November 5, 2026
Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story previewing the middle and long distance races at the 2026 WMA Championships in Daegu, South Korea, I preview and recap most USATF Masters LDR Championships. I report on middle distance events at 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 recap Masters performances in major marathons and other iconic road races 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. Clicking on that provides a way for you to express your appreciation for the work that goes into these articles. Shout out here to recent supporters, Matt B-C, John H (2), Lorilynn B, Bryan H, Brendan, cush, Gary G, Jan F, Aaron T-L, Ken Y, Peter W, Dan K, Suzanne L B, Michael M, Ed B, Dana H, John B, Bill A (2), John & Amy M, Jay L, Tim L, Mike M, Donna M & Victor V, Vanessa L, Ken Y, Rick L and Kathy H. May you have good speed in 2026! and beyond!
The 2026 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships, held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park last year, are in the Southeast US at the John Hunt Park Cross Country course in Huntsville, AL. According to the Huntsville Sports Commission, the course is hosting the NCAA Div II South regional this year, after hosting the same championship in 2024 and the Division I South Regional last year. According to the City of Huntsville, "The championship caliber cross-country course is a 10-meter wide, manicured grass surface course over rolling hills, with multiple spurred loops providing options for 2-mile, 5K, 6K, 8K, & 10K distances."
The weather forecast is also favorable. The Women's Race is at 8:30 AM CST with the Men starting at 9:30 AM CST. The temperatures should be in the mid-50's for the Women, and upper 50's for the Men. With cloudy skies, no rain and little wind, the forecasted conditions are very fine for XC. They are expecting over an inch of rain on Wednesday. But with two days to dry out, the footing should still be good.
Who is in for Huntsville so far and what are their prospects? My entry list of 131 participants is up to date as of: Thursday, Nov 5th at 11:50AM. [Registration is open until 5 PM Nov 5.]
OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
MEN Nicholas Kipruto has had a great year on the roads, winning overall championships at the USATF Masters 10 Km, 4 Mile, and 5Km. He has had a tougher time at the Cross Country Championships. On an off day in Portland at the 2025 USATF XC Championships, over 10K, he fell out of the top ten. At last year's 5 Km XC Championships at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Kipruto had a good outing. But when Malcolm Richards made a move, late in the race, Kipruto could not go with him. He wound up third after Neil McDonagh threw down a late kick to finish within a second of Richards. More importantly, Joseph Gray is entered. Gray won in Portland last year and has not yet lost a Masters competition on the turf or the roads. Gray, the former World Mountain Running Champion, is the favorite to take the overall crown. Kipruto is a strong favorite for second place. The task f chasing those two around the course and sorting out third through fifth likely falls to Daniel DeMartini, and John Poray, out of M45, and David Angell, newly of M50.
Start of the Masters Men's 8 Km Race at the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX Photo By Kierra Eyiuche Imagun Images
DeMartini finished 6th at last year's 5 Km XC Championships in San Francisco at 16:15, finishing a half minute behind Kipruto. Poray finished second at Overall at the 2021 edition of these championships held at the Franklin Park course in Boston MA. At the 2023 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee, In December of that year, Poray's 12th place finish overall at Club Cross in Tallahassee, helped his team to the M40+ win. Coming off an injury last year, Poray still finished 20th overall in 34:49. Poray's recent results include a 16:05 5K and 1:12:15 at the Indy Mini Marathon in May. Angell finished third Overall at the 2018 Club Cross Championships in Spokane WA. He did not make the trip to Portland last year but finished fifth overall, over 8 Km, at the 2024 USATF XC Championships in Lubbock TX at 28:41. He has battled injuries the last couple of years. But his recent outings have included a 16:44 5K in Virginia and running 16:44 on a hilly Atlanta course to finish tenth Overall. After Gray and Kipruto, it probably makes sense to go with DeMartini to finish off the podium, given his strong result in San Francisco last year. But DeMartini has not participated in the Pacific Association Grand Prix this fall, which raises some questions. That suggests there may be hope for Poray and Angell to break onto the podium.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Daniel DeMartini Joseph Gray Nicholas Kipruto
Start of the Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2026 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michael Scott
WOMEN Michele Yates is a strong favorite for the win. She finished third Overall at the 2024 Masters 5 km Championships in Lubbock, at 18:27. She finished second overall at last year's Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, running 19:01. [That course was long, so Yates's time might have been a half minute or more faster.] At this point, Yates's chief competition likely comes out of the 50-54 division. Lorilynn Bloomer finished twelve seconds behind Yates in that 2025 Masters 5 km Championship.
