January 1, 2024 Club Cross Site: Apalachee Regional Park, Tallahassee, FL Date: December 9, 2023
OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
For each of the three races, the Overall winner came from the youngest 5-year age division. Focusing on the 40-44 competition for the Women’s race and Men 40+ and on the 60-64 competition for the Men 60+ provides the discussion of the overall championship in each race. See Age Division races below.
Overall Podiums:
Women 6 Km: Carrie Dimoff Bowerman TC 21:18 Renée Metivier Team Red Lizard 21:41 Katie Sherron Gulf Winds TC 22:06
Men 60+ 8Km: Nat Larson Greater Springfield Harriers 29:34 Mark Zamek Shore AC 29:53 John Van Danacker TC Running Co 30:26
Men 40+ 10 Km: Malcolm Richards West Valley TC 32:09 Jesse Davis Indiana Elite AC David Cisewski West Valley 32:58
AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN 40-44 There was a tight duel between Carrie Dimoff Bowerman, who ran the marathon for Team USA în the Doha World Championships, and Renée Metivier Team Red Lizard, a Team USA member at multiple World Cross Country Championships. Dimoff, admittedly, was dictating the pace but Metivier gave no quarter and was right on her heels for the entire first 3 Km loop.
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| Renée Metivier left and Carrie Dimoff vying for the Overall Masters and 40-44 Age Division Win at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
The second loop was a different story; Dimoff pushed the pace, dropping Metivier by the 4 km mark. Dimoff pulled away despite Metivier’s best efforts, winning both Overall and 40-44 in 21:18.
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| Carrie Dimoff takes the tape as she earns the Overall Masters Win, and the W40-44 Division, Win, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Metivier took second in 21:41.
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| Renée Metivier takes second overall, and in the W40-44 division, in the Women's Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Gulf Winds’ Katie Sherron, who was the winner on this course two years earlier, allowed the leaders a small gap in the first 400 meters. Despite her best efforts, she never narrowed that gap to less than 10 meters. Sherron claimed the final podium spot with her 22:06.
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| Katie Sherron takes third overall, and in the W40-44 division, in the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Julia Webb Unattached moved up steadily on the 2nd loop, passing Jennifer Keenan Checkers AC but was a good 75 meters back in fourth at the finish in 22:24. Keenan was 3 seconds back in 5th, with Vivien Hyman 6th in 22:34.
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| Vivien Hyman left leads Julia Webb at the halfway point of the Masters Race, overall and in W40, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
They were the top six in both the 40-44 Division and the Overall placements.
45-49 Last year Maggie Shearer Cal Coast TC was at the top of her game, winning this division while finishing 2nd overall. She lost much of 2023 to injury but returned to help her team at Clubs. Jill Braley Atlanta TC, who finished sixth overall at Clubs two years ago, was ready. She created a 50-meter gap on the field in the first kilometer and then grew it steadily, finishing first in 22:49.
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| Jill Braley #502 leading in the W45 Division, running between Jennifer Lutz #522 and Elizabeth Camy #536 both W50 Halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Shearer was second for the first 3 Km loop. Euleen Josiah-Tanner won this division on this same course two years ago and just took the overall championship at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton, FL. Josiah-Tanner matched Shearer stride for stride. With 2 Km to go. Josiah-Tanner moved past Shearer. She built the lead to 20 meters by the 5 Km mark. It was not enough! Shearer sprinted past in the final 400 meters to take second in 23:53.
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| From Left: Maggie Shearer and Euleen Josiah-Tanner vying for a W45 podium spot and team points, halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Josiah-Tanner enjoyed the final podium spot with a 24:01, not bad for a 49-year-old in her final year in the division. Cambria Wu The Janes Elite 24:21 finished 20 seconds later in fourth. Christy Peterson Cal Coast 24:59 finished fifth.
