Recap Of the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in San Francisco

November 27, 2025. Welcome to my blog, and Happy Thanksgiving! . I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing an upcoming race, you can find previews and recaps of all USATF Masters LDR and Cross-Country Championships since Fall 2014. I also report on Masters Athletes in major Marathons including Olympic Trials. I cover distance events at some USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. I reported on the one World Cross Country Championship that included Masters competition, Australia 2022. I regularly cover the Non-Stadia Road Race Events at World Masters Athletics Championships. I cover other road raqces from time to time. See the sidebar for easy navigation through the archives. [If you are using a mobile phone, please scroll to the bottom and choose 'View web version' to access the sidebar.] While there, please note the coffee cup logo. That is a way to express your appreciation for the work that goes into these articles. Note: This recap was delayed due to my travesl in the High Andes and the Galapagos Islands. Also, because photos of the event proved scarce, I took the liberty of including a number of athlete photos from recent Masters Cross Country Championships.

The 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships were held at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA on Saturday, November 1st. In a complete contrast to the 2022 Club Cross Country Championships held at the same venue, the conditions were almost perfect. The Women's race was at 9 AM, the men's an hour later. Winds were calm to moderate with temperatures in the mid to upper 50's under mostly cloudy skies.

OVERALL MEN On paper it looked like a terrific contest for the overall win between Neil McDonagh Square State Striders, CO and Malcolm Richards West Valley TC, CA. Richards had finished a half minute ahead of McDonagh over 10 KM around the Polo Grounds 'track' in 2022. Richards won the Overall race at Clubs in Tallahassee the following year, with McDonagh not competing. Although McDonagh could not track Joseph Gray down for the 2024 Clubs overall Masters win in the wind and rain at Tacoma, McDonagh reversed the 2022 outcome, finishing 2nd, a half minute ahead of Richards. Nicholas Kipruto CO could factor into the race. He finished second overall in the Masters race at Cross Nationals in Lubbock. But he was two-minutes behind McDonagh at Tacoma in December. 

Neil McDonagh far left #3505 leads Malcolm Richards #3555 and the entire field up the first hill at he 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA Photo Credit: Jack Youngren

Richards moved to the front after the first kilometer and gradually opened up a gap on Kipruto, with McDonagh following. Richards had a comfortable lead as he headed onto the finishing meadow. By then, McDonagh had passed Kipruto and figured  '...I would give myself a good rinse to the line!' The 2024 Masters Overall Road Mile Champion gave it everything he had but came up a couple of strides short! Richards celebrated the win in 15:30, with McDonagh a single second back. All of those stroller miles with his toddler, Oliver, paid off for Richards! He had the perseverance to hold off McDonagh! McDonagh grew up near GG Park so was able to give his hometown friends and relatives a good show! It must have been a good warmup for McDonagh; he jumped into the Open race afterwards and clocked 15:28! Kipruto enjoyed a much better outing than in Tacoma. He was just eight seconds behind McDonagh, claiming the bronze medal. Jonathan Charlesworth West Valley enjoyed a breakout Masters overall win at the 5 Km national Championships in Atlanta in mid-October. He showed serious strength on the turf at Golden Gate Park, finishing fourth in 16:03. Thrown off by a slow 5K in October, my hastily researched preview missed Nico de Vries CO. He was the top Masters half marathoner at the Mesa Marathon last December in 1:10:25. He followed that up this September with a sparkling 1:11:28 at the Equinox Half at altitude in September. De Vries claimed fifth, just six seconds behind Charlesworth.

Malcolm Richards 15:30     Neil McDonagh 15:31     Nicholas Kipruto 15:39

WOMEN Jenny Kadavy HOKA Aggies, CA entered as the strong favorite. She finished 2nd at the 2023 USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships in Sacram6ento. Kadavy finished 7th overall at the 2023 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee but moved up to a second place finish at Clubs in Tacoma.

Jenny Kadavy #1358 Patiently Tracking Jennifer Keenan #1192 and Chelsea Lenge Warren #1663. Kadavy would later pass both to finish second Overall in the Masters Race for Women at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

The Tacoma silver medalist did not disappoint; Kadavy brought home the win in 17:51. Clara Peterson Impala Racing, CA enjoyed a strong outing. Although she had no recent results, her third place finish overall at the 2022 Urban Cow HM in 1:16:58, suggested she had the talent to compete, even if not quite at full race tested fitness. Peterson lost a hundred meters to Kadavy by the time she crossed the finish line in 2nd place. Peterson had 200 meters on her closest pursuers. Ashley Carroll, Angela Giuliani, and Dana Hayden battled for the final podium spot. Hayden, fourth overall at the 2025 Masters Road Mile national Championships in Indianapolis, showed her tenacity on the turf as she pulled away to claim third in 19:05. Carroll, 16th at Tacoma with that deep Club Cross field, held off Giuliani for fourth, in19:11. Giuliani, the overall bronze medalist at the 5 Km National Championships in Atlanta last month, was just 12 seconds back in fifth place.

Jenny Kadavy 17:51     Clara Peterson 18:15     Dana Hayden 19:05

AGE GRADING Note: Age Grading is a way of grading each athlete's performance relative to the best possible performance for a runner of her/his age and sex. It identifies, to the extent possible, which athletes had the best performance for their age, across all age divisions. Ranging up to 100 percent, the grading is based on world standards. The percentage so=core for each athlete is often referred to as their PLP, Performance Level Percentage.

WOMEN Patricia Bellan HOKA Aggies competed at the Club Cross Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2022, at Golden Gate Park, over a 6 Km course, Bellan, then 59, finished third in 55-59 and was among the top ten in age grading overall. The following year in Tallahassee, Bellan again finished third in her age division, 60-64, but moved up to fifth overall in age grading. At Tacoma, Bellan moved u to second place in 60-64 and fourth overall in age grading. The Club Cross championships tend to attract the deepest and most talented Masters fields each year. It is not surprising that Bellan won her 60-64 age division and earned the highest age grading score overall with an 87.72 PLP, a full percentage point ahead of the second-place finisher. 

Patricia Bellan #1357 enjoyed a Mid-Race lead Over eventual 60-64 Winner, Suzanne La Burt #1575 the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

Joannie Siegler Golden Valley Harriers, CA won her 65-69 division at 2022 Clubs in San Francisco and took the top age grade prize by over two full percentage points in 92.84. That was over a 6 Km course. She won her division here in the 5 km but fell short of Beltran by over a percentage point. Hronn Gudmundsdottir Impala Racing battled with Beltran in 60-64 but had to give way in the end. Gudmundsdottir claimed the Age Grading bronze medal with an 87.96 PLP. Jennifer Teppo WA [perhaps] has not competed nationally in recent years but won the 60-64 division at Clubs in Spokane in 2018 and finished second in age grading that year. Here at GG Park, over the shorter 5 Km course, she finished runner-up to Siegler in 65-69 and fourth in age grading at 86.64. Rebecca Carcamo CA ran some fast road 5K's in 2023 and 2024. She demonstrated her current fitness for cross country by dominating the 50-54 division and claiming fifth in age grading with an 86.40, just a tenth of a percentage point ahead of Chris Lundy Impala Racing who won 55-59.

Patricia Bellan 20:55 62 90.60     Joannie Siegler 22:55 68 89.45     Hronn Gudmundsdottir 21:02 60 87.96

MEN Jaime Heilpern HOKA Aggies 55 and Nat Larson Greater Springfield Harriers 63 have competed in most Club Cross Country national championships. They are about eight years apart, so they never meet head-to-head in age division competition. Because 60+ Men have a separate race over 8 Km from the 10Km race for Men 40-59, they do not compete directly at Clubs even in age grading. Still, it is instructive to look at that record as context for this contest over 5 Km. In 2022, Heilpern won 50-54 and finished 2nd in M40+ age grading with a 97.06 PLP. [Unfortunately the M40+ race was over the Polo Grounds 'track' so the PLP's are not really comparable; M60+ was run over the Cross Country course in the midst of substantial rain and winds.] Larson won 60-64, finishing third in M60+ age grading at 87.76. The following year in Tallahassee, the only difference was in length, with M40+ as always at 10 Km and 60+ at 8 km. Larson won 60-64 and had the top M60+ PLP at 88.19. Heilpern won 50-54 and had the second best M40+ PLP at 86.29%. Last December in Tacoma, Larson finished second in 60-64; his 83.84 left Larson fourth in M60+ age grading at 83.34. Heilpern, 54 at the time, finished 2nd in the 50-54 division and fourth in M40+age grading at 83.15. What I conclude is that both are top cross country athletes and have comparable records. They are likely to be among the top age graders, with the ranking probably determined by how injury-free they are in the run-up to the race, and other imponderables. This time, Heilpern had the edge, winning his new 55-59 division in16:25 for a 92.69 PLP. 

