[All photos courtesy of Crim Festival of Races through Enmotive at: https://raceday.enmotive.com/#/events/2019-hap-crim-festival-of-races/gallery]
OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN-Chuck
Schneekloth got out fast and led for the first 400 meters. At that point Brian
Sydow pushed the pace in the hopes of dropping those with big kicks but
less fitness. Michael Madsen thought it was too much speed too soon, and
tucked into the chase pack. With 800 meters to go, Madsen felt the chase pack
slowing as he surged to catch Sydow and Schneekloth. With 400 meters to go, Madsen
surged to the front, gapping the field by 25 meters. Sydow had to let
Schneekloth go at that point. With 100 meters to go, Madsen slowed a tick.
Schneekloth closed, the crowd was roaring, Madsen tried to go one last time and
could not find another gear; Schneekloth dipped his chest at the finish line and
took a classic win in 4:37. The finish line camera showed Schneekloth winning
by 0.04 seconds!
Sydow stayed strong to the finish, landing on his first Masters Road Racing Overall National Championship podium in 4:44. A second later Jeremy Hurley crossed the line, followed a second later by Philip Potvin and Tim Van Orden, both in 4:46.
Schneekloth said, “That was one grueling race! I am so grateful to my Coach and fellow Garden State teammates. I love training and racing with the squad! And hats off to Madsen for an awesome move; I was lucky to catch him!” Madsen reported later: ‘I would have preferred to win, but I ran a great race, made a good move, and forced Chuck to make some tough decisions. So I give him kudos and a tip of the cap for gutting out the win.”
Chuck Schneekloth 4:37 Michael Madsen 4:37 Brian Sydow 4:44
Chuck Schneekloth right wins the Overall National Championship by a whisker over Michael Madsen at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Sydow stayed strong to the finish, landing on his first Masters Road Racing Overall National Championship podium in 4:44. A second later Jeremy Hurley crossed the line, followed a second later by Philip Potvin and Tim Van Orden, both in 4:46.
Jeremy Hurley captures 3rd place Overall at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Schneekloth said, “That was one grueling race! I am so grateful to my Coach and fellow Garden State teammates. I love training and racing with the squad! And hats off to Madsen for an awesome move; I was lucky to catch him!” Madsen reported later: ‘I would have preferred to win, but I ran a great race, made a good move, and forced Chuck to make some tough decisions. So I give him kudos and a tip of the cap for gutting out the win.”
Chuck Schneekloth 4:37 Michael Madsen 4:37 Brian Sydow 4:44
WOMEN- The Women’s race was, by contrast, a
dominant display by Sonja Friend-Uhl as she went to the front, held her
pace, and finished strong to win by 17 seconds in 5:06.
Fiona Bayly was a
solid 2nd for the first half mile, with Marisa Sutera Strange
and Doreen McCoubrie trailing her about 10 meters back. After the
halfway point, Bayly enlarged that gap, claiming 2nd in 5:23.
She was followed 5 seconds later by Strange in 3rd, with McCoubrie 4th in 5:32, and a hard-closing Lisa Veneziano 3 seconds later in 5th. Friend-Uhl noted that the course was challenging but fine. “I love running with the team, and it was really nice to run in dryer air for a change. I train in Florida and the race in Atlanta was humid too. It would have been better with quarter-mile markers, and clocks at a half mile and three-quarters! In a mile race, you want to be focused on good form, your arm swings; you don’t want to be checking your Garmin!’ But it was a well-run race-absolutely worth the trip! Thank you, Flint!”
Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:06 Fiona Bayly 5:23 Marisa Sutera Strange 5:28
Sonja Friend-Uhl wins the Women's Overall Title and breaks her own American Record at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Fiona Bayly confidently strides her way to 2nd place Overall at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
She was followed 5 seconds later by Strange in 3rd, with McCoubrie 4th in 5:32, and a hard-closing Lisa Veneziano 3 seconds later in 5th. Friend-Uhl noted that the course was challenging but fine. “I love running with the team, and it was really nice to run in dryer air for a change. I train in Florida and the race in Atlanta was humid too. It would have been better with quarter-mile markers, and clocks at a half mile and three-quarters! In a mile race, you want to be focused on good form, your arm swings; you don’t want to be checking your Garmin!’ But it was a well-run race-absolutely worth the trip! Thank you, Flint!”
Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:06 Fiona Bayly 5:23 Marisa Sutera Strange 5:28
AGE-GRADING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS [Net times reported in this section Age-grading based on new Road 1 Mile tables generated by Tom Bernhard in cooperation with Alan Jones.These are expected to be posted on the USATF site following some final editing.] These are the top performances, relative to age,
across all age divisions, on a score from 0 to 100, based on worldwide data; 90
and above is considered ‘world class, 80 and above 'National Class'.
WOMEN The ageless wonder, Jeannie Rice, 71, ably defended her age-grading championship from 2018. Last year she topped all comers at 100.73%; this year her 6:25 earned the top score of 97.23%.
