August 1, 2023 The 800 Meter event was held in the afternoon on Saturday, July 22nd on the NC A&T State track in Greensboro NC. The 1500 Meter run was held the following morning. The 800-1500 is, of course, a popular double for Masters athletes.
Thanks to Rick Lee, ace long-distance runner, sailor, mushroom hunter, and photographer, for sharing his 800M and 1500M photos with me.
800 METERS
Women
90-94 Dot Sowerby High Point AC, 90, claimed the Gold medal without opposition in 5:52.93.
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| Start of Women 75+ 800M-Jeannie Rice #10-Takes early lead with Nancy Rollins #7 light blue singlet a half stride back, with Susan Aderhold #8 on her shoulder-at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite Atlanta TC (ATC) finished 2nd in this division last year in a close race with Tami Graf. She was no match for Martha Klopfer this year but enjoyed the Silver Medal to add to her collection. Klopfer had a 2-minute margin of victory.
Martha Klopfer 5:49.60 Joyce Hodges-Hite 7:51.47
80-84 Teammates Cora Hill TNT International and Angela Staab took this division 1-2. Hill finished 4th in the 75-79 800M last year and 6th at the World Indoors this past March. Staab accompanied her at both events, finishing 6th in 75-79 last year and 5th at Worlds this winter in 80-84.
Cora Hill 5:10.19 Angela Staab 6:02.23
75-79 This event was significant in that it was Jeannie Rice's first race on the track where she did not set a World Record. She needed to hit the 1st lap in 1:33.5 and she was at 1:35. Rice had no problem getting the win. She finished ahead of Nancy Rollins by 27 seconds. Rice is one of the few, and maybe the only, American woman who can beat Rollins in a 75-79 age division national championship.
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| Jeannie Rice takes the Bell on Her Way to a World Record in the Women's 75-79 Age Division at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Susan Aderhold ATC had a good outing as well, cracking 4:00 and finishing in third with a margin of over a minute.
Jeannie Rice 3:15.22 Nancy Rollins 3:42.02 Susan Aderhold 3:56.30
70-74 In 2021, Coreen Steinbach Greater Philadelphia TC (GPTC) won the 70-74 800M championship at the Masters Outdoor Championships at 3:05.85. Last year she took 2nd at the World Championships in Finland with a 3:05.64. She missed the win by just a bit over a second! She had no trouble winning the 2023 edition of the 70-74 800 meters. By comparison, Steinbach could almost relax and still win over a strong field by over half a minute. Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall ATC added a Siver medal to her collection; her teammate, Francoise Levinson, finished 3rd 19 seconds later.
Coreen Steinbach 3:12.23 Norma Hudnall 3:49.29 Francoise Levinson 4:08.52
65-69 Patrice Combs ATC made a name for herself on the roads. She won the 2019 Masters National Grand Prix for women 60-64, garnering championships along the way from the 5K to the 15K. But Combs is no stranger to the track; she took 2nd last year in 65-69 at these championships with a 3:03.74. She needed to worry about a challenge from Susan Loyd Mass Velocity Track Club. Loyd finished 5th at the World Indoor championships in 3:04.2. Combs was in the outside lane and had to run through some traffic on the first turn. Combs moved to the front at the head of the straightaway and was never threatened after that. Debbie Lee So Cal TC (SCTC) was in 2nd for most of the first lap. Loyd passed Lee at the start of the second lap but never seriously threatened Combs, who took the win with three seconds to spare. Lee finished 3rd with a closing kick that brought her within 2 seconds of Loyd.
Patrice Combs 3:06.28 Susan Loyd 3:09.29 Debbie Lee 3:11.71
60-64 Just as Jeannie Rice was taking down World Records at the longer distances, Sue McDonald Pursuit of Excellence TC (POETC) was taking them down at shorter distances.
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| Lining Up for the Start of the Women's 60-64 800M-Sue McDonald #4, Lorraine Jasper #3, and Doreen McCoubrie #5 were the favorites at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
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| Sue McDonald makes it look easy to break a World Record, but this photo shows how hard she had to work! At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Lorraine Jasper GPTC could not keep pace with McDonald but enjoyed a six second gap back to her teammate, Doreen McCoubrie, in 3rd.
Sue McDonald 2:29.97 WR Lorraine Jasper 2:40.42 Doreen McCoubrie 2:46.04
55-59 Jennifer Harvey Central Park TC (CPTC) was fresh from breaking the American Road Mile record at the USATF Master1s Championships in Indianapolis at the end of June with a 5:25.0. The 1500M would, no doubt, be her main focus but the 800-1500 is a natural double. Harvey's teammate, Dominique Saint-Louis led for the first lap.
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| Start of Women's 55-59 800M Run-From Left Louise Kelley, Jennifer Harvey, Dominique Saint-Louis, Roxanne Springer, Susan Piersall, Kimberly Anderson at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
But then Harvey moved to the lead, opened up a lead of 10-15 meters, and held that for the rest of the final lap;
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| Jennifer Harvey in her final sprint for the Gold Medal in the Women's 55-59 800 Meter Run-at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Saint-Louis stayed within a few strides.
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| Dominique Saint-Louis closes out her Silver medal effort at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Roxanne Springer POETC claimed third with a gap of five seconds back to the 4th place finisher.
Jennifer Harvey 2:29.20 Dominique Saint-Louis 2:32.49 Roxanne Springer 2:43.13
50-54 Sonja Friend-Uhl Florida TC-SE had no trouble adding another Gold to her collection. She moved swiftly to the front when the gun sounded, followed by Dianne DeOliveira Bella N Motion, Kimberly Aspholm Garden State TC, and Aspholm's teammate, Hortencia Aliaga.
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| Heading into the First Turn of the Women's 50-54 800 Meter Run-From Right-Sonja Friend-Uhl leads, Michelle Blumhagen on the rail, Deanna DeOliveira moving into 2nd, Wendy Welch sunglasses, Kimberly Aspholm, and Hortencia Aliaga moving up in lane 2--At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Friend-Uhl built a 3-second gap on that first lap, with the chasers in single file. Coming out of the 2nd turn, Aspholm and Aliaga closed on DeOliveira and Aspholm swung out as if she would pass. Aliaga continued straight ahead and wound up ahead of Aspholm on the inside lane, when Aspholm gave up on the attempt to pass. Friend-Uhl finished the 400 meters in about 1:15, with the other three at 1:18. As they rounded the 3rd turn, DeOliveira and Aliaga put a few meters on Aspholm. Friend-Uhl cruised to the win with a 7-second margin of victory. Despite Aliaga's best efforts, DeOliveira held her off to claim 2nd place by a single second! Aspholm was 3 seconds back in 4th.
