November 4 2017.The USATF 15K Masters Championships at the Tulsa Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run went off Saturday morning, October 28th, with unseasonably cold 35 degree temperatures and double digit wind gusts. Those weather conditions, coupled with the hilly, challenging course that has been in place here since 2014, made the race a true endurance test. But apart from some added gloves, hats and hoods, the athletes lined up and were ready to roll.
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| With ears and fingers covered, mostly, the USATF Masters 15K Championship is under way! [Photo Credit: Tulsa World] |
The
Masters Championship race starts 10 minutes before the main race so it is
fun for many of the Masters athletes to see how far out on the course they can get before the elite runners
in the main field can catch up and zip past.
Overall Championship No
conditions were going to slow down Kevin
Castille and no Elite athletes would catch him. Had he run with the Elites, he would have finished no worse than 6th. He has been on fire ever since last fall when he finally got his injuries behind him. Saturday was no exception. Castille
raced to another runaway victory, hitting the 5K, which has the longest, steep
hill on the course, in 15:16, and had already carved out a 1 minute gap over
the field. The gap just grew from there with Castille winning in 46:36,
only 26 seconds slower than he ran earlier this year at the Utica Boilermaker in establishing a new Men’s 45-49 American record.
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| Kevin Castille takes the Overall Win at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit:USATF] |
only 26 seconds slower than he ran earlier this year at the Utica Boilermaker in establishing a new Men’s 45-49 American record.
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| Kevin Castille finishing the race without another runner in sight [Photo Credit-Tulsa World] |
What about the rest of the field? John Gardiner, defending champion, and David Angell, have become frequent rivals
over the last year; Angell took two Masters Championships earlier this year at
8K and 10K but has not yet been able to beat Gardiner. Gardiner maintained his
edge by defeating Angell at the Half Marathon in May and was determined to
continue his dominance. They were even at
the 5K mark, tied for 2nd in 16:20. From there Gardiner was able to
pull steadily away; his lead was 11 seconds at the 10K mark and by the finish,
which he hit in 50:03, he had 22 seconds over Angell who took 3rd by
over a minute on Randy Wasinger, with Jason Ryf 13 seconds back in 5th. Angell also had the satisfaction of lowering his Tulsa PR by 33 seconds.
Kevin Castille 46:36 John Gardiner 50:03 David Angell 50:25
The Women’s race was much closer than the Men's, only reaching final definition
in the last 5 kilometers. Last year Melissa Gacek took the win with Fiona Bayly in
second. Bayly came determined to reverse that result. Bayly’s confidence was
founded on her Masters victories at the Air BnB Brooklyn Half Marathon and the
New Balance Bronx 10 Miler. Of course Gacek also had a great 2017, claiming a
Half Marathon title at Grandma’s and the Medtronic Twin Cities Ten Miler. They
went out together, hitting the 5K mark stride for stride in 19:31.
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| Fiona Bayly [#109] charges up the last few yards of the first long hill on the 15K Course [Photo Credit-Tulsa World] |
Michelle
Paxton, a newcomer to the Masters ranks, went out more conservatively laying 8
seconds off the pace. Over the 2nd 5K it looked like this would be
Bayly’s day as she eased away from Gacek to enjoy a 16 second lead by the 10K.
At the conclusion, Bayly had her redemption winning the race in 58:46, nearly a
minute faster than she ran last year, and 57 seconds ahead of Gacek in 2nd.
Paxton took 3rd another 16 seconds back, just under the coveted one hour mark and with a minute gap on 4th place finisher, Tania Fischer. Twenty seconds later, Fischer's teammate, Kathleen Cushing-Murray came across the line in 5th.
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| Melissa Gacek hammers across the finish line claiming the Silver Medal in the Overall Championship at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
Paxton took 3rd another 16 seconds back, just under the coveted one hour mark and with a minute gap on 4th place finisher, Tania Fischer. Twenty seconds later, Fischer's teammate, Kathleen Cushing-Murray came across the line in 5th.
Fiona Bayly 58:46 Melissa Gacek 59:43 Michelle Paxton 59:59
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| The two Silver Medalists Overall, John Gardiner and Melissa Gacek in post-race relief mode [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
Age-Grading provides a metric to compare the top relative performances across
all age groups as a percentage of the predicted world’s best for that person’s
age, and prize money went ten deep for both Women and Men. The Women’s podium
had 2014 Masters LDR Runner of the Year, Sabra Harvey, 68, on top for the 4th time this year, with a 98.69%
for her 1:07:24 performance.