Start of the Masters Women's Race at the 2026 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michael Scott
Like Yates, Bloomer, is also strong at Cross Country. Bloomer won the Masters Women's Overall race at the 2020 USATF XC Championships at the Mission Bay course in San Diego. At the 2026 Masters 5 km Championships, held in Atlanta on October 25th, Bloomer finished third Overall at 19:04. Dana Hayden finished just eleven seconds behind Bloomer, 4th Overall. Hayden finished 14th Overall in the Masters Women's race at the 2026 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee last year, running 23:41.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Lorilynn Bloomer Dana Hayden Michele Yates
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| Start of the Women's Race at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boulder CO Photo By Dave Albo |
AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN 40-44 Yates, picked for the Overall win, is the favorite to win W40. See above for details. Lauren Davis finished ninth at these championships last year in San Francisco at 22:56. She finished 5th at the Masters 4 Mile Championships this June in 29:54. Davis was the top 40-44 runner at the recent 5K Championships in Atlanta at 22:34. That is not counting the 1st and 2nd place Overall winners who were both in W40. If new runners enter, Davis will battle with them for 2nd place.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Lauren Davis Michele Yates
45-49 Brooke Novak is the current favorite. At the recent 5K Championships in Atlanta, Novak finished 2nd in the division at 23:35. Vanessa Lordi was a minute and a half behind her in 3rd. At Club Cross in Tallahassee this [past January, Novak finished 12th in 31:26. Lordi was about a minute and a half back in 13th with her 33:03. Belmont Boswell is a wild card from the Trail Running area of the sport. Her most recent result in Athlinks is from 2021. At the Tranquility Lake Trail Race (6 Mi), Boswell finished 8th in W45. It is hard to judge how she fares relative to more traditional road and turf runners like Novak and Lordi. There is no reason to suggest she should finish ahead of either, but Boswel could surprise. Unless there are additional entrants, all three will be on the podium.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Belmont Boswell Vanessa Lordi Brooke Novak
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| Start of Women's Race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Boca Raton FL Photo By Michael Scott |
50-54 Bloomer and Hayden are favored to go 3-4 Overall. Se above for details. They are the favorites to go 1-2 in this division. Kathy Wiegand is perhaps favored to take the bronze medal. She just finished 3rd in W50 at the 5 Km Championships with her 21:28. Wiegand's 27:55 left her in 11th place in W50. Alysia Puma finished 14th in the same race, at 28:43. On a good day, Puma could push Wiegand. Barbara Bass who, back in 2020, ran a few 5K's in the 21-minute range, could also be in the chase.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Lorilynn Bloomer Dana Hayden Kathy Wiegand
55-59 Right now it looks like this is a rematch of Hopkins vs Huggins, except this time on grass. Two weeks ago, Katherine Huggins enjoyed the edge, finishing 3rd W55 in 21:33 at the 5 km Championships. Rachel Hopkins was just nine seconds back in 4th. Hopkins has run in more national championships on the turf. For example, Hopkins finished 5th in this division at Club Cross earlier this year. Hopkins's turf experience gives her an edge. But Huggins has been running very well recently at distances from the 1 Mile up through the Marathon. And she has the recent 5Km result to give her confidence. it looks like a fascinating race, essentially a toss-up at this point. Julie King and Maureen Massell should battle for third place. At Club Cross in January, King finished 11th in this division, a half minute ahead of Massell. I will use that result to add King to the podiu, recognizing that Massell could easily run better this time.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Rachel Hopkins Katherine Huggins Julie King
