July 24, 2023 Greensboro NC Take your choice-25 laps on the track or fewer laps but with barriers! Some chose both! Compared to Friday, the 10,000-meter run offered better weather conditions on Saturday morning, July 22, 2023. Temperatures were in the low 70's with dewpoint low 60's. The winds were at 5-6 mph under cloudy skies. By the time the first Steeplechase events were scheduled to be run at 10:50, temps had risen to the upper 70's and the dewpoint, at 62F, indicated it was just as steamy as earlier.
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| Greensboro Mural Photo posted by A Otstot on FB |
TEN THOUSAND METER RUN
Mixed Heat-Women 65 and up; Men 70 and up
Women
85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite Atlanta TC was unopposed, claiming the 85-89 Gold medal in 1:47:22.65.
80-84 No Competitors
75-79 Jeannie Rice set her 2nd World Record of the Meet, adding it to her 5000 Meter mark set on Thursday. The World mark was just over 50:00; that made pacing easy. Average under 2 minutes a lap for 25 laps and you had the record. Except for the first lap, which Rice ran in 1:46, she was a model of consistency, running every lap between 1:51 and 1:55, with most in the 1:52-1:54 range. She broke the World Record by over three minutes! She collected the US record along the way.
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| Jeannie Rice, in World Record form, competing in the Women's 75-79 division of the 10,000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by J Rice on Strava |
Nancy Rollins ran strong as well; her time was 2:42.95 seconds under the US mark, but Rice was more than 8 minutes under the US record. It is not easy competing against a legend! Andrea McCarter ATC took the Bronze medal.
Jeannie Rice 46:53.07 Nancy Rollins 52:43.75 Andrea McCarter 1:27:22.13
70-74 ATC teammates, Francoise Levinson and Terry Ozell had this division to themselves. Levinson took it out strong and had a half minute lead by the first kilometer. In the next 1600 meters, she increased the lead to 52 seconds. Ozell matched Levinson's pace the rest of the way. Levinson took the win in 58:24.32 with Ozell claiming Silver.
Francoise Levinson 58:24.32 Terry Ozell 59:21.21
65-69 Patrice Combs ATC had a 6-second lead by the end of the first lap and kept adding to it. She had a 27 second lead by the end of the 4th lap and 58 seconds by the end of the 8th. There was no stopping Combs as she racked up the win in 45:46.85. Her teammate, Cynthia Williams, could not keep pace with Combs, but claimed the Silver medal, well ahead of third place finisher, Denise Smith Athens Road Runners (ARR).
Patrice Combs 45:46.85 Cynthia Williams 49:31.77 Denise Smith 55:23.95
Men
85-89 Colben Sime, in his last year in the division, at 89, owned this race, taking the Gold medal in 1:24:48.34.
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| Colben Sime on his way to the Gold 85-89 Medal in the 10,000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by Blake Wood on FB |
80-84 No Competitors
75-79 Gene Dykes Greater Philadelphia TC, the noted marathoner and ultra marathoner, was running in his first national championship since turning 75. Dykes entered knowing that he wanted to save something for his steeplechase effort later in the day. Dykes let Leon Cook Greenville TC set the pace through the first 9 laps. Cook had an 18 second lead. Dykes matched Cook's pace over t1he next lap and then gradually pulled him back, a second or two per lap. Dykes took the lead at the 19th lap but did not pass with the intent of 'burying' his opponent, just getting in front and staying there. Dykes was less than 2 seconds ahead with a lap to go. Often, in these circumstances it is the athlete in 2nd place who has the big kick. This time it was Dykes! He lowered his last lap by over 6 seconds to take the win by 8 seconds. Donald Loewe So Cal TC played no role in the duel for the Gold medal but stayed comfortably ahead of his teammate, Masters Hall of Famer, Gary Patton. Presumably Patton was running the 10,000 meters for team points and had no reason to deny his teammate the Bronze medal. In a bright note for his many friends and rivals, Lloyd Hansen Ann Arbor TC, former Chair of Masters LDR, competed as well. Battling a mesothelioma diagnosis for the past two years, Hansen has, nevertheless, been able to keep his training going despite that health problem. A gold medalist many times over, Hansen inspired many with his 6th place finish in 52:35.54.
