November 27, 2025. Welcome to my blog, and Happy Thanksgiving! . I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing an upcoming race, you can find previews and recaps of all USATF Masters LDR and Cross-Country Championships since Fall 2014. I also report on Masters Athletes in major Marathons including Olympic Trials. I cover distance events at some USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. I reported on the one World Cross Country Championship that included Masters competition, Australia 2022. I regularly cover the Non-Stadia Road Race Events at World Masters Athletics Championships. I cover other road raqces from time to time. See the sidebar for easy navigation through the archives. [If you are using a mobile phone, please scroll to the bottom and choose 'View web version' to access the sidebar.] While there, please note the coffee cup logo. That is a way to express your appreciation for the work that goes into these articles. Note: This recap was delayed due to my travesl in the High Andes and the Galapagos Islands. Also, because photos of the event proved scarce, I took the liberty of including a number of athlete photos from recent Masters Cross Country Championships.
The 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships were held at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA on Saturday, November 1st. In a complete contrast to the 2022 Club Cross Country Championships held at the same venue, the conditions were almost perfect. The Women's race was at 9 AM, the men's an hour later. Winds were calm to moderate with temperatures in the mid to upper 50's under mostly cloudy skies.
OVERALL MEN On paper it looked like a terrific contest for the overall win between Neil McDonagh Square State Striders, CO and Malcolm Richards West Valley TC, CA. Richards had finished a half minute ahead of McDonagh over 10 KM around the Polo Grounds 'track' in 2022. Richards won the Overall race at Clubs in Tallahassee the following year, with McDonagh not competing. Although McDonagh could not track Joseph Gray down for the 2024 Clubs overall Masters win in the wind and rain at Tacoma, McDonagh reversed the 2022 outcome, finishing 2nd, a half minute ahead of Richards. Nicholas Kipruto CO could factor into the race. He finished second overall in the Masters race at Cross Nationals in Lubbock. But he was two-minutes behind McDonagh at Tacoma in December.
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| Neil McDonagh far left #3505 leads Malcolm Richards #3555 and the entire field up the first hill at he 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA Photo Credit: Jack Youngren |
Richards moved to the front after the first kilometer and gradually opened up a gap on Kipruto, with McDonagh following. Richards had a comfortable lead as he headed onto the finishing meadow. By then, McDonagh had passed Kipruto and figured '...I would give myself a good rinse to the line!' The 2024 Masters Overall Road Mile Champion gave it everything he had but came up a couple of strides short! Richards celebrated the win in 15:30, with McDonagh a single second back. All of those stroller miles with his toddler, Oliver, paid off for Richards! He had the perseverance to hold off McDonagh! McDonagh grew up near GG Park so was able to give his hometown friends and relatives a good show! It must have been a good warmup for McDonagh; he jumped into the Open race afterwards and clocked 15:28! Kipruto enjoyed a much better outing than in Tacoma. He was just eight seconds behind McDonagh, claiming the bronze medal. Jonathan Charlesworth West Valley enjoyed a breakout Masters overall win at the 5 Km national Championships in Atlanta in mid-October. He showed serious strength on the turf at Golden Gate Park, finishing fourth in 16:03. Thrown off by a slow 5K in October, my hastily researched preview missed Nico de Vries CO. He was the top Masters half marathoner at the Mesa Marathon last December in 1:10:25. He followed that up this September with a sparkling 1:11:28 at the Equinox Half at altitude in September. De Vries claimed fifth, just six seconds behind Charlesworth.
Malcolm Richards 15:30 Neil McDonagh 15:31 Nicholas Kipruto 15:39
WOMEN Jenny Kadavy HOKA Aggies, CA entered as the strong favorite. She finished 2nd at the 2023 USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships in Sacram6ento. Kadavy finished 7th overall at the 2023 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee but moved up to a second place finish at Clubs in Tacoma.
