Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Masters Athletes Who Made it to Lubbock Enjoyed a Great Competition! The 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships

January 21, 2025. The 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships were held this past Saturday, January 11th at Lubbock Christian University's Chapparal Ridge Course. Whether folks just needed a break after a busy 2024 or the perceived challenges of getting to Lubbock seemed too great, entries were lighter than usual. Then Winter Storm Cora threw a further monkey wrench into the works! Most folks from east of the Mississippi were flying into Dallas, either connecting too Lubbock or, in some cases, renting a car to drive the 5 hours to Lubbock. Dallas turned into an icy mess. Atlanta also faced icy difficulties!  As a result, many flights were cancelled. Several of the Atlanta M60 and M70 teams wound up spending six hours inside a plane on the tarmac in Atlanta, going through de-icing, then waiting, then returning to the gate for refueling, then waiting some more, before the flight was finally cancelled. Getting to Lubbock would have been smooth 99 times out of 100. Unfortunately, this was not one of those 99 times. As a result, 33 runners who entered, did not make it to the race. Those who made it to the race enjoyed a fine competition. It was windy and dry but not especially cold-mid 40's to mid-50's with good footing. Steady winds at 20 mph buffeted the runners, with gusts of up to 30 mph in the last 3 Km of the Men’s race. From reports, the athletes liked the course. Some sea level athletes thought the 3200' of altitude affected them; others were less sure. A few of the age division fields were thin but most enjoyed robust competition and the overall races were certainly well populated up front. Because few complete teams made it to Lubbock, the team divisions were solo affairs.

Note: A comparatively large number of athletes were listed as 'unaffiliated'. I know that some of them were, in fact, affiliated with the same club and team they have competed with for a long time. Apparently that difficulty was due to Club renewals not being approved in time for a January 8th cutoff date, which is very early in the new year. When I am pretty sure of the affiliation, based on past championships, I supply it with a notation, 'Unaffiliated/Impala Racing', for example. If I am just 'pretty sure' I add a '?' to the club name. If I do not know a C+lub affiliation at all, I record the affiliation as Unaffiliated [?].

OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN This race, starting at 10:30 AM, covered 6 Km. 

Start of the Masters Women's Race at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images


Renee Metivier Team Red Lizard won the January 2022 edition of this race in San Diego by a wide margin. At that time, Metivier was mostly focused on Open goals. She did not race again in a Masters National Championship until December 2023 at Club Cross in Tallahassee FL. She ran into a buzzsaw, named Carrie Dimoff. Metivier ran a fine race to finish second, just 23 seconds back. It was the same story in the 2024 edition of this championship last January in Richmond. I imagine Metivier was relieved to see that Dimoff decided against going for the Club Cross/Cross Nationals double this year. There was still plenty of competition. Alison Crocker Red Lizard finished 7th overall at Tacoma in December. Still, Crocker was a minute back from Dimoff, further back than Metivier in 2023. April Lund GYS Track Club was expected to challenge; she won the 2023 edition of these championships and finished third behind Dimoff and Metivier last January. Lund was only 11 seconds behind Metivier. But Lund was one of the 33 who did not make it to Lubbock. It seemed that Kristin Shaw Red Lizard and Jessica Hruska Crown Running who finished 19th and 21st overall at Tacoma, just three seconds apart would compete for the podium. Shaw also finished 8th at the 2024 championships in Richmond, Hruska was also one of the 33 who were not at the championship. Katherine Gwyn's Unaffiliated [?] recent races give no hint that she would be competitive for the podium. She apparently finished 5th in 40-44 at the Run for the Water 10 Miler in Austin TX- in November. Her 1:17:56 time for ten miles is not suggestive of a nationally competitive athlete. The same is true of her 43:07 at the Austin Sunshine 10K in May. It could be there were mitigating factors in those races, or Gwyn may just be one of those athletes who excels at Cross Country. 