Jeannie Rice captures the Overall Age-Grading National Championship at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Marisa Sutera Strange, 57, who won the age grading championship last week in Atlanta at the 5K, with a 94.86; her 5:27 merited 2nd here at 94.39, with her teammate, Doreen McCoubrie, 56, running a 5:32 to finish 3rd at 94.19. Sonja Friend-Uhl, 48, took 4th with 92.43 and Nancy Simmons, 60, who ran 5:54, edged Bayly for 5th by 0.03% at 91.58.
Jeannie Rice 71 6:25 91.23% Marisa Sutera Strange 56 5:28 94.39 Doreen McCoubrie 56 5:32 94.19
MEN Even though 56-year-old Mark Zamek was able to take the M55 Age Division crown from Nat Larson, 57, the extra year of age, combined with a nearly equal time, resulted in a narrow overall age-grading win for Larson. His 92.19% off of 4:56 edged Zamek's 91.68 off of 4:55. Despite being off his best, Larson earned his third Age-Grading crown on the roads this year.
Three record-beakers, Tim Van Orden, 51, one of the mainstays of the Central Mass Striders, Michael Madsen, 46, and David Westenberg, 61, took 3rd through 5th. Van Orden's 4:56 earned a 91.01 while Madsen's 4:37 equated to a 90.57. Westenberg took 5th by running 5:13 for 90.20.
Nat Larson 57 4:56 92.19 Mark Zamek 56 4:55 91.68 Tim Van Orden 51 4:56 91.01
AGE DIVISION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN
40-44 Jill Braley, who took 2nd place at the 5 Km Cross Country Championships last fall, did not have the speed on this evening to stay with the leaders, but she quickly established a gap within the Division, rolling to a 5:44 and a 34 second win over Vanessa Lordi. Braley’s Atlanta teammate, Hiroko Guarneri took the Bronze Medal 3 seconds later. Anna Mayhewrozek finished just off the podium. With this 2nd place finish, Lordi is well on her way to defending her 2018 Individual 40-44 Grand Prix title.
Jill Braley 5:44 Vanessa Lordi 6:18 Hiroko Guarneri 6:21
45-49 Friend-Uhl, the overall winner in 5:06, took this Division title along the way. As she has moved up through 40-44 and up into 45-49 without slowing down much, Friend-Uhl has beeen moving up the Age-Grading tables. Her strength is the shorter races; Friend-Uhl's 17:34 last week in Atlanta earned her the 2nd place in Age-Grading. To earn Silver and Silver in the Overall and Age-Grading 5 Km contests on the 17th and then follow it six days later with a Gold and a Silver at the 1 Mile makes for a pretty special 6 day stretch! Cristina Burbach pulled away from Erin Larusso to take 2nd place in 5:39.
Eight seconds later, Larusso claimed 3rd, her 5th consecutive Division podium finish. Eleven seconds later, AmyBartholomew-Koepp crossed the line in 4th.
Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:06 Cristina Burbach 5:39 Erin Larusso 5:47
50-54 Fiona Bayly and Lisa Veneziano, 2nd and 5th Overall, took the Division 1-2 in 5:23 and 5:35. Bayly adds this to her Division title from Atlanta this year. Veneziano, who hails from 'just up the road' defended the hometown honor once again.
In this highly competitive division, Amy Fakterowitz was just 2 seconds back in 3rd, edging Katherine Wolski for the podium by 8 seconds. Veneziano and Fakterowitz had gone 1-2 last year in 5:37 and 5:51; Fakterowitz made a real race of it this year!
Fiona Bayly 5:23 Lisa Veneziano 5:35 Amy Fakterowitz 5:37
55-59 Marisa Sutera Strange and Doreen McCoubrie, 3rd and 4th Overall, also went 1-2 in the Division in 5:28 and 5:32, reversing last year's outcome.
One of the stalwarts of the New Balance Tampa team on the track, Michelle ‘Shelly’ Allen took 3rd. Like a few others, Allen was using this race as one of her last preps before the Fifth Avenue Mile. Sixteen seconds later, Kris Huff claimed 4th.
Marisa Sutera Strange 5:28 Doreen McCoubrie 5:32 Michelle Allen 5:53
60-64 Nancy Simmons, the new record holder, ran away with the Division title in 5:54.
Patrice Combs does not lose many races, even at National Championships, but if she has to lose, at least it was in a short race, only a mile long, and to record-breaking West Coast speed. Combs has wins from earlier in the year at the 8K and 5K Championships. Combs had her hands full with Thomas’s teammate, Ruby Ghadially, but in the end prevailed to take Silver in 6:22. Ghadially claimed the Bronze Medal three seconds later. Mireille Silva took 4th.
Nancy Simmons 5:54 Patrice Combs 6:22 Ruby Ghadially 6:25
65-69 Jill Miller-Robinett, the Masters 60-64 Grand Prix winner in 2016 and 2017, celebrated her return to the National Championship circuit by capturing the Gold Medal in 6:43 and helping her Impala 60+ team.
Victoria Salvador was well back in 2nd place.
Jill Miller-Robinett 6:43 Victoria Salvador 9:20
70-74 The 2018 Masters Road Runner of the Year, Jeannie Rice, copped a new record in 6:25 while taking Gold. She defended her 2018 title and broke her own record. Carol Rhodes finished 2nd in 11:26,
with Judy Melton another minute back in 3rd, well ahead of teammate, Susan Hartman who took 4th.