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| Jenny Kadavy #1358 Patiently Tracking Jennifer Keenan #1192 and Chelsea Lenge Warren #1663. Kadavy would later pass both to finish second Overall in the Masters Race for Women at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
The Tacoma silver medalist did not disappoint; Kadavy brought home the win in 17:51. Clara Peterson Impala Racing, CA enjoyed a strong outing. Although she had no recent results, her third place finish overall at the 2022 Urban Cow HM in 1:16:58, suggested she had the talent to compete, even if not quite at full race tested fitness. Peterson lost a hundred meters to Kadavy by the time she crossed the finish line in 2nd place. Peterson had 200 meters on her closest pursuers. Ashley Carroll, Angela Giuliani, and Dana Hayden battled for the final podium spot. Hayden, fourth overall at the 2025 Masters Road Mile national Championships in Indianapolis, showed her tenacity on the turf as she pulled away to claim third in 19:05. Carroll, 16th at Tacoma with that deep Club Cross field, held off Giuliani for fourth, in19:11. Giuliani, the overall bronze medalist at the 5 Km National Championships in Atlanta last month, was just 12 seconds back in fifth place.
Jenny Kadavy 17:51 Clara Peterson 18:15 Dana Hayden 19:05
AGE GRADING Note: Age Grading is a way of grading each athlete's performance relative to the best possible performance for a runner of her/his age and sex. It identifies, to the extent possible, which athletes had the best performance for their age, across all age divisions. Ranging up to 100 percent, the grading is based on world standards. The percentage so=core for each athlete is often referred to as their PLP, Performance Level Percentage.
WOMEN Patricia Bellan HOKA Aggies competed at the Club Cross Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2022, at Golden Gate Park, over a 6 Km course, Bellan, then 59, finished third in 55-59 and was among the top ten in age grading overall. The following year in Tallahassee, Bellan again finished third in her age division, 60-64, but moved up to fifth overall in age grading. At Tacoma, Bellan moved u to second place in 60-64 and fourth overall in age grading. The Club Cross championships tend to attract the deepest and most talented Masters fields each year. It is not surprising that Bellan won her 60-64 age division and earned the highest age grading score overall with an 87.72 PLP, a full percentage point ahead of the second-place finisher.
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| Patricia Bellan #1357 enjoyed a Mid-Race lead Over eventual 60-64 Winner, Suzanne La Burt #1575 the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Patricia Bellan 20:55 62 90.60 Joannie Siegler 22:55 68 89.45 Hronn Gudmundsdottir 21:02 60 87.96
MEN Jaime Heilpern HOKA Aggies 55 and Nat Larson Greater Springfield Harriers 63 have competed in most Club Cross Country national championships. They are about eight years apart, so they never meet head-to-head in age division competition. Because 60+ Men have a separate race over 8 Km from the 10Km race for Men 40-59, they do not compete directly at Clubs even in age grading. Still, it is instructive to look at that record as context for this contest over 5 Km. In 2022, Heilpern won 50-54 and finished 2nd in M40+ age grading with a 97.06 PLP. [Unfortunately the M40+ race was over the Polo Grounds 'track' so the PLP's are not really comparable; M60+ was run over the Cross Country course in the midst of substantial rain and winds.] Larson won 60-64, finishing third in M60+ age grading at 87.76. The following year in Tallahassee, the only difference was in length, with M40+ as always at 10 Km and 60+ at 8 km. Larson won 60-64 and had the top M60+ PLP at 88.19. Heilpern won 50-54 and had the second best M40+ PLP at 86.29%. Last December in Tacoma, Larson finished second in 60-64; his 83.84 left Larson fourth in M60+ age grading at 83.34. Heilpern, 54 at the time, finished 2nd in the 50-54 division and fourth in M40+age grading at 83.15. What I conclude is that both are top cross country athletes and have comparable records. They are likely to be among the top age graders, with the ranking probably determined by how injury-free they are in the run-up to the race, and other imponderables. This time, Heilpern had the edge, winning his new 55-59 division in16:25 for a 92.69 PLP.
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| Jaime ' Jamie' Heilpern right Leading Chris Grauch at the Men 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Larson took the 60-64 crown with his 17:41 M60 win and was just a half percentage point behind Heilpern in age grading. Kevin Ostenberg HOKA Aggies 65 finished fourth in 60-64 at Tallahassee Clubs and third last December, in 65-69 at Tacoma Clubs. Ostenberg demonstrated his speed with a 5:11 M65 win at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York in September. He brought that to the turf in GG Park; his M65 winning time of 18:06 netted a PLP of 91.62 and the bronze age grading medal. Scott Lacrosse SRA Elite 62 enjoyed a sterling morning, finishing just thirteen seconds astern of Larson in 60-64 and finishing just off the Age Grading podium. His 17:54 earned a 90.22 PLP. Neil McDonagh 44 lost the overall win to Malcolm Richards by a single second. But, by virtue of being a year older, McDonagh made top five age grading; his 15:31 netted an 89.90 PLP for a 0.65 percentage point margin over Richards.
