October 8, 2024 The 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon was hosted by the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben in Indianapolis on Saturday, October 5th. The weather was near perfect. Temperatures were in the upper 50's for the 8 AM start, with mostly cloudy skies, moderate humidity and light winds. Temperatures rose to the lower 60's during the race and the sun came out. The weather was not a challenge; the course itself was fairly challenging. There are long stretches that are flat or downhill, but there are also hills. Overall, GPS watches report that the course has about 375 feet of elevation change. No American Records were set, but thirteen of the Indy Half at Fort Ben race records were broken. I searched through the 2017 to 2023 results for the race since it was taken over by Beyond Monumental and renamed the Indy Half at Fort Ben. I reported those in my detailed preview and will note them at the start of the recaps for Overall and Age Division sections when relevant. Notes: The race reported splits at 2.2 Miles, 10K, 9.4 miles and 11.5 miles. I will refer to the 9.4 mile split as the 15K split even though it is a few hundredths of a mile over 15K. In keeping with USATF rules, all times reported are gun times except for Records and Age Grading which are based on chip times.
For a reel of the event, please visit: USATF Video-2024 Masters Half Marathon
OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN The fastest time recorded prior to these championships at the Half at Fort Ben was 1:09:43, recorded by Jesse Davis in 2022. As it happened, Jesse Davis Indiana Elite Athletic Club was entered in the Championships. Davis ran 1:08:25 at the Lincoln (NB) HM in May. He took two Masters national titles on the roads in 2022, at Syracuse in the Half Marathon and at the 10 Km in Greater Boston. His most recent HM just one week earlier was a logistical nightmare without enough time left for warmup and then a humid day. Davis's time? 1:12:18. Davis vowed to put that one behind him be ready for this one. He would be challenged by Ramiro Guillen, who took the Masters win at the Santa Barbara HM Unattached CA last October in 1:10:22 and sped to a 2:29:38 marathon at the CIM in December. Davis's teammate, John Poray, enjoyed the Masters win in 1:12:37 at the Indy Mini Marathon this past May. Others expected to be in the hunt included Charlie Hurt Unattached VA, Michael Olson Indiana Elite AC, and John Yoder Boulder Underground. Hurt ran a 57:14 Ten Miler tune up in March in Charlottesville and followed that with a 2:35:20 Boston Marathon in April. Olson ran 1:16:13 at the Indy Mini in May of 2023. Yoder finished 2nd overall at the Newport (OR) Half Marathon in June at 1:16:18. He finished fourth overall at the 2024 USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships in Flint MI with a 57:16. The Indiana Elite turned out two strong teams. Chad Carver did not have as fast a half marathon in his recent listings as the others, a 1:18:13 at this year's Mini Marathon. He was on their 'B' team but was ready to compete.
The gun sounded and they were off!
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| The Start of the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon hosted by the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben--From left, black bib numbers: Jesse Davis, John Yoder green shorts, Bryan Hendricks, John Poray, Ramiro Guillen, and Charlie Hurt. Photo courtesy of Beyond Monumental |
The first two and a half miles are mostly flat or downhill. At that point, Davis and Guillen were running shoulder to shoulder in front, with Poray a couple of strides back. There was a gap of a hundred meters back to a chase pack of Hurt, Yoder, and Olson. Carver, who started more conservatively, was a hundred meters behind those three. When they hit the first substantial hill right before three miles, I am told that Davis threw in a surge that left Guillen and Poray struggling to keep up. When they came off of the second rolling hill, at 4 miles, onto a long, mostly flat stretch, Davis was able to extend his lead. By the 10K mark, Davis had 300 meters on Guillen. Poray was 200 meters back form Guillen but over 200 meters ahead of the chasers, who were now no longer a tight pack, but remained close. Olson was pushing the pace a couple of strides ahead of Yoder, with Hurt 60 meters back and Carver now closed to within a couple of strides of Hurt. Davis had no trouble the rest of the way; he built his lead every mile. Davis claimed the win in 1:08:04, a nice turnaround from Quad Cities, and his third national Masters title on the roads.
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| Jesse Davis for the Men's Overall Win at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo courtesy of Beyond Monumental |
Guillen could not stay with Davis but made the trip from the West Coast worth it as he snagged second to mount his first national masters podium at 1:11:51. Poray held strong at third; his 1:12:56 gave him the bronze medal. Meanwhile the chasers enjoyed a real battle. From the 10K mark to mile 9 the course is mostly flat, followed by a significant downhill section, with another flat section after that. Hurt surged to the front, passing the 15K 2mat in 53:24, with Carver, Olson and Yoder about 25 meters back. Hurt attacked the hill that followed the timing mat and by the time they were approaching the 12-mile mark, Hurt had stretched his lead over Carter to 50 meters, with Yoder and Olson out of touch. But Carver had something left; he closed over that final mile, and just nipped Hurt at the finish line, 1:13:40 to 1:13:41! A half minute later Yoder claimed 6th in 1:14:11, with Olson 7th at 1:14:59. Davis not only enjoyed the win, he set a new Masters record for the Indy Half at Fort Ben, improving his old mark by about a minute and a half!