Edie Stevenson, also 68, her friendly rival, ran 1:08:26 for a 97.20%, her 4th podium finish this year,
with Jeannie Rice, 69, taking third at 96.29% on a 1:10:09, and gaining her 2nd consecutive age-grading podium finish. Red Lizard teammates, Suzanne Ray, 65, 92.22% and Jeanette Groesz, 68, 89.75%, were 4th and 5th giving this 'loaded' division the first 5 spots!
The remaining five prize winners were: Bayly, 50, 88.86%; Andriette Wickstrom, 62, 88.34%; Terri Cassel, 56, 88.07% ; Doreen McCoubrie, 55 87.87%; and Kathleen Cushing-Murray, 52, 87.08%.
Kevin Castille, 45, topped the Men’s contest with a score of 94.30%, his 3rd consecutive age grade gold medal to go with the ones from the 1 Mile and the 5K. Nat Larson, 55, ran 52:20 for a 91.48%, his 5th age grade podium this year and his 3rd straight silver medal behind Castille's gold.
Roger Sayre, 59, followed in 3rd, with a 55:29 and an 89.49% for his first age-grade podium of 2017. The rest of the prize winners included, in order, Iain Mickle, 56 89.49%; Gardiner, 45, 88.39%; Kent Lemme, 50, 87.40%; Tom Bernhard, 65, 87.35%; Christian Cushing-Murray, 50 86.73%; William Moore, 55, 85.95%; and Jason Ryf, 46, 85.56%.
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| Sabra Harvey finishes first in her Age Group and claims the Gold Medal in Age-Grading, symbolic of the best performance across all age groups at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
Edie Stevenson, also 68, her friendly rival, ran 1:08:26 for a 97.20%, her 4th podium finish this year,
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| Edie Stevenson heads for the finish line and another Age-Grading podium finish at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
with Jeannie Rice, 69, taking third at 96.29% on a 1:10:09, and gaining her 2nd consecutive age-grading podium finish. Red Lizard teammates, Suzanne Ray, 65, 92.22% and Jeanette Groesz, 68, 89.75%, were 4th and 5th giving this 'loaded' division the first 5 spots!
The remaining five prize winners were: Bayly, 50, 88.86%; Andriette Wickstrom, 62, 88.34%; Terri Cassel, 56, 88.07% ; Doreen McCoubrie, 55 87.87%; and Kathleen Cushing-Murray, 52, 87.08%.
Kevin Castille, 45, topped the Men’s contest with a score of 94.30%, his 3rd consecutive age grade gold medal to go with the ones from the 1 Mile and the 5K. Nat Larson, 55, ran 52:20 for a 91.48%, his 5th age grade podium this year and his 3rd straight silver medal behind Castille's gold.
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| Nat Larson driving for the finish line, a victory in the Men's 55 division and a Silver Medal in Age-Grading at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
Roger Sayre, 59, followed in 3rd, with a 55:29 and an 89.49% for his first age-grade podium of 2017. The rest of the prize winners included, in order, Iain Mickle, 56 89.49%; Gardiner, 45, 88.39%; Kent Lemme, 50, 87.40%; Tom Bernhard, 65, 87.35%; Christian Cushing-Murray, 50 86.73%; William Moore, 55, 85.95%; and Jason Ryf, 46, 85.56%.
Age Divisions. The 2017 15K National Championships were contested in each 5-year
age division..
MEN
40-44. David Angell had no problem in the 40-44 division, racing to a half minute lead at the first 5K and eventually winning by over a minute, clocking 50:25
to Randy Wasinger’s 51:27 2nd place time, with Brantley Lutz completing the podium 28 seconds later. Ryan Regnier missed the podium by 15 seconds.
David Angell 50:25 Randy Wasinger 51:27 Brantley Lutz 51:55
45-49. Kevin Castille and John Gardiner went 1-2 in this division as they did overall,
with Jason Ryf coming down from Oshkosh Wisconsin to take 3rd by 57 seconds over Oklahoma City's Jason Butler in 51:47.
And there was a celebrity in the field, the self-proclaimed 'Marathon Junkie', Chuck Engle,who likes to run marathons and apparently has run the 2nd most sub-3-hour marathons ever. The 15K event might not be his best; he finished 10th.[That is just good-natured ribbing. Anyone who knows Chuck, knows he has a great sense of humor! And I understand from Heath Aucoin that there is a story behind that 10th place finish. Chuck loves to tell stories; he is a great raconteur!]