Once the gun sounded, Metivier went to the front and had no problem repeating the Overall win she enjoyed at the 2022 edition of this race in San Diego, this time in 22:24. 

Katherine Gwynn #1118 leads the Women's Chase Pack including, to her left, the viewer's right, Magdalena Donahue, Adrienne Neal, and Abby Dean at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images

Crocker and Gwyn kept Metivier in sight as long as they could, ultimately claiming second and third in 23:20 and 24:28. It was not Shaw's day; she finished fourth in 25:17. Magdalena Donahue Unaffiliated [?] who ran some fast 10K's seven years ago, finished fifth at 25:39. 

Renee Metivier Claims the Overall Masters Women's Title at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images


According to USATF News, Metivier appreciated the Chapparal Ridge course, saying, "The course ended up being one of the best courses I've run on aside from the wind - but that's cross country. The moguls made it really fun, and I loved that we would do these sharp turns where we could see the rest of the field."

Renee Metivier 22:24     Alison Crocker 23:20     Katherine Gwyn 24:28

MEN This race, starting at 11:30, over 8 Km, also had a strong favorite. Joseph Gray Club Northwest entered Masters ranks in 2024, promptly winning the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA at the end of April in 30:44, setting a Masters course record in the process. This fall, he claimed Overall Masters wins on the turf in Boulder at the Masters 5 Km Championships and at the Club Cross Championships, over 10 Km, in Tacoma. In Lubbock he could close off the Turf Trifecta! His main competition came from David Angell Roanoke Valley Elite, Nicholas Kipruto Unaffiliated/US Army[?], Trevor Pettingill Unattached, and Ayoub Touil Unaffiliated [?]. Angell is the two-time defending Masters National Grand Prix 45-49 champion. Angell finished seventh at the 2023 edition of these championships in Richmond and moved up to fifth overall this past January in Richmond. Angell has struggled at Club Cross, not cracking the top 30 at either Tallahassee or Tacoma. Kipruto finished 34th overall at the Army Ten Miler and was the fifth Masters, behind Elkanah Kibet and three others, registering 53:58. Kipruto started out strong at Tacoma in December but was not able to sustain that pace, finishing 19th in 35:40. Pettingill finished 30th overall at 2023 Club Cross in 2023 and moved up one spot in a deeper and more competitive field at Tacoma. Touil raced to a 6th overall and 1st Maasters finish at the Rock n Roll San Antonio Half Marathon in December 2023 and clocked a 32:14 to finish fourth overall at the Phoenix 10K this past November. 

Gray went right to the front and had no trouble separating from the field. His time of 25:31 gave him a victory margin of over 500 meters. Gray has won all three national Masters Cross Country titles available this season, from Boulder to Tacoma to Lubbock! After the race, Gray commented, according to a USATF News report, that "It was a big change in weather considering the weather I came through to get here. It was a beautiful course and a nice group of guys out there so I can't complain." Nicholas Kipruto and Ayoub Touil battled for second place for much of the race. 

Nicholas Kipruto close, multicolored singlet and Ayoub Touil far, black t-shirt battling for the Silver Medal in the Masters Men's Race at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images

Late in the race, Touil faltered and may have fallen. I heard a report that Kipruto paused, went back, checked that Touil was alright, and then continued to the finish. Kipruto finished second, over a minute and a half behind Gray. [Some small portion of that deficit may have been a result of his sportsmanlike conduct vis a vis Touil.] At that point, Touil had given everything he had to stay with Kipruto; he had no resources left to fight off Trevor Pettingill, who claimed the bronze medal thirteen seconds behind Kipruto. Touil finished fourth at 28:13, with David Angell fifth at 28:41.