Sonja Friend-Uhl 2:29.02 Dianne DeOliveira 2:36.82 Hortencia Aliaga 2:37.99
45-49 This was the most competitive 800M so far. Alison Schwalm went right to the front, followed by CPTC teammates, Nathalie Jones and Jennifer St. Jean.
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| Heading into the 1st Turn at the Women's 45-49 800 Meter Run-Alison Schwalm #3 moves into the lead, with Jennifer St. Jean #4 moving into 2nd and, on her outside, Nathalie Jones #5 looking to move up--at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
They ran single file that way around the entire first lap, covering the 400 meters in about 1:11. Halfway through the final turn, St. Jean started to run down Jones. Coming onto the final straight, St. Jean was going at full speed to try to catch Schwalm.
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| Alison Schwalm closing out the win, with Jennifer St. Jean and Nathalie Jones, in 2nd and 3rd--at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
But Schwalm gave St. Jean no opening, sprinting into the finish with just under a full second of daylight between them. Jones claimed the Bronze medal, another 0.9 seconds back!
Alison Schwalm 2:21.36 Jennifer St. Jean 2:22.23 Nathalie Jones 2:23.16
40-44 Christine Licata bided her time, running in the front 5 for the first 200 Meters. As they headed into the 2nd turn, Liccata accelerated and took the lead by herself. Down the backstraight she started to stretch her lead; no one was comfortable matching her pace. Liccata covered the first 400 meters in 1:14 with a 3-4 second lead. She stretched the lead going down the backstretch and took the win with six seconds to spare.
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| Christine Licata heads for the Finish Line and the Gold Medal in the Women's 40-44 Division at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Evelyn Ortiz moved to the front of the chase pack on the backstretch and held it for a 2 second margin over the Bronze medalist, Kate Powell, who had a fraction of a second on Diana Crumrine.
Christine Liccata 2:25.22 Evelyn Ortiz 2:31.60 Kate Powell 2:33.48
35-39 Christina Elder 2:20.52 30-34 Erika Charles 2:14.11
25-29 Katherine Vande Pol 2:18.08
Men
90-94 Vance Genzlinger 94 Philadelphia Masters PM finished 2nd to Gunnar Linde in 2021 with a 7:03.99, and 2nd to Robert Culling in 7:02.92 in 2022. Last March he took the Gold medal unopposed at the Masters Indoor Champiionsh5ips in Louisville in 7:32.23. He had the same luck here, taking the Gold medal unopposed in 7:22.59. It was his last chance to win the Gold medal in the 90-94 division and he made it count!
85-89 Inocencio Cantu won this event in 2021 and finished 2nd to Elmo Shropshire in 4:01.32 last year. This year he won the 800M at the Indoor Championships in 4:18.84, and was the favorite here. Cantu had no problems, moving smoothly to the front when the gun sounded. Ram Satyaprasad stayed with him as long as he could but very soon a large gap developed. Cantu crusied to the win with a victory margin of over a half minute. Satyaprasad finished 23 seconds ahead of Colben Sime, who was followed by Adrian Craven 25 seconds later.
Inocencio Cantu 4:03.21 Ram Satyaprasad 4:35.50 Colben Sime 4:58.88
80-84 Tom Bowden Tennessee TC is a newcomer to these championships, at least in the last few years. Bowden was taking no prisoners. The gun sounded and he left the field far behind. He covered the first 400M in 1:30. He slowed a bit on the 2nd lap but finished first with 13 seconds to spare. Jim Assal GPTC was 2nd across the finish line 13 seconds later. Hal Lieberman CPTC closed off the podium 16 seconds behind Assal.
Tom Bowden 3:23.82 Jim Assal 3:36.53 Hal Lieberman 3:52.61
75-79 Now that they were into the middle-distance events, it was time for Hall of Famer, Gary Patton SCTC to shine. But he had to be mindful of not going all out in the 800 meters. He had the 1500M to run tomorrow. Patton bided his time on the first lap, running in 5th behind his teammate, Tim Wigger, who also figured to be his main competition. Heading down the straightaway into the bell lap, Patton accelerated, with Wigger following. They tracked down the early leader, Paul Murphy. Patton was a stride behind Murphy as they crossed the 1 lap to go line in 1:28. Patton took the lead on the backstretch and, soon after, Wigger passed Murphy as well. Patton cruised ot the win, with Wigger just 3 seconds back. Five seconds later, Dixon Cook High Point AC claimed the Bronze medal 5 seconds ahead of Murphy.
Gary Patton 2:53.41 Tim Wigger 2:56.83 Dixon Cook 3:01.45
70-74 Robert Qualls River City Rebels, who took the Gold medal in the 10,000 meters 10 hours earlier, was back to see if he could get the double gold on the same day. Anthony Fleming, who finished 2nd in 65-69 last year in 2:33.49, had other ideas. he set off smartly and Qualls had to follow, gradually increasing his turnover so he could stay within a few strides of Fleming. Qualls closed the gap to a single second by the time Fleming took the bell at 1:20. Around the turn, Floeming pulled away slightly and then on the backstretch pulled away by another stride or two. In the end, Fleming claimed the Gold medal with almost six seconds to spare. Qualls had made a valiant effort; he must have felt those 10,000 meters in his legs on the 2nd lap. Eight seconds later, Bert Banks took the Bronze medal, followed by Qualls's teammate, Perry Linn, six seconds later.
Anthony Fleming 2:38.97 Robert Qualls 2:44.27 Bert Banks 2:52.20
65-69 This was a dandy of a race, with Michael Lebold Jamul Toads hoping for the same result he had at the Indoor Championships in March when he came from behind to win this event in 2:29.55. Jesse Mayes Boulder TC. and Evan Wykes were just as determined to forge a different outcome. Unfortunately, Mayes was in heat 1 and did not get a chance to compete directly with Lebold and Wykes. Mayes had no trouble winning his heat by 11 seconds in 2:30.1. Despite that time, Wykes and Lebold were content to follow the early leader, Robert Riss GPTC until they came out of the second turn. Coming down the front straightaway, Lebold pulled out and started to accelerate towards the leader, pulling Wykes with him. Lebold took the lead and ended the first lap of the race at 1:19. Lebold must have realized at that point that he needed a 70 second 2nd lap to finish faster than Mayes. Wykes was the only one who could match the pace that Lebold set on that 2nd lap but match it he did. Wykes started to pull up by Lebold as they came off the final turn;
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| Evan Wykes USA singlet chasing down Michael Lebold off the final turn in the Men's 65-69 800 M Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
with 50 meters to go, Wykes had the lead! He did not relinquish it, taking the Gold medal just 0.11 seconds faster than Mayes. Lebold, despite a valiant effort, could not hold off Wykes.