Overall Podium
Jesse Davis 1:08:04 Ramiro Guillen 1:11:51 John Poray 1:12:56
WOMEN Top entrants included Fiona Bayly Urban Athletics/NYC, Jennifer Malavolta Unattached PA, Tera Moody Unattached IN, Natasha Yaremczuk Unattached FL. Others in the hunt for a podium spot included Lisa Veneziano Pursuit Of Excellence Track/MI. Moody and Yaremczuk were the top runners out of the 40's divisions. A decade ago, Moody was running inn the Elite Women's field at USA Championships and other prestigious events. In January 2014, Moody finished in the top ten at the USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston TX with a 1:13:25. The year before Moody finished in the top 5 at the USA 25K Championships at the Riverbank Run in Grand Rapids, MI with a 1:26:12, averaging 5:33 per mile. That is quite a pedigree, but it is recent performances that tell us more about how Moody might run in this half marathon. Moody finished 2nd Masters among women at the Indy Mini Marathon in May at 1:24:35. Her most recent claim to fame was her 2nd place finish among Masters Women at the BOA 13.1 in June. Her time of 1:23:01 is the fastest recent Half Marathon time among this group. Yarmeczuk was also a strong runner in her 30's but not quite at the national elite level. A year and a half ago, Yaremczuk was 5th Woman Overall and first Masters at the Mount Dora HM in Florida with a 1:25:55. This past April, Yaremczuk was the second woman to finish the Space Coast Classic 15K in 1:00:23. In August, Yaremczuk finished 2nd at the USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships in Flint MI in 1:02:52. The others are all in their 50's except for Veneziano, who just turned 60. Bayly was looking for a 'BounceBack' outing here after what she considered a poor performance at the Ten Mile Championships in Flint. Bayly's best recent Half Marathon performance came at the UA NYC Half Marathon last March; she clocked 1:24:32, finishing 2nd Masters woman. Bayly has finished 4th overall at the last two USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse, running 1:24:08 over that hilly course in 2022 when the weather conditions were decent. A decade ago, Malavolta finished 4th overall at the 2014 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships in 1:23:59. Four years later she was on the podium at the Masters 15 Km Championships in Tulsa with a 59:59, albeit two places behind Bayly. Malavolta joined with two others this August in Sweden, leading Team USA to a 50-54 Team Championships Gold Medal. Malavolta finished 6th individually, on a challenging course, in 1:29:29. Veneziano's chances of winning were, no doubt, slim. But she is such a competitor, it is unwise to ever count her out. Last October she was 2nd Masters finisher at the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 3:01:27. She finished 5th at the USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships in Flint MI this August with a 1:04:22.
Yaremczuk led them through the first 2 miles, with Moody and Malavolta 20 meters back with Bayly and Veneziano another 30 meters back. The next stretch had a testing upslope. By the time they were past that and onto a flatter section at 4 miles, Moody had taken the lead, followed by Yaremczuk, Bayly, Malavolta and Veneziano in that order. At the 10K mark, just before the halfway point, Moody had stretched her lead over Yaremczuk to 70 meters. Bayly was over a hundred meters behind Yaremczuk in third place, forty meters ahead of Malavolta, with Veneziano a further 40 meters back. Moody poured it on the rest of the way, extending her lead at every mile that passed. Despite the challenges of the course, Moody had her fastest recent half marathon at 1:22:06!
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| Tera Moody claims the Women's Overall Win at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo courtesy of Beyond Monumental |
By the 15K mat, Yaremczuk was watching Moody pull away, 54 seconds ahead. She had her biggest lead over Bayly yet at 39 seconds. But Bayly had more in the tank for the uphill section starting between the ten- and eleven-mile marks. By the time they had reached the flatter section where the 11.5-mile mat was placed, Bayly had surged to within 5 seconds of Yaremczuk. Yaremczuk fought as long as she could. But eventually Bayly surged past her, claiming second with 21 seconds to spare. Yaremczuk kept everyone else behind her, enjoying her second consecutive Overall podium finish at a Masters National championship. Malavolta finished just off the podium at 1:26:47, with Veneziano fifth at 1:28:00. Moody had a fine win, her first at a Masters National Championship!
Overall Podium
Tera Moody 1:22:08 Fiona Bayly 1:24:52 Natasha Yaremczuk 1:25:13
AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN 40-44 Moody and Yaremczuk finished 1- 3 overall and took 1st and 2nd in this division.
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| Natasha Yaremczuk on her way to the Women's Overall Bronze Medal and the 40-44 Silver Medal at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Podium
Tera Moody 1:22:08 Natasha Yaremczuk 1:25:11
45-49 Alicia Martinez Unattached IL found herself, to her surprise, alone inn this division. The other entrant was not able to make it to the race after all. Martinez, more accustomed to racing on the track and the cross country turf, showed that she could do it all. Setting off at a brisk pace over the first downhill section, Martinez maintained a good pace through the first set of hills.
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| Alicia Martinez on her way to the 45-49 Gold medal at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
She covered the first 10K in 48:07 and held everything together over the second set of hills, finishing in a very respectable 1:48:38 to claim the win.
Podium
Alicia Martinez 1:48:50
50-54 Malavolta took fourth place overall, picking up this division win at the same time. It was definitely not a 'gimme'.
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| Jennifer Malavolta taking the turn at Mile 4.8 on her way to a 50-54 win and 4th place Overall in the Women's race at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Lucie Mays-Sulewski Unattached IN, a local runner who rarely competes on the national stage, holds both the 45-49 and 50-54 Fort Ben Half records at 1:24:30 and 1:30:13. That last time, in 2021, was uncharacteristically slow. A month later, she was the second Masters woman to finish at the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon in 1:25:48. This March she ran 1:27:58 at the Sam Costa Half Marathon in Indianapolis. As noted, Malavolta ran three minutes faster than she had in Sweden, leading Team USA to the Women's 50-54 world masters title. Had Malavolta not enjoyed that kind of improvement, the race would have been close indeed. Mays-Sulewski was not able to match the pace that Malavolta threw down today. Malavolta covered the first 15K in 1:02:06; Mays-Sulewski was there at 1:04:59. Mays-Sulewski made sure she finished strong, claiming the silver medal in 1:28:45. Julie Mercado Dayton Track Club OH finished third woman overall at the Dayton Rover Classic HM last fall in 1:29:19. Mercado stayed within a few seconds of Mays-Sulewski in the early going. Once they hit the hills, Mercado started to lose touch. By the 10K mat, Mercado's 43:24 was almost a minute back from the local athlete's 42:32. The gap continued to grow, gradually, but steadily, throughout the race. Mercado crossed the finish line four and a half minutes after Mays-Sulewski in third place. Alexandra Newman Impala Racing CA was happy to cross the finish line in fourth, place. Her 1:47:56 ensured that her team would get the score they needed.