Joseph Gray 25:31     Nicholas Kipruto 27:18     Trevor Pettingill 27:31

Joseph Gray wins the Overall Masters Men's Title at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images

AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS The Age Grading Percentage indicates how fast an athlete ran, adjusted for age and sex, compared to the best possible time for that single age, by global standards. Alan Jones and now, Jones and Tom Bernhard, analyze data on single age times from around the world to fit a curve to the best times at all ages. That curve shows how the best times fall off as folks age. It also predicts a fastest time for each single age. These graphs are done for the 1 Mile, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon. Distances between these markers are found by extrapolation. From those curves, tables are created that can be read into timing programs to produce a Performance Level Percentage PLP. Online calculators are also constructed to allow anyone to calculate an age grade score, PLP, for any time, distance, age/sex combination. For example, if a male runner, aged 54 runs a 37:42 10K, that achieves an 81.56 PLP. If the runner achieving that time of 37:42 had been 68, the PLP rises to 92.92. The somewhat whimsical phrases of 'World Class, and 'National Class' have been attached to the PLP levels of 90% and 80%. The age grade tables that have been used since 2020 are referred to as the 2020 age grading tables. Bernhard, with Jones's oversight and assistance, has now updated these to 2025, based on single age best data from 2020-2024. The new tables will, I presume, come into effect at the first Masters National Road Championship of 2025, the 10K Championships at Dedham. 

MEN The top score, at Lubbock, was achieved by 3-time Masters Harrier of the Year, Rick Becker Atlanta Track Club, who enjoyed a large victory margin. His 32:22, at age 70, earned an 87.66 PLP to put him atop the Age Grading podium. That is his second consecutive age grading podium. He was third at Club Cross in Tacoma last month. He also won the age grading championships for the M60+ Race at the Tallahassee Club Cross Championships in December 2023. Roger Sayre Boulder Road Runners, 66, and Dan King Athletics Boulder, 65, took second and third. Sayre’s 31:45 scored an 85.92. King’s 31:30 graded at 85.77. Sayre matched the second place age grading finish he recorded at the Masters Half Marathon Championships in Indianapolis in October. King's third place finish follows his second place age grading finishes at Boulder in November and at Tacoma in December, 2024. Gray, the overall winner, was just off the podium in fourth with an 85.62%.

Rick Becker 70 32:22 87.66%     Roger Sayre 66 31:45 85.92     Dan King 65 31:30 85.77 

WOMEN Metivier, the overall women’s winner, also had the top age grade. At 43, her winning time, 22:24, gave her an 83.02 PLP. This was Metivier's first age grading win at a Masters Championships. And it was a dominant win, with almost four full percentage points between her and second place. Her previous best was in 2022 on the Mission Bay course in San Diego. She won the overall championship then and finished third in age grading. It was much closer for second place. Abby Dean Greater Philadelphia TC, 53, clocked 26:01 for a 78.98% and the silver medal. Jo Anne Rowland Impala Racing, 76, claimed the bronze medal; her 35:15 graded at 78.87%, just 0.11 percentage points behind. That was Rowland's second top five age grade place at a national championship. In 2023 at the Ten Mile Masters Championships in Sacramento, she recorded a 90.12% for fifth place. It was nearly a double-podium day for Crocker, as well as Metivier; Crocker finished fourth in age grading at 78.16%.

Renee Metivier 43 22:24 83.02%     Abby Dean 53 26:01 78.98%     Jo Anne Rowland 76 35:15 78.87%

AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS Each Age Division winner is a national champion. 

WOMEN 40-44 Metivier, Crocker, and Gwyn, who went 1-2-3 overall, come from this division and so are also the top three here. See the discussion of Overall Championships above.

Renee Metivier 22:24     Alison Crocker 23:20     Katherine Gwyn 24:28

Note: This will not be true for National Masters (road race) championships, starting this year. The USATF Masters LDR Committee voted in favor of a proposal to follow the procedure, common in the road race industry, to eliminate the Overall winners from the pool of individuals eligible for Age Division awards.

45-49 Sheila Smitherman Barron Park Striders finished 29th in a deep, competitive field at Tacoma. Here in Lubbock, Smitherman raced unopposed in this division, winning in 26:50.