Jaime Heilpern 16:25 55 92.69 Nat Larson 17:41 63 92.18 Kevin Ostenberg 18:06 65 91.62
AGE DIVISION MEN
40-44 Richards, McDonagh and Kipruto went 1-2-3 overall and in this division. They were followed by Charlesworth and de Vries. See Overall recap for more detail. Spots 6-9 went to West Valley teammates, DeMartini, Haxton, Lighthall and Fraioli.
45-49 The preview identified West Valley TC teammates, Jamey Gifford, Konrad Knutsen, Ben Koss, and Chip Scarinzi as the likely top four in this division; that turned out to be right. Knutsen was in great form at Carlsbad his spring when he posted a 16:09 to finish 11 seconds ahead of Gifford. Different subsets of the four ran at Clubs in Tallahassee, Clubs in Tacoma, the Impala Stampede [5k-road], and the Matt Yeo XC [Pacific Association XC Series]. What emerges is that these are four talented runners; their finishing order is likely to vary from race to race. Carlsbad turned out to be a good predictor. Knutsen pulled away from the rest of the West Valley pack to take the division win in 16:20, with over fifty meters to spare. It was much closer for second place. Scarinzi edged Gifford by just two seconds. Koss finished off the podium in 16:57 but completed a 1-2-3-4 sweep for the West Valley M45 crew!
Konrad Knutseni 16:20 Chip Scarinzi 16:33 Jamey Gifford 16:35
50-54 Neville Davey, the overall winner of the 2017 Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington KY and the holder of the M40 Road Mile American record for a number of years, was favored to lead three West Valley teammates across the line. Looking back to this spring's Carlsbad 5000 as a guide, it was Davey, followed thirty seconds later by Todd Rose, with Julian Marsh another nine seconds back. Backstrom did not run Carlsbad but did run the October Matt Yeo XC race, finishing behind Marsh. I thought Alan Black Atlanta TC had the opportunity to break up the four. He finished second in M50 at the 5 Km national championships in Atlanta. It is a tall order to break up a tight team pack of such quality. Black finished 5th at 17:31, fifty meters behind Backstrom.
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| Neville Davey far left Battles the Elements and his Fellow Athletes at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Davey claimed the win at 16:36, with Rose just 25 meters back in 2nd. It was 150-meters from Rose back to Marsh. Backstrom was just five seconds behind Marsh in fourth. It was another 1-2-3-4 division sweep for West Valley.
Neville Davey 16:36 Todd Rose 16:41 Julian Marsh 17:13
55-59 West Valley division domination ended there, although team members still took silver and bronze. They ran into the buzzsaw that is Jaime Heilpern. As noted above, Heilpern had the top age grade on the day and, along with Nat Larson, Rick Becker and a handful of others, must be in the running for 2025 Masters Harrier of the Year. With Ivan Lieben and Chuck Mullane running for West Valley, Heilpern could not let up. So he did not. He cruised around the course in 16:25 to finish in the top ten overall. He had a cushion of over 200 meters by the finish. Lieben had a nine-second decision over Mullane at the mid-October Tamalpa XC race in the PA XC series. Mullane took the honors from Lieben this time; his 17:25 gave him a ten second margin on Lieben. Joseph Molloy Excelsior Running Club crossed the finish line eleven seconds after Lieben to claim fourth.
Jaime Heilpern 16:25 Chuck Mullane 17:25 Ivan Lieben 17:35
60-64 As noted above, Larson has come back from a winter skiing accident. No bones were broken but it still required considerable rehab. Whether Larson is all the way back or not is something we will probably discover at Portland. But he captured the M60 crown at the 5 Km national champs in Atlanta and landed on the age grade podium as well. He did the same here. Despite a strong challenge from Scott Lacrosse SRA Elite, Larson was able to put a good fifty meters on Lacrosse by the end. His winning time was 17:41.
