September
27 2018. BUFFALO NEW YORK – It was a gorgeous day for watching Cross
Country races on September 23rd in Delaware Park in Buffalo NY, although perhaps a little warm for running them. But one can
hardly complain at temps in the mid-60’s under clear skies and with good
footing on the course. Fashionable ‘shades’ were the style statement of the day
as it was definitely a singlet and shorts day. The course was a 2.5-kilometer
loop around the outskirts of a golf course, grass covered and mostly flat with
just a few minor elevation changes of a meter or 2 at most. Those who
prefer their XC courses with lots of steep hills, mud, and other challenges
would have been disappointed. Like all Cross Country courses, times were slowed
by the surface and perhaps by a course that most of the runners thought was longer
than the announced 5 kilometers. Any time difference would have been modest,
probably less than a minute for most, maybe over a minute for the older age divisions.
Over 200 athletes were entered. I will cover the Age Division
contests in the first two races, the Men’s 60 and up and the Men’s 50 and up.
The next installment will cover Women 40 and up and Men 40 and up. A final
report will cover Age Grading and Teams.
[Photo Credit: All photos are by Andy Martin of Exclamation Services. All of his photos for the event can be viewed at:
www.facebook.com/USATFMasters5kmXC/]
First off was the Men 60+ race at 11 AM, which included
competition for 5-year age divisions 60-64 through 85-89 as well as highly
competitive team races for 10-year age divisions 60+ and 70+.
 |
| Hartford Track Club stalwarts, Russell Blatt and George Buchanan lead out the Men's 60+ field at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships |
Men 60-64
The two teammates from the Hartford
Track Club, Russell Blatt and George Buchanan, took it out hard when
the gun went off, showing Cal Coast’s Brian Nelson that he would have a fight on his hands. They had forged
a 3-meter gap in the first 400 meters. Nelson and Timothy Riccardi worked to close the gap while Bob Merritt and Nelson’s teammate, Steve Brumwell, dug hard to maintain
contact just behind those first 4. Blatt and Buchanan were able to hold it
together all the way to the finish line, with Blatt pulling away from Buchanan
in the 2nd lap for a 14 second advantage.
 |
| Russell Blatt races to victory in the Men's 60-64 Division of the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Even though he was unable to catch
them, Nelson fought tough to the line in 3rd, holding off Merritt by
8 seconds. The three GVH teammates, Riccardi, Mark Rybinski, and Kevin
Clinefelter, took the next 3 spots 3-5 seconds apart.
Nelson’s podium finish at a National Championship made the trip from the West
Coast worth it!
 |
| Mark Rybinski with a step on Robert Reynolds as they head out for the 2nd 2.5 km loop at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Nelson’s podium finish at a National Championship made the trip from the West
 |
| Brian Nelson brings it home with a podium finish at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Coast worth it!
Russell
Blatt 19:20 George
Buchanan 19:34 Brian Nelson 19:44
Men 65-69
Folks in this division got sorted out in the first 2.5 km loop and
the top runners maintained their positions through the 2nd loop. Frank Gioia was a few steps ahead of
his rivals,
claiming a 36 second margin of victory over Butch Caimano, with Hank Schiff closing fast but settling, in the end, for third place, 3 seconds back from Caimano.
Don Morrison took 4th 45 seconds back. After landing on the podium in Atlanta, this was a nice step up for Gioia.
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| Frank Gioia digging for the finish line and the Men's 65-69 Victory at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
claiming a 36 second margin of victory over Butch Caimano, with Hank Schiff closing fast but settling, in the end, for third place, 3 seconds back from Caimano.
 |
| Butch Caimano in the transition area between loops 1 and 2 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Don Morrison took 4th 45 seconds back. After landing on the podium in Atlanta, this was a nice step up for Gioia.
Frank
Gioia 21:36 Butch Caimano 22:12 Hank
Schiff 25:13
Men 70-74
Lloyd
Hansen and Terry McCluskey, along
with their 75-79 teammate, Doug Goodhue,
took it out hard, with Dave Glass
and Jerry Learned right on their
heels. Gene Dykes took a more
measured approach for the first kilometer but then asserted himself. By the time
they reached the turn onto the 2nd loop, Dykes was in the lead with
a 20-meter gap on McCluskey; Rick Katz
was 20 meters back from McCluskey,
with 10 meters more to Hansen, with Jerry Learned only a step behind, and then another 20 meters back to Jim May and Glass.