60-64 As in Atlanta, Suzanne La Burt enters as the favorite. She was worried about a niggling calf problem in Atlanta, but it worked out fine. La Burt not only won her age division in 20:41, she took the Women's age grading crown. So far, La Burt continues to dominate in W60.Her 25:31, over 6K, gave her the W60 win at the most recent Club Cross competition in Tallahassee this past January. The closest challenger seems to be Noriko Charnley who finished 3rd at Atlanta but was over 45 seconds behind La Burt. Kris Huff, who won this division at the 4 Mile Championships with her 28:00, finished 5th W60 in Atlanta two weeks ago, at 22:10. Pamela Ricker could challenge Huff for the bronze medal but did finish 45 seconds behind her in Atlanta. La Burt-Charnley-Huff seems the most likely finishing order. But it should be a good race, and the most likely outcome is never a guarantee.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Noriko Charnley Kris Huff Suzanne La Burt
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| Start of Masters Women's Race at the 2022 USATF Club Cross Country Championships at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA Photo By Pam Fales |
65-69 Lesley Hinz and Mireille Silva finished 5th and 6th at Atlanta in the 5K Championships, at 24:16 and 25:23. Hinz has had a good year on the Grand prix circuit. She started out in January with a 28:39 W65 win at Tallahassee, finishing a minute ahead of Donna Grocki. After finishing third at the Road Mile Championships in Des Moines, Hinz enjoyed a fine W65 win at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA, running 46:26. Hinz was, arguably, off her best at Atlanta. But, even so, would be favored over Silva. If Hinz has a nagging issue preventing her from running at her top level, it is possible that Grocki, who was not in Atlanta, could push her.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Donna Grocki Lesley Hinz Mireille Silva
70-74 Margaret Taylor should come in ahead of Trenice Mullis Dubow. Taylor's timeat the recent 5K championships in Atlanta, 27:35, was three minutes faster than Dubow's time. But GVH entered this week and one of the entries was Sharon Moore, who has long excelled, especially in Cross Country. I cannot find very recent road results for her. But I know she has been running regularly this fall in GVH's Pete Glavin Cross Country series, winning her 70-79 age division, typically unopposed. At 2024 Club Cross in Tacoma, Moore finished second W70. Taylor did not run in that event. But both Moore and Taylor did run at 2021 Club Cross in Tallahassee. Moore won W65 that year. Taylor also ran well that year, finishing fourth, about a minute behind Moore. Those facts are certainly not decisive but are enough for me to suggest that Moore is a favorite to win on Saturday. But Taylor is likely to give her a strong run for that title.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Trenice Mullis Dubow Sharon Moore Margaret Taylor
75-79 Kathleen Allen, Norma Hudnall, and Carol Patterson all ran in Atlanta at the 5 Km Championships two weeks ago. Hudnall won in 27:56, with Allen second in 33:14, and Patterson third in 46:19. Those differences are large. Hudnall is even better on the turf. There seems to be no reason to expect anything different than the same finishing order in Huntsville.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Kathleen Allen Norma Hudnall Carol Patterson
80-84 The last time Myrna Barnett and Catherine Radle ran in the same national championship was the 5 Km in Atlanta in 2024. That time Radle prevailed, just by nine seconds, in 36:06. This past May, they both ran in the Northside Hospital Women's 5K. Barnett prevailed by 22 seconds in 50:23. That suggests they are likely to run close to each other again, perhaps side by side for much of the race? Races and Time being what they are, most likely one of them will finish ahead of the other. But they will have both had a good time, I hope, and won another victory, just by getting to the finish line.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Myrna Barnett Catherine Radle
85-89 Talk about enjoying a victory just by getting to the finish line. Joyce Hodges-Hite is expected to do that, once again. She is the only entrant so it will be an official victory as well as a personal one. Hodges-Hite already has the 2026 W85 Grand Prix wrapped up. She can get to another perfect 500 points by winning on Saturday.
