August 21, 2017. There are only a few days left
before the USATF Masters 1 Mile Road Championship in Flint Michigan. The
Championship is one of the events in the Michigan Mile, part of the Crim
Festival of Races. It determines the 2017 Masters Mile National Champions. Now
that we have the largest and deepest field yet for our 1 Mile Masters
Championship guaranteed with 133 already entered, let us take a closer look at
some of the races. It looks like the weather will cooperate with gorgeous conditions for a fast mile; the forecast calls for 69 degrees at race time with 44% humidity, clear skies and winds from the nne at 8 mph. And, by the way, if you haven’t committed yet, you can still join
133 of the speediest Masters Runners in the country through this Wednesday at midnight by signing up at:
Defending 2016 National
Masters 1 Mile Champions:
Overall
John Gardiner—Rancho
Santa Margarita CA—4:31
Tammy Nowick --
Clarkston MI—5:26
Age-Grading
Jerome Vermeulen—Simi
Valley CA—91.75%
Marisa Sutera Strange
– Pleasant Valley NY – 91.27%
Age Division
40-44: Tammy Nowik
MI—5:26 John Gardiner CA—4:31
45-49: Erin Larusso MI—5:49 Jerome
Vermeulen CA—4:39
50-54: Marisa Sutera Strange NY—5:27 Nat
Larson MA—4:50
55-59: Mary Ellen Stornant MI—6:24 Joseph Mora NY—5:06
60-64: Jill Miller-Robinett CA—6:40 Ken
Youngers GA—5:32
65-69: Donna Chan CA—7:15 Tom
Bernhard CA—5:18
70-74: Ruth Thelen MI—8:11 Gary
Patton IA—6:07
75-79: Ellen Nitz MI—9:46 Sandy
Scott FL—6:53
80-84: Jon Desenberg MI—10:17
If those winning times look
‘soft’ to you, keep in mind that the traditional Flint course is challenging
for a road mile. It is technical with 1 sweeping turn and five 90 degree turns,
plus switching from road to paved path through a grassy area and onto the road
again. And it has a serious uphill from about a half mile to 3/4ths of a mile.
There is a different course this year due to construction; the new course
appears to be faster, with one sharp right turn just before the half mile mark,
and then a 45 degree turn to the left before the ¾ mile mark, followed shortly
thereafter by a 45 degree to the right onto the finishing straightaway. The serious
uphill is no longer part of the course but the course does appear to finish
uphill.
In the previews below, I pick
out the top contenders for the podium and offer a prediction based on current
entrants. These may still change between now and the closing of registration on
Wednesday, August 23rd-- because of new entrants or updated
information about current fitness.
Overall.
No new contenders for the
overall win have entered since the first preview—so no changes in the preview. John Gardiner has entered to defend his
Overall championship, but that will be a tall order. Kevin Castille is also entered. Castille ran a 4:24 mile in
Louisiana earlier this year and a 14:30 5K. He has bettered the 15K age
division record twice this year, at the Gate River Run in March and at the
Utica Boilermaker 3 weeks ago in 46:10. If Castille runs, he will be a strong
favorite. Who else will challenge Gardiner for the podium? Two years ago, Gardiner’s
teammate, Jerome Vermeulen, and Greg Mitchell outkicked Gardiner in a
thrilling finish! Mitchell is not back from a hamstring injury yet but Vermeulen
is entered. Last year the tables were reversed as Gardiner had the best of
Vermeulen. David Angell, who has
been on the podium in every Masters Championship race this year, has thrown his
shoes in the ring. Although known for the longer races, no doubt Angell, as the
8K Champion, has some speed as well. Another Cal Coast teammate of Gardiner, Christian Cushing-Murray, is also
entered. He won the Masters race at the 2016 Carlsbad 5000 in 15:11. But he
spent the latter part of 2016 and the first part of 2017 injured. His first
race back from the injury was the 2017 Carlsbad where he ran 16:14 to finish 7th.
Even with 3 additional months of training, it is uncertain if he will be in
condition to challenge for the podium.
