Two Records Fall in Highly Competitive Masters 10K
Championships
By Paul Carlin
The USATF Masters 10 Km Championships were held on Sunday,
April 27th in Dedham, MA. The James Joyce Ramble, in its 40th
running, hosted the Championships for the 11th time. The weather was
great for running, with temperatures in the low 50’s. The moderate wind seemed
like it might be troublesome; it did not cause any problems once the race was
under way. A true national championship, 248 athletes, from 23 states, finished
the race. As always, there was a great turnout from New England. But they came to Dedham, MA, a small town rich with history, outside of Boston, from
as far away as the Pacific Northwest and the Southwestern United States!
NOTE: All of the photographs are provided by Mark Mathis
mmphoto060@gmail.com https://www.bostonrunningscene.com/
RECORDS
Nora Cary, who runs for New Jersey’s Shore AC, won four national
championships last year, despite being in the last year of her age division.
Once she turned 70, it was time to get the record books ready. She broke the
10K American 70-74 Record of 45:19 at Gainesville for the WMA Championships at
the end of March, running 43:41. A week later, she dropped the Ten Mile record
by almost six minutes in winning the prestigious Cherry Blossom Run in
Washington DC. Along the way, she
established a 15K Record at 1:05:28. Here in Dedham, Cary lowered her new record
by another twenty seconds, running 43:20! Records are pending until ratified. Local phenom, Jan
Holmquist, running for Whirlaway, did not mind that her 70-74 record
was taken down by Cary. She has new heights to climb. Holmquist added her name
to the W80 Record Book. Her amazing 52:45, at age 80, smashed the existing American
Record by a whopping two minutes and twenty-five seconds! Note: World Masters Athletics posts
world records for track events and the Marathon. It is impossible to say if
these two amazing records are also world bests or world records.
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| Pre-Race-Jan Holmquist red singlet joking with a Race Official as, from left, Robert Knight, Alice Miller, Ram Satyaprasad, and Richard Paulsen look on--at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
OVERALL
Note: The USATF
registration system was down for the final 36 hours of registration, so the
staff had to enter entrants during that time manually. As a result, the posted
list of entrants lacked some important names, including the overall winner and
the winner of the M70 division.
The sixteen-time US Mountain Running Champion and 2019 World Mountain Running Champion, Joseph Gray, out of Colorado Springs, claimed his second straight win, this time in 30:58. He was pressed more closely this time by Connecticut’s Mario Vazquez, the silver medalist, this year and last. Vazquez has been on a tear since last year, winning the 2024 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships last September, and finishing second overall at the Eversource Hartford Half Marathon in 1:06:39. Gray enjoyed an 18 second margin over Vazquez last year; this year, his cushion was just nine seconds!
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| Joseph Gray breaks the Tape for the Overall Win, with Mario Vazquez, in the background, second at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
Justin
Freeman, running for Maine’s Dirigo RC nailed the bronze medal for
the second consecutive year, in 32:33.
Joseph Gray 30:58 Mario Vazquez 31:07 Justin Freeman 32:33
Jessica Smith, Impala Racing, of San Francisco, won here, going away, in 2022. She ran 36:01 and enjoyed a winning margin of more than a minute. It was much closer this time. Despite Smith matching her 36:01, she had a mere six seconds on the silver medalist, Karen Bertasso, Fleet Feet Upstate Racing, New York. This was Bertasso’s second silver medal in her first two tries, matching her prize at the Masters 12 Km Championships.
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| Jessica Smith Wins Overall, with Karen Bertasso, second, in the background at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
Jennifer Lutz, Greater
Boston’s Battle Road TC, top Masters finisher at the Frank Nealon Boston
Tune Up 15K in 56:56, claimed her second consecutive bronze medal in 36:57.
