahassee earlier this year. James Sullivan finished less than a half minute behind Crawford in that race. He could also factor into this division.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Daniel DeMartini     Joseph Gray     Nicholas Kipruto

45-49 I have Poray factoring into the Overall race, likely to finish in the top five. He should win this division. See above for details. Adrian Herrera looks pretty solid for second place. He finished fifth in M40 at the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX. His time over 8K was 29:59. In a series of 5K races this past summer, Herrera ran between 17:08 and 17:27. Bryan Hendricks appears to be a safe bet for the bronze medal. His 18:25 two weeks ago in Atlanta earned him 6th place in this division. At Club Cross earlier this year, Hendricks finished 18th in M45 at 38:42. 

 Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Bryan Hendricks     Adrian Herrera     John Poray

Start of the Men's Race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL Photo By Michael Scott

50-54 David Angell is mentioned in the Overall section as a likely top five finisher. See above for details. He is the favorite to take this division crown.  The battle for the other spots on the podium should feature Timothy Hebert, Gary Moore, and Christopher Hernandez. Two weeks ago at the 5 Km Championships, they finished in that order in 17:55, 18:01, and 18:19. With less than a half minute between them and turf outcomes sometimes differing from the rods, I would just look forward to a great race between the three. At Tallahassee, over 10 Km on the turf this January, Moore finished 13th M50 in 38:15. We know Moore can run XC but we lack a direct comparison as neither Hebert nor Hernandez were entered there. But finding no recent XC results for either, I use Moore's Club Cross result to suggest that gives him an edge he might not have had on the roads. I will go with the Atlanta result to suggest hebert has a better shot at the final podium spot than Hernandez.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

David Angell     Timothy Hebert     Gary Moore

55-59 Athletes who have recently given Gregory Putnam a challenge, like Shane Anthony and Mark Andrews, are not entered. Putnam is having a great year with recent national championships wins at 10K, at 35:20; 4 Mile, at 22:35, and the 5 km at 17:16. Anthony got the better of him at Tallahassee on the turf. But 37:04 over 10 km of turf is still pretty fair running! If all is well with Putnam, the battle for the siver and bronze is probably between David Guzik and Brad Slavens, who finished within two seconds of one another in Atlanta two weeks ago, in 18:14 and 18:16, respectively. Slavens has recent Cross Country national championship experience which could help him. He finished 9th at 2025 Cross Nationals in Portland OR last December, running 33:38 over 8 km. This past January he ran 40:47 over 8 km to finish 26th in M55 at Club Cross. Depending on current fitness and how the day unfolds, Jason Newport and Ryan Shrum appear to be top five and could make things interesting. The data shows that Putnam is the likely winner. It is a toss-up between Guzik and Slavens. I give Slavens a slight edge due to his XC experience.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

David Guzik     Gregory Putnam     Brad Slavens

60-64 Two weeks ago in Atlanta, Dean Thompson was a surprise M60 winner, ahead of Mark Hixson and Nat Larson. Will he be able to repeat that feat on the turf? If so, that would be another surprise. Although he may still not be back to full fitness, Larson is a multiple time Masters Harrier of the Year. He won M60 at the 2025 Masters 5 km XC at San Francisco last Noveember. He finished second M60 at 2024 Club Cross in Tacoma, behind Steve Schmidt. Larson did not run at Tallahassee in 2026 Clubs this past January but the other two did. Hixson was seventh M60 in 31:30 and Thompson was 15th at 32:24. Alejandro Heuck wi rejoin his teammates, Hixson and larson, for this outing. After spending some time on rehab, Heuck is ready to contribute. Will he be at the same level he was in January. If so, he would be a big factor. He finished sixth at Tallahassee, one of the rare times he has beaten Hixson on the turf. Strong runners like Lester Dragstedt and Mike Nier will mostly be looking for top five finishes and low points for their teams. At Tallahassee, Dragstedt was 12th in 32:05. Nier was 17th in 32:54.The stars were aligned for Thompson in Atlanta. If he can repeat that M60 win in Huntsville it would be an amazing two weeks! I have to give Larson the edge just because he wins on the turf so often. After that it could go either way. But it should be another terrific duel on the turf with the winner coming out of this trio. 

 Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Mark Hixson     Nat Larson     Dean Thompson

Start of the Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michael Scott

65-69 Rick Lee has to be the favorite. Fresh off his M65 win in Atlanta at 18:04, which also gave him the top Men's Age Grading PLP of 91.83, finishing three tenths of a percentage point ahead of Larson. Lee is known for racing over all distances from the 1 Mile to the 50 Mile. The American M60 Record Holder at the 50K and 50 Mile, Lee, this year, set the American record for the 1 Mile and the M65 World Record for the steeplechase on the track. Naturally, Lee has also competed in Cross Country. In Tallahassee earlier this year, though in his final year in the division, Lee finished 4th M60 in 31:01. In December 2023, Lee finished 6th at Club Cross, also in Tallahassee, in 30:43. Two talented teammates, Doug Keller and Roger Sayre, will give chase. At Tallahassee this January, Keller ran 32:45, finishing well back from Lee, 4th in M65. Sayre was another 14 seconds back, 5th in M65.  Keller ran 18:57 at the fast Brian Kraft 5K in May. He followed that with an M65 bronze medal at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria the next month. Sayre finished two seconds behind Keller at the Kraft 5K but won the M65 4 Mile championship in 24:51, two minutes faster than Keller. Athlinks does not have any results for Keller since June. Sayre finished an active summer with a 1:25:15 at the City of Lakes Half marathon iin mid-September.  He ran a 38:49 10K at the TC marathon in early October. Sayre appears ready to run well. Keller could be here primarily to support the team effort. My reading of Keller's Strava posts is that he is ready to run but not to race at full tilt. Perhaps that is wrong? Mark Assini could work his way onto the podium if Keller is a bit off still. Assini finished second M65 in Atlanta, running 20:26 on that challenging, hilly course. William 'Hugh' Enicks, is always competitive. He has been running his recent 5K's in the low 20's and his 10K's in the 41 to 43 minute range. In 2022, he finished 34th overall in the M60+ race, about a minute and a half behind Sayre who finished 15th overall, fourteen seconds ahead of Keller. I am going with lee for the win. He has run well recently and, except for switching his focus to the upcoming Tunnel Hill100K, should be as ready as ever. His 100-mile training week [10/25 through 11/1] should have him all set, no doubt! After that it should be Sayre. I would guess Assini after that, and, possibly, Enicks but Keller could definitively surprise me.

 Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Mark Assini     Rick Lee     Roger Sayre

70-74 The main contenders are Jack Pottle, Kevin Dollard, Harod Leddy, and Ken Youngers. At the 5 km Championships two weeks ago, Pottle overtook Youngers just before the finish line and crossed it a fraction of a second ahead. Pottle was awarded first but Pottle and Youngers received the same official time, 20:29. Leddy was third at 21:14, with Dollard fourth at 21:29. That is the most recent evidence but it iss from a road race and this is on grass. Is there any recent cross country evidence to help us out? At Club Cross last January, over 8 Km, Dollard finished second at 35:21, with Pottle third at 35:29 and Leddy fourth at 35:40. None of these four made the trip to San Francisco in 2025 to compete in the Masters 5 Km XC that year. The year before when the 5 Km XC was in Boulder CO, Youngers finished third in 20:05. Pottle finished seventh in 21:22. The altitude for that race should have favored Pottle so it is significant that Youngers was able to come in ahead of Pottle. But without knowing whether Pottle was coming off an injury or had other training challenges, one can easily make too much of that. And it was two years ago now. On the other hand, Youngers can draw on that during the race on Saturday. For another comparison between Dollard, Leddy and Pottle on the turf, one can turn to 2025 Cross Nationals in Portland OR, also over 8 Km. There is, of course, a caveat. Those championships were held on a soggy, rainy day with lots of wind and some mud. So it may not be too relevant for Saturday in Huntsville where the footing should be good and there is no rain in the forecast. Still, we can observe that it was another close race. Dollard won in 37:26, with Leddy following three seconds later, and Pottle third at 37:56. However you look at it, this divisional race will be a 'barn-burner'. May the fastest athlete win! It seems to be a toss p between Pottle and Youngers for the win. But there is no room for error. It appears, based on recent evidence that Leddy may be a slight favorite over his teammate for third. But any permutation of these four could be the final outcome.

 Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Harold Leddy     Jack Pottle     Ken Youngers

Start of Men's Race at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Boulder CO Photo By Dave Albo

75-79 In this division it is time to run the Bell vs. Morrison show again. On the roads, Morison got two early wins. He won M75 at the 1 Mile, where he beat Bell by three seconds in 6:34. Bell did not make the trip to Dedham MA to compete in the Masters 10 Km Championships; Morrison won in 46:02. Bell and Morrison met again at the 4 Mile Championships, with Bell winning by 50 seconds in 29:09. It was closer in Atlanta two weeks ago, with Bell taking the win by 12 seconds in 22:41! This rematch will be on grass. When they met at Tallahassee on the turf this past January, Bell took the honors, coming in a minute ahead of Morrison. Late in their M70 stints, Bell came in third M70 in 37:43; Morrison was 44 seconds back in fourth. We know it will be close and we know that Morrison is one of the grittiest competitors around. But the data do seem to favor Bell. He has the recent wins on the roads, and he has the history of wins on the turf. That suggests Bell has the edge coming in. But to be fair, I should note that, at 2024 Cross Nationals in Richmond VA, Morrison came in ahead of Bell on the turf. Morrison definitely could win. Kirk Larson, fresh from cheering on the Emory University Eagles (that he has mentored this year as an honorary Assistant Coach) at the UAA XC Championships in Chicago last weekend, is the likely M75 bronze medalist. Larson finished third two weeks ago in Atlanta 23:50. He did not run in Tallahassee last January but has a long history on the turf. In 2023, for example, Larson finished behind Bell but ahead of Morrison, at Cross Nationals in Richmond VA. No one else who is entered is likely to be close.

 Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Doug Bell     Kirk Larson     Don Morrison 

80-84 It would be surprising if the top three in order this coming weekend is different from the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. Gary Pattoon won in 24:45. Przemyslaw 'Przemek' Nowicki finished second at 27:29, with William Shaffer just under three minutes further back in 30:19. The gaps between those three are large enough to be sustained this weekend. At the same time, I, Paul Carlin, fourth in Atlanta, was the only runner from this group within a minute of Shaffer and it does not make sense for me to compete in Huntsville. Perhaps we will enjoy another race together in Ohio at Club Cross.   

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Przemek Nowicki     Gary Patton     William Shaffer

85-89 Roland Cormier returns to competition after skipping Atlanta. After finishing second in M85 at the 10 Km Championships in April, Cormier won M85 at the Four Mile Championships in June.

Podium Favorite:

Roland Cormier

90-94 Sid Davis is the lone entrant. He was entered in Atlanta two weeks ago but did not appear in the results. I am not certain if he will make this trip. But, if he does, he will surely win.

Podium Favorite:

Sid Davis

NOTE: The following athletes were not included in the preview above because I derive my entry list from the Age Division breakdown provided by USATF. Normally everyone is sorted into that list. This time, for some reason, these individuals were not so sorted. I missed them until now and I have no time to research their recent resuts. One is known to me. Richard Bouckaert, Power Milers, could have an impact on the Overall and M40 analysis. Bouckaert finished third overall and third M40 at Atlanta. The others are not known to me: John Bahakel Unaffiliated; John Bozue Unaffiliated; Andy Hissam Huntsville TC; Peter Reed Unaffiliated; and Jermaine Wade Unaffiliated. 

AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Age Grading Performance Level Percentage PLP is derived from global road running data. It represents an estimate of how fast a given athlete's time is for the fastest possible time for an athlete of that age and sex. It is used by USATF to compare the comparison of athletes across multiple age divisions. The athlete with the highest PLP has run faster for their age (to the single year of age) than any other. 

MEN Athletes entered here who have done well at recent championships include, from the Atlanta 5 Km Championships, Rick Lee PLP = 91.83, Nat Larson 91.51, and Dean Thompson 90.37, who finished 1-2-3, in that order. Kipruto, who won the Overall race, was not far back at 89.93. And Larson's teammate, Mark Hixson, followed at 89.11. It is probably worth mentioning that Larson has, typically, been at his best on the Cross Country turf and has won multiple Masters Harrier of the Year Awards. Whether that will be true in a year in which Larson has had a bit of up and down due to nagging injury is a question. But Larson did finish 2nd in age grading at last year's 5 km XC Championships in San Francisco; he is always a threat to win. Lee was sixth in age grading at Tallahassee; no one who finished ahead of him then is entered this weekend. So Lee is a threat to win on the turf too. Others who might well factor into the race include Roger Sayre, second at Cross Nationals in Lubbock; Joseph Gray, fifth at Lubbock; and Gregory Putnam 10th at Tallahassee.

WOMEN Suzanne La Burt won age grading in Atlanta two weeks ago at 91.86%. Lorilynn Bloomer was second at 88.86%. Looking back to Club Cross at Tallahassee earlier this year, La Burt was second in age grading at 88.82%, with Lesley Hinz four percentage points back in fifth place. Few of the entrants here competed at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in San Francisco ast fall. But Pamela Ricker did, finishing ninth in age grading there. Michele Yates, Rachel Hopkins, and Katherine Huggins cold also contend for age grading honors.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS 

There are Grand Prix places at stake. The following statements represent my summary of the implications.

As this is the final event of the Cross Country season, there are some team and individual races that will determine the make-up of the Grand Prix podiums. Foremost among these are:

Teams M40+ West Valley 200 GP pts, Tracksmith Boston Hares 190, Garden State 170, and Atlanta 115 all have t3wo events. If any one of those gets a third event and none of the others do, that team wins the M40+ Grand Prix as the only team eligible for an award. If two or moree teams contest the event, the   points come into play.

W40+ Atlanta 290 and Shore 290 are tied for first. If both enter teams, the winner also takes the Grand Prix award. 

M50+ Atlanta 460 has the GP sewn up. Shore 190 and, potentially, GVH 180 could overtake Twin Cities Running Company 225  for 2nd place if TCRC does not send a team.

W50+ If Shore 350 and Atlanta 285 both field complete teams, they will almost surely finish 1-2. The only threat to GVH 200, currently in third, would be if their cross-state rivals, Checkers AC 155 fielded a team and GVH did not.

M60+ Atlanta 430 has the lead, GVH 400 and Greater Springfield Harriers 400 are tied for second. GSH won one event early in the year but missed a few. They have now won the last three events. If they can win at Huntsville, they win the Grand Prix with 500 points. They do not need to win at Huntsville to in the Grand Prix, but they have to field a complete team and score well. If, for any reason, they fail to field a complete team, they could fall off the podium. GVH could overtake Atlanta if they win at Huntsville. Atlanta has the head-to-head tie-breaker, though, if it comes into play. 

W60+ Liberty AC 470 has the lead over Shore 370. If Shore wins, that 100 points ties them with Liberty AC on points. A second place or below leaves Liberty's score at 470. If Shore wins, the head-to-head tie breaker is in their favor. If Liberty AC wins, their total rises to 480 and they win the GP. 

M70+ Shore 500 wins the Grand Prix with a perfect score of 5 Wins! Boulder 460 battled them all the way. The best that Boulder can do is to shrink the gap; they would need to win in Huntsville to do that.

W70+ Atlanta TC 490 has the win locked up. The closest competitor is their 'B' squad 260. Atlanta would love to win the final championships and raise their total to 5 wins and a perfect 500 score. They are sending at least one W70+ team.

M80+ Shore 290 has a lead of more than 100 points. Atlanta 170 cannot catch them even if they win in Huntsville.

WOMEN: Shore has two entered in the 50+ divisions and five entered in the 60+ divisions. Atlanta has one entered in 40+ and two in 50+. But they also have five in 60+ and five in 70+.  And that doesn't mention their two 80+ runners, who can also run in any of the lower divisions. It looks like Shore can keep their big guns in 60+ to win the overall championship ahead of Liberty AC. They could still, most likely, get a GP win in 50+ and concede 40+ to Atlanta. How Atlanta splits their runners uppinto teams will determine the exact outcomes, no doubt.

MEN: Unless I missed someone or there is a last few hours West Valley entrant, thefe are no possible contenders for the GP win other than Atlanta. Atlanta has four entered in 50+; seven in 60+; and seven in 70+. If West Valley does not enter a third runner, an Atlanta 40+ team, made up of non-essential athletes, dropped from older divisions, would win and give Atlanta the GP win. Even if West Valley gets a third runner, Atlanta would assure itself of second place in the GP with such a team. It looks like the four Chattanooga runners will probably compete against Atlanta in 50+. Greater Springfield is going for the win in 60+, with Atlanta and GVH entering strong teams that will try to deny them the win. Even though the 70+ GP race is done as far as first place goes, Atlanta and GVH will try to keep Shore AC from adding another win. Unless Jim Linn enters for Shore in the last few hours, there is an opening for one of those teams too finish ahead of Shore.

However it shakes out, there will be lots of battles in the trenches to determine the team outcomes. They will all celebrate at the end of the year Awards event after the club Cross races in Ohio on December 12th! 

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Sources: USATF Events website and the Masters National Grand Prix webpage, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, Facebook, World Masters Athletics, and their relevant race websites. Thanks for the visit! Cheers to all! 

To express your appreciation for this resource, please click on the coffee cup logo in the sidebar. If you are on a mobile device, please scroll down and click on 'View web version' to show the coffee cup logo. 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, John B, Bill A, J&A McMahon, Jay L, Tim L, Mike M, Donna M & Victor V, Vanessa L, Ken Y, Rick L and Kathy H. May you have good speed in 2026 and beyond!