Sheila Smitherman 26:50

50-54 In fall 2022, Abby Dean Greater Philadelphia TC suffered a hamstring injury, was treated with a PRP shot and was not fully recovered for 2023 Cross Nationals in Richmond. She ran for team points but still landed on the podium, third. She captured the 50-54 Grand Prix title that year, winning the 5 Km, 10 Km and Half Marathon championships, with second place finishes at the 1 Mile and 12K. That fall she had surgery and was not fully recovered for the 2024 edition of Cross Nationals, also in Richmond. She again finished 3rd. I am not aware of specific problems in the second half of 2024 but Dean's results late in the year suggest she was not at full fitness. The 32:46 Dean turned in at the 8K on Philadelphia Marathon weekend in November, and the 19:42 5K in early December were both fine times but not quite as strong as Dean's best effort would likely be. Those times, plus Dean's history, made her the favorite, nonetheless. Samantha Forde Impala Racing would have been her chief rival. Unfortunately, Forde, tore her meniscus at Tacoma in December and is out of action for a month or two. With Forde absent, Dean's rivals were Alexandra Newman Impala Racing, a lynchpin of the Impala 50+ team, and Riva Rahl Unaffiliated [?]. Newman took 8th place at Richmond last January, finishing a good minute behind Dean. Rahl ran a 1:47:40 half marathon in 2018 and this past May, clocked a 52:12 10K in Dallas. Dean was the favorite and she delivered. Running in the top five overall for much of the race, Dean finished sixth overall, in 26:01, and first in 50-54. Dean enjoyed a winning cushion of well over a minute. Newman claimed second, a good minute ahead of Rahl.

Abby Dean 26:01     Alexandra Newman 27:39     Riva Rahl 28:44

55-59 No Entries.

60-64 Four athletes entered but only one was able to make it to the event. Neither Kris Huff Atlanta, who would have been the favorite, Leslie Nowicki Shore AC, nor Robin Tanner Atlanta could navigate out of Atlanta nor into Dallas/Lubbock. Mary Bryan Impala was traveling in from the West Coast. Such travelers apparently had fewer problems en route. Bryan had been flying in under the radar in any case. There were no results on Athlinks for a nationally competitive runner. Bryan had no recent national championship results, nor was she listed in any of the Pacific Association Cross Country results. None of that mattered. With no rivals on the course, Bryan enjoyed a 6 Km circuit in 37:40, winning the gold medal.

Mary Bryan 37:40

65-69 This division had a similar story in one respect. Two of the entrants did not make it. The difference in this division was that the favorite was the athlete who made it to Lubbock. Suzannne Cordes Impala Racing is a very strong cross country runner. She was just off the podium at the Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco in 2022 and in Tallahassee in 2023. She won the Masters 5 Km 60-64 Cross Country Championships in Boulder in 2022 and claimed the 65-69 title in November of this year on the same challenging Cross Country course. It would likely have been quite the battle for second had Kittty Musante Shore AC and Mireille 'Mimi' Silva Atlanta been able to compete. Silva finished 24 seconds ahead of Musante last February at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlant6a, clocking 22:40.  But Musante may have been off her best. In November and December of 2024, she turned in 5K's in Florida at 22:39 and 22:58. But we will have to wait for another time to see that matchup. Cordes won the age division, finishing first at 32:56. That is quite a bit slower than her usual 6 Km times. That may have been due to a lack of age division competition.

Suzanne Cordes 32:56

70-74 There were two entrants, Cindy Lucking Atlanta and Helene Myers Potomac Valley Track Club. Both made it to Lubbock and to the starting line. Lucking is coming off a fourth-place finish at Club Cross in Tacoma. At Clubs in Tallahassee the year before, Lucking claimed the silver medal. Myers, the 2024 Masters National 70-74 Grand Prix Champion, ran in both events, finishing many minutes behind Lucking. The Grand Prix rewards those who compete and Myers has been very persistent in competing at Masters National Championships. The division race came out as expected. Lucking won by over 18 minutes. Myers, nonetheless, collected 95 Grand Prix points to add to her total. Myers is currently in second, behind Lucking in that 2025 GP contest. 