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| Start of the Men's 60+ Race at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
By hanging with Larson as long as he did, Lacrosse enjoyed over 300 meters of territory between himself and the rest of the filed when he crossed the finish line. Michael Chasse Pamakids. Ray Rodriguez West Valley Joggers & Striders, and Iain Mickle SRA Elite battled for the bronze medal. Chasse was able to leave the other two behind, posting 19:09 to take third. Nineteen seconds later, Rodriguez edged Mickle by a single second to take 4th!
Nat Larson 17:41 Scott Lacrosse 17:54 Michael Chasse 19:09
65-69 Kevin Ostenberg has been a top long-distance runner for years and has done well at Cross Country. At Tallahassee in 2023, Ostenberg finished fourth M60. He appears to be at the top of his game right now, at least for distances under 10 Km. Claiming an age division crown at the Fifth Avenue Mile is no mean feat and Ostenberg pulled it off this year with a 5:11. That was just two seconds off of Dan King's Athletics Boulder winning Fifth Avenue time in 2024. As noted above, Ostenberg made the age grading podium as well as winning this division at 18:06. King cruised to second place, a good minute behind Ostenberg. King needed good points from this event to win the M65 Masters National Grand prix title, one of the few honors he had not yet made his own. Mission accomplished! Terry Baucom SRA Elite, Bobby Hastings HOKA Aggies, Jay Littlepage Athletics Boulder, and Tom O'Reilly Tamalpa Runners vied for the coveted bronze medal! Littlepage perhaps derived some confidence from knowing that he had finished a minute and change ahead of Hastings at Clubs in Tacoma last December. Furthermore, Littlepage had cracked a superb 40:35 on the tough Bolder Boulder 10K course at altitude. By contrast, Baucom does not have a sub-20 5K showing up in Athlinks since 2023. O'Reilly did have a sub-20 5k in summer of 2024 when he ran 19:44 at the Impala Stampede 5K. That is age grade comparable to a 40:30 or so 10Km. Of course, O'Reilly's race was at sea level, not mile high. In any case, Littlepage dug down and achieved separation. He had the bronze medal when he crossed the finish line in 20:04; his rivals were a hundred meters back. Baucom ran a tough race, edging Hastings by four seconds. O'Reilly was just five seconds behind Hastings. It was a real donnybrook, and they must have had lots of fun recounting their efforts!
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| Rick Becker M70, Leading Rich Power and other M60 Athletes at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
AGE DIVISION WOMEN
40-44 Jenny Kadavy, Clara Peterson, Ashley Carroll, and Angela Giuliani went 1-2-4-5 in the overall race. They go 1-2-3-4 in this division. See overall discussion above for more details.
Jenny Kadavy 17:51 Clara Peterson 18:15 Ashley Carroll 19:11
45-49 Dana Hayden claimed third place overall. She takes the win in 45-49 at 19:.05. It figured to be a podium tussle between Katie Famous Impala, Julie Ann Dougery Impala and Claire Saxton Wolfpack RC. Famous won the 10 Km W45 national championship last April in 42:06. Saxton has times that are comparable to Famous's, a 19:27 5K at the 2024 Impala Stampede and 42:28 at the 2025 Alameda Hospital 10K. Dougery, Famous and Saxton have finished within shooting distance of one another at various meets int he Pacific Association Cross Country series.
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| Katie Famous far left Leads a Chase Pack in the Women's Race at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Perhaps Saxton learned something useful at the Matt Yeo XC race in mid-October; she finished 11 seconds behind Dougery and 18 behind Famous. This time she made a move that counted and crossed the finish line in 20:16, claiming second place with 12 seconds to spare. Famous crossed the line in third with her teammate, Dougery, just four seconds back.