Jessica Smith 36:01 Karen Bertasso 36:07 Jennifer Lutz 36:57
AGE GRADING Age grading indicates the best performance, adjusted for age, across all age divisions. Not surprisingly, the two record breakers went 1-2. Cary, 70, enjoyed the edge, 97.15 to 94.91 for Holmquist, 80. Third place went to Suzanne La Burt, 61, Shore AC, NJ, 40:12 for 92.58. The top men were Vazquez, 46, Hartbeat New England, CT, 92.39 on 31:06; Nicholas Conway, 50, ARE, Albany NY, 32:42 for 90.86;
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| Nicholas Conway sprints for the 50-54 Win and a Spot on the Age Grading Podium at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
and Roger Sayre, Bouler Road Running, CO
67, 90.60 from 38:17.
This championship has the largest prize purse on the Masters National Grand Prix circuit; Age grading prizes go seven deep. Finishing 4th through 7th among the women were: Patrice Combs, 67, Atlanta TC, 91.25 from 44:12; Mary Cass 63, Liberty AC, 87.68 from 43:34; Jennifer Rodriguez, 54 Bethlehem PA, 86.57 from 39:27; and Jessica Smith, 44, Impala Racing 85.42 from 36:00. Men finishing 4th through 7th included: John Van Danacker, 62 TC Running, 90.55 from 36:32; Justin Freeman, 48, Dirigo RC, 89.81 from 32:32; John Barbour 71 Greater Lowell RR 89.77 from 44:14; and Joseph Gray 41 Club Northwest, 89.18 from 30:58.
Nora Cary 70 43:20 97.15 Jan Holmquist 80 52:45 94.91 Suzanne La Burt 61 40:12 92.58
NOTE: Records
and age grading are based on net time; overall, age division and team
competitions are on gun time.
AGE DIVISIONS National champions were crowned: WOMEN 40-44 Smith 36:01 edged Bertasso 36:07
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| Jessica Smith left congratulates Jennifer Lutz as She Crosses the Finish Line at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
and Lutz 36:57.
Jessica Smith 36:01 Karen Bertasso 36:07 Jennifer Lutz 36:57
45-49
Katie Famous, Impala had the fastest 10K time coming in, a
41:09 10K at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon. Heather
Capello Boston Athletic Association was not that far off; she
battled Famous for the win. Famous’s 42:07 gave her the win with a 21 second
victory margin on Capello. Jessica Bozek 43:27 Cambridge RC,
Cambridge MA, finished third.
Katie Famous 42:07 Heather Capello 42:28 Jessica Bozek 43:27
50-54 Jennifer Rodriguez [formerly Malavolta], Bethlehem PA, the division winner of the Masters Half Marathon Championships in Indianapolis last October, entered on a high note. The month before Rodriguez had led a 1-2-3 Team USA sweep in the 10K Road Race at the WMA Championships in 39:43. She finished twelve seconds ahead of Abby Dean, Greater Philadelphia TC DE who finished second there. Sarah Trigg, Queens NYC, was another sixteen seconds back. How would the rematch of these three turn out? And how would Hortencia Aliaga. Garden State TC, NJ factor in? Aliaga won the Masters 12 Km Championships in this division last September in 47:48, suggesting a sub-40 10K might be in her grasp. But Aliaga’s most recent 10K, from earlier this month was a 41:06 effort at the Cherry Blossom 10K in New Jersey. Rodriguez left nothing to chance; she had a sizable gap heading into the final kilometer, winning in 39:27.
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| Jennifer Rodriguez closes in on her 50-54 Win at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
Trigg had more in the
tank this day as she and Aliaga pulled away from Dean. Trigg 40:21 captured
second, with Aliaga in third, just five seconds back. Dean 41:12 finished
fourth. How strong was this division? Dean, who finished fourth in
the division, was eighth overall!