Dykes pulled away over the 2nd loop, enjoying a final victory margin of almost a minute.
McCluskey kept his lead over Katz, stretching it in the end to a half minute gap at the finish line.
A half minute later Hansen, Learned and Glass all finished in a 14 second interval, with May a little further back in 8th. Hansen made no excuses but may have been feeling the effects of running an 8K XC race, a 5000 Meter race on the track, as well as a 10K and a Half Marathon Road Race all in the span of 10 days in Spain, ending just a week before this race.
This was the 4th consecutive win for Dykes-the 10K, the Half Marathon, the 5K road, and now the 5 Km XC—quite an auspicious year for Dykes! And a good start for Katz in his first race in a new age division.
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| Terry McCluskey heads out on the 2nd loop in 2nd place Men 70-74, with Frank Gioia and Charles Parchment trying to keep pace at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
with 10 meters more to Hansen, with Jerry Learned only a step behind, and then another 20 meters back to Jim May and Glass.
 |
| Jim May 133 and Dave Glass 81 looking to move up into contention in Men's 70-74 along with May's 60's teammates, Mitch Moore 142 and Robert Slebodnick at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Dykes pulled away over the 2nd loop, enjoying a final victory margin of almost a minute.
 |
| Gene Dykes finishes strong to take the Men's 70-74 win at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
McCluskey kept his lead over Katz, stretching it in the end to a half minute gap at the finish line.
 |
| Rick Katz claims Bronze in Men's 70-74 just ahead of those intent of good finishes in Men's 60's at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
A half minute later Hansen, Learned and Glass all finished in a 14 second interval, with May a little further back in 8th. Hansen made no excuses but may have been feeling the effects of running an 8K XC race, a 5000 Meter race on the track, as well as a 10K and a Half Marathon Road Race all in the span of 10 days in Spain, ending just a week before this race.
This was the 4th consecutive win for Dykes-the 10K, the Half Marathon, the 5K road, and now the 5 Km XC—quite an auspicious year for Dykes! And a good start for Katz in his first race in a new age division.
Gene
Dykes 20:49 Terry McCluskey 21:41 Rick
Katz 22:11
Men 75-79
As noted above, Doug
Goodhue went out hard at the front of the 70’s group, working with his
teamamtes to try for the 70+ team victory. He had a huge gap on the 2nd
75+ runner by the 1-kilometer mark and stretched it from there. By the finish
his winning margin was 4 minutes.
The many-time Age Division Runner of the Year and owner of over 50 National Championships is once again in a class by himself. Jim Assal had little trouble with the rest of the field, taking 2nd by over a minute.
Hal Lieberman found it a little harder to shake Ron Mastin but by the end claimed the Bronze Medal with almost half a minute to spare.
 |
| Doug Goodhue, the 'Silver Bullett' showing how to finish like a Champion, claiming another Gold Medal in Men's 75-79 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
The many-time Age Division Runner of the Year and owner of over 50 National Championships is once again in a class by himself. Jim Assal had little trouble with the rest of the field, taking 2nd by over a minute.
 |
| Jim Assal finishing 2nd in Men's 75-79 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Hal Lieberman found it a little harder to shake Ron Mastin but by the end claimed the Bronze Medal with almost half a minute to spare.
Dou
Goodhue 22:24 Jim Assal 26:25 Hal
Lieberman 27:40
Men 80-84
John
Elliott, the holder of a number of National Championships, had no trouble
this time, adding one more to his total
with almost a 6 minute margin over his lone rival, Joe Cordero who took the Silver medal.
 |
| John Elliott claims another National Title in a new Age Division, Men 80-84, at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
with almost a 6 minute margin over his lone rival, Joe Cordero who took the Silver medal.
John
Elliott 30:20 Joe Cordero 36:00
Men 85-89
Hat's off to Eric
Sieff, the oldest competitor on the day, who had this division to himself, and enjoyed the win in 40:34.
 |
| Eric Seiff conquers the XC course at Delaware Park to take the Men's 85-89 Gold Medal at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Eric
Sieff 40:34
The second race of the day was the Men’s 50+ race at 11:30 AM, including
the 50-54 and 55-59 age division individual competitions as well as the hard fought
50+ team competition.