Podium
Jennifer Malavolta 1:26:47 Lucie Mays-Sulewski 1:28:48 Julie Mercado 1:33:20
55-59 This division belonged to Bayly. The silver medalist, overall, Bayly took the crown in 55-59 with a cushion of more than 7 minutes.
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| Fiona Bayly cruising at Mile 4.8 n her way to a 2nd Place Overall in the Women's race and a 55-59 Win at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Podium
Fiona Bayly 1:24:52 Hronn Gudmundsdottir 1:32:28 Laura Delea 1:37:08
60-64 Veneziano finished fifth overall. At the same time, she claimed the win in her new division, 60-64, with eleven minutes to spare!
Lisa Veneziano speeds toward a 60-64 Win, 5th Overall in the Women's Race and Top Women's Age Grade Score at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales
Kris Huff Atlanta Track Club, a lynchpin of her team's 60+ women's team, is an active half and full marathon runner. Her most recent distance efforts before these championships included her 1:37:45 at the Cleveland Celebration Half Marathon in July and her W60 silver medal effort at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in August with a 1:11:56. This course was a bit more challenging than the Cleveland course. Huff was up to it; she ran the first 10K in 47:39 and was 1:12:42 at the 15K mark. Huff collected another silver medal. Leslie Nowicki Shore AC is a committed member of Shore AC, filling in for whichever team needs her. Her recent training efforts have led to improved fitness. Nowicki earned the bronze medal.
Podium
Lisa Veneziano 1:28:00 Kris Huff 1:39:42 Leslie Nowicki 2:06:45
65-69 Stella Gibbs Impala Racing Team was running for her team, but she also collected this win with no problem. Gibbs's most recent half marathon was a 1:33:02 at the Clarksburg Country Run in fall 2021. But she demonstrated her current distance fitness in August by finishing 2nd to Nora Cary in this division at the Masters Ten Mile Championships with a fine 1:13:45. In these championships, she passed the 10K mat in 44:50 and the 15K in 1:09:11. Gibbs enjoyed the division win with no pressure.
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| Stella Gibbs heading for the Finish Line and a 65-69 Win at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Lisa Vaughn Unattached IA clocked 1:53:51 at the University of Michigan Health Grand Rapids Half Marathon in October of 2023. This August Vaughn finished fourth in the division with a 1:26:35 at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in Flint. She ran a controlled pace, just under 9 minutes per mile at the 10K and 15K splits. That pace drifted a bit above 9 for the final, overall uphill, 3.7 miles. But she landed at 9:02 per mile, a very nice effort for a hilly course. Helene Myers Potomac Valley Track Club persevered to claim the bronze medal, enjoying the 90 points she acquired toward the Grand Prix.
Podium
Stella Gibbs 1:36:41 Lisa Vaughn 1:58:21 Helene Myers 3:40:11
70-74 Victoria Crisp Unattached TN ran 1:59:41 at the PUBLLIX Ft. Lauderdale HM in February and finished second at the Ten Mile Championships with a 1:21:55 effort at the ten-mile championships in Flint. That time suggested she has a much faster HM time in her than she recorded in February. As it turned out she had no rivals entered. But she ran nine minutes faster on this outing anyway! Crisp hit the 10K mark in 52:05 and the 15K mark in 1:20:08.
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| Victoria Crisp at Mile 4.8. She went on to win the Gold Medal in the Women's 70-74 Division at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
There was no stopping Crisp as she rolled to the win in 1:51:04!
Podium
Victoria Crisp 1:51:04
75-79 Andrea McCarter Atlanta Track Club, winner of the 75-79 Grand Prix title last year, found herself alone in this division. McCarter wanted to be sure to finish and not run into any trouble on the uphill section between miles 10 and 11. Her average pace at the 2.2 mile mat was at 14 minutes per mile. She increased her pace steadily to 12:36/ mile at the 10K mat and to 12:33 at the 15K mat. Despite it being uphill overall from there, McCarter finished smartly with a 12:14 per mile average. That was good for the win and 100 points toward her 2024 Grand Prix campaign.
Podium
Andrea McCarter 2:45:02
MEN 40-44 Davis, Guillen and Poray went 1-2-3 overall and in this division.
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| John Poray takes the corner at Mile 4.8 On His Way to a 3rd Place overall Men's Finish (and 3rd in 40-44) at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Carver, Hurt, Yoder and Olson finished in fourth through seventh, just as they did in the overall Masters race.