Jeannie Rice 6:25 Carol Rhodes 11:26 Judy Melton 12:25
75-79 Catherine Radle took the win unopposed, matching her winning time from last year!
Catherine Radle 10:15
80-84 Madeline Bost held off the defending Champion, Tami Graf, to take the title and lower Graf's 11:29 American record by over half a minute! That gave Bost her 2nd win of the season, adding it to her 8K win in Virginia Beach.
Graf took on 95 additional Grand Prix points for her 2nd place. She and Graf are tied in the Grand Prix Individual standings heading into the last two events of the season. Graf is looking to repeat as 80-84 Individual Grand Prix Champion; Bost looks to take the 2019 title to add to the five 75-79 division titles she has claimed each year since the inception of the Individual Grand Prix in 2014.
Madeline Bost 10:56 Tami Graf 12:14
MEN 40-44 Chuck Schneekloth, Jeremy Hurley and Philip Potvin took 1st, 4th and 5th Overall and went 1-2-3 here in 4:37, 4:45 and 4:46. Schneekloth claimed the bronze medal last year but moved up to Gold this year. Hurley enjoyed his first National Championship Division podium, edging the Bronze Medalist by 1 second! Potvin, an Ann Arbor resident, took 6th overall last year, and 5th in the Division in 4:53.
He knocked 7 seconds off his time and moved up to 5th Overall and took the Bronze Medal in this Division Championship. He needed that faster time as Mark Walchinsky was only 3 seconds back in 4th.
Chuck Schneekloth 4:37 Jeremy Hurley 4:45 Phillip Potvin 4:46
45-49 Michael Madsen lost the Overall title in a photo finish, but no photos were needed for the Division crown which he took with comparative ease, enjoying a victory margin over Brian Sydow, 3rd Overall, of 7 seconds.
Mark Andrews claimed the final podium spot in the Division with a 4:49. Five seconds later, Brent Fields sped across the finish line in 4th.
Michael Madsen 4:37 Brian Sydow 4:44 Mark Andrews 4:49
50-54 Tim Van Orden, 6th Overall, took the 50-54 title with 10 seconds to spare over the former record holder, Todd Straka, who ran 4:56. The division is stocked with speedy runners; Jeff Conston claimed 3rd in 4:58, with Alejandro Heuck, Landen Summay, and Mike Nier 4th-6th, all with the same 5:02 time!
Tim Van Orden 4:46 Todd Straka 4:56 Jeff Conston 5:02
55-59 Mark Zamek finally got a win over Nat Larson, edging hm by a single second in 4:55. That reversed the order of finish observed last week in Atlanta, where Larson took his 4th Division Championship of the season. His winning margin over Zamek was 8 seconds!. John Borthwick captured the Bronze Medal, 4 seconds behind Larson, and 2 seconds ahead of Alan Wells. Wells won the division last year.
Mark Zamek 4:55 Nat Larson 4:56 John Borthwick 5:00
60-64 David Westenberg, a newcomer to the USATF Masters Grand Prix circuit, had posted a 39:04 10K and a 5:10 point-to-point Street Mile earlier in the year, suggesting he could do some damage. And he did; Westenberg knocked down the American Record and took the Division title in 5:13. Twelve seconds later Atlanta’s dynamic duo, Jeffery Dundas and Ken Youngers, came across in 5:25 and 5:27 in 2nd and 3rd, keeping Michael Young off the podium in 4th, seven seconds back. This is the first time since Dundas returned to action for Atlanta in national championship running that he has come in ahead of Youngers. When both Youngers and Dundas are healthy, it gives Atlanta a terrific 1-2 punch in team contests.
David Westenberg 5:13 Jeffery Dundas 5:25 Ken Youngers 5:27
65-69 Joseph Reda, III and Reno Stirrat have been going head-to-head all year. It looked like Stirrat was going to gain the edge in Atlanta with a win, until Reda beat him with a last second surge to the tape. In the run-up to this race, Stirrat tweaked his back, so the anticipated duel would likely be put on hold. That is the way it came out; Reda had no trouble winning in 5:33. Bob Deak who finished 4th in Atlanta behind Reda and Stirrat, claimed 2nd in 5:40. Stirrat was relieved to finish 4 seconds later with the Bronze Medal; he helped his team get the points they needed to keep pace in the Club Grand Prix. He had a comfortable margin over the 4th place finisher, Wally Hayes.
Joseph Reda 5:33 Bob Deak 5:40 Reno Stirrat 5:44
70-74 It is a shame that Lloyd Hansen, last year’s winner in 6:02, was out with a hamstring injury. He and Bob Giambalvo would have had a heck of a race. Terry McCluskey, Division Champion at Spokane and Atlanta this year, ran a great race, but he could not stay with Giambalvo after the first 200 meters, and could never gain on him after that. Giambalvo, a 5K and below specialist by his own account, took the win in 6:01;
McCluskey was 2nd in 6:15. Dave Glass had been a ways behind his teammate, Jerry Learned, earlier in the year but was only two seconds back in Atlanta the week before. This time, he was able to take the honors; Glass apparently edged Learned, who was closing fast, for the Bronze Medal by a single second in 6:22 !
