March 22, 2025. The 2025 WMA Indoor Championships commence this Sunday, March 23rd in Gainesville FL. This is the first ever WMA Indoor championship to be hosted in the United States. Over 1500 US athletes registered, the largest contingent by far. The host facility is the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, 4870 Celebration Pointe Avenue, Gainesville, Florida 32608, where most of the stadia events will be held. The exception is the Throws (Hammer, Javelin, Discus) which are at a park referred to as the West End. The Cross Country Championship races, one of the non-stadia events is also at the West End, 12830 Newberry Road, Newberry, Florida 32699.
My main focus will be the two LDR Non Stadia events, the Cross Country and the 10 Km Road Race. The Cross Country races will take place that morning. These will be held on a 2 Km grass loop, with three loops for the 6 Km races and four loops for the 8 Km races. Men and Women 70 years old and above compete over three loops, 6 Km, at 9 AM. All other divisions race over 8 km (4 loops). Women 35-69 race at 10:15, with Men 55-69 at 11:15 and Men 35-54 at 12:15. Please note that WMA includes a 35-39 division, unlike USATF Masters LDR competitions which are restricted to 40 and over. It also differs from USATF Masters TF which allows not only 35-39, but also 30-34 and 25-29. In Cross Country there are three individual medals in each division and team medals. The first three finishers for a county make up the team for scoring purposes. The team score is the cumulative total times of the first three finishers, not the total scoring position as in US Cross Country. Most Age Divisions have three or more competitors, so a natural team is formed. It will be more common for other national teams that there are fewer than three athletes in a given 5-year divisions. In that case the Team Manager may compose a team by bringing one athlete (or two) down from older 5-year divisions.
Note 1. The Rules of Competition state: Non-Stadia team scoring will be conducted in accordance with WMA Rules of Competition Rule 13. Team awards are based on the combined times of the three scoring athletes of that country in each age group. If there are three (3) or more athletes in the same age group (a natural team), the registration of a team is not required.
Note 2. Athletes in the Non- Stadia events are not required to confirm nor scratch. Some of the athletes I mention in the preview may not make it to the starting line due to injury or other reasons.
Note 3: This is a preview without as much time for research. I offer my apologies in advance to anyone i overlooked. I have limited information, in any case for the 35-39 division. Much of the discussion is impressionistic rather than solely data driven as is my preference.
In the order in which they compete, in reverse age order, Women first, followed by Men:
WOMEN
70+ 6 Km Race
Women 85-89 The only entrant is Joyce Hodges-Hite, the reigning 85-89 Masters National Grand Prix champion/ She has to compete and finish the race. If so, she gains gold.
80-84 Miloslava Ročňáková of the Czech Republic is the only entrant in 80-84. She tales gold if she finishes.
75-79 There are six US entrants. It is likely that Sabra Harvey and Jeannie Rice will lead the way for the USA. Both, at different times, have been recognized as USATF Masters Athlete of the Year. Harvey's road records have been surpassed. Rice still holds 70-74 American Records for the 1 Mile, 6:24, and for every distance from the 20 Km on up to the Marathon, 3:3:24.48. For 75-79, Rice holds even more records, the 1 Mile, 6:44, and every distance from 10 Km, 47:30, to the Marathon, 3:33.27. Rice won the 75-79 championship at the 2023 Club Cross championships in 29:32 so she is comfortable on the turf. Harvey races less frequently now, but she did race in the 5 Km XC Championships in 2022 in Boulder, winning 70-74 in 26:18. She also clocked a 41:03 8K 'rust-buster' a few weeks ago. Norma Hudnall is probably the most likely to be the third athlete for the US team. Hudnall finished third in 70-74 in 35:47 at the 2023 Club Cross championships, over 6 Km, in Tallahassee. Her recent 5K's have been in the 27:30 neighborhood. The top entrants form other countries seem to be Eileen Kenny and Rosalind Tabor, from Ireland and Great Britain, with seed times of 32:40 and 34:14 respectively. It seems unlikely they can keep pace with Harvey and Rice but could break up the top three Americans. But the USA wins the team medals. In addition to the three mentioned above, there are three other entrants who will make sure Team USATF scores.