Cindy Lucking 36:29     Helene Myers 55:05

75-79 Four athletes entered this division. But, again, only an entrant from the West Coast was able to arrive in Lubbock. Kathleen Allen Atlanta, Andrea McCarter Atlanta, and Nelda Williams Unaffiliated/Impala Racing were all, presumably, victims of Winter Storm Cora. As with 60-64, however, it was the favorite who made it to the competition. Jo Anne Rowland Impala Racing won the 75-79 Ten Mile Masters national championship this year in Flint MI in August. She ran 1:29:43 on the challenging, hilly Crim Ten Miler Course. In Tacoma this past December, Rowland claimed the 75-79 silver medal. Rowland encountered no trouble in Lubbock. She finished first. No one over the age of 65 finished ahead of her. As noted earlier, Rowland claimed the age grading bronze medal.

Jo Anne Rowland 35:15

80-84 No entries.

85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite Atlanta, the defending 85-89 Masters National Grand Prix Champion, continues her quest for a repeat GP victory. She won at Tacoma. She repeated that in Lubbock. Hodges-Hite has two wins in two tries. Hodges-Hite already has a commanding lead in the 2025 Grand Prix contest for 85-89.

Joyce Hodges-Hite 1:14:28

MEN 40-44 Gray Club Northwest, Kipruto Unaffiliated [US Army] and Touil Unaffiliated [?] finished 1-2-4 in the Overall competition. The three are in the 40-44 division. Perforce, they finish 1-2-3 in this division. This was, to the best of my knowledge, the first Masters National Championship for Sean Prinz Unaffiliated [?]. He finished sixth overall, and fourth in this division, 55 seconds behind Touil. 

Joseph Gray 25:31     Nicholas Kipruto 27:18     Ayoub Touil 28:13

Note: This will not be true for National Masters (road race) championships, starting this year. The USATF Masters LDR Committee voted in favor of a proposal to follow the procedure, common in the road race industry, to eliminate the Overall winners from the pool of individuals eligible for Age Division awards. Had that procedure been in effect for this championship race, Touil would have won the Age Division gold medal; Prinz would have earned silver. Gray and Kipruto, as overall gold and silver medalist would have been removed from the age division competition.

The Masters Men's Race is Under Way at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images

45-49 Trevor Pettingill Unaffiliated was a slight favorite over David Angell Roanoke Valley Elite. Since his first appearance at a national championship, in Boca Raton for the 2023 Masters 5 Km Cross Country championships, Pettingill has been just a little faster than Angell. Pettingill finished 4th overall at Boca, seven seconds and one place ahead of Angell. It was a similar story at 2023 Cub Cross in Tallahassee except Pettingill enjoyed a half minute cushion overt Angell. At Tacoma in December, Pettingill claimed the 45-49 bronze medal, with Angell over a minute back. Angell has had better luck at Club Nationals, finishing 7th overall in 2023 and 5th overall this past January in Richmond. Tommy Boles Unaffiliated [?] turned in an 18:08 5K at his local turkey trot but I found no recent cross country results for him. Anthony Fleg Sports Warriors ran a 1:27:14 half marathon at the Duke City Marathon last October. In December, he clocked 3:04:24 at the California International Marathon, better known as CIM. After the gun sounded, Pettingill and Angell separated from the rest of the division field. At the one-mile mark, Angell was within a few strides of Pettingill. But Pettingill pulled away after that, winning in 27:31. Angell was a good minute behind, finishing 2nd in the division. This time, Boles's 5 Km time was a better predictor of success than Fleg's half and full marathon results. Boles claimed the division bronze in 31:57, with Fleg 1:20 behind Boles, in fourth.