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| The Gun Sounds! The Front Row of Women Runners Reacts From Left: Karen Bertasso #102, Jennifer Lutz #147, Sarah Trigg #130, Hortencia Aliaga # 99, Abby Dean blue singlet/gray gloves, and Suzanne La Burt white singlet/blue cap at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
Jennifer Rodriguez 39:27 Sarah Trigg 40:21 Hortencia Aliaga 40:26
55-59
Last year, Jody Dushay, Tracksmith Boston Hares, Mimi Fallon,
Liberty AC, Greater Boston, and Kathleen Shaw Manchesteer RC, CT,
finished 1-2-3 in this division with times ranging from 42:00 to 43:06. The
chief challenger was Kimberly Aspholm, Garden State, primarily a middle-distance
track athlete, who extended her range to claim third in 50-54 at the 12 Km
Championships last September. Her 52:12 was equivalent to a low 43-minute 10K. Aspholm stayed with the leaders and surged in
the final kilometer to win in 42:53. Dushay outlasted Shaw to finish second in
43:01, edging her by a single second. Fallon finished fourth half a minute
later.
Kimberly Aspholm 42:53 Jody Dushay 43:01 Kathleen Shaw 43:02
60-64
Suzanne La Burt and Mary Cass Liberty AC went 1-2 here
last year in 40:58 and 42;03. They ran in the Cross Country event at the WMA
Championships last month, claiming second and fourth as the top two Americans. La
Burt was on fire, enjoying her biggest margin of victory over Cass in
recent memory. La Burt took first in 40:13, running 45 seconds faster than last
year. Cass 43:37 finished second. Lauren Leslie Liberty AC pulled
away from the rest of the field to claim third in 46:55. Jane Polley Greater
Boston, edged Virginia Bok Liberty AC, for fourth at the
line, both credited with 47:25.
Suzanne La Burt 40:13 Mary Cass 43:37 Lauren Leslie 46:56
65-69
Patrice Combs Atlanta TC was the favorite. She finished second
last year in the Masters 5 Km Championships. Last summer she won this division
at the AJC Peachtree Run in 45:21. No one else seemed likely to break 46
minutes. Julie Menosky Liberty AC finished 7th in this
division here last year in 46:38, finishing almost a minute ahead of her
teammate, Jacqueline Shakar. Mireille
Silva’s Atlanta TC time at Peachtree last summer, 52:21, was not
competitive with those two. But her recent 22:36 at the Chattahoochee 4
Mile run suggested she could go well under 50 minutes for a 10K. Combs ran into
no difficulties, winning by over three minutes in 44:13. It was a tight battle
for second, with Menosky edging Shakar by just three seconds, in 47:49. Silva
finished fourth at 48:10.
Patrice Combs 44:13 Julie Menosky 47:49 Jacqueline Shakar 47:52
70-74
As noted above, Cary 43:22 took the win and lowered her own American Record. Jessica
Wheeler, Rhode Island, who won here in 2023, could not keep pace with Cary
but finished second in 55:341, with over a minute to spare. Cindy Lucking
Atlanta TC placed third in 56:50, with a six-minute gap back to the rest
of the field.
Nora Cary 43:22 Jessica Wheeler 55:34 Cindy Lucking 56:50
75-79
Kathleen Allen Atlanta TC finished third in this division at the
AJC Peachtree Run last year in 1:06:59. Allen ran away with the win in Dedham,
claiming gold in 1:03:06, well ahead of her teammate, Nora Renzulli,
1:34:07.
Kathleen Allen 1:03:06 Nora Renzulli 1:34:07
80-84
Holmquist 52:51 would have been in a class by herself even if she had encountered
rivals for the 80-84 championship. She did not have to break an American Record
to win her division, but she did it anyway.
Jan Holmquist 52:51
85-89
Joyce Hodges-Hite, Atlanta TC, winner of the 2023 and 2024
Masters Grand Prix in her age division, finished second here last year. This
year she had no opposition, winning in 1:59:15.
Joyce Hodges-Hite 1:59:15
MEN 40-44
Gray, the overall winner, won this division by nearly three minutes in 30:58.
Eric Mendoza Greater Boston TC, Edward Katz HFC Striders,
Greater Boston, and Chuck Terry, Willow Street AC, Greater Albany
NY battled for the other podium spots. Mendoza’s 51:50 in the recent Boston Tune
Up 15K was equivalent to a 34:00 10K. Katz finished a minute behind Mendoza in
that race. Terry ran 34:23 here at Dedham two years ago. Mendoza 33:45 finished second
with over a half minute to spare. Katz 34:21 edged Terry for third by just four
seconds.