70-74 Nora Cary leads the US contingent with able support from Cynthia Lucking. New to the 70-74 division, Cary was busy tearing up the 65-69 division. She holds the 12 Km American Record and her 1:10:59 on a challenging 10 Mile Championship hosted by Crim in Flint, age graded at over 100%. She won the 65-69 championship at Cross Nationals in Richmond last year in 27:07 and earned the top age grade score. Lucking ran 34:49 at that same championship to take top honors in 70-74. Lucking took the 70-74 silver medal in 26:51 at Atlanta last year in the 5 Km Championships. Yong Collins appears to be next up for the USA based on seed time of 1:10:26. Mostly a marathoner, Collins did run a 38:17 5K in Houston on the same day when ran 5:23 in the Houston Marathon. Helene Myers also runs for the USA. She is a dependable finisher. As the only international athletes entered are the solo runners from their countries, Australia, Canada, and France, USA wins the team medals as long as there are three finishers. Janina Belaabed of Australia ran a 1:17 10K last year. Corinne Krezonoski, of Canada, ran 25:27 at the fast Brian Kraft 5K in Minneapolis in 2024. Dominique Letuppe ran 30:57 at the Abbot 5K in Chicago in 2022. She ran 52:14 for a 10K in 2018. Cary seems a lock for the win, with Krezonoski perhaps a slight favorite for the silver medal. But the Atlanta course is definitely more challenging than the Brian Kraft course, so it is not a sure thing by any means.
35-39 8 Km Race
65-69 Suzanne Cordes, Kitty Musante and Dianne Rothman appear to be the fastest Americans. Cordes runs a lot of Cross Country championships. At Tallahassee in 2023, she finished 3rd in 60-64 in 27:39. The following January she finished third in 60-64 again at cross Nationals in Richmond, VA. Both were over 6 Km. In 2022 shew on the 60-64 division in the 5K XC at Boulder and in 2024, took top honors in 65-69 over the same course. In a very fast field, Cordes placed fifth in 65-69 at the 2024 1 Mile Championships on a technical [eight 90-degree turns] course in Danville CA in 6:44. Musante is also a Florida resident so is used to running there. At Atlanta in 2024, Musante finished third in 23:04. Dianne Rothman ran 23:28 at the Asbury Park Adrenaline 5K in December 2024. It is a faster course, but the weather may not have been perfect. She also ran a 50:44 10K in Florida in January. So it is probably more accurate to say that Cordes comes in as the favorite, with Musante and Rothman competing for second American. Susan Stirrat runs her road 5K's a bit slower than those two but is a very experienced and savvy Cross Country runner. Mary Lowe Mayhugh, like Stirrat, tends to run her 5K's in the 26-28-minute range. Mayhugh seems less experienced at cross country. The USA faces no team competitors. Based on her accepted mark, it appears that Spain's M. Angeles Ripoll Pernas is likely to be in the hunt for a medal.
60-64 The heavy hitters, Suzanne La Burt and Mary Cass are entered, teammates rather than rivals for a change. They have gone 1-2 in almost every national championship they have entered, whether on the roads or the turf, in the last year or so. Mary Swan should complete the top three for the USA. Swan is a very solid Cross Country runner. She finished second to Suzanne Cordes [See above in 65-69] in the 60-64 division at the 2022 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder CO. Tina Klein is the new kid on the block. At the 2023 Club Cross championships in Tallahassee, Klein finished 17th in 55-59 but was a minute slower over 6 Km than Cordes, who competed in 60-64. There was less of a gap between Swan and Cordes in Boulder but that was over 5 Km, not 6. Klein could challenge Swan in terms of top-three Americans. None of the international runners have a mark as strong as La Burt's but Clare Elms GBNI has a mark better than Cass's, as does Karin Schon Sweden. Elms's teammate, Fiona Usher has a seed time falling between Cass and Swan. Seed times can be misleading because they are supplied by the athlete when they register. Still, it appears that La Burt has a good chance of landing the gold medal, with Cass facing a battle for silver and Swan and Klein battling Schon and Usher for bronze. Elms and Usher do not have a third teammate. In principle, GBNI Team Manager could bring down one of the three athletes registered for 65-69. But then they would not have a team for 65-69. So GBNI is unlikely to field a 60-64 team. If one of the three 65-69 year old's was a scratch, then that would change the dynamic and we might see a GBNI team in 60-64. Most likely Team USATF would still nab the Team gold medals, but it might be close.