75-79 Doug Goodhue, eleven-time Divisional Road Runner of the Year, was a strong favorite going in. Since coming back from an extended absence with a leg injury, Goodhue has been unstoppable. He had entered three National Championship races this year, Club Cross Country, the 8 Km and 5 Km road race Championships, and won them all. Goodhue rarely loses a divisional Championship race when healthy. But Jan Frisby is another of the old lions of the circuit. No matter how often an injury sidelines him, he comes back. A 4-time Divisional Road Runner of the Year himself, Frisby thought he might give Goodhue a run for the money in 2016 at these Championships. But one of his foot injuries limited his stride in that race and he finished 14 seconds back; Goodhue set the current record for 75-79 in that race. Frisby was finally set to try again. His training had gone well, and his weight was down. This time there was no backsliding during the race. Goodhue got out strong as always, but this time Frisby kept him in sight, tracked him down, got past him, and held on. At the tape it was Frisby 6:18, Goodhue 6:19; it was Frisby’s first victory over a healthy Goodhue in years!
They should go at it again in San Diego; that will be some race to watch!
Jan Frisby 6:18 Doug Goodhue 6:19
85-89 Jon Desenberg took this group unopposed in 10:12, establishing an American Record in a division with no previously ratified record. He will put this one beside the 80-84 Gold Medal he won in 2016.
Jon Desenberg 10:12
90-94 Nathaniel Finestone got the better of his chief rival, Richard Soller, in 12:52. Showing that his victory in Atlanta over the 5 Km defending champion, Soller, was no fluke, Finestone also established an Age Division American Record! Forty seconds later Soller crossed the finish line in 2nd.
Nathaniel Finestone 12:52 Richard Soller 13:33
WOMEN
40-44 Jill Braley, who took 2nd place at the 5 Km Cross Country Championships last fall, did not have the speed on this evening to stay with the leaders, but she quickly established a gap within the Division, rolling to a 5:44 and a 34 second win over Vanessa Lordi. Braley’s Atlanta teammate, Hiroko Guarneri took the Bronze Medal 3 seconds later. Anna Mayhewrozek finished just off the podium. With this 2nd place finish, Lordi is well on her way to defending her 2018 Individual 40-44 Grand Prix title.
Jill Braley wind the 40-44 Division National Championship at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Jill Braley 5:44 Vanessa Lordi 6:18 Hiroko Guarneri 6:21
45-49 Friend-Uhl, the overall winner in 5:06, took this Division title along the way. As she has moved up through 40-44 and up into 45-49 without slowing down much, Friend-Uhl has beeen moving up the Age-Grading tables. Her strength is the shorter races; Friend-Uhl's 17:34 last week in Atlanta earned her the 2nd place in Age-Grading. To earn Silver and Silver in the Overall and Age-Grading 5 Km contests on the 17th and then follow it six days later with a Gold and a Silver at the 1 Mile makes for a pretty special 6 day stretch! Cristina Burbach pulled away from Erin Larusso to take 2nd place in 5:39.
Cristina Burbach on her way to a 2nd place finish in 45-49 at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:06 Cristina Burbach 5:39 Erin Larusso 5:47
50-54 Fiona Bayly and Lisa Veneziano, 2nd and 5th Overall, took the Division 1-2 in 5:23 and 5:35. Bayly adds this to her Division title from Atlanta this year. Veneziano, who hails from 'just up the road' defended the hometown honor once again.
In this highly competitive division, Amy Fakterowitz was just 2 seconds back in 3rd, edging Katherine Wolski for the podium by 8 seconds. Veneziano and Fakterowitz had gone 1-2 last year in 5:37 and 5:51; Fakterowitz made a real race of it this year!
Fiona Bayly 5:23 Lisa Veneziano 5:35 Amy Fakterowitz 5:37
55-59 Marisa Sutera Strange and Doreen McCoubrie, 3rd and 4th Overall, also went 1-2 in the Division in 5:28 and 5:32, reversing last year's outcome.
One of the stalwarts of the New Balance Tampa team on the track, Michelle ‘Shelly’ Allen took 3rd. Like a few others, Allen was using this race as one of her last preps before the Fifth Avenue Mile. Sixteen seconds later, Kris Huff claimed 4th.
Marisa Sutera Strange 5:28 Doreen McCoubrie 5:32 Michelle Allen 5:53
60-64 Nancy Simmons, the new record holder, ran away with the Division title in 5:54.
Patrice Combs does not lose many races, even at National Championships, but if she has to lose, at least it was in a short race, only a mile long, and to record-breaking West Coast speed. Combs has wins from earlier in the year at the 8K and 5K Championships. Combs had her hands full with Thomas’s teammate, Ruby Ghadially, but in the end prevailed to take Silver in 6:22. Ghadially claimed the Bronze Medal three seconds later. Mireille Silva took 4th.
Nancy Simmons 5:54 Patrice Combs 6:22 Ruby Ghadially 6:25
65-69 Jill Miller-Robinett, the Masters 60-64 Grand Prix winner in 2016 and 2017, celebrated her return to the National Championship circuit by capturing the Gold Medal in 6:43 and helping her Impala 60+ team.