Kevin Castille 46:36 John Gardiner 50:03 Jason Ryf 51:47
50-54. A podium regular in the 45-49 division, Christian Cushing-Murray recently aged up to the 50-54 division. Coming back from an injury that kept him out of racing for the first half of the year, it was hard to know what to expect. Kent Lemme, the strong racer out of Massachusetts who has been on the divisional podium in the 5K, 8K, and 10K Championships earlier this year, came in search of his first win as a 50 year old. Cushing-Murray took off and found himself in a pack with two of his former 45-49 rivals and went with it, hitting the 5k mark in 17:04, with Lemme crossing the mat in a slightly more sensible 17:19. Lemme cut the lead to 11 seconds by the 10K mark and the handwriting was there for all to see; Cushing-Murray’s base would not let him hold the pace he wanted. Lemme cruised to his first 50-54 Division Championship in 52:26,
24 seconds ahead of Cushing-Murray, who claimed 2nd with nearly a 2 minute edge on his Cal Coast teammate, Rob Arsenault. Arsenault had a similar bulge on their teammate, Matthew Underwood who claimed 4th.
Kent Lemme 52:26 Christian Cushing-Murray 52:50 Rob Arsenault 54:39
55-59. Nat Larson ran away with the 55-59 division in 52:20, enjoying his 2 minute victory margin. The race for 2nd was closer but Iain Mickle had an 11 second gap by the 5k over Roger Sayre which he grew steadily until he crossed the finish line in 54:39, with a 50 second bulge on Sayre. William Moore was 13 seconds further back in 4th.
Nat Larson 52:20 Iain Mickle 54:39 Roger Sayre 55:29
60-64. Michael Young let Brian Nelson get out to a 9 second lead in the first 5K of the 60-64 division contest before reeling him in. Young passed Nelson in the 2nd 5K and continued to build his lead, finishing in 59:40 with a 1:26 edge over Nelson.
John Holcombe was in 3rd for most of the race, enjoying a half minute lead at 5K and 24 seconds at the 10K. But two speedsters had him in their sights and both kicked by in the final 400 meter straightaway. Kyle Hubbart had just a little more pep in his legs than John Blaser, taking 3rd in 1:01:07, coming within a second of catching Nelson. Blaser was 5 seconds back in 4th with Holcombe 3 seconds further in 5th. What a finish!
Michael Young 59:40 Brian Nelson 1:01:06 Kyle Hubbart 1:01:07
65-69. There was no such drama in the 65-69 group; Tom Bernhard, as he has done all season, built his lead right from the start, finishing with over a two and a half minute cushion in 1:00:47.
It was much closer between Cross Country Ace, Chuck Smead, and Peter Mullin for 2nd, with Smead enjoying 6 seconds at the 5k , growing that gap to 11 seconds by the 10K only to see Mullin come back and whittle it to 7 seconds at the finish line. Perry Forrester came across in 4th followed by Lloyd Hansen, working his way back into condition after an injury knocked him out of 2016 events.
Tom Bernhard 1:00:47 Chuck Smead 1:03:23 Peter Mullin 1:03:30
70-74. In the 70-74 group Dave Glass followed the Bernhard approach, enjoying a solid lead right from the start. Bill Dunn, Robert Hendrick, and I found ourselves in a chase pack going up the long hill at the one kilometer mark. The funny thing is that Glass had gone out so fast we did not know if we were a lead pack or a chase pack. We learned later. Glass started strong and kept it up, piling it on to a 1:06:16 first place finish,
nearly three minutes ahead of Dunn who finished 2nd. Dunn, Hendrick, and I were within 3 seconds of each other at the 5K. But Dunn was able to hold his pace better than we did. He had 11 seconds on Hendrick by the 10K with me another half minute back and Gene French 43 seconds back. Dunn cruised to 2nd in 1:09:06, with nearly a minute margin over Hendrick in 3rd and me a half minute away from a podium finish.
French was less than a minute back in 5th.
Dave Glass 1:06:16 Bill Dunn 1:09:06 Robert Hendrick 1:10:02
75-79. John Ouweleen, the great Marathoner and recent age division winner at the Berlin Marathon, known as ‘Johnny O.’ since his days in the Navy, came and took the title in the 75-79 division. He won in 1:13:28, with nearly ten minutes to spare.
Charlie Patterson did not let that bother him as he kept his usual steady pace to claim the silver medal in 1:23:13. Andrew Sherwood was another 8 minutes back in 3rd place.
MEN
40-44. David Angell had no problem in the 40-44 division, racing to a half minute lead at the first 5K and eventually winning by over a minute, clocking 50:25
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| David Angell strides to the finish, capturing his 2nd consecutive Bronze Medal in the Overall Championship at the USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
to Randy Wasinger’s 51:27 2nd place time, with Brantley Lutz completing the podium 28 seconds later. Ryan Regnier missed the podium by 15 seconds.