55-59 Rachel Hopkins, Amy McMahon, and Laura Delea have the top seed times among the Americans and are seasoned XC runners. Hopkins won the 2023 Club Cross 55-59 championship in Tallahassee in 24:41; McMahon finished 8th in 26:45. Delea almost took the 55-59 Gold at Cross Nationals in Richmond the following January. Her 27:06 left her three seconds behind the winner. Delea has had an up and down year with challenges coming up and being handled. A back issue reared up again a couple of weeks ago but that has been settled at least for now. Delea is game; she follows her #KFG motto. Christie Patla, who ran 23:00 at the Asbury Park 5K in December is poised to step up if needed. Fríða Rún Þórðardóttir of Iceland, has the best seed time of 32:07. If that is accurate, she would be the favorite. It will be interesting to see how she and Hopkins match up. Anabelle Broadbent competes in the US for Greater Philadelphia but competes for Puerto Rico in international competitions. She and Ute Rohregger Germany have similar marks that are just a little slower than Delea's. That suggests there is likely to be a battle for bronze between them and Delea and, possibly, Patla.
50-54 Hortencia Aliaga and Euleen Josiah-Tanner lead the American contingent. They finished five seconds apart at Tallahassee in 2023, with Aliaga finishing 2nd in 50-54 and Josiah-Tanner third in 45-49 with the faster time. Since that time, Aliaga has raised her game. But it is likely to be close between those two, a dandy battle for first place. Katherine Huggins has a seed time that is almost four minutes slower than Josiah-Tanner's. She may not be that far off; Huggins has been training with Rick Lee for the Boston Marathon and has been making progress. Last weekend she ran the UA NYC Half Marathon in 1:33. Two international athletes enjoy seed times falling between Aliaga's 31:00 and Josiah-Tanner's 32:37. Nilyan Liduvina Guzman Montano Venezuela comes in with a 32:00 as does Poland's Magdalena Lachowska. Poland may also put up a fight for Team Gold. Lachowska is joined by Joanna Andrzejewska with a 33:00 seed time and Magdalena Bialorczyk at 35:00. If the top three for each country run their seed time exactly, the USA wins by 8 seconds. That suggests it will be a real contest for Team Gold. Aliaga and Josiah-Tanner seem co-favorites for individual medals along with Guzman Montano and Lachowska.
45-49 The top two USA athletes appear to be Jennifer Pesce and Erika Holroyd. Pesce finished 13th in 40-44 at Tallahassee in 2023 running 23:10. Holroyd ran at Cross Nationals in Richmond where the field was not as deep. Holroyd finished sixth in 24:52. In a 5K this past winter, Pesce finished about a half minute ahead of Holroyd, 17:57 compared to 18:30. It appears that Laura Kaulen would be the third fastest American. She has recently run 5K's in the mid-19 to low 21-minute range. She gives Team USATF some added depth. Michelle Kenney Ireland has a 31:00 seed time, suggesting she can push Holroyd for silver. Team USATF should claim Team Gold with no trouble.
40-44 April Lund is the headliner in this group and has a seed time minutes beter than anyone else in the field. The Overall Women's winner of the 2023 Cross Nationals Selection Race in Richmond in 2023, Lund represented Team USA in Australia, medaling in the individual and relay competitions (paired with Ben Bruce). Currently training for the Boston Marathon, Lund is, no doubt, fit and ready to roll. Chelsea Lenge Warren and Katie Sherron will give her solid support and/or push her for gold. In 2024 at Cross Nationals, Lenge Warren finished just two seconds behind Lund. Sherron won the overall championship at Club Cross in Tallahassee in 2021 and finished third behind Carrie Dimoff and Renee Metivier at the 2023 edition. This is a very strong team. It probably makes more sense to list Lund, Sherron and Warren as co-favorites. Based on a seed time of 28:14 that falls between the seed times of Lund and Warren, it appears that Rebecca Luxton GBNI may be able to run her way onto the podium. Rachel Murphy Ireland and Eva Vail Czech Republic have the next strongest seed times and could play a role as well. There is no other team to challenge USA for Team Gold.