Jaime ' Jamie' Heilpern right Leading Chris Grauch at the Men 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee Photo Credit: Michael Scott

Larson took the 60-64 crown with his 17:41 M60 win and was just a half percentage point behind Heilpern in age grading. Kevin Ostenberg HOKA Aggies 65 finished fourth in 60-64 at Tallahassee Clubs and third last December, in 65-69 at Tacoma Clubs. Ostenberg demonstrated his speed with a 5:11 M65 win at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York in September. He brought that to the turf in GG Park; his M65 winning time of 18:06 netted a PLP of 91.62 and the bronze age grading medal. Scott Lacrosse SRA Elite 62 enjoyed a sterling morning, finishing just thirteen seconds astern of Larson in 60-64 and finishing just off the Age Grading podium. His 17:54 earned a 90.22 PLP. Neil McDonagh 44 lost the overall win to Malcolm Richards by a single second. But, by virtue of being a year older, McDonagh made top five age grading; his 15:31 netted an 89.90 PLP for a 0.65 percentage point margin over Richards.

Jaime Heilpern 16:25 55 92.69     Nat Larson 17:41 63 92.18     Kevin Ostenberg 18:06 65 91.62

AGE DIVISION MEN 

40-44 Richards, McDonagh and Kipruto went 1-2-3 overall and in this division. They were followed by Charlesworth and de Vries. See Overall recap for more detail. Spots 6-9 went to West Valley teammates, DeMartini, Haxton, Lighthall and Fraioli.  

45-49 The preview identified West Valley TC teammates, Jamey Gifford, Konrad Knutsen, Ben Koss, and Chip Scarinzi as the likely top four in this division; that turned out to be right. Knutsen was in great form at Carlsbad his spring when he posted a 16:09 to finish 11 seconds ahead of Gifford. Different subsets of the four ran at Clubs in Tallahassee, Clubs in Tacoma, the Impala Stampede [5k-road], and the Matt Yeo XC [Pacific Association XC Series]. What emerges is that these are four talented runners; their finishing order is likely to vary from race to race. Carlsbad turned out to be a good predictor. Knutsen pulled away from the rest of the West Valley pack to take the division win in 16:20, with over fifty meters to spare. It was much closer for second place. Scarinzi edged Gifford by just two seconds. Koss finished off the podium in 16:57 but completed a 1-2-3-4 sweep for the West Valley M45 crew! 

Konrad Knutseni 16:20     Chip Scarinzi 16:33     Jamey Gifford 16:35

50-54 Neville Davey, the overall winner of the 2017 Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington KY and the holder of the M40 Road Mile American record for a number of years, was favored to lead three West Valley teammates across the line. Looking back to this spring's Carlsbad 5000 as a guide, it was Davey, followed thirty seconds later by Todd Rose, with Julian Marsh another nine seconds back. Backstrom did not run Carlsbad but did run the October Matt Yeo XC race, finishing behind Marsh. I thought Alan Black Atlanta TC had the opportunity to break up the four. He finished second in M50 at the 5 Km national championships in Atlanta. It is a tall order to break up a tight team pack of such quality. Black finished 5th at 17:31, fifty meters behind Backstrom. 

Neville Davey far left Battles the Elements and his Fellow Athletes at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

Davey claimed the win at 16:36, with Rose just 25 meters back in 2nd. It was 150-meters from Rose back to Marsh. Backstrom was just five seconds behind Marsh in fourth. It was another 1-2-3-4 division sweep for West Valley.

Neville Davey 16:36     Todd Rose 16:41     Julian Marsh 17:13

55-59 West Valley division domination ended there, although team members still took silver and bronze. They ran into the buzzsaw that is Jaime Heilpern. As noted above, Heilpern had the top age grade on the day and, along with Nat Larson, Rick Becker and a handful of others, must be in the running for 2025 Masters Harrier of the Year. With Ivan Lieben and Chuck Mullane running for West Valley, Heilpern could not let up. So he did not. He cruised around the course in 16:25 to finish in the top ten overall. He had a cushion of over 200 meters by the finish. Lieben had a nine-second decision over Mullane at the mid-October Tamalpa XC race in the PA XC series. Mullane took the honors from Lieben this time; his 17:25 gave him a ten second margin on Lieben. Joseph Molloy Excelsior Running Club crossed the finish line eleven seconds after Lieben to claim fourth. 

Jaime Heilpern 16:25     Chuck Mullane 17:25     Ivan Lieben 17:35

60-64 As noted above, Larson has come back from a winter skiing accident. No bones were broken but it still required considerable rehab. Whether Larson is all the way back or not is something we will probably discover at Portland. But he captured the M60 crown at the 5 Km national champs in Atlanta and landed on the age grade podium as well. He did the same here. Despite a strong challenge from Scott Lacrosse SRA Elite, Larson was able to put a good fifty meters on Lacrosse by the end. His winning time was 17:41. 

Start of the Men's 60+ Race at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

By hanging with Larson as long as he did, Lacrosse enjoyed over 300 meters of territory between himself and the rest of the filed when he crossed the finish line. Michael Chasse Pamakids. Ray Rodriguez West Valley Joggers & Striders, and Iain Mickle SRA Elite battled for the bronze medal. Chasse was able to leave the other two behind, posting 19:09 to take third. Nineteen seconds later, Rodriguez edged Mickle by a single second to take 4th!

Nat Larson 17:41     Scott Lacrosse 17:54     Michael Chasse 19:09

65-69 Kevin Ostenberg has been a top long-distance runner for years and has done well at Cross Country. At Tallahassee in 2023, Ostenberg finished fourth M60. He appears to be at the top of his game right now, at least for distances under 10 Km. Claiming an age division crown at the Fifth Avenue Mile is no mean feat and Ostenberg pulled it off this year with a 5:11. That was just two seconds off of Dan King's Athletics Boulder winning Fifth Avenue time in 2024. As noted above, Ostenberg made the age grading podium as well as winning this division at 18:06. King cruised to second place, a good minute behind Ostenberg. King needed good points from this event to win the M65 Masters National Grand prix title, one of the few honors he had not yet made his own. Mission accomplished! Terry Baucom SRA Elite, Bobby Hastings HOKA Aggies, Jay Littlepage Athletics Boulder, and Tom O'Reilly Tamalpa Runners vied for the coveted bronze medal! Littlepage perhaps derived some confidence from knowing that he had finished a minute and change ahead of Hastings at Clubs in Tacoma last December. Furthermore, Littlepage had cracked a superb 40:35 on the tough Bolder Boulder 10K course at altitude. By contrast, Baucom does not have a sub-20 5K showing up in Athlinks since 2023. O'Reilly did have a sub-20 5k in summer of 2024 when he ran 19:44 at the Impala Stampede 5K. That is age grade comparable to a 40:30 or so 10Km. Of course, O'Reilly's race was at sea level, not mile high. In any case, Littlepage dug down and achieved separation. He had the bronze medal when he crossed the finish line in 20:04; his rivals were a hundred meters back. Baucom ran a tough race, edging Hastings by four seconds. O'Reilly was just five seconds behind Hastings. It was a real donnybrook, and they must have had lots of fun recounting their efforts!

