Some Individual Grand Prix races to be settled tomorrow at Club Cross

December 12 2014. This is the first year for USATF Masters Long Distance Running's Individual Grand Prix. Medals will be awarded to the top three point getters in each age division. Runners score points by placing in the top 15 positions in any of the ten races in the 2014 circuit: Half Marathon, USA XC, 8K, 10K, 1 Mile, 5K, 15K, 5K XC, .US National 12K, Club XC. Runners must score points in at least two events and the top 5 race scores are counted. 100 points for first, 95 for 2nd, 90 for 3rd and so on down to 30 points for 15th place.

The USATF website for the Individual GrandPrix is not completely up to date so I have done my own unofficical compilation. I have tried to keep it accurate but it is possible an error or two may have crept in. If so, please forgive me and let me know about the error so I can fix it.

Many of the first place finishes are determined and some of the podium finishes are even set but many of the top 3 spots will be affected by how runners finish in the last race of the circuit, tomorrow at Club Cross. Here is what I have for each age group, starting with the Women.

WOMEN

40-44. Melody Fairchild has 1st  place locked up with 485 points; Sheri Piers is in 2nd place currently with 200 points; Sonja Friend-Uhl is in 3rd with 195 points; and Perry Shoemaker in 4th with 180 points. But Friend-Uhl is the only one of these four entered tomorrow. If she runs her usual strong race, she will surely wind up in 2nd place in the final Grand Prix standings.

Melody Fairchild, intent on her finishing kick at the Tulsa Run [photo:Chris Barnes at http://barnezydc.smugmug.com/Sports/2014-Tulsa-Run/]

45-49. Terri Rejimbal is in first with 200 points; Cindy Abrami is in 2nd with 185 points. Neither is entered tomorrow. Then Colleen DeReuck who is also not entered has 100 points. Three other runners who are entered have 100 points each. These are: Emily Bryans, Leslee Hoey, and Amy Nemeth. If any of these three win the age group tomorrow, that runner ties Rejimbal for first place. As both would have two first places with no head-to-head competition they would tie for 1st place. Any of those who finish in the top 3 will move Abrami down in the standings. If none are in the top 4, then their finish determines which of them gets the third place.

Terri Rejimbal claims the silver medal in the 2014 USATF 15K Masters Championships in Tulsa, OK [photo:Defining Moments (Oklahoma City, OK): David Prentice and Michael Mayberry]

50-54. Doreen McCoubrie is in first with 385 points, followed by Marisa Sutera-Strange in 2nd with 300 points.Julie Hankin with 275 points is in 3rd, followed by Carol Bischoff with 235 points and Colleen Magnussen with 215. All five are entered tomorrow. McCoubrie and Sutera-Strange have typically been in 1st or 2nd whenever they race so if they are on their usual form, McCoubrie should claim enough points to ice the first place finish and Sutera-Strange take the silver medal.Hankin should be far enough ahead to take the bronze but if she should falter then either Bischoff or Magnussen could pass her for third.

Marisa Sutera Strange closes with grit and determination to add another national title to her treasure chest, winning the W50 division of the USA 5 km Masters Cross Country championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services]

Doreen McCoubrie with another impressive performance on the roads at the USA 5K road championships at Syracuse NY [photo: Paul Carlin]

55-60. Christine Kennedy is in first with 200 points but is not entered in Club Cross. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso has 190 points but is entered tomorrow. If she can finish in the top 15, which seems almost a certainty, it will be enough for her to claim the first place Grand Prix medal. Elizabeth Cooney also has 190 points but is not entered; hence a third place medal seems likely for her.


60-64. Kathy Martin has this one locked up with 500 points. No one can come close to catching her. And Coreen Steinbach has 2nd locked with 395 points. Sharon Moore will take third with 270 points. All 3 are entered but no one can outscore their opponent by enough to claim a higher place in the Grand Prix competition.

Kathy Martin strides to the finishing tape to take first place in her age group and to take the overall Age-grading first prize at the USA 5 km Masters Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services]

65-69. Sabra Harvey will take this competition with 300 points.  Susan Gustafson is in 2nd with 185 points. JoAnne Rowland is tied with three others holding 100 points each but she is the only runner of the four entered in tomorrow's race. As long as she finishes in the top 15 she will claim 3rd place; if she can manage to finish on the podium for the race, she will claim 2nd place in the Grand Prix.

70-74. The three leaders are all entered in the race tomorrow. Ellen Nitz has the lead with 370 points; Shirley Larsen and Janet Wallen have 335 points each. Nitz should prevail for the Grand Prix first place as she has beaten the other two in four head-to-head contests earlier this year. She would have to falter badly for Larsen or Wallen to surpass her. Larsen and Wallen have split their four meetings with each having edged the other twice. This will be the rubber match which will likely determine which of them finishes with the grand Prix second and which takes the htird place medal.

75-79. Libby James is in first with 200 points but is not entered. Madeleine Bost has 195 points and is entered tomorrow. So if she can finish the race, she will claim the Grand Prix first. Heide Moebius is also in the race and enters with 100 points. If Bost runs well but Moebius takes first in the race, she would tie James for second behind Bost.

Libby James, taking another national age group first place, at the 2014 USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse, NY [photo: Paul Carlin]

80-84. Edna Hyer wins this division with 195 points. No one else scored in the requisite minimum of two races.