Podium Favorite:
Joyce Hodges-Hite
MEN 40-44 Gray, Kipruto, and DeMartini are picked to go 1-2-3 Overall. See above for details. They should, at the same time, finish 1-2-3 in this division. Should any of those three be off for some reason, Andy Crawford is expected to run a strong race. He finished 39th Overall at Clubs in Tallahassee earlier this year. James Sullivan finished less than a half minute behind Crawford in that race. He could also factor into this division.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Daniel DeMartini Joseph Gray Nicholas Kipruto
45-49 I have Poray factoring into the Overall race, likely to finish in the top five. He should win this division. See above for details. Adrian Herrera looks pretty solid for second place. He finished fifth in M40 at the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships in Lubbock TX. His time over 8K was 29:59. In a series of 5K races this past summer, Herrera ran between 17:08 and 17:27. Bryan Hendricks appears to be a safe bet for the bronze medal. His 18:25 two weeks ago in Atlanta earned him 6th place in this division. At Club Cross earlier this year, Hendricks finished 18th in M45 at 38:42.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Bryan Hendricks Adrian Herrera John Poray
Start of the Men's Race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL Photo By Michael Scott
50-54 David Angell is mentioned in the Overall section as a likely top five finisher. See above for details. He is the favorite to take this division crown. The battle for the other spots on the podium should feature Timothy Hebert, Gary Moore, and Christopher Hernandez. Two weeks ago at the 5 Km Championships, they finished in that order in 17:55, 18:01, and 18:19. With less than a half minute between them and turf outcomes sometimes differing from the rods, I would just look forward to a great race between the three. At Tallahassee, over 10 Km on the turf this January, Moore finished 13th M50 in 38:15. We know Moore can run XC but we lack a direct comparison as neither Hebert nor Hernandez were entered there. But finding no recent XC results for either, I use Moore's Club Cross result to suggest that gives him an edge he might not have had on the roads. I will go with the Atlanta result to suggest hebert has a better shot at the final podium spot than Hernandez.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
David Angell Timothy Hebert Gary Moore
55-59 Athletes who have recently given Gregory Putnam a challenge, like Shane Anthony and Mark Andrews, are not entered. Putnam is having a great year with recent national championships wins at 10K, at 35:20; 4 Mile, at 22:35, and the 5 km at 17:16. Anthony got the better of him at Tallahassee on the turf. But 37:04 over 10 km of turf is still pretty fair running! If all is well with Putnam, the battle for the siver and bronze is probably between David Guzik and Brad Slavens, who finished within two seconds of one another in Atlanta two weeks ago, in 18:14 and 18:16, respectively. Slavens has recent Cross Country national championship experience which could help him. He finished 9th at 2025 Cross Nationals in Portland OR last December, running 33:38 over 8 km. This past January he ran 40:47 over 8 km to finish 26th in M55 at Club Cross. Depending on current fitness and how the day unfolds, Jason Newport and Ryan Shrum appear to be top five and could make things interesting. The data shows that Putnam is the likely winner. It is a toss-up between Guzik and Slavens. I give Slavens a slight edge due to his XC experience.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
David Guzik Gregory Putnam Brad Slavens
60-64 Two weeks ago in Atlanta, Dean Thompson was a surprise M60 winner, ahead of Mark Hixson and Nat Larson. Will he be able to repeat that feat on the turf? If so, that would be another surprise. Although he may still not be back to full fitness, Larson is a multiple time Masters Harrier of the Year. He won M60 at the 2025 Masters 5 km XC at San Francisco last Noveember. He finished second M60 at 2024 Club Cross in Tacoma, behind Steve Schmidt. Larson did not run at Tallahassee in 2026 Clubs this past January but the other two did. Hixson was seventh M60 in 31:30 and Thompson was 15th at 32:24. Alejandro Heuck wi rejoin his teammates, Hixson and larson, for this outing. After spending some time on rehab, Heuck is ready to contribute. Will he be at the same level he was in January. If so, he would be a big factor. He finished sixth at Tallahassee, one of the rare times he has beaten Hixson on the turf. Strong runners like Lester Dragstedt and Mike Nier will mostly be looking for top five finishes and low points for their teams. At Tallahassee, Dragstedt was 12th in 32:05. Nier was 17th in 32:54.The stars were aligned for Thompson in Atlanta. If he can repeat that M60 win in Huntsville it would be an amazing two weeks! I have to give Larson the edge just because he wins on the turf so often. After that it could go either way. But it should be another terrific duel on the turf with the winner coming out of this trio.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Mark Hixson Nat Larson Dean Thompson