Kevin Ostenberg 18:06     Dan King 19:19     Jay Littlepage 20:04

70-74 Rick Becker, three-time Masters Harrier of the Year had a tough year with injuries, a bike crash, and having a pacemaker installed. It appeared that Becker conquered all of that and was ready to capture the division again, as he did in Tacoma. Becker was really dominant that day. Even John Barbour, who usually pushes Becker all the way to the final stretch, was not able to stay within a minute and a half of him. Becker entered this race without the truly dominant fitness he had in December; his training, due to these barriers, had been intermittent rather than steady. Becker, racing with his new pacemaker for the first time, won the M70 division at the 5 Km (road) national Championships in Atlanta in mid-October. It was a solid win but, perhaps, not quite up to Becker's high standards. He won by 25 seconds and, in a rare occurrence, did not make the Age Grading podium. Here, too, Becker was able to distance himself from his pursuers. 

Rick Becker M70, Leading Rich Power and other M60 Athletes at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

He won in 21:35, a hundred meters ahead of his closest rival. Paul Herrerias Tamalpa Runners had been chasing Gerhard Fischer Buffalo Chips RC around the turf at Pacific Association cross Country Championships this fall. This time, he not only chased him, Herrerias passed him, nipping Fischer for second place by six seconds! William Menchine Santa Cruz TC was 150 meters back in fourth place, just ahead of John Hirschberger Tamalpa.

Rick Becker 21:35     Paul Herrerias 22:02     Gerhard Fischer 22:08

75-79 Gary Ostwald Boulder Road Runners has owned this division for the last few years. That will end soon but only because Ostwald will soon turn 80. Ostwald cruised around the Golden Gate course like he did in 2022 when he pulled an upset in beating the legendary Ron Wells to take the Clubs M75 championships. He won by 200 meters in 22:46! Jerry Learned Atlanta TC is aging like fine wine. At Club Cross in Lexington KY in 2017, David Longmuir took the M70 win; Learned was over 250 meters back. At Clubs in Spokane in 2018, Doug Winn finished almost five minutes ahead of Learned in winning M65. Those were stirring victories. A little over a half dozen years later, Learned claimed second here, over 400 meters ahead of Longmuir and over a minute ahead of Winn. More importantly on this day, Learned finished 27 seconds ahead of David Dunbar Jamul Toads who claimed third in 24:12. Don Porteus Tamalpa was just 19 seconds back in fourth.

Gary Ostwald 22:46      Jerry Learned 23:35     David Dunbar 24:12

80-84 After a tough outing at Tacoma last year, where Len Goldman Tamalpa won this division by a mere 21 seconds over Przemek Nowicki Shore AC, Goldman reasserted his dominance. He left the rest of the field over 200 meters behind, winning in 26:56. It was a tight battle for the other two podium spots; just forty meters separated the next three runners! Fred Martin Tamalpa, who finished second to Jan Frisby in the M80 Road Mile a couple of years ago, separated from his two rivals to claim second in 29:11. Barry Hotchkies Lake Merritt J&S took third with just six seconds to spare! Nowicki was right on his heels in fourth!

Len Goldman 26:56     Fred Martin 29:11     Barry Hotchkies 29:18

85-89 Theodore Jones Pamakids claimed the win with four minutes to spare in 32:03. Elmo Shropshire Tamalpa, who has claimed many a win in his 89 years, finished second at 36:10. Don Hillebrandt Tamalpa, recovering from a hip replacement five months ago and a hernia surgery three months ago, gritted it out, walking much of the way. He claimed third in 52:43. 

AGE DIVISION WOMEN

40-44 Jenny Kadavy, Clara Peterson, Ashley Carroll, and Angela Giuliani went 1-2-4-5 in the overall race. They go 1-2-3-4 in this division. See overall discussion above for more details.

Jenny Kadavy 17:51     Clara Peterson 18:15     Ashley Carroll 19:11

45-49 Dana Hayden claimed third place overall. She takes the win in 45-49 at 19:.05. It figured to be a podium tussle between Katie Famous Impala, Julie Ann Dougery Impala and Claire Saxton Wolfpack RC. Famous won the 10 Km W45 national championship last April in 42:06. Saxton has times that are comparable to Famous's, a 19:27 5K at the 2024 Impala Stampede and 42:28 at the 2025 Alameda Hospital 10K. Dougery, Famous and Saxton have finished within shooting distance of one another at various meets int he Pacific Association Cross Country series. 

Katie Famous far left Leads a Chase Pack in the Women's Race at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

Perhaps Saxton learned something useful at the Matt Yeo XC race in mid-October; she finished 11 seconds behind Dougery and 18 behind Famous. This time she made a move that counted and crossed the finish line in 20:16, claiming second place with 12 seconds to spare. Famous crossed the line in third with her teammate, Dougery, just four seconds back.

Dana Hayden 19:05     Claire Saxton 20:16     Katie Famous 20:28

50-54 Rebecca Carcamo CA has few results in Athlinks since 2022 but they are all sub-20 5K's, two in 2023 and one in 2024. One was right a 19:00 and another aat 18:57! Having that kind of road speed in this division usually translates to a good time on the turf. Megan Kossar Impala finished second in this division at the 2023 Ten Mile Masters Championships in Sacramento. This year she ran several 5K's in the 20-22 minute range. Her teammate, Elizabeth Gottlieb, finished 6th in W45 at the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta with a 20:10 on a hilly course. She ran a 20:04 and a 20:03 5K this year at the Impala Stampede and the Carlsbad 5000. Gottlieb has run well on the Pacific Association Cross Country circuit this fall. The preview missed Dena Evans Peninsula Distance Club. She ran 1:30:21 at the KP Napa Valley HM in March. If it is the same Dena Evans, she ran in the Community 6K at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA in January 2024, clocking 25:26, a time that would have put her fourth in W45 or 3rd in W50. Carcamo's speed did translate well to the turf. She had 200 meters on the field when she crossed the finish line, first in 19:44. Evans's experience in Richmond may have helped. She put a hundred meters of distance on the pair of Impalas, claiming second at 20:38. Gottlieb took the final podium spot at 21:33, with Kossar crossing the line in 4th 21 seconds later.

Rebecca Carcamo 19:44     Dena Evans 20:38     Elizabeth Gottlieb 21:338

55-59 Chris Lundy Impala does not run often on the roads. She loves trails and is a tough competitor on the turf. She won the W50 division at 2022 Clubs in San Francisco against a loaded field. And Lundy always runs well at the legendary Dipsea Trail race up, down and around Mt. Tamalpais, north of San Francisco. She ran a second faster in 2025 than in 2024, so she is on her game! That showed at GG Park. No one in her division was within two hundred meters of Lundy when she crossed the line, first in W55 at 20:12. Verity Breen Tamalpa has also been focusing on ultra trail runs. But she found time to fit in a 44:35 10K in July and a 1:32:31 Half Marathon in February. Elizabeth Guerrini Cal Coast TC ran a 19:41 5K in April in Carlsbad and a 19:32 in October. Kari Rust West Valley has not been quite that fast on the roads, but she did run a 20:54 at the 2024 Impala Stampede. And Rust finished fifth in W50 at the 2024 Road Mile Championships in Danville CA. Breen did not let Guerrini have a chance to use her closing speed. Breen had created a gap of nearly a hundred meters by the time they were approaching the finish. Breen closed her second place finish off in 21:27. Trail runners, like Lundy and Breen, are tough to beat on the cross country turf! Guerrini gave Rust no chance at a third-place finish; Guerrini closed in 21:54 to claim the bronze medal! Rust was a half-minute back in fourth. 

