February 2 2018. The 2018 Masters Grand Prix kicks off 2018 with the USATF Cross Country Championships on Saturday, February 3rd at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. The site of the 2016 Club Cross Country Championships, many Masters Runners look forward to the return to a fabulous destination course for Cross Country with its groomed trails and big screens showing spectators the race as it unfolds on the course. Vying for over $7000 of Championship Prize Money and the bragging rights that go with the victories, Masters Runners joined their Junior and Open compatriots in contests at the overall, age grading, age division and team levels. The Masters Women run over a 6K course at 9 a.m. with the Men following on an 8K layout at 9:45 a.m. The weather forecast appears propitious with mostly sunny skies, temperatures at just over 40 degrees for the women and mid 40’s for the men. Winds of 8-9 mph will make those temps feel a little colder but those are great conditions for a February Cross Country Championship.
OVERALL RACE
Men. Kevin Castille, the 2017 Masters Road Runner of the Year and Overall Masters
Champion at the 2016 Club Cross Country Championship on this same course,
returns to the scene of his 10K triumph to try his luck on their 8K layout. Castille
not only won every Champinship he entered last year by a wide margin, he
established new American records at distances from the 1 Mile to the 15K. If he
is close to his usual fitness, it will be the same stor here. He is the
prohibitive favorite. He will not go unchallenged. David Angell, winner of the 2017 Masters Grand Prix for Men 40-44
will try out the Tallahassee course for the first time. Last year he went to
the Championships at Bend Oregon and finished just off the podium. He has a
good chance to rectify that omission this year. Winner of the 8K and 10K
Masters Championships last spring in 25:24 and 32:37 and a podium finisher at
almost every road championship, Angell would normally be in the hunt for a win.
With Castile in the field, that will be very tough and Angell will have to keep
an eye on several challengers who hope to place themselves on and him off the
podium. Jonathan Frieder had a terrific 2017 but could not quite match
Angell. A minute behind Angell at the 10K Championship he finished only 12
seconds back of Angell at the 5K Championships in October. If he can put it all
together, he is a threat. Greg Putnam
has had a slight edge over Frieder on the last two Club XC Championships but
Frieder had his measure on the roads in the fall. It will be fascinating to see
who comes out on top this time. Sam
Teigen finished just outside the top 10 Masters Runners at the California
International Marathon in 2:31:35 and has a 26:24 8K to his credit. How will he
fare on the cross country turf? The original posting left Sean Wade out of the discussion, an egregious error that I can blame on time constraints, but is pretty much inexcusable. Wade ran a 15:22 5K a couple of weeks ago; a little over a year ago he ran the Aramco Half Marathon in 1:12:21. Those marks both compare favorably with Angell's and suggest quite a dogfight for 2nd place. Because this is a short XC race, I will give more weight to the 5K results and put Wade ahead of Angell but it should be a great race to watch!
Kevin Castille Sean Wade David Angell
Kevin Castille leads the Masters men off from the start at the 2016 Club XC Championships at Apalachee regional park in Tallahassee Florida |
Women. Sonja Friend-Uhl, the Women’s 2016 Club Cross Country Masters Champion, should
also be considered the favorite. Coming off cooking a 1:22:46 at the Naples
Half Marathon and setting a new Women’s 45-49 American Record with a 4:59.9
Indoor Mile, she is clearly fit and focused. In 2017 Friend-Uhl concentrated
mostly on the track; her only appearance at a National Championship was at the
Club XC Championships in Lexington where she finished an uncharacteristic
third. In 2016 she finished a single second behind Marisa Sutera Strange’s
winning 10K Championship time of 36:48. But in the fall she took not only the
Club XC Championship but also the 5K road and the 5km Masters XC National
Championships. Marisa Sutera Strange,
who took Friend-Uhl’s measure in the 2016 10K Championship, will attempt to
match that feat. But Friend-Uhl has the edge in Cross Country as Strange
finished 4th behind friend-Uhl at 2016 Club XC and was a half minute
behind her at this past December’s Club XC in Lexington KY. Strange will be joined
in the hunt by Maggie Shearer and Jennifer Bayliss, dropping down from their
California International Marathon finishes in 8th and 12th
respectively in the Masters competition. Shearer’s 36:39 in the fast Dana’s
Point 10K suggests she may have the speed and stamina to stay with Friend-Uhl
and Strange. also has the fastest 10K time of the 3 in the last couple of years
at. Bayliss’s best road times for 5K and 10K at low 18’s and low 38’s are a bit
off what the other three have attained but she will not be far off the pace and
if anyone falters she too has a shot at the podium.