Joseph Gray 30:58 Eric Mendoza 33:45 Edward Katz 34:21
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| The Gun Sounds! The Front Row of Men Sets Off! From left: Justin Freeman #180, Rich Wilson #183, Ben Jarrett #230, David Angell #34, and Joseph Gray #101 -- at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
45-49
Vazquez and Freeman, who went 2-3 overall, finished 1-2 in this division. David
Angell Roanoke Valley Elite, VA, finished fourth here last year in
33:00. This year he emerged from the chase pack to run alone over the last two
kilometers. His 33:03 gave him the bronze medal. T.J. Unger 34:18 HFC
Striders finished fourth. Who would guess that an athlete could come close
to breaking 34 minutes and miss the podium in the 45-49 division!!?
Mario Vazquez 31:07 Justin Freeman 32:33 David Angell 33:03
50-54
Conway’s 32:23 10K at the Troy NY Turkey Trot last year was by far the fastest
recent 10K time in this division. But because the USATF registrations system
was down for the last 36 hours of registration, his entry did not become generally
known until race day. It was expected that Mark Andrews Genesee
Valley Harriers Greater Rochester NY, Richard Falcone Shore AC,
and Shawn Powers Notch Run Club, Greater Boston, would battle for
the win. Andrews edged Falcone for the win here last year, by three seconds, in
34:08. Powers ran 34:10 at the Lone Gull 10K last summer. Conway sprinted away
from the rest of the field, winning in 32:43 and turning in the second-best Men’s
age grade of the day. Andrews and Powers vied for second and third this year. Powers
enjoyed the stronger finish this year, edging Andrews for silver, by four
seconds in 34:42! Falcone 35:30 was fourth.
Nicholas Conway 32:43 Shawn Powers 34:42 Mark Andrews 34:46
55-59
None of the top finishers from last year were in the field. Gregory Putnam
Central Mass Striders won this division in 2023 in 34:21 but missed last
year. It looked as if Putnam might miss it again this year as he was coming out
of a period of rehab. His teammate, Todd Callaghan, ran 36:38 at Lone
Gull last year. Christopher Harris Atlanta TC came in with the
best 10K within the last year, his 35:39 at Peachtree last July. Shane
Anthony Shore AC won the Masters 12 Km Championships last September
in 42:54, equivalent to a sub-36 10K. Kristian Blaich, who won the
overall race here ten years ago, is starting to train and compete more regularly
again. Recent results suggested a time of around 37 minutes or better might be
within his reach. Harris ran well again, coming home in first at 35:21, faster
than his Peachtree outing. That was enough to hold off Putnam, a ferocious
closer, who had enough training under his belt to turn in a 35:27 silver medal
effort, just six seconds back. Half a minute later, Anthony collected bronze. Another
minute later, Blaich edged Callaghan for fourth.
Christopher Harris 35:21 Gregory Putnam 35:27 Shane Anthony 35:57
60-64
John Van Danacker Twin Cities RC finished second here two years
ago in 35:53. With Nat Larson out injured, Van Danacker was the favorite.
He would need to withstand challenges from two newly minted 60-year-olds, Greater
Springfield Harrier teammates, Scott Grandfield and Mark Hixson.
Grandfield finished fourth M55 in 36:57 in 2023 and Hixson claimed second in
M55 last year in 36:31. Rick Lee Shore AC was back, although this
time running just six days after a Boston Marathon effort. Last year he
finished third in 36:32. Van Danacker moved up to the gold medal, winning in 36:32.
The 60-64 youngsters, Hixson and Grandfield, finished second and third in 37:01 and
37:15. In his last year in the age division, and after a busy week where he
also ran a 400M leg at the Penn Relays Thursday evening, Lee finished fourth in
37:57.