Jill Miller-Robinett leans into it as she crosses the finish line 1st in the 65-69 Division at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Victoria Salvador was well back in 2nd place.
Jill Miller-Robinett 6:43 Victoria Salvador 9:20
70-74 The 2018 Masters Road Runner of the Year, Jeannie Rice, copped a new record in 6:25 while taking Gold. She defended her 2018 title and broke her own record. Carol Rhodes finished 2nd in 11:26,
Carol Rhodes heads to the finish line and 2nd place in the 70-74 Division at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
with Judy Melton another minute back in 3rd, well ahead of teammate, Susan Hartman who took 4th.
Jeannie Rice 6:25 Carol Rhodes 11:26 Judy Melton 12:25
75-79 Catherine Radle took the win unopposed, matching her winning time from last year!
Catherine Radle takes 1st place in the 75-79 Division at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Catherine Radle 10:15
80-84 Madeline Bost held off the defending Champion, Tami Graf, to take the title and lower Graf's 11:29 American record by over half a minute! That gave Bost her 2nd win of the season, adding it to her 8K win in Virginia Beach.
Madeline Bost takes first place in the 80-84 Division while Breaking the 80-84 American Record at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Graf took on 95 additional Grand Prix points for her 2nd place. She and Graf are tied in the Grand Prix Individual standings heading into the last two events of the season. Graf is looking to repeat as 80-84 Individual Grand Prix Champion; Bost looks to take the 2019 title to add to the five 75-79 division titles she has claimed each year since the inception of the Individual Grand Prix in 2014.
Madeline Bost 10:56 Tami Graf 12:14
MEN 40-44 Chuck Schneekloth, Jeremy Hurley and Philip Potvin took 1st, 4th and 5th Overall and went 1-2-3 here in 4:37, 4:45 and 4:46. Schneekloth claimed the bronze medal last year but moved up to Gold this year. Hurley enjoyed his first National Championship Division podium, edging the Bronze Medalist by 1 second! Potvin, an Ann Arbor resident, took 6th overall last year, and 5th in the Division in 4:53.
He knocked 7 seconds off his time and moved up to 5th Overall and took the Bronze Medal in this Division Championship. He needed that faster time as Mark Walchinsky was only 3 seconds back in 4th.
Chuck Schneekloth 4:37 Jeremy Hurley 4:45 Phillip Potvin 4:46
45-49 Michael Madsen lost the Overall title in a photo finish, but no photos were needed for the Division crown which he took with comparative ease, enjoying a victory margin over Brian Sydow, 3rd Overall, of 7 seconds.
Brian Sydow finishes 3rd Overall and takes the Silver Medal in the 45-49 Division at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Mark Andrews claimed the final podium spot in the Division with a 4:49. Five seconds later, Brent Fields sped across the finish line in 4th.
Michael Madsen 4:37 Brian Sydow 4:44 Mark Andrews 4:49
50-54 Tim Van Orden, 6th Overall, took the 50-54 title with 10 seconds to spare over the former record holder, Todd Straka, who ran 4:56. The division is stocked with speedy runners; Jeff Conston claimed 3rd in 4:58, with Alejandro Heuck, Landen Summay, and Mike Nier 4th-6th, all with the same 5:02 time!
Tim Van Orden 4:46 Todd Straka 4:56 Jeff Conston 5:02
55-59 Mark Zamek finally got a win over Nat Larson, edging hm by a single second in 4:55. That reversed the order of finish observed last week in Atlanta, where Larson took his 4th Division Championship of the season. His winning margin over Zamek was 8 seconds!. John Borthwick captured the Bronze Medal, 4 seconds behind Larson, and 2 seconds ahead of Alan Wells. Wells won the division last year.
Mark Zamek 4:55 Nat Larson 4:56 John Borthwick 5:00
Mark Zamek wins the 55-59 Division at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
60-64 David Westenberg, a newcomer to the USATF Masters Grand Prix circuit, had posted a 39:04 10K and a 5:10 point-to-point Street Mile earlier in the year, suggesting he could do some damage. And he did; Westenberg knocked down the American Record and took the Division title in 5:13. Twelve seconds later Atlanta’s dynamic duo, Jeffery Dundas and Ken Youngers, came across in 5:25 and 5:27 in 2nd and 3rd, keeping Michael Young off the podium in 4th, seven seconds back. This is the first time since Dundas returned to action for Atlanta in national championship running that he has come in ahead of Youngers. When both Youngers and Dundas are healthy, it gives Atlanta a terrific 1-2 punch in team contests.
David Westenberg 5:13 Jeffery Dundas 5:25 Ken Youngers 5:27
65-69 Joseph Reda, III and Reno Stirrat have been going head-to-head all year. It looked like Stirrat was going to gain the edge in Atlanta with a win, until Reda beat him with a last second surge to the tape. In the run-up to this race, Stirrat tweaked his back, so the anticipated duel would likely be put on hold. That is the way it came out; Reda had no trouble winning in 5:33. Bob Deak who finished 4th in Atlanta behind Reda and Stirrat, claimed 2nd in 5:40. Stirrat was relieved to finish 4 seconds later with the Bronze Medal; he helped his team get the points they needed to keep pace in the Club Grand Prix. He had a comfortable margin over the 4th place finisher, Wally Hayes.