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| Evan Wykes enjoys a half-stride lead over Michael Lebold, with 30 Meters to Go in the Men's 65-69 800 M Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Losing to Wykes by less than half a second, Lebold's time was 0.36 seconds slower than Mayes, who was awarded the Silver medal.
Evan Wykes 2:29.99 Jesse Mayes 2:30.10 Michael Lebold 2:30.46
60-64 There was no reason on paper to think that David Pinkham PVTC was a threat for the podium. His 2022 road efforts included a 22:44 5K, a 25:32 5K and a 53:01 10K. The last time he ran an 800m event on the track was at the May 2022 National Senior Games, when he clocked a 2:34.59. Pinkham was seeded into the slower 1st heat. But Pinkham must have known that his training had gone well, and he was ready to blast a fast 800M. He took off with the gun, gathered speed and stretched his lead throughout, crossing the finish line in 2:20.81. That gave the athletes in the 2nd heat something to think about. Only two of them, Roger Chapman and Joe Mora GVH, had seed times as fast or faster than that. Rick Lee was also competing, but it was his 3rd event of the day. He won the 10,000 Meters at 9:15 and the 2000 Meter Steeplechase at 10:50 am. Here he was 7 hours later lining up for the 800 Meter run.
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| Pre-Race Stroll to the Starting Line for the Men's 60-64 800M Run -From Left- Rick Lee, Joe Mora, Roger Chapman at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Mora knew what he had to do. He did not try any tricky strategy. He just went out and ran an honest pace at the front, daring everyone to stay with him. If it had been Lee's first event of the day, maybe he would have stayed with Mora. But not on this day. Only Chapman was able to slot in behind Mora as he took the bell at 2:09. Mora pulled Chapman up the backstretch and around the final turn. Hitting the front straightaway, Chapman challenged Mora for the lead, inched ahead for a few strides and then fell back as Mora fought him off.
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| Joe Mora fights off Roger Chapman as they both drive to the finish line with all their might! In the men's 60-64 800 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Mora took the win and the Gold medal with 0.24 seconds to spare. Chapman, too, finished with a faster time than Pinkham. But Pinkham's time was faster than all the others in Heat 2, a rare podium performance out of the unseeded heat! Pinkham had nearly 4 seconds on the 4th place finisher!
Joe Mora 2:18.32 Roger Chapman 2:18.56 David Pinkham 2:20.81
55-59 Landen Summay finished 7th in the 800M at the Indoor Masters Championships this spring in Louisville in 2:17.54. In 2019 he competed in the Masters Road Mile Championships, finishing 5th in M50 at 5:02, behind Alejandro Heuck Greater Springfield Harriers but ahead of Mike Nier GVH , both of whom were also running in the seeded heat. Matthew Guild Green Mountain AA finished 10th last year in this race in 2:22.48, with Heuck 2nd in 2:13.70, and Nier 4th in 2:14.79. Summay led around the first turn and onto the backstretch. At that point, Guild surged into the lead. Summay dropped into 2nd behind him, with Nier and Heuck just off the pace in the top 5. Nier moved into the lead at the bell, with Heuck in 3rd. Around the turn, Heuck passed Guld and moved into 2nd, followed by Guild, with Summay in 5th on the rail. On the backstretch it stayed that way with Nier leading, Heuck following then Guild then Michael Scholtz Asheville Running Collective 4th in lane 2, Summay in 5th in lane 1, potentially blocked as John Borthwick Boulder Road Runners, in 6th was moving up outside of Summay. Coming out of the turn with a hundred meters to go, Heuck took the lead. Summay looked like he had pep left but might not be able to get outside the logjam in front of him. But Scholtz must have slowed just enough that Summay got a stride on him and was able to jump outside. Once he got there his speed carried him to victory with just 0.36 seconds to spare. Guild just barely got past Heuck, at the line; Heuck's finishing dip almost saved the bronze medal, but not quite. Nier, Borthwick and Scholtz followed in 4th through 6th.
Landen Summay 2:17.04 Matthew Guild 2:17.40 Alejandro Heuck 2:17.45
50-54 Last year, in his final year in 45-49, Mark Williams Freedom-Garmin Runners, took the Gold in the 800M at 2:03.60. This past March, Williams won the 50-54 Bronze medal at Worlds in 2:05.47. Calvin Graham Atlanta TC had a 2:13.48 800M at the Tennessee Senior Olympics. John Prineas Boulder Road Runners had no recent 800M runs but had won his division at the Grand Blue Mile this past April. Keith Schumann Colonial Road Runners has tended to run longer races. His most recent effort on the track was a 4:37.73 1500M at the Masters Indoor Championships; he finished 2nd behind Williams. his race was all Wiliams's. He took off from the gun, opened up a gap and took the bell with a sub-60 400 meters. Graham led the chase pack through the first 400M with Schumann and Prineas following. Williams slowed slightly on the final straightaway but still won by more than 8 seconds! Graham did a nice job of controlling the rest of the field from the front, staying well ahead when Prineas passed Schumann on the final straightaway.
Mark Williams 2:04.14 Calvin Graham 2:12.26 John Prineas 2:13.09
45-49 Michael Donawa Bermuda finished 4th in the 800M at these championships last year in 2:03.24. Jose Saldeno Venezuela decided to extend his range this year. At this event in 2022, he won the 45-49 400M Hurdles and finished 2nd in the 40lachinsky0M. A newcomer to these championships, Jason Abbott Shadow Project TC led the field out from the gun and stayed there through the first 600 meters, with Donawa in 2nd and Saldeno in 3rd. Midway through the final turn, Donawa started to close on Abbott but, at the same time, Saldeno was starting to close on Donawa. At the head of the final straightaway, they were even, but Saldeno had the momentum. Abbott fought Donawa for a few strides as Saldeno powered away from both. Donawa was able to get past Abbott for 2nd, but Saldeno had the win with two seconds to spare!