MEN

40-44. Greg Mitchell wins this division with 495 points; no one can catch him. John Gardiner is currently in second with 270 points and Craig Greenslit who has 170 points could tie Gardiner if he finishes first. But Mitchell and Gardiner are also entered. If all goes according to form, it will be Mitchell in first, followed by Gardiner in second, with Greenslit passing Michael Wardian who is currently in third with 200 points. Wardian is not at Club Cross.

Greg Mitchell, sprinting for the finish line at the Tulsa Run! [photo:Chris Barnes at http://barnezydc.smugmug.com/Sports/2014-Tulsa-Run/]

45-49. Francis Burdett is currently in first with 345 points, followed by Chad Newton who brings in 190 points from the 40-44 division when he turned 45 and added 100 points at the 5km XC for a total of 290 points. Kristian Blaich is just 5 points back of Newton. Christian Cushing-Murray is at 275 but is not at Club Cross. Matthew Whitis, with 250 points, and Rob Arsenault with 235 points are entered tomorrow. Burdett would need ot have a seriously bad day to lose the lead; Newton would need to finish 11 positions ahead of Burdett to deny him the Grand Prix first place and Blaich would need ot finish 12 positions ahead. If tomorrow's race goes according to form, it will be Burdett, Newton, and Blaich, claiming 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively.

Talk about a gritty performance; Francis Burdett drives to the tape to capture the bronze medal overall at the Tulsa Run!. [photo:Chris Barnes at http://barnezydc.smugmug.com/Sports/2014-Tulsa-Run/]]

50-54. Ruben Henderson wins this division with 425 points. But after Henderson, they are quite bunched up with John Van Kerkove at 305 points and Eric Stuber at 300 points. Then there is Jeff Haertel at 285 points and Daniel Dixon, Jr. at 275 points. If Stuber runs up to his form of the last couple of months, he should beat Van Kerkove tomorrow by more than the 2 positions needed to move up into 2nd place. A bigger question is whether Dixon can best Van Kerkove to climb into third place; he needs to best Van Kerkove by 6 positions tomorrow. Dixon beat Van Kerkove in their lone head-to-head contest this year, but beating him by 6 positions is a tall order and depends on others filling in any gap that Dixon can open up.

Ruben Henderson, followed by teammates Zywicki and Dixon, with Youngers hard on their heels at the 1.7 km mark of the race at the USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services]

55-59. Ken Youngers wins this division with 485 points in hand. Mark Rybinski takes 2nd with 315 points so far. Jeffery Dundas is currently in 3rd place with 275 points but is not competing tomorrow. But Joe Sheeran who is currently at 200 points is. If Sheeran retains the fitness he displayed at the Tulsa 15K Run and the Carmel, Indiana 5 km XC, he should be a threat to win. If so or even if he comes close he will edge Dundas for the Grand Prix third place.

Ken Youngers, striding along at the .US National 12 K race in Alexandria, VA. [photo:https://www.facebook.com/mccormacktjp]

60-64. Tom McCormack takes this division with 500 points. John Tarkowski, the Iron Man from Ann Arbor, only gets to count the 420 points from the 5 best of his 7 races so far. He cannot catch McCormack but will take 2nd place. Kirk Larson despite losing some races to injury/recovery looks well positioned to move past Peter Mullin who is currently in 3rd at 295 points, but is not entered tomorrow. Larson, at 285 points, needs only to finish in the top 15 to take the Grand Prix 3rd.

Tom McCormack, all alone as he follows the golf cart into the finish line. Only a motorized vehicle can defeat him At the USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Facebook]

65-69. Lloyd Hansen takes this division also with the 500 point maximum. He closed the door on every one else by racing often and well. Paul Carlin and Jerry Learned  are tied for second at 385 points. Both are entered at Club Cross so at first glance it looks like the Grand Prix second would go to Carlin who has only 4 races so far while Learned  has 5. So Learned can add only from 0 to 40 points and, on form, more likely 25 to 30 points. But, as it turns out, Carlin's hamstring re-injury at Carmel has proven more troublesome than he anticipated and has scratched from the race. Learned has also been battling injuries but it looks like he is poised to take the Grand Prix second; he only needs to finish in the top 8. Roger Price who has also had multiple injuries working against him has a chance to move up past Carlin into 3rd. Currently with 375 points in 5 races, his lowest finish was 65 points. So Price needs to finish in the top 5 to move into 3rd place. Given that Price is battling injuries it is likely to be a close thing.

Lloyd Hansen, with one of the six USATF national championship patches he has won this year--at the USA 5 km XC Championship in Carmel, IN [photo: https://www.facebook.com/mccormacktjp]

70-74. Doug Goodhue wins this division, going away, as usual. He is the other Ann Arbor Iron Man, matching Tarkowski's 7 events up to this point. He counts the maximum 500 points, as he has won all 7 of the races entered so far this year. He is hoping for a bit tighter competition next year but only time will tell. Monte Piliawsky has second place sewn up with 440 points. If Ed Bligh, Jr., currently with 250 points, can finish in the top 15 tomorrow, he can move past Harlan Van Blaricum (275 points) and John Farah (275 points) into 3rd place in the Grand Prix.

Doug Goodhue, sprinting to the tape for another win! At the USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Facebook]

75-79. John Elliott wins this with 195 points and John Brennand takes 2nd with 190 points.No one else scored in the requisite minimum of two races.

80+: No one in either the 80-84 nor the 85-89 divisions entered more than one race. Hence there will be no Grand Prix winner in either of those divisions.