Uphill and Downhill! Great Competition in the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta

Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing the middle and long distance races at the 2026 WMA Championships in Daegu, South Korea, I preview and recap most USATF Masters LDR Championships. I report on middle distance events at 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 recap Masters performances in major marathons and other iconic 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, Donna M & Victor V, Vanessa L, Ken Y. May you have good speed in 2026! and beyond!

Tuesday, November 1, 2026 

I am posting an Intermediate Recap just to get something reported about the 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships held in Atlanta on October 25, 2026. With the 5 Km Championships and the 5 Km XC Championships just 13 days apart it is a struggle to complete my recap of the 5 Km and also post a preview of the 5 Km XC. The usual *full* recap, with much more detail, and photos, on Age Division and Team races may not be posted until after this coming weekend. In the meantime, please enjoy this and remember to congratulate folks on their outstanding efforts!

Atlanta provided near perfect weather, a sunny 50 degree morning, for the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships. The Atlanta Track Club, as usual, provided an admirable setup for the pre- and post-race activities! The challenging hills of Atlanta prevented record attempts, but the competition was outstanding.

OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN  

Start of Women's Race at the 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club's PNC 10 Miler & 5K Photo by Paul McPherson

Stephanie Pezzullo FL, a five-time Olympic Trials qualifier, returned to Atlanta with redemption in mind. She finished second in her 2024 outing to an outstanding effort by April Lund. This time, Pezzullo had no peers! She sped to the front and made everyone chase her to the finish line! She won in 17:48, finishing almost a minute ahead of Julia Webb Team Red Lizard FL, at 18:41. 

Stephanie Pezzullo Claims the overall Win at the 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club's PNC 10 Miler & 5K Photo by Matthew Demarko 

Webb, a newcomer to USATF Masters Road Championships, made an auspicious start. Lorilynn Bloomer SC, fourth overall last year, moved up a spot. It is rare for someone in her final year in  50-54 to make the podium, but Bloomer accomplished that difficult task, claiming third in 19:09. Dana Hayden VA, in her first W50 year, was just eleven seconds back in fourth! MEN Nicholas Kipruto CO sped to his third consecutive Overall win on the Masters Grand Prix series. He adds this title to his wins in Dedham over 10 Km, and Peoria over 4 Miles. He has the M40 Grand Prix title locked up! His sparkling 15:16 left him over 200 meters ahead of newcomer, Chris Sloane VA, at 15:48. Breaking 16 minutes on this course shows Sloane has a bright future at Masters Championships! Richard Bouckaert Power Milers TC LA, second last year, ran faster this year, finishing third at 15:59! His consistency is remarkable. Bouckaert had to speed to the finish to assure a podium spot; Jay Stephenson GA was just six seconds back in fourth!

AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS  MEN Rick Lee 65 Greater Philadelphia TC, NJ is an amazingly versatile runner. He currently holds M60 American Records for the 50K and 50 Mile runs, as well as the M65 AR for the Road Mile. This summer he set the World record for the M65 Steeplechase. Two weeks before this race, Lee broke three hours at the Chicago Marathon on a warm day that derailed the attempts of many. Here in Atlanta, Lee, 65, ran 18:04 on this hilly course to achieve a Performance Level Percentage PLP of 91.83. 

Rick Lee Crosses the Finish Line with the Top Men's Age Grading Performance at the 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club's PNC 10 Miler & 5K Photo by Pam Fales 

Nat Larson 64 Greater Springfield Harriers MA, who took the age grading title in the 10 Km Championships earlier this year, finished second; his 17:59 earned a PLP of 91.51.  Dean Thompson 61 Chattanooga TC GA is a regular at these championships. He must be doing something right. His time of 17:43 was his fastest since 2023. Thompson’s 17:43 gave him a 90.37% for third place. Rodney Stoker TN ran a lightning fast 16:13 to claim 4^th at 90.87. Kipruto, the overall winner, finished fifth at 89.93%. WOMEN Suzanne La Burt 63 Shore AC NY, raced to 20:41for a 92.29 Performance Level Percentage PLP and the top age grading prize. 

Suzanne La Burt finished Her Run with the Top Women's Age Grading Performance at the 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club's PNC 10 Miler & 5K Photo by Pam Fales  

La Burt adds this one to the age grading Gold she won at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria. Bloomer 54 enjoyed a double podium, earning silver with her 88.86%. Mary Cass 65 Liberty AC MA, always a threat, finished third on 87.41% from a nifty 22:17. Roxanne Springer Pursuit of Excellence TC VA and Noriko Charnley 62 Shore AC NJ were in a virtual dead heat. Springer finished a fraction of a second ahead, but they were awarded the same time, rounded to the next full second (used for the PLP calculation), at 21:28. Because the two are also the same age, they tied for fourth in age grading at 87.18.

AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN 40-44 Apart from Pezzullo and Webb, who finished 1-2 Overall out of this division, Lauren Davis NV, who finished fifth W40 in Peoria, was the fastest at 22: 34, earning the W40 first place award. She edged Robyn Ellerbrock Athens Road Runners GA by fourteen seconds. Ellerbrock was second, with over two minutes to spare. Maria Davis Atlanta TC was next at 25:27. 45-49 Emily Noble Athens RR, W45 bronze medalist last year, moved up two spots, winning Gold in 20:04. Brooke Novak Atlanta TC finished second in 23:35, with  Vanessa Lordi CA third at  25:13. 50-54 Bloomer finished third Overall. Hayden, fourth Overall, gets credit for the division win. Ivanka Tolan SC was 29 seconds behind, fith overall and second award winner in W50. Kathy Wiegand  Atlanta TC, a reliable team leader for Atlanta, finished third in 21:28. 55-59 Melissa Landers-Potts Athens RR, silver medalist last year, earned W55 gold this year with her 20:38 effort. Cassandra Henkiel TX picked up where she left off in 2022, earning silver, this time in the 5K Championships, in 21:15.. Katherine Huggins Garden State TC NJ  pulled away from Rachel Hopkins Athens RR to earn the bronze medal with nine seconds to spare in 21:33. 60-64 La Burt, the Overall Age Grading winner, took the crown here in 20:41.. She adds this to the W60 10 Km gold medal from earlier this year. Roxanne Springer Pursuit of Excellence TC NC won the duel with Noriko Charnly Shore AC, finishing second by a fraction of a second, in 21:28. Awarded the same official time (rounded up to the next full second for road races over 1 Mile), Charnly is the bronze medalist. 65-69 ass, the age grading bronze medalist, claimed the win in her new age group. Eileen Brennan-Erler Impala Racing CA stayed with Cass as long as she could, but finished 19 seconds back for the silver medal. Donna Grocki Shore AC, bronze medalist at Club Cross earlier ths year, claimed bronze here as werll in 23:37. 70-74 Kitty Musante Shore AC FL, bronze medalist in W65 here last year, cruised to victory with three minutes to spare in 24:07. Cynthia Williams Atlanta TC finished second in 27:04, with her teammate, Margaret Taylor a half minute back in third. 75-79 Norma Hudnall Atlanta TC SC defended her 2025 championship. She won again with minutes to spare, this time in 27:56. Her teammates, Kathleen Allen and Dolly Katz finished second and third in 33:14 and 46:19. 80-84 Andrea McCarter Atlanta TC entered a new age division and wasted no time in collecting her first W80 national championship. the win. Her teammate, Catherine Radle finished a minute and change behind McCarter’s 36:56, takins second in 38:10. Atlanta’s third entrant, Dolly Katz finished third in 50:01. 85-89 The remarkable Joyce Hodges-Hite Atlanta TC, now 89, conquered the hills on her hometown course. Unusual in still travelling to championships across the country in her late eighties, Hodges-Hite keeps making the trips and keeps winning. She adds this to earlier wins this year in Oregon, Iowa and Illinois.  MEN 40-44 With Kipruto, Sloane and Bouckaert going 1-2-3 out of M40, Joshua Davis Garden State TC NJ moves up to take the M40 gold medal in 16:26. Cory Baumann OH was just six seconds back in 16:32. In a tight race, they were followed across the line by Aaron Allbritton CA, third in 16:38! 45-49 Jay Stephenson GA Won this group in 16:05 with a half minute to spare. Chad Kroft CO followed him, second in 16:39. Nathan Deeter Atlanta TC, first in M45 last year, gave way to the two newcomers but beat everyone else, taking third in 17:33. 50-54 Stoker, fourth in age grading overall, made his first national championship a memorable one. He also claimed M50 gold over a deep field, in 16:03, with a half-minute to spare. David Angell Roanoke Valley Elite VA finished second in 16:13. Alcides De Quesada FL was third at 17:03. 55-59 Gregory Putnam Central Mass Striders MA made it three in a row, adding this win to his M55 wins at the 10 Km and 4 Mile championships earlier this year. His 17:16 gave him a 15-second cushion. Mark Andrews Genesee V=alley Harriers NY, a podium regular at national championships, finished second at 17:31. Andy Wooding, a GVH teammate of Andfrews’, was third at 18:01. 60-64 For Dean Thompson Chattanooga TC GA it was fourth time’s the charm. In the last three years he has been as closer as seven seconds to a gold medal. Everything must have lined upp right this time! He got the win! It is tough in this division. He had to defeat two of the best. Thompson’s scintillating 17:43 earned him a fifteen second advantage over Mark Hixson Greater Springfield Harriers CT and his teammate, Nat Larson GSH MA, second and third with the same 17:58 time. 65-69 Lee, who won the Overall Age Grading gold medal, won this division with two minutes to spare. Mark Asssini Genesee Valley Harriers NY won the tight battle for second with Paul Beers , 20:26 to 20:31. 70-74 Jack Pottle Boulder Road Runners CO, M70 winner at the 4 Mile Championships and Ken Youngers Atlanta TC, a podium fixture at national championships, enjoyed a real tussle, chasing each other up and down the hills of Atlanta. In the end they were separated by half a stride, Pottle getting the win in 20:29, the same official time as Youngers. 75-79 Doug Bell Boulder RR and Don Morrison Greater Philadelphia TC have battled all year! At Club Cross, in January, Morrison trailed Bell by a minute, Then  Morrison enjoyed two road wins. He beat Bell at the 1 Mile. Bell did not travel to Massachusetts to contest the 10K. Morrison won in Bell’s absence. But Bell came back to beat Morriswon by a minute at the 4 Mile Championships. In a close contest, Bell got it done in Atlanta, taking the win in 22:41, with Morrison in second twelve seconds back. Kirk Larson Atlanta TC enjoyed a podium finish in his first national championships as a 75 -year-old, running 23:50. 80-84Gary Patton So Cal TC FL started the year off in January with a win at Club Cross. He added an M80 win at the 10 Km  in April. Again here, Patton had no peers in the race. He won by nearly three minutes in 24:45. Przemek Nowicki Shore AC could not match the gold medal he won at the Masters 4 Mile Championships but he did match the silver medal earned at the 10 Km Championships. His 27:29 gave him nearly three minutes on the third place finisher, William Shaffer Atlanta TC MS, who clocked 30:19.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN 40+ Atlanta TC [N Deeter, M Sakowitz, M Castleberry] had the only complete, legal team, winning in a Team time (sum of team’s top 3 runner’s times) of 57:31 [average runner’s time = 17:10]. 50+ Each of GVH’s top three athletes [M Andrews, J Harter, A Wooding, J Williiams] ran faster than their counterparts on Atlanta. But the final outcome was quite close, GVH winning 53:13 [17:43] to 53:53. Atlanta’s B squad finished third in 1:00:45. 60+ Greater Springfield Harriers [M Hixson, N Larson, S Grandfield] had no close competition, winning by nearly two minutes in 54:33 [18:11]. Chattanooga TC finished second with a similar gap on the bronze medalists, Atlanta, 56:26 to 58:19. 70+ The Shore AC M70+[H Leddy, K Dollard, J Linn] juggernaut took 1-2-3 in this championship last year. They could not match that this year, but their trio again finished in a tight pack, within 33 seconds of one another!  That gave them the win over a tough Boulder RR team, 1:04:21 [21:27] to 1:06:11. Atlanta TC was just one minute back in third. 80+ Atlanta TC [W Shaffer, C Patterson, J Dubow] won, unopposed, in 1:46:16 [35:25]. WOMEN 40+ Athens RR [E Noble, M Landers-Potts, R Ellerbrock, M-C Boudreau] romped to the win; their 1:03:22 [21:07] gave them a winning margin of nearly five minutes! Shore Ac claimed second in 1:08:11. They were followed by Atlanta in third at 1:16:27. 50+ This was another tight contest! Shore AC [A Kim, K Musante, L Nowicki] took the win over Atlanta by just over a minute, 1:12:03 [24:01] to 1:13:21! 60+ Shore AC S La Burt, N Charnley, P Ricker, D Grocki, D Capko] rose to the top of a deep field, winning by two minutes in 1:05:04 [21:41] . Liberty AC finished second in 1:07:15, a good minute-and-a-half ahead of the third-place finisher, Impala Racing, who totaled 1:08:51. 70+ Atlanta TC C Williams, M Taylor, N Hudnall] ran 1:22:35 to defeat their ‘B’ squad by 30 minutes. 80+ Atlanta TC [A McCarter, C Radle, D Katz, J Hodges-Hite] captured this one unopposed in 2:05:07 [41:42].