David Angell 50:25 Randy Wasinger 51:27 Brantley Lutz 51:55
45-49. Kevin Castille and John Gardiner went 1-2 in this division as they did overall,
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| John Gardiner heading for the tape as he claims the Silver Medal Overall and in his Age Division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
with Jason Ryf coming down from Oshkosh Wisconsin to take 3rd by 57 seconds over Oklahoma City's Jason Butler in 51:47.
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| David Angell, John Gardiner, and Jason Ryf [L to R] 3rd, 2nd and 5th place overall after the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
And there was a celebrity in the field, the self-proclaimed 'Marathon Junkie', Chuck Engle,who likes to run marathons and apparently has run the 2nd most sub-3-hour marathons ever. The 15K event might not be his best; he finished 10th.[That is just good-natured ribbing. Anyone who knows Chuck, knows he has a great sense of humor! And I understand from Heath Aucoin that there is a story behind that 10th place finish. Chuck loves to tell stories; he is a great raconteur!]
Kevin Castille 46:36 John Gardiner 50:03 Jason Ryf 51:47
50-54. A podium regular in the 45-49 division, Christian Cushing-Murray recently aged up to the 50-54 division. Coming back from an injury that kept him out of racing for the first half of the year, it was hard to know what to expect. Kent Lemme, the strong racer out of Massachusetts who has been on the divisional podium in the 5K, 8K, and 10K Championships earlier this year, came in search of his first win as a 50 year old. Cushing-Murray took off and found himself in a pack with two of his former 45-49 rivals and went with it, hitting the 5k mark in 17:04, with Lemme crossing the mat in a slightly more sensible 17:19. Lemme cut the lead to 11 seconds by the 10K mark and the handwriting was there for all to see; Cushing-Murray’s base would not let him hold the pace he wanted. Lemme cruised to his first 50-54 Division Championship in 52:26,
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| Kent Lemme storming down the home stretch to take the Men's 50-54 Gold Medal at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
24 seconds ahead of Cushing-Murray, who claimed 2nd with nearly a 2 minute edge on his Cal Coast teammate, Rob Arsenault. Arsenault had a similar bulge on their teammate, Matthew Underwood who claimed 4th.
Kent Lemme 52:26 Christian Cushing-Murray 52:50 Rob Arsenault 54:39
55-59. Nat Larson ran away with the 55-59 division in 52:20, enjoying his 2 minute victory margin. The race for 2nd was closer but Iain Mickle had an 11 second gap by the 5k over Roger Sayre which he grew steadily until he crossed the finish line in 54:39, with a 50 second bulge on Sayre. William Moore was 13 seconds further back in 4th.
Nat Larson 52:20 Iain Mickle 54:39 Roger Sayre 55:29
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| Iain Mickle, Nat Larson, and Kent Lemme celebrate their 4th, 2nd and 6th place Age-Grading finishes at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
60-64. Michael Young let Brian Nelson get out to a 9 second lead in the first 5K of the 60-64 division contest before reeling him in. Young passed Nelson in the 2nd 5K and continued to build his lead, finishing in 59:40 with a 1:26 edge over Nelson.
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| Michael Young heads for the finish line and his Men's 60-64 Gold Medal at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
John Holcombe was in 3rd for most of the race, enjoying a half minute lead at 5K and 24 seconds at the 10K. But two speedsters had him in their sights and both kicked by in the final 400 meter straightaway. Kyle Hubbart had just a little more pep in his legs than John Blaser, taking 3rd in 1:01:07, coming within a second of catching Nelson. Blaser was 5 seconds back in 4th with Holcombe 3 seconds further in 5th. What a finish!
Michael Young 59:40 Brian Nelson 1:01:06 Kyle Hubbart 1:01:07
65-69. There was no such drama in the 65-69 group; Tom Bernhard, as he has done all season, built his lead right from the start, finishing with over a two and a half minute cushion in 1:00:47.
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| Tom Bernhard (L), with Brian Kelley (R), kicks for the finish line and another Men's 65-69 Gold Medal and an Age-Grading Prize at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
It was much closer between Cross Country Ace, Chuck Smead, and Peter Mullin for 2nd, with Smead enjoying 6 seconds at the 5k , growing that gap to 11 seconds by the 10K only to see Mullin come back and whittle it to 7 seconds at the finish line. Perry Forrester came across in 4th followed by Lloyd Hansen, working his way back into condition after an injury knocked him out of 2016 events.