Gene Dykes 48:11.05 Leon Cook 48:19.63 Donald Loewe 50:23.14
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| Getting the Field Lined up for the Men's 70-89 Division [along with the Women's 65-89 Division at the front waterfall start line] of the 10,000 Meter Run-- Lloyd Hansen facing camera--Robert Qualls, Gene Dykes, and Eugene Myers in Lanes 1-3--25 laps to go! At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by L Hansen on FB |
70-74 Robert Qualls River City Rebels, who had broken the 70-74 Road Mile record in Indianapolis at the end of June but did not have his eye on a record-breaking performance on Saturday. Like others, he had an additional event to run after this one. Qualls moved swiftly to the front when the gun went off. He had a ten second lead on Eugene Myers at the end of the first lap. No slouch, Myers took 2nd this year at the USATF Half Marathon Championships and currently sits in 2nd behind Qualls in the 2023 Individual Grand Prix standings. By the end of the third lap the lead was up to 17 seconds, and Qualls would widen the gap over the remaining 22 laps. Myers could not keep pace with Qualls but enjoyed a similar lead over Jerry Learned's ATC Bronze medal effort.
Robert Qualls 42:54.65 Eugene Myers 47:30.39 Jerry Learned 51:51.75
Mixed Heat-Women 30 and up; Men 60-69
Women
60-64 Doreen McCoubrie Greater Philadelphia TC, who won the 60-64 5000-meter run Thursday evening, was back for an encore. She had two teammates to run with, and no one else. There was no pressure for a fast time. McCoubrie was running easily but still enjoyed a 15 second lead at the end of the first lap. McCoubrie extended that lead throughout the race, winning with a margin of over six minutes. Mary Swan was happy to let Lauren Siegel lead her through the first two kilometers. Swan passed at that point and created an 11-second gap over the next two laps. Swan added to the gap on most of the remaining laps but appeared to slow substantially every 4th lap, perhaps as a way of forcing herself to conserve energy for another future race. In the end it was McCoubrie-Swan-Siegel, all for GPTC.
Doreen McCoubrie 44:07.40 Mary Swan 50:29.61 Lauren Siegel 51:19.61
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| The Gun Is Up! Start of Women's 10,000 M Run 45-64 -Lanes 1-3 are: Perry Shoemaker, Abby Dean and Lisa Veneziano at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by A Dean on Strava |
55-59 Lisa Veneziano Pursuit of Excellence TC, the 12 Km American Record holder, had no trouble with this 10 Km run on the track. By the 4th lap she was over a minute ahead of the field; she added to it steadily. By the time she crossed the finish line, Veneziano was almost six minutes ahead. For the first 2 kilometers, it was close between Veneziano's teammate, Melissa Chiti, and Atlanta's Kris Huff. Through 17 laps Huff was one or two seconds ahead of Chiti. But then in lap 18, Chiti faltered and lost an extra second in each of the next two laps and then two seconds in lap 20.
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| Melissa Chiti L and Lisa Veneziano R , Bronze and Gold 55-59 Medalists in the 10,000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by L Veneziano on Strava |
By lap 21 the gap was up to ten seconds and the duel was over; Chiti did not recover. Huff took the Silver and Chiti the bronze. Chiti had almost two minutes on the 4th place finisher.
Lisa Veneziano 39:50.94 Kris Huff 45:48.76 Melissa Chiti 46:08.53
50-54 Abby Dean GPTC took the 10 Km national road title in 38:17 at Dedham at the end of April. Perry Shoemaker PVTC , claimed the division crown at the early June New York Mini 10K in 37:41. She bested Dean at the Masters Road Mile Championships. Whether Dean was still not fully recovered from a tough race at Grandma's Marathon at the end of June or she was just making the best of an off day, is unclear. What is clear is that Shoemaker was able to run away from Dean. She had a 6-second advantage at the end of the 2nd lap and ten seconds by the end of three laps. It never got any closer. In the end Shoemaker had nearly a three-minute margin on Dean. While Shoemaker enjoyed the Gold medal, Dean had no trouble staying ahead of Hilary Cairn, to claim Silver.
Perry Shoemakeri 37:14 Abby Dean 40:33.47 Hilary Cairn 41:50.69
45-49 Central Park Track Club teammates, Rebekah Kennedy and Paige Yellen ran together, with Kennedy leading and Yellen following, for the first half of the race. Yellen took over at that point, leading the rest of the way. Yellen finished 19 seconds ahead of her teammate, in first. Jacque Hartley ATC finished 3rd.