And, like Vermeulen, now a 50 year old, we should not count out Todd Straka, who finished 5th
overall in 2015. He is clearly prepped to run a fast mile; earlier this year he
ran a 4:26.39 mile on the track at the Music City Distance Carnival and has run
faster this summer, clocking a 4:19.2 at one of those great downhill Colorado
mile races. Will Straka finish just off the podium again? That is the way I
have picked it but he can prove me wrong. Castille, Gardiner, Angell.
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| Kevin Castille, decimating the field at the 2015 USATF Club Cross Country Championships |
Tammy Nowik has entered to
defend her Championship. But her chief challengers from last year are also
back. Marisa Sutera Strange, who
finished 2nd last year and Minnesotan, Melissa Gacek, who finished 3rd last year, will both try
to change the outcome this year. The three of them finished in 5:26, 5:27 and
5:28 last year. Gacek has displayed good fitness this year; she won the
Medtronic TC Masters Mile in early May in 5:28.8 and ran an 18:17 5K in late
May. Gacek also ran a 20K and a 25K, finishing 2nd Masters in the 5th
3rd River Bank Run in 1:39:08. Nowik also competed in that same
race, finishing 17 seconds back of Gacek. Strange has also had a fine year
although perhaps a tad off her outstanding performances of 2016. She landed on
the podium overall in both the 8K Championship at Virginia Beach in 29:56 and
in the 10K Championship at Dedham at the end of April in 37:54. That was about
a minute slower than her 2016 time. That is also her most recent race. That is
not unusual except that she typically runs the Freihofer’s Race for Women but
did not this year. Renee Tolan, who
just won the Masters title at the Liberty Mile in Pittsburgh in 5:21 would, with
that time, appear to be the solid favorite. But the traditional course at Flint
is more challenging than most, with at least six turns and one significant hill
climb. Would that add up to 6- 7 seconds difference in time? Perhaps not, but
this will be Gacek’s 2nd try; last year she felt she was not assertive
enough early in the race, and could not quite make things up in the last
quarter mile. Her victory at the Twin Cities Mile may help her confidence. And,
of course, Nowik is the 2-time defending champion, with any home course
advantage. Heather Webster could
also factor into the podium race. She ran 18:04 in the 5K Championship at
Syracuse this past year; that is only 1 second slower than Tolan’s 18:03 in
2015 in the same race. Nowik is the defending champion; she has run strong this
year so I will go with her for the win. I will give Tolan the nod for 2nd
based, in part, on her recent Pittsburgh outing, with Gacek picked for 3rd.
But either Strange or Webster could well wind up on the podium. Nowik, Tolan, Gacek.
 |
| Tammy Nowik pressing the pace as Melissa Gacek tries to stay with her at about the 1000 meter point in the 2016 USATF One Mile Masters Championship at Flint [Photo courtesy of Crim Fitness Foundation] |
Age-Grading.
Kevin Castille, Nat Larson, and Tom Bernhard typically perform well above the 90% level. Castille’s
Boilermaker effort scored a 95.2%; the 14:30 5K graded over 98%. Nat Larson is almost always a contender
for age-grade awards. Last year he scored just above Bernhard, 2nd
to Jerome Vermeulen. John Gardiner
has been scoring really well lately. Last year his age-grade was only 1
percentage point below Bernhard’s and he finished 3rd in age-grading
this year at the Half Marathon Championship. His 5K at Carlsbad in April scored
a 91.46%. Bernhard appears to be slightly off his 2016 fitness; he ran a minute
slower at the 5K at Morgan Hill this year. And while most others would kill for
89% age-grades like Bernhard got in the 10K and 8K Championships earlier this
year, that is a bit off his 2016 standard. If Todd
Straka can crack 4:30 again, he should be in the hunt as well. Vermeulen
and Cushing-Murray cannot be ignored either. Vermeulen is the defending champion
at 91.75%, but with no recent races it is hard to gauge his fitness.