Jose Saldeno 2:04.32 Michael Donawa 2:06.15 Jason Abbott 2:07.15
40-44 Scott Wallace Shadow Project TC finished 2nd in this division last year in 2:02.79. His two Shadow Project teammates, James Coates and Mark Walchinsky took 3rd in 2:03.22 and 6th in 2:04.04, respectively. Jaret Herter GVH did not compete at the Outdoor championships last year but finished 4th at the Indoor Championships this past March in 2:03.77, 2 places and 0.07 behind Wallace. It would likely come down to the final sprint to the tape again. Herter took the lead and held it for the first 600 meters. Heading into the final turn it was Herter, with Coates coming up onto his shoulder, Wallace right there, inside, and Walchinsky on Wallace's shoulder. At the end of the final turn, Coates moved past Herter, with Wallace two strides back and Walchinsky another behind him. Coming down the final stretch, Wallace moved past Coates and Walchinsky passed Herter to take 3rd. Wallace had the win by 0.61, with Coates 0.22 ahead of Walchinsky, followed by Herter 0.3 seconds later. Some race!
Scott Wallace 2:03.72 James Coates 2:04.33 Mark Walchinsky 2:04.55
35-39 Sam Sharp 1:59.40 30-34 Dylan Lowry 1:56.12 25-29 Trayon Williams 2:07.16
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1500 METERS
The 1500 Meters or, as it is sometimes called, the 'Metric Mile' is, for many, the glamor event of the middle distances. Long distance runners, in particular, who compete on the track may run the 800-meter event, but their main focus is often the Mile or the 1500 meters. For other athletes, it is just one of many distances they compete over.
Men
90-94 Vance Genzlinger 94 Philadelphia Masters finished 2nd to Gunnar Linde in this division in 2021 with a 13:33.06, and 2nd to Robert Culling in 2022 at 13:46.62. In March of this year at the USATF Masters Indoor Championsh8ips, Genzlinger competed unopposed and took the Indoor 1500M title in 13:53.19. He repeated his Indoor trick at these championships, winning the Gold with no opposition in 14:43.81.
85-89 With four competitors toeing the starting line, everyone knew they would have to bring their best metric mile to get on the podium! The favorite was Inocencio Cantu Potomac Valley TC (PVTC) who won this event in 2021 with a 7:49.17 effort; last year his 8:23.85 was second to Elmo Shropshire. Shropshire was entered this year but did not start. When the gun sounded, Cantu went into the division lead, with Ram Satyaprasad New England 65 Plus RC slotting himself into 2nd place. Cantu covered the first 300 meters in 1:41.56 with Satyaprasad just 3 seconds back. It was another 27 seconds back to Colben Sime SCTC, who won this division in the 10,000 Meter Run, and 2 more back to Adrian Craven ATC. That first 300 meters set the order. After that it was just a question of each one pulling further ahead over the next three laps. In the end, Cantu had the Gold medal with a victory margin of 1:22. Satyaprasad took the Silver medal with 42 seconds to spare. Sime claimed the Bronze medal with over a half minute on Craven.
Inocencio Cantu 8:37.35 Ram Satyaprasad 9:59.42 Colben Sime 10:41.49
80-84 Jim Assal GPTC and Hal Lieberman CPTC contested this division. There was not much drama. Assal led from wire to wire, taking the win with over 40 seconds to spare.
Jim Assal 7:42.97 Hal Lieberman 8:25.27
75-79 The American Record holder and Masters Hall of Famer, Gary Patton, and Tim Wigger were joined by their So Cal TC teammate, Donald Loewe. Dixon Cook, as he did in the 800 meters, tried to break them up! No such luck! Cook led for the first 300 meters before Patton moved past him. It was another 200 meters before Wigger, with Loewe trailing him by a few meters, moved past Cook.
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| Gary Patton leads his So Cal teammates, Tim Wigger and Donald Lowe both in blue singlets and Dixon Cook orange singlet at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Blake Wood |
Patton was stretching his lead by a second per lap, setting a pace that no one could match. Patton enjoyed a winning margin of almost ten seconds! Wigger finished six seconds ahead of Loewe, with Cook following Loewe in 4th.
Gary Patton 6:03.03 Tim Wigger 6:12.91 Donald Loewe 6:18.46
70-74 Robert Qualls has won every national championship race for Men 70-74 that he has entered since last summer. At the World Indoor Championships this past March he won a bronze medal on the track at 3000 meters and claimed Gold and Silver in the two non-stadia events, the road 10K and the 6 Km XC. At the end of June, he broke the American Record for the Road Mile with a 5:32.02, rounding to 5:33. Robert Burch, Perry Linn, and Eugene Myers aimed for a different result. Burch finished 5th in the 800 Meter Run on Saturday, and was looking to move up. Linn is the defending champion. He won 1500 Meter Gold last year at these championships in 5:50.04. Myers took the 70-74 win indoors this past March at 3000 Meters in 12:37.63.; he also earned a Bronze medal in the 1500M indoors with a 6:02.0.
Qualls moved right to the lead, looking to dominate this race as he has dominated almost every race since aging up into the division a year and change ago. Eugene Myers went after him, slotting in right behind Qualls through the first 200 meters. As they went down the straightaway toward the end of the first lap, a very small gap started to appear. The order crossing that line was Qualls-Myers-Burch-Linn, with Burch and Linn as close to Myers as Myers was to Qualls. Around the turn and onto the backstretch went Qualls. The gap back to Myers was up to a few seconds. The other two stayed close behind Myers. With 800 meters to go, Qualls had a six second lead on the chase pack; there was just 1.2 seconds between 2nd and 4th. The chase pack order was now Myers-Linn-Burch; Linn passed Burch right before the end of the 2nd lap. That order did not change until the last lap when Burch passed Myers and held on to finish 3rd, just 4 seconds ahead of Myers. Qualls finished 1st with a 15 second gap back to Linn, who took the Silver medal.
Robert Qualls 5:36.18 Perry Linn 5:51.59 Robert Burch 6:04.79
65-69 Timothy Conheady GPTC and his teammate, Robert Reynolds, took on Dale Edwards and Michael Lebold Jamul Toads. Lebold set the pace for the first 300 meters. Conheady led the 3-man chase pack three seconds back. Lebold added a single second to his lead on the 2nd lap, with Edwards now taking over the task of leading the pack. The 3rd lap saw Lebold continue to press the pace alone at the front.