Chris Lundy 20:12     Verity Breen 21:27     Elizabeth Guerrini 21:54

60-64 The preview ignored Patricia Bellan HOKA Aggies who has run in the Club Cross Country Championships in each of the last three years. At 2022 Clubs in San Francisco, Bellan finished third in 55-59. By the time Tallahassee rolled around, Bellan was 60, finishing third in 60-64 to Suzanne La Burt and Mary Cass. At Tacoma last December, Bellan figured out how to beat Cass, finishing one second ahead of her, but behind la Burt again. La Burt, out with a plantar issue, was not entered here this year, nor was Cass. Bellan knew she needed a good outing though as Hronn Gudmundsdottir Impala was in the field. Gudmundsdottir has not run Cross Country much but claimed the 55-59 silver medal at the 2024 USATF Masters Championships with a 41:55. later that year she added a national W55 Half Marathon medal to her collection. Right before this event, Gudmundsdottir took the gold medal at the 2025 Masters 5 Km Championships on a long, hilly course with significant wind and rain, in 21:21. In 2022, she finished 6th in a stacked field at Cross Nationals in San Diego. Pamela Ricker Shore AC finished a minute behind Gudmundsdottir in the 5 Km championships last month. She has been active all year for her team, on the New Jersey XC circuit, and on the roads at national Masters championships. Earlier in the year she placed 6th at the Road Mile Championships in 6:27, second at the four-mile championships, and 8th at the 10 Km Championships, all in 60-64. Maureen Sheehan has been active on trails and ran a nifty 6:04 to take the 60-64 win at the Truckee Firecracker Mile. Bellan perhaps used her greater experience on the Cross Country turf to carve separation from Gudmundsdottir. Bellan had a 25-meter lead as she approached the finish line. Bellan took the win in 20:55, just seven seconds ahead of Gudmundsdottir. Ricker was a minute back in third. Sheehan was not close for her closing speed to factor into the race for the podium. She finished fourth at 23:20.

Patricia Bellan 20:55     Hronn Gudmundsdottir 21:02     Pamela Ricker 22:01

65-69 Joannie Siegler Golden Valley Harriers, Kathi Sleavin Club Northwest, and Jennifer Teppo Unaffiliated, [perhaps WA] were the podium favorites. Siegler, a newly minted 65-year-old at the time, dominated the W65 division at 2022 Clubs in San Francisco, winning by two minutes! She has not competed in the last two Club Cross Championships but showed she is still a force on the turf. She won this division at the recent Matt Yeo XC race. Sleavin was in 60-64 in 2022 so did not compete directly against Siegler. But they were 2in the same race and Siegler was a minute and a half faster. 

Kathi Sleavin far left #1202 and Heather Slee #1203 Packing Up For Club NW's W60+ Team In the Early Going at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott

We have not seen Teppo in a national Cross Country race since she took top 60-64 honors at the 2018 Championships in Spokane. She finished a minute ahead of Siegler in that race. But that was seven years ago. Teppo also took top 60-64 honors in the 2019 Masters 10 Km Championships with a 43:11. Teppo has not competed nationally in recent years, but she took top 65-69 honors at a 5K race in January of this year in 23:36 and in a 10K race in July with 46:09. Teppo gave her a battle but Siegler, on her home Northern California turf, was too tough. Siegler enjoyed the hard-fought victory in 22:55. Teppo finished a half minute later in second. Sleavin, a fine runner, could not keep pace with those two extraordinary runners. But Sleavin claimed the bronze medal in 24:09, finishing nearly 300 meters ahead of the rest of the field. Sleavin's teammate, Kay Pinkstaff, finished fourth in 25:41.

Joanie Siegler 22:55     Jennifer Teppo 23:20     Kathi Sleavin 24:09

70-74 Cynthia Long Lake Merrit J&S, Ruth Rainero Impala, and long's teammate, Sharlet Gilbert, met at the Matt Yeo XC race this October. Long finished first at 35:33, with Rainero almost two minutes behind. Gilbert finished a half minute behind Rainero. Gilbert last competed at a national championship race in 2022 when she finished fifth W70 in a loaded field at the 10-Mile Championships in Sacramento CA. Gilbert clocked 55:37 for a 10K in January. The only other runner who appeared to be competitive was another Lake Merritt runner, Suzette Smith. Smith did not compete at the Matt Yeo race but finished fourth W65 at the April 2025 Alameda Hospital Run 10K in 1:00:33. The Matt Yeo race was, as one would expect, a good predictor of the outcome here in San Francisco. Long took the win at 28:11. Rainero made it closer this time, finishing just 38 seconds back in second. Smith had a good day, overtaking Gilbert and inserting herself in the bronze medal spot just 17 seconds behind Rainero. Gilbert kept the rest of the field far behind her, finishing fourth in 30:26.

Cynthia Long 28:11     Ruth Rainero 28:49     Suzette Smith 29:06

75-79 There are three entries in this division, all mainstays from the Impala Racing Team, Irene Herman, Arlene McCarthy, and Nelda Williams. Herman and Williams finished 3rd and 5th respectively at Tacoma last December. McCarthy led the way for the team at the Matt Yeo XC race on October 25th at 37:17, with Herman second at 38:35 and Williams at 46:13. Those gaps were big enough that the result here on Saturday seemed likely to yield the same order of finish.  And that is what happened. McCarthy strode to victory in 28:59. Herman was a solid second at 31:36. Williams closed things out for the team with her 34:42 in third place.

Arlene McCarthy 28:59     Irene Herman 31:36     Nelda Williams 34:42

80-84 Bridie Dillon CA ran Dipsea two years ago at the age of 78, no mean feat! Edda Stickle Tamalpa won the W80 division in 43:59 at Club Cross in San Francisco in 2022. She did not compete in Tacoma. She did win at the 3K Kenwood Footrace this past summer in 11:50. Stickle battled her way to the win. When Stickle crossed the finish line at 36:43, Dilon was fewer than a hundred meters back. 

Edda Stickle 36:43     Bridie Dillon 37:24

TEAMS 

WOMEN Note: The finishing position of each team's first three scoring runners are recorded and summed. The team with the lowest score wins. 

When a Cross Country championship is hosted in northern California, the Impala Racing is always a threat to sweep the Women's titles. They almost did so.

70+ Impala was unopposed in W70+. Ruth Rainero, Arlene McCarthy, Irene Herman and Nelda Williams delivered the goods.

Impala Racing 6 R Rainero, A McCarthy, I Herman, N Williams Avg = 29:48

60+ Hronn Gudmundsdottir gave the Impala 60+ team a strong start, finishing first, but this was Impala's toughest challenge. Club Northwest brought a strong team consisting of Kathi Sleavin, Michelle Neal and Kay Pinkstaff. They had finished 2nd to the Impala's 3rd place at Tacoma last December. Sleavin and Neal finished 2nd and 3rd in the team competition, just ten seconds apart. Suzanne Bryan was impala's 2nd scoring athlete at 5th. But when Kay Pinkstaff finished 7th for Northwest, that closed thing off. Northwest had the win, 12-20 once Jennifer Redmond closed off Impala's scoring at 14th. Lake Merritt J&S edged Empire Runners Club for third, 29 to 31.

Club Northwest 12 K Sleavin, M Neal, K Pinkstaff  Avg = 24:43   

Impala Racing 20 H Gudmundsdottir, S Bryan, J Redmond 24:54

Lake Merritt J &S 29 K Sepetys, J Holmlund, M Briones, D Cramer, R Vinckey 26:25

50+ Impala had no trouble in this division as they went 1-2-3 with Chris Lundy, Liz Gottlieb, and Megan Kossar for a perfect 6-point win. The Santa Cruz TC claimed 2nd ahead of Impala's B-team.

Impala Racing-A 6 C Lundy, E Gottlieb, M Kossar, J Buyyounouski, P Shore Avg = 20:59

Santa Cruz 22 K Cohen, R Young, M Hayes, V Shepardson 25:00

Impala Racing-B 28 G Wahl, A Longworth, M Holmes 26:59

40+ The Wolfpack Running Club gave Impala Racing a scare but, in the end, Impalas took home the win. Clara Peterson and Ashley Carroll gave Impala a good start at 2-3. But Wolfpack answered with Chloe Glare-Conti and Claire Saxton finishing 4th and 5th. But Jullie Ann Dougery was just 16 seconds behind Saxton in 6th. That gave the Impalas the close-out they needed. They took the win 11-19. HOKA Aggies asked Patricia Bellan and Denise Ripley form the 60's to drop down and run with Jenny Kadavy on their 40's team. With Kadavy taking the #1 finish and Bellan and Ripley 8th and 12, HOKA was almost able to catch the Wolfpack team. They fended off Pamakids to take third, 21 to 31.