Podium
Jesse Davis 1:08:04 Ramiro Guillen 1:11:51 John Poray 1:12:56
45-49 Mike Cole Indiana Elite AC, Shaun Hamilton Unattached IN, Shaun McGrath Unattached NY, and Michael Wilt Bat City TC TX had strong resumes in this division. Although Cole ran 1:15:56 two years earlier to set the Race record on this course, he was at a disadvantage this go round. This has been his Marathon a month year, not to mention, his time to run the Leadville Hundred just three weeks before this race. Hamilton has run two fine half marathons in the last year, not to mention a 2:53 effort at the 2024 Boston Marathon. He took the Masters win at the Boy Scout Half Marathon last August in 1:20:28 and won the 45-49 division at the Indy Mini Marathon with a 1:19:50. It would be a challenge for him to keep pace with McGrath and Wilt, both of whom own a recent 1:17 half marathon. McGrath claimed the Masters win in the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon in March with a 1:17:02 and Wilt landed on the Masters podium at the 3M Half Marathon in Austin TX in January with a 1:17:09. As it turned out, Hamilton, despite his best efforts, could not stay with McGrath and Wilt. He had a fine outing nonetheless, clicking off 37:40 at the 10K, and 58:04 at the 15K, on his way to a 1:20:14. Hamilton won the bronze medal, two minutes ahead of Cole's 1:22:40. =Wilt attacked the course from the starting gun, running for the first two miles with the second chase pack, a minute behind the leaders. McGrath was content to follow a hundred meters back. At the 10K mat, Wilt was still running in the top ten as he went past in 36:21. McGrath was barely within two hundred meters of Wilt. Did he feel like he had no chance to catch up or was he confident in his strategy? The gap stayed about the same over the next 5K with the 'Kill the Hill' hill looming ahead of them. McGrath was able to take the 330-meter 'Kill the Hill section 5 seconds faster than McGrath; only four Masters athletes covered it faster. He must have seen Wilt coming back to him. By the time they exited the park and were headed to the turn with just over a mile to go, the mat showed that McGrath had cut Wilt's lead from 47 seconds at the 15K mat to just 15 seconds at the 11.5-mile mat. McGrath was flying now; Wilt was struggling. McGrath passed Wilt with a head of steam and went on for the 45-49 win with 21 seconds to spare.
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| Shaun McGrath heading for the 45-49 Men's win at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Wilt could not keep pace with McGrath but kept his race together over that final mile and claimed second with hundreds of meters to spare. McGrath had a great come from behind victory!
Podium
Shaun McGrath 1:17:34 Michael Wilt 1:17:55 Shaun Hamilton 1:20:16
50-54 This division race was hard to figure out. The one athlete with some consistency in his record coming into these championships was Jason Newport Unattached OH. Last September, Newport ran 1:23:34 at the Parlor City Half Marathon in Indiana. In March he clocked 1:03:41 at the Little Miami 10 Miler, and followed that up with a 50-54 bronze medal at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in August with a 1:03:15. All three of those times are consistent with something like a 1:23 half marathon. Robb Awe Indiana Elite AC, on the other hand, ran 3:16:25 at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in fall of 2022. But he ran almost 30 minutes faster the year before. Which Awe would show up? The only hint is a 36:10 effort at a 10K in April. That suggests, if he has logged the training miles since then that he would come in with something like 1:20 or better fitness. Two others looked like they might be competitive with Newport, or close to it. Mark Glover Indiana Elite took 3rd in 50-54 at the Carmel (IN) HM in early April at 1:25:14. But a month later he ran 1:28:42 at the Indy Mini Marathon. Andrew Hector Indiana Elite had run 1:25:29 at the Indy Mini Marathon in May, 2023, but six months later clocked 1:43:28 at the Monumental Marathon. With 11 months to recover from whatever was slowing him down 11 months ago, would he be ready to compete with Awe, Glover and Newport? After the first fast 2.2 miles, Awe, like Wilt from 45-49, was running in the 2nd chase group; his time was 13:09. Glover was 150 meters behind that group and Newport slightly more cautious another 35 meters back. Hector, it appeared, would run a strong race. But unless those ahead struggled on the hills, Hector, a good 400 meters behind Newport, would not be on the podium. Those gaps all grew bigger through 15K, as Awe split in 36:57 and 57:11. Glover, 250 meters behind Awe at 15K, started to narrow the gap on the hills. His time on the 'Kill the Hill' segment was ten seconds faster than Awe's and faster than anyone else outside the top ten. Awe struggled a bit but held things together. At Mile 11.5, he still had over a half minute on Glover. Things got tighter as they headed back in the final mile. But Awe held strong to the tape, claiming the win ten seconds ahead of his teammate.
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| Robb Awe builds the lead he would hold all the way to the finish in winning Men's 50-54 at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Newport did not gain on them in that stretch but ran his own race, turning in a fine time for his second bronze medal at a national championship this year. Hector was fourth in 1:29:17.
Podium
Robb Awe 1:20:46 Mark Glover 1:20:56 Jason Newport 1:24:37
55-59 Craig Godwin Bowerman Track Club/OR is one of the 'Fast Fifties' of Masters LDR, at least %when he is not having a heart attack or recovering from one. A year ago, he had his third, and here he was travelling halfway across the country to compete in a national half marathon championship. We had to assume he was ready for a good run. Three years ago, he had finished 8th overall and first in 50-54 with a 41:23 at the Masters 12 Km championships. A year later he ran 1:18:52 at the Eugene Marathon. He had stern competition. John Fernandez Lake Erie Lightning/OH announced his presence at Masters National Championships in February, finishing third overall, winning his division in 16:13. Not just a speedster, Fernandez worked on his distance credentials, turning in a division winning 1:19:09 at the Capital City Health Half Marathon in Columbus OH. He collected the 55-59 gold medal at Flint, winning the championship in 58:35. That signified that Fernandez might be ready to improve on his Columbus HM. Scot Ursum CHT Elite MI won his division at the Amway Riverbank Run in May with a 1:40:49 and earned the bronze medal at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in Flint with a 1:02:04. Those are nifty times, but it looked like he would again be competing for the bronze. Teammates Jeffrey Conston Shore AC and Ken Ginsburg Shore AC, who finished 6th and 8th at the 12 Km championships in September would be giving chase. The main event did not disappoint. Fernandez and Godwin went off with the leaders. At the end of 2.2 miles, averaging under 6:15 per mile, they were leading the 2nd chase pack with Awe, out of 50-54. By the 10K mat, after the Boy Scout Road hill and the roller on 56th Street they had left Awe and the rest a hundred meters back. The duo sped through in 36:36!