Trevor Pettingill 27:31     David Angell 28:41     Tommy Boles 31:57 

50-54 One of the top contenders in this division, Robbie Genzel Denver Athletics, did not get to Lubbock. The favorite, Chokri Dhaouadi Sports Warriors, did make, it along with several other strong runners affiliated with the Blacksburg Striders, principally, Anderson Norton , Durelle Scott, and Ignacio Moore. Norton raced to a 1:21:38 Hokie Half Marathon in October and turned in a swift 17:53 5K in November. Perhaps more importantly, Norton had finished 8th M50 at 2023 Cross Nationals in Richmond, followed by a 5th place finish this past January on the same course. Scott was 14th and 13tth at the two cross national events. He was six minutes behind Norton at the Hokie Half. Moore finished 22 seconds ahead of Scott at Richmond in 2023 and enjoyed a half minute cushion in 2024 when he finished 8th in the division. He clocked 1:27:08 at the Hokie Half in September. Dhaouadi's credentials include an M45 second place at the 2020 edition of these championships in San Diego as well as the more recent second place he earned in M50 at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder this past November. Dhaouadi cruised to a half minute win in 29:40. Athletes from the Blacksburg Striders took the next five spots. Norton was over a hundred meters behind Dhaouadi, claiming second in 30:17. Scott took third in 30:44, a minute and 4 seconds ahead of Moore, in 4th. Bradley Paye and Scott Huxtable, both of the Blacksburg Striders, finished 5th and 6th, in 32:09 and 32:18.

Chokri Dhaouadi 29:40     Anderson Norton 30:17     Durelle Scott 30:44   

55-59 In this division, two of the top contenders, Christopher Harris Atlanta TC and Matt Farley Bowerman TC, were among five entrants who did not make it to the starting line. Two others who were expected to battle for the podium were in Lubbock.  Kevin McGuire Blacksburg Striders was part of the Blacksburg Strider M50+ team that competed. Scott Siriano Shore AC was able to get to the event. McGuire and Siriano met in Richmond at the 2023 edition of these championships. McGuire finished 44 seconds ahead of Siriano, earning a 5th place finish in the 55-59 division. McGuire had an easier time of it this year, claiming the gold medal in 31:27, with a cushion of almost two minutes. Siriano is a committed competitor. He won the 2024 M55 Masters National Grand Prix Championship and is looking to repeat as Champion. Finishing second in 55-59, Siriano collected 95 points towards the 2025 GP championship.

Kevin McGuire 31:27     Scott Siriano 33:25

60-64 Three of the entrants made it to Lubbock. As it turned out, all three were among the top contenders. Had Lester Dragstedt Atlanta been able to make it we would likely have seen a good duel between him and Adam Feerst Boulder. Despite rehabbing a troublesome tendon, not to mention an ankle issue, over the last 8 months or so, Mark Zamek TC Running turns up at national championships and performs well. In the latest interval between rehab efforts, Zamek finished 2nd in the 60-64 division at 2023 Club Cross, 2024 Cross Nationals in Richmond in January, and then 2nd at the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham in late April. After that he was not able to compete at a national championship until December at Clubs in Tacoma. He was not able to make the podium there but was able to run close to the front in the early going and still finished 7th in a loaded field. Zamek was the favorite here in Lubbock. Mark Tatum Boulder Road Runners took a break from his better loved usual pursuit, trail running, to compete in Lubbock. Tatum was fourth overall and first in his division at the legendary Dipsea race north of San Francisco this year. That is a race he won outright a few years back. No slouch on the turf, Tatum finished 7th at the 2021 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee and finished 2nd at both the 2022 and 2024 editions of the Masters 5 Km Championships in Boulder CO. Feerst was off his best in 2022 when he finished 10th at Boulder, a couple of minutes behind Tatum. This past November, Feerst finished fourth at Boulder, less than a minute back from Tatum. Feerst and Dragstedt are both running better than they did in 2022 at Boulder when they finished four seconds apart. It would have been a good race to watch. Given recent experience, the expected transpired. Zamek ran well, claiming the victory in 30:45. Tatum was second at 33:08, with Feerst a good minute back in third.