Impala Racing 11 C Peterson, A Carroll, J A Dougery Avg = 19:20

Wolfpack RC 19 C Glare-Conti, C Saxton, C Temmins, I Rosenblum, L Renteria 21:00

HOKA Aggies 21 J Kadavy, P Bellan, D Ripley 21:19

MEN Note: For M40+ and 50+ contests, the finishing position of each team's first five scoring runners are recorded and summed. The team with the lowest score wins. For M60+ and 70+it is the same but only the first three scoring runners are counted.

The West Valley Track Club is dominant in the 40"s and 50's but does not yet enter a team in the two older divisions.

40+ With no teams from other regions stepping up to challenge, West Valley Team A runners took the first nine spots in the team competition. That gave them a perfect 15 points. After Juan Rivera of West Valley J&S claimed 10th, the B-team of West Valley TC took the next four spots as well. West Valley TC A, B, and C teams took the top three team finishes.

West Valley TC-A 15 M Richards, J Charlesworth, D DeMartini. K Knutsen, T Haxton, B Lighthall, M Fraioli. C Scarinzi, J Gifford Avg = 16:07

West Valley TC-B 70 B Koss, E Breen, R Lyon, A Crawford, M Broom 17:33

West Valley TC-C 105 M Cadete, T Ross, S Tydlaska, R Fairles, G Loeffler 19:10

50+ West Valley was almost as dominant in this division, earning another perfect 15-point win by rolling to a 1-2-3-4-5 finishing sequence. They relinquished 6th place and then took 7th and 8th. Santa Crux took the 9th finishing spot and their other four runners finished within 1:16 in 14th, 16th, 19th and 20th. That gave them the 78 points they needed to keep the top two team positions to California squads. The Atlanta Track Club brought a very solid 50's team. Their top runner finished 6th and their 2nd and 3rd runners finished within a second of each other in 11th and 12th. They fell off after that but still claimed a team podium spot. They edged the Pamakids team for third place by a single point! All five runners came through! The bronze medals made the long trip from Georgia worthwhile.

West Valley 15 N Davey, T Rose, J Marsh, J Backstrom, C Mullane, C Azerki, I Lieben, J Anguiano, E Randolph Avg = 17:03

Santa Cruz TC 78 R Gilliam, K Chu, G Green, J Soares, C Koontz 19:17

Atlanta TC 93 A Black. B Sydow, B Slavens, C Cadiou, R Carter 21:00

60+ SRA Elite took care of business. They finished 1-3-5 to take the win with a nifty 9 points! The San Luis Distance Club was just as firmly in possession of the silver medals with their 4-8-9 finish. Their 21 points gave them a 13-point margin over the third place team. It was much closer for third place. Pamakids, Tamalpa, and Empire RC finished 3rd, 4th and 5th with 34, 37 and 42 points respectively.

SRA Elite 9 S Lacrosse, I Mickle, M Murray, T Baucom Avg=19:15

San Luis DC 21 D Jansen, A Lopez, D Long, K Cooper 20:49

Pamakids 34 M Chasse, J Flanagan, J Spriggs, M Gully 22:15

70+ The Tamalpa Runners knew that Atlanta was likely to have the top scoring runner and had good support. Tamalpa felt their top four would likely run solid enough races to overcome that advantage. Atlanta did take the top spot. But Tamalpa had the 2nd and 4th finishers in before Atlanta's 2nd runner came across at #5. Tied at six, it was all up to the third runner now. Tamalpa only needed to wait 46 seconds. Their third runner claimed the 6th spot; their fourth runner was just 12 seconds back in 7th. That gave Tamalpa the win with 12 points. Atlanta's third runner finished 14th. That allowed Atlanta to keep all other teams at bay; they earned silver medals. Santa Cruz TC placed their athletes 3rd, 9th, and 17th for 29 points and third place. San Luis DC and River City Rebels were close behind in 4th and 5th with 34 and 38 points, respectively.

Tamalpa Runners 12 P Herrerias, J Hirschberger, D Porteous, K Duncan, J Flanagan Avg = 23:11

Atlanta Track Club 20 R Becker, J Learned, N Feather 24:30

Santa Cruz Track Club 29 W Menchine, G Bostrom, J Hofacre, N Cornwell 25:41

80+ The Tamalpa Runners had this division to themselves. But they still needed three finishers. Len Goldman, Fred Martin, and Elmo Shropshire got .the job done. But they had Donald Hillebrandt jog-walking the course (after recovering from surgery) in case any o f the first three ran into trouble. Tamalpa enjoyed a perfect 6-point victory.

Tamalpa Runners L Goldman, F Martin, E Shropshire, D Hillebrandt Avg = 30:46

It was an exciting day of racing at Golden Gate Park! According to reports, the meet was well organized and executed. The weather cooperated as well. This was the final race in the 2025 Masters Grand Prix circuit. An upcoming post will review the Grand Prix results. 

In most years, the new Grand Prix year kicks off with Club Cross in December. Because of World Cross Country Championships requirements, the USATF Cross Country Council had to flip Clubs with Cross Nationals, typically held in January. The next Masters National Championship, therefore, is the USATF Cross Country Championships at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, OR on Sunday, December 7th, held the day following Nike Cross Nationals for High School athletes. The Open and U20 selection races for World Cross are also to be held that Saturday on the Glendoveer course. Look for a preview of those Masters Championships on this blog, the week of December 1st through 4th. 

Sources: USATF Events website, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, and Facebook.--Plus one 'interview' via Starva messaging.

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Preview of the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships

 October 30, 2025 Welcome to my blog. I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing an upcoming race, you can find previews and recaps of all USATF Masters LDR and Cross-Country Championships since Fall 2014. I also report on Masters Athletes in major Marathons including Olympic Trials. I cover distance events at some USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. I reported on the one World Cross Country Championship that included Masters competition, Australia 2022. I regularly cover the Non-Stadia Road Race Events at World Masters Athletics Championships. I cover other road raqces from time to time. See the sidebar for easy navigation through the archives. [If you are using a mobile phone, please scroll to the bottom and choose 'View web version' to access the sidebar.] While there, please note the coffee cup logo. That is a way to express your appreciation for the work that goes into these articles.

The last time we gathered at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco for a national cross country championship, the rains came down, the wind picked up and a huge tree fell down within a few meters of the course. We all hope for better this time around, including the weather forecasters! The Women's Race is set to go off this Saturday, November 1st, at 9 AM and the Men's at 10 AM [subject to change according to the USATF Events website--perhaps a nod to the occasional unpredictable weather]. The forecast calls for brilliantly sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-50's for the 9 AM race and upper 50's for the 10 AM race. Morning winds are forecast to be moderate. It seems as if the forecasters are predicting perfect Cross Country weather! Over 300 athletes have signed up, with a predominance of West Coast team affiliations!   

Note: Previews when a race follows within two weeks of the previous championship are always based on a quicker data search than usual. This one is even more so as I leave the morning of the race, from Chicago, for Peru. This preview is based on a hasty search of folks I do not know and knowledge of the few names that I do recognize, from other Masters national championships. Apologies in advance to anyone who should be mentioned but is not. 

OVERALL COMPETITION

WOMEN If Jenny Kadavy HOKA Aggies is healthy, fit, and runs with confidence it is hard to see anyone staying with her. This year she ran 17:45 at the Impala Stampede 5K and 37:00 at the Alameda Hospital 10K. At the Matt Yeo Aggies XC Open last weekend, over 4.1 miles, Kadavy finished 4th overall and first Masters in 22:42. Last December at Club C=ross in Tacoma, always the deepest and strongest race on the Masters Grand Prix circuit, Kadavy finished 2nd in the Masters race for Women in 23:10. None of the other runners who finished in the top ten at Tacoma are entered here. Ashley Carroll Impala Racing finished 16th at Tacoma in 24:17. At the Matt Yeo XC, Carrol ran 25:21, finishing 25th overall and 4th Masters. She ran 40:09 at the Alameda Hospital 10K. Angela Giuliani TX just finished 3rd at the USATF Masters 5 Km championships in Atlanta. As noted above, the consensus among runners and officials at the event were that, due to the weather conditions and the course being long, and the hills, the times were a good minute slower than one would normally expect. So, think of that 19:09 as an 18:09. I am not aware of Cross Country results for Giuliani. 