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| The 'Battle of the Black Shirts'! Craig Godwin #2618 gaining a temporary edge over John Fernandez on the turn which would close up again. Godwin took the win in 55-59, a few strides ahead of Fernan9dez at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
The next 5 Km saw a long, flat stretch and then a drop down into the park again. Neither gave an inch. It would have been interesting to see how the two of them navigated a gnarly stretch of about 50 yards at speed, where the Parks Department had surprised everyone by laying down a bed of large, pointy stones in place of the wood chips that had been there. Whether that slowed them down or not, they were still hammering at 15K, crossing the mat in 55:42. On up 'Kill the Hill' in 1:10 for Godwin and 1:11 for Fernandez. That may have been the beginning of a push from Godwin that opened up a 40-meter lead on Fernandez with just 1.6 miles to go. But Fernandez is a fighter and, as he proved in Atlanta, has some closing speed. The gap was there, but Fernandez felt he could still close it. Over the bridge and left on Lawton Loop, Fernandez made his final move and almost closed the gap. Godwin looked over his shoulder with just a couple of hundred meters to go and Fernandez was right there. Godwin dug deep, sprinted with all he had left, and found himself the division winner! Fernandez must have ended his kick once Godwin answered and the gold medal was out of his grasp. He crossed the line six seconds later. Fernandez now had a full set of 2024 Masters National Championships medals, a silver to go with his bronze from Atlanta, and his gold from Flint. Godwin showed once again that a heart attack cannot stop him. That was his fastest half marathon in a while, and another 8th place overall at a national championship out of the 55-59 division. They spurred each other to an amazing race and achievement! Ursum ran a fine race, as expected. Early on, it was clear to him that he was racing for the final medal. Sub-40 at the 10K and sub-60 at the 15K mat, Ursum had no difficulty staying ahead of all other rivals, finishing third with no one in sight behind him. Conston finished fourth in 1:26:56, with Ginsburg fifth.
Podium
Craig Godwin 1:16:13 John Fernandez 1:16:19 Scot Ursum 1:22:21
60-64 With Steve Schmidt Ann Arbor TC a scratch due to a temporary illness, Rick Torres KorfEdge Running looked to have a clear path to the win. Torres ran 1:21:54 at the Carmel HM in early April and, in late April, clocked 1:23:25 at the Kentucky Derby Festival HM. His closest rival looked to be Steve Heaps Club Northwest who raced to a 1:24:58 HM at Lake Sammamish in March and a 1:27:36 at the Redmond Harvest HM. Rich Power Ann Arbor TC was in shape last year to be a threat; he clocked 2:57:45 at the new York Marathon and was three minutes faster at Houston two months later. This September, he finished at 49:16 in the Masters 12 Km Championships. That kind of time is consistent with a sub-1:30 HM but not a sub-1:25 HM. Mike Mertens Genesee Valley Harriers finished 2 seconds ahead of Power at the 12K and finished fifth in this division at the ten-mile championships in 1:06:22. Heaps was able to stay with Torres for the first three miles. But once they got into the hills it was a different story. Torres hit the 10K mark in 39:30 with a 150-meter lead on Heaps. Power and Mertens were battling anther 250 meters back. Power, off to a slow start, had closed to within a second of Mertens by that point. Torres pushed the pace the rest of the way, widening the gap to heaps until he finished with the gold medal three minutes ahead of Heaps.
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| Rick Torres #2655 surging around an Open runner on his way to the 60-64 win at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Heaps was never threatened by anyone else, claiming the silver medal with over 400 meters to spare. By the 15K mat, Power had 60 meters on Mertens and lengthened that to 80 meters with 1.6 miles to go. Mertens narrowed the gap slightly over the final mile but Power had the bronze medal place with 23 seconds to spare. Larry Sak Ann Arbor TC was a minute and a half back in fifth. Torres enjoyed his first gold medal at a National Masters LDR Championship.
Podium
Rick Torres 1:23:20 Steve Heaps 1:26:25 Rich Power 1:28:28
65-69 Roger Sayre Boulder Road Runners has been one of the top runners in his age division for a long time. His recent long-distance running includes a 65-69 win at the 2023 Masters Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse. That course is hilly and was held that year in mid-April, on an unseasonably warm day. Athletes were advised to temper their ambitions and run safely. Sayre still ran 1:24:23. This year in May, he lowered his American 25K Record for 65-69 with a 1:39:50 at the Amway Riverbank Run. That, too, is consistent with a half marathon effort under 1:25. Two other athletes had recent sub-1:30 half marathons but no others had HM's or other long race results suggesting they could break 1:30 by much. Tim Conheady Greater Philadelphia TC ran a 1:29:15 Half Marathon at the WMA Indoor Championships in March. In August he claimed the 65-69 bronze medal at the Masters 10 Mile Championships with a 1:08:34, roughly consistent with a 1:30 to 1:31 half marathon. Peter Danzell Greater Lowell Road Runners ran 1:29:32 at the Coit State Park HM last November and 1:31:19 at the New Bedford Half Marathon this March. David Westenberg would have had the best shot at staying with Sayre but had to scratch due to an injury. John Blaser Unattached IA had recent performances that were a little way off but showed he needed to be taken seriously as a potential podium contender. Blaser clocked 1:35:21 at the Grand Rapids HM last November and finished 4th at the Ten-mile championships. behind Conheady. Sayre went off strong, splitting the first 10K in 39:50, and the 15K in 1:01:05. Sayre claimed the victory with minutes to spare.