Jill Braley 22:49 Maggie Shearer 23:53 Euleen Josiah-Tanner 24:01
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| From Left: Lorilynn Bloomer #530 & Karolyn Bowley #524, both W50; Michelle Rohl #585 W55; Euleen Josiah-Tanner #630; and Elizabeth Camy #636, Ziyang Liu #561, Julia Webb #652, and Heather Gibson#602 getting out fast-three hundred meters into the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
50-54 Lorilynn Bloomer Bowerman won the Women’s race overall at the 2020 Cross National Championships. Hortencia Aliaga Garden State TC finished 6th in Tallahassee and 8th in San Francisco but has been running better than ever this year. Karolyn Bowley Boston Athletic Association B.A.A. won this division here two years ago and finished 2nd last year at Golden Gate Park. Thirty-five meters ahead of the field at 1 Km, Bloomer built that to 40 meters over the next kilometer. After the 2 Kilometer mark, Aliaga, in second place, and Bowley, in third, began to chip away at the gap. When Bowley surged past Aliaga with a kilometer to go, Bloomer’s lead was less than 15 meters. Bowley closed and passed, bringing Aliaga with her. Bowley had the win in 24:01, with Aliaga six seconds back in second place.
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| Hortencia Aliaga center #568 running at the Halfway point with W40 runners, from left: Elizabeth Wakeling #576, Amanda Lankford #538, Jennifer Boerner #554 - Aliaga on her way to 2nd in W50 and helping her GSTC to 2nd in Team W50-at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Bloomer finished third in 24:20, almost a minute ahead of Samantha Forde Impala Racing Team 25:19 in fourth. Forde moved past Carla McAlister Cal Coast 25:37 at the halfway point and never looked back.
Karolyn Bowley 24:01 Hortencia Aliaga 24:07 Lorilynn Bloomer 24:20
55-59 Rachel Hopkins Sirius Athletics, who finished 3rd in 50-54 at San Francisco last year, made the transition to 55-59 with a wire-to-wire win in 24:41.
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| Rachel Hopkins center #626 on her way to the W55 Championship with Amanda Lankford & Jennifer Boerner both W40 Halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Michelle Rohl Greater Philadelphia TC, a middle-distance record-breaker on the track, and the division winner in Tallahassee two years ago, ran in second place for the first 3 Km loop. Jennifer Harvey Central Park TC, the 55-59 American Road Mile Record holder, moved past Aeron Arlin Genet HOKA Aggies at 3 Km and past Rohl at 4 Km. She finished 2nd in 25:04. Genet sprinted past Rohl to claim 3rd in 25:35, three seconds ahead of Rohl in 4th. Tania Fischer The Janes Elite 26:23 moved up in the last 2 kilometers to take 5th head of Kathleen Hayden Atlanta TC 26:35.
Rachel Hopkins 24:41 Jennifer Harvey 25:04 Aeron Arlin Genet 25:35
60-64 Patricia Bellan HOKA Aggies, who won the 55-59 division at Spokane in 2018, led the first loop. At that point, Suzanne La Burt Shore AC, the second place 55-59 finisher in 2021, moved past Bellan, and had a 30-meter lead by the 4 Km mark. La Burt stretched her lead over the final 2 km, winning by almost a hundred meters in 25:20.
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| Suzanne La Burt on her way to the W60 Win with Samantha Forde #607 W50 and helping her team to the W60 Team Win halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Mary Cass Liberty AC, who won this division at Golden Gate Park last year, passed Bellan in the final kilometer, claiming second with 30 meters to spare. Bellan was third at 25:54. Suzanne Cordes Impala Racing Team 27:39 and Amanda King Liberty AC 27:58 ran steady races, holding their 4th and 5th positions from the 1 Kilometer mark through to the finish. Eileen Brennan-Erler Impala Racing took seven seconds out of King's lead in the last kilometer, ending up 5 seconds back in 6th.