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Sources: USATF Events website and the Masters National Grand Prix webpage, the Atlanta Track Club website, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, Facebook, World Masters Athletics, and ther relevant race websites. Thanks for the visit! Cheers to all! 

To express your appreciation for this resource, please click on the coffee cup logo in the sidebar. If you are on a mobile device, please scroll down and click on 'View web version' to show the coffee cup logo. 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, John B, Bill A, J&A McMahon, Jay L, Tim L, Mike M, Donna M & Victor V, Vanessa L, Ken Y. May you have good speed in 2026 and beyond!

Heading to Atlanta for the 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships!

Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing the middle and long distance races at the 2026 WMA Championships in Daegu, South Korea, I preview and recap most USATF Masters LDR Championships. I report on middle distance events at 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 recap Masters performances in major marathons and other iconic 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, Donna M & Victor V, Vanessa L, Ken Y. May you have good speed in 2026! and beyond!

October 20, 2026. The USATF Masters 5 Km Championships return to Atlanta for the seventh time since 2018, missing only the two years of Covid and recovery. The Atlanta Track Club has not allowed us to get bored. We are on the third substantive change to the course. The first few years were part of their Atlanta's Finest 5K, in August. That course, starting and ending near Centennial Olympic Park, introduced us to the concept, expressed so well by Eric Heintz, of ATC, as 'Atlanta Flat.' Given the hilly nature of the city, ATC organizes courses with as few hills as possible for the Masters Championships. Does that mean 'no hills'? Absolutely not; each version of the championships has included hills of varying pitch and length. The second course started and ended in the area next to the Atlanta Falcons stadium. That was part of the Atlanta Marathon weekend, typically in late February or early March. The most recent iteration was to move the 5K, last year, to their PNC 10 Miler Weekend in mid-October. This one starts and ends in Atlantic Station, about two miles north of Centennial Olympic Stadium. In principle, this weekend should have the best weather of the three. But weather can always play a trump card. Last year, the athletes warmed up and lined up in a terrific rainstorm, the first one on that weekend in recent years. The rain and wind lessened during the race.

2026 Weather and Start Times. This year the forecast, at least, promises a sunny morning with 48 degrees Fahrenheit at 8 am. The Men start at 8 AM and the Women one minute later. The separate start is designed to avoid over-crowding effects at the start line and the first hundred meters or so of the race.

Last year there were 162 entered. This year, as of Thursday evening at 10 PM ET, there were 198 entered (125 Men and 73 Women). Registration closes Thursday, October 22 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The fields in most age divisions will be deeper this year.

Note: In the analysis below, I sometimes refer to times run last year on this course. Recall that everyone's times were slow last year, perhaps due to the weather, but also to a course that was somewhat longer than five kilometers. The ATC announced during Awards that they had been forced by road construction to alter the course somewhat and it turned out that the course was long. Specifics were not announced at that time. Many athletes, at that time, offered opinions that times were about a minute slower than they would have expected. Of course, the faster the athlete, the less impact a given yardage extra will have on their times. It is probably best to think of the times as being somewhere between a half minute and a minute slower than a normal outing would have been, at last for the fastest half of the runners. For those running at a pace two to three minutes a mile slower, or more, than the lead athletes, perhaps their times were slowed by as much as two minutes or more? [I sometimes remind readers of this with a parenthetical remark after citing a time from last year]

Next I consider who is entered and what are the competitive prospects for the various championships to be settled. There are so many exciting, highly contested division races on tap. [Based on entries through Wednesday afternoon. Updates, based on entries between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon are added in red at the end of any age division where they seem to make a difference for the podium favorite list.]

OVERALL MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

WOMEN There will be a rematch of the 2024 contest. That year, April Lund North Dakota and Stephanie Pezzullo North Carolina enjoyed a terrific battle. In the preview for that race I noted that Pezzullo was a nationally ranked 3000M Steeplechaser in 2010 and 2011. She made the final at the Outdoor Championships in Eugene in 2011, finishing 13th in 10:09.43. Her PR was when she finished 8th in 9:56.82 at the 2011 USATF High-Performance Meet in Los Angeles. As a Masters athlete, Pezzullo won the Overall Masters championships at the 2024 Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA; her time was 35:35! Lund was not a decorated Open athlete. But she has excelled in Masters competition. She earned the right to represent Team USA at the first, and so far, only, WMA Cross Country Championships over the same course and on the same weekend as the WA Championships in Bathurst Australia in 2023. At that event, she paired with Ben Bruce to win a silver medal in the Relay and earned a 40-44 gold medal in the Individual Race. To the surprise of many, it was Lund who carried the day, pulling away for a convincing half-minute victory in 16:58. Pezzullo hs not competed in a Masters Road championship since then. Presumably she is looking for another great battle and, I am sure she hopes, a win this time. I find no very recent results for Pezzullo but in January she ran 17:14 at the Matanzas 5000 in Florida. If she retains that fitness, she will be a formidable opponent. But Lund has been active more recently. She won the W40 5000 Meter run at the USATF Masters Outdoor championships in July at 18:04. At the World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, this August, Lund came home with the 10K Road Race gold medal. Her 38:22 provided a victory margin of nearly two minutes. Those times seem to suggest that Pezzullo should again be considered the favorite. But two things argue against that. The Matanzas 5000 advertises itself as flat and fast and the fastest 5K in Florida. I do not know if the course in Korea was flat or not. I do know that the course in Atlanta is not flat. Second, that time for Pezzullo is from January. Does Pezzullo carry the same fitness into this race in October? We will find out on Sunday. Lund and Pezzullo should enjoy another great competitive duel for the win; it could go either way! It does not appear that any of the other entrants, at present, can challenge those two, if they are both healthy.