John Van Danacker 36:32 Mark Hixson 37:01 Scott Grandfield 37:15
65-69
With David Westenberg and Ken Youngers out injured, it was time
for the third member of the 65-69 Big Three, Roger Sayre Boulder Road Runners to step
up. This would be his first tour of the roads of Dedham. He holds the 65-69 25K
American Record; his most recent 10K effort was at the mile high Bolder Boulder
10K, an age group win in 40:08. That time would have been at least a minute
faster had it been at sea level. But nothing comes easy at a national
championship. Kevin Haas Twin Cities RC finished third in the division
at the highly competitive Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA, right behind
Youngers. In 2023, Casey Hannan Atlanta TC finished 9th
in 60-64 in 39:19. Paul McGovern Whirlaway Racing, Greater Boston
ran 40:00 at Lone Gull last summer and his Boston Tune Up 15K time suggested he
might be able to come home faster than that. Sayre made his first Ramble a good
one, pulling away from Haas to win by nineteen seconds in 38:19. Haas showed he
could perform as well on the roads as the turf and has a national championship silver
medal to prove it. McGovern defended the home streets, claiming third, another
half minute back, with Hannan fourth.
Roger Sayre 38:19 Kevin Haas 38:38 Paul McGovern 39:06
70-74
John Barbour Greater Lowell Road Runners was off his best last
year; he still finished second in 43:23. Five months later he ran a minute
faster at Lone Gull. His 1:04:18 at the Boston Tune Up 15K in early April
suggested he was ready to run under 42 this year. Jim Linn Shore AC
won the Masters 5 Km Championships last
year in 19:34; he finished 3rd at Club Cross in Tacoma. His 1:10:28
at the Garden State 10 Miler in March suggested a sub-43 minute capability at
10K. Jack Pottle Boulder RR finished ahead of Linn, winning the
division at the 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder last November, but finished behind
Linn at Tacoma, at sea level, in December. His 27:22 at the Mile High Turkey
Trot4 Miler last November is consistent with a sub-43-minute 10K at altitude. Perhaps
a sub-42 10K at sea level would be possible? Brian Cummins Syracuse
TC would likely be in the mix. In March, he clocked 1:05:46 at the Gate
River Run (including the scaling of the Hart Bridge [‘Green Monster’], That is
consistent with a sub-43 10K. Scott Lucking Atlanta TC ran
43:45 at the WMA Championships in Gainesville this March. It turned out that
Barbour was fit for an even better race here. With a 40:18 effort, Barbour was
a good minute ahead of the field. Linn managed to fight off Pottle, claiming
second in 41:59. Pottle was able to move away from Cummins, claiming third,
with twenty seconds to spare, in 42:30. Behind Cummins, Lucking and Fernando
Moura Greater Philadelphia TC finished with the same time, 43:39,
the side scan camera giving the edge for fifth to Moura.
John Barbour 40:18 James Linn 41:59 Jack Pottle 42:30
75-79 Nine years ago, Doug Winn Bowerman TC, Oregon, won the 65-69 division here in 38:23. Applying a standard nine years of age grading to that would make it equivalent to Winn running a sub-43-minute 10K this year. If he could do that, he would surely win. The evidence from the Club Cross Championships in Tacoma is broadly supportive. Winn finished third behind Gary Ostwald and David Dunbar, neither of whom is entered here. Ostwald finished 2nd here last year in 45:32. Gene Dykes won last year in 44:02 but is currently injured. One might view Winn as the favorite on that basis. On the other hand, Don Morrison Greater Philadelphia TC, was in 70-74 last year, finishing ninth in 44:16. But Morrison had a nasty XC Skiing accident in January that required a hospital stay and recuperation. Nonetheless he was able to clock 38:23 at the Valley Forge 5-Miler in early April, equivalent to a sub-48-minute 10K. With the additional weeks of training, Morrison would surely be faster than that. Terry McCluskey Ann Arbor TC ran 46:45 to earn the 75-79 Bronze medal at the WMA Championships in Gainesville at the end of March. Jerry Learned Atlanta TC finished third here last year in 46:35. Club Cross was a good predictor! Winn was able to hold the others off, winning in a very respectable 46: 11. Morrison continued to improve, clocking 46:41 for the silver medal. Watch out for Morrison at the 4-Mile Championships!