Paige Yellen 41:09.77 Rebekah Kennedy 41:28.44 Jacque Hartley 41:51:18.90
40-44 April Lund GYS TC moved right to the front on her mission to win her 2nd Gold medal. She was 9 seconds ahead of the field at 400 meters and added to her lead on every lap. She crossed the finish line over three minutes ahead of the Silver medalist, Megan Hansen Shenandoah Valley TC. Lund had hoped to challenge the American Record but it was not in the cards.
Men
65-69 In the battle of the two Timothy's, Timothy Conheady GPTC set off at the gun and had 7 seconds on Timothy Riccardi Genesee Valley Harriers by the end of the first lap. Conheady added two seconds on the next lap and stretched his lead until he took the win with well over a minute and a half to spare. Riccardi had a similar gap over the Bronze medalist, John Hadcock Greater Lowell Road Runners.
Timothy Conheady 41:23.56 Timothy Riccardi 43:07.77 John Hadcock 45:49.97
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| John Hadcock Left-Bronze and Timothy Riccardi Right-Silver commemorate their Podium Finish in the Men's 10,000 Meter run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by J Hadcock on Strava |
60-64 Rick Lee Shore AC shot out away from the starting line, as he had with the 5000-meter run, enjoying an 11-second margin over the field by the end of the first lap. He piled it on the rest of the way, crossing the finish line with a winning margin of well over four minutes. Lee also managed to provide some pacing, over the first half of the race, for April Lund's attempt on the 40-44 American record.
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| April Lund & Rick Lee after their Gold Medal performances in the Women's 40-44 and Men's 60-64 divisions at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by R Lee on Strava |
In contrast, three other runners had a heck of a tussle in sorting out 2nd through 4th. Among those three, Robert Whitaker Colonial Road Runners had the early lead, followed closely by GPTC teammates, Keith Davies and Chuck Shields. Between laps 14 and 15, Davies moved into the lead with Whitaker dropping into 2nd a stride ahead of Shields. After holding the lead for two laps, Davies gave way to Whitaker, who picked up his pace to move to the front once again. Shields bided his time. Davie held the lead until there was a lap to go. In the meantime, Shields had passed Davies and was lurking in second, just off of Davies' shoulder. Shields kicked past with authority and claimed the Silver medal with 5 seconds to spare. Davies, too, was able to get past Whitaker to nail the Bronze medal with a margin of just 3 seconds. Whitaker had done his best to push the pace and try to drop the two Philadelphians, but to no avail. Charles Justice closed strongly over the last 4000 meters, coming from 29 seconds back to finish within two seconds of Whitaker in 5th. Lee had a magnificent victory, adding it to his 5000 Meter win; the division had the tightest 2nd through 5th contest in the event.
Rick Lee 37:22.29 Charles 'Chuck' Shields 41:56.10 Keith Davies 42:01.45
Men's Heat 25-59
55-59 Over the first 4 laps, Scott Siriano ATC created a gap of half a minute back to Miguel Sanchez Ruano El Salvador. Sanchez Ruano was able to match Siriano's pace and keep the gap under 20 seconds until the 8th lap. After that, he could no longer match the pace and Siriano pulled gradually away, adding a second or a two to the lead on each lap. Siriano enjoyed a victory margin of over 50 seconds when he crossed the finish line in first. Sanchez Ruano was not closely pressed for the Silver medal; David Powers Dayton TC earned the Bronze.
Scott Siriano 39:24.74 Miguel Sanchez Ruano 40:17.97 David Powers 43:06.16
50-54 Allen Baddour Bull City TC stayed close to Craig Woshner for the first lap. By the end of the 2nd lap, Woshner was up by 5 seconds and there was no stopping him. Woshner won the Gold with well over a minute and a half to spare.
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| Allen Baddour #11 M50 about to be lapped by Craig Woshner #24 M50 , Joshua Whitehead #22 M40 and Adam Otstot #23 M40 in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by A Baddour on FB-Credit to Clint 'Flash Santoro |
Baddour won the Silver medal with more than 3 minutes on Ignacio Moore Blacksburg Striders.