From Right: Stephanie Pezzullo, April Lund, and Jami Hollandsworth lead the Women's Field in the Early going of the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships held in Atlanta GA Photo By Paul McPherson

Lorilynn Bloomer South Carolina and Dana Hayden Virginia, both out of the W50 division, will vie for the bronze medal. Megan Popp Georgia, W40, will need a good day to deny them both. Jill Braley Georgia, who won the title here last year, is not signed up. Bloomer was fourth overall last year, in 19:13. Hayden was seventh in 19:39. Popp was further back last year, running 19:58. Bloomer enjoyed good fitness this spring, racing to a 38:15 time at the Cooper River Bridge 10K in South Carolina. Hayden finished 8th overall, in 39:30, at the Masters 10 Km Championships in April and fifth overall at the Masters four Mile championships in June with 25:24. Her 18:24 at the Crawlin' Crab 5K in Virginia shows that she brings good fitness into these championships. Popp ran 41:07 at the AJC Peachtree Run this Jully, a time that would likely have been faster on a course with no hills and less warmth and humidity. Ivanka Tolan South Carolina, also from W50 could also challenge. She ran 18:44 at the Turkey Day run in Charleston SC last November, and 19:25 in the Clinic Classic 5K in April of this year.  Tolan has also demonstrated staying power. She posted 1::02:35 at the Charlie Post Classic 15K this January and 1:09:29 at the Triple Crown Ten Miler in March. Overall, it looks like, with no upsets, it will be Lund and Pezzullo dueling for Overall gold and silver medals, with Bloomer the favorite over Hayden and Popp for bronze. Update: Julia Webb is a late entry, with a Team Red Lizard affiliation, out of Oregon. There is a Julia Webb in Athlinks from Ave Maria, Florida who has a 19:19 5K in the Butte to Butte 5K in Eugene OR in July 2025. She also has a 17:46 5K in the Ft. Myers Turkey Trot last year and on the 4th of July this year, an 18:35 5K at the Fox Firecracker 5k in Wisconsin. If this is the correct Webb, she could give Lund and Pezzullo a challenge. She would, in any case, be in the mix for the bronze medal.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Lorilynn Bloomer     April Lund     Stephanie Pezzullo     Julia Webb?

MEN Nicholas Kipruto Colorado is a solid favorite to add this overall Masters Championship to his wins at the 10 Km, in 31:26, and the 4 Mile in 20:04. He added a sparkling 30:13 at the Great Cow Harbor 10K in mid-September. All of those suggest that Kipruto should be close to 15:00 flat on a typical 5K course. On 'Atlanta Flat' it could take him a little longer. His main challengers should include Richard Bouckaert Louisiana and Chris Sloane Virginia. Boukaert finished second overall here last year in 16:33 but might have broken 16 on many other courses. He ran 16:05 last November at the Crescent City 5K.n He worked on his half marathon speed earlier this year, clocking 1:12:00 at the Indy Mini Marathon in May and running 1:12:55 at Grandma's in June. Sloane finished second Masters (behind Sam Chelanga) in 31:42 at the Cooper River Bridge Run in March. He trailed Chelanga again at the Amway River Bank Run with his 1:25:13 over 25K. He finished ahead of Bouckaert at Grandma's in 1:11:27. Sloane ran a local 10K in Virginia as a tune up, clocking 32:45.  Those three are all in M40. The only runner from M45 who is likely to mix it up with them is Jay Stephenson. He ran 15:34 at the Rainsville Freedom Fest 5K in June. He followed that with a 15:02 at this year's Macon Labor Day 5K. That course is point-to-point and athletes often run their fastest times on that course, even though it is USATF-certified. Still, there is no doubt that Stephenson can run with the three M40 athletes mentioned above. Although not listed in the official results, if memory serves me well, Stephenson was one of three runners, at these championships in 2024, who followed a lead motorcycle that, unintentionally cut the course. They had already separated from the closest chase pack, which followed the actual course layout. Had that not occurred, it is likely that Stephenson would have been on the overall podium that year. 

Nicholas Kipruto Captures the Overall Men's Title 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

Kipruto looks to be the favorite in a strong field. I will give the edge to Sloane for silver and Stephenson for bronze. But Bouckaert could prove me wrong. It should be a dandy race up front!

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Nicholas Kipruto     Chris Sloane     Jay Stephenson

AGE DIVISIONS

MEN 40-44 I picked Kipruto, Sloane and Bouckaert to go 1-2-4 in the overall championships. It follows that they should go 1-2-3 in M40.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Richard Bouckaert     Nicholas Kipruto     Chris Sloane

45-49 Stephenson is a podium pick overall. That puts him as the runner to beat in M45. No one else in M45 appears to have sub-16 speed on a legal course. But Chad Krofta is close! He ran 16:01 at Carlsbad this spring. Changes to that course probably mean it is no longer the 'World's Fastest 5K' as their slogan says, but it is still *very*fast. That 16:01 just got Krofta second place in M45, fifth overall. He backed that statement up with a 16:24 at the OTC Butte to Butte 5K in Eugene Oregon on the 4th of July. He finished second in that one as well. Perhaps he is due for an M45 win?! Last year's M45 winner, Nathan Deeter Georgia in 17:34 (even if sub-17 on a true course), will have a hard time staying with Stephenson and Krofta. He ran 17:09 at the Kennesaw Grand Prix 5K in June and followed that with a  35:38 outing at AJC Peachtree on the fourth of July. Phillip Knowlton  Georgia and Bryan Hendricks Florida will do their best to break that group up and land on the podium. Knowlton ran 17:10 at the Gateway Center 5K in May and 38:06 at Peachtree. Hendricks was 10th in 40-44 last year in 18:24. If he can manage sub-17 this year, he should finish closer to the front of his new division.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Nathan Deeter     Chad Krofta     Jay Stephenson

Start of the Men's Race at the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales 

50-54 David Angell Virginia has had a few overall wins at Masters Championships when in his 40's, including here in Atlanta in 2019 and 2024. He is in a new division and is probably the favorite for an M50 win. As always, though, the field is deep and strong at these national championships. Angell has battled injuries the last few years but is entering in good form. Angell just missed the Virginia State M50 5K record at the Crawlin' Crab 5K in Norfolk VA with his 16:44. Angell finished ninth overall at the Masters 10 Km championships in April with 33:15. He won the M45 championship at the Masters 4 Mile in Peoria with a 22:37. Others pushing for the win include: Alan Black, Alcides De Quesada, and Timothy Hebert. 

Early Going in the 2024 Edition of the Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club. David =Angell Far Left-singlet & gloves, no hat Captured the Overall Win  Alcides De Quesada 2nd from right with long sleeves, vest&hat earned the M50 silver medal. Photo courtesy of Atlanta Track Club

Black finished second in this division last year, running 17:45. The month before he had run 16:34 at the Macon Labor Day 5K. Injury update--Black has suffered a high hamstring injury and is likely out for this race. De Quesada ran 16:24 to finish 2nd M50 in the 2024 edition of these championships. In April he ran a 34:19 10K at the Doral Half Marathon. He has also recorded two 17:14 times at 5K's in Florida, one in July and the other in September. Hebert finished 6th M45 at Carlsbad this past April with a 16:29. On the 4th of July, Hebert clocked 16:59 at the FireKracker 5K, at altitude in Ft Collins CO. That would likely have been faster at sea level. Chadwick Hales, who finished 2nd in M45 here last year in 17:41, could play a role as well. He ran 17:22 at the Decatur-DeKalb 5K this July. Christopher Hernandez, who finished 4th M45 here in 2024 with a 16:53, could also make some noise. It looks like Angell and Hebert are likely to duel for the win. Based on previous results, it could go either way. If I had to pick, I would give Angell the edge because he has won here in the past. De Quesada looks a bit slower than those two but is a good bet to keep everyone else behind him.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