Tom Bernhard 1:00:47 Chuck Smead 1:03:23 Peter Mullin 1:03:30
70-74. In the 70-74 group Dave Glass followed the Bernhard approach, enjoying a solid lead right from the start. Bill Dunn, Robert Hendrick, and I found ourselves in a chase pack going up the long hill at the one kilometer mark. The funny thing is that Glass had gone out so fast we did not know if we were a lead pack or a chase pack. We learned later. Glass started strong and kept it up, piling it on to a 1:06:16 first place finish,
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| Dave Glass captures the Gold Medal in the Men's 70-74 division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
nearly three minutes ahead of Dunn who finished 2nd. Dunn, Hendrick, and I were within 3 seconds of each other at the 5K. But Dunn was able to hold his pace better than we did. He had 11 seconds on Hendrick by the 10K with me another half minute back and Gene French 43 seconds back. Dunn cruised to 2nd in 1:09:06, with nearly a minute margin over Hendrick in 3rd and me a half minute away from a podium finish.
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| Robert Hendrick (L), Bill Dunn (C) Paul Carlin (me) (R) [with Gene French mostly obscured by Hendrick--The 3 or 4 Amigos--celebrating a highly competitive Men's 70-74 competition at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
French was less than a minute back in 5th.
Dave Glass 1:06:16 Bill Dunn 1:09:06 Robert Hendrick 1:10:02
75-79. John Ouweleen, the great Marathoner and recent age division winner at the Berlin Marathon, known as ‘Johnny O.’ since his days in the Navy, came and took the title in the 75-79 division. He won in 1:13:28, with nearly ten minutes to spare.
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| John 'Johnny O.' Ouweleen approaches the finish line, victorious inthe Men's 75-79 Division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
Charlie Patterson did not let that bother him as he kept his usual steady pace to claim the silver medal in 1:23:13. Andrew Sherwood was another 8 minutes back in 3rd place.
John Ouweleen 1:13:28 Charlie Patterson 1:23:13 Andrew Sherwood 1:31:49
WOMEN
40-44. Two of the three overall contenders were from the 40-44 division so suffice to say that although Michelle Paxton was able to stay within sight of Melissa Gacek, she was never able to close down the gap that emerged, with Gacek winning by 16 seconds.
Paxton had a comfortable lead on her teammate from Lincoln Nebraska’s LRC Racing, Michelle Schmidt, who took 3rd in 1:02: 24. Amy McCracken was only 5 seconds behind her teammate, Schmidt, at the 5K but fell back after that and wound up in 4th, over a minute back from Schmidt.
Melissa Gacek 59:43 Michelle Paxton 59:59 Michelle Schmidt 1:02:24
45-49. Heather Meehan, a local runner from Tulsa, much to her surprise found no one blocking her way to a national championship in the division
and took advantage of it with a 1:11:38 finish.
Heather Meehan 1:11:38
50-54. This division featured the overall winner, Fiona Bayly,
and the strong Jane’s Elite Racing duo of Tania Fischer and Kathleen Cushing-Murray. Sensibly staying away from the hunt for the overall win, they nonetheless were not that far off. Fischer, in particular, had another strong outing; it was a surprise to many when she ran so well in the Half Marathon Championships, a seeming step up in distance, but it is clear that Fischer can handle these longer road races very well. She hit the 5K in 19:46 with a 16 second lead on her teammate. Fischer claimed 2nd in the division with a 1:01:02,
24 seconds ahead of Cushing-Murray. Their teammate, Mary Lynch, just cracked 1:06, and made it 2-3-4 for the Janes.
Fiona Bayly 58:46 Tania Fischer 1:01:02 Kathleen Cushing-Murray 1:01:26
55-59. The 55-59 group was dominated by the 3 Athena teammates, Terri Cassel, Doreen McCoubrie, and Mary Swan. McCoubrie led the way in 1:03:12,
as the group spread out during the race but never fell apart. Cassell was only 40 seconds back at the finish, and Swan finished in 3rd in 1:07:35. Oklahoma City's Mary Mikkelson finished a few minutes back in 4th.
Doreen McCoubrie 1:03:12 Terri Cassel 1:03:52 Mary Swan 1:07:35
60-64. For a while this looked like a battle royal between defending Champion, Andriette Wickstrom from Iowa, and her Nebraska rival, Ann Ringlein. Wickstrom crossed the 5K mat in 22:27 with Ringlein only 3 seconds back. But Wickstrom was able to create some space in the second 5K and went on to win in 1:09:00,
with nearly 2 minutes on Ringlein. Joanna Harper was safely in 3rd all the way, not close to the top two but well ahead of the rest of the field, taking 3rd in 1:16:01. Janet Hansen finished 4th.