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| Michael Lebold with a sizable mid-race lead in the Men's 65-69 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo posted by M Lebold on FB |
The main effect was
to cause Edwards to fall back and Conheady to resume the role as chase leader. With
a lap to go, Lebold’s lead was up to 5 seconds. Would Lebold continue to extend
his lead or would the pack chase him down? Heading up the backstretch, Reynolds was starting to reduce the gap, pulling Conheady with him. The pair took a couple of secnds off of Lebold's lead by the time they exited the final turn. Conheady started lifting his legs and moving into sprint mode. Lebold would not go down without a fight! But Lebold was spent! Conheady had his sprint timed perfectly; he had the win in a photo finish.
A single tenth of a second separated the two. Reynolds finished third a full second
back, with Edwards ten seconds back in in 4th.
Timothy Conheady 5:14.9 Michael Lebold 5:15.0
Robert Reynolds
5:16.3
60-64 With a 15-hour rest from his 3-event Saturday, Rick Lee Shore AC was ready to go again. Todd Biatti, Chuck Bridgman, Mark Neff Shadow Project TC, David Pinkham Potomac Valley TC, and David Shotts New York Harriers stood in his way. Lee led them out at a smart pace. There was a small gap at the end of the first lap with Lee leading by a bit over a second, followed by a tight pack of Shotts, Neff, Pinkham and Biatti in that order. Bridgman was biding his time 6 seconds further back in 8th. Lee opened the gap a bit further on the 2nd lap but the chase pack, still in the same order, was well within striking distance at just 3 seconds. Bridgman was 7 seconds further back in 7th. Lee continued to press the pace and was rewarded with an added second of lead at the 1100-meter mark. Bridgman was still in 7th although now only 4 seconds behind the main pack of chasers. With just a lap to go, Lee knew the pressure was on. The announcer got confused and said lee had two laps to go, but everyone in the race knew it was the final lap! Lee accelerated into the turn and down the backstretch; the chasers tried their best to close the gap. By the time they headed into the last turn, it was clear that Lee had enough in the tank to keep them at bay.
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| Rick Lee red cap pulls away from Mark Neff visor and Todd Biatti to take the Gold Medal in the Men's 60-64 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Neff found his way to the front of the chase pack but could not reduce the gap. Lee had the win with five seconds to spare! Neff nabbed the Silver medal, with Biatti a second back, nipping Pinkham for third by a fraction of a second. Bridgman moved up past Shotts to take 5th.
Rick Lee 4:52.4 Mark Neff 4:57.2 Todd Biatti 4:58.3
55-59 Matthew Guild Green Mountain AA, Alejandro Heuck GSH, Mike Nier GVH, and John Borthwick BRR finished 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th in the 800 meters on Saturday. They were 3rd, 6th and 10th last year in the 1500M at these same championships. Tim Harte GPTC has not competed in any recent Masters TF Championships. He did finish 3rd in one of his last competitions in the 50-54 division at Cross Country Nationals in Richmond in January. But he has not neglected the distance. Last summer, he ran a 4:42 at the Memorial Main Street Mile and a 4:48 at the West Chester Mile. Sean Messiter Club Northwest competed in this event in the 2021 and 2022 Masters Outdoor Championships, finishing 10th in 2021 and 13th in 2022, at 5:03 and 5:08 respectively. Harte led them through the first 300 meters with Heuck, Nier, and Borthwick trailing in single file behind. Guild was another second back and Messiter another second behind Guild. Harte pushed the 2nd lap, developing a gap of over two seconds back to the Heuck, Nier, Borthwick group. Another 72 second 400 meters on the third lap caused the gap from Harte t the chase group to balloon to 9 seconds. Nier was now leading the chase group with Heuck, Borthwick, Guild and Messiter all within 1.6 seconds of each other. Harte nailed the win with a sub-72 last 400 meters. He never gave any hope to the chase group; he won by ten seconds! Heuck moved past Nier on the backstretch.
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| Alejandro Heuck leading Mike Nier and John Borthwick in the Men's 55-59 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo posted by A Heuck on Strava |
Messiter moved past both of them after they came onto the homestretch. He held his form all the way to the line, claiming 2nd with a full second to spare. Borthwick took 3rd after passing both Nier and Heuck in the closing hundred meters. Heuck, Dan Murray, Guild and Nier finished 4th through 7th. It was a tour de force for Harte. Messiter also deserves kudos for the redemption that came this year--running 20 seconds faster than in either of the llast two years and finishing 9-12 places higher!
Tim Harte 4:31.3 Sean Messiter 4:41.3 John Borthwick 4:42.4
50-54 Mark Williams Freedom-Garmin won the 800M in this division by 8 seconds ahead of Calvin Graham ATC, John Prineas BRR, and Jewel Abbott 13-805. When the gun sounded and Williams took to the lead, running easily, it seemed likely this would have the same outcome up front. But the rest of the places would be in play. In the 800M, Graham had controlled the rest of the field from the front to take 2nd. Williams gradually pulled away, establishing a gap of over 3 seconds in the first 300 meters. The rest of the field fell in behind Graham. They were a tight bunch of 6, all within a second of Graham: Abbott, Prineas, Eric Petersen and Matthew Cutrona. The second lap was more of the same as Williams stretched his lead to 11 seconds while the pack of six stayed tight.
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| Mark Williams starting to pull away from the Chase Pack led by John Prineas white singlet on the rail and Calvin Graham red singlet outside Prineas in the Men's 50-54 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo posted by J prineas on Strava |
On the third lap, Cutrona and Petersen fell back as Prineas led Abbott and Graham with 400 meters to go. Williams took the win with 12 seconds to spare. Prineas pulled away from Graham on the backstretch and held 2nd all the way to the line. It was Graham in 3rd, four seconds later, followed by Abbott, Cutrona and Petersen. It was a nice finish to an easy double for Williams, a testimony to his diligent work in training for the middle distance events. Three days before the Championships started, he completed his 4,444th consecutive daily workout. Not all workouts are hard because Williams knows the importance of recovery. Most advice for masters long distance runners includes the idea of cross training or taking an occasional day of rest. So far Williams has excelled with his regimen of consecutive daily workouts. It could be that the advice shoulld be different for middle distance specialist or it could be that Williams has just entered the 50's and will modify his approach at some time in the next ten-20 years. It will be interesting to see.