David Angell     Alcides De Quesada     Timothy Hebert

55-59 For much of this year, Gregory Putnam Massachusetts and Shane Anthony Pennsylvania Shore AC have been slugging it out in this division. Anthony had the upper hand at the Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee, clocking 36:30 over 10 Km of turf to Putnam's 37:04. Since then, Putnam has had his way through some tough duels. He ran 35:20 to win M55 at the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA, edging Anthony by ten seconds. In Peoria at the 4 Mile Championships, it was closer. Putnam won M55 in 22:35, edging Anthony by a mere two seconds! That performance by the way, suggests, from Age Grading scores, that Putnam could have run something like 17:26 had that been a 5K rather than a 4 Mile. Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy their terrific battles, Anthony is not entered and is not likely to. He ran the Chicago Marathon and is still in recovery mode, aiming to gradually intensify his training for the coming Cross Country championships. With Anthony out, David Guzik Connecticut presents the strongest challenge for Putnam. Guzik finished fourth last year in 17:59. Even if that is a high side estimate for what Guzik would have run on a true 5K course, it appears that Guzik might not break18 minutes this year. He ran 18:09 at the Freedom 5K on the 4th of July in Huntsville AL, and 18:38 at the Running of the Bulls 5K in Huntsville AL August 29th. Jeffrey Conston New York, Ryan Shrum Georgia Chattanooga TC, and Brad Slavens Georgia will push Putnam and Guzik and sort out the bronze medal in any case. Conston finished 9th M55 in 2024 at 18:27 when the field was very deep. In February of this year, Conston ran 31:08 at the Gasparilla 8K, roughly equivalent to a 19:12 5K. That may not be a great gauge, however, as it was eight months ago. Many runners from the north make a quick trip down to Florida in the winter for a 'pick me up' race. It can be hard to do well if you do not acclimate to the humidity, especially at a time when training may be focused more on base than speed. 

Gregory Putnam, On His Way to M55 Victory at the 2026 USATF Masters Championships Photo Courtesy of Steamboat Classic 

Shrum finished 6th M55 here last year with an 18:48 time. Two of Shrum's efforts this summer resulted in an 18:54 and a 19:13 5k. Slavens ran 19:13 here last year to finish 8th. He ran 38:34 on September 19th at the Westside Park 10K in Atlanta. That converts via age grading to something like an 18:54 5K. With Anthony out, Putnam and Guzik seem likely to go 1-2 if everything holds together. After that it could go either way. I will lean slightly in favor of Shrum for a podium threesome pick. Update: Mark Andrews New York Genesee V=alley Harriers is a last day entrant. He becomes the favorite for the gold medal. He finished 2nd M50 in the 2022 edition of these Masters 5K Championships in Atlanta with his 16:54. He returned two years later and ran almost a half-minute faster, finishing third in 16:28. His 34:09 won the 2024 Masters 10 Km Championships. A year later, Andrews finished third M50 in 34:46. That same year, Putnam finished 2nd in M55 in 35:27. 

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

David Guzik     Gregory Putnam     Ryan Shrum     Mark Andrews

60-64 With the Greater Springfield Harriers trio of Scott Grandfield Rhode Island, Mark Hixson Connecticut, and Nat Larson Massachusetts entered, the top of the field is solid. It is not that they will, necessarily, go 1-2-3 in the division, although that is possible. At the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham in April, Larson, Hixson and Grandfield finished 1-2-3 with times from 36:24 to 37:52. It was a slightly different finishing order six weeks later at the Masters 4 Mile championships. Hixson won M60 in 23:21, with Larson second, just five seconds back. Grandfield was another 23 seconds behind Larson in 4th. That time for Hixson equates roughly to an 18-minute 5K.

Mark Hixson left front Leads M60 Rivals, John Van Danacker center midground-orange singlet # 320 and Nat Larson background Mid Race at the 2026 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships hosted byt he Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL Photo Courtesy of Steamboat Classic 

Larson and Hixson both ran the 5K at the Faxon Law Run on Labor Day. Larson came away with a 17:30; Hixson was 12 seconds back. Larson was winning everything in sight in 2023 and 2024 but had to deal with some injuries over the last year and a half. Nonetheless, he was able to win here last year in 17:56. Based on his results this year through September, it looks like he is close to being fully recovered. Grandfield has worked through a few niggling injuries of his own. He did not race at the Faxon Law but ran in an 8K and a 4-Miler, with times equating to something between an 18:15 and an 18:30 5K. David Matherne Georgia Atlanta TC  and Lester Dragstedt Georgia Atlanta TC will try to reel them in for Atlanta. Matherne is a speedster, the M60 winner this year of the Road Mile Championships at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines at the end of April, in 5:13.1. But his times at longer races, a 39:04 at Peachtree and an 18:54 at the Mustard Seed 5K in August suggest he has a gap to close. Dragstedt has been in this spot many times before. He has continued to run strong and does well when the New Englanders are not entered. He was over a minute behind Grandfield at the Maters 10 Km Championships and almost a minute back in Peoria. But Dragstedt and Matherne will be right there should anyone be at less than their best. Still, the most likely finishing order is Larson - Hixson - Grandfield, although other permutations are possible. And, on a given day, either Dragstedt or Matherne could prove me wrong. Dean Thompson Georgia Chattanooga TC will also be in the hunt. He edged Dragstedt here last year on this course by a single second. Two months later he ran 17:45 at the Silver Bell Sprint 5k.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Scott Grandfield     Mark Hixson     Nat Larson

65-69 Rick Lee New Jersey Greater Philadelphia TC enters the favorite. Second here last year in M60 at 18:16, probably equivalent to a sub-18 minute effort on the accurately measured course. Lee is known for running everywhere at every distance, from the Mile to the Ultra Marathon. He is the current M65 American Record holder in the 1 Mile (pending ratification) at 5:09.2 and still holds the M60 AR's for 50K and 50 Miles. Earlier this year, he broke the M65 World Record for the 2000M Steeplechase on the track. This April, he ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, drove home to New Jersey and flew out of Philadelphia the following morning to compete in the Masters Road Mile Championships in Des Moines. Even with the Boston Marathons till in his legs, Lee finished second! In a race where he had not run a marathon the day before, Lee finished first M65 with a 5:06 at the Fifth Avenue Mile this year! A month before he won M65 at the Asbury Park 5K in New Jersey with a 17:52. 

Rick Lee far left leads Nat Larson third from left and other 55+ and 60+ athletes around a turn in the early going at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships Hosted by USATF-NJ at the By Hook Or By Crook Race Photo by Jason Timochko 

No one else in the entry list has recent results I can find suggesting they are likely to break twenty minutes by much. The strongest contender appears to be Paul Beers Virginia who finished seventh here last year in 21:05. He ran a 19:50 5K at the Ashland Half Marathon on August 29th in Virginia. Casey Hannan Georgia Atlanta TC and Philip Ippolito Florida have recent results suggesting they can run close to twenty minutes flat as well. Lee appears to be a lock for the win unless something goes seriously wrong. After that, Beers seems a good pick for second place. Ippolito has faster recent times at races in southern California, but Hannan has the local advantage. It appears a toss-up for third place. I will go with Ippolito's faster times this year as the decider.  John Glidewell Alabama won here last year in 18:43. If he had entered, Lee would have enjoyed the competition for the win.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Paul Beers     Rick Lee     Phillip Ippolito

70-74 It will be up to Ken Youngers Georgia Atlanta TC, new to the M70 division this year, to defend the home roads against Kevin Dollard New York Shore AC and Harold Leddy New Jersey Shore AC , from the northeast, and Jack Pottle Colorado Boulder Road Runners, from the Colorado mountains! Youngers finished 4th M65 last year in 20:30 [perhaps closer to 19:30 on a true course?]. At Peoria in the 4 Mile Championships this past June, Youngers also finished 4th M65 in 27:26. His most recent outing is a 19:51 on an 'Atlanta Flat' course for the Fireman's Bravest 5K on September 12th. Pottle was first M70 in Peoria, running 26:38, almost a minute faster than Youngers' time. Pottle also collected an M70 Silver Medal at the 10 Km Championships in April, finishing a good minute and more ahead of Dollard, Linn and Leddy.  Youngers has recently had a good training block; he was off of Strava in the spring. My guess is that Youngers might be faster now than in June. The most recent race result I can find for him is the always challenging Bolder Boulder 10K, at altitude. He ran 43:07. Dollard and Leddy were a minute slower than Youngers. Pottle and Youngers should enjoy a great duel for the win. 

James Linn right Crosses the Finish Line to Finish 2nd with Kevin Dollard right behind him in third at the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales

Dollard and Leddy are likely battling for bronze. Dollard has, typically, been faster than Leddy over the last year or so but there is not a lot of distance between them. Dollard edged his teammate by just four seconds last year here in Atlanta! It could go either way. For the sake of having a podium list, I will say that Dollard has earned the spot. There appears to be a small gap back to strong runners like Douglas Chesnut Texas Boulder Road Runners and Dennis Kurtis California Ann Arbor TC. James Linn is a last day entrant. Linn finished 2nd M70 here last year in 21:13. Linn's 27:12 at the Masters 4 Mile Championships left him a half minute behind Pottle, in 2nd place for M70. Linn joins his teammates, Dollard and Leddy in the battle for the podium. A podium spot is by no means guaranteed for Linn but he could easily dislodge one of the three favorites listed.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Kevin Dollard     Jack Pottle     Ken Youngers     James Linn?