Andriette Wickstrom 1:09:00 Ann Ringlein 1:10:54 Joanna Harper 1:16:01
65-69. This was the most competitive field, as the Age-Grading reported above bears out. The top 5 all came from this division. The competition was fierce, due no doubt to it being the finest field assembled in some time. Ordinarily Sabra Harvey’s first 5K of 22:23 would have left her rivals minutes behind, but not this time. Edie Stevenson crossed 4 seconds later and two more, Suzanne Ray and Jeannie Rice, crossed the 5K mat in the next 9 to 12 seconds! Stevenson actually closed the gap to a single second by the 10K as the other two fell back somewhat, although Ray was still within striking distance if she had a great last 5K; Rice, no slouch, was still under 46 minutes at the 10K! In the end Stevenson perhaps paid a little bit of a price for hanging with Harvey so long. But she finished strong nonetheless as Harvey pulled away to win in a terrific 1:07:24 on such a course. Stevenson took 2nd in 1:08:26, with Ray in 3rd 33 seconds later. Rice took 4th in 1:10:09.
The 4th and 5th finishers, Jeanette Groesz and Coreen Steinbach both cracked 1:15. That was some field!
Sabra Harvey 1:07:24 Edie Stevenson 1:08:26 Suzanne Ray 1:08:59
40-44. Two of the three overall contenders were from the 40-44 division so suffice to say that although Michelle Paxton was able to stay within sight of Melissa Gacek, she was never able to close down the gap that emerged, with Gacek winning by 16 seconds.
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| Michelle Paxtonclaims 3rd overall and 2nd in her Women's 40-44 Age Division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
Paxton had a comfortable lead on her teammate from Lincoln Nebraska’s LRC Racing, Michelle Schmidt, who took 3rd in 1:02: 24. Amy McCracken was only 5 seconds behind her teammate, Schmidt, at the 5K but fell back after that and wound up in 4th, over a minute back from Schmidt.
Melissa Gacek 59:43 Michelle Paxton 59:59 Michelle Schmidt 1:02:24
45-49. Heather Meehan, a local runner from Tulsa, much to her surprise found no one blocking her way to a national championship in the division
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| Heather Meehan wins the National 15K Championship for Women 45-49 at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
and took advantage of it with a 1:11:38 finish.
Heather Meehan 1:11:38
50-54. This division featured the overall winner, Fiona Bayly,
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| Fiona Bayly driving for the finish line and the Overall Win at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit:fleetfeettulsa/smugmug.com] |
and the strong Jane’s Elite Racing duo of Tania Fischer and Kathleen Cushing-Murray. Sensibly staying away from the hunt for the overall win, they nonetheless were not that far off. Fischer, in particular, had another strong outing; it was a surprise to many when she ran so well in the Half Marathon Championships, a seeming step up in distance, but it is clear that Fischer can handle these longer road races very well. She hit the 5K in 19:46 with a 16 second lead on her teammate. Fischer claimed 2nd in the division with a 1:01:02,
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| Tania Fischer heads for the finish line, finishing 4th overall and 2nd in Women's 50-54 and a top 5 age-grading finish 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
24 seconds ahead of Cushing-Murray. Their teammate, Mary Lynch, just cracked 1:06, and made it 2-3-4 for the Janes.
Fiona Bayly 58:46 Tania Fischer 1:01:02 Kathleen Cushing-Murray 1:01:26
55-59. The 55-59 group was dominated by the 3 Athena teammates, Terri Cassel, Doreen McCoubrie, and Mary Swan. McCoubrie led the way in 1:03:12,
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| Doreen McCoubrie takes the Women's 55-59 title at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
as the group spread out during the race but never fell apart. Cassell was only 40 seconds back at the finish, and Swan finished in 3rd in 1:07:35. Oklahoma City's Mary Mikkelson finished a few minutes back in 4th.
Doreen McCoubrie 1:03:12 Terri Cassel 1:03:52 Mary Swan 1:07:35
60-64. For a while this looked like a battle royal between defending Champion, Andriette Wickstrom from Iowa, and her Nebraska rival, Ann Ringlein. Wickstrom crossed the 5K mat in 22:27 with Ringlein only 3 seconds back. But Wickstrom was able to create some space in the second 5K and went on to win in 1:09:00,
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| Andriette Wickstrom claims the Women's 60-64 National Championship at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
with nearly 2 minutes on Ringlein. Joanna Harper was safely in 3rd all the way, not close to the top two but well ahead of the rest of the field, taking 3rd in 1:16:01. Janet Hansen finished 4th.