35-39 Andrea Richardson has a fine 30:25 seed time and a 4th place finish, earlier this month, in 35-39 at the Gate River Run in 58:28. It does not appear there are other Americans close to her level. Charmayne Yazzie and Megan Zavorka Thomas have the closest seed times in the low 34-minute range. The best seed time of 30:00 is owned by Andreia Santos Portugal. Athletes from Poland, Germany and France also have seed times that are faster than Yazzie and Thomas. Richardson appears to have a good shot at gold, but Yazzie and Thomas have their work cut out for them if they hope to medal.
MEN
70+ 6 Km Race
85-89 George Gilder and David Turner look to be the top two Americans, with Roland Cormier not far off. Gilder has won the 10K at Dedham twice. Turner, at the Masters Indoor nationals earlier this month successfully turned back Cormier at the 3000M, 1500M and 800M events. Jean Louis Esnault France and Fidel Diaz Mendez have seed times slightly better than Turner's. Gilder looks likely to take Gold. Turner and Cormier will likely have to battle Esnault and Mendez for Silver and Bronze. Team USA has plenty of athletes and should take Team Gold.
80-84 It appears the three-athlete contingent is down to two. Don Owens rolled an ankle while warming up today and indicated his intent to scratch. That leaves Przemek Nowicki and Morris Williams. Nowicki had his ups and downs last year but has been running well since October. Nowicki's 33:00 seed time is tied for second fastest in the division behind Ake Jonson's Sweden 28:00. Nowicki finished 2nd in 80-84 at Tacoma in 47 minutes and change over 8 km. Given the difficult weather conditions, it seems he is probably not far off being able to run 33 minutes on a 6 Km course. Emilio de la Camara Perona has a seed time of 33:00, the same time as Nowicki. Morris Williams cannot match those times, but he is a solid competitor. He will need to have a good day and a fair amount of luck to land on the podium. With Morrison out, the USA will not have enough team members to take a gold medal unless the Team Manager can move someone down from 85-89.
75-79 When I first saw this entry list, I said to myself, "Boy is Team USATF loaded in this division!' The only runner who has beaten Gary Ostwald in the past year or so is Gene Dykes and he is also entered. In addition, there is Terry McCluskey and Don Morrison, newly aged up from 70-74. Then, for extra depth, you have Rick Katz and Jerry Learned, who are, typically, just off the pace of those first four. It is still a very stron team but a little less strong than anticipated a couple of months ago. Everyone knows that Dykes has been a super star ever since he turned 70. He had a health problem a couple of years ago but recovered form that. Apparently there is a new health problem of some sort. The athlete who broke three hours for the marathon multiple times in 2018 and 2019, almost breaking Ed Whitlock's World Marathon Record, recently was not able to break 2 hours at a half marathon he had run in just over an hour and a half last year. Apparently, it is very painful and difficult to train; he says he is just keeping up the commitments he had signed up for and expects to take some time off after the last ultramarathon he has signed up for, at the end of May. Don Morrison was running great at the end of last year, finishing on or just off the podium in the tough 70-74 division. He had a Cross Country Skiing accident in February, breaking some ribs and puncturing a lung. That sounds serious but Morrison decided to come and compete anyway as a way of restarting his training now that he is partially recovered. But the team is still very solid. Most likely McCluskey and Ostwald are co-favorites for first American. McCluskey took some time off but roared back into action last year. He won the tough ten-mile championships last year in 1:23 and change. He then did the same at the very challenging Half Marathon Championship in Indy, winning in 1:46:29. A strong runner on the roads, McCluskey runs even better on the turf. At Lehigh in 2019, McCluskey won the 70-74 division in 34:13, finishing a half minute ahead of Dykes and closer to 45 seconds ahead of Katz. Katz has typically finished just behind Ostwald when they both race. Jerry Learned is typically finishing close to Katz. So, Team USATF is still very strong and very deep! And to be fair, Marc Bloom has a faster seed time than Learned so he could be in the mix as well. Celso Curiel Spain has the fastest seed time of 27:00, compared to Ostwald's 28:40. The most recent result I can find for him is a 43:29 10K 2nd place finish at the October 2020 European Masters Non Stadia Championships, so he is plausible. Jean Thomas France and Ronald Cattle GBNI should also be competitive for the podium.