Start of the Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo By Michael Scott
65-69 Rick Lee has to be the favorite. Fresh off his M65 win in Atlanta at 18:04, which also gave him the top Men's Age Grading PLP of 91.83, finishing three tenths of a percentage point ahead of Larson. Lee is known for racing over all distances from the 1 Mile to the 50 Mile. The American M60 Record Holder at the 50K and 50 Mile, Lee, this year, set the American record for the 1 Mile and the M65 World Record for the steeplechase on the track. Naturally, Lee has also competed in Cross Country. In Tallahassee earlier this year, though in his final year in the division, Lee finished 4th M60 in 31:01. In December 2023, Lee finished 6th at Club Cross, also in Tallahassee, in 30:43. Two talented teammates, Doug Keller and Roger Sayre, will give chase. At Tallahassee this January, Keller ran 32:45, finishing well back from Lee, 4th in M65. Sayre was another 14 seconds back, 5th in M65. Keller ran 18:57 at the fast Brian Kraft 5K in May. He followed that with an M65 bronze medal at the 4 Mile Championships in Peoria the next month. Sayre finished two seconds behind Keller at the Kraft 5K but won the M65 4 Mile championship in 24:51, two minutes faster than Keller. Athlinks does not have any results for Keller since June. Sayre finished an active summer with a 1:25:15 at the City of Lakes Half marathon iin mid-September. He ran a 38:49 10K at the TC marathon in early October. Sayre appears ready to run well. Keller could be here primarily to support the team effort. My reading of Keller's Strava posts is that he is ready to run but not to race at full tilt. Perhaps that is wrong? Mark Assini could work his way onto the podium if Keller is a bit off still. Assini finished second M65 in Atlanta, running 20:26 on that challenging, hilly course. William 'Hugh' Enicks, is always competitive. He has been running his recent 5K's in the low 20's and his 10K's in the 41 to 43 minute range. In 2022, he finished 34th overall in the M60+ race, about a minute and a half behind Sayre who finished 15th overall, fourteen seconds ahead of Keller. I am going with lee for the win. He has run well recently and, except for switching his focus to the upcoming Tunnel Hill100K, should be as ready as ever. His 100-mile training week [10/25 through 11/1] should have him all set, no doubt! After that it should be Sayre. I would guess Assini after that, and, possibly, Enicks but Keller could definitively surprise me.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Mark Assini Rick Lee Roger Sayre
70-74 The main contenders are Jack Pottle, Kevin Dollard, Harod Leddy, and Ken Youngers. At the 5 km Championships two weeks ago, Pottle overtook Youngers just before the finish line and crossed it a fraction of a second ahead. Pottle was awarded first but Pottle and Youngers received the same official time, 20:29. Leddy was third at 21:14, with Dollard fourth at 21:29. That is the most recent evidence but it iss from a road race and this is on grass. Is there any recent cross country evidence to help us out? At Club Cross last January, over 8 Km, Dollard finished second at 35:21, with Pottle third at 35:29 and Leddy fourth at 35:40. None of these four made the trip to San Francisco in 2025 to compete in the Masters 5 Km XC that year. The year before when the 5 Km XC was in Boulder CO, Youngers finished third in 20:05. Pottle finished seventh in 21:22. The altitude for that race should have favored Pottle so it is significant that Youngers was able to come in ahead of Pottle. But without knowing whether Pottle was coming off an injury or had other training challenges, one can easily make too much of that. And it was two years ago now. On the other hand, Youngers can draw on that during the race on Saturday. For another comparison between Dollard, Leddy and Pottle on the turf, one can turn to 2025 Cross Nationals in Portland OR, also over 8 Km. There is, of course, a caveat. Those championships were held on a soggy, rainy day with lots of wind and some mud. So it may not be too relevant for Saturday in Huntsville where the footing should be good and there is no rain in the forecast. Still, we can observe that it was another close race. Dollard won in 37:26, with Leddy following three seconds later, and Pottle third at 37:56. However you look at it, this divisional race will be a 'barn-burner'. May the fastest athlete win! It seems to be a toss p between Pottle and Youngers for the win. But there is no room for error. It appears, based on recent evidence that Leddy may be a slight favorite over his teammate for third. But any permutation of these four could be the final outcome.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Harold Leddy Jack Pottle Ken Youngers