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| Roger Sayre, in a class by himself, on the way to 65-69 Victory and the Men's Silver Age Grading Medal at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Danzell put a half minute gap on Conheady and Blaser in the first mile and grew the gap gradually throughout the rest of the race. His silver medal effort on a tough course confirmed his standing coming into the race. Blaser was right with Conheady when they passed the first timing mat. After the Boy Scout Road hill and the rolling hill on 56th Street, Conheady had opened a small gap of 20 meters. Conheady got into a rhythm over tha mostly flat stretch outside the park and then down into the park, crossing the 15K mat in 1:08:05, with Blaser a hundred meters back. It was not dramatic, but Conheady was gradually adding to the gap. In the end, Conheady snagged the final podium spot with a minute and 14 seconds of cushion. Sayre added another feather to his 2024 cap!
Podium
Roger Sayre 1:24:31 Peter Danzell 1:31:12 Timothy Conheady 1:33:49
70-74 Denny Kurtis Ann Arbor TC and Joe Reda Unattached WI met at the Masters 10 Mile national championships in Flint this year. Kurtis finished first in 1:11:40, a minute ahead of Reda. Last fall Kurtis won his division at the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 1:37:15. Reda's record is just as strong. Last August he clocked 1:36:13 at the Madison WI Mini Marathon. Three months later he ran 3:15:50 at the Indy Monumental Marathon. Earlier this year, Reda won national championships at the 1 Mile and 10K so he knows how to compete! How would the rematch go? Doug Chesnut Boulder Road Runners and Don Morrison Greater Philadelphia TC would be in the mix as well. The distance is toward the long end of their range but they finished sixth and seventh at the ten mile championships a couple of minutes behind Reda, with just 42 seconds between them. Although I say it is toward the long end of their range, both have competed at long distances before. Chesnut ran a 3:48 marathon in the fall of 2022 and Morrison jumped into the PUBLIX Atlanta Marathon the day after competing in the Masters 5 Km Championships; he ran a very respectable 1:42:15 on a course with a few hills! This time, Kurtis got off the mark the fastest and had ten seconds on Reda at the first 2.2 Mile split, and another four on Chesnut. Morrison was focused on keeping to his own race plan, well back from those three. By the time they negotiated the first set of hills and were back on the flat at the top of the course, it was very tight. Kurtis, Reda, and Chesnut crossed the 10K mat in a pack at 44:59! The stretch from there to the 15K mat is flat, followed by a downhill stretch starting before the 12K point, and steeply downhill around 8 miles, followed by another mostly flat portion at the bottom of the park. Somewhere along there, Reda must have heard footsteps behind him but no longer next to him. By the 15K mat, Kurtis was 15 meters back, easily within striking distance, but not right there. Chesnut had drafted another 60 meters back. Chesnut is tenacious but may have needed to save something for the upcoming hills. Reda was ready for the hills. By the time they passed the 11.5-mile mat, Reda had added another 26 seconds to his gap on Kurtis. The gap between Kurtis and Chesnut had grown to 49 seconds. Morrison, in the meantime, was focused on running a good half marathon, six minutes behind Reda, but right on the pace he wanted. Reda took the win, with Kurtis in second, a good half minute back, and Chesnut third another minute and a half later. Morrison was fourth with a well-paced time very close to his Atlanta half marathon time, at 1:42:25. After tough outings at the 10 Mile and 12 Km Championships, Reda had another national championship!
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| From Left: Denny Kurtis and Joe Reda locked in combat just before Mile 5. Reda and Kurtis would finish 1-2 in the 70-74 Division at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Kurtis is, no doubt, already looking forward to a rematch, either on the turf or the roads! Already known at national championships as a strong cross country and 1 Mile to 10K runner, Chesnut showed again that he can slug it out on the roads at longer distances too!
Podium
Joseph Reda 1:35:53 Dennis Kurtis 1:36:27 Douglas Chesnut 1:37:58
75-79 The top contenders were Terry McCluskey Ann Arbor TC, Jerry Learned Atlanta TC and me, Paul Carlin An Arbor TC. Steve Gilbert Unattached IN, a local runner, would try to see how he stacked up against national competition. McCluskey has been gradually rounding into condition after taking it relatively easy off the circuit during Covid and for a while afterward. A strong marathoner in his day and up into his late sixties, McCluskey won the 70-74 division at the 2019 Naples Florida Half Marathon in 1:33:24. Back on track this year, McCluskey claimed the Masters Ten-mile championship in Flint with a 1:23:14. Learned prefers his races shorter. Buthe has also answered the call when his beloved Atlanta Track Club needs his help. He ran the Masters national half marathon championship in 2018, shortly after a fall on the stairs, caused, if I recall correctly by a wayward pooch. And he competed a couple of times in the 15K at Tulsa; he took 2nd in 1:12:59 to my third in 2018 and we reversed it the next year, with me in 2nd at 1:13:40 and Learned third. Learned explained to me at the 12 Km championships that he was not planning on running at the half marathon championship, that it would not be wise. But his Atlanta TC needed a third runner for their 60+ team. Of course, Learned answered the call. But then the other runners on that team ran into a snag and, at the last minute, found they could not make it. Learned ran, instead, on the 40+ team. But make no mistake, Learned has been running very well for the last couple oof years since handling a health issue. A regular on the podium or just off, Learned won the 75-79 Grand prix last year when he aged up and he has it locked up this year as well. He won the division at the 12 Km championships in New Jersey in September with a 1:00:40. I was almost 40 minutes back, in third. In fact, I have not come in ahead of Learned since the warm and hilly 2023 half marathon championships in Syracuse. My 1:55:10 brought me in about five minutes ahead. Learned was not fully recovered from his health issue at that time. One's fourth year in an age division is always going to be difficult in some ways. I was unhappy with my last two championship races, the 10 Mile and 12 K, in terms of the quality of the effort. Ironically, they were my two best finishes this year as I collected a silver medal in the ten mile and a bronze in the 12K. For the first time ever, I doubted, in both races, whether I would be able to complete the entire race. In both cases I did. But I was not competitive for the win, finishing five minutes behind McCluskey in Flint and almost 4 minutes behind Learned in New Jersey.