70-74 There are 34 entrants in this division! Rick Becker is the American with the best seed time of 27:30. When he is on, Becker is almost always unbeatable within his division. He often wins the top age grading award, whether on the turf or the roads. Becker has been pushing his training. It was going really well. But he started to notice some hamstring tightness. Since then he has been pushing to maintain fitness but not aggravate the hamstring. So far so good! Jack Pottle, Reno Stirrat and Kirk Larson seem to be the next three in terms of recent results that I know about. Pottle just entered M70. At one of his last races in 65-69, he finished a minute and change ahead of Stirrat at the 5K Masters XC in Boulder. That is at altitude, which favors pottle who =runs for the Boulder Road Runners. But he also came in a minute and change ahead of Stirrat at Tacoma. Larson has been running in fewer national championships over the past year. But he finished just nine seconds behind Stirrat at Dedham this year. If seed times are accurate, apart from Becker, it will be tough for any other Americans to make the podium. Athletes from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Romania have lower seed times than Becker. It is hard for me to believe that many athletes could come in ahead of Becker if his hamstring holds up. I expect him to compete for the win. Other than Becker it may be tough to make the podium. Team USATF should have no trouble gaining Team Gold. The only complete natural team is GBNI. Totaling their top three gives a total time twenty minutes slower than USA, based on seed times.
35-69 8 Km
65-69 Roger Sayre and Ken Youngers are co-favorite Americans for this division. Casey Hannan and Jay Littlepage provide depth. At the 2024 Cross Nationals in Richmond, Sayre and Youngers finished in a virtual dead heat. Sayre came in a half minute ahead of Youngers in Boulder but that is at altitude, which favors Sayre. Youngers finished second at Tacoma a month later, but Sayre did not compete. Youngers finished well ahead of Hannan and Littlepage, in that order, who were separated by just six seconds. Only Ahcene Alem Algeria, at 32:00 and Angel Montes Vazquez Spain at 32:02 have seed times between Sayre and Youngers. If the sed times are good predictors of performance, Sayre and Youngers will battle Alem and Vazquez for the podium. Either Littlepage or Hannan should provide the third member for the Team Gold. There are no other natural teams.
60-64 The top guns are here: Nat Larson, Steve Schmidt, Mark Zamek, Rick Lee and a new addition to the division, Mark Hixson. In San Francisco in December 2022, Larson took top honors with Schmidt second. This past December, in Tacoma, it was reversed with Schmidt outlasting Larson. Larson has been fighting off some nagging injuries. If he has put them behind him, it will be fun to see him and Schmidt racing again. Schmidt is coming prepared; he spent a few weeks training in the Denver area before returning to Michigan a couple of weeks ago. At 2024 Cross Nationals in Richmond, it looked for much of the race that Zamek would come in ahead of larson. But Larson regrouped, closed over the last of 8 kilometers and sprinted past Zamek to take the win at the finish line. Since then, Zamek has been dealing with chronic issues that have slowed him from time to time. This training block has gone well, and he has indicated he is ready to roll. If all goes well, Zamek will either set the pace or stick with Larson and Schmidt until he can't anymore. It will be interesting to see which it is. Lee is in training for Boston. Lee always makes it interesting because of his unusual endurance and ability to bounce back. Hixson is probably not quite up with Larson, Schmidt and Zamek but he and Lee should provide valuable depth, should it be needed. Lester Dragstedt is also right there for added depth. Interestingly, Schmidt has the fifth fastest seed time of the top Americans, but I will be surprised if he does not finish higher than that among Americans. Seed times are always tricky. Seven international athletes have faster seed times than Schmidt and Zamek. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
55-59 Steven Brightman, Matt Farley, Christopher Harris, John McMahon, and Gregory Putnam come in with the top seed times among the Americans. Putnam's training partner, Joe Shairs, has a seed time just off those. Putnam has been dealing with an uncooperative hamstring off and on since last summer. There was a recent flare up so he may not be at his best. And it would be great to see Farley competing near the top of his age division like he did a few years back. But his last strong national cross country outing was in Tallahassee in 2021 when he finished 20th in 50-54. At Tallahassee in 2023, it was Brightman, McMahon and Shairs finishing 3, 4, 5 with about a half minute between each of them. At Tacoma this past December, McMahon finished about a half minute ahead of Harris. It looks like Brightman and McMahon battling to be top American with Harris and Shairs vying for the #3 slot. The main international competition comes from Arroyo if Spain, Hackshaw of Canada, and Molero-Eichwein of Germany. They all have seed times as fast or faster than the four Americans I have highlighted. Germany could challenge for the Team Gold. They have three entrants. Two have seed times totaling 58:30, which would keep them close. The third has NT and there is no information on him in Athlinks. There are no other natural teams. If the USA can beat Germany they should claim the gold medal.