Craig Woshner 34:10.26 Allen Baddour 35:54.70 Ignacio Moore 39:14.49
45-49 Since joining GVH this spring, Randall Howard had a Silver medal at the Masters Half Marathon Championships and a 4th at the 10K Masters Championships. This would be his first shot at Masters TF hardware. Reginald Cross stayed close for the first two laps, but a 1.6 second margin ballooned to 8 seconds by the end of the third lap. After that, Howard pulled steadily away, taking the Gold medal with a margin of more than 3 minutes. Cross had almost two minutes on Jordan Eison ATC who finished 3rd.
Randall Howard 35:53.14 Reginald Cross 39:07.59 Jordan Eison 41:00.04
40-44 Adam Otstot Colonial Road Runners, who finished 4th in the Masters race at Cross Nationals in Richmond, was going up against Josh Whitehead who ran 1:12:38 at the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in early April and a 33:52 10K in June. Otstot moved to the front after the first lap and held the lead, with Whitehead right on his heels, until the 1600-meter mark. Otstot slowed his pace markedly at that point, presumably to encourage Whitehead to take the lead. Whitehead was reluctant. But after 2 laps of looking over at Otstot on occasion and glancing over his shoulder to see if the others in the field were gaining on them at this slow pace, Whitehead surged into the lead just after they finished the 6th lap. Matthias Wilder, who had been 22 seconds back in 3rd at the end of the 4th lap was, after the 5th lap, only 16 seconds back, and after the 6th, only 9 seconds back. Whitehead led through 4800 meters when Craig Woshner, from 50-54, joined them and started taking laps at the front. Despite what the Mile Split results say, Woshner stayed in the lead for the next 4800 meters. Whitehead was quite content now to run in front of Otstot as Woshner set a very nice pace for both. As they headed up the backstretch on the final lap, Whitehead made his move to the front; Ostot went with him and Woshner settled in right behind. Midway around the final turn it looked like Woshner might be able to move in front of Otstot but that possibility closed down fast. Whitehead was sprinting at the head of the final straightaway, in the lead, when Otstot found his other gear and zoomed past to take the win with less than 2 seconds to spare. Whitehead was 2nd. Woshner, as noted, despite losing out to these two, enjoyed a fine 50-54 victory! I assume that both Otstot and Whitehead thanked Woshner for his excellent pacing services. Had Woshner not inserted himself, the race would have been more tactical and, almost surely, slower. Wilder had no trouble staying in 3rd, well over a minute ahead of Eric Heintz ATC, Director of High Performance for ATC. Heintz also serves as Race Director for the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships, held in Atlanta as part of the PUBLIX Marathon weekend. Heintz impacts the sport at all levels!
Adam Otstot 34:04.03 Josh Whitehead 34:05.90 Matthias Wilder 35:07.35
35-39 Kevin Kuhn 35:29.52 30-34 Jesse Jones 35:09.04 25-29 Mike Vaz 36:16.19
STEEPLECHASE
Note: Men under 60 run the steeplechase over 3000 meters, the same as in Open competition; all others run it over 2000 meters. Each circuit of the track includes 4 fixed barriers and 1 water jump.
Women 70 and up 2000 Meters
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| Women's 70 - 89 Field for the 2000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by N Hudnall on FB |
85-89 Florence Meiler Sprinticity, in her last year in the 85-89 division showed she still has what it takes. Meiler established an early gap of 25 seconds on the first lap and grew that lead the rest of the way to claim the 85-89 Gold medal. Tami Graf Potomac Valley TC, who has won more than her share of Gold had ot be satisfied with Silver this time.
Florence Meiler 20:35:18 Tami Graf 22:02.26
80-84 No Competitors
75-79 Nancy Berger took it out strong and enjoyed a lead of 26 seconds at the end of the first circuit. The gap was up to 44 seconds by the end of the 2nd circuit and grew the rest of the way. Berger claimed the Gold medal with almost two minutes to spare. The duel between Andrea McCarter Atlanta TC and Mary Trotto TNT Internation TC was much closer. McCarter steadily built up a gap over Trotto, from 3 seconds at the end of the first circuit to 23 seconds by the end of the 4th. But Trotto had a kick and took ten seconds out of McCarter's lead on the final circuit of the track, finishing just 13 seconds back in 3rd.