Start of Men's Race at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Boulder CO Photo By Dave Albo
75-79 In this division it is time to run the Bell vs. Morrison show again. On the roads, Morison got two early wins. He won M75 at the 1 Mile, where he beat Bell by three seconds in 6:34. Bell did not make the trip to Dedham MA to compete in the Masters 10 Km Championships; Morrison won in 46:02. Bell and Morrison met again at the 4 Mile Championships, with Bell winning by 50 seconds in 29:09. It was closer in Atlanta two weeks ago, with Bell taking the win by 12 seconds in 22:41! This rematch will be on grass. When they met at Tallahassee on the turf this past January, Bell took the honors, coming in a minute ahead of Morrison. Late in their M70 stints, Bell came in third M70 in 37:43; Morrison was 44 seconds back in fourth. We know it will be close and we know that Morrison is one of the grittiest competitors around. But the data do seem to favor Bell. He has the recent wins on the roads, and he has the history of wins on the turf. That suggests Bell has the edge coming in. But to be fair, I should note that, at 2024 Cross Nationals in Richmond VA, Morrison came in ahead of Bell on the turf. Morrison definitely could win. Kirk Larson, fresh from cheering on the Emory University Eagles (that he has mentored this year as an honorary Assistant Coach) at the UAA XC Championships in Chicago last weekend, is the likely M75 bronze medalist. Larson finished third two weeks ago in Atlanta 23:50. He did not run in Tallahassee last January but has a long history on the turf. In 2023, for example, Larson finished behind Bell but ahead of Morrison, at Cross Nationals in Richmond VA. No one else who is entered is likely to be close.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Doug Bell Kirk Larson Don Morrison
80-84 It would be surprising if the top three in order this coming weekend is different from the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. Gary Pattoon won in 24:45. Przemyslaw 'Przemek' Nowicki finished second at 27:29, with William Shaffer just under three minutes further back in 30:19. The gaps between those three are large enough to be sustained this weekend. At the same time, I, Paul Carlin, fourth in Atlanta, was the only runner from this group within a minute of Shaffer and it does not make sense for me to compete in Huntsville. Perhaps we will enjoy another race together in Ohio at Club Cross.
Podium Favorites in Alphabetical Order:
Przemek Nowicki Gary Patton William Shaffer
85-89 Roland Cormier returns to competition after skipping Atlanta. After finishing second in M85 at the 10 Km Championships in April, Cormier won M85 at the Four Mile Championships in June.
Podium Favorite:
Roland Cormier
90-94 Sid Davis is the lone entrant. He was entered in Atlanta two weeks ago but did not appear in the results. I am not certain if he will make this trip. But, if he does, he will surely win.
Podium Favorite:
Sid Davis
AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Age Grading Performance Level Percentage PLP is derived from global road running data. It represents an estimate of how fast a given athlete's time is for the fastest possible time for an athlete of that age and sex. It is used by USATF to compare the comparison of athletes across multiple age divisions. The athlete with the highest PLP has run faster for their age (to the single year of age) than any other.
MEN Athletes entered here who have done well at recent championships include, from the Atlanta 5 Km Championships, Rick Lee PLP = 91.83, Nat Larson 91.51, and Dean Thompson 90.37, who finished 1-2-3, in that order. Kipruto, who won the Overall race, was not far back at 89.93. And Larson's teammate, Mark Hixson, followed at 89.11. It is probably worth mentioning that Larson has, typically, been at his best on the Cross Country turf and has won multiple Masters Harrier of the Year Awards. Whether that will be true in a year in which Larson has had a bit of up and down due to nagging injury is a question. But Larson did finish 2nd in age grading at last year's 5 km XC Championships in San Francisco; he is always a threat to win. Lee was sixth in age grading at Tallahassee; no one who finished ahead of him then is entered this weekend. So Lee is a threat to win on the turf too. Others who might well factor into the race include Roger Sayre, second at Cross Nationals in Lubbock; Joseph Gray, fifth at Lubbock; and Gregory Putnam 10th at Tallahassee.
WOMEN Suzanne La Burt won age grading in Atlanta two weeks ago at 91.86%. Lorilynn Bloomer was second at 88.86%. Looking back to Club Cross at Tallahassee earlier this year, La Burt was second in age grading at 88.82%, with Lesley Hinz four percentage points back in fifth place. Few of the entrants here competed at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in San Francisco ast fall. But Pamela Ricker did, finishing ninth in age grading there. Michele Yates, Rachel Hopkins, and Katherine Huggins cold also contend for age grading honors.