Sonja Friend-Uhl Maggie Shearer Marisa Sutera Strange
Sonja friend-Uhl claims the Masters win at the 2016 Club XC Championships in Tallahassee |
AGE GRADING
Women. Top contenders for the
age-grading crown, signifying the best relative performance across all age
groups includes 2017 Masters Athlete of the Year, Sabra Harvey. She took the Age Grading crown in each of the 5
Championships she entered on her way to a perfect 500 score to win the 2017
Individual Masters Grand Prix. She
typically scored in the upper 90’s or lower 100’s, almost unheard of. There is no reason to expect anything
different this year. Other contenders for the Age-Grading podium include Susan ‘Lynn’ Cooke, Doreen McCoubrie, and Marisa Sutera Strange. Strange was on the Age-grading podium at
6 National Championships last year and had four second place finishes; hitting
over 93% at the 5K and 8K. In races where they overlapped, the order was
Harvey, Strange, McCoubrie and Cooke in that order. Of course 2018 is a new
year so who knows?!
Sabra Harvey Marisa
Sutera Strange Doreen McCoubrie
Sabra Harvey finishes the 2016 Club XC Championship where she took the Age-Grading Prize |
Men. Kevin Castille is the favorite; he took the age-grading crown at each of
the three national championships he entered. He will be challenged by Nat Larson, who had the top age-grading score at the 2017 Club
Cross Country Championships. Larson finished only one percentage point behind Castille
at the 1 Mile Championships but was closer to three percentage points behind at
the 5K and 15K Championships. Castille’s Age-Grade scores in the 1 Mile, 5K and
15K national championships were 92.67, 98.12, and 94.30. Other contenders
include Rick Becker, Christian Cushing-Murray, Kent Lemme,
and Mike McManus. Perhaps the best
guide there is the recent Club XC Championships where all four of those
competed, albeit with Becker in the 60+ 8K and the rest in the 10K. Larson
topped the list at 91.65, followed by McManus at 88.49, Lemme at 88.37, Becker
at 87.69, and Cushing-Murray at 85.88. Becker and Cushing-Murray both lost the
first half of the 2017 season and so might, arguably, still be on the upswing
in race fitness. They both ran Club XC in San Francisco in 2015, scoring 90.77
and 87.71. It seems Becker might be able to challenge McManus and Lemme but
Castille and Larson should remain up top. Here, too, the egregious error on Sean Wade makes a big difference. Wade's 15:22 5K on January 13th, 3 weeks before his 52nd birthday, age graded above 96%. That makes him a potential threat even to Castille and likely means he is the favorite for 2nd place.
Kevin Castille Sean Wade Nat
Larson
AGE DIVISIONS
.
Men 40-44. This
is often a repeat of the Overall Men’s preview except that Kevin Castille, Greg Putnam,
and Jonathan Frieder are all in
the 45-49 division. That means I am picking
David Angell
to win the division and Sam Teigen to
take second. Third place looks like a
tussle between Atlanta’s Mark
Castleberry who has some low to mid-17 5K’s on the books and Garden State
teammates, Thomas Knowles, who
clocked a 16:42 in the 5K Championship at Syracuse and Chuck Schneekloth who has a 27:58 in the Ashenfelter 8K.
David Angell Sam
Teigen Thomas Knowles
Women 40-44. Again
here, Sonja Friend-Uhl, Marisa
Sutera Strange, and Jennifer Bayliss
are in other age divisions so my overall race prediction suggests that Maggies Shearer should win the
division. It appears that Carla
McAlister and Kimberly Mueller are
pretty evenly matched in the competition for the two remaining podium
positions. McAlister has a division 6th
and 9th in the 2014 and 2015 Cross Country Championships in Boulder
and a 1:23:46 Half Marathon on the fast RnR San Diego course. Mueller had a
1:25:43 in the same race. McAlister appears to have a bit of an edge.
Maggie Shearer
Carla McAlister Kimberly
Mueller
Men 45-49. Based
on the Overall Men’s preview, this division must go to Kevin Castille by a very wide margin, with a fierce battle between Greg Putnam and Jonathan Frieder for the two remaining podium positions. If he runs
as well as he ran in Tallahassee in 2016, Brent
Fields could well figure into the race for the podium as well. Jonathan’s
twin brother, Elliott, has been
regaining his fitness over the last year or so and has been narrowing the gap
between them. But at the last race Eliott was still 45 seconds back.
Kevin Castille
Greg Putnam Jonathan Frieder
Women 45-49. I
have Sonja friend-Uhl followed by Jennifer Bayliss in the division. But Nancy Thomas and Abby Dean could upset the apple cart. Thomas finished 6th
overall on tis course for the 2016 Club XC Championships. She was further back
at Lexington, but it may be that the course at Tallahassee fits her running
style better. Dean had some great divisional placing in the 10K Road
championships in Dedham in 2014 and 2015, finishing 2nd and 4th
in 37:50 and 38:38 but her times have slowed recently. Should she return
to her form of a couple of years ago,
things could get interesting.