Dana Hayden 19:05 Claire Saxton 20:16 Katie Famous 20:28
50-54 Rebecca Carcamo CA has few results in Athlinks since 2022 but they are all sub-20 5K's, two in 2023 and one in 2024. One was right a 19:00 and another aat 18:57! Having that kind of road speed in this division usually translates to a good time on the turf. Megan Kossar Impala finished second in this division at the 2023 Ten Mile Masters Championships in Sacramento. This year she ran several 5K's in the 20-22 minute range. Her teammate, Elizabeth Gottlieb, finished 6th in W45 at the 2024 Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta with a 20:10 on a hilly course. She ran a 20:04 and a 20:03 5K this year at the Impala Stampede and the Carlsbad 5000. Gottlieb has run well on the Pacific Association Cross Country circuit this fall. The preview missed Dena Evans Peninsula Distance Club. She ran 1:30:21 at the KP Napa Valley HM in March. If it is the same Dena Evans, she ran in the Community 6K at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA in January 2024, clocking 25:26, a time that would have put her fourth in W45 or 3rd in W50. Carcamo's speed did translate well to the turf. She had 200 meters on the field when she crossed the finish line, first in 19:44. Evans's experience in Richmond may have helped. She put a hundred meters of distance on the pair of Impalas, claiming second at 20:38. Gottlieb took the final podium spot at 21:33, with Kossar crossing the line in 4th 21 seconds later.
Rebecca Carcamo 19:44 Dena Evans 20:38 Elizabeth Gottlieb 21:338
55-59 Chris Lundy Impala does not run often on the roads. She loves trails and is a tough competitor on the turf. She won the W50 division at 2022 Clubs in San Francisco against a loaded field. And Lundy always runs well at the legendary Dipsea Trail race up, down and around Mt. Tamalpais, north of San Francisco. She ran a second faster in 2025 than in 2024, so she is on her game! That showed at GG Park. No one in her division was within two hundred meters of Lundy when she crossed the line, first in W55 at 20:12. Verity Breen Tamalpa has also been focusing on ultra trail runs. But she found time to fit in a 44:35 10K in July and a 1:32:31 Half Marathon in February. Elizabeth Guerrini Cal Coast TC ran a 19:41 5K in April in Carlsbad and a 19:32 in October. Kari Rust West Valley has not been quite that fast on the roads, but she did run a 20:54 at the 2024 Impala Stampede. And Rust finished fifth in W50 at the 2024 Road Mile Championships in Danville CA. Breen did not let Guerrini have a chance to use her closing speed. Breen had created a gap of nearly a hundred meters by the time they were approaching the finish. Breen closed her second place finish off in 21:27. Trail runners, like Lundy and Breen, are tough to beat on the cross country turf! Guerrini gave Rust no chance at a third-place finish; Guerrini closed in 21:54 to claim the bronze medal! Rust was a half-minute back in fourth.
Chris Lundy 20:12 Verity Breen 21:27 Elizabeth Guerrini 21:54
60-64 The preview ignored Patricia Bellan HOKA Aggies who has run in the Club Cross Country Championships in each of the last three years. At 2022 Clubs in San Francisco, Bellan finished third in 55-59. By the time Tallahassee rolled around, Bellan was 60, finishing third in 60-64 to Suzanne La Burt and Mary Cass. At Tacoma last December, Bellan figured out how to beat Cass, finishing one second ahead of her, but behind la Burt again. La Burt, out with a plantar issue, was not entered here this year, nor was Cass. Bellan knew she needed a good outing though as Hronn Gudmundsdottir Impala was in the field. Gudmundsdottir has not run Cross Country much but claimed the 55-59 silver medal at the 2024 USATF Masters Championships with a 41:55. later that year she added a national W55 Half Marathon medal to her collection. Right before this event, Gudmundsdottir took the gold medal at the 2025 Masters 5 Km Championships on a long, hilly course with significant wind and rain, in 21:21. In 2022, she finished 6th in a stacked field at Cross Nationals in San Diego. Pamela Ricker Shore AC finished a minute behind Gudmundsdottir in the 5 Km championships last month. She has been active all year for her team, on the New Jersey XC circuit, and on the roads at national Masters championships. Earlier in the year she placed 6th at the Road Mile Championships in 6:27, second at the four-mile championships, and 8th at the 10 Km Championships, all in 60-64. Maureen Sheehan has been active on trails and ran a nifty 6:04 to take the 60-64 win at the Truckee Firecracker Mile. Bellan perhaps used her greater experience on the Cross Country turf to carve separation from Gudmundsdottir. Bellan had a 25-meter lead as she approached the finish line. Bellan took the win in 20:55, just seven seconds ahead of Gudmundsdottir. Ricker was a minute back in third. Sheehan was not close for her closing speed to factor into the race for the podium. She finished fourth at 23:20.