75-79 Doug Bell Colorado Boulder Road Runners and Don Morrison Pennsylvania Greater Philadelphia TC top the list of entrants. Morrison and Bell have traded wins all year. Bell started the season on a high note, finishing second at Club Cross in Tallahassee in January, with Morrison a minute back in third. Morrison came roaring back at the first road race of the year, the 1 Mile Championships in Des Moines. Morrison won M75 in 6:34, edging Bell by three seconds. A few days later in late Apri, Morrison won the M75 10 Km Championship in Bell's absence. But in early June the two met again at the Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria. This was Bell's turn; he ran 29:07 to take the M75 crown, almost a minute ahead of Morrison. At this championship last year, Morrison won M75 in 23:22 but Bell did not enter. The last time they competed in Atlanta over 5 Km was the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships. Bell's 21:06 earned him 4th place in M70; Morrison was 19 seconds behind in fifth. 

Don Morrison Heading for the Finish Line and Fifth Plac%e in M70 at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo Courtesy of Atlanta Track Club

Clearly this race could go either way. It seems likely they will enjoy another epic duel for the win! Teammates, Kirk Larson and Jerry Learned will determine the final podium spot. Hstorically, Larson has run faster than Learned. In 2024, for example, Larson ran over a minute faster than Learned. But Larson, by his own admission, is less invested in the Grand Prix than he was a few years ago. He did not compete at Tallahassee, Des Moines nor Peoria, for example. That may leave an opening for Learned. To be fair, Larson did compete at the Masters 10 Km Championships and finished a minute and a half ahead of Learned. I will go with Larson for the final spot on the podium. But Learned is a tough competitor; he could surprise!  

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Doug Bell     Kirk Larson     Don Morrison

80-84 With Gary Ostwald passing up the chance to compete in Atlanta, something would have to go seriously wrong for Gary Patton to finish with anything other than the gold medal. His strongest competition will come from Przemek Nowicki, a very strong runner. Still, Patton defeated Nowicki by six minutes at the 10 Km Championships and Patton gets stronger as the distance shrinks. 

Gary Patton Crosses the Finish Line to Claim the M80 Gold Medal at the 2026 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Hosted by the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines IA Photo Courtesy of Grand Blue Mile

Patton is in the Masters Hall of Fame for his exploits on the track as a middle-distance runner, primarily in the 800M and 1500M/1Mile. At the World Masters Athletics Championships in South Korea this August, Patton won the gold medal at 800M, a silver medal in the 6000M Cross Country event, and a bronze medal at 1500M. He finished 5th in the 5000M on the track, two minutes ahead of Nowicki, who finished 8th. Nowicki has competed at a very high level over the last two years. This year, Nowicki kicked off the road season with an M80 silver medal at the Masters 10 Km Championships in April, and won the four Mile Championship in Peoria in June with a 37:53. As noted, he also competed well in Korea. He has the clearest path to the silver medal. At the 2025 Masters 4 Mile Championships, I, your author, Paul Carlin Michigan Ann Arbor TC was able to edge Nowicki by a single second in 35:50. But I have not been close to him since. I finished almost two minutes behind him here in Atlanta last October when Nowicki finished third in M80. At the Masters 10 Km Championships in April, I again finished two minutes behind Nowicki's silver medal effort. Ed Bligh Georgia Atlanta GA will challenge for the bronze. Last year, I finished 5th M75 in 30:27; Bligh was just ten seconds back, finishing 4th in M80. In Tallahassee, I reportedly brought a big smile to his face when he passed me and stayed ahead all the way, coming in a good minute ahead of me. According to Bligh, it was the first time he had ever done so, at a Club Cross championship. Even if so, he has still never beaten me on the roads. We shall see how it turns out on Sunday. For now, I will say, based on past experien5ce on the roads, I should pick myself for the final podium spot. It is a great chance for Bligh to prove me wrong.

 

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Paul Carlin    Przemek Nowicki     Gary Patton

M85 No entrants

M90 Sid Davis has the field to himself. Getting to the start line at age 91 is definitely a victory in itself. If he also finishes, Davis gets the Gold Medal!

Podium Favorite:

Sid Davis

WOMEN 40-44 I picked Lund and Pezzullo to battle for the gold medal and Popp to challenge for the bronze. They are my 1-2-3 picks for this division. Update: See Overall for Webb update.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

April Lund     Stephanie Pezzullo     Megan Popp

45-49 Last year at these championships, Emily Noble Georgia Athens Road Runners won the bronze medal in 20:38. This year she ran 20:25 in the Atlanta Pride 5K in June and clocked 42:49 at the AJC Peachtree Run in July. She is the favorite for the win on Sunday. Shawanna White South Carolina finished 5th here last year in 21:19. White's 5K's this past year have fallen in the 20:05 to 23:57 range. 

Shawanna White Closes Off Her Run with an Emphatic Finish at the 2025 USATF  USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales 

But she has typically clocked in the upper 21 to lower 22-minute range. Brooke Novak Georgia Atlanta TC finished 6th here last year in 23:55. This year, Novak claimed W45 Bronze at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Des Moines in April with a fine 6:42.7. In April she ran 20:01 at the Teardrop 5K. Between July and September, Novak clocked 25:10 at the Decatur Dekalb 5K; 24:26 at the Mustard Seed 5K and 22:17 at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K. Giving more weight to those last three than the April race, the most likely outcome is Noble-White- Novak, in that order. Vanessa Lordi California finished 7th here last year, almost two minutes behind Novak. Lordi ran 23:14 at the Carlsbad 5000 this April but that too is a fast course. I give Novak the nod for bronze.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Emily Noble     Brooke Novak     Shawanna White

50-54 This is a tough division to be competing in. I suggested Bloomer and Hayden as co-favorites for Overall Bronze, with Tolan a possible challenger for bronze. 

Lorilynn Bloomer foreground Claims Fourth Overall and first W50 at the 2025 USATF  USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales

Bloomer and Hayden are, therefore, co-favorites for W50 Gold, with Tolan a challenger who may have to be happy with a bronze W50 medal. A strong runner, like Christie Nie New Jersey Shore AC, who finished third at the Masters 10 km Championships in April with a 42:20 could be shut out of the medals. Of course, Nie also is shooting for team medals.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Lorilynn Bloomer     Dana Hayden     Ivanka Tolan

55-59 Cassandra Henkiel Texas and Rachel Hopkins should challenge each other for the win. Henkiel finished second W50 in the 2022 Masters 10 km Championships with a 39:18, equivalent on age grading with a 19:30 5K. At Golden Gate Park in December 2022, Henkiel finished 4th W50 in the Club Cross Championships, five seconds behind Hopkins, who claimed the W50 bronze medal. Hopkins won the bronze medal here last year in 21:23. Henkiel's more recent efforts include 19:14 for the Austin Sunshine 5K in May of last year and 21:14 at the Bayou Hills 5K in Pensacola this March. Hopkins finished third in W55 last year in 21:33 [probably sub-21 on a true 5K course]. This May, Hopkins ran 43:04 at the Marigold 10K, age grade equivalent to 21:23.

Rachel Hopkins Finishing off her W55 Bronze Medal Run at the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales 

There seems no obvious evidence favoring one over the other on the roads. They are co-favorites for the W55 win. Anna Green South Carolina Greenville TC If Anne Green listed in Athlinks as running in the Greenville area is the same as this Anna Green], Lisa Horgan Shore AC [Palm Coast FL on Athlinks], and Ann Kim New Jersey Shore AC should have an exciting battle for the bronze medal. If I have Green and Kim correctly from Athlinks the following discussion applies. Green ran 22:26 at the Mountain to Main St 5K in SC in mid-May and 6:38.5 in the Honor Tower Mile on May 25th. Horgan ran 22:28 at Pink Up the Pace 5K in Florida on October 3rd. Kim ran 22:19 at the Fitzgerald Lager 5K on June 14th and 22:58 at the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K on August 8th. It looks to be a toss up on these records. Since my identification of Kim is quite certain and there are questions bout the other two, I will add Kim's name to the list of podium favorites. If Anna and Anne Green are the same person or if the Horgan who ran in Florida and is listed with a Florida address in Athlinks is the right Lisa Horgan, then they have an equal chance to be on the podium. Update: There are two last day entries, Katherine Huggins New Jersey Garden State TC and Melissa Landers-Potts Georgia Athens Road Runners. Huggins has focused on longer distances prior to this year. One of her shorter outings was her 51:09 W50 silver medal effort at the 2024 Masters 12 Km Championships. Earlier this year, she dropped down to two 5K's in part as preparation for the World Masters Athletics Championships. Huggins ran 20:56 at the Red Bank Classic in June and 20:11 at the Asbury Park 5K in early Augst. Huggins came back from WMA-Daegu, South Korea, with a ton of medals, including a gold medal in the 10K road race in 43:44 (in very warm, humid conditions). Landers-Potts finished 2nd W55 here last year in 20:55 [probably closer to 20 flat on a 'true' 5K]. She clockerd 20:58 at% the Athens Twilight 5K this past April.