Cushing-Murray’s Carlsbad effort in 2015
age-graded above 95% but his fitness is not likely to be that strong. If he were healthy, Doug Goodhue would be a contender, but this is his first race
coming back from a leg injury so he is just looking for a good race. Castille,
Larson, Straka
 |
| Nat Larson crossing the finish line at the 2017 USATF National 10K Masters Championship at Dedham MA where he took the Men's Age-Grading crown |
On the women’s side, Sabra Harvey is the odds-on favorite at
this point. When she won the Age-Grade title in Flint in 2015, Harvey was on
the beginning of the comeback trail after injury, so scored ‘only’ 90.77%. At
the 10K Championship this spring, she bettered her own 10K record and
age-graded at 103.56%. Harvey is also the current World Record holder for the
Women’s 65 division at the 1500 Meters on the track. She will be tough to beat
regardless of who else might enter. Marisa
Sutera Strange, the defending age-grading Champion, should be the closest
to Harvey; she scored 93.73% to Harvey’s 103%+. If Lynn Cooke runs as well or better than she did in Virginia Beach,
she has a good shot at the podium. Cooke’s 8K in Virginia Beach netted her a
top-5 age-grade finish at 90.54%. Others who figure into the podium contest include
Melissa Gacek, Leslie Hinz, Lorraine Jasper,
Jill Miller-Robinett, Renee Tolan, and
Heather Webster . Hinz’s 10K effort in Dedham merited an 87% age grade and,
like her teammate, Cooke, she is likely faster at the shorter distance. Tolan’s 5:21 in Pittsburgh would net
an 84.55%. Gacek’s fast 5K earlier
this year merited an 83.4% age grade and Miller-Robinett scored 82.99% here
last year, finishing two places ahead of Gacek in age-grading. If Jo Anne Rowland is fully recovered from
her spring injuries she could factor in
as well. She has not competed at Flint before but has age-graded above 90% at longer
distance championships. Harvey, Strange, Cooke.
 |
| Sabra Harvey winning the Women's 65-69 year old title at the 2016 USATF Club Cross Country Championships |
Age Divisions—Contenders for the podium.
40-44. John Gardiner, the current favorite and defending Overall
Champion is also favored here, with David
Angell pushing him all the way. There should be a gap to the remaining
contenders but it could be a fierce battle between Michigan’s Matthew Yacoub and Philip Potvin. Potvin appears to be new to Masters running but has
a 4:55.8 mile to his credit this summer. Yacoub clocked a 35:10 10K a couple of
years ago. Yacoub apparently ran a 58:31 in the Crim 10 Mile Run in 2014 but
did not compete in the Masters Championship. But there are no recent times
listed in Athlinks except for a noncompetitive 29 minute 5K last October. Gardiner,
Angell, Potvin.
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| John Gardiner winning the 2016 USATF Masters Mile National Championship at Flint Michigan |
Tammy Nowik, the defending Champion, is the favorite, but she will
have plenty of competition. Melissa Gacek, who took 3rd
overall last year, Renee Tolan and Heather Webster are all capable of
cracking 5:30. Consistency requires me to repeat my prediction for the Overall
race:Nowik,
Tolan,
Gacek.
45-49. Last year’s winner, Jerome
Vermeulen, has aged up to Men’s 50. Kevin
Castille, who is the Overall Masters favorite, is also favored for this
division; he is very likely to crack 4:30. Because he is coming back from
injury, Christian Cushing-Murray is a bit of a wild card in this,
one of his last few national championship races in the 45-49 division.
Ordinarily he could be counted on for a sub-4:40, but that might be out of his
reach. M.J. Stanley appears to be
the best of the rest. He finished 3rd last year in 4:53.