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| Terry McCluskey #11 leading Jerry Learned #135 in the Early Going at the 2025 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble Photo Credit: Mark Mathis |
McCluskey claimed bronze in 47:46. He edged Learned for third by a mere
two seconds!
Doug Winn 46:11 Don Morrison 46:41 Terry McCluskey 47:46
80-84
Przemek Nowicki Shore AC and his teammate Jack Frame,
entered as favorites. They finished 1-2 in this division at the Cherry
Blossom 10K in New Jersey in early April. Nowicki clocked 54:45, with Frame
eighteen seconds back. Robert Knight New England 65 Plus Runners Club
clocked 1:01:57 at the Lone Gull 10K last September. His teammate, Richard
Paulsen ran in the Open Race at the Ramble last year over the same course,
clocking 1:06:06. Nowicki and Frame encountered no difficulties, but Frame
reversed the tables on Nowicki this time, taking first in 54:51, nearly a half
minute ahead of Nowicki, who claimed the silver medal with minutes to spare.
Knight had five minutes on his teammate, finishing third in 1:04:19.
Jack Frame 54:51 Przemyslaw Nowicki
55:09 Robert Knight
1:04:19
85-89 Roland Cormier
Shore AC and the 85-89 USATF-NE Runner of the Year, Ram Satyaprasad
New England 65 Plus RC lined up for the competition. It has been a while
since Cormier has competed on the roads at national championships. In September
2022, Cormier won the 80-84 division at the Masters 12 Km Championships in New
Jersey in 1:17:11. That equates to a sub-1:04 10K. Adjusting that for the three
year hiatus, the 2025 equivalence is to a sub-1:09 10K. Cormier’s performance this
February on the track at the Masters Indoor Championships in the 3000 Meter run
provides some confirmation. Cormier clocked 18:09 to take second place.
Satyaprasad won the 85-89 division here last year in 1:31:33. He finished nine
minutes behind Cormier in that 3000M race in February. Cormier did not have a
fast race, but he won comfortably in 1:34:29. A few minutes later, Satyaprasad
claimed the silver medal.
Roland Cormier 1:34:29 Ram Satyaprasad 1:39:07
TEAMS The Club, with by far the greatest success overall in
the team competition, was the Shore Athletic Club, out of New Jersey.
They won the Men’s 50+, 70+, and 80+ and the Women’s 60+ divisions; they
finished 2nd in W60+ and 3rd in M60+. The Atlanta Track Club won W70+,
finished 2nd in M50+, and 3rd in M70+ and W60+. The HFC
Striders, of Greater Boston, won M40+ while the Impala Racing team,
from the San Francisco Bay area, took the W40+ win. The Greater
Springfield Harriers took top honors in M60+. NOTE: Team scoring is the cumulative time of the top three
runners on each team, low score wins. Teams may declare up to five runners but
only the top three score.
M40+ Five teams contested the division. The HFC
Striders were the strongest Club by far in this division. There was
substantial separation between the top three teams, with the top two being HFC’s
A [TJ Unger, E Katz, A Massie (L Danforth)
and B [A Greenspan, T Gavin,
B McCarthy] teams. The Boston Athletic Association, in
rebuilding mode after losing some of their top 40+ runners, in recent years, to
either relocation or club transfer, finished third. The Greater Lowell Road
Runners finished fourth.
HFC Striders A 1:43:16 average = 34:26 HFC Striders B 1:49:53
36:38 Boston Athletic Association 1:54:21
38:07
M50+ This division featured, in contrast, a very
tight race between the top three teams, among the eight that contested the title.
A few seconds here or a few seconds there would have resulted in a different
outcome. Among these three teams, Atlanta [C Harris, K Blaich, B Sydow (B Slavens, D Glass]
had the fastest #1 runner, Shore [R Falcone, S Anthony, S Siriano (R Shields)] the
fastest #2 runner, and Central Mass Striders [G Putnam, T Callaghan, D Harper] the
fastest #3 runner. Shore did not need the fastest top runner to win. They won
it with each runner being either very close to or ahead of their counterpart on
the other teams. These were three terrific team efforts! After each team’s #1
runner had finished, Atlanta led CMS by six seconds which had three more
seconds on Shore. After the #2 runners had finished, it was Shore by 40 seconds
over Atlanta, with CMS 16 seconds back. CMS gained a little back on the #3 runners
but fell three seconds short of the silver medals! The Genesee Valley
Harriers finished fourth.