It seems likely that Huggins and Landers-Potts can both run with Henkiel and Hopkins at the front of the W55 field. One of those four will likely displace Kim from the podium. The addition of these two makes for an exciting race in this division. 

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Cassandra Henkiel     Rachel Hopkins     Ann Kim     Katherine Huggins     Melissa Landers-Potts

60-64 A week ago I would have written this up as an epic Suzanne La Burt vs. Sue McDonald matchup of the top road racer against the top middle distance trackster. But I learned that La Burt will not be in top form and is running for team points. In a recent USATF Association race, La Burt aggravated an old calf injury. She still hopes ot make it to Atlanta for her team. That does not mean she will not run well but La Burt is certainly not focused on an epic battle for the individual win. McDonald holds American 60-64 Records for distances from the 400M, 1:01.73, to the 1 Mile, 5:28.02, on the track. McDonald is from Santa Barbara and an athlete named Sue McDonald ran 22:16 at the Rabbit Run 5K in Santa Barbara in April of 2025. Whether that was McDonald testing the waters for a 5K championship effort or not, this is a big step up in distance for her. It will be extremely interesting to see how she does. Knowing McDonald, I am sure she is well prepared. If La Burt has to run conservatively or does not run, who else will challenge McDonald? 

Late-breaking news: I learned Saturday afternoon that Sue McDonald is nursing a TFL strain and doesn't want to jeopardize her intended Club Cross race in December. She will not be racing.

Noriko Charnley New Jersey Shore AC has 5K times of 21:30 in June, 21:42 in August, and 21:01 on October 4. Mimi Fallon Massachusetts Liberty AC ran 20:45 at the Kickin' Kids 5K in May and 20:54 at the Great Bear 5K two weeks later. Fallon has, of course, been a top Masters runner in New England for a long time. More recently she has competed at national road championships. In 2025, she finished 4th W55 at the Masters 10 Km Championships with a 44:34. 

Mimi Fallon On Her Way to a 4th Place Finish in W60 at the 2026 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michae Scott

Roxanne Springer North Carolina Pursuit of Excellence TC finished 4th in W55 at the 2023 Masters Road Mile championships in Indianapolis with a 5:58. She ran a 20:37 5K at the Snohomish River Run in October of 2024. This past month, Springer clocked 20:43 at the Stead Tread 5K in Durham NC. Those three are clearly quite competitive with one another. Fallon and Springer have somewhat faster recent 5K times. I will put the two of them in with McDonald as podium favorites. But Charnley could easily prove me wrong. And that is not to mention Pamela Ricker and Kris Huff, who finished 2nd and 3rd here last year in 22:33 and 22:36! Of course, I would also not be surprised to find that, despite an aggravated calf, La Burt could well wind up on the division podium. It has happened many times with other top Masters athletes.

 

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Mimi Fallon     Sue McDonald     Roxanne Springer

65-69 Lesley Hinz has had a very strong year on the roads, even though her favored surface is the track. She finished second in W65 here last year, in 23:23 [probably sub-23 on the 'true' 5K course]. Hinz ran a super race in Des Moines in April, earning the overall age grading silver medal, only to find herself trailing the incomparable Nancy Simmons and just nipped by Julie Hayden, both of whom are two years younger. A podium spot in such a field was quite the accomplishment! Hinz followed that up, five days later, with a W65 Gold Medal at the Masters 10 Km Championships with a kick to the finish four second win in 46:27. With home roads knowledge, Hinz will be tough to beat! 

Lesley Hinz finishing Off Her W65 Silver Medal Run in the Rain at the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales   

But it is tough to win a national championship in the last two years of any age group. There are three others entered with strong credentials who have a good shot at the win. Mary Cass has moved up from W60. Cass finished 2nd in W60 at the Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria this past June with 29:23, equivalent roughly to a 22:46 5K. Since then she has run two sub-23-minute 5K's, a 22:07 at Gaspee Days 5K a week after Peoria; and a 22:27 at the Bulldog Dash on September 5th. The Impala athletes out of the Sann Francisco Bay area often head east for Cross Country. But this is one of the times they have sent a squad for a road championships. Eileen Brennan-Erler competed at Tallahassee in 2023 but has not competed recently in a 5K national championship. In 2017, when the championships were in Syracuse, she finished second in 20:08. This past April, Brennan-Erler clocked 22:17 at the Impala Stampede 5K. Her teammate, Diana Fitzpatrick, ran 22:59 at the Stampede. On September 19th she ran a 22:47 5K at the Alameda 10 Mile Run. Donna Grocki has been focused on the marathon this year, running 3:37:06 in Boston and finishing 2nd W65 at the Sydney Marathon in Australia, on August 29th, in 3:39:41. Earlier in the year, Grocki ran 21:55 at the Valentine's Day 5K in New Jersey. Hinz, Cass, and Brennan-Erler appear well matched. It should be quite a battle. With Fitzpatrick and Grocki pushing them, any let up will drop that athlete off the podium.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Eileen Brennan-Erler     Mary Cass     Lesley Hinz

70-74 Kitty Musante Florida Shore AC enters with, by far, the strongest credentials. She finished 3rd in 65-69 here last year in 24:43 [probably sub-24 on the true 5K course]. She cocked 23:47 at the Celebration of Running 5K on August 15th and added a 24:08 at the Battle of the Bands 5K on September 26th. Teammates, Cynthia Williams Georgia Atlanta TC and Margaret Taylor Georgia Atlanta TC might be able to keep her in sight. Williams finished 5th W65 here last year but was two minutes behind Musante. Williams finished 4th W70 at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria in June, roughly equivalent to 27:49 for a 5K. Taylor finished 2nd W70 at the Masters 10 Km Championships at the James Joyce Ramble in April. Her 55:51 is roughly equivalent, via age grades, to a 27:44 5K. Consistent with that, Taylor ran 25:50 at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K this year. A month earlier, she clocked 28:22 on an 'Atlanta Flat' course, ATC's 'Atlanta's Finest' 5K which was the championship for the pre-Covid championships in Atlanta. Susan Stirrat could have pushed these three. She finished just six seconds behind Taylor at the 10 Km Championships. But she let me know that she would not be making the trip. 

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Kitty Musante     Margaret Taylor     Cynthia Williams

Start of the Women's Race at the  2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club in Atlanta GA Photo By Pam Fales   
 

75-79 Norma Hudnall South Carolina Atlanta TC claimed W75 gold at this championship last year. She ran 28:41 [probably sub-28 on a true 5K course] to win by over four minutes. This summer, she won the W75 5000M on the track with her 27:19.71. Although Hudnall is the favorite, Joann Coffee New Jersey Shore AC may be able to run with her. At the 2023 Masters 12 Km Championships, Coffee finnished  third W70 in 1:09:24. Using Age Grading to adjust for the distance and three years since that run, I come up with a rough equivalent of a 29:39 5K for that effort moved to a 5K in 2026. But adjusting times from longer races with age grading often comes down on the high side. Earlier that year, Coffee ran 26:23 at the Keane U Founders Day 5K. Bringing that forward in time suggests something closer in the high 27 minute range. But I can find no more recent results. So I keep Hudnall as the favorite. But she may have a W75 running companion for at least part of the race.  Kathleen Allen, who finished second W75 here last year in 33:03, looks solid for the bronze medal. She can add that to the W75 gold medal she won in the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria earlier this year.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Kathleen Allen     Joann Coffee     Norma Hudnall

80-84 Andrea McCarter Atlanta Atlanta TC finished 2nd W75 here in 2024 with a 34:38. That is age grade equivalent to 36:40 in 2026. McCarter finished 2nd W75 at the Masters 4 Mile championships in Peoria this Jun with her 51:13. That equates to a 39:36 5K time. But that was a mid-70's, high humidity day. McCarter may not have pushed for her fastest time. Her likely running companion is teammate, Catherine Radle Atlanta Atlanta TC. Radle finished 2nd W80 here last year in 38:07. This May, Radle ran the Northside Hospital 4 Miler in 50:53. In August, she ran 40:49 at the Atlanta's Finest 5K. Those two teammates should be ablle to run together for much of the race and sort it out when they get close to the finish. Another teammate, Dolly Katz Atlanta Atlanta TC., ran 1:49:04 at the AJC Peachtree 10K. She is likely to finish a few minutes behind McCarter and Radle.

Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:

Dolly Katz     Andrea McCarter     Catherine Radle

85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite had to settle for second W85 here last year. This time, the incomparable Hodges-Hite will add to her large collection of gold medals. Her most recent road champiionship was in Peoria in June when she won the W85 Four Mile Championship in 1:21:53. Hodges-Hite keeps showing up, she keeps finishing, and she keeps winning!

Podium Favorite:

Joyce Hodges-Hite

That wraps up this preview. It looks like a great day for racing on Sunday with loads of intriguing matchups. 

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Sources: USATF Events website and the Masters National Grand Prix webpage, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, Facebook, World Masters Athletics, and relevant race websites. Thanks for the visit! Cheers to all! 

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