Michiganders Eric Green and Steve Menovcik, finished a dozen
seconds back last year and will try to make it closer this year. Their Patient
Endurance teammate, Brian Fahey, who
typically runs 5K’s in the low to mid 18’s, will also give chase. Castille,
Cushing-Murray, Stanley.
 |
| Cal Coast trio that finished 9th, 2nd and 3rd in the 2015 USATF Masters Mile Championship in Flint Michigan-L to R: Christian Cushing-Murray, Jerome Vermeulen, and John Gardiner |
Last year GVH’s Melissa Senall, who finished 4th
in the 40-44 division, Erin Larusso,
the defending champion who runs for Patient Endurance and the defending
champion, and her Playmates Elite rival, Amy
Nemeth, all finished between 5:48 and 5:51. Unfortunately for them, Serena Kessler has also aged up to this
division. Although she has been focusing on longer distances, with a 3:09:51
Marathon and a 1:25:54 Half Marathons, her 5:39 to finish 3rd last
year in the 40-44 group makes her the favorite. Larusso is the favorite for
Silver with her recent 5:41 in Pittsburgh and, of course, her 1st
place in the 45-49 division last year in 5:49. Nemeth ran a 6:06 mile at the
end of June so will need to raise her game to compete with Larusso for 2nd
place. Senall could well have a better time than either but her last race was
apparently a 1:42:57 half marathon in late March. The lack of recent worries
raises the concern that she may have sustained an injury either in the race or
thereafter. She ran a half marathon ten minutes faster a year earlier. Kessler,
Larusso, Nemeth.
 |
| Serena Kessler, leading Melissa Senall and a host of others as they hurtle toward the finish line at the 2016 USATF Masters Mile Championship in Flint Michigan |
50-54. The three strongest runners in this division at this point are
Todd Straka, Jerome Vermeulen and
his teammate, Rob Arsenault. Typically
a low 16’s 5K performer, Rob Arsenault
is coming off an injury this winter. He ran 19+ at Carlsbad in April. Four
months further along, he should be close to his usual speed. I am not aware of
Vermeulen’s injury status but he has apparently not run a race since last
November. Either he has been very busy or he too may have had some fitness
issues. That suggests that Straka, who is racing sharp, may be able to reverse
the outcome of two years ago when Vermeulen topped him by 5 seconds. If either
Arsenault or Vermeulen are off their game, Mike
Nier of the Genesee Valley Harriers, could factor into the podium race. He
was only 20 seconds slower than Arsenault at Club XC last December. Because of
some uncertainty surrounding the current fitness of the Cal Coast duo, I will
give the nod to Straka, ahead of Vermeulen and Arsenault. Straka, Vermeulen, Arsenault.
 |
| Todd Straka makes the final turn at the 2015 USATF Masters Mile Championships where he finished 5th overall [Photo courtesy of Crim Fitness Foundation] |
Marisa Sutera Strange is the
defending age division champion in 5:26. As discussed above, she may not be up
to a sub-5:30 this year, but she should still take the division. She defeated Lisa Veneziano by 10 seconds last
year. Veneziano is back but her times on
the track this year suggest her fitness is off compared to last year, a minute
off in the 5000 and more than that in the 10,000. Michelle Allen had strong outings early this year, with a 33:07 at
the 8K Championships in Virginia Beach and a 42:06 at the 10K Championships in
Dedham. Unfortunately some injury issues slowed her down this summer so she has
just recently gotten back to the track for a 5000. Still her extensive track
work suggests she has the potential for a special road mile. Alisa Harvey ran a 5:29 in the Loudoun Street Mile at the
end of May and has 3 recent 5K’s, all just under or just over 20 minutes flat. GVH’s
Kathleen Hayden ran a 19:29 at the
Utica Boilermaker 5K this summer; she will definitely be in the mix. Strange,
Harvey, Hayden.