Suzanne La Burt 25:20 Mary Cass 25:45 Patricia Bellan 25:54
65-69 Nora Cary Shore AC, the 65-69 American 12 Km record holder, had no trouble, building a 70-meter lead on the field in the first kilometer. She stretched that lead throughout, winning in 26:30, an impressive two-plus minutes ahead of the field.
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| Nora Cary on her way to the W65 win & helping her team to the W60+ Team win halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Nora Cary 26:30 Patrice Combs 29:12 Lesley Hinz 29:13
70-74 Jeanette Groesz Team Red Lizard, who won this division in Tallahassee and San Francisco, had no trouble with her three-peat. She won by 500 meters in 30:44.
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| Jeanette Groesz #634 halfway through, with Mo Bartley W65, on her way to a big win in W70 and for her Team win in W70+ at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Norma Hudnall Atlanta 'A' and Cindy Lucking Atlanta 'B' tracked her as best they could. Lucking passed Hudnall in the final kilometer, taking second in 35:31, with Hudnall third in 35:47. Lucking was a regular contributor for Atlanta in the 2016-2019 period before focusing energy on her triathlon endeavors. Like Hinz in 65-69, Lucking seems a good candidate for the A squad. Cande Olsen Team Red Lizard 36:48 started conservatively, moving past Nancy Antos Boulder 37:57 into fifth at the halfway point. Olsen surged past Terry Ozell Atlanta 'A' 37:01 in the final kilometer to take fourth.
Jeanette Groesz 30:44 Cindy Lucking 35:31 Norma Hudnall 35:47
75-79 Jeannie Rice Unattached, the Women's World Record holder in the Marathon, had no peers in this division. As usual, whether on the roads, the track or the turf, it matters not, she won this Division race wire to wire, clocking 29:32 for the win.
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| Jeannie Rice flying to her W75 win, halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Sharon Gerl Team Red Lizard finished second at 33:36, with Andrea McCarter Atlanta third at 46:06. The only drama in this division was when Terry Foody Bluegrass Runners 46:49 moved past Perha Varley Gulf Winds 49:08 on the back section of the final loop. That allowed Foody to finish 4th, over two minutes ahead of Varley in 5th.
Jeannie Rice 29:32 Sharon Gerl 33:36 Andrea McCarter 46:06
80-84 Myrna Barnett Atlanta, at 80, became the oldest Women’s winner on the day, clocking 46:45. Barnett had a 2-minute lead at the first kilometer and continued adding to it during the race.
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| Myrna Barnett heads off at the start of the Masters Race on her way to the W80 Win and a Team W70+ Third Place at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Sharon Beebe Garden State finished second at 1:02:27.
Myrna Barnett 46:45 Sharon Beebe 1:02:27
MEN 60-64 Nat Larson Greater Springfield Harriers, out of the Connecticut River Valley area of Massachusetts, has torn up the American 60-64 record book this year. He currently holds every 60-64 road record except the 20K from 1 Mile, 4:49, to the Half Marathon, 1:15:27. Larson aged up into the 60-64 division in the middle of 2022 and won the Club Cross Masters 60+ race at Golden Gate Park in December. Larson won his 55-59 division at Clubs for three consecutive years from 2017 in Lexington KY to 2019 at the Lehigh course in Bethlehem. The defending champion went right to the front. The last time Mark Zamek Shore AC, competed against Larson on the turf was at Lehigh's Club Cross race in 2019, where Larson took the honors by 12 seconds. Zamek was out of commission for much of 2022 but made his presence felt on the roads this year. In Larsson's absence, Zamek took the M60 first at the Masters 5 Km Championships at Boca Raton this October. Zamek went with Larson, tracking him a half stride back, along with his teammate Rick Lee Shore AC.
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| From Right: Rick Lee, Nat Larson, and Mark Zamek lead the way, 300 Meters into the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Larson finally dropped Zamek as they approached the halfway point at 4 Km. By the time they passed the 5 Km timing mat on the back, forested section of the course, Larson had a 25-meter lead. From there, Larson grew that gap to over 75 meters. Larson enjoyed 1st in 29:34 with Zamek 2nd in 29:53. John Van Danacker TC Running Co TC = Twin Cities improved on his 4th place finish in San Francisco, claiming 3rd in 30:26.