Sonja Friend-Uhl
Jennifer Bayliss Nancy Thomas
Men 50-54. Sean Wade should have a solid win in this age division. Who takes the second and third place on the podium should come down to a battle between Mike
McManus and Kent Lemme, with Christian Cushing-Murray right there
pushing the pace in case either of those two falter. Lemme had the edge over
McManus in both the 8K Road Championship in March and at the 10K XC course at
Lexington in December. The margin was only 4 seconds at the 8K but it was 15
seconds at Club XC. Mark Hixon and Eric Stabb, two strong runners, will
not be far off but it would be an upset for either to make the podium.
Sean Wade Kent Lemme Mike McManus
Women 50-54. Marisa Sutera Strange
should take the division crown with minutes to spare. Based on their performances in the past two
Club XC events in Tallahassee and Lexington, Michelle Allen looks like a solid bet for 2nd, with Carol Bischoff securely in for the 3rd
spot on the podium.
Marisa Sutera Strange
Michelle Allen Carol Bischoff
Men 55-59. Nat Larson took
the division crown at Club XC in Lexington by almost two minutes. The race here
is 2K shorter so it will probably be closer but not much closer. Jeffery Dundas took 5th in
the division in the 1 Mile and has a New Year’s day 18:25 5K on the books this
year so he has his fitness. Couple that with some low to mid 37 10K’s and he
looks like a good bet for the podium.
Central park TC’s Ronald Romano
appears to be a little off that paace but his 1:01:41 15K and his 1:28:17 in
the UA NYC Half Marathon suggest he is perhaps the favorite for the final
podium position. Kevin Paulk and Timothy Riccardi could also be in the
hunt for a division podium spot.
Women 55-59. Trish Butler, Lynn Cooke,
and Doreen McCoubrie should take the
top 3 spots in the division. McCoubrie beat Cooke in their only meeting at the
8K at VIrginia Beach by over a minute. Butler, new to the division and on the
comeback trail in the autumn, was strong enough to edge Cooke by a minute in
the 5K. If Butler has regained her full fitness
she will give McCoubrie a terrific fight. Suzanne Cordes and Mary Swan
could factor into the podium hunt if any of the top 3 are off their game.
Doreen McCoubrie
Trish Butler Lynn Cooke
Men 60-64. Rick Becker
and Ken Youngers had largely
achieved their comebacks from surgery by the time Club XC rolled around and, as
a result, took 2-3 behind Joe Sheeran
who is not entered here. Becker took Youngers by 6 seconds at Lexington but
they had two minutes on Michael Anderson
and Brian Cummins, who are likely to
be their closest pursuers in Tallahassee. Not far behind them were teammates, Reno Stirrat and Kevin Dollard, who will try to break into the top bunch of
finishers.
Rick Becker Ken
Youngers Michael Anderson
Women 60-64. Most
of the competitors at Tallahassee were also in Lexington for the Club XC
Championships. Based on that race it looks like Patricia Ford and Sharon
Moore could go 1-2. But there is one newcomer who is likely to upset that
outcome. Catharine Utzschneider
competes mostly in aquathons but she ran the Marine Corps 5K in Massachusetts
in 22:04. That should mean she has the speed to take the crown in the division.
We shall see. Cynthia Williams could
make the podium if any of those are off their best. And, by the same token, Sharon Ames, Cheryl Guth, and Susan Stirrat will not be much off the
pace either.
Catharine Utzschneider
Patricia Ford Sharon Moore
Men 65-69. Doug Bell
should be at the top of the division. The only guys who beat him last year are
not coming to Tallahasee. Kirk Larson
has been running well lately and should be in the hunt for 2nd along
with Chuck Smead, who ran in the 15K
this past October. Smead came in a few seconds ahead of Peter Mullin, one of the two guys who beat Bell in 2017. But a few
years back when this Championship was run in Boulder Colorado, Bell was a
minute and a half faster than Smead. It should be a fun race. I am guessing
Bell can still beat Smead on a cross country course over 8K but we shall see.
Larson was less than two minutes back from Bell on this course in 2016, but
Larson was probably running better at the end of 2016 than 2017. If Lloyd Hansen has the fitness he had in
2015 when he was the Men’s 65-69 Runner of the Year, he would be right in with
Bell and Smead but at Tulsa he was 3 minutes back. So we will have to wait and
see; it could be a tough fight between Larson and Hansen for the final podium
spot.