Nancy Berger 15:17.16 Andrea McCarter 17:09.29 Mary Trotto 17:22.65
70-74 Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall Atlanta TC and Hannah Phillips Potomac Valley TC battled over the barriers for the win. Phillips, the taller of the two, had an advantage over the barriers where she would sometimes jump onto the barrier and push off forward and sometimes, like Phillips, climb over the barrier. Over the first couple of laps the hurdling made enough difference to keep Philips in the lead by a few seconds, although Hudnall would typically close down the lead between barriers. After they cleared the first barrier on the 4th lap, Hudnall saw an opening to pass Phillips on the inside as Phillips swung out around a slower runner. Once Hudnall took the lead, she did not let go. Her greater leg speed between the barriers worked in her favor and Phillips, having tired, was now climbing over most of the barriers as well, so gained less advantage from them. Hudnall pushed the lead to 7 seconds on that lap and grew it a little more on the last lap. Hudnall took Gold with Phillips in the Silver medal position ten seconds back. Freddie Braxton Trojan Masters TC was not able to keep pace with Hudnall and Phillips but created a solid gap between herself and Kathleeen Allen ATC, claiming the Bronze medal with 14 seconds to spare.
Norma Hudnall 12:03.93 Hannah Phillips 12:13.33 Freddie Braxton 13:36.89
Men 70 and up 2000 Meters
85-89 New England 65 Plus teammates, Joe Cordero and Jerry Levasseur, had this division to themselves. Cordero took it out hard and had over a half minute on Levasseur in the first lap. After that, Cordero was able to build his lead each lap until he took the Gold medal with a 2-minute victory margin. Levasseur could not match the Gold medal he won at the 10 Km road championships in Dedham MA at the end of April but was happy, no doubt, to take home a Silver steeplechase medal from a national championship! The steeple is a special event!
Joe Cordero 17:41.66 Jerry Levasseur 19:41.15
80-84 No Competitors
75-79 As noted above, Gene Dykes GPTC ran the 10,000 meters earlier this same morning and tried to save something for the steeplechase. And he would have a serious challenger. Five years ago in 2018 when these championships were held in Cheney WA, Tim Wigger So Cal TC won the 70-74 2000-meter steeplechase in 9:24. Two years ago when the Championships were in Ames, IA, Dykes won the 70-74 2000-meter steeplechase in 9:22. Enough said! Both had good form over the barriers, but Dykes was just slightly smoother, at least in part because of a longer frame. I believe Dykes ran some hurdles in high school. Neither Dykes nor Wigger were hurdling the barriers though. But they were using the lead foot to the top of the barrier and push off, landing on the opposite leg. Dykes always seemed to clear the hurdle with just a little more momentum than Wigger. After each barrier, though, Wigger would close up on Dykes. The result was that Dykes led Wigger by 2-4 seconds on each of the first 4 laps. The same story played out on the final lap through the Water Jump.
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| Gene Dykes #1 and Tim Wigger clear the Water Jump in the 75-79 2000 Meter Steeplechase on their way to a 1-2 Finish at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by T Wigger on FB |
Dykes had 3 seconds on Wigger who started to close the gap before they reached the last barrier, about 120 meters from the finish. Once over the last barrier, Dykes picked up his pace, but Wigger got his arms pumping and knees lifting to kick for the finish line. Dykes had just enough to outlast him as Dykes took the Gold medal with just a fraction of a second between them. Kudos to Wigger for sticking to Dykes all the way and making a race of it. Kudos to Dykes for lasting all the way to the finish line, especially with a 10,000-meter run in his legs from a couple of hours earlier in the day. Wigger's teammate, Donald Loew, was well back from those two but a good 45 seconds ahead of Harold Nolan who took 4th.
Gene Dykes 9:51.11 Tim Wigger 9:51.26 Donald Loew 10:34.92
70-74 Manuel Barnes took it out hard and had a 7 second lead after the first lap. Barnes could not sustain that pace though, giving it all back and more on the second lap. William Moore Potomac Valley TC passed him and never looked back, eventually winning the Gold medal by over a minute. Phillip Ozell ATC finished third behind Barnes.
William Moore 10:14.60 Manuel Barnes 11:19.16 Phillip Ozell 11:44.37
Women 55-69 2000 Meters
65-69 Debbie Lee So Cal TC had no problem in this division. Thirteen seconds ahead after the first lap, Lee added to her margin each lap until she won, at the finish, by 45 seconds. Although she could not stay with Lee, Mary Lowe Mayhugh Potomac Valley TC grew an even bigger gap back to the third place finisher. Mayhugh claimed the Silver medal by a minute and a half over her teammate, Liza Recto.