Mark Williams 4:29.1 John Prineas 4:41.4 Calvin Graham 4:45.2
45-49 David Angell won the 5000 Meter run on Thursday and was back to see how the 1500M would go. His most recent event before these championships was the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis. He won the 45-49 division title in 4:41. That time converts to a 4:21 1500 meter run. Chuck Schneekloth Garden State TC won the overall 2018 Masters Road Mile Championship, on a more technical course in Flint MI in 4:49. Christopher Hernandez GVH finished 2nd to Angell in Indianapolis at 4:46; Jonathan Bishard Kansas City Smoke finished 7 seconds behind Angell in Indianapolis where he took 4th. Angell went to the lead, covering the first 300 meters in 53.27, equivalent to a 71 second pace for 400 meters. Schneekloth was content to trail him n second, with Jason Abbot Shadow Project TC, Hernandez and Bishard right behind. Angell pushed the pace on the 2nd lap to see who he could drop. Schneekloth was the only runner who matched the surge in pace. Angell's 69.9 lap left the field, apart from Schneekloth, 3 seconds back. Schneekloth was glued to Angell as if he loved the pace being set. Three seconds back from the lead pair, Bishard led a tight 4-runner chase pack with Abbot, Hernandez and Wolf. It was more of the same on the 3rd lap. Angell again ran 69.9 for the 400 meters and Schneekloth was still right on stride with him. Abbot and Bishard were still just 3 seconds back, but Hernandez and Wolf had started to fall back. After the bell sounded, Angell pushed, but could not drop Schneekloth.
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| Chuck Schneekloth tracking David Angell in the Men's 45-49 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo posted by D Angell on Strava |
On the backstretch, Bishard pushed past Abbot and started to cut into the gap up to the leaders. Halfway through the final turn, Schneekloth pulled around Angell and into the lead, just as Bishard had closed the gap. Bishard passed Angell coming out of the turn and set his sights on Schneekloth. With 90 meters to go, Schneekloth unleashed his final kick which took him away from Bishard for the win. He had 2 seconds on Bishard who claimed the silver medal a second and change ahead of Angell. It was another second and a half back to Abbot, followed by Wolfe in 5th and Hernandez 6th.
Chuck Schneekloth 4:19.8 Jonathan Bishard 4:21.7 David Angell 4:23.0
40-44 Scott Wallace, Mark Walchinsky and Jaret Herter had finished 1-3-4 in a very close 800 meter event on Saturday. How would they fare in a longer event? Herter had finished 2nd overall (and in 40-44), with a 4:30, at the Masters Road Mile championships in Indy. But Herter finished 2nd to Walllace in the 1500M at the Indoor Masters TF Championships. Wallace had also taken the Gold at last year's competition. Clay Burnett was a newcomer to these masters TF Championships, but had a couple of good road mile outings. He clocked 4:27 at a Mile in his home state of Ohio and then competed at altitude, running a 4:44 Mile in Boulder CO, equivalent to a 4:37 at sea level, according to the calculator used by the NCAA. In the 800M run, Wallace let Herter set the pace, and came from off the pace to take the win over the final 200 meters. This time it was Wallace setting the pace for the first 300M, followed by Burnett, Herter, and Walchinsky. At the 700 mdeter mark, Wallace was still leading with Burnett up on his shoulder, Herter a half second back on the rail and Walchiinsky right behind him. As they went up the backstretch and around the turn on the 3rd lap, Wallace and Burnett, with Herter had opened up a small gap on Walchinsky. Burnett tried to accelerate past Wallace on the turn. Wallace kept him in the 2nd lane for much of that turn, but Burnett had the lead at the top of the backstretch, followed closely by Wallace and Herter. Burnett and Wallace started to drop Herter on the backstretch. Burnett was able to pull away from Wallace who was starting to struggle just a bit. Herter launched his kick midway around the turn and closed rapidly on Wallace. But Herter had no chance of catching Burnett who was in full sprint. Burnett took the Gold medal with 3 seconds to spare, followed by Herter and Wallace, with Walchinsky in 5th. It was an auspicious debut for Burnett!
Clay Burnett 4:12.5 Jaret Herter 4:15.9 Scott Wallace 4:18.1
35-39 Sam Sharp 4:10.4 30-34 Reginald Sanders 4:12.1 25-29 Trayon Williams 4:19.3
Women
90-94 Like Betty Lindberg, her Atlanta counterpart on the roads, Dot Sowerby High Point AC, is setting new standards for women 90 and over on the track. Running unopposed, Sowerby knew, no doubt, that she needed to cover the first 300 meters in 2:30 or less to be on track for the World Record. She hit that with room to spare, coming across the 'finish line' for the first time in 2:08.5. If she could hit the final 3 laps all under 3:21, that would give her the record. In fact, since she had more than 20 seconds in the bank, she could be a little slower than that. Sowerby slowed on the second lap but 11 seconds under her target. Her third lap was a half second slower, but now Sowerby was now over 40 seconds ahead of Record pace. Sowerby had a lot left! She ran her final lap 11 seconds faster than her third lap. She had the Gold medal and a new World Record! She smashed it by a minute and 4 seconds! Wow!
Dot Sowerby 11:30.62
85-89 Martha Klopfer and Joyce Hodges-Hite were at it again. They locked horns in the 800 Meter Run on Saturday. The outcome was the same this time. Klopfer moved right to the front and stretched her lead from 50 seconds after the first lap to nearly 4 minutes by the end of the race.
Martha Klopfer 11:06.6 Joyce Hodges-Hite 15:02.8
80-84 Angela Staab had hoped to have some competition in this event but, in the end, she was the only one from this division toeing the line. She added the Gold medal from this event to the Silver medal she earned in the 800M run.
Angela Staab 12:38.6
75-79 This was the Jeannie Rice show again as she added another WR to her collection.
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| Jeannie Rice #11 strides to the front at the start of the Women's 75-79 1500 Meter Run, with Nancy Rollins #12 moving into 2nd place at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Rice needed to cover the first 300 meters in less than 1:16. She clocked 1:10.7, which allowed for some slowing over the next 1200 meters. She wanted to cover each 400m lap in 1:41 or better. The 2nd lap came in almost three seconds under 1:41. Rice was 8 seconds ahead of record pace! But then Rice slowed over the next lap; perhaps the toll of running so many record-breaking races was finally catching up with her? She gave back almost three seconds to the record on the next lap. If she slowed again, the record attempt might fall apart. But Rice speeded up on the last lap
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| Jeannie Rice pushes, mid-race, to maintain a World Record pace in the Women's 75-79 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
and came across the finish line with a 6:14.9, six seconds under the WR! Nancy Rollins ran a strong race, finishing in 2nd place, just 25 seconds over the American Record. Susan Aderhold ATC won the Bronze medal, with Nancy Berger TNT International 4th.