When the gun sounded, McCluskey took off with the young pups from the 70-74 division. Learned was a little more cautious, and I was behind them both, with Gilbert trailing the three of us. McCluskey covered the first 10K in 50:01, and the 15K in 1:16:49. He had a gap of a kilometer on Learned and I was another kilometer behind him. I could say that I was timing it so I would have a glimpse of the overall winner, Davis, emerging from the park, heading south as I was still heading north, with plenty of zip in his step but that was pure serendipity! None of us ran into any trouble we could not handle the rest of the way. McCluskey ran brilliantly, victorious in a time much faster than would have been predicted from his win in Flint just 6 weeks earlier. Clearly, McCluskey's training is paying dividends. Watch out for him if he opts to run any of the Cross Country races this winter.
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| Terry McCluskey, leading a couple oof Open Runners on his way to the 75-79 Division Victory at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
McCluskey tends to run even better on the turf than on the roads! Learned ran a fine race, struggling a little, perhaps, over the last couple of miles, but capturing the silver medal with minutes to spare. I had a hard time on the hills. It is odd. When I was in my late 60's, new to the circuit, and running 1:30 half marathons, I would occasionally train in Fort Harrison Park, running the 'Kill the Hill' segment multiple times. I did not remember it being as steep as it seemed this time. Could a decade really make that much difference? Surely not! [Well, maybe...]. It turned out to be my slowest half marathon ever, more than a half hour slower than my winning effort in 2014 when I was 68. But I finished and earned the bronze medal. Gilbert took fourth a dozen or so minutes later.
Terry McCluskey 1:46:34 Jerry Learned 1:56:36 Paul Carlin 2:02:58
Podium
80-84 Harold Rosen Unattached MD sent an email to USATF last year that was forwarded to me. He had won his 80-84 age division at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run, the USATF Ten Mile Championship. He did not understand why USATF was referring to the winner of the Ten Mile Championships in Sacramento as the 80-84 national champion when he had run a faster time at the USATF 10 Mile Championship. After explaining that USATF has a separate Masters National Championships circuit, Rosen wrote a very cordial note back, thanking me for the information. Perhaps not surprisingly, Rosen turned up at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. Also, perhaps not surprisingly, he finished first among six competitors with a minute and a half cushion. And now, here he was again, competing at his second National Masters championship. This time he had only one rival. Przemek Nowicki Shore AC entered, in part to help his team, but also to acquire some Grand Prix points. He would have a chance for a good finish in his brand new 80-84 division if he could score points here. He knew he was not in shape to run a good half marathon. He adopted a strategy of mixed running and walking. Nowicki was aiming to compete and finish the race. Had there been genuine competitors, eager for a possible win, few, if any, would have stayed with Rosen. He crossed the 10K mat in 56:42 and the 15K mat in 1:27:47.
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| Harold Rosen passing two Open Runners on his way to the 80-84 Division crown at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
He went on to win in 2:03:12. Nineteen minutes later, Nowicki finished 2nd.
This is, in fact, the first time since 2017 that someone has entered the Masters Half Marathon national championships in the Men 80-84 category. In 2017, at the OC Marathon, Richard Wiliams won the 80-84 half marathon in 2:18:51. It is the first time since 2016 that there have been two entrants at the Masters Half Marathon championships. The real competition could come next year if Doug Goodhue finishes off his recovery from knee surgery. Last October he ran 1:57:41 at the Detroit Free Press HM. Jan Frisby can compete with Rosen at almost any distance up to ten miles. But Frisby has not run the half marathon distance that I know of in recent years. Either way, Rosen ran a fine race and enjoyed his second Masters National Championship this year.
Podium
Harold Rosen 2:03:12 Przemyslaw Nowicki 2:22:26
AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS Based on net time
MEN Craig Godwin, in winning his stirring battle with John Fernandez, won the Age Grading competition at the same time. His 1:16:12 net time at age 57 earned the only 90% plus Performance Level Percentage PLP. Roger Sayre, winner in 65-69 at age 66. earned the silver medal; his 1:24:28 net time had a PLP 1.42 percentage points below Godwin. Jesse Davis, the overall winner, was a rare 40-something medalist in the age grading championship. His 1:08:04, at age 42, was good for an 89.30%, just 0.16 percentage points behind Sayre. Fernandez, despite being just two years younger than Godwin and five seconds slower on net time, fell to fourth.
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| Roger Sayre starting on 13.1 Miles-At the finish he would own the 65-69 Division Title and the Silver Age Grading medal at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Off the podium but still in the money, Fernandez's score was 89.12%. Rick Torres, out of 60-64, was in the last prize-winning spot, 5th; his 1:23:16 at age 61, scored an 86.37 PLP.
Top Age Graded Performances Across All Men's Age Divisions
Craig Godwin 57 1:16:12 90.88 Roger Sayre 66 1:24:28 89.46 Jesse Davis 42 1:08:04 89.30
WOMEN Lisa Veneziano and Fiona Bayly both won their age divisions with excellent efforts. Veneziano's 1:28:00 net time, at age 60, graded 26-hundredths of a percentage point higher than Bayly's 1:24:51, at age 57. Three years makes a lot of difference in age grading tables. Veneziano won the gold age grading medal and Bayly the silver.