Andriette Wickstrom 1:09:00 Ann Ringlein 1:10:54 Joanna Harper 1:16:01
65-69. This was the most competitive field, as the Age-Grading reported above bears out. The top 5 all came from this division. The competition was fierce, due no doubt to it being the finest field assembled in some time. Ordinarily Sabra Harvey’s first 5K of 22:23 would have left her rivals minutes behind, but not this time. Edie Stevenson crossed 4 seconds later and two more, Suzanne Ray and Jeannie Rice, crossed the 5K mat in the next 9 to 12 seconds! Stevenson actually closed the gap to a single second by the 10K as the other two fell back somewhat, although Ray was still within striking distance if she had a great last 5K; Rice, no slouch, was still under 46 minutes at the 10K! In the end Stevenson perhaps paid a little bit of a price for hanging with Harvey so long. But she finished strong nonetheless as Harvey pulled away to win in a terrific 1:07:24 on such a course. Stevenson took 2nd in 1:08:26, with Ray in 3rd 33 seconds later. Rice took 4th in 1:10:09.
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| Jeannie Rice finishes off a strong race against a killer field--On the Age-Grading podium in 3rd, but 4th in Age Division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
The 4th and 5th finishers, Jeanette Groesz and Coreen Steinbach both cracked 1:15. That was some field!
Sabra Harvey 1:07:24 Edie Stevenson 1:08:26 Suzanne Ray 1:08:59
70-74. At first it looked like
local runner, Judy Bomer, would win this division handily. But the defending champion, Irene
Terronez, does not give in easily. Bomer passed the 5Kmark with a lead of
nearly a minute and, by 10K, the gap was almost two minutes. But some runners
just do not give up. In the final 5K the margin shrunk, and then shrunk some
more, and then Terronez had Bomer in sight. But in the end, despite Terronez's tremendous surge to close the gap,
the runners ran out of race course. Bomer had staved off the champion, winning by 23 seconds in 1:38:40.
Judy Bomer 1:38:40 Irene Terronez 1:39:03
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| Irene Terronez heads for the finish and her Silver Medal in the Women's 70-74 division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
the runners ran out of race course. Bomer had staved off the champion, winning by 23 seconds in 1:38:40.
Judy Bomer 1:38:40 Irene Terronez 1:39:03
Elite Performance Medals
Elite Performance Medals are handsome medals awarded at National Championship Road Races to those runners who achieve the 'National Class' standard [80%] or better in age-grading. Because the course and conditions were challenging it took an especially fine effort to achieve the standard.
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| Were there hills? You bet! Fiona Bayly (far left-visor) leads a pack up the first long hill. Michelle Paxton trails Bayly on her left, with Thomas Schumann (in lime green) just behind. Michael Anderson (red) and Beau Atwater (on Anderson's left elbow) also attack this hill at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Tulsa World] |
It is a mark of the quality of the field that 62 of the athletes were still able to earn an elite performance medal--16 silver and 6 gold. The following athletes earned them, but not all were claimed.
Gold (90%+ Age-Grade) Sabra Harvey Edie Stevenson Jeannie Rice Suzanne Ray; Kevin Castille Nat Larson.
Silver (85%-89.99%) Jeanette Groesz Fiona Bayly Andriette Wickkstrom Teri Cassel Doreen McCoubrie Kathleen Cushing-Murray Tania Fischer Coreen Steinbach; Roger Sayre Iain Mickle John Gardiner Kent Lemme Tom Bernhard Christian Cushing-Murray William Moore Jason Ryf.
Bronze (80% - 84.99%) Ann Ringlein Mary Swan Cindy Blakely-Cameron Mary Lynch Melissa Gacek; Rob Arsenault Dave Glass David Angell John Holcombe Michael Young Chuck Smead Peter Mullin John Ouweleen Jason Butler Randy Wasinger Fred Zalokar Robert Hendrick Kyle Hubbart Heath Hibbard Craig Christians Brian Nelson Lloyd Hansen John Blaser Jerry Learned Jeff Haertl Brantley Lutz Beau Atwater Alejandro Heuck Brian Kelley Matthew Underwood Paul Carlin Daryl Jewell Ron Lombardi Fred Torneden Michael Anderson Brad Slavens Bill Dunn Ryan Regnier
Team Competition
LRC Racing out of Lincoln Nebraska took both the Men’s and Women’s 40+ titles, the men averaging 54:38 per runner, defeating Southern California’s Cal Coast by almost a minute per runner. The LRC Women won more comfortably, averaging 1:02:06 to beat the OK Runner Elite by about 7 minutes per runner.