Shore Athletic Club 1:49:44 36:35 Atlanta Track Club 1:50:31 36:51 Central Mass Striders 1:50:34
36:52
M60+ This most contentious of divisions, featured ten
teams. Despite the high number, the Greater Springfield Harriers [M Hixson, S Grandfield, A Heuck
(F Burdett)] scored a convincing win, with the Twin Cities Running
Company [J Van Danacker,
K Haas, P Kessler] claiming second well ahead of the rest of the
field. Just a few seconds separated rivals Shore [R Lee, H Notaro, K Dollard (G Weisinger,
H Pino)] and Atlanta
[L Dragstedt, C Hannan,
G Oshust] in the battle for third. GSH were missing their longtime leader,
Nat Larson, and TCRC was missing their newest recruit, Mark
Zamek. Both are currently rehabbing injuries. Had those two been healthy,
the outcome might not have been that much different, but those two teams would
have been even further ahead of their rivals. As is, TCRC drew first blood, but
GSH had a tight 2-3 finish. After TCRC’s #2 finished 4th, GSH was
ahead by almost a minute. With a faster #3 runner, GSH had the win by over two
minutes. TCRC, in turn, enjoyed over three minutes on the third-place team. Shore’s
top two runners sandwiched Atlanta’s #1 resulting in an early lead. But Atlanta’s
#2 and 3 runners were just eighteen seconds apart and almost clawed back the
bronze medals. But Shore’s #3 runner, eligible to run for 70+ next year, held
tough all the way to the finish line, insuring a seven-second margin for Shore
in the race for bronze!
Greater Springfield Harriers 1:55:06 38:22 Twin Cities Running Company 1:57:18
39:06 Shore Athletic Club 2:00:25 40:09
M70+ Seven teams vied in this division. Shore AC
[J Linn, Harold Leddy, R
Stirrat] relied on three runners and everyone did their job, obtaining
the victory with three minutes to spare. It was a similar story for the second-place team, the Boulder Road Runners [J Pottle, D Chesnut, D Bell] who enjoyed a
similar margin over the third-place team. It was much closer between Atlanta
TC [S Lucking, K Larson,
J Learned (W Irvin, S Benedict)] and Syracuse TC [B Cummins, J Foster, T Larison (P
Riccardi)], with less than a minute between them. Syracuse had the early
lead and still led by half a minute after both team’s number three runners
scored. But when the dust cleared, it was Atlanta in 3rd with Syracuse
fourth. Ann Arbor TC [D
Kurtis, A Pratt, T McCluskey] was just over a minute behind Syracuse
in fifth.
Shore Athletic Club 2:09:59 43:20 Boulder
Road Runners 2:13:27 44:29
Atlanta Track Club
2:16:59 45:40
M80+ Two teams competed for team honors, the Shore
AC [J Frame, P Nowicki,
R Cormier] and the New England 65+ Runners Club [R Knight, R Paulsen, R
Satyaprasad]. Shore’s first two runners finished nine minutes ahead
of New England’s first scoring runner. When Shore’s third scoring runner
finished a few minutes ahead of New England’s, that capped the scoring in favor
of Shore. Shore enjoyed the gold medals; New England scored the silver medals.
Shore Athletic Club 3:24:29 1:08:10 New England 65 Plus Runners
Club 3:53:13 1:17:45
W40+ Three Greater Boston teams, the B.A.A. [H Capello, S Harvey, E McVeigh],
the Greater Lowell Road Runners [A Mendez, W Jepson, C Curran, V Ryan] and the Liberty
AC [J Hill, S Reeder, B
King, MR Duran] defended the home roads against the outlanders from
the San Francisco Bay area, the Impala Racing [J Smith, K Famous, A Newman] team.