Men 50-54
The gun sounded, and Tim
Van Orden took off with Charles
Novak close behind. Novak took 2nd at the Road Mile Masters
Championship in August and won the Gold Medal in the 800 Meter at The WMA Championships
in Spain a week before. Van Orden probably realized he could not leave matters
to the last few hundred meters. Then came Francis
Burdett and Tim Harte,
followed by Jim Park and Brad Kelley. Van Orden left nothing to chance, keeping the hammer down over the 2nd loop to win with a 17 second margin.
Novak had more to worry about but sprinted away from the rest of the field to claim Silver.
Twelve seconds back was a 4-runner pack that broke up as Harte took Bronze with 3 seconds on Burdett, followed by Park, 3 more seconds back and finally Kelley, also another 3 seconds back. That was tight! Like Hansen in M70, Burdett made no excuses but may have still been feeling the effects of his exertions in Malaga at the WMA Championships.
 |
| Francis Burdett with Tim Harte right on his heels as they head out onto the 2nd loop, fighting for the final Men's 50-54 podium spot at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
followed by Jim Park and Brad Kelley. Van Orden left nothing to chance, keeping the hammer down over the 2nd loop to win with a 17 second margin.
 |
| Tim Van Orden, high stepping his way to victory in Men's 50-54 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Novak had more to worry about but sprinted away from the rest of the field to claim Silver.
 |
| Charles Novak drives for the finish line, claiming the Silver Medal in Men's 50-54 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Twelve seconds back was a 4-runner pack that broke up as Harte took Bronze with 3 seconds on Burdett, followed by Park, 3 more seconds back and finally Kelley, also another 3 seconds back. That was tight! Like Hansen in M70, Burdett made no excuses but may have still been feeling the effects of his exertions in Malaga at the WMA Championships.
Tim Van
Orden 17:17 Charles Novak 17:34 Tim
Harte 17:46
Men 55-59
Alan
Evans is often kidded by his teammates because he likes to run longer
races like Half Marathons and marathons. They say they are happy that he runs those
longer races, they just wish when he runs the shorter races that he would up his
pace a bit. Like most joshing there is at most a germ of truth in the joke. Evans
knew he would have to quicken his pace quite a bit for this 5-kilometer race
because his 50+ teammate and oft-time running partner, Mike Nier, had been struggling with a hamstring issue and would
likely not be at this best. Evans delivered as he had the lead by the end of the first loop
with about 10 meters
on the 2nd place runner, Jonathan Kline. Kline had a 20-meter lead on Michael Gardella in 3rd. Gardella had a similar gap on Daniel Mazo in 4th, with Casey Carlstrom not far back in 5th. As would be expected for a long-distance specialist, it is tough to get past him on the second loop of a two-loop race. Evans stretched his lead to over half a minute on Kline by the end. Carlstrom was able to move past Gardella on the 2nd loop but was not able to reel in Mazo. Kline had almost half a minute on Mazo;
Carlstrom was only 7 seconds back from Mazo, who hung tough to the finish line.
 |
| Alan Evans strides off to the 2nd loop, aiming to increase his lead in Men's 55-59 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
on the 2nd place runner, Jonathan Kline. Kline had a 20-meter lead on Michael Gardella in 3rd. Gardella had a similar gap on Daniel Mazo in 4th, with Casey Carlstrom not far back in 5th. As would be expected for a long-distance specialist, it is tough to get past him on the second loop of a two-loop race. Evans stretched his lead to over half a minute on Kline by the end. Carlstrom was able to move past Gardella on the 2nd loop but was not able to reel in Mazo. Kline had almost half a minute on Mazo;
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| Jonathan Kline claims 2nd in Men's 55-59 at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo NY |
Carlstrom was only 7 seconds back from Mazo, who hung tough to the finish line.
Alan
Evans 17:57 Jonathan Kline 18:34 Daniel Mazo 19:07
Those races provided a great kick-start to the day of racing. Following
them, all Age Divisions of the Women ran in a single race that went off at high
noon, with the Men 40+ at 12:45pm. Those last two races will be the subject of
the 2nd report.
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