Patricia Bellan 20:55 Hronn Gudmundsdottir 21:02 Pamela Ricker 22:01
65-69 Joannie Siegler Golden Valley Harriers, Kathi Sleavin Club Northwest, and Jennifer Teppo Unaffiliated, [perhaps WA] were the podium favorites. Siegler, a newly minted 65-year-old at the time, dominated the W65 division at 2022 Clubs in San Francisco, winning by two minutes! She has not competed in the last two Club Cross Championships but showed she is still a force on the turf. She won this division at the recent Matt Yeo XC race. Sleavin was in 60-64 in 2022 so did not compete directly against Siegler. But they were 2in the same race and Siegler was a minute and a half faster.
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| Kathi Sleavin far left #1202 and Heather Slee #1203 Packing Up For Club NW's W60+ Team In the Early Going at the 2024 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tacoma WA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
We have not seen Teppo in a national Cross Country race since she took top 60-64 honors at the 2018 Championships in Spokane. She finished a minute ahead of Siegler in that race. But that was seven years ago. Teppo also took top 60-64 honors in the 2019 Masters 10 Km Championships with a 43:11. Teppo has not competed nationally in recent years, but she took top 65-69 honors at a 5K race in January of this year in 23:36 and in a 10K race in July with 46:09. Teppo gave her a battle but Siegler, on her home Northern California turf, was too tough. Siegler enjoyed the hard-fought victory in 22:55. Teppo finished a half minute later in second. Sleavin, a fine runner, could not keep pace with those two extraordinary runners. But Sleavin claimed the bronze medal in 24:09, finishing nearly 300 meters ahead of the rest of the field. Sleavin's teammate, Kay Pinkstaff, finished fourth in 25:41.
Joanie Siegler 22:55 Jennifer Teppo 23:20 Kathi Sleavin 24:09
70-74 Cynthia Long Lake Merrit J&S, Ruth Rainero Impala, and long's teammate, Sharlet Gilbert, met at the Matt Yeo XC race this October. Long finished first at 35:33, with Rainero almost two minutes behind. Gilbert finished a half minute behind Rainero. Gilbert last competed at a national championship race in 2022 when she finished fifth W70 in a loaded field at the 10-Mile Championships in Sacramento CA. Gilbert clocked 55:37 for a 10K in January. The only other runner who appeared to be competitive was another Lake Merritt runner, Suzette Smith. Smith did not compete at the Matt Yeo race but finished fourth W65 at the April 2025 Alameda Hospital Run 10K in 1:00:33. The Matt Yeo race was, as one would expect, a good predictor of the outcome here in San Francisco. Long took the win at 28:11. Rainero made it closer this time, finishing just 38 seconds back in second. Smith had a good day, overtaking Gilbert and inserting herself in the bronze medal spot just 17 seconds behind Rainero. Gilbert kept the rest of the field far behind her, finishing fourth in 30:26.
Cynthia Long 28:11 Ruth Rainero 28:49 Suzette Smith 29:06
75-79 There are three entries in this division, all mainstays from the Impala Racing Team, Irene Herman, Arlene McCarthy, and Nelda Williams. Herman and Williams finished 3rd and 5th respectively at Tacoma last December. McCarthy led the way for the team at the Matt Yeo XC race on October 25th at 37:17, with Herman second at 38:35 and Williams at 46:13. Those gaps were big enough that the result here on Saturday seemed likely to yield the same order of finish. And that is what happened. McCarthy strode to victory in 28:59. Herman was a solid second at 31:36. Williams closed things out for the team with her 34:42 in third place.
Arlene McCarthy 28:59 Irene Herman 31:36 Nelda Williams 34:42
80-84 Bridie Dillon CA ran Dipsea two years ago at the age of 78, no mean feat! Edda Stickle Tamalpa won the W80 division in 43:59 at Club Cross in San Francisco in 2022. She did not compete in Tacoma. She did win at the 3K Kenwood Footrace this past summer in 11:50. Stickle battled her way to the win. When Stickle crossed the finish line at 36:43, Dilon was fewer than a hundred meters back.