Impala made sure the trip from the West Coast was worthwhile. Their top runner
gave them seven minutes or more over every other team’s top runner and Impala’s
#2 finished shortly before the BAA’s first runner. Once the BAA’s first runner
came in, the advantages of a tight pack were evident. Their first two runners
finished within ten seconds of one another. The BAA’s third runner was only two
minutes behind and came in ahead of the Impala #3. But the third Impala came
across the finish line two minutes later, enough to seal the win with plenty of
room to spare. Greater Lowell finished 3rd, with a cushion of over 8
minutes on the fourth place Liberty AC team.
Impala Racing Team 2:04:16 41:06 Boston Athletic
Association 2:09:19 43:07
W50+ With six teams entered, this division was much
more competitive. Still, the top team, the Garden State Track Club [H Aliaga, K Huggins, K Aspholm (G
Panepinto)] placed their top two runners 1-2; their third runner finished
ahead of the #1 runner for every other team except the B.A.A. [D Bowser, J Cohen, J Cole] And there was just five seconds separating the
GSTC #3 from the BAA #1. Garden State had a winning margin of over ten minutes.
Despite having the second fastest #1 time, the BAA was not able to keep pace
with the Shore AC [N
Smith, R Keenan, M Massell]. Again, it was the trick of a tight pack.
The time between Shore’s 1st and 3rd runners was half as
big as the time between the BAA’s 1st and third runners. After the
#1 runners had finished, the BAA enjoyed a thirty-five second lead. By the time
the second runner for both teams had finished, that lead was reduced to sixteen
seconds. Shore’s third runner flipped it from a sixteen second deficit to a
winning cushion of over five minutes. It was tighter between the BAA and Liberty
AC [M Fallon, J Menosky,
A Shreffler] for third. The BAA’s #1 runner gave them a 49
second lead over Liberty. When the #2 runners finished, the difference was up
to 4:21. Liberty’s #3 runner clawed back three minutes of that lead but that
was not enough to change the result. The BAA won the bronze medals a minute and
two seconds ahead of Liberty AC in fourth.
Garden State Track Club 2:05:54 41:58 Shore Athletic Club 2:16:22 45:28 Boston Athletic Association 2:21:57
47:19
W60+ Five teams competed for this title. It is amazing
when a team as strong as the Liberty AC [M Cass, L Leslie, V Bok (J Jungels, J Shakar)] does
not win a team contest on their home roads! As long as Shore AC
[S La Burt, N Cary, P Ricker (L Nowicki, S Stirrat) has
the top runner in the division and the top age grader who can drop down from
the 70’s and run as if she were ten years younger, they are tough to beat! Up
by almost seven minutes after their two aces finished, their #3 wrapped things
up by finishing just one minute behind Liberty’s #3. Shore had the win with
almost six minutes to spare. Liberty had an even bigger edge over the third-place team. Atlanta TC [P Combs, M Silva, R Tanner (M
Taylor)] had the better of a tussle with the Genesee Valley
Harriers [B Lindblom, C
Reif, S Gregorich]. Up by three minutes after the two #1 runners
finished, and by well over five minutes after the #2 runners finished, Atlanta
had to hold on tight. GVH took back three minutes with the final scoring runner!
Atlanta’s #3 got the job done! Their final margin was over two minutes.
Shore Athletic Club 2:11:59 44:00 Liberty Athletic Club 2:17:57
45:59 Atlanta Track Club 2:26:34 48:52
W70+ The Atlanta Track Club [C Lucking, K Allen, N Renzulli (J
Hodges-Hite)] brought
a team but no one else did. Perhaps next year one of the strong New England
clubs can add a little suspense by fielding a Women’s 70+ team.
Atlanta Track Club 3:34:03 1:11:21
That wraps up another exciting weekend of racing on the
rolling hills outside of Boston. The James Joyce Ramble and the Town of
Dedham hosted another weekend of spectacular Masters Long Distance racing! Next
up is the Masters 4 Mile Championships at the Steamboat Classic in Peoria IL on
the 14th of June!