Mark Zamek 30:45     Mark Tatum 33:08     Adam Feerst 34:32

Roger Sayre #1039 and Mark Tatum #1049 right, white singlets, along with Dan King obscured, beyond and slightly behind Tatum, leading a group of 50+ runners as they vie for the 60-64 and 65-69 division championships in the Masters Men's Race at the 2025 USATF National Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo Credit: Kierra Eyiuche -- Imagun Images

65-69 Dan King Athletics Boulder is a master craftsman when it comes to injury prevention and rehab. But anyone who breaks as many records as King does is always running on the edge. He has a PHT issue that he is currently trying to be careful with. That meant he would, as he said beforehand, '...run for the division win, but I'm not going for an age grade win; I am targeting WMA at the end of March." Of course, if you read the age grading section above you already know how King did in age grading. Nonetheless, King, Roger Sayre Boulder Road Runners and Ken Youngers Atlanta were looking forward to a good dustup in Lubbock. Sayre and Youngers last met head-to-head on the turf at Richmond this past January where they finished in a virtual dead heat. Youngers was, unfortunately, one of the Atlanta guys who spent 6 hours on the tarmac before their flight was finally cancelled. Although not quite in the category of those top three, Dan Spale Boulder Road Runners has had plenty of top seven finishes on the turf at national championships. Spale claimed 6th in 60-64 at the 2019 Cross Nationals championships in Tallahassee. More recently, he finished 5th in 65-69 at the 2022 Club Cross championships in San Francisco. Two months earlier, Spale finished 2nd in 65-69 at Boulder in the 2022 Masters 5 Km Championships. Since the Covid interruption to road racing, King's main focus has been middle distance on the track. His extra advantage on the turf is that he can call on his speed to close out races if he needs it. That is true, notwithstanding that he rarely needs to call on it in Cross Country. Sayre, over the last year and a half has tilted his racing more toward the longer events, half marathon and up. He broke the American 65-69 record in the 25K in 2023 and broke his own record this year with a 1:40:41, age grade equivalent to a 1:24:03 Half Marathon. In order to win, Sayre would likely need to take it out hard,  manage to drop King, and build enough territory between them so that King's speed would not come into play. That did not happen. King ran with Sayre and his 60-64 Boulder teammate, Tatum. Eventually the two dropped Tatum, but Sayre could not shake King. In the end King had a 50-meter gap on Sayre, winning the division in 31:30. Sayre was second in 31:45. Spale, with no challengers, claimed the bronze medal in 35:48.

Dan King 31:30     Roger Sayre 31:45     Dan Spale 35:48

70-74 Rick Becker Atlanta, three-time Masters Harrier of the Year won the championship at Club Cross in Tacoma last month. All of his rivals were in that race, and none finished within three minutes of him. Becker was the heavy favorite. Since turning 70, Jack Pottle Boulder Road Runners has been the main man for Boulder, leading the illustrious Boulder duo, Doug Bell Boulder Road Runners and Doug Chesnut Boulder Road Runners, who have led the way for the past few years. At 2023 Cross Nationals in Richmond, it was Bell in 2nd and Chesnut 4th in 70-74, with Bell less than half a minute ahead of Chesnut. In October 2023, it was Chesnut 3rd and Bell 7th, the greater gap perhaps due, in part, to heat and humidity. Pottle was still racing in the 65-69 division in October at the 5 Km XC in Boulder but finished a half minute ahead of Chesnut, with Bell finishing 20 seconds after Chesnut. They raced as 70+ teammates at Tacoma. Pottle finished 5th in 70-74, with Chesnut and Bell in 12th and 15th. Don Morison Greater Philadelphia finished a half minute ahead of Bell at Richmond this past January. A month later, Bell came in a half minute ahead of Morrison at the 5 Km Road championships in Atlanta. The race unfolded largely as expected. Becker ran much of the race in the company of Sayre, Tatum and King, outdistancing his 70-74 rivals by three minutes at the finish. Pottle pulled away from his 70-74 rivals over the latter part of the race, eventually enjoying a 400-meter cushion when he claimed 2nd place in 35:24. This was Bell's day. He was able to put some distance between himself and his teammate, Chesnut, claiming third in 37:43. Chesnut ran with Morrison for much of the race. Morrison had more in the tank at the end, kicking away from Chesnut to claim 4th in 38:27, just three seconds ahead!