70-74 Coreen Steinbach GPTC, Norma Hudnall ATC, and Francoise Levinson ATC met in the 800 Meters on Saturday and finished in that order. Levinson, Hudnall and Terry Ozell ATC had competed in the 5000M on Friday and finished in that order. But this was over a different distance so that might shake things up! Coreen Steinbach was determined not to let anything shake her up! Steinbach went out with determination and covered the first 300 meters 12 seconds faster than anyone else. Ozell led Hudnallby a second at 300 meters, with Levinson 5 seconds back. If Levinson was to move up it would be by strength not speed. Steinbach extended her lead every lap until she led by 46 seconds when she finished in first. On the 2nd lap Ozell stretched her lead over her teammate, Hudnall, from one second to five seconds, and it continued up from there. Ozell claimed the Silver medal 25 seconds ahead of Hudnall. Levinson was 9 seconds back in 4th.
Coreen Steinbach 6:35.5 Terry Ozell 7:21.6 Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall 7:46.1
65-69 Patrice Combs won the 800M on Saturday and was going for the classic middle-distance double. In the 2018 Outdoor Championships, Tracey Bernett finished 4th in the 60-64 division with a 6:05.58. This past march, she claimed the Silver medal at the WMA Championships in Poland with a 6:19.27. Ruby Ghadially has not competed recently at any National Masters TF Championships. But she is no stranger to the road mile. In 2019, she finished 3rd at the Masters National Road Mile championships in the 60-64 division, just two seconds behind Combs. This past May she took the division win at the Devil Mountain 1 Mile run in 6:37. That translates to a 6:08 1500-meter effort. Monica Joyce, like Ghadially, has not run any recent races oon the track. When she runs on the roads, it is more likely to be at the half marathon or longer distance. It would be interesting t see what she could do on the track. As with the 800M, Combs set the pace she wanted and dared others to match it. None did. Combs covered the first 300 meters almost 4 seconds faster than her closest rival, Ghadially. Combs had her double win!
Joyce was 4 seconds behind Ghadially, with Bernette another two seconds back in 4th. Combs added to her lead with each successive lap, winning in the end by 9 seconds. Ghadially was never threatened seriously from behind and claimed Silver with a 4 second margin. Bernett, who had trailed Joyce by 4 seconds with 2 laps to go, increased her pace on the third lap, closing and then passing Joyce right before the bell sounded. Despite Joyce's best efforts, she could not recover and Bernett had the Bronze medal with over two seconds to spare.
Patrice Combs 6:00.2 Ruby Ghadially 6:09.4 Tracey Bernett 6:13.6
60-64 GPTC teammates, Lorraine Jasper and Doreen McCoubrie contested the 800M with Jasper gaining the Silver medal six seconds ahead of McCoubrie. Charlotte Rizzo Westchester TC finished 4th and Mireille 'Mimi' Silva ATC 5th in the same event. McCoubrie has always performed well in the Mile (and the 'metric mile'); it is one of her favorite events.
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| Start of Women's 60-64 1500 Meter Run-From Right-inside lane Doreen McCoubrie, Lorraine Jasper, Charlotte Rizzo, Cheryl Belaire, Betsy Stewart, Lauren Siegel, Janet Muse Dorsey, Mireille 'Mimi' Silva - at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo courtesy of L Siegel sent to M. Silva and posted on FB |
McCoubrie set the pace over the first 300 meters, with Rizzo in 2nd place, up tight on McCoubrie. Jasper was comfortably in third a second back, with Silva in 4th another two seconds back. McCoubrie kept that same pace going over the 2nd lap and was rewarded with a small gap emerging back to Rizzo. Jasper was right on Rizzo's heels, but Silva found the pace a bit too fast and had dropped back. More of the same on lap 3 left McCoubrie with a 5 second lead when the bell sounded. Rizzo now had a 2-second edge on Jasper. Rizzo accelerated int the turn and looked to close the gap. McCoubrie had no intention of giving in, and also sped up. It was enough! Rizzo took two seconds out of the gap on the final lap but McCoubrie took the Gold medal with three seconds to spare. Jasper was in 3rd with Silva 4th.
Doreen McCoubrie 5:29.6 Charlotte Rizzo 5:32.8 Lorraine Jasper 5:41.8
55-59 Jennifer Harvey CPTC, the new American Record holder for the 55-59 division in the Road Mile, won the 800 meters on Saturday and would be going for the classic middle-distance double. Roxanne Springer Pursuit of Excellence TC finished 3rd in that race. In the race where Harvey set the American Record, Lisa Veneziano, Springer's teammate, finished 3rd, ten seconds back, with Springer 4th, a half minute behind Harvey. Veneziano and Springer, along with Judy Stobbe, who finished 2nd in the 2000-meter steeplechase on Saturday, would try to derail Harvey's bid for the double win. That foursome went through 300 meters as a tight bunch (behind Friend-Uhl from the 50-54 division run at the same time). Harvey was leading but there were no gaps. Harvey kept the pressure on over the 2nd lap. Veneziano and Stobbe were up to that pace but Springer was not. She finished the lap 5 seconds behind the leading trio. Harvey tightened the screws on the third lap, dropping the lap time by two seconds. Harvey passed Friend-Uhl at the head of the backstretch. But Veneziano and Stobbe did not flinch. They were right there following Frioend-Uhl who was right behind Harvey. Harvey accelerated into the turn, with Friend-Uhl giving chase. A small gap between Friend-Uhl and Veneziano started to appear. Down the backstretch Harvey pushed the pace to try to drop Friend-Uhl, as Veneziano and Stobbe fell back. Friend-Uhl came back to edge Harvey. But, as noted, Friend-Uhl was not in the division race. Their race was for the pleasure of competition. Harvey had the 55-59 win with a margin of just over 5 seconds. Harvey had her double! Stobbe finished 3rd another six seconds back, with Springer in 4th.