Start of Women's Race at 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships in Boulder CO Photo Credit: Dave Albo

Chloe Glare-Conti Wolfpack RC covered the Wharf to Wharf 6.0 Miler in 38:22, convertible to a 39:46 10K. Glare-Conti has been active on the turf this season, starting with her 29:14 W40 win on the UC Santa Cruz 4.15 Mile XC course. She followed that with another W40 win at Willow Hills over 5K in 23:23. At a more competitive Matt Yeo XC last weekend, over 4.1 Miles, she finished 7th Masters in 25:48. She was 27 seconds behind Carroll. Dana Hayden VA, out of W45, finished 9th overall at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta two weekends ago. Her time, as noted, should be thought of as closer to 18:39 than 19:39. She also finished fourth overall at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis in June with a 5:25.4. It will be interesting to see if Hayden's speed can serve her as well on the Cross Country turf. Celeste Prothro Impala Racing is also running out of W45 and could play a part; she was just over a minute behind Carroll at Tacoma. Her teammate, Katie Famous, also deserves mention. She won the W45 title and the Masters national championships in 42:06. She ran a 20:00 5K at the Impala Stampede. She has run in most of the PA XC races this fall so she is primed to compete on the turf. At the Matt Yeo XC race this past weekend, Famous finished 11 seconds ahead of Prothro. 

Start of the Women's Race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Race in Boca Raton FL Photo Credit: Mike Scott 

Clara Peterson Impala ran 1:21 Half marathons in both 2018 and 2019. With nothing in Athlinks since then, Peterson's current fitness cannot be judged. As noted, it seems likely that Kadavy gets the win. After that it looks like a close battle between Carroll and Giuliani, with Glare-Conti and Hayden slightly off their pace. Should Peterson's fitness be similar to what it was in 2019, she could break up that group as a top five.

MEN Four names jump out at me without doing any research: Jonathan Charlesworth West Valley TC; Nicholas Kipruto CO; Neil McDonagh Square State Striders; and Malcolm Richards West Valley TC. Charlesworth is on my mind because he just won the Overall Masters 5 Km road Championship in Atlanta. His time, 16:15, does not inspire awe. But there was general agreement that not only was there wind and rain, and one very long, steep hill and a few rollers, but the course was long. [There was, apparently, some official announcement about this.] The general feeling was that times were about a minute slower than one would normally think. So, think of that as being closer to a 15:15 effort and you will see that Charlesworth has some wheels. He also took third in the Overall Masters competition at the Carlsbad 5000 this past spring in 15:29. Will that speed translate to the turf? Perhaps. The evidence I know is that Charlesworth ran 35:44 at Clubs in Tacoma to finish 21st. He was four seconds behind Kipruto in that race. Kipruto is strong at XC. In addition to Tacoma, he finished 2nd overall, over 8 Km, at Cross Nationals in Lubbock, clocking 27:13. Apparently, his time would have been faster, but he stopped to check on a fallen rival before continuing to the finish. This past January he finished 23rd at the Armed Forces XC Championships in San Antonio, over 10.25 Km, in 33:03. The only recent relevant road result I find for Kipruto is the Army Ten Miler last October. He was fifth in the Masters category in 53:58. That is better than 5:24 per mile, for ten miles!! He was entered in Atlanta but did not compete. McDonagh finished fifth Overall at the 2022 Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder CO and 2nd in the 2024 edition. Joseph Gray, a World Mountain Running Champion during his Open career was the only runner to best McDonagh that year. McDonagh also finished 2nd Overall at the 2023 USATF XC Championships in Richmond, losing to Ben Bruce. At the Tacoma Club Cross Championships last December, McDonagh was again able to beat everyone not named Joseph Gray. He also showed his speed by winning the 2024 USATF Masters Road Mile in Danville CA, with plenty of air between him and the second-place finisher. McDonagh would surely love to do well over the actual course at Golden Gate Park. When he was here in 2022 for Club Cross, he, like everyone else in the Men's 40+ race, had to cover several circuits of the 'track' in the Polo Grounds stadium. He will be looking for a higher finish this coming Saturday; in 2022, with a deeper field, he finished seventh. Richards was in that same race and finished third, twenty-nine seconds ahead of McDonagh. Richards did even better the following year at Clubs in Tallahassee, winning the Overall Men's race with a half minute to spare. At Tacoma last December, Richards was in the hunt but finished sixth overall, a good half minute behind McDonagh.

Start of the Men's Race at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Boulder CO Photo Credit: Dave Albo

 Who else might challenge these four?! Of course, there are a half dozen or more very strong runners who typically push these guys hard. But it takes a special set of circumstances for them to prevail. I should mention a couple of 'wild cards' who might otherwise be flying in under the radar. Bolota Asmerom is entered without a team affiliation, in the M45 division. Three years ago, Asmerom ran a 32:06 10K at the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon and clocked 54:50 to finish as first Masters at the Alameda 10 Miler. Hiroki Fujinaga HOKA Aggies was the second Masters finisher at the Wharf to Wharf 6 mile run this year in 31:12, which can be converted to a 32:20. Two weeks earlier he ran a 32:39 10K in Morro Bay CA. These are two guys with good road times. Will they translate to good times on the turf? Maybe, maybe not. I find no recent cross country events for them. The transition from road to turf is not always smooth. Neville Davey West Valley TC is a late entry. Though he is now in the M50 division, one can never ignore him. It is eight years since he last won a Club Cross Championship. He was the fifth Masters athlete to cross the finish line at Carlsbad this year, clocking 16:05. Charlesworth is the only athlete entered here who was ahead of him that day. 

The Start of the Men's Race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Boca Raton FL Photo by Mike Scott

Others who, with a good day, could play a role, include: Bryce Lighthall West Valley TC, Juan Rivera West Valley Joggers & Striders, Andrew Touchstone West Valley TC and, from M45, Jamey Gifford, Konrad Knutsen, Ben Koss, and Chip Scarinzi, all from West Valley TC.

AGE DIVISIONS 

MEN M40 All four of the chief contenders for the Overall win come out of the M40 division. So, Charlesworth, Kipruto, McDonagh, and Richards should also battle for the top of the M40 division. The same caveats apply, with Lighthall, Rivera and Touchstone, again suggested as having a potential role to play in forming the podium.

M45 The four Musketeers of the West Valley Track Club, Gifford, Knutsen, Koss and Scarinzi were mentioned as having role to play in the Overall competition. That suggests they are favored to occupy the top four spots in this division. Gifford finished 8th Masters at Carlsbad this year in 16:20 and finished 15th in M45 at Tacoma in 16:22. Knutsen ran 16:09 at Carlsbad but had a slower time at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2023 than did Koss. And Koss finished behind Gifford at Tacoma. So, the three are close. Scarinzi did not run at Carlsbad but he clocked a 16:27 5K at the Impala Stampede. He was faster at Tacoma than Koss but not as fast as Gifford. At the Matt Yeop XC this past weekend, Gifford led the way, with Scarinzi 9 seconds back and Koss another fifty seconds behind him. Unless Azmerom, mentioned in the Overall analysis, is still capable of running a 10K in something like 32:06, those four should battle for the three podium positions.