Rick Becker 32:22     Jack Pottle 35:24     Doug Bell 37:43 

75-79 Based on results over the last few years and more recently, it looked like Rick Katz Boulder Road Runners was a solid favorite for the win, with Jerry Learned Atlanta equally solid for second place. Katz and Learned have met four times on the turf, from Boca Raton in October 2023 through to Tacoma in December 2024. Each time Katz finished ahead of Learned. None of those entered otherwise have been able to stay close to Learned.  It could have been a battle between Patrick Taylor Atlanta and me, Paul Carlin Unaffiliated/Ann Arbor TC, for third. On paper it looked like Katz-Learned-Carlin was quite likely. But those battles never materialized. Neither Learned, Taylor nor I made it to Lubbock. With no rivals to worry about, Katz ran with the 70-74 runners for much of the race; he won the 75-79 division in 40:29 with a 14-minute cushion.

Rick Katz 40:29     Micks Purnell 54:55

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS Even before Winter Storm Cora hit Dallas, there were only a few divisions with competitive races, and all were on the Men's side. The Atlanta Track Club was sending 50+, 60+ and 70+ teams to battle with the Blacksburg Striders in 50+, and with the Boulder Road Runners in 60+ and 70+. The Atlanta athletes were willing to endure six hours on the tarmac, hoping against hope that their flight would be cleared for take-off. But it never happened. As a result, each division had just one complete team entered. Six teams were crowned national team champion. MEN Sports Warriors Albuquerque NM claimed the 40+ title with Blacksburg Striders Blacksburg VA taking gold in 50+. Boulder Road Runners scored wins in both 60+ and 70+. WOMEN Team Red Lizard took their third consecutive cross country championship in 40+, adding Lubbock to Tacoma and Boulder. Impala Racing finished first in the 50+ division.

Masters runners will have another chance to trod the turf in Gainesville FL at the end of March at the WMA Indoor Championships; the Non-Stadia cross country event is on Sunday, March 23rd. There is a 10K Road Race on the 29th. Details of those championships can be found here.

Note: This was the first championship since the first part of last year to use USATF's Sport 80 Membership Platform as the registration portal for USATF Masters National Championships. This is, no doubt, a big step forward for USATF and its Masters Championships. Because this championship occurred slightly after the beginning of the new membership year, there were a few glitches. A number of athletes were listed as 'unaffiliated' when they were, in fact, affiliated with the same club and team they have competed with for a long time. Apparently that difficulty was due to Club renewals not being approved in time for a January 8th cutoff date, which is earlier than usual for these championships. Those on site straightened out those problems for any cases where team membership made a difference. For those who were not on a declared, complete team, the 'unaffiliated' was left standing. At least one runner was initially assigned to the wrong Age Division but that was corrected prior to the close of registration.  Whether any of those difficulties were due to the new system or are just the standard kinds of problems that creep in for early in the new year championships. Until after registration closes there is no Status of Entries page as in the past. The user has to click on the 'register' button and, on the new screen, select 'VIEW PUBLIC ENTRIES'. That takes the user to a set of entry lists. The list initially displayed included all entrants for the championships, whether Masters, Open or U20. But the user can view any age group they are interested in whether individual or team by using the filtering system, checking the relevant box, for example M50-54, and then click on the 'Apply' button.


1 comment:

  1. Those may not be the correct age-graded rankings. I was told on site that the timer had used the wrong tables (something that happened at club nationals last year in Tallahassee, too), and that the online results from the timer were wrong. My understanding is that USATF rescored them itself, but it looks like there was no way to fix the timer's website.

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