Edda Stickle 36:43 Bridie Dillon 37:24
TEAMS
WOMEN Note: The finishing position of each team's first three scoring runners are recorded and summed. The team with the lowest score wins.
When a Cross Country championship is hosted in northern California, the Impala Racing is always a threat to sweep the Women's titles. They almost did so.
70+ Impala was unopposed in W70+. Ruth Rainero, Arlene McCarthy, Irene Herman and Nelda Williams delivered the goods.
Impala Racing 6 R Rainero, A McCarthy, I Herman, N Williams Avg = 29:48
60+ Hronn Gudmundsdottir gave the Impala 60+ team a strong start, finishing first, but this was Impala's toughest challenge. Club Northwest brought a strong team consisting of Kathi Sleavin, Michelle Neal and Kay Pinkstaff. They had finished 2nd to the Impala's 3rd place at Tacoma last December. Sleavin and Neal finished 2nd and 3rd in the team competition, just ten seconds apart. Suzanne Bryan was impala's 2nd scoring athlete at 5th. But when Kay Pinkstaff finished 7th for Northwest, that closed thing off. Northwest had the win, 12-20 once Jennifer Redmond closed off Impala's scoring at 14th. Lake Merritt J&S edged Empire Runners Club for third, 29 to 31.
Club Northwest 12 K Sleavin, M Neal, K Pinkstaff Avg = 24:43
Impala Racing 20 H Gudmundsdottir, S Bryan, J Redmond 24:54
Lake Merritt J &S 29 K Sepetys, J Holmlund, M Briones, D Cramer, R Vinckey 26:25
50+ Impala had no trouble in this division as they went 1-2-3 with Chris Lundy, Liz Gottlieb, and Megan Kossar for a perfect 6-point win. The Santa Cruz TC claimed 2nd ahead of Impala's B-team.
Impala Racing-A 6 C Lundy, E Gottlieb, M Kossar, J Buyyounouski, P Shore Avg = 20:59
Santa Cruz 22 K Cohen, R Young, M Hayes, V Shepardson 25:00
Impala Racing-B 28 G Wahl, A Longworth, M Holmes 26:59
40+ The Wolfpack Running Club gave Impala Racing a scare but, in the end, Impalas took home the win. Clara Peterson and Ashley Carroll gave Impala a good start at 2-3. But Wolfpack answered with Chloe Glare-Conti and Claire Saxton finishing 4th and 5th. But Jullie Ann Dougery was just 16 seconds behind Saxton in 6th. That gave the Impalas the close-out they needed. They took the win 11-19. HOKA Aggies asked Patricia Bellan and Denise Ripley form the 60's to drop down and run with Jenny Kadavy on their 40's team. With Kadavy taking the #1 finish and Bellan and Ripley 8th and 12, HOKA was almost able to catch the Wolfpack team. They fended off Pamakids to take third, 21 to 31.
Impala Racing 11 C Peterson, A Carroll, J A Dougery Avg = 19:20
Wolfpack RC 19 C Glare-Conti, C Saxton, C Temmins, I Rosenblum, L Renteria 21:00
HOKA Aggies 21 J Kadavy, P Bellan, D Ripley 21:19
MEN Note: For M40+ and 50+ contests, the finishing position of each team's first five scoring runners are recorded and summed. The team with the lowest score wins. For M60+ and 70+it is the same but only the first three scoring runners are counted.
The West Valley Track Club is dominant in the 40"s and 50's but does not yet enter a team in the two older divisions.
40+ With no teams from other regions stepping up to challenge, West Valley Team A runners took the first nine spots in the team competition. That gave them a perfect 15 points. After Juan Rivera of West Valley J&S claimed 10th, the B-team of West Valley TC took the next four spots as well. West Valley TC A, B, and C teams took the top three team finishes.