Debbie Lee 10:32.44 Mary Low Mayhugh 11:17.89 Liza Recto 12:46.47
60-64 Cheryl Bellaire GPTC, the defending champion from 2021 and 2022, got the job done, and then some, on her last year in the division. She was 26 seconds ahead of the field after the first lap and claimed the Gold medal with a winning margin of a minute and a half.
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| Cheryl Bellaire, cooling off at the Water Jump on her way to the 60-64 2000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by C Bellaire on FB |
Joanne Shabelski Potomac Valley TC took 2nd; just over a minute later, her teammate, Emilie Class claimed Bronze.
Cheryl Bellaire 9:56.13 Joanne Shabelski 11:27.80 Emilie Class 12:40.66
55-59 Rachel Hopkins Sirius Athletics, who finished 3rd at the highly competitive Club Cross championships last December in 50-54, set out on her first try at a 55-59 national steeplechase title, with Judy Stobbe CPTC in hot pursuit. Stobbe was within a second after the first circuit. Though she hung on gamely through the 2nd, Hopkins stretched the lead to 4 seconds. Stobbe never gave up but could not quite match Hopkins over the barriers and kept losing time. Stobbe claimed the Gold medal; a half minute later, Stobbe had Silver. Gina Witcher finished third, closing to within 21 seconds of Stobbe by the end.
Rachel Hopkins 8:35.29 Judy Stobbe 9:04.05 Gina Witcher 9:25:36
Men 60-69 2000 Meters
65-69 Jeffery Barros El Paso Flames finished 3rd in 2021 and 5th last year. This year he was in a new age division and made it count; Barros led from wire to wire. He was closely tracked for the first two laps by Mike Selmer Potomac Valley TC in 2nd and Elliott Drumright in 3rd. Selmer dropped back on the third lap but Drumright was tight on Barros, trailing by less than a second. Barros decided to go for it on the 4th lap, increasing his pace and dropping Drumright 7 seconds back. Barros took the win with a margin of 12 seconds. Leo Murillo CPTC passed Selmer on the last lap to claim the Bronze medal, a minute back from Drumright.
Jeffery Barros 9:10.30 Elliott Drumright 9:22.98 Leo Murillo 10:25.97
60-64 As usual at these championships, Rick Lee Shore AC went right to the front of the pack, leading them over the barriers.
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| Rick Lee clearing a barrier in the 2000M Men's 60-64 Steeple on his way to Gold at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by R Lee on Strava |
Phil Roberts, who finished 4th last year in 55-59, was trailing Lee by a second and change at the end of the first lap. Jeff Soares Santa Cruz TC, who finished two places ahead of Roberts last year, was another couple of seconds back. By the end of the second lap, Roberts was still tight on Lee but Soares had fallen back. He had a minor stumble coming out of the water jump and did not close the gap that emerged. Over the next lap, Roberts continued tracking Lee but Soares fell 8 seconds back. On the 4th lap, Roberts stayed tight on Lee but after they both cleanly cleared the Water Jump, Roberts decided it was now or never. He surged past Lee and had the lead at the bell. Lee patiently tracked Roberts over two barriers. As they approached the Water Jump, Lee accelerated and closed most of the gap. But Roberts was still ahead and cleared the final barrier just ahead of Lee. It was down to the final kick to the finish; Lee's leg speed was too much for Roberts! Lee had the win by less than a second and a half, his toughest Gold medal of the meet. It was hardly surprising considering that Lee had the 10,000 meter run in his legs. Soares finished in 3rd, 25 seconds later.
Rick Lee 7:33.36 Phil Roberts 7:34.58 Jeff Soares 7:59.29
Women 25-59 2000 Meters
50-54 Idalma Melendez Barrera had the division to herself.
Idalma Melendez Barrera 17:13.85
45-49 Euleen Josiah-Tanner T.H.E. TC, who won the Bronze medal at the World Championships last year and followed that up with a win at the National Championships, was back to defend her title. Despite this being her final year in the division, Josiah-Tanner had no equal in the division. leading wire to wire, her lead increased from 8 seconds on the first alp to almost 45 seconds by the finish. Shannon Florea BLUEgrass Runners could not match Josiah-Tanner but stayed well ahead of the third-place runner, Sara Schwendinger So Cal TC.