Joseph Reda 5:33 Bob Deak 5:40 Reno Stirrat 5:44
Joseph Reda captures the 65-69 title at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
70-74 It is a shame that Lloyd Hansen, last year’s winner in 6:02, was out with a hamstring injury. He and Bob Giambalvo would have had a heck of a race. Terry McCluskey, Division Champion at Spokane and Atlanta this year, ran a great race, but he could not stay with Giambalvo after the first 200 meters, and could never gain on him after that. Giambalvo, a 5K and below specialist by his own account, took the win in 6:01;
Bob Giambalvo left battles GVH's Gary Passamonte all the way to the finish in taking the 70-74 win at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
McCluskey was 2nd in 6:15. Dave Glass had been a ways behind his teammate, Jerry Learned, earlier in the year but was only two seconds back in Atlanta the week before. This time, he was able to take the honors; Glass apparently edged Learned, who was closing fast, for the Bronze Medal by a single second in 6:22 !
Jerry Learned left and Dave Glass right sprint for the finish line and the Bronze Medal at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
75-79 Doug Goodhue, eleven-time Divisional Road Runner of the Year, was a strong favorite going in. Since coming back from an extended absence with a leg injury, Goodhue has been unstoppable. He had entered three National Championship races this year, Club Cross Country, the 8 Km and 5 Km road race Championships, and won them all. Goodhue rarely loses a divisional Championship race when healthy. But Jan Frisby is another of the old lions of the circuit. No matter how often an injury sidelines him, he comes back. A 4-time Divisional Road Runner of the Year himself, Frisby thought he might give Goodhue a run for the money in 2016 at these Championships. But one of his foot injuries limited his stride in that race and he finished 14 seconds back; Goodhue set the current record for 75-79 in that race. Frisby was finally set to try again. His training had gone well, and his weight was down. This time there was no backsliding during the race. Goodhue got out strong as always, but this time Frisby kept him in sight, tracked him down, got past him, and held on. At the tape it was Frisby 6:18, Goodhue 6:19; it was Frisby’s first victory over a healthy Goodhue in years!
Jan Frisby driving for the finish line and the 75-79 win at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
They should go at it again in San Diego; that will be some race to watch!
Jan Frisby 6:18 Doug Goodhue 6:19
85-89 Jon Desenberg took this group unopposed in 10:12, establishing an American Record in a division with no previously ratified record. He will put this one beside the 80-84 Gold Medal he won in 2016.
Jon Desenberg 10:12
Jon Desenberg crosses the finish line to win the 85-89 Division and establish a new American Record at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
90-94 Nathaniel Finestone got the better of his chief rival, Richard Soller, in 12:52. Showing that his victory in Atlanta over the 5 Km defending champion, Soller, was no fluke, Finestone also established an Age Division American Record! Forty seconds later Soller crossed the finish line in 2nd.
Nathaniel Finestone 12:52 Richard Soller 13:33
Nathan Finestone captures the 90-94 title and establishes a new 90-94 American Record at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS scored as the
cumulative time of first 3 finishers on each team
MEN
40+ The Garden State Track Club-New Balance Schneekloth, Dave Ferruggia, Zamek averaging 4:47, overcame the Atlanta Track Club Brian Sydow, Brent Fields, Chris Weiss (Atlanta), averaging 4:55, and the Genesee Valley Harriers (GVH) Mark Andrews, Christopher Hernandez, Stephen Ruchlin, (Bill Beyerbach) who averaged 5:00. Schneekloth got Garden State off to a good start with his number 1 finish, ahead of Atlanta's Sydow and GVH's Andrews.
Ferrugia kept it going by beating his counterparts on Atlanta, and GVH. When Zamek came in ahead of the #3 runners on the other rivals, that iced the win! After the first two runners crossed the line for each team, Atlanta and GVH were only a second apart. Weiss closed it off to ensure Atlanta got the 2nd place.
Garden State Track Club-New Balance 14:22 Atlanta Track Club 14:43 GVH 14:58
50+ The Greater Springfield Harriers Larson, Alejandro Heuck, Kent Lemme averaging 5:01 took the win over Atlanta Alan Wells, Jeff Haertel, Michael Strickland, Lester Dragstedt, Ben Bailey with a 5:07 average, and GVH Mike Nier, Alan Evans, Dale Flanders, (Gary Passamonte) with 5:09 per runner. Despite coming in with fitness worries, once the race got underway there were no worries for Springfield. Larson started them off with a 6 second cushion or more on their 3 rivals and Heuck added 7 seconds or more on all the #2 runners.
Lemme closed it off by finishing 4 seconds ahead of his closest rival. Again Atlanta was ahead of their rivals from New York by just a second after the first two runners. Strickland finished just 5 seconds ahead of Flanders to ice 2nd place with a narrow overall margin. In this highly competitive division, Playmakers Elite-New Balance was less than 5 seconds per runner behind in 4th.