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| LRC Racing teammates -L to R Michelle Paxton, Amy McCracken, and Michelle Schmidt celebrate their team success after the finish at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
In the Women’s 50 and up it was The Janes Elite Racing, from Southern California edging the Athena Track Club from Southeastern Pennsylvania by 2 minutes per runner at a 1:02:49 average.
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| Janes Elite Racing, L to R Tania Fischer, Kathleen Cushing-Murray, and Mary Lynch celebrate their Team 1st Place in the Women's 50 and up division at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
The Athena Club has won this division at every championship they have entered this year except two. They have finished second to the Janes in both the Half Marathon and the 15K and will be looking for revenge next year. Team Red Lizard took the Women’s 60+ title unopposed but their 1:13:02 average would hold up against almost any team. The two closest team races were in Men’s 50+ and Men’s 60+ with less than a minute average between the Greater Springfield Harriers out of Central Massachusetts
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| The Greater Springfield Harriers, L to R, Kent Lemme, Nat Larson, and Alejandro Heuck celebrate team success just past the finishing area at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Photo Credit-Marathon Foto/Tulsa Sports Commission] |
and Cal Coast in the 50+ and between the Boulder Road Runners and the Kansas City Smoke in 60 and up.
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| The Boulder Road Runners 60 and up Team celebrate their 1st place award at the 2017 USATF Masters 15K Championship in Tulsa OK [Athletes--Chuck Smead (front), then L to R Heath Hibbard, George Braun, Kyle Hubbart, and Jan Frisby] [Photo Credit: Boulder Road Runners] |
The Atlanta Track Club’s A team took the Men’s 70+ title by nearly 8 minutes per runner.
Women 40+ LRC Racing 3:06:17 [1:02:06 avg.] M Paxton M Schmidt A McCracken OK Runner Elite 3:28:26 [1:09:29] L Webb S Anderson M Mickelson 50+ The Janes Elite 3:08:26 [1:02:49] T Fischer K Cushing-Murray M Lynch Athena Track 3:14:38 [1:04:53] D McCoubrie T Cassel M Swan 60+ Team Red Lizard 3:39:06 [1:13:02] S Ray J Groesz J Harper.
Men 40+ LRC Racing 2:43:55 [54:38] R Regnier, J Kaemmer T Woods (C Smith J Schmaderer) Cal Coast Track 2:46:23 [55:28] J Gardiner B Wobig J May KC Smoke 2:48:08 [56:03] R Wasinger D Jewell J McCleary (C Stautz) 50+ Greater Springfield Harriers 2:42:20 [54:07] N Larson K Lemme A Heuck Cal Coast Track 2:44:54 [54:58] C Cushing-Murray R Arsenal M Underwood LRC Racing 2:58:29 [59:30] C Christians T Krause J Hansen (B Kelley K Burke B Daugherty) 60+ Boulder Road Runners 3:07:38 [1:02:33] K Hubbart H Hibbard C Smead (G Braun J Frisby) KC Smoke 3:08:50 [1:02:57] J Blaser F Torneden S McCormack Ann Arbor Track 3:12:28 [1:04:09] M Young E Matsuo L Hansen (W Hayes A Pratt) 70+ Atlanta Track ‘A’ 4:03:57 [1:21:19] C Walker F White C Patterson (W Shaffer) Atlanta Track ‘B’ 4:27:34 [1:29:11] J Lenahan A Sherwood M Williams Ann Arbor Track 4:29:28 [1:29:49] P Carlin D Cohen M Cohen;
Despite the chilly weather and the hilly course, the Runners were
happy to have competed in Tulsa at such a well-organized race. The Tulsa Run
and the city of Tulsa put on a great show. The race starts and finishes in the
heart of downtown and spectators turn out in large numbers to support the runners! Celebration Plaza was a little chillier than usual but that did not stop the athletes from celebrating their excellent races.
The
Masters Races at the National Club Cross Country Championships at Masterson
Station Park in Lexington KY on Saturday, December 9th finish off
the Masters Grand Prix circuit. This event typically draws the largest number
of Masters Long Distance Runners as teams vie for supremacy and many unattached
runners show up to see how they match against the top runners in the country. For
entry information see: http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2017/USATF-National-Club-Cross-Country/Entry-Information.aspx.
Paul Carlin, Thank you for your always excellent coverage! We need writers like you! Your work is thorough, detailed and interesting. Bravo for maintaining such welcome attention to the efforts of Masters athletes all over the nation; keeping older runners "in the running" is important, I feel, for the health and breadth of our BELOVED sport. You deserve all the medals you hand out to us. ~ Fiona Bayly
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