Euleen Josiah-Tanner 7:58.96 Shannon Florea 8:42.06 Sara Schwendinger 9:28.97
40-44 Alex Dietrich So Cal TC entered the race as the defending champion but her teammate, Caroline Cobb went right to the front of the division and enjoyed a 14 second lead over Dietrich after the first lap. Cobb never looked back, enjoying a winning margin of over a minute. Dietrich ran 18 seconds faster than last year but had to settle for 2nd this time. Elizabeth Hymer GYS TC was almost another minute back in 3rd.
Caroline Cobb 9:08.64 Alex Dietrich 10:12.29 Elizabeth Hymer 11:06.56
35-39 Carrie Murthy 8:39.04 30-34 No Competitors 25-29 Rebecca Entrekin 8:15.63
Men 50-59 3000 Meters
55-59 Scott Siriano ATC finished 2nd in 50-54 in 2021 and 2nd last year in 55-59. Why not complete the trifecta with a first place this year? Like Dykes, Siriano had competed in the 10,000 meter run earlier that morning. Siriano was content to let Christopher Yorges Venezuela move to the front and set the pace. Yorges bult up a 14 second lead over the first 2000 meters. But the 6th lap was his downfall. I am not sure if Yorges had trouble at the Water Jump or a barrier or fatigue set in. But Siriano, by keeping to his 1:43 per lap pace, was able to turn a 14 second disadvantage into a ten second advantage over that lap. Siriano stretched his lead on the final two laps, taking the Gold medal with a gap of over a minute back to Yorges. What a nice double gold! Greg Hales Santa Cruz TC was 45 seconds behind Yorges at the 2000-meter mark but 6 seconds back at the finish!
Scott Siriano 12:39.97 Christopher Yorges 13:42.46 Greg Hales 13:48.23
50-54 Robert Dinterman led for the first 2400 meters, with Jose Gregorio Yanes Quijada Venezuela 4-8 seconds behind at the end of each lap. On the next to last lap, Quijada accelerated into the Water Jump; his momentum carried him past Dinterman into the lead. Quijada powered away from Dinterman, hurdling the next barrier as Dinterman used the jump-land-push technique. There was no stopping him; Quijada had stretched his lead to 18 seconds by the time he crossed the finish line! Dinterman took 2nd, 25 seconds ahead of Charlie Coe.
Jose Gregorio Yanes Quijada 11:58.83 Robert Dinterman 12:16.05 Charlie Coe 12:41.56
Men 25-49 3000 Meters
45-49 Trent Bryson Cal Coast TC, who finished 5th at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis at the end of June, continued his return to serious competition after an absence of 25 years. Bryson moved quickly to the front and no one from his division followed. The only competition he found came from the 40-44 division. Leading wire to wire he finished well over a minute ahead of the field.
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| Clint Bryson right leading the 4th place competitor, Filip Janku, on his way to the 45-49 Gold medal in the 3000-Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by C Santoro on FB |
Clint 'Flash' Santoro Arizona Pacemakers, who delights fellow competitors with his photos, nailed the Silver medal with a late push. At 1400 meters, Santoro was in 4th, a second behind Aaron Hale Bull City TC, but 11 seconds back from Robert McRae So Cal TC. McRae's race ended abruptly. His pace ballooned by 15 seconds; Santoro took advantage by passing not only McRae but Hale as well. Hale was just a second back with 3 laps to go. But Santoro pushed to widen the gap, cruised for a lap and then crushed the last lap, taking the Silver medal with 17 seconds back to Hale.
Trent Bryson 10:52.03 Clint Santoro 12:13.68 Aaron Hale 12:30.94
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| Clint Santoro clearing the barrier on his way to the Silver medal in the 45-49 3000-Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships Photo posted by C Santoro on FB |
Joshua Sanders 10:55.35 Jesse Rappole 11:11.80 Bryan Brander 11:26.46
35-39 Chris Hopkin 12:52.50 30-34 No Competitors 25-29 Lynn Hackett 11:48.79
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The 800 Meter event, held after the Steeplechase on Saturday afternoon, will be covered in the next recap, with the 1500 Meter Run ('metric mile') which was held on Sunday.
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