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| Marisa Sutera Strange leading Tammy Nowik and Melissa Gacek midway through the 2016 USATF Masters Mile Championships in Flint Michigan |
55-59. Dave Bussard, who skipped last year’s competition, won here
in 2015 in 4:57. He looks to be in great condition with his last three 5K’s in
16:59, 17:17, and 17:08. Nat Larson,
the 50-54 winner last year, aged up to the new division this year and will lock
horns with Bussard. Larson has the edge
as he ran 4:50 last year while Bussard ran 4:57 here the year before. At Syracuse last year, Larson finished nearly
a minute ahead of Bussard. Jeff Haertl, and Fred Zalokar, the Age Division winner at the Marathon Majors, would
appear to be his main competition at this point. Haertl ran 5:05 here last year
and runs his 5K’s typically in the mid- to upper 17’s. Zalokar would definitely
be favored at a longer distance but he has shown good speed at shorter events
too; in fact, he finished 3 seconds ahead of Haertl at the 5K Championships in
Syracuse last year in 17:13. As recently as November 2015, Jeffery Dundas was carrying a 5:47 per mile pace in the 12K
Championship in Alexandria, Virginia, and running a 5:08 road mile, but he has
had numerous health issues. He just ran a 5:36 Road Mile so he is probably regaining
fitness and coming mostly for the team competition. GVH’s John Van Kerkhove, the division winner at the 8K Championship in
Virginia Beach will have his work cut out for him to make the podium here in
Flint. Larson, Bussard, Zalokar.
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| Dave Bussard drives for the finish line and the Men's 55-59 win at the 2015 USATF 15K Masters Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo courtesy of the Tulsa Run] |
Susan ‘Lynn’ Cooke, Lorraine
Jasper, and Mary Swan will go head-to-head-to-head for the win. Although Cooke was able to edge Jasper
by 9 seconds at Club XC last December, Jasper has had the upper hand since
then. Cooke ran a recent 5:42.7 Track Mile. But Jasper had the better of their
contest at the 10K Championships, and was able to defeat her a week ago in the
1500 meters on the track at the NCCWMA Championships in Toronto, 5:22 to
5:39. No doubt an achilles issue has been slowing Cooke down. Jasper’s Athena teammate, Mary Swan, will also be pushing for the
win. Swan took Cooke’s measure at the 5K Championship, by a half
minute, at Syracuse last October and at the 8K Championship this spring, by a
minute, in Virginia Beach. Until this past year, Cooke focused primarily on the
track. Endurance vs. speed, this is a classic encounter. Ordinarily I would go with speed but unless Cooke's achilles has been behaving better, Swan may well have the edge.. Jasper, Swan, Cooke.
 |
| Lorraine Jasper competing at the 2016 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee Florida. |
60-64. Ken Youngers is the defending age division champion with a
winning time of 5:32. But, in the interim, he has had surgery and, while
recovered, does not seem likely to be as fit as last year. He ran a minute and
40 seconds slower at Peachtree this year compared to his 2016 time. He is
probably coming more for the team than the individual championship. Dan Spale is the favorite. The only Masters runners in the age group who have come in ahead of Spale have been John Barbour and Brian Pilcher. Neither of those runners are entered here. Spale finished 3rd at the USATF Masters Club Cross Country race, a half minute ahead of Gary Radford who is also in the hunt for the podium. To get there he will have to beat Spale's Bouler Road Runners teammate, Kyle Hubbart, who finished between Spale and Radford at the 8K and 10K Masters Championships this year in Virginia Beach and Dedham. Can anyone else challenge Spale, Hubbart and radford for the podium? Michael Young, a new member of Ann Arbor
TC’s 60+ team, ran 5:34 last year in the 55-59 division, three seconds faster than Radford. He has run a recent
5:36 Road Mile and a 38:56 10K this summer. It looks like he should be under
5:40 and that may be enough to edge Radford for the Bronze medal.Thomas Dever will also be
in the hunt; he tends to prefer longer races, but ran an 18:28 5K this past
April and then a 1:26:56 Half Marathon in May. Last year before taking some
time off from racing to deal with some nagging issues, he ran his half
marathons in the low 1:20’s and his 5K’s in the mid to upper 17’s. If his
training has been consistent since then, he could be in contention for the podium. Reno Stirrat is another contender. Stirrat has also had some issues, but his recent races
include a 39:02 at the 10K Masters Championship and two 10K races this summer
at 38:39. This
race should be a dandy! Spale, Hubbart, Young.