Greater Springfield Harriers 15:03 Atlanta Track Club 15:21 GVH 15:27
60+ Atlanta Jeffery Dundas, Ken Youngers, Michael Anderson topped the field, averaging 5:34, over the Shore Athletic Club Kevin Dollard, Reno Stirrat, Scott Linnell, with a 5:48 average, and the Kansas City Smoke Stan McCrmack, John Blaser, Randy McDermott at 5:52. Dundas and Youngers got Atlanta off to a 1-2 start; Anderson sped past all but Stirrat of the #2 runners for the other clubs and all of the #3 runners—a dominant win for Atlanta.
Dollard and Stirrat gave Shore an 8 second lead over Kansas City and when Linnell came home 3 seconds ahead of McDermott, that iced the 2nd place finish for Shore! The Ann Arbor Track Club 'A' and 'B' squads took the next 2 places.
Atlanta Track Club 16:40 Shore AC 17:24 Kansas City Smoke 17:35
70+ The Ann Arbor Track Club Terry McCluskey, Goodhue, Paul Carlin averaging 6:25, beat back challenges from Atlanta Dave Glass, Jerry Learned, Sam Benedict with a 6:43 average and GVH Doc Rappole, Tony Gingello, Jim Glinsky, at 6:52 per runner. McCluskey and Goodhue went 1-2 for a great Ann Arbor start.
But Atlanta's Learned and Glass took the next two spots, followed by GVH's Rappole. Ann Arbor had just a 14 second lead over Atlanta at that point. Carlin closed it off for Ann Arbor by keeping ahead of GVH’s #2, Gingello, and ahead of the #3 runners for both rival teams.
Ann Arbor Track Club 19:13 Atlanta Track Club 20:10 GVH 20:35
WOMEN –
40+ Atlanta Friend-Uhl, Jill Braley, Amy Bartholomew-Koepp, (Hiroko Guarneri) averaging 5:36 per runner, were unopposed.
Atlanta Track Club 16:48
50+ The Athena Track Club Strange, McCoubrie, Mary Swan, averaging 5:47, triumphed over Atlanta Mary Shah, Kris Huff, Maureen Martin with a 6:19 average, and GVH Sandra Gregorich, Colleen Magnussen, Darlene Saeva at 6:59. Strange and McCoubrie started things off with a bang by going 1-2 within 4 seconds of each other and half a minute ahead of everyone else.
Shah and Huff took the next two spots for Atlanta with the same time. Swan finished things off eleven seconds later to give Athena the win. Twenty-six seconds after Shah and Huff finished for Atlanta, GVH's Gregorich came in to give them hope of 2nd. But 4 seconds later Martin dashed those hopes by giving Atlanta their third finisher.
Athena Track Club 17:20 Atlanta Track Club 18:57 GVH 20:57
60+ The Impala Racing Team Nancy Simmons, Ruby Ghadially, Jill Miller-Robinett, (Rosemarie MacGuinness) averaging 6:21, beat the defending Champions, Atlanta Patrice Combs, Mireille Silva, Margaret Taylor, (Cynthia Williams) at 6:50. Simmons gave Impala a jump-start by finishing 1st, nearly a half minute ahead of the field. Atlanta’s #1, Combs, was able to beat Ghadially across the line by 2 seconds, but the Impalas gained another 11 seconds by Ghadially finishing that far ahead of Atlanta’s Silva.
Miller-Robinett iced the win for the Impalas by coming in over 45 seconds ahead of Atlanta's Taylor.
Impala Racing Team 19:01 Atlanta Track Club 20:29
70+ Atlanta Catherine Radle, Carol Rhodes, Judy Melton, (Susan Hartman) averaging 11:22, took the 70+ division unopposed.
Atlanta Track Club 34:06
It was an incredible evening of swift running, with an abundance of incredibly tight finishes and gutsy performances!
MEN
40+ The Garden State Track Club-New Balance Schneekloth, Dave Ferruggia, Zamek averaging 4:47, overcame the Atlanta Track Club Brian Sydow, Brent Fields, Chris Weiss (Atlanta), averaging 4:55, and the Genesee Valley Harriers (GVH) Mark Andrews, Christopher Hernandez, Stephen Ruchlin, (Bill Beyerbach) who averaged 5:00. Schneekloth got Garden State off to a good start with his number 1 finish, ahead of Atlanta's Sydow and GVH's Andrews.
Ferrugia kept it going by beating his counterparts on Atlanta, and GVH. When Zamek came in ahead of the #3 runners on the other rivals, that iced the win! After the first two runners crossed the line for each team, Atlanta and GVH were only a second apart. Weiss closed it off to ensure Atlanta got the 2nd place.
Garden State Track Club-New Balance 14:22 Atlanta Track Club 14:43 GVH 14:58
50+ The Greater Springfield Harriers Larson, Alejandro Heuck, Kent Lemme averaging 5:01 took the win over Atlanta Alan Wells, Jeff Haertel, Michael Strickland, Lester Dragstedt, Ben Bailey with a 5:07 average, and GVH Mike Nier, Alan Evans, Dale Flanders, (Gary Passamonte) with 5:09 per runner. Despite coming in with fitness worries, once the race got underway there were no worries for Springfield. Larson started them off with a 6 second cushion or more on their 3 rivals and Heuck added 7 seconds or more on all the #2 runners.