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
There are Grand Prix places at stake. The following statements represent my summary of the implications.
As this is the final event of the Cross Country season, there are some team and individual races that will determine the make-up of the Grand Prix podiums. Foremost among these are:
Teams M40+ West Valley 200 GP pts, Tracksmith Boston Hares 190, Garden State 170, and Atlanta 115 all have t3wo events. If any one of those gets a third event and none of the others do, that team wins the M40+ Grand Prix as the only team eligible for an award. If two or moree teams contest the event, the points come into play.
W40+ Atlanta 290 and Shore 290 are tied for first. If both enter teams, the winner also takes the Grand Prix award.
M50+ Atlanta 460 has the GP sewn up. Shore 190 and, potentially, GVH 180 could overtake Twin Cities Running Company 225 for 2nd place if TCRC does not send a team.
W50+ If Shore 350 and Atlanta 285 both field complete teams, they will almost surely finish 1-2. The only threat to GVH 200, currently in third, would be if their cross-state rivals, Checkers AC 155 fielded a team and GVH did not.
M60+ Atlanta 430 has the lead, GVH 400 and Greater Springfield Harriers 400 are tied for second. GSH won one event early in the year but missed a few. They have now won the last three events. If they can win at Huntsville, they win the Grand Prix with 500 points. They do not need to win at Huntsville to in the Grand Prix, but they have to field a complete team and score well. If, for any reason, they fail to field a complete team, they could fall off the podium. GVH could overtake Atlanta if they win at Huntsville. Atlanta has the head-to-head tie-breaker, though, if it comes into play.
W60+ Liberty AC 470 has the lead over Shore 370. If Shore wins, that 100 points ties them with Liberty AC on points. A second place or below leaves Liberty's score at 470. If Shore wins, the head-to-head tie breaker is in their favor. If Liberty AC wins, their total rises to 480 and they win the GP.
M70+ Shore 500 wins the Grand Prix with a perfect score of 5 Wins! Boulder 460 battled them all the way. The best that Boulder can do is to shrink the gap; they would need to win in Huntsville to do that.
W70+ Atlanta TC 490 has the win locked up. The closest competitor is their 'B' squad 260. Atlanta would love to win the final championships and raise their total to 5 wins and a perfect 500 score. They are sending at least one W70+ team.
M80+ Shore 290 has a lead of more than 100 points. Atlanta 170 cannot catch them even if they win in Huntsville.
WOMEN: Shore has two entered in the 50+ divisions and five entered in the 60+ divisions. Atlanta has one entered in 40+ and two in 50+. But they also have five in 60+ and five in 70+. And that doesn't mention their two 80+ runners, who can also run in any of the lower divisions. It looks like Shore can keep their big guns in 60+ to win the overall championship ahead of Liberty AC. They could still, most likely, get a GP win in 50+ and concede 40+ to Atlanta. How Atlanta splits their runners uppinto teams will determine the exact outcomes, no doubt.
MEN: Unless I missed someone or there is a last few hours West Valley entrant, thefe are no possible contenders for the GP win other than Atlanta. Atlanta has four entered in 50+; seven in 60+; and seven in 70+. If West Valley does not enter a third runner, an Atlanta 40+ team, made up of non-essential athletes, dropped from older divisions, would win and give Atlanta the GP win. Even if West Valley gets a third runner, Atlanta would assure itself of second place in the GP with such a team. It looks like the four Chattanooga runners will probably compete against Atlanta in 50+. Greater Springfield is going for the win in 60+, with Atlanta and GVH entering strong teams that will try to deny them the win. Even though the 70+ GP race is done as far as first place goes, Atlanta and GVH will try to keep Shore AC from adding another win. Unless Jim Linn enters for Shore in the last few hours, there is an opening for one of those teams too finish ahead of Shore.
However it shakes out, there will be lots of battles in the trenches to determine the team outcomes. They will all celebrate at the end of the year Awards event after the club Cross races in Ohio on December 12th!
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