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| The Boulder Road Runners holding their M60+ Team trophy at the 2017 USATF 10K Masters Championship in Dedham MA [L to R: Kyle Hubbart, Doug Bell, Dan Spale, and George Braun] |
Jill Miller-Robinett is the defending champion with a time of 6:38.
At present she appears to have the inside track to the victory. Atlanta Track
Club teammates, Mary Richards and Margaret Taylor appear to have the
records to justify a podium pick. Richards finished 13 seconds back from Miller-Robinett
at the Club Cross Country Championship in Tallahassee last December, but was
over a minute back at the 8K at Virginia Beach this March. Taylor was a minute
back from Richards at Club XC but only 23 seconds back at the 8K so her
conditioning appears to be improving. Susan Stirrat is a strong enough runner
to push them all the way but will need a top effort and a little luck to land
on the podium. Stirrat has a 6:57.6 Indoor Mile to her credit and ordinarily
runs her 5K’s in the low to mid-24’s. Miller-Robinett, on the other hand, ran
21:42 in the Masters 5K Championships at Syracuse last year. She ran a 22:17 5K
on the 4th of July this summer so her current fitness seems to be
comparable to last year. Miller-Robinett, Richards, Taylor.
 |
| Jill Miller-Robinett heading for the Women's 60-64 win at the 2016 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Bend Oregon |
65-69. Tom Bernhard is the defending
champion with a 5:18 winning time. Knee surgery over the holidays slowed
Bernhard down and then a trip to japan without much training did not help his
spring fitness. He hoped for more consistent training over the summer but the
5K he ran on the 4th of July was 18:26, still about a minute slower
than he ran in the same race a year earlier. That suggests a time under 5:30
this year might be difficult for Bernhard and it may be that 5:40 is a better
prediction. His strongest competition should come from Peter Mullin. Bernhard has enjoyed solid wins over Mullin this
year, though, at the 8K in Virginia Beach, the 10K in Dedham and, most
importantly at the 1500 meters on the track last week at the NCCWMA meet in
Toronto. Bernhard took the 65-69 division gold medal in 4:59, with Mullin
adding the silver medal for Team USA in 5:26.7. Doug Bell had the advantage over Mullin up through spring of last
year but since then Mullin has had the edge in events from the 5K to the 10K. Kirk Larson ran 5:47 last year; his two
5K races this summer have both been 19 minutes plus. If it were not for the big
3, Larson would be a lock for the podium. Bernhard, Mullin, Bell.
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| Tom Bernhard on his way to the Men's 65-69 win at the 2017 USATF 8K Masters Championship at Virginia Beach |
As noted in the Age-Grading
section, Sabra Harvey is entered,
and is a very strong favorite. She wins almost every age division race she
enters and has even beaten the legendary Kathy
Martin over shorter distances. She is the current World Record holder for
both the 800 meters and the 1500 meters on the track. The mile is right up her
alley and it seems unlikely anyone can get close to her. She ran 5:38 to take
the 2016 1500 meter race at the Outdoor TF Championships. That time is roughly
equivalent to a 6:09 Mile. Her winning time here in 2015 was ‘only’ 6:25 but
she was on the comeback trail from an
ankle injury. Last fall she won gold medals at the World Masters Athletics
Championships in Australia in the 800 and 1500 Meters. Barbara Broad and Jo Anne
Rowland are the favorites after Harvey. Broad would probably be favored
right now because this is Rowland’s first race back from an injury. Both prefer
longer races; Rowland’s fastest half marathon last year is about a minute
faster than Broad’s half marathon this year. Rowland’s Impala Racing teammate, Donna Chan, may also factor into the
podium although, like Rowland, she is coming back from injury. Harvey,
Broad, Rowland.