Jennifer Harvey 5:05.0 Lisa Veneziano 5:10.5 Judy Stobbe 5:16.7
50-54 Sonja Friend-Uhl also had her eye on the 800/1500 double. But she was actually looking for a 400-800-1500 Triple as she had already won the 400M and 800M. Hortencia Aliaga GSTC and her teammate, Kimberly Aspholm, battled Friend-Uhl in the 800M but could not match Friend-Uhl over the full 800 meters. Aliaga's strength could pay off in this longer race. Friend-Uhl is no stranger to punishing races, though, as she has won many a Cross Country national championship. Friend-Uhl went right to the front, covering the first 300 meters two seconds faster than Aliaga.
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| Sonja Friend-Uhl takes the early lead in the Women's 50-54 1500 Meter Run, with Hollis Oberlies, and the W55-59 leaders, Jennifer Harvey, Hortencia Aliaga, Lisa Veneziano, and Judy Stobbe forming the chase pack, in that order--at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
Aspholm was right behind Aliaga. Friend-Uhl's pace slowed slightly on the 2nd lap. But the gap to Aliaga grew by a second. The last two laps saw more of the same. Friend-Uhl (battling Harvey from 55-59) pulled away for a six-second lead on Aliaga, who had a similar gap back to Aspholm. In the end Friend-Uhl had achiever her triple.
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| Sonja Friend-Uhl claims the Gold Medal in the Women's 50-54 1500 Meters, after a stirring battle with Women's 55-59 1500 Meter Gold Medalist for the W 50-59 Heat Win at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rick Lee |
She took Gold in the 1500M with a winning margin of 17 seconds! Aliaga claimed Silver by ten seconds over Aspholm. Hollis Oberlies was another half-minute back in 4th.
Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:04.7 Hortencia Aliaga 5:21.7 Kimberly Aspholm 5:31.4
45-49 Despite her best efforts, Jennifer St. Jean CPTC had strided across the finish line less than a second behind the 800M winner, Alison Schwalm GPTC. Schwalm was entered in the 1500M along with St. Jean but it may have been primarily for team points. St. Jean led them through the first 300 meters, with Schwalm a stride back. Ivanka Tolan Team utopia South moved up beside Schwalm as they finished the 300 meters. Euleen Josiah-Tanner T.H.E. TC and Jennifer Sober Florida TC-Southeast followed closely in 4th and 5th. By the time they hit the backstretch, Tolan was right behind St. Jean and Schwalm had fallen back. Josiah-Tanner had moved up beside Schwalm, with Sober just behind.
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| Jennifer St. Jean leading Ivanka Tolan, followed by Euleen Josiah-Tanner, Jennifer Sober, and Alison Schwalm in the Women's 45-49 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships Photo Credit: Rob D'Avellar-posted by J St Jean on FB |
When they reached the top of the homestretch, Tolan moved ahead of St. Jean and it was a small gap back to Josiah-Tanner and Sober, with a gap back to Schwalm. That was still the order a hundred meters later, except that Sober was now in front of Josiah-Tanner, when there were two laps to go. With 600 meters to go, St. Jean accelerated past Tolan. There was now a sizable gap back to Sober and Josiah-Tanner. By the time St Jean and Tolan hit the top of the homestretch, St Jean was starting to pull away, and the chasing pair of Sober and Josiah-Tanner were starting to pull closer to Tolan. St. Jean had saved the best for last. She strode around the turn and powered down the backstretch, leaving Tolan far behind. In the meantime, Josiah-Tanner was pulling Sober along, closing in on Tolan. St. Jean sprinted home; no one was going to catch her! She had run her last 400 meters 5 seconds faster than her 3rd lap. Josiah-Tanner, with Sober in tow, reached and passed Tolan as they were coming out of the final turn. St. Jean had a winning margin of 7 seconds; Josiah-Tanner finished in 2nd, a second and a half ahead of Sober. Tolan was a minute back in 4th, followed by Schwalm in 5th. St. Jena had a top performance in her favorite event! Josiah-Tanner had a Silver medal to add to the one she earned in the 5000 meters, along with her Gold in the 2000 Meter steeple.
Jennifer St. Jean 4:54.8 Euleen Josiah-Tanner 5:01.8 Jennifer Sober 5:03.3
40-44 April Lund enjoyed wins in the 5000M Thursday evening and the 10,000M Saturday morning. On the final day of competition, she would try to add the Metric Mile title to her collection. Neither Jennifer Pesce who finished 2nd in the 5000M, nor Megan Hansen who finished 2nd in the 10,000M were entered in the 1500M. Emily Boles, Caroline Cobb, and Shawanna White finished 3rd through 5th in the 5000M and would see if they could handle Lund at the shorter distance. Christine Licata, who won the 800M, would move up in distance to challenge Lund for the win. Lisa Burnett, a newly minted Masters athlete, jumped into her first National Masters competition largely unheralded. Last September, she had run a 17:09 5K at Pittsburgh's Great Race (which is known for fast times). Lund started easily, aiming at a negative split, and still led them through the first 300M. With 3 laps to go, Licata and Burnett were side by side, right behind Lund, with Boles and White right in behind them. As they went around the turn and headed up the backstretch, those 5 were creating a large gap back to the rest of the field. With 1000 meters to go, Lund had the lead, with Licata and Burnett still a stride back, and Boles two strides back from them. White had fallen back. As they came out of the turn onto the homestretch, Lund was leading Licata and Burnett, now in single file, with Boles trying to stay close. With 800 meters to go, Boles had fallen 3 seconds back from Burnett. Lund continued to lead through the 3rd lap, but Licata and Burnett had little trouble staying with her. Boles was falling further back, with White well behind her. When the bell sounded, Lund had a second on Licata, with Burnett another 2 seconds back, with Boles now trailing Burnett by 9 seconds. Lund put the pedal to the metal on the backstretch and Licata had no answer. Lund strode to victory with 7 seconds to spare. Licata claimed Silver with Burnett two seconds back in 3rd. Boles was 24 seconds back in 4th, followed by Cobb, who had overtaken White, in 5th. Lund was a triple Gold medalist!
April Lund 4:51.5 Christine Licata 4:58.2 Lisa Burnett 5:00.4
35-39 Julia Siegel Breton 4:54.7 30-34 Margaret Mavity 5:38.3 25-29 Katherine Vande Pol 5:06.6
That concludes my reporting on the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships. Many of these athletes will now turn their attention to road and cross country national championships, the 12 Km in Highlands NJ and the Masters 5 Km XC+ in Boca Raton, FL. Next year their attention will be directed to the USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, along with the Non-Stadia events.