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| Lisa Veneziano sprints to .the Finish Line to collect the top Age Grading Prize and the 60-64 Division title at the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Indy Half at Fort Ben Photo Credit: Pam Fales |
Stella Gibbs captured the 65-69 division crown; in so doing, she ran 1:36:39 net, for a 91.76 PLP, about two percentage points behind Bayly. Victoria Crisp enjoyed a great solo run in 70-74. Her net time of 150:53 at 72, merited an 88.88 PLP. Not n;;y did Hronn Gudmundsdottir team up with Gibbs to lead the Impala Racing team in the 50+ Women's team competition, she also snagged the final age grading prize. Her 1:32:24, at age 59, earned an 88.40 PLP.
Top Age Graded Performances Across All Women's Age Divisions
Lisa Veneziano 60 1:28:00 94.05 Fiona Bayly 57 1:24:51 93.79 Stella Gibbs 65 1:36:39 91.76
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Even though many of the Grand Prix races are tight and, as yet, undecided, the turnout from Clubs was comparatively light. Some teams that expected to score, based on entries, found that one or more of their athletes could not make the event, due to illness, injury or other conflict. The schedule may have played a part. Masters Outdoor Championships ran right into WMA Championships and then the 10 Mile, 12 Km and Half Marathon championships followed in the next six weeks. Also, many of the teams are more focused on the turf and the track than the roads. Perhaps they figure it is easier to get their team to commit for the Masters 5 Km XC, even if it is at altitude.
W50+ There was just one complete Women's team that finished. The Impala Racing H Gudmundsdottir, S Gibbs, A Newman, G Wahl had a four-athlete W50+ team that won the division unopposed in 4:57:05, or an average across the three scoring team members of 1:39:02.
Team Division Winner
Impala Racing 4:57:05 average = 1:39:02
No complete teams finished in any other Women's ten-year age division.
The only truly competitive division on the Men's side was 40+.
M40+ The hometown Indiana Elite Athletic Club entered two teams, an 'A' J Davis, J Poray, M Olson and a 'B' C Carver, C Galloway, M Cole team. After thinking about dividing their squads for maximum internal competition, they decided to put their strongest runners on the A team, just in case the Atlanta Track Club's F Weir, C Cadiou, T Gresham team turned out to be stronger than anticipated. As it turned out it was a little closer between A and B teams. Carver, on the B team, must have surprised even himself with his fine 1:13:40, almost five minutes faster than his recent HM outings. Even so, the A team's athletes finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in the team standings. Their cumulative time was 3:36:00; they won team gold. The B team nabbed third, 5th and 6th in team scoring for a total time of 3:59:36. That was good for team silver. Atlanta had a good team for 50+ but dropped everyone to 40+ so that the team could include their athlete under the age of 50. Their total time was 4:32:15 for the bronze medal. Those 80 points for third place moved Atlanta into the 2024 M40+ Club Grand Prix lead. Other teams like Indiana and Shore can pass them but only if they finish ahead of them at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder.
Team Division Podium
Indiana Elite Athletic Club 'A' 3:36:00 1:12:00 Indiana Elite Athletic Club 'B' 3:59:36 1:19:52 Atlanta Track Club 4:32:15 1:30:45
M50+ The Indiana Elite R Awe, M Glover, A Hector entered a strong team in this division. The Shore Athletic Club team J Conston, K Ginsburg, P Nowicki was short of 50+ runners. Luckily, Przemek Nowicki, who just aged up to the 80-84 division, was willing to run a Half Marathon, even though he had not really trained up for it. That meant that the two 50+ runners who made it to the event could run on a team and that Shore could earn Grand Prix points. The first two runners to finish were from Indiana Elite; the next two were from Shore. If Shore had had another competitive runner, the team contest might have been close. But Nowicki's only aim was to finish so that Grand Prix points were earned. Shore was 13 minutes behind after the first two runners on each team had finished. In the end, Indiana had the win with a cushion of well over an hour. But Nowicki finished, to make sure that Shore got their silver team medals and the 90 points toward the Grand Prix championship. That moved Shore solidly into 2nd place in the M50+ Grand Prix ahead of the Genesee Valley Harriers.
Team Division Podium
Indiana Elite Athletic Club 4:10:59 1:23:40 Shore Athletic Club 5:19:29 1:46:27
M60+ The only club to field a complete team was the Ann Arbor Track Club R Power, L Sak, S Fiske, W Freeman, M Mester. Although originally entered and incorrectly listed on the Team Results sheet after the race, Schmidt was a scratch; he did not compete. Unopposed, they won in a very nice 4:31:30. Their top three finished within four minutes of one another around 1:30. Their total was 4:31:30, four minutes faster than their team time in the 2023 HM Championships where they finished 1st among three teams. Ann Arbor's 100 points locked up their third place finish in the 2024 M60+ Club Grand Prix.
Team Division Winner
Ann Arbor Track Club 4:31:30 1:30:30
M70+ As with 60+, Ann Arbor D Kurtis, E Matsuo, T McCluskey, A Pratt, P Carlin was the only complete team competing. They won in 5:05:50; that was faster than the winning M70+ times at the Masters Half Marathon Championships in 2022 and 2023. In both 2022 and 2023, there were three complete teams entered. The 100 Grand Prix points that Ann Arbor earned here at the Half Marathon, moved them into 3rd place in the 2024 M70+ Grand Prix ahead of Shore AC. Shore could still pass them at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships. Ann Arbor will need to score well there to protect their lead.
Team Division Winner
Ann Arbor Track Club 5:05:50 1:41:57
The Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben was a great success. There were some thrilling performances!
Thanks to Pam Fales for the complimentary photos; She takes great pictures in the midst of making sure everything is running smoothly for the USATF Masters Championships.
If anyone is still looking for photos to purchase, there are, apparently, pics available for a price at finisherpix.com.
The last scoring event for this year's Masters National Grand Prix is the Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boulder CO, to be held on November 2, 2024. For details, see:
https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-usatf-masters-5-km-cross-country-championship