Early Going in the Men's Race at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boulder CO Photo by Dave Albo

M50 Neville Davey should be the one to beat here but it is a strong field. Jonah Backstrom West Valley, Alan Black Atlanta TC and another two West Valley runners, Julian Marsh and Todd Rose. [Note: Rose is listed as unaffiliated but I suspect this is a registration glitch. Rose is a long-time member of West Valley.] Davey, Rose and Marsh all ran Carlsbad this year, finishing in that order at 16:05, 16:36 and 16:45. Marsh came in ahead of Backstrom at the recent Matt Yeo XC race. Black has legitimate sub-17 5K speed but may not be quite as fast as these West Coast speedsters. At Tallahassee in 2023, Black was well behind several of these athletes but was a bit off his best at that time. Unless he is able to break them up, Davey is probably the favorite for the division win, with Rose, Marsh and Backstrom mixing it up for the 3nd through fourth spots.

They Are Off and Running in the Men's 40+ Race at the 2021 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Franklin Field in Boston MA Photo by Mike Scott

M55 Jaime Heilpern HOKA Aggies, who dominated the M50 division on the turf, is now in the M55 division and is likely to continue his winning ways. He set a new M50 American Road Mile Record, pending ratification, at the Mile of Truth in Danville CA with a 4:43.4. It is a wonderful race but not as fast a course as some. He also set the M55 Ten Mile record at Sactown, which is a fast course, with a 53:28. Ivan Lieben West Valley is probably the next strongest athlete. He just finished 2nd in M55 at the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships. He beat his running partner, Charles Mullane West Valley, by nine seconds at the Tamalpa XC race in mid-October. If Tacoma is any guide, those two still look good for 2nd and third, in either order. After that it seems that Michael Buckhoff Cal Coast TC, Gary Gellin HOKA Aggies, and Eric Hartmann Bowerman TC will be there to push for the podium if there are any surprises up front.

M60 This division got more interesting today when the M60 Clubs Champion from San Francisco in 2022 entered. Nat Larson had a skiing accident over the winter that forced a long rehab. He appears to be fully recovered. He won the USATF M60 5K title in Atlanta two weeks ago in a 17:56 that should probably be thought of as a 16:56. That was his first race back. Last December, he finished 2nd in M60 at Tacoma at 31:31. Of the athletes entered for Saturday, only Scott Lacrosse SRA Elite, Lester Dragstedt Atlanta TC, and Michael Chasse Pamakids. Their times ranged from 32:39 to 33:20. Consistent with that, Dragstedt finished a little over a minute behind Larson at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta in mid-October. From a quick skim of PA XC this fall, no other M60 Athletes in the PA seems to be running any faster on the turf than Lacrosse. He seems likely to lead the way behind Larson. Jeffrey Hongo, Iain Mickle, Raymond Rodriguez, and Jeffrey Soares seem the group that will, most likely, be battling with Dragstedt and Chasse for the bronze medal.

The men's 60+ Race is Under Way at the 2021 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championship at Franklin Field in Boston MA Photo by Mike Scott

M65 Dan King Athletics Boulder has been the main man on the turf and the track, in his Age Division, for a long time. Jacob Nur was able to beat him here at GG Park in 2022 but that is rare. At Tacoma and Boulder last fall, King was supreme. He beat a strong field by a good minute. At Tacoma, over 8 Km, it was closer to two minutes. It has been a long season. King has won more national championships and set a few more recoreds, including for the 10,000 meters on the track, surely not one of his favorite events. He trusts his sore hamstrings will hold up for one more championship this year. He is probably right. Ken Youngers, who chased him around the course at University Park near Tacoma, is not entered. But Roger Sayre Twin Cities RC, formerly of Golden CO, now living in the Twin Cities area, who chased him up and down and across the hills in Boulder, will try to catch him again. Kevin Ostenberg HOKA Aggies should be in the hunt as well. At Tallahassee in 2023, King was not entered. Though Ostenberg finished behind Larson, he finished fourth in the M60+ race, ahead of almost everyone else. At Tacoma last December, he was behind King and Youngers but, again, ahead of everyone else. On the other hand, Athlinks has no results for him since April. Luckily, I found him among the division winners at the Fifth Avenue Mile in 5:11. Still, a quick scan of the PA XC shows Bobby Hastings HOKA Aggies winning M65 a few times. I did not see Ostenberg's name. Sayre finished 2nd M65 at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta with a 19:09, interpreted, as indicated before, as being closer to an 18:09 in ordinary circumstances. He also finished second to King at the 4 Mile Championships. Jay Littlepage Athletics Boulder finished 8th at Tacoma last year, a good minute ahead of Hastings. King looks good for the win but Sayre, Hastings, Littlepage, and Ostenberg will make sure he earns it.

M70 After a few setbacks this year, a major bike accident and getting a pacemaker put in, it appears that Rick Becker Atlanta Track Club is back at, or at least near the top, of his game. In his first race after those setbacks, in mid-October, he won the M70 5 Km Championships in Atlanta with a 20:48 (think 19:48), beating James Linn by 25 seconds. At Tacoma last December, Becker took the M70 crown in 33:48, over 8 km of turf in difficult conditions, finishing a good three minutes ahead of Linn. So, Becker may be a little off the very top of his game. But he is definitely the one to beat. Tom Cushman who won at Tallahassee in 2023 and won the division at the PA's Matt Yeo XC race, is not entered. That suggests that Gerhard Fischer may be the one to give chase to Becker. He has been the top M70 runner apart from Cushman on the PA circuit this fall. Tamalpa teammates, Paul Herrerias and John Hirschberger have not been far off the pace set by Fischer. William Menchine Santa Cruz TC is also likely to mix it up with those two. It looks good for a Becker win, with Fischer likely after that. Then Herrerias, Hirschberger and Menchine are likely to fight it out for bronze.

Start of the Men's 40+ Race at the 2017 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Franklin Park in Boston MA 

M75 Gary Ostwald Boulder TC has not lost many races in this division in the last couple of years. There is little reason to think that will start at Golden Gate Park. Here at Golden Gate Park at Clubs in 2022, Ostwald surprised everyone by sprinting past Ron Wells to take the M75 win. No one was surprised to see him take the win in Tacoma. He came in 45 seconds ahead of David Dunbar Jamul Toads and a minute and a half ahead of Doug Winn Bowerman TC, both of whom are entered. Winn took the M75 national 10K crown in Massachusetts this past spring, in Ostwald's absence, with a 46:11. Dunbar ran a 47:30 10K at the Scripps Ranch run in the summer. Ostwald took home national crowns in the 4 Mile in Peoria IL and the 1 Mile in Indianapolis IN. Jerry Learned Atlanta TC. Learned is almost always on the podium these days. If not he is right around the edges. He was fourth at Tacoma last year behind Ostwald, Dunbar and Wells. He has finished second M75 at the 4 Mile, 1 Mile, and 5K national championships  road Championships this year. Learned always comes ready to compete! It is always a treat when four such competitive and talented runners meet to compete. The edge probably goes to Ostwald but the others will be battling.

M80 Len Goldman Tamalpa has been at this for a while. He finished fourth M70 at Club Cross in Lexington KY in 2017. here at Golden Gate Park, then 78, Goldman finished 6th in M75. Last year at Tacoma, Goldman took the top prize in M80. He finished ahead of Przemek Nowicki, Fred Martin Tamalpa, and Jan Frisby. Only Martin, of those three, is entered for Saturday. Goldman covered the Matt Yeo course in 35:00 last weekend to take that M80 crown. He finished two and a half minutes ahead of Barry Hotchkiss, thee other of the three entrants this coming weekend. Goldman should get another win on the turf this weekend. After that, Martin and Hotchkiss can fight it out for the silver and bronze medals.

M85 At the age of 88, this past May, Elmo Shropshire Tamalpa won M85 at the Marin Mile in 9:49.2. His teammate, Donald Hillebrandt, won the M85 crown at the 2024 national Road Mile championships in 12:51. He averaged 13:30 per mile in winning the M80+ division at the Impala Stampede in 2024. This past summer, Theodore Jones was the fastest 85-year-old or older across the finish line in 30:41. It is a great day when any of these three super veterans cross the finish line. On paper it looks good for Jones to take the day.

WOMEN W40 Kadavy should lead the way overall. That puts her atop this age division as well. Carroll, Giuliani and Glare-Conti should, as with overall, be in the mix for the other medals.