West Valley TC-A 15 M Richards, J Charlesworth, D DeMartini. K Knutsen, T Haxton, B Lighthall, M Fraioli. C Scarinzi, J Gifford Avg = 16:07
West Valley TC-B 70 B Koss, E Breen, R Lyon, A Crawford, M Broom 17:33
West Valley TC-C 105 M Cadete, T Ross, S Tydlaska, R Fairles, G Loeffler 19:10
50+ West Valley was almost as dominant in this division, earning another perfect 15-point win by rolling to a 1-2-3-4-5 finishing sequence. They relinquished 6th place and then took 7th and 8th. Santa Crux took the 9th finishing spot and their other four runners finished within 1:16 in 14th, 16th, 19th and 20th. That gave them the 78 points they needed to keep the top two team positions to California squads. The Atlanta Track Club brought a very solid 50's team. Their top runner finished 6th and their 2nd and 3rd runners finished within a second of each other in 11th and 12th. They fell off after that but still claimed a team podium spot. They edged the Pamakids team for third place by a single point! All five runners came through! The bronze medals made the long trip from Georgia worthwhile.
West Valley 15 N Davey, T Rose, J Marsh, J Backstrom, C Mullane, C Azerki, I Lieben, J Anguiano, E Randolph Avg = 17:03
Santa Cruz TC 78 R Gilliam, K Chu, G Green, J Soares, C Koontz 19:17
Atlanta TC 93 A Black. B Sydow, B Slavens, C Cadiou, R Carter 21:00
60+ SRA Elite took care of business. They finished 1-3-5 to take the win with a nifty 9 points! The San Luis Distance Club was just as firmly in possession of the silver medals with their 4-8-9 finish. Their 21 points gave them a 13-point margin over the third place team. It was much closer for third place. Pamakids, Tamalpa, and Empire RC finished 3rd, 4th and 5th with 34, 37 and 42 points respectively.
SRA Elite 9 S Lacrosse, I Mickle, M Murray, T Baucom Avg=19:15
San Luis DC 21 D Jansen, A Lopez, D Long, K Cooper 20:49
Pamakids 34 M Chasse, J Flanagan, J Spriggs, M Gully 22:15
70+ The Tamalpa Runners knew that Atlanta was likely to have the top scoring runner and had good support. Tamalpa felt their top four would likely run solid enough races to overcome that advantage. Atlanta did take the top spot. But Tamalpa had the 2nd and 4th finishers in before Atlanta's 2nd runner came across at #5. Tied at six, it was all up to the third runner now. Tamalpa only needed to wait 46 seconds. Their third runner claimed the 6th spot; their fourth runner was just 12 seconds back in 7th. That gave Tamalpa the win with 12 points. Atlanta's third runner finished 14th. That allowed Atlanta to keep all other teams at bay; they earned silver medals. Santa Cruz TC placed their athletes 3rd, 9th, and 17th for 29 points and third place. San Luis DC and River City Rebels were close behind in 4th and 5th with 34 and 38 points, respectively.
Tamalpa Runners 12 P Herrerias, J Hirschberger, D Porteous, K Duncan, J Flanagan Avg = 23:11
Atlanta Track Club 20 R Becker, J Learned, N Feather 24:30
Santa Cruz Track Club 29 W Menchine, G Bostrom, J Hofacre, N Cornwell 25:41
80+ The Tamalpa Runners had this division to themselves. But they still needed three finishers. Len Goldman, Fred Martin, and Elmo Shropshire got .the job done. But they had Donald Hillebrandt jog-walking the course (after recovering from surgery) in case any o f the first three ran into trouble. Tamalpa enjoyed a perfect 6-point victory.
Tamalpa Runners L Goldman, F Martin, E Shropshire, D Hillebrandt Avg = 30:46
It was an exciting day of racing at Golden Gate Park! According to reports, the meet was well organized and executed. The weather cooperated as well. This was the final race in the 2025 Masters Grand Prix circuit. An upcoming post will review the Grand Prix results.
In most years, the new Grand Prix year kicks off with Club Cross in December. Because of World Cross Country Championships requirements, the USATF Cross Country Council had to flip Clubs with Cross Nationals, typically held in January. The next Masters National Championship, therefore, is the USATF Cross Country Championships at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, OR on Sunday, December 7th, held the day following Nike Cross Nationals for High School athletes. The Open and U20 selection races for World Cross are also to be held that Saturday on the Glendoveer course. Look for a preview of those Masters Championships on this blog, the week of December 1st through 4th.
Sources: USATF Events website, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, and Facebook.--Plus one 'interview' via Starva messaging.
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