50-54 Ahrlin Bauman is the only top American Cross Country runner I recognize. Bauman is a very solid runner who should compete for the podium. But at Tacoma last December, there were over 20 athletes ahead of him in this division. To be fair, at 2023 Cross Nationals in Richmond, Bauman won the division. So let us hope he races as he did at Richmond. Kelly Mortenson finished 8th at Tallahassee in 2021. Without much national activity on the turf or roads since then it is hard to know his current fitness. Markelle Taylor appears to be a solid runner on the roads,0 so he adds depth. Six international athletes have seed times faster than Bauman so it will be a contest. Baumann should have a good shot at a medal. In terms of team Gold, Spain has the best shot, on paper. Add up the seed times of their three athletes and you get a time that is two minutes faster than the cumulative seed times for the USA. By the same exercise, Ireland would compete but fall short of the USA and Spain. But they would have team Bronze. Team USATF could still get team Gold. The paper exercise is just that, apaper exercise. It will come down to a race.
45-49 David Angell and Kevin Shirk are the two top American athletes I recognized. But I understand that Angell decided to scratch from the Cross Country to focus on his other events, on the track and road. Shirk finished 20th in 40-44 at the deep and highly competitive Club Cross championships in San Francisco in 2022. He finished about a half minute ahead of Angell. Angell will be missed, although focusing on a smaller number of events to do well is a perfectly sensible strategy. Fredison Costa has a 24:00 seed time, compared to 27:30 for Shirk. Costa has posted some good times on the roads, with half marathons down around 1:12 to 1:13 and a 15K in the low 50's. But, overall, it does not seem to put him ahead of Shirk. But Costa could wind up running with Shirk and that could help. Trent Bryson and Leonardo Canete with their 27:50 seed times provide needed depth. I do not believe Costa will run three minutes faster t1han Shirk, as his seed time suggests. But if he runs close to Shirk's time or better, there is a good chance that team USATF could fend off the Italians and take team Gold. On paper, Italy has a slight edge if Costa's seed time is counted as 27:00, rather than 24:00. Three international athletes have seed times faster than Shirk; it will be a fight to make the podium.
40-44 Joseph Gray, along with Jerry Faulkner and Bryan Hendricks look to be the top three Americans. Gray has won every Masters Championship he has entered, including the 5 km Masters XC in Boulder and Club Cross in Tacoma. No one is in Gray's class right now. But Faulkner finished 4th in 40-44 at the Masters 5 Km XC in Boca Raton in 2023. Although not very active at national championships, Faulkner runs regularly at a 5 Km XC race in Van Cortland Park in NYC. Hendricks adds depth. He finished 11th in 40-44 at Boulder this past year and made top 80 in the 40-44 division at Tacoma. David Proudfoot has some solid road times but has not been competing in XC nationally. He may be able to stay closer to Faulkner than Hendricks can. If the seed times for the Kenyan team are anywhere near accurate, they will give Gray a good run for the individual gold and would be the favorites for Team Gold. There is also a natural German team but two of their athletes have NT as a mark, so it is hard to know how strong they are. Usually an NT is not the strongest competitor. Most likely the US can at least gain Team Silver and would still have a shot at Team Gold.
35-39 The US has two athletes entered, Jorge Jabaz and York Thomas. Jabaz has the third fastest seed time, so he apparently has a good shot at making the podium. There are no natural teams so unless the Team Manager moves a 40-44 athlete down, there will be no Team USA medal in this division.
Good Luck to all who are competing tomorrow (now later today)!
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