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| John Van Danacker at the 3 Km point, on his way to a podium finish in the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Those three went 1-2-3 overall as well. Kevin Ostenberg HOKA Aggies 30:33, who took 5th on this course in '21, finished fourth, with Steve Schmidt Ann Arbor TC 30:38, who finished 2nd to Larson at Golden Gate Park last year, fifth. I heard a report from one of his competitors, days after the race, that Schmidt might have finished higher had he not gone wrong between the 2nd and 3rd loops of the course. Schmidt had zoomed past Ostenberg, Van Danacker and, apparently, Rick Lee (see below), and had a few seconds lead when he went the wrong way on the course.
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| Steve Schmidt running ahead of Kevin Ostenberg and John Van Danacker with about 2 Km to go in the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
After the hill called 'The Wall' on the first loop, runners are directed to go straight up behind the starting line for a tour around the side of the upper field nearest to spectators [call that the near side]. After the 2nd loop, there is a Course Marshall and a temporary barrier that directs the runners along the far side of the upper field and then down to a lower crossover point to the near side, before doing a final loop and finishing all along the far side to the tape. Course Marshalls are supposed to be at the crossover point alerting runners to cross to the right, not straight ahead; there is no temporary barrier straight ahead, just an open field. This was Schmidt's first time running the course at Tallahassee. The report is that Schmidt went straight. Maybe the Marshalls assumed, after seeing Larson and Zamek make the turn, that they did not need to direct these presumably experienced runners. But Schmidt did not know, and no Marshall stopped him from going straight. According to the report I heard, the runners behind said they called out to Schmidt, but he did not hear them. Once he realized he was going the wrong way, perhaps when he saw the finishing gate ahead of him, he reversed, went back up and made the turn, now behind Ostenberg, Van Danacker and Lee. He tried to make up that loss on the final lap but wound up fifth. We will never know if he would have come in ahead of Van Danacker and Ostenberg. The 'Fortunes of War!' Rick Lee Shore AC 30:43, who finished 3rd at Golden Gate Park, had been up to his usual pre-Championship pursuits. He ran in the JFK 50-Miler three weeks before Clubs, clocking 7:55:25 to take first in the 60-69 age division. But that would not be enough, of course; the following week he ran in an 8K and a 12K race. All those races were run on a hamstring that was still sore from the NYC Marathon in early November. Lee stayed with Larson and Zamek for the first 2 km but then gradually drifted back, before finishing 6th. Schmidt passed Lee once at the end of the 2nd 3 Km loop and then again on the forested section of the final 2 km loop. Hat's off to Larson; he is off to another great start in the Masters National Grand Prix!
Nat Larson 29:34 Mark Zamek 29:53 John Van Danacker 30:26
65-69 Rick Becker Atlanta, a 3-time Masters Harrier of the Year, took it out hard, seeking to erase the memory of an aberrant outing at Golden Gate Park last year, where he finished off a Club Cross division podium for the first time in years. David Westenberg Greater Lowell Road Runners, who finished 2nd in San Francisco, was determined that Becker should not have it easy. Westenberg glued himself to Becker, matching stride for stride. Becker dictated the pace but Westenberg matched it through 5000 meters.
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| From Left: Rick Becker and David Westenberg locked in a duel for M65 honors at 3 Km in the M60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
At that point, Westenberg was spent. In the next kilometer he was dropped, and Becker opened a 50-meter gap. Becker, who was also in the top ten overall in the 60+ race, poured it on from there, motoring to a 31:22. Ken Youngers had started more conservatively, leaving Becker and Westenberg to their duel. He latched onto Doug Keller TC Running Co 33:41, trailing him by a few strides through the 5 Km mark. At about the same time that Westenberg started to slow, Youngers was able to start pulling away from Keller. With the thrill of catching Westenberger urging him forward, Youngers cut huge gashes of territory out of Westenberg's lead in each of the last 2 kilometers, enabling him to take second in 32:43, 11 seconds ahead of Westenberg.