W45 Famous, Hayden and Prothro, mentioned in the overall write-up above, should have a great duel for the W45 win. After those two, it appears that Romy Basler, Julie Ann McCarthy Dougery, and Claire Saxton are in the mix for the bronze medal. Basler ran some sub-20 5K's in 2023 and 2024. Dougery finished 6th W45 at the 2024 national Road Mile championships in Danville with a 5:53. Saxton ran a 19:27 5K at the 2024 Impala Stampede and 42:28 this year at the Alameda Hospital 10K. I did not see Basler's name in my quick skim of PA XC. But Dougery and Saxton met at the UC Santa Cruz XC race in August. Dougery finished a good two minutes ahead of Saxton that day. Dougery was also just seven seconds behind Famous at the Matt Yeo XC race this past weekend. Saxton was only 11 seconds behind Dougery. With Hayden, from Virginia, mixing it up with these PA warriiors, it looks like a terrific race for W45 honors!

Start of the Women's Race at the 2021 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Franklin Park in Boston MA Photo by Mike Scott

W50 This looks like it will be a West Coast affair. Among those entered, Jodi Buuyounouski Impala had the top performance at the Matt Yeo XC this past weekend at 27:52. Caroline Temmins Wolfpack was a good minute behind her. Temmins has been active this fall on the PA XC circuit, often coming in first in in her division. But Buuyounouski was also the only one of these athletes to run at Tacoma and finish in the top 15 last December. At the UC Santa Cruz XC race in August, Buuyounouski's teammate, Elizabeth Gottlieb finished almost two minutes ahead of her. Another teammate, Megan Kossar, has not been as active at Cross Country but has run a bunch of 5K's in the 20 to 22-minute range. In 2023, she finished 2nd W50 at the Masters national ten mile championships in Sacramento. Temmins will need a good day to break up those three Impala teammates. Rebecca Carcamo CA almost flew in under the radar. In 2023 and 2024, Carcamo ran three 5K's well under 20:00, a 19:21, a 19:00, and an 18:57 5K. If she enjoys similar fitness now, she will have to be reckoned with.

W55 The name of Chris Lundy Impala jumps out. At Clubs in San Francisco in 2022, Lundy claimed the W50 win. No one else appears to have competed at that championship or the one in Tacoma this past December. Lundy has not been active on the PA XC circuit this fall. She did run Dipsea again, covering that tough trail course a second faster than last year. Her teammate, Patti Shore, finished 2nd W55 at the Matt Yeo XC race, with Kackie Cohen Santa Cruz TC just two seconds back. Ruth Teitelbaum Lake Merrit Joggers & Striders was another half minute back in fourth. But Teitelbaum finished twenty seconds ahead of Cohen at the UC Santa Cruz XC race in August. I find no recent XC races for Elizabeth Guerrini. But she finished 4th in W55 at Carlsbad this year in 19:41. Not all of her recent 5K's are that fast. But she also ran a 19:32 5K in Southern California in mid-October. At Clubs in San Francisco in 2022, Guerrini finished two minutes behind Lundy but two and a half minutes ahead of Shore.  It looks like Lundy should be at the front of this pack, with Guerrini likely leading the rest. Cohen, Shore and Teitelbaum will mix it up for the other medals. Kari Rust West Valley will likely be in the mix for bronze with Shore, Cohen and Teitelbaum, based on her road times. She ran a 20:54 5K at the Impala Stampede in 2024.

Mid-Race Action at the 2017 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Franklin Park in Boston MA Photo by Mike Scott 

W60 Eileen Brennan-Erler Impala finished tenth W60 last December at Tacoma with a 29:03 effort. Michelle Neal Club Northwest was a good minute back in 15th. Brennan-Erler finished 3rd W60 in 29:47 at the Matt Yeo XC race last weekend.  Hronn Gudmundsdottir Impala did not compete at Tacoma but has done well this year on the roads. She won the W60 5K National Championship in Atlanta in mid-October at 21:21 (think 20:21). She also took the W60 win at the Matt Yeo XC race in 26:22, three minutes ahead of Brennan-Erler. Diana Micros West Valley TC was 5th in 31:29 at Matt Yeo. Gudmundsdottir should lead the W60 group all the way to the finish. After that, Brennan-Erler looks good. Neal will likely push her fo the silver medal. Micros could move up if any of those three has an off day.  

W65 The names Joanie Siegler, Kathi Sleavin, and Jennifer Teppo jump out at me. Siegler won this division at Clubs here in 2022 by almost two minutes. At the Matt Yeo XC race this past weekend, Siegler put her stamp on this race by posting the winning W65 time of 28:38Sleavin was in 60-64 at that time and came in sixth but was a minute and a half behind Siegler. Teppo has not competed nationally in recent years, but she won the W60 division at Clubs in Spokane in 2018. There may be others entered who can mix it up with them, but it does not seem likely.

Women's Lead Group Mid-Race at the 2017 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships Photo courtesy of USATF-New England

W70 This appears also to be mostly a West Coast crew, except for Helene Myers Potomac Valley. Cynthia Long Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders posted the fastest W70 time at the Matt Yeo XC race on October 25th at 35:33. Ruth Rainero Impala Racing came next at 37:26, with Long's teammate, Sharlet Gilbert, third at 37:57. Long was also the top finisher at the UC Santa Cruz XC in August, except for one athlete who is not entered here. Long and Gilbert also went 1-3 at the Tamalpa XC. Long's teammate, Suzette Smith, who just turned 70 this year, finished 4th in W65 at the Alameda Hospital 10K with a 1:00:33 time. Long looks pretty good for the win. Rainero, Gilbert and Smith will likely be the ones vying to win the other two medals.

W75 There are three entries in this division; they are all from the Impala Racing Team, Irene Herman, Arlene McCarthy, and Nelda Williams. Herman and Williams finished 3rde and 5th respectively at Tacoma last December. McCarthy led the way for the team at the Matt Yeo XC race on October 25th at 37:17, with Herman second at 38:35 and Williams at 46:13. Those gaps are big enough that the result here on Saturday is likely to yield the same order of finish.

W80 Bridie Dillon CA ran Dipsea two years ago at the age of 78, no mean feat! Edda Stickle Tamalpa won the W80 division in 43:59 at Club Cross in San Francisco in 2022. She did not compete in Tacoma. She did win at the 3K Kenwood Footrace this past summer in 11:50. They should have a grand competition.

AGE GRADING This is mostly a case of looking to the usual group contesting the award. 

WOMEN The most likely winners include: Hronn Gudmundsdottir, Chris Lundy, Joanie Siegler, Kathi Sleavin, and Jennifer Teppo.

MEN The top contenders are: Rick Becker, Jamie Heilpern, Dan King, and Nat Larson. Others who could make the podium include Neville Davey, Gary Ostwald, and Roger Sayre.

TEAMS

I have not much to say; I am no expert on West Coast teams. Very few teams from other regions are competing. The comments below are largely impressionistic.

WOMEN

40+ Impala looks good for the win with Wolfpack, perhaps, pushing them.

50+Impala again looks solid for the win with, perhaps Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders next?

60+ Impala should win here as well. Club Northwest will make them earn it.

70+ Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders have a good shot at making this the one Women's division where Impala does not take home the top prize.

For the Men 40's and 50's, West Valley TC and HOKA Aggies will probably contest for the win, with West Valley favored for both divisions. Atlanta could push them. 

For 60's it is perhaps SRA Elite with the edge. HOKA Aggies and Santa Cruz seem likely to press them for the win. Atlanta may form a 60's team with Becker and Neil Feather moving down from M70 to join Dragstedt. But they are not likely to be on the podium.

The 70's are a mystery to me. I do not know the teams well enough. Perhaps Tamalpa has the athletes to win? 

The 80's, at least, are clear. There is only one team. Tamalpa will win!

Best wishes to all who are running this weekend at Golden Gate Park! I look forward to reviewing the results. There are some epic matchups!

Sources: USATF Events website, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, and Facebook.

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AGE GRADIING  Davey, Heilpern, Larson, Becker