70-74. Gary Patton came
over from the Track and Field side of the sport last year and took the gold on
his way to the Men’s 70-74 Grand Prix title. He is not entered this year. The 2nd
place finisher in 2016, Przemek Nowicki,
has been struggling with a recalcitrant hamstring; apparently he ran a 23:15
5000 meter run on a track in Aarhus, Denmark in early August so his recovery is
well under way. Ed Smith, who
finished third last year, has aged up to Men’s 75. Doug Goodhue, winner in 2015, who would otherwise be one of the
favorites, has also moved up to Men’s 75. Of those entered so far, Jan Frisby and Paul Carlin,yours truly, appear to be the favorites. In 2015
Frisby ran 6:06 in finishing 2nd to Goodhue. But he has not been quite at that level of fitness since an
Achilles injury sustained at the 5K Championships later that year. Heading into
Flint both last year and the year before,
I was under the care of a Physical Therapist for injuries. I had orders to keep pain in the 1-2 region on a 10
point scale; that resulted in my jogging the course the last two years, running
a little over 7:00 in 2015 and a little over 8:00 in 2016. This
year I have been able to consistently average under 7:15 per mile for races of
8K to 10K length. That suggests something in the vicinity of 6:15 or better should be
possible. I have been able to finish ahead of Frisby in the 8K and 10K Masters
Championships earlier this year, running 35:14 in the 8K and 44:57 in the 10K.
But all it would take is a few good weeks of training and Frisby would be right
there. I heard, just before going to press, that Frisby describes his current capabilities as 'slow.' , Harold Nolan of the Shore
AC, could spoil those predictions. He ran a Mile and a 1600 Meter race on the
indoor track in 6:04 this past winter, as well as a 5:50 in the fast Fifth
Avenue Mile in September 2016. He ran a 37:54 5 miler in May, a similar time to
his clocking in the same race in 2016, but I can find no recent times. If Nolan is healthy and fit and
can get fairly close to 6:00 in Flint, he could well claim the win. Carlin, Nolan, Frisby.
Dianne Anderson is in a class by herself. Last year there was a spirited competition between Anderson and Ruth Thelen with Anderson taking Silver 15 seconds back from Thelen. Anderson is looking to improve on her time but unless Thelen or someone else enters in this age group, it is Anderson's in a waltz. Anderson.
75-79. If he were in his usual condition, this would be Doug Goodhue’s race for the taking. His main competition would come from Ed Smith. Goodhue took the Men’s 70 crown in 2015 with a 5:55; he was out with an injury last year and is just coming off of rehab. That kind of time will be out of his reach this year. He ran a 10K in July in 49:40 and is coming primarily for the team competition. Still I do not lightly rule out anyone who can win Age Division Runner of the Year 9 years in a row; his fitness could improve rapidly with some good weeks of training! Smith ran 6:56 last year to take 3rd place in the men’s 70-74 division. No one else entered at present should be able to break 7 minutes although Charlie Patterson may not be far off and could figure into the race for gold. He ran a 3:21.5 800 meters on the track this summer. Smith, Patterson, Goodhue.
 |
| Yours truly, Paul Carlin, [navy top] about to cross the finish line in the USATF Masters 8K Championship in 2014 at the Brea Classic, claiming the Men's 65-69 Silver Medal in 32:11 [Photo courtesy of Running Professor archives] |
75-79. If he were in his usual condition, this would be Doug Goodhue’s race for the taking. His main competition would come from Ed Smith. Goodhue took the Men’s 70 crown in 2015 with a 5:55; he was out with an injury last year and is just coming off of rehab. That kind of time will be out of his reach this year. He ran a 10K in July in 49:40 and is coming primarily for the team competition. Still I do not lightly rule out anyone who can win Age Division Runner of the Year 9 years in a row; his fitness could improve rapidly with some good weeks of training! Smith ran 6:56 last year to take 3rd place in the men’s 70-74 division. No one else entered at present should be able to break 7 minutes although Charlie Patterson may not be far off and could figure into the race for gold. He ran a 3:21.5 800 meters on the track this summer. Smith, Patterson, Goodhue.
80-84. Jon Desenberg is
the defending champion in 10:17, but has not yet entered. Jim Askew has the field to himself. Askew ran a 3:27.9 800 meters
in the Senior Games this summer so a sub-8 minute mile would seem to be well
within range. He ran 45:11 in the Masters 8K Championship so has endurance to
go with that speed. Askew
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