Doug Bell Chuck
Smead Kirk Larson
Women 65-69. This division belongs
to Sabra Harvey, the 2017 USATF
Masters Athlete of the Year. Terry Foody,
of the Bluegrass Runners will also contest the division and will be happy to
take second to Harvey.
Sabra Harvey Terry
Foody
Men 70-74. Based on the way runners
were running at the end of 2017 Dave
Glass, Tony Gingello, and Gene French
should have the edge over Paul Carlin
[that’s me!]and Jim May who both ran
strong earlier in the year. May won the 8K in 35:01 and then suffered a XC
injury. He struggled with injuries, off and on, the rest of the year. I took 2nd
to May and then Gingello in the 10K, won the Half Marathon and finished 3rd
at Syracuse but then the wheels started to come off late in the year as my
recalcitrant left hamstring started to reduce training efficiency. The
hamstring is responding to dry needling and other Physical Therapy ‘magic’ but
is a ‘work in progress.’ At Lexington, Glass came in almost a minute ahead of
Gingello who had a minute on French. May’s teammate, Keith Yeates, was the next runner to finish so he could factor in
on Saturday.
Dave Glass Tony Gingello Gene French
Women 70-74. Uncontested
at the end of online registration.
Men 75-79. New
to the 75 and up division, Robert Hendrick
should waltz home with the Division Championship. Third in the 70-74 division
at the 15K Championship in 1:10:02, he ran almost 3 minutes faster earlier in
the year at the Gate River Run. He ran a 3:30 Marathon around Thanksgiving but
over two months in between should have gotten that post-Marathon sluggishness
out of his legs. David Turner took Charlie Patteson’s measure by a few
seconds at Lexington so I have to give him the edge for now. Ron Mastin returns to the fray after
missing all of 2017. At Boulder in 2015 Mastin was a few minutes ahead of
Turner. We will see on Saturday where he is now, but he could definitely play a
role.
Robert Hendrick
David Turner Charlie Patterson
Women 75-79. As
of the close of registration, Madeline
Bost was the sole entrant and will win the Championship unless a rival
shows up to register onsite.
Men 80-84. Jim Askew
must also suffer with the lack of competition as he will take the division.
80-84 Runner of the Year last year, whether opposed or not, he took first in
all of his Championship races save one.
Jim Askew
Women 80-84. Eve Pell
will contest this division but no one else.
Eve Pell
Men 85-89. Unless
someone else registers at packet pickup, Al
Ray, the only registrant, will win the Division and also take home the
honor of being the oldest finisher on the day.
Al Ray
TEAMS
Tune in
later for possible updates—Here's what I have now is:
Women 40 and
up. Impala Racing wins uncontested.
Women 50 and up. The Athena Track Club and
the New Balance Tampa Masters team
went 1-2 in the 2017 Masters Grand Prix Club competition for, and NBT will be
trying to knock off the top dogs this Saturday to get a step up on the 2018
competition.
Athena
New Balance Tampa
Women 60 and
up. The three teams entered
finished in order at the Club XC Championships: Atlanta Track Club, Syracuse Track Club, and Genesee Valley Harriers but
ti was close. Looks like another barn burner.
Atlanta
Syracuse GVH
Men 40 and up. With the Frieder twins up front and Knowles and Schneekloth solid in
the middle, it looks like Garden state
has just a little more strength than Atlanta
for this race but it may be closer than it looks. [Aside—Garden State
definitely wins for longest name!]
Garden State Track Club New Balance Atlanta Track Club
Men 50 and up. The Greater Springfield Harriers, 2017 Club Grand Prix Champions, should start off 2018 with a
victory. That is despite Atlanta, Cal Coast and GVH bringing strong teams. At Lexington,
it was Cal Coast, GVH and atlanta chasing Greater Springfield in that order and
I will pick it the same here.
Greater Springfield Harriers Cal Coast Track Club GVH
Men 60 and up. The tightest team contest for the Men is probably in the 60+
division where the 2017 Grand Prix winner in the division, the Boulder Road Runners tries to hold off
the improved Atlanta Track Club which
finished 3rd but defeated
the 2nd place club, Shore AC at
the Club Cross Country Championships this past December.
Boulder Road Runners Atlanta Track Club Shore AC
Men 70 and up. Atlanta is stronger with Dave Glass up front and Ron mastin returning but
GVH appears to strong in the middle with Tony Gingello not far off of Glass,
Jim May and Keith Yeates always tough. It looks like Coach Sumner may have to
do a little more recruiting to move his Cal Coast team up higher on the podium
than third in future races.
GVH Atlanta
Track Club ‘A’ Cal Coast Track Club
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