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| Doug Keller#929 and Ken Youngers #590 battle for the M65 podium; along with Allan Bohlke #922 M60, all three were pushing for Team points in the M60+ team competition at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Westenberg claimed third with a hundred meters to spare. Daniel Johnson TC Running 33:20 ran in 5th most of the way. In the final kilometer he passed his teammate, Keller, taking fourth to Keller's fifth.
Rick Becker 31:22 Ken Youngers 32:43 David Westenberg 32:54
70-74 Robert Qualls River City Rebels, defending champion from San Francisco, and winner of the 2023 Individual Masters Grand Prix, went to the front. That was hardly surprising, Qualls has run at the front of the division at almost every championship this year. He won 6 division championships in the 2022-23 Grand Prix, including all three Cross Country events. Qualls developed a 25-meter lead on Thomas Cushman HOKA Aggies in the first kilometer. [visual evidence from usatf.tv video]. Cushman had won the M65 division at Tallahassee two years ago. Qualls was too fast this time, but Cushman ran tough the whole way, keeping the winning margin under 40 meters. Qualls enjoyed the win in 34:52, with Cushman 2nd in 35:02.
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| Robert Qualls running all alone at the front of the M70 Division at the 3 Km mark of the 8 Km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Rick Pfeiffer Jamul Toads ran in fourth most of the way, passing Tomas Rodriguez Cal Coast 36:36 midway through the second 3 Km loop. Pfeiffer pulled away from there, taking third in 35:58. Rodriguez claimed fourth.
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| Thomas Cushman at the end of the first 3 Km Loop on his way to a 2nd place finish in M70 at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
In an unfortunate development, a mix-up with the bibs for the River City Rebels, caused an initial, unfounded, disqualification of Qualls. Had that DQ stood, his team would not have had the three scoring runners necessary to show up in the team results. Video review allowed the Referee to remove the DQ before the Awards ceremony. Qualls was rightfully awarded his gold medal for the division win. River City appeared in the official team results, finishing fourth. Unfortunately, the Club Cross results button on the Events Calendar still links to the Live Results which shows the DQ and the lack of Qualls and his team in their rightful place. That will, no doubt, be corrected soon. But no one should doubt that Qualls was the rightful winner.
Robert Qualls 34:52 Thomas Cushman 35:02 Rick Pfeiffer 35:58
75-79 Gary Ostwald Boulder Road Runners, who beat Ron Wells Jamul Toads by a single second last year in San Francisco, with a last-minute kick to the tape, went on to dominate this division at Championships throughout the year. He used his devastating kick to power to the win at Cross Nationals in Richmond. He then claimed solid wins on the roads at 10 Miles and 10K. Wells has run at the top of his division for decades, especially on the turf. He won the M75 race at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2021 and also at Cross Nationals in San Diego at the beginning of 2022.
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| Gary Ostwald out in front of the M75 race with some runners from younger age divisions on his way to the M75 win and helping his team to the M70+ Team Victory at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Ostwald needed no last-minute magic this time. Ostwald and Wells were running even with each other through the 2 Km split. Wells started to lose ground after that. Ostwald had a 12 second gap on Wells by the end of the first loop and added 14 seconds in the next kilometer, followed by another 12 in the fifth kilometer. No one threatened Wells, much less Ostwald. Ostwald won at 37:38, with Wells second at 38:54. Jerry Learned Atlanta 40:20 and Rick Katz Boulder Road Runners ran together in 3rd and 4th for the first four kilometers.
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| Jerry Learned leading Rick Katz in the M75 Division at the 3 Km mark of the Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Over the next kilometer, Katz started to move away from Learned. By the end of the second 3 Km loop, Katz had a gap of 11 seconds on Learned. Katz gave nothing back, finishing third in 40:02, with Learned fourth. David Longmuir Club Northwest 40:36 and Terry McCluskey Ann Arbor TC 40:33 ran within a few seconds of each other for the first 2 kilometers. Longmuir pulled away then and was 20 seconds ahead of McCluskey by the end of the 2nd loop. McCluskey gradually closed on Longmuir over the final loop, getting close enough that a good kick down the final hill pulled him into 5th, three seconds in front of Longmuir. Ostwald was on top one more time! That's 100 points in the Masters National Grand Prix bank too!
Gary Ostwald 37:38 Ron Wells 38:54 Rick Katz 40:02
80-84 Masters Hall of Famer, Doug Goodhue Ann Arbor TC came in with a bum hamstring, hoping that wrapping it would allow him to have a good day. Like Ostwald, Goodhue had won the 2023 Masters National Grand Prix with 495 points. He had wins on the roads at 5K, 1 Mile and 12 K, plus a win in the 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton in October. Everything went well for the first 2 Km. Goodhue had almost a minute on the field. But he lost almost half his lead in the next kilometer as the hamstring started to limit his pace. Ed Bligh Atlanta TC finally caught and passed Goodhue at the 5 Km mark.
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| Doug Goodhue leading the M80 Division at the 3 Km mark in the 8 km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
At the finish, Bligh, 81, became the oldest winner of the day at 49:01. Goodhue was 2nd at 51:03, with David Salmon High Point AC third at 51:48. Bligh was the next finisher after Goodhue in four championships this year. This was his first head-to-head win.
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| Ed Bligh 300 Meters into the M60+ Race, heading for the M80 Win at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Art Must Atlanta and Andrew Sherwood Atlanta ran in 4th and 5th the whole way, claiming those places at the finish. It was not a great day for Goodhue, but he is a great teammate, and gave his team their third finisher; without him they would have had no points. It was a good day for Bligh; he enjoyed his first division championship since he took the division crown at Cross Nationals last January!
Ed Bligh 49:01 Doug Goodhue 51:03 David Salmon 51:48
MEN 40-44 Malcolm Richards West Valley TC finished 3rd at Golden Gate Park in 2022 in his first year as a Masters athlete. Jesse Davis Indiana Elite AC, who had won in 2021 in Tallahassee, finished 5th. Davis had run his Marathon PR a month earlier in Indianapolis, clocking 2:17:30. Richards ran 2:16:15 at Grandma's in 2022. Richards had won the Pacific Association Cross Country Championship but otherwise had no recent races. Richards led his West Valley team out on the far side of the course; Davis did the same on the near side. Davis had to stretch his legs for a hundred meters to move up with Richards. At 300 meters, it was Richards in first with Davis right on his heels. Richards continued to dictate the pace and Davis seemed happy in 2nd, a couple of strides ahead of the field. At the first split at 1170 meters, there was a lead pack of six, but with a clear order of Richards-Davis-Edward Baker Tracksmith Boston Hares-Roosevelt Cook Cal Coast-Brian Flynn Garden State-Adam Schroeder Club Northwest. Richards continued to push from the front over the next kilometer and there was now a bit of daylight between him and the trio of Baker, Cook and Davis, with another bit of daylight between those three and Flynn and Schroeder. When Richards accelerated up 'The Wall', no one went with him and all of a sudden, the daylight had opened up into a real gap of about 25 meters back to the Davis-Baker-Cook trio. It was all Richards the rest of the way, his long, smooth strides eating up the territory.
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| Malcolm Richards motoring to a big win Overall and in M40 at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Davis left Baker and Cook at the 4 Km mark but could make no headway on Richards. Richards claimed the win in 32:09 with over 150 meters to spare. Davis finished 2nd in 32:44.
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| Jesse Davis at the 6 Km mark, heading for the 2nd place finish in the Men 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
David Cisewski started conservatively but moved past Baker and Cook after the halfway point, finishing third in 32:59.
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| David Cisewski running alone at 6 Km in third place. He would hold that position, both Overall and in M40, all the way to the finish of the Men 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Baker 33:45 was fourth, Flynn 33:55 fifth, and Cook 34:02 sixth.
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| Roosevelt Cook leads Ed Baker as they run 4th and 5th at the 6 Km mark of the 10 KM Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Richards, Davis and Cisewski were also 1-2-3 Overall; Baker, Flynn and Cook were 4-5-6 Overall. It was a tour de force for Richards. Where will Richards show up next? His Grandma's Marathon was an Olympic Trials Qualifier. Will he be in Orlando on February 3rd? Richards has been putting in 100-mile weeks. Davis put in his first 100-mile week since tapering for his early November Marathon. Most likely they will both be there, along with 218 other male qualifiers by their Marathon time and another 7 half qualifiers by half marathon. It should be quite a show on February 4th!
Malcolm Richards 32:09 Jesse Davis 32:44 David Cisewski 32:59
45-49 Neville Davey West Valley won the Overall 40+ title at Lexington KY in 2017. He still holds the 40-44 American Record for the Road Mile at 4:22, set in 2018, at the Mile Of Truth in Danville CT. This year Davey took the lead in this division at 2 Km and never gave it back, winning in 34:50.
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| Neville Davey leading the M45 Division by 50 meters, at the 6 Km Mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Daniel Smith Tracksmith Boston Hares bided his time, waiting until the halfway point to move into the top 3. With a kilometer to go, he left Patrick Russell TC RC behind, taking 2nd in 35:06.
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| Patrick Russell leading Daniel Smith almost out of picture to left at the 6 Km Mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Russell ran in second or third position virtually the entire race, finishing 16 seconds later in third, followed by Mike Jackson Indiana Elite35:24 fourth and Aaron Totten-Lancaster Garden State 35:33 fifth. Jackson finished 2nd in this division last year in San Francisco. Totten-Lancaster finished 15th in this division in San Francisco but had been running stronger the second half of this year. He won the division at the Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ in mid-September with a 40:34, good for 6th overall. Jackson was in 12th at the end of the first loop and just inside the top ten at the end of the 2nd loop. But he kept hammering. Fifth at 8000 meters, he moved up one more slot on the final loop. Totten-Lancaster was in the top five all the way, rising as high as 4th only to have Jackson pass him in the final kilometer.
Neville Davey 34:50 Daniel Smith 35:06 Patrick Russell 35:22
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| Aaron Totten-Lancaster right, 5th in M45, just ahead of Gregory Mitchell 4th in M50 at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
50-54 Chris Grauch Boulder Road Runners introduced himself to the USATF Masters National Grand Prix by handily winning this division, over a strong field, at the 2022 Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder. Grauch, out of Nederland CO, apparently trains above 8,000 feet. Grauch is also a Mountain Trail runner, taking the 50-54 division crown this past April at the Sunapee Up and Down race in New Hampshire. He showed he can run the roads as well with a Bolder Boulder 50-54 win this year in 34:38. This would be his first national masters championship where the terrain was not mountainous, the elevation was sea level, and there was substantial humidity. Would it make a difference? Grauch did not act that way. He took it out hard. Jaime Heilpern HOKA Aggies, who won the division in San Francisco last year, and is on the division podium just about every year at Clubs, was content to run 5-10 meters back for the first loop. Heilpern did not pull even with Grauch until the 4 Km mark.
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| Jaime Heilpern #853 and Chris Grauch #703 leading the M50 Field at 6 Km in the 10 Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
After that the pair ran in tandem through 9000 meters. Heilpern pulled away over the final kilometer, winning by over 50 meters in 34:50. Grauch, never threatened, took 2nd at 35:03. Todd Rose West Valley, who won the 45-49 division at Tallahassee two years ago, was content to run with the Bowerman pack of Gregory Mitchell, Paul White and Ahrlin Bauman for the first loop. Mitchell and Rose pulled away from the other two on the second loop, with Rose leaving Mitchell behind after the halfway point. Rose came within a few seconds of the leading pair at the end of the 2nd loop. But by a kilometer later, the lead was back up to six meters. Rose finished 3rd at 35:13.
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| Todd Rose broke into 3rd in the M45 Division on the second 3 Km loop and held it all the way to the finish in the 10Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
In his first five years as a Masters runner, Mitchell was in the top 5 Overall at Clubs each year, winning at Lehigh in 2014 and finishing 2nd behind a runner, who later accepted a USADA sanction, in both 2015 and 2016. Now a mainstay of his Bowerman's 50's team, Mitchell finished fourth. John Gardiner Cal Coast TC finished in the top 10 overall at Clubs from 2012 through 2018. He did not break into the top 10 in this division until the end of the first loop. Ninth at the end of the second loop, Gardiner kept moving up; by 8000 meters he was in fifth, where he finished. Heilpern got his repeat win. Next year at Chambers Bay in Tacoma he can go for the three-peat!
55-59 Frank Zoldak Boulder Road Runners, 57, blasted away from the starting line as if 15 years younger. They knew about him in Boulder but the rest of the Masters running community would learn about him in Tallahassee. Zoldak won his division at the Pearly Street Mile in 5:19, after winning two other less well known road miles in 5:03. He finished 3rd overall and first Masters athlete at the Colleen De Reuck XC Classic ahead of a strong field. Here in Tallahassee, Zoldak was in the top ten overall, with less than a kilometer to go. He took the division win in 34:53.
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| Frank Zoldak, running ninth Overall, with a huge lead in the M55 Division at the 6 Km mark of the 10Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Peter Hammer B.A.A. had won his division title at every Club Cross Championship from 2015 in San Francisco through 2022, also, as it happened, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This would be his first 2nd place finish since 2014 at the Lehigh course in Bethlehem PA. Hammer’s 37:15 earned second place, a good 50 meters ahead of Mark Callon West Valley. That means that Hammer has finished either first or second in his division every year from 2014 through 2023.
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| Peter Hammer heading for Second Place int he M55 Division at the 6 km Mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Callon won this division at the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships and at the 5 Km Masters XC Championships in Boca Raton FL in October. He started conservatively and gathered strength as he went, moving up from 6th at the end of the 1st loop to 4th at the end of the 2nd loop. Steve Brightman Central Mass Striders 37:35, meanwhile, had been running within 15-20 meters of Hammer for those two loops. He started to lose ground entering the first of the two 2 km loops that finish the 10 K circuit. By the time they were halfway around the first 2 Km loop, Callon must have felt he had Brightman in his sights. With 2 km to go, they were just 3 seconds apart. Callon made the catch on the forested part of the course and pulled away over the last kilometer to take 3rd in 37:30, five seconds ahead of Brightman.
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| Mark Callon running 4th in M55 but headed for 3rd at the 6 Km mark of the 10 km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
John McMahon Checkers AC 38:10 ran a very steady race, in 5th or 4th the entire way, claiming 5th in the end.
Frank Zoldak 34:53 Peter Hammer 37:15 Mark Callon 37:30
AGE GRADING AWARDS were based on the timing company's age grade package. Awards were presented to Jeannie
Rice, Nora Cary, and Suzanne La Burt from the Women’s Race; Nat
Larson, Mark Zamek, and Rick Becker from the Men’s 60+ Race; and Frank
Zoldak, Jaime Heilpern, and Malcolm Richards from the Men’s 40+
Race.
Note: All of Michael Scott's photos from this race can be found at:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UFwM9NrNq2eK7uch8
That kicks off the 2024 USATF Masters National Grand
Prix! Next up are the January 20th USATF Cross Country Championships at Pole
Green Park outside of Richmond, VA!
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