Lemme closed it off by finishing 4 seconds ahead of his closest rival. Again Atlanta was ahead of their rivals from New York by just a second after the first two runners. Strickland finished just 5 seconds ahead of Flanders to ice 2nd place with a narrow overall margin. In this highly competitive division, Playmakers Elite-New Balance was less than 5 seconds per runner behind in 4th.
Greater Springfield Harriers 15:03 Atlanta Track Club 15:21 GVH 15:27
60+ Atlanta Jeffery Dundas, Ken Youngers, Michael Anderson topped the field, averaging 5:34, over the Shore Athletic Club Kevin Dollard, Reno Stirrat, Scott Linnell, with a 5:48 average, and the Kansas City Smoke Stan McCrmack, John Blaser, Randy McDermott at 5:52. Dundas and Youngers got Atlanta off to a 1-2 start; Anderson sped past all but Stirrat of the #2 runners for the other clubs and all of the #3 runners—a dominant win for Atlanta.
Jeffery Dundas leads his Atlanta Track Club team t victory int he 60+ Division at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Dollard and Stirrat gave Shore an 8 second lead over Kansas City and when Linnell came home 3 seconds ahead of McDermott, that iced the 2nd place finish for Shore! The Ann Arbor Track Club 'A' and 'B' squads took the next 2 places.
Atlanta Track Club 16:40 Shore AC 17:24 Kansas City Smoke 17:35
70+ The Ann Arbor Track Club Terry McCluskey, Goodhue, Paul Carlin averaging 6:25, beat back challenges from Atlanta Dave Glass, Jerry Learned, Sam Benedict with a 6:43 average and GVH Doc Rappole, Tony Gingello, Jim Glinsky, at 6:52 per runner. McCluskey and Goodhue went 1-2 for a great Ann Arbor start.
Terry McCluskey leads his Ann Arbr Track Club 70+ team to victory at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
But Atlanta's Learned and Glass took the next two spots, followed by GVH's Rappole. Ann Arbor had just a 14 second lead over Atlanta at that point. Carlin closed it off for Ann Arbor by keeping ahead of GVH’s #2, Gingello, and ahead of the #3 runners for both rival teams.
Ann Arbor Track Club 19:13 Atlanta Track Club 20:10 GVH 20:35
WOMEN –
40+ Atlanta Friend-Uhl, Jill Braley, Amy Bartholomew-Koepp, (Hiroko Guarneri) averaging 5:36 per runner, were unopposed.
Atlanta Track Club 16:48
50+ The Athena Track Club Strange, McCoubrie, Mary Swan, averaging 5:47, triumphed over Atlanta Mary Shah, Kris Huff, Maureen Martin with a 6:19 average, and GVH Sandra Gregorich, Colleen Magnussen, Darlene Saeva at 6:59. Strange and McCoubrie started things off with a bang by going 1-2 within 4 seconds of each other and half a minute ahead of everyone else.
Doreen McCoubrie flies across the finish line, helping her Athena Track Club 50+ team to a big lead at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Shah and Huff took the next two spots for Atlanta with the same time. Swan finished things off eleven seconds later to give Athena the win. Twenty-six seconds after Shah and Huff finished for Atlanta, GVH's Gregorich came in to give them hope of 2nd. But 4 seconds later Martin dashed those hopes by giving Atlanta their third finisher.
Athena Track Club 17:20 Atlanta Track Club 18:57 GVH 20:57
60+ The Impala Racing Team Nancy Simmons, Ruby Ghadially, Jill Miller-Robinett, (Rosemarie MacGuinness) averaging 6:21, beat the defending Champions, Atlanta Patrice Combs, Mireille Silva, Margaret Taylor, (Cynthia Williams) at 6:50. Simmons gave Impala a jump-start by finishing 1st, nearly a half minute ahead of the field. Atlanta’s #1, Combs, was able to beat Ghadially across the line by 2 seconds, but the Impalas gained another 11 seconds by Ghadially finishing that far ahead of Atlanta’s Silva.
Patrice Combs leads her Atlanta Track Club squad to 2nd Place at the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship hosted by the Crim Festival of Races' Michigan Mile |
Miller-Robinett iced the win for the Impalas by coming in over 45 seconds ahead of Atlanta's Taylor.
Impala Racing Team 19:01 Atlanta Track Club 20:29
70+ Atlanta Catherine Radle, Carol Rhodes, Judy Melton, (Susan Hartman) averaging 11:22, took the 70+ division unopposed.
Atlanta Track Club 34:06
It was an incredible evening of swift running, with an abundance of incredibly tight finishes and gutsy performances!
The 2019 USATF
Masters Grand Prix series heads next to Mission Bay Park, San Diego CA, for the
USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships on October 12th.
I have to give kudos to Nat Larson (Men 55-59) for coming out to support his team knowing he wasn't anywhere near top fitness and putting his unbeaten age group streak on the line. We've all been there with supporting our teams and the ones like Nat that put team above self are world class in more ways than age graded percent. (Posted by Mark Zamek)
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