Thursday, August 15, 2024

Middle and Long Distance Masters Athletes Compete for National Championships in Sacramento

 August 15, 2024. Over a 4-day period from Thursday, July 18th through Sunday, July 21, 2024, athletes competed at the 2024 USATF Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, CA. This recap focuses on the middle distance and distance events [5,000M, 10,000M, Steeplechase, 800M, and 1500M]. The first day of competition would see temperatures in triple digits by the late afternoon.  The 5,000 Meter Run was held early in the morning, at 7 am. At the beginning of the heats, the temperature was a warm, but not hot, 63F degrees. With relative humidity at 74%, the dewpoint was at a relatively comfortable 55F. By the time the last heat [no pun intended] went off at 11 AM, the temperature had climbed to 89F; at least humidity was low, not adding to the difficulties. Of course, competitors and commentators always say it is much hotter down on the track. No doubt, competitors were advised to scale back their most ambitious plans in terms of pace. Record attempts would be off the table, one would expect, for the longer distance track events.

NOTE 1: Masters TF includes competition for athletes 25-29,30-34, and 35-39 in their meets. Masters LDR road and cross country races are strictly 40 and up. Masters TF also allows noncitizens who are residents to score points and win medals; Masters LDR does not allow non-citizens to win medals nor prizes nor score for a team.

NOTE 2: Thanks to everyone who posted photos on Facebook. With no dedicated photographer, I had to scour Facebook to find what photos I could.

DISTANCE EVENTS

5000 Meters

WOMEN There were three heats for Women; the first covered divisions W65 and W70 at 7 am, followed by W50 through W60 at 9 am, and W35 through W45 at 10:30 am.

W70 Sharlet Gilbert Lake Merritt took the title unopposed in 26:34.13.

W65 Nancy Simmons Impala built her lead steadily over the entire race, winning by over 3 minutes. Carol Sexton Unattached built her lead over Debbie Lee So Cal TC to 2 minutes over the first 1800 meters and then held on to take 2nd with a margin of 1:19.

Nancy Simmons 21:00.71     Carol Sexton 23:16.98     Debbie Lee 24:36.27

W60 Patricia Bellan HOKA Aggies took it out hard, building a 9-second lead in the first kilometer. She would eventually claim the win with over a minute to spare. After the first kilo0meter, Dana Blum Impala.0 enjoyed a 4-second gap back to Allison Orofino Buffalo Chips. Blum kept the gap at 4-7 seconds until there were two laps to go. Orofino upped her pace and reduced the lead to three seconds with a lap to go. Despite her best efforts, Blum could not hold Orofino off. Orofino took 2nd place, three seconds ahead of Blum.

Patricia Bellan 20:12.36     Allison Orofino 21:27.84     Dana Blum 21:30.03

W55 Elizabeth Guerrini Cal Coast sped through the first kilometer in a tick under 4 minutes and enjoyed an 8-second lead on her closest rival. She never looked back, eventually taking the win with nearly 27 seconds to spare. Her teammate, Jeannie Robinson had a 17-second lead on Tina Klein T.H.E. TC. Robinson grew the gap as she took second; Klein was over a minute back in third place.

Elizabeth Guerrini 21:11.90     Jeannie Robinson 21:38.76     Tina Klein 22:57.12

W50 Rebecca Carcamo Unaffiliated went up against two strong runners in Euleen Josiah-Tanner T.H.E. TC and Kara Parker Run Minnesota. Carcamo was up to the task. She clocked 3:37 for the first kilometer and had two seconds on Josiah-Tanner. Parker was playing it more cautiously, another ten seconds further back. Carcamo's lead grew from two seconds to 17 seconds over the next 4 laps. Carcamo would eventually win by almost a minute. Josiah-Tanner had a 13-secnd lead on Parker with 6 laps to go. But Parker had closed to within two seconds of Josiah-Tanner over the next two laps. Josiah-Tanner was trying to recover from the torrid pace of the early kilometers. Parker was right on Josiah-Tanner's heels, but she could not get past. Josiah-Tanner held her off and was able to pull away to claim 2nd with over three seconds to spare. 

Rebecca Carcamo 18:35.39     Euleen Josiah-Tanner 19:32.67     Kara Parker 19:36.28

W45 Christy Peterson Cal Coast and Jennifer Sober Florida TC-SE matched each other stride for stride as they went through 1-2, with Peterson 3:44.49 at the kilometer mark and Sober 3:44.73. Sarah Barber Boise Betties and Billies was seven seconds back in third. Over the next 4 laps, Sober passed Peterson and had a small three-second gap on Peterson. More significantly, Barber closed to within a fraction of a second of Peterson. Sober pulled away over the second half of the race to finish first with a 20 second margin. By the time there were just two laps to go, Barber had a 6-second lead on Peterson. By the time Barber crossed the finish line the lead had grown to 37 seconds. Barber had silver and Peterson bronze! 

Jennifer Sober 18:55.61     Sarah Barber 19:15.36     Christy Peterson 19:52.51

W40 Gia Cannali ARC Run Club and Miaomiao Yi China matched strides for the first kilometer, hitting 3:44 and 3:45 respectively. The next four laps saw Cannali drop Yi; she was a half-minute ahead at the 2600-meter mark. Cannali pulled further ahead over the second half of the race, finishing first with a lead of well over a minute. Malissa Terry Dayton TC Ran a fine race to claim third two minutes back.

Gia Cannali 19:23.80     Miaomiao Yi 20:37.20     Malissa Terry 22:47.05

W35 Elda Fernandez Guatemala led the way through the first kilometer with Shayna Weir Arizona Masters right on her heels at the 1K mark. The next 4 laps saw Fernandez establish a small gap of 4 seconds back to Weir. But then, as Fernandez kept to her pace and Weir gradually slowed, the gap blew up to 24 seconds by the time there were just two laps to go. Fernandez claimed the win with over a half minute margin. Weir fought hard but had to accept the silver medal, finishing way ahead of the third place finisher, Charmayne Yazzie GYS TC.

Elda Fernandez 18:56.46     Shayna Weir 19:33.67     Charmayne Yazzie 26:36.14

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MEN The five heats for Men went off at 7 am ages 75-94; 8:30 am 65-74; 9:30 am 60-64; 10:00 am 50-59; 11:00 am 25-49. As noted, the temperatures climbed from 63F to 89F over that stretch of time.

M90 Colben Sime So Cal TC won this division unopposed in 41:52.39.

M85 Robert Randall New England 65 Plus RC took this division title unopposed in 42:18.19.

M80 Jan Frisby Boulder Road Runners claimed this title unopposed in a much faster 26:45.57.

M75 The first contested division was a dandy. Gene Dykes Greater Philadelphia TC, Gary Ostwald Boulder Road Runners, and Gary Patton So Cal TC finished the first kilometer within a fraction of a second of one another. By the halfway point, Ostwald was leading Patton by a second, with Dykes trailing another four seconds back. With 4 laps to go, Patton continued in 2nd right off of Ostwald's lead; Dykes was now almost 6 seconds back. When Ostwald took the bell, he had less than a second on Paton, with Dykes almost six seconds back. But Dykes had been playing the 'sit and kick' tactic that Patton had so often used to surge to the gold medal. Patton was able to get past Ostwald, but Dykes was able to uncork a 92.5 second final lap to surge past Patton. In the end it was Dykes-Patton-Ostwald, with less than three seconds between them. This one went to the Marathoner, not the Miler.

Gene Dykes 22:22.52     Gary Patton 22:24.42     Gary Ostwald 22:25.04

M70 Patrick Miller Unattached went right to the front, enjoyed a three second lead at the end of the first kilometer. Keith Duncan Tamalpa Runners tracked him, typically about three seconds back, through the 3000 meter mark. Duncan closed over the next lap, passing the 3400-meter mark a single second behind Miller. And he stayed right there over the next lap. But that was it; Duncan had little left in the tank. Over the next lap the gap grew from one second to 25! Now Duncan would have to worry more about the runners behind than catching Miller. Miller cruised to a dominant win, taking the title in the end with a cushion of over a minute. At the 3800-meter mark, Eugene Myers Potomac Valley TC had been running in third place, over a half minute behind Duncan, with Perry Linn River City Rebels in 4th place, another half minute back. That changed rapidly over the final three laps as the latter two closed on Duncan. Myers was able to pass before the final lap and Linn surged past on the final lap. Duncan had nothing left to fight them off but had given it everything he had to try to stay with Miller. Miller had the win, with Myers in 2nd and Linn 3rd. Duncan was fourth at 23:23.59.

Patrick Miller 21:12.96     Eugene Myers 22:15.65     Perry Linn 23:00.06

M65 Peter Schneiders Unaffiliated led the field through the first kilometer in 3:52.20, with Bobby Hastings HOKA Aggies on his shoulder and Blake Wood So Cal TC tucked in behind Schneiders. Tom O'Reilly Tamalpa Runners followed three seconds behind Wood. By the next lap, Wood had taken over the leading duties, with Schnieder and Hastings a tight 2nd and 3rd, and O'Reilly still 3 seconds back in 4th. That order prevailed through 2600 meters. But on the next lap, O'Reilly closed on the lead trio, and by the 3200-meter mark, O'Reilly had passed both Schnieder and Hastings to slide into 2nd place behind Wood. When they had just two laps left, Wood had the lead, with O'Reilly two seconds back, followed four seconds later by Hastings4. Schneiders, ten seconds further back, was now out of the medal race. No one could match Wood's pace over the final two laps as he surged to victory with a cushion of 17 seconds. 

Blake Wood leading the field in the 5000M for M65 Photo posted on Facebook by B Wood


But Hastings was able to kick past O'Reilly, taking the silver by just 0.44 seconds! Schneiders was 4th at 20:26.74.

Blake Wood 19:43.95     Bobby Hastings 20:01.64     Tom O'Reilly 20:02.8

M60 The field of 14 entries in this division merited its own separate start time. Scott Lacrosse SRA Elite led the field through the first kilometer in 3:39.73. But Javier Jorquiera Unaffiliated and Jonathan Lyau Spartan TC Hawaii were following in close order. Jorquiera dropped back after 2000 meters but Lyau stayed in contact for anther kilometer. But eventually Lyau, too, started to fall back while Lacrosse kept up his sub-90 second laps. Lacrosse built a substantial gap. Lyau closed slightly over the last two laps, but Lacrosse enjoyed the win with 10 seconds to spare. Lyau had a 12 second margin over Jorquiera who, in turn, had a 44-second cushion over the 4th place finisher, Jeff Mann Unattached.

Scott Lacrosse 18:27.69     Jonathan Lyau 18:37.18     Javier Jorquiera 18:49.43

M55 Shane Anthony Unattached had the lead after 200 meters. Once Craig Godwin Bowerman TC moved to the front, that was it! Anthony stayed within a second through the kilometer, but the gap was up to 3 seconds after the next lap. Godwin continued on at a pace no one could match and cruised to victory with a half minute to spare. Anthony continued well, though, and enjoyed a half minute cushion over the third-place finisher, Charles Mullane West Valley TC. Mullane, too, was well clear of his closest rival, Jorn Jensen Denmark, who finished 4th, 42 seconds later in 18:33.91.

Craig Godwin 16:45.18     Shane Anthony 17:16.35     Charles Mullane 17:51.11

M50 Ivan Lieben West Valley took it out strong and only Sage Sarchet Unaffiliated went with him. Lieben and Sarchet went through the 1 km mark in 3:24.23 and 3:24.98. But after one more lap, Sarchet had to drop off the 80 second per lap pace set by Lieben. Two seconds clear at the 1400 meters, Lieben was seven seconds clear by a lap later. Lieben cruised to victory with over 40 seconds to spare. Sarchet seemed to have a lock on the silver medal through 3000 meters. At that point he had a 7-second lead on Shannon Horn Unaffiliated. Horn whittled away at that lead and with a lap to go, it was down to two seconds. Horn gathered himself, dropped his final lap to 82 seconds and had the silver with 5 seconds to spare. Sarchet collected the bronze medal, well over a minute and a half ahead of his closest rival.

 Ivan Lieben 17:15.78     Shannon Horn 17:56.88     Sage Sarchet 18:02.49

M45 Peter Gilmore West Valley enjoyed a dominant win. He had an 8-second lead after the first lap and a half and poured in on from there, winning the gold medal with a cushion of over a half minute. Gilmore's teammate, Jamey Gifford, and Orlando Velazquez Unaffiliated battled for silver and bronze. Velazquez had a narrow edge, less than a full second, at the kilometer mark. Over the next few laps, they swapped the lead until Gifford was content to let Velasquez lead. From 2200 through 3400 meters, Velazquez led. But Gifford moved to the front with 4 laps to go and pulled away steadily, claiming the Silver medal with 5 seconds to spare. Velazquez had the bronze, finishing almost a minute and a half ahead of his closest competitor.

Peter Gilmore 16:28.33     Jamey Gifford 17:02.67     Orlando Velazquez 17:08.02

M40 Malcolm Richards West Valley had no peers in this race. He ran it as a time trial, clicking off the laps in either 71 or 70 seconds, winning with well over two minutes of cushion. Adrian Herrera Unaffiliated took the silver medal, 48 seconds ahead of the third competitor, Alexander Kramer Unaffiliated.

Malcolm Richards 14:45.79     Adrian Herrera 17:09.06     Alexander Kramer 17:57.61

M35 I suggested Richards ran the race almost as a time trial. But, to be fair, he had an excellent pacer, who was running unopposed in this division, Brendan Gregg SRA Elite. Gregg set the pace and Richards was content to stay on his heels for the whole race; there was no need for Richards to pass. Both had handsome wins in a fine time. Gregg took the M35 Gold in 14:45.48.

M30 Lynn Hackett Unaffiliated was the faster of the two entrants. He enjoyed a twenty-second lead over Peter Francis Guevara Athletics East after two and a half laps. It never got closer; Hackett took the win with well over a minute to spare.

Lynn Hackett 17:47.02     Peter Francis Guevara 19:05.00

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10,000 METERS

The 10,000 Meter event took place 48 hours later on Saturday morning. The temperature at 7 am was already 68F, with a dewpoint of 58. It was already uncomfortable at 7 am. By the time the last 10,000 meter heat went off at 9:30 AM, the temperature was up to 80F, very uncomfortable for a 10,000 meter effort. Paces were definitely dialed back.

MEN The three heats for men went off at 7 AM 75-79, 8:30 AM 60-74, 9:30 AM 25-59.

M75 Gene Dykes and Gary Patton were at it again. Dykes led for the first 3600 meters, with Patton and Rod Thompson Unattached tucked in behind, and Peter Boisseneau  Unattached a couple of seconds back. On the following lap, Dykes slowed his pace markedly. Thompson took over the lead, Patton tucked in behind, with Dykes behind him. Boissenau gradually drifted back. The trio continued that way through the 8400 meter mark. With 1600 meters to go, Dykes dropped his lap time by 6 seconds as he surged into the lead, 2 seconds ahead of Thompson and Patton. Dykes dropped his lap pace by another six seconds. There was no catching him! Patton moved past Thompson with two laps to go and nailed down second. Dykes took the win with 7 seconds to spare. Patton claimed the silver medal with a 14 second gap over Thompson. 

Gene Dykes 49:10.45     Gary Patton 49:17.31     Rod Thompson 49:31.65

M70 Tomas Rodriguez Cal Coast ran a 1:40 first lap, leaving the others behind, then settled into 1:45 per lap. That allowed him to build a lead of 12 seconds at the 1600-meter mark over Thomas Cushman HOKA Aggies. Eugene Myers was three seconds behind Cushman, followed 26 seconds later by Perry Linn. Cushman picked up his pace a little on the next lap, cutting the lead to 9 seconds where it stayed for the next three laps. Rodriguez fell off the pace after that and three laps later, Cushman took the lead. Cushman grew the lead to 46 seconds over the final 5600 meters as he claimed the win. Rodriguez held tough though, enjoying second with well over a minute cushion over Myers. Myers, in turn, had over 5 minutes on Linn. 

Thomas Cushman 44:24.54     Tomas Rodriguez 45:10.05     Eugene Myers 46;33.05

M65 Roger Sayre Boulder Road Runners eased into the race but still led the field through the first lap. As he found his rhythm, he surged, dropping his lap time by 5 seconds on the second lap. That gave him a three second lead on Blake Wood and Patrick White Bowerman TC. Sayre's unrelenting pace led to an 11-second lead at 1600 meters and 38 at 3200 meters. He sped away all the way to the finish line and the win. Sayres's winning margin was over two minutes. 

Roger Sayre far right-white singlet leads Blake Wood and Wiliam 'Hugh' Enicks in the early going of the M60-74 Heat of the 10,000 Meters Photo post on Facebook by R Sayre


Wood led White for most of the first 5200 meters. But White found another gear, passing Wood on the 14th lap and creating a 4 second gap by the end of the 15th lap. White took the silver medal with a cushion of more than a minute over Wood. 

Roger Sayre powering to the gold medal in the later stages of the M65 10,000M Run Photo posted to Facebook by R Sayre


Wood finished third, over two minutes ahead of the fourth competitor, Richard Buell Unattached. That gave Wood a bronze medal to go with his gold from the 5000M.

Roger Sayre 39:16.74     Patrick White 41:37.44     Blake Wood 42:59.79

M60 Javier Jorquiera and Scott Lacrosse locked horns again. Lacrosse led the way for the first half of the race, building the lead to 18 seconds by 5200 meters. Six laps later Lacrosse still had a lead of 17 seconds. But then Jorquiera was able to slightly increase his pace as Lacrosse slowed. The lead shrank to 5 seconds by 8800 meters. Jorquiera lowered his pace again to close the gap to two seconds with a single lap to go! Now it was an all-out sprint to the finish. Both had kicks! Lacrosse improved his pace from 6:19/mile to 5:29 per mile. But Jorquiera lowered his from 6:08 per mile to 5:21! Jorquiera had the win by 0.21 seconds!! William Enicks So Cal TC ran his own well-paced race, finishing third 

William 'Hugh' Enicks heading for the bronze medal in the M60 10,000 Meters Photo posted on Facebook by W Enicks


with well over three minutes to spare.

Javier Jorquiera 38:48.48     Scott Lacrosse 38:48.69     William Enicks 41:31.85

M55 Craig Godwin, Shane Anthony, and Charles Mullane met again in this race and the outcome was the same. Godwin had too much in the tank for the others, winning with well over a minute to spare. Anthony claimed the silver medal again, with a cushion of over a minute on Mullane. Scott Siriano ran a fine race, breaking 40 minutes in those conditions but could not match the pace of the podium trio.

Criag Godwin 34:32.52      Shane Anthony 35:59.69     Charles Mullane 37:30.08

M50 Sage Sarchet was in the hunt again but could not match the pace of James Scanlan Excelsior RC. Scanlan was clicking off his laps in 84 - 85 seconds, while Sarchet was 3-5 seconds slower. Scanlan sped to victory with a margin of more than a minute. Sarchet hung tough and nver gave in, claiming the silver medal with a cushion of well over three minutes. Chad Worthen Sacramento Valley Endurance battled Tuan Nguyen Lake Sammamish RC for the bronze. Worthen gradually built up a gap of 18 seconds by the 9200 meter mark. Nguyen was able to speed up enough to cut the gap in half, but Worthen had the bronze with 9 seconds to spare!

James Scanlan 37:00.51     Sage Sarchet 38:11.91     Chad Worthen 41:50.79

M45 No one could come close to matching Joshua Muxen Unattached in this division. Muxen set the American Ten Mile Record at the USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships at the Sactown Ten Miler in 2023. Muxen threw down a sub-81 second first lap, enjoying a ten second lead on the field. He kept turning those in, winning in the end by over 4 minutes! It was not much closer in the race for second. John Montgomery West Valley earned the silver medal with a three-minute margin over his teammate, Michael Broom.

Joshua Muxen 33:27.79     John Montgomery 37:46.20     Michael Broom 41:18.09

M40 Richard Waters Unaffiliated had a half minute on the field at the 1200 meter mark and added to his lead the rest of the way. He finished first with six minutes to spare. Andy Crawford earned the silver medal, enjoying a cushion of four minutes over the third entrant, Michael Guss Pamakids.

Richard Waters 36:04.15     Andy Crawford 42:19.93     Michael Guss 46:25.94

M35 Brendan Gregg was again the only entrant in this division but made a distinct impression with his winning effort of 30:08.83!

M30 Lynn Hackett and Peter Francis Guevara met again but this time had another rival, Camron Shahmirzadi West Valley to contend with. Hackett took the early lead with Shahmirzadi content to stay close. Guevara was 15 seconds back at the 1200-meter mark. Shahmirzadi took the lead at the end of the seventh lap and then built it up to 13 seconds by the 5200-meter mark. Then Hackett started cutting the lead down; by 6800 meters it was down to 7 seconds. But that was it! The effort had drained Hackett; Shahmirzadi was able to pull away again. Shahmirzadi took the win with a half minute to spare. Never in the hunt for silver, Guevara ran his own race, happy to win a bronze medal just two minutes behind Hackett.

Camron Shahmirzadi 37:22.17     Lynn Hackett 37:52.66     Peter Francis Guevara 39:52.96

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WOMEN There was a single heat for all of the women's divisions that went off at 7 am.

W70 Sharlet Gilbert took her second gold medal unopposed. Her winning time was 54:59.12.

W65 Carol Sexton had no rivals in this event, adding a gold to her silver from the 5000 meters. Her winning time was 49:14.66.

W60 Catherine DuBay Empire RC of Sonoma won this division unopposed in 44:57.72.

W55 Elizabeth Guerrini led wire to wire in winning her second gold medal. Her winning margin was well over three minutes! Tina Klein ran her own race, taking silver with a margin of 9 minutes over the third entrant, Carolyn Roehrich GYS TC.

Elizabeth Guerrini 42:59.17     Tina Klein 46:39.55     Carolyn Roehrich 57:59.16

W50 Kara Parker had more success with her new rivals in this event, adding a Gold to her Bronze from the 5000 meters. There was almost a 7-minute gap from Parker back to the silver medalist, Yuko Whitestone Potomac Valley. Whitestone enjoyed a two-minute margin over the bronze medal winner, Blanca Sanchez Guatemala.

Kara Parker 40:23.53     Yuko Whitestone 47:10.43     Blanca Sanchez 49:25.14

W45 Sarah Barber encountered new rivals in this event and came away victorious. She won by nearly 6 minutes! Sara Schwendinger So Cal ran her own race, earning valuable team points for her club.

Sara Schwendinger on her way to the silver medal in the 10,000 Meters Photo posted on Facebook by Blake Wood

Heather Peterson Unattached earned the bronze medal.

Sarah Barber 40:35.39     Sara Schwendinger 46:20.23     Heather Peterson 1:07:16.98

W40 April Lund GYS, the 2024 National Masters 5 Km Road champion, blasted her way to the title over a strong field. After the first lap, Lund had a six second lead on Elizabeth Camy, the silver medalist from the 2024 National Masters 10 Km Road championship. Lund led wire to wire, enjoying a winning margin of almost three minutes! Not only did she get the Gold medal, she broke the American Record for Women 40-44 by 26 seconds-amazing! It was a little tighter between Camy and bronze medalist, Megan Syal, but Camy enjoyed a margin of two minutes.

April Lund 34:27.51AR     Elizabeth Camy 37:21.43     Megan Syal 39:22.54

W35 Shayna Weir and Charmayne Yazzie met again. Weir led wire-to-wire, adding a gold medal to the silver she enjoyed from the 5000-meter run. Each ran their own race, Yazzie finishing with the silver medal in her grasp 20 minutes later.

Shayna Weir 40:33.57     Charmayne Yazzie 1:00:32.23

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STEEPLECHASE

WOMEN There were two heats of the Women's steeplechase, both over 2000 meters. The height of the hurdles is 0.762 meters. The heats went off at 10:30 AM 60-94 and at 11:15 AM 25-59. Temperatures were at 85F and then 87F for the two heats.

W75 There were three entrants. Nancy Berger TNT International RC led wire to wire, winning with over two minutes to spare. 


It was much closer for the silver medal between Darlene Backlund So Cal and Mary Trotto TNT. Backlund built an early lead. Trotto was able to cut into the lead, especially on the last lap but, in the end, Backlund earned silver with a 16 second cushion.

Nancy Berger 14:21.70     Darlene Backlund 16:42.12     Mary Trotto 16:58.43

W70 Freddie Braxton Trojan Masters took this title unopposed, winning in 13:58.51.

W65 Cheryl Bellaire Greater Philadelphia was the class of this field, leading wire-to-wire for the win. Her margin of victory was 42 seconds. 

Cheryl Bellaire clearing one of the hurdles on her way to the gold medal in the W65 2000M Steeplechase Photo posted to Facebook by C Bellaire


Similarly, Debbie Lee So Cal, enjoyed the silver medal with a cushion of over half a minute on her teammate, Jan Tefft.

Cheryl Bellaire 9:41.83     Debbie Lee 10:23.22     Jan Tefft 10:59.62

W60 No results listed for W60.

W55 Elizabeth Guerrini was going for her third gold medal but ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Rachel Hopkins Sirius Athletics. Guerrini ran her best but Hopkins was too strong over the hurdles. Hopkins enjoyed a half minute lead after the first lap. 

Rachel Hopkins clearing a hurdle in the steeplechase Photo posted on Facebook by R Hopkins

Eventually Hopkins won by well over a minute!

Rachel Hopkins 8:38.61     Elizabeth Guerrini 9:59.87

W50 Euleen Josiah-Tanner earned the gold medal, with no opposition, in 8:10.49. 

Euleen Josiah-Tanner clears a hurdle on her way to the gold medal in the W50 2000 Meter Steeplechase at the USATF Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships Photo posted to Facebook by Tina Klein

That was the fastest time on the day for women 30 and up.

W45 Angela Redfern So Cal also took the win unopposed, this time in 9:50.20.

W40 There was individual competition between two teammates in this division. Tessa Monzelowsky GYS led wire to wire, winning the gold medal by over three minutes. Her teammate, Blair Wana finished 2nd.

Tessa Monzelowsky 9:45.99     Blair Wana 12:59.07

W35 Meagan Hudson won the gold medal unopposed in 8:27.15.

W25 Sierra Brill Peninsula Distance Club hurdled her way to the fastest women's time of the day in winning this division by over two minutes. Zariah Tolman Unaffiliated ran at her own pace over the 5 circuits of the oval to earn the silver medal. 

Sierra Brill 7:20.43     Zariah Tolman 9:41.13

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MEN There were three heats for Men: 10:55 AM 70-94, 11:30 AM 60-69, and 11:55 AM 25-59.  Men 60+ encounter the same hurdle heights as in the Women's competition, and race over the same distance, 2000 meters. Men 25-59 encounter hurdles that are 0.914 meters high as they compete over 3000 meters. It was 86F for the first heat, 90F for the second heat, and 92F for the third heat.

M85 Joe Cordero New England 65+ took the M85 title unopposed in a time of 18:45.2.

M80 Ev 'Doc' Murdock Unattached won the gold medal in a time of 19:08.03. The other entrant in the division was DQ'd for illegal hurdle clearance.

M75 One might think that with his 10,000-meter heat finishing up less than three hours before this heat went off, and with the mercury climbing to 86 degrees F, that Gene Dykes might pass on the steeplechase. But Dykes hates to leave any distance event unraced. And Dykes has probably run several ultra marathons where it was just as hot or hotter. Dykes had it all figured out. By the 800 Meter mark, Dykes had pushed his lead to nineteen seconds. Then it was 'hang on!' Larry Rink So Cal took 2-3 seconds out of Dykes's lead on each of the last three laps. But it was too little, too late. Dykes enjoyed a winning margin of 12 seconds. That was his third gold in three tries! Rink had no worries over the Silver medal; he finished almost a minute ahead of his teammate, Donald Loewe. Loewe was also unchallenged once the race was in process, finishing two minutes ahead of the rest of the field.

Gene Dykes 10:05.72     Larry Rink 10:17.80     Donald Loewe 11:09.63

M70 Manuel Barnes Unaffiliated and Alan Dukes Unaffiliated were tight over the first lap. But then Barnes slowed, and it was all Dukes over the final 3 laps. Dukes claimed the gold medal with 45 seconds to spare. Barnes enjoyed the silver; he had over 6 minutes on the third entrant, Kenny Warde Excelsior RC, who finished third.

Alan Dukes 9:18.68     Manuel Barnes 10:03.32     Kenny Warde 16:46.92

M65 Like Dykes, Blake Wood was going for his third distance medal. With Steven Kollars Bowerman TC toeing the line, it would not be gold. Kollars enjoyed an 8-second lead over Wood at the end of the first lap and added to it every lap thereafter. In the end, Kollars had the win with over forty seconds to spare. John Araujo Unattached finished third, over 50 minutes back. That gave Wood the complete set, Gold for 5000M, Bronze for 10,000M and Silver for Steeple. 

Blake Wood utilizing the jump-land-push hurdle technique during the early stages of the steeplechase


Blake Wood  utilizing the vault hurdle-clearing technique in the later stages of the M65 2000M Steeplechase

The competition would have been closer but two competitors who clocked 8:59.11 and 9:09.79 were DQ'd for illegal hurdle clearance.

Steven Kollars 8:50.24     Blake Wood 9:31.32     John Araujo 10:24.77

M60 Richard Morrisey Unattached set the pace. Timothy Vigil Unattached was within a second after the first lap and Chresten Gram Unattached was right on Vigil's shoulder. Gram fell back on th e2nd lap but Vigil kept pace. With one lap to go they were still separated by less than a second. But Morrisey had a kick that Vigil could not answer. Morrisey's last lap was his fastest by 13 seconds. That gave Morrisey the win with over 12 seconds to spare. Vigil enjoyed the silver medal with a cushion of 21 seconds over Gram. Gram, in turn, had 14 seconds over Adam Feerst Boulder Road Runners, in 4th. Brent Cushenberry So Cal finished 5th.

Brent Cushenberry leaping over the hurdle in the M60 2000M Steeplechase Photo posted to Facebook by Blake Wood


Richard Morrisey 7:42.26     Timothy Vigil 7:54.33     Chresten Gram 8:15.34

M55 3000M,91.4 cm hurdles Scott Siriano Unattached, the 2023 Masters Individual M55 Grand prix champion, led for the first 200M. But once they got into the flow, Christopher Yorges was able to pull away, gaining a 5 second advantage on the first full lap and stretching the lead every lap after that. Yorges built the lead to 27 seconds by the 2200M mark. Siriano, whonever gives up, took ten seconds out of Yorges's lead in the next to last lap, was unable to make any further progress as Yorges responded on the final lap. Yorges retained a cushion of sixteen seconds when he crossed the line with the win. Siriano was never pressed by the third entrant in the division, Chuck Goetzel So Cal, who was happy with a bronze medal and points for his club.

Christopher Yorges 12:31.02     Scott Siriano 12:47.76     Chuck Goetzel 16:36.47

M50 James Scanlan hoped to add to his medal collection. He took gold in the 10,000M. But Jonah Backstrom West Valley and Robbie Genzel Denver Athletics had other ideas and there was not much Scanlan could do to deter them. Genzel took them through the 600M mark in 2:05, with Backstrom ten seconds back and Scanlan another 8 ticks. Backstrom faced a deficit of 22 seconds at the 1800M mark, with just three laps to go. Backstrom pulled within 5 seconds on the next lap and pulled to a virtual tie as they took the bell. Backstrom was able to bring home the win with a 5-second victory margin. Scanlan was never able to fully recover. He finished 47 seconds behind Genzel in third. 

Jonah Backstrom 11:31.30     Robbie Genzel 11:36.84     James Scanlan 12:23.89

M45 Trent Bryson Cal Coast enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory. 

M45 3000M Steeplechase under way Photo posted to Facebook by T Bryson

Rafael Perez West Coast Warriors kept it close for the first kilometer. He was within three seconds of Bryson at that point. 

Trent Bryson white singlet successfully negotiating the Water Jump in the M50 3000M Steeplechase as a competitor recovers his footing Photo posted to Facebook by T Bryson


But he lost 11 seconds to Bryson on the next two laps, and Bryson cruised to a victory margin of nearly a minute! Clint Santoro Arizona Masters ran his own race, enjoying his bronze medal some 36 seconds back from Perez.

Trent Bryson 10:28.38     Rafael Perez 11:26.32     Clint Santoro 12:02.67

M40 Andy Crawford West Valley was no match for Joshua Sanders Unattached. Sanders enjoyed a ten-second lead at the 600M mark and added to it every lap after that. Sanders won by over 3 minutes!

Joshua Sanders 11:24.91     Andy Crawford 14:36.41

M30 Lynn Hackett won this gold medal unopposed in 12:21.80. He added it to his silver from the 10,000 and his gold from the 5000.


MIDDLE DISTANCE EVENTS

800M

MEN The Men's 800M heats went off between 3:15 and 5:15 PM, with temperatures ranging from 103F to 105F throughout that period. It was all about winning, not time. Nonetheless, one World Record was set, in M50!

M95 Gunnar Linde So Cal TC took this title unopposed in 7:23.11.

M90 Inocencio Cantu Potomac Valley, who has set records in recent years, was content to run a solid race, winning with a victory margin of 40 seconds over Colben Sime.

Inocencio Cantu 4:41.81     Colben Sime 5:21.92

M85 Six athletes contested this division but only two were in the thick of the race for Gold. Andy Anderson Unattached covered the first lap in 1:48.61 with Sherwood Sagedahl San Diego Striders laying 1.7 seconds off the pace. Sagedahl had the better kick; he came from behind to claim the win with less than a half second to spare! Although not quite as tight, Dan McCormack Unattached and Robert Randall New England 65+ enjoyed a similar tussle for the bronze medal. McCromack had a 4-second lead over Randall at the bell. Randall came storming back, passing McCormack and inserting his own 4 second gap to take the bronze!

Sherwood Sagedahl 3:46.58     Andy Anderson 3:46.91     Robert Randall 5:03.82

M80 There were 5 DNS's; only three started the race. Fred Martin Tamalpa Runners went coast to coast for the win. Steven Sanfilippo Unattached was 13 seconds back in second, followed by John Shenk Unattached.

Fred Martin 3:07.68     Steven Sanfilippo 3:20.87     John Shenk 5:06.49

M75 Only two athletes were DNS. Nine athletes toed the line in one of the strongest divisions. Of course, when the legendary hall of famer, Nolan Shaheed So Cal, is one of them, most figure they are contesting for the silver medal, or worse. And so it was. Shaheed had a 5-second lead after the first lap and coasted to a 7-second win. Bert Banks and Paul Murphy were in 2nd and 3rd, a fraction of a second apart, with Gary Patton close behind in 4th. Patton's renowned kick pulled him past Murphy who faded on the second lap but could not get him past Banks. Banks held Patton off to claim the silver medal with a fraction of a second between them! The field was so strong that Len Goldman and Gene French who have a ton of national medal performances on the roads and cross country turf between them, finished 6th and 8th respectively.

Nolan Shaheed     Bert Banks     Gary Patton

M70 Manuel Barnes, who finished 2nd in the Steeplechase, led off with a 1:24.96 first lap. A chase group formed three seconds back. Perry Linn River City Rebels was leading, followed by Gerhard Fischer Buffalo Chips, Patrick Miller Unattached, and Jay Foote Westchester TC. They were a tight pack separated by less than a full second from 2nd to 5th. Fischer, Foote and Miller all surged past Linn who could not respond. They took aim on Barnes. Miller had unleashed a kick that no one could match. He left Foote behind as they both caught and passed Barnes. Miller had the win with 6 seconds to spare. Foote just caught Barnes at the line, claiming second by a fraction of a second. Tom Grady came from behind to pass Fischer for fourth, a fraction of a second behind Barnes, and a fraction ahead of Fischer. Linn finished 7th.

Patrick Miller 2:49.50     Jay Foote 2:55.50     Manuel Barnes 2:55.73

M65 Sixteen athletes toed the line. But only four were seriously in the hunt for a podium finish. Jesse Mayes Boulder TC 1led them through the first lap in 1:19.89. 

Michael Lebold holds off David Westenberg for the win in the M65 800M Run Photo posted to Facebook by David Westenberg

Bunched up behind him were Michael Lebold Jamul Toads, David Westenberg Greater Lowell Road Runners and Tim Owen Mass Velocity Distance Club. All three passed Mayes. But Lebold held off Westenberg's final kick to take the win by a fraction of a second. That gives Lebold another 800M win over Westenberg. It is, typically, the reverse story in the 1500M. Owens was two seconds back in third, with Mayes another two seconds behind Owen.

Michael Lebold 2:31.68      David Westenberg 2:32.02     Tim Owen 2:34.46

M60 Sixteen runners toed the line. Mark Pinckard Canada had no equals. He enjoyed a lead of over three seconds at the bell and poured it on to take the win with six seconds to spare. John Borthwick Boulder RR, Matthew Guild Green Mountain Athletic Ass'n, and Ray Knerr Cal Coast battled for the other two podium spots. Borthwick had 0.2 seconds on Knerr at the bell, with Guild 0.3 seconds behind Knerr. Knerr was able to overtake Borthwick and hold it across the line, claiming silver with a margin of 1.3 seconds! Borthwick held off Guild to claim the bronze medal with less than half a second to spare!

Mark Pinckard 2:14.30     Ray Knerr 2:20.55     John Borthwick 2:21.84

M55 In this field of nine, Darren Morgan SRA EliteJohn Prineas Boulder RR, and Todd Straka Boulder RR stood out. Straka led them through the first lap in 67.01, with Prineas and Morgan right on his heels. There was no more than a fraction of a second between the three. Despite his best efforts, Straka could not fight off his teammate, Prineas. At the line, Prineas had the win and a small gap; he took first with a second to spare. Straka could not hold off Prineas but he did fight off Morgan, who finished two seconds further back in third. Morgan's bronze medal was never threatened; he finished 8 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.

John Prineas 2:13.62     Todd Straka 2:14.85     Darren Morgan 2:17.01

M50 Nine athletes lined up but the focus was on another installment of the rivalry between Brian Tullis Indiana Elite AC and Mark Williams Freedom-GR Project. Tullis bested Williams indoors in the 800 Meters. But shortly after, Williams set a new American M50 Indoor Record for the distance. Who would have the edge this time? Tullis led from the front, taking them through the first lap in a blistering 58.36! But Williams was right on his heels at 58.59. The race got hotter over the last lap and it seemed that surely Williams would make the catch! But Tullis ran so tough! He held it together all the way to the finish line, clocking 1:58.07 to Williams's 1:58.40. As a bonus, both men broke the American and World 50-54 Record for 800 Meters! What a race!! Tullis's name is already listed on the WMA Men's Outdoor Record page at: https://world-masters-athletics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Outdoor-Men-2024-1.pdf.

Brian Tullis left and Mark Williams right congratulating each other after both ran faster in the Men 50-54 800 Meters than the World Record Photo posted to Facebook by M Williams


Aaron Brogan KC Smoke also ran a fine race, turning in a sub-2:05 for the 800M Bronze medal. He had an 8 second cushion against the rest of the field.

Brian Tullis 1:58.07AR/WR     Mark Williams 1:58.40     Aaron Brogan 2:03.83

M45 Eight athletes toed the line; five were in contention for the podium. Eric Hurlen Canada held a slim lead at 65.05 as they took the bell at the end of the first lap. Chuck Schneekloth Garden State TC was on his shoulder with Michael Donawa Bermuda, Brian Pasero East Valley TC,and Christopher Johnson Las Vegas Heat bunched up behind. Less than half a second separated the first four! Schneekloth had the strength to move past Hurlen on the final stretch and take the win with 0.37 seconds between them--close! Donawa was not able to stay with the lead duo but was able to pull away from Pasero and Johnson to cross the line in third place, four seconds later. Johnson finished fifth.

Chuck Schneekloth 2:05.29     Eric Hurlen 2:05.66     Michael Donawa 2:09.71

M40 Eight athletes were on the start line; five would be in contention. Kenneth Nwadike Team Superhero led them through the first lap in 63.19 seconds. When they took the bell, there was less than a second between Nwadike in 1st and Michael Hiscott West Valley, in fifth. Between those two were Moses Washington Unattached, Trevor Jacek Canada, and David Cooke Unattached in that order. They were all strong enough to run faster splits on the second lap. Surprisingly, the order did not change over the final lap. Nwadike and Washington pulled away from the others but Nwadike hung tough and eked out the win by 0.35 seconds! Washington had a bigger margin in taking the silver medal; Jacek was a full two seconds back, engaged in a battle with Cooke for the bronze. Jacek held on, just! The difference was a slim 0.13 seconds. Hiscott took fifth another second back.

Kenneth Nwadike 2:03.35     Moses Washington 2:03.70     Trevor Jacek 2:05.93

M35 Eight athletes made it to the starting line; four were in contention for the podium. Reginald Sanders Unattached bolted to the front and took the field through the first lap in 58 seconds flat! Only Mark Husted Unattached could stay with him, just 0.35 seconds back. Sam Sharp Shadow Project TC was biding his time, 3 seconds back, with Carson Boddicker Unattached on his shoulder and Benjamin Dear Unattached still in contact. It was a brave effort, but Sanders ran out of gas. Husted was able to pass and pull away, while Sharp was able to catch Sanders with his kick. Husted had the win with over a second to spare. Sharp had the silver medal by the narrow margin of 0.19 seconds! Boddicker cut down the margin by half but could not catch Sanders, finishing over a second back in 4th. Dear took fifth, another 3 seconds back.

Mark Husted 1:58.16     Sam Sharp 1:59.91     Reginald Sanders 2:00.10

M30 Michale Hamlin Unattached led Lynn Hackett through the first lap; he stretched the lead from three seconds at the bell to 7 seconds at the finish line. This silver medal brought his total haul to two golds (5000M & Steeple) and two silvers (10,000M & 800M).

Michale Hamlin 2:00.82     Lynn Hackett 2:07.47

M25 Amani Richardson Atlanta TC looked good, taking his two rivals through the first lap in 58.13. Alan Dai Unattached was in second place, just one second back. Brent Benites Unattached was two seconds behind Dai. Benites could not maintain that pace. Dai surged past him on the second lap and then pulled away to take the win with seven seconds to spare. Richardson held on for the silver medal though, finishing 4 seconds ahead of Benites.

Alan Dai 2:01.73     Amani Richardson 2:08.21     Brent Benites 2:12.35

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WOMEN The Women's heats went off between 2:15 pm and 3:07 PM. Temperatures ranged from 102F to 104F.

W85 Lynn Hurrell Sierra Gold enjoyed a 12-second lead over Martha Klopfer Unattached when she took the bell. Hurrell sped to the win with 23 seconds to spare. Her time gave her the W85 American record by two seconds!

Lynn Hurrell 5:10.45AR     Martha Klopfer 5:33.11

Start of the Women's 70-94 Heat of the 800 Meters-Photo by Louise Guardino-Facebook


W80 Angela Staab TNT International had no incentive to hurry. 

Angela Staab strides to victory in the Women 80-84 Division of the 800 Meter Run -Photo by Louise Guardino-Facebook
 


Staab took the gold medal unopposed in 6:18.47.

W75 Each of the three entrants ran their own race. Yoko Eichel So Cal enjoyed a twelve second lead at the bell. At that point, Priscilla French Sierra Racewalkers had a nine second edge over Nancy Berger TNT International. Eichel claimed the win with 27 seconds to spare. 

Nancy Berger finishes off her bronze medal effort in the Women 75-79 Division of the 800 Meter Run -Photo by Louise Guardino-Facebook


French beat out Berger for the silver medal by 19 seconds.

Yoko Eichel 4:13.03     Priscilla French 4:37.62     Nancy Berger 4:56.43

W70 Coreen Steinbach Greater Philadelphia, one of the legends of Masters distance running, had no trouble creating a gap of 16 seconds on the first lap. 

Coreen Steinbach finishing off her gold medal effort in the Women's 70-74 800 Meter Run Photo-Louise Guardino-Facebook 


Sharlet Gilbert Lake Merritt kept to her race plan. Steinbach enjoyed the win with a victory margin of 33 seconds.

Coreen Steinbach 3:12.60     Sharlett Gilbert 3:45.15

W65 Seven athletes approached the starting line. Two would battle for the win and two others would battle to make the podium. Ruby Ghadially Impala took the field through the first lap in 1:25.97. Lesley Hinz Atlanta TC was right on her heels, just a quarter of a second between them. Hinz had the strength to edge Ghadially at the tape by half a second! It was a great race and a fine win! Cheryl Bellaire Greater Philadelphia was four seconds behind Hinz at the bell and had a slim 0.3 second lead on Susan Loyd Mass Velocity TC. Bellaire held her race together, carrying her momentum all the way through the tape, winning the bronze medal with two seconds to spare.

Lesley Hinz 2:53.44     Ruby Ghadially 2:54.02     Cheryl Bellaire 3:03.01

W60 In a surprising development, Terah Johnson So Cal claimed the gold medal unopposed in 4:19.32.

W55 Six athletes toed the line. One was a definite favorite; two others would contest for the silver medal. Jennifer Harvey Central Park TC led the field through the first lapin 1:14.39. She had a two second gap on the duo fighting for the silver medal, Harvey's two teammates, Dominique St. Louis, and Judy Stobbe, with just 0.4 seconds between them at the bell. Harvey sped to victory with a victory margin of three seconds. St. Louis was able to outdistance Stobbe by two seconds for the silver medal. No one threatened Stobbe for the bronze; she was 16 seconds clear of the fourth place finisher. It was a sweep for Central Park!

Jennifer Harvey 2:29.48     Dominique St. Louis 2:32.68     Judy Stobbe 2:34.38

W50 Kristy Matthews So Cal, Felecia Nedley Unattached, and Sonja Friend-Uhl Florida TC-SE would contest the podium. The remainder of the field was at least 17 seconds back. Friend-Uhl led them through a cautious first lap in 1:16.29. Matthews was just 0.3 seconds back with Nedley another 0.3 behind Matthews. Friend-Uhl had taken the Indoor title last March in 2:27.82 but this would not be her day. Despite her best efforts, Friend-Uhl could not hold off the other two. Matthews blasted past and left not only Friend-Uhl but Nedley behind her as well. Matthews crossed the finish line, taking the win with almost 4 seconds to spare. Nedley's margin over Friend-Uhl was smaller but decisive at 1.5 seconds. 

Kristy Matthews 2:25.81     Felecia Nedley 2:29.57     Sonja Friend-Uhl 2:31.15

W45 Alison Schwalm Greater Philadelphia took them through the first lap in 1:09.89 with Central Park TC teammates, Jennifer St. Jean, and Nathalie Jones right on her heels less than half a second behind. 

Start of the Women 45-49 Division of the 800 Meter Run Photo posted to Facebook by Jennifer St Jean

St. Jean found the gear she needed on the second lap to catch Schwalm and cross the tape with the win.

Women 45-49 800 Meter Run, Lap 1 - Allison Schwalm leads Jennifer St Jean and Nathalie Jones Photo posted to Facebook by Jennifer St Jean 


There was less than half a second between them! Jones had a strong finish as well, claiming the bronze medal two seconds back. Jones was not closely challenged; she enjoyed a 15 second gap back to the 4th place finisher.

Jennifer St. Jean     Alison Schwalm     Nathalie Jones

W40 Seven athletes were ready to go. Three of them would contest for the podium. Heather Davel Langreck Unattached led the field through the first lap in 1:15.69 with Melanie Nussbaumer Garden State just 0.2 seconds behind and Amanda Kelly Arizona Masters on her shoulder. The pace picked up rapidly after the bell was sounded. Nussbaumer found the strength to throw down a sub-68 2nd lap. That was good enough to carry her to victory with 1.8 seconds to spare. Langreck ran sub-70 for that lap, not fast enough to hold off Nussbaumer but fast enough to keep Kelly half a second back in the bronze medal position. It was 12 seconds back to the 12th place finisher.

Melanie Nussbaumer 2:23.81     Heather Davel Langreck 2:25.61     Amanda Kelly 2:26.29

W35 Six athletes competed but, again, I focus on the three athletes who were in the hunt for the podium. Ericka Charles Unattached sped through the first lap in 66.84 seconds. Christina Elder LRC Nebraska was right on her heels less than a half second back. Shea Johannsen Unattached was moving smoothly right behind Elder. Charles kept her cadence going until the victory was in hand. She won the gold medal with almost three seconds to spare. Elder had the silver medal and, two seconds later, Johannsen had the bronze. It was 12 seconds back to the 4th place finisher

Ericka Charles     Christina Elder     Shea Johannsen

W30 It was a 2-woman race. Kelsey McFaul ARC Run Club had no difficulties. She had 2 seconds on Suzanne Stewart Unattached when she took the bell. McFaul poured it on from there, claiming the gold medal with ten seconds to spare.

Kelsey McFaul 2:29.88     Suzanne Stewart 2:39.82

W25 Three athletes competed but Faith Reynolds Peninsula Distance Club was in a class by herself. She was up on the other two by 50 meters when she took the bell. Reynolds won going away with a cushion of 20 seconds! Megan Casey Buffalo Chips had just a second on Mikaela Williams Unattached at the bell. Casey maintained her pace through the second lap, but Williams was spent and slowed significantly. Casey claimed the silver medal with almost twenty seconds to spare.

Faith Reynolds 2:15.47     Megan Casey 2:35.21     Mikaela Williams 2:54.41

#################################################

1500 METERS The final distance event was run Sunday morning, with the older divisions scheduled for 7 AM and the youngest at 9:46AM. Conditions were better. The temperatures were in the mid to upper 60's for the early races, rising to mid-70's for the start of the last one. Relative humidity was in the 50-60% range, with dewpoints in the mid-50's. Winds were probably noticeable at 8-10 mph.

WOMEN

W85 Martha Klopfer took this title unopposed in 10:54.45AR. It is worth noting she would have taken gold in the next younger division as well. In fact, she broke the American W85 record by half a second!

W80 Angela Staab got off to a good start, leading by 6 seconds the first time they passed the finish line. But once she got into her rhythm, Louise Guardino Unattached was able to take it all back from her rival. Guardino led by ten seconds with two laps to go and pulled away steadily to win by 50 seconds.

Louise Guardino 11:37.68     Angela Staab 12:17.84

W75 Nancy Berger TNT and Priscilla French Sierra Racewalkers battled from wire to wire. French set the pace and Berger hung on. There was never more than a second between them. Berger had the kick to move past French on the last lap and win by five seconds

Nancy Berger 9:25:49     Priscilla French 9:30.48

W70 Coreen Steinbach led wire to wire, enjoying a 5-second lead at 300 meters and a 14-second lead with two laps to go. Steinbach pulled further away to win by over 40 seconds! Sharlet Gilbert had the early lead for 2nd place, a 4-second gap back to Melinda Morse Impala. Morse was able to reverse that deficit to a gap on the first full lap but did not decisively pull away until the final lap. Morse earned the silver medal with a final margin of 17 seconds.

Coreen Steinbach 6:55.56     Melinda Morse 7:36.23     Sharlet Gilbert 7:53.84

W65 It was the classic strength vs. speed matchup for the glamour event of middle distance. Nancy Simmons Impala earned gold in the 5000M, Lesley Hinz Atlanta Track Club had gold in the 800M. Which would prevail? Simmons decided to use the 'Ingebritsen approach' and control the race from the front. There have been times when Hinz could stay with Simmons, and let her kick do the talking on the final stretch, but this was not one of them. Simmons covered the first 300 meters in 64.91 seconds; that gave her a two-second edge over Ruby Ghadially and another two seconds on Hinz who was approaching things more cautiously. Simmons did not let up and with two laps to go had 7 seconds on Ghadially and 13 on Hinz. Simmons added modestly to her lead over the last two laps, taking the gold medal with 19 seconds to spare. Woith two laps to go, Hinz faced a six-second deficit up to Ghadially. Toward the end of the third lap, Hinz started to close it down gradually. She completed the work on the last lap as she caught and passed Ghadially, claiming Silver with a two-second cushion. Ghadially could not hold off Hinz but enjoyed a cushion of 28 seconds over the rest of the field.

Nancy Simmons 5:39.09     Lesley Hinz 5:58.62     Ruby Ghadially 6:00.39

W60 Like Simmons, Susan Brooker Arizona Masters controlled the race from the front. As they passed the finish line the first time, Booker had just a second on Genevieve Clavier Buffalo Chips, two seconds on Clavier's teammate, Alison Orofino, and three on Eileen Brennan-Erler Impala Racing. Brooker maintained her pace on the first full lap while the others slowed; that gave Brooker a nine second edge. She held that all the way to the finish, winning the gold medal with a cushion of 16 seconds. By the time they had two laps to go, Orofino and Brennan-Erler had edged in front of Clavier. On the next lap Brennan-Erler passed Orofino, opened up a two second gap and grew it to 8 seconds by the time she finished. Orofino took the Bronze medal eight seconds ahead of Clavier.

Susan Brooker 5:44.30     Eileen Brennan-Erler 6:00.57     Alison Orofino 6:08.61

W55 Michelle Rohl Greater Philadelphia TC set American records for this distance when  she entered the age group a couple of years ago. More recently she stunned the Race-Walking community when she returned to her roots and finished third overall at the USATF 20 Km Race Walk [Open] Championships. Here she had a dominant win over a strong field. Rohl led from the front but had only a fraction of a second lead on Judy Stobbe and Dominique St. Louis, who had finished 3rd and 2nds respectively in the 800 Meters. By keeping that pace for the first full lap, Rohl increased the gap to two seconds. On the next to last lap, she increased her pace and dropped the two chasers nine seconds back. Rohl poured it on with the last lap the fastest and won the race with a 22-second cushion. Stobbe and St. Louis, Central Park teammates, held their respective positions all the way to the finish line, earning silver and bronze just two seconds apart. They had a cushion of almost twenty seconds on the fourth-place finisher.

Michele Rohl 5:03.27     Judy Stobbe 5:25.10     Dominique St. Louis6 5:27.03

W50 Sonja Friend-Uhl Florida TC-SE was back to her favorite distance on the track. She was able to impose her will on this race. She covered the first 300 meters in 62.25 seconds. That was enough to open a one-second gap on Julie Mercado Dayton TC and another two seconds on Brenda Williams Arizona Masters. Friend-Uhl kept the pressure on, stretching her lead on Mercado by another second. Williams was out of the hunt for the win now, about 9 seconds back from Mercado. On the third lap, Friend-Uhl tightened the screws just a bit by lowering her pace again; that upped her lead to 6 seconds. Friend-Uhl's last lap was her fastest as she claimed the gold medal with a nine-second cushion. Mercado had 2nd with 17 seconds to spare. Williams claimed the bronze medal nine seconds ahead of Julie Markley Team Red Lizard

Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:15.02     Julie Mercado 5:24.17     Brenda Williams 5:41.25

W45 This was another classic matchup. Jennifer Sober Florida TC-SE claimed the 5000-meter win; Jennifer St Jean comes in as the 800M gold medalist. Although, to be fair, St. Jean is probably better known as a 1500M/Mile specialist. St. Jean got everyone's attention by throwing down a sub-59 first 300 meters. Sober was a second and a half back, ahead of a tight pack with Cambria Wu Unattached , Amber Todd Unattached, Elizabeth Wells Dayton TC, Bridget Dawes Sacramento Valley Endurance, Nathalie Jones CPTC, and Alyson Barrett West Valley, in that order. On the next lap, St. Jean cranked it up a notch and opened a 4-second gap on Sober. Only Wu, just one second back, and Todd, a second further back, could stay close to Sober. St. Jean continued to pull away, enjoying a gap of 8 seconds when she crossed the finish line. It was a tightly controlled win and a sub-5 minute effort! Wu took the bronze 5 seconds behind Sober. Jones kicked past Todd and Wells and threatened Wu but had to settle for fourth, just 1.2 seconds behind Wu. Todd was fifth and Wells sixth. All six finished in under 5:20.

Jennifer St. Jean 4:57.82     Jennifer Sober 5:05.55     Cambria Wu 5:10.97

W40 April Lund, who took gold, and set an American Record in the 10,000 meters, was dropping down in distance to test her speed. Kelly Calway GRC Tracksmith blasted her way to a 55.78 first 300 meters. That left Melanie Nussbaumer, who won the 800 Meters a half second back, and Lund almost a second behind Nussbaumer. Heather Davel Langreck was still in it but was starting to lose ground. On the next lap, Lund got past Nussbaumer on the backstraight and passed Calway just before two laps to go. Lund tried her best to drop the two chasers on the third lap but could not. Calway passed Lund to carry a slim lead into the final lap. Calway was strong enough to pull away from Lund down the backstretch, but Lund held off Nussbaumer. In the end it was Calway with the win, two seconds back to Lund in the silver medal position and another second to Nussbaumer, in third. Langreck was fourth, seventeen seconds back.

Kelly Calway 4:41.85     April Lund 4:43.21     Melanie Nussbaumer 4:44.83

W35 Shea Johannsen, bronze medalist in the 800M was back to try for a medal at 1500M. Johannsen was the strongest of the three entrants. She ran the first 300 meters in a swift 54.54 seconds, gaining a three second advantage on Meagan Hudson Unattached and Courtney Grant West Valley running side by side in 2nd and 3rd. With two laps to go, Johannsen enjoyed a ten-second lead on Grant with Hudson five seconds further back. They rolled that way to the finish. Johannsen enjoyed a handsome win. Grant was 24 seconds back in second, with Hudson another 14 behind her.

Shea Johannsen 4:51.87     Courtney Grant 5:15.25     Meagan Hudson 5:29.28

W30 Suzanne Stewart Unattached was able to stay close to Shaina Cales Boise Betties & Billies for the first 300 Meters. But after that it was no contest. Cales had a ten second lead with two laps to go and cruised to the win with 45 seconds to spare.

Shaina Cales 4:48.34     Suzanne Stewart 5:33.85

W25 Megan Casey Buffalo Chips took this title unopposed in 5:22.81.

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MEN

M90 Inocencio Cantu Potomac Valley led wire to wire. He was twenty seconds ahead of Colben Sime So Cal TC at 300 meters and cruised to the win with well over two minutes to spare.

Inocencio Cantu 9:24.33     Colben Sime 11:55.57

M85 Four athletes from the New England 65 Plus RC contested this event, a remarkable team achievement. But Sherwood Sagedahl Unattached was in a different league. Sagedahl led his four rivals by over a half minute at the 300 meter mark and cruised to the win with over three minutes to spare. Robert Randall claimed second, a good half minute ahead of Ram Satyaprasad. Joe Cordero was a minute behind Satyaprasad in 4th, followed a half minute later by Bill Masterson in 5th. 

Sherwood Sagedahl 7:53.88     Robert Randall 10:15.36     Ram Satyaprasad 10:49.61

M80 Fred Martin Tamalpa Runners, who captured gold in the 800 Meters, was back for more hardware. He had a 40-second lead on John Shenk Unattached by the 300-meter mark. Martin did not let up, running each lap faster than the last. He won by almost four minutes.

Fred Martin 6:44.03     John Shenk 10:36.66

M75 Two legends, Nolan Shaheed and Gary Patton, who took gold and bronze for the So Cal TC in the 800 meters, were back for another teammate tussle, along with eight other contenders. Shaheed took them through the first 300 meters in 1:12.04 seconds, with Larry Rink So Cal, Rod Thompson Unattached, Bert Banks Unattached, Lon Wiley Empire RC of Sonoma, Gary Patton, and Gene Dykes Greater Philadelphia, in that order. Shaheed continued leading the way, but no one dropped off the pace. remarkably, with one lap to go. the top 6 runners were within three seconds of one another. It was anyone's race! Shaheed allowed Wiley to pass him as they took the bell. Dykes, Patton, Thompson and Rink followed in close order. Wiley tried to break away on the backstretch but Shaheed hung tough. Back a few meters, Patton surged past Dykes. Shaheed passed Wiley with a head of steam on the final turn as Patton was bearing down on both of them. Shaheed kicked it in for the win. Wiley hung on for second . Patton had left his kick too late and came up a fraction of a second short, in 3rd. Dykes was fourth, Rink fifth, and Thompson sixth.

Nolan Shaheed 5:58.05     Lon Wiley 6:01.70     Gary Patton 6:02.16

M70 Perhaps it was the weather? No one wanted to go out too fast and fade at the end? Again, there were eight athletes who were in good striking distance for a win through the first 1100 meters. Keith Duncan had led them through the first two laps. But then Patrick Miller, who won the 800M,took over midway through the third lap. Miller had the lead at the bell, but Bruce Minard Unattached was right there, pulling out to pass. Miller sped up enough to keep Minard out in lane 2 until they were on the backstretch. Minard made the catch on the backstretch and kicked it up into the final turn. This time, Miller had no answer. Minard sped away for the win with 5 seconds to spare. Miller got second. Eight seconds later, Duncan, who had re-passed Gerhard Fischer, gained the bronze medal by a single second! Then, without any large gaps, it was Perry Linn, Tom Grady, and Michael Lindblad in 5th through7th.

Bruce Minard 5:42.11     Patrick Miller 5:47.70      Keith Duncan 5:55.41

M65 This was Lebold vs. Westenberg again. Lebold had the honors in the 800M. Westenberg has consistently won their encounters over the 1500M and Mile. Would Lebold be able to reverse that history? The first three laps played out as they often do with Westenberg setting the pace and Lebold in 'hang on and kick' mode. They went 1-2 through the first three laps. 

Men 65-69 1500 Meter Run, Lap 2 - David Westenberg leads Michael Lebold and Robert Whittaker - Photo posted to Facebook by D Westenberg

On the final lap, Lebold tried to make a move on the backstretch but Westenberg answered and stayed in the lead. Despite Lebold's best efforts, he could not close on Westenberg as the latter was gradually, but steadily, increasing his pace. He dropped it from mid-80's on lap three to mid-70's by the home stretch. That cemented the victory for Westenberg. Lebold finished two seconds back with the silver medal. Mark Gookin Unattached, Stan McCormack So Cal, Tim Owen Mass Velocity, and Robert Whittaker Unattached battled for the bronze. At 300M they were in a tight bunch right behind Westenberg and Lebold. Whittaker stayed with the leaders on the second lap while the others fell back. On lap 3, Whittaker had to let the leaders go. Gookin moved past McCormack and Owen, pulling them back up tighter to Whittaker. Gookin and Owen took off on the last lap. Owen had a faster lap but could not reach Gookin, who prevailed for the bronze, with a good second to spare! Owen was fourth, with Whittaker fifth and McCormack sixth.

David Westenberg 5:11.98     Michael Lebold 5:13.89     Mark Gookin 5:22.18

M60 Daniel Filip Wolfpack RC, Kevin Ostenberg HOKA Aggies, and Ray Knerr Cal Coast met two months earlier at the USATF Masters 1 Mile (road) championships. They finished 1-2-3 in that order with just 2 seconds separating 1st and 3rd. How would they fare on the track? They had two new rivals as well, Mark Pinckard, who won the 800M by a ton, and Akintunde Morakinyo Bullseye Running. Although not as dominant as he had been in the 800M, Pinckard went to the front and controlled the race from that vantage point. He had a two second lead wit two laps to go and upped it to 4 seconds when he took the bell. It was a good thing, because several of the chasers had faster last laps. Filip surged out of third place past Morakinyo to take the silver medal, less than three seconds behind Pinckard and a good second ahead of Morakinyo. Morakinyo held on bravely for the bronze medal with Ostenberg, Knerr, Todd Blatti Arizona Masters and Jeff Mann Unattached less than half a second behind and with less than a full second separating the four.

Mark Pinckard 4:48.77     Daniel Filip 4:51.31     Akintunde Morakinyo 4:52.80

M55 Benoit Hogue Canada led the field through the first lap with Todd Straka Boulder Road Runners, Christopher Yorges Unattached and John Prineas Boulder RR up tight behind the leader. Hogue surged on the second lap, opening up a 3-second lead on teammates, Straka and Prineas, running side by side. Yorges was another second back with Sean Messiter Club Northwest on his shoulder. Hogue cranked it up another notch on the third lap, raising his edge to 5 seconds. Straka left Prineas behind, taking two seconds out of Hogue's lead on the last lap. It was enough to ensure a silver medal, 4 seconds adrift of the winner, Hogue, and 4 seconds ahead of his teammate who earned the bronze. Eight seconds later Yorges and Messiter came across in 4th and 5th.

Benoit Hogue 4:41.65     Todd Straka 4:45.25     John Prineas 4:49.77

M50 Brian Tullis, Mark Williams, and Aaron Brogan went 1-2-3 in the 800M and were back to try their luck at the longer distance. Tullis has had good luck against Williams in the 800M recently but this is Williams's target race. Tullis obliged by leading the field through their paces, Williams slotted in right behind and Brogan after him. Tullis brought them through 700M in 2:01 and change. Williams was patient over the next lap and a half; he made his move on the final turn and it was decisive. Tullis was moving well but had no response to that surge. Williams blasted to the tape, winning by three seconds. Tullis claimed the silver medal four seconds ahead of Brogan. The rest of the field was 17 seconds back.

Mark Williams 4:13.68     Brian Tullis 4:16.74     Aaron Brogan 4:20.62

M45 Eight years ago he won the Exhibition Masters 1500M at the Olympic Trials in Eugene. A year later, at the age of 42, Neville Davey West Valley finished 9th in the elite section of the State Street Mile. He still has some pop in those 49-year-old legs. Joe Hyland Unattached obliged by setting a good pace, with Davey slotted into 2nd, and Sanjay Rawal hanging onto Davey as long as he could. Davey was patient; he made his move coming off the final turn. Hyland responded and almost retook the lead before losing his form, momentarily, as Davey closed out the win. Rawal finished 3rd, holding off Lee Klarich Unattached and Trent Bryson Cal Coast, who took 4th and 5th.

Neville Davey 4:18.89     Joe Hyland 4:19.82     Sanjay Rawal 4:25.12

M40 Clay Burnett Unattached led from wire to wire. He had a slim lead on Jonathan Dreher Unattached at 300M, growing it to a second and a half over the next lap. When Burnett picked up the pace again on the third lap, Dreher had no answer and dropped 8 seconds back. Burnett took the win with 12 seconds to spare. Dreher, in turn, had a good six seconds on David Cooke Unattached. Cooke had surged past John DiGiovanni Brooklyn TC on the last lap to secure the bronze medal by two seconds.

Clay Burnett 4:05.59     Jonathan Dreher 4:17.98     David Cooke 4:24.34

M35 This was a well-delineated division. Sam Sharp Shadow Project led wire-to-wire, three seconds up at 300M, ten with two laps to go.2 He won by 17 seconds. Hunter Daniel Prado Racing could not match Sharp's pace but had no trouble keeping ahead of the third entrant, Shahzeb Kazi Unattached. Daniel earned the silver medal with a minute and a half cushion.

Sam Sharp 4:12.87     Hunter Daniel 4:29.14     Shahzeb Kazi 6:00.99

M30 Camron Shahmirzadi, Lynn Hackett, and Peter Francis Guevara went 1-2-3 in the 10,000 meters. They signed up for a return match at the classic middle distance on the track, competing with an additional athlete, Nathaniel Beach West Valley. Hackett took them through the first 300M in 51.72, with Shahmirzadi and Beach following closely in 2nd and 3rd. Beach went to the front on the 2nd lap with Shahmirzadi hot on his heels and Hacket starting to struggle with the pace. Shahmirzadi edged just ahead of Beach as they took the bell, pulled away over the last lap, and claimed the gold medal with 3 seconds to spare. Beach claimed the silver medal twelve seconds ahead of Hacket. Guevara finished fourth. 

Camron Shahmirzadi 4:16.11     Nathaniel Beach 4:19.12     Lynn Hackett 4:31.57

M25 Alan Dai and Brent Benites, who finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, at the 800M, were back to compete with each other and with Dillon Hu Unattached. Benites led at the 300M mark, with Hu and Dai tucked in close. Hu took over lead duties on lap two, with Benites and Dai following closely. Benites fell back on the next lap, unable to keep pace as Dai surged past Hu to enjoy a second and a half lead at the bell. Dai cruised to the win with three seconds to spare. Hu finished second, fourteen seconds ahead of Benites.

Alan Dai 4:22.04     Dillon Hu 4:25.81     Brent Benites 4:39.50

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It was another exciting national championship on the track for the middle distance and distance specialists! With the warmth it was, by and large, a weekend to run for distance championships, not records. But three records were set in the middle distances. It seems almost incredible that Lund was able to set an American Record in the 10,000 meter event! Hats off to: 

  • Lund in the W40 10000M
  • Hurrell in the W85 800M
  • Tullis (and Williams) in the M50 800M 
  • Klopfer in the 1500M



2 comments:

  1. Minor correction on M50-54, Frederick Dolan's, Bayshore Marathon, which is a minute off: 2:54:59 instead of the 2:55:59, which brings the prediction down a minute or so, 1:02 instead of 1:03.

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  2. I just want to thank you again. -- For such accurate & insightful race recaps. -- I look forward to seeing them, and thoroughly enjoy